Fall To-Do
Today is the first day of fall and it is 90 degrees…IN INDIANA. This is nonsense. I am attempting to console myself by focusing on the fact the cooler weather will be here in no time…right? The changing of the seasons usually entails some sort of “to-do” list for me, fall being no exception. Even though it doesn’t feel like fall today, here are a few things I intend to do in the near future to welcome my favorite season:
- Fertilize the lawn: When we purchased our house in 2015, the yard was in need of some serious TLC. It has been a work in progress. Last year fall we appliedScotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall
Weed & Feed and it seemed to make a big difference with weeds in the Spring, especially dandelions. The Scotts website has also been very helpful in advising what products to use, when to apply, etc. (No promo here-just sharing what has worked for us) - Prune Bushes: I am still learning how to care for rose bushes, and somehow they are still alive. Last year I trimmed ALL of our bushes way back and hoped for the best. Luckily, everything survived, and maybe even thrived? Here’s hoping I have the same luck this time around.
- Fall cleaning : Pretty much the exact same thing as spring cleaning…a really good, deep-down, whole-house clean that isn’t part of my weekly routine.
- Switch out wardrobe: I have been making a concentrated effort year-round to pare down my wardrobe, but I am especially focused on this when the seasons change. I have a few roll-away totes that fit under our bed where I store off-season clothes. Each time I change them out I sort out any pieces I no longer love or haven’t worn in over a year and set those aside to donate. The remaining clothes get swapped out between the totes and my closet/dresser.
Lastly, and most importantly…
- ENJOY THE SEASON: Slow down, be present & soak it in. I want to do all of the “clichéd” fall activities I love…drink hot apple cider while eating a fresh donut, sit by a bonfire in a sweatshirt & jeans, snuggle under a blanket on the couch with Mark & Ruby, take a drive for no other purpose than viewing the changing leaves
What’s going on at your house this fall? What are your favorite fall activities?
Spotlight: “Side Table”
You may be wondering…why the quotations in the title? Because this post isn’t actually about a table at all. HOWEVER, this is about the ingenious alternative my mom shared with me last night. She sent me the pictures below and my first question was, “Can I please share this on my blog?” to which she agreed.
Mom has been on a mission trying to find the perfect side tables to fit in their bedroom. They have a king size bed that is centered under the window and she wanted to have some sort of side table on each side, but there wasn’t much leftover space to work with. So she came up with this solution…
Two wood & metal storage crates (Meijer) turned sideways & two swing arm lamps & shades (Menards) mounted to the wall on each side of the bed. The shades were plain white so she used paint to match them to their bedroom decor. The crates provide a table surface and storage, while the lamps provide adjustable and individual lighting for reading, etc.
The whole project (including paint) came in just under $150, which is easily less than she may have spent on 2 traditional side tables & lamps. Can you see where my creativity comes from? I have already warned her that there is a very good chance I will be copying this idea for our cottage bedroom 🙂
Spotlight Series
It’s time to share the love! In addition to my regular topics, I will be posting a series that will showcase the interests, ideas and projects of my family and friends. Do you remember this post from my Mom? There will be more to come from her and others. I’m fortunate to know so many creative and talented people.
Keep an eye out for these over the next few months!
Patio Progress
To put it simply, our patio was pitiful. Our last house had a beautiful paver patio with a stone border & custom cedar pergola that we installed over a long weekend with my parents…We LOVED it. I wanted to bring it all with us somehow when we moved…but we bought a bigger house with a smaller patio. To no avail, I tried convincing Mark & Dad to at least take the pergola. The only thing that made the trip was the furniture. The table & chairs barely fit on the concrete slab, and were rarely used. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the set, it was just too big for our little patio. We did put forth an effort at one point to make it look nice…but as you can see below, we gave up.
This summer was the time for change. There were two key factors for us to consider:
- Function: We decided we wanted to use the patio as more of a conversation space than a dedicated dining area.
- Scale: We needed furniture that would fit the area comfortably without looking oversized or crowded.
It was also important to incorporate some color to brighten the patio up. We ended up with a loveseat, 2 armchairs, coffee table & accessories. We’ve already spent more time this summer enjoying the patio than the last two years combined. Eventually we may consider installing some type of pergola or sun-sail but for now it is perfect for us to relax, enjoy glass of wine and watch Ruby chase birds.
Furniture & accessories: Lowes ~ Indoor/outdoor rug: Target
Cottage: Lights, cabinets, action!
We passed our final electrical inspection! Not that there were any doubts but it is still nice to have out of the way.
Mom & Pop have been keeping things moving since our vacation. The cabinets arrived about a week behind schedule so they didn’t make it in before we left town, but we knew that was a possibility…better late than never right? They still need to be permanently mounted but just seeing them in place makes a big difference.
We have light! The electrician came last week before the final inspection to install all of the light fixtures. It is amazing (and incredibly exciting) how quickly things are coming together. When selecting the lights I had three things in mind: Simple, clean & modern. All of the natural pine makes for a rustic look and I wanted the lights to help balance that out.
That is all for now…short & sweet.
Thanks for stopping by!
TC Treasures
Earlier this week I mentioned that when we were in Michigan for our vacation, we took a break from working on the cottage to visit Traverse City. for a few days It was somewhat of a do-over for us because the last time we went to Traverse City (first time for Mark) was a few years ago and it wasn’t great. It had nothing to do with TC per se, but it was cold and rainy for the duration of our stay, we were about 2 weeks too early for the fall color, and our beloved pup Emma was in the early states of kidney failure.
