All Systems "Go!"

I went to Staples today to purchase the last of our supplies for the year. Yes. It *was* a zoo. Thank you for asking;)
I found a great magnetic white board to write our daily stuff on and mounted it on Grace's easel. I also found a small calendar to attach to the white board so Grace and I can mark off her school days. Finally, and I am very proud of this idea, I bought an "easy" button for Grace to push as she finishes each subject;) Anyone here who knows Grace will know that she will be THRILLED to push th e"easy" button and it will be a great motivator to keep things humming along nicely during our school day. I 've decided it will be from 8:30 am until 11 am and we'll attend functions in the afternoons. For the days that she has functions beginning before 11, we'll call it a wash. Most weeks will be four days of homeschool. Grace is so excited about the year, and so am I!
Bon Voyage!
Forte

A Swing Makes it "Home"

I regret that I do not have pictures yet, as we cannot find our doohickiethingamajigger to upload the digital photos! *SIGH*
I shall have to paint my pictures with words, and I assure you this is something I have never excelled at!
Our home is a home because we have made it so. It smells like little girl's soapy hair and kitties' fur, cleaning agents and chicken soup. The porch is nice and roomy and Carl and I like to perch in the blue chairs out there in the morning and listen to the birds and watch the campus come sleepily alive. Our kitchen is the heat of our home, with lots of color and with big, cheery windows overlooking the porch. My plan is to paint a couple of the walls in a light terra-cotta color to go with the Talavera pottery I plan to continue purchasing! Grace's room is coming along nicely, with a wonderful set of Pottery Barn linens featuring cherry blossoms and Traditional Japanese scenes on a light blue background. VERY Victorian!
Here's a link:http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/fd24101/index.cfm?pkey=cbdggqt%7Ck
The living room is still a bit rough,as that is where we are currently storing the unpacked boxes, mostly books. We await the call for our furniture to be delivered! Carl insisted on a chocolate brown leather sofa and chair with ottoman to go along with the look of the room, which is mostly dark wood. I must say, I believe it will be stunning. We found a colorful oriental rug that will accent the set nicely and we are still on the lookout for a cool coffee table!
What Grace loves best of all is the swing! Carl srung it today on an apple tree out behind the house! It is a traditional wooden swing that Grace's Grandmother painted last Fall, and it says "Grace's Hollow". It features a painted fairy version of Grace as a fairy and her lovely flower friends around her! The swing is what truly makes it "home" , as we vowed we would put it up when we felt like we were there.

Forte

Wow! I'm Nice?!:)

Thanks to Mamita for nominating me for this! We think you girls are pretty cool too! I apologize that I haven't been keeping up with my posting, and I vow to do better!

Forte

Home Sweet Home...and then a trip!

We made it!

Grace is all set up in her new room, but we need to work on redecoration of her room, as the walls are light blue and the carpet is a slightly darker blue shade. The trim is white. It's extremely pretty. Her white iron bed goes very well. It is almost a "Wendy" room from Peter Pan. I just need to find the right bed linens and accents, with Grace's input. I would really love to find a Dean Morrissey painting to go in there...

Our bedroom is nice, but nothing to shout about. White with white carpeting. There are some beams in there, which are also white, but maybe we could use them for decorating!

The kitchen is WONDERFUL! It is oversized with oodles of counter space, two very large front windows that look out over a grassy area and recessed lighting:) There is also a real live bricked-in "pantry" where we plan to hang lavender and other herbs and store canned and sealed dry goods in lined baskets.It is very "Beatrix Potter". LOL

The bathroom is cavernous, with a very large blue slate-tiled floor space, and a completely tiled-in shower and tub. (White with slate blue accents) The sink and vanity are white with a large mirror, very clean and tidy, and the sink is from Paris. Nice;)

The living room is large, off-white and has a beautiful decorative fire place and two large windows beside it. There is also another window on an adjacent wall.

Finally, there is a huge glassed-in porch that runs along the entire front of the house. It is essentially a conservatory/sun room for 3 seasons of the year. We have also found out that there are glass inserts that can be put into the doors of the porch to completely enclose it during the winter months! Our plan is to put a couch ad table out here as well as reading lamps and a space heater for the winter. It will be perfect for the entertaining that Carl and I will need to do for his new position:)

Tonight, we leave to go visit family and friends in the southwest!
Forte

Exit. Stage left, even...

SO this is our last night in the secret house by the sea. We have had some really great times here, but we all feel great about leaving this place. Our new home calls to us! "Live here!!!", it says. I agree...LIVE here. I , for one, welcome my new overlord...
The next post will be from the secret house a tad farther from the sea, but equally cool. :)
Forte

Mushroom Huntin'

Here is a glimpse of Grace's long-loved passion... Her Mushrooms! :)
The final picture is her at the door to her father's laboratory. Harbinger of things to come? Perhaps. For now, it is just where she gets to drink Cocoa and draw on the white board!

Moments Before the Move:)

This is a photo of some of the beautiful food we've grown this summer in our organic garden! Grace was very proud of this!

Grace is *really* enjoying her "spa" meal I made at her request! It is Large chilled shrimp, sliced apricot and butter/radiccio lettuce with carrots, olive oil and sea salt. The beverage is an antioxidant berry smoothie!

Grace and her kitty, wistfully gazing at the ocean at night. They looked so serene, I just had to snap this one. I think that's eh only thing we'll miss when we move. Then again, it is all right down the road! I think the full glassed-in porch with a couch, table and chairs and candles will more than make up for it!
We get the last laugh!
Forte