Behind My Red Door

Blame it on the desk

2012-01-31T12:40:00.001-05:00

It’s all my desk’s fault. Really it is. Honest. I wouldn’t lie to you.

Blame the desk for why I haven’t had time to blog or add more stenciling to the bathroom or re-paint the slant back cupboard that was supposed to be pumpkin when I painted it back in 2010 but it came out orange or any of the other things I wanted to get done in January. Here it is the last day of the month and very few things got checked off my to do list. And as I sat drinking my coffee today, I realized it was all my desk’s fault.

Normally when I show you pics of my desk, they look something like this. I don’t think people really want to see other people’s messes so I usually grab all the ~~crap~~ stuff and throw it on the bed in our room and show you a cleaned up version of my humble desk.

But the truth is, it usually looks more like this….

Here is a closer look….

I know – some of you are saying “Hey that doesn’t look too bad!!”

But the truth is it is really worse than it looks. Those piles are layers deep. On top of this pile is the packet from the wedding venue for our daughter’s October wedding. And under it are all kinds of paperwork and ideas that we need to sort out. We still need to decide on so many things like flowers, a photographer, and all the things that I will need to make ~ like the save the date cards, the invitations, place cards, programs, favors, centerpieces and so much more.

But one thing that is all set is THE DRESS!!! Last week Jen and I spent the afternoon at a local bridal shop and she found THE DRESS! This was the third time she had tried on dresses but it was a much difference experience and it was a magical special time for her and me. We had the shop almost to ourselves, got lots of attention and so many other pieces fell into place. She found THE DRESS and the the veil. And sitting in that little zebra bag on my desk are the earrings and bracelet we found too! She felt beautiful and looked beautiful. I am so happy for her!!

I know you all want to see THE DRESS, but that will have to wait until after the wedding. This is all I will share…

And this little sweeties continues to keep me busy 3 days a week. She is so darn smart and her imagination is simply amazing! Most of you know I taught preschool for 20 years and was the Director for several years before leaving that job in 2005 so I have a pretty good working knowledge of what makes a good school. So Lili’s mom and dad have asked me to help scope out preschools for September. In those piles are the names and numbers of some schools Lili and I will visit and then her mommy and daddy will visit the ones I think are good quality programs. By the way her daddy turned 33 on Sunday and having the whole family for a roast beef dinner was a welcome distraction from all the projects waiting for me. Mother Nature has been extremely kind to us this winter and the roads and walkways and driveways have remained clear and dry that helped enough that we could get my folks here even. My dad keeps saying “it’s the last time” it was an extra blessing.

Just since I took these pics a few days ago, I have filled in several more dates on the calendar pages I print out myself with an old version of print shop. I keep them right there on my desk. Also in those piles are the names and numbers of some Home Health Care agencies. I am looking into getting some more in home help for my folks. Since my first career was a geriatric nurse, I guess that makes me pretty qualified to do that as well. When I left my job in 2005, I said that I had ‘retired’ but it’s uncanny how both of my areas of expertise are being put to work once again.

I just recently resigned my position as Home Features Manager for the magazine to have more time for all these family commitments so also in that pile are some homeowners contracts and questionnaires I need to scan and send to Kristine as she takes back the tasks I did in that position. I keep the printer hidden behind this piece of ticking fabric.

And right in front of the printer are two of the penny rug patterns I wanted to get to this month. I envisioned myself sitting in my wonderful new chair stitching away but that hasn’t happened often enough. By the time I sit here in the evening, my eyes don’t want to do that kind of work.

Inside the wonderful feather basket I bought from my friend Pam over at the Primitive Basketcase blog is a needle punch pattern I wanted to get to as well. Maybe in February……of 2013??

I am not even going to tell you what is inside this cabinet. Let’s just say I am pretty sure it will be waiting for me after the wedding, fall photo shoots, fall vacations, Thanksgiving, Holiday photo shoots and Christmas as well!

If those aren’t enough to fill my days, in yesterday’s mail I got some more goodies to keep my busy.

My staff copy of the spring issue of A Primitive Place & Country Journal. Even though I had to cut back the amount of time I work for the magazine, I will continue to work part time doing shoots as well as occasionally writing, and one of the perks is getting one of the first copies of the newly released issue. Kristine also sends the issue’s featured homeowners a copy right away too. I think it is soooo nice that they get to see it before the wholesale and subscriptions are mailed out. It’s not too late for you to subscribe and get your spring issue ~ you can do that by clicking ~HERE~.

Did you notice those little awesomely wrapped bundles? Those are some of the soaps I ordered from Ellie’s Handmade Soap. (click on her name to get there) Ellie makes her own 100% natural olive oil soaps. I ordered the Orange & Spice and let me tell you, I could spend all day in the bathroom washing my hands with this. You know how sensitive to fragrances I am and this is a keeper for sure. And Ellie included a sample of her Gardener’s scrub which I am saving for gardening season. She has several other all natural fragrances as well. Do stop by and check them out!

Let’s see ~ what else about my desk can I blame for me not getting to my projects…

…it couldn’t possibly be my computer which has a link to this….

…where I found this gorgeous picture…

…which linked me to this post on Ellie’s blog…. Frog Goes to Market ~Antique Butter Mold …and where of course I saw the butter mold as well as the yellow ware and had to explore more which lead me to this blog post…

Frog Goes to Market ~ Christmas at Mom & Dad’s which was full of eye candy like this..

and this….

and this…

So I of course I just had to explore more of Ellie’s great blog (where I snatched these photos of hers to share with you) and that eventually lead to me Ellie’s Handmade Soap site!

But of course none of that kept me from getting any projects done. Honest.

Until next time ~ prim blessings and hugs, Linda

These are a few of my favorite things….

2012-01-14T20:48:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope the new year has treated you well so far. It’s been quieter behind my red door the last 2 weeks than it has been for months, and in between Lili time and my folks, I have enjoyed some down time ~ a day here and there when I could stay home alone and I so enjoy those days!! They are all too rare it seems. I have been cleaning and organizing and purging, and reading! And while I haven’t caught up with all my favorite blogs, I am trying.

Not too long ago I stopped my blogging friend Marlene’s blog ~ Stitchin by the Lake and her post was titled A Few of My Favorite Things. You can read it by clicking ~here~. She invited her readers to do one of their own Favorite Things post, and I decided it was a great idea.

Now you already know about my favorite people and my favorite decorating items, so this will be a bit different. I’ll start with my favorite movie of all time ~ because a song from it inspired Marlene’s post.

I saw this movie when I was 10 years old with my dad. It was a weekday and it was just my dad and me. Because my dad delivered mail on Saturdays, he had a weekday off. I had severely sprained my wrist at school the day before and he thought it would cheer me up. I was mesmerized and loved every second of it!! My parents bought the original sound track record and I played it over and over and over. Anytime I saw it was on TV, I just had to watch it. I still do. My Favorite Things is one of my favorite songs too. And while I love the version ‘Maria’ first sang in the movie as the children gathered in her bed during a thunderstorm, my heart swells each time I hear it the second time when the children are missing her and they start to sing it and then they hear her voice in the background and realize she has returned to them. That makes me tear up every time I watch the movie. You can watch that scene ~here~.

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There is nothing like a cheerful daisy to make me smile! When I was getting married in 1975, it was a good thing that David’s former boss was a close family friend who just happened to own a floral shop in addition to the pharmacy because when I said I wanted daisies, not roses, everyone said I was nuts! But not Ronnie… he made sure I got my daisies. In fact my wedding party colors came from the colors in daisies! I consented to a few roses mixed in with the daisies in my bouquet, but everything else was daisies. My bridesmaids carried baskets of daisies. Even the cake was covered in daisies.

The first perennial flowers I ever planted when we bought our first home were daisies. I brought that plant with me when we moved here in 1986. They still bloom every summer.

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Speaking of weddings, I went with my daughter Jen and her best friend while Jen tried on wedding dresses today. This was the second time we have done this and she may have found “the” dress but at the least, she really narrowed down her options. Big mistake going on a Saturday though. Despite an appointment, the gal helping us was helping someone else too and the shop was a mad house so we want to go back on a weekday and try another shop as well. It was still a lot of fun despite the crowds and I can’t wait to go again!

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While many people dream of cruises or laying on white sand beaches as the perfect vacation, I love a good road trip with my honey exploring more of this beautiful country! Growing up I was blessed to see much of this country on the many camping trips my parents took with me and my other 3 siblings ~ most notably our 6 week cross country camping trip. It was a trip of a lifetime and I will always be grateful my parents made the sacrifices and did the hard work it took for that journey. Now Mr. Red Door was never interested in camping, but we have had some wonderful vacations driving through many states. My all time favorite road trip ever was one we took in the fall of 2005. I had quit my job at the preschool so it was the first time in many years that we could travel for more than a long weekend during my favorite season ~ fall. I had turned 50 and we celebrated our 30th anniversary that year and instead of a cruise or exotic location vacation, I researched areas to explore during foliage season. We took 3 road trips that fall but the one to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (the U.P.) was my favorite! I love boat rides on lakes, train rides through the wilderness, waterfalls and foliage and the UP had plenty!

We did so many cool things, but my favorite part was when we crossed the border from Sault Ste. Marie, MI into Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and took a ride on the Agawa Canyon Tour Train. This one-day wilderness excursion will takes you114 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario over towering trestles, alongside pristine northern lakes and rivers and through the awesome granite rock formations and vast mixed forests of the Canadian Shield.

Of course the foliage was amazing!! You know I love me some foliage!

We also took a ride on this boat…

..through the locks separating Lake Huron and Lake Superior. It was fascinating!

Back in the U.P. another fun day was on the The Toonerville Trolley and Riverboat Tour. It was a 6 1/2 Hour Train and Riverboat Tour to Tahquamenon Falls. We rode 5 1/2 miles through the habitat of bear, deer and many other animals and birds.

The train brings passengers to the Tahquamenon River where a Riverboat waits to take you on a 21 mile narrated cruise along the pristine river to the rapids 1/2 mile above the Upper Tahquamenon Falls. The Captain gives commentary on river history, Indian lore, and points out any wildlife that is spotted along the way. The foliage that day was gorgeous too!

Then we departed the boat for a hike through virgin forest to view the mighty Falls. Passengers then board the boat for the return trip to the waiting train and the ride back to Soo Junction.

Another day we took a glass bottomed boat ride on Lake Superior. Can you see the anchor?

The Alger Underwater Preserve is located in Lake Superior near the diver-friendly city of Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This area of Lake Superior's shoreline includes the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the site of many shipwrecks.

Preserved by the cold fresh water of Lake Superior, these shipwrecks provide some of the finest sport diving in the Midwest. Each year, wrecks appear and disappear as the currents of Lake Superior cover and uncover them. The total number of shipwrecks in the Alger Preserve is unknown.

Sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, lakes, forest, and shoreline encompass the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The Lakeshore hugs the Lake Superior shoreline for more than 40 miles. Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, coldest, and most pristine of all the Great Lakes.

Getting to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula via the Mackinac Bridge was a sight to behold!! It is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world. The total length is 26,372 feet.

On our way back home to New England, after crossing the bridge back into the lower peninsula we stayed in the picturesque town of Mackinaw City.

From the balcony of our hotel room, we could see the bridge…

and we stood outside as the sun set

and watched as the lights came on and it was a fitting ending to our trip to the UP.

Thanks for indulging me as I got out the CD of pics from that trip. It’s on my bucket list to go back.

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Now you know I love my decaf Chai tea for a chilly afternoon or evening but I need coffee in the morning and this is my new love ~Timothy’s German Chocolate Cake K-cups

It’s all in the layering ~ first chocolate, followed by coconut, caramel and finally, more chocolate. What’s not to like??!! My only complaint is that it does not come in decaf!

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I could probably make a list a mile long of why I love my iPad. From it’s almost instant on, and it’s portability and all the APPs for educational games and books Lili and I use together, I love how it is so convenient and easy to use. It’s a small luxury that has some practical uses as well.

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And while I do sometimes use the eBook library on my Ipad, I love books.

A house without books is like room without windows. ~ Horace Mann

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot

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Because I am always looking for ways to better myself, I enjoy inspirational life lessons ~ be it a quote or story or a list such as this one that has been going around in emails lately. These are from the Dalai Lama~

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
Follow the three R’s:
- Respect for self,
- Respect for others and
- Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Pretty good lessons don’t you think?

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I think I have kept you long enough so I will end my list with this… my girlfriends! I love my women friends! I am blessed to have women in my life that support me and encourage me and accept me the way I am. I love spending time with each of them!

This must be going around too because several of my friends have sent me this email recently and I thought it was a fun way to end my post.

"A student just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection - the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.
At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged ~ not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!
So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

Here’s to all my girlfriends, young and old, near and far! Thanks for being so good for me!

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ I appreciate your visit!

Prim blessings and hugs, Linda

Looking ahead to a wonderful New Year!

2011-12-31T11:59:00.001-05:00

It was a wonderfully hectic, very busy but just magical Christmas weekend. We had our Swedish Christmas Eve celebration here with the Rudman side of the family, and then all four generations on my side were here on Christmas Day. When my dad made his toast, he said he doubted we would all be together at my table next Christmas, so we made it as special as we could this year. Now Christmas is all packed away, and I have had some much needed down time and some quiet time to reflect back on 2011. (I started a new album of pics, it’s on the right sidebar)

Each December when the year draws to a close, I like to briefly look back on the blessings of the past year before I look forward to the hope of the New Year. And 2011 was filled with so many for me and my family. Sure we had some bumps and blips ~ especially with my folks health and my FIL’s health ~ but we managed to get through the year making many happy memories along the way. The year started with our daughter’s engagement to a wonderful young man and it closes with some well deserved career news for Mr. Red Door. And in between there were so many wonderful moments and simple joys. Those are what I choose to remember and here are but a few highlights…

Lili’s smile, hugs and the twinkle in her eyes every time she sees me

Meeting homeowners and seeing their joy when sharing their home with us when we arrived for a shoot

The heartfelt comments here on my blog and the cheerful morning greetings on FB

A warm thank-you from my folks after making them lunch or bringing them dinner or helping them safely navigate yet another Drs. appointment

The joy in finding the right piece for our home or walking down the hall and smiling at what I see

So many wonderful times spent with dear friends exploring more of the NE countryside

Meeting online friends for the first time or seeing long distance friends once again

Momma duck coming back twice to use our yard as her nesting place

Our many family dinners with our kids and granddaughter all around the table

Seeing my photograph on the cover of A Primitive Place & Country Journal

Celebrating my dad’s 90th birthday will all his family in attendance

“Hi sweetie, how was your day?” greeting me every time my dear hubby walks in from a long day at the office

..as I look back I am reminded once again how much I have been blessed and how much I have to be grateful for.

And when I look forward I know I will some face some very big challenges this year as we decide how best to keep my parents best interests at heart, but I know there will be many opportunities and memorable moments as well as also plan Jen’s wedding and go about our daily lives. Every new day is a new chance to improve our lives and the lives of those around us and I hope I can achieve that in at least some small way in 2012.

