Welcome! Come on IN!

Growing up in the South, when we visited a neighbor or friend, we always opened the door and said 'YOOHOO'! I don't ever remember knocking or ringing a door bell. If it was at a relatives' house, I just opened the door and said their name....with a question mark on the end! So open the door, say Diane, are you there? And come on in! Or a simple 'Yoohoo' will get you in!

We're coming in the front door but the first thing we'll do is go close the drapes in the back. We leave them open most of the time but they let in too much Florida sunshine for our photos. We've put some sheers up to help with glare but we pull them back most of the time too. We love our sunshine and this big window looks out into the courtyard where the bird feeders are and our beloved birds!

A couple of you wanted to see my 2 red sofas but I know most of you have seen them over the years.

You'll notice I put red throws on the back of this sofa to keep the sun from fading the fabric. 

So for those that have seen the living room many times before, you can go on into the lanai and have a glass of Iced Tea. I'll meet you there in a bit! 

(art by local Florida artists)

And we'll look back at what you'll see at the entrance.

Make yourself at home!

We have 2 big dark brown leather recliners for comfort and a big screen TV for movie watching.

And you know I'm a firm believer of surrounding yourself with things you love.

So there are a few dolls here and there and children's books.

OLD books that I cherish.

And large bookcases filled with favorite books and some pottery we've collected over the years.

(and beautiful hand made baskets on top of the bookcases)

I change the throw pillow covers out pretty often.

We designated a library area at one end of our living room and that's where our piano is (my husband and I both play) and a table that can be used to play games or cards....or to read a book! I try to keep it simple so that it can be used and not just for show.

Wendy said she's enjoyed having you stop by. It's been pretty quiet here this summer! 

I'm thankful for a nice place to live and favorite things to enjoy

....and for friends that stop by to visit!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!

Good Morning!

Isn't it nice to have our favorite blogs to read in the mornings? I usually eat my breakfast first and then linger over a cup of coffee and read. Sometimes I don't even comment....I just sit and enjoy catching up with my blog buddies. Life has changed so much these past few weeks and I'm glad we can encourage each other and of course, 'flatten the curve' by staying home.

I can't say I've gotten SO much more done by staying home. My house is cleaner and I've tackled a few projects that get left undone (to quote Mrs. Hughes in Downton Abbey). And of course I've cooked!

I made cornbread using a recipe that my blog buddy, Lorrie shared on her blog Fabric Paper Thread. It's HERE! I omitted the sugar of course and made mine into muffins! And they really are buttery delicious!

Since I had a small carton of buttermilk I made a half recipe of biscuits too. I have that recipe in my head! lol But it's just easy peasy...with Crisco and some butter cut into the flour that has baking powder, baking soda and a sprinkle of salt. Add buttermilk and don't over mix your batter. 

We even had something different and it was very good. We grilled chicken breasts one night and froze one of them for later. So I took that out of the freezer, thawed it and cut it into small pieces. I made a white sauce, 1 tbsp butter with some fresh minced garlic cooked it in, added a little more butter, a couple of tbsp of flour and then 1 cup of milk. For spices we put oregano, basil and black pepper. I stirred that until it thickened some....not too thick and then added the chicken. We cooked pasta and put that in the pot with the sauce! And it was delicious. Homemade Chicken Alfredo!

I love when you go to take the photo real quick and the heat steams up your lens! lol Take two....!

I've stayed busy and continue to pray all through the day. How are you doing at your house? Let me know in the comments! I'm thankful for you all!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!

*Merry Christmas from Florida*

I hope your day is filled with fun and that you make some special memories this year!

I made a few postcards to share!

Songs to sing!

Roses at Christmastime!

A window with decorations!

Home for the holidays!

Blessings to all of you that make every day special! 

I'm spending a beautiful Christmas day in Florida 

AND I'm joining Thankful Thursday tomorrow!

