Backyard pathway/baby birds update

Today I decided to take a little time and make a pathway to our back patio.  This is flagstone that was on the side of the house that we had removed and had a new path made with pavers. It might not look perfect but I am proud that I did it by myself.  This picture is from the top of the deck.

Now in the yard.

Here is where they came from.  Warning, this is an ugly sight.  This is what it looked like when we moved in.

This is what the side path look like now.

 You can see the pile of flagstone that I used.  I still have a few more pieces.

I am also working on organizing the basement today.  I almost have it done.  I might finish it tonight or maybe I will wait until tomorrow night.

Now for the update on the baby birds.  The proud parents where feeding them today while I was doing yard work.  I got a few pictures and I can definitely see two babies.  I can't tell if there is a third one or not.

Linking with
Between Naps on the Porch, Elizabeth and Co

Butler pantry

The last time I saw the counter top of my butler pantry was at Christmas time.  It seems like it was a good place to set unused items.  Since we will be selling the house I thought I would clean it up this morning before work since it is a small area.  Please excuse the way the pictures turned out as I have to stand inside the pantry across from here to take pictures and it is a little dark in this area even with the lights on.

It feels good to get something accomplished even if it is a small area.  This weekend I have to get the basement done so I can concentrate on the main level and the yard.

Linking with
Between Naps on the Porch

Simple everyday table

So now that we are officially on the lookout for another home I am changing out my kitchen tablescape for the listing pictures.  We won't be putting our home on the market until we find one that we like.  Houses are selling pretty fast here and I don't want to be in the situation that we always are of having to hurry up and find a home to buy.

 I changed out the decor on the tray and kept the same dishes.  I also added my script napkins to the place setting.  I think this is simple enough for showings.  I still need to downsize my decor in the rest of the kitchen.

Now I just need to get the rest of the house organized and cleaned up. 

Linking with
Between Naps on the Porch

I am dreaming of a potting bench

I am bound and determined to find a piece of furniture to make a potting bench out of.  No luck yet.  For now I am decorating my table by the basement door with a garden theme.  I would use this outside but I am looking for something a little heavier.  I had to take pictures with the flash on the camera since the basement is a little dark in this area.  Please excuse the ugly light switch.

I added what I call my garden angel to the table.  It was a favorite of my mother's.  She used to have it hanging on the knob of her hutch door.

Here are some pictures without the flash.  They show more of the true color of the walls which is a golden yellow but it is harder to see some of the items.  In the above pictures the walls look more beige.

Now for an update on the baby birds.  I was able to get a quick picture the other day.  I think that there might be three babies.  I can make out two beaks but I think that there is one underneath.

Linking with
Dwellings The Heart of Your Home, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Huckleberry Love, Karens Up On The Hill, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Cozy Little House, Our Home Away From Home, StoneGable, A Stroll Thru Life, Home Remedies, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Ivy and Elephants, Just a Girl and Her Blog, The Bajan Texan, Oh My Heartsie Girl, The Turquoise Home, A Delightsome Life, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson, Common Ground, From My Front Porch To Yours, All Things With Purpose, Embracing Change, Katherines Corner, Posed Perfection, Anderson & Grant, Rooted in Thyme, Imparting Grace, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Milas Little Things, Craftberry Bush, Life With Lorelai, Chic on a Shoestring, The Shabby Nest, DIY Vintage Chic, Just Us Four, The Charm of Home

Still house hunting

I didn't get any new decorating done in the house this weekend like I wanted to.  I have been so busy this weekend trying to get some order in this house so we can be ready to put it on the market when we find a home.  There just isn't much out there now that will suit us in our price range. 

My worst fears came true.  The house next door was for sale and the new owners moved in the other day.  They have two small children and two large dogs.  This does not set well with my two little dogs.  Our youngest dog hates children and other dogs.  He will not stop barking when I take him outside and of course the other two dogs are barkers also.  It might be better if we had a privacy fence instead of a wrought iron one.  The HOA only allows wrought iron fencing.  Another reason to move is the HOA.  We are looking for a home that doesn't have an HOA or one that isn't as strict.  I would really like to have a privacy fence around my property.  It never bothered me before but now as I am getting older I like my privacy.

This is the kind of style that I am looking for in a house.  I love the copper roof above the bay window.  I just wish the inside looked as good as the outside.  Too much that we would have to change and it is a bit pricey.   The hunt is on.

