What A Glorious Morning!

We've had a lot of snow up on the mountain top for this early in the season. 

When it's not snowing, it seems to be cloudy and threatening snow. 

Yesterday it was a mixed bag of tricks - rain, sleet, snow, ice. You name it, we got it. 

My Cozy Home Got Even Cozier!

So, I think you all know by now how obsessed I am with my dining room. 

I'm not sure what it is about it, it just makes me smile so much when I look into that space. 

Home Sweet Home

My heart goes out to all those folks in Texas that have lost loved ones, and also to those that have lost their homes.

 

The loss of a life is devastating. The loss of a pet, equally so for those of us who count our pets as our family.

 

And the loss of a home is without a doubt also a tragic thing.

I Finally Did It!

I know some of you are going to think I'm nuts, but I'm ok with that. 

It wouldn't be the first time. 

But, I'm super proud of myself!

Why, you ask?

Well, I'm going to tell you!

A Decorating Dilemma

I have a bit of a decorating dilemma. Or perhaps a quandary. 

And it's all my sister's fault. 

Creating a Rustic Chic Centerpiece

What many of you don't know is that in my real life (non blogging life) I plan weddings and events for a living. 

Yup, that's why I disappear at certain times of the year. 

I'm swamped.

More Changes Around Here

It's well and truly spring in the mountains, which delights me to no end!

One Thing Leads To Another

So, I did something stupid this weekend.

 

Well, in all honesty, I'm sure I did more than one thing that was stupid....but I'm only telling you about one thing.

What's Going On Around Here

The holidays are always a busy time of the year, for sure.

But when you take on major renovations at the holiday season, well....you're just nuts!

 

So, I guess I'm nuts.

Christmas, Christmas Everywhere!

Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away?

Where on earth do the days go?

I know they say that time flies when you're having fun....but this is ridiculous!

A September Glow in the Dining Room

This morning was truly a fabulous way to welcome the month of September!

Temps were cool, there was a soft rain falling, and the clouds were sitting on the mountain peaks all around me. 

Simple Spring Updates

I'm sure you've all figured out by now that I'm all about color. My home will never be a simple, neutral palette - as much as I admire it in others' homes. I just wouldn't be able to live with it on a daily basis....I crave color. 

Despite my color craving, I do tend to dial it back a notch as the winter wanes on. In fall and winter I want to surround myself with deep, warm colors, plush textures, anything that screams cuddle up and get cozy. 

But at this time of year when the days start getting longer and the light is changing and the birds are singing their sweet songs I crave a change. I need to lose some of the rich colors and embrace the light and bright. 

It was another crazy busy weekend on the mountain top....I worked Saturday, again. Don't even talk to me. 

We had a charity auction to attend on Sunday. Mimosas, anyone?

And in between there arrived a large pile of firewood on my driveway that needed to be stacked. Welcome to my weekend workout!

So I found myself on Sunday night after a couple of mimosas I enjoyed at the auction catching up on the chores I never got to do around the house all weekend.

Change is Good!

It's the very first Monday after the new year and when I woke this morning the sun was streaming through the windows in the most gorgeous way. 

The sunshine in this house drew me in the very first time I toured and I believe I fell in love immediately. 

The sun was shining on all the areas I "de-Christmasized" over the weekend. In between bouts of nausea. 

I was a busy girl despite the nasty bug that tried to get me down!

The dining room table is no longer stretched. As a matter of fact, I removed both leaves for now....just for a change. I love a little round table, it's my favorite kind. It feels very cozy having a meal at a small round table. 

And yes, those most certainly are my fall pumpkins and squash that were on my center island in Autumn. I will cook them this winter at some point. 

During Christmas they hid under the guest bed. The dust bunnies kept them company. 

The top of the bookcase once again holds plants and candles in lieu of Santas. 

The tree stays up, as is tradition in our family, until at least January 6th. Which not only is Little Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany but is also my dad's birthday. 

A holiday in and of itself. 

The mantel has been stripped of the twinkly stars and stockings and has been left with winter greens and my red wooden wreath and cones. They, of course, also look like Christmas trees.....when it's Christmas. 

When it's not Christmas they revert to cones. 

Because I said so. 

No more Christmas linens....but I did keep the red going for now. I will lighten up at a later date for a change of scenery but for now the red just feels warm and welcoming. 

Because, baby it's cold outside!

The bottles at the bar no longer sport scarves, hats, and sweaters. 

