It's All About the Flowers!

It's crazy how this happens. 

I really had no thought of re-doing the living room this past week. 

Other than feeling a little tired of the Vintage Door Mantel behind the electric fireplace, I was happily in the post-holiday-let-it-rest phase. Honest!

Then it hit me. That "thing" that makes me suddenly so unhappy with a room, that I must try to do something to change things up. 

Even if it's 10:00 at night. 

Saturday evening I had the sudden urge to empty the living room and start over. Really, there's just no telling when it will strike. All of a sudden I find myself...

...taking things down, pushing furniture around, swapping the farmhouse cabinet and the big yellow bookshelf to opposite walls. The ugly, old, stained-beyond-help rug was hauled to the basement (kids cheering). 

Unfortunately, the "big brown beast" of a sectional will be staying for awhile. 

That is, unless some kind soul wishes to gift me a white slipcovered sofa? {wink wink} : )

It's always been this way for me. 

My mom could happily leave a room the way it is for years. When I was a teenager I drove my parents crazy when they would come home from work to discover I had rearranged a room. 

Usually, they made me put it right back the way it was...sigh. 

Anyway, when the mood strikes me for change, I usually just go for it. I'm still deciding if I will add the third piece to the sectional. Or maybe I'll take the two-cushion section out and put a chair in here? 

As always, I'll be "shopping" my house, and trying to repurpose some time-worn things into new pieces. 

Why am I showing you my disheveled, in-process living room today? 

Well, for the flowers, of course! 

My friend left this bucket of gorgeous flowers at my house yesterday!

They kind of make even a messy space look bright and happy, don't you think? 

In the midst of the mess, focus on the pretty :)

Stay tuned, I'll be back soon to show you how the living room turns out, and share some other things I've been tweaking around here.

Jeanette


p.s.- Have you visited Creating a Life on Facebook and Pinterest?

It's another fun way to connect! 


Sharing this week at
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Be Inspired at Common Ground
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Fridays Unfolded at Nancherrow
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Confused in California

So, just what does "winter" mean in southern California? 

Coming from Colorado, my brain tells me I should be feeling freezing temps and seeing snow in January.

I was born and raised here. I should have remembered this feeling, but after nearly 20 years in Colorado, and only visiting southern California in the summer, I had forgotten.


Winter here means...

 Picked in the neighborhood here!

It's been mostly 70's and sunny since we arrived several days before Christmas. It may have actually hit 80 degrees on Christmas day! It's just not right, I tell ya : )

Boy have I been going through blogging withdrawals! I haven't had much time to visit around or post anything the last couple of weeks. 

Today, I just had to find something pretty to work on and share with you. Had to!

I am out of my element here at my parents' house. I didn't even bring a glue gun! (haha).

I thought I'd go scrounge around outside a bit to see what I might come up with.

 My nephew had been cutting branches from a tree in the backyard (the younger kids are having great fun climbing on them) so I started there for some inspiration. 

I snipped some of the thinnest branches out of the pile and decided I'd put together a very simple and rustic twig wreath. 

Being freshly cut, they were pretty flexible and I was able to easily bend them into a wreath shape.
The only thing I could find to secure the twigs were some white twist ties. My daughter colored them with a brown marker : ) 

Behind my mom's little barn style shed, I found a discarded and forgotten trellis that had almost fallen to pieces. I like that it still has some pieces of whatever vine was climbing on it at one time. 

One woman's trash...

 I love the chippy white finish.

I tapped it back together with a hammer as best I could, turned it upside down and hung my little rustic twig wreath on it. 

I pulled another branch that still has some leaves on it through the trellis. 

I found an old galvanized farm bucket (okay, I swiped it from the fireplace hearth) and an old rusted garden trowel and put them on a little stool my grandfather made as a boy. 

Yep, this is winter in southern California. Pretty rough, huh? 

We're heading home to Colorado in just a few days! My dad has been battling cancer for some time now, and it's so so difficult to leave my parents during such a hard time. I would sure appreciate your prayers for him, and our whole family right now.

See you soon from snowy Colorado, friends!

Jeanette

Joining these parties this week:

Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm 
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Knick of Time Tuesday 
The Scoop 
Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House 
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 
Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 
Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors