EASE THOSE HOLIDAY MOMENTS

Holiday Blessings to all!

'Tis the season for everything Merry and Bright! This special time of year can be stressful in many ways. I'm here today to share some ideas on how to ease some of those moments!

So how do you decorate a small home without interrupting the precious living area, by keeping the decorating to a minimum. With all of our worldly goods in storage I had to be creative this year. I wanted to keep the cost down, because we have alot of Christmas decor that will be out of storage by next Christmas so why duplicate.

I have always loved mixing high and low end decor together, I find it quite rewarding. I decided to keep things to a minimum, but wanted it to be a cozy and warm Christmas 
without the expense.

I went shopping at BIG LOTS, a store near us. I was focusing on Christmas decor, so when I walked into the store I headed directly to the Christmas area. It was delightful!! I browsed the aisles up and down finding some of the cutest and most beautiful items. I spent a good deal of time and left with some sweet treasures! Check out the ornaments below.

I had the deer in a Christmas box I had leftover from a Christmas party we held here in Florida one year. The tablerunner is from Target this year, as well as the gold vessel holding the greens.

I picked up a Smith and Hawken white Amaryllis bulb from Target and it has become this beautiful display of white. The vintage ceramic tree is very special to me. Many years ago when I was taking a ceramics class I created a tree much like this, and it was broken during one of our moves. Our daughters' and son-in-law surprised my husband and I last year during Christmas break taking us to a ceramics studio where we all recreated the "same" tree! We had such fun and made some wonderful family memories. Now we "ALL" have the same tree in our homes at holiday time.

The Christkindlmarket 2015 hot chocolate cups were from our trip to Chicago when we visited our youngest daughter. We all enjoyed our cocoa and now these little cuties are part of my Christmas decor every year! The gold brush trees are from Target in the $1.00-$3.00 area in the front of their store where seasonal things are displayed.

The last little vignette is in the foyer of our home.

I didn't spend alot of time on my wreath this year. I hot glued some ornaments to an old wreath and added a new plaid bow. Easy!

This year my daughter and son-in-law gave us the ornament below. Inside this ornament are actual pieces of music that the Charleston Symphony has performed. This symbolic gesture means alot to us, because they were married in Charleston one year ago. The Swarowski ornament for "2018" is something we buy for each of our children and ourselves each year. 

The photo below gives you an idea of how beautiful ornaments of every price range can look on your Christmas tree. So if you enjoy shopping for beautiful things, don't forget to stop by those affordable stores that can make your Christmas tree as pretty as this!

Last but not least....our sweet sweet granddaughter Catherine, is nearly 10 months old. She "loved" Santa and he loved her! These photos were taken in Avalon Park, Alpharetta, GA. If you ever get a chance to visit there at Christmas time it is quite a sight. Their Santa was the most realistic and kind man.....his beard and hair were actually real!

Remember the holiday decor is not about how much money you spend, but

how beautifully it is displayed!

From my family to yours we wish you a very special holiday season!

Lots of changes are ahead for hubby and me.

See you in 2019 with all of the scoop!

Kathleen

CHRISTMAS DECOR THAT ANYONE CAN DO

Welcome TLB friends--

As Christmas is approaching, I decided to share some of  my old archived photos from Christmases past to get your creative juices flowing! ENJOY!

COLORFUL CHRISTMAS CONTAINER GARDENING

Greetings TLB friends!

***** PLEASE EXCUSE THE FORMATTING ISSUE THERE APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH BLOGGER TODAY!!

I know I may seem a little presumptuous thinking ahead to Christmas but........since we're in such a warm climate I thought I should get a bit of a head start so that the plants will be in full bloom for Christmas.

Ron and I took a trip to Lowe's and when I saw these beautiful Cranberry Pentas they became my tall focal point in the pot. These plants are loved by butterflies and their blooms are from 2-3 inches in width. I thought this would be a perfect explosion of holiday color. Isn't it funny how a color scheme starts with one plant?

