These are a few of my favorite things...

Do you remember that song from "The Sound of Music?"

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

Brown paper packages tied up with string

These are a few of my favorite things...

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

Silver white winters that melt into spring

These are a few of my favorite things...

When the dog bites

When the bee stings

When I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don't feel so bad.

So that's what I'm thinking about today.  I thought I'd show you a few of our favorite things.

It all started when Austin (our 6 year old) told me liked a new pillow I'd bought.  Kayla then told me something that she really liked.  Then Mr. Lovey mentioned something he liked a lot...  

Sometimes I look at magazines and other blogs and think to myself how empty and lifeless my own house feels... Then out of the clear blue someone in my precious family says something simple that makes it feel like home.  And now...on with our show.

 I love lamps!  They are my favorite way to light a room.  It all started 20 years ago in our tiny apartment.  Our bedroom had one overhead light and it was HARSH!  So beside our bed I put a TV tray (for a table -- because we were BROKE!) and on it -- one small lamp my husband made in high school.  And my love affair with lamps began.  The light they give is so warm and cozy.  

Here are a few of  the lamps we have in our house... 

A pair of ceramic based lamps for the living room

One small lamp on the bakers rack in the kitchen.

This little beauty on the piano in the front office. 

The two "buffet" lamps in our bedroom.

One lamp on the breakfast bar.

A pair of lovlies on the kid's computer table.

This one gives a nice glow.

This small night light lamp on the corner shelf in the dining room.

A pair for our bedside tables

This little guy for the kids' bathroom.  Wait till you see the close up of the shade :)

These two in Kayla's bedroom... I love the black shade with gold polkadots...

Then there are these other things that make our house a home... My family's favorites!

Lovey really likes the curtains at the windows.  I can't say I think they look great... but he really likes them.  Probably their simplicity.

Our plaque

Our ROSS coat hooks.

My little bird in the dining room... She looks like she's searching for a worm.

The new faucet in the kids' bathroom

My bathroom clock.  A girl's gotta be on time, you know.

My bathroom flower arrangement.  I'll share the story behind this someday...

Candles

My new pillow (the one Austin likes so much)

and last but not least,  Fleur de Lis.

Although our house isn't professionally decorated -- and there are certainly areas that look like a yard sale -- these are the special touches that make us feel at home.  They give us that special feeling you only get when you're home.

What are your favorite things?

Only By His Grace,

Billie 

Remember when I said...

Remember when I posted a couple weeks ago about my living room?  Remember that I said it was rare that it was actually clean?

Well.... I was recently visiting one of my favorite, favorite, favorite blogs, Savvy Seasons by Liz, and I was inspired to rearrange my living room furniture.

So I wanted to show you my new arrangement... Wanna see?  Just remember...my living room is lived in, so anything you see lying about out of place... it's just where it always is...

The kids computer table got moved to the opposite side of the room where the TV armoire was.

The stuff on the mantle got moved around a bit to accommodate the new vase... Found it at Annie's Attic for $6.00.  I had to move the stuff around since some other things in the Living Room changed as well.

See how the lamp and table moved over beside the green chair?  Both chairs now flank the fireplace.  Nice and warm and cozy!

Here's why some of the stuff moved around.  I wanted the entertainment center on the tall blank wall that always drove me crazy.  It's been there before, but we had new carpet installed around Thanksgiving and we moved it then...but it never really suited me in the corner.  

Here are the chairs beside the fireplace... It's very warm to sit here

And here is where the sofa and table are.  Never mind the house shoes, toy bins, and Nascar racers on the floor...  If I think of them as accessories lovingly added by my family, they don't bother me as badly!

What do you think?  Do you like the before (link here) or the after better?

Only By His Grace,

Billie

Roo Decor Galore...

Alright, Ladies, I've visited many of your blogs and I know how crazy about Roos some of you are...

I must admit, I have quite the admiration...no, that's not the word.... Adoration....no, that's not it, either... Let's just call it a slight obsession, shall we, and we'll go from there.

I wanted to share some of my roos with you today.

A couple of roosters for my plate rack in the dining room.

Okay, so this one is technically a hen....but what's a rooster without his henny?

Here's the guy that started it all.  Isn't he cute stuck in there?

Here's one of a tri-rooster vignette in the kitchen.

This little guy has been with us since our first apartment... Goodness, he's almost 20 years old.  

Lookin' good for his age, huh?

These guys are above the kitchen cupboards.

This little guy was the second rooster I ever bought.  

I really like that he's white...

May I introduce, Bob.  Yep, that's right.  I liked this guy so much, he got a name.

Why Bob?  Because that's what roosters do when they waddle around the farm yard, right?

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce -- Bob the Rooster!

Rooster plate

Rooster olive jar

And, as if all this were not enough.... I adopted one more little roo today!

He's just a little roo, but he's never early, never late, he's always right on time.

Hope you enjoyed visiting with my roo's today.

Only By His Grace,

Billie

Along the lines...

My last post was about using kitchen canisters in other areas of your home, such as the bathroom or laundry room.  That really set my mind reeling...

I have been sleeping on the floor of my son's bedroom the past two nights, and tonight, between 9:30 and 11:30 he woke me up six times... That's okay, it's part of being a mom.

But part of being a blogger mom, is checking your email at midnight after your son has woke you up six times.  As I laid there reading all the sweet comments about the canister idea, I had a brain storm - a news flash - and then my mind wouldn't rest until I did some research...

So along the same lines as yesterday, if we're thinking outside the home decorating box, using kitchen canisters outside the kitchen... why not use something else outside the kitchen???

Why not use vintage -- or new if you can find them -- wine or liquor decanters in the bathroom or laundry room?

Imagine if you will:  Three or five vintage wine decanters filled with a 

variety of bubble baths and bath oils...

Why not a couple large ones in the laundry room to hold 

liquid detergent and liquid fabric softener?  Is your laundry room blue?  

Blue detergent and blue fabric softener would be stunning in one of these babies!

How about one next to the stove to hold your olive oil?

And last but not least, how would you like this beside 

your kitchen sink to pour dishwashing liquid from this beauty? 

Somehow I think I might not dread my domestic duties nearly as much if I could add a little vintage beauty to the household chores.

I'm so inspired I think I may take an hour tomorrow morning to hit a couple thrift and consignment shops looking for a couple of these little guys... I'm very excited about the prospect!

Ahhhh....now my mind can go back to sleep!  Sweet Dreams everyone!

Only By His Grace,

Billie