Office Update

Well, as I had promised myself (and you), I have been working a little each week on my very own office! It is hard to carve out the time, and it is also difficult to see what needs to be done since I work in this room each day. You know, it's a can't see the forest for the trees sorta thing. The painting above is one I picked up during our vacation to Maine a few weeks ago (ahhhh, Maine....) . Because I love it so much, and since it makes me feel so happy inside to look at it, I am using it as a centerpiece in the room to inspire colors and textures.

With any project that I work on, one of the first steps taken is to get rid of what isn't serving the purpose of the room--decluttering. I have been working on that and was amazed how even with regular purging in my workspace, there were still a whole bunch of things that were just hanging around clogging the works.

It feels so much better in here now! Freedom!!!

Now, to the task of finding the right storage containers to hold the things that need to stay....

More on that later this week!

Tile Shopping

Well, hi! It has been a while since I have written. Boy, have things been busy!! Not to mention that my camera was unusable. (Does anyone else find it ironic that my children couldn't remember where its memory card was?!?)

ANYWAYS,  one of my newest contracts is for a complete overhaul of a fantastic midcentury house nearby. I am so excited to get started. We are planning to install tile through the foyer, kitchen and living/dining area of the home and I have been looking forward to seeing what I could find for these areas that would be beautiful and also respect the style and architecture of the house. Yesterday I went to scope out some options, and pretty much found the ideal materials within minutes--natural slate, perhaps to be inlaid with a slate and glass tile border.  The perfect combination for the setting and vintage of the house.

Did I mention how excited I am? Well, I am.

I will keep you posted on the progress and show you some "befores" soon.  It is going to be GAWGEOUS!

Ahh, kids and cameras

Not that this has anything to do with anything....but just had to share since it made me laugh. This past weekend we went for a drive to one of our favorite areas in the country to go get some plants for the garden, have a nice lunch, etc. You know, have fun! This requires a bit of time in the car, and the kids brought the camera along. I knew I had heard thousands of clicks from the back seat, and I wondered "gee, how much CAN fit on to that memory card??" but put it out of my head, since I was so glad THEY FINALLY WEREN'T FIGHTING (the main thing they seem to be doing with all that together time now that summer is here).

This morning, I went to retrieve the camera for work....and....well, see for yourself.

We have the blurry horse...

followed by the half of a llama...

and the very important road sign...

and the lucky shot of the toy car driven by Evel Kenevil.

All of this must bring out your inner Billy Idol....not that they know who the heck that is.

Wow. That was a lot of hard work. Time to kick back and relax.

I guess I will have to give them the camera more often.

A Natural Beauty

I just had to share some more images from our trip. The way Mother Nature puts things together is so inspirational, and the colors, textures, and patterns of Maine will be inspiring me for the rest of my days. Sadly, I forgot my camera charging cable on the trip, so these are just snaps from my iPhone...not as clear as I would like, but the subject matter more than makes up for it.

(Hey! I know those two up there!...)

What blessings.

Away

I am sorry to have been absent for a time....No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, but it did feel like I visited heaven for a week!

Our family just returned from a week in Maine, one of our favorite places on the planet. We rented a new house to us, and were delighted with its charm and beautiful waterfront on a tidal cove.

The kids had a blast! Whenever the tide was in...we were out!

Have you ever been to Maine? I would love to hear about your experiences there....and if you haven't, you must go soon!

Our cottage was quaint, charming, and beautiful with its post and beam construction, and our hosts, Cathy and Rick, were very friendly & helpful.

I wish I could bring those cool and fresh evening breezes that carried the scent of cedar and pine home with me.

I guess the sweet memories will have to hold me for another year...hopefully enough time to work off all of those lobster rolls!