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called “Opportunity” and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” Edith L. Pierce

As I close my blog for 2011, I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to stop by and make Behind My Red Door part of your day.

Whatever resolutions or changes you may make, whatever new directions or paths you choose, may God bless your endeavors and guide you and fill 2012 with all that brings you happiness.

Let peace fill our hearts and our homes until it encircles our world. Wishing love, peace, health and happiness for you and those you love through all the days of the New Year!

Until 2012~ prim hugs and blessings, Linda

New goodies and a recipe or two…

2011-12-17T21:47:00.001-05:00

In just one week from now hubby and I will be cleaning up from our Swedish Christmas Eve with his side of the family and we will be getting things lined up for Christmas Day here with my family. How can that be? It seems like just yesterday I was waiting for the heat to let up and the leaves to turn! Then again, when I think of all that had happened in the last few months, it seems like eons ago.

So are you ready for your celebrations? For many many years Mr. Red Door saved two weeks vacation to use at Christmas but this year, the project he is working on needs him so he will only have one day off before and one day after Christmas. I will miss having him around to help with all the last minute errands and prep but our daughter Jen will take his place on our annual run to the store for Swedish cheese, sausage, breads and pastry this week. And I did tell him that after golf tomorrow, we are having a marathon wrapping session. Once those packages are under the tree, things will feel a lot more under control Behind My Red Door.

There won’t be any big presents exchanged between hubby and I this year. He truly never wants anything and anything he needed I got him for his birthday last week. On the other hand, I already brought home some goodies for me! Back in the early fall I decided I needed a chair to relax in when I finally DO relax in the evenings. Hubby has a sofa in his office and if we want to watch TV together, that is where we park ourselves or we can go downstairs to Lili’s playroom AKA the family room. But if I don’t want to watch what he likes (as is often the case) I come into my office. I had an old wing chair in here but it was anything but comfy. So one day when we were out prim/antique shopping, I went to Spencer Furniture store in Spencer to their Primitive Shop. Spencer Furniture is a family owned store and while I had never ordered anything large there before, I have purchased many smalls from them over the years starting way back when they had a Yield House franchise in the part of the store that now holds their Primitive Shop. Everyone has always been extremely warm, friendly and helpful and this visit was no different. They happen to be the closest store that carries Johnston Benchworks furniture and I thought I would get myself a J B recliner. But truth be told, none of them were the right fit. The sales person, Gayle, was very helpful and she got out some catalogs for me to look at. We plopped ourselves down on some chairs in one corner and after awhile it occurred to me that the chair I was sitting in was a WONDERFUL fit for me. I loved the height, depth of the seat, the width and the comfort overall. Because I had a particular JB fabric in mind, Gayle tried to help me find one of their chairs in that size. But they didn’t make one. I tried a bunch of different JB chairs and while I loved them all, this chair needed to be one of pure comfort for me. So I decided to order one like the one I was sitting in but in a fabric more suited to my colonial inspired taste. And I got the ottoman to go with it as well. It is made by Lancer, from Star, NC. Gayle said it would take 6-8 weeks to come in but a month later it was in and ready to be delivered to my home. And it is just perfect for me. I have NEVER in my adult life fallen asleep in a chair. N.E.V.E.R. In fact, I find it hard to fall asleep in my own bed!! But I have fallen asleep in this chair several times so needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled with it! I hope this winter I will find time in the evenings to get back to making my penny rugs and needle punch now that I have a comfy seat!

This past week, I received a thank you card from Gayle and a coupon for future purchases. You can bet if I ever need upholstered pieces in the future (or if hubby agrees to to a total reorganizing of the kitchen so I can take home the awesome kitchen island they have) I will definitely give this local family owned store my business.

Oh ~ sorry! You wanted to see my chair did you?? Well here it is!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fabric!! I didn’t want the same fabric I see on chairs all over the internet and in homes I shoot and yet I definitely wanted something with a colonial flair and I think this fits the bill. It is black with dark red, mustard and sage green accents. It also could move into the living room should I ever need it too.

Isn’t it purdy?? I think so, but even more important, it is comfy!

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Another new to me piece is this big trunk.

A short while back, my dear friend Laurie invited Audrey, her mom Connie and me for a Christmas lunch and to do some antique shopping. I wish I had my camera with me that day because Laurie's home looked wonderful all decorated for Christmas. And she made the most delicious and adorable individual pot pies for us!! We all felt so special! After filling our tummies, we headed out and one of the stops we made was A Bee’s Buzz in Foster, RI. Click ~here~ for the website. It is in the same building where the former Things Made Wonderful store used to be. From their website~

“Unlike your typical antique mall or craft store, we want to combine the best of both worlds to bring our guests a unique blend of handcrafted wares and vintage finds.

Anyone with a home to decorate, a unique gift to buy, or a collection to add to will enjoy browsing this friendly marketplace!”

Laurie has a booth on the second the floor and she knew the store was being stocked for a sale the next day so it was a great day to shop there. I have been looking for a bigger trunk to put under the domed trunk I bought a while back and boy did I find one and the price was right!This is about as rustic or prim as I want to go, but the size is great for storage and the price was right! We couldn’t fit it in my car that day, but Laurie and her hubby very graciously went back and got it for me the next day. Laurie even offered to drive it up to me so she could see my mural so we did that last week and I made us a nice brunch. Thank you again Laurie (and George) for your kindness in helping me get my trunk home!

That same day we made a stop at Pineapple Rose Primitives in Scituate, RI. They don’t have a website but click ~here~ to link to their FB page. Audrey spotted a pretty red cupboard that she thought would look great in my house. And she was right. I did really like it but I knew if it was to come home with me, it would mean getting rid of something else big and then some serious reorganizing would have to take place because all pieces I own are used to store things. I thought about it and told the owner I would be in touch if I was coming back for it. When I got home, I went on FB and found a picture of it and it was still calling out to me. During the week I did more thinking about where it could/should go and where all the dishes, glassware and serving pieces would go if I got rid of something else. And I knew even with the seats down, it wouldn’t fit in my Murano but having brought home some big pieces herself recently, Audrey knew it would fit in her van and she graciously offered to go back with me to get it if I wanted it. The scrolled front and curved shelves really spoke to me so I decided it would finally replace my 80’s jelly cupboard in my dining room.

Audrey and I went back last weekend and it came home with me. And am I ever happy that it did!! It is fairly new piece but it is made from old wood and square head nails and boy is this ever heavy!!

I still need more plates but after I gathered up most of my pewter, I was able to fill it pretty quickly. I am so happy to have one spot to display the pieces I have collected for many years. A special thank you to Audrey for going all the way back to RI with me. She found some goodies for herself on the trip back so I am happy at that! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!

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I finally got Jill to share her recipes for the Pumpkin Pie in a Mug and Corn Chowder that so many of you have asked for. Both of these are perfect for the cold winter weather facing us in the months ahead. She wanted me to let you know she she just estimates the amounts in the chowder recipe.

Pumpkin Pie in a Mug

3 cups half and half

3 cups milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup pureed pumpkin

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

whipped cream

In a large saucepan, combine half and half, milk, and sugar over medium low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Add pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice ~ whisking to combine well. Bring to a simmer stirring occasionally, do not boil. Simmer 15- 20 minutes Garnish with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings

Jill’s Corn Chowder

3-4 medium sized potatoes cut into pieces (leave skins on)

1 onion about size of tennis ball cut into pieces

Boil the onion and potato until the potatoes are almost cooked. Drain water.

Add: 2 cans of cream style corn

1 can evaporated milk

1 stick of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

dried thyme (about rounded 1/4 tsp.)

dried basil (about rounded 1/4 tsp.)

dried marjoram (about rounded 1/4 tsp.)

Stir and simmer on very low heat for about 1/2 hour. If it looks too thick you can add a little cream or half and half. It tastes best if you make it the day before you want to eat it. It will thicken as it sets in the refrigerator.

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Last Sunday we had a big family party at my folks house to celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday a day early. Last year I didn’t think my folks would be in their home for his birthday but by the grace of God we made it another year. They will be moving to assisted living or a nursing home in the near future, so it was bittersweet in some ways. But with 4 generations in attendance, we made it a special time for my dad.

BTW, another very important and special man shares the same birthday as my dad… Mr. Red Door. How cool is that?

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I leave you with my Christmas wish for each of you…

“Wishing you untold blessings, unseen angels. unexpected gifts and all of God's precious love at Christmas and always.”

Until next time ~ prim hugs and blessings, Linda

Christmas Thyme Behind My Red Door

2011-12-04T19:11:00.001-05:00

Happy December!! Here in my neck of New England we have enjoyed some really wonderful sunny, dry weather the past week or so. I love seeing the golden country side with the rusty oak leaves everywhere. I love the dried grasses and underbrush and seeing for what seems like miles when the leaves are down exposing so many hidden gems like brooks, stone walls, winterberries and even some homes that were hidden the rest of the year by foliage! The timing of this weather was perfect for two outings with friends, some scouting for the magazine, and for several extra trips back and forth to my folks house. My sister went away for 3 days so I was making the 25–30 minute trip back and forth 3 times a day. Dry roads and sunny skies certainly made it a lot nicer! And every evening, Mr. Red Door and I would take a different route to and from just to enjoy the Christmas lights. That tradition of taking Christmas light rides never looses it’s appeal!

With this nice sunny day we were given, I finally took some time to take a few Christmas pictures for the kind folks who have asked. I will admit, I really miss having that extra time to spend on taking my own pictures just right and editing them just the way I want them. There aren’t many full room shots but I think these will do and I hope you enjoy them.

Edited: I have had two followers tell me they cannot see the slideshow so here is the actual link for anyone else having the same problem.

Click –> Christmas Thyme Behind My Red Door

Thank you for stopping by today! I know this is such a busy time of year for everyone and that you made time to come by, means a lot. If you find time to comment, thank you as I enjoy reading every single comment! If you ask a question, I try to answer right there in the comment section. But if like me, sometimes you have just enough time to stop by but have to move on without stopping to comment, please know I understand and still appreciate the visit!!

Until next time ~ prim hugs and blessings, Linda

More, more, more ~ sneak peek of my Christmas décor, more of my SC trip and more Michelle’s gorgeous home!!

2011-11-25T08:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was a bit different this year. We took the meal to my folks house because we know in our hearts, this is their last Thanksgiving in their home. So we all worked together and made it as nice as we possibly could. We made the traditional dishes we all enjoy and having all 4 generation together made it very special! And while I really missed having my family here, there was an upside ~ my house stayed clean!!

And today you won’t find me out and about today, I will be decorating for Christmas. Before we went to my folks yesterday we took the bins out of the attic. As I went through them, I found half the stuff I have used for years and years is just not my taste anymore, so LESS IS MORE will really be the key for me this year. Long gone are the days when I pack away my every day décor to make room for boxes of décor for each holiday or season. I like my everyday decor so for the most part, it will remain in place and my favorite Christmas pieces along with lots of greens, red berries and white tallow berries (from my dear friend Sherrie in SC) will be tucked in and around my everyday décor. Just for you, I have a few sneak peeks of what I did already this morning…

And that is just the beginning so no shopping excursions today for me BUT I will be participate in Small Business Saturday tomorrow and shop locally though!! I want to do my best to support the family owned and locally owned shops as much as possible.

But now it is time to get back to the business at hand! From the moment I arrived at Jill’s home, she treated me like a queen and fed me like royalty too. In case you don’t know, when I am there, I get my own room and bathroom! No one has ever slept here but me so it makes my room doesn’t it?? Here are some pictures of MY room that Jill sent me before the trip…

She even made space for my clothes and luggage in the big closet!!

Isn’t it pretty?? I am so comfortable there!

The first night, she made the most delicious corn chowder for dinner….she knows I LOVE corn chowder!

The second day we were busy doing her photo shoot. She was such a wonderful assistant helping me with my lights and cords etc.! That night she rewarded our hard work with this ‘pumpkin pie in a cup’ hot drink. OH MY!! My intentions were to share the recipe but I misplaced it so I will get it from Jill again. Believe me, you will need to save this for another week after you have worked off the calories from Thanksgiving. It is that good and that rich!

Whenever we get together, we love to look at books, magazines and the Internet together to talk about decorating ideas. I showed her this picture I took at the Rusty Rooster this fall of a shelf Jack made for over their door ~ he makes the best stuff! You can see more of their wonderful home and shop ~here~!

So we showed Jim the picture too and by the end of Saturday, he had done this for her….Those two are so talented! I wish I could show you lots and lots of room shots but you’ll have to wait for the fall issue next year for that. If you missed the sneak peeks, you can hop over to the APP & CJ blog for that. Just click ~here!

And if you are smart, you will pay attention to the backgrounds in the next pictures and you just might get some more sneak peeks….

On Saturday, we went to Kathy’s gorgeous home for her photo shoot and a delicious southern meal too! You can read about that great day ~here~.

Sunday was the day Mr red Door left his parents home and headed to Jill’s to get me so we could start for home but not before we fit in a gathering with some of my southern friends! This was planned for last year but we couldn’t make the trip south because of work commitments, so I made sure we left enough time Sunday for it!! Jill and I prepared a fall brunch of apple pie French toast, maple apple chicken sausage, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pecan muffins and some fresh pineapple. Hot coffee, tea and mulled cider were on the menu too!

Hint hint…. are you looking past the table….

Sherrie Hinson was the first to arrive! Sherrie started following my blog and we started emailing and we became fast friends! You may have seen some of her gorgeous garden and porch photos in A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine and in Judy Condon’s garden book. They are just amazing! Sherrie has a green thumb and then some! It was wonderful to finally meet such a kindred spirit in person!! Sherry had hostess gifts for Jill and I ~She is always so thoughtful!!

Then Jennifer Gass and Dana Harpley arrived! Many of you know Jen from her blog Taylors Farmhouse Attic and she has a selling blog as well ~ Simple Goodes Stitched by Jennifer. She designs her own cross stitch patterns as well as selling finished pieces. She and I have followed each other’s blogs for ages! And many of you know Dana as the gracious Hospitality Coordinator in the APP forum – her forum name is Homespun Treasures and that is where we met. She is so sweet! Her blog is Homespun Treasures by Dana. She also has a website Homespun Treasures and Dana makes hand poured candles, bowl fillers, pantry cakes and other wonderful smelling delights!! You can reach their blogs or websites by clicking on the names!! I was so happy to finally meet all of these sweet southern gals in person!!

Oh and we had so much fun greeting each other and comparing accents!! LOL And then while I finished some last minute meal preparations, Jill gave them a tour of her beautiful home and then we all sat down to the feast we had prepared.

Jill and I had hostess gifts for them and this is what Jill put together… she made us each a pillow and that is pumpkin spice hand gel! What a neat idea and aren't those acorns so cute!??

Then it was swap time!! Jen got this wonderful Santa!!

Dana got a pretty handmade candle mat and some fall goodies!

Sherrie got a wall candle sconce, real beeswax candle and a hand loomed towel.

Jill got an assortment of yummy goodies – a candle, candy canes, wax pineapple and more!!

And I got this adorable doll!!

