Freeze What?

Well they made it through the "Freeze Warning" last night.

Doug and I were laying in bed watching the news when the weather man came on and said "cover up the gardens and pots, we have a Freeze Warning in affect for tonight."

Doug and I looked at each other and knew what we had to do at that moment. (It might of been, that I looked at him and knew what we had to do at that moment... but same thing right?) We had to save our flowers! So we got out of bed and start collecting all the flowers. Here we are in our pajamas and when I say pajamas I am using that term loosely. I looked over at Doug and he is running around in his slip on work boots and shorts.

(We were a sight for sore eyes... as they say) We were running all over and around the property collecting flowers. It was a pain and it was really cold. But it was worth it to wake up to our beautiful flowers this morning and realize that we helped them get through another freezing cold night.

Dear God, I pray that that was the last of the

"Freeze Warnings"

I hope all of you are waking up to beautiful things, that can make you smile and think of the wonderful creations that God has created for us.

I hope you have a beautiful day!

Many Blessings, dana

Lazy Day at the Lake House...

Just another lazy day here at our Lake House on a hill. When I say Lake House on a hill, I mean you can kinda see the lake through all the trees, from on top of our hill. Is that sort of like a "Room with a View?" Call it what you want... It's Home to us!

The sun is shining and the birds are saying hello... (or are they saying, "get away from my nest!") Blake and I have been planting flowers together for most of the morning. He did have to take a break at one point to play in his new sandbox his daddy built him last weekend. We just came in for a bite to eat and to give Nolan a bath and a bubba. He is getting so big, I can't believe how fast it goes. Hope you all have a lovely day.

many hugs,

dana

Pretty in Pink and Green Continued...

A close up of the apple green chairs.

I used a green and white polka-dot on the front of the chairs and a green check

on the back that match the panels on the window treatments.

A bath done on a thrifty budget.

It is possible to decorate without blowing the bank. When you are on a tight budget and can't afford granite on all of the surfaces, you can get a chic look by adding special details. The rose painted knobs and pulls on the simple white cabinets make the cabinets look like more than what they really are.

Pretty in Pink and Green!

Some days you just feel like a warm bath and tea for one...

Master Bath

Our master bath is very fun and also done in pink and green. In here I used a Laura Ashley wallpaper that I fell in love with immediately. It is the prettiest shade of apple green and the large rose bouquet pattern makes the room feel bigger than it really is. I used all crisp white tile and fixtures to give it a clean and fresh look. I love using white in bathrooms because it's so classic and you can change small things to give it a new look.

Our Master Retreat!

One of my favorite rooms in our home is our master bedroom. I love pink and green, when we built this house I knew I wanted a pink and green master suite. We love our big green bed, I was very nervous going from a queen to king but my husband Doug talked me into it when I was about 6 months pregnant with our first son Blake. I thought that it would take over the room and actually I think it fits a lot better than the queen ever did. (Besides there is only enough room for One Queen in this room... Hee Hee!)

The furniture in this room is sort of a mixed bag. I have two antique dressers that my mom gave me when she sold Summer Hill cottage in Harbor Springs. The two antique chairs were leftovers from when we closed our boutique Chloe's a few years ago. I love the chairs! I only wish I would have taken a before picture because although they had potential they were sort of scary looking. A fresh coat of white paint and an adorable Laura Ashley green and white polka-dot fabric and wah-la their beautiful again. The curtains were custom made by my wonderful sister-in-law Angie and we made them out of extra sheets from my Ralph Lauren floral bedding. I painted the walls Benjamin Moore 415 out of the classic collection and it is a soft crisp green that is very soothing and a great bedroom color.

This room was so much fun to decorate because my house is done with a lot of red, yellow and green. I didn't want what everyone else had, I think I achieved the look that I was going for. I hope you all like it and I hope it inspires you to master your own bedrooms!

Many Blessings, dana

The Baptism

Godparents Kyle and Carrie.

Nolan is so blessed to have Kyle and Carrie as Godparents.

They promise to pray for him, look after him ( every Saturday night... LOL)

and to be there for him on his journey through life as a child of God. What a blessing from above. Doug and Nolan were baptized last Sunday and it was such a wonderful and emotional experience. The ceremony was beautiful and Pastor Scott did an amazing job. God works in him like I have never seen before... He has such a gift to touch the people that sit before him. We always feel so at home in our church and we thank God for bringing us closer to him through his teachings. Doug and I have accepted our responsibility to raise both of our children in a Christian home. We pray that, God as our leader will guide us in all situations and will be our rock throughout our lifetime. Our goal is to raise our children to know God. When they leave the home they will have the tools they need to go through life knowing that God is with them always even when we are gone. May God Bless all of you! dana "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children....' " DEUTERONOMY 6:6, 7 NIV

New Life!

