PACKING UP

The Inn as you arrive. These pics were taken early one morning just before the sun rose.

Phew! What a process! I've been gearing up, organizing, planning and packing for our scrapbooking retreat weekend for days. Seems like it anyway!

It's been all I can think about for

a week now.

So excited!

This is a trip that me and my girlfriends look forward to all year. We rent an entire B&B, Swiss Woods, in historic Litiz, Pennsylvania, beautiful Amish Country, for a weekend.

We scrap, we eat,

we scrap, we drink,

we scrap, we watch chick flicks,

we scrap, we laugh . . . .

It's a total relaxing, self-pampering weekend. We even arrange to have a massage therapist come in for massage, hot stone treatments and reflexology sessions.

Really can't wait for that!

The entrance into the great room of the Inn.

Looking out from the porch.

It's a great, relaxing, girl's weekend away. It started out four years ago as a true scrapbooking weekend. And it still is, really, but it's turned into more of just a realaxing, girl-bonding weekend away from the mundane routine.

Every room has it's own outside entry onto a patio where there's plenty of beautiful garden views.

The back of the Inn. The "suites" are upstairs with their own balconies.

The Innkeepers, Debbie and Werner Mosiman, are the sweetest people who are just the bestest hosts. Their quaint, rustic Scandinavian Inn is like a little bit of Switzerland right there in the hills of Pennsylvania. The home cooked meals, fresh baked cookies and biscotti, endless pots of coffee and yummy selections of teas keeps us going well into the night/morning when we're scrapbooking, or watching a good movie, or having a cocktail, or just hanging out in front of the ginormous fireplace laughing, talking.

For the exception of a few late night runs to the local scrapbook store, Pages In Time,

Isn't it cute?! The store occupies what was once a one-room schoolhouse.

The owner, Laurie, plans our visit with her late-night crop so we can run in late to shop - how nice is that!

the class we're attending at the store on Saturday, and hikes on the vast acreage around the Inn, we pretty much never leave the Inn just hanging out there in our pj's and sweats all weekend.

Time for shot - lemon drops, I think.

And a little late night snack! There is a small guest kitchen where we store our "drinks" and snacks we've brought up. It's very convenient!

I went back over the past years to post some pictures, and I realized I really don't have any great snaps. Kinda dumb bein's am I big scrapbooker and all! So, I'll be sure to get some good shots this weekend. Needless to say, I most likely won't be posting again until next Monday. We head out bright and early Thursday morning . . .

that is if all our stuff can fit in the car! You would be amazed how much stuff we take. Bags and bags of supplies, snacks, libations, and a teeny, tiny bag of clothes! :o) LOL

Until then, have a great weekend everyone!

I can't wait to share our wonderfully fun, relaxing

weekend with you all when we get back.

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WORDS ON MY WALL

I finally got this project done last night. Yet another project I'd been procrastinating on. I purchased this vinyl wall phrase back in the middle of September,

and now it's . . . ummm . . . the end of January.

Why do I do this???

I really didn't think I'd be able to apply it without the use of scaffolding, or an extension ladder, or something. So I waited for help . . . uh hummm . . .

Finally, last night, I said to myself,

"self . . . just git'r done!"

So by perching precariously on a step ladder on the landing, and hanging waaayyy over the railing, I was able to rub on the phrase with a yard stick.

Now, I realize the phrase is not quite centered within the repurposed frame. And it's not really going to bother me. I'm just glad it's done! But, Hubby had to point that out first thing when he came home and I showed him I'd finally got it done.

Like I didn't already realize this!

About the frame. It was white-washed pine, and it originally held a canvas print with some overpainting of a row of ducks. Back in the eighties, when I was really into country decor (a very unsophisticated country, I'll admit!), I loved this print. But, it was dated for sure. I kept it knowing I could use the huge frame someday. Well, there it is . . .

As far as the phrase not being totally centered, I think it might be okay since the phrase is kinda off-center. Or, I may go back over to Leen The Graphic Queen's (cute, cute stuff - go check it out!) store where I purchased the phrase, and and buy a lit'l summin' to put in the bottom left side, or move the frame over, or do nothing at all!

I've never really been happy with what I've had on this wall. And not wanting to spend a ton of money, I felt I was limited. Besides, really the only people who see this space, the foyer, is us. Virtually everyone uses our garage door or back door when they come to our house.