Here she is setting on my Homestead settle…She doesn’t get to rest there very often. A certain little girl likes to carry her around and love on her!!

Here is a snapshot of Jen and Jill! Hi girls!!

And all too soon it was time for the girls to head out and I had to gather up my belongings so when Mr Red Door got there, we could pack up the car and start the two day drive home. But before we all left, Sherrie’s very patient hubby Ernie took our group picture with each of our cameras. He was such a good sport!

One of the treasures I brought home was this gorgeous blanket chest made by Jim. He is a carpenter by trade and he can make just about anything! He had made Jill one of these and since he is looking for work, I commissioned him to make me one as well. I paid for unfinished piece and came home and painted it myself. It is black over red with a distressed finish. I used a combo of latex paint and Caromal Colours, crackling medium and CC chipping crème and used the CC toner on top and then sealed it with a matte spray varnish. I love it! If you are within a reasonable distance of Colombia, SC and are looking for some prim pieces, I can give you Jill and Jim’s contact info. He can take a photo of something and with proper measurements, he will quote you a price and make you a custom piece too.

Jill and did a little swap too and she sent me home some yummy Pumpkin butter, a sweet little whisk broom and this delightful little old buttocks basket.

It really was a whirlwind 6 days! And while I love all the goodies I came home with, what I will treasure most is the time on the drive with my hubby, time spent with Jill and Jim, and meeting Kathy, Sherrie, Jen and Dana for the first time finally. Those make it truly worth all those hours driving!

~**~**~**~**~

Now I know y’all are either decorated for Christmas or like me, fixin to finish decorating so as promised here are more pics of Michelle’s gorgeous home from the Holiday 2010 issue to help get you in the Holiday spirit!! They need no explanation ~ ENJOY!!

Thanks Michelle for the pleasure of sharing your home once again!!

And thank you all so much for stopping by. I appreciate each of you!! Have a great weekend and until next time ~ prim hugs and blessings, Linda

A dream come true…

2011-11-22T18:55:00.002-05:00

I know a lot of you are waiting to see pics and hear a lot more about my trip to SC, but I truly have just not had the time to go through my pics and sit down to write a blog post. I just had to attend to my family, home and hearth (and yard!!) a bit. So today when I should be playing catch up here on my blog and I should be writing THAT post or the one I promised with additional pics of Michelle Ferris’ gorgeous home, instead, I am over the moon with excitement to share something else with you so I hope you will forgive me. No, it’s not another grandbaby on the way, now that would be amazing for sure, but this is something fun Behind My Red Door.

Photographing so many gorgeous homes has it’s downside. I see in person and close-up so many things I like and want that I WON’T ever have ~ like a bigger house with wide pine floors, walk in fireplaces, beamed ceilings, PAINTED woodwork and cabinets, soapstone counters and rooms filled with only the best antiques.

But there is something I have photographed several times that I decided I COULD have. It is something I have thought about for many years – long before blogging or being online or connecting with other prim gals through the Internet. Something I thought about attempting myself with my mom’s help before she became ill. I put that dream aside for awhile but then when I started going into so many great homes and shops, the desire began to stir again, I decided to take the steps to see if I could make it a reality.

First of all I contacted the artist Susan Dwyer. I know that is a dead giveaway to many of you of what is coming but for others, here it is… among other things, Susan paints murals and that is what I commissioned her to do. I have seen many of hers and photographed several and I knew she was the artist I wanted in my home. I emailed then we talked by phone and I told her my thoughts about a few places where I might want the mural and then I sent her pictures of those spaces. We chatted on the phone again and then she told me what she thought about where it would have the most impact and I knew immediately she was right! Then I asked her for an estimate based on the size of the wall, it being prepped ahead of time, how far she had to travel, what I did and didn’t want and other details like the fact that she didn’t need an extra tall ladder or staging. Then I braced myself to be disappointed and when she gave me the estimate, I was pleasantly surprised and knew it was truly doable. So we set a date – for today!! In the meantime I painted over the stenciling on the wall, patched all the holes and painted them and I made a list of what I wanted and didn’t want based on what I had seen in her murals and what I could see on her website. And I waited! When Susan arrived this morning, she also had her portfolio with her and I was able to point out some other things I liked and some things that just weren’t me. We talked about placement about a few key things and then I gave her free reign to work her magic! She got to work and I was so amazed to see it truly come to life. I took many photo’s during the process but you’ll only see the finished product here. I am saving the rest for an article for the magazine.

I have to tell you right now that saying I am happy and pleased with the results is an UNDERSTATEMENT if there ever was one! Susan hit the nail on the head and captured me and everything I wanted and then some.

So are you ready?? The mural is on the longest wall in our home. It starts down at the bedroom end and goes all the way to the other end of the house where the dining room and living room meet. I’ll take you down that wall…

This is the bedroom end of the house. The master bedroom door is to the right in this picture. When I am sitting here typing, if I did a 180 and turned around, this is what I see looking out the door to the hall. The nursery school that was a part of my life for 24 + years is in this church represented here.

Now that cupboard that I painted pumpkin (but it came out a wee bit too orange) looks right at home now!!!

This wall is between the master bedroom and the bathroom. I wanted mountains, black sheep and the fence you see at Old Sturbridge Village and they are here!! Mr. Red Door sees this looking out his office door.

This is the wall between the bathroom and the kitchen looking down towards the other end of the house…

Different lighting!! I have already enjoyed seeing the look change as the light changes…. it is part of the fun!!

Here is a detail from that wall you can’t see too well from the previous angle… my tree of life and red saltbox. My dream home!

Here is a view looking the other way…

This is the last section of the wall between the kitchen and dining room and at the top of the stairs coming into the house – taken before the sun set…

and after the sun set with some help of my photo lights.

Can you see My Red Door and the brook and stone wall behind it? And there is Momma duck out by the maple tree. Oh be still my heart!!

This is what you will see as you come in My Red Door and walk up the stairs! Of course I will be tweaking this wall. The thermostat cover will stay but everything else is fair game now!!

Did you notice anything about the colors Susan used at my request??

YUP!! I get to have fall ALL YEAR ROUND in my home now. Except for one teeny pumpkin by the front steps, there really is nothing except the coloring that says fall. And that is exactly what I wanted. I am just so thrilled.

Thank you Susan for making my dream come to life right before my eyes! You are truly an artist and I am honored to have one of your murals in my very own home. I know that every single day it will bring me joy and pleasure.

In addition to colonial murals, Susan does many other types of mural, portraits and paintings too! You can get to her website ~here~ and find her on Face Book ~here~.

Thank you all for stopping by today and I will try my hardest to finish that blog post about my trip to SC this weekend. And I will save Michelle’s pics for the next post because by then we will all be decorating for Christmas and she did that so well!!

I am so thankful for this home I have been blessed to live in since 1986. As I always say, it is not my dream home but where our dreams come true! Raising our kids, hosting family and friends for food, fun and comfort when their power goes out, and now where our grand daughter is excited to come and play with Meemee 3 days a week. When I sit down with my family this Thanksgiving, the blessings I count will be many. And with God’s will, the best of those blessings will be sitting at the table with me again NEXT Thanksgiving!!

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

When we count our many blessings, it isn’t hard to see that life’s most valued treasures
are the treasures that are free.
For it isn’t what we own or buy
that signifies our wealth,
It’s the special gifts that have no price —
our family, friends, and health.
My prayer for you on this Thanksgiving
is that God will grant you all the blessings
of His gentle love.

And please say a prayer for all the service men and women who can’t sit down at home with their family this week because they are working to insure our safety and freedom.

Until next time – prim blessings and hugs, Linda

Snow> REALLY?? …and some primitive eye candy!

2011-10-31T21:30:00.001-04:00

I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!! I won’t let the 12+ inches of snow we got mess with my fall!! I am not ready to be done with fall just yet!!!

It started even before Audrey and I got home from a shoot Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t supposed to turn from rain to snow for a few more hours. But it did anyway. The nerve! But I got us home here safe and sound and then Audrey made it home from here as well. Thank goodness.

And then it really began to come down and add up. It was surreal seeing it land on the foliage still on my maple trees out front and back. My pumpkins and mums were disappearing under a blanket of cold white stuff that does NOT belong in October. At least not in my world.

This is what it looked like at the beginning. Thankfully while I was at the shoot. Mr. Red Door quickly carried the deck furniture down to the patio under the deck.

We knew it was going to be bad. We knew that many would loose power. We could only wait and hope and pray. It didn’t take long! First my son called Saturday night around 9 PM and said they lost power. They couldn’t leave if they had wanted to in the middle of the storm so they put Lili between them and slept (if you can call it that with a 2 year old ) under 3 heavy comforters. Early in the morning, my sister called to say they had been without power since 3 AM but that she was going to cook breakfast for my parents on the grill and with the sun coming up, it wasn’t too too cold. By the time the sun rose, the snow had stopped and the roads were melted in most places making it safe for family to head over.

But not before it left a multitude of damage behind. With trees still full of leaves, the heavy wet snow stuck and built up until the weight snapped many branches and limbs and even toppled huge trees. Power lines were down all over. Thankfully, once again we were spared the lose of power and once again our home would be the place for family to come for heat, food and warm showers!

While I waited for them to arrive, I surveyed the damage and was sick to see our maple out front

as well as our cherry tree lost at least 1/3 of their limbs.

It looked like a late January snow storm – until you saw the foliage still on trees!

Thankfully these huge maples out back had lost most of the top third of their leaves, making them less susceptible to the snow.I think we would have lost more had they still been full of leaves.

I will say though that once the sun came out and the snow started to melt, the white along with the blue of the sky, made a pretty backdrop for the foliage!

Today quite a bit more melted and that is fine with me!! I am looking forward to green grass for several more weeks yet! My folks got power last night and this evening the kids were able to borrow a generator and go back home so now, except for a two small groups of “trick or treaters” earlier, it is quiet Behind My Red Door once more. And while I thoroughly enjoyed rocking Lili to sleep last night, and seeing her sweet face first thing this morning was wonderful, and I didn’t mind sharing my banana with her at breakfast,

this busy Meemee is thankful for some time to do grown-up things, like blog!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

This year many times I have had the pleasure of meeting online friends for the first time and meeting up with long distance prim friends once again. Last week was no exception. On Tuesday, my friend Laurie(who I initially met online and who’s home is in the premier edition of APP) and I headed down to Newtown, CT to have lunch with Linda Manna, shopkeeper at Newtown Country Mill, and her daughter Michelle Manna Ferris, who helps in the store and also helps runs their online business ~ Country Mill Primitives. Click ~HERE~ for the website. If you have followed my blog for sometime, you will know that Linda and Michelle’s beautiful homes were featured in the first Holiday issue of A Primitive Place magazine. We had such a nice time during their photo shoots last summer! Yes – summer! Because the magazine was just beginning, they graciously agreed to decorate for Christmas in the summer! That’s what I call dedicated prim friends!! And last fall when the Holiday issue came out, we did a magazine signing in the store and had a great time once again. A few weeks back Linda and Michelle invited us to come to lunch and it was just wonderful to see them both again. Laurie had never seen the shop or their homes so she was excited to get a tour of all three. And of course we did a little shopping while we were at the store.

The shop is a wonderful mixture of antiques and primitives!

I spy some pewter!!

They make a lot of the wooden pieces themselves and the displays are always changing!

I think it is just wonderful that mom and daughter enjoy the same decorating style and work so well together. It was just a wonderful day spent with great friends! Thanks again Linda for the yummy lunch and Michelle for inviting us!

Now here’ a little bonus - some photo’s I took of Linda’s home last year:

My all time favorite vanity! The pumpkin color prompted me to paint a few things in my home in tones of pumpkin. When Laurie saw this vanity, she agreed with me that is it stunning!

They converted their garage into a huge family room with tavern bar…

And more from around the house…

Wasn’t that just a treat to see?? I think so!! And the next time I come back, I will share some pics of Michelle’s home as well!!

Now I just have to show you what I got at Newtown Country Mill, 160 Sugar St, Newtown, CT (203) 270-3441

I got this thermostat cover to hide the thermostat in the living room. I love it!

I got the antique plate there as well!

I also got this sweet little pewter plate.

You’ll never guess who likes to play with this little gem…

Now you know I didn’t take all those kernels off the corn…. it’s the same little sweetie pie that lined up the bears and snoopy. And by the way, the Indian corn WAS under the antique fly screen until Lili got here the other day! LOL

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

As I mentioned earlier in the post, we had another photo shoot Saturday and I did a blog post with plenty of sneak peeks over on the APP blog ~here~! I promise it is worth hoping over there to see them! Here is one little tease…

And speaking of worth a hop… How about this…. Give a gift – receive a gift!

Order a gift subscription of A Primitive Place and Country Journal magazine for a friend or family member and receive a FREE A Primitive Place & Country Journal notebook! Click ~here~ for more details!

Well that is all from this very tired Meemee! Until next time~ prim blessing, Linda

Our memorable trip to PA and more sneak peeks….

2011-10-23T20:33:00.001-04:00

Sometimes things just fall into place ~ like our first ever overnight photo shoot weekend!

Last year sometime we (the magazine) received an email with photos of a home that we knew would make a wonderful article for the magazine. But it was in PA!! 5.5 hours from my home.

Now normally, we had to pass on homes too far from where our photography teams are located because overnights were not possible. But this home is in the small town of Slatington, PA. When I saw that address, my heart skipped a beat – you see, long time dear dear friends of Mr. Red Door and I live in this little town of Slatington. Joe started working on the same day for the same company as Mr. Red Door way back in 1974 – the year before we go married. At that time, Mr. Red Door was fresh out of college and started out on the ground floor of the local company ~ the same one he works for now. Back then he worked ‘on the road’ as a service engineer. The company sent him right off to a sleepy tobacco growing town in north central NC called Roxboro. Joe was sent there too and his wife Pat, and then 3 year old daughter soon followed him. I would go to NC to visit my sweetie and we all got to know each other well. The next summer when we were sent to New Orleans for a job right after our honeymoon, Pat and Joe were already there. We spent that summer together. Mr. Red Door was soon promoted to an office position back home so we didn’t live on the road anymore but we stayed in touch with Pat and Joe and have been close all these years. The last time we had been to their home was in 2005 for their daughter’s backyard wedding but they come here and stay overnight with us almost every summer on their way north to their summer rental on the lakes in NH – their home state. So I just knew that we were long overdue for a trip to Slatington! I wrote back to the homeowner Diane and explained that I didn’t know when I would get to Slatington but that I would and she graciously told me anytime was fine with her! She really is that sweet!

