Happy New Year

From the kitties and me

We  wish you health

and happiness

for

2012

Love Always

Kim

Merry Christmas

I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday

Love Always,

Kim

Beautiful New Chandelier

This is my new chandelier. It is a pretty blue-green colour with leaves on the arms. I am trying to decide where I will hang it. I have 3 chandeliers. One brass, one black with white opaque glass shades and this new one. I think this new one should hang over my breakfast table. I am going to paint my furniture in the breakfast room white. I need one fixture over my dining room table and the third I would like to hang in the living room. I just received this fixture from a friend today. She gave it to me along with 5 ruby red shades. I feel so lucky. What a wonderful surprise.

I used the red shades for the brass chandelier that hangs over the breakfast room table at the moment. I went and got my cranberry placemats, my gold chargers, my birds and my candlesticks with cranberry candles and set the table for dinner. What a lovely table. Now I have to write a nice thank you note to my friend.

Love Always,

Kim

The Snow Is Here

This is the front of our house this morning. I woke to all of this on the ground. The plough was by during the night. I sure hope that they are going to come and clear the sidewalks.

 

 This is our backyard. I can see a fallen branch in front of the pond. Although in this picture it would be difficult to see where the pond is. It was snowing when I took the pictures early this morning and the lens on the camera caught the snowflakes falling. I think that some fresh baked scones and a couple pots of tea are in order today. The cats were all at the window wondering what all that white stuff is. Only Chubbie and Rudy have been in the snow before. This is a first for Emry, Stewart and Eddie.

Have a wonderful day!

Love Always,

Kim

Dining Room Inspiration

When I found this picture I knew that I had come across something that I could really use. This room could be any colour but what I really like is that our dining room and the furniture we have could look very similar to this picture. Our dining room is not large. We have a small window at one end with the buffet sitting directly across the room. The double pedestal table has one armchair and five side chairs. My china cabinet is tucked in the corner near the window. We are in the midst of some renovations.

When the renovations are complete I can choose a paint colour for the walls and get painting. The living room, large hall and dining room are connected and situated in the front of the house.

I would like this kind of mirror hanging over the buffet. I have a pair of crystal lamps that sit on the buffet as well as my tea service.

Of course no dining room would be complete without pink flowers. these peonies are perfect. Have a great day.

Love Always,

Kim

My Dream Breakfast Room

I just found this picture and it illustrates nicely how I would like my breakfast room to look. I have a dining suite that belonged to my Great Aunt and Uncle. I have had it for many years. It has fit nicely in every home that I have ever had. I have always wanted to paint it. I want to paint it white. Our breakfast room is on the back of our house and the sun streams in the windows and garden door most mornings. It is a wonderful place to sit and have breakfast, lunch or dinner. Our cats love to sit with us. This is where I enjoy my tea every morning (hubby his coffee) and this is where we sit when we are working on our laptops.

I have an old radio cabinet which is now storage for some of my dishes, my CD's and important papers that have no other home at the moment. It will look great once it is painted.

My second favourite colour is pink. I have pink Depression glass dishes, dishes with pink trim, dishes with roses and many pink teacups with roses. I will happily use all of these in my breakfast room.

Have a "Wonderful Pink Day".

Love Always,

Kim

Colours for 2012

 

I found this during my internet travels. I am about to embark on decorating my living room, dining room and front hall of my home. My favourite colour is blue. There are many shades of blue and I prefer something light. These are Benjamin Moore colours. I love Benjamin Moore paint. I think that it's the best. I was a painter in another life. I painted both interiors and exteriors of homes. Benjamin Moore likes this blue (Wythe Blue) as the colour for 2012. What do you think?

This is My Remedy for the Cold Weather

Love Always,

Kim

Happy Thanksgiving

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, 

MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP. 

MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP. 

MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS. 

MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE, 

MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS!! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Love Always,

Kim

Being Thankful

Fall is upon us. The leaves are falling and some of them are bright red. Our thanksgiving is just around the corner. I truly believe that we need to concentrate on all of the things that we are grateful for; not just at this time of the year but everyday.

Someone once told me to make your life better is simple. Each night before you go to bed you must write down five things that you are grateful for. These are the last things that you think of before you fall asleep. She told me to do this every night.

You would be amazed how this can make you focus on the positive . Please give it a try. Have a wonderful day.

Love Always,

Kim

A Visitor in the Garden

I had a little visitor in the yard today. It was an unusually warm day for this time of year. I walked outside to greet this little creature. I just could not believe how small he was. So I took another picture. I placed my hand beside him to show you.

 

Nature is truly amazing. I hope you had a wonderful day!

Love Always,

Kim 

 

Confessions of a Plate Addict

What a wonderful giveaway.

Hop on over to 

"Confessions of a Plate Addict"

for your chance to win

a copy of 

Creating the French Look

by Annie Sloan

Love Always,

Kim

New Treasures

These are my new treasures. I have a second-hand store in a little town about 15 minutes from home that I frequent. I love the shop because things are reasonably priced and there always seems to be new things to look at every time I go into the store. My favourite treasures are teacups, dishes, stemware and silver. I love furniture as well but it does seem that it takes longer to find the right piece no matter what you are looking for.

First I purchased the tray; it has little flower cutouts all around the edge. I found the cream and sugar set next. They are a good size so I will be able to use the service when company comes or if I have just one friend over to share some tea. I found the teapot the last time I was in. I love the shape of the teapot. It is not a set but I love my new tea service. It took me a while to get it clean so I could share it with you.

Love Always,

Kim

Sad News

Eva is gone. My husband found her underneath some ground cover at the back of our yard on Tuesday afternoon. We do not know how long she was there. We heard a terrible cat fight that woke us from a sound sleep on Saturday evening about 1 a.m. We could not tell if she was involved. She had been missing since Sunday morning but sometimes cats do that when they spend most of their time outside. We are very sad.

Love Always,

Kim

Our Drive to London

Last week we had to drive to London, Ontario. My father had an appointment at one of the hospitals. It took us just over 3 hours to get there. The drive is long and through an unusually flat expanse of farm land. There were fields of corn, canola and soya beans. On the way we were treated to the sight of a Doe and her fawn. They were standing on a patch of grass at the side of the highway in a small clearing. It was a beautiful sight and the Doe was so graceful as she and the fawn headed toward the safety of the trees.

The next thing I spotted was a Kingfisher. He was so pretty with his blue and white chest and his blue head comb. On the way back home I saw another one. He was on a wire over a small stream and I am sure he was waiting for a fish.

We were almost home when we spotted a young Wild Turkey. He wasn't very big. He was standing all alone which is unusual. We usually see large numbers of them in the farmer's fields looking for something to eat.  I once had to stop on the highway to let a whole flock of them cross the road.

You never know what you will see if you keep yours eyes open. Have a good weekend all.

Love Always,

Kim

My Favourite Place

 

This is a picture that we took of the sunset at our beach a couple of years ago. This is my favourite place to be. We are off to the beach today. There is going to be a high temperature of 32 degrees with a humidex of 38. It is going to be very hot. We are taking our lunch and lots of water. I think that I will sit my beach chair right in the water to keep my feet cool. It is supposed to be hotter tomorrow. So we may have to repeat this again on Thursday. I am glad that summer is here and we have such a lovely beach where we can spend our time. Where every you are today I hope that you are comfortable.