There are so many things that I love about Spring... The main thing that I love is the New Life all around us. The bulbs that we plant in the fall, start to blossom. The trees after a long cold and sleepy winter, start to awaken with leaves. God surrounds us with the beauty and wonderment of new life on a daily basis but I think Spring is his specialty. Take a moment and look around at all that God created and praise him because what he has done for us is very good indeed.

"Thank you God for our beautiful Seasons that you have created so magnificently. You are an Awesome God indeed and you bring us New Life that puts me in ahh on a daily basis. Thank you God!"

Speaking of New Life, as most of you know my husband and I just had a new baby boy. He turned 8 weeks on Thursday and he is doing just great. He is a great sleeper, and a very happy boy. This Sunday on Mother's Day, Nolan and my husband Doug will be baptized together at our church. I am very excited for both of them, how wonderful for Nolan and his daddy to be starting their journey with Christ at the same time. I thank God for this blessing!

"Happy Mother's Day!"

I hope all of you mothers can take Sunday for yourself and your families. You truly have the hardest job in the world and may God Bless all of you and your families.

Thanks for stopping by! dana

A Beautiful Tuesday!

Blake and Nolan hanging out on a beautiful Tuesday! Nolan is starting to be more active and is awake more during the day. Blake is loving to have someone to hang out with and talk to besides me. Nolie is getting baptized on Sunday and we are home this week trying to get everything ready. All of our family and some friends will be here for a brunch on Sunday and I am trying to get my menu planned.

Any great ideas or recipes are welcomed...

May God Bless you all on this beautiful Tuesday!

dana

Love in Lighting!

Lighting is so important in a home and with out the right amount of lighting you can find yourself in the dark. We added all new lighting in this home and it really made all the difference. Get creative when using lights. We mixed it up and put many varieties of lighting in the guest house including:

recessed 5 inch can lights, a McKenzie Childs white teapot chandelier,

two fabulous pewter and crystal chandeliers over the kitchen island and a unique

Shabby Chic glass chandelier in the small bath.

Have fun with your lighting and think outside the box. If you stop and take a look around your favorite room in your house, it may be telling you that it's time for a lighting update.

• Lighting Tip #1: When updating your lighting in your home, get white recessed cans in 4-5 inches. The 6 inch cans look more out of date and can be overwhelming to the space. Outline the perimeter in your room, being sure to highlight draperies, artwork and other accents in your room.

• Lighting Tip #2: If updating your entire home, don't break the bank on background fixtures. You can get really cute lighting for less at Lowe's, home depot, Lamps Plus and other discount stores. Than you have more money to spend on the show stoppers like over a dining table or kitchen island. Put your money in the right place and don't worry about the hallways so much as the kitchen!

• Lighting Tip #3: Lamps, Lamps, Lamps. You can find great lamps if you look in the right places. Shop at local furniture shops, antique shops and my favorites, TJMax, Marshall's and Target. Not only do lamps offer warmth and dimension in a room, but if done correctly can offer the perfect light for reading a great book.

Lighting can be fun, exciting and sometimes overwhelming. you can easily update the look of a room by making some small lighting changes. Even if it means just putting in a new lamp next to your favorite reading chair or by the bed. If the lighting world has got you stressed and overwhelmed and you can't decide on the right lighting, seek help from a design consultant. It can really help you save money by getting an expert involved in the decision making process.

Lots of Love on Lighting!

dana

Just a few more great shots!

Guest House

Close-up of Living Room On either side of the fireplace we had custom window seat cushions made with matching pillows to give the guests a cozy spot to curl up with a book and relax.

Just beyond the window seats in the neighbors backyard, sits a very sweet bunny house.

I think in this picture you are seeing the shed, but the bunny house

sits next to it and is very cute.

(get me a book and an afternoon without the kids and I am sooo there!)

Guest House

This is a part of the kitchen, when the home was purchased for renovation, it was a small bedroom off the kitchen and we tore down the wall and expanded the kitchen area.

The small bedroom was quite interesting with its flame sponged painting all over the walls. I think opening the space up really makes for a much more user friendly space.

Master Bedroom close-up

I found this great book on decorating "Green" I thought it would be perfect for our

"Green Home 2008"

Guest House

The view when you walk in the front door.

This floor plan has been opened up so the kitchen, living, sun porch and

dining room are all open to each other and is great for entertaining.

Living / Dining

Yes, we have hung a 47in LCD Tv from the white river rock fireplace. If I do say so myself, I really like the way it turned out and the guys all love it!

Thank you Grandpa for working so hard on getting that tv hung so beautifully.

more to come my computer is to slow to do much more. See you later!

dana