Except for one. Mr. Maker's Mark still has his sweater and earmuffs on. 

He's special. He's sweetie's favorite. 

The snowmen are gone and the colorful bottles have returned to the kitchen windowsill. They just make me smile. 

The little birdbath I hung outside the kitchen window is frozen solid now. Poor birdies. The creek at the end of the driveway is still running, though, so the critters are ok for water. At least for now. 

A few more days like this may change that. 

My farm animals have returned to the stove area, dangling their little legs over the edge. 

Anyone for a cup of tea?

I hung up this absolutely adorable winter dishtowel from World Market - they seriously have the cutest dishtowels ever! 

Did I mention I might have a slight obsession?

And this little guy, who was a gift from my younger daughter, keeps my glasses handy next to the stove...and brings a smile to my face every time I see him. 

Change is good. 

Today is a good day. 

Stretching the Dining Room

When I first toured my new house I fell in love. 

Instantly and completely. 

But I had a problem. And I almost didn't buy the house because of it. 

Despite the fact that I was in love. 

What was my problem?

The dining room would not seat my whole clan for Christmas dinner. 

I told you about it here - I didn't sleep for a few nights, tossing and turning and worrying about this. 

Yes, I know. I'm nuts.

Finally I just gave myself a good hard kick in the butt and said, "Who cares? It's one day a year!"

And I made an offer. 

And the rest was history. 

But now it's nearly time for Christmas dinner. 

And I'm starting to fret again. 

So what's a girl to do? 

Get creative, that's what!  

And I did. 

With help from my sweetie. 

I had this idea to take a piece of plywood, saw it in half, hinge it (for ease of storage), and place it over the table top. 

For once, Sweetie didn't tell me I was out of my mind. 

He saw the possibilities....and made it happen. 

Sanded and smooth, corners rounded, piano hinge down the middle. 

With the table stretched open as far as it can go - and a gap in the  middle to accommodate the hinge - we're giving it a test run tonight. 

With a dinner party for 12  nope, now we're at 13. 

Sweetie helped me carry the makeshift tabletop in last night and get it in place. 

It was a little warped, as plywood tends to be. So he clamped it and I weighed it down with all the fall squashes I have yet to cook. 

And I went on a hunt for the giant ivory colored tablecloth I have had for eons. 

And I hunted. And hunted. And turned every linen storage area in my house upside down. 

And no giant ivory colored tablecloth can be found anywhere. 

It walked away. As things do. 

So I improvised. 

With two brown tablecloths I've had for centuries and that lovely red velvet jingle bell runner I told you about here. 

And I worried the colors would clash. 

But you know what? I'm not hating it!!

My plates have a brown band as well as blue and dark red, so they work to pull the colors together. 

Add red napkins and crystal glasses and there's not a thing wrong with it!

The dishes help to weigh down the table so it's not quite as warped. It's still a little wobbly but hopefully will be alright, once the bowls of heavy food are put in the center. 

I'm really quite pleased with the end result. I set the table for 12 this morning.....I'll have to find room for one more when I get home from work - we'll squeeze. No worries. 

When the lights are dimmed and the candles lit and the music is playing and the wine is flowing nobody will worry one bit about being a little tight around the table. 

And we'll do it again next Friday. 

Happy Holidays, Friends!!

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Sharing at 

Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday 

The House Hunt

Today's my anniversary. 

Yes, another one. 

What? I can have more than one!!

Exactly one year ago today I walked in the front door, for the very first time, of what was to become my new house ....and I fell in love. 

Interestingly enough, I was ready to make an offer on another house. A completely different type of house. 

This house was no longer on the market. 

But during a site visit with a potential client, we started chatting about little things - what do you do for work, where do you live, etc....and I mentioned my house hunt and that I was ready to put an offer on a house. 

She told me I really had to see this one before I put in that offer. 

Yeah, sure. I've seen so many bombs....whatever. Ok, give me their contact info. 

And I reached out to make an appointment to view the house. 

That was no longer on the market. 

The rest was history. 

Kismet. 

Was this the style of house I was looking for? I'd say no....I set out looking for a small cottage yet when I walked into this Chalet style home I knew it was perfect for me. 

It checked off so many of the boxes on my Must Have list. 

1. Must be on a quiet road and not directly on the road but rather set back, safe for the dogs. Check!

I'd say this is a pretty quiet road, wouldn't you? My road is one of  the prettiest in the area....I loved this road long before I found a home here! Lucky me!

