Wednesday Morning

Its beautiful here this morning! There's a dense fog and yet the sun is shining through and its going to be a beautiful day!!! (Do you hear that snow??)

 

 

I stepped out onto my porch and could smell Spring! And birds were chirping joyful songs, "not with frozen-shut beaks" my mom would say, and it made my whole heart HAPPY!!!

 

I'm so ready! For warm walks and to sit on the porch. To leave the door open and jam to Jack Johnson and other sun-inspiring tunes. I just can't. Wait.

 

I'm torn over this little brick walk. It's wobbly and has a big puddle in the center from a bump caused by the huge tree root going under it. But I don't want to take it up! I love it's character and imperfections. Hmmm. We'll see if I can convince the hubster. ;)-

 

 

 

Meanwhile. Things around here are fun and silly! My girls take care of any Winter blues. Here's a couple photos from this past week..

 

Avie is a water baby. Loves "swimming" in the tub. She'll serve me tub-side coffee, cake, pie. Whatever's on the Avie Tub Time Menu. :) Some of my favorite times are just hanging out with her, me sitting on the bath mat... Good thing it's comfy!

Little Quinn is such a delight, smiling up a storm! She took a paci for the first time last week and it's been a beautiful thing! Zzzzzz..... She had her first taste of squash and then apple and banana. Though opening her mouth for the spoon is somewhat baffling to her at the moment ;)... I'm sure she'll learn quick and she seems to love the taste.

Love my little family. So blessed.

Thanks for stopping!

~

 

 

 

 

 

DIYs waiting on Sun...

Not gonna lie... I'm going a little stir crazy over here in New England. Spring is just round the corner yet there' still two feet of snow and the mornings are frigid. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't found the blog, thelittlegreennotebook.blogspot.com! Her name is Jenny and she has a huge knack for DIY. Her tutorials are so easy to follow and every project inspires! Even if something isn't quite your style it still makes you want to try the methods in your own new way. Take a look!
Meanwhile, my pile of DIY-To-Do's is stacking up!! Including this wooden hutch and fun little fourleaf-shape table. They're old and crusty at the moment but have really great potential!

I have an idea for the hutch but it depends on finding the perfect material. And I'm ready to go with the spray paint on that table...both will just need SUN to dry off under. Sighhh. All in time.

Do you like DIY? Would love to hear your success stories. (And even the not so successful. Sometimes those are equally as entertaining ;) )

Thanks for stopping, Happy Saturday!

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Happy Sunday!

And by Sunday I mean not "sun"-day at ALL

.....more snow. Will I ever feel warmth again?

;)

Valentine Floral Arrangements

My sweet Jessica, a long time friend, brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers last week, just because. I had planned a family brunch for Valentine's Day and decided to arrange the flowers as centerpieces for the table. Here's a look..

I love these sweet mercury glass goblets and thought they'd make great vases.

First I separated the different blooms

and used the smaller flowers as "filler" to create a nice shape like so..

Then I added the larger "statement" blooms for impact. (Look at that PINK! It doesn't get much more Valentine-y than that.)...

 

and I love the paper-white calla lilies! Super delicate and pretty. The bright green flowers were my favorite because they were so happy! I saved those for last to be sure they'd stick up nice and tall!

Any idea what kind they are?? Looks like a mum but with a tall single stem.

and those pink lilies yell SPRING which I need, because umm:

So you can imagine how much these beautiful flowers brightened my day!

And they made a lovely backdrop for our Valentine's brunch.

I hope you received a little love on Valentines as well.

Thank you for stopping by,

and thank you Jess for my sweet blooms!

~~~

Hanging Heart Tutorial - Valentine Sweetness!

My sweet friend Miranda just had a little babe, Hope Elizabeth. I wanted to make her something extra special for Valentine's Day so I put together a fun heart wall hanging.

 

I took some pics to show you how it all came together. (Though it's really quite self explanatory. :) )

I made the little hearts a long time ago and came across them recently. So I pulled them out! They're way too cute to keep in a box! Here's how I made them:

 

 I cut out the hearts, placed a stretched out cotton ball in the center, glued the edges, and then did a simple stitch around the edge once glue had dried. Super simple.

~~~

For the hanging you'll need: a branch, your hearts, string or yarn, scissors, paint, paint brush(es) and paper to lay your branch on to paint.

1.paint your stick white, or background color of your choice. Once dry paint on any accents you'd like. Keep it simple as the string will also add to it. Let dry.

