Sneak Peek......

I wanted to share one of the gardens that will be on the MCKINNEY HOME & GARDEN TOUR June 12th! You will not want to miss this home... Jan will be serving fresh bread from his backyard oven that he built.  Check out their blog for tips on gardening with herbs and Jan's bread oven. Do you have your ticket for a day in the garden??? Have a great Monday!! Valarie  

Art Walk --- Will I see you there?

Hope you all come visit our wonderful Historic McKinney tomorrow!
Happy Week-end!
Valarie

Jessica's "Daily Affirmation"

Seriously, this is the cutest! I was at a seminar today and this was shared!! Hope you enjoy! If only we were all so fired up about life!!


Happy Thursday!
Valarie

My hanging pots!!

Every spring, I look forward to filling the hanging stacked pots with my favorite blooming flowers. This year I selected moss roses, and baby bells!  Hope your day is full of wonder! Valarie

Morning Sunlight...

Don't you love morning sunlight shining over your favorite flower beds? This bed is at the corner of the back of the house.  This stained glass window reflects into my laundry room, the birdhouse is one of several around the house, and of course I plant my favorite hosta. Happy Monday!! Valarie
 

ENJOYING HOME.....

Planted spearmint today ... one of my favorite herbs!  I have orange mint, spearmint, basil, thyme, lavender, all growing around the back entertaining area! I always give them a little swish when I walk by... they all smell heavenly!  You have a favorite herb? Hope you enjoyed your Sunday! 
Valarie 

what's in your window box?

This is one of my favorite window boxes. The planter is rusty wrought iron I bought years back... I think more rust, more chippy paint the better!  In this planter you will find geraniums, creeping jenny, and moss roses. This window box has plenty of morning sunlight, which is what these plants love! What's in your box? What is your favorite planter container for the window? Please share...  Happy Day!  Valarie

A Walk through Blue Moon Garden......

If you ever want to take a relaxing Sunday walk, I recommend Blue Moon Gardens in East Texas.  I was here this past week-end with Mama, very beautiful grounds, flowers galore! bedding plants, gazing balls, birdhouses, herbs.... you name it .. they have it! Grab a glass of sweet tea and let's walk....

Hope you enjoyed the walk! Have a great evening! 

Valarie 

A new Listing.....

Maybe this suburban home suits your fancy! A new listing, on the outskirts of McKinney! 2461 sq feet of family living among a little piece of country. Beautiful trees in a fabulous neighborhood. Priced to sell this week - only $199K! If you want to come preview in person .... you know where to find me.... 

Save the Date!!

Won't you come join me???
Valarie

Spent the week-end with Mama.....

Went to East Texas to spend the weekend with Mama and celebrate Mother's Day.  This is what we gave the ole' gal for Mother's Day! Sister Fannie made the basket cover for it...  Isn't this adorable??

We departed East Texas early this morning to South Dallas to visit the old home place of her grandmother and her home when she was a child.   Great Grandmother's home is no longer there but the empty lot is, AND it was beautiful... (Mama and Fannie below walking the lot) Already on the phone trying to locate the owner, we want to buy it for Mama!

Our final stop... The Stoneleigh Hotel, Mama had her first job there as a hairstylist.. 1957! It was a great day and to see Mama so happy remembering all her childhood memories, and sharing with us ... pretty cool stuff!!  We had a blast!
Hope you enjoyed your day!
Valarie

did I show you?

Sharing my anniversary gift from LOML that he bought me in the HIll Country this past weekend! A fabulous gazing ball and stand!!  I love the blue it compliments my exterior home color and the splash of orange is very fun. The color Orange is really growing on me! Humm...  Happy Friday! Valarie

mimi thursday!!

If you follow my blog you know Thursday is Mimi Night! So tonight we are just hangin' out playing outside and watching the basketball game. I hope you have a great evening! xxoox! Valarie

Want to be my neighbor?

NEW LISTING!! I listed this vintage cottage last night, in the historic district! A 3 minute walk from me....This house has a vintage outside, and the inside is awesome! 1327 sq feet of adorableness! ALL new plumbing, electrical, foundation, new bathroom, custom bead board cabinets in kitchen, custom built china cabinets in dining to replicate the 1950' s era... want to preview in person... if so you can find me here..... have an awesome day!!  Valarie

I have your ticket!!

I have your ticket for the MCKINNEY GARDEN & HOME TOUR!! Just leave me a comment - and I will email you for your address and mail to you! Tickets only $15! Won't you come spend a day with me in the garden?? See you soon!! Valarie

Away for a few days.....

LOML and I are saddled up and riding out to the Hill Country to celebrate our anniversary!! Today is 4 years of wedded bliss and 9 years since the first kiss! ((I'm such a teen-ager!)) The journey we have had over the last 9 years has been filled with more love than you can imagine, tons of fun, laughs, tears, challenges, patience and teamwork.  I hope you enjoy your week-end and if you want to come celebrate with us ... you can find us here!
xxoox!

2nd closing today!

I sold this commercial building north of downtown Mckinney. The building is cool on the inside has a fireplace and a vintage kitchen sporting a minty color tile from the 70's! The guys that purchased plan to use for a meeting place for their Harley chapter meetings, bbq's etc.. The property has a huge back area full of beautiful trees. They plan to start remodeling soon... so I will keep you in the loop and if you ride a Harley .... this may just be the next cool place to hang out and have a cold one!! Hugs!
Valarie  

What's on your nightstand?