Looking for a new home

Boy it sure is hard to find a home for sale right now that suits us.  There just isn't that much out there.  Either the house is perfect and the yard isn't (can't have a privacy fence) or the yard is perfect but not the house.  We are going to look at a house on Saturday that has a great yard but is an older home and needs updating to our taste.  Not sure if I want to tackle that again.  Here are some pictures.

We are not putting our house on the market yet.  We want to wait and see if we can find the perfect house first.  Since we are closing the shop for the 3 day weekend I guess you know what I will be doing.  Getting the house ready to put up for sale. 

Moving again?

It seems like every time we finish fixing up the house that we live in we move.  Now the hubby is ready to move again.  It will be three years this August in our current home.  Part of me wants to move and the other part doesn't.  I love to look at homes and imagine how I would redo it and then there is the downfall-the packing.  I have so much stuff it takes forever to pack and I have a hard time getting rid of things.

The search is on.  Now if I could have the outside of this house I would move in a heartbeat.

I love this front door.

Check out the back yard of this beautiful home and all the outbuildings.

 I would love to walk down this path.

 This is a greenhouse.  The front and back are stone and the sides are glass.

Unfortunately I am not in love with the inside.  This house is for sale at $1,990,000.00. Nothing that we could afford of course.   There are many things that I don't like about the inside. The kitchen is one of them.I am not sure what is going on in here.
 

 There is too much in this home that I would need to change and for that price I just want to be able to move in.  It has many beautiful details but some are just not my taste.  But I could really use that yard and the outbuildings.

So far there are just not any homes that suit us for now.  This time we are going to look for something before we put our house on the market.  I am not going to be scrambling to find a house within a few weeks like we normally do.  I am looking for my dream home or at least something that will become my dream home.

We have babies

It is hard to tell right now but it looks like two of the eggs have hatched.  You can still see one more egg in the nest.

Now I just have to control myself and not bother the nest for at least a week.  I don't want to scare off mama bird.   I told my husband that we should have set up a camera on the porch to record the nest.  Maybe next year.

Outdoor dining

Today I got most of the back yard cleaned up (which took me a few hours).  I was going to work on the patio below the deck but I decided to do a tablescape on the deck table.  I will save cleaning up the bottom patio for next weekend.

Here is a close up of the centerpiece.  Last year I used my rooster and might use him again out here.

Now for a close up on the plates.

I would still like to get a rug for here and we need to finish hanging the outdoor blinds.  The next picture is an area that I don't like to show.  It is the grill.  Now we do not have the prettiest grill as it has had a rough life.  It got caught in a hail storm and fell over so it has dents.  We don't want to buy a new one until we move to our dream home so I need some advice how to spruce it up a bit.  I am wanting to cover up the bottom part with some sort of material.  Stone work would be nice or maybe some beadboard.  What do you think?

Linking with
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Between Naps on the Porch, Dwellings The Heart of Your Home, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Huckleberry Love, Karens Up on the Hill, The Dedicated House, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Cozy Little House, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, StoneGable, Stringtown Home, Our Home Away From Home, Home Remedies, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, The DIY Dreamer, The Happy Housie, Carolyns Homework, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch To Yours, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson, Ivy and Elephants, All Things With Purpose, Common Ground, Katherines Corner, Posed Perfection, Embracing Change, Anderson & Grant, Rooted In Thyme, Imparting Grace, The Charm of Home, Shabby Art Boutique, Milas Little Things, French Country Cottage, Nancherrow, I'm Not a Trophy Wife, The Shabby Nest, DIY Vintage Chic, Just Us Four, Life With Lorelai, My Romantic Home, Chic on a Shoestring, Scrapality, Pieced Pastimes, Pink When, Thoughts From Alice, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Tabler Party of Two, DIY Show Off, Finding Silver Pennies, Rustic & Refined, It's Overflowing, Elizabeth and Co, The Bajan Texan

Outdoor living

I am getting ready to clean off the lower patio and start decorating it again.  I have a new chandelier that holds candles and I am wanting to hang some curtains.  Here is what it looked like last year.

I am still trying to find a table to put between the two chairs and maybe add a few new accessories.  I am going to try and get out this weekend but it might be raining.

Linking with
The Dedicated House, Between Naps on the Porch