Love Always,

Kim

Free Dishes

I guess you can say I was in the right place at the right time. I have always managed to purchase things that I wanted second-hand at a very reasonable price but this was just amazing. There was a whole box of dishes for free. I could hardly believe my eyes. Pretty dishes with pink roses and they were all mine. I hurried back to the car with my treasure. All the way home I kept thinking how lucky I was. I had only taken a quick look at the contents before I put the box safely in my car. I arrived home and unloaded everything else. Then later when I had a few minutes I brought the box in to inspect the contents. The dishes are made by Johnson Brothers in England and the pattern is called "Rose Chintz". They have an ivory background and I have two dinner plates, three bread and butter plates, 2 creamers, a covered sugar bowl, a cereal bowl, a small oval plate, one complete cup and saucer and 6 saucers and a fruit nappy. I washed them all and put them away.

Then I got out my laptop and went to http://www.replacements.com to see if I could get more pieces. They have everything that you could think of in this pattern. So if I really want more and want to pay for them I could place an order. I have purchased china and silver from them in the past. I am satisfied to use what I have at the moment. I love mixing different sets so I will come up with something that pleases me. Perhaps my pink Depression glass will look nice with it. If I only have two place settings I will be happy. You never know what might make your day.

Love Always,

Kim

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day

Wherever you are I hope you have

a wonderful weekend

Love Always,

Kim 

Kittens and Refinishing Furniture

Here is one of our new kittens. He decided one morning that he would hop up on my tea tray and sit a while. I quickly grabbed the camera from the desk and took a few pictures. Isn't he cute? He has the quietest little meow I have every heard. It is not actually a meow it is just a soft little squeak. He loves to sit on the ottoman when I have my tea in the morning or on the back of my chair nestled against my neck. Every once in a while he makes his little noise.

We seem to be getting our share of grey skies and rain. Today the sun is shining and I intend to take full advantage of it. I have been busy refinishing my dining suite that sits in our breakfast room. I have managed to sand all of the chairs; there are four. Next is the table. It is a lovely little table, almost square and it folds in half and looks like a desk. We eat most of our meals in the breakfast room when it is just the two of us. 

Oh how I have agonized over what colour I will make it. I have so many pictures in my inspiration file. My favourite colour is blue; I love how white and soft pink go so nicely with it. I want the breakfast room to be a place that is bright and cheerful. Our stereo sits in the breakfast room and I can listen to my classical cd's while I work.

I decided to paint my furniture so that even when the table is not set with a tablecloth it will still look pretty. I love to set the table with pretty linens and flowers and my grandmother's silverware. I have many beautiful things that she gave me. I have a corner china cabinet that is part of the dining suite and it houses my collection of tea cups. I have been collecting tea cups for many years. I use my china cups every day to have my tea. My husband, bless him, makes my tea every morning for me and serves it on one of our silver trays. Most of my tea cups have roses on them. My favourite tea is Estate Mim Darjeeling. It is truly the best tea I have ever had.

Well I am off to start sanding again. I hope that you enjoy your day whatever you are doing.

Love Always,

Kim

My Favourite Smoothie

It is that time again. The warm weather is here and I get to make my favourite smoothie for breakfast or lunch. I freeze by bananas when they are ripe and keep them in the freezer in a ziploc bag. I buy frozen fruit in a large bag. It has blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries as a combination. Here is the recipe and it makes two servings. I drink it all. 

Fruit Smoothie

1 frozen banana cut in chunks

1 cup of frozen fruit (you can use any fruit you like)

1 cup of Balkan style yogurt (use whatever yogurt you like best)

1 cup of fresh orange juice

Place all ingredients in the blender, cover and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

I am off to make mine now. Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you try my recipe.

Love Always,

Kim

 

We are off to the Beach

We are off to the beach today. We have summer weather at last. See I told you we go from winter to summer almost overnight. We plan on enjoying the blue skies, cool drinks and the beautiful scenery. The thermometer will reach 30 degrees today. Have a wonderful day wherever you are.

