The Turquoise Kitchen Project

Turquoise on old wooden cabinets...

Iron work...

Washed sea green walls...

Italian and other European dishes...

French cookware...

No doors...

Why?

Because I love seeing all the color,

and the beautiful pieces I have collected over the years.

They lift me up...make me smile...

Each piece has a story...

It was part of a trip...an adventure...

A treasure brought back to the old country house.

Tea Cups...English tea cups...

English china, and some Delft pieces, too...

Memories...trips to Holland oh so many years ago...

And the tea cups conjure up memories of my mother...

Her beautiful collection of fine English tea cups...

And later I created my own collection.

Now I have both.

Treasured heirlooms...

More treasures, at least to me.

The orange vase on the top shelf, upper right...my mother's...

I remember when she bought it...It was early 1960s...

She and my dad had moved into their newly built home...

Her colors....orange, olive green and copper...

The vase...Italian...as are most all the pieces in this cabinet.

There is just something so...so soulful about Italian dishes.

They call to me.  Don't know why.

More cabinets kissed in turquoise...

More European dishes...

More iron....more turquoise...

Everything wrapped in turquoise...

It feels bohemian...

It releases the gypsy in me...

Country Kitchen...

The wooden sign that hangs over the window says it all...

This is an old country kitchen...

It hasn't changed much since my grandmother cooked meals here...

The old country sink was hers...

How could I ever update and tell it goodbye.

No.  Never.  I could not.  Would not...

Even the old walk through pantry has a touch of turquoise...

Turquoise floors...

Daffodil...

Dancing in the Daffodils...

In washed turquoise...

I had to have it.

It was made for a country house with daffodils and a turquoise kitchen...

Cookbooks...

Only a smidgen of my collection...

I love reading cookbooks,

but couldn't live long enough to cook all the recipes I have...

Why on why am I called to cookbooks?

I don't know, 

but I find them comforting and inspiring,

and many are beautiful, too...

Home...

It feels good to be home...

in the newly painted turquoise kitchen...

A bowl of soup?

A glass of wine?

A cup of tea?

Come sit with me for awhile and tell me all about your joys...

What makes you happy?

What inspires you?

Who inspires you?

The old bread box got a kiss of turquoise, too...

The old spice cabinet was washed in white,

with just a tad of turquoise left in the brush...

And every kitchen must have aprons...

Colorful aprons...

Change can be good for the soul...

It can happen quickly...

A can of paint...and a day ( or three)...

Blessings from the country house...

Yaya

Home Away From Home

It is really the simple little things...

A cotton cloth,

a candle,

flowers,

linen drapes...

Open window filling the home with light.

Pretty oil paintings on the wall...

Another table cloth...

Colorful dishes...

Cotton napkins...

Candles...

Flowers...

The perfect oil painting to hang in a small dining nook...

$4.00 - Goodwill

Another little oil...$3.00 - Goodwill

Cotton Indian cloth napkins...$3.00 for a set of four - Goodwill

Wonderful cookbooks...Goodwill

Life as it should be...

Wine and roses...

A few thorns here and there,

teaches us to be mindful,

and careful when handling the delicate rose...

Much like life.

"When at last I took the time

to look at the heart of a flower,

it opened up a whole new world - 

a world where every county walk

would be an adventure,

where every garden would become

an enchanted one."

-Princess Grace of Monaco

A lovely candle stick...

A beautiful hand painted plate from Spain,

and another pretty oil...

And comfort...

Food can be so comforting...

Especially when trying to make a home away from home...

Crock Pot Fruit Cocktail Cake.

Oh so delicious...

A cashmere shawl for those cool morning walks...

A very inspiring cookbook.

These are just a few things that help me make

'home away from home'...

We have traveled with work since 1977,

and every trip is a new adventure.

God has blessed us greatly,

and I am so grateful to our Lord.

"But 

our palaces

are the tents

we carry with us."

Miguel De Cervantes

Blessings,

Yaya

Something to Think About...

"One day you will wake up

and

there won't be any more time

to

do

the things

you've always wanted...

Do it now".

Paulo Coelho

I have decided it is okay to let things go...

Some things can wait....like dusting, cleaning, and workworkwork...

We can let the yard work go in exchange for a weekend at the lake

with grandangels...

I will not remember what I 'let go',

but I'll always remember these last days of summer...

Treasured memories.

Completing the house in Nashville can wait,

but grandangels will not.....

You blink, and they grow up...

Ten years will fly by....she'll be driving,

and I'll wonder where the time went.

The yard isn't that important....

Furnishing the house in Nashville is not that important...

The housework will still be there...

I have decided it is okay to 'let it go'...

Go live!  Spread joy!

Do it now!

Because....

"One day you will wake up and there won't be any more time"......

Blessings,

Yaya

North to Nashville

Summer days are slowly turning cool,

drifting toward autumn...

