READYING THE HOUSE FOR A SPECIAL GUEST

I've linked up this post with

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life's

Table Top Tuesday

link party. Those of you visiting through her wonderful site, keep scrolling down to see my version of some summer scenes.

Thanks so much for visiting!

A very special house guest will be arriving this evening, and I've been working 'round the house the past few days preparing for her arrival.

Dear Son No. 1's girlfriend, whom he met in college and has been with for well over a year now, is coming up from North Carolina for a visit. It'll be a rather short visit, but I know they'll be so happy to see each other. They haven't seen one another since school ended back in April.

Banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and

good ole Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies.

So, in an effort to make her stay as pleasant as possible, I've been cleaning and fluffing and baking and making yummy snacks and shopping for her favorite drinks and goodies.

I'm really diggin' this new coverlet I picked up at Kohl's. Can you make out the design? And the color . . . it's my fave - red!

New bed linens were purchased for the room in which she'll be staying, along with a little "welcome" basket.

I also ~ finally ~ created some new tablescapes and vignettes around the house to better reflect the season. Lots of shells, stones, starfishes, blues, aquas and naturals used here and there to remind me of the beach . . . even if I can't get there as often as I'd like.

The hutch by the kitchen table . . .

And, no, I haven't painted that yet either!

I love incorporating books into my tablescapes. And, I never have any trouble finding books whose bindings/covers match the color scheme I'm creating.

The kitchen table has a new look. Out with the patriotic red, white and blue, and in with a more natural, beachy look.

I sewed this table runner from a piece of painter's cotton drop cloth and upholstery strapping top stitched down the center with little ruffles on the ends.

I just LOVE how it turned out! :o)

One corner of the kitchen counter by the counter eating area has a new look as well. I released my summery "warm" colored dishes from the cabinet. I wanted it to look as if I just tossed them into that chicken wire basket. Of course I didn't!

We inherited this marble top table from Hubby's grandmother. I have it in the powder room.

I've always wondered about it's origins. It appears as if it might be hand made? Notice how primitive looking the engraved detail is on the front apron of the table. I should really do some family detective work to find out more about this piece.

It's decked out in a summer look as well.

I almost forgot I had this little guy. It was a souvenir from our honeymoon trip to Bermuda almost 26 years ago. I found it a few months back up in the attic in a box of old stuff. He's nestled in a bed of lavender blooms from my garden.

It'll be so nice to see her again. Dear Son has lots of fun things lined to do during her short visit . . . the beach, Philadelphia Zoo, Hershey Park to name a few. It might be a tiring 3 days for her, but I'm sure they'll have tons of fun!

Thanks for visiting!

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