checking in/making progress

Hi everyone! We have been busy bees over here. The house was placed on the MLS on Tuesday. One couple looked at the house within an hour of it being listed and are coming back for a second look tomorrow. A good sign! Our agent is having a Realtor Open House next Tuesday. 

The gardens are good. A few hosta varieties are flowering. 

The first hydrangeas are opening.

I bet you do this too, allow the plant to tell you who to pick for arrangements. Blooms lying on the ground want to come into the house!

We have had so much rain this summer, the gardens and grass look great but getting the lawn mowed is challenging because our house sits on a hill and the mower (this beast)

 will create big muddy tracks if the ground is too wet. Husband just bought this last year when he started to work from home.  He is in LOVE with it. But it will have to be sold too. Kind of sad but opportunity knocked when we spotted the waterfront lot and here we are, unloading all of out treasured garden tools and machines! 

We have been purging and organizing, something I love to do! Since we don't know the design of our new house yet, choosing what to keep is pretty tricky. My decisions are based on the amount of square footage we will lose (yay!) and the fact that our new smaller home will have an open floor plan which means less walls for large pieces of furniture. I had to make a few decisions that were kind of painful but have not looked back. 

I consider these shots to be very beautiful!

We store the patio furniture here in the winter. We piled this space with all kinds of stuff the other day and now ALL GONE! Will make organizing before the move so much easier.

I actually cannot tell you how much I enjoy looking at this. Sorry for these stupid shots of a storage room but it makes me so happy to see it almost empty! I will completely miss this in the next house. No basements near water. How in the world we will do without a basement I cannot imagine!

1 800 Got Junk helped us tremendously. We created a huge pile in the basement and garage and they took it all within an hour and were very professional and friendly. However, they charge quite a bit. It was worth it to us, we see it as a moving expense that helps in the selling of the house. They then sell and recycle what they can. The charities are wisely picky about what they take and had over a week wait for pick up. I did not feel it was the right time to have a garage sale, too much on my mind. However once the house sells, I am very willing to have an estate sale if the new owners are not interested in our large sectionals, exercise equipment, game tables, etc. 

So on to the new ideas.

I have a general idea of a floor plan of the new house and yard and continue to research. I pretty much go back and forth between organizing this house (our Amish cleaning ladies are helping too, we are keeping the house in perfect tip top shape since it will be compared to newer homes) and then researching new house ideas using Pinterest, Houzz, etc. for inspiration. We had a group of 13 here last weekend for my mothers 80th birthday so we were have been in a rush to get the house back in shape for the listing start date.

Here are a few ideas on my Pinterest boards....who knows what will actually become reality.

Love the color palette and style of the work space. Husband will work from home. We may put the office upstairs with water view.

Love this pergola.

Love the white, wood tones, Dash & Albert rugs and the tub.

Love everything, layout, casual vibe, windows and french doors to porch.

Love this.

Back courtyard shaded. Love the shade of trim and wall color, the batten board siding (is that the right term?) of the next image.

Time is definitely on my side and I am taking advantage so that when we meet with the Design/Build team after we move (will rent in Beaufort while building), I will have my head wrapped around the design, every little part of the design. I still feel I have not figured it out.... at all! So many things to consider in new construction. Our biggest inspiration in the next house is minimum indoor space but enough space for our three kids and guests when they visit and maximum outdoor space/porches and patios.

And finally Andy says hi and why are my parents running around like crazy? His buzz cut is growing out, going to have to cut him again soon.

What are you working on this summer?

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

this morning in the garden and pot fountain ideas

We finally have what seems like a sunny summer morning!

 So much rain this month! Our grass is springlike green and beautiful but needs to be cut. It is too soggy so it will keep growing until it hopefully gets cut later this week as it dries out.  A little mushroom crop popped up.

There is not much color in our gardens right now, we are in an in between stage between late spring bloomers and summer bloomers. Some yellow blooms. The calendula that are sprinkled throughout the border are opening, they are in bloom for most of the summer.

The last of the yellow flag iris from the two clumps in the pond.

I replaced the pansies and  used yellow lantana in the pots again to keep it simple.

Some nasturtium and poppies I seeded directly into the border are coming up. They are not exactly where I put them but look pretty mixed with the lavender.

The pond is wonderful right now. 

The herbs are doing well with the exception of the basil. Need more sun and warmth for that to take off. The parsley is very happy!

And I am a crazy pinner lately, so many ideas in my head for building our new house. Trying to get my head around the design and details to feel relaxed about it all. Not there yet! At all.

One idea we hope to realize is making the big pomegranate pot (that takes four men to move!) into a bubbling fountain on our courtyard patio. We are so going to miss our pond and the beautiful sound of the water. A big priority is to create something in a small space. Here are a few ideas for converting the pot...

We are getting small chores done in preparation for the house being put on the market at the beginning of July. Each day is consumed with noticing little things and correcting them. Our handyman has also been quite handy! 

What are you planning and dreaming of this summer? 

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

fountain image sources here

in the garden yesterday morning

Signs of spring!



The magical parade of spring bulbs has begun, the first daffodils with a peek of periwinkle.

The goldfish are venturing out to the other side of the pond through the channel to socialize. Our pond has two sides of over 2 feet depths each with a shallow channel that connects each side. The big group of fish breaks into two smaller groups for the winter, each staying on one side, barely moving in the freezing water. Once the water warms, they make their way up and down the channel to visit each other and exercise. The flag iris are up in the background at the end of the channel. The fish love hiding among the roots.

The most delightful activity to watch from the kitchen sink window or the patio is to see them muscle against the current towards the falls (we have a pump that creates a downstream current and recirculates through the falls at the high point) and then go limp and ride the current backwards. They do it repeatedly and in pairs and it seems to be completely for fun!

A mama robin has been rummaging around the yard for nest materials. You can see the lawn needs rain so badly, still in winter mode.

The sky turned dark as I was making my way around the garden and drops began to fall. We received 2" of rain last night, a few areas of the yard are flooded, the soil was so dry. Calling for more today which is a good thing as we are behind.

The wood anemone has popped through on the edge of the woods. The lovely foliage will fully open after the blooms first appear. A few made their way to the perennial border for the first time too.

What is outside your window? Are you taking frequent strolls to enjoy the signs of spring like we are?

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy