ghosts in the yard...

`

'Twas the eve of the eve of all Hallow's eve...

and all through the yard four creatures were stirring...

 

they flitted and floated in and out 'mongst the trees...

whisp'ring Happy Halloween to all...

and to all many treats!

portico in progress 2...

The portico is all framed! Now the eaves just need to be built, roofing installed and then it will all be covered in white azek. That's all! That's all? Not sure if it's a lot to be done or not. We'll see...

Here's a shot of the partially finished walkway kissing the freshly finished stoop. Aren't they a lovely pair?

 The husband and I nearly completed the walkway last Saturday with lots of help from the children. Really! They actually were a great help. The Boy transported stacks of brick from the driveway to where we were installing them and Cha-cha handed me bricks and ran for various items as needed. Princess babysat Pinky in the house which was a very difficult and crucial task as Pinky was unrelenting in her effort to escape. Ocasionally I did have to work with my 25-pound baby on my hip. Ah, the joys of motherhood! But with everyone's help we made great progress.

We worked late into the night, 12:30 to be exact. We only stopped when it began to rain and we realized that we were going to be short by 16 bricks. Argh! We used this tutorial from This Old House. It's a great one and worked smoothly once I convinced The Husband that yes, we did need to follow instructions of some sort. What is it with men and directions? So cliche! We wasted a nice chunk of the day trying to do things The Husband's I-don't-need-to-follow-no-stupid-directions way. That's okay it all worked out in the end... once I stomped my foot and took over. It's okay, too because in the end The Husband sheepishly grinned and told me I was right. Let's all remember that... I'm always right.☺

Pinky and I took all of the above photos yesterday morning in a balmy autumn breeze. I swept some more stone dust into the nooks and crannies. We'll have to do that repeatedly over the next couple weeks. Don't mind the ugly wood braces they'll come off in two weeks and be replaced by edging that will buried under the back-fill. And all the messy strings and piles of stone dust and various accoutrements will go away, too. It'll be all neat and pretty. Yes, it will.

This is a scan of my inspiration portico. It's from the August 2000 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. That's right 2000. I've been drooling over this page for ten years. Actually in August of 2000 we were still shopping for houses. We nearly bought some land and were going to build a sweet little cape like the one in the article. It didn't work out which is good because we would've outgrown that cape a long time ago. Darling, isn't it though?

For your viewing pleasure, a close-up of the inspiration portico detail. Hopefully mine will look like that except for the railings. We decided we didn't need them as our stoop is lower.  Ah, now I've immortalized the photo by posting it to the internet. It's a good thing because I think The Husband and my Dad would probably like to torch the magazine, They seem to be pretty tired of me clutching it and pointing and saying things like "Is that trim going to be as wide as the trim in the picture?" and "Are you sure those columns are the same size as these ones?" I'm a bit of a control freak that way which is okay 'cause I am always right.☺

inspired ideas...

I'm so excited! Amy over at inspire co. has published a new little e-magazine called Inspired Ideas. You should definitely check it out. I've always loved Amy's aesthetic... fresh and cheerful with a vintage vibe. Go get a little eye-candy today, it's healthier than the stuff the kids will be bringing home in a couple of days!

I'm especially enamored with the pom-pom sheep. Just precious. I'd like to make a bunch to use as baby-gift toppers. I'm sure Princess and Cha-cha would love to help me whip up a few one of these days!

blooms of wool...

Oh. My. So pretty. Handmade wool felt jewelry.

via a room somewhere

manifesto...

I've been seriously contemplating killing our t.v. lately. It would be so good. Really good. Can I give up "What Not To Wear" though? That is the question. Shallow or what?

How great is this aardvark manifesto? I'm thinking we should come up with one for our family. What would it say? Things like... eat more jello... siblings = friends... maintenance is key... ride your bike... march to your own drummer... choose healthy food... be nice to your mother.  Good stuff like that.  What would yours say?


manifesto via Aesthetic Outburst

e is for envelopes...

The fifth free coloring page in our Alphabet Hunt series and still going strong! Can we make it to 'Z?' We think so! The girls and I have got a good list going and I'm enjoying drawing up the pages so far.

"E is for Envelopes," don'tcha know?! Meredith hunted around her house. It wasn't so easy to find something that started with the letter 'E' but then she found this colorful stack of envelopes on her father's desk.

What items start with an 'E' in your house? This was a tough one for us. The girls and I would love to hear what you come up with!

To print the coloring page now just double click on the image above and select 'print' from your file menu . Or you can right click on the image and choose 'Save Picture As...' to tuck it away in your files for future use. (Don't choose "Print Picture..." from the right click menu unless you want a teeny-tiny version to print in the corner of your paper)



goodness gracious coloring pages by laina kay are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.;

happy weekend...

Some seasonal eye candy for you today.

I'm looking forward to a happy and productive weekend. We'll be working on our portico and laying the brick walkway.  Wish us luck.  Hopefully it'll be another spectacular autumn weekend.  Autumn in New England = happiness. Perhaps we'll even get to enjoy a brisk picnic or a bit of leaf peeping after church on Sunday.

I'll be back on Monday with the Letter E coloring page. Have yourself a cheerful weekend wherever you are!

image via crooked tooth

portico in progress...

Ten years. We bought our little yellow house ten years ago this month. Ever since that day I've been aching to add a portico. Well, we've finally gotten around to doing it. A bit of curb appeal to celebrate our tenth year in the house!

Here's a photo of the house taken this summer after we tore out some giant arborvitae bushes, and before we embarked on the portico project.

It's still a work in progress but some of the pretty part is done and I'm excited to share it with you.  I won't bore you with photos of all the digging and concrete pouring but we expanded the concrete stoop by about a foot all the way around.

