Sharing Shadymont, My Mountain Cottage

Hard to believe, but July 4th is quickly approaching.  So far, I've only added patriotic colors to the screened porch.   This basket was a gift from my step-son to his dad for Father's Day.  It was filled with all kinds of goodies from Wine Country.  I knew immediately that I would use it for this. All I did to decorate the screened porch was to simply add the patriotic colors to the plants already there. I spray painted this hat a couple years ago, and added the bow.  I love using hats when possible. Red geraniums carry out the color scheme. Have you started decorating for Independence Day? I will share at these parties: Cowgirl Up Link Party @  The Farmhouse Porch   Show Me What You Got @  Our Delightful Home Knick of Time Tuesday @  Knick of Time Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @  Coastal Charm Tweak It Tuesday @  Cozy Little House Inspire Me Tuesday @  A Stroll T...

We visited my husband's Aunt this week, sadly due to the death of her son.  She is the epitome of the Southern Lady with Southern Style.  I love visiting her, who at 90 is as spry as she can be!  She has a lovely home, filled with gorgeous antiques, but one of my favorite spots there is the back garden.  It just calls you to sit down with a cool drink, and enjoy the shade.  I only had my Iphone for a camera, but couldn't resist snapping a few pictures to share with you.  Hope you enjoy!   Look at this perfectly weathered and chippy blue gate!  I would love to find one of these. She has a wonderful lattice arbor, covered in vine. Sweet bird houses dot the landscape. There is a lovely fountain/birdbath. I love the little garden cottage.  It's a great place to go for some quiet time, either inside, or on its front porch. A closer view of the cottage. Lucky birds....beautiful homes. Severa...

First, I will share an unusual find we came across while working in our basement over the weekend.  We have combined the household I had with my late husband, my hubby's household, some of his mother's things, and some things that belonged to my family.  So we don't know where this may have come from, but I think, maybe my family may have had it. At any rate, it was neat to run across it and I wanted to share it with you.  At first it looks like a dipper of some sort, or a ladle, except it is very heavy, and made of steel it looks like. It is marked on the back RICHMOND 6 1/2 .  I did some research, and found that it is an Antique Cast Steel Smelting Pour Spout used by Blacksmiths.  I remember that my parents had an old anvil, and this may have been part of a set.   That is one unusual item we uncovered, and I have another that I will share soon.  I have plans for it, so that will be coming up later. ****** I've been so busy today...

Hubby and I have worked so hard the last few days, cleaning out the basement, and trying to clean the floors.  When the home was built in 2000, for some reason a lot of red mud was ground into the concrete floors.  Then for a number of years, I just didn't worry too much about it because it's only used for storage of mowers, garden tools, and the usual "junk" that gets stored there... not the least of which is all my decorating items packed and stacked in bins.  We have been thinking about painting the floors, and knew we would have to clean them.  If they come clean enough though, we may not paint them.  Talk about hard work!  We were reminded that there are muscles we had forgotten about, and we move much slower now than a few years ago. Anyway, I decided a trip to a favorite consignment store would be a reward for all the hard work. It turned out to be a good time to shop.  They had so many unique things, but I was good and only bought these three...