Fast forward several months and Pat and Joe came here but we still hadn’t been able to get to PA when Kristine told Audrey and I that she and I could go on an overnight shoot!! WOOHOO!!!!! I knew this was the place to go!! So we started planning. Since I was driving all that way, I knew we didn’t have time for any side trips that took us out of the way and while we couldn’t make the trip any longer than we had too, at the same time, we wanted to make most of the time we had! I mentioned to some online friends that we would be at our hotel late afternoon on the 15th and two dear friends decided to join us for a gathering! We left here Saturday morning for the 5.5 hour drive to the hotel in Lehighton, PA. It’s been years since I had driven that far without Mr. Red Door sharing the drive so we had to plan a stop along the way. Audrey jokingly asked if there was a Cracker Barrel in our future and wouldn’t you know, there was one half way right off the highway! You see, she wanted me to taste the pumpkin custard they are offering this fall. Who am I to refuse a friend so we had the perfect stop halfway! This is the pumpkin custard from their website. “Enjoy made-from-scratch pumpkin custard, tasty gingersnap crumble, and fluffy caramel mousse. And there’s a fresh-baked gingersnap cookie to top it all off.” Let me just say ~ it was worth the drive just for this!! OH YUMMO!

With doggy bags and full bellies, we were back on the road and before long we were at the hotel partying with Karen Leonard, her BFF Terry and Kris Thomas! Karen and I ‘met’ Kristine, the magazine’s owner and Editor on Webshots back in 2007. Kris joined Webshots at some point and then we ALL moved over the APP Forum to chat when Kristine started that. And while Audrey and I met Kris last fall when she came out east for the Walker Homestead show, this was the first time we had all met Karen and her friend Terry! They drove over 6 hours just to party with us and Kris and her hubby and daughter stopped in PA after a whirlwind trip to NE. We all brought some goodies to eat ~ here are just some of the goodies!! See the fresh fruit and veggies?? They are all healthy right??

We had such a good time ~ for almost 5 hours we all chatted and laughed and ate. We could have stayed up all night I think, but I already had a miserable cold and knew that I had a big job ahead of me on Sunday to shoot Diane’s home, so we reluctantly called it a night. Just before we disbanded, Terry kindly snapped this photo of 4 very tired road weary but happy gals!! It was a night I will never forget and Audrey and I are determined to get to Ohio, where Karen, Terry and Kris all live!!

~**~**~**~**~

Sunday dawned a bit too early and we headed over to Slatington to Diane’s home. It was a gorgeous cool sunny but very windy fall day. The drive through the rolling countryside was so pretty. It was a part of Slatington I had never seen before. When we drove up, we both knew this was going to be a good day. Look at the wonderful front door décor….

And look at the view from their driveway….

and inside was just as lovely. Here are some sneak peeks from inside….

Want more?? Well you can do two things.. first go see to the post I made on APP on Friday about this wonderful home by clicking ~HERE~ and you then can subscribe to the magazine to see the full layout in a future issue! You can do that by clicking ~HERE~!

After the shoot, Diane took us to her favorite antique store in nearby Tripoli, PA. As soon as we drove up we knew it was going to be a fun place to shop! And the prices were soooo good!!

Diane and the shopkeeper Julann. Thank you Diane for welcoming us into your wonderful home and for taking us to Farmer’s Field. Audrey and I both found some goodies! You can find Farmer’s Field at 6806 Route 309 in New Tripoli, PA 18066 (where 309 and 143 meet). No website but the phone is (610) 298-8238. If you stop in, please tell them the girls from APP & CJ sent you!!

~**~**~**~**~**~

After we left the shop, we headed back to Slatington to see my friends Pat and Joe for a lovely evening. Pat is an incredible cook and hostess and she made us the most delicious stuffed shells we had ever eaten. A fresh garden salad, crusty bread with garlic and olive oil, chocolate dipped strawberries and cannoli all beautifully displayed on pretty dishes rounded out the amazing meal. It was just divine!! It was wonderful to introduce Audrey to my dear friends and to share some time together. And yup, I was so wiped out by then from the long drive, the busy shoot and my cough and cold, that I forgot to take any pics! You’ll just have to trust me that the food looked as good as it tasted!!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Monday morning it was time to head home. But we had one more fun stop planned! Remember this gorgeous kitchen from the cover of the fall issue??

We were going to Loretta’s for lunch! WOOHOO! Luckily for us, she lives just a few minutes off the highway about halfway home and she graciously offered to feed us!! It was just so nice to see her in person and get a hug!! She made us a delicious brunch - quiche, croissants and salad. And she sent us home with our own loaves of her yummy pumpkin bread! What a dear friend!

I was so excited to see the changes she had made since we were there last year. Forgive the blurriness, I think I was a bit road weary by now and didn’t take my photo lights out either, but I still wanted to snap a few quick pics to share with you! Loretta had her fireplace wall and the wall under her chair rail in the family room totally done over with paneling and molding.

It looks soooooo colonial!! Just gorgeous!!!!!!

You can see under the chair rail better here…. with the gorgeous desk her hubby bought for her since we were there…

Isn’t it stunning??

And just look at this new hutch… she was able to fill it with all her antique pewter!! SIGH!!!

It was a lovely but all too quick visit! Her sister Janet snapped this just as were ready to get back on the road for the last leg of our trip!

Thank you Loretta for the yummy food, and for making it that much easier to make the trip home after the long weekend!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

It was certainly a fun and memorable weekend but my cold kept getting worse so I was indeed very relieved to finally be home. There really is no place like home!!

I was thrilled to find two treasures at Farmer’s Field and they quickly found homes Behind My Red Door. I have wanted a round cutting board and this one fit the bill!

And I am always looking for antique baskets. I loved this one!

Every time I look at these, I will smile and remember the busy whirlwind exhausting but wonderful weekend spent with dear friends ~ new and old!

Now please go back over to the APP blog ( Just click ~here~) and see some sneak peeks from the shoot I did yesterday and to enter the October giveaway! This shoot was local but we still enjoyed time with an old friend and a new friend! Lots more eye candy too!!

I am so thankful for the friendships I have made online and through blogging. They truly have enriched my life in so many ways. I am blessed!

And one more quick note ~ I got an email from the dear couple who did my photo shoot for Country Sampler a few years ago. Esther and Franklin Schmidt have published a new book called A Passion for Primitives . That is Linda Babb’s pretty antique cupboard on the cover! I don’t have a copy yet, but I have heard from friends that it is wonderful! You can see it on my sidebar on the top left. It is available on Amazon.com I am told! Please pass the word!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time ~ warm hugs and prim blessings, Linda

Family, food and foliage!

2011-10-10T22:22:00.001-04:00

Humm…does it get any better than that?? Family comes first and food always seems to be involved when family is around! And then after all the work of feeding 12 family members ranging in ages from 2 – 84, foliage was the perfect way to unwind!

On Friday I took Lili to my sister in laws house so she could visit with Mr. Red Door’s mom and dad, her great grandparents. When Lili got out of my car, she ran into my MIL’s arms and said “ I missed you NanaJean!”. It could not have been any better! Skyping has really helped her to be familiar with them even though they live so far away.

Lili enjoyed teaching my MIL how to use my iPad.

And she loved playing with their little King Charles Spaniel ~ Andy.

She kept her distance from my FIL at first – his oxygen tubing and tank made her a little nervous but by the end of the visit, she was very comfortable with him.

And then Hubby’s entire family(minus one niece who lives in Texas) came for a sit down dinner here on yesterday and it was wonderful to be all together again. It was almost as much work as Thanksgiving dinner and I had to do some creating rearranging of furniture so we could all sit down together but it was worth it. My MIL and FIL found it was extremely draining for them to have made this trip home. My FIL’s disease will continue to progress so we are now certain that this is the last visit they will make home. We are making the most of this time together and will have to get creative in how we can visit them in their home.

My wonderful husband knew how much work I put into making yesterday special for all of us and he decided I needed a day away from housework and taking care of others. So this morning he called me from the golf course to tell me he was cutting his round short and to be ready to take off when he got home. I packed our lunch, grabbed my camera and the new CD’s of some of our favorite oldies he made for me, and I was waiting for him when he got home.

With songs like THIS

DH and I used to listen this back when we were newlyweds!

and THIS

We listened to this when we were dating!

playing, we headed north and west and explored some back roads of western MA and southern Vermont and we saw exquisite foliage along the way! The sky was blue blue blue with some occasional fluffy white clouds. At first I just sat back and relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

It didn’t take long to start seeing real color! I got my Nikon Coolpix ready, set it on landscape and opened the window and sunroof and began shooting as DH drove along.

One of the neat features of the camera is the the three-inch, tilting, vari-angle monitor. It flips even further out than this photo shows. This enables you to shoot from unusual angles and tricky vantage points. That was how I could hold the camera out the sunroof and still what I was shooting. SO COOL!

These were all taken from a moving vehicle and are not retouched in anyway. I love this camera! And we really did get to see this beautiful scenery…

as we drove through farmlands and small towns and the mountains too. We saw old barns,

quaint towns,

and drove down steeper than it looks winding mountain roads.

See… I told you they were steep! That sign below says RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP 1/2 MILE

Sadly we saw many places where the heavy rains after Hurricane Irene caused severe flooding and washed away parts of roads and destroyed buildings and homes. We saw evidence of repairs along the way….

…like these new guardrails.

And lots and lots of color!!

Oh look up ahead… see that red tree….

It’s even prettier close-up!

Long drives have always been a way for my DH and I to spend time alone and reconnect. We actually started our married life driving halfway across the country to Kansas City, Missouri and then a few weeks later to New Orleans for his job. We have explored many wonderful places in our great country by car and even when we can fly, we sometimes prefer to drive and enjoy the scenery and our time together. And foliage rides on sunny days with brilliant blue skies are on the top of my list of ways to spend time together in the fall. Today was one of those days!

I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.
Mark Twain

~**~**~**~**~**~

And DH decided I had cooked enough this long weekend so he took out for dinner before we headed home. We stopped at the Ninety-Nine restaurant and I had the most yummy salad – just perfect for a fall day!

Apple Cider Chicken Salad
Crisp greens tossed with fresh green apples, glazed pecans, and celery in a creamy apple cider vinaigrette. Topped with grilled chicken, bleu cheese crumbles and brown sugar cinnamon croutons.

It really was fresh, the apple pieces were crisp, the romaine and other lettuce was fresh, and the croutons and dressing out of this world. The pecans were in fact teeny little pieces and not very many, and there weren’t many crumbles of blue cheese but there were just enough to be a treat! I would definitely recommend this!

And I recommend taking the time to see more of this wonderful country we live in! Spend your vacation dollars right here and explore some place new. Whether you drive the back roads of your own state or explore another area of the country, the good ol USA has so much to offer! I am so thankful that I live in this beautiful country and that I have been able to see so much of it over my lifetime – both with my parents and my hubby.

~**~**~**~**~**~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Until next time ~ warm hugs and prim blessings, Linda

October Blessings!

2011-10-02T11:46:00.002-04:00

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! It is here – October! My favorite month! Now more often than not, it will be cool and even if the day time temps rise, the nights cool off rather nicely. I don’t even mind the shorter days. It reminds me that it is time to once again start nesting for what is to follow. I love being at home and cozying up with a good book and a cup of my spicy chai tea. I love putting on my warm robe and slippers in the morning and soon I will need my electric heated mattress pad at night. That is fine with me. I think you know by now I’d rather have to find a way warm up than try to cool off. I like wearing socks with my clogs, and layers of clothing and feeling the nip of cold on my cheeks and seeing my breath in the morning air. I love pulling up the bedroom shades in the morning and seeing the brilliant play of colors in the trees, underbrush and every growing thing out back.

And all around me the colors are changing to warm autumn tones. There are even a few touches of color starting out back now…

I even love how different the light is coming into our home in the fall. The lower sun reflecting off the golden foliage just makes it feel warmer and softer and I think it flatters everything.

I have always loved the warm autumn colors. When we married, harvest gold and olive green were in vogue. Rusty colored carpeting was popular and I loved it all because it meant I had autumn in my home all year round. For a time I got away from some of those colors and used slate blue but never with pink ~ okay, maybe some pink in our daughter’s room ~ but never more than that. I paired it with barn red even back then. And I used mustard instead of harvest gold. Now once again, I am back to using warm colors in my home again even adding some touches of pumpkin here and there, and it just feels right to me. Autumn just feels right to me.

Of course autumn means I can add even more splashes of warm color to my world with my seasonal décor. I still haven’t finished taking pictures of the other rooms, so those will have to wait until another post. But I promise I have something MUCH better to take your mind off that ~ in a minute!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Maybe because it is October and that makes me so happy, or maybe it is just because the older I get, the more I appreciate the life I have ~ I am not sure but whatever the reason, today I have this an overwhelming feeling of how blessed I am!

Aside from the most obvious blessings in my life ~ being married over 36 years to a wonderful man who loves me despite my faults and supports all areas of my life and who still sends me love notes and poems; wonderful adult kids and a darling grand daughter who lights up my life in ways I never ever imagined; parents that still tell me all the time how much they love me and how proud they are of me; many wonderful friends and just as many wonderful acquaintances ~ I am blessed in so many other ways!

Here is the really cool thing that really makes me smile today ~ even though my life is incredibly full and busy right now ~ for the most part ~ I am doing what I want in life. From the little things like waking up when I want, and having coffee just the way I want it in the morning. Or choosing to stay home to do chores or going out with friends or helping family. Choosing to be Lili’s part time caretaker and choosing the days I do that.

I choose whether or not I want to work and when I want to work and even the kind of work. I choose what to make for dinner or if I am even going to make dinner. I think you get the idea! I am in charge of my own life and isn’t that the most wonderful thing??!! I think so and I love the choices I have!

Here are some of my favorite quotes about choice, destiny and what we make of our own life ~

We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same. ~Carlos Castaneda

This is your world. Shape it or someone else will. ~ Gary Lew

We cannot choose the things that will happen to us. But we can choose the attitude we will take toward anything that happens. Success or failure depends on your attitude. ~Alfred A. Montapert

It’s choice – not chance – that determines your destiny. ~Jean Nidetch

Life is a garden. It is an opportunity. You can grow weeds, you can grow roses; it all depends on you. ~ Osho

You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you have to make choices, and hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are. ~ Fred Rogers

We create our fate every day we live. ~ Henry Miller

It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. ~ Anthony Robbins

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Yesterday, I made the choice to spend the day with my dear friend Audrey and we had a great time antiquing, shopping and taking an historic home tour. I brought home some wonderful goodies and I’ll share those at another time. As I said, I have something better to share. In anticipation of the home tour, I got my Nikon Coolpix all charged up and laid it out the night before, and promptly took off without. GRR!! So I had to use my iPhone for pics. It’s good but not THAT good! But I think you will still enjoy seeing this home. In fact I KNOW you will enjoy seeing this home.

The home we toured belongs to Jack and Paula Fisher, proprietors of the Rusty Roosta in West Brookfield, MA. I first met Jack and Paula and saw their gorgeous home in November 2009 and it still remains one of my favorite homes ever! The historical details are amazing to begin with and then add in Jack and Paula’s wonderful antiques, collections, reproductions and how they display them along with their choices of paint colors and it all adds up to an incredible home. And I do mean incredible! It was such a pleasure to see it again!!

The front of the house..

Every season, the front door décor is so interesting! And see the side lights (windows)? See the little curtain on the top inside? Inside the bottom 2 are covered with a shutter that hinges open to reveal more light when needed! How cool is that?

