Recounting First Day Driving

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Ready To Drive: Photo of Me with Posh Crash Helmet and Safety Glasses

When I woke up on my second day in England, I was gripped by the panic of driving. My hubby was going to work the next day, and I would need to drive for errands, grocery shopping, etc. Grab the horns of that big bull!

We bought a used SUV for a variety of reasons - I like to drive up high so I can see better; we can shuttle more kids; better for long trips. What we didn't realize was that it would cost $150 to fill the gas tank!!

First of all, I don't have the mountains as a marker to indicate which direction I'm driving. On cloudy days, I don't have the sun either. My guess is villages popped up throughout the countryside and spiderweb-like bridal paths connected them. So I find it very difficult to get my bearings. Even my satellite navigation system is often confused or frustrated. But we do our best!

Let's Just Say This Is What I Drive, Because I Wish I Did
Nissan Figaro

Anyhoo, we needed to buy a TV in a town 20 minutes away. This was my first time to drive on the wrong side, or as they say, 'the right side'.  Fortunately our car is automatic, otherwise the stick shift would be in the left hand. I took a deep exhale and we were off ('Mommy, why are you always breathing like that?' referring to my Mommy Exhales).

So I started the car, and with my right hand I went to put the gear into reverse. But that turned on my wipers. Oops, use left hand for gears. Then I started backing out and realized my turning radius was not so hot, so I jumped the curb and almost hit my neighbor's car. Went into drive and swerved trying to figure out where the heck I was supposed to be.

'Concern' started to creep in when I had to get on a busy street. Along the way we went through many two lane roundabouts, which were VERY busy. The mere g-force of being in that darn thing made us all yell, and wouldn't you know it, we got spat out at the right place every time. Miraculous! Yet accompanied by 'Don't hit that car/ person/ curb/ motorcycle!'

At several points, the road turned narrow. Cars were parked along my side, which gave me only half a street to drive on. I straddled the line as cars came the other way, feeling like a game of 'Chicken'. With a long line of cars behind me, I pushed on, practically peeking through hand-covered eyes. Who could bear to watch? I literally thought I was going to throw up. My hubby said my face was flush, I was sweating, and I definitely needed a paper bag for hyperventilation. Skydiving and bungee jumping seemed safer than this.

And the kids? They kept saying, 'Please let Daddy drive. Please?!'  Poor, sweet things. And my hubby may have sprained a muscle from failed attempts to slam on the brake on the passenger side.

Once we arrived at the parking structure, we all took a Mommy Exhale together. Just like when your roller coaster ride is over and you come to the stop and it is time to get off. You survived.

We bought the TV and my hubby drove us home, to everyone's relief, and I took a huge nap. Neurons were firing that had been dormant for decades. But I have to say driving has been a bit of a snap ever since. Now I can check that big bull off my list : ) Mission accomplished.

Wanting more? See my other posts here

XO
Laura

Garsons Farm - Pick Your Own

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Last weekend we went to Garsons Farm. Spanning over 100 acres, we were able to pick our own fruits and vegetables.

Raspberries

There was a lot to choose from: carrots, spinach, potatoes, cucumbers, squash, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and much more. Some things I'd never heard of such as mange tout, marrows, courgettes.

Cherry trees were under the netting. I've never seen such beautiful cherries.

Beautiful strawberries too

It will take at least a week to eat all we picked. The kids (and I) had a hard time not over-picking because it was so fun!

Click here for Garsons website

[You're Invited! If you enjoyed this post, please consider following me: www.HappyHomemakerUK.blogspot.com ]

XO
Laura

Not Your Typical Move, Part II

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

First, I want to say thank you for all the comments I've gotten on my posts. It encourages me to keep writing and I love hearing from you!

So, I am sitting in my kitchen, drinking a cup of tea while my kids sleep in. Love that! So here we go with my story worth writing...

[The Move]

So our container arrived an hour before the movers. The container guy was not so pleased, but fortunately I took my mother-in-law's advice and had tea and biscuits out and ready for the movers. That seemed to please him.

Once the movers came, they had trouble getting the container unlocked, but were successful after a half hour. The crew of two were able to unload our boxes and furniture in two days while taking many many breaks for tea (I did all the unpacking). All of this was relatively uneventful.

Wilson Gets Cozy In Linen Pile

[The Movers!]

Okay, but here's the unusual part. So what would you have done? Turns out the movers lived 4 hours away and were with a traveling moving company. They move people all over the UK, so they sleep in their moving truck. My neighbor said she would offer them a spare room if she had one. So, yikes! Am I supposed to offer mine?! So now the movers are sleeping in the room next door? Awkward! I don't remember seeing the protocol in my London guide book on this one.

