Wishing you a sprinkle
of weekend holiday twinkle
that causes your nose to crinkle,
laugh lines lest a wrinkle,
and eyes that have a winkle!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Decorating
Things to Keep Open
Good things to keep open…
our hearts
our minds
windows on cool summer evenings
windows on hot summer mornings
old books
new books
eyes to see the beauty around us
ears to hear the birds singing
back doors for friends
doors to bakeries, bookstores, and antique shops
our lives
to each other
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Who Needs an Office with a Window?
…when you are fortunate enough to work from a home office.
I often start out early in the morning on the back deck where the morning sun is bright and warm.
But when it gets too hot there, I move to the side porch for some shade,
or the front porch to swing a bit while typing.
Sometimes it’s necessary to work in THE actual home office…
but I also might sit at the kitchen table,
or more often stand at the kitchen counter,
or even curl up on the couch.
And though I so terribly miss my little four-legged co-worker, buddy, and pal, Mikey who was constantly by my side,
many of you have asked about our new neighbor, the baby cardinal.
Well – she visits often. She has learned to eat from the feeders and is growing fast.
Isn’t she cute?!
She hangs out with the menagerie of other cardinals, goldfinches, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, orioles, and all the others that flutter about in our backyard.
So who needs an office with a window – eh?
I am so fortunate to have my office at home tweet home.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
(Some of you commented about enjoying my “behind the scenes” photo the other day, so I thought you might enjoy a few more behind the scene photos.)
Merry Christmas!
Cheers & Merry Hugs,
Jodi
Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply
Trying to keep things in perspective
and remembering to enjoy the journey.
Life Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply.
That is what matters.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
(P.S. Remember when doing ceramics was “all the rage?” I still love these three little pencil Santas on the left I painted about 20 years ago. They are hanging out in an antique jelly cupboard in our great room with a bunch of others for the season. I have a bit of a “Santa” thang.)
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….
December 1st already! Where did 2014 go?! I do adore December and decorating for the holidays.
I had fun creating a woodsy rustic setting on the front porch with lots of fresh greenery, wood, red berries, burlap and pine cones in my fave antique crates I got for Mother’s day from Jake and Colleen. Out with the summer ferns, but not putting these beloved crates away. 🙂
The tree is up…
and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care.
This Santa is chillin’ on the mantel with the some others (real Santas drink wine not milk)…
and other Santas pop up in just about every corner.
I love tucking this little ceramic tree in a special corner. It so reminds me of my Grandma.
Snowies are chillin’ too.
Wishing you toasty toes and a warm nose as we gear up for the holiday season!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Soon will be Thanksgiving Day….
I thought I’d share a a bit of Thanksgiving/Fall decor around the house before things get Christmas’d up around here soon.
For the dining room table, I used the box Matt made for centerpieces for his and Jackie’s wedding this summer, and I filled it with squashes and pumpkin gourds.
To accent, I used pint-sized wide mouth mason jars (purchased for Colleen’s shower) and filled them with fresh cranberries and popping corn and then added a votive candle, a rafia bow and some tiny hemlock pine cones Tracy helped me pick on our walk Saturday morning.
You see – you don’t have to spend a lot of money to decorate, and it’s even more fun when the things you use have special memories or are acquired during special times with friends.
This “Bountiful harvest” sign sits in the antique jelly cupboard our friends Jim and Mary GAVE US 🙂 that Jim found in the trash that someone was throwing away. He started fixing it up, Marty finished it, and he “loaned” it to us until he decides they have a place for it (fingers crossed that never happens – as it is our ongoing joke!)
A few craft store finds sit around on the sofa table behind the couch.
I love this little muslin pumpkin.
My friend, Rose, gave me this wooden pumpkin candle holder at least 15 years ago, and I bring it out every Fall. Thanks Rose!
When Pap died a couple years ago, my sweet cousins, Dawn and Jen, along with Aunt Gwen and Uncle Frank sent this beautiful Fall silk arrangement, so it goes on the kitchen table for the Fall.
I found this little coffee table centerpiece while shopping with Dawn on a vacation in Myrtle beach.
I’m pretty sure I got this wreath for the front door at the same shop in Myrtle Beach.
And a couple of signs hang at the back door entrance, where most of our family and friends enter. 🙂
I am enjoying the beauty and heart of Thanksgiving this week and so looking forward to sharing it with family and friends. We’re going to have a houseful – just the way I love it!
But then again………. a little touch of Christmas couldn’t hurt – right?! 🙂
I couldn’t wait to put out this little gem I got on our Shaker Woods trip this Fall (and Colleen bought one too! I wonder if hers is out yet??)
…Gobble Gobble Gobble!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy Fourth of July Weekend!
Just a few touches of stars and stripes and red, white, and blue…
with some funky junk…
to celebrate Independence Day…
with little touches here and there, in and out, and all around the house.
Cheers and Hugs,
Jodi
Heirlooms & Sweet Memories
I was quite honored when my dear cousin, Joyce blessed me with the gift of her beautiful heirloom quality, hand-carved Noah’s Ark set.
I placed it on top of an antique bookcase we use as a “china” cabinet that Marty actually found in an old barn, and we had refurbished.
The cabinet is filled with Pfaltzgraff dishes passed down from Joyce and Rob, Aunt Francie’s heirloom cow creamer, Marty’s mom’s favorite sterling silver sugar dish (that she always served butter mints in for “company” dinner parties), and lots of other things we have accumulated and cherished through the years.
