A pretty set of floral dinnerware with a coordinating set in my favorite shade of blue.
Threshold Haylee & Wellsbridge Aqua
Mary Ellen
Showing posts with label Simple Pleasures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simple Pleasures. Show all posts
Monday, February 17, 2014
A Different Kind of Floral Valentine's Day Gift
No roses this year. But, there were flowers :)
A pretty set of floral dinnerware with a coordinating set in my favorite shade of blue.
A pretty set of floral dinnerware with a coordinating set in my favorite shade of blue.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Snow Day!
Given the option to come into training late and review materials or stay at home and enjoy a snow day, I choose the latter - and better - option!
The snow was too powdery for a snowman, but still fun nonetheless
My angels making snow angels
Reedy's gigantic snowball
Even Sheba Kitty braved the elements (briefly!)
The boys made snow pies
After fun in the snow, it was back inside for popcorn (our traditional snow day snack) and homemade hot chocolate
Snowflake decorated cupcakes {sort of - Ashleigh & I are still getting the hang of our new decorating pen!}
Cheers to snow day!
Mary Ellen
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmas Around the House
A few of our Christmas trees throughout the house this year
Gold-themed tree for the newly painted foyer
My pink tree {from last year's Garden Ridge 90% off haul}
and stag head from Target
I found these cute retro inspired ornaments last year during
the Target after Christmas clearance sale
More trees in the family room
Our main Christmas tree with family, milestone and handmade ornaments.
Some of these ornaments date back to my husband's childhood.
The dining room
Flocked Christmas tree in the dining room {also from Garden Ridge clearance}
The kitchen tree
Upstairs the kids' favorite tree - the candy tree!
I love these adorable fabric cupcakes.
The 12 foot tree in the living room by the fireplace.
Traditional red, green and gold for the sunroom Christmas tree.
My antique dresser in the sunroom decorated for Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Mary Ellen
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Where is the Working Home Keeper?
Hello, All! First, thank you for the 13th Anniversary wishes! The Mr. & I had a wonderful night out together while my oldest sister and Momma watched the kids. Seems like just yesterday, we were two kids in love walking around campus. Hard to believe we've been married now for over a decade :)
It was not my intention to let the blog sit idle for a month. But, in all honesty, I would rather live life and be fully present in the moment, than blog about it sometimes. Terrible strategy for running a successful blog. But, pretty good strategy for enjoying life :)
So, what have we been up to?
We ended the Summer with a trip to Wrightsville Beach. It was only a few days, but it was the most glorious few days. My soul just feels so at ease by the water. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt in the air, the sun warming my skin.
But, real life beckoned and we left our beach paradise just in time for the start of school. This year, Ashleigh started 5th grade, Clayton 3rd grade and Reed 1st grade. This is also the last year all three kids will be attending the same school. I'm so not ready for middle school! Or this 3 day, 2 night field trip Ashleigh will be taking to Washington DC with the 5th grade class in the Spring. We never did anything like that when I was in school! Thankfully, my Mother-in-law will be chaperoning. But as far as school is concerned, so far so good. All the kids have great teachers this year and there's been no problems (thank God!).
And, Miss Ashleigh is a member of the safety patrol this year! The safety patrol is for 5th graders only. Ashleigh applied at the end of last school year (without any prompting from us). And, was approved based on grades, demonstrating positive character traits and recommendations from her 4th grade teachers. So proud of that girl!
Work is work ;) Dave is entering a busy time at his job, while mine seems a bit uncertain. I think there will be changes, but it's uncertain exactly what that will mean for individuals within my department at this time. I could end up a working home keeper "at home" for a time. The thought of losing my job doesn't worry me because my joy is not tied to my work outside of the home. My purpose in life and joy has always come from being a wife and mother. As long as I don't lose that job, then I'll be okay!
Speaking of home, we've been busy with some home improvement projects. We replaced the flooring in our sunroom, will be replacing the carpet in our family room (hopefully before Thanksgiving) and will start repainting our foyer to make it brighter and more inviting. I started my Fall garden in early September by means of direct seed. In retrospect, that was probably too ambitious for my level of gardening knowledge! My tender seedlings were eaten up by slugs and/or crushed by one of our kitties who has taken to lying in my garden squares. Thankfully, the weather here is still mild and the first frost date far enough away that a Fall Garden Part II (this time with transplants!) is still possible. I have to plant some kale and spinach for all those green smoothies we've been drinking. Even my Momma has taken to drinking a green smoothie each morning!
So, that's what we've been up to in a nutshell!
