In My Room…

There's a world where I can go, 

And tell my secrets to. 

In my room, 

In my room… 

I watch HGTV. Not all the time and not if there’s something better on. All the shows run together for me. I don’t know if I’m watching House Hunters or Divine Design. It amazes me how they can come in and do a makeover (for a mere $75000.00), and change the look of the whole house. I wonder how they find those extra, always perfect, tables and chairs, stuck in the garage or the basement, that they drag up to replace other furniture or an empty spot.

What does get my attention, though, is when they do an ‘outdoor room’. An outdoor room is basically a space outside, small or large, that you fix up to be comfortable. It can be for you or a gathering place for family. It’s usually connected to your house but because it’s outside, it’s connected to nature, as well. Most are sheltered, maybe by a wall of the house, and some of them have their own roofs and walls. Some are just fenced in areas. Some have full kitchens. I think of them as a private space, to which you can retreat and become comfortable, with or without guests.

The door to the deck

I have an outdoor room. Really it’s a deck outside the master bedroom. Our house is not traditional in the fact that the front door is upstairs. We have a fabulous covered front deck, running the full length of the house. My husband built seats in the railing and built a wall for a windbreak. It’s great in the morning. But it faces west. In the afternoon it’s unbearable. So he built another deck on the east side.

Built in seats on front deck...in the rain!

This deck isn’t as big and it doesn’t have seats built in the rail. It is covered and has the same southern windbreak wall. I’m turning it into my outdoor room. HGTV would most likely air it as what not to do!

The wall and some chickens.

We found an old daybed at a thrift store. Then I got some dollar store sheets and covered the mattress. The whole thing is covered with pillows, thrift and Goodwill. (If you wash them you can recover or just use as they are. And because they are outside and going to fade in the sun they didn’t have to be designer!) The other side of the deck has a bench with some cushions left over from something. There is a table with two chairs and a small chair with owls on it. I planted some Iris in an ugly tub, and they are actually growing. There’s a trumpet vine that has climbed up the house and is spreading across the rail. I hung wind chimes that tinkle in the breeze, or, when it’s really windy, blow out over the yard.

Daybed with thriftstore pillows.

Bench on opposite side of deck

Table and chairs (and junk under the stove!)

The little owl chair...for little kids...and the truck in the background

Iris in the ugly tub. Seashell souvenirs.

Trumpet vine growing across rail

Old stove...for?

Wind chimes

I like to sit out there, in the morning on my days off or in the afternoon when I come in from work. I guess it’s silly, but it’s my room. Surely not HGTV but it’s my place and I can lock out the rest of the world.

Funny hummingbird whose wings spin in the wind

In this world I lock out 

All my worries and my fears. 

In my room, 

In my room… 

I found a cool little place online called Our Creative Spaces. You can link to your projects and visit others great crafts.Check it out and see what great things are over there!

Chickadee cowl in progress

I’m ready for full on fall. Ninety-five degrees in October is not fall. I like fall because it’s sweater weather. Not too cold and not too hot and a sweater is just fine. And of course, being a knitter, it’s even better. I gravitate to the fall colored yarn. I started a cowl, with three different fall colored yarns.

Three different yarns...

It’s interesting to see how it’s working up. I like it so far. It’s a Chickadee cowl, but instead of using chunky yarn I’m using sock yarn. Of course if I finish anytime soon it will be too hot to wear. But I’ll be ready for that first chilly morning! I may even go out on the deck before work, just to try it out.

Going to be pretty!

Do my dreaming and my scheming. 

Lie awake and pray. 

Do my crying and my sighing, 

Laugh at yesterday… 

In my room, in my room…

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Hoppin' down the bunny trail,

Hippity hoppity,

Easter's on its way!

Happy Easter! It was a long weekend so we decided to go to Ruidoso. We have a place up there and wanted to check on it to make sure all was okay. I wish it was closer because I sure like it up there. Evan wanted to go we picked him up in Seminole.

Callye's cookie...too pretty to eat!

As we got closer to Ruidoso it was depressing to see the damage the recent fire left. The once green trees were just burnt sticks standing on the top of the mountain. We saw how close the fire had come to people’s homes. We saw where one house had stood, now just a pile of charred ashes, with warped metal that were cars, sitting nearby. It was sad.

