Decorating for the Seasons

In my real day to day world I decorate my home for Christmas.  I may get out a little at Easter or Thanksgiving if company is coming, but generally the house looks the same no matter the season.

At Star Hill I decorate for the seasons.  I don’t go crazy, but I decorate for summer (red, white, and blue patriotic); fall (harvest, pumpkins, leaves); winter (snowflakes); spring (flowers, bunnies).  I have a few things that I change out during the season (the Christmas tree comes out along with stockings and nativity scene, hearts come out around Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July stuff comes out…) but generally everything stays up the entire season.  It is easier for me to decorate up in the country because it is a small space, I have storage for the stuff, and I don’t have to be surrounded with it all week.

I don't decorate my bedroom but the front guest room does get a make over each season.  I change the bedspread in there and the throw pillows. 

 summer

fall

Determining when to change the seasons was tricky at first, but now I pretty much have a system.  Before I leave on Labor Day all the summer comes down and I start the fall going up.  Fall stays up until everyone leaves at Thanksgiving.  Winter is from the time that Thanksgiving comes down until the first of February.  Spring comes out in February and stays up until Memorial Day. 

All the summer stuff got collected in one spot.

I love my milk glass.  I get it all out and put it in the den during summer.

I shop for decorations out of season and store it in the Garagemahal in large Rubbermaid tubs above the cabinets.

 Each tub is marked with the season on the end.  I have a set size tub for each season so when it is full something has to come out in order for new stuff to come in.  Because I add stuff almost a year before I get it out to decorate it is almost a surprise to me what I have. 

At the first of fall I get out a few cowboy and rodeo things. September is the San Jacinto County Rodeo. 

This is a big deal in Coldspring. They let out school for the entire week during rodeo week. The weekend before the rodeo there is a parade that we try to attend.  Plan on coming to the rodeo. It is really small town fun. We love it.

Here is the big change outside the house.

 In October I go full force with the leaves and pumpkins. 



From this...

to this.

 This past weekend one of our trees decided that it was fall and started turning gold then dropping leaves.  I am sure it was the heat, but it did make me feel like summer is almost over. It made the decorating a little easier to look out the window and see the leaves changing.

Making a Tufted Cushion for the Mudroom Bench

We are making progress on the Mudroom Bench.  No more showing it to you until it is installed!  I had planned on using an outdoor cushion that I bought on clearance but Hubby did not like how it fit the bench and honestly I wanted something a little more swanky.  We have both put in a lot of work on this project and it will be the first thing that people see when they come into our home.  I am making pillows for the bench too that you will see this week.  We have completed the cushion to go on the bench.  I learned a ton on this project.  Hubby and I have upholstered many things over the years, but I had not ever tried anything tufted.  My inspiration came from Daily Do It Yourself .  I did not know how to cover buttons with fabric but Hubby had some experience (his sisters both sew) so we got started.  I bought this button making kit at Hobby Lobby.  I love those 40% off coupons.

The kit would would only make three buttons, but you can buy refill buttons for $1.99.  Not bad.  I bought 12 buttons all together.  The kit provides a template to draw circles on the fabric.

I got all 12 drawn out on a tiny scrap of fabric.  It does not take much to do the buttons.

Place the fabric in the form provided, back side up.

Then put the rounded part of the button into the mold.

Like magic the fabric curls in when you press down on the rounded button part.

Put the part of the button that has the ring on it into the mold next. The kit comes with a blue pressing tool.  Press until you feel a click. 

Ta Dah!

It got tricky after this part.  Hubby had already cut a piece of scrap 1/2 inch plywood cut to size.  We looked at several websites about tufted pillows.  His next statement filled me with fear.  "This will be easy, all we need is a tape measure, ruler, calculator and a pencil."  A calculator?  Hubby is a math teacher so I immediately passed the chore of marking where the buttons went off to him. 

He drilled a hole where each button should go then we placed the board across two chair backs.  This allowed me to work on top and bottom at the same time. We layered foam on top of the board that was also cut to size and then the fabric.  I even ironed!  I used an upholstery needle and heavy weight thread to go through the hole in the wood, the foam and the fabric.  I then put the button on the thread then back down through everything.  Finding the hole in the wood was a pain at first but I got better.  I did not tie the buttons at this point.  I left the thread hanging.