The back of the house..The shop…

Now inside was harder to get with my iPhone because of the lighting and also keep in mind that there were many other people taking the tour so sometimes I snapped pics rather quickly!

The kitchen…

LOVE this room!

I have a better picture of this table coming in a bit…

And I LOVE this room…

Oh and I love this room..

and this room too!

What’s not to love about this gorgeous home! Now some of you may recognize the Fisher home from a recent issue of Country Sampler. To find out how that all came about and what part I played in them being featured (LONG before APP) you can read about it ~here~!

Now because I feel bad about forgetting my good camera and the quality of those new photos, I’ll share with you the photos I took 2 years ago when I had my little old trusty point and shoot with me. It was a total surprise to get invited in that day so I was thrilled I had it with me! They were just starting to decorate for Christmas that day and they were not expecting to open their home to us so this was a real treat!

Okay, here is the table!! HUBBA HUBBA!

And guess who just finished making herself a reproduction of this one?? I’ll give you a few clues. She moved to SC and her name starts with J! She is going to kill me because she just quickly snapped this. She painted her top black and distressed it. I can’t wait to see it in person in November!

Back to Jack and Paula’s house…

Wasn’t that fun?? Thank you Jack and Paula for having the tour this year ~ it was wonderful!

To find our more about the shop and special events click ~here~!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

This week Behind My Red Door we are so excited because my in~laws will be arriving from SC. This is something we never expected to happen again because of my FIL’s progressive lung disease and other complication that make traveling difficult. But he feels well enough at the moment to make the drive and they have found oxygen tanks they can charge in the car as they drive making it possible for him to travel. We hope to get lots of time together and MIL cannot wait to hold Lili again. Please keep them in your prayers as they make the 2 day journey home to us all. Thank you!

And thank you all for your kind and heart warming comments after my last post. You made me smile and sometimes cry, but in a the best way possible! And thank you for stopping by here once again.

Until next time ~ warm hugs and prim blessings, Linda

Reflecting on the past and contemplating the future…

2011-09-25T15:04:00.001-04:00

Happy September and Happy Fall!

It seems like just yesterday I was here saying I would be back sometime in September and here it is the last week of September already! There is so much to catch up on so here we go….

As if just on cue, when the Fall officially arrived, I noticed the first signs of color on the trees out back. We always enjoy some early color right outside the kitchen window. Did I ever tell you how much I love fall???

One reason I took a break was to decide if I would continue blogging. I know I have done that in the past but I believe in re-evaluating things in my life as my life circumstances change. With my parents needing me more than ever since my mom’s diabetes diagnosis, it was time to again revaluate. Over my break, I got some very kind and uplifting emails and comments that caused me to additionally stop and reflect on what I plan to do with my blog moving forward.

At times writing a blog almost feels like ‘bragging’ ~ bragging about the good parts of my life and my new purchases or newly finished projects. It is pretty self indulgent at times and that is one of the things I contemplated a lot. But I keep coming back to one of the main reasons I continued to blog for over 3 years. You see I found that by writing about the best parts of my life, it helped me focus on the good around me. Let’s face it, none of us have perfect lives or family situations. But I believe that life it what we make of it and also believe that focusing on the positive, speaking the positive and yes, even blogging the positive, is a better way to live than focusing on the less than positive aspects of life that we all deal with. I don’t pretend my life is perfect but I do know I am blessed in more ways than I can count!

For a long time I have kept a page of ‘great attitude’ quotes and some of my favorites are some of the most simple ones ~

"Positive attitudes create a chain reaction of positive thoughts."~ Unknown

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." ~ Art Linkletter

"We tend to live up to our expectations."~ Earl Nightingale

An attitude of gratitude creates blessings.
~Sir John Templeton

And so for now, I have decided that I am still a blogger. How often???? And will I get around to reading other blogs???? The most simple and best answer I can give you is “as time permits”.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

So what has happened since I was last here? Well there were hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes here in New England. Pretty exciting but very scary stuff. Thankfully Behind My Red Door and the immediate area were spared any serious damage. My heart goes out to all those affected by the recent weather tragedies and the fires in Texas.

The boring truth is that MOST of my time was spent on normal daily chores, projects, errands and family obligations. I spent time each week helping my parents and they each had several medical appointments that kept me hopping and will keep me hopping in the future. The good news is things seem to be falling into a routine and my mom’s diabetes is well regulated right now. Her blood pressure remains a problem we need to work on though.

I continue to care for Lili several afternoons a week. She seems to have gone from a toddler into a little girl overnight and she is a typical 2 year old making her wants very known. Sadly, I am not longer allowed to “eat her up”! She just takes that too literally now and looks at me with alarm. I can still get a lot of hugs and kisses and snuggles though and she loves to Skype with Bampee and I on the computer or Facetime on our IPhones. When we read, she loves Jack and the Beanstalk and jumps up to stomp around saying FEE FI FO FUM. Drawing and coloring in Meemee’s office is part of every afternoon she when is here,

and then painting and playing with my homemade play-doh are some of her other very favorite things to do right now ~

when she isn’t shopping! Just recently she asked me to take her to AC Moore for a scarecrow and paints! And of course she is still the smartest little girl I have ever known and I am not the least bit partial ~ I assure you. See ~ she even reads the phone book!!…I think she was planning her next shopping trip!

Her mop of curly hair is now long enough to go into a pony tail… making her look so grown up! She continues to be the light of our lives!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

I did read a few books and that was on the top of my list! I celebrated birthdays with a few of my closest friends and Mr. Red Door and I enjoyed having some dear long time friends as weekend guests. Our SIL to be had a birthday as well. It was the perfect opportunity to try a fresh blueberry pie recipe Audrey had shared.

Open Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

9” pie-crust baked and cooled
4 c blueberries, rinsed
1/2 c and 2 tbsp. water, divided
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
whipped cream (optional)
Measure out 1 c of the blueberries, choosing the softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan together with the 1/2 c water. Cover and bring them to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tbsp. of water. Set it aside.
When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for a few minutes or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.
Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Garnish w/ whipped cream if desired. Can you say YUMMO!!!!!!! We all declared it a new family favorite!!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

I did another stenciling job, this time in the master bedroom.

We replaced the louvered shutters in my office…

…with simple plain pine ones. I still want Mr. Red Door to make some wooden latches for them but for now I am enjoying the simplicity.

I snuck in a few different outings with different friends…

…and I came home with a few new treasures, like this Mary Beth Baxter original oil painting from Countryberries in Deerfield, NH…

…and this amber onion bottle from Frye’s Measure Mill in Wilton, NH…

…and 2 wonderful tavern signs…this one in Mr. Red Door’s office is painted on an old piece of a bread board…

…and this colonial gentleman now hangs in our bedroom and was painted on an old cupboard door (I’ll show you that in another post).

One of my most favorites finds is this runner made out of a piece of a thick old wool coverlet in mustard and pumpkin and cream. It is the very same fabric as one of the small pillows that I got in the late 80's or early 90's at the former shop at Maynard House in Westboro. I have always loved that fabric and the colors. It is a perfect fit on my coffee table …

The faux gourds, squash and pumpkins are for Lili. Whatever goes in my trencher everyday has to be safe for her. She loves to line them up and we count and sort them.

I did a little online shopping… …when it was too stinking hot or humid to go outside (which was WAY too often!) I found these gorgeous wooden fruit on the Picture Trail of my forum friend Pam. I don’t think she has any more of these for sale but you can find her ~here~ at Shade Tree Primitives.

And I found this pewter acorn bottle topper for my new amber bottle on one of my favorite online shops ~ Circa Home Living..You can find their online catalog ~here~!

We had 3 magazine signings events and they are the last I will be able to attend for the foreseeable future. It has been a lot of fun and just wonderful visiting shops that carry the magazine and meeting so many of our fans, but right now I am pulled in too many directions. If I am going to be away from my home, my family and friends, it will be for the photo shoots.

This fall season looks to be a very busy time for me and it already started. I had a small gathering here this weekend for several of my friends in the area for the wonderful Simple Treasures from the Past Show at the Walker Homestead so they could stop by after shopping. It was the perfect inspiration to do some fall cleaning and get the fall décor out.

I was so excited to meet my dear blogging friend Janet Latch and her hubby Don. They drove all the way from VA to go to the show and come to a my gathering. It was so much fun to meet her and it felt like we had sat and chatted in person many times before! She brought me two sweet gifts. This adorable little redware plate with a pumpkin and berries.She carries this plate and several other redware pieces as well other primitive and colonial treasures on her website Winter Willow Primitives. You can find it ~here~!

Janet also hand stitched this sweet pillow tuck for me and it looks great in my kitchen.

Janet also blogs under the same name and you can see her gorgeous primitive home on her blog by clicking ~here~! Thanks Janet and Don – it was wonderful to meet you and I will treasure both of my gifts and think of our visit every fall when I take them out.

My friends Laurie, Kathy, Paula and Jayne brought me a hostess gift as well ~ this wonderful okra garland! I think it looks wonderful against the red of my cupboard! Thanks ladies – I look forward to getting together again soon!I love time with my friends. I feels it’s important to me to connect with my gal pals… it helps keep me sane!

Mr. Red Door and I will make our annual fall foliage rides and those are high on my priority list! Soon I need to get my gardens ready for fall. Family dinners and family time, my folks needs and Lili will keep me busy the rest of the time.

On the work front, I just did a shoot last Saturday and I have several more photo shoots before the calendar turns to winter and at least three are out of state. In October, Audrey and I will travel to PA on our first ever overnight shoot and while we are in PA, we are meeting up with a few prim friends for a gathering at our hotel. I am so excited!!

In November I will travel to SC with my hubby and I will to stay with my dear friend Jill while Mr. Red Door heads a few hours east to spend time with his parents. I will shoot two homes while on that trip ~ Jill’s and my friend Kathy’s. Both gals have been making changes for months now in anticipation of the shoots so I can’t wait to see their homes in person and meet Kathy for the first time! And in the last few hours I have left before Mr. Red Door picks me up to make the two day drive home, Jill and I will have a gathering at her house with a few other prim friends and I am so excited about that too. I am sure I will be blogging to tell you all about those trips!

As I said, in anticipation of my gathering, I did some fall decorating and got my bittersweet finally. This is before I removed most of the leaves and placed it around the house.

I gave away a good part of my fall decor and now I am only using things I can fit in with my every day décor. Gone are the days when I swap out everything for my fall and then Christmas décor. It took me well over 20 years accumulating some of my treasures and putting them away for weeks or even months is just not what I want to do. Sometimes just adding the bittersweet is all that is needed!

Here are some peeks from around the living room, dining room and kitchen.

I have had this pillow for YEARS!!!!! I don’t even remember where I got it, but I love it.

I made this penny rug a few years ago. Back when I had time!

I got this pillow MANY years ago too!

I hope to share the rest of my fall décor the next time I am back. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting with me today. I appreciate your time and all the wonderful comments and messages.

Until next time…

hugs and prim blessings, Linda

See you in September …

2011-08-01T20:48:00.002-04:00

…See you when the summer's through!

After a lot of thought, I have decided that the rest of my summer will be spent blog free. Well, blog free except for an occasional post on the A Primitive Place & Country Journal blog~ like the sneak peek I have to share later this week. But Behind My Red Door is going on hiatus and I won’t be posting or answering comments or commenting on other blogs until the end of summer.

Do I mean the calendar end of summer or the traditional Labor Day end of summer? I am not sure. All I know is that
I want to read more, finish some projects and relax once in awhile and so something has to give right now. It can’t and I don’t want it to be my folks, Lili, time with the rest of my family and friends or work. So blogging is one of things that can go. I hope to be back come September ~ I know it will be hard to stay away but I need to give myself this break. I am shutting off comments until I am back.

I wish you all a wonderful August! Stay safe and I will..

…see you in September, see you when the summer's through!

Warm hugs and prim blessings, Linda

My Summer Vacation

2011-07-26T09:34:00.002-04:00

Do you take a vacation in the summer? Now that our kids are long out of the house, Mr. Red Door and I prefer to take our vacations when the weather is cooler. In fact MUCH cooler than the 100+ degrees we had last week. But I got to take a mini vacation this summer and it was a much needed respite from the stresses of life. I think most people in this position realize that as rewarding as it is to be in the position to help your parents in their time of need, we also need to take time for ourselves. My sister and I are careful to cover for each other in this way. She went to Disney for a week and I had a short break last week.

Long before my mom’s diabetes diagnosis my dear friend Jill had plans to travel home to Maine with Jim and their wee dog Sasha to see their families and then stop here and stay with us for 4 days on the way back to SC. There was only one problem with her trip ~ I think she brought the extreme heat and humidity with her! Boy it was HOT! 100+ two days and the high 90’s the other two. You know how much I enjoy the heat ~ NOT~ but that didn’t dampen our plans none the less!

Because there is very little prim shopping in her area, that was one of her two requests while she was here. And did we ever shop! She had a list of the stores she wanted to visit and I drove her to them. Two days in a row we were on the road as she checked off things on her MUST BRING HOME list. She could barely close the doors and trunk on her car when they left here! And since it was my summer vacation ~ minus hotel and meals costs ~ I took home some treasures as well. It’s no secret I have been on a mission to get back to a more colonial feel in my home and to that end, I am very pleased with my newest treasures and tweaking that resulted.

Three guesses (and the first two don’t count) on what was on the top of my list. YUP….

…some by Pied Potter Hamelin … LOVE Rick’s work….

..and I will actually be able to use the creamer and sugar because they are lead free.

This piece is by Stephen Earp….

The jug on the dry sink……and the plate on the center shelf below are by the potters at Old Sturbridge Village. The museum shop carries many pieces and the prices are reasonable and the purchase helps support the village.

This little folk art sheep made out of old textiles……and my new chair came from Homestead Primitives in Fitchburg, MA. They are having a sale until they close at the end of the day on Saturday July 30th for a month. 40% off upholstered and wooden furniture. Yes, you heard that right… 40% off. Now you know why this chair just had to come home with me!

And I just love this gorgeous sconce! Jill spotted it behind some other things in another store and I knew it was just what I needed for this spot.

I was plum broke after that but Jill was like the energizer bunny, she kept going and going and going. We had such fun with her last purchase, this yellowware chamber pot. I spotted it and wanted it but like I said, I was done, so she took it home. I will still get to enjoy it though, it will be placed on the bench at the foot of the bed in MY room at her house.

On Friday, we had a brunch here with our friends Laurie and Audrey, two of the gals she enjoyed visiting with when she lived up north still. Then she, Jim and Sasha put the last of her goodies in the trunk and headed home. It was a short but fun vacation break for me and being with a dear friend was just the perfect way to spend it. I will savor our time together forever.

It’s back to the grind this week. And thankfully for a short time at least the temps are lower. It won’t last long though so I am off to get some things done before I need to get my mom to one of her Drs appointments this week.

~**~**~**~**~

Today I am thankful for:

The slow steady rains we had enjoyed yesterday.

The cool temps overnight.

My generous and hard working hubby.

The pharmacy clerk who helped with my mom’s prescription mix up.