We did not offer our spare room - just too creepy. But they did use the 'loo' and the shower. They didn't have a smaller car to drive in, so we brought them dinner and the cigarettes they asked for. They seemed mildly grateful for my hospitality (fed them 3 meals), but I got the feeling I'd done less than most. Needless to say, we didn't tip them.

Good news is we got everything in perfect condition and a colorful story to tell throughout the years!

XO
Laura

Art attack

Firstly I wanted to thank everyone for your get-well wishes - you guys are so sweet. I'm feeling much better today, and I'm sure those couple of lazy days doing absolutely nothing have helped no end. So while I've quite enjoyed kicking back, watching dvds and catching up on reading, I do find it quite frustrating not to be working on my cabinet makeover - especially when it's sitting right in front of me! That's been set aside for when I can muster the energy, so in the meantime my thoughts have turned to painting.

When it comes to my art, I probably have enough ideas to last a lifetime. This week has been great for giving me time to plan, refocus and potter around my studio - I've cleaned and tidied my desk (which was no mean feat!), finished a couple of orders, and started to pull together some bits and pieces for my next piece. I've also organised to frame this work my youngest daughter did at school recently:

I love it, and the fact that she designed the whole thing herself is pretty impressive I think. Once it's framed, I'll hang it in my studio, alongside some other masterpieces by my older two.

Right, now that I've spent most of this post bragging, I'll show you a few of the things I'll be using in some of my own works. I'm always on the lookout for really diverse bits and pieces, and my plan is to incorporate them into some mixed-media works that will soon be for sale. 

Japanese paper, wood blocks, hand-made parchment, jute twine...mmm

I'm really keen to get started, so I'll catch you all soon!

Not Your Typical Move, Part I

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

[PRELUDE TO A MOVE]

We had prepared for almost a year for our move abroad, yet it still didn't seem like enough time. Many details needed to be taken care of at the last minute, such as utilities in the US and in the UK.  As my also-moving-to-UK-friend stated, 'It is a tsunami of details'.Well said, girlfriend! Thank goodness for the internet and faxes, for those international phone calls would have cost a fortune.

Our last day in the US involved me with my home phone on one ear (I was on hold), talking on the cell phone on the other ear, and working the computer at the same time. Meanwhile, my husband was doing the same thing next to me. It was madness. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and it was the perfect 'I Love Lucy' episode. And with teary eyes, we said goodbye to the US and our beloved friends.

And so the local movers packed us up in 2 1/2 days and put everything in a big container like you see on the back of a semi truck. The container was then put on a train to go to port in Houston, Texas to be shipped to our new house in the UK. And magically it appeared on our doorstep last week, almost exactly a month later : )

First sneak peek of our block! Londoners call our area 'leafy'. I like that. It was the first day of rain the whole week, but I didn't mind. I was so excited to get 'situated'. Will write more tomorrow...

XO
Laura

HOME DECOR: MOLDINGS AND MILLWORK - FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

Breaking out of the TRACT HOME look ...





Decorating a room doesn't have to be intimidating if you break it up into stages. 



Good design consists of layers; the first of which begins at the walls, windows, ceilings and floors of a room.   Why settle for builders grade selections when you can add the touches that create interest, beauty and character in a room?  Why have boring walls and uninteresting windows and extremely ordinary ceilings and floors, when with a little imagination, you can have something LESS ORDINARY?

CROWN MOLDING AND BASE MOLDING

Must haves are improvements in the base moldings, door and window casings.   Adding crown molding finishes a room, draws your eye up and raises your ceilings - not literally, but it makes it feel that way. 

Higher ceilings can handle fatter moldings - but never less than 4" for a custom look

Because of the angle involved, crown moldings are more complicated than base and casings.  But most handymen, and handy husbands are equal to the task.

Contemporary as well as traditional design aesthetic has more character with added crown and base moldings, window and door casings.

WINDOW AND DOOR CASINGS

Builders standard door casings are 3".  Pump them up a bit with wider casings and chunkier baseboards along with your crown moldings for a room with some charm and character.  You can make a door or opening into another room look very special with the use of a little more in the way of trim and moldings, but at the very least, frame those bare windows, add sills if they are absent, and widen the door casings.

mitred casing

combined with custom sill

non mitred casing with corner medalions

fluted casings make a

big statement in a contemporary room

This narrow room's focal point is its beautifully finished windows

 WALL OPENINGS AND TRANSITIONS

An opening into another room allows you to add a little millwork to that otherwise boring hole in the wall. You are only limited by your imagination. A good designer or woodworker can help you put something beautiful together, but here are some examples.

