laissez-faire - hands off; let it be.
lackadaisical - lacking spirit or liveliness; showing lack of interest; languid; listless.

i'm just not inspired to blog. i'm diving into my design class and i don't have time to write about the things i really want to write about! i'm going to take some time off, but i will be visiting you, you can count on that! happy back to school. :) bethy

krispy kreme - where we celebrated my daughter's second birthday four years ago. isn't a donut the perfect little cake?
kennedy - our sweet ten year old golden. he was named after the famous new england clan we all love :)
kindness - never underestimate it. i read once about a father who told his young daughter on his deathbed, "just be nice." isn't that such good advice?
kate spade - i went through a big phase with this one, anyone else?
kohler farmhouse sink - in my kitchen, one of these days :)

j is for jibbitz. because you need them. when i am out and about and i see an empty croc, i feel it is my duty to tell you about jibbitz. i have done this before, many times really, and mostly to children because they appreciate it the most. "excuse me, i see you have an empty croc. do you know about jibbitz? just go to jibbitz.com," i say. i guess because i am such a simple pimple when it comes to my home decor, i feel like when there is something that allows me to really add some color and spice, but then i can hide it in a straw basket under my foyer table - well, then let's get crazy!

and from what i've noticed, it seems most croc people know about jibbitz now...i guess i've done a good job spreading the word :)

is for - i have no idea. do your children do stuff like this? at least it was a clean one.

hair - mine is naturally curly, well, more like naturally frizzy because it is also very very fine. i usually blow it straight but then it has no volume and it is a lot of work - too much in this heat!
hat - looking at pictures of me lately, i realize i have been wearing hats - a lot!! here is my do today.
hate - i used to use that word often...i hate doing laundry...i hate my dirty floors...i have tried to cut it out of my thoughts/vocabulary altogether and it really has made a difference. think positive, people, it helps! :)
hamster - we will never own one. never. i do allow myself to say never.
heart - what matters rests here. such a beautiful thing.

girlfriend - one of mine took this picture on her vacation and emailed it to me
gift - then her sister bought me a gift from there (i will have to show you - so cute!)
generous - how sweet was that?
good eye - did you notice how they spelled accessories? :)
george strait - for you, aunt barbara
grosgrain garage - now i'm off to see what lisagh is up to...later gators

food - i like just about anything that has mayonnaise in it. so does my daughter.
future photographer - my son took the above picture with my phone at the grocery store today.
fig newtons - bleh! i don't know how people eat them. they are NOT cookies.
fly - there is one in my kitchen right now and he doesn't know it yet, but he is toast.
father - i talked to mine today. he is at the beach.
fish - we are fish-sitting this weekend for a lovely beta fish named sam.
friday - it is family movie night here. don't know what we will watch. happy friday!

egg-free - we have some food allergies here
elsie elizabeth - she was my matron of honor, my dear grandmother
energy - usually needed around 3:00
emptying the dishwasher - again and again and again
ephesians - my favorite book

B
beachball - simple fun
bean - a name given by my grandfather
bethy - me!
blue - refreshing
babies - new ones with tiny toes
braces - i wear them, did you know that?
beth moore - changed my life

C
cooking - a family joke
cookies - any kind
curry - thai food, yum.
clean - every other thursday
country - music, living, air, girl
consistency - not my strength
crafts - too many, i love them all
cottages - a passion
coffee - every day

D
dogs - i want more
diapers - i miss them
doodles - i forever do them
delete - too much junk mail
denise jackson - i just read her book
doritos - lunch
dungarees - what my dad calls his jeans

i read about this on autum's blog. she got it from here: belladia

i want to play along.

A:

A day late and a dollar short. i think that kind of sums me up for coming so late to this game.

Attitude. it matters a lot. so i am working on mine.

Awake. i'm wide awake at 1 am because i had this great idea to make a sign for my class. it is taking me awhile.

Art. i wish i could draw.

Autum, thanks for sharing this game with me.

happy anniversary to two of my favorite readers :)

this is the original summer kitchen that sits on my parents' country property. the history people love it because it still has its original paint. i used to love it. i remember going into it as a young girl and imagining the women from long ago cooking in it on a real fire. i remember sweeping it and thinking how it would make a great playhouse or fort. it reminded me of little house on the prairie because it had a loft and i thought how fun it would be if i had the nerve to sleep up there. sometimes i thought it could be my own little barn. i could get some chickens and scatter hay about or maybe i could throw quilts on the ground and use it as a picnic house...i had big dreams for the little place. but it needed some work and so it was locked up for safety reasons and was left to decorate the land for awhile. for a good long time no one thought much about it. then one summer day a few years ago, i woke up really early and groggily looked out an upstairs window from the main house. i couldn't believe what i saw flying into this sweet little antique dwelling - bats. and i don't mean like ten, i mean like hundreds. no one believed it, but after further inspection it was discovered that at some point in the past few years, the charming summer kitchen had become a bat house. originally, i was completely freaked by the idea of bats taking over my little playhouse. but then i became intrigued by it. when you walk by you can hear the squeaks and fluttering from within. at dusk you will see the bats leave usually in pairs or groups of four. and at exactly 6 am in july, they all fly back into the house in one big swarm. we have been told people come to see the bat house and while i was there this past time people had set up lawn chairs to watch the bats leave. people come and take pictures of the house, not just because of the historic value, but because of the bats. we hear it has become a local interest. so my mom has to make a painful decision. we love the mosquito-free living the bats provide on the property, we love that area people and town visitors find it so interesting, we especially love that because the bats have a nice place of their own, they are not in the rafters of the house where we sleep...but we want our cute little summer kitchen back! so, what do you think...should we kick them out?

