Our Cottage Nest

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day and spend it with the ones you love.

Hoping You All Had A Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! This year we feel so very blessed with our family and friends.God blessed us with two beautiful grandchildren. They have bought so much joy to our life.

A small Christmas tree in our sun room.

I am thinking I will just leave this all up for a while.

The old mantle came out of my grandmother's farm house. I made the burlap stockings and used old vintage lace that my mom had. I just can not get enough burlap.

I brought in an old birdbath to use for a center piece. I have always wanted to do this.

I love sitting out here at night with the Christmas lights on. I am thinking I will leave the wreath up, I will remove the star and add a wood initial in the middle.

I added some lights .

I found this star at Canton, it looks so old fashion and is the perfect touch to this burlap wreath.

Maddie's New Bling

2011-11-20T19:41:00.001-08:00

We added some bling to Madeline's Nursery. This was a chandelier that I had, I painted it black and covered little shades to match her room. Every girl needs a little bling in her life, even if she is only a week old.

2011-11-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

I have been able to spend a few days with Steph, Tony and Madeline Grace. I have loved every minute of it.

Introducing Madeline Grace Jaracz

2011-10-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed to have two beautiful grandchildren, Madeline and Uri.

All smiles, we are so excited to have a beautiful granddaughter.

Born Sunday, October 30th, 2011. She arrived at 5:03 am. She weighed 7 pounds and 14 ounces and was 20 inches long.

2011-10-28T03:24:00.000-07:00

We are finished with Madeline's nursery. My sweet mom is so talented. She can sew anything. Stephanie, myself and my mom made everything. We had such a good time.

The bedding is so soft, I know she is going to love it.

We had this old rocker that was not being used ,Tony painted it and my mom recovered the cushions. I can not wait to sit in here and rock her.

Ok, the fish hanging on the side of the chair was a shower gift from my sister-in-law. Tony is a big fisherman. so Madeline has her own little fishing bag when she goes fishing with her dad. This was his favorite gift to her.

This was a shower gift from my other sister-in-law and Stephanie loved it. Madeline is just waiting on our little Madeline Grace to get here.

Stephanie is due on November 5th, we are so anxious to meet our new little girl.

I love all the pink . I know we are going to be in trouble, there are just so many cute things for girls.

Uri's First Birthday

2011-10-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little birthday boy.

Lisa and Josh did such a good job of making this a special memory of Uri.

Uri had his own cake.

Lots of good food to eat.

The sweetest little clown came from Moody Gardens in Galveston and painted all the kids faces and she also did magic tricks.

Uri was a puppy.

I love her pink hair!

Lisa had crafts for all the kids to make.

They had a cute water play area. All the kids brought bathing suits.

Treats for everyone to take home. They thought of everything.

The table was so cute. I loved watching all the kids go up to the table and see their eyes get so big looking at all the fun stuff.

These were the best little cup cakes. The one you see with red sprinkles were red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. I could not stop eating them.

This was such a fun day watching Uri celebrate his first birthday.

Stephanie and Tony's Baby Shower

2011-10-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and Tony had a wonderful baby shower. Our little Madeline Grace Jaracz is due on November 5th, 2011.
I think she looks so cute pregnant. They are both very happy.

Our sweet family gave them a baby shower. It was all beautiful. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends.My niece brought this beautiful diaper cake.

The table was beautiful. Three delicious cakes. One was strawberry, one was lemon curd and one was vanilla.

My daughter-in-law, Lisa did all the table and food you see. It was all wonderful, and looked so pretty.

Little marshmallow baby bottles.

Yummy strawberry cake.

Once again we are so thankful for family and friends who would take time to celebrate our little Madeline Grace with us.

2011-10-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

We have had our little pumpkin with us for several days. We have loved every minute of it. He is such a blessing in our life.

A New Typewriter

2011-07-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

I got the cutest typewriter this weekend. My guy and I went out to some little antique shops. I saw so many neat things. I fell in love with this little typewriter.

It actually works. Who knows, I might just sit down and type a letter today.

The only bad thing is it does not have spell check and that is a bad thing for me. Computers spoil us.

I moved a little desk into my bedroom and set up this little area, a fun new space.

Flowers from the garden, a few favorite magazines and a cozy chair , I just might be here a while.

New Chair Slip Cover

2011-07-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today I am joining My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday and French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.
I am so happy to say I have completed a summer project. I finished a chair and ottoman cover. It is far from perfect. I had the help of Miss Mustard Seed's blog. The best thing is the cost, $20.00 for a painters cloth from Lowes.