It seemed the perfect spot to share space with so many of the other mementos we have of beautiful memories of times spent with some of our favorite people 🙂
Dan Gregan is the amazing artist that handcrafted this set. His website, Dagwood Carving, shows that he now has over 80 pairs of animals created to accompany his arks!
I love how well it goes in my dining room, which is my most “antique” or “primitive” rooms in the house combining an eclectic mix of Noah’s ark, chickens, antique sewing machines as buffets, and a special dry sink cabinet made by Uncle Carl – Joyce’s dad.
To me, decorating a home is about special, meaningful things that you love or are from people you love – not about a particular style or designer or “look.” I feel love when I look around my dining room…
Heirlooms…
and sweet memories…
at Life in Between.
Cheers and Hugs,
Jodi
PS – look for a special blog post tomorrow when “Oh Rob” (Joyce’s other half) was in the house cooking this past weekend! Oh what fun we all had! And we’re going to teach you how to make BAGNA CAUDA as only Oh Rob can do! Here’s a sneak peak of Oh Rob in action…
the first post – so how do I begin?
So I have a good idea what I want to write about… for the most part. My BFF’s oldest daughter told me I should start a “lifestyle” blog. I guess she thinks my life is interesting…. or at least enough that one or two people might want to read about things I do…. (Hopefully I’ll have at least one subscriber – Jacyln Rae – hint hint!)
Or maybe she just thinks I would enjoy doing it, and that is enough.
Hmmm…. I think I like that…
You know…. that’s one of the perks of growing – err – older and wiser – you get to the point where you realize you can do things just because you want to. Yes – there are those things most of us HAVE to do – like paying bills, doing laundry, working – you get the gist – but what do you like to do in between all that?
That’s the real “living” part.
“Life in between” can mean so many things…
The main reason I titled this blog with it is because I want to share the things I choose to do in between the things I “have” to do.
It can also be a stage of life that is in between stages – and aren’t they all?!
Right now – I’m kind of in between the mom stage and the empty nester and grandma stage. And Oh I Can’t Wait to be a Grandma! (No hint hint Jake and Colleen – whenever you are ready… well – maybe a little hint hint)
I think I was born to “mother.” And oh poor everyone around me that I “mother” – sorry! It’s just in my DNA – I want to nurture, I want to comfort, I want to make happy. Could be worst things -right?! (clear throat) But don’t ask my boys…
So anyway – the things I love to do “in between” the things I have to do – that’s what I want to share with you here.
I love to bake. I love how it makes the house smell. I love how it makes people feel when they bite into a buttery, chocolately, caramely yummy thing. I love surprising someone with a special treat of something they love. Here is a picture of my first attempt at French Macarons. I was so excited these testy little buggers turned out. Not sure I’ll ever make them again – so much work – so temperamental – and what if they don’t turn out the next time? Was it beginner’s luck? I’ll just believe I’ve MASTERED them…. and leave it at that….
I also love to decorate – my home that is. And it’s not all about it being House and Garden perfect for those of you that know me and are thinking “Jodi – you are NOT an interior decorator!”
My ultimate goal (in deocrating) is to create a place that is warm and welcoming. A place where someone can just drop by (no formal invitations needed around here) and feel comfortable and welcomed and loved. No shoes off in my house. So what if the carpet has stains… Those stains represent someone who I shared my home with or that spilled a drink or our dog who came in after a rainy spring day – so what… I grew up in a house that was House and Garden perfect… that meant NO SHOES inside… it meant that you could see sweeper marks in the carpet from the daily vacuum…. it meant that you could literally eat off the garage floor if you were so inclined because it was so clean…. and that’s all good… Mom was an awesome “cleaner”… but it’s not me. I want comfort, warmth, welcoming. I want my house to feel like your favorite worn slippers or most comfortable fleece hoodie or your “go to” black yoga pants. That’s what trips my trigger.
Here’s a little peek at our home – and that’s my little buddy “Mikey” who is never far from my side. After this LONG COLD winter, it was so nice to see the daffodils and grass recently.
And I also love to craft. It’s been various things through the years… I’ve tried knitting and crocheting and cross-stitching, tole painting, slate painting, wood crafts, and ceramics. My most recent crafting obsession is papercrafting – stamping, coloring, cutting, punching, pasting, tying – anything with paper and ink. I guess it feels comforting being that I (and so many of us) spend so much time on the computer. It feels extra special to create and send a special handmade something to someone and hope they realize the time and love you put into it – just for them. Here’s a card I made for a very special cousin and friend – Oh Rob! (I’m sure you’ll hear more about him in coming posts). Oh how I love that guy – and his amazingly talented and loving wife and superhero to me, Joyce. Rob’s “One Little Word” this year is “reflection,” so I wanted to create a birthday card acknowledging and celebrating “reflection.”
And then – I love to photograph it all. Dear hubby got me my first good camera for Christmas this year – and I think he might regret it…. I know my boys do…. but I just love taking photographs of crazy, silly, normal, everyday things. Not a trained professional by any means – not even a class – haven’t even read the whole manual (sorry Patty – I will get there!) – just have fun with it and love seeing what it captures. My BFF, Jill, honored me with the privilege of capturing her daughter, Jackie’s bridal shower recently – oh what fun that was – and even allowed me to do a “photo shoot” with her in-laws (I think George and Alice are going to be more famous than all of us) for a work campaign.
Recently, while Marty (that’s the dear hubby’s name) was cutting grass, I was doing very important things like taking pictures of dandelions and bees on them…. and HE snapped this little gem with his phone while on the tractor…. Not flattering – but yep – that about sums it up. The silly things I do in my life in between…..
So we’ll see how this goes…. I now have my first post under my belt.
Cheers and hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 