2. Must have a decent size deck for entertaining - check!

My deck wraps around and I actually have the fire pit area, a dining table with 4 chairs, a garden swing, and another smaller dining table all in separate areas on the deck. Works for me!

3. Must have a fireplace or wood stove to keep energy costs down. Check!

Granted, it did not look like this when I bought the house - there was an ancient wood burning insert that I had to take out and replace. It was most definitely not up to code and anything but energy efficient! But the stone hearth was there and I fell immediately in love with that. 

4. Must have room for a vegetable garden yet not be too much land for me to take care of. Check!

The fenced veggie garden was already in place, it just needed some TLC. And the house sits on 1.5 acres, but some of it is wooded so it's not overbearing for me to take care of. I use a push mower (cordless rechargeable one from Worx tools) and take care of the lawn myself for the most part. Once per month I have someone come in and cut the grass and weed-wack. I hate to weed-wack!! I just hate the way everything comes flying back at me, bouncing off every part of my head and body!! No, thank you! 

5. Must have a minimum of 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. A master suite with Jacuzzi tub and walk in closet would be a huge bonus!

Well, it didn't have a master suite. But it did have 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths. 3 bedrooms/1 bath upstairs and 1 bedroom/1 bath downstairs. Perfect for sharing a home with my adult daughter! I combined 2 bedrooms upstairs to create my master suite so the home now has 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths. Perfect. 

6. Must have decent bathrooms and kitchen - check!

I really didn't want to get into ripping out kitchens and bathrooms. I wanted to be able to move in right away and any improvements would be done while I was living in the house. 

I love my kitchen. It's nothing fancy but it suits me to a T. It's got a great work flow and it's open to the dining room. What more could I ask?

7. Must have room for me to host Christmas dinner for 15+ people. 

This house nearly lost me on that one. I fretted about the fact that the dining room won't be large enough to seat all my family for Christmas dinner. 

And then I just said, "Get Over Yourself, Lady!"

It's one day a year. 

And the rest of the year the dining room is absolutely perfect for us. 

8. Must have a nice view. Check!

The house sits on a hill and has views of the mountain ranges on 3 sides. That works for me!

9. Must have a garage and ample storage for garden tools, etc. Check!

I have a two car garage plus a garden shed...and of course my wonderful garden cottage. Nuf said. 

10. Must have a basement or a slab. NO CRAWL SPACE. They just totally creep me out. There's not one chance in H**L I'll ever go into a crawl space. Ever. For anything. Ever. All the pipes could burst at one time and I still won't go in there. So that was an absolute deal breaker for me. 

Nothing creepy about this lower level living space!! My daughter's room is behind the white door at the bottom of the stairs - en suite, with private bath and private entrance. Perfect situation for two adult women living together! There's also laundry, partial kitchen, and my other daughter's living space down here....as well as a tiny office and utility room. 

11. Must have nice neighbors. 

I think we're good. 

Welcome to my dream house. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can view the photos from my initial house tour on my Before & After post. 

Back to Reality

We had a fabulous getaway weekend in Burlington, VT with my daughters - but now it's Monday and it's back to reality. 

Almost.

I took a vacation day today so I could get some things done around the house before I get back to work. I'm puttering today. I love puttering.

My sweetie and I shopping on Church Street

And I love Burlington - what a great town! There's so much to see and do - amazing restaurants, the lake is gorgeous, and the shopping is such a treat! 

We don't have shopping in our little mountain top town. 

I might go a little crazy every time I visit there. 

Just a little bit.

This is what my dining room table looked like last night when I unloaded The Haul.

Yikes!!

But how could I resist some of these items? I mean, I'm only human.

These Christmas Cards? With the little squirrel? Just perfect for me and my little mountain house with all the wildlife.  They were calling out my name when I was browsing around in Homeport - one of my all time favorite stores on Church Street.

These pretty little bottles were so inexpensive and I knew I wanted to add some more colorful bottles to my window, just like Brenda has at Cozy Little House.  I just love how the colored glass looks in the window - it's like a little row of happiness!

And of course I can never walk by a Williams Sonoma...because I am a major foodie. And they were having their Friends and Family sale - 20% off  EVERYTHING!! Even sale items!

I'm already looking ahead to Christmas Morning with Spiced Caramel Apple waffles and a Cappuccino with Skinny Salted Caramel syrup.

