A quiet moment....

Good morning.

It's crisp, clear, and very cold here at the old lakehouse.

It's one of those quiet times of the day when you have time to just sit, and reflect.

Experiencing those last few days of 2011.

Thinking over the events of the past year.

Thanking God for the blessings and provisions of each and every moment.

Being grateful for HIS wisdom.

Knowing I must trust that HE is in control.

HE sees the whole picture, and has a plan for my life.

 Do you ever do that? Take a moment, and just breath in HIS presence?

I think I will go sit in my big, old, squishy chair and just bask in HIS glory.

Happy New Year!

Home for Christmas

T'was the week before Christmas, and all through the lakehouse, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

 For we were down-state at my youngest daughter's house.

We waited, and waited for Olivia to be born.

 She finally decided to make her appearance.

Causing great joy for her sisters, and parents.

We stayed for a week, and had lots of fun.....

I have to be honest...I'm glad it's all done.

I'm not a poet, just one tired Gramma.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!

A Christmas surprise!

It was a busy Saturday.

Mr. Lakehouse and I went Christmas shopping.

We actually accomplished quite a bit...yay!!

When we returned to the Lakehouse, I was surprised by a package in the mail.

Inside was a beautiful handmade card by Donna at My Shabby Chateau.

 Isn't it lovely???!!!
Wrapped in the foil paper were six pretty beaded dangles made with theeee most perfect colors for the Lakehouse. I think they were supposed to hang on the Christmas tree, but I thought they would look nice hanging on the chandelier for the holidays. The colors go so well with the aqua mercury glass tea light holders, and Christmas ornaments, and the sea green Ball jars, aqua chairs, sea blue chairs, bottles, and everything else in the dining room. Even the cob web hanging on the chandelier looks better with the beads!!!
Donna has soooo many talents! Beading is just one of many.

 Thank you, Donna, for such a wonderful surprise!!!! I appreciate you for thinking of me, and taking the time to send such a cherished gift, and special card...made just for me.
You are so sweet.

Unpacking some boxes.

The sun is shining here at the old Lakehouse! After days of clouds, and rain, it's nice to see some blue skies.

I was cleaning out a closet the other day, and found something that I had packed away when we put our house on the market.

We didn't sell, however, and I am finding things that have been in boxes for almost three years now.

This picture frame belonged to my Grandma.

She kept a picture of my Dad dressed in his army uniform in it.

My granddaughter, Maddie, was born on my Dad's birthday. I thought it would be a nice gesture to put her picture in the frame.

Another box held vintage Christmas ornaments.

I was also happy to find the birds that used to grace the holiday trees in previous years.

The mercury glass garland beads were in another box.

I have the day off....so I think I will check out more boxes in another closet.
Who knows what I might find?
Happy Hump Day.....

Tis the season

It was a gorgeous day here at the lakehouse! We got some snow last night, and the sun was shining all day....it was just beautiful!

Just right for more decorating.

I'm not doing a whole lot this year.

I'm gleaning ideas from other blogs.

I saw the bottle brush trees under cloches posted by Faye, Wild Rose Vintage, and also by Donna, My Shabby Chateau.

 My reflection in the crown looks like huge bug eyes!! yikes!

 Well, that's it for the bookcase. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

 Now for the top of the TV cabinet.
I saw Sissie's cute little houses with the pink rooftops, and fell in love with them.(Bless me father for I sin, I covet Sissie's Shabby Cottage.)(leftover from Catholic grade school).

These don't have pink roofs, but they are still pretty cute.
I have just a few more pieces to bring out.
I'll post more later.
Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Smooches....

Just getting started

Well....I compromised again this year. I wanted clear lights, and Mr. Lakehouse likes colored lights. I bought THEEE smallest colored lights I could find.

They are called LED Dome Lights.They are teeny, tiny like seed lights, but are so bright, you could light an airport runway with them!!!!

Holy, moly....good thing I didn't get the clear bulbs!!!

Our house would probably be making a humming noise when the lights would be turned on!!

Sitting with our sunglasses on in the evenings while trying to watch TV would be a real pain.

