Ribbon, pins and back breaking work

Choosing curtains I find to be very difficult.  Hemming them I find to be a nightmare.

Growing up we had sheers and then lace.  I have always loved the look of lace and had it in just about every window in this house.  Last year my dear brother told me to "get rid of the lace" and I thought maybe it was time.

Easter and a 2nd Birthday

This Easter was eggstra special as flounder turned 2!!   We celebrated with our annual Easter egg hunt, dinner and some chocolate pudding cake.  It was by far one of the best deserts I had in a long time...and a really nice time with family.  

Painted eggs from Ariel

Love my vintage post card

and the Easter Bunny from my Nana

The sounds of Spring

Happy Spring everyone.  It is going to be a crazy warm week here with temperatures over the 20's.  The snow is almost melted in our yard.  There will be no more toboggan rides.
My husband is chopping at the bit to rake the yard and pull out the lawn furniture.
It's only March 18th I said on Sunday!  It could still snow!

I noticed a few trees a budding, some plants are showing and the robins back.

 We have a family of 7 bluejays feeding from our feeders.

...and look who's back.  This year I really want it to be a year of less work and more relaxation.  We have a great camera and a tripod and I have always wanted to just sit out and capture some great shots of the many birds that feed at out feeders.

Enjoy your first day of spring.  I hope it's warm where you are.

Finally a new post.....about Blocks?!

OK so keeping up with a Blog is not that easy.  I don't mean to complain but it's a lot of pressure.  I haven't posted anything in days.  I have several things on the go but I can't seem to get anything finished in order to take pictures and then write something about it that's half decent.  I was determined I had to find something to write about.  I had just finished making my blocks for Spring and Easter the other day when I realized..... I have blocks for other special days and so it was created....a new post.....finally!

One thing that is becoming part of my themed decorating is blocks.  They do take a while to make but when they are done I just love them.   One day I will post a "how to" tutorial.  But for now enjoy a few pics of the ones I have made so far.

I usually try to use both sides of the blocks if the phrase works out for both sayings.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year do not have the same amount of letters but I  added the exclamation marks to the end of Happy New Year which makes up for the last two letters in Merry Christmas.  
I actually made two sets of these blocks, adding the green to one set.

The set below I made for my girlfriend but a little bit larger.  She lives in a beautiful log home with vaulted ceilings.  I didn't think the small set would make much of a statement.  She won't be happy to see all those tools in my picture.  The wall has since been painted and a beautiful painting of a poppy is displayed there now.  Sorry Pat!
 

For Happy Halloween I had to get a little more creative with 3 extra blocks so again added the exclamation, a bat and a black cat.  I love my black cat!

Also my "Boo" usually sits in front of the tv but it wouldn't have made the best picture.

Happy Spring and Happy Easter works out perfectly!

Our home...

Before I post any pictures of my home I thought I would fill you in on a few things first.  I rent our home.  It is an early 1930's, 1 1/2 story, 4 bedroom, just on the outskirts of the city with about 1/4 an acre of land and I love it.

That being said there will be no posts of tearing down the walls, laying hardwood or ceramic tile.   No granite counter tops, new faucets or cupboards.

The washroom, well the toilet you can clearly see if you are sitting at the kitchen table!
A designer no no...I know.

The living room is 12 x 12 and the dinning room is 9 x 9 and there is no making either of them bigger.

It is however a warm cozy home that has a back porch/mudroom (which I love)  that enters into the large country kitchen.  One of my 4 bedrooms is on the main floor and that is the office, or should I say the drop off spot.  It is the room with the computer and the room that I craft in and is most of the time a mess.   I have considered moving it upstairs and bringing down a bedroom and for many reasons that would be a great idea. One being it would make a few great posts of before and afters and I can so see the office upstairs with the slanted ceilings.....dreaming.  However it is so nice to have the computer on the main floor. 

I have 3 decent size bedrooms upstairs with the slanted ceilings, my dream since I was a little girl.  None of them with closets. Not my dream since I was a little girl!

The basement....well lets just say there will never be a make over with pictures of that space.

So my point is, when you rent, your makeovers are limited to paint and decorating around the existing shell.    It is an old home with rustic baseboards and uneven walls with years of paint on them and I just have to work with what I got......I like what I have and have been working on making it a welcoming, relaxing, comfortable home.

These stories I will share with you.

Tobogganing at Nana and Papa's

Who doesn't like to go tobogganing, it's walking up that hill that's a killer,  but when the hill is only 3 feet it can't be that bad.

I wasn't sure it would be so much fun either.  How much fun could a 3 foot hill be.  Just look at our faces.

As you can see we didn't have a proper toboggan but when you are little it really doesn't matter and it didn't to us.  It took us to the garage if we took a run for it and that was where the camera person stood.

This year Papa wanted to go bigger and better.  Oh if only we had a pick up truck with a shovel on the front,  we could plow the biggest hill possible in the yard.....the snow blower would have to do.

It went off the corner of the deck and out to the back yard about 40 feet.  Christmas eve we made a few test runs.  The pictures are not the best but you get the idea.

This year the youngest granddaughter (I'll call her "Flounder", affectionately nick named by her sister "Ariel") we thought would be ready to roll,  with a little bit of convincing we managed one run.

But sometimes, just feeding the birds with Papa is what they like most.

Happy Valentines Day

I must say I have never really been one for Valentines Day. 

I don't send a card to my mom or my brother.
I have always felt Valentines was for "lovers" and if celebrated.....gifts, if any, had to be red and related.  You couldn't give a random book or cd.  A new pair of jeans or gift card.

However when your 4 year old granddaughter throws her arms around you in excitement and says, in answer to my question "What comes after Christmas?"

"Valentines Day!  Are you going to make me a card!?" 

Well what more could I say.   Happy Valentines Day my darling,  to you and your sister.

Love Nana
xoxox