And some Peppermint Bark as a palate changer after Christmas dinner. Yumzers!!

Of course while I was in Williams Sonoma I had to pick up a few tools. Their red silicone spoonulas and spatulas are my absolute go-to's in the kitchen - first utensils I reach for when I'm cooking.

I needed to replace a couple of my broken cutting boards and this little teak board was a fantastic deal at just around $12.

I also had to stop for a minute - ok an hour - in Kiss the Cook where I picked up this veggie brush to help with cleaning my giant veggie harvests. 

I also grabbed this wooden utensil with the flat edge - I have another one and they are absolutely the best for deglazing a pan. You can use them to scrape up all the little brown bits while deglazing and they are safe for nonstick coatings. This would be my #2 go-to utensil, when the silicone spatula is not firm enough.  It's always good to have extras of your go-to's so that when one is in the dishwasher you have another.

While in Kiss the Cook I grabbed this LeCrueset Kettle I've been drooling over for years. It was the last one they had in this color and I snatched it up real quick! I was so glad to be able to pick it up and examine it closely. I've been looking at it online for such a long time but something always held me back. When I picked it up and examined the quality it was a no brainer. It's replacing the cheap tea kettle I've had for years that has all the chips in the enamel. Done. 

It's going to make friends with my new best friend. I can already see them becoming very close.

My sweetie is already looking forward to Spring and grilling season once again....he bought me this griddle for when I do grilled veggies. He's always picking me up little gadgets for the kitchen - I have a sneaking suspicion he wants me to keep cooking for him!

There's another fabulous store in Burlington called April Cornell - I have never seen it anywhere else and I always make it a point to take a walk down to the waterfront to browse around the store. Apparently the Burlington store is their flagship store, the largest they have. My favorite place is the bargain basement - they have an entire level of sale items - I can get lost down there for hours!! 

I picked up these 2 great runners with matching napkins plus 4 placements with coordinating napkins. 

I really, really love nice table linens!

Perhaps a little too much. I may or may not be a table linen addict. 

This sweet little dishtowel came home with me as well - looking ahead to Valentine's day with this one of course! 

I also may have a small dishtowel fetish. I'm not saying. 

Just take  a look at this adorable tin box - it's almost like this was made just for me!! Roosters AND polka dots? I just can't. 

I have no idea where it's going to live but I knew it had to come home with me. 

Kim from Exquisitely Unremarkable - I know you're eyeballing it and yes, you're right - it would look great in your gorgeous kitchen or dining room - for sure! 

But this one's staying right here on the mountain top. Sowwwyyy!!

I tell you, April Cornell has some lovely linens and accessories - I'm always surprised at what I find in there! 

I think Sheila from My Kentucky Living would be right at home in that shop also with all those beautiful table linens!

There were a few more items that made their way home with me - these pillow covers from Pottery Barn as well as this gorgeous Sleigh Bell Velvet Runner - they will be absolutely gorgeous for Christmas! 

The bottles you see are all Vermont made spirits - from front to back:

Metcalfe's Vermont Maple Cream Liqueur  

Vermont Ice Apple Cream Liqueur 

Sapling Maple Rye 

Silo Elderberry Flavored Vodka

May I just say - YUMMMMMMMM!!!!

And yes, Rue from An Old Fashioned World - I know your tongue is hanging out right now.....wish you were here to sample these with  me!

We're going to have lots of visitors over the holiday period - these will be a nice treat when entertaining!

Speaking of cocktails.....

At the end of our shopping day we were POOPED!! Time to head back to our lake view room at the Hotel Vermont and have a cocktail. 

It was a lovely trip, as always, and it goes by far too quickly. 

Today we're back home on the mountain top and I'm puttering around putting away all my goodies. 

My little bottles are so happy in my kitchen window - they are sharing the windowsill with a couple of little turkey votive holders for Thanksgiving. 

It's the little things that make a home, isn't it? 

My new kettle looks wonderful in my colorful kitchen. And my new cutting board looks happy there with all of his friends. 

The place mats with their coordinating napkins from April Cornell are a nice addition to the fall table. 

And my new Christmas Ornament from Homeport is just waiting for Thanksgiving to pass so it can make it's way to the front of the Christmas Tree. 

Right in a prime location. 

Welcome home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: My youngest daughter wrote about our trip to Burlington also - pop over and say hi to her at TheGoodThingsComin