Love Always,

Kim

The New Babies

Here are some pictures of the new kittens. They are so precious. Eva as always is an excellent mother. She has moved the kittens twice since they were born. At the moment they are in my laundry room. They are out of the way, where it is dark and quiet and I guess she thinks that they will be safe there. They sure do a lot of sleeping and they can make a lot of noise if Eva is not within range. They all have blue eyes just like human babies. That will change soon. It is hard to believe how much they have grown already. They scamper about and tumble with their siblings and their little tales stick straight up in the air. They are so funny. At the moment we have 12 cats in the house. That is a lot of cats. My husband says "What do we have here?" "I reply it is a catastrophe." It is just a joke. We love all of them dearly.

It has been very cool and grey here lately. We have received a lot of rain in the last few days. I am praying for some sun. It is impossible to do yard work in the rain. We had a major thunderstorm the other night. The two things that I can say about the rain; it has made everything very green and we get a free car wash. 

Our seasons change very quickly. It often seems that one day it is winter and the next day summer arrives. I am looking forward to eating outside in the yard, enjoying the shade of our beautiful trees and having sandals on my feet. As soon as the weather is nice we will head to the beach. We try and spend as much time at the beach as possible. We take lunch or dinner, a radio or maybe a new magazine or book and our blankets and chairs. I can hardly wait to dip my toes in the water again. This year I really must remember to take the camera. We always manage to see something that we would like to photograph.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Love Always,

Kim

Blue is for Me

I found this picture last night. Isn't this gorgeous? This is how I would like my breakfast room to look. I really love this kind of decor. The blue is so luscious. I love the molding on the walls. This room is fit for a queen. The French trumeau mirror is wonderful. This would be a perfect place to sit and read or to have friends in for a cup of tea. I am still collecting inspiration for my decorating projects. Everyday it seems there are beautiful decor pictures everywhere.

We are still looking for a home for one of our kittens. We have 6 more babies. They are two weeks old today. Their little ears are beginning to open and they are also opening their eyes. They are such sweet little balls of fur. They are becoming more mobile by the day. We have mum (Eva) and the babies in a box in our bedroom. Every once in a while you hear a little squeal; they don't really meow yet.

It is cold and grey here again today. We have had rain, wind and grey skies. One of these days soon we will be able to sit in our yard and enjoy it without a jacket on. Well at least it is spring jackets instead of winter jackets that we have to wear.

I need to find myself a nice spring jacket. I would like something blue, perhaps denim. I am not one to spend a lot of money so I will be going to the second-hand places to see what I can find.

Hubby bought some beautiful looking steaks for us yesterday at our local grocer. He is going to cook them on the barbeque tonight. We will have some salad and perhaps a baked potato and I will be in heaven. Even though it is very cold here in the winter, hubby dons his parka and barbeques for us all of the time. He is so good. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Love Always,

Kim

Our Pond Garden

I think that Spring is finally here in our northern climate. We have one little primrose in the garden around our pond. The periwinkle is blooming and the curly leaves are wild violets. We have a number of different Hostas as well but they have only just pushed up threw the soil. My lilac bushes have tiny pale green leaves starting to grow. Lilacs are one of my favourites. I can hardly wait to be able to bring some in for a bouquet on the table.

Neighbours gardens have daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in bloom. I love the little Grape Hyacinths the most.

This is Emry. He is one of our new kittens. His is on a lead because he has a problem. He is very unsteady on his feet; sometimes he falls over. We decided to keep him because it would not be far to put him up for adoption like the other kittens. I could not bear to think that someone else would not take really good care of him. We will not be able to let him in the backyard like the other cats. I would be afraid that something might get him and he would not be able to run to safety.

Here he is in my husband's arms. Such a lovely fellow. I feel very protective of him. He has an old soul and I am sure he is here to teach us something; perhaps love conquers all.

Love Always,

Kim

Have a Wonderful Day

Love Always,

Kim

A Delightsome Life

Today I am blogging about Kathy at "A Delightsome Life". She is having a Cottage Charm Giveaway. So please take a look at:  

http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/2011/05/delightsome-life-cottage-charm-giveaway.html 

Good luck to everyone. Have a wonderful day. 

