Monday, December 23, 2019

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas!!

I just wanted to pop in quickly and wish you all the most wonderful Christmas 
filled with peace, joy, and love. 

Monday, December 9, 2019

What's Cookin, Good Lookin?

Boy have I been super busy in the kitchen lately!

There's just something about being snowed in that makes me want to spend the whole day in my kitchen whipping up all the yummies!

Monday, November 25, 2019

Santa Saves at Target, and So Can You


I have been approached by guest bloggers more times than I can count, and have always declined. I feel as if my readers come here to read my various ramblings, and find out what's going on up here on the mountain top. However, when Aimee from DIY Darlin' approached me, I asked her to send along what she had in mind, because I thought it was something that would interest many of you. Let's face it, I'm all about how to save money, not just at the holidays but all year long....that's how I managed to cut my budget wayyyy down, after all! 

So let's hop on over and see what Aimee's tips are for saving money at Target! 

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Cozy Cabin Christmas

It's that time of year again.....time to think about lugging all the Christmas stuff into the house and creating my own little indoor winter wonderland!

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Art Of Stretching The Grocery Budget

Yes I know....it's been a while...I'm sorry, I have so much I want to share with you but I hadn't gotten around to writing any posts! 

My crazy wedding season has ended (whew!) but I'm still working full time planning next year's weddings as well as lots of holiday parties and corporate events. 

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Bits & Bobs & Life Goes On

Thank you all for your very kind words about my sweet angel, Lily - the house has been so quiet since she's gone. I was so used to the sound of her nails tapping around - even though the other two babies make their own little taps, I am still missing the sound of our tip-tappity Lily. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

So Hard To Say Goodbye

Friday morning we had to say goodbye to our sweet old girl, Lily. 


Thursday, August 29, 2019

Where Have I Been?

I seriously can't believe it's been over a month since I managed to get a post written.

Thank you to all of you who reached out to see if I'm ok.....Yes, I'm ok....Summer's just ridiculously busy for me!

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Evenings On The Deck

My favorite part of the day is when my long day in the office is over and I can head back home to my sweet country house. 

I often laugh at the expression "The Lazy Days Of Summer" as my summers are quite the opposite. My job is in high gear and the garden and property upkeep demand all my spare time. 

Lazy days? In what lifetime? 

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

The Veggie Garden in July

Remember a thousand years ago when I started a bazillion seeds in my lower level?

Well guess what....it was all worth it! 

Check out the veggie garden, it's a jungle! 

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Mountain Mama's Home Sweet Home

Any of you who have been following me for a while know my posts are sporadic in the summer months, to say the least. 

My work life is insanely busy.....and my home life isn't much better. 

Friday, June 21, 2019

The Garden (Jungle!) On This Summer Solstice

Like much of the country, we have had rain, rain, and more rain! 

It's better than drought conditions, for sure.....and the gardens appreciate it. 

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

A Visit From Mama Bear & Her Cubs

I woke this morning to a strange sound....an odd scraping sound. 

I wasn't sure if it was just a lingering dream....or perhaps the horses next door? They often make weird sounds. 

Friday, May 31, 2019

Beauty & The Beasts

As a blogger, I often show you the beauty of my home and garden in the different seasons.  After all, that's really why I started this blog back in 2015 - to capture the beauty in every day. 

My house is never staged....I just don't believe in that. Yes, I might fluff up the pillows and pick up the dog toys....but then again, maybe I won't! 

Friday, May 24, 2019

The Garden In Late May

Like much of the country, we have had soooooo much rain this spring, whew sometimes I thought it would never stop!

But lo and behold, this morning I awoke to sunshine and blue skies, so what do you think I did?

I grabbed my camera, that's what!

Thursday, May 16, 2019

A Free Before & After With Huge Impact

I'm sorry I've been missing for a bit....my busy season has arrived both at work and in the garden at home, and that means a lot less time to bounce around blog land visiting my sweet friends.