This is my first attempt at making a chair cover and there are many imperfections, but I really like the way it turned out.

The best thing is your can just take it off and throw it in the washing machine.

On any given day you can find me here looking at one of my favorite books,

"Romantic Praire Style".

Crape Myrtles

2011-06-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

I am joining Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday and Tootsie Time for Flaunt Your Flowers Friday.

It is hard to believe it is Thursday already. The weather in East Texas has been so nice for the last couple of days. We have actually had rain and cloud cover to give us a break from the hundred degree days we have been having.

I have the most beautiful crape myrtles. This pink one is outside my kitchen window and it is so pretty. I have not seen one like it. The blooms go from light pink to darker pink.

This is a smaller one, but it puts on a beautiful show.

I love that each tree is a little different.

This purple one is a dwarf, it is loaded with blooms.We have moved it several times just because it did not do very good where it was planted. Now it loves where it is. I move plants and trees like I move furniture.

The white crape myrtle limbs get so heavy with blooms they just fall over and the tree looks like an umbrella.

This one is pale pink.

I live in The Crape Myrtle City, We have so many beautiful trees growing around town.

Cottage Flora

2011-06-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am joining Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday. You should pop over and check out all the beautiful flowers.

This is a Texas Star Hibiscus.

This is a Hardy Hibiscus, and the plant is full of blooms. It must thrive on the heat because it gets the afternoon sun.

It is so very hot here in East Texas it is a wonder anything is still blooming. It has been a hundred degrees here for the last couple of days and it does not look like it will be changing this week.

We have some potted hibiscus on our deck that gets alot of water.

If you read my blog you know I love pink , so naturally this is my favorite.

Gracie Mae's Boutique

2011-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am sharing a cute little shop in downtown Kilgore, Gracie Mae's Boutique. This is a must if you are in the East Texas area. I could stay in here for hours just looking at the little vignettes she has put together.

I want this old bicycle so bad, I have the perfect spot for it in my flower bed. I could just fill that basket up with pretty flowers.

A cute little patio set all rusty and chippy. Butterfly and dragon fly pillows.

A twin bed tucked away in the corner with lots of fun pillows. Just look at the antique bed side table.

You get a better view of the little table, old Big Ben alarm clocks, and a burlap canopy over the bed.

How about this beautiful vintage wedding dress?

Now I am on the hunt for a antique typewritter.

Old pieces of sheet music just here and there.

An old gate and watering can and that cute little crown. I am going to have to go back and get me a crown. I just need one.

This is the cuttest little sign.

She has some of the most beautiful clothes for sale. I did get a few pictures that I will post tomorrow. I am telling you if you like vintage you will love Grace Mae's Boutique

Teacup Tuesday

2011-06-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am linking up for Teacup Tuesday.
I have a small collections of teacups, most are pink. Some how I ended up with a couple of purple. I love all the details on them.

My favorite ones have the flowers in them.

I had to bring purple flowers in from the garden.

Hope you are having a good week.

Flaunt Your Flowers

2011-06-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Just showing a few flowers blooming at Our Cottage Nest. I am linking up with Tootsie Time for Flaunt Your Flowers Friday.

Sunflowers

2011-06-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am linking up with Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday.
I am enjoying being outside so much during the summer months. We planted sunflowers in our garden and they have been so pretty this year. I love having them up on our porch so we can enjoy them.

My guy and I spend hours out here just sipping on ice cold tea and watching our chickens.

He added a cover over part of our deck and it has made it so nice. I found an old gold chandelier and painted it bright red, it is the perfect lighting for this area. This is just one of my favorite places to be day or night.

The bees are busy doing their job.

In the garden.

We always love watching our chickens while we are outside. They are so funny, each one has its own personality.

White Wednesday

2011-06-08T13:39:00.001-07:00

I am linking up with Faded Charm's White Wednesday.
I have an old chippy mantle and am not sure where I should put it. I have had it all over my house. Now it is in my living room. I am sure it will not stay here long.

I made this burlap banner today. It has been an easy project.

I have a collection of white pitchers that I have picked up while junking.

I hope you all have a Happy White Wednesday!

Fun At The Farm

2011-05-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Urijah with his wagon.

A friend gave me this rooster that sings and dances, Urijah thought it was so funny

His first trip out to see the chickens.

He is checking that egg out.

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day. It has been a fun day with our grandbaby. We are just loving spending time with him. We got him a wagon and we think he loves it. Hope you are all enjoying your day.

Old Chippy White Window

2011-05-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

I am joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday.
I am sharing one of my old chippy white windows. I just have this one hanging in my hall. I added an old crystal door knob to hang a wreath on.

