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

                                

GIFTS FROM THE HEARTLAND

Hello TLB friends,

I'm a New York girl and my heart will always hold a special fondness for the state I was born and grew up in. So when I got married and we started relocating around the US for my husband's jobs, I had some weather acclimating to do. As a northern girl my favorite season was Fall. For me, there is nothing like those crisp Fall days. Taking a trip to the apple orchards and coming home with fresh apples, cider, gourds and pumpkins....is such a fond memory expecially now because our current state we call home is Texas where it seems much to warm to be Fall.

But.....yesterday hubby and I recevied a box from our youngest daughter who lives in Chicago. She made her annual trip to the apple orchards in Indiana and sent us a box full of "LOVE from the Heartland," apples, cider donuts, and homemade raisin bread! All reminders from my NY childhood.

We sampled one donut yesterday and had delicious raisin bread this morning for breakfast. Of course the Honey Crisp apples, which are hubby's favorites, are going to make a delighful afternoon snack today!

Do you have days where you long for foods from your childhood? Please share with us!

                            Wishing you a wonderful day filled with fond  FALL memories!

                            Kathleen

                                                                   

ADDING EASY COLOR TO YOUR HOME

Life sure has a way of passing by when you are busy! The past 3 weeks I have been on 8 airplanes! There's been no time for brainstorming what my next blog will be, when we have a wedding to plan!

I've been with my daughter in Charleston making selections so that she and her fiance could sign all of their contracts for their Fall wedding, and of course at the Florida house for the Spring cleanup. Busy times!

After coming home from beautiful warm states that are prolific with colorful flowers......our house an Texas seemed a bit drab inside. It only took one quick trip to the grocery store floral department and for less than $20.00 things began looking much more springlike

inside!

Variegated cream and red Hyrdrangeas, red Mini Carnations and  green Solidago bunches
added just the right amount of "Happy Spring" to the house.

If you need a quick pick me up for your home......head on over to your local grocery

store and pick up a bright beautiful bouquet that is sure to add a bit of "Happy Spring" 

to your home too!

Have a colorful day!

Kathleen

Don't forget to follow The Lavender Bouquet on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

It's that magical time of year when we "Deck our Homes!" Come on over.... 

Foyer's give us the first glimpse into a person's home. They actually say a lot about us. It doesn't matter if the space is large or small there's always a way to create something beautiful giving that lasting first impression.

By adding a simple golden branch (Pier One Imports) to an existing vase and a twiggy sleigh trimmed with fur (World Market) filled with a simple Poinsettia (Walmart) gives our foyer a festive feel. I placed my new  favorite Christmas at Designers Homes Across America book (Amazon Prime) at the top of stack to help elevate the vase to the proper height for the vignette to be balanced.

Across the hallway sits a simple ivory Bergere chair draped with a colorful plaid Christmas afghan and Noel pillow, a perfect holiday punch of color.

On the buffet are two silver candlestick lights with a beautiful festive tie on ornament accent, a gift from my niece. The Vietri platter is the perfect shade of ivory to hold a strand of tiny white lights. I placed the quaint little church on a clear cake tray, and  surrounded the tray with silver trees. The "Merry Christmas" sign, that lights, was a find in Homegoods this year. 

"Slim Jim" as our daughter's fondly named our foyer tree, fits nicely in his new home in the curve of the staircase. The woodland and ice theme on the tree glistens in the glow of the the lights. The red pinecone ornaments add just a touch of festive color. 

The woodland and ice theme is carried to the staircase along with the addition of icy sprigs and red poinsettia and berry pics.

Underneath our tree is the nativity that I painted many, many years ago and has become a family treasure.

Across from the staircase is the dining room. Since every room is open to one another, from the foyer to the living area, I decided to carry a touch of red into every room. There is just something about "red" at the holidays! Hubby just loves it!

The china cabinet holds simple white ceramic pieces with a splash of red in the form of goblets or ornaments. The snowy branches are a simple reminder of holidays past.

Speaking of holidays past, I painted the ceramic Santa below in 1975, around the same time of the nativity. Unfortunately, Santa was broken in the move, but hubby worked his magic and brought Santa back to life. Every year he holds our Christmas cards from family and friends. Gotta love my hubby for saving this memory for me!!

It was a year of change in many ways this year. With some of our Christmas decorations missing from the move, and some that had seen better years, it was time to replace a few things. 