Vining petunias grow well here with just a little pruning so I added white for a nice contrast with the Cranberry. Since Dusty Miller is one of my absolute favorites for a zip of contrast, and they finally arrived here in Florida, I added those for that silvery/white contrast. It reminds me of when we were children and we added those silver tinsel that glistened on the Christmas tree. My mother LOVED these, so we always had a ton of them covering our live Christmas trees! Did you have tinsel on your Christmas trees? Link to tinsel: https://www.walmart.com/ip/500ct-Silver-Tinsel-Icicle-Christmas-Garland-Strands-18/118257419

Of course this photo reflects just the beginning of my vision, but in a few weeks the color will all come alive and with some good pruning and a little "magic Miracle Grow." along the way, maybe, just maybe by Christmas----my planter will be overflowing with Christmas color!!

Whether you live in the North or the South, in my world, it's NEVER too early to start thinking of Christmas or the holidays in general!!

Happy Planting!

Kathleen

UNIQUE DIY PUMPKIN DESIGN

Happy Fall TLB friends!

Once I flip the calendar to October I dream of comfy sweaters, warm cider, fresh apples and my WNY childhood! Fast forward to today.....hubby and I live in FLORIDA! Hmmmm....with temps in the 90's this northern girl needed some inspiration to jump on the Fall bandwagon.

Fast forward....when the mail arrives is a catalog I love called Ballard Design. I've ordered from Ballard in the past so I leafed quickly through the pages. I stumbled upon the cutest pumpkin ever. It was a plaid pattern in black and white. Of course, it reminded me of the MacKenzie Childs patterns in black and white also. 

I grabbed a white pumpkin from Big Lots, opened my box of stencil paints, found the perfect black, and got busy. Half way into the project as I worked with my hand, that's not as steady as it used to be, I decided to make stripes instead of a plaid look.

Below you'll see my final results...........I even added some of hubby's pheasant feathers from one of his hunts.

I do "LOVE" the way colors have evolved for our seasons. Decorating with black and white pumpkins was unheard of back in the day---unless you were MacKenzie and Childs.

What colors have worked themselves into your Fall color palette? Feel free to share with us, it's always fun to discover new ways to decorate!

In closing I am including a beautiful Fall photo from our NJ home. Our yard was full of color every Fall. 

   Hope you enjoyed today's post!

                                                          Kathleen

RED WHITE AND BLUE & DELISH FOOD TOO!

Today I'm getting ready for the 4th of July!!  

Of course we have to start with the flowers! There's something so beautiful about a bouquet

with red roses, white baby's breath, and white hydrangeas with blue tips. I also stuck a little Dollar Store star flag in for a little pizazz!

There are a million tablecapes to be found for this patriotic holiday, so I'm using my red, white and blue salad plates with a cute little lobster on them this year. I love
red and white check tablecloths because they scream traditional picnic....which is traditional for us on the 4th. I had these blue stripped kitchen towels that seemed
perfect to use as napkins.

Here's another tablescape I've done with the addition of some Dollar Store decor. (tumblers, grapevine stars, placemats, and flags) I changed up the centerpiece and used golden Black Eyed Susan's in Mason jars that I spray painted a frosted look. I finished with a blue polka dot ribbon loosely tied. The runner is red stripe ticking that I just hem stitched.

It's always fun to add a bit of Red, White and Blue inside too! You can find died daisies in grocery stores! These little vases are something I've had for years from a mail order catalog.

We have to have a little dessert on this special day.....why not serve a RED cookie? Red Velvet Cheescake yummies with a cheesecake filling and white chocolate drizzle?

https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/red-velvet-cheesecake-cookies/

It's the beginning of cold salad season. Veggies are fresh and bountiful and make such a beautiful presentation! One of my favorites is Ina Garten's Corn and Avocado Salad below.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/corn-and-avocado-salad-2303526

If you're like me I wait for Summer! It's grill time and all the mess is out of the kitchen!

However, you spend your 4th of July holiday, I hope that you take time to reflect on just how fortunate we are to live in a nation where our forefathers fought for the Independence we now enjoy!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

                          Kathleen

OH JOY AN EASY DINNER!

Welcome to Wednesday TLB friends,

Are you tired of struggling with what to make for dinner every night? Sometimes I feel like I want something easy, because I frankly don't want to be in the kitchen in Florida for long periods of time!

Some might say that soup is out of the question, but I don't feel that way. Soup prep is easy and in air conditioning a pot simmering on the stove is not an issue. Besides it's a great way to have a nutritious meal without alot of fuss.