I have old windows all over my house. I just love the fact you can do what ever you want with them. Some have words on them , some are used for doors and others are used for frames.

I leave them just as they are most of the time with the exception of one that I painted black.

I hope you all have a Happy White Wednesday!

Pink Saturday

2011-05-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

I am linking up with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.
It is dreary outside, we had a good rain last night and it is just a good day to sit around and sip hot tea from my favorite teacup. I love looking at all my old magazines, the pages are so worn I have looked at them so much. I never get tired of it.

I am sharing my favorite teacup, and sweet little spoon.

I love the little flowers inside the cup.

Hope you all have a Happy Pink Saturday.

In The Garden

2011-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am joining Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday.

I remember when we would go to my grandmother's house, she always had a garden full of vegetables and fruit. It was always fun to go out and pick the peaches and eat them right off the tree. Now that we have a grandson and one on the way I hope they can have fun memories of coming to the country.

Baby tomatoes

Blackberries planted in our garden. I can't wait for a blackberry cobbler.

A baby peach on our new peach tree.

Baby figs on our new little fig tree.

On any day you can find me out in our garden. I love just watching the vegetables grow. That is a sign I am getting older, just being happy with simple things.

2011-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

I got this fun cherry poster in Seattle, Washington. There is a story behind it. Long story short it has a new home. It was hanging up in Pike's market at a little booth.

We were at Pike's Public Market. If you are ever in Seattle this is a fun place to hang out. This is where they toss the fish. They have a huge seafood market here.

I was proud of my new purchase.

We were walking around the market and I saw this poster, I just thought I had to have it. I had to do lots of begging to get them to sale it to me. We also got fresh cherries from them . I wish I had some now.

2011-05-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. The weather in East Texas is so nice, the temperature was 54 degrees today. I am loving it.

White Wednesday

2011-05-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

I am joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday.
My sweet friend made me this vintage purse.

She used a crochet lace doily and other types of lace.

I wonder who made them? It looks like lots of work goes into making them.

She put vintage buttons on it, she is so creative.

It is the perfect Canton purse.

She gave it to me for nurse's day last week. I am a school nurse for a small rural school . I am so blessed to work with a great group of people.

Happy White Wednesday.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

I want to wish all the mother's a very Happy Mother's Day. This is my mom. She is a fun loving person and loves to travel. She has been a huge inspiration in my life. I am so thankful she raised me with Christian values. I want her to know how special she is to me.

Happy Mother's Day

Pink Saturday

2011-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am linking up with Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday
Look what came in the mail. I love beautiful flowers. My two guys sent me these beautiful tulips for Mother's day. I have a great husband and son living at home. They spoil me. I am so blessed. I have a daughter(soon to be mother) and son-in-law, and son and daughter-in-law and precious grandson in Houston. I have a wonderful mom and had a great mother-in-law. I am so thankful.

I recently got this new pink Misty Rose bedspread at Target, it is part of their Shabby Chic Collection. I also had one before this which was more of a patch work look. I really like this one because of the soft pink color and the roses.

I have them sitting on my bed, and they look so pretty.

I would love to come home everyday and have fresh flowers sitting on my bed. I might not appreciate them as much if I did.

Hope you all have a happy Pink Saturday and Mother's Day.

White Wednesday

2011-05-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

I am linking up with Faded Charm's White Wednesday. I had been looking for a china cabinet or hutch for months on Craig's list. To say I had been looking for a year would not be an execration. I knew what I was looking for and the price I would be willing to pay when I stumbled upon this. I had to pay $50.00. I found it in Houston less than 5 miles from my Son's house. How is that for luck?

I wish I had a before picture of it. It was a deep brown color and no glass in the doors. The imperfections are what I love about it.

I have not replaced the glass doors. I like it with the lace hanging over the doors.

It is full of things I love, teapots, my red transferware and some silver.

Pink Rose Plates

2011-04-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am joining Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday.
I have a collage of plates in my guest bedroom , all with pink roses.

I love the edges, they are so dainty and sweet If you read my blog you know how much I love pink roses.

Each one is so different.

I wish I had a whole set of these.

and these......

Really I would love a set of each one. Can you imagine how beautiful a table would look with this pattern .

Hope you all have a beautiful pink Saturday.

Rusty Red Scales

2011-04-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am joining Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.
Our good friends went to Round Top and brought back these wonderful old, rusty, worn scales.

They are perfect for my kitchen, red.

I have them sitting on chest I got from my grandmother's back porch. My grandmother had the perfect shabby chic, cottage furniture.

