Just Call Me Twilight

Can I just say that I am so happy it is Friday!!!  It has been a week of unusual activities that have run me tired and I am relieved that the weekend is here. That said, let's move on to today's post.  Today's Fantastic Room comes via Ree Drummond who has a blog called The Pioneer Woman and has a show of the same name on The Food Network. Awhile back, Ree remodeled her daughters shared bedroom and I fell in love with the results.  I won't bore you with pictures of the whole room, but one thing in particular really caught my eye - their hanging beds.     How cool is that!!!  Here are a few more pictures of the room.            Hhhhmmmm, wonder if Handy Hubby can make this happen in the girls' rooms......   JCMT 

Happy Friday the 13th y'all!!!  It has been a good day so far.  Library with the Littles this morning, hot tea and a World Cup match in the afternoon.  Aside from the ungodly heat outside, yes, it has been a pretty good day! Courtesy of one of the latest Pottery Barn catalogues, comes today's dining room.      It is a bit darker than I normally like in a room, but I am completely loving the rock wall, the medieval glass chandelier, the oversized flower centrepiece, the patterned wood floor and the pop of "colour" in the rug.  Just makes me long to have y'all over for a nosh!  JCMT  

It has been awhile since I have done a Fantastic Room post.  No better time like the present, I say. Here in Arizona, a sun room doesn't make any sense.  We do have what is referred to as Arizona rooms, but they are not normally made entirely of windows.  Or if they were, they would not be a frequented room during most of the year due to the heat factor.  But if I lived in a more mild climate, I would spend all of my free time here.  I do think I would go the route of putting more comfortable looking furniture in it, making it more of a reading lounge.  It could also be a good place for morning tea and the newspaper.  However it would be used, it would be a nice addition to any home.  Well, a home not in Arizona....JCMT

It has been awhile since I have done a Fantastic Room Friday.  Not since the new year has started, anyways.  So I guess it is about time!!  As seems to be the norm, I am not actually showcasing a room.  Today I thought I would showcase stairs.  and not just any stairs.  Stairs with a rug runner!  I know, you can hardly contain the excitement building within you.  I get it - so I will just jump right in and put you out of your misery. I just love the look of stairs with a rug.  Not a single rug that sits on each stair.  One long, continuous runner rug. I think the runner just elevates the stairway from usual to extraordinary. And there is such versatility.  You could make any rug runner work, really.  The first picture featured a solid jute rug with a dark blue border.  The last two rug runners featured stripes.  Both different types of stripes patterns though, as well as different colours.  I sup...

Source unknown Today, I am bringing to you another bathroom.  I am obsessed with bathrooms right now.  I am longing to re-do both the guest/Littles bathroom as well as the Master Bath.  I have so many bathroom rehab ideas running through my head that sometimes it keeps me up at night.  Yep, really.  Welcome to my world!  But, I haven't started on any plans for change as of yet because we are heading into birthday and holiday seasons.  Too expensive a time to be making other expensive changes.  So I wait.... Anywhoo, this again is a very simple bathroom.  Has everything you could possibly need.  Two sinks.  Storage under the sinks.  Fancy mirrors.  Claw foot tub.  Natural light.  A chair to keep your naked butt off of the floor.  A fireplace - what???  Well, you may not NEED a fireplace in your bathroom, but wouldn't it be a nice addition?  Totally excessive, but also totally romantic....

Halloween - what a fun holiday for the kiddoes!  I can honestly say that I am not a big Halloween fan.  But I do want to be a part of fun memories for the Littles, so I suck it up and we decorate, make pretty costumes and eat lots of candy.  Thursday night was fun.  Friday - not so much.  Friday was one of the rare mornings that I was actually happy to send Oldest Daughter off to school.  The child was grumpy.  We didn't get to bed much later than we normally do, but the excitement of Halloween, I'm sure, wore on through the night, causing a restless sleep.  This is one of the rare mornings, as well, that I felt sympathy for Oldest Daughters' kindergarten teacher. Halloween morning started out well.  As Oldest Daughter could not wear her costume to school (not allowed by the school), both of my girls wore Halloween inspired shirts.  Thank you Grandma Karen! Donning these shirts started the day on a giddy...

