Traditions and Celebrations

Seasonal Decor

October 24, 2013

i love the change of seasons.
as the light fades and the cooler weather sets in, we are forced inside a bit more.
routines shift, our meals become warmer and hardier and our home becomes the heart of everything we do.

i like my seasonal “decor” (if i can even really call it that) to reflect the changes happening out in the natural world.
acorns, feathers, pine cones, seed heads and dried grasses adorn shelves and corners.
beautiful edible orange and blue squashes sit on my counter and act as a reminder that fall is here.
i bring out the nutcracker, buy some nuts and we feast on them well past christmas.
windowsills and counter tops begin to fill up with plants that i try to salvage from the frost.
baskets of knitting and blankets become part of the scene and we begin to hunker down for the winter.

i do of course have to satisfy the needs of my girls (who i think secretly wish i was a little more mainstream in the decorating department) by observing that halloween is coming with a few postcards and handmade black cats.

The Joys of Thrifting

October 16, 2013

oh thrifting.
i used to struggle with the guilt about how much i love it. but recently i have embraced the fact that for me it is an art. a creative process. it’s a big part of who i am and how i express myself and my style in both my wardrobe and in my home. but most importantly it brings me a lot of joy!

i like having things that no one else has. i like finding other creative uses for things. i like recycling and giving things another life. i like the hunt. i like old, well made things. i like the history and the story these things hold. i like mixing these finds in with our handmade crafts and what we find out in the natural world and tying it all together to tell our own story.

creating a home filled with things that i love is something i grew up with. my mother instilled in us an appreciation for beautiful useful things even down to your dustpan and broom.

above are a few things found on a thrifting adventure yesterday.

:: a cream colored cable sweater with toggle closure. a new color for me!
:: wool fringed checked scarf. a small square sized one perfect for one knot around the neck.
:: rust cabled gloves. to match the new fallen leaves.
:: wooden spindle chair to pair with hannah’s desk. plan to make a little cushion for it.
:: an old wooden scoop used as a shelf in my kitchen for now but also to be used to hold napkins and utensils when hosting dinner and parties.

The Great Media Garage Sale

September 8, 2013

we had a fun time today selling at the great media garage sale.
our street was a wall to wall yard sale and it was great fun meeting new people and seeing old friends as they stopped by to peruse and chat.

we sold a bunch of things and gave lots of tours of our backyard too.
i wasn’t much in the mood this year to look around. but i did buy two sweet hand made appliqued pillows made by my neighbor’s daughter to give to the girls for christmas.

the highlight of my day was meeting a blog reader and her lovely family who stopped by to say hi (and even buy a few things).
it was so nice to meet you tracey. i am so glad your husband said something;)

A Get-away Cottage

August 26, 2013

these were the last two photos i took before we headed home yesterday.
it was a blissful week with absolutely perfect weather!

we spent the week with my parents, my sister and nephew. (the first photo is of the grandkiddoes and their grandfather, Bop.) our good friends have a house across the lake from the one we rent which makes for great fun paddling back and forth for play, dinner and drinks and late night card games and bonfires.

days were spent swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, reading, knitting, crafting, going on walks, picnicing in the cemetery, foraging for wild flowers, apples and berries, playing board games and cards and dreaming of our own lake house one day.

we ventured off mid week to the town of Honesdale for some antiquing and a library book sale.
we stopped for lunch at a little art gallery/cafe to find the atmosphere homey and quirky and the food delicious.
we all shared 6 pieces of dessert…. 2 slices of peach crisp ,2 slices of upside down apple crumble and 2 slices of pink lady cake (all made with locally handpicked fruits). we drank 2 pots of teas and then headed back to the lake for a swim and a nap.

it’s a magical place. i felt it the first time i laid eyes on it 6 years ago.
it is one of the the only places i dread leaving. being a homebody that says a lot.

we have been trying to buy a particular piece of land on the lake with a little cottage for a year now.
we have hit a few bumps along the way but we still have hope and keep dreaming and drawing up plans of making it our own.

living in a small home with a small property right in the center of town is perfect for us.
but having a getaway cottage less than 3 hours away surrounded by farmland, a 60 acre lake and woodlands full of mountain laurels and pine. with beavers, and wide mouth bass below and great blue herons and bald eagles above. with enough land for fruit trees and brambles, beehives and a cob oven. where it’s at least 10 degrees cooler and you need a quilt at night even in july. where the night sky is dripping with stars you didn’t even know existed. where you can sled and skate and cross country ski and fish through the ice to the water you were diving in to just a few months ago. this place, this cottage on the lake… well that would be a dream.

a dream that i know one day we will make come true.

what dreams have you made come true? being inspired by the dreams of others will help keep me motivated!