So today's blog is just that.....Cauliflower Chowder is a favorite in my house. Simple ingredients make this a "go to favorite" of mine and it's low-carb!

The recipe may be found at: 

https://damndelicious.net/2014/03/22/cauliflower-chowder/

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my hubby does!

Have a fantastic week!

                          Kathleen

CHARLESTON WEDDING DETAILS

It's all about the details today as I take you through the planning stages of my daughter's wedding in Charleston, SC--

EXTERIOR FLORIDA HOUSE UPDATE

Busy, busy, busy,

Our Florida house has been a haven for our family for 14 years. We are very thankful, and hold many family memories from our days spent here together. It's provided a haven of solitude and enjoyment for not only our family, but our extended family as well. But "she" needed a little a "TLC." Since God has given us this time to spend here, we decided to take advantage it. 

Our first quotes were for the exterior including the roof and patios, to be pressure washed. Then we solicited quotes for the exterior to be painted to include the patios as well. We hit
the jackpot with our chosen painting company, Ryan Hammond Painters, from Fort Myers who did it all for us! Now we had to choose our color palette.

We drove to Naples and spent a complete day touring Model homes. We not only were looking for our future home ideas, we were also scoping out exterior colors. We found the colors we loved, however, they wouldn't give us their names. So hubby said, "why don't we grab the Sherwin Williams paint deck, and match up the colors ourselves! They also used SW paint, so it was such a great idea. Brilliant!! 

After our selected color palette was approved by our HOA, we waited nearly 2.5 months
because of the lengthy schedule our painting company had ahead of us. I guess that alone was a clue as to their integrity!

Our painter uses Sherwin Williams paint so we chose:

*SW 7065-Argos for the walls
*SW 7571-Casa Blanca for the trim, and eaves
*SW 9178-Old Navy- for the front door

HERE ARE THE FINAL RESULTS!

I'm still working on the patios. One patio had to be ground down a bit, and then both were painted. They turned out beautifully, but now it's time to decorate them. That's for another blog!!

Stay tuned.........
                           Kathleen

CREATE A MEMORIAL DAY TABLESCAPE

It's that time again when we take out the red, white and blue to celebrate Memorial Day! 

Today's blog is an easy tablescape for anyone to make! I combined decorative items from the Dollar Store with my own plates and napkins. Used mason jars as vases and grabbed beautiful golden color  daisies from the grocery. Easy and inexpensive decor!

                             HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

                         Kathleen

FRIZZ BE GONE!

Welcome to Wednesday TLB friends-

Things are getting pretty warm in Florida these days---high 80's and low 90's! As a former northern girl Spring was my favorite time of year. I do miss those sweet Spring days!

Unfortunately, the extremely warm days here bring many "frizzy" hair days for me! My hair is great after shampooing and blowing dry, then I step into the elements and the frizz takes over! YUCK! I loved my Dad a bunch, but I can thank him for the type of fine frizz that appears during these HOT days. My sister got the nice thick beautiful hair from my Mom---lucky girl!!

I've been using Living Proof shampoo and Conditioner for quite some time. (Thank you Jennifer Aniston!) But I recently was introduced, via a sample, to their Frizz Humidity Shield hairspray. 

What a difference a little Frizz Humidity Shield makes....and it comes in travel size for those warm climate vacations too!

If you have issues with "frizz" like I used to, give it a try? 

See you next Wednesday!

                           Kathleen

DON'T MISS THIS MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA

It's that time of year again, Mother's Day is just around the corner. In today's blog I've got a little creative gift to share with you. It's easy, fun and a contains a little "unexpected surprise" for Mom. You're not going to want to miss this one......

Anyone who knows Southwest Florida is aware of Norman Love Chocolates! And if you aren't.....check them out!  https://www.normanloveconfections.com/

Each piece is a work of art, and the taste just melts in your mouth.

Margarita Madness

Welcome friends!

Cinco de Mayo is May 5th so it's time to get some of those party ideas together. First and foremost track down (and sample of course), a delish margarita recipe. I got mine when we lived in Houston. It's pretty powerful but really tasty! You may adjust the amount of tequila used to your own taste.