On my nightstand, my favorite are the beautiful roses and mint from my garden, a few books I am reading now for personal growth... The Millionaire Next Door & Strengths Finder 2.0. Both are fabulous books and an eye opener!!  The old telephone sitting on the nightstand was one I found at an estate sale, LOML wired and it actually has the old ring... (love it!) and a crystal candle holder have had for years!  The red mirrors over the nightstand were goodwill finds and I painted them red ((of course!). What's on your nightstand??
Have a great day! Valarie

It was on the curb.....

Seriously while driving around attempting to find homes for sale by owner, or homes for lease, etc... I came across a home that was being foreclosed. HUGE pile of junk out front ... and I spotted this flower cart underneath it all!! I could not believe it! I walked to the door to make sure it was okay - the man said "Take IT"..  Doesn't she look like she has found a new home?  
Grins...
Valarie 

Happy Sunday ...

From my nest @ 1110 to your nest!
Smiles..
Valarie

Vintage Scale....

I found this little jewel at a garage sale last week-end! $8 bucks! I think it is really fun as a planter for my pink impatient!  Hugs! Valarie 

Easy Peasy Apple Pie

Kim @Daisy Cottage, had an amazing pie recipe on her blog ... so I tried it! Yummy! My photo of the masterpiece below is not that pretty ... I should have taken a great photo with a piece of pie on a vintage saucer, with a cute napkin tucked in .... and I did think about that. But.... when it came out of the oven LOML & the angel grandson could not wait... and then when I went back to take the photo..... well you know the story....

Easy Peasy Apple Pie

8 Granny Smith apples, cored & sliced

1/2 cup butter

3 T flour

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

1 box of two refrigerated pie crusts 

cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Melt butter in sauce pan.  Stir in flour.  Add sugars and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce temperature and simmer 5 minutes.

Place one pie crust in bottom of glass pie dish.  Fill with sliced apples.  Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top.  Pour liquid over apples.  Cover apples with remaining pie crust.  Cut slits into crust.  Set pie dish on top of cookie sheet and put in oven.

Bake @ 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 35-45 minutes. 

Thank you Kim.. it was amazingly easy to make and ohhhhh so good!!
Hugs,
Valarie

FOR ME?

Look what was delivered to me from LOML (love of my life).  A good luck bouquet for this week! Aren't they beautiful? Hope your day is off to a great start! Mine sure is!!  Have a great day! Valarie  

1 2 3 4 5 .....

I found these little jars with numbers at a garage sale for $1! I loved them .... all lined up in my kitchen window with my beautiful roses.  I have one pink rose bush and it bloomed today! #3!
Hope you are having a blessed Sunday! SMiLeS! Valarie

everything is coming up ROSES!!

These beautiful roses are in my ROSE bed overlooking the pergola area. Have you ever planted  DAVID AUSTIN roses? from East Texas!?  i planted these 5 years ago and as you can see below they are going crazy! My grandmother was a natural at growing roses planting  JFK Roses - I remember the smell of the roses and how she had them displayed beautifully throughout her sweet home in miniature vases.  If you love roses,as I do... I highly recommend these!   Easy to grow, very hardy and they really put on a show! 

Have a great Saturday! Valarie 

vintage enamel sink full of color!

One of my favorite things to plant in the spring... an old enamel sink full of colorful flowers! I blogged about this last year... here! It really is a focus now with the new shade garden in place! Happy Friday!! Happy Planting!! Valarie

exciting news!!!

I closed my first sale yesterday!!!  This is what I sold to a dear friend Tracey! The photo above is the property, was the old greyhound bus station in Mckinney, the cute yellow cottage was attached. All zoned commercial. Located on Tennessee off the Historic Square! I can not share yet what Tracey is doing with the space... other than this.... Probably open June 1, it will be full of fun and funky things, that all you girls will love. This is a stop you will have to make when you come up for the Home & Garden Tour on June 12th.... oh and one more secret...  Tracey's garden is on tour... so you know the once greyhound bus station will open as something FABULOUS!! Make plans to come see us!!
Hugs!!
Valarie

Goodwill find....

Found this little lamp last night at the only shopping place in my town... GOODWILL! for $6! I realize muted colors are in, burlap and linen... but if I spot a red lamp shade or anything with color I can not stop myself!!  This little find now sits on the bar between the dining & kitchen area with a few of my favorite cookbooks and few silver pieces!  Please tell me red will always be "IN"!!
Hugs!
Valarie

Garage sale beauty!

                                                                                                                                                       I found this beautiful silver bowl at a garage sale this weekend! $$5 BUCKS!
Love it ... filled it with a few of my favorites... lemons & green apples! Happy Tuesday!

Before & After Landscape today!! Shade garden!!

LOML and I started our day very early! PROJECT: Shade Garden
BEFORE PHOTO

AFTER:  10 hours later!
FACTS: The shade garden is 50 feet long. We used one ton of Oklahoma chopped stone, 2 trailers of mulch, 15 hostas, 6 ferns, 3 japanese yew trees, 3 flats of liriope, 1 flat of impatients.  I added a few of my favorite concrete pieces I had collected from my friend Jo...  bird bath, doves, & a few angels. The plants are a bit sparse now but here in Texas with 75 degree days the ferns and hosta will grow rapidly, and come back year after year! Hostas are the best kept secret, very hardy, as well as ferns... if