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!!!!

Flavored vinegars

Looks like our sunshine is coming to an end for a while.

The milder temps are also going to drop.

After moving the herbs inside a few weeks ago, I ended up putting them back outside because of the warm weather.

Then we got snow.

Back inside the plants came.

I almost forgot to make the flavored vinegars this year.

 It's a good thing I had to keep moving the plants inside, and out, then inside again.  It reminded me about the vinegars.

I use them in cooking, and also for salads.

The herbs help diffuse the pungency of the vinegar.

My favorite is Lavender...especially for salads.

 The Thyme, and Chive are wonderful for cooking.

I think even if I didn't use them, I'd enjoy having them on my window sill....just to look at 

When blogging becomes an obsession.

Why do we blog?

What did we do before blogging?

When I first started blogging, I thought of it as a way to journal my thoughts.

Then I started sharing pictures of my home.

I gleaned ideas from other bloggers to use in my own home.

It was like a subscription to an Internet decorating magazine!

I was loving it! Until "it" became an obsession.

For a while, I lost my identity.

I got really busy trying to keep up with what was popular, and forgot what MY style was....which has always been a collection of vintage clutter.

I LOVE the shabby, romantic style...kind of beachy, with a little French thrown in.

I've never had just one "theme" going on at a time.

Collecting vintage linens, dishes, frames, and mirrors has always been "me".

But I had to find a balance.

Blogging was what I did every minute that I had free time. I kept my computer on from the time I woke up,until the time I went to bed.

Instead of relaxing with my husband, and visiting with him, I would sit next to him on the sofa while our favorite shows were on, and I'd blog hop.

Then came the etsy shops.

Not only did I read the other blogs, comment on the other blogs, and email other bloggers, I started visiting their shops!!!

It was a whole new world out their!

I also got caught up in "collecting" followers. I thought to have a "successful" blog, I needed as many followers as I could get. That meant visiting even more blogs, which meant more reading, and more commenting.

Hellooooooooooooooo.....what about keeping it humble, and sharing my thoughts?

What was I doing?!!!

After a long conversation with Mr. Lakehouse, I decided to omit my followers section.

Who was I trying to impress?

I was happy just reading "A Beach Cottage" for the longest time...Sarah kept me entertained with her humor and decorating tips.

It kind of came to a head just last week.

I found myself "wanting" too much.

I felt like blogging was becoming a burden, instead of a blessing.

I actually thought that turning off my comment section was a good idea.

It wasn't.

So now I hope to get back to being happy floofing what I already have.

Since I'm such a clutter bug, I have plenty to pack away for a while, and switch things out with all the other stuff I have stored in closets.

After all, I must have liked everything at one time...right? So why not keep changing things out when I get bored....instead of buying more stuff!!!

I'm sorry, this has turned into a book.

Now, for today's post.

I visited Debra at Common Ground and read her post about Leola's Christmas Open House.

She took some wonderful pictures of great ideas for your holiday decorating.

I saw the chalkboard in the second post, and since I needed to change mine for the holidays, I borrowed the idea from Leola, or one of her helpers???

Autumn at the lake was my idea for Fall.

The next picture shows the board with Leola's idea.

It's perfect! and I didn't have to buy a thing!!!!
Thank you Debra for the inspiration.
Sorry I blabbed my head off today.
Happy blogging to y'all.

Another day of floofing.

I'm loving my new schedule at the pharmacy.

Working three days a week is so much better for me physically as well as emotionally.

I'm not feeling as exhausted as I was.

Plus, I can see my family a lot more now.

 Since I love decorating,  having more time to floof here at the lakehouse is another "plus" to working part-time.

 I moved the little mantel from the dining room into the living room.

Mr. Lakehouse was a little confused with the cement urn being brought inside.

I found this piece at the market with Laurie.

Instead of leaving it outside for the winter, I thought it would be nice to bring it in and enjoy it.

The next idea was taken from Faye.

I love how she filled a suitcase with pieces of handmade lace.

I like the gathering of vintage items on the big wall of the living room.

The wicker settee is constantly being floofed.

This time I brought the burlap, and ticking pillows together.

 I'm really happy with this look....for now....haha.

Originally I bought this gauzy throw(from Ikea) for the bedroom.

I like the mix of textures on the wicker chair found at a vintage shop last summer.

The drop cloth, throw, and vintage linen pillows add a little romance to the $12.00 chair.

That's it for my day of changing things around here at the lakehouse.
Hope your day is productive.
For anyone wondering...I turned the comment section back on.

Sunrise

I woke up with the sun this morning.

My thoughts, as the light filled the sky, were of past chapters  in my life.

 Growing up with an abusive mother. When I was young, I cried out to God over and over again....asking why He gave such a woman eight children to raise.
After having babes of my own, I thanked God for the experiences as a child. I learned what kind of mother I didn't want to be.

 I thought about Patrick(my first husband) having Leukemia. Our girls were so little. Why would God allow a man only 26 years old to die of such an awful illness?
Through Pat's illness, we were given the gift of salvation.

 Another situation was Mr. Lakehouse spending four days in the trauma unit at the U of M Hospital because of a horse throwing him....causing his lower body to compress into the upper left side of his body. His organs were bruised, and all the bones involving his left shoulder, and ribs were broken.
We learned that God performs miracles of healing, and grace.

 In 1996 a mass, the size of a juice orange was found on my brain.
We were blessed with another miracle. The doctors at St. Joe's Hospital were so amazed at the recovery, they entered my case in a medical journal.
We found the "peace that transcends all understanding".
I also knew that if I died on the operating table(as the surgeon suggested I might) I'd LIVE!
If I made it through the surgery, I'd live.  It was a win----win situation.

 Last winter was the discovery of uterine cancer. During the surgery, my bowel was perforated....causing a long recovery.
We understood that God is in control.

 Doctor reports of lumps in my granddaughter's breast.  The possibility of birth defects concerning my daughter's baby due this December.
The power of prayer....pouring in from the bloggers here.

 As I was reminded of the blessings and miracles of the past years, I was drawn to the sunrise.

I realized that the "Son" shines in the darkness.

Bringing peace, hope for a new day, and the knowledge that God is in control.

Each phase of the sunrise was like the chapters of my life.
The light entered the sky...slowly...but surely.
It filled my soul with joy.
I know that each new day brings unknown  circumstances...good and bad.
I also know that the Son will fill me with His light....just as the sun fills the morning sky with it's light.
I pray that I will stay focused on the Son for the remaining chapters of my life.
Have a blessed day.