our countdown...

Our Advent Calendar is done!

Check out the sacks I found on Amazon for 7 bucks!  OH Yea!  A great way for us to celebrate December with little traditions for each day of the month.  

http://www.amazon.com/Cotton-Muslin-Orange-Drawstring-Count/dp/B004YRAOT2/ref=pd_sim_misc_2


buy paint, stencils, and Martha sponges

Make sure to slip a piece of paper in the sack so it doesn't bleed through.

Start your numbers!

Hang!

Next year I am going to save more of our branches from our white birch to do something like this...

via-BHG



This year red ribbon it is!

getting ready

Thankful place settings for the kiddos

A little project that the kids and I worked on.  We Sewed and painted some Trader Joe's bags to make pouches for our markers and silverware.  And we made Pilgrim hats for the big day!

Happy Thanksgiving!  

tweaking things for privacy

Some women like shoes...I like plants.  I dream about combinations and I study garden design whenever I have a free moment.

What I like about the garden below is how the placement of the maples and other shrubs have created depth in this garden.  It is private and cozy.  Exactly what I am looking for.

via-Southern Living

I continue to work on our perimeter plantings against the side fence in the back yard.  The three Mohawk Viburnum that I planted 5 years ago have grown nicely but they have never been dense enough to give us the privacy that we need.  I do not want to see the street!  What I enjoyed about them was their spring blooms and unstructured shape.  After thinking long and hard, I decided they needed to come out of this spot so that we could get the dramatic backdrop in the garden that I am after.

Mohawk Viburnum...

Mohawk Viburnum gone..

Another angle..

In go Techny Arborvitae....

The combination of trees and shrubs along the fence have evolved over the years.  With light issues and preexisting trees to contend with we have finally found a grouping of plants that we like.  

Purple Cone Spruce

Blackhaw Viburnum

Canadian Hemlocks

White Birch

Techny Arborvitae

Looking forward to them all filling in over time.

the empty nook

Yep, we love our home and all of its corks.  The bonus of living in a smaller space is that we live with less stuff.  The challenge is finding ways to make each space function for our family. Hence, the evolution of our empty nook.

Getting the kids ready in the winter has always been hilarious.  On a typical day you would find me at the top of the stairs throwing boots, hats, and coats down to where our garage door is so that I could get the kids ready to go outside.  Coming in from outside was the same story.  Get everyone out of their gear and lug it all back up.  This was almost a deal breaker for me.  We needed a dumping place.  Our empty nook in the family room became the inspiration for our mini mud room. It was waiting to be defined!

 Here is a quick before and after of what has saved my sanity!

Before

Our lower level family room is the way we access the garage.  The nook is between the bathroom and basement doors above. We mainly used this space for toys because I could never figure out what to do with it.   

The closet in this space is now used for coats.  We also thought it would be useful to remove the wall leading down to the basement so that we could hear and see the kids playing.

After  

1. wall color...eagle rock-Benjamin Moore
2. hooks...Pottery Barn
3. rug and frames...Target
4. bench color...simply white-Benjamin Moore
5. art...I sprayed tin squares from Hobby Lobby and then sanded them to give them some texture

linking up with....The Shabby Nest & Not Just a Housewife & Osie Moats

*I'm smiling and my heart is singing...thank you Wendy for featuring my space at The Shabby Nest!!*

and featured at...

appreciate

So loving the moment....

My kids trying to catch the leaves dropping from our 50 year old ash.

Our new bean with her dad.

Our little beans welcoming her home.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy.

going dark

We knew that when we made the decision to stay in our home we would forever have a small master bedroom.

So the mister and I thought, why not have fun with the space!  We are not done by any means but we have made some major changes.

First up...find a new home for our bedroom set.  We were sad to part with it for many reasons, but after moving here from our condo we couldn't even fit all of the pieces in the room.  They were literally spread throughout the house and when you have a small home you have to minimize!   I am happy to say we found it a good home!

Next step...rock out the color.  Who says you can't have fun with color in a small space???  I tend to just roll with things I like.

That is why......we went DARK!



Before....

This is not the best picture but you get the idea!

After...

linking up with The 36th Avenue here

1. bed-West Elm
2. paint-Benjamin Moore..Hale Navy
3. Side tables and lamps-Pottery Barn
4. Art above bed-Home Goods

my friend Mel

My friend Mel lives down the street from me.  We enjoy doing mom things together with our kiddos as well as chatting about new projects we are undertaking (she rocks with power tools!).  When she asked me for help with her front bed, I was all over it!

What I like about Mel's home is that it has some characteristics of a California bungalow though we live in the midwest.  They have great ornamental shrubs as well as a stunning Japanese Maple that is a focal point of her front yard garden.

With the plan Mel moved and spaced out the yews under the window.  

The center of the bed is shade while the area around the tree gets sun.  Mel knew she wanted Japanese Forest Grass in the mix and color was important to her too.  

Plants that we started with....

 Purple Moor Grass to the right of the tree

 Catmint around the tree

 Variegated Knotweed or Coreopsis "Moonbeam" to the right of the Catmint

 Japanese Forest Grass in the front bed

When we went to the nursery, Mel selected 3 different types of Coral Bells in dark purple hues to intermix with the Japanese Forest Grass.

She has been busy planting....more to come!