Margaritas Mas Grandes
Serves 10

2 1/2 cups tequila (I prefer gold)
1 qt. limeade
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 limes cut into wedges for garnish

Put all liquids together in pitcher, stir and serve with a bucket of ice.

For a more fruity margaritas.....check out Strawberry Mango Margaritas at Baker by Nature.

http://bakerbynature.com/strawberry-mango-margaritas/

OR

Pineapple Margaritas at Miss in the Kitchen

http://www.missinthekitchen.com/pineapple-margaritas/

Whatever margaritas you serve on Cinco de Mayo, they will surely be a party favorite.

ENJOY!

Kathleen

AWESOMELY DELISH--MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF TACOS

Greetings TLB friends--

I hope you've all had a great week!

On today's blog I actually combined two recipes that my family really enjoyed. Stop on over, I think you'll like the result too....

FRESH NEW COLOR

It's so rewarding and fun to refresh a home! I think it's my favorite part of home ownership. A couple years ago we tackled the kitchen renovation in our vacation house.

CHIC DIY INSPIRATION

Welcome to Wednesday TLB friends!

Today's blog is all about INSPIRATION! I find inspiration all around me. Truth be told, and my husband will attest to this, much of my inspiration comes from something that is usually over my budget. That's where my inner DIY girl comes into play. There's a certain satisfaction that I get when recreating something that has a hefty price tag on a modest budget.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TLB

Hello TLB Friends!

As we all know "life" has a way of dictating our future, and mine has taken quite a few turns over the past year. My philosophy has always been, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." In today's blog I'll bring you all up to speed......

Last year my husband's company did some downsizing in preparation of a corporate "buy-out." This affected some of the top executives, like my husband. As many of you know we had built our home in Texas, established our life, and after one year of living in the new house the announcement came.

In the midst of debating whether to sell the house, we received the most wonderful news that our oldest daughter was expecting her first child. She lives in Florida and since we have a vacation home in Florida we decided that it made sense to sell the Texas home and move to the Florida house to be nearer our daughter and new grandchild.

We sold our home to a lovely young family with two teenagers. The kids were so excited when they chose their bedrooms and couldn't wait to swim in the pool! As sad as it was to leave the memories we had already made in our home; all of the painstaking selections, the touches that made it home for us, the friends we had made, it felt good that we knew our home would be filled with the "love and joy of this new family."

So we said-----

AND 

 Hello Florida....

Whenever we move, there is always something that goes awry. Unfortunately, our movers packed the garage door remotes in the Florida boxes, so when we arrived in Florida we quickly mailed them back to Texas to the new family. Soon after we unpacked the rest of the boxes and settled in, we received a note with some of our mail enclosed in an envelope from the new owners. It read, "Thank you for sending the garage door openers, and for the beautiful flowers and wine! We love our new home! 

We always leave the new family's a little something. My Christmas Amaryllis was just the most gorgeous red and full of blooms, it just felt like it would make a beautiful "warm welcome" in the all white kitchen. A bottle of wine is something my husband always likes to leave on the counter for celebrating.

Most everything went into storage in Texas as the Florida house is already furnished and considerably more cozy!!  When we finally land permanently, it will seem like Christmas when we are unpacking boxes. We did alot of sorting and purging prior to this move, making us much more lean. It's funny sometimes how we hang on to some things forever, and when we stop and think about it, we wonder "why?"

Soon after settling into the Florida house, we realized it was time for a bit of freshening. We decided to start with the exterior, giving it a new updated color palette, which we just received approval for from our HOA.

-Body & garage door--Sherwin Williams-#7065 Argos
-Trim-Sherwin Williams-Casa Blanca-#7571
-Front Door-Sherwin Williams-In the Navy-#9178
- Lanai Patio Floors-Sherwin Williams-Casa Blanca-#7571

The beginning of June the painters will work their magic, and in the meantime, I'm toying with new interior wall color, BUT most importantly right now, we are spending a great deal of time with our daughter and new granddaughter.

We just can't get enough of our sweet little-

 Catherine Grace born on February 28th!

Thanks so much for your loyalty during my hiatus. It feels great to be back on the "blogging trail" once again! I have missed all of you!


                                                                        Fondly,

                           Kathleen