But I wanted to check in today with a quick look back at one of the changes Sweetie and I made in the garden that made such a huge impact. 

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Spring Projects Galore!

It feels as if it's been taking a lifetime, but spring has almost arrived to the mountain top. 

Oh my gosh, I'm beyond excited! 

Along with the arrival of spring comes any amount of spring chores and projects. 

Get ready for an onslaught of pictures....grab a beverage and settle in! 

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Possible Solution for the Hydrangea Bed

Things are really starting to 'green up' around the mountain top, and the real planting season isn't very far away at this point....which means I am SOOOO excited to get my garden gloves on and get out there and DIG!! 

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Help With The Hydrangea Bed

I have these great white Hydrangeas that grow at the front of my house, by the lower deck. They were here when I bought the house, and I was delighted to see them that first summer.

I have no idea what type of Hydrangea they are, but they are super hardy and always look great by mid summer. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Waiting Impatiently For Spring

We've had some lovely warmer days on the mountain top recently, which have me more than ready to welcome spring with wide open arms.

But alas, the cold weather is heading our way once more, and I must try to be patient. 

Patience is not my strong suit. 

Monday, April 15, 2019

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung in the mountains and I'm beyond happy!! 

Don't get me wrong...I'm sore as heck. With Spring comes a ton of Spring cleanup, which I've been doing non-stop on the weekends....but I'm deliriously happy none the less! 

Monday, April 8, 2019

Building A Cold Frame & Other Spring Projects

It seems that spring has sprung on the mountain top, finally! We still have a long way to go until our last frost date, but at least there is no more snow showing up in the immediate forecast - woo hoo! Fingers crossed it stays that way!

The snow we got on Friday wasn't enough to stop me from getting out in the garden this past weekend and making some major improvements. 

Friday, April 5, 2019

Bits & Bobs...And An Update

We are still waiting for spring to arrive to the mountain top...as a matter of fact just a few minutes ago it was snowing. 

Of course it was....that's because Mother Nature knows I wanted to get out in the garden tomorrow and get some spring cleanup done! 

Monday, April 1, 2019

Repurposing An Old Dresser As A Kitchen Island

As many of you know, my younger daughter and her sweetie of 9 years recently bought their first house together. 

I'm so proud of them, and really enjoying watching them begin to 'nest' in their new space.

Easy and Inexpensive DIY Garden Paths

For anyone who has been following me for a while, you may remember a while back I wrote a post about creating a secret garden. 

I completed phase one back then, and created a Pinterest page to keep track of my vision.  If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest, here's the link.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Beauty On A Budget Update

Do you remember a while back I wrote a post about budget beauty? I'm still using and loving the products I wrote about back in November, but now I have a few more amazing beauty bargains to share with you!

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Garden Inspiration

We go another 10 inches of snow dumped on us last weekend, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on my garden dreams and plans! 

Mother nature can't stop me....well technically she can, since I haven't been able to get a single thing done outside yet, but she can't stop me from dreaming! 

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Adding Style To Your Garden On A Budget

It's officially spring, at least according to the calendar, so my brain is in big time garden mode right now....never mind the 3 - 6 inches of snow and frigid nighttime temps we are expecting.  

That's right....never mind! I'm choosing to ignore that fact at the moment.

The weather has to change sometime, and when it does I want to be ready. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

I Got My House Back!

For any of you who follow me on Instagram, you know I had some significant water damage in my lower level recently. 

The water came pouring in through a conduit pipe left exposed by the well company when they came to replace my well pump back in late November. 

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

A Magical Mountain Morning

Despite the frigid temps outside, the sun was absolutely glorious this morning. 

After giving up on sleep and stumbling out of my bedroom, the sight of all that sunshine put a spring in my step immediately. 

Friday, March 1, 2019

My Seed Obsession

I have been ordering seeds like mad this season, in an attempt to create my dream garden without paying a fortune at the garden center.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Winter Lingers On

Winter lingers on here on the Mountain Top, that's nothing new. 