2. Punch holes in hearts. You may need to use the tip of your scissors to push the cotton back into heart.

 

To get the yarn on tightly I held the end with one hand like you see here, leaving a few inches for tying, then wrapped the other end around several times being sure to overlap the first end. This way when you've wrapped to the look you desire, you can tie the ends and it will make a nice secure knot. I tied in the back of the branch so knots are hidden.

 

Decide lengths that you want the hearts ahead of time so you have a plan in place. Trust me. ;) I didn't to start and had to do several over because they didn't hang right or lay right. :)

Once all hearts are in place you can add the end knots for the hanging string! And there you have it. A sweet little Valentine-inspired gift to give a little Love.

 

 

 

Meanwhile Avalyn has been working on her own Valentine's Day treats. She recently discovered glue. She's hooked! Ive only had to tell her not to put the tip in her mouth three or four times....yikes. ;)

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Coming soon: A Valentines Brunch :)

Happy Friday!~Amy

 

Front Yard Facelift

 

As you can see in this photo, our front entry- yard-walkway needs some love! I can't see any rhyme or reason to the shrubs planted here and they have not been pruned in years so besides their odd (ODD) placement, they're really scraggly! Since I'm buried in snow (Can we say SPRING FEVER!?) with two sick baby girls, :(!!, what better time to sit and browse pics online for some fun ideas.

 

                         

 

*Tidbit: When we bought the house I was told these two oak trees are the oldest trees in the valley. Not sure how they knew this, so taking it with a grain of salt but pretty cool if true. They're beautiful, that's for sure. Our house stays wonderfully cool due to all these massive trees. Though most need some trimming. (Insert handy hubby here ;) )

 

So I'm envisioning boxwood (Two large ones here already, will just need to be replanted), and a mix of easy-to-care-for leafy plants such as hostas and lily of the valley since its shady. (I think lily of the valley spreads quick. Anyone know? It'd be awful if it, I don't know, took over the yard! LOL

Whatever we do it will be simple. I think that makes the biggest statement and quite honestly we want easy. We spent WAY too much time tending to the flower gardens at our old house and while I loved them they required so much time. SO...this time... Easy.

Here's some inspiring photos..

        

        

This is from Martha Stewart, so of course its perfect. But I like the mix of boxwood and low ground cover. Possibly low maintenance and very classic. I also love that the walk is just grass. easy peasy. There is a stone walk here now but it will most likely go.

 

 

Again, love the boxwood shrubs. (I think they're boxwood anyways). It's my favorite for edging and overall landscaping. The sweet little pink floral trees are a nice touch too. Our front area is pretty shaded so it'd be crucial to find the right plants.

 

 

This stone work is amazing!! I love how natural it looks with all its unevenness and color variation.

 

However, this brick walk way is AMAZING!!... If we did anything like it we would probably only do a small patch right at the foot of the stairs.

 

 

 

Here's a really helpful article (For beginner like myself): Seven Tips for Landscape Design

Some great tips and ways to organize your plan. Always a good idea for a type B girl like myself. :)

 

Is this crazy? Because I love these..

 

 

Painted rocks. I think they're pretty spectacular. Especially if done really well. I think it could turn cheesy-DIY-project really fast, but these look awesome.

 

Here are some other great little projects that make impact:

17 Easy & Cheap Curb Appeal Ideas

 

Well, we'll see how things unfold this summer. Lots to do out there.

Thanks for stopping.

~

 

New Items at Chestnut Hill Vintage

Recently listed over at
Chestnut Hill Vintage!

 

 

 

 

Find these items & more HERE!

 

~

 

Snowy Day & the Story Behind our New House

It is a very snowy day, here in New England! (Speaking of, GO PATS!!!!!) I went out into the white silence this morning to snap some photos, our house feels so cozy when it's snowing! I thought I'd share with you.

First I'll share the story behind it.

Last winter it all started after we sold our NH house and moved to my mom and dad's temporarily so we could take our time and find THE house. We looked at so (so) many houses! We were a little on the baffled side because we weren't finding anything even close to what we liked. Well, one. But too far.We had learned so much about what we wanted (and didn't want) from our old house that we were a little picky. But I think there was also a lack of houses on the market. Just when we thought we may take a break from looking we came across the listing for ours. Jon said he'd like to look at it but when I asked a week later he had changed his mind so I put it out of my head.

One Sunday we were driving around looking at open houses and happened by the road it's on. I saw the sign and said "Hey! Lets drive by the house on this road and see what it looks like in person." We fell in LOVE on the drive down. Its a beautiful country road that takes you under a train trestle. We  loved the other houses and the farm fields and the wide open space, surrounded by hills. Very quiet and spread out nicely. Not too many houses crammed in one space. The river ran along the back of the fields and the road way was all lined with budding-flower trees and large maples. Just beautiful. 

