♥ Reclaimed Living Space ♥

Don't you just love the feeling you get from a "reclaimed room"?  You know the room that was stacked up with something or being used to store stuff and then you get it back and get to enjoy it again?

Well that's what happened with our sunporch.  Since March, we have had a BIG stack of laminate flooring out there, along with the other supplies that go along with installing it.  It was all an eyesore to me.....especially since this is the first room I see when I come in from my carport/garage.  I kept telling myself, "this too shall pass" and tried to just not look at it.  But since a big part of that stack is flooring that will be used in the master bedroom (when we get around to remodeling it), it just wasn't going away anytime soon.  We have too many other projects going on....outside projects....that are keeping us from it.

I finally got to the point of enough is enough.  I'm was not going to go through the rest of my summer unable to really enjoy my sunporch.  So with the help of Joy (and Luke a little too),  we moved the flooring into the house and stacked them neatly under beds.  There they will wait until we are able to get to that project, which will most likely be a winter project.

And with that stack gone, I felt like I was looking at a new space.  What a great feeling!  So, I got busy tidying it up and tweaking.....you know moving stuff around.  And just those little changes made all the difference. I feel like I have a new room and I love it!

Already we have enjoyed sunsets, playing the card game, Uno, snacking, and just sitting out there doing absolutely nothing but enjoying it and each other's company.

That's my necessary crate...for all the pool stuff that will end up on the floor here otherwise.

Sometimes reclaimed living spaces are the best because they feel like new and don't cost a thing! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great day!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

(A Little Something New) for My Sunporch

I've got a little something "new" for my sunporch that I just love! My daddy made it out of driftwood off the Mississippi River! I love birdhouses....of just about any kind!



I found just the perfect spot for it! He even put a light inside it, so it looks really pretty in the evenings out there!



I took these pictures on Memorial Day. We really enjoyed and appreciated the porch that day! Since it's been awhile since I've had any pictures of our sunporch on my blog, I'd like to invite you into our sunporch for a little visit!



This really is one of my favorite rooms. It's just a soothing place to be.



I just love everything about it....distressed concrete floors and all!



We walk through here everytime we come into the house from the carport. It's a nice transition from the outdoors to indoors!




And it really can be used year round since we added the heating/air mobile unit. It's not the prettiest thing sitting out there, but it sure makes a difference in our being able to enjoy it!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures (and my new addition to the porch). So glad you stopped by for a visit! Have a great day! :)

Simply Christmas

Hi Folks! I know this is the longest absence I've ever had from blogland! It wasn't because I wasn't thinking of you! We've had alot of things going on and time just slipped by! We found out that my father-in-law does have cancer (multiple myeloma)which is a type of cancer affecting the bone marrow and plasma. We have been dealing with that. We would really appreciate your prayers for him. He's 81 years old (had his birthday this past Saturday) and lives alone. However, we did get some good news....there are medications that will help to slow this type of cancer down and he has gotten started on them. We're thankful for that as is he! Thank you so much for remembering him in your prayers!

I promised to take some pictures of a little Christmas decor around here and it is simple, but I'll share with you anyway! I'm pretty sure it's less than last year, although I haven't looked at the pictures to compare! Today, I'm going to share with you some pictures of the sunporch and dining room! Enjoy your tour!

The Sunporch:



















The Dining Room:















Joy's village: (I let her set this up however she wants every year on the hutch).

















And I can't sign off of this post without leaving you with a few "new to us" pictures of Luke that we received after sending a care package through Ann of Red Thread China! The one on my sidebar is his most recent updated picture, but getting pictures at different points in his life is a treasure to us, and we recently received a few including these. How do you like that haircut? They are really into shaving heads in China! I think these pictures were taken a couple of months before the one in my sidebar and you can tell his hair had grown out some. I love these because he looks so happy!



And I think he's destined to be a musician too!



I don't know....I think that's a mischievous grin I see!






And to update you a little on where we are on the Waiting for Luke journey...we're getting very close to having all of our documents (our dossier) ready to be sent off to China. Everything except our Immigration approval has been notarized, certified and authenticated. Our Immigration fingerprinting appointment is scheduled for early January. After we get that approval, everything can be sent off to China and we hope to be logged in before the month of January is out! This is very important so that we can travel at the time we are hoping.....at least by June! Please keep us in your prayers that all of our paperwork moves along quickly along every destination or desk that it crosses!

Thanks for sticking with me and stopping by and I hope you're making lots of Christmas memories! (I'm going to try to be back by Wednesday with more Christmas decor pics!).....Until then...