I was shopping in Pottery Barn and came upon this table runner. The color was outstanding and it was just too beautiful to pass up. The embroidered detail gives it a vintage feel. I added a simple white wreath with silver pinecones in the center. The Ethan Allen vessel is filled with snow, pinecones and red ornaments. There's that red color again!

 I found this cute little "stick plaid deer," and couldn't resist him at Pottery Barn.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. And take a look at that fire...so inviting on a cold evening keeping Santa and his reindeer nice and toasty!

The 2-story family room has cubed windows above adding some much needed extra light. Did you notice the mirror above the fireplace? Yes, it's the same mirror from our last "4" homes. A Pottery Barn purchase from the days we lived near the Palisades Center in NY. A neutral mirror is always a good purchase to hang above the fireplace mantel....the proof is here!

We wanted a fireplace stone that was indigenous to the area, so we chose to use Austin Stone bringing the look of Texas Hill country to our home. It adds a warmth to the high ceilings in the room, making it feel a bit more cozy!

The lanterns on the mantel were a purchase from Pottery Barn this year. I had Lumiere candles from my past fireplaces that I love....no matches required just a remote! They certainly look real don't they? (They are now sold in Bed, Bath and Beyond)

 View from the living room toward foyer and dining room.

Looking from the family room into the kitchen the sofa acts as a divider. I chose not to add a sofa table to keep the walkway open between the rooms. The floors downstairs are hand scraped solid oak with a Medium Brown stain color. They were another selection choice because of their popularity in Texas.

With a bit of maneuvering of our sofa the Christmas tree squeezes into the living room nicely. The live 10 ft. Balsam Fir tree can be seen as you enter from the front door.

The kitchen has a few festive touches sporadically placed. I found this little ceramic vintage truck at Wal-Mart. I just couldn't resist him. Over the years my collection of Christmas cookbooks has grown to quite a few as you can see.

A few more festive touches....

The glass doored display cabinets get a Christmas feel by using a Christmas platter and a wooden reindeer.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today. From my family to yours we wish you a very

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

                            Kathleen

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A HATCH CHILE?

It's all the buzz right now in Texas! This northerner thought, "what in the world is a Hatch chile," and why is our supermarket having a Hatch Chile Palooza?

LIVE FROM TEXAS....THE LAVENDER BOUQUET

Hello TLB friends, it's so nice to be back!

As I sat in church on Sunday, my head was filled with so many thoughts. No matter how joyous or sometimes difficult our journey has been, you, our family and friends have been there for us with your support and enthusiasm as we begin to build our new life. Strong foundations begin with support of family and never wavering friendships. We
are fortunate to have an abundance of both! THANK YOU ALL! 

My hubby laughed at me when I told him I wanted to bring a statement to our new porch. I think he was afraid that it might cost him some money. (ha,ha) Instead I surprised him by planting my urn with summer grasses and flowers, and strategically placing it in plain view from the street. I really missed my Buckingham porch and my Spring/Summer plantings this year, but darn it, even though the temps top 100 degrees these days, there was going to be an inviting urn on our porch with the message...

"WE'RE HOME.... COME ON IN!"

So WELCOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

as we sink our roots into the "red clay soil" of Texas!

 FONDLY,

Kathleen

P.S. Our front door is knotty Alder wood from Texas stained Ebony. It has knots in it much like knotty pine and has bit of a rustic feel. It's color and graining are much like cherry. I chose this wood because it reminded me of the knotty pine cabinets my Dad made for our kitchen when I was growing up back in WNY!

                                                    

NEW HOME SNEAK PEEK

So glad to see you again TLB friends!

Sorry for the absence. I've been working hard behind the scenes trying to get the new house settled. I am so fortunate to have the greatest sister and daughters who helped me with endless laundry and the unpacking of 600 boxes!

Please join me Friday, August 12th as TLB returns! Until then...here is a sneak peek of our
new open concept living room/kitchen/dining room/foyer. See you next week!

Kathleen

          

LIGHTING UP THE NEW HOUSE!

Welcome TLB friends!

In today's blog I'm sharing some of our lighting selections from the new house. Have you ever taken on the task of choosing the lighting for your entire home? Whether it is an existing home or you are building from scratch the process can be a daunting one. I have a motto I have established through the years when it comes to lighting selections, "I don't want to spend a fortune, but I want it to look like I did!"

NEW HOUSE COLOR PALETTE

Good Morning TLB friends!

I've been so busy I just couldn't wait to share my last few days with you. After browsing the pages of our home inventory that is in storage, I have come up with a plan for "most" of our furnishings. Of course I had to pass this by hubby, who seemed a bit skeptical, but open to conversation on what rooms were in need of updates. He immediately sees those dollar signs and starts to panic!

FALL PORCH REVEAL

One of the best ways to get into Fall is doing a little outside decorating. Since we're living in an apartment until the house is completed, I thought there would be rules that wouldn't allow decorating of our patios or front porches. But when we returned home this weekend there was a flyer attached to our door that read....October 2015 Patio & Front Door Halloween Contest....October 30th. The winner is awarded a $25.00 gift card. That's all I needed to read. I got busy!

Decorating my porch for Fall is one of my favorites.The air in the north is crisp and cool. The summer flowers have lost their luster and it's time for a new burst of color in the form Mums, Cruciferous plants and grasses. It creates such a beautiful new palette that only Fall can bring.

The palette I chose this year is rust, golden yellow, purple, bright orange and steel gray with hints of purple. 

I added a couple of Mums, a clump of purple Prairie grass, one Ornamental Kale plant, and a few of the branches from my wreath sprigs. A small pumpkin nestled in the Kale gives the pot some great contrast. As my plants open more and more color will explode into a Fall like wonder.

This year it's time to bring back the straw wreath. Straw makes a great base, doesn't scratch your door and is always fall like. (in my eyes anyway) Continuing with the same
color palette, I made at trip to Hobby Lobby and loaded up with sprigs, a straw wreath and a burlap black stripe spool of ribbon.

All you need is a glue gun to assemble the wreath.

Since all of my planters are in storage I found the urn at Wal-Mart. It was perfect size
and shape for the apartment porch. I also picked up the Welcome mat at Wal-mart.

Here's the final look.........

The straw actually looks great with the Texas stone too. I'd like to say I planned it 

that way, but I was just lucky! I can't wait till the plants grow and the pot is 
bursting with Fall color!

Wishing you a wonderful Fall day!

Kathleen 

Just a quick note:  While I was planting my urn, Texas temps were 93 degrees, 
and beautifully sunny!

DAUGHTER'S ENTRYWAY OPEN NOOK

Good Morning Monday friends!

I hope you all had a terrific weekend. Hubby and I are flying back to Texas today after being at the Florida house for a few days. It was so nice to have a relaxing trip with no agenda and no projects to do!

Speaking of projects.....last week my Texas calendar become inundated with appointments for the next 4 weeks. The appointments include;  electric placement, whole house selections both inside and out, and pool quotes, which thankfully hubby will attend.

As I sit on this airplane putting this all into words a sudden flush of angst came over me.....my husband's voice was saying, "this is your budget, I know you can do it!" Oh the pressure!!

The home in Texas will be our 7th new build, with our last being ten years ago in Central Valley, NY. Since then homes have changed in many ways; formal living rooms seem to be obsolete, and family areas have expanded immensely to include the family room, and kitchens flowing together for more comfortable living. 

One fun and very useful little area I am seeing is something my daughter built into her entrance way from her garage to her home. It's a terrific way to stay organized. There are areas for hanging things and storage space on shelves and rattan baskets.She selected a few dragonfly hooks (she love's dragonflies) secured on a beadboard paneled backing. 

It's a great space saving design that I call the Entryway Open Nook. 


***Lucy just had to sit on the bench for my photo shoot!

Selecting fun hardware gives the nook area a more unique feel. It would be great fun for each child to be able to chose their own hook...really personalizing the space.

What do you think of this little nook for organizing in your home?

     Wishing you a wonderful Monday!

  Kathleen

TLB VISITS HGTV'S CHIP & JOANNA'S-- MAGNOLIA MARKET!

We had a terrific holiday weekend! Hubby surprised me and planned a trip for us to visit Waco, TX. What's in Waco you ask?

Let's see......how about the Magnolia Market owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines hosts of the HGTV's show FIXER UPPER!  Stop over to the blog to check out who else was shopping with us.........

NEW HOME/NEW COLOR PALETTE

It's been six weeks since we signed our lease on the apartment, and began our new journey. When I look back at the whirlwind events that have occurred, I'm exhausted! Hubby and I looked at each other, after recalling all of the steps it took us to get here, and both said, "no wonder we are tired!"