I know they have a story. What store were they in?

Now they have a new story and it begins at Our Cottage Nest

Burlap and Roses

2011-04-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

I found this cute little burlap bag a Canton a couple of months ago and I love it.

It is great for putting my roses in and bringing them in from the garden.

It has a cute little doily.

It is the perfect burlap bag.

White Wednesday

2011-04-27T16:25:00.001-07:00

I am joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday.
I am sharing my shabby window box all dressed up for spring.

I bought this heavy metal piece at a garage sale several years ago and really did not know what I was going to do with it.As luck would have it, my guy likes to weld and he put together this window box.

I love driving up to my cottage nest and seeing my shabby white window box.

Happy White Wednesday!

Blue Bird

2011-04-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

A new nest at our cottage.

We always enjoy watching this little blue bird, she is such a good little mother.

You can hear her babies. I wish I could see them. We have had blues birds in this little bird house for several years.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

I hope you all have a Happy Easter! We are going to a new Church in Houston with our daughter and son-in-law. It is going to be a great day.

Bottle Tree

2011-04-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

A colorful bottle tree. I remember when I saw bottle trees and thought they were so tacky. Now I love them. I want one!

I love all the bright colors. I wonder where they found such colorful bottles?

All sizes and shapes.

I am collecting bottles for a bottle tree at Our Cottage Nest.

White Wednesday

2011-04-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I am joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday.
I have a perfect chippy white table and chairs . I love the chippy white paint and rust, a great combination.

There is a blue bird family that has babies in the bird house. I wish you could see the mom, she would not come back while I was so close.

We enjoy sitting out here.

I love the detail on the chairs.

Happy White Wednesday!!!

Pink Saturday

2011-04-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

I am joining Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday. I love the color pink, I would have everything pink and white in my nest if my guy would go for it. We are not there yet. I am sharing two things today. My sweet little chair. When I brought it home it was so ugly. It was gold and brown, yuk!!! I recovered the cushion in a soft pink and painted it white and look how beautiful she is.

I am also sharing my first pink rose bouquet. It was so nice just to go outside and cut fresh flowers.They smell wonderful.

A pink rose from my garden. I think I am going to plant more roses today, pink of course.

Have a fabulous Pink Saturday!

Easter Bunnies At Our Nest

2011-04-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

I am linking up with My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday. You should pop over and see all the fun stuff she has on her blog. I am doing a little decorating for Easter.

I love the chocolate bunnies, they look like you could just eat them.

A cute little rabbit in her nest.

The two little rabbits below are my favorite, they are so whimsical.

Happy Friday!

2011-04-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

I hope your day has been good. I am looking so forward to the weekend.

White Wednesday

2011-04-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I am joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday.

I am sharing something so special to me, is the only thing I have ever asked my mom for. This was my grandmother's bench. It sat just inside her back door and a butter churn sat beside it. I remember her sitting there churning butter.

When she passed away, my mom got this bench. I told her how much I love the bench and if she ever wanted to part with it I would love it. Several years later she just up and said "I want you to take the bench home with you". I was thrilled.

I am so happy to have this sitting in my kitchen. It is probably one of the things I am most proud of. Maybe it is because of the memories I have associated with it.

I love the details on it and am so thankful my mom passed it onto me.

Pink Roses

2011-04-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

I think the flowers all over East Texas are more beautiful this year than I have ever seen. I have tried to grow roses for years, I do not have a green thumb. With persistence I have finally been able to have some pretty pink roses.

It just amazes me every time I see how beautiful roses are. I wish you could smell the sweet fragrance. Only God could have created such a beautiful flower.

I love pink roses.

Hope your Monday is a happy one.

2011-04-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all having a great Saturday. The weather is beautiful in East Texas, I am taking advantage of every minute of it.

Girls Just Gotta Have Bling

2011-04-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

This cute little red chandelier is hanging above my kitchen sink. It just makes me happy when I am in the kitchen. It is the only three arm chandelier I have. I have picked them up mostly at Canton and Craig's list. I have spent $50.00 and less on each one. All were gold and pretty, but I really like them white . ... and red This is only one I have added shades to, I like way it turned out. I ended up spending more on the shade than I did on the chandelier.

This one is over my dinning room table.

I have this one in a guest bed room.

I have this one in my other guest bedroom.

This is the only one I have that is not an original.

This one is kinda different, it has glass tubing, and is all crystal and glass.

I found it on Craig's list in Houston, called and asked my sweet daughter to go and pick it up. I feel terrible because it was not in a great area, but the lady she got it from was nice.

