Thursday, September 30, 2010

A Gorgeous Day!

After several days of rain we are making headway on the front yard irrigation system! All the pipe and sprinklers are hooked up, the water is hooked up and the control panel is installed. All that needs to be done tomorrow is connect the wiring, adjust the sprinkler heads and fill in the trenches!
Today the day was so gorgeous and the sky was soooooo blue I had to stop and take some photos. The following photos were taken with an old 5 megapixel camera and the photos were not enhanced in any way.




 You can see our trenches for the irrigation system in this photo.




Hope everyone had a great day!

Pam

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Another Big Project???

Yes, Mr. Fanatic is at it again. Saturday he rented one of these:

to do this:

 We have lived in our home for ten years without an irrigation system. Hard to believe, considering the large yard we have, but we have only had to water one or two days a week in August and in September after re-seeding for the fall. Ten years ago, the builder wanted $6,500 to install a basic system. We thought it was a little steep. Mr. F is only doing the front yard this week. We can handle watering the backyard.

Of course Saturday it was still in the low 90's! Digging trenches, even with the machinery was hard work!



We were a little nervous about the forecast for 4" of rain --and downpours filling in the newly dug trenches, but even the though rain fell Saturday night through yesterday it wasn't that heavy and we only had 2". It was probably a good thing that it rained for two days because Mr. Fanatic definitely needed a break! Sunday we purchased supplies  and laid them out on a sawhorse table in the garage. Cost for the supplies and for renting the machine and hiring a helper will probably be around $800.
Since it was still raining on Monday,  he built this...

...and ran wires so he could hook up the control panel.
Today it's back to the trenches!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Another Fall Tablescape

Today I finally took down all of the decorations from my youngest daughter's 17th birthday party. I enjoy having the table set just in case someone calls to see the house. This table looks so much better set since it covers up all of the damage done to the table top. My oldest daughter spilled nail polish remover  on the table several years ago and since then I have had to keep a table cloth on it.

It is still suppose to be in the 90's through Saturday, but it's suppose to be in the low 80's by Sunday.
In anticipation of cooler weather, I included soup bowls on the table because Chicken Stew is a family favorite when the weather gets cool. My youngest daughter loves it so much she has asked for Chicken Stew in the middle of summer!


I really need to get some more dishes, because I really only have one set for every day -- Mikasa Italian Countryside. It goes with everything. The green bowls are from Target. The chargers are from Walmart. The pumpkin is new and is from HomeGoods. The cake stand was also a HomeGoods find awhile back. I pulled the runner out of my teak chest and I believe it was my grandmother's, but it doesn't look like it is hand made.
I love the little burlap wrapped candles I made awhile back.


Hope you all are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by,

Pam


Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Front Door Link Party

Many of you have seen my front door before, but Kristin over at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia is having a Front Door Link Party, so I thought I'd join in. 
My front door has always been black, but this past year I gave it a fresh coat of paint and replaced the brass handset with an oil rubbed bronze one.



Thought I'd show you the porch again, too!
I bought some flowers and a new basket for fall to hang on the front door, but I will show you that another time.
Pam

Monday, September 20, 2010

They Grow Up So Fast!

We celebrated our youngest daughter's 17th Birthday  (again) last Friday with a party with her friends. I was surprised a few weeks ago when she asked me what theme we should do.  I think she's catching on! We went to Walmart and found most of the paper items for the decorations. The lilies came from Trader Joe's.

Walmart sells single colored m&m's in containers and I they came in the perfect colors. The center bowl is filled with lemon heads.
Everyone came in and commented on how nice the table looked, but no one ate anything on it!

 They did make a dent in the taco bar, though!



Mr. Fanatic made the cake.


I made the pom pom flowers...grrr, after the last party, I said I'd never make them again!


Here's the birthday girl!


I found this photo of her today when I was looking for something else. She was about 7 years old at the time... my how time flies FAST!


Thanks for stopping by,

Pam



Looking For A New Home

Zillow.com says there are 6,089 homes for sale in the county we want to live in, but I am having trouble finding one that like. It is probably a good thing our house hasn't sold.  Now that we are wanting to downsize, I just don't want another house that looks like our current one, even if it's smaller.

Found this one awhile back... Both my daughter's LOVED this house....but, it was in the wrong county (high taxes) and the Master Suite was too small.

I guess I am looking for a house that has the feel of our house back in California.
Here's a scanned photo of it. Absolutely LOVED that house even though it was only 1,535 square feet. I don't think I could downsize that much! My master closet was large, though!
I loved gardening even then. I used to grumble when I had to buy 6 bags of mulch! LOL!!! We get 30 yards delivered now!

This is my playhouse when I was a little girl. We brought it with us to North Carolina 10 years ago. I guess my love for a Cape Cod style house was set when I was 5 years old.



See any resemblance???


I showed you this house last month... It definitely fit the bill and was a great price...I'm just not sold on the location. The Master Bath and closet are a little small, too.


This one has been on the market for awhile. It was just recently taken off the market, but will probably be re-listed soon. It is in  a great location and the setting is sooooooo pretty and is not in a neighborhood : )
The lot is over an acre with lots of trees. It has 2 different 2 car garages!!! There is a separate 2 car garage with living quarters above. Oldest daughter would love that. But, (and it's a big but!) the house needs a total design fix! Every room needs paint and new flooring. It is so ugly inside, I am afraid to go see it! Not sure if we are up for it. Plus the house color ... and that stone!!! Yuck. 
It's 2,500 sq feet plus the space above the second 2 car garage. This house doesn't look like it could be that large.


I have already started playing with what could be done to the exterior without spending an arm and a leg.
Definitely would have to paint it a lighter color, too.


Those are my thoughts for today...Do you have a favorite style of house? Do you have a preference for what size the house is? Neighborhood or no neighborhood? New or Old? 
Would love to hear your thoughts!

Pam

Friday, September 17, 2010

Getting Ready For A Party!

I'm frantically getting ready for my youngest daughter's 17th Birthday Party this afternoon. It starts at 6. Not sure how many are coming. (ah teenagers!) Can't make a big deal out of it, but I wanted to make it look nice. Still have a bunch of errands to run and set the dessert table.


Will let you know how things turn out!

Pam

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Fall Tablescape

We have kept the table set ever since I set it when  we showed our house awhile back. This week I changed it to more of a fall setting, although these colors could be used for Christmas, as well.



Once again, I am using my only set of every day plates ... Mikasa Italian Countryside. I hope Debbie over at Debbiedoos Loves Livin In The Carolinas doesn't hate me, but I went right over to Walmart and purchased the fall chargers. You can see them better in Debbie's photo here. Remember...copying is the sincerest form of flattery!


The ballerina salt shakers were my Grandmother's. She made the crocheted table runner, as well.


I've had the red glasses for a long time - I can't remember where I bought them


Here's the lovely metal birdcage, green birdie and faux berries I purchased up in Blowing Rock last Sunday.
Thanks for stopping by,

Pam