I'm joining A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday.

Some mornings just lend themselves to a relaxing cup of coffee or tea. Sadly, these mornings are the exception for me through the week and not the norm so when I do get the chance to sit outside and indulge in all the sensory goodness a wonderful hot cup brings, I relish in it.

Normally my workday has me out of the house by 7:30 each morning but today my little dog Bear had an over due (insert guilty conscience here)  appointment with the veterinarian at 9:15, so I took full advantage of that extra time with a nice cup of coffee out back in the garden.

I wish I could say that my outdoor furniture is always clean and ready to be lounged in but that would be a lie…most days it takes a little extra time to prepare the chairs and table for a lingering cup of coffee.  The effort easily pays off with the joy of being outside, hearing the birds, watching the squirrels and even listening to gentle cha, cha, cha of the neighborhood sprinklers rotating back and forth.

If you were here with me I’d love to share the random thoughts that go through my ever wandering mind, both heavy and light. 

I’d have you to take a look at my “stuff purged” pile and invite you to help yourself.

 

I’d ask you what is it that’s lacking in our society that makes young women bored with just being a mom and seek reality TV lives?

Why are grades in school more important than integrity and loyalty? 

What brings you more joy than an inquisitive child? 

What feels better than a cool breeze when you’re working hard in the garden?

 

What you think about the yellow and white fabric I picked out for the living room windows?

If you have a minute or two (or sixty)…I’d love to know what goes through your mind?

I'm joining Lucky Number 13 for Virtual Coffee...

It's amazing what looking at things with fresh eyes can do to your attitude.  As I have begun the process of clearing out clutter and pairing down to what I truly love, I am rediscovering what a gem my little home is. 



Simply refreshing a few corners of my cottage has made me excited to continue with the long, laborious task of editing and purging.  As an added bonus, I'm finding a bit of my personal style along the way, too.



I've also discovered that if I don't make an immediate decision to put something into the purge pile that more often than not I end up putting it the storage pile, which is the pile that should be the smallest.  Old habits are hard to break, that's for sure.



While I will never be a true minimalist in decorating, I am starting to love having open space and blank walls.  What a revolution to find out that every wall doesn't need a picture or a plate to make me happy.  Displaying what I love in clusters and leaving some areas free seems to be the best mix for me.



Does this mean I don't love stuff and enjoy seeing it in other homes...not hardly, nor does this mean that when I look at a beautiful home with minimal things displayed I'm not tempted to follow suit.  It means that I'm finally starting to find the balance that works for me, right now. 



After all, isn't that what style is all about?



I'm joining these lovely linky parties...

House in the roses for Show off Your Cottage Monday
Dittle Dattle for Amaze Me Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphis Monday
Mellow Yellow Monday
Boogie Board Cottage for Masterpiece Monday

I had to head outdoors early this morning to beat the August heat wave we’re experiencing here in Southern California.  The forecast is calling for a few more days in the triple digits.  Not that I’m complaining after the mild summer we’ve had so far and the hurricane conditions on the east coast, what's a little heat?

With summer winding down I have a desire to turn my focus from outside to inside.  It seems like a good time to tackle the many unfinished projects here at Lemon Lane Cottage. 



I am in search of just the right inspiration piece to jump start my living room makeover.  I also need to make a final decision whether or not to replace the carpet or extend the wood flooring from the dining room. 


On the one hand, I love the look of wood but on the other hand I love the comfort of carpet.  I am hoping to have the floors done in September so that I can finish the room before the holidays so a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later...

Just curious, what do you think?  Carpet or hardwood?

My roses were a bit of a disappointment in May and June when they are normally at their prettiest.  I think it was mostly because we had such a late start getting a string of sunny days together.



Needless to say, I was a bit excited when I noticed the fresh flush of buds on the bushes as I puttered in the garden this past weekend.



I couldn't resist snipping a couple of them to bring inside and enjoy.



These big cabbage roses are some of my favorites and I can hardly wait to see the show they'll be putting on in the next few weeks. 

I know fall is just around the corner but for now, I think I'll hold onto summer just a little longer.

I'm joining these garden parties...

A Beach Cottage

My grandson and I have been working on our story telling skills.  We take turns adding details to very silly stories.  At three years old our stories usually start out with a color and something that is that color.  For instance, he'll pick the color red and name tomatoes. 



That will lead to tomatoes rolling down the street into the ocean and somehow sharks will enter the picture, (they always do) and we'll roll faster and faster and just as we're about to be caught, a red train (James with his shiny red coat to be specific) will show up and rescue the tomatoes and deliver us back home safely.


That's one of the wonderful things about being gramma,  enjoying more nothing time.  You know, that time when there really isn't anything to do that can't wait till later.

When I was mom, that nothing time was always filled up with dishes and laundry and a hundred other little tasks that took priority.

Story telling is one our favorite front porch activities...that and calling out the colors of the cars as they go by.  Silly little nothing time activities...

I know the laundry won't wait forever but every day should have a little nothing time in it.  How do you fill yours?

As I sit outside with my coffee this morning and think about this last week, I can't help but be grateful for God's goodness in my life.  Sometimes the things (or people) that can prove the most distracting or frustrating, upon reflection, are the biggest blessings.


Those little feet that follow grandma around the house 24/7 can certainly take a lot of my focus and energy but the thought that they may someday move away brings me back to reality very quickly.

The adult child that has come back home and all the dynamics that the situation brings with it can certainly try my patience but I need to remember it tries hers too.

I went with good friends to see The Help last night.  What a powerful story...one filled with the very worst of what mankind is capable of but thankfully, also what courage and strength and kindness look like, too. 

There are so many images swirling around in my head, so many relationships, both good and bad, that I will need to chew on for a while but this morning, for this grandma, I can't help but reflect on the one between Aibileen and the little girl she cared for raised.    The tenderness she showed her, the encouragement she spoke over her and the unconditional love that she treated her with will forever be etched in my mind.  The final scene when Aibileen is thrown out of the house and little girl is pounding on the window broke my heart.  That was her "mommy" walking out the door not The Help.

We can't choose the family we are born into, but we can choose to love those God puts in our lives, those easy to love and those that try our nerves, those who give love back and those that seem ungrateful, even those that are down right mean.  We are called to love them all...

What more beautiful way to demonstrate that love than to speak those same words that Aibileen spoke over a little girl who desperately needed to hear them...

You is kind.
You is smart.
You is important.

I wonder, is there someone who needs to hear those words from you today?

I've been busy getting Lemon Lane Cottage ready for company and just wanted to share a few pictures of the front porch this morning.


I brought out the lady bug summer pillows just in the nick of time...


since Fall is only a few weeks away and it will soon be time to change to the autumn decor!


Doesn't it look comfy and inviting?  Especially with freshly potted impatiens to finish it all off.


There's still lots more to do so I need to make this a post a short one.  I'll be back soon to share more.

Stacks of plates on the sideboard or those adorable coffee bars that I'm just itching to create...



The mish mash of found objects that speak of who you are and what you cherish...

Yesterday, out of the blue, my grandson very sweetly asked if the sunflower was awake, yet.  (They remember everything don’t they?)  I explained to him that the sunflower would stay asleep until next spring and that we would use the seeds he left behind to grow new sunflowers.



Sometimes it seems our seeds are weighed down with heavy burdens and may even seem to wither and die but they are only sleeping until the time for a new harvest draws near. 


Take a look at those seeds you’ve scattered being careful to look to the next generations harvest and ask the question of a hope filled child…