Needless to say we were ready to try again and we were not disappointed in the least. It was warm, but not humid, with clear blue skies and sunshine (PERFECT). Also, since the National Cherry Festival was the week before, and we visited during the week, it wasn’t overly crowded (ALSO PERFECT). We walked through downtown, visited a few wineries, found some neat antique shops, and ate EVERYTHING. We had no set schedule or timeline. It was glorious.
Here are a few favorite pics from our mini vacay
Our favorite stops:
Wilson Antique Stores (2 TC locations)
Milk & Honey (so good we had to stop here twice)
Can we go back now?
Have a great weekend!
Cottage: Summer Vacation Edition
As vacations often do, ours felt like it went by far too fast. We spent last week back in Michigan. It was a wonderfully busy week that included: working on the cottage, a couple of days in Traverse City (more on that to come soon), horse camp with my niece, golf and time enjoyed with family & friends. It was a nice mix of productivity and relaxation.
As for the cottage, we focused on hanging the remaining pine boards on the walls and vaulted ceiling. This was a labor intensive process involving sanding, sealing, then hanging…not to mention the puzzle of measuring & figuring sizes & placements of boards. That being said…it was COMPLETELY worth it, even with the sweat and sore shoulders. I am very glad that we (mostly due to Mark’s persuasion) decided to leave the pine boards natural. We used the poly pictured below that added virtually no color, just a very subtle finish to seal and protect the wood.
The last pieces on the peak still need to go up along with the trim. The cork floor was also installed in the kitchen and living areas, and then covered up for protection as work is still in progress. WE LOVE IT.
As a little side project, I painted these oars from my Uncle for future wall art.
After we headed back to Indiana, I received these pictures the next day…Dad & Mom finished the remaining cork floor in the bedroom…they are THE BEST
The kitchen cabinets were ordered but didn’t arrive in time for us to pick up and install during this trip. Despite that, we made great progress. My head has been swirling thinking about how everything is going to look all put together…it’s getting closer!
Simple Switches
As of late, my decorating focus has been primarily on our cottage, but I haven’t completely neglected our house. I decided to do some “refreshing” for Spring several weeks ago with a few simple switches…yet again, I am late in posting this…c’est la vie!
I didn’t have to spend a lot of time or money to make a difference. I just swapped out a few accessories and accents with lighter colors, patterns and textures to brighten up a few areas of our home. However, think I must have picked the WORST time of day as far as lighting to take the pictures, but I’m sure you get the idea
Before After
As you can see, none of these switches were ground breaking or dramatic. It was just enough to lighten up our living area and reflect the change in seasons. You can make changes without having to do anything drastic or expensive. As is often the case, simple can be better.
Thanks for stopping by!
Cottage: Memorial Weekend
Once again, I feel like I am a little tardy with this update, but better late than never right? Over Memorial Day Weekend we were back in Michigan working on the cottage and were able to get A LOT accomplished while still having time to enjoy visiting with friends and family.
Mark and Dad finished installing the pine boards on the “main” wall in the living room. Then Mark and I went back and forth approximately 753 times on whether to leave it natural or white wash…finally landed on natural. This wood is too pretty to mess with, so we’ll just add a light satin coat of poly to protect it.
We reached a big milestone….PAINT! All of the walls, with the exception of the bathroom were primed and then painted. VERY. EXCITING. STUFF. For the living room and kitchen we chose Shark Loop by Valspar. The bedroom and the bathroom are on the small side so we wanted to keep those two lighter and selected Ghost Ship.
Even though we decided to keep the pine wood natural in the living room, we decided to white wash the pine boards for the bedroom ceiling to help keep it light and bright. I put on one coat of Minwax White Wash Pickling which will also be followed by a light poly coat to seal.
Last, but not least, I had a little help from this cutie touching up some of the exterior 
paint on the block foundation. She is a very good helper and I’ll take any excuse I can get to hang out with her.
Our next scheduled trip is in July, at which time we’ll be able to stay for an entire week for our vacation.
Stay Tuned!
Cottage: Onward!
FINALLY over Easter weekend were back in Michigan to work on our cottage after what felt like a long hiatus for the two of us. In addition to Mom & Dad, we were fortunate enough to have some extra help from our friends, Stephanie & Aaron.
We ended up dividing & conquering between our cottage and our cousin’s that is also undergoing the renovation process. At our cottage the drywall was taped and mudded, then we started installing the pine boards on the main wall, which will eventually go on the ceiling as well. It is ironic how much effort goes into making something like that look random, but it will be BEAUTIFUL!
While we all worked, Ruby hunted moles…everyone has their talents
Another important step was nailing down some selections…which can feel like the hardest part. Looking at samples from a distance isn’t nearly the same as testing them on site with the light, flooring choice (For the love of cork), etc. After trying a few finishes on the pine boards, and painting a couple of color swatches…we have winners!… Now I just have to avoid the paint section at Lowe’s so I don’t begin to second guess myself.
In addition to working, we were able to spend time with family & friends we don’t get to see often enough, a reminder of why we are doing this. As usual, Mom outdid herself keeping everyone fed (Remember this? Mom, The Gracious Hostess) We even had time at the end of the day to enjoy a few beers and s’mores around the first bonfire of the year for all of us.
Good company & good times all around!
By The Poole 