Happy Easter!

Wishing everyone who follows here a wonderful day with family and friends...

and all that the Easter season means to you!

Cheryl

A Little Hidden Gem...

McG and I are taking advantage of the great weather today in Ontario...

We headed out into the yard to start our spring clean-up of the gardens...

That's where I found this little gem...

They were hidden under some leaves...

What a lovely little spring surprise!!

I hope you are enjoying lovely weather where you are!!

Cheryl

Planked ceilings and Family Room Tour

There is so much on the blogs and pinterest right now about planked walls and ceilings...You've seen the pictures...like this

source
(I so wish my laundry room ceiling could be like this!)

or this great kitchen with wide plank ceilings...

source


It's a beautiful trend, in my opinion, and one that we have had in our home for about ten years now...

Hey, does that mean I'm a trend-setter!!!  I think so!!!

Here are the ceilings in our basement family room...

Warm, lovely, tongue and groove cedar that gives our family room a rustic lodge feeling...Now originally McG had wanted to finished the ceilings down here with a drop ceiling.  I wanted the ceiling to be drywalled...McG wanted to have access to the plumbing and gas pipes in the kitchen which is above this room, so we compromised and decided on this option.  It was a little unconventional ten years ago when we finished the room, but it seems right on trend with what many DIY'ers are doing nowadays!

Some of you may remember our family room when it was decorated for Christmas, but I thought since I was showing you the ceilings today, I would give you the full UN-holiday decorated tour!

This is the view as you come down the stairs and enter the room.

This is from the same vantage point, just looking a little to the right and a great shot of the colour variations in the ceiling.

Here's a full on view showing the room and the ceiling together...see a cozy, lodge feel!  McG is a hunter/fisherman and wanted to have some "cabin" feel here at home.

McG and I completed the room ourselves, including the drywall, ceilings, and fireplace - the only thing we had professionally installed was the carpeting.  I just love my handy husband! (he does most of the work...I am just the helper and the idea person)

Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed the tour!

 Do you think our ceilings make us on trend??

I do!!

Cheryl
Linking up @:
Our Home Away From Home
From My Front Porch to Yours
A Stroll Thru Life

Sunshine and Shadows

This week we have been blessed with some sunshine here, but unfortunately it's still been cold....The other day I was in my office as the sun was coming up and it made some lovely shadows on my wall.

I have some butterfly stickers on my office window and they made lovely shadows that made me smile!

It is the last week for Sunlit Sundays over @ My Little Home and Garden...

I will see you there!

Cheryl

Linking up @:

My Little Home and Garden

$15 Bathroom Update!

OK - WARNING - THIS POST IS PHOTO HEAVY!

As in many parts of the country, Spring is taking its sweet 'ole time getting here...and as I mentioned before, I was having a Hate My House episode when I got back from vacation.

I showed you how I have been re-arranging several rooms to make way for Spring and get over hating my house...Well, you can't re-arrange the bathroom, but you can update it very cheaply!

Here is my bathroom before pics - dark grey waffle shower curtain and dark artwork.  The walls are a light aqua blue.

This upstairs bathroom is used by all family members since our home doesn't have a master bathroom, however, we don't shower is this bathroom - all showering is done in the basement bathroom.  So the shower curtain in here is just for decorative purposes only and never gets used.

Way back in January, I purchased this new shower curtain at Home Goods on one of our cross-border shopping trips - it was $14.99.

It has some beautiful colours in it, including a blue that matches perfectly with the bathroom wall colour.  Here it is up close...a soft beige background, with aqua, orange and a touch of purple.

I think it really warms up the bathroom and adds that much needed change I was looking for!

I also changed out the artwork to this piece of wrapping paper that came in the Woman's Day magazine awhile back...the artwork was done by HGTV's David Bromstead!  I had been waiting to use it and it works perfectly with the colours of the new shower curtain!

I also found these cute owl dishes for putting your jewellry/rings in while washing up - they were only $1.50 for the pair over at Micheals and they are perfect to go with the new artwork!!  I LOVE it when things come together!

So there you have it - a whole new look to the bathroom for just $15!!  Well with the tax, probably closer to $20 - but still a great deal!

What do you think???  I'd love to hear your comments on my "new" bathroom!  (Oh, and the next time  you see this room it will have white cabinets and trim! - I'm just waiting for McG to start his weekend fishing trips -he gets a little stressed over painting wood - but he'll get over it!!!)

Cheryl
Linking Up @:
Savvy Southern Style - WOW us Wednesdays

Embracing Change
Beyond the Picket Fence

Spam

Due to what seems like an abundance of spam comments lately...

I am blocking all Anonymous comments...sorry - but the spam filters don't seem to be working well.  It was this or moderate or ask for verification codes and I know that I don't like blogs that use these features, so I didn't want to do that here, to YOU, all my lovely followers!

Cheryl

Sunlit Sunday

I love to visit Sunlit Sundays over @ My Little Home and Garden - it brings a smile to my face seeing the sun in each and every submission that joins there...especially when we've had a week like this here in Ontario

There were many grey days here this week and even some more snow!!!  But this morning was a little different...the snow is still here, but somehow it doesn't seem as bad when the view out of the patio door is full of sunshine!

It looks like we may have had a visitor on our deck as well...Hmm - could that have been why Sloan was singing last night!!  I love the shadows it makes from our patio table.  But what I like best of all...

...Are the shadows it makes in the kitchen and how it warms the tile under my feet!

Hope your day is filled with sunshine!