The end of the football lockout. Not for the overpaid players, but for the thousands of other workers in the concession stands, gift shops, field workers etc. who might not have a paycheck otherwise.

~**~**~**~**~

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. I hope wherever you are, you get much needed rains and more comfortable temperatures and a summer break as well!

Prim blessings and hugs, Linda

A quiz and giving credit where it is due!

2011-07-18T19:52:00.001-04:00

Are you ready for a quiz??

If you are then look at this picture closely…

Now tell me what is the biggest change in this next picture…

If you guessed the shutters you are correct so pat yourself on the back!

For some time now I have been trying to find a way to make colonial looking shutters and get rid of that large expanse of brown wood on the huge expanse of window that plagues the living room. There are 5 of those ugly windows and 10 shutters. You rarely ever see a picture with the entire sofa and window span because it is ugly and with a southern exposure ALL day, ALL year, it is a big challenge for me. The existing shutters were the perfect footprint, just not the perfect design. After 20 something years, they didn’t stay closed in either direction and they just weren’t my style anymore. I took the old shutters off the windows. I single handedly removed each and every louver in all 10 of the shutters. Go back to that first picture and see how many louvers are in each shutter. By the time I was done, I was so good at it, I could karate chop a brick!

Well maybe not.

Next I measured the opening created and had my DH cut 10 rectangles of thin luan wood slightly larger than the opening . Then I had him cut 4 pieces of trim for each shutter as well. I choose strips of lattice because it is flat and square and would match up nicely so he didn’t have to deal with mitered corners. He and miters are not friends. His wood cutting time was about an hour. He then spent the rest of the weekend golfing while I did the rest of the project. I am just sayin….

Next, I sanded all that wood he cut and attached the rectangles of wood on the front of the shutter to cover up all the opening left by each louver and the divot where the louver bar rested. Then I attached the 4 pieces of trim to each shutter – framing each piece of the new wood. Then while Mr. Red Door played 36 holes of golf, each shutter got 2+ coats of paint. And when they were dry, I rehung them and viola! I love the difference!

I already have plans to change the shutters in my office as well.I just haven’t told Mr. Red Door just yet. Shh! It will be our secret for now!

I have done more even more tweaking here and there since I took those pictures and and I’ll share some of that with you as well. Some changes are minor and some, like the new paint color on the back of the bench…

… and another Kathy Graybill tavern sign are more obvious.

This wall is still a work in progress and really challenging me!!

And more changes… wait – didn’t I just show you this corner? LOL Yup, right after I started this post a few days ago, I finished painting this wonderful shelf that was a gift from my friends Jill and Kathy and I hung it up all myself while Mr. Red Door was golfing. He is always willing to help, but sometimes I can’t wait! So I hung it up and it needed to be decorated and well, you know how that goes…

…you change one thing and move another and before you know it, 10 place need tweaking. My new candelabra didn’t fit well in front of the shelf…

…so I put one of my jug lamps there instead. And I took the large redware platter off my big shelf over my settee…

…and then THAT shelf needed tweaking.

And then of course I needed to move my candelabra but it didn’t look good on the dry sink that was here.

And truth be known, I have had plans to move the dry sink to my bedroom anyway! I am just waiting for a blanket chest I am having made for this spot. I won’t be getting that until I go to SC in November but I decided to move the dry sink to my bedroom now anyway (maybe ONE room can get finished) and this little cupboard will fill in until the blanket chest comes home with me. The blanket chest will be a big bigger but this gives me a good idea of how nice a solid piece will look there.

By the way, are you keeping track of all of this because I just might need to quiz you again.

So the living room was all coming together nicely…

..until I got my package in the mail from Circa Living today. I had ordered a larger plate for the shelf so I could put the smaller one back in the dining room where it came from.

And the mustard candles went here and I put the green ones back in the dining room too. The dining room is happy now. By the way, you can visit Circa Home Living by clicking ~here~! Noel and Verge choose the nicest pieces to sell! Now I am done in there for awhile.

I think.

Did I tell you that Jill is coming tomorrow for 4 days and we are going shopping. I am just sayin…

The dining room needs some more work but I am happy with this corner looking into the kitchen.

I did a bunch of tweaking in the kitchen too and when Mr. Red Door admired the finished shutters I told him that the kitchen cabinets would look WONDERFUL in the same color and I would do all the work myself …

..and as you can see, it didn’t work. Phooey!

When I went to Walker Homestead’s Simple Treasures of the Past show in June, I picked up the two marbled redware pieces I had ordered from Rick Hamelin of Pied Potter Hamelin redware.

I wanted lead free food safe jars for my counter. I just love these! To go to Rick’s website, click ~HERE~. Rick and his wife Garine will be at the show in September so make your wish list now! Mine is growing!

More tweaking…

This is just for Kris and Audrey…here is the dry sink in the master bedroom along with the blanket crane that used to be in the living room.

I also took home the little plate on the top shelf and the little bowl on the bottom shelf from Rick and Garine’s booth at Walker Homestead and they live in my bedroom now. Yes, my list for the next show is growing…

~**~**~**~**~**~**

Outside My Red Door, we enjoyed the hatching of 10 more ducklings. Momma took them to the brook shortly after they were born as she always does but the next evening we noticed them back at the nest. They were all wet and Momma was acting rather frantic. We know that once they are born, they don’t usually come back to the nest and it wasn’t until the next day that our neighbor told us he had scooped them out of his in ground pool! He saw Momma duck lead them all in but the ducklings could not get out. Luckily George saw them and using his skimmer, he rescued them. Why Momma did that when the brook is right there and why she then took them back to the nest is a puzzle to us. We haven’t seen them since but it sure was a treat to have her hatch 2 broods here this year!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

I always say this is not my dream home but where our dreams come true. And this week, it became OUR home in every sense of the word when Mr. Red Door paid off our mortgage years ahead of schedule! WOOHOO!!!!! We could have done it years ago, but everyone knows that he has spread sheets for things like this. And he had it figured out to the day and to the penny when it was no longer fiscally smart to keep the mortgage and Tuesday was the day. My man may not be able to handle a miter cut but he can manage a multi million dollar spread sheet down to the penny and that’s no exaggeration! Unfortunately the millions aren’t ours! Shucks! So while you all know that that I we don’t always agree on painting wood, I want to give credit where it is due because I am blessed that my wonderful husband has taken such good care of his family and all that time I have always known that he was planning ahead for our senior years as well. No mortgage will just add to that security. Now if it were up to me, I'd put that money each month into an account for ME to spend on redware, pewter, antiques and more, but something tells me he will want to stick it in our retirement account. And truth be told, I am glad he will!

~**~**~**~**~**~

And before I go, I really need to give more credit where credit is due. I got so many wonderful comments and emails after the last post about A Primitive Place and Country Journal’s anniversary issue and I appreciate every single one of them. But I need to clarify that the magazine is no way MY magazine. I know it may seem different because I am one of the more visible faces of the magazine, but I only play a small part in it’s huge success. I came aboard after it was conceived and already in the works, at first as just a friend helping friends and then later as a part time employee. I am not in charge of it in any way, shape or form. I have always worked hard to help promote it and share it with everyone because I wanted to help friends achieve success for their magazine. And because I love primitive decorating and I love sharing it with everyone. I love meeting homeowners and shopkeepers who share this passion. I love sharing their homes and shops with you and readers of the magazine. As you can tell by now I am not shy so sharing this passion just comes naturally to me. The fact that it eventually turned into a part time job that brings me a little bit of pocket money occasionally is just a bonus. I am very blessed that I can fit it in around my families needs – because my family always comes first.

So again, thank you for all the wonderful sentiments but they need to be shared with the Editor and Publisher Kristine ~ who does so much of the work herself ~ along with the rest of the other dedicated and very hard working employees. You can see all their names and positions on the APP blog.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Jill, Jim and their dog will be arriving here tomorrow so I best post this and get to some last minute things.

Today I am thankful for some things that bear repeating:

This roof over our heads that is all ours!

I can’t say it often enough – our window a/c units (as ugly as they are!)

Reliable electricity. Thank you SELCO!

Peapod grocery delivery

My wonderful family

and all of you that come by and make Behind My Red Door part of your day. I appreciate you!

Prim blessings and hugs, Linda

A very special sneak peek at the fall issue….

2011-07-11T20:53:00.001-04:00

Tonight on Facebook, and on the APP blog, A Primitive Place unveiled some sneak peeks at the fall issue – and some big news! I have copied the news as written by the Editor Kristine Berg-Doss into this blog post. I hope you enjoy!

Cover photo from the home of Loretta and Ray Spiak. "Its a WonderFall Life" written by Dan Weaver.

Photography by Linda Rudman.

Fall 2011 Issue

With this issue, we commemorate the one year anniversary of A Primitive Place magazine! To celebrate, we have incorporated some exciting new changes! The first change that you may have noticed already is the addition of Country Journal to our name. We are very excited about the new name, the new look and the additional content. A Primitive Place & Country Journal will be what A Primitive Place was plus more! We have added more pages to an already great magazine!
With the addition of the new name, we have added a new section. In our new Homesteading section, we will be offering practical advice on gardening, food, health, saving money and overall, ways to achieve a simpler way of life, for both the urban and country lifestyle. In this issue you will read about canning & stocking your pantry, the history of the butter churn, how to make homemade butter, harvesting & freezing apples, using coupons to save money & “The Homesteader’s Journal.” In this issue, the article in “The Homesteader’s Journal is entitled “River Cats: Reeling on the Red.” We will feature a different story or showcase a special event in each issue that will be directed a little bit more towards the men out there.

Home of Loretta and Ray Spiak "It's a WonderFall Life" Written by Dan Weaver.

Photography by Linda Rudman.

~**~**~**~**~

Home of David & Lana Testa "Falling for Primitives" Written by Dan Weaver.

Photography by Linda Rudman.

~**~**~**~**~

Home of Maria Cardillo and John Nealon. "A Cornucopia of Primitives" Written by Dan Weaver.

Photography by Linda Rudman.

~**~**~**~**~

Home of Cathy Liddell "The Power of a Pioneering Spirit" Written by Jeremy A. Doss.

Photography by Linda Rudman

~**~**~**~**~

Home of Karen Gerhart "A Colonial Transformation" Written by Dan Weaver.

Photography by Karen Gerhart

~**~**~**~**~

Garden Sheds. Photography by Linda Rudman

~**~**~**~**~

Special Feature: Ghoultide Gathering "A Halloween Artist Spectacular"

~**~**~**~**~
And here is a little additional sneak peek…

THE 5th in The APP Collector Series
Percy, our " Not So Scary" Scarecrow, stands 11" tall. He is a great addition to your fall decor. A grungy gourd head, a flannel coat with handcrafted stars and a hand dyed mustard cheesecloth hat give him such a folky look, that you just might want to leave him out all year long! The only thing he is scared about, is that someone might take his new fall issue of A Primitive Place Magazine! Each is handmade by the artist Lana Testa of Winterberry Primitives with our original design.

It is going to be a great issue and you don’t want to miss out on it!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Things are crazy busy Behind My Red Door lately but I did ~~have~~ make time to do a pretty decent project this past weekend. My online time has been cut drastically with all the time I spend driving back and forth to my folks house. On top of that, next week Jill arrives for 4 days with Jim and their dog Sasha, so I have to turn Lili’s playroom into a guest suite this weekend. But I still hope to have time to share my project with you soon! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Until then, prim blessings and hugs, Linda

Who has time to rest??

2011-06-23T22:53:00.002-04:00

Phew!! It sure has been busy Behind My Red Door. All that time to just be at home that I was planning for… well it hasn’t materialized just yet!! I am hopeful that I can find some soon though!! Week days are still filled with Lili time, magazine work and lots of trips back and forth to my folks home to care for then and get them to appointments etc. Just when I think I can breath (and stay home!) something else creeps up out of the blue. I am a planner and organizer and I have to truly learn to take one day at a time.

But despite all that, there has been some fun on the weekends too! Mr. Red Door and I and our grown kids all went to a wedding of a family friend. The groom Jeff, is a friend of both our Jay and Jen, and his folks Jim and Sandy are our friends – so it was a treat for all six of us to celebrate the special occasion. We saw so many of the ‘kids’ that were familiar faces in our kids lives during high school and college years.

The venue was right up my alley – full of antiques and history – just a wonderful setting for a wedding!

I was happy to know my ticker had been tested Mr. Red Door and I danced the night away with all the young uns and and it was a blast.

The very next day, Jay and Ang hosted an early 2nd birthday party for our sweet Lili at their home and she was so excited to see so many friends and family and just run around with her friends and cousins.

I think she looks so grown up with her curls pulled up into a pony tail!

Of course she enjoyed blowing out her candles…

…and opening presents too!

It’s hard to believe 2 years have gone by since she came into our world. She continues to be the light of our lives and a blessing to us each and every day!

~**~**~**~**~**~

That day was fun for me for a different reason too! Our local paper did an article on a home that was featured in Country Sampler magazine recently and I am quoted in the article. I had put the home owners in touch with Franklin and Esther Schmidt, the team that photographed our home for CS a few years ago. I had the pleasure of seeing inside this gorgeous home and Jack and Paula graciously let me take pics and I blogged about it ~here~!

To read the article, click here –> Rusty Roosta has a Reason to Crow!

Jack and Paula Fisher’s beautiful home ~ photo by Franklin and Esther Schmidt

Of course that was well before APP Magazine was even thought of – I now save my prim home connections for us!

~**~**~**~**~**~

On Saturday the 18th, I spent a wonderful day at the Walker Homestead’s Simple Treasures from the Past show.

If you love New England and antiques and fine quality primitives, this show is a must!! I helped my friend Lana Testa of Winterberry Primitives at her booth. Lana makes the wonderful dolls and bears for each issue of APP magazine and her home will be featured in the fall issue that is coming out this summer! She has become a dear friend and kindred spirit!

Her dear friend Linda was there to help too

as well Lana’s husband David.

We all had a wonderful time together.

My friend Judy Coffey from Country Plus in Hopkinton had the booth next door to Lana’s and she shared it with Cathy Liddell and Kathy Holland. Lots of eye candy here!

Judy’s home will be in the Holiday issue this year and Cathy’s home will also be in the fall issue this year!

I met several bloggers, and followers of my blog and saw prim friends I haven’t seen in a while and it was just a awesome show! Kris and Doreen and their families out do themselves and it just gets better and better!

I spent some of my money here at American Country Rugs and took home a darling hooked rug! You can find their website ~here~.

And here…

…at Pied Potter Hamlin Redware and Kalina Folk Art. Rick Hamlin and his wife Gariné Arakelian make all these gorgeous pieces you see here. I had ordered two jars so I took them home as well as a small plate and bowl.

You know how I ‘love me some redware’ and I already had several of their pieces and was so excited to see they would be at the show this spring. I could have taken it all home!

If you are looking for beautiful pieces to display or lead free food safe pieces you can actually use, you can see more of their work and order pieces on their website ~here~.

(I hope to have time to take pics of my new treasures this weekend and will share them the next time I am back!)