Don't forget to tune into the Hallmark channel for a fireside scene with cute critters along with beautiful Christmas music! ENJOY!!!

Decorating!

When you can't go outside and play and you're tired of cleaning...

 DECORATE!

Because when the weather gets nice, I'll be on the trails!

I even drove over to Pruitt yesterday but it was too hot and too wet to do much. I saw some birds and butterflies and got a little nature fix. I took my afternoon snack and enjoyed a little commune with nature. 

But back to decorating. We had rain over the weekend so I enjoyed puttering around the house.

The big "W" store has so many pretty Fall things this year but I already have lots of pretty things, so I just bought some new silk flowers.

I made 2 new arrangements. One for the display cabinet behind the sofa...

and one for the coffee table in the lanai.

My sweet friend, Danice sent me a card this week and it matched my flowers.

Another little wagon with pumpkins....

and a moth on the front glass door. (the real thing! lol)

Have you changed things up for the 'end of summer'?

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays .

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope everyone has a special week! I’ve got some things to look forward to that I’ll share soon.

We are having the most beautiful weather with TONS of sunshine.

So it’s a challenge to get a good photo of this little cabinet that you see when you come in our front door (with the big bright window at the other end of the room). It’s a fun place to decorate though!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J.

Hugs and Kisses

xxxoooxxx

"If You Give a Moose a Muffin"

If You Give a Moose a Muffin is a delightful children's book by Laura Numeroff. I fell in love with this little book the moment I saw it. And since it was only a nickle at the old thrift store and a bit 'beat up'....I didn't mind cutting it apart for my next altered book project!

I started working on it yesterday by printing out some recipe cards. 

My favorites were the ones I found at Gooseberry Patch on their 'free goodies' page HERE. (I had trouble accessing them on their site and ended up getting them on Pinterest.)

I have all kinds of ideas for this sweet book and it sure makes me think of Autumn baking!

I promised Maggie my favorite Honey Wheat bread recipe. I made this 'upteen' times when my kids were growing up. I cut it off a bag of whole wheat flour. I remember cutting it off every bag I bought and giving the recipes to the ladies in my church. My kids grew up with whole wheat...whole wheat everything! One time they had a friend over that said we even had whole wheat water! hahaha! Memories!

My sweet hubby bought mums last week to put into the big pots by the front door. Hurricane Irma beat our pot plants to death so it was nice to get some pretty mums to replace them.

Have you done anything special for Fall yet?

It's October...time to decorate!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and Cooking and Crafting with J & J HERE!

The Lavender Cottage

Let's walk out the front door and look at the flowers my sweet hubby has planted this year.

He has felt so much better and he really loves to garden.

We don't have a place for veggies here but he stays busy caring for our flowers.

And look at this Vinca that came up 'volunteer' in the culvert that runs under our driveway. 

We have a mowing crew that cuts our grass and they've been careful not to trim it when they edge the driveway.

How many of you grow 'knock out roses'? (we have doubles and singles...most of them red!) They sure are great for the hot humid conditions here. And for anyone visiting that might be new...YES, my house really is lavender!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

The Golfing Community

We live on a golf course here in Florida.

And it’s a beautiful place to live.

I don’t play golf.

But I love living here and meeting so many interesting people.

It’s amazing the ‘friends’ that stop by on a sunny afternoon.

I’m sure they’ve finished their game of golf.

But where do you think they are headed?

To the pool? The fitness center or pro shop? Maybe the restaurant that is nearby.

I’m not sure where they were going.

 

But I’m glad they stopped to rest in the trees behind our house.

Because I got to stand outside with my neighbors and enjoy the ‘wild side’ of living on a golf course.

And yes, I know these aren’t the best critters to have in your neighborhood…

but you have to admit they are pretty cute!

And just look at the tricks they can play!

“Look at me, I can hold on to the sides and swing free!”

Hey, there’s not room for everyone up here!

But since you’re here..

pose for the camera!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE.