It's all in the details.

Are you a detailed person?

When you look at something, do you see deep into the piece?

For me....the more detail, the more character the treasure holds.

If you look closely at these clay tea-lite holders, you will see ivy vines growing up each column.

The shell has variations in color, and depth that cause your eyes to linger over it's surface.

What attracted me to this little bird bath the most, was the garland around the base.

It's filled with unlikely bedfellows....a porous starfish, vintage tag, and a tiny horse hair nest nestled underneath.

One of my favorite pieces is this ceiling tin.

I LOVE all the detail on the wreath! The ribbons, the way they flutter.

The boarders along the sides.

It's gorgeous!

Even the most shabby pieces in the house are delightful.

I enjoy all the rusty, chippy, distressed goodness of a vintage treasure.

The hardware on the shutters helped make the decision to purchase them.

What would I ever do without ribbons, linens, and lace?

I'm surrounded by doilies with beautiful lacework edges. Crinkled satin ribbons. Gorgeous cameos. Lovely embellished journals made by a dear blogging friend.

All things that please the eye with their design, and detail.

The most beautiful of all...Natures treasures.

With all of their swirls, and colors, and shapes.....man could never duplicate such splendor.

I must admit....of all the things here at the lakehouse...I never tire of looking, in amazement, at one of these wonders of Creation. 

It's all in the details.

Learning how to use my camera

Since Picnik is closing in April, I thought I'd better learn to use my camera.

There are so many different settings I've never used before.

Taking pictures at night never worked, because I wouldn't read the camera booklet.

I always wondered how it would look to take pictures with all the candles  lit.

I even used the sepia setting!!!

Then I opened the lens up wider so I could try taking pictures reflecting in the mirror...hmmmm.

Looks kind of creepy....or maybe the mirror is just dirty????

This little mantle will be going in the bedroom upstairs.

Mr. Lakehouse is going to make another one....a bigger one for the living room.

I wanted one downstairs for the holidays, so I used this little one. It was fun decorating it for Christmas.

Anyway...for an inexpensive little Nikon camera, it has a lot of settings.

I will be busy trying to figure out how to use it for a while.

I was actually planning on getting a different camera. After discovering all the things this one can do...I think I'll learn how to use this one.

It might not be as cool as some of the others out there...but it works for me.
I wonder if it has a setting for a collage?????

Experimenting with blue.

Talk about a crazy winter!!!!!!

Yesterday we had thunder, lightening, and rain on top of the two feet of snow on the ground.

Today we are having wind gusts over 30mph with white out snow squalls.

I feel Mother Nature's pain...being in mental-pause isn't fun.

I was fooling around with the settings on my camera this morning, trying to get that bluish color that I see on some of the "shabby blogs" out there.

I finally got it, but the pictures didn't come out as clear as I wanted.

Plus, they are kind of dark.

I guess that's part of the fun....experimenting.

I'll just keep working on it until I get it right.

Don't forget to pray for Donna at My Shabby Chateau. She's having surgery. God Bless You "Glitter Queen"!
I'm joining Faded Charm for White Wednesday. The button is on my side bar.

Random shots, or a lesson?

I was taking some random pictures this morning. 

No theme, or reason for the shots.

I sat down to load them in the computer, and moved a tablet.

A little piece of paper slid out of the tablet, and floated to the floor.

It was from a fortune cookie.

I never save those things.

I don't read horoscopes, or go to fortune tellers.

For some reason...this little piece of paper was saved.

Maybe I was saving it for a rainy day, or in this case, a snowy day.

Typed in red ink, it says...."Stop searching forever. Happiness is right next to you."

I've learned to let go of things from the past that have been hurtful...I lost so many blessings due to grief, and despair.

I hope I'm not over looking today, searching for the things that tomorrow "might" bring.
There are people praying for just one more day....people with a terminal illness. I don't want to squander even a moment.
As I walked through the house, taking random pictures, it all brought me to the little piece of paper with the red ink.
What we see as random, God sees as a plan....a lesson.
What did you learn today?

You never know.....

It's still snowing here at the lake.

I've cut my hours back at the pharmacy, so I have more time at home, and also more time to visit with  my girls and their families. They live two and a half hours south of us.

I see them more during the summer months, because of vacation times, and good driving weather.

I was planning to sew things for my booth during the colder months, using the linens I collect...which I have done in the past.

When we first moved to the lake, I thought the kids would be here more often. 

When they were growing up, we spent many weekends at my grandparents cottage...swimming, fishing, hiking around the lake, sitting around the campfire, catching fireflies, and hunting for turtles.

Things change. People change. 

Spending long weekends at grandparent's houses at the lake isn't what it used to be.

We actually tried to sell our lakehouse. With the market the way it is, we ended up taking the house off the market.

I had to get used to the idea that we were here to stay.

While purging "stuff" these past few weeks, I found a few things that I made with the linens, and vintage fabrics collected over the years.

God blesses us with talents....gifts.

We can share these gifts, or hoard them away.

Since the kids don't visit as often as I'd like, I might as well start using the linens I've saved for so long.

I can make things for my booth. Doing the things that I enjoy.

Then when the warmer months get here...maybe, just maybe, the kids will decide to come up for a long weekend. 

Who knows, someone might just catch a turtle.

A snowy afternoon.

We're waiting for another snow storm here in Michigan.

Things are just getting started this morning.

Mr. Lakehouse is working at Home Depot today, and I have the day off from

the pharmacy.

I guess I could get some laundry done, clean the bathrooms, and mop the floors.

Yeah, whatever....sitting on the sofa in front of the fire with a good book sounds

much better to me.

Later this afternoon, I might even pour myself a glass of wine as I read that book...
Sounds like a plan to me.
Enjoy your day!

Tete to the rescue!

So far, so good!

Tete suggested to change my server to Google Chrome to help with the blogger problems, and it's working.

I thought it was just me with the problem, but after reading some comments to my last post, I see others

are having the same issues.

Since I'm very, not smart, when it comes to my computer, Tete always comes to my rescue.

She's a guru, when it comes to computer problems....and she doesn't even roll her eyes when I come up with yet another stupid question...at least not in front of me.

 So, thank you Tete! You are like one of those guys on the "Big Bang Theory"!!!
Donna is the glitter queen, you are a computer whiz, and Diana is just plain crazy!
Have a nice day y'all.

More problems with blogger.

So it's not just me???!!!

I've been having problems with blogger for almost a week. The same

ones Diana posted about this morning.

I even tried to comment on Diana's  post, but could not! argh...

Even trying to post has been a nightmare.

I hope blogger gets it all worked out soon...very soon!

January thaw cleaning.

This has been a mild winter here at the Lakehouse so far. With the sunshine, and warmer temps.
I've been in the mood for a little spring cleaning.

I decided to put all of the ironstone on the farmhouse cupboard, along with the

larger Mason Jars that were on the window sills.

The vintage tea pots, and cups were moved to the hutch.

Instead of the locker baskets of linens sitting on

chairs, they are all together on the bottom

shelf of the hutch.

It keeps everything all together when needed.

I doubt this mild weather will last much longer.

So, when the cold and snow finally get here...at least the house

will be clean.

It's been quite a while since I've joined a party...but I will be joining Faded Charm for White Wednesday.