Restoration House: May 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

A few visitors to my spring garden...

Hello everyone!

It's been a while eh?

I know...I've been busy with life and such, you all know what I mean I'm sure.

I thought I would share my spring garden and a few little critters who came to visit! Lol

Whenever I'm out in the garden my little munchkins follow me to watch whatever it is I'm doing (along with watching some fledgling robins that my daughter and I have saved a number of times!)

Most of you will know by now my chihuahua "Butters", and cats "Jack" and "Tara", can you spot them all?

Here is Jack in the midst of my garden. He sits under this mulberry tree that I really trimmed back earlier this spring, he loves to hide under it and "study" the wildlife. I'm thankful that he is big and bulky and lacks any real stealth that is required to catch this wildlife.

I've added some hanging plants this weekend and fell in love with these blue lobelia.

Here is Butters beside a couple of hanging plants that I'll be putting out on the back deck.

Hubby was in the middle of hanging up the spring/summer screen door, so please disregard the mess.

This post is basically a before as I will be repainting the door and will be adding some different cushions to the muskoka chairs.

I love this pic because Butters and Jack are usually such camera hogs and they both decided to look away while Tara who is so shy decides to ham it up.

Lots of work to be done here but you can see my bleeding hearts in white and pink as well as my "snow in summer" in full bloom. I have a couple of peonies that will bloom in a couple of weeks as well as a couple of clematis.

I have a couple of pots of lavender to plant as well as some other plants to move.

I really should do some edging, add some manure, along with some mulch...

Now if only these little critters could pick up a shovel! Lol

Thanks for stopping by today,

blessings upon you all.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

My favorite meal...

Hello everyone!
Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!
It's been raining here the last two days and while the rain is in a constant fight with my hair the gardens are really enjoying it! Lol.

It's lobster time and one of my favorite all time meals. I guess I come by it rightly by being the daughter of a long line of Islanders.
Usually my aunt and uncle will bring up from PEI a cooler filled of just cooked lobster for me to enjoy. This time I jumped the gun and bought a few from the grocery store.
It's the first time I've ever cooked them live on my own.
I must admit that my daughter and myself felt pretty bad about this and in the midst of tears and ohhs and awws the deed was done quickly.

I decided to take a few pics but was too hungry to actually spend any time styling them. Lol.

Many times we cook potatoes and other veggies to go with the meal but the lobster is so good we never get around to eating anything but the lobster except these big tomatoes covered in salt, pepper and chopped cilantro.

Would really like to be able to take better photos of food.

Penny De Los Santos has a free Food Photography Workshop @ Creative LIVE going on this weekend but I haven't been able to watch it. I believe you have to pay for it after today.

Thanks for stopping by today and
Blessings to you all.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A thank you and a thrift basket...

Hello everyone!
I'm hoping everyone had a great weekend and a lovely Mother's Day.
My Mother's Day started with a family lunch at my favorite Thai place and finished with my daughters' and I watching Jane Eyre at the theater. A simply wonderful day with a sweet red velvet cake, even sweeter bracelet bead to add to my collection and pink champagne thrown in for good measure! I am truly blessed.

I wanted to send out a thank you to Mary at Urban Farmgirl for featuring my Kitchen Makeover last week. Mary has such a great blog and nobody looks better in a pair of Hunter wellies than she does lol!
Stay tuned as Mary will be revealing her Cabbage & Roses guest room makeover this week!

I also wanted to send a shout out to Apartment therapy for featuring my Kitchen Makeover as well. Certainly feeling very thankful this week!

Here is a few pics of a wicker basket that I picked up a GW.
I love baskets and this one has such a lovely warm texture to it. It's at the bottom of my bed and I use it to throw my laundry in. I know it sounds corny, but I love to look at it from my ensuite, it reminds me of my Grandaunt hanging laundry on the line.
My Grandaunt had a lovely old homestead in PEI with a laundry line that overlooked the water. It's a view we would all kill for now but back then it was just a backyard that had an inlet from the ocean running behind it. I can still see the clothing and linen blowing with the salt air in the sunshine...
It's amazing how an object can bring to mind so many memories!

Look at the lovely warmth of color it adds to a sea of white and cream. It also matches Butter's beautiful color as well!
My bed isn't made but Butters doesn't mind.

The basket goes well with the other baskets in the room and adds color and texture like the baskets here under my sewing tables turned bedside tables.

and the basket on top of the armoire.

It will eventually go into my closet but for now I'm enjoying it at the end of my bed.

Thanks for stopping by and
be Blessed!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Kitchen makeover and beach find...

Hello everyone!

Hoping you're all enjoying the weekend!

I'm finally posting my newly painted kitchen cupboards, yay!

I had wanted to paint these cupboards since we moved into our house about five years ago but was afraid to take the plunge.

Hubby decided to finally start the job and we finished last week.

We used my favorite white by Ben Moore called "cloud white".

This is what they looked like before:

Since we moved in, I had done the backsplash, put beadboard around the peninsula. changed the countertop and changed out all the appliances to stainless steel. We only had the painting to do.

We had also put a new sink and faucet in when we changed out the countertop.

I put a little linen skirt under the sink as I wanted to wait to put the newly painted cupboard doors in there. I wanted to give the paint time enough to cure and this is such a high traffic area with the garbage and recycling, I didn't want the doors to be ruined. I'm kinda liking the skirt there now though.

Another view.

I love limes!

This is my beachy find that hubby and I saw washed up along the shore while going for our walk the other day.

I think it's part of an old wooden pallet.

Hubby dragged it home and managed to get most of the sand out of it, I just love the weathered grey look.

Love it with my beach mason jars.

Of course lavender and hydrangeas! lol.

You can see the tip of the old "boob" fixture here. We are getting rid of that fixture and putting two new pendants over the peninsula along with some pot lights. I'll post that when it's done. So excited to get rid of that light!