No Rhyme or Reason

These lovely images came from here.

Lavender Love

The trouble with living in a dry, arid climate is 

determining which plants will flourish

Last year, I visited a friend of mine in San Antonio, Texas.

She took me to the hill country-to visit this wonderful family owned 

lavender farm and market

Not only was it one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to-

it was also one of the most enlightening.

Did you know that not only will lavender thrive in my west facing front yard..

it is has analgesic properties for treating sunburn...

it cleanses and tones dry skin (another conundrum of living in a dry climate)

and it is a perfect ingredient for margaritas...?

I just thought that it was great for making my lingerie drawer smell heavenly ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you to my followers-I am so excited to have you stop by.

Celebrating Him

Today I am celebrating

the man who...

...makes my toes tingle

...fills my life with laughter

...gives me strength

...is my loyal companion

...fixes it

...loves with his entire heart

Happy Birthday, J- :-)

Inspired

Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of time to post today :-(

and since I needed a little inspiration...

I thought that I would share some of the images that I find to be...

well...inspiring :-)

Have a wonderful and inspiring evening...wherever you are.

Together Time

Last weekend my husband celebrated his 

25th

High School Reunion

Two very dear friends of ours came to stay with us.

During their visit-I started thinking about how

fleeting these moments are...

and how difficult it is now

-with busy lives, careers and children-

to get everyone together again.

Looking at these warmly inviting dining spaces remind me

of the together times and how truly special they are.

May you have many more times together...

Class of 1985

Photographs 1, 3 and 4 are from House Beautiful magazine.

Photograph 2 is from Southern Living May 2010

Photograph 5 Regis High School Class of 1985

Giving Thanks

-Yesterday_

My window seat was featured on one of my absolute favorite blogs- (and Etsy shops)

Compulsively Compiled

It was here that...

-after months of searching-

I found the perfect fabric.

Here it is...

It is screen printed by hand with the french word for "bee"

L'abeille

The original fabric had a white background. 

I thought that a creme background would suit my purpose a little better so...

I asked Karyn of Compulsively Compiled

if she would custom make it.

She did not hesitate and before I knew it I had the perfect addition to my window seat :-)

So if you are in the market for the absolute perfect fabric-

head on over to Karyn's Etsy shop!

She has a wonderful selection to choose from too.

                   Below is the "before"

                             And here is the "after"

May all of your findings be perfect :-)

Elements of White- My First Blog Party

Today I decided to participate in my first blog party-

White Wednesday 

by Kathleen at this wonderful place

I know what you are thinking...

where is the white?

Although I love, love, love neutral interiors

-rooms all dolled up in glorious shades, textures and contexts of white and off white-

I suppose that I would be considered more of an eclectic type...

-opting for elements of white -

like the iron garden urn hidden in among the old tattered leather bound books 

(books are a true favorite of mine-I even love the musty smell)

Or the backdrop of vintage bird prints,

(old prints and bookplates are also in my favorite things for decorating repertoire)

antique jewelry embellished candles, and 

an old doorway crown from a Denver salvage yard

Truth be told-it is the element of white that indeed steals the show

and makes everything around it more special somehow.

Thank you for participating in my first blog party. 

I had a good time :-)

I hope that you had a good time too.

Imperfect Perfection

Whenever I think of posting photographs of my own home...

I say to myself it isn't quite perfect yet.

Then it occurred to me-it will never be perfect

-especially the way I like to move things around on an almost daily basis-

So why not bask in the imperfection of it all?

These are photographs of my perfectly imperfect living room

-after I got a hold of it-

The photograph above is from the realtor's flyer.

This is what the Living Room looked like when we bought the house.

Somehow-the things that I thought to be imperfect don't seem quite so bad :-)

May you enjoy the perfect imperfections of your rooms too-

wherever you are.

House Envy-Olive Street

Have you ever wandered around your neighborhood and

wished that you could just take a peek at the inside of your neighbor's house?

...or better yet simply trade houses with them ;-)

I remember when the realtor brought us in to what is now our neighborhood.

There was one house in particular that made me swoon instantly

...and it is currently for sale!

Unfortunately, the price tag is a little out of reach for us at the moment

(I have been contemplating purchasing a large number of powerball tickets).

The wonderful thing about houses that you love going on the market is

the invitation to explore the inside through MLS photos!

All of these photographs are MLS photos of the house that I covet on Olive Street.

The first photograph is the Living Room.

I adore the dark wood fireplace mantel and the beautifully substantial crown molding.

The second photograph is the kitchen.

I can just imagine myself sitting in front of those expansive windows

listening to the birds and admiring the hydrangea bushes

..oh and writing in my blog of course.

I am trying to convince the mister that my cooking would be so much better in a kitchen like this ;-)

The third photograph is the dining room (actually it is one of two dining rooms).

Love the built ins and the hardwood floors.

Doesn't it conjure up the smell of honey bacon and first cup of the morning coffee?

The last two photographs are my favorites.

The exterior view-what a glorious garden! ...and that turret...oh my heart twitters.

Finally, the piece de resistance-inside the turret is...(insert big build up here)

the Library

Boasting floor to ceiling bookshelves, three enormous windows and built in window seats.

I could spend every rainy day from here on out just curled up in front of these windows

reading "Goodnight Moon" to my children

or going back in time and dancing the night away with "The Great Gatsby".

Have you ever had house envy?

I would love to hear about it.

Sweet Summer Slumber

I am thinking of converting our covered back patio into a sleeping porch.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to slumber to the sounds of nightingales and soft summer breezes?

Of course-we live in a city so the nightingales

may be drowned out by

police sirens and traffic noise.

No matter-when I close my eyes I will just bring up the vision of one of these

serene and spectacular images...

and drift off in a sweet summer slumber.

Sweet Dreams...wherever you are.