It was still light when we got to the house. As always we went in and looked around to see if anything has changed since the last visit. Alan turned on the water and the hot water heater and I put our things away and started to gather things for supper. They made a quick trip to the store to pick up the few things we needed while I began to cook.

It is always such a peaceful time there. The weather was so nice. It’s still dry, as is everywhere around here and the fire danger is high. But the pine trees and the clear mountain air were refreshing. The house has a great deck and E can go outside and play. We hang out there a lot. We cook out there and even eat outside sometimes.

Sky through the pines.

The deck

The neighbor's bear.

Alan picked up some corn and a bale of hay so the deer might come up because E likes to see them. Sure enough, at dusk, there they were. The dogs were locked safely on the deck so they couldn’t cause a commotion.

Hay for deer.

Where's supper?

Time for a nap!

Later that evening we played games and watched TV. Alan went to bed early and E and I stayed up watching Spiderman, the movie. I’d never seen it but he had and filled me in on every detail!

We all slept in the next morning, at least at late as the dogs would allow. I started the coffee and E and I had a cup. He loves to have coffee with me. His is half a cup of milk, one Splenda, and coffee to fill the cup. He calls it Doctor coffee (doctored coffee) like my kids did when they were little. We had breakfast while Alan got caught up on some much needed rest.

Picture of the dogs Penni took in the office

Later that afternoon we had to make the mandatory trip to ‘Walmark’. E is a shopper and he figures if he’s alone with Mamye and Pap he’ll make the most of it! I had promised him a toy so he went to get what he wanted. He picked it up and showed it to me. I glanced at where it had come from (I thought) and saw 19.99. I thought it was a little steep but decided he’d been really good and what the heck, it was only money, so told him okay. Alan kind of glanced at me like I was looney but then he does that a lot so I didn’t pay much attention. We got the rest of the things we needed and headed back up the mountain.

In the parking lot E was so excited about his toy, some kind of spy watch that took audio and video, and asked me if it cost the same at Seminole. I said yes, it was 19.99 there too. Alan said I think you’d better look at the receipt. I did and guess what? The toy was 49.99. I wondered how what I’d bought added up so fast! Oh well, it’s only money and E will certainly get that much enjoyment out of it.

$50.00 spy watch!

As is always the case when you are enjoying yourself, the time came to an end too quickly. Getting things ready to go always seems to take so long. We change the sheets, clean the bathrooms, wash the towels and sheets and anything else that needs washing, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, mop and vacuum. That way if anyone else goes up there everything is ready to spend the night. We sometimes rent it out since we don’t live there full time.

We start home and E immediately says he’s starving, probably to death, if we don’t stop at McDonald’s. He’s such a funny little guy! We stop, get some chicken nuggets and he’s okay for a while. He sleeps some, I knit and Alan drives.

When we got to Seminole, Callye had fixed a wonderful Easter dinner for us! We had roast with tiny potatoes and carrots and mushrooms, roasted asparagus that she’d cooked in brown paper bags, broccoli slaw, pasta salad, hot rolls and for dessert, strawberry shortcake! Everything was delicious. The kids then went out and hunted eggs. It was a bit later in the evening than our traditional activities but it was still a lot of fun. She made a platter of her beautiful Easter cookies and sent them home with us.

Carrot cookie with no icing

Easter platter from Callye and family

Little Easter lamb!

All In all it was a great weekend with plenty of rest and relaxation. I knitted on a bias shawl with some of the yarn I got from DFW, Brooks Farm, Ellie. I actually finished but want to get some beads for the fringe. I’ll post a picture later. I got the rubber tiles needed to block my other shawl but haven’t done it yet. I thought about hauling it all with us but decided I wouldn’t have enough time. Turns out I probably would have. I’m finishing up a toy ball for E and then will start something. I don’t know what yet, but I’ll be doing something!

Brook's Farm 'Ellie'

Wound for a Bias Shawl

I’m thankful for the time we got to spend together and enjoy each other as a family. And if some jelly beans or chocolate bunnies or Easter cookies get thrown it it’s even better! I know what Easter is really about. And I’m thankful. Hope your Easter was happy!

Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy,

A basketful of Easter joy!

Things to make your Easter

Bright and gay!

Hippity hoppity,

Happy Easter Day!