Nature Abounds at home!

 

One thing great about living in Florida is the heat....

NO, I mean birds!

I'm still stuck inside because of the high temps but I've gotten out for a couple of hikes this month. 

We have a neighborhood pond nearby and lots of big windows in our house so all you have to do is look outside to see birds.

One day, I got the best sighting but only pics of the geese. 

A flock of about a dozen Canada geese walked across the golf course and into our back yard, followed by a flock of wild turkeys. And down the greenway was a flock of White Ibis.

I usually just enjoy the view and don't always run for my camera!

And of course we are always planning for cooler weather and camping trips.

So we bought a small screen tent and popped it up in the living room! Haha!

We have a rug that's the perfect size too.

And I sewed a pocket in two vintage beach towels to fit over our lawn chairs and I like the way they turned out.

Home improvements included getting rid of this small curio cabinet. 

It never matched the furniture in my living room and I hated it. I also got tired of the jumble of what nots and tea cups on the shelves. I packed them up in a box and put them in a storage closet. I'll keep them for awhile.

Hubby put together this sofa table and I like it so much better!

Bird books and art books, a basket and giraffe! Better!

So that's my nature sightings at home!

How are you doing this week?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE. 

Fun while staying home?

Staying home while having fun...can we find a way to do both? Only if we can go outside on the nice days! I always tell my sons when we talk on the phone, that I work really hard some days so that I can go outside and play when I am done. I clean and shop...oh and decorate and read! 

I changed a few things to reflect the Fall season.

I love this old dough bowl that a blog friend gave me YEARS ago! She doesn't blog anymore but I always think of Sandi when I decorate with it.

And I put a few more Fall colored flowers in the basket in the kitchen.

I'm going to just do a little this year because our weather is so fabulous for hiking!

I wanted to show some of the pages in these old readers.

I love these old children's books with their pretty illustrations.

I always clean as I go! So now I've cleaned, decorated and read my school books.

Can I go outside and play now?

I drove over to the 49th Ave trailhead and walked on the Florida Trails a couple of days ago and finally got a fairly decent photo of the large brown butterfly I see every once in awhile. 

This is the underside of the butterfly so it makes it even more difficult to ID. But do you think it is a Palamedes, Debbie? She's my blog buddy from It's all about Purple and an expert on butterflies.



And speaking of blog friends! Look who I saw at Walmart this week! My blog buddy, Barbara from Sweet Tea and Sandals. We live in the same town and this is the second time we've run into each other there! Makes shopping more fun, too!

Now look at the photo again....do you really think I'm worth 98 cents? 

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

I'm linking with All Seasons at the Jesh Studio,

AND my Monday post HERE.

Welcome! Come on IN!

Growing up in the South, when we visited a neighbor or friend, we always opened the door and said 'YOOHOO'! I don't ever remember knocking or ringing a door bell. If it was at a relatives' house, I just opened the door and said their name....with a question mark on the end! So open the door, say Diane, are you there? And come on in! Or a simple 'Yoohoo' will get you in!

We're coming in the front door but the first thing we'll do is go close the drapes in the back. We leave them open most of the time but they let in too much Florida sunshine for our photos. We've put some sheers up to help with glare but we pull them back most of the time too. We love our sunshine and this big window looks out into the courtyard where the bird feeders are and our beloved birds!

A couple of you wanted to see my 2 red sofas but I know most of you have seen them over the years.

You'll notice I put red throws on the back of this sofa to keep the sun from fading the fabric. 

So for those that have seen the living room many times before, you can go on into the lanai and have a glass of Iced Tea. I'll meet you there in a bit! 

(art by local Florida artists)

And we'll look back at what you'll see at the entrance.

Make yourself at home!

We have 2 big dark brown leather recliners for comfort and a big screen TV for movie watching.

And you know I'm a firm believer of surrounding yourself with things you love.

So there are a few dolls here and there and children's books.

OLD books that I cherish.

And large bookcases filled with favorite books and some pottery we've collected over the years.

(and beautiful hand made baskets on top of the bookcases)

I change the throw pillow covers out pretty often.

We designated a library area at one end of our living room and that's where our piano is (my husband and I both play) and a table that can be used to play games or cards....or to read a book! I try to keep it simple so that it can be used and not just for show.

Wendy said she's enjoyed having you stop by. It's been pretty quiet here this summer! 

I'm thankful for a nice place to live and favorite things to enjoy

....and for friends that stop by to visit!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!

*Fun for the Holidays*

Are you having a beautiful week?

I have just a few more holiday mosaics to share!

Cards

Dollies

One in the living room

and one in the kitchen!

The cute little baker...

and these with the treats!

And Wendy of course!

I hope you are enjoying this festive holiday season!

        I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE .

*My Holiday Home*

I didn't really plan to have a home tour of any kind this year.

I've simplified my decorating to take advantage of the nice weather to GET OUTSIDE more!

But one day I invited my friend over to see the dolls and jewelry trees so I decided it was the perfect time to take a few photos. Remember....I invited a friend over. And since I know you are ALL friends, I'm sure you won't point out that a flannel shirt is laying over the back of a chair or mention the things you see that are 'out of place'. 

Living Room

The Lanai

The Kitchen

The Bedroom

Thanks for stopping by! 

(I'll save some dollies for another day.)

 Care for a cup of coffee before you go? It's GOOD!!!

*Happy Holidays*

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE 
and Common Ground HERE.

Winter Changes

No, we haven't had the winter weather blast that so many of you have had but it's 'milder' here now and with the time change, I wanted to change some of my decor.

I thought the photos would turn out better in my bedroom because it wasn't quite so bright and sunny when I took them.  But it is a hard room to photograph with the large windows behind my bed.

I changed my extra pillow covers to purple velvet, put a different pillow on my chair and a wool throw on the cedar chest at the end of the bed. Just little changes but I think that's enough for now. (and if the throw doesn't stay straight, it will drive me crazy and I'll put it away! heehee)

I was going through some 'old stuff' and found 4 little winter angels and added them to my dresser. 

It's always covered in pretty things but I change it up from time to time.

Have you changed anything this week? I used things I already had. I am thankful for a nice home to live in and pretty things that I've collected over the years. What are you thankful for today?

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays  and

Katherine's Thursday Favorite things HERE.