So, I'm happy :o) Another long-sitting project out of the way. YAY!!!

Update on the chair. Can I just tell you I'm really hating that chair right now. Not enjoying this project at all. A little more has been done, but still quite a bit left to do. I know I'll be so happy when it's done, but until then

I hate that chair!

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THE TEAVANA EXPERIENCE

Today's been one of those days where I just couldn't get warm. Didn't think I was into making a pot of coffee. Didn't want the extra calories from hot chocolate. I decided that a cup of hot tea would really do the trick.

Some years ago, as a Christmas gift, me and Hubby received a Teavana tea pot/strainer and a couple canisters of loose tea. Wow! We were hooked! Not to mention making the tea . . . adding the loose tea . . . watching it steep . . . then see it strain down into the cup . . . is so much fun!

We've actually given the whole Teavana pot and teas as gifts many times since we received ours. It really makes a great, and different, gift for a tea drinker that may not have used loose tea.

I like to mix the two blends you see here. Oh, I wish you could smell the delicious aroma wafting from these canisters when I take off the lids!!!

The Hazelnut Dolce is a Rooibos Tea that's from South Africa, and is high in antioxidants and helps improve digestion, among other benefits. The other tea, Mate Vana, is an Herbal Tea that's high in vitamins and minerals and works as an appetite suppressant. hmmm . . . maybe I should be drinking a whole lot more of this one!

Add the recommended amount of loose tea to the pot. When purchased at Teavana, the canisters or bags will have a chart on the back with the measurements for each type of tea.

Add boiling water and let step for recommended amount of time.

When you place the pot/strainer atop a certain width cup or mug, the plunger underneath is released an lets the liquid through while straining the loose tea. Fun!

Actually, I've seen these types of strainer pots around quite a bit. And, of course, loose tea is not too difficult to find. But if you step into a Teavana store, the selection of teas is amazing.

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VALENTINE'S TABLESCAPE

I'm joining in the tablescaping fun over at Grits and Glamour today.

Barb is holding a little "party" every week called Tabletop Tuesday where bloggers can share their tablescapes and gain all sorts of ideas and inspiration at the same time. I can loose so much time futzing with a tablescape . . . getting it just right.

What I wanted to share today was the dining table that's in my living room. We don't have a formal living room, so I put this gate-leg table in there for extra seating when needed. I grabbed up this table at a furniture resale shop for $60! My plan was to refinish it (another one of those procrastination projects!) soon after I purchased it . . . aaaa . . . over a year ago. The chairs, I picked up at the local Salvation Army store for $15 for the pair. I did get them repainted. Still on the lookout for more chairs for this table.

Anyway, I have this table decked out in celebration of upcoming Valentine's Day. As you can see, this simple vignette is arranged in a very symmetrically and balanced fashion, which seems to work best with the pieces I'm working with.

I love the whimsical feel of this table with the silvers, pinks and reds. Another thing that makes me smile every time I pass this table, is that virtually everything on it once belonged to my grandmother.

Click on over to Barb's blog and check out all the other great tablescapes featured. I'm heading over for more inspiration myself!

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DIARY OF A PROCRASTINATOR

You know, when I posted back on Friday about being so "bad" not getting started on my chair recovering project? My plan was to get started on it as one of the day's first priorities. I think I've pretty much convinced you all I can be, at times, a bit of a procrastinator.

So, instead of getting started right away on that project Friday morning,

I ran this

throughout the entire house.

Then I scrubbed this

and the dish drainer and the sink stoppers.

I emptied this

I washed these

and folded them.

I cleaned this

yes, my powder room toilet is a very dated rose color - that will be a future post!

and the other two upstairs.

I even jogged on this

What you can't see in this pic is I'm watching Paula Deen while I'm jogging. Almost seems counterproductive to be watching THE Queen of Butter whilst one engages in an exercise activity!

Then after a shower and getting dressed, I watched an hour of this

I love reruns of Raymond and King of Queens!

Although, while I was watching Raymond, I was visually planning my

attack on the chair.

So, you see, it was as if I was willing to do almost anything but tackle that chair! Well, finally around 3:00 I started . . . I got this much done (and just that amount of work took me . . . like . . . 3 hours!).

I'm planning on spending some more time with my nemesis today while watching the playoff games. Hopefully I'll be able to get a bit more accomplished!

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AMAZING AND INSPIRING

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