WALLS

FROM BORING TO BEAUTIFUL

Covering up a boring, pebble textured, painted wall with some wonderful woodwork is one of my favorite things to do.  I love the application of a high wainscote done in beadboard or board and batten - not just for that beachy cottage or a kids room anymore.

Here are some examples of traditional wainscoting.  Faux panels are created with narrow picture frame molding for a more formal look.

I love the way it wraps around this window.  Looks nice up a staircase, too.

The board and batten treatment works well in a variety of applications and has recently grown up, as well.

 

A little closer look at the treatment

I love how this board and batten treatment looks elegant in this room and keeps the deep chocolate from overpowering the design.

Board and batten adds great interest to this stair wall in 'squares'

PANELS AND PANELLING

Yellows and golds make me happy.  But that isn't why I chose this photo.  These traditional panels are perfect for framing art, and are especially effective with the color treatment inside the panel.

I love the height of these panels and the textural interest it adds to this wall

These panels are painted out in one color, but you still see the dimension of the panels and it still adds subtle visua linterest.

Here's another treatment with reverse painted effect - the molding darker than the wall.

Love love love this wall. It looks amazing.  The whole wall becomes a piece of art.

Here is another subtle painted version, with a detailed dentil molding at crown of the room.

Panels topped with a ledge form a substantial headboard. 

I love the wide plank panelling in this very traditional room

Keeps it from taking itself too seriously!

Or, Turned sideways ..

As you can see, it lends itself to a variety of decorating styles.

BUILT-INS

If your room is a little lacking in architectural interest and you could use more storage - and who can't - consider a beautiful built-in cabinet, bookshelf or cupboard on that blank wall - tailor made to your needs.

In this child's room, much needed storage is created by building out around a window, and then placing the bed in the alcove created by the build-out of the two closets.  It looks charming and cozy and no kid could resist sleeping in that alcove!

Built in bookcases are a natural choice to flank a fireplace and creates a great focal wall.

Bookshelves - an upcoming project for my house -  can really be added to any room.

Adding cabinets or bookshelves around a window is a great excuse for a window seat

If you are filling a wall with bookshelves, think about leaving a space for your desk, flat screen tv, or seating area.

These shelves were specifically made to showcase a collection

Keep in mind the style and character of your home and decor and make sure your shelves add to and enhance your decor.

Built-ins add character and value to your home, no matter the size

But I do envy this storage area - and anyone who has room for it!

Don't be afraid to go bold if your room can handle it.  Not a built-in, but large enough to be, I chose this photo to show the contrast of color and the weight it adds to that side of the room.

Just imagine it in your own color - (so glad they told me this was 'red')

The built-in china cabinet

below is a nice touch for this large kitchen

I have actually always dreamed of having a stone wall - maybe in  my master bedroom, behind the headboard.  It works well in this kitchen - adds a rustic old-world feel.  Definitely no 'tract home' feel here.

The curved brick/stone veneer on this fireplace is a yummy combination with the bookcases in high contrast on either side. 

I liked this contemporary treatment as well, boxes on the wall in place of shelves, but with the same effect and appeal.

I'm a fan of the 'square' openings in this unit - great for books as well as spotlighting an object or collection.

I have to give you a heads up here - white washed wood surfaces are back and are the next big trend.  For a current look, think 'weathered' and 'driftwood' - I love the color of this gray cabinet above...  

I'm going to need one of these ladders for the bookcases I have planned for my vaulted ceilings...

The soft blue background of this bookcase makes everything in it look beautiful

I have always loved bookcases that surround a window or doorway

and who doesn't love a place for shoes and backpacks???

FLOORS AND CEILINGS

Floors are probably the area you need the least help in customizing.  But there are a few unique treatments worth looking at, besides carpeting, traditional wood and tile.

Remember the trend I told you about, here are floors with a weathered white wash done in stripes...

another white washed floor... a great way to avoid the cost of a new floor if your hardwood is looking a little tired.

from Cote de Texas blogsite

Another trend is sustainable flooring - like bamboo flooring or a fibre rug (jute, sisal, seagrass).

Note the whitewashed weathered ceiling beams - what do you think about this look?

Eco friendly seagrass floor coverings are also relatively inexpensive and stain resistant. 

For floors and furniture - expect to see lighter washed or reclaimed woods - (for example: Restoration Hardware's new line).

This beautiful room has coffered ceilings - a beautiful treatment for high ceilings. 

I could go on and on - from ceilings and floors to windows, like the one above that just makes this little window seat the most charming seat in the house - but....

another day... another blog

we'll talk about them later

I hope you are inspired to create some wonderful custom elements in your home.  Make it a beautiful place to be!

Best wishes,

Claudine