Welcome Summer {Please Don't Stay}

 Summer is not my favorite.
I don't relish the extra hours of daylight, the heat is my sworn enemy, and the sun makes me feel sluggish.  The way a lot of people feel about winter is the way
I feel about summer.

So this post is just a collection of glimpses around the house lately, a distraction from the day's
hot and sunny forecast.

Russell Westbark is back, you might remember him from this post.  We had him along with his two siblings when they were just 6 weeks old.  He was adopted but then later returned {no fault of his own} so now he is a 4 month old loving playful boy looking for a forever home again.
He does an expert head tilt and is so cute it hurts.

Russell loves to empty the toy basket each morning and scatter everything all over the living room while Birdie keeps a close watch.

I put these flags on the front door for Memorial Day and decided they should stay up all summer long.  Once they were situated might as well leave them in place for July 4th and then for Labor Day.  

I used to have a tray on the entry table for mail but I never used that tray because I go through mail immediately.  So in its place I put an antique boxer that belonged to my grandma under a glass dome and an antique dish to hold mints.  

We've recently started watching TV with closed captioning turned on {you really do catch so much more!} so it's fitting we would have a dish of mints by the 

front door.  

I finally figured out what to hang between the brass lamps in the dining room.  This brass laurel wreath is from Restoration Hardware's holiday collection and I got it on clearance in January.  I didn't want anything to actually sit on the sideboard and deter from functionality but I also didn't want something just one-dimensional on the wall.  Laurel wreaths are so classic and this brings a dose of traditional to what is probably the most modern room in the house.  

Also, I'm considering having the metallic walls painted over.  They were fun when we first moved in but 3 years later they are starting to feel gimmicky.  During the day they look kind of cheesy but then at night with the lamps turned on they look pretty and sophisticated.  Luckily the walls have not set a deadline for the decision so I can waffle my little heart out.  

I found a huge platter at my favorite antique shop, Mockingbird Manor, and put it up on the mantel.  

Currently it is hung too high, but it is covering up some old nail holes that need to be repaired.  

Future plans are to move it down and get a brass or bronze museum light to hang above it.  

Trader Joe's eucalyptus is $3.99 a bunch and lasts for a long time.  

I love the organic look and it stays pretty even once it starts to wilt.

I'll sign off with a puppy pic: fosters Walter & Willa who were both recently adopted :)

My X's & O's

Happy February!  

Since the calendar has turned I thought it was about time for a little Valentine's Day inspiration.
The mother of all made up holidays, but I'm a good American so I'll buy in.  

Before Christmas even came around the dollar section at Target had already turned to Valentine knickknacks.  I rolled my eyes and thought what a materialistic, hurried society we are 

and then started shoving things into my cart.

Said Target knickknacks included the garland and heart wreath hanging on the front door.   I permanently leave two suction cups hanging on the inside of the storm door and change out the garland for the season or holiday.  I usually pick out garlands that have some metallic element to tie in with the gold on the historic plaque.  In my head I imagine all the neighbors excitedly anticipating which garland is going to come next. 

The doormat is also new, we've lived here for 2.5 years and I just kept the soggy worn doormat left by the previous owners all that time.  This one is nice because it's made of hardwood and raised so moisture won't get trapped underneath {it's from the Smith & Hawken line at Target}.  The greenery is leftover from Christmas, to me it represents winter as a season so it stays long after December has passed.  

The gazelle hooks are wearing hearts, these hearts were used in our wedding, almost 8 years ago now, so I think they're sweet repurposed as seasonal decor.  

A little Valentine cheer in the kitchen, just a peppermint candle grouped with a rosemary plant and my pink mixer makes this corner feel sweet.

The poinsettia from Christmas is still going strong so it has turned into a Valentine's Day poinsettia, it looks cute with the red in the XOXO banner hanging on the window.  

One of the treat jars is filled with Milkbone minis for the girls.  They are laughably small for a 50 pound blue heeler and a 60 pound pit bull, but they were the only size available in the 

pink/red combo.  They prefer their veggie chews, no doubt.  