After accomplishing all of the unpacking, and settling we stepped into the house hunting world. We've looked and searched and gotten discouraged. We're in HOT market, which can be good and bad. After loosing one house in a bidding war, we regrouped and continue to search.

During this time, I thought I should use my time wisely before chaos ensues.I brought fabric samples from our furniture that is in storage with me, and decided it was time to change our color palette this move. 

I love the new grays and whites and the freshness that they bring to a home, but I also love the warm golds that I always seem to gravitate to. I used some of the grays in the Princeton bedrooms, but I wanted to add more to the new house.

So I started researching color combos....and chose a palette that incorporates our past golds and brings in some of the new grays also. It feels calm and serene.....
  

PINTEREST PHOTO-credits to design-seeds.com


I've been spending my days exploring looking for all of the basics, grocery store, church etc., but I also ventured into a model home in a subdivision near the apartment.

Here are a few photos that I took which confirmed my thoughts of incorporating the golds and grays into our home.

This photo does not reflect how I would personally use the choices....not fond of that tub tile, but confirms to me how lovely the two colors flow together. (I apologize for the clarity of my photos, I used my cell phone camera.) The cabinets were a shade of gray and the counter tops were a deep charcoal. The mirror was accented in gold and the mosaic tile was shades of gold, brown, and gray with a creamy grout color.

The photo below is much better lighting and reflects more accurately the true colors. I love the golden vanity stool....nice touch!

The Master shower was the same marble tile with the mosaic shower bottom. Again, not my favorite choice of colors in the pattern.

Venturing into their kitchen were white raised panel cabinets, dark wood, nail down, flooring (which we see a lot here in Texas). The dark wood against the white is lovely.

And in this case a Silestone Quartz counterop that resembles Carrera marble.  The bar stools have just the right amount of golden linen fabric to bring the color into the kitchen also.

Thanks for stopping by today. Let me know what you think of my new color palette. I'd love to hear your comments!

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Kathleen

GOODBYE NEW JERSEY

It's been a busy Spring for our family! The vacation home renovations are not all that we've been working on. 

IT'S FOODIE FRIDAY---DECADENT TEXAS SHEET CAKE COOKIES

I believe that most of us at some point or other have sampled a Texas Sheet Cake. As I recall we were living in the mid-west when we tried it for the first time. I remember this huge sheet pan filled with a delicious chocolate cake, and a gooey chocolate frosting with nuts in it. The texture was light, and a bit airy, and the frosting was gooey.....so yummy!

I have always wondered if the name Texas Sheet Cake came from the state of Texas. We all know that everything is "bigger" in Texas. As I started browsing for a bit of history, I found all kinds of stories but nothing concrete. FoodTimeline.org gives credit to Lady Bird Johnson........but who knows if this is true. All I can say is, that is one fine cake! 

Can you imagine a Texas Sheet Cake cookie?  Little bite size delectable delights. When I found the recipe, I just had to try it. I can tell you they are worth every calorie. The recipe only makes about 15 tablespoon sized cookies, but believe me, that will be enough.......unless you are feeding a bunch of ranch hands.

TEXAS SHEET CAKE COOKIES
The recipe states it makes 24 cookies. I used an actual tablespoon measuring spoon and my recipe made 15.  The recipe did not call for nuts.

Cookies
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Icing
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. milk
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

HOW TO MAKE

Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat
2. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar together until light, scraping sides frequently.
3. Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix in baking powder and salt.
4. Turn mixer to low and slowly add in flour. Dough will be thick.
5. In a microwave safe bowl heat chocolate chips on high in 30 second increments until melted,
stirring after  every 30 seconds.
6. Mix melted chocolate directly into cookie dough until evenly mixed.
7. Drop dough by a measured tablespoon sized mounds onto baking sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes
until cookies just appear set.(Time depends on your oven.) They will still be very soft on the inside. DO NOT over bake!
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Icing
1. In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder, and milk over medium heat whisking
until melted together. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar.
2. Pour icing over cookies and allow to set before serving.

NOTES
Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally think they would be great in the frig also!

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as my family did. Thanks for sharing Foodie Friday with me today!

                                                  Wishing you a warm and wonderful weekend!

                                                  Kathleen


****A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO COOKIES AND CUPS BLOG for the recipe.

***We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave your comments. See you Monday!