Snowballs and I go way back.  Not the kind you form from freshly fallen snow, but the kind that grows on branches.  

For as long as I can remember, my momma had a snowball bush growing just outside her kitchen window.  A bright and sunny window that welcomed the afternoon sunlight ... a cheerful spot that could turn a most ordinary day into a breath of fresh air.  I loved doing dishes in momma's kitchen, that says a lot right there.  I have so many memories of momma's snowball bush full of blooms in springtime, and the sun filled window making a rainbow of colors that danced in the soapy dishwater.  Mostly, it was momma making this time special...and I still enjoy washing dishes in her sink beneath the sunny kitchen window...even though the snowball bush is long gone.

So, I made sure to plant two in my garden and the memories flood back every spring as they bloom in my garden and I bring them indoors to enjoy, like these in the dining room.

Valentine's Day in the Kitchen

Valentine's Day will be here before we know it, and though I LOVE celebrating, I don't usually do too much so far as decor.  So, I've sprinkled the kitchen island with a little love for this special day.

What a Year 2019 Has Been

We're friends, right..

So, can I be honest with you?

It's hard to describe, but 2019 has been an off year for me.  It was way too busy and with too many projects that required too much time on the road, loss of a most treasured loved one, and now it's gone.  As I reached the end of it and began looking back, I came to find much of it is a blur.  

  

It's been a thrilling year having our new grandson with us, he is so precious, and I couldn't love him more!  The interior cabin renovation is finally done, yay!  But it's been an exceptionally busy year and I found myself absolutely exhausted at the end of it.  Then there was Thanksgiving which was late, and Christmas which was early and three birthdays to celebrate, and New Year's Day...and I was hosting it all.  My mind and body were too full of tired and exhaustion to be motivated or creative or to enjoy the process of getting all these things pulled together...I was stuck.

Are you ever like that?

The Cabin Before and After

This weekend I was thinking about how far we've come with the cabin renovation and began looking at some pictures that were taken the first time we saw it.  That was back in 2015 and we closed on the property in December 2016.  We have come so far, and it feels good to have so much behind us.  We still have some repair work and painting to do on the exterior, but the inside is finished, and we are so happy with how things are coming along.  I haven't shared many of the before and after pictures with you so I thought I would.  I must admit I cringed a time or two as I was looking back...it was so bad!

Special Moments and Furnishings at the Cabin

The cabin is a special place.  On the drive up, it is truly amazing, how we feel the weight of the world lifting and peace settling in.  Once there, with the beauty that surrounds and the sound of the rushing creeks, it is always such a calm and relaxing place to be.

Inside the cabin, there is a small window of time when the sunlight streams in.  A little in the morning and a bit in late afternoon.  I love those times as the sun dances through the lace covered windows, it is brighter and the extra warmth...especially in the winter.  But mostly it's a bit dark inside, so on comes the lamp light, oil lamps and the flicker of candles.  This was taken in the morning, just as the sun was coming in the front windows.

Cabin Sweet Cabin

We closed on our creekside mountain cabin in December 2016 and haven't stopped since!  It has been such an undertaking choosing this fixer-upper, living 3 hours away and it being basically a total gut job from plumbing to electrical and most everything else from floor to ceiling.  The most recent interior phase of the project was to convert an attached garage into a laundry area, master bedroom and master bath.  

Happy New Year 2020!

Happy New Year!

Looking ahead to the year 2020, lets remember:

It is a new year!

Every day is a new day!

In the Meantime

After Christmas, once all the decorations are put away, doesn't it look a little bare!

Is it just me or do you feel the same way?

And now that Christmas is packed away, there is much more to do!

Mantels

and

tabletops

and

kitchen counters,

so many places needing to be decorated!

And how do I want to decorate these spaces for winter?

Is it just me or are you asking yourself the same question?

Well, that's just too much to decide right now, so I'm sitting back and going to ponder that a bit.

And in the meantime...

Just Like that Christmas is Over

I still feel as though I've missed something, or as if something is still to come?

It seems many of you feel the same with Thanksgiving being so late this year,

which trickled into Christmas decorating being late,

and Christmas coming early,

and just like that...it's already over...and there is much I didn't share!

I was late in finishing my decorating, but I'm still in the Christmas spirit and not taking my decorations down just yet, so here is more Christmas at our house.

Christmas Kitchen

Christmas is only 5 days away and I'm still behind.  I'll say it's because Thanksgiving was late this year, because if I had another week all would be good, and less hectic, and I wouldn't be so crazy...so that sounds like a good excuse to me!

Growing up we had a tinsel tree.  It came in a tall box, with a ton of honeycomb sections, and each section had the end of a tinsel branch right there at the top for us to pull up and then stick in the wooden pole.  It was so much fun to putting the tinsel tree together and I loved all the sparkle!  I don't know what became of that tree, but I enjoy this tiny one that finds its place in the kitchen every year.

Christmas in the Dining Room

Are you ready for Christmas?

Not me...I am so far behind in getting my decorating finished this year.  I am trying not to stress about it though.  I'll continue doing what I can and come Wednesday, what is done, is all I will be doing.

