Winging It

In most aspects of my life, I'm a planner and list maker.

Surprisingly, when it comes to blogging, I pretty much wing it.

I see all sorts of planners, lists and tips on being organized, 

but unless I have just completed a project or have joined a blog hop,

I simply snap a pic for Instagram each day.

And that explains why I don't blog regularly.

But yesterday, this pic I snapped for Instagram actually led to a blog post.

I was looking for a quote to use as a caption and I came across these lovely words from Charlotte Moss.

There are plenty of things "off-key" in my decor,

but the objects "tell our story" or as Charlotte Moss suggests, "play our song".

Grandpa's pitchfork and grandma's sewing machine base make me smile - no singing because you don't want to hear me sing!

The window was used in our son's library themed wedding.

 I found the copper container in boxes Joshua left in the attic - it's mine now.

The hand is just one in my silly collection.

Books are definitely part of who Steve and I are and tucking books into vignettes is one way I can show our love of reading.

Colorful flowers snipped from the garden add just the right touch to the table.

I love keeping the door open so I can look out at the porch.

I should do some planting, but the garden bench is calling me.

So, I'm curious - are you a planner with your blog and/or Instagram or do you wing it like me and just go with something that catches your eye at the time?

It's been over 8 weeks since my surgery and today was my first long walk and this is the view that caught my eye.

Winter Garden

Rain, rain, rain . . . a much welcome and rare event after years of drought.

My garden hasn't looked this lush in February in years, possibly never.

I must admit that the chamomile that makes the garden look so pretty is not growing in the garden,

It's a Trader Joe's bouquet and I simply stood behind the flowers to snap the photos.

Our garden room has been neglected due to rain, cold and my surgery, but I am finally able to '"decorate".

I obviously have difficulty parting with old chairs.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I added hearts here and there.

And speaking of hearts, 

many people commented on the heart rock I shared in my last post.

I finally found a spot to display my hearts and now I'm sorry I gave so many away to the neighborhood kids.

The hearts never cease to make me smile as I walk toward my garden house.

The old beach cruiser is sporting one of my favorite old hearts

and grandpa's pitchfork got some greenery.

The porch has actually been decorated for awhile, but it got an update.

I brought out a quilt and pillows for the garden bench and

I'm not ashamed to admit that I fell asleep on the bench yesterday.

Now, it's time to remove all the pillows and chaise covers because the forecast is a 90% chance of rain.

I look forward to more rain - I need all the help I can get whipping the garden into shape.

I leave you with a much welcomed little friend I spotted in the garden - the devastating fire in our town in late 2017 destroyed the bee population and it's wonderful to be sharing my garden with bees once again.

Simple Little Touches

Welcome to the Vintage Valentine's Day Blog Hop hosted by Amber of Follow The Yellow Brick Home - she has gathered together a diverse group of bloggers from all over the country.

If you are visiting in order, then you were just in Utah visiting my dear friend Jann of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson.

One of my goals this year is to decorate less and play more so I am keeping my Valentine decor to simple little touches.

The entry is a perfect spot to decorate for any holiday.

The dining room looks much the same as it does daily,

but a heart shaped wooden bowl sits atop the table.

The bowl is filled with shells found on beach walks (the star fish are all purchased), but in the center of the bowl is one of the numerous heart shaped rocks I have found on the beach.

A quick glance into the living room gives almost no indication that it is nearly Valentine's Day,

but a closer look shows books with hearts beneath the chair

and a little pot stamped with a heart.

A metal heart added to the clock/scale

finishes off the Valentine decor in this corner of living room.

The hallway got into the spirit of Valentine's Day

with a simple Valentine postcard tucked into the scale.

Our guest room always gets the most holiday decor and yes, I just had Steve swap this chair from the living room with the rocker that I showed last week.

There is now more space in the living room with the rocker and a nice little reading corner in the guest room.

A book, a heart and a goose are perfect on the chair

and all I have to do for spring is remove the book page heart Mr. Goose is wearing.

The typewriter always gets updated for holidays

And with those simple little touches, our house is ready for Valentine's Day.

Thanks for dropping by and now I send you off to Minnesota to my friend Linda of Itsy Bits and Pieces.

Be sure to visit all the blogs on this fun hop.

An InLinkz Link-up