all is calm...

On the homefront...... 

Hugs... Valarie 

Window box Love!!!

Chippy, white and perfect for the blue cottage... How many window boxes do you have???

Happy Tuesday!! 

Valarie 

July 3rd!

July 3 is my daughter's wedding. It  is a very small intimate wedding, held at 8pm lakeside in East Texas on Lake Tyler. The wedding site is at the home of the groom's parents.. My sister Fannie, Mama & I are pulling off all the decor for the shing dig (as we say in Texas). My sweet sister n law is making all the cakes, cupcake tower etc... This wedding will be very vintage, lots of silver pieces, burlap, cupcake tower, white flowers, tons of candles, THE MOST AMAZING BOUQUET (another thank you to sister in law) and many close friends around us in celebration of a very long long sweet engagement!!  

Recently I was looking for a wedding pendants -- I found a blog that had these adorable Easter tags.  I loved them... so I contacted Amber to ask if we she could make some for the wedding. I gave her the bride & groom name and the colors.. Amber kept them a surprise until I received them in the mail. I was overjoyed with happy!!! Don't you love them?? 

 Amber -- thank you .. thank you... 

Pop over here and visit Amber at her sweet blog "THIS & THAT" 

Hope you enjoyed the glimpse of what is yet to come!! More later.. 

Valarie  

Jenny's cottage in Historic Mckinney!

More of the cute cottage from yesterday post! This adorable cottage is on the market tomorrow so Jenny has staged to lease for a year. Jenny is returning to Australia for the birth of her first grandson!!  

Sharing....... cute seating area... 

Hope you enjoyed the tour... and if you know anyone needing a lease in the district for 6-12 months .. this little cottage is fabulous!! We will miss you Jenny!

Busy ... busy...

More than a few of my favorite bloggers have emailed me to ask if I was leaving the real estate business for "The Trailer Gal" venture! No ... no! I love the real estate business- it can be  challenging but the rewards are so great! I love all my clients.. I love their stories.. I love helping find the perfect home,  and AT THE END OF THE DAY... I hope I made a difference!

The Trailer Gal is in full swing and I even fit in a photo shoot & interview this week with the silver beauty for a local media story! (have to say I loved it!)  We have many many things planned for her and a fall trip in the making heading out to East Texas- all I can share now.. other than it will be fun and fabulous!!

As far as the real estate I am busy even with the sagging economy - folks still LOVE homes, and great pricing. I am a buyer's agent only - so the market is bringing MANY serious clients that want great pricing, great school's and honestly, who would not love MCKINNEY, TEXAS?  Voted by Money Magazine 5th best place to live!

So I thought I would share a glimpse of this week... and for the last 3 months this has been pretty much my week...

I was referred a dear couple from Illinois (thank you Carrie!) relocating here to Texas. Recently graduated from dental school and moving North of Mckinney to practice! Darling couple, adorable kids! After 2 days of looking at many homes - David walked in and said "SHE WILL LOVE THIS ONE" and she did... contract written!! Arriving in July to begin the move in and enjoy the Texas heat hospitality!

Also, this week my dear friend Jenny is moving to Australia.  I am leasing her home for the next year.. Beautiful - located in the historic district!!  It was on the home & garden tour last year. The grounds are fabulous - She will have them maintained while she is away!  Lucky tenant!!  

And then - my empty nester couple looking for the perfect home- We found them one yesterday - Stonebridge Estates!! Wow!   They fell in love with the backyard... perfect for many, many entertainment options!!  I asked them to adopt me!   

A referral came to me from Gail! Thank you Gail- We found Kelly the perfect house last week- this week we were able to execute the contract and set closing... Adorable home on the cusp of the historic district!! 

AND TODAY.... my sweet, adorable first time home buyers - we looked at many and crossing our fingers on a second look tomorrow... 

Very busy & fun week.... I hope you spend each day doing what you LOVE!!  

Much love! 

Valarie 

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

I started guest blogger Friday here at my blog to recognize a few Texas gal's blogs that I followed since starting my blog a few years back.  These gal's inspire me, so I want to share the heart of these wonderful gal's each Friday. A few weeks ago I reached out to Brenda at Cozy Little House. I am sure you know, love & adore her zest for decor. Brenda lives about 10 minutes from my Mom out in East Texas!! Please welcome her to my blog today and pop over here and give her a big ol' Texas hug!!  

Outdoor Decorating

For me, decorating outside is just as important as decorating inside. I try to approach this as another canvas on which I can express myself. 

Just because you put something outside, does not mean it had to be made for the outdoors. I use ceramics and dishes on the fence, for instance. I have a big red mirror on the fence that faces my back door. I like to see the reflection of the plants and trees in it. And it visually expands my space, which is pretty small. 

I create groupings of "outdoor rooms" with seating arrangements and plants arranged at various heights grouped together. I look at it just as I do the inside of my house. Is it pleasing to the eye? Is it too cluttered? Does it make the statement I want it to express?

By creating little "rooms", you give your space a flow that is necessary. Just as paths are there to lead you from one space to the next. Leave enough space between one "room" and another to give it breathing room. And to let it shine on its own.

There are so many ways to be frugal and still infuse your outdoor space with color and creativity. Look outside the box. Look at an object in a whole new way. Bring a water feature into your outdoor space. They are easy enough to make yourself. The internet and magazines give you all kinds of ideas in which to do this with a simple pump.