And because I know you are dying to see what I passed up (at least for now!!),here are more pictures from the show ~ be prepared to drool…

Oh LOOK! It’s Maria from Maria’s Primitives and Country Culture! Her home will be in the fall issue as well – it is going to be a great issue and Kristine has promised us all some surprises!!

Maria’s booth was hopping!

Oh look – she is having a Fall Open House on September 10th from 10 – 4 and we will be there from 10-2! Make your plans to join us now!!

This belongs booth belongs to Hometown Antiques from West Brookfield, MA. It was great to finally meet Cindy in person!

If you don’t want to miss out on all the fun, antiques and prim shopping and meeting so many great people, here is a head’s up on the next Simple Treasures show in September. Brookfield is just minutes from Sturbridge so make a weekend of it!!

I will be there shopping and I hope to see a lot of you there as well!

~**~**~**~**~**~

On Father’s Day, Lili’s actual birthday, she enjoyed some swimming at her other Grammy’s house…

and later in the day, my family all met at our folks home. The weather was perfect and we brought in all the fixins for a backyard cookout.

Both Bampee…

and I enjoyed some snuggle time with our sweet birthday girl!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

And then on Tuesday the 21st, this couple…

celebrated 36 years of married life with a quiet dinner out and a long ride in the country. I have often said how much we enjoy long rides together and it was just what the Dr. ordered this week!

And speaking of weddings, our Jen has picked a venue and set the date!! 10/13/12 we will be celebrating at a gorgeous country club venue in the country. The ceremony and reception will take place inside this historic home. I am so excited she choose this as the place to celebrate her marriage. Now the planning can begin in earnest!

Today I am thankful for:

Sharing 36 years with a wonderful man

Having 4 generations together on Father’s Day

The fun and excitement of planning a wedding with my daughter

Being able to drive a well made safe vehicle with many safety features

The helpful cheerful clerk at the pharmacy

Thanks for once again making time to stop by!

Until next time – prim blessings, Linda

Doing what I love best…

2011-06-10T19:30:00.000-04:00

…okay second best! I love being with my family best, but coming in a close second is decorating. What?? You didn’t know that??

I just love being the keeper of our home. But I often wonder how it happens that some of us are this way and others are not. My sister could care less about being at home, maintaining a home, or decorating a home even though we were raised by the same mother who did it all from upholstery to drapery making to furniture refinishing to canning her own produce from her own gardens. Martha Stewart couldn’t begin to compare to my mom before Alzheimer’s robbed her of all that.

My daughter is not nearly as interested in cooking, decorating, and domestic arts as I am either. I know she loves and appreciates what I do, but she is not like me at all in that way. Then again, I can’t dance and do the splits like she can either! Whatever makes some of this way, I am really glad I do enjoy it. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than making a house a home and haven for me, Mr. Red Door, family and friends.

Okay, I will admit, for some us though it goes waaaay beyond that. Yes, we belong to a special group. Tweakers International I am calling it. I saw those homes in the summer issue of APP that were across the big pond and I know many a prim decorator up there in Canada and I see visitors from all the world who stop by my blog so it isn’t limited to just in the good ole USA. I volunteer to be the first President of this new group. Are you ready to join?? I am collecting the dues right now. What dues you ask? Your dues are one piece of redware or an antique basket or piece of pewter. Just leave me a message if you need my mailing address. Not sure if you qualify for this exclusive group? Well if this describes you, get ready to join…

We can’t leave well enough alone. We get it just right and take 300 pictures from every angle on every camera setting during the day and at twilight. We burn our $12 beeswax candles down to the nub to get the pictures just right. Then we post the pics on our blog and FB and Picture Trails and before the web pages are even published we have already tweaked it and of course it is EVEN BETTER, so we have to start all over again. Sound like you or some you know?? Who just said MY name out loud? I heard YOU! Are you ready to join yet??

Well thank goodness for us – huh? Same old same old would get pretty darn boring, wouldn’t it? LOL I can hear the men folk saying “NO NO NO! I want same old same old. Just once I want to come home and know EXACTLY where everything is.”

Poor Mr. Red Door. The only time the house didn’t change was when I was in the hospital! He didn’t even get a chance to enjoy same old as he was so worried about me. Recently when I asked for his help to un-assemble a bit piece of furniture, he asked me “Honey, why do we have to keep changing things?’” I told him “We can keep the same house and I can keep changing things in it or we can keep changing houses. It’s no different than you going to play golf over and over and over. You have already hit the little white ball on the same course with the same clubs hundreds of times but you keep doing it to see if the outcome is different – better. It’s the same with me and my decorating. I need to see if the outcome is different – better. Tell you what, I’ll quit when you quit.” He just smiled and went golfing. Good man!!

So that is what I do and why. And I am here to share it all with you and I won’t even bother to explain what has already changed since I took these pictures. HA!!

You know I love me some redware and I got 2 new pieces recently from Turtlecreek Pottery. I put this plate here in the dining room. Lili is fascinated with this little bureau lately so the décor is set up with things she either ignores or can’t hurt.

And I got a wee little plate too and put it in my office ~ which has seen a lot of changes. Notice I didn’t call it office/guest room anymore?

This is to the left as you stand in the doorway.

And more changes in here…. this is straight ahead when you stand in the doorway…

This is where I blog. That red cabinet on top of my desk was in the laundry room/bathroom downstairs but someone told me I needed it upstairs somewhere. So I moved it up here. Well Mr. Rd Door moved it up here. I won’t tell you what he wanted me to say to my friend with that bright idea! Good thing she lives all the way down in Columbia, SC.

Oh now look at that? Is she not the cutest little bear sitting there. Want a closer look?

Why it is one of the very special A Primitive Place magazines collectors series summer bears. Hand crafted and designed exclusively for APP by the very talented Lana Testa of Winterberry Primitives. Well look at her, she can’t bear to part with her summer issue!

To order YOUR very own APP collectors bear or any of the previous dolls in the series, you can click ~here~.

To go to Lana’s blog, click ~here~. Hopefully she will be sharing some of her garden pictures soon! Her home and yard are just gorgeous! How do I know… well just wait for the fall issue for that answer!

So continuing around the room…

Yes, I know, I still haven’t hid that TV. Some things take time you know….

Going around to this corner… did you notice something missing? It is the daybed we moved down to the family room.

Now when I have an overnight guest, they will have privacy, a TV, a microwave and dorm refrigerator at their disposal and access to their own bathroom for their stay. Oh no, I guess that means I need to find something to replace the red cupboard we moved up here won’t I?

I moved an older wing back chair up from the family room so I have a place to read and relax. And I moved my little antique desk and ladder back from the living room in here too. I am not quite done with this space, but it is getting there. I am looking for just the right piece to replace that shelf/peg rack and I’d love a new chair at some point.

So you ask, what took the place of the desk in the living room? Well the dry sink of course! Remember I got the antique dough box table and new lamp for over here where the dry sink used to be? I already tweaked this since you last saw it and put my old black stockings on the blanket crane.

So here is the dry sink and the AWESOME new Kathy Graybill tavern sign I got to hang above it.

I am in love!

I got it from one my favorite sources for colonial goodies Circa Home Living. I have admired tavern signs in several homes for some time now and I decided I just had to have one. Circa Home Living has several different styles to choose from so it was hard to decide. But the colors and size and design of this one spoke to me. If this speaks to you or to see the other designs offered, you can go their online catalog if you click ~here~! Noel and Verge are a pleasure to do business with!

See the black iron candle holder? They sell that in their catalog too. They also have opened Circa Home Sampler in Nobleboro, ME in the Nobleboro Antique Exchange if you are in the area. I need to find myself in that area sometime soon! You can read more about it on their blog if you click ~here~.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Most of this post was written before I had my little stay in the hospital so I wanted to take time now to say thank you for all of the well wishes and prayers and comments after my last post. I am so sorry that so many others are also feeling the same stresses in their lives while doing their best to help ill and aging parents, but it is a comfort to know there are others to commiserate with. It is both immensely rewarding and immensely difficult at the same time.

This once again reminds me that bloggers and prim friends are truly the best! If we could bottle up all the love and goodwill I have seen in blog land since I started blogging over 3 years ago and we spread it out to places that need it the most, there would be no more war or hunger or poverty. I am sure of that! And to be on the receiving end of some of that goodwill is just the most amazing feeling ever. I felt so warm reading all the comments and prayers and love. My eyes leaked more than once. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!

Until next time – prim blessings, Linda

It started out like any other day…

2011-06-08T20:41:00.002-04:00

...in fact I was really enjoying the last week or so. Having to be close to home for my mom’s blood tests, meals and sometimes injections, I had been spending some time revaluating how I want to spend my time when I am not not watching Lili, taking care of my parents needs, doing my magazine work and caring for our home and gardens. Everyone keeps telling me – “make time for yourself.”

So I made some time to do what I love ….…which is decorating of course!

In fact, I was feeling pretty good. Concerned about my mom’s needs and where all this is going for my folks of course, but feeling OK for the most part. And Monday morning was a pretty typical day –other than being tired from not much sleep. That happens to me periodically though so no concerns. I did some chores and I made the drive to my folks house where I tested my mom’s sugar and made their lunch. I chatted with my sister about a low blood sugar level my mom had. I talked with my dad about making an appointment for my mom because of some vision concerns and when I could do that. Just before I left their house, my DIL Angela sent a text that Lili was asleep so I grabbed 2 bites of the low carb, heart healthy meatloaf I had made for my folks knowing it would be some time before I could have my own lunch. Boy, was it ever a long time! LOL

I got to my son’s house, and settled on the couch with the baby monitor close by until Lili woke up. I am not a daytime TV watcher but I was happy to see Oprah’s new network on their cable line up and I started to watch a new very uplifting show.

Sitting there, I suddenly felt a very brief and very mild pinchy feeling in the center of my chest. I thought – humm, wonder what that was?? It didn’t feel like acid reflux or anything like that. Within seconds I felt very light headed and I laid down on the couch and the feeling took over my whole body as if I was going to faint. Then my heart started pounding out of my chest. I quickly called my DIL and told her what I was feeling, I told her to call my hubby and get him to come there to watch Lili (he works just 5 minutes away) and to call an ambulance. I was thankful she was safely in her crib. The first episode seemed to start to go away but came back even stronger and I remember thinking – ‘don’t close your eyes. Fight to stay awake’ which I did.

By the time the EMT’s got me into the ambulance, the EKG was good and I actually felt much better but I knew it was best to be checked out. I was taken to a hospital that has a world renowned cardiac unit and I was very quickly evaluated. All initial tests came back well within normal. They never even gave me aspirin or attached a bag of saline to the port in my arm. I thought I would be released but because there seemed to be no typical explanation for how I felt, there were some concerns I might have an atypical arrhythmia for the first time, so they wanted me to stay longer for additional testing , which I was happy to do. I won’t go into all the details, but I will say I never blacked out or had any other chest pain, or any other typical symptoms or even any of the atypical ones you read about woman having when they have a heart attack. And my B/P , cholesterol and blood sugar have always been well within normal ranges and were in the hospital as well.

Knowing I had no heart damage etc., I REALLY didn’t want to stay overnight though. I had a bad experience the last time I spent a night in the hospital after a reaction to anesthesia in day surgery in 2002. Since then I have referred to that as the longest and hardest 24 hours of my life. But even though they said that my risk factor was very low, the attending even called my family Dr. to get him to convince me to stay overnight for more monitoring and observation “just in case”, more blood work and so that an important test that could be done early the next day. THEN I could go home. EARLY they told me. In this case, the Drs you see in the cardiac unit follow you up to the floor even so it would be the very same team facilitating my release. They went so far to promise me a REALLY GOOD sleeping med with Benadryl as extra backup so I could get a good night’s sleep, which was a HUGE concern of mine ~ especially because I was already sleep deprived at the moment. I told myself “listen Linda, you are in one of the best cardiac units in this country. Don’t be stupid. Listen to these Drs. With the promised meds, you’ll sleep and before soon it would be over. You have your phone and Ipad, a TV, a bed and bathroom. And it will come with peace of mind in the end.”

So I agreed to the admission and a few hours later was moved to a room. As I was being wheeled down the hall, I was so excited to see they were all private rooms. Until they got to mine. I won’t even tell you the word that came to mine. I was told at that point – you’ll be in the bed by the window… Okay, I thought, that is the best spot by the a/c at least. NOPE! Within seconds it became clear that the room mate had moved over there. Again, another bad word came to mind.

It began as soon as I sat down ~ I mean SANK down on the bed. It was a rubber air mattress that constantly deflated and occasionally inflated. They quickly got me a ‘regular better mattress’. Then I met my roommate. She informed me that she was freezing being next to the cooling unit, so they turned the a/c to warmer and I was roasting ~ ok truthfully ~ sweating all night long. I suggested we switch beds so I could enjoy the cool air since I was very uncomfortable in the heat but she also insisted she wanted to enjoy the night sky which meant the curtains were left open and despite the flimsy curtain between our beds, the room was awash with bright all night long from the spotlights on the parking structure outside the window.. The ‘better” bed was not. I could feel every bit of metal under the thin mattress and my hip joints ached after a few hours. My roommates noisy visitors left around 10 PM and her constant phone calls stopped. Did I mention she was hard of hearing so she had her TV blasting and her cell phone ringer on loud?

So finally I had that sleep med that I was so excited to get around 11 and settled in to enjoy a nice night of sleep. It didn’t even make me woozy. One drink would have done more. I had the Benadryl too – again feeling lie this would do the trick.

Of course there were the important and necessary interruptions during the night for blood enzyme levels and heart monitoring etc. Hers and mine. I know those can’t be helped. She slept through both of our interruptions and snored like a freight train. In fact the next day she told me she slept very well. I only said “ I know, I heard you.” She laughed. I didn’t. I was awake ALL night long.

I was so excited to leave my room for the early morning echocardiogram and was even more excited when I was told I was cleared to go home shortly. WOOHOO I thought. The sign on the wall said they wanted patients to be released by 11 AM so make sure your ride was there BEFORE 11 AM. That works for me I thought then. Now ~ I don’t think they know the definition of 11 AM or ‘shortly’.

My roommates first visitor came bright and early and for the next 9 hours I had to listen to their loud conversations of religious and political beliefs with her son swearing and talking death and illness. I was very patient until around 1 PM, and then I very nicely told every nurse, aide, intern, and resident that would listen that I was beyond exhausted. That I was on total sensory overload, and feeling MUCH worse than when I went in there. They all claimed that they tried to get my paperwork moved along. I reminded them they needed my bed for much sicker patients who had been in Cardiac ER hallway all night long.

I knew I could just sign myself out and pack up and leave but of course I didn’t want to do any of that without the proper release papers signed. I didn’t want to make a stink. I know how overworked and underpaid most of the staff are. But I also knew my sanity was being sorely tested. I reminded myself I was blessed to know my heart is sound. That I had a wonderful hubby to go home to. I prayed. I meditated. I read my eBook on my Ipad. I emailed a few close friends. I joined my roommate and her daughter in conversation until I couldn’t take the innuendos and slurs any more. I walked up and down the hall. I remade my bed. I washed up over and over. I changed my skivvies and johnnie 3 times to cool off. I did everything in my power to stay cool, occupied and to take my mind off the heat, discomforts and the constant loud voices and beeping of monitors and alarms. But I needed it to end.