Love Always,

Kim

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

to all of my Followers

and my Friends

 Have a lovely Holiday

Love Always,

Kim

Treasures

I did manage to find some treasures. My first stop was the Sleep Shop. It is piled almost to the rafters with stuff. You have to spend a while just looking and sorting sometimes to find just what you want. I found a lovely pink damask tablecloth. I also found at the bottom of the pile some small white napkins trimmed with pale blue. I will be able to use these for my tea parties in the garden. The tablecloth and the napkins were $5.00.

The next day I went into the Salvation Army. I purchased 3 dinner plates and 3 small side plates. They are very pretty with a garland of strawberries around the edge of each plate. The dinner plates have fruit in the center of the plate and the small side plates have strawberries. The plates cost me $1.50.

My mother gave me her Pink Depression glass dishes. I have two complete place settings with a few other pieces. I love the dishes but I did not have enough to set the table. The treasures that I found complete my dishes so that I can use them for tea. I used my grandmother's silver. It is Rogers Daffodil pattern. The wine glasses I have had for many years. They were a gift. They have a pink flower on them. So for $6.50 I have a beautiful table. Treasure hunting is so much fun. Have a beautiful day.

Love Always

Kim

Cheesecake is on the Menu Tonight

Today I am baking a cheesecake for my hubby and me. I have a cookbook in a very old binder that I have had since I moved out on my own. Over the years I added recipes from my mother, grandmother and even some friends. I took a look at the binder not too long ago and I said to myself, it is time to clean house (or binder). I removed all of the recipes that I had never made and kept only the ones I knew were good and I would make again. The recipe for the cheesecake was one of them. It has been years since I made this cake. It is the best cheesecake, ever. I served it recently to guests with a blueberry sauce and it was heavenly.

We received more snow last night. Can you believe that? I could hear the wind whistling through the trees just outside our bedroom window last night. I knew it would not be a scene that I would like this morning. The sun is shining at the moment and what little snow we did receive is almost gone.

I am hoping to make a trip to the nearest second-hand store tomorrow and if I find any treasures I will show them to all of you. Second-hand shopping is my favourite kind. I love the price and being able to haggle with the shop keeper. We have quite a few second-hand as well as antique shops close to home. The prices are usually very reasonable. I love dishes and glassware, crystal and silver trays. Hubby and I each have a small silver tray at our bedside with a pretty glass for water. I even have a nice little glass jug that I can fill with water and ice.

One of my favourtie places to buy linen is the Salvation Army. I have some really pretty tablecloths that were a couple of dollars each. I have been lucky enough to be given tablecloths from my mother and mother-in-law. I have some gorgeous vintage napkins as well. When I was young I used to accompany my grandmother to auctions. I guess it is in my blood. 

I hope that you have a wonderful day.

Love Always,

Kim

Spring is here?

Well here is my little man. Isn't he cute. His name is Louis. I think he is just so sweet. See his little pink nose. When you call him he comes running and jumps up on your lap and purrs the loudest purr that you can imagine. He loves to sit with me in my chair while I am on my laptop. He can sit for quite some time and watch my fingers typing and the images changing on the screen. They he gets tired and cuddles beside my leg and has little cat dreams. You can tell that he is dreaming because his whiskers twitch and his little paws move. He is very curious as all kittens are but when I took this picture he was sitting in my pressed glass bowl in the middle of our dining room table. What a little doll he is. I love him.

I think that Spring may finally be on its way. We have had such a long, cold winter. The snow has almost dissappeared from our backyard. I can hear the birds singing in the trees when I awake in the morning. The big cats will go outside now and spend some time just breathing in the air. We will not let the kittens outside just yet. The lawn is littered with branches from our trees and everything is saturated from the snow melting. I have not seen any little flowers poking their heads from the beds. I long to be in the yard to enjoy our wonderful shady maple trees and see the lilacs blooming.