It was not my intention to let the blog sit idle for a month. But, in all honesty, I would rather live life and be fully present in the moment, than blog about it sometimes. Terrible strategy for running a successful blog. But, pretty good strategy for enjoying life :)
So, what have we been up to?
We ended the Summer with a trip to Wrightsville Beach. It was only a few days, but it was the most glorious few days. My soul just feels so at ease by the water. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt in the air, the sun warming my skin.
The kids had a really good time in the water this year. They would go straight from splashing in the waves at the beach to playing in the hotel pool until closing time. 
Blue Crab Omelet at Causeway Café, Wrightsville Beach
The food - delicious! Nothing like dining by the ocean in the evening. Or enjoying lunch dockside as the boats pull in.
Clayton not so excited about the first day of school!
But, real life beckoned and we left our beach paradise just in time for the start of school. This year, Ashleigh started 5th grade, Clayton 3rd grade and Reed 1st grade. This is also the last year all three kids will be attending the same school. I'm so not ready for middle school! Or this 3 day, 2 night field trip Ashleigh will be taking to Washington DC with the 5th grade class in the Spring. We never did anything like that when I was in school! Thankfully, my Mother-in-law will be chaperoning. But as far as school is concerned, so far so good. All the kids have great teachers this year and there's been no problems (thank God!).
Ashleigh on patrol!
And, Miss Ashleigh is a member of the safety patrol this year! The safety patrol is for 5th graders only. Ashleigh applied at the end of last school year (without any prompting from us). And, was approved based on grades, demonstrating positive character traits and recommendations from her 4th grade teachers. So proud of that girl!
Work is work ;) Dave is entering a busy time at his job, while mine seems a bit uncertain. I think there will be changes, but it's uncertain exactly what that will mean for individuals within my department at this time. I could end up a working home keeper "at home" for a time. The thought of losing my job doesn't worry me because my joy is not tied to my work outside of the home. My purpose in life and joy has always come from being a wife and mother. As long as I don't lose that job, then I'll be okay!
Speaking of home, we've been busy with some home improvement projects. We replaced the flooring in our sunroom, will be replacing the carpet in our family room (hopefully before Thanksgiving) and will start repainting our foyer to make it brighter and more inviting. I started my Fall garden in early September by means of direct seed. In retrospect, that was probably too ambitious for my level of gardening knowledge! My tender seedlings were eaten up by slugs and/or crushed by one of our kitties who has taken to lying in my garden squares. Thankfully, the weather here is still mild and the first frost date far enough away that a Fall Garden Part II (this time with transplants!) is still possible. I have to plant some kale and spinach for all those green smoothies we've been drinking. Even my Momma has taken to drinking a green smoothie each morning!
So, that's what we've been up to in a nutshell!
Until next time,
Mary Ellen
The Working Home Keeper
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere...
"...knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise"
Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise"
-ZBB
:)
Mary Ellen
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Before & After - Ball & Claw Foot Side Table
After reading Inspired You by Marian Parsons (of Miss Mustard Seed fame), I knew I wanted my next trash to treasure project to be a milk paint project. My first milk paint project to be exact! Lucky for me, my favorite local antique shop started carrying Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint line about the same time I came across this ball and claw foot side table. A little beat up, but very solid with beautiful lines and curves.
The beauty of milk paint is it allows you to paint over surfaces without any priming. For the table legs, I chose Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Shutter Gray. My first coat of milk paint (with bonding agent added) seemed a bit uneven and bubbly. But by the second coat, the color was very solid and smooth.
My initial plans were to stain the table top in a dark walnut color - reminiscent of the many beautiful pieces Miss Mustard Seed features on her blog. But, no matter how much Dave sanded (he burned out one sander!), he could not remove all the finish. Plan B - paint the top in Typewriter.
To bring out the details and provide a protective top coat, I went over the entire piece with Miss Mustard Seed Antiquing Wax.
I placed the table for sale on Craigslist. I wasn't sure if there would be any interest since it was only the single piece. But, it was bought by a lovely lady who thought it a perfect match for her similarly styled furnishings! She was so intent on getting the table home, she made her very tall husband climb in the back of their two door car to give the table more room upfront!
Mary Ellen
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
The Garden - My Breathing Space
In the past few weeks, I've watched my garden go from the above...
To looking like this! One of my simple pleasures is to go out and look over my little garden squares in the still and quiet of the morning. A sort of centering activity before the start of my day. I study the leaves and blossoms. The vegetable buds and the bees going busily about the plants. I rejoice and feel thankful when I see the promise of something wonderful growing!
A yellow squash growing
The distinctive shape of a patty pan squash starting to form
A little jalapeno pepper growing!
Mary Ellen
A little jalapeno pepper growing!
Mary Ellen
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