The we drove by the house and fell in love more. It was really sweet and wonderfully kept. We decided we needed to make a showing immediately. Sadly it was a Sunday and we knew we'd have to wait a few days. (We even contemplated putting an offer in immediately to hold it but decided that'd be unwise...lol.)

Later that week we looked at it, made an offer that day and the entire process went so incredibly smooth we knew it was right where we were supposed to be. It was confirmed when we found out we were the first to look at it and they still excepted our offer immediately. That normally just doesn't happen.

Fast forward a few weeks. You may remember I have a sister that lived in California... we found out that month that her and her family were going to move HERE.....(sorry, remembering my excitement when hearing this!!) and that they'd be coming in a few months. Our soon to be house just happened to be two family! SO not only do we have a lovely home that we adore. My sister, her hubby and their two boys now rent UPSTAIRS!!!! It's been incredible to say the least. Some may think it'd be odd to have family members as tenants but its been nothing but sheer joy for all of us and we're enjoying all the time we have together. I can't tell you how many times Sister and I have found ourselves texting each other when our kids are sleeping and the hubbies are snoring away. We'll be wide awake and like "Let's watch a show and pig out!" Hah!!

Best of all our two girls have a great place to live, with lots of yard to roam and play, and cousins right here to make a life time of memories with. I couldn't be more blessed.

Here's a look around..

 

I wasn't able to pull it together for this year but plan to have a wreath or swag on all the windows next Christmas. We did put candles in all the front facing windows and that looks really special. I think Colonial houses are especially cozy during the Holidays!

 

Here's the end of our drive and as you can see there's a considerable amount of snow coming down today. My hubby had yet to plow.

 

Looking down the driveway back towards the road. We live on a giant half-loop, rectangle-ish road. Our house sits on the corner of the north end. Across the street they have a horse with a colt (LOVE) in a fenced area and then beyond that is a cul-de-sac of houses.

 

I've never had a garage. Ever. (LOVING it...it's the simple things folks :).)

We have to give it all a pressure wash come Spring, don't mind the grunge.

 

 

I cannot wait to paint this fencing. And the little shed. I've been eying this photo on Pinterest that I'll probably draw some inspiration from...

 

 Though the two sheds look nothing alike, theirs being MUCH cuter, but I love the monochromatic look of theirs. I want to recreate the same feel, maybe even extending the same color to the fence. Hmm. We'll have to see... :)

 

 

A lot depends what we do on the other side of it... we plan to remove the pool. Jon wants to put in a big pond here. He loves fish and did a great job caring for the little pond we had at the other house so I think it'll look really nice and blend in much better with the surroundings. Its kind of back in the corner of the property so it'll make a nice relaxing area back there.

 

 

A little further to the right is the orchard area. Its super pretty, my favorite part of the yard! There were lots of apples this year but we didn't have them treated so they got yucky quick. Bumpy with lots of bug holes. We're told if we have it pruned and sprayed they'll be beautiful. We'll have to look into it. See what they have if any for kid & eco-friendly sprays or treatments.

 

 

And over a bit more are these birch trees. One broke off in the bad storm we got in early December. We have yet to get out and cut it off...brrrr....

 

 

This little structure came with the house and Avie and the boys looove the slide...

 

 

No fear, head first ;)

 

 

 

And to the right of the structure is this open yard back towards the road. (The house & company you see is on the left side of the road after the corner, just so you get an idea of the geography. The turn in the road is where our property ends and theirs begins.) 

 

My favorite place to be this summer was out on the covered porch! The trees offer a wonderful shade and the fields bring in a slight, constant breeze so it's pretty dreamy.

 

The left side (Seen here) and back of our property is surrounded by sod fields so its vast lush green most of the time. Our actual property is 1.5 acres but it feels so much bigger due to the surroundings. When they cut the sod there's peculiar patches of perfectly square soil so that can look odd but certainly worth the lack of close neighboring houses and the spectacular green while it lasts. And I can't complain about the sound of the farm equipment, tractors and such. I grew up next to my Grandpa Ripley's farm and heard him out on his tractor all summer so it brings back this sweet nostalgia for me that makes it that much more homey.

 

Over all we simply love it here and are so thankful we didn't jump into anything else we came across. We've settled right in and have made it home.

 

That's enough writing for now...whew!

Thanks for visiting :) Have a great day.

Amy