i decided to put the ruffle on hold. i have to find out what basting means. two people have mentioned it and i clearly have some learning to do :) so in the meantime, i just trimmed and dropped my rod to create cafe curtains. maybe you remember i had long formal drapes here? i was never fond of them being so close to my fun refrigerator. it just never mixed. the simple linen eyelet cafe curtains that i shortened seem more appropriate. but as i was playing around, i remembered how i can tend to get too girly in my decor, especially in the kitchen. there is a "man of the house" - you know, the one who won't let me get a yorkie - and so i have to try to put in some toughness here and there.

aha, the curtain rod. i used pvc pipe, that's tough, right?

wilna, in all her coolness, has inspired me to get crafty today. not with an artistic page about my imperfections, but with curtains. i am trying to make some curtains. with ruffles. i have never made a ruffle and so i don't know what i am doing. but i am up for the challenge. thanks, wilna! :)

it just poured down rain here. i open the windows when that happens just to hear the rain. my grandfather taught me to do that. i want a little yorkie. my husband says no way. he was bitten by one as a child?? a yorkie?? hmmm. did you see the snl skit with the sofa king commercial? so funny! alright, alright back to the ruffles.

does that ever happen to you? you see something and you get smacked with envy? it hit me hard right between the eyes when i saw this:





i signed up for the scrap etc. event in nashville. it is in april and heidi swapp is going to be there and you know i love her! although, if she knew me she probably would have me sitting in the corner of her classroom because i NEVER do my homework. i have good intentions and i do believe it will get done. in my own sweet time. i am such a bad student! anyway, i am so excited to meet her and as i was learning more about the event and the very talented teachers who will be there...i found her...wilna...(wilnaf.com). and wow. the girl is good. and she is from south africa. so cool. and her name is wilna. i feel like such a dork.

may i brag about the land of my ancestors? it really has something for everyone. after a day of this...




you can now do this...



at the beautiful and amazingly restored bedford springs.



i couldn't get over the quality of work and attention to preservation and detail.



the whole time i was there i had a titanic tune in my head. i heard many people say it reminded them of the same thing. you have got to check it out. it is breathtaking and you will get a great lesson in american history.



have a great weekend!

here is a before shot of the interior of the cottage. sorry about the quality, but i thought maybe you could see what a difference some new flooring, lighting and paint can do. i remember thinking the cottage should be torn down and i usually think of myself as someone with vision for rundown real estate. i guess there is aways hope :)

i had such a great time in the country. i checked off my whole list. except for the paddle boat thing - because at the last minute i was reminded of the last time i did that and my boat totally sank in the middle of the lake and i had to be rescued by the boat rental staff people who were NOT paying attention to my "helps!" for the the first twenty minutes. but everything else was a go and i am now in a soft ice cream detox program.


i spent much of my time decorating the cottage or shopping for it. i made my very first ever curtains and some more shams. and i have to confess i found a target. it took 45 minutes to get there, but it was so necessary (see pig chalkboard and papertowel holder).


my mom and grandmother had gotten the painting and flooring done and the new appliances installed before i arrived. they had the place a gleaming perfect slate. so i was in charge of accessorizing - my favorite!


my mom and dad had movers come get some unneeded furniture from here to use in the cottage. i added some ticking to this formal wingback to casual it up a bit. and maybe you recognize the couch?


i fell in love with an indoor flea market and went every day for something new (old?). i miss it so much. i got a lot of knick knacks, jars and dishes. the place was huge and full of treasures. cheap treasures, the best kind.


in a guest cottage like this, i think the key is to know when to stop. keep it clean and simple, cozy and relaxed. and add a lot of fun.



but i must give a little credit to my brother who added a beautiful new accessory to the garage. check out that spiffy new convertible. he has always been the smart one.



***updated for sweet lori-lu: here is the background information on the "cottage"

i love being in my thirties because i am really beginning to figure myself out. i am getting more and more comfortable in my own skin and i don't live to impress anyone. you hear oprah say stuff like that a lot. how getting older is exciting because you become more of yourself (it would be even more exciting if i had her make-up team, but i really do see her point). i have finally put the pieces together and have learned what i love to do. the biggest problem has been figuring out how these things can coexist. in fact, it is documented here: http://homedaisy.blogspot.com/2006/06/sometimes.html.

well, tomorrow, i begin a new job. i will be teaching two design classes to middle and high school girls. i am so excited to be doing what i LOVE to do. this new venture is a gift and so is the friend who made it all possible. thank you!
i believe this is just a stepping stone to something bigger in our futures.

i will work only four hours a week, two days a week. i am excited to have yet another reason/excuse to shop at michaels, go antiquing, re-do a room or a piece of furniture, scrapbook a new technique, tour a home, play in my studio, or visit a blog for inspiration. all for the sake of research. i am also thrilled to have the title "design teacher." i think it gives me permission to dress a bit more eccentric. like those ballcaps and crocs i sport too often paired with my camo pants. i can just hear the principal under her breath, "well, that's the design teacher."

oh boy, i am so ready for this :) :)