Cheryl

Linking up @

My Little Home and Garden

Will Spring Ever Get Here???

OK today I am showing the new spring arrangement that I made for the ledge or faux mantle between my kitchen and dining room...I started out by purchasing about $15 worth of supplies from my local dollar store.  Beautiful things in lovely spring colours.  And YES, they sat here on the dining room table like this for many days...

It peaked the interest of this guy and I knew that if I wanted things to stay lovely, I had to do something with them pronto!  Doesn't he look smug here..like he's saying "What?! - you left them here unattended...they are community property now!" - LOL  (Actually I think I startled him as I snuck up on him with my camera)

I got out my trusty metal planter - the same one I used for my Christmas arrangement, and got busy.  I didn't even put floral foam in the bottom - I just tucked the flowers loosely into it, tweaking them as I went.  Once that was done, I put the plastic eggs on shisk-a-bob sticks and tucked them in as well.

I added some owls, a bunny and a pretty spring box to the end of the ledge as well...

There you have it!   A great spring/Easter display - just the thing to help make me feel Spring is a little closer here in Ontario...I needed this because this is view from my patio door in the kitchen this morning...

As you can see...someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that we should be warming up and having sunny skies...

Hope the weather is warm and sunny where you are!

Cheryl
Linking up @
The Impatient Crafter
The Tablescaper
Embracing Change
The View Along the Way
Setting for Four
Not Just a Housewife
Our Home Away from Home

Goodbye Google Reader....

As many of you are aware - Google Reader will no longer be available starting July 1st, 2013.

source

In an attempt to find a suitable replacement for my own blog reading - I have signed up for Bloglovin!  The process was very easy and they automatically imported all the blogs I read now with Google Reader to their site...no stress - no mess.  I will be adding the Bloglovin button to my sidebar as well.

Some blogs have said they would use something called Feedly - but for me Bloglovin seems to be a no-brainer, especially since I am NOT tech savvy and they import your current blogs directly from Google Reader.

What reader service will you be using now that Google Reader will be discontinued?  Leave me a comment and let me know so I can follow you!

Cheryl

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

No Cost Changes in the Master Bedroom!

Earlier this week I told you about my "Hate My House Syndrome" - and I had thought that it was just a result of returning home from vacation.  I do believe that was what was behind my feelings - that and the cold temperatures that I returned to.  I will be the first to tell you that I feel I suffer from seasonal affective disorder.  I really hate winter and cold temperatures like those we live with here in Ontario.

In an effort to get rid of those feelings this week, I have taken on a few small projects this week.  Nothing major, just some re-arranging and bringing some spring into my home.  The first was to re-arrange our master bedroom.

I moved the bed under the window and off the long back wall.

I put McG's marble-topped bedside table at the far end of the room near the ensuite door to the bathroom.

My armoire was moved to the long wall where the bed used to be, while my dressing table was left in its original position.

Here's a closer look at the new arrangement on top of the armoire, including a new owl I found at the Dollar store this week!

Just some small changes - that cost NOTHING - but made a big impact in making me feel a little better about my home this week!

Hope you enjoyed them!

Cheryl

Hate Your Home Syndrome! (and something lovely for the laundry room!)

McG and I are home now from a ten day vacation in sunny Florida.  The temperatures were not too warm when we arrived there, but they quickly warmed up and we were able to sit by the pool and relax - oh, and work on our tan!!

We visited a lovely flea market while we were there, and also checked some stores that we don't have near our little town here in Canada...a decorator's heaven...West Elm, Pottery Barn and William Sonoma and Crate and Barrel! In the past I have only been able to dream about going there and peruse their online goodies.

I also found a Ross store - which is much like Winner's here in Canada.  Here I purchased a new rug for the laundry room...McG has been working hard on this project, and it seems to have come to a stand still.  I will be sure and post some of the progress soon, but in the meantime, here is the lovely I found!

The rug is 3 x 4 feet in size and an amazing buy at just $10.99.  I also purchased a turquoise owl there who has a new home on the mantel between my kitchen and dining room.  Here's a closer look at the pattern...

I am so thrilled with it.  I came home last night and immediately got it out of the bag and put in on the kitchen floor to admire it...That's when this guy decided he needed to try it out...

He seems to like it.  I moved it down to the laundry room today and stood and stared at it some more...I could decorate my whole house around it, I love it that much!

OK - now on to the Hate Your Home Syndrome...does anybody else get like that when they get back from vacation?  I don't know if its because I've been living in a hotel room for ten days, having someone else clean it everyday for me...but being at home today was very frustrating.  I said out loud today that I hate my house...something I have never said.  McG was not impressed with me since he works so hard to make all my ideas come true here at home.

 My son accused me of having hate your home syndrome - when I asked him what that was he said its what people get after they have been taken care while on vacation...my subconscious wanted not to be cleaning and cooking and all the things that I have NOT been doing for ten days while I was on vacation..I don't know if its an actual affliction but I think he might be right - but what I worry about more is that as I walked around my home today it felt very cluttered...I felt like a hoarder - AND - NO I'M NOT A HOARDER...but I do have a lot of knick-knacks and stuff hanging around...I have counters that I cannot seem to keep de-cluttered...and rooms that seem to just hold stuff.  It could have been that there was suitcases and duffel bags hanging around waiting to be put away.  And coolers airing out before they are tucked back under the stairs, but I felt claustrophobic in my house today.

As I continue to ponder this phenomanom - just wondering if anyone else gets like this after vacation??  I'd love to hear from you if you do, and hear your suggestions on how to get over this feeling!

Cheryl