I have this one beside my bed.

The crystals are so pretty, they look like cut glass.

This is my favorite little chandelier. I love it hanging on the old bird cage holder.

Happy White Wednesday

2011-04-06T05:16:00.000-07:00

Happy White Wednesday. I am sharing this beautiful white mirror. My mom gave it to me. She got it out of my grandmother's house several years ago. At that time I was not using the shabby chic cottage look. What was I thinking???? I could not love it more now. The picture and edge of the mirror really shows up much better without a flash.

The candle holder came from my grandmother's barn. The old chippy look is perfect for me.

The edges of the mirror are so pretty.

2011-04-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

A Cute Cottage Sign and it is burlap. I love it. I covered a lamp shade in burlap and am not crazy about the way it turned out. I may need to paint the lamp an off white color. It is a work in progress.

I do like the ruffle I made for the bottom of the shade.

2011-04-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

An old weathered, chippy window. A little burlap padding behind the window.

A little more interesting than just my clock hanging on the wall.

Silver Condiment Server

2011-04-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am joining My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday. A Silver Condiment Server The design on the silver is so pretty.

It was in perfect condition when I found it. We were out in the junky junk at Canton and there it was. $50.00.I know that sounds like a lot but I have looked at these for a long time and they are usually $100.00 plus. It has all the pieces and no breaks or chips.

This picture does not do this justice, the etching on the glass is beautiful.

Lemon Pound Cake

2011-03-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is my mother's recipe. It is a great lemon pound cake and is so moist . It is one of my favorites. Nothing better than having fresh eggs for a pound cake, yum.

Fresh eggs produced by one of our chicks.

Farm fresh eggs

A Plate Holder

2011-03-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

I am linking up with Faded Charm's White Wednesday to share my plate holder, which made out of 2 old shutters. A fun way to display all your plates.

You can find these anywhere, I got this one at Canton for $3.00, they were all beat up and scratched. I spray painted them white and added a little corner piece.

Happy White Wednesday!

A Burlap Pillow

2011-03-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

I love my new pillow, after looking at the burlap pillows in the stores and the price of them I decided I would make my own. I love the contrast of the rough burlap and the delicate pearls and lace.

This bench was made from an old bed I found at Goodwill for $15.00 for the head and foot board.

My new pillow. :-))

A New Burlap Runner and a Cute Spool

2011-03-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Another rooster at Our Cottage Nest.

Our friends went to Round Top and brought back a bunch of these cute spools, I love the rusty rooster on top.

I found the cutest table runner, pretty sunflowers.

I am loving burlap these days.

Happy White Wednesday!!!!

2011-03-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

I will be linking up with Faded Charm's White Wednesday. Hope it is a great day for everyone. I love the white flowers in the old jars.

The bird cage in the background was a Canton find as well, I am addicted to old bird cages. I have candles sitting in it and use the bottom as a towel rack.

I found this at Canton, on my last visit, for $18.00, I thought it was a great deal. All the jars were in good condition. I plan on replacing the jars with the more greenish color jars. I just have to find them on my next trip to Canton.

Happy Monday

2011-03-14T12:26:00.001-07:00

My tulips are blooming, next year I am planting more. They do not last long, but while they are blooming they are beautiful.

It makes me happy just to look at them.

Saturday at Our Cottage Nest

2011-03-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

Our dog woke us up on Saturday morning, barking and barking at this........

outside our bedroom window

and this on our roof

Is that the cutest face you have ever seen? He eventually ran off the roof and jumped into a tree and off he went.

We Are So Excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-06T18:33:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful week-end. Stephanie and Tony came home and went to Canton with us. We got the most exciting news while we were there. We passed a booth with the cutest baby cloths in it, Steph took me over to it, I said I can wait until you have a baby and she just got this funny look on her face. I said are you pregnant?? That was it, you could hear me all over Canton. The lady in the booth was so sweet, I think she was excited as we were. Steve had it all figured out, he had put a message on his phone the we were going to be grandparents again yesterday. Men???
Today we went to lunch with our best friends and got to tell them. Kacy is expecting in October and has a precious little girl. We are always entertained by Kinsey. She is hoping for twins, a boy and a girl. I do hope she gets her wish.

We are so excited and can not wait .

Urijah will have a playmate.

White Tulips

2011-03-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is Wednesday and March already.
Where does the time go?
I am joining Faded Charm's White Wednesday.
You should have a look at all the beautiful whites.

I love tulips. I think the white ones look so pretty in my silver teapot.

A Chair Cover

2011-02-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday!!!