The island cottage is closed for now,

but maybe one more trip to the beach before winter sets in...

On our way north,

we made a quick stop at the old country house,

spent a few nights...

unpacked and repacked,

and left again...

Another project,

this time in Nashville...

Perfect!

Just two hours from our Alabama country house.

A house has been found,

somewhat furnished,

and I am excited to be so close to home,

all while having a new adventure.

Another plus...the Nashville house is only an hour from the lake house.

One of my greatest thrills is 'hunting'...thrifting for treasures...

This lovely oil painting will find its place somewhere in the Nashville house...

And this beauty in oil....

Oh so pretty...Another sweet treasure.

A  night stand being used as a side table...

And for some strange reason, the antique figurine called out to Traveling Man,

(my husband)

and he bought it for a dime.

I'm not  into figurines, but somehow I found myself letting this one have a place...

Purple Italian vase with nothing more than shrub clippings...

Little by little the Nashville house is feeling a touch like home.

While putting together another house,

and trying to make it 'home',

here are some notes to self....

Devoid of clutter....everything beautiful....

The emphasis is on comfort, warmth....

A lack of formality and the disregard for perfection...

Furniture is organized around the fireplace for pleasure and use, 

not displayed like objects in space...

Fresh flowers always say welcome to my home...

Blessings

Yaya

Summer Days on an Island...

I have soaked up the southern sun, the salt air, and the sea mist...

I feel sun kissed...

My soul is tranquil and at peace...

I have played in the sand with grandangels...

We have laughed, read, enjoyed the freshest seafood...

Walked the beach at sunset...

I have cleaned the island cottage...

It smells like tropical flowers, and salt air...

My lemon trees are loaded,

and the oleander is so beautiful and pink...

I keep fresh cuttings of rosemary in my kitchen...

It grows by the steps, and when it rains,

the air is like none other.

I love my island and its magic.

I do not want to leave,

but I must.

I have been here since June,

and it is time to close the pink shutters...

Pink shutters made of Spanish cedar...

They match the pink oleander...

I am packed,

and all is in order to say my goodbyes...

I always leave a piece of my heart here at my beloved Lemon Tree Cottage,

but I shall return soon....soon...

I will miss my books....oh so many special books here at the cottage...

I always miss my oil paintings....they are like souls that lift my spirits when I look at them...

I will miss everything, but only for awhile...

And when I return, it will be as wonderful as the first time.

Magical...

Healing...

Tranquil...

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under Heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Wounded Starfish

Betty Carolyn Hearon-Love

I am so thankful for my God given blessings...

Blessings to all of you...

Yaya

Surviving Life's Curve Balls

Action conquers fear....

It is in the struggle itself that you define yourself....

Time flies.  It's up to you to be the navigator....

It's not where you start ~ it's where you finish that counts....

I dream...I read....I journal....I blog....I read inspiring blogs...

I pray....I talk to friends....I write....I spend time with family....

I do yoga....I ride the bicycle....I walk on the beach....

I capture beautiful things with my camera....

I have dogs and cats and flowers.....

I collect beautiful things...oil paintings, books, silk clothing...

I antique, I drink good coffee and eat organic when I can....

I talk to God and the archangels....

Life is filled with dark clouds, but there is always a beautiful sunset to follow....

"As I grow older part of my emotional survival plan must be to actively seek inspiration instead of passively waiting for it to find me."

Blessings

Yaya

Island Dreams

I imagine in my dream

that I have arrived at the old cottage by the sea...

Just me...

The dogs...

The sea gulls call...

The waves splash, and ocean spray mists my hair...

The days are easy...lazy...restful...

No stress...

Just peaceful silence...

I read...

I sleep...

I rest and heal from the fast lane of life.

We have an island cottage, although not the one in my dream...

 I love it so...It brings me such pleasure.

My Lemon Tree Cottage...

It is a faded green with pink shutters,

surrounded by lemon trees,

grapefruit trees,

orange trees and pink oleander.

It is in the old village of our island off the coast of Alabama.

It is my love...

My soul soothing balm...

We all need a retreat...

Even if it is a corner in the back yard...

That peaceful, silent place of rest and relaxation...

Blessings,

Yaya

Blessed Sunday

Easy Sunday morning...

Coffee...

Birds singing...

Jessie and Cathy Duplantis at 9:30 AM...

Blessings...all of it...

Truly a blessing...

And flowers from the garden...

Notes from the 9:30 Jessie and Cathy Duplantis show...

Another cup of coffee...

Beautiful Zen music...

Yoga...

And more beautiful pink roses from the garden...

Sitting on the feather box...

A box of 'angel feathers',

collected by me, 

and grandangels.

It's nice to believe that they are feathers dropped by angels,

angels letting us know they are close and watching.

I love that thought.

It is comforting.

Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul...

Changing lives one soul at a time.

Jessie Duplantis

Blessings

Yaya

The French Vanity

Every girl needs a vanity...

A dressing table...

A powder table...

It doesn't really have to be 'French'...

But it seems so 'French' to have one...

An antique dressing table...

With drawers filled with powders, lotions, and potions...

Scented oils and perfumes...

Silver brushes...

Bangles hanging on an old pink boot jewelry holder...

A mirrored jewel box...

And fresh roses from the garden in a crystal vase...

It feels so

'French'...

Southern Country French...

Blessings

Yaya

Use What You Have...

An old urn,

and an old candle holder...

Cushions from an old wicker set no longer being used...

A table without a top.....a mirror placed on top, 

and covered with a thrift store cotton cloth...

A mesh canopy that was once used over a twin bed,

now covers a chaise lounge chair.

Rusty old urns filled with ground cover roses...

A lopsided silver plated, flea market candle holder on the table,

and another thrifted cloth.

An afternoon spent going through the storage shed,

rather than shopping.

Now for some thrifted wooden shutters on each side of the windows,

washed in a sea green...

And a good cleaning with the pressure washer to the deck floors and walls,

along with some yearly treatment/stain,

and the back deck will be ready for summer.

Cost?  Zero.

Start where you are.

Use what you have.

Do what you can.

Blessings,

Yaya

Life as Art

Stopping the rush...

Stop.

Go outside with nature...

Listen to the birds...

Listen to the water fountain as  it trickles and splashes...

Soak up the sushine.

Be one with nature.

It is calming, and soul soothing...

Read...

Dream...

Pray...

Meditate...

Rest...

Life is short.  Do it now.

Get immersed in everyday loveliness...

I want to create a life I don't need a vacation from...

My future lies in my daily habits...

I take time to seek God...

Peace...Grace...Strength...Beauty...Nature...

"To make living itself an art, 

that is the goal."

~~Henry Miller~~

Blessings

Yaya

Wash Day...

Once upon a time,

long ago,

there was a little girl who spent much time with her grandmother...

in the deep south...

Alabama...

The Heart of Dixie, and all things southern...

Clothes were hung on the line,

first thing in the morning...

with wooden clothes pins...

I can hear the flapping of the sheets in the southern breeze,

and bird song in the distant  tree branches...

The smell of pinto beans cooking...

Locked into my memory forever...

Wash day...

Soft cotton sheets,

Light weight cotton blankets filled with down...

And chenille bedspreads...

The scent of fresh spring air

filling the room,

and bed linens that smell like Heaven...

Locked into my mind forever...

Wash day...

Blessings,

Yaya

Spring Is In The Air

Windows are open...

Ceiling fans slowly turn...

Birds are singing...

Butterflies are fluttering...

Fresh flowers from the garden throughout the house...

Rustic French Country bread baking...

A collection of country cookbooks for this country girl...

What's for supper tonight?

Roasted organic vegetables and buttery lemon chicken...

Seasoned with Herbs de Provence...

Cold Chardonnay...

Fresh strawberries and cream...

The smell of fresh spring air in the countryside...

There is nothing like it...

And walking barefoot in the softest grass,

or on the smoothest old wooden floors...

There is nothing like it...

Water fountains are splashing,

 Spring is in the air...

It is here...

Spring time!

Bliss!

Blessings,

Yaya

You Can Never Have Too Much Happy

Rain on a metal roof...

The softest down bed...

Sweet, sweet comfort...

Adventures in beautiful places...

Bringing your beautiful little home on wheels with you...

Happy...

You can never have too much happy...

The perfect wine glass...

A wonderful magazine filled with adventures...

Pretty little flowers...silk or real...they are beautiful...

Peace...

Love...

Happiness...

You can never have too much happy...

Colorful scarves for curtains...

A lovely view on a gray and damp spring morning...

The smell of coffee perking in the little kitchen galley...

Bacon in the electric skillet...

A good book...

Bird song and cello music drifting on a soft breeze through the Airstream...

You can never have too much happy...

Pretty plants...

More colorful scarves...

Wind chimes...

Peacefulness...

Such peace brings happiness...

You can never have too much happy...

A favorite chair to curl up in...

Throw blankets and cushions...

Little tables and cotton tablecloths...

A special place to sit while sipping coffee...

A place to use the Ipad and computer...

Being removed from the chaos of everyday living,

doesn't mean cutting ourselves off from the world...

I love sitting here and reading inspiring blogs...

It feels good...

Peaceful...Happy...

You can never have too much happy...

Hippie gypsy lights with tassels...

An old futon and a feather down bed for seating...

A cotton duvet of many colors...

A sacred little space

roaming the universe...

That is 'happy'...

You can never have too much happy,

and I never want to forget that.

Happy blessings,

Yaya