Sneak Peek

I'm sorry that I didn't post a Thrifty Treasures this week; I do have one in mind for next week, though.  I was just too excited about the progress of our new addition to wait any longer to share this sneak peek of the first room to be complete...well, almost complete.  The grills for the windows have yet to be built, and the outlet covers need to be screwed on.  Other than those two minor things, the room is ready to move into!  I love it! It is my favorite room...I call it "the library"; it's a place for the kids to do their studying, a haven for drinking tea and watching the birds (I hung a bird feeder in three of the five windows)...a place to be surrounded by books.  In the age of technology, I still want my kids to appreciate books...the feel, the smell, the wonderful places they take us...

I'm sorry about the quality of the pictures; my camera doesn't do so well taking indoor photos...especially when it's a gray day.  I couldn't wait, though, to share this little sneak peak of my library.

The windows are my favorite part of the room. I have dreamed about these French push out windows for years, and I can't believe they are finally a reality. They are handmade from lumber Hubby milled himself.  The craftsmanship of these lovely windows is breath-taking, right down to the hardware used to keep them open and closed.  They are actually more beautiful than the ones in my dreams.

One of the windows looks into the kitchen instead of outside.

This one is not a newly handmade window; it is an old window that we purchased at an architectural salvage place a few years ago.  We went for the purpose of buying doors for our barn, but I found this little gem stashed in a corner covered in cobwebs and dust.  I knew I had to have it.  I can't remember exactly how much we paid for it, but I know it was less than $20.  It sat in our barn until a few months ago when Hubby pulled it out, repaired the glass, sanded, painted and installed it into its new home in the wall between my kitchen and new library.  This darling little window was the inspiration for the other push out windows in the addition. 

We were even able to keep its old hardware.

The next best thing in this room is the dark, library floor.  Here's a little peak...it's beautiful!  It's exactly what I envisioned when planning this room.

 To me, it really does have the feel of a time-worn library floor.

And what library is complete without the bookshelves?

And, of course, a light for reading all of those glorious book.

So...there you have it, a sneak peek of my library.  I can't wait to show you the finished product. I may have to employ my daughter, though, to take the pictures...she and her camera do a much nicer job than I do with my little point and shoot.  I hope you all come back to see more of our new addition. The next room is almost ready to be revealed.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great night!

Linked with Chic on a Shoestring, Finding Fabulous, Craftberry Bush, A Bowl Full of Lemons, New Nostalgia, Coastal Charm, Our Home Away from Home, The Farmhouse Porch, Not Just a Housewife

Iced Coffee, Anyone?

I can't believe that it's the middle of the week already; it's amazing how quickly time flies.  I wish it wouldn't. I'd like to capture the summer days and make them last forever...they can be a rare commodity in our neck of the woods.  Winter seems to take more than its fair share of the 365 days in a year, so I want to savor these long, warm, sunny days.

I want to wear colorful, argyle wellies and a sundress while I work in the garden...

Enjoy some girly talk while pulling weeds...

Allow the Little Ones run to around the yard in bathing and suits and wet hair...

Watch them discover the joy of picking flowers, finding worms, and eating popsicles...

Let the grass tickles Baby's chubby feet for the first time...

I simply adore summer...I live for it...I look forward to it all year long.  I enjoy the longer days; right now the sun rises around 5:00 am and goes down around 8:30 pm in our corner of the world.  I love the sounds of summer...the birds, the frogs and peepers, the crickets.  I enjoy going to the seaside, driving with the windows down, stopping at flea markets and yard sales, planting and harvesting the garden, watching the fireflies light up the yard at night, and sipping iced coffee while reading a magazine under the maple tree.

 In honor of summer and drinking lots of iced coffee under the maple tree, I want to share with you my favorite iced coffee recipe that I found on pinterest.  I don't always have the forethought to prepare it ahead of time, but when I do....mmmmm...it is delicious.  Adding ice, sugar and cream to leftover coffee made in the morning will do, but pouring a glass (or in my case, a mason jar) full of this cold-brewed coffee is much more satisfying.

The Best Iced Coffee You Will Ever Drink

1/2-2/3 cup ground coffee

1 tsp cinnamon

3 TBS dark brown sugar

3-4 cups of cold water, 

Mix all of the ingredients together, let sit overnight in fridge, strain, pour over ice and add cream. Enjoy!!!!

Linked withThe Brambleberry Cottage, French Country Cottage, 

Today's Simple Pleasures

Life has been a bit crazy here at Front Forty the past few weeks. With all the work being done on our addition, major decisions being made, a nasty summer cold working its way through the household, and a three year old that is re-living his terrible twos, I have felt a bit overwhelmed.  I thought today would be a perfect time to share a few more simple pleasures...to help remind myself to take the time to enjoy the small things.

Drinking my morning cup of coffee outside while listening to the bird songs...

Hanging my summer coverlet on the line, knowing I get to smell the outdoor freshness when I go to bed tonight...

Enjoying the warm, summer-like temperatures...

Fresh picked peonies in an aged blue mason jar...

Blueberry bushes loaded with berries...

A hand-made bird feeder from my Hubby...

A sunny, yellow bird found on clearance...

Discovering the very first tomatoes of the season...

Excitement in finding the apple blossoms did, indeed, transform into tiny apples...

My friend of 18 years enjoying a catnap in the sunshine...

My Daughter's Photography

Adding freshly picked arugula and radishes to our pasta salad...