I'm so glad I got the house dressed up for the big occasion.  Our plans include ordering Thai and  sitting on our new sectional that will hopefully be delivered by 2/14.  

I am going to spice things up though, I have a pants/long sleeved silk leopard PJ set I plan to wear while eating on the couch- meow.  

**This post was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned**

You Were Always Jealous of that Lamp: Part I

Merry Merry! While I don't have a leg lamp I do want to show off some Christmas decor in an effort to ignite feelings of envy.  That's what the season is all about.  

Let's start with the entryway. Free was the goal for the planter- tree clippings from Lowe's and magnolia branches I snipped off a tree in the backyard.  It looks unruly and messy but still contained- in other words: it's perfect.   

The door trimmings are all from Target, the garland and "Merry Christmas" are new but the wreath I've had for a long time.  I wanted a mix of metallic with the natural greenery and the stars make our historic plaque pop.

The front door has been painted Benjamin Moore's Wrought Iron since the last time you've seen it and I'm so happy with the color.  It looks so nice with the dark storm door and plaque.  

Now moving inside...

Mini boxwood wreath on the gazelle hook.

Snowflake ornaments on a metallic branch and wise men on the entry table.  

 Do you want to come into the living room? Sure you do!  

Last year when I was taking down Christmas decorations I threw my fake white tree out to make sure it would never be used again- it had turned yellow but I still kept using it,  grimacing a little more each time I put it up. This year I wanted a simple natural tree with nothing but white lights.  

I got a little tabletop tree from Lowe's because it was just easy.  I knew right where I could put him and didn't have to strap it to my car or move furniture around.  

He's flat out cute and looks so sweet glowing at night.    

Moving over to the console...we upgraded our media console and 

TV over the summer and they fit the scale of the room so much better.  

The TV will be mounted eventually but the walls need to be painted first.  

This vase and white branches always live here, but got dressed up for Christmas with white lights and metallic snowflakes. 

Underneath I framed some wrapping paper and strung lights and an ornament garland.

White and green was the theme for the mantel. 

Live garland from Trader Joe's layered in with seasonal decor I use year after year. 

Apparently I was really into putting white lights into containers this year...

two on the console and this lantern by the mantel.

Come back next week for "You Were Always Jealous of that Lamp: Part II" where we'll take a gander at the dining room and kitchen.  How's that for a cliffhanger?  

**This post was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned**

Shed Some Light

Does everyone remember our entryway?  It sat empty for months before I filled it in with items pilfered from my in-laws attic {read that here}.  

I was pleased with how it turned out, except it let in no natural light and always felt kinda dreary.  

Something I've wanted since moving in was to get a storm door put on the front.  A lot of houses in our neighborhood have them, being an HP neighborhood original doors are kept on as much as possible and storm doors keep the original doors in full view while adding protection from the elements. 

We chose a Pella door from Lowe's with oil rubbed bronze hardware {the door frame looks black in this photo but it's dark brown}.  It has low emissivity glass which will help significantly with drafts since the old wooden door alone didn't do much.  I also love the security that comes with the added lock {and yes the trim needs to be touched up}. *This post is not sponsored by Pella or Lowe's.

As for the girls, Birdie simply enjoys basking in the natural light from her chair while Shep estimates her monitoring duties have gone up at least 23% and yet her pay remains the same.  She's thinking of unionizing with some other neighborhood dogs.

I've mentioned before how I love to leave curtains open with lamps on at night. I think houses looks so cozy from the outside when they're burning bright after dark.  As such I leave the original door wide open so passersby can sneak a peak.  

And now for some completely unrelated news...

Matt and I got to attend the Central Oklahoma Humane Society Hero Awards Gala on Saturday and it was everything.  Puppies to hold, dog and cat shaped mossy decor, bone shaped desserts.  Not to mention the heroes were all rescue animals who had performed heroic acts.  

For those wondering I didn't cry during the awards I've just taken up eating raw jalapeños at inopportune times. 

{Read about our rescue girl from the Central OK Humane Society here}