Relax and Enjoy....

Peaceful.

What do you do in the 95 degree weather? I go outside.....

So today was another hot, humid 95 plus degree day in Ohio. What did my husband and I decide to do?  Stay inside in the cool a/c?  NO.  Go swimming in a refreshing pool? NO.  We decided to travel to Mansfield to Kingwood Center where we did a self guided tour through the beautiful gardens and greenhouses.

Look closely at this photo.  Nestled in the red flowers. Do you see him/her?  A Peacock.  Trying to stay cool in a shady garden.

Dole or Del Monte?  Ohio???? I want one too.

One of their gorgeous Day Lilly beds.

Wouldn't this be a beautiful setting for a wedding?

This was one of two beautiful Peacocks on the grounds today.  They decided to call to each other frequently throughout the afternoon.  I was hoping to get a photo of this one with its tail fanned open. No such luck. The hubs was the one behind the camera today and decided we were getting a little to close for comfort.

I hope you all enjoyed the gardens and landscaping as much as we did today.  I was a little lot disappointed as the mansion was not open to tour.  It is open by appointment only.  Ding-dang it.

Thanks for stopping by.
Stephanie

A little home tour...... Part I

 Welcome to our home.  This is not a decorators show house by any means.
This is the place we come to after a long day at work, the place we call home.
This is a lived in house.  We have two dogs and many young people
coming in and out on a daily basis. You don't need to take off
your shoes, but I do ask you make sure they are clean.
Grab a soda in the fridge and make yourself at home.

This is our living room.  The walls are painted a creamy, off white.  The bench to the right was a 3/4 antique bed that my dear husband made into a bench for me.  The bed was purchased by my parents when they first got married in the 50's.  I didn't have room for it as a bed so it is used as a bench, but can be easily converted back into a bed if we desire.

This is a little vignette above the TV armoire.  The birdcage was a red, not so pretty cage.  A can of black spray paint and some accents inside and now I really like it.

Above is a view of the entrance to the home and living room.  This is the chair that we purchased a couple of months ago.  It is big and comfy!

Please forgive the photos, I am still using a cheap camera and I am not very good at deciding what angle to take the photo from.  The dining room looks messy.  It really is not that bad in real life.  It is a small room and tends to be dark.  The reason for the cheery yellow paint to eliminate the darkness.  As you can see I collect white pitchers, plates and teacups. The shelving unit was built in when we purchased the house.  We requested the hutch to stay as it was a perfect fit.

I am proud to say that all of my plates and pitchers are from second hand stores and "antique" stores.  The teacups I started collecting back in the 80's.  Some are from both of our Grandmother's collections.  I display them proudly.

The white pitchers to the left are from my Step-Dad.  His grandfather used them in the medical field.  They are unique as they are granite ware.

This is the awkward kitchen.  It is connected to the dining room, so I carried the yellow paint in the kitchen to make it feel more uniform.  As you can tell the kitchen is original to the house.  This room could use an updating, but the layout is so strange, not sure what to do to help it.

Our message center and laundry shoot.  I love having the laundry shoot.  This is a two story home and the laundry room is in the basement.  The shoot saves on the foot traffic! It has been used for much more than laundry.  Our boys have thrown many items down it to get from one floor to the other.  It is also a great "intercom".  Use what you have :)

The kitchen has a shelf that wraps around two portions of the walls.  I have a collection of baskets and kitchen items on display.

The light above the sink was an old porch light.  My husband rewired and I painted it black (of course....is there any other paint???)

This is a view of the den.  Some people call it the sun room.  The back wall is all windows.  It is a great place to be in the Winter with the fireplace.  I try to avoid spending much time out here in the summer as it gets really warm.

Below is the wall of shelving and TV unit.  As I said, this is a lived in home.  You will find our DVD's and supply of candles for power outages stored on the shelves. No those "statues" are not GI Joe figures.  They are law enforcement statues.  Some of my husbands collection.  He is are hero and in law enforecment here in Ohio.

Well that is the first level of our home.  Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, but ours.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed the tour.  I will try to show you the second level sometime soon. 

Peace,

Stephanie