My plan for the spring clean up is to remove all the water from the pond as well as the sand. I have to be very careful because we have a number of frogs. I wouldn't want to disturb them after their long winter nap. I would like to clean around the pond and put the rocks back in their places that fell in last year. I would like to get some Hostas to plant here and there. There is a lot of shade and flowers are just out of the question.

My other plan for the spring is to clean out our garage. I will need hubby's help for this. We probably have at least one trip to the dump and one to the Salvation Army. I want to use the garage as my workshop. I have decided to paint the furniture for my breakfast room. I need a place away from all of the paws and the garage seems like a really good place to sand, repair and paint. I am looking forward to a bright and beautiful breakfast room. Who knows, perhaps when I get that furniture finished there may be a few other pieces that will need a makeover.

So I busy myself with blog land and furry creatures and baking. I love to bake. Hubby loves cinnamon buns, brownies and blueberry muffins. I love homemade bread. Santa brought me a beautiful new KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas and I am making really good use of it. I am off to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Have a wonderful weekend.

Love Always,

Kim

Happy Anniversary

I don't know how I could have forgotten. I missed the anniversary of starting my blog. Life goes on doesn't it? I started writing on March 14, 2010, that was my first post. It has been more than a year. I love writing. I have read and enjoyed so many beautiful blogs since I ventured down this road. The world of blogging is a wonderful place. I appreciate all of the things I have learned from you and all of the comments that you have made to me. I wish all of you the very best and I am proud to be a part of it all. A special "Thank you", to Shirley, who always has something nice to say.

Love Always,

Kim

Memories at the Shore

I know that it is not beach weather here just yet. It may not be for quite some time. I wanted to share another picture that my father sent to me recently. I am sitting on the retaining wall in front of my paternal grandparents' cottage. Behind me are the stairs wending their way in front the dining room window down to the patio where I am sitting. A few yards in front of their cottage is a large beach with soft sand to play in and the waves of Lake Huron lapping on the shore. 

I can remember being at the beach from a very early age. I used to run up and down the beach chasing the seagulls with wild abandon. Many a sand castle was made not far from where I sat. I remember having my seventh birthday just down the road and around the corner at my maternal grandparents' cottage. I stayed in their cottage with them or with my parents many times over the years.

One summer my brother and I boarded the train in Toronto. We were very young. It was exciting to be on the train without our parents. My grandparents picked us up at the other end.  It was the only time I was on the train in Canada. We stayed at the cottage with them for two whole weeks. When you are a child two weeks seems like forever.

Our spring is coming very slowly and I long to spend time at the beach. We still have snow in our backyard and it is melting slowly. Perhaps this is a good thing for a lot of warm weather increases the height of the river too fast and that causes other problems. The birds are singing but they only just started. I have heard the starlings and they have returned to the nest in our tree. I heard the sparrows, the chickadees and just yesterday I heard a cardinal. It has been an extremely cold winter and I think that all of the  little birds left. Just last week a spotted a Robin. Now that is a good sign. 

I am looking forward to seeing crocuses and daffodils, I love their sunny little faces.  For those of you who are enjoying spring already consider yourself blessed. Until the weather changes here, I can dream.

Love Always,

Kim

Remembering the Past

Here is another picture of me from times gone by. I am standing in front of grandparents couch in their living room. This was my father's home until left for the big city to make his own way in the world. I was dressed in my Sunday finest. Notice the white gloves and purse. What outfit would be complete without a hat especially for Church. I remember my grandparent's home vividly. I live a block away from the building where they lived and worked. I can see the building looking out my living room window.

My grandfather owned the general store in town. They sold groceries mainly. When I was little I remember the big candy counter. It had a large glass front and you could see all the wonderful candies inside. If I had ten cents I thought that I had the world by the tail and I had a little brown bag full of goodies to take home with me. 

Have a wonderful weekend. I hope that your memories give you a smile.

Love Always,

Kim