What it FINALLY took to get released was for me to say to someone was that ~ ~ I need some peace and quiet. I need the loud voices to stop. I need the beeping to stop. I need some sleep. I need a cool room with less light. I need to go home. My husband is on his way now and I do know how to safely remove my IV.

Guess who was back with signed papers, and a wheelchair in 5 minutes. I was finally free and all it took was 9 hours and me acting psychotic. It was now after 5 PM.

I have never been so happy to be home. It never looked so good. We had a nice dinner, I had a hot shower and as soon as I had some time to unwind, I went to bed. And slept 12 hours last night and I have done nothing today!

Is this really the worst thing that has ever happened to me? No. Do I ever want to go through a long totally sleepless night on sensory overload again? No. Is this just a blip compared to what some people endure in a hospital with serious illness and accidents? Of course. Would I still have had my DIL call for an ambulance knowing what I know now? Yes. (Did I really say that?)

Because if I hadn’t gotten checked out, every time I felt the slightest odd feeling and I was alone with Lili or driving a car, I would wonder if something bad would happen. And while this doesn’t guarantee nothing bad will ever happen, I know my ticker is ticking and pumping like it should and has no evidence of any tissue damage either.

So what happened? So far there are no answers. The fact that I didn’t loose consciousness bodes well. In fact all my tests bode well. Many things were ruled out. Did stress cause this? Maybe. Did anxiety play a part in this… while I don’t believe it caused it, I definitely feel it exacerbated it once it started. Other than tired, I feel fine.

So what now? I believe everything happens for a reason and I need to learn from this. I believe I need to work even harder on managing stress and being less ‘anal’. I feel I have done a good job of letting go of so many things as I age. I am not nearly the perfectionist I used to be but I am sure I can find more ways to ‘let it go’.

I am blessed to have learned my heart is sound and it’s my job to keep it that way. My resolve to eating the right kids of food is doubled now. I have slipped up too many times.

I am going to spend more time where I like being the most. ~ in our home. I will continue to do my best for my folks, watch Lili 3 afternoons a week and work part time for the magazine. But I will say NO more often to others though and YES to me.

So why even tell you about this?? First it was therapeutic for me to write this out. I know I sound like I was just being a crazy person, but sleep deprivation and sensory overload does that to me. Go figure. I should have been more insistent about the a/c and closing the curtains and other things. And secondly, I have been truly blessed with well over a combined 150 emails and comments asking me if I am OK, what happened etc. I wanted to make sure the word got out – that I am OK and this is the best way to reach you all. And with the details too so I don’t have anyone hypothesizing either. I have to trust these world renowned cardiologists, residents, and interns. All of them – and believe me I saw MANY. How lucky I am live to so close to such a wonderful hospital.

And if you happen to be someone I say NO to, I hope this gives you an understanding of why.

But most importantly, I wanted to tell my story if I could help just one person take seriously the effects of stress, or the need to pay attention to your health, and that you really need to speak up and be your own advocate where your health is concerned. My outcome with respect to this is positive. When it comes to your health, please take the actions you need to make sure yours is too.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers, calls, emails, comments and concern. I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me.

Today I am thankful for:

EMT’s, Paramedics and other emergency response personnel

Modern EKG machines

Cardiac blood markers

Echocardiograms

The entire cardiac team that cared for me and all the personnel in the hospital from cleaning to food service to record keeping and beyond.

Until next time ~ prim blessings, A very grateful Linda

PS ~ The next time I am back I will share some pics of my decorating changes and a wonderful APP surprise I got in the mail today!! Thank you Kristine!!

PSS ~ it was also the 39th anniversary of meeting Mr. Red Door. I gave him an anniversary present to remember!!

After the storms….

2011-06-02T11:00:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to make a brief post because I have been contacted by many online friends and followers asking about our safety after the devastating tornadoes touched down in MA yesterday afternoon and evening.

My entire family is fine and as far as I know right now, the same with my friends. We so thankful we lived through the frightening storms without any damage to our homes and properties. But that is not the case just 20 minutes west of me and 10 minutes south of me, and friends have friends who have lost everything.

Many of you know about the towns of Brimfield – the famous Brimfield Flea Market is world renowned – and neighboring Sturbridge with it’s historic Sturbridge Village. Both towns were hit and sustained damage, and there is one confirmed death from a campground in Brimfield. And further west of those towns there is much more damage in Westfield, Springfield, Monson and other towns. All told we are told 18- 20 communities have been affected, some by more than one tornado. Right now 4 deaths are confirmed and search and rescue goes on as clean up begins.

For many reading this tornado warnings are a way of life ~ but not around here. We seldom even have a watch, never mind a full warning. And because tornadoes are so very rare here and of those that do touch down, most are very weak and dissipate quickly without doing any measureable damage, we do not have the warning systems like sirens that other parts of the country have. In fact the first touch down caught even seasoned meteorologists off guard yesterday afternoon. While they warned the weather was ripe for one, there was little warning that one was forming. Thankfully after the initial touchdown, the warnings went out immediately and for the rest of us in the path of those storms were able to take cover ~ if we were even aware of the warnings. My town’s cable broke into programming and warned us to move to basements or otherwise take shelter because those cells were going to pass directly over us. But again, because they are so rare, not everyone was listening to radio or TV.

It was a long and frightening afternoon and evening. Today as I watch the constant coverage on TV, I am still shaken and upset at what I am seeing. When it comes this close, it is indeed an eye opener and painful reminder of the fury of Mother Nature and how there is often little we can do when she let’s loose her fury.

This picture from Monson, MA shows just a minute example of damage. Our friend who took this less than a mile from his home, has friends who lost their homes entirely…

My thoughts and prayers go out to all affected by these storms and all the other storms that have plagued our nation recently.

Stay safe everyone and whenever you hear a weather warning – pay attention and take cover. Just because it ‘never happens in your area’ doesn’t mean it can’t and won’t. Yesterday is proof of that.

Today I am thankful for ~

The safety of my family and friends

Clear skies and cooler temps – especially for those searching for survivors and starting the clean –up

FEMA, MEMA and all the other agencies helping the hard hit areas

Modern technology that warns us of these storms

The care and concern of so many of you – thank you!

Until next time – blessings, Linda

Keeping it real…

2011-05-26T20:21:00.004-04:00

Life isn’t always sunshine and lollipops so I have to warn you, because of some new developments in my life, I am going to have to be REALLY EXCITED about something to take the time out to make a blog post. More on those new developments in a bit because I can barely keep my excitement about some new treasures to myself!!

This week I needed some stress reducing therapy and for me, my home provides just that. Luckily I had recently purchased a few new things and the timing was perfect for some hard work, cleaning, moving furniture and tweaking.

For some time now, I have admired a lamp in my friend Linda Babb’s gorgeous home. You may know Linda as the Primitive Stitcher. Linda’s colonial home is one of my all time favorites! And aside from her home, she is one of the sweetest gals you could ever meet online and I am honored to call her friend!

You can see the lamp on the beside table that I am talking about in Linda’s master bedroom??
Linda and I happen to have a sweet friend in common, Kat Joyes. Kat and I met online not too long ago and we just hit it off right away and I am so looking forward to meeting her in person when I head to SC this fall. She lives just minutes from Jill – how cool is that! She and Jill will me meeting soon and I am so excited to hear about it!! Well Kat also has a colonial inspired home that I love and admire too ! Okay, I’ll admit, I drool over both homes. Since Kat also has exquisite taste, she has the exact same light fixture in her gorgeous home…

Can you see why I had to have this 5 arm tin candelabra??

Now that I am a working girl, I saved my hard earned pennies and starting looking for one when Kat found this one at a wonderful store in NC called the Whistling Swan. She is a devote customer and she put me in touch with the store and they shipped the lamp out to me. Thanks Kat for your help!! Like colonial décor? Then click ~here~ to see all the other eye candy that the Whistling Swan carries!

So earlier this week, on my first day home alone in ages, I was giddy with excitement when the brown truck drove up! After several rough days and dealing with some bad news, I was already cleaning and tweaking and in need of some decorating therapy when it got delivered. The timing was simply perfect!

I had to borrow bulbs from other light fixtures and I had to move furniture around but finally, I had it in place…

I am in love!

That’s my new antique dough box table that it is sitting on. Another reason for my giddiness! I just love this corner. In order to put the dough box table here, the dry sink had to be moved and my antique blue desk had to be moved to make room for the dry sink – and well, the daybed moved to our lower level family room so I have guest suite when needed. You know how that goes, you move one thing and you create a domino effect! I am not sure when I will have time to make a post again, but I hope to have more pictures of all that tweaking the next time.

Now please promise me you won’t try to compare my home to Linda’s or Kat’s– it can’t possibly measure up, but if you want to see more of Linda’s home and find out her big news, you can click ~HERE~! And if you want a little peek of Kat’s home, you can click ~HERE!

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Ever since this sweet little girl with the head full of curls, a smile that makes melts, a heart full of love, and who lights up my life with her hugs and kisses came into our lives almost 2 years ago, I have become pretty adept at managing my time. Helping my folks, caring for her for her 3 afternoons a week, working part time for the magazine at home and ‘on the road’, being the keeper of our home and yard, and spending time with the rest of the family and my friends have given me a wonderfully full blessed life. And just recently I thought to myself - I think I have finally found a good balance.

But then life sometimes has a way of shaking us up and making us look at things in a whole new light. And that is what happened to me recently.

Last week my dear mom had to spend time in the hospital where she was treated for an extremely elevated blood glucose level, extremely low blood pressure, kidney failure and two infections. My sister and I took turns staying with Mom 24/7 because it was all so very upsetting to her. The Alzheimer’s coupled with the very high blood glucose made her very confused. It was simply gut wrenching to see the sheer panic in her eyes every time she woke up after dozing off and she didn’t know where she was or why. It happened over and over and over. It was just awful.

The medical team quickly got her stabilized and because of my nursing background and because my sister would be there every night, she was able to go home in a matter of days. But she went home with the new diagnosis of diabetes and kidney failure and she now needs even more constant monitoring, blood testing and insulin injections ~ something she cannot do for herself. Unfortunately my sister works full time, I don’t live right around the corner from my folks, my job takes me ‘out of town’ periodically and I cannot do the things I need to do for mom with Lili in tow, so careful planning is key to managing all this. A few months ago my sister moved in with my folks and thankfully she works very close to our parents home. That makes it much easier for her an I to work in tandem to test my mom’s glucose levels twice a day, give her an insulin injection at a third time, manage her dietary needs and help my dad with his needs as well. She has taken on the role of caregiver with gusto and she has made it possible for me to sleep at night knowing she is there when I can’t be. She is my hero right now! My parents gave us a wonderful childhood, and have been wonderful grandparents to our children and they deserve the very best life we can give them. We are determined to handle this new challenge with the least amount of stress for them.

I know many of my friends and blog readers are doing the same for their parents or loved ones and understand the time commitment this takes. So if you don’t see me around, you’ll know where I am or who I am with.

And when I need some therapy, I’ll be back to tweaking, taking pictures and sharing it all with you ~ because you all are part of my therapy too! Late at night when I can’t sleep, I grab my Ipad, curl up on the couch so I don’t disturb Mr. Red Door, and sneak into your blogs and online albums and websites. I hope I don’t wake you!

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Today I am thankful for:

My sister Chris

Modern slow acting insulin

Nutritional labels on foods

Simple to use blood meters

And as we move into the Memorial Weekend, I am once again reminded how thankful I am for those who have died in our nation's service, those who served and returned home, and those still serving. Thank you

Until next time – hugs, Linda

No more Red Door?

2011-05-10T19:31:00.001-04:00

When you buy a house built and designed by someone else, you often have to live with some of their choices – or spend a great deal of money changing them. And anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows that this is not my dream house and that Mr. Red Door is extremely conservative in spending, so I have been living with many of the choices of the original owners of this home since we bought it in 1986 ~ we are only the second owners. (Did I ever tell you the original owners moved into this house on the same day Mr. Red Door and I got married?? How cool is that?)

And if you know me, you also know that I choose to decorate with warm colors ~ inside or out. But I have to live with the exterior white aluminum trim and windows as well as the faded cream vinyl siding. Yes, I know you can paint siding and aluminum trim these days, but we aren’t kids anymore and we don’t need to add ‘siding paint upkeep’ to our chore list.

So instead I have come up with other ways to warm up the exterior. Fortunately we have a colonial style front door with side lights and architectural fan design to work with. In the last two years I have used a warm color on the formerly white garage doors, entry step (who says they have to be gray?) light post and mailbox post. And of course there was my RED door (and red window boxes on the garage windows).

Well this spring the RED front door screamed out that it needed to be repainted and because there was not enough of the old paint, I needed to purchase new paint. A prefect excuse to go for a change in the color RED to warm up the front even more, right? And I knew EXACTLY the color I wanted! Thanks to my good friend Dan Weaver, a writer for A Primitive Place magazine, keeper of the blog over at Yesterday Once More, decorator extraordinaire, and a general all around nice guy, I choose the same color he used on some of his interior trim work and on his front door as well. When I saw that color inside his home and heard him describe it, I knew it was going to become part of my décor at some point.

Let me introduce you to Behind My Kiln Door ~Yes, the color is called Kiln by Martha Stewart at Home Depot. It is a very warm brown red and I love it. To me it is reminiscent of the barn red I love and have used since the very beginning of my love affair with colonial décor.

In these first few pics I was letting the paint cure hadn’t rehung my door box yet.

These were taken after rain on Sunday so the garden and grass colors really were that vibrant.

I think Martha choose the perfect name for this paint after all…

… it reminds me of my favorite item to collect and decorate with…

~ redware ~ which of course is fired in a kiln.

See what I mean??

Here it is with the door box back on in the sun yesterday…

…and under gray skies today…

No, that’s not snow… see our cherry tree below… isn’t it pretty? Yesterday….

and today… it’s already loosing it’s beautiful blossoms and the forsythia are dropping too.

Thanks Dan for finding just the right color for your door ~ and mine! Next I need to paint the new window boxes I got for Mother’s Day!

To see Dan’s door and the rest of his wonderful home, click ~HERE~.

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I just have to share a cute picture of my favorite little person in the whole world!! Last week as we were playing outside, Fed Ex delivered the big box with Lili’s new climber/slide. She saw the picture on the box and got all excited so I knew I had to put it together right away. Bampee installed some anchoring screws when he got home but I got the pieces snapped together in minutes. It was pretty darn easy! Lili climbed up on it and sat on the top and said “Meemee – I happy. I love it! ” I quickly snapped this with my cell phone. Lili you make Meemee happy!

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Today I am thankful for~

Chocolate covered strawberries

Lili’s expanding vocabulary

Spring blossoms

Fresh asparagus

Disposable diapers

Thanks so much for stopping by and making Behind My Red Door part of you day.

Until next time – warm hugs, Linda