Hot and Cold

I am back.  From a very long 2 week trip.
Megan - did you notice i used the word trip, not vaca, this time?  You were right.  


I'm throwing in some random vacation pics just because.  This is the sign the boys made when they built their fort at my parent's house this year.  Funny they called out new, and to go around "this way" when it's much shorter to go straight.  Reminds me of those family circus cartoon where the little boy gets sent to the store but takes the long way.  Remember those?

I'm back, and it is so hot here.  2 weeks can really play with your memory - out of sight, out of mind i guess - but i seriously don't remember it being this hot when i left.  This is just an abandoned homestead i saw when i took the long way home from the market. Apples do not fall far from the tree here.

And...I have frozen shoulder - thus the cold reference.  I can't raise my left arm, and my left shoulder is permanently raised higher than my right.  As if i'm trying to hold a phone to my ear.  I look fabulous let me tell ya.

The pain was so bad that yesterday i broke down and called my Dr begging for relief - and he provided - but now i'm on prednisone and flexirol.  Which, i understand the flexirol to be a muscle relaxant, but i guess my muscles don't know that because i don't feel any different - i even took before bed last night because he said it would make me sleepy.

Yea, not so much.

Just a random shot of mailboxes all lined up on the road my parents live on. I like it.

I am back, laundry is done and put away, and plans to see friends are in the works for the weekend.

I may have to recreate some of the family fixins we had on the 4th above.  Cold cucumber salad, Pineapple casserole (ohmygoshmywaistdisappeared), macaroni salad that i will admit was better than my own, and made by my man. Thanks honey. I will never question you again. right.

This is literally a one car pass on the way through 7 mile ford.  it freaked the kids out. I found it very...ireland-esque for some reason - does that even make sense??


Anyway, I do feel better - a lot less pain - so thank goodness for that - back to the grind now :)

Vacation House Stalking

I know that some of you are a lot like me in the house stalking department.  No matter where I go, I look at beautiful homes and wonder what it's like to be inside. 

Some of these, like this one, we know the owner.  In this case, it is owned by my late grandfather's doctor.

This one, the property takes up an entire half a block.  I love the overall "americana" feel of the front porch.  Look at those quilted cushions.  And the flag.  How much more "Mayberry" can you get?
 

    This is one that my parents considered buying before they bought the house that they now live in.  Every year, the bushes seem to have overtaken more, and not in a good way either.
 

This is the working shed of the house above.  It doesn't "go".  I like it more than the house itself.  I find it very "cape cod".  Loving the lavender and the arbor.  It's perfection.

This house is on the historic registry, thus the white oval sign.  It doesn't give history, which would be great, just the house number and the words "historic registry" - thanks for the info, right??
 

    This one is now sitting empty, but is also on the registry.  The previous owners were moving out yesterday, but they left their flag i see.  That's Sarah up ahead with camera on hip.

This yellow cream puff is also on the registry, and was re-done and sold to the current owner, by a very good family friend of ours.  He does beautiful restorations.  He wasn't even done with it before he had a contract on it.

Here is his current home.  Also a restoration, a few doors down actually.  And also on the registry.  It is circa 1700 from what I understand.  It's gorgeous inside too. 

    This home is across the street. On the registry too, and those lamps on the garage are really gas lamps.  Love.

  Vance loves this one, however, it isn't my favorite.  That's not to say, of course, that I would turn it down LOL.  See that flag with the pink on it? Does anyone know what that is? We saw that same flag on a few different houses today.
 

I honestly think that nothing is more appealing to me than taking a walk after sunset and seeing the warm glow of lights lit from within a house.  Doesn't that just say "you're home"?  I love that amber glow.  Especially in the winter months.


These are not after sunset - but they are beautiful and welcoming all the same.  These are all on the same 2 blocks of the street my grandmother still lives on.  Each is beautiful in it's own right.  They scream "americana" to me.

Which one is your favorite?

Having Fun Is Work.

I don't feel like we've stopped all week.  Torturing children is not all fun and games people.

The plan was Williamsburg one day, York and Jamestown the next, and then head back across the state to my mom and dad's for the rest of time.

First we had to cross the ferry.  The weather was amazing.  Look at the little one and his shades. That kid cracks me up.

I know i am behind on my blogging...but here are some shots of our trip to Shirley Plantation. As the kids said, the property was WAY BETTER than the house.  I have to agree.   Not that i could show you pics of the inside anyway  because photography was prohibited.   So...enjoy the grounds.


Here is the house.  Note, when you are yelling  asking your family to come gather for a family picture - remove the camera from your husband's hands.  Otherwise you will get a picture of yourself lecturing said family to get their arses in gear.

can you imagine having this as your front porch, overlooking the James River??
 

   This is what we voted the best place on the property - the grape arbor - i can just picture wedding photography done here

   The family pic...finally they listened.  Good family. 

 

Going Back in Time

In a few short days all 5 of us are piling in the car and driving 12 hours (yes, 12, but divided between 2 days) north to here....

....Williamsburg Virginia.  Above is the house of John Blair, whose grandson or great-grandson, James Blair, was the first president of William and Mary college.  My best friends alma mater.

We decided to torture the children with learning on their summer vaca so we're going to do the historical thing.  We'll see this:

one of the working cottages in colonial Williamsburg.  And since it's the 4th of July holiday while we're there we for sure will see this:

 I'm very stoked to have all of my children together on this vacation - since i know that in the blink of an eye they will all be grown, and have families of their own, and these all-for-one vacations will be limited.  

I just hope we don't kill each other in the car trip up.  Wish us luck!  

Subscribing to a theory of relaxed entertaining

                    All images courtesy of countryliving.com
 
Do you know Sandy?  You should.  Go visit her here first though so you can enter her giveaway pronto.  Her blog is dedicated to the premise of making entertaining fun. Not work.  And to remind us why we entertain.  Why we open our homes to family and friends in the first place.  To be with them.  Not to show what a meticulous housekeeper we are.  Not to show off our latest house score. Just.to.be.with.them.  Laugh. eat. visit. Just love them. 

as pretty as this is, we don't have bales of hay at the ready, and i'm not sure i could get comfortable sitting on said bale, while i worry    about bugs getting too familiar with my private places.

She has opened up my eyes about this having people over thing.  I'm going to walk my talk this weekend too. We're having another couple over for dinner on Saturday and there is no furniture in the living room. There's a ladder.  A mirror leaning up against the wall that needs to be hung.  And a huge box of paint supplies.  

                   Now this, this I can do. But with coke cans. Not these great vintage bottles shown here.  I don't have the time to chase 
                         that kind of thing down.  I have a job people.  Plus, i don't wanna. So there.

There is furniture in the family room, but the TV is not hung like it should be - it's up, but we haven't worked on hiding the wires and all that nonsense.  And I could go on and on about the million projects that are in some point of completion all over the house.  So be it. I dont' care.  It's not about that.  She said so.  And i'm at a point of my life where I agree.  I love this part of my life. I love that i have friends that are right there with me and couldn't give 2 shakes about what's done or not done.  

We will grill steaks, potatoes and have salad.  And lemonade.  And heat, it's always invited in August in Florida.  These people don't have heat.  They do have some cool sunflowers though. I can do that. I think.