Once all 12 were in we carefully flipped everything over on the floor, buttons down.  Hubby stood on the board while I pulled the thread tight.  He screwed a small screw in by each button for me to tie off.  I then stapled the thread to make sure it stayed secure.  Next I used my trusty electric staple gun to staple the fabric down around the edges. 

It turned out great.

Look at how straight the buttons are down the cushion.  Great job done by the mathematician.

The cushion is now ready for the bench.  The cost was not too bad, but way more than my $7.00 cushion I originally planned to use.  The fabric was a linen remnent that I only paid $3.00 for.  The buttons cost $5.00.  The big expense was the foam.  $20.00, even with a coupon.
It is going to look great on the bench.

Finding my Voice

Two of the best writing teachers I ever worked with commented on reading my voice in the writing I do on this blog. Wow! Hearing that from these two ladies humbles me. I really do talk for a living in a way and there are many times each day that I wish I sounded polished, refined and well spoken. I cannot say that polished is how I sound, in fact hillbilly comes a little closer to the truth. I recently announced to my incoming freshmen at Induction Ceremony practice " You can act like that right now, but tonight you better don't." The upperclassmen sitting in the audience erupted into laughter. They find what I say funny most of the time.  I say things like " He looked at me like a cow looking at a new gate." The kids have no idea what I am talking about. When I try to explain it is often worse than before I started.  Apparently I am the source of humor for many of the students.
What I hope you read in my voice is a passion for life, a willingness to try new and unconventional things, a sense of humor in life and in decorating, a strong love for my husband and children and the precious people they have brought into our family circle.  I have an extended family that is a great source of strength and encouragement. They are not afraid to tell me that is the dumbest idea they have ever heard of.
 I am proud to say that both of my children have their own unique voices.  They are strong, caring, independent and free thinking adults who love deeply and are respected by their friends and community.  They both have found their own voice.

My weekend country life rejuvenates me. My voice at Star Hill is slower, contented, and quieter.  I take the time to cook, to sit, to watch birds, to talk to my neighbors, to walk.  My life is not perfect, in fact it is a mess from time to time but I am committed to to letting you see it warts and all.

I promise to keep working on grammar, syntax, punctuation, and word choice but most of all, I hope you continue to see me in what I write.  I hope you can hear my voice.

My Husband the Crafter

I went for a walk at the sandy beach on Labor Day weekend.  The rest of the crew made fun of me because I was looking for driftwood.  There was a ton on the beach but nothing that I couldn't live without.  Lake Livingston is the second largest lake in the great state of Texas. 

It is surrounded by forests.  At the north end of the lake there is a large log jam called the jungle. 
Where there are heavy rains in the Dallas area logs are washed out and into the main part of the lake. We have amazing driftwood where we are at the south end of the lake.  It is light weight, weathered, rounded and is the most beautiful blue-gray color.

Hubby also went for a walk along the beach but he came back with a piece of driftwood.  I asked him what he was going to do with the wood.  He told us that he was going to make a pencil holder for his desk.  My husband is going to make a craft project!  Will wonders ever cease?

Beside being a great carpenter and general handy man he happens to be a fantastic teacher.  The students who are lucky enough to have him for math still talk about him years later.  He does not let students not do work because they come without supplies.  He keeps a set of pencils on his desk for the kids to use because there is no excuse in his class for not doing the work in his classroom. He decided that the driftwood would make a great pencil holder. Drilling just the number of holes needed will allow him to know that the pencils are all returned at the end of class and remind him of his beloved lake.

He drilled 12 holes in the wood that pencils will fit in.

The driftwood he picked was burned at some point.  It really has a lot of character and it is flat on the bottom so that it will stay in place.

Great job, Hubby. 

Fixing the Schoolhouse Desk

The broken desk is now reassembled.  Hubby, who will not let me defile the desk with paint, is stripping the entire piece of all varnish. 
I really am proud of all that he has done.

 The desk went from this broken piece of furniture. Back to a great piece.

All the parts had to be re-glued and sanded.

 Hubby used an orbital sander to take off the varnish and the uneven wood.

 The seat was really difficult

The results are amazing.
Here is the finished project.

It has now been moved to the city house where it will live.

