Decorating Dilemma

Ok, we have a minor problem.  It started with an attempt to create a white and neutral living space so that the room would seem airy, bright, and versatile.  Then, due to our quaint living room, we needed quaint furniture...enter IKEA couches.  Love them, but they're short.  This makes end tables a problem.  So, we had a white living room with white furniture and white decorating accents.  We needed some color.

I bought this fabric to make pillows...now I just need some inspiration, which I may have found at my friend Annie's blog, With a Little Wine and a Paintbrush.

 Then, a few weeks ago, Ian and I went antiquing.  Actually, we were on our way to Home Goods (I have a love hate relationship with Home Goods).  I love the stuff, but I hate to buy it.  On our way, we got mad at ourselves for considering Home Goods when we should be investing antiques.  So, we changed our route and went to a little place by our house.  Check out this incredible drop leaf table we got.  And, it matches my future pillows!

 Ok, so let me explain a few things here.  First of all, I am not happy with how it is adorned, shall we say?  I have been moving things all over the house and I just haven't found the right assortment of accessories.  Second, I am not a fan of the crock store under the table.  Love the crocks, love the table...but the stock of crocks makes us look like dealers.  Finally, the Bose iPod station.  I am in love with our newest purchase.  However, it does not really compliment our early 1800s drop leaf table.  Ian and I are in a mini battle.  He thinks it's practical here...I think it's ugly here.  Thoughts?  You can get a better sense of how it fits into this side of the room from our house tour.

When I was moving around furniture and deco yesterday, I put this IKEA table next to our couch as a sort of end table.  I didn't love this, but it kept up the cottage look and it worked, for now.

Then, we went antiquing today and saw this blue green end table.  I loved it the minute I saw it.  We left it, couldn't get it out of our minds and had to go back and get it.  It brings in more of the colors I am going for. 

Can you spot the problem???  It's too tall!  Is it just me?  Do end tables need to be around the height of the arm of the couch or chair?  I think so, right?  Does this look ridiculous?  Does it overwhelm the couch?  Was the circle table better?  Should I take the plunge and cut the legs to shorten it?  (I already got blown over by no's from the husband and the brother-in-law).  What's a girl to do?

After pictures are up!

We did it! Only a couple days in and we met our February goal. If you visit our house tour, you can finally see some of the after-pictures of the work we've done at Quaint Oaks. We've come a long way already. Here's a glimpse of our living room...

...not too shocking, right? Wait until you see the before-picture!

A little Valentines cheer

I have never been one for crafty holiday decorations...until this year! I don't know what's gotten into me but I have been catching the spirit! I have also never been one for hearts. I had to be very clear about this with Ian when we first got serious so I wouldn't have to pretend to like any future heart charms or lockets. Anyhoo...considering my hatred for hearts, this picture may seem odd...

That's right folks...a paper heart. I was playing with the old paper cutter, and one thing led to another. Next thing I know, I was gluing a little here and a little there.

And then look what happened...

It was an accident. I didn't really mean to make a Valentines Day craft. It just sort of happened. I have to admit, I think I kind of like it. I was bummed because I didn't have anything to put in this apothecary jar, so I guess this will do for now...or at least until February 15 when it will be out of season. Maybe if I'm feeling romantic I will accidentally make another Valentines accent. We'll see...

Photo of the Day #2

As much as I love snow days, I can't wait for spring!  Everything looks so beautiful here as it turns to green.  I was saying to Ian yesterday that I love our new camera and we are getting some great winter pictures, but everything is so gray and silver.  Beautiful and cold at the same time...literally and figuratively.  Today I wanted to find a picture that got me excited about spring and this is the first one that came to mind...

 

Aren't these colors phenomenal?  This hydrangea grows right beside our front door.  It has the most beautiful shades of blue, and then it takes on a slight violet hue as it reaches the end of its season.  I put these all over the house, fresh and dried.  I've heard that you can change the color of your hydrangeas with a little vinegar mixture at the roots, but I can't imagine a more beautiful bloom. Spring can't come fast enough.

Photo of the Day #1

Paterson Falls

Shortly after I met Allison, I knew that I wanted to be with her. She was excavating a tavern site on the east bank of the Paterson River, which, was just downstream of the Paterson Falls. I would make myself busy all day geocaching and exploring and would meet the crew back at their hotel after dark. It was fun "running around" with Al back then.

Paterson was an interesting place, and I assume, still is. I would hang out at the site with the crew and encounter some of the "interesting people" that would happen by. They had to lock the port-o-potty so that no one would be living in there come morning. The food, however, was amazing, especially the Lebanese place.

 The site was also totally awesome. A colonial tavern on top of a prehistoric component. The project yielded an amazing number and quality of artifacts.

As we move into February

As we move into February, we wonder if winter will ever end. But, Allison and I can't help but find beauty in the nature of the cold. After the recent ice storm, I am sure we all looked out into a sea of glass as everything that was coated now drips with frozen rain. Warmer air temperatures in the clouds above caused snow to melt on the way down, but in contact with a surface below freezing, like branches, powerlines, roads and roofs, froze the rain.