We are in the midst of yet another snowstorm, with about 6 inches of snow expected. 

Not surprising as it's still February...winter isn't nearly done with us yet. 

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Thai Peanut Pork Noodles

Boy do I have a recipe for you today!! 

No kidding, this is one of the yummiest meals I've ever made, and you know me....I LOVE to cook!

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

How To Build A Cold Frame

You know I've been all about the early spring garden chores lately....despite the fact that we got another few inches of snow yesterday. 

That doesn't stop me, though...there are things I can be doing at this time of year to get prepared for the busy gardening season ahead. 

Thursday, February 14, 2019

The Garden On Valentine's Day

There's not much to show in the outside garden at the moment - lots of snow, some ice, and abundant blue skies and sunshine. 

It's gorgeous, but a garden post? How can that be?

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

How I Cut My Grocery Budget To $200 Per Month

There was a time I would shop pretty much every week, and could easily spend $200 or more per trip.

We live on a mountain top, and our local grocery store is small and definitely more expensive than the big stores down the mountain.

Friday, February 8, 2019

Planning My Spring Garden

Every year around this time I start planning my spring garden. 

I guess it helps me get through the long winters around here!

I know I have a long time to wait, but I can at least start placing orders for what I need, and any plants I want to add to the garden. Because, even though my garden is bursting with color, I still love to add something new each year!

Thursday, February 7, 2019

L'il House

I have a confession to make. 

I think I might be a l'il bit obsessed with my L'il House. 

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Sunshine, Glorious Sunshine!

After last week's winter storm and frigid temps, we were so incredibly happy to have some sunshine and warmer temps the past few days!

Thursday, January 31, 2019

The Garden, Then & Now

We got hit with a whopper of a storm this week, and the snow is still coming down. This evening the temperatures will plummet to -10 Fahrenheit, and will remain frigid for the next three days. 

Brrrrrrrr! It's only January and my daughter announced today that she's so OVER winter!

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Sunshine, Pups, and Amaryllis Tips

After a couple of brutally cold days the temps today have finally warmed up to 20 degrees, which feels like a tropical heat wave!

The sun shining through the windows was absolutely glorious, the kind that immediately puts a spring in your step!

Monday, January 21, 2019

Frigid Frosty Mornings

Well, we survived the big snowstorm this weekend, and despite all the hype we barely got a foot of snow. 

Friday, January 18, 2019

Spring Dreaming Despite A Major Snowstorm

We are in for a WHOPPER of a snowstorm this weekend - latest prediction says 14 - 20 inches, but possibly up to 28 inches.

Whew, oh boy, I'm going to be sore after all that shoveling!!

Meanwhile, my mind is already starting to plan my spring garden.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

The Most Incredible Winter Salad

I'm popping in with a quick post today, to share the most incredible winter salad I made on Sunday. 

Seriously, this salad is the bomb dot com. No joke. 

Monday, January 14, 2019

My Warm & Welcoming Home

It's been brutally cold on the mountain top the past week, the kind of weather that sends a chill straight through to your bones. 

The moon has been bright in the evenings, shining down on the snow, giving an ethereal glow to the landscape. 

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Instant Pot Review & Recipes

Christmas season is officially over in my little house - the tree was taken down on Sunday, and all traces of Christmas packed away until next year. 

Friday, January 4, 2019

Top Posts of 2018

I'm seeing this all over blogland right now, folks are posting their top posts of the year, and I thought, hey why not!

I went through all my 2018 posts, and these are the five that got the most traffic - honestly, it's still amazing to me that so many of my amazing readers turn out daily to find out what's happening in my  little mountain top home - thank you from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate every one of you!

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

How I Hope To Cut Expenses Even More In 2019

Here we go, the start of a new year, and I see people posting all over blogland these huge lists of goals they have for the year. 

Honestly I find it kind of overwhelming to set those enormous goals for myself. I already feel as if I'm stretched too thin and need a clone. 

So, I'm focusing primarily on trying to cut my yearly budget. 
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