ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
Greetings!
Recently I’ve been witnessing some endings and new beginnings.
Yesterday morning our youngest son Austin left the house for his final day of highschool. It was bittersweet for my husband and I as we watched him drive off to school for one final day. Twenty five years of parenting school children has come to an end and we are actually looking forward to the new opportunities that will be coming our way as empty nesters.
I’ve been working furiously to turn my old log cabin into a new one in time to have a graduation celebration there. Brad and I enjoy the cabin so much, with its beautiful view and tranquil setting that we are anxious to share it with all our children. Instead of planning a huge graduation party for Austin like I did when our son Taylor graduated, (read all about how to throw an over-the-top graduation party here) we will be celebrating in the new cabin and then taking him on a cruise later this summer.
The renovation construction is nearly complete and I’ve been putting the finishing touches on the cabin. We ripped up the carpet, removed the linoleum that was below it…
and refinished the old hardwood floors that had been hiding underneath all that for decades. I also removed the wooden blinds that had been obstructing the charming windows…
and sewed cafe curtains for them instead. I used copper pipe as curtain rods.
To diminish the look of too much wood and to brighten things up I painted the walls white and installed banquet seating in the dining area.
Last weekend I finally finished sewing the cushions for them.
I got my carpenter to make me this wonderful dining table. It only took him 4 hours and $80.00 in materials! I love it!
In addition to making new furniture we have also been turning old furniture into new by painting it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. What a miracle worker that paint is! I thought for sure I’d have no use for several old pieces of furniture left behind by the previous owner…
but I made them new again with this wonderful paint. Have you tried it yet? It’s very simple and fun to do! And it’s so exciting to see the transformation.
I’ve got lots more to show you of the log cabin renovation coming to the blog soon. In the meantime I’ve also been sharing in the new beginnings of the daughter of my oldest and dearest friend, Lisa. You may remember her daughter Annie recently got engaged and I shared with you her fantastic engagement party. Well, last weekend, in celebration of Annie’s new beginnings, I co-hosted a wedding shower for her.
I must say it was one of the most magnificent parties I have ever been a part of and I can’t wait to share with you all the fabulous photos of the event.
Until I have a chance to do that I thought I’d show you the beautiful printed materials I got for the party from the fantastic website, Wedding Paper Divas. It was really exciting when the two lovely boxes of custom printed invitations, napkins & coasters, favor tags and stickers, thank you cards and advice cards arrived.
With the help of my co-host Barbara (Annie’s Grandma) we cooked and cooked for days, making fabulous finger foods for our wedding shower High Tea. There were scones and mini quiche, mini Pavlovas and heart shaped cookies, but this is just a tiny sampling of the 20 different tea confections we prepared for the event.
Please stay tuned for lots more Wedding Shower details coming very soon. For now I’ve got to turn my attention to Austin’s graduation. I have family coming to town from all over the country to celebrate with us.
So there you have it: ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS
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