Source Unknown Autumn is here!!  The mornings are a bit nippy, as well as the evenings.  The afternoons here in Arizona have unfortunately been in the 90's.  The house has gotten so warm that I have had to turn the air conditioning back on.  That was a sad moment for me.  But I just know that the cooler weather is going to be gracing us soon.  Until then, this fireplace and sitting area are going to have to tide me over.  I love a rock fireplace.  This one looks like it has warmed generations of families.  The long sofa invites you to stretch out, cuddled in the throw.  I love the old tiled floor as well as the simplicity of the room.  Sigh - I just know that cooler weather is coming.....JCMT

As what seems to be the case lately, this post is not exactly about a room.  Or a space.  It is a phenomenon that we don't seem to have here in Arizona, but can be found adorning barns in southern states.  I just love the little punch of creativity that livens up an otherwise drab exterior. Source Unknown   Source Unknown     via via   They are called barn quilts.  They are painted quilt squares fashioned on boards and then mounted on a barn.  The design can be as varied as any true quilt.  It can have family meaning, crop meaning, or just be a fabulous design.  The rule of thumb is that they should not be mounted on any structure that is under 50 years old.  What a fascinating design idea!  JCMT

  Pinterest     Where to begin!  There are so many things I love about this space.  First of all, I love the baby blue shutters.  These working shutters are a colour that I would not purposefully paint on the exterior of a house, but in this case, they do help soften the look of the stone.  They make the home feel more inviting.  Second, I just love the ivy.  The way it climbs up and across the face of the home lends to its' old world feel.  It blends nicely with the stone, and the homeowners have done a good job keeping the ivy controlled.  Third, I love the two seating areas.  What a lovely place to have lunch.  Or just relax while lounging on the day bed.  And fourth, I love the trees surrounding the property.  In this picture you only get a glimpse of the trees, but enough of a glimpse to tell you that you are in the high country.  Meaning, that it is not too ho...

Source Unknown The wall art seen in this living room is ingenious!  The circular objects portrayed on the wall is not paint or wallpaper - they are ceiling medallions.   The homeowner took several different designs of medallions, as well as a range of sizes and nailed them to the wall.  They then painted the medallions the same colour as the actual wall.  This simple decorating idea created a unique backdrop to the room.  Pretty, subtle and a design talking point all rolled into one look.  Love it!  JCMT

Today's Fantastic Room is actually on Handy Hubby's to-do list.  I have wanted an outdoor shower for years.  And for years it has been talked about, but so many other house things were more pertinent.  To come right down to it, it is a crazy little luxury.  I envision my outdoor shower to have a small solar water tank, all soaps (including hair products) used would be biodegradable and non-toxic to plants so that the water could be collected and re-used.  In the part of Arizona I currently live in, an outdoor shower can realistically be utilised a majority of the year.  Here are a few examples of fantastic outdoor showers: I love the use of curtains in this shower: Source Pinterest     This one only has three sides.  For privacy issues (I do live in a neighbourhood community), I think I need four sides.  Oops, never mind - now I see the door.     Source Pinterest   I love the w...

Source Unknown I think I may have to change the name of my Friday post from Fantastic Room Friday to Fantastic Space Friday, as my last few Friday posts haven't necessarily been on rooms but on spaces.  Today is no exception.  I just love this space.  It is dual purpose.  An out-of-the-way nook that just dares you to curl up and read a book, possibly while hiding out from The Littles.  It can also be used as a bed for an overnight visitor.  Drawers underneath allows for extra storage or they can be left empty to be used by the overnight guest.  I also love that these homeowners chose to use this space in an unusual and out-of-the-box way.  Ingenious!  JCMT P.S.  If you enjoy reading my blog, please subscribe to it.  By subscribing, every new blog I post will then go directly to your email.  Subscribing is free and I promise I do not and will never...

Source Unknown I love these two rooms!  From this picture, I do not think that this is an overly large home, but these two rooms feel cosy, not cramped.  The furniture are all neutral coloured, and they just feel like furniture that is inviting you to sit down, enjoy a cup of tea and good conversation. The beams lend to the feel that this house has a bit of history behind it.  But the one thing that just speaks to me is the floor.  Bricks.  You have seen bricks in houses before.  On fireplaces or kitchen islands.  Accents mostly.  But it's not often that you see bricks as the floor inside of the house.  I also love that these bricks are a little worn looking.  Makes it feel like these rooms have helped raise generations, but yet still looks fresh and current.  Love it!!!  JCMT

Source unknown I am not sure that the bookcase shown above actually qualifies as an actual room, but I just love the cleverness of it.  Bookshelves at the base of a staircase, who would have thunk it!  I have never owned or lived in a home that was more than one story, but I have seen loads of pictures of homes with staircases.  And one thing I have never seen, until now, is this area encompass anything more than a pretty picture or a series of pictures.  I love that these homeowners thoughtfully use all space provided them - whether it really was provided or not.  JCMT

