I'm back...and loving the wintry whites!

1/14/15

Bonjour mes amis!

Happy New Year to All!

I know it's been some time since I have visited with you on my blog...

I have been visiting a number of other blogs, but haven't been taking the time to do anything about my own.  And I've really missed being here.

Now granted, I did have a very busy Summer, Fall and Winter...

There was much travel this Summer.

I told you about my return trip to France!

I also stood up in a Wedding, gave a Bridal Shower, moved a daughter out of her apartment, helped pack up another daughter to move away, and took my Son to his New Student Conference for the University.  Whew!

Then, on to Fall, I took a trip with my hubby where he was being honored at a Conference, and then, I helped decorate for a friend's daughter's Wedding.  That was fun, and perhaps I'll share a few photos from that here on my blog another time.

A sweet homemade Christmas gift from my daughter!

Following the Wedding, it was on to our Ladies Christmas Tea at our Church.  That was a lot of work for me, but many hands came together to make that a huge success!

After the Christmas Tea, I got busy with my own Christmas preparations, because this was the first year that we stayed in Texas for Christmas after years of going to Chicago to be with family.  I really wanted to make things special with good food, and good decorations, and establishing some new traditions, as well as reminding my husband and children of all the traditions we already had established with our extended family.

And now, here I am...

My son has not returned to the University yet from his Winter Break, but next week he will, and Dr. J and I will be back to being Empty Nesters.  I've had a  bit of a cold this week, so the downtime got me thinking about getting back to my blog...

I still have my huge fondness for all things France, so I would still like to share much of my time in France with you, as well as my love of decorating and having fun in Texas.

Wow!  Now that I'm looking back at some of these photos from my home, I'm realizing that I did a little bit more than travel this year.

I painted our guest bedroom,

painted my kitchen,

and I refinished this table in our entryway!

I'm kind of loving this sparse look right now with pinecones and greens.

I hope you will continue this journey with me.  I'd love to have you along...

A bientôt!
Have a "Jewel" of a day!
Jan

Where did this Color Scheme come from?

6/11/2014

Bonjour mes amis!

What's a Mother to do?  This year, I have two Graduates from two different Schools, and their School colors are...

Black and Gold (my High School Graduate)

and

Maroon and White (my University Graduate)

We planned to hold an Open House in our Home to honor them, and have many friends over to celebrate, but how in the world do you relate these School colors, and equally celebrate BOTH Graduates?

Remember my Sneak Peak?

Well, here was my solution...go with Avocado Green, White, Cream and Black!  Yes, these are colors I adore, but this isn't about me here.  Yes, my house looks fabulous in these colors, but this isn't about my house here.

As I pondered my Graduates, I looked for some common threads.  First, there's those black gowns, and the black cap...hence the black and white.  But then, I also really started to think about my individual children and their interests, and how I could bring those out in the decor.

My University Graduate received her Degree in Horticulture...hmmm...green is for green thumb, plants, clippings and propagation.  Her minor is in Spanish...hmmm...whites and creams for old Architecture...black for wrought iron scroll beauty.

My High School Graduate is strong in Math and Science, and intends to study Electrical Engineering, but he also has become fluent in French, and loves to play the piano...hmmm...black and white for books, whites and creams for the same reasons in French as the Spanish...and black and white for those piano keys and musical scores.

Welcome to the Party!

We as a family are also Christians, devoted to the Lord, and when I spied a Bible that Dr. J and I were given as a Wedding gift, I thought it was appropriate to use it in the decor with the many gifts and talents that the Lord has given to my astounding children!

Entry/Gift Table

Yes, I got a plan in mind, and black, white, cream and avocado green became my base!  How cool it all came together!

Ms. Emerald made the picture that's on the mantle when she first moved in with her three roommates.  I decided to feature it on the mantle, but added a little notation that when Dr. J and I look at this picture, we see our four little birds have "flown the coop"!

The kitchen table was quite a mix of the two Graduates, from the yarn basket for my daughter who knits, crochets and crafts, to my future-Engineer Son, back to my Horticulture daughter, and then back to my son who spent a year in France enjoying the Chateaux of the Loire Valley!

My Father's Dad was quite a gardener, so I was able to include one of his Gardening books in the decor, but a Professor that Ms. Emerald worked for in a Greenhouse, gifted her with some cool old Horticulture books that we also used in the decor.  Old books are always awesome for decor!

So, today I've just been sharing some photos in the preparation for the celebratory Open House, but of course, I have a couple to share from the special day as well!

The awesome Cake and Cookies were the gifts of dear friends!

A couple shots from the Dining Room!

And these are my awesome Grads, enjoying the day!!!

We had lots of fun, and I think our guests did too!

Have a "Jewel" of a Day!
Jan

The View from my Shower...

6/9/2014

Bonjour mes amis!

This is the view from my all new Shower into our Master Bathroom!

This is Dr. J's Sink area...

And, my Sink area...

Before I show you the actual "after" pictures of the Shower, let's take a look at some "before" pictures of our bathroom...

All in all, it doesn't look too bad with the white tile, but you are seeing the walls painted, after I removed all the wallpaper...

The shiny brass framework and foggy glass had to go...

The bathroom just really needed an upgrade...
That tiny broken tile on the front left of the tub surround always bothered me!

And don't you love the Shell sink?

Atleast there was tile in the toilet area...but white?

The carpet was the other thing that needed to go!  I always hated the darkness along the edge of the light carpet!

And now, for the "after" pictures!

The New Showerhead...and check out my favorite...the Hand Held Shower!  I requested this.  After having one in France for the whole year, I discovered how much easier it was to keep the Shower clean and rinsed with this...

And, we added a bench as well...because Dr. J said that "we are not getting any younger..."!

I requested recess boxes for holding shampoo and other items...

Here's a fuller view of the corner...

With the new tile, fixtures and chair molding we added, the bathtub looks like a brand new one!

And, all my pretty things still look just beautiful with the new Marble countertops...

We kept the same footprint, and even the same cabinetry...

We also had the walls painted a nice light color...Valspar "Asiago"!

(I know...I took this picture before we changed out the toilet handle to oil-rubbed bronze!)

Some closeups...
Dr. J won out with the choice of the Marble, and it's just beautiful!

I really wanted this travertine chair molding to cap off the tile surround, and for decoration in the Shower!

This is the lighting we put in before our move to France...

I love old chandeliers, and Dr. J will be putting a small one in the commode area for me as well.  Why not?

Here's the close up on the Shower.  We went with a frameless door, and LOVE it!

Hope you enjoyed the tour today!

I think I'll go workout now, so I need a Shower, and can enjoy my "jewel" of a bathroom again!
Jan