The mason finished installing brick and bluestone on the stoop yesterday morning. It was like Christmas, Pinky and I ran out and shot a couple of photos in the cold October drizzle.

We chose a tumbled brick for the sides and risers and thermal bluestone for the treads and landing. So much prettier than the crumbly painted concrete that was there before.

My father designed and is building the actual portico structure and has contracted and worked with us on everything so far. I know, how lucky are we?! The bases for the columns are in and the roof is started. It's exciting to see the beginnings of what it will be.

Here's a basic rendering that I made for my dad of what I want the house to look like when it's done.  I'll have to scan my dad's finished blueprint for you one of these days. I love me a good blueprint. It's much more detailed, but this is the general idea.

We'll also be replacing the cracked asphalt walkway (ick, I hated that thing) with a tumbled brick walkway and finally working on the much neglected landscaping. I can't wait until it's all done, I've been dreaming about it for ten years. It'll be such a relief to check it all off the list of to-dos and a bit of pretty always makes me happy. I'll keep you posted on our progress...

like clockwork...

I'm looking for a new alarm clock. The Husband is resigning the position. Do you think one of these vintage alarm clocks would do the job?

trifling with candy...

Have you seen this irresistable trifle-esque candy display. So festive!

More Halloween delights where that came from right here.

take on me...

Oh, A-ha... how I loved them. Didn't you? And the 'Take on Me' video *swoon.* Are you with me eighties-girls?

My brother sent me this article with the original version of my favoritest video ever and the above "literal" version. I laughed my way through the "literal" version and, I dunno, I think I kind of like the original version of the song (not the video - though those boys look pretty good in that, too).  The released version was better but the original could've caught on.  What do you think?

d is for ducks...

Here's hoping your Monday is just ducky!  Enjoy our "D is for Ducks" coloring page.

Meredith is still on her alphabet hunt and chose this sweet ducky toy for the letter "D."  Her grandfather made it for her when she was a baby and now she shares it with her baby sister.  For more of Meredith's coloring pages click here. Happy coloring!

To print the coloring page now just double click on the image above and select 'print' from your file menu . Or you can right click on the image and choose 'Save Picture As...' to tuck it away in your files for future use. (Don't choose "Print Picture..." from the right click menu unless you want a teeny-tiny version to print in the corner of your paper) I'm still new to posting documents on the blog so let me know how it works for you.

goodness gracious coloring pages by laina kay are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.;

c is for cupcakes...

Something sweet for you on this fine Monday morning..."C is for Cupcakes!"  The latest free coloring page.

Our friend, Meredith chose cupcakes from her baby sister's birthday for the letter "C" in her alphabet hunt. Cupcakes with sprinkles and gumdrops, yum.  Her mother's apron, her sister's party balloons and now cupcakes from the party, too.  Enjoy!

To print the coloring page now just double click on the image above and select 'print' from your file menu . Or you can right click on the image and choose 'Save Picture As...' to tuck it away in your files for future use. (Don't choose "Print Picture..." from the right click menu unless you want a teeny-tiny version to print in the corner of your paper) I'm still new to posting documents on the blog so let me know how it works for you.



goodness gracious coloring pages by laina kay are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.;

more kitchen pretty...

Another lovely little nook found in my files of favorite photos. Sorry, once again, I neglected to note it's source.  There are so many things to love in this kitchen corner... the plate rack, the cabinetry, the banquette. I'm taking notes for someday...

greetings in bunting...

I never seem to tire of bunting though I've made plenty.  I've sewn large bunting for parties in fabric, in paper, in plastic.  I've incorporated tiny bunting in designs for cards, for flyers, for bulletin boards, you name it.  But it's never occurred to me to make tiny bunting as the actual card.

I am so loving this clever idea from Cathe Holden that I think I may even whip one up today for my niece's birthday and then maybe one for my newest nephew.  What a fun and festive way to use up lots of paper or fabric scraps.

it's still a small world...

Pool print from here via How About Orange

Aren't those tiny umbrellas precious?  I posted about tilt-shift photography a couple years ago but it still fascinates me.

Now there's even a tutorial for faking the tilt-shift technique with photoshop.  Go ahead, miniaturize your own world.  You know you want to!


Faux tilt-shift from here



b is for balloons...

We've got just the thing to brighten a Monday morning... balloons! "B is for Balloons," the second Goodness Gracious alphabet coloring page  

The girls and I are enjoying the process of picking and choosing just the right item for each letter of the alphabet.  We've got a bit of make-believe inspiring our decisions. Our behind-the-scenes story is about a little girl named  Meredith who's on an alphabet hunt. All the items are things she finds in and around her house.  It's been fun seeing what she comes up with. The balloons she's holding today are from a birthday party for her baby sister. She chose her mother's apron last week. So far we've decided on everything up through "E."  Who knew there were so few things around the house that start with the letter "E?"  Ah, the challenge. You'll have to wait a couple weeks to see what we came up with!

To print the coloring page now just double click on the image above and select 'print' from your file menu . Or you can right click on the image and choose 'Save Picture As...' to tuck it away in your files for future use. (Don't choose "Print Picture..." from the right click menu unless you want a teeny-tiny version to print in the corner of your paper) I'm still new to posting documents on the blog so let me know how it works for you.

Two pages down and twenty-four to go! Happy coloring!




goodness gracious coloring pages by laina kay are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.;

a bit of kitchen pretty...

I found this pretty photo in my files.  I don't know where it's from anymore but it's got me daydreaming about a kitchen with a little baking nook.  Mmm... that would be nice.