Source unknown I hate to admit it, but doing the laundry on a weekly basis is probably one of my favourite chores.  But let's be clear, I still don't enjoy doing it.  It just is a little less tedious than vacuuming or mopping the floors.  Both of the girls like to "help" sort the laundry.  I hand the clothing item to the youngest, who then puts it in the wrong pile.  Then the oldest will take it out the wrong pile, hug the clothing item and then place it in the correct pile.  So, as you can imagine, the sorting part of laundry is a lengthy process. I hate to complain about my laundry room as it is a definite step-up from my previous laundry room.  In the first house Handy Hubby and I owned, the laundry room was part of the carport.  It was part shed, part laundry room.  The whole room felt dirty, and heaven forbid I drop something on the ground!  It was also out of earshot, so out-of-sight-out-of-mind.  I had to rewash too man...

I was unable to do a 'Fantastic Room Friday' post last week, so I thought I would make up for it today.  Instead of just putting one picture up here about a room I feel is fantastic, I will go one step further and will show you several rooms that I am currently obsessing over.  Let's get started!! Source unknown I am in love with this door.  I love the fact that it is mostly windows, so it lets in an enormous amount of natural light.  It works well in that respect with the side window.  It does almost look like a dutch door, though this particular door is not split between the top half and the bottom half.  I even love the door handle.  The original handle works well with the colour and the structure of the hanging light.  What a perfect first impression this door lends to your house.  Love it! Via she Here is my idea of a simple kitchen.  First, it is all white aside from the gray back splash.  It ma...

via here   I have two daughters.  My oldest is in a big-girl bed, my youngest still in a crib.  My oldest is having a hard time waiting until the youngest is able to move into a big-girl bed.  She thinks that at the time the youngest is ready for a big-girl bed, they will then start sharing a room and will sleep in bunk beds - oldest on top, youngest at the bottom.  My oldest is the same girl that I have to check on nightly, because if I do not, she will roll herself out of her big-girl bed, hitting the ground with a nice thud, followed by quite a few tears.  I'm not adverse to the two girls sharing a room, but for now, they will continue in their own rooms.  I do love the idea of bunk beds, all decked out in girly cuteness, just not for my girls at this stage in their lives.  The above picture gives an alternative to the bunk beds.  Two beds, one room.  They both have a curtain to allow them their privacy, each has its' own...

Source Unknown My personal home decorating style is 'simple rustic'.  I don't really think that that is a category.  I can't go to Barnes and Noble and find decorating books that cater to 'simple rustic'.  But that term is as close as I have been able to come to my personal aesthetic.  The bathroom pictured above is a perfect illustration of what I would put into my home.  Wood plank floors, farmhouse sink, natural light, simple mirror, simple vanity, and of course the claw foot tub.  I would probably have some type of painting above the tub, but it would not draw away from the simple aspects of this room.  I have thrown around the word 'simple' a lot in this post, but after looking at the picture above, it just fits. Knock on wood that it continues, but it looks like my family and I are getting our first weekend in a long time - SICK-FREE!!! Whoo hoo!  We currently have no plans for the weekend, but that's not a bad thing.  Think ...

Source Unknown This has been an especially trying week.  Every day there have been activities (Prehistoric camp, dental appointments, movie morning, vacation bible school, swim lessons, etc), enough so that I have felt as if I have been living in my car.  Add the oppressive heat into the equation and I am just drained.  I'm feeling low and on the cusp of getting sick again.  So I see this picture of a comfy bed, fantastic beams, and just all-around coziness and I feel a little relaxation creep into me.  This room has solid nap potential!  Father's Day My Dad and I Thank you Dad! Thank you for the laughter, For the good times that we share, Thank you for always listening, And trying to be fair.   Thank you for your comfort, When things are going bad, Thank you for the shoulder, To cry on when I'm sad.   Thank you for being a special dad, or just for being you!  JCMT

I have to say that I just love this room!  I have always loved window seats, though I have never lived in a home that has had one.  So I guess it's the idea of a comfortable window seat that I covet.  This one is extra large sized, all the better to stretch out.  I can see myself lounging amongst the pillows, with a good book, hot tea and the Littles visiting elsewhere for a few hours. Sigh! We are having a low-key, "recover from sick" weekend.  Do you have any fun plans?  Whatever you are doing, I wish you a fantastic and safe weekend!  JCMT