Blessings,
Tammy

"Simply Rustic" - Christmas on our Sunporch

This is the first year that I've had our sunporch to decorate. It was all torn apart last year at this time being remodeled from a dull room that was an eyesore (to me) since we walk through here everytime we come into the house.....to a now favorite place. It serves as a transition from the outdoors to the indoors into our kitchen, so it was important that it be a happy place as we walked in from the carport into our home.



I've been really excited about having this room, to say the least. We also have it insulated with a heater out here so it can be used during the colder months if we want. Although, we don't keep it heated out here all the time, because of obvious reasons of saving money, at least we do have the option of doing so and leaving the kitchen door open and this area flows naturally into the kitchen. I am looking forward to having this extra space when we have our ladies Christmas party here and when we have our Christmas day dinner with family and sometimes....just because. And if we EVER have snow, I can just imagine sitting out there watching the snowflakes with all those windows! (Thanks, Kath, for the cyber snow!) lol!

Just like our outdoor decor, it's very simple, with a rustic flavor. I love natural things to decorate with....I love pinecones, pine needles, grapevine wreaths.....anything you might find outdoors is what I wanted to embillish with out here...and with a primitive touch (and on a very tight budget, I might add).



The slim alpine tree out here is adorned with pinecones, snowflakes (from Dollar Tree), a garland (of stars, twigs and pinecones), berries, and birdhouses. The birdhouses beneath the tree were made by Jason and my dad.



And here it is aglow with the twinkling lights.



Here's a cozy table for two. On the center of the table is the birch bark tree that I bought last year. I could just picture it out on the sunporch (when I could finally decorate it)! I bought it at Walmart the day after Christmas.



Topping the birch bark tree, is a "stick" star I found last year too. I do believe this tree is one my favorite things this year! I have visions of standing inside a log cabin looking out of the window and seeing snow covered trees like this! Oh...and sipping on a cup of hot chocolate (Shelley...I guess that's reality for you...you're living my dream!) :)



Over in this corner is a large piece of driftwood my dad brought home for me. I remember my mom having that stool when I was still at home. I found the wooden Christmas angel for .50 at a yard sale last year. The birdhouse lamp came from ebay.



The chippy paint birdhouse perched on top of the driftwood was another .50 yard sale find. Remember the snowflake from the ornament swap? I thought this was the perfect spot for it! It's one way to see a snowflake! :)



There's absolutely no added decorations here on the bench except pinecones, pinecones, and more pinecones (in the tool box and under the bench in the pinecone basket). Our late night family excursion picking up pinecones in the freezing cold paid off I guess....brrrr!



Remember the potting bench Jason made me from the $18 Lowes door? Here it is with a few Christmas decorations...the Santa came from a win playing "Dirty Santa", the snowman shelf sitter, the wooden birdhouse stand underneath, and greenery and surprise....pinecones in the garden box.



There's not much added to the old-window-turned-coffee-table that Jason made me except pinecones, candles, and baskets. The sleigh was given to me by my friend, Betty, a few years ago.



Isn't this little snowman pillow the cutest thing? I found it at a yard sale too...$1.00. He found a home out here on the sunporch loveseat. He makes me smile! I don't mind sharing this seat with him at all!



And don't you just love it when you find something that you forgot you bought? I found this sign put away in a closet upstairs that I bought last year after the season for $2.00. It's really the only thing I added to the shelves above the windows except for greenery...........and pinecones! :)



And here's a couple of pictures of the sunporch my favorite way....lights off...aglow with lamplight and twinkling Christmas lights! It feels cozy this way!



That's it. I told you it would be simple.....and rustic....(with pinecones)! :) It seems like I'm doing simple more these days. Besides, I also wanted you to see how a room could be decorated for Christmas with nature's free decorations and very inexpensive thrift store and yard sale finds.



Thank you so much for stopping by to visit our sunporch for Christmas! I'm so glad you did. And a very BIG thank you for all the nice comments on the exterior of our home. I was really overwhelmed with the kindness! You all are wonderful! You just don't know how much it means to me! You really know how to make a girl's day!

And I know everyone loves giveaways, so be sure to click over to Beth's and sign up for Gracie! Beth is drawing out a name on Sunday evening and sending her to a new home....it might just be yours (or mine). I'll take really good care of her, Beth! :)



I'm not really sure which room will be next on the Christmas tour....I guess the next one will just have to be a surprise. But you're definitely invited! And have a great weekend! :)