Where I keep all my favorite magazines. I love Romantic Country.

An old chair and a new chair cover, makes all the difference in the world.

Beautiful Linen and Lace

2011-02-23T05:27:00.000-08:00

I am joining Faded Charm's-White Wednesday.
I bought an old painter's ladder at Canton to put all my linen and lace on. I love having it out where I can enjoy it.

I love the delicate flowers.

Many of the pieces were given to me by my mom and grandmother so they are very sentimental to me.

2011-02-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

Just playing with a new program and trying to make mosaic. I did it, yea!!!!! Have a good Sunday. Now off to church.

Thoughts of Spring

2011-02-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

I am ready for Spring.
Spring represents a new beginning, with all the trees budding and flowers blooming.

Spring is my favorite time of year. I could not help myself when I passed by a greenhouse and saw the spring plants. It is still a little early in East Texas to start planting flowers outside. But I did bring home this beautiful pink geranium.

2011-02-16T04:11:00.000-08:00

I will be participating in Faded Charm's White Wednesday. This is my first attempt to join in a blog party so here we go.

How could anyone throw this away?????

This little table was rescued from the dump. It was brown when I found it. I just love the legs on it.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T20:48:00.001-08:00

I love Valentine's Day, the pink and red and all the love that is spread by friends and family. I hope you got to spend this special day with the ones you love.

Beautiful roses from my special guy.

Our Cute Little Sock Monkey

2011-02-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

Is that not the sweetest face?

I got to have lunch with kids today, an unexpected surprise. Those are the best kind.

2011-02-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Beautiful soaps made at the Shabby Rose.

Soap made at the Shabby Rose , all types of fragrances, this is angels breath.

Sock Monkey Hat

2011-02-08T19:24:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love that cute little face. We found this shirt in Canton this weekend. We went to Canton and there was snow everywhere, not many people there. The shopping was great.

I made this cute little sock monkey hat for Uri. I can not wait to see him in it.

Uri's valentine gift.

Our Sweet Gracie

2011-02-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

Look where I found Gracie today. She is one spoiled pup.

2011-02-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

More of The Shabby Rose

A friendly welcome.

More beautiful plates, they also have lots of pretty tea cups

Just look at all the pretty china plates to choose from. I brought one home with me.

I love all the red.

Shabby Rose

2011-02-02T18:34:00.000-08:00

I love all the cute little hankies. It is hard to decide which one I want. Everything in here is so pretty. I could look for hours.

A cute little lamp

A pretty chair cover.

We were in Old Town Spring over the weekend and I got to visit my favorite shop, The Shabby Rose. If you ever get down to Houston this is a must.

A New Chick

2011-01-28T03:35:00.001-08:00

She has a perfect new home at Our Cottage Nest.
I found this cute new chick at Hobby Lobby on sale, I am loving Hobby Lobby these days , they always have stuff on sale.

Chandelier

2011-01-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been to my house knows how much I love chandeliers. I have one in every room. I have had this little jewel for a while and just finished it today.

I finally finished my little chandelier. I bought it at Canton several months ago, it was gold, and with a good coat of white paint it is perfect beside my bed hanging on an old bird cage stand.

I love the details on the crystals

Happy Friday

2011-01-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

Just sharing the Love at Our Cottage Nest. Have a happy Friday. I found this cute little pillow at Hobby Lobby tonight for $3.99, I could not pass it up.

I found some Valentine goodies today. A cute little sign from Cato's for $3.00.

Cute Magazine Holder

2011-01-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

A great place to put my favorite magazines.

I was looking for something to put all my magazines in. I had this planter outside, I brought it in rust and all and love it.

It is Snowing at Our Cottage Nest

2011-01-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Everything looks so peaceful all covered in white. We are sitting in front of a warm fire drinking hot chocolate enjoying our nest.

It is snowing in East Texas today and it is beautiful .

2011-01-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

New Years with my family!

2011-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

We all modeled out gifts, this was a fun gift exchange and fun to be with family for the weekend. We had a crazy gift exchange and celebrated New Years.

We had Christmas this weekend with my family, we went to Glen Rose, a neat little town outside of the Dallas area.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T21:30:00.000-08:00

Kinsey and Uri kept us entertained.
We have new family to introduce, Lisa and Urijah Alford join the Christmas tradition. Tony and Stephanie were in Michigan last year. Kasey and Kinsey were not able to there last year. We were thrilled that we were all able to be together.

This is our Christmas Eve celebration with friends and family. This has been a tradition for many years and something I always look forward to. We are so happy Ed was able to be here, he is one month post-op open heart surgery. He looks great and we are so thankful he is feeling better.

Merry Christmas !

2010-12-25T15:06:00.001-08:00

I hope you have all had a Merry Christmas! It is such a blessing to be able to spend time with family and friends. I hope we all pause and think about what Christmas is about. The birth of Jesus and what that means to each of us in our life.

More pictures of Robin Roger's beautiful open house. Thank-you for sharing your home with us.

Her living room, with burlap stockings. She should be featured in a magazine, she has such a way with decorating. She was so sweet to let me take pictures.

This is the dinning room.

So much fun stuff to look at.

Everything looks so clean with all the white and silver.

I love the simple things, small sprigs of the pine.

Kitchen area

This is the kitchen island.

I love this little lamp with the white roses.

A pretty Christmas tree.

Cute pillows.

I love this bird bath full of silver Christmas ornaments.

A Beautiful Christmas Open House

2010-12-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

This was a Christmas open house I got to visit with my best friend, she knew I would love it and she was so right. This was the home of Robin Rogers in Overton. She is so talented. This is a picture of the kitchen. Everything was so pretty everywhere you looked.

Sprigs of pine sitting in the window.

The kitchen island.

This was a beautiful Christmas Tree in the living room just as you walked in the front door. I love the burlap ribbon.

There were just so many things to see. I will share more of the living room tomorrow. Thank you Carol for this treat!

2010-12-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

I miss him already, I had to come home and go back to work for a week and then we are out for the holidays, Yea.

Guess where I have been? Babysitting our sweet little grandbaby. I have had so much fun the last three days. My heart just melts when he smiles and laughs at me. Thank you so much Josh and Lisa for asking me to babysit. Steph and Tony came over and got in on the action, and my brother, Randy and sister-in-law Di came over and spent time with us. Just one big party. Urijah entertained us all.

Pink Roses

2010-11-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Stay warm and have a happy fun filled weekend. They are full of blooms, maybe they will survive the frost.

I wish you could smell this rose, they smell wonderful.

We are supposed to get a light freeze tonight, so I thought I would enjoy the last of my roses.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

Our cute little pumpkin. We had so much fun celebrating Uri's first Halloween.

A trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Uri has his own Halloween cookie Auntie Steph, Grammy and Uri making Halloween Cookies

Jefferson, Texas

2010-10-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Jefferson is such a neat place to spend the day. There are antique stores, junk stores, fun places to eat, and even an old General Store that is a must if you visit. In December they have an open house at several of the old historic home. horse carriage rides, warm apple cider, and a Christmas train ride. If you have not been to Jefferson you are missing a treat. This is one of my favorite homes.

Don't you just love all the cute fall decorations? It is fun just to drive around and look at all the beautiful homes.

Just sharing a few homes in Jefferson, Texas all decked out for Halloween.

New kitchen bar and bar stools

2010-10-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

My new used bar stools that I got on Craig's list. I have been looking for a long time for this very bar stool and found them last weekend in Houston. We happened to be in the area and we stuffed them into my car. They were a greenish color, but I love red. So with a couple of coats of paint I have two beautiful fun new bar stools. Storage on one side with a old red frame and cute little cherry plates.

My guy built a new bar for our kitchen. Cookbooks on one end with a old window as the door.

2010-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

We are still seeing a few hummingbirds

She has been going back and fourth eating from our new bird feeder. We love to watch the birds in our back yard.

A mama bird we have been watching from our deck. She has been taking good care of her babies.

Hope you have a Happy week-end.

2010-09-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Once again we are having cool weather in East Texas.
And finally, my old scarecrow I bought a Canton years ago.

Little pumpkins

I just love the colors that fall represents
.

A fall window-box.

Happy Fall

2010-09-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall Ya'll!!!!!!

I love this, my dear sweet friend and her daughter gave it to me. We should all Count our Blessing each and every day.We have so much to be thankful for.

Cute little pumpkins, and the orange lights. We have had cooler weather here at Our Cottage Nest. Fall is in the air.

Getting ready for fall , I love a fall tree

Proud Grandparents

2010-09-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

We became grandparents on Sunday, September 5th,2010. Baby Uri Alexander Alford was born. He weighed 8lbs and 3 ounces, and was 21 1/2 inches long. He is such a sweet baby. I know Josh and Lisa are going to be wonderful parents.
A proud granddad.

Josh, Lisa, and Uri Alford , a sweet family.

My mom made that sweet little baby blanket.

2010-08-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

My sunflower is now completely open. I just think they are so pretty and they are all blooming.