It was fun pulling together Christmastime in the dining room.  I do love these Christmas dishes, especially in the evening light.

Fall Touches in the Keeping Room

Spring and fall are my two favorite seasons. So why do they pass so quickly?

This fall has been an amazing show of color up in the mountains and I find myself longing for it to last...but the leaves are falling.  The wind and rain come, and more leaves fall.  I realize the show will soon be over leaving a beautiful memory and a longing for next year.

Bringing a bit off fall into the keeping room has been fun.  Simple touches are added here and there by using things on hand and snippets from the garden.

The Cabin Queen

Names.  Names are good.  We would live in chaos if we didn't have names for things.  When I reference my friends and family, I call them by name.  When we go on trips, we name the places we are going.  Before going to the grocery store, I write the names of each item on a list.  When folks are coming to the cabin to stay with us...I find myself searching...searching for a name.  You see, there are three bedrooms in all (I’ll be sharing the others soon), each one has a view of the creek and since this bedroom has a queen bed, I’ve been calling it the “Cabin Queen”.  Besides not really liking the name "Cabin Queen" and that it would be fun hearing what you come up with ... what guy wants to sleep in the “Queen” room?!

I've shared bits and pieces of this queen bedroom with you and today I wanted to share the whole room; before and after.  Well, things are always changing, so for now this is the Cabin Queen.  (Help me name her please!)

My Tiny Gourd Harvest

Last October while in the mountains we visited Barber Orchard for some apples and while there I noticed a huge bin full long neck and squat gourds.  Some were smooth and shiny, while others had warts all over them!  It was such fun going through the bin and choosing from all the uniquely beautiful gourds.

I kept the gourds for a long time, thinking I would let them dry out and continue using them for fall decor in the future.  But the colors weren't too pretty and honestly...I just didn't have the space for them, so I pitched them out in a flower bed in the very back of my yard.

This summer I began seeing a trail of green leaves with yellow flowers on long reaching branches growing across that flower bed and guess what ... I'm a by-mistake farmer and growing gourds!

Fall in the Guest Room & Remembering

One of my favorite rooms in our colonial farmhouse style home is the downstairs guest bedroom.

I call it "Aunt Janie's" room because this is the room she always stayed in when she would come to visit.  Funny, her daughter is how the decor choices for this room came together.  Many years ago, my cousin gave me two pictures she no longer wanted, so I brought them home and everything from the paint colors to the drapes all came together from the colors and patterns in those two pictures.

Creekside Dwellings ~ The Cabin Exterior Updates

Since I've been sharing more of the cabin with you, I thought I should move to the exterior and then back indoors.  If you've been following along, you know our mountain cabin is a fixer-upper, with everything needing to be redone from plumbing to electrical, top to bottom, ceiling to floor...a total renovation.  We haven't focused too much on the exterior because we've wanted to get the inside finished.  I must admit, I'm a bit reluctant, because the exterior isn't too pretty...but it is what it is.  This December will be three years since we began and it's still in the works!

Fall in the Cabin and My New Find

It's been fun sharing more of the cabin with you.  There has been a lot of life rearranging to make it possible for me to stay up here in the mountains while the renovations are going on.  Being here has given me the chance to snap some pics and share them.  Today I wanted to show you my new find and some fall touches I've added here in the cabin.

Soft Touches in a Rustic Cabin

There are so many memories, stories and special people that come to mind as I look around the cabin.  For me, that's what makes a collected home so special.  Over these past few years while renovating the cabin, our friends, family and so many others have shared items and deals with us that have made this place extra special.  Here in the queen bedroom (I need to come up with a better name) I often think of my friend Judy as I cover the bed with Martha Washington bedding or a quilted comforter with floral stitching.  I think of Carolyn, antique shop owner turned friend, who just happened to be having hugely discounted sales during my cabin gathering days.  There are others, but mostly, I think of my mother.

Antique Oil Lamp for the Cabin Guest Room

I've been in the mountains during this latest phase of the cabin renovation and since there is so much of the cabin I haven't shared with you, I wanted to start with this antique lamp.  In the cabin there are two bedrooms; one with three twin beds and one with a queen bed.  When this phase of the renovation is complete there will also be a master bedroom.

While searching for cabin furnishings I wanted to find things that were rustic and with character, so I was happy to find this antique kerosene oil tank turned into a lamp.

Wall Cupboard, Ironstone and Nature

There is a lot of wood here in the mountain cabin.  The walls are original heart pine, old worn wood floors, there are wood beams on the living area ceilings and many of the bedrooms and hallways have wood ceilings.  Someone once asked if I was going to paint the wood . . . umm No!  I love it and it's actually one of the things that drew me to this cabin more than any other.  I didn't want our place in the mountains to look like it could belong in the city or at the beach or in France...but to look and feel like a mountain cabin.

When planning the kitchen, knotty river birch was chosen for the cabinetry and purchased at a local saw mill.  The goal was texture and character, but I wanted to break things up a bit since there is already so much wood in the cabin.  How to do this?  I wasn't quite sure, but one day while antiquing with a friend I saw this wall cupboard and thought it would add just the right touch.