Your "dream" outdoor space is right there waiting for you. Use what space you have and make the most of it. You will smile every time you walk outside.
Brenda Kula   http://cozylittlehouse.com

Good morning Sunshine!

Enjoying the morning sunshine & quiteness! 

May your day be filled with love & sparkle! 

xxo! 

Valarie 

Bunny love!

Look at this adorable bunny that has been hanging around my garden area. I was so glad I had my camera in hand! Good to know this is what is eating my hosta!  
Sharing my enamel bucket filled with lavender and wax roses! 

Happy Tuesday!! Valarie 

Happiness is....

Love planting flowers... I will plant them in anything...  I usually mix 3 flowers combinations in each planter.. 

impatiens, hosta, geraniums

I seem to be posting many pictures of the garden lately.. I love to dig in the dirt, it is therapy for my soul, and happiness for my heart!  Thank you for stopping by ... come anytime and have a glass of sweet tea with me!! 

Hugs- 

Valarie 

Happy Saturday!

I love this old enamel wash tub.. filled with a few of my favorite summer flowers. You really can plant flowers in anything you love! Happy day to you! Do you have big plans this weekend? Please share...  
Valarie

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

My dear blogging friends~ Please welcome Becky from Buckets of Burlap today! I love, adore, & stalk her blog daily! Although I have never met Becky in person- she is the kind of person you read her blog and you feel like you have know her for years!! Stop over and see her, leave her a comment and welcome her into your home! You will be glad you did!

Welcome Becky!!

Hey blogging friends!
I'm Becky- Becky C, from Buckets of Burlap.
And I'm thrilled Valarie invited me to guest blog here at her sweet place :)
So... I really hope your summer is going great so far...
Over at my blog, I usually post about our farmhouse DIY projects, room re-dos and
flea market treasures we come across.
Here is a little "GLIMPSE" into our family room, I've been working on lately:

But today, I wanted to share with you a great recipe I came across.
Are you always looking for easy lunches to whip up?
Me too!And this is DELICIOUS!

It is called:
Tuna Melts, from the Pioneer Woman. Click here for recipe!!
Have you ever used any of her recipes?
Well, you have to try this one.  Not now.  Hang on...
Let me tell you a few ways that I modified this recipe, first.
It calls for red onion, jalapeno, tuna, pickles, etc., etc...
She says to use English muffins, but all I had was a loaf of french bread.
It works just as well, and they were so yummy :)
And I must mention that is fresh parsley from my herb garden, yay!
Also, her photos are so much more gorgeous.
Mine really don't do these tuna melts any justice...

I also only had sliced pepper jack cheese, so that's what I layered on top.

With a few common ingredients, look at what you can do.
Who doesn't like an easy, quick, light summer lunch??

Even my kids ate these up!
Well, I must say, this was so fun to be a guest here today :)
Come visit me sometime, if you'd like.
Thank you, Valarie, for letting me share a "GLIMPSE" into my kitchen!
Blessings,
Becky C

I'm back....

I POSTED A MESSAGE ON SUNDAY THAT WE WERE LEAVING FOR A GETAWAY! I was soooo excited guess I forgot to hit publish post!! Anyway I am back!! LOML and I had a blast!! Loved Lake Fort Smith! This is our 2nd time there, we normally stay there for parent weekend in October!

We rented a boat so we Tim could fish- and I could bask in the sun!

We had campfires at night~

Beautiful little flowers~

My adorable trailer served us well, her AC worked very well...

Beautiful winding roads~

Great to be home!! What did you do all week??
Valarie

Guest Blogger Friday!! Come on in, door is open!

Please welcome my guest blogger for Friday. Welcome JaneY!!

Hi! I'm Jmac....The Crazy Cruisin' Chick and I'm honored to have been asked to guest blog on Valarie's Glimpse of My World today! So Fun!! Hmmm....crazy? My friends and daughter-in-laws say so. A chick? In the highest form! And where does "cruisin" come from? So....this won't be a post about decoratin' or junkin,' but I thought since summer has just begun, I'd take you on a lil cruise thru the Caribbean. Sit back, close your eyes and put yourselves into the crystal blue, clear waters and white pristine beaches, where reality becomes a blur and your imagination becomes a little piece of heaven!

I began blogging when we were on our first sailing adventure abooard our baby, Blew Bayou. She is a 42' catamaran that has taken us to very beautiful parts of the world. My husband is a lover of the seas and captaining his own vessel has definitely been a check off of his bucket list. Blogging was the easiest means of showing our children and friends info of our whereabouts and adventures since alot of the islands do not have the best technology for communicating. For the first 3 yrs, we both spent many months of the yr sailing to different destinations. The past 2 yrs I've not been able to play as much because of a bad back and babyboy's wedding planning. But the captain has been traveling every yr for 3-4 months at a time! Because of my interest in photography, my travels have allowed me to work at my hobby while out on the waters and participating in some magazine adventures, which have earned some awards and great prizes!! When trying to decide which images to show you, it was impossible to include everything in one blog post, so I've just decided the best thing to do is to pick a few and let you imagine the rest!! Sailing adventures have included the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Antiqua, British Virgin Islands and Roatan, Utila, LaCeiba and several other islands in Honduras, Central America. Remember.....imagination is our greatest indulgence!! Guana Cay in BahamasTreasure Cay beach in Abacos Islands....National Geographic's pick of one of the most beautiful beaches! Ahhhhhhhh.......thanks Valarie for giving me this opportunity to re-live some glorious times in my life! A sunset toast to you all!!