Decorating Tips for the Country Home & Garden
April 30, 2008|Comments (29)
When creating trendy outdoor living spaces… don’t forget to give the chair rungs some flare.
Break up the monotony of green grass with tasteful lawn ornaments.
Adding accents to flowerbeds keeps spaces interesting and also serve as a great places to hide your spare keys. Dual purpose landscape-design details are always a plus.
A classic country item like a barrel or trough can easily be converted into a fountain. To keep water from becoming stagnant, it is a good idea to install a windmill water pump.
When updating your country kitchen, keep in mind that faucets are one of the most important components of your kitchen area. Select a faucet that is not only functional but also gives your kitchen a customized look especially when matched with a unique and stylish spout.
If you choose to carpet the bedrooms of the house, be sure to select shades to compliment any color or style of furniture.
The garage should be outfitted with workbench and storage. Artwork may be added to define the space. Remember to bring the outdoors in with elements of nature in every room.
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Click on the mailbox to stop junk mail, save trees, and have a tree planted on your behalf. It’s free!
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I also wanted to touch on a more personal issue: depression. We keep it pretty light around here — with plenty of animals and adventures but we weren’t always so fortunate. Before moving to our home in Georgia, we lived in Washington state. Washington is a beautiful area of the country but spends several winter months with reduced sunlight and a great deal of rain. It’s difficult to imagine that such a gorgeous place could ever be dark and dreary when you experience the summer there:
Oh, but winter is NOTHING like summer. Constant rain fell for twenty-seven days in a row during Josh’s first deployment of our married life together. I could scarcely drag myself out of bed and tasks like like leaving the house or getting the mail became incredibly taxing. Apart from intense loneliness (I was 3,000 miles from home and my husband was in the war), I had no energy. Zip. All I wanted to do was curl up in a big blanket, wear my husband’s pjs, and sleep.
I discovered that I was suffering from S.S.A.D. or Subsyndromal Seasonally Affective Disorder, which is quite common in the northwest and other regions where there is reduced sunlight in the winter months. My husband and I began researching natural treatments for my depression. We found several easy ways to create positive energy in our home to combat the depression. Guess what? They worked. My good friend, Robin, encouraged me to share this information with you:
In order to increase the flow of negative ions into our home, Josh converted an inexpensive resin planter into a fountain for me. He added some bamboo and an elephant (because I LOVE elephants):
He also spent his leave (military vacation time) helping me buy and plant flowers so I would be surrounded by natural aromatherapy and vibrant colors. Color and scent are known to promote feelings of health and well-being.
Josh surprised me with a rose wreathe (which he made using real roses).
He also brought me flowers from the yard to arrange in vases throughout our house. I ended up with potted plants and flowers in every room. See why I love him so much?
We also replaced all of our lights bulbs with white light bulbs. To mimic sunlight during the darkest months (when it honestly didn’t matter whether the shades were drawn or not — the light was the same).
There are many ways to combat depression naturally. Simplifying your life and immersing yourself in the activities which promote happiness may not cure your depression or be a substitute for medication but it can’t hurt to give it a try.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with depression of any level is not to isolate yourself but to reach out because while you feel as though you are the only one — you are not.
Want to heal the past by living in the present? Check out Holly’s site, Looking Through the Glass.
The Whole World is a Garden
April 16, 2008|Comments (9)
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” -Mary, The Secret Garden
As you may have noticed, the site has changed dramatically since yesterday. I have a restless soul — what can I say? My attempts to change the world occasionally frustrate me and I then suffer from a creative control-freak meltdown. Post-meltdown, it is nice to bob about in a sea of calm for about twenty-four hours. Thus, I dug out some tranquil and inspiring photos from last year’s spring trip to Callaway Gardens. If you click on the picture below, it will take you to the slideshow and you can cruise your way into inner peace.
Here’s a brief walk-through of the site and it’s changes:
The pictures in the sidebar are actually links which will take you either down memory lane (for giggles) or show you step-by-step instructions (with LOTS of pictures) on how to can/preserve, make your own boiling water canner, stir up your own soap, build a guinea house, and more. I even threw in a little page about us. You may need to download Mozilla Firefox to see all the pictures (click here). Feel free to ask questions about any of this and do tell me if something is not working or you find it deliciously fun. Of course, there is a lot more to bring over from the old site and many more ideas swimming around in this cluttered & dusty brain. You may also comment on any of the posts from days gone by — I don’t mind. In fact, your comments thrill me to no end.
Ah, yes. Another giveaway! Why not? I’m feeling mightily generous these days. Here’s the deal:
Create a witty, snarky, descriptive caption/title for the photo below and we’ll run a vote on the top three. Winner gets a packet of seeds from (you guessed it) Seeds of Change. Give it your best shot!
While you are thinking of fabulous titles/captions — why not check out two of my blog picks for the week and drop them a line!
Forest Street Kitchen — featuring mouth-watering recipes which should also come with links to the Big Pants store because that’s what I’ll be wearing if I continue to look at those photos. Yum!
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee — featuring a video that will blow your mind and also super-fantastic pictures of everything from chicks to aquaponics. Check it out!
Today’s recipe: Razor’s Own Homemade Pizza and Focaccia Bread
Having Her Day
April 6, 2008|Comments (none)
Well, Logan got a new Bear (that’s what we named her favorite toy). The first Bear actually was a little stuffed bear. Then Bear 2 came along as a stuffed bunny rabbit. Bear 3 was a stuffed chipmunk and finally we’re back to a stuffed bear. She’s so funny with her toys. She will circle the house for hours waiting for you to notice her with her toy and tell her how pretty she looks with it.
Still taking suggestions for names. I’m canning salsa like a crazy woman and will post pictures on Monday along with my favorite recipes.
Have a great day!