Beautiful Sunflowers

2010-08-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

One more day and it should be completely open. Hope you have a happy week-end and enjoy the little things life has to offer.

Slowly opening up.

Well something likes this 100 degree Texas heat. My sunflowers are loving it.

Inn on the Creek

2010-08-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

I just had to share one of my favorite places to visit. Fredericksburg, Texas is just one of the sweetest little towns. I love the shopping, walking down the streets and the relaxed atmosphere of this little town. I especially enjoyed celebrating our 31st anniversary with my sweet guy, ( he is the best!). We stayed at Inn on the Creek, a neat little Bed and Breakfast,
we were there with 5 other guest. We enjoyed getting to know them at breakfast.

The best part of staying here was the delicious breakfast prepared by Carolyn, she was so sweet to visit with and was kind enough to share a great recipe. This B&B was located one block of Main Street where all the shops were located. I would recommend it to any one, visit http://www.absolutecharm.com/ to find out about great places to stay.
This was a beautiful old oak tree in the garden.

Even with all the high temperatures in Texas, it was nice at night.

Beautiful outside gardens and a hot tub to relax in after a day of shopping.

Love that chandelier.

Each room is decorated different. I wish I had pictures of all the rooms. Ours was the Tuscan, Look at all the pillows.

2010-07-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

My dresses from when I was a baby. I wish you could see the details on them. I am so thankful my mom saved them for me.

I moved it into our guest room which is pink. This is my girly girl room.

I posted about this bird cage a while back and said I was going to paint it white. Well here it is and I love it white.

2010-07-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage and Vogue, Campbell CA.

I have to tell you the story about Vintage and Vogue. A blog I follow, My Romantic Home, talked about this little shoppe in Campbell, CA. Well on our trip to Napa we went thru Campbell and I thought why not go by. We let me tell you the ladies in the shoppe and so very sweet. They were on their way to Texas the week after we left.

I just love all the details.

I got this cute vase at Vintage and Vougue in California. I have always wanted one, it has so many pretty details.

2010-07-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

The dark pink is my favorite. They remind me so much of my grandmother's house, that might be why I love them so much. It just brings back so many fun memories.

Light Pink

Purple

White

I love crape myrtle trees. All colors.

Baby Shower for Uri

2010-07-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

The cake was so good and I know you are asking yourself what is that purple thing in the picture? Grimace is a part of our family. He has been coming to family events for about ten years. He has an unusual sense of humor, and usually digs up some dirt on the honorees. He has been to all the family weddings, he even has a tux for more formal events.
I want to thank my family, they are the best. They did this shower for Josh and Lisa. They went above and beyond, everything was so nice. Food , family , friends and fellowship. What a blessing to us. I hope they know how much we appreciate everything they did. We love you all.
He will be a wonderful dad and Lisa will be a great mom. There due date is September 2nd, 2010.

Josh and Lisa are having a baby. My son, Josh is going to be a dad. He has always loved babies and is very good with them.

2010-07-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

I had to use the picture with our rooster in it. I plan on painting the chairs a candy apple red.

Just look what I got, I am so happy. I have wanted some older chairs for a long time.

2010-06-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Look at her cute little pink fingernails .
She really loved the baby chicks.

This is my best friend's granddaughter, she came out to see our turkey and seemed to love it, not at all afraid.

2010-06-29T06:57:00.001-07:00

Last, this is our tour guide, Karl. He was great. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Napa Valley. He was friendly and so full of information. He was a former SanFrancisco policeman and has been doing this about five years

This is Francis Ford Copppola's vineyard,( (Inglenook) this may not be important to many people but if you are a Nicholas Cage fan this is his uncle. The Coppola's live in another home just behind this winery.

OK I am easily impressed , this is oranges and lemons growing on the same tree. It was filled with fruit.

This was our last visit of the day and what a palce to end. We did not want to leave. I just wanted to soak in all the beauty. This was Inglenook vineyard.

This was probably the highlight of my day here. We had a picnic in this vineyard, it was wonderful, a smaller vineyard not any other tourist there.

What a view. This is how it looks all over the Napa Valley area. Rolling hills and beautiful vineyards. I never get tired of seeing this.

This is Sutter Home Family Vineyard in St Helena. I just love the victorian look.

Visiting Napa Valley. This is such a beautiful area.

2010-06-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have so many more. I just thought I would share a few. Happy Friday.

That has led to a collection of chickens.

We live out in the country and who knew you could enjoy watching chickens so much?

2010-06-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

Just one of the beautiful homes we saw in Pacific Grove CA. There are so many homes like this with beautiful flowers in every yard.