LITTLE DETAILS

This was how each window in the house looked when we bought it. The original windows had been replaced with low-e vinyl but hadn't been finished out. Oh so ugly! Until now, 7 months later.

This is in the office. We still have to sand the baseboards and put on the quarter round or is it shoe moulding? At any rate, it's so much nicer to be in here.

AND SO IT BEGINS

This is the first striking visual you see when you enter the house. All these pictures are how the house was when we first got the opportunity to go inside.

This is standing in the raised dining room looking into the living room. The couch on the right is against the wall. We do love the beamed ceiling.

This picture is taken standing in the living room peering into the dining room which she had set up as a family room.

Here is the family room/what would be the dining room.

Turn a little and you'll be able to go down this hall. The first opening on the right is the kitchen and the first opening on the left is a bedroom. Bathroom is at the end of the hall and turn the corner to the left, there's another small bedroom.

I'll continue the tour on another post.

LIONS AND TIGERS AND ESCROW, OH MY!

We are officially in escrow on this little hacienda. If all goes accordingly, we will close at the end of the month. Can't wait to take you along our journey as we fix up this diamond in the rough and let it shine.

CANTON, TX

Oh the wonderful world of Canton, Tx First Monday. We just got back and it was the perfect shopping weather.

There's something magical about peering thru old windows. Think of how many eyes have looked thru those same windows many years ago. What were they thinking,? What were their dreams? Their fears? Their hopes? And how many times did they look out and think of a different life for themselves or their children. Or maybe, they looked thru the glass and thought, GEE, this needs to be cleaned!

Love this arbor. If only I could fit it into my suitcase.

I've seen these in antique stores and people put their plants in them. Ideal for orchids.... Again, too bad I can't fit them into my suitcase.

CRYSTAL BALL

Sometimes a watering can is practical and sometimes it's just quaint and every once in a while it's both. Regarding our bungalow hunt, it looks like we might be heading toward escrow on a short sale that began in October. We should find out tomorrow. Of course, this HAS been going on since October. I'll let you know as we know.

SPRING AWAKENING

The Orchid Farm is alive and happy.

I can't believe I used to toss these out after their initial bloom. I had no idea I could get them to come back. These are above our kitchen sink with an East facing view. It makes doing the dishes bearable since this is my view.

With our rains we've been having, our garden has never been happier. When Smith & Hawkins was going out of business (sigh) we snagged this red arbor. It's called Victorian, but it looks a little Asian to me. Either way, it's fantastic support for the red bouganvilla.

We our hopes still high on the pink Spanish house bid, we knew it would need work. We found Silverlake Architectural Salvage and got there an hour before they closed. Does your heart pitter patter at the look of old windows? Mine does.

There was something so sweet and simple about this cast iron fireplace frame. I decided it would be too small in our Pink Spanish House, but I still loved it.

LATE EASTER EGG-CELENT HOUSE HUNTING

We have an offer in on this Spanish Bungalow. It's a short sale, so our offer has been in since... well, October.

We actually saw inside it last weekend. Poor ol' gal needs some love, but wouldn't you if you were born in 1929.

What we like about it is it's style and sweet manageable backyard. If we get it, I'll post some before pictures. In the meantime, my hunt for the perfect TV cabinet continues and it is stepped up a bit since we took the plunge and got a flatscreen TV that's sitting out for all to see 24/7. Not my favorite thing in the living room.

The days are beautiful and our Christmas cactus has come back to show more blooms. What a treat!