If You're Reading This, You Shouldn't Be....

Just a little friendly reminder that if you're following this blog, it's time to make the switch and start following my new blog instead. There are still about 251 followers of this old blog, but I just wanted to make sure you know that I've moved. Thank you and see you here at my new blog address!: Twice Remembered

My Blog Has Moved! + Make Your Monday Project

{Note: This is my last blog entry at this location. I have a new blog address! The new blog looks and feels just this blog, but my blog name has been changed to Twice Remembered and a few quirks have been worked out that I wasn't able to get rid of at this current location. There will be no more posts to this blog but my old posts have already been transferred and future posts will be made to my new blog location, Twice Remembered. I invite you to follow me there and to update your subscriptions - thank you! I will be hosting a giveaway soon for those that follow my new blog as a special thank you for taking the time to make the switch! Also, I'm working on updating my blog roll over there - I have a lot to add and it's taking a little while!}

Now, moving on!

Make Your Monday: From Gaudy Art to Fabulous Chalk Board

Folks, if you haven't done so already, you must go to your nearest thrift store and purchase the biggest, gaudiest, most unattractive piece of framed art you can get your hands on. Watch out for other shoppers who are there for the same reason as they may try to run you over to claim the last one. {Well, more than likely, most other shoppers will wonder why you would pay good money for such atrocious art and they will feel pity for you due to what they perceive as a total lack of taste and class on your part. But nevermind those shoppers.}...Continue reading and viewing photos on this Make Your Monday project at my new blog!
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I'll see you there, and don't forget to update your blogrolls and subscriptions!

Reflections

Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
~Henry Van Dyke

A Touch of European Inspiration

I often like to imagine that I live in a quaint and cozy thatch roofed cottage much like the one in this painting, tucked away somewhere romantic and idyllic like Provence. Ah, beautiful Provence! I like to imagine such things especially when I glance up at the ceiling in the living room and see the 8 X 6 inch patch of missing "popcorn" {which sometimes snows down to the floor in the middle of the night} , or when I sigh hopelessly at the weeds I've managed to grow in my so-you-call-this-a-garden? garden, or other things that are not very Provence-like. I am a "head in the clouds" kind of homemaker, that is to say, while I should be cleaning or menu planning or doing laundry, I'm thinking up ways to try to make our home like the cottages I dream about. I don't have to tell you, dear reader, that it is really quite therapeutic and satisfying to do a few small creative makeovers and knick knack shuffling and Voila! Is this a French cottage I'm beginning to see peeking through the popcorn and weeds? Perhaps so!

I've collected a few beautiful vignettes from tourist and decorating sites or shops and I hope you enjoy looking at them as much I do. I apologize that I can't remember where I found a few of them...

{country living}

{country living}

{country living}

{country living}

{country living}

{farmhouse wares}

{farmhouse wares}

{family linens}

{the blissful}

On the home front, hubs returned from a nearly week long business trip last night and brought back the camera - the camera that I had planned to use last week to document some of the things I've been working on. I will share those soon. Note to self: Hide the camera the next time hub goes galavanting Buy another camera. :)

A Month of Sundays

And so it has been a month of Sundays since my last entry. Has the idea of a lazy summer, complete with swimming hole swimming, porch swing swinging, ice tea sipping, and of course, recreational blogging, become a thing of the past? No, surely not - but sometimes such simple pleasures have to take a backseat for a while so that life can take the wheel and get to where it needs to go.

Ours has been an unusually busy summer so far. As I've mentioned before, our place of worship was just remodeled and all the work was volunteer - so we helped with that along with our regular weekly volunteer work. During this time, we also had a two day Bible education program that we attended the first week of June, then a special visit from a traveling minister and his wife for a week. Tomorrow, we are leaving for another (3 day) Bible education program, which is out of state. I've been packing and cleaning and planning for our trip for a week now, along with spending some time with a dear friend that's visiting this week from Pennsylvania. So all of this has happened within the last four weeks and as you can imagine, I haven't had a moment to focus on much of anything else.

There is a time and a place for everything, though, and after this trip I want to share with you a few decorative changes that I've made to Twice Remembered recently. Like most of you, when I have guests over, I'm motivated to "fluff the nest" and spruce things up a bit. And I've still been making my weekly trips to Goodwill and always find a little something special to bring home. More and more, our home is looking like a little old French style country cottage. I often think about how years ago, more than anything, I wanted to buy a hundred year old, dilapidated house (with lots of character!) to slowly fix up over the years. That didn't happen. Instead we bought a nondescript 30 year old house to work on...for years. But it is interesting to slowly see the backwards progression of our home. It really is starting to feel like that 100 year old cozy farmhouse I envisioned for so long.

I hope all of you are having a delightful summer and I look forward to being back on my regularly scheduled program after this trip! Take care and we'll "see you" soon!

And the Winners Are.....!

I've posted the names of the winners of the three Cottage Charm Giveaways I offered this year. Just click on the links below to see who won!

Giveaway #1 (for hostesses)
Giveaway #2 (for everyone)
Giveaway #3 (for those adding banner to blog)

Thanks again to EVERYONE who made this years Cottage Charm Giveaway event a great success! I hope everyone had fun!

Cottage Charm Giveaways: Just One Week Left to Join

Many thanks to all of you who are participating in this years Cottage Charm Giveaway Event by hosting giveaways on your blog. We couldn't do this without you! For those of you who are thinking about having a giveaway, there is just one week left before the big blogwide drawings on May 30th. You have until then to post your giveaway and then let me know so that I can add your link to the giveaway list. We've almost hit 50 giveaways and the original goal was 75-100 this year. I think we can still at least reach 75 this final week, so let's see what happens! If you are interested in participating, just click on the banner below for instructions. Thanks again, everyone!
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If you would like to read more information about the 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway event taking place during the entire month of May and see the list of current cottage style giveaways, just click the banner below!