Take Your Desk Outside This Summer

If my desk were here I would get absolutely nothing done besides daydreaming. Curious? See more of this wonderful house in Croatia here. Wait a few seconds for the full-screen slideshow to begin.

Welcome Home

I love this house, don't you? There's nothing like a center hall colonial with a white picket fence in my book. This one looks like the perfect size, not too big. I love driving around looking at beautiful houses. See you later.

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Best Outdoor Shower

Outdoor showers are an ongoing theme of mine. Isn't this one the best you've ever seen? Nothing says summer like bathing outdoors.

Doggie version.

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Before Buying That Island House

you'd better check to see what's under the water.  

DIY Book Lover's Library in France

Wow. This is every book collector's dream. It's a French Country House Library constructed from 60 Billy / Benno Bookcases from Ikea. How wonderful. Lots of pictures and text showing the project start to finish with instructions HERE. View a slideshow on Flickr with really large photos here. I'm impressed, aren't you?

Beautiful Sunset -- Somewhere

I was looking through old saved photos and found this lovely sunset. Don't you love the clouds? Source unknown. We had a nice quick heavy shower and it really cooled things off for sleeping. Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow. xo

Delightful Wiscasset Maine

Wiscasset is one of my very favorite vacation spots with so many interesting places to haunt.
I love Cabot Cove Cottages in Kennebunkport too.

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Love This Look

I love everything I see in this room. The old cupboard top now hanging on the wall as bookshelves and cubbies, the farm table with the wide board top, and the collections scattered all around. Decorating with antiques is the best!

Wrinkles Can Be Beautiful

Especially on an elephant. They can live to be as old as 86 and this looks like an old old. She wears her wrinkles well.

I have a meeting this morning and hopefully some good houses will be on the open house tour. I rather doubt it though because so many people are away. See you later.

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Piglets in Faux Tiger Skins

Read all about this Urban Legend here. What goes around, comes around. The tiger mother was herself nursed by a pig in infancy and apparently regards these orphans as family, not prey.

Friends Make Happy Houses

 

I couldn't agree more. I scanned this image from an old address book purchased at a tag sale and added the text. I loved the cover.

More Interior Sliding Doors Hung Barn Style

His-and-hers desks in the living room are hidden behind louvered doors on tracks. I love this idea of really using the living room as an office/family room. Nice. Image is from an old article in Cottage Living magazine, a nice publication that bit the dust in 2008.

White Kitchen with A Dark Floor

This morning I'm liking this wonderful kitchen from ElleDecor. I love the width of the floorboards and the ebonized stain too. I don't know if I would have the nerve to ever go this dark but I think it looks very nice.

Happy Monday everyone. We are having a break from the heat today. It's only 75 degrees and the high is predicted to be 82. That sounds absolutely wonderful to me, but it's going to heat up again tomorrow. Maybe I'll get something done outside this morning in the way of weeding. See you later.

Goodnight Windmill

I don't see the moon so I'll say goodnight to the windmill. See you in the morning. We had a hard rain for about 15 minutes and it is a little cooler but a lot steamier. xo

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Say Yes To Thick Stone Walls

I like everything I see in this wonderful photo, especially the thick stone walls and completely exposed beamed ceiling.

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Laugh

Yes. Always laugh when you can.

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Moonlight Sailing

Wishing you smooth sailing wherever you go this weekend. Don't you absolutely love the stillness on the lake at sunset? ©MNFISH

Reflections in Germany

Burg Vischering Germany -- so beautiful and cool looking.

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Cupcake Break

Reach in and get your afternoon cupcake. It's time to take a break and eat something delicious and decadent. I think these toffee crunch cupcakes fit the bill, don't you? Enjoy. Are you having a nice weekend?

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Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II, page 41

 

 

A page from a book written by a father to a son. Life doesn't come with an instruction book, so he wrote one.

A Dose of Pachyderm Love for A Saturday

We love elephants as much as we love England's royalty. This mother and child were photographed in Kenya by ©Eric Lafforgue

An Over The Top Kitchen

with a La Cornue, France range. Mega bucks. Do you think this is a real working kitchen or a trophy kitchen? I get the feeling from what I can see that you'd have do a lot of walking here. via House Beautiful.

A Shrine to Laundry

There are no words. This could be my favorite laundry room out of all I've ever posted. I'm picturing the clothes line and the cutting garden just outside this room.

UPDATE:  I found out this was The HGTV Green Home 2010 and I found a website with many more pictures of this wonderful home - HERE.

Old Book Wide Cotton Tape | Love.This

There are so many creative crafters out there. I love this cotton tape. I can think of so many ways to use it too. Old Book Wide Cotton Tape

World Globe Ice Cream Cone

Treat yourself to something cool today. I must tell you that I am absolutely loving the creamy lemon popsicles I blogged about recently. I've made them 5 times so far and today I'll use the 6th lemon for another batch. I have adjusted the recipe for my taste.

 

Creamy Lemon Popsicles Recipe
1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice The juice of one lemon (or lime) with pulp
2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel The zest on one lemon. Zest before juicing it.
pinch of salt not necessary
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Whisk sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Whisk in buttermilk.

Divide mixture among popsicle molds. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

Here's how I make mine -- I just pour the buttermilk in a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup, add the sugar, stir until dissolved and then add the rest of the ingredients. I have a set of 6 tupperware popsicle molds and there is a little left over. I pour the extra into a heavy milk glass  cup. I run to the freezer often to stir the contents of the cup and have a bonus treat way before the popsicles have frozen completely. They are the most delicious and refreshing things for this kind of weather. I've experimented with other liquids. Once I used 3/4 cup of plain soy milk with 1/2 cup plain yogurt. That worked well too. I don't have any buttermilk so today I might try a batch with only soymilk and another batch with only yogurt. But wait...I only have one lemon so I may have to go out for more. I simply cannot be without these popsicles that delight my mouth with the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Enjoy.

Catherine in Trench and Red Scarf

Proof that it's not hot everywhere. She looks stunning in whatever she wears, doesn't she. Her taste is impeccable. And she always looks so happy.

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First Garden

at her first home.
So lovely!

Cats at Home

 

I absolutely love illustrations of animals doing people things in domestic surroundings. These cats have a real eye for interior design and they have such varied interests. I especially like the kitchen under the stairs; totally charming. This split level could work very nicely for people too. ©Franco Matticchio, illustration for "Gioia Casa" 2006 via Flickr.