Breaking in the Craft Table- Back to Painting

I just couldn't wait to break in the craft table. If you know me at all you know that waiting is not my strong suit. I have been collecting ideas for some paintings a while. I have some photos that I have been holding on to, some ideas in Pinterest, a few drawings, and one or two ideas floating around in my head. The first thing I wanted to do was for The Southern Belle, my eldest.
I feel like I need to tell you a little about my sweet daughter.  The Southern Belle is a real beauty on the outside and inside. She is a competitive athlete, and a professional businesswoman. She is a passionate environmentalist and the co-parent of a dog named Maeby.  She is getting married this next summer to a great guy who puts up with me.  All those aspects of her life come through in her decorating.
She has a strong sense of style. She intimidates me. She definitely tends to gravitate toward classic, timeless pieces of furniture. Clean lines, expensive, quality, and timeless are words I would use when describing what she gravitates toward. Her home is a reflection of the places she has lived in the last six years.  She has lived in four states since graduation and has had the good fortune of living in Dallas, Texas; Savannah, Georgia; Lake Worth, Florida; and now in North Carolina.  Each place she has lived has helped to develop her sense of style.

At 27 she became a homeowner. She found a great home in her southern city. She has a five year plan.  Wow.

One thing that she loves is the southern flower, hydrangea.  Her house has several planted around it and they are beautiful when they bloom.  I wanted to paint a hydrangea for her, but I knew it needed to be simple, not fussy and small enough to mail to her.  I looked up pictures of the flower then went to the Internet for pictures.

I was pleased with the result.  I am proud of my efforts.  I had to wait to post this until the Southern Belle got it in the mail.  She liked it and I am proud of my effort.  It feels good to be painting again.

It is not all Work at Star Hill

We had a three day weekend!  Yeah!  Yippee!  Hooray!  Do you get the idea that it was great?  I catch a lot of flack from Hubby's friends from time to time.  Usually the comment is something like " Stop making him work so hard."  I feel like I need to let you all know that I am not a slave driver... well not a slave driver all the time... Okay... I would try to tell you that he likes doing projects, but that would be an overstatement most of the time.  He does go along with my wild ideas, but he would much rather be in his recliner.   I let the poor guy have the weekend off.  Mostly.  We only did a few projects this weekend and they were just wrapping up other projects that were already started.

I even took a little time for myself.  My Social Planner and I got pedicures in Huntsville.  What a treat.

Hubby did his own craft project this week and I cannot wait to show and tell his handiwork.  He didn't want to tell me what he was doing because I would blog about it.  I love it!  The computer is mightier than the sword.

Star Hill is always open for guests.  Let me repeat, Star Hill is always open for guests.  We love having our friends and family come visit us.  Bring a swimsuit and you should be good to go. 

We even keep spare toothbrushes.  Give us a call an hour before you get there and we will probably have food ready when you arrive.

 That being said I do have some friends who feel like they need an invitation. 

Hubby called his family and we posted on Facebook that we were ready for guests. 

My favorite twin nephews came Sunday to visit.  Of all my twin nephews, I definitely like these two the best.

Apparently they read my blog, so I will have to be very careful what I say about them.  Peat and Repeat arrived along with Repeat's girlfriend,  Amber.  Hubby's two sisters and brother-in-law spent the day with us too. 

Hubby's pride and joy- Big Red came out of hibernation.  She even got power washed so that she would be beautiful.

We are currently babysitting an awesome jet ski so that got to go out on the lake with us. 
The kids had a ball with  the jet ski. They all learned to ride it without any problems. 

 If only we could convince them that there are no alligators in the part of the lake near our house.  There really are no alligators in our part of lake, guys.

We took the boat to  a sandy beach near the house.  It is usually deserted, but  this was a holiday weekend.  We had company at the beach.

 

 

We had hamburgers, beans, chips and guacamole,  some amazing berry crumble, apple cobbler, brownies and homemade ice cream after our trip out on the lake.  I am sure that I will be kicking myself when I weigh in the morning, but it sure was good.  

There are  a few things that we usually do when the family comes over; we  have a bunch of magnetic letters on our fridge.  I try to have a nice welcoming note on the fridge when people come to visit.  One of my nephews (Peat I believe!) Loves to change my note. 

 We keep  the extra letters on the side of the fridge so that others can leave a note.

My nice note: A WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY  became  WEAKEND IN THE COUNTRY.  Very funny. 

The other thing that usually occurs in a mean game of  Last Word.  I an not sure that we play the game according to the rules in the box, but our version is loud, a little rude and very funny.

We knew it was a great day when we  looked at our fence.

We would love to have you come and visit.  Really.