Receiving a love letter, in the form of an email, from my husband...

Finding that I was featured (again) on this lovely blog...thanks so much Suzanne.

Watching an episode of Inspector Lewis after the Littles have gone to sleep...

I hope you can can take a few moments to enjoy the simple pleasures that may surround you each day.  It really does make the burdensome things seem  a bit lighter. I also want to say thanks to everyone who has left comments; I get so excited when I see that a new one has been posted...your thoughts and words are very encouraging.
Have a great night!

Linked with Our Home Away from Home, Coastal Charm, The Dedicated House, 

Thrifted Treasure #5

Good evening.  The sun shone brightly in my little corner; it was a beautiful, cloudless day reaching into the mid 70's. Five of the Littles spent the day at Grandma's house, so I was able to putter around getting a bit of this and that done.  I helped Hubby in our new addition by screwing hardware onto the windows and painting a couple of doors.  I can't wait to share the progress with you. I also did a little work in my vegetable garden; it hasn't even been a week since I last weeded and rototilled, and the persistent weeds have all come back.  One particular weed IS EVERYWHERE...it literally grows as thick as a carpet.  See how it has invaded my cucumber plants?

Fortunately, they are easy weeds to pull...the roots are very short.  I haven't figured out what type of weed it is yet, but I'm certain it comes from the manure I till into the soil. I'm bound and determined to win the battle against this weed because the manure is a great fertilizer, and I get an unlimited supply, free of charge...compliments of Sir Isaac and his brother Jacob.  

Okay...onto the thrifted treasure that I want to share with you today.  I have a small collection of vases of different sizes and shapes. A few of my favorites are a milk-glass vase that I picked up for $.50; a little blue one, edged in gold, that was found in a "free" box at the dump; and two sweet, yellow vases that were $.99 each.

While taking the pictures of the vases, Little White Hen crept into the background, hoping for her Internet debut...I thought it was cute enough to share.

A few photos of the vases doing what they do best...

Bouquet and Photo by My Daughter

Photo Taken by My Daughter

Bouquets and Photo by My Daughter

I also couldn't resist snapping this photo of Little #9 this morning.  She looked so sweet in her dress-up hat, and then I noticed that her blue blouse and mustard yellow shorts matched almost perfectly with the colors of my thrifted vases...I simply had to share it. 

Back to the vases...my all-time favorite vase is this hand-blown beauty that I found for $4.99 at the Goodwill.

It is such a beautiful piece; it has an elegance about it that none of my other vases can compare to, and I love the air bubbles.  They give it such distinctive charm.

I'm almost hesitant to use it for fear of breaking it.

I filled it with seashells and other treasures we have found on trips to the beach...

...and tucked it safely on a high shelf.

It's almost a shame to keep it hidden so far away, but I keep telling myself that someday I will bring it down...someday when little hands aren't quite so little, and the vase's life isn't in danger.  Someday.  For now, it will have to be content being home to the seashells.

Thanks again for stopping by my little corner.  I hope you enjoyed my "thrifted treasure" as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.  Good night!

Linked with Living Well Spending Less, Brambleberry Cottage, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Pieced Pastimes, The Shabby Nest, Becoming Martha, Shaken Together, Craftberry Bush, Chic on a Shoestring, Finding Fabulous, 

 It's Overflowing, Boogieboard Cottage, The Dedicated House, Say Not Sweet Anne, Alderberry Hill, Huckleberry Love, 

A Walk Through the Gardens

Hello, everyone!  Today was the second day of our official summer vacation. Although the temperatures aren't really saying "summer" yet in our corner of New England...well, at least not in my heat-loving opinion...the sun is peeping out from behind the clouds more and more.  The flowers are grateful for the sun, and the colors in my gardens are really starting to pop. I thought it would be nice to take another stroll through my yard to see what is blossoming this week.  If you would like to listen to one of Beethoven's most beautiful pieces while we stroll, click here in another tab for his 6th Symphony.

First of all, we come to the sweet, little smiling faces of the pansies.  

Aren't they just darling?!?!  They really do seem to be smiling at me.

I'm not sure of the name of these next annuals, but I couldn't resist picking up a flat when I was purchased a few vegetable seedlings earlier this spring.  The colors are stunning!

The salvia is standing tall behind the pansies...

... and now on to the rose gardens; my great-grandmother's white roses are in full bloom.  I wish I could figure out how to add "scent" to the computer screen so you could smell their intoxicating fragrance.

The Rosa Rugosas aren't quite as prolific as the white roses...yet, but they are coming along.

As we pass the rose gardens and round the corner, you see the late-blooming lilacs.  The cooler temperatures have made these beauties quite happy. I have three bouquets of them in my house right now, including one that is on my nightstand. The breezes from the open window spread the delightful fragrance throughout the room.  Oh, I just love this time of the year!

Now a little walk over to the vegetable garden where I harvested our very first veggies of the year...a healthy bunch of rainbow radishes.

A little vinegar, salt and pepper...yum!!!  Tomorrow I may have to indulge in one of my childhood favorites, radishes sliced onto buttered-slathered bread with salt and pepper.

Thanks for taking that little stroll with me.  I love showing you my gardens; one of my favorite parts of having a blog is sharing with others the things that make me happy.  Night, night!

Linked with The DIY Dreamer, Clean & Scentsible, The 36th Avenue, Adorned from Above, A Diamond in the Stuff, Mums Make Lists