HOW SUMMER EVOLVES...

Some of us wake up happy 

and some of us wake up in the doldrums. 

 Some can shake it off 

and some have to let the world know 

just how bad they feel. 

 Few of us

 have to make it a headline, however,

 but then some of us

 are more sensitive 

than others!

A little smile 

to start your morning off right.

 While having coffee 

and reading the morning paper,

 I noticed that Kai 

had fallen asleep on one of the pages. 

 It was too good 

 a photo-op 

to pass up.

I shared this shelf last week

 but have since added 

two little white vases 

I picked up at a thrift store.

  They remind me of some 

of the cute touches that Joanna Gaines

 shows in her collection, 

but for the great price

 of $1 each.

Here is my breakdown

 of the changing seasons

 and how they evolve around here.

Each season can usually be seen 

through the eyes of the sofa.

Summer decorating 

starts right around Memorial Day 

and follows into July 4th...

...then in almost August

 the summer turns into

 beach weather...

...at the end of 

August and throughout September, 

at the very beginning 

when it starts feeling

 like fall to me,

 before the pumpkins 

and the sheaves of wheat 

or the witches and goblins,

---- 

Come the

 sunflowers.

A large pot of faux 

just adds

 another spot of sunshine 

and picks up the colors 

from the little pillow 

across the way.

This is the "cheap" pillow

 that started it all.  

You are my Sunshine,

 a description that fits 

so many wonderful facets 

of my life...

...and here is another 

of the "2 for 1" pillows 

that are turning (no pun intended) out to be 

so handy for me 

when wanting needing 

to use so many pillows.

This sweet little guy

 is not one of the "cheap" ones.

  It comes from Pier One

 but I did get it on sale. 

 It works nicely with

 the blue side chairs

 and is a little spot of fanciness

 added to the scene.

I guess 

there is ALWAYS room

 for one more!

The Sun is Shining

Oh, Happy Days

Look what my sweet Captain 

just brought for me -

 just because!

More summer sunflower days to come.

...Judy...

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TRANSITIONING TIME...

The time has come for transitioning.  Transitioning into fall from summer.

 In our minds 

we may not want to hasten this time along, 

but Mother Nature

 sometimes has other plans.

 The leaves are falling 

and covering our Secret Garden

 with a layer of gold.

 There are three species of trees

 overhanging the garden.  

One is a holly,

 another is a walnut

 and the last is one that

 I don't know the name of. 

 This is the one

 that is dropping the leaves. 

 They are small in size 

so it looks just like 

a uniform carpet layer over all. 

 They get mashed down 

into the pea gravel 

when walked on 

so they are not the 

pretty, soft, large type 

that can be kicked when walking through,

 bringing back those wonderful memories 

of youth,

 but they do lend 

a colorful glimpse of 

the coming autumn.

At the beginning of summer, 

I thought we would have

a pretty good year 

with the hydrangeas, 

but now they are

 drying on the bush...

...and it seems a little early

 for them to be at this stage to me.

  It seems I was picking them 

later last year

 and letting them dry 

in the vase.

This bush in

 the Secret Garden

 was in great shape in June

 and now...

...the blooms have faded

 and the one remaining 

is laying on the little bird house 

as if it is too big of a job 

to hold up its head.

The Limelight hydrangea 

that was so pretty 

when we planted it last summer 

and then, again, 

so gorgeously dried 

in the house...

...is now a very spindly

 and lightweight looking plant.

 Maybe the heat this summer

 has something to do with 

what is changing in the garden.

 It has been an exceptionally hot summer 

and more time is being spent indoors, 

possibly taking the time away 

from what is needing 

to be addressed outside.

 The Captain 

has been saying 

throughout the drought we have been in 

that we needed to get rid of 

all our lawn

 and replace it with something

 using less water.

  While I was inside, 

staying somewhat cool, 

he tackled a project 

that he had been wanting to do.

  

I have to say,

 sometimes I get upset at him

 when he takes a job 

onto himself 

without consulting me,

 but this time 

I am so proud of what

 he came up with.

Remember this cute little bistro set

 we had on the screened porch 

to replace the table we moved 

into the kitchen?

 When we replaced it

 with the one we are using now, 

it was just sitting in a corner

 of the garage.

  He laid a layer of black weed barrier 

over the lawn, 

surrounded it with cobblestones

 from a street in San Francisco 

that we were lucky to find 

and piled bark over the top. 

 He then took the bistro set 

and arranged it in front of the lilac bush.

  It wasn't done at that stage,

 but I thought it looked so cute 

and I ordered 

a small market umbrella 

to add to the scene...

...I think he had 

a great idea

 and it is a good start

 to what will happen next.

 What that is,

 we are not yet sure of,

 but doing a little at a time

 seems to be easier 

to deal with.

Getting back to my time spent inside. 

 We picked this large bread board up 

at a garage sale awhile back.

  I figured I could use it for something.

  The transitioning 

that is going on

 has put me in the mood 

for some autumn decorating.

  

I have been looking at a stencil site 

that I like

 (Thestencilsmith.com) 

and chose a stencil appropriate 

for the season. 

 I painted the board 

with orange acrylic paint

 and stenciled the design in black.

  The stencil looked a little small 

on the board

 after it was done, 

so I added a border 

to take up space. 

 I am very happy

 with the way it turned out 

so I turned the bread board over

 and did another stencil 

on the other side...

...now I have a sign 

for each of the upcoming seasons 

and I think they will fit in nicely

 when the seasonal decorating begins 

and, also, 

will be easier 

when it comes to finding room 

to store one item 

instead of two.

We had two bands 

that came off of 

an old wine barrel that had fallen apart.

  Now one has transitioned into

 framework for the pretty star 

I got at Home Goods awhile back.

I think it adds 

some satisfactory whimsy

 to the shelf.

  

One last image of

 Trader Joe's alstromeria 

on the dining room table.

 These are always 

my go to flowers

 as they are so long lasting

 in this summer heat

 and pretty too.

Well, the hot days are continuing 

and so are the transitions.

 The neighbors

 are putting a new roof on 

their garage 

so even our hummingbird watch 

is being put on hold.

 More time 

being spent inside

 will continue...

... at least 

until night falls.

...Judy...

A shout out 

to my good friend 

Kim at Exquisitely Unremarkable (here).

  She is up for an award 

for her wonderful DIY projects.

 She is so clever 

and such a good crafter. 

 Please stop by

 and vote for her.

www.interiorblogawards.com

Sharing today with:

Keep in Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

and

SYC Thursdays