I looked everywhere for a flocked tree this year...everywhere.  Since I couldn't find one, or the flocking in a can, I decided to use snow in a can on our old tree. The effect wasn't quite the same, but you make do.

Hopefully I will find a flocked tree, and have clear lights next year....until then...I will enjoy what I have.
I did find another candle stick for the mantle....will add the candles this weekend.

I also found this iridescent grassy stuff for the urn.

Even though lavender isn't exactly wintry, I thought it looked nice in the French clay bowl I found at the market last summer.

Ooops, after looking at this picture, I think I'll need to get another large bunch to fill the bowl.

I have a few more decorations to put out.

How are you doing at your house?  You guys are probably all finished decorating, and I'm just getting started.

Lace and mercury glass

Welcome to this old lakehouse.

The decor here has been kind of vintage-ish, beach-ish, I don't know-ish.

Just recently I've been using LOTS of candles again. It's "that time of year", you know?

So I'm in that "romantic-ish" kind of mode(not mood) if you know what I'm talking about.

 So I took down the sailcloth valances that I made two years ago(yes I've washed them before this!)
And I put away the sailcloth/flagship pillows made to match the valances.
Since Wallyworld is about the only store around these parts, I headed over there to look at the Better Home and Garden curtains that they carry(soooo happy they carry that brand). I found these sweet lace valances. They changed the look of the room dramatically! Of course I removed some of the "beach-ish" things, and replaced them with a few Lacy, shabby pieces. After some floofing, I'm liking what I see.

The garden bench looks pretty with a few aqua pieces, a vintage tablecloth, and a pretty pillowcase.

I'll show you more as I go along.

The white Christmas tree will be going in the dining room very soon.

Silver, white, and pink decorations will adorn the tree this year.

Hope your weekend went well!
Smooches....

Baby it's cold outside...

We're back...whew.

It was a whirlwind of a trip.

Driving for three hours to get to my daughters house. All of the baking, and cooking. Not enough sleep.

Notice one of my son in laws...Dan chewing his nails...with all the commotion, he gets a little edgy.

These are just a few of the grand kids...the others are running around in other areas of the house.

I'm not sure what that white circle is floating by Maddie's head...maybe Glenda the good witch from the Wizard of Oz decided to show up for the party????

Oh, by the way...it was Maddie's 10th birthday, not her 11th(way to go Grandma!!!).

Maddie doesn't like cake, so Melissa makes brownies for her birthdays. Before we even sang, the kids already started eating!!! Oh well...Happy Birthday little lady.

Mr. Lakehouse and I drove home late last night after we did some power eating.

Turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

It was wonderful!

This morning we woke up to ice on the water. Brrrrrr!!!!!!

I curled up on the sofa with my recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

Notice the crooked candles? I'm into that lately. Unless they are lit, I leave them all cock-eyed. I've seen them in magazines like that and think it looks kind of neat. But I'm weird.

Since it's so cold, I'm making potato soup today. We use lots of cheddar in ours..mmmmmm.

Well, dearies, the sofa beckons.
I hope you enjoyed your weekend.
Ours was exhausting, in a good sort of way.
Have a great week everyone!!!
Tootles.

Just checking in....

It's Friday here at the Lakehouse, and it's cold. The sun is shining, so I'll take a blessing in whatever form it comes. The water is a dark blue, and quite rough...causing the Wood-ducks and Seagulls to bob up and down on the waves...looking almost comical.

Most of the other blogs I've visited are all prettied up for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Since we will be celebrating this weekend at one of my daughter's homes, I didn't put much out as far as decorations go. Just a few pumpkins and gourds.

We will also be celebrating Maddie's 11th birthday on Sunday. It's hard to believe she's 11 years old.

I'll share some pictures from the festivities next week.

It seems I'm showing the same pictures on my posts over and over again. I live such an exciting life..haha.

I guess I am happy with the things I have, so nothing changes a whole lot around here.

 Maybe once I start decorating for Christmas I will have some new pictures to share with you.

I realize there is a lack of color here at the lakehouse. I make up for that with a mixture of texture to keep it interesting.

Anyway....I'll be away for a few days.
I hope you have a great weekend, either relaxing at home, or visiting with family and friends.
Smooches to all!!!!