Here at Quiant Oaks, the stillness enhanced the sounds of crashing branches and water dripped from everything and fell from the sky.

We have several bird friends that share the Quaint Oak outdoors with us. I like to take care of them when the food has been exhausted, or covered with snow. Here is a good website on winter bird feeding from Wild Birds Unlimited.

The following are many of the bird species we have observed this winter and the winter landscape that we enjoy...

This bird is called the Red-Bellied Woodpecker despite it's fiery red head. There is a seperate species of woodpecker called red-headed, therefore this species was designated the red-bellied woodpecker.

                 

The Slate-colored Junco hang in a pack. They have a better chance of obtaining food, avoiding predators and surviving the winter in numbers. I have observed up to 12 feeding at one time. The Song Sparrow mimicks this strategy, however travel in smaller numbers. I have counted up to six at one time.

The Northern Cardinals (red are male, grey are female), travel in pairs, or threes. I never see a male without a female, and there are at least 2 families living nearby.                                Blue Jays I observe in two's.

Try and keep the squirrels out of the bird feeders, but they are hungry too. They eat the corn I put out and raid the birdfeeders.

I hope that this squirrel made it through the past few nights, he was travelling alone and I haven't seen him for over a week. His tail was very frail compared to the healthier squirrels above; the healthy ones travel in a pack of 4.

We are worried about the buildup of ice on the roof of the house. I got out and shoveled off the snow before the ice came, but I didn't get to this corner, it got too heavy and I got too tired.

The azalea bush is drooping low, each leaf coated heavy with ice.

In April-May, a blue bird will come and lay eggs in this blue bird box.

The berries on this barberry bush are what animals look for in times when food is scarce.

The Next Great Oak rests all Winter long.

Dead branches are purged by the heavy ice. The woods fill with the sound of falling debris.

This branch hangs low because of the ice.

Small animals or birds dig holes in the snow and seek warmth during the long, cold nights.

My favorite burning bush looks like a glass sculpture.

The humidity in the air shows as a low lying stratus cloud looms over the land.

We look out and talk about how lucky we are to be warm, safe and loved. Soon enough the season will change, and we will walk out into the warmth, amongst the regrowing of the Spring...but for now, love the Winter and its uniqueness. If we didn't have it, there wouldn't be change to enjoy.

Looking Ahead

Today Ian and I had a snow day...well, I guess it was more of an ice-day, really. He has been busy shoveling ice, snapping pictures, keeping the fire going, and writing about the storm and the look of Quaint Oaks under a half inch of ice. I have been cooking chicken noodle soup, sewing (yes, sewing) a little secret project of mine which I will share later, and looking ahead at 2011. I am not one for New Year Resolutions...too much pressure and eventual let-down. Instead, I thought I should try to look at 2011 and set some general goals that Ian and I hope to meet. They give us some direction to our plans and projects here on the home front. So, here they are...

I think it is fair to say that we can check off January. We wanted to start a blog, and I think that while we are still learning the ropes, we are well on our way.

I may have mentioned this earlier, but right before Christmas, Quaint Oaks looked beautiful! Then, I'm not sure what happened. Gifts? Shopping? Christmas decorating and clean up? Whatever it was, it just doesn't look the same. We have got to re-decorate our house (without buying a thing!) and also tidy up a bit. Also, we have been learning our new camera. By the end of February, I hope to have the house where I want it and the camera mastered (by my standards) so that I can post some after pictures.

In our house tour pictures, you can that we are in serious need of a headboard. I'm thinking an antique door might be perfect in our room. More on this in March.

As you can see from our recent snow and ice pictures, our gutters have taken a beating. We are hoping to replace all of our gutters in April...just in time for April Showers! Maybe we'll even get around to painting the nasty blood red trim outside.

I have been patiently waiting for new rugs in the living room and guest room, and also carpeting under our bed upstairs. It hasn't been at the top of our list of priorities, and because of the rooms' dimensions, everything needs to be custom ordered. May...maybe...fingers crossed!

June brings summer vacation. Perfect time to try something new. More on this later.

Ian and I have been talking about trying to have friends and family over. We are hoping to host something in July. It needs to be a summer month because our house is too quaint to host an indoor party. So, mark your calendars!

If our records are correct, we should be able to pay off at least one of our credit cards by August. That's going to be a great feeling!

When we go back to school in September, we are both going to be pretty busy getting into the swing of our routines. We still have to eat, though! I am going to try to make 10 new recipes...and I'll share them all.

October will be our 2nd anniversary, so it's a perfect time to go someplace new. Someplace in New England? Upstate New York? Canada? We're open to suggestions.

If my math is correct, and if all goes as planned, then we should be able to post our 100th post by November! Maybe we'll even have a few more followers.

I think I am most excited for December. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always been a Grinch about the holidays. Something about this past year, though...I don't know, but I really got into the spirit. Seeing other blogs and websites with so many great ideas, I was really inspired to try some projects of my own. I already have a notebook with a list of holiday to-do's. I think that 5 crafts is a reasonable goal for the holiday season!

So that's it. If all goes well, we will have a new headboard, new rugs, new gutters, great food, funky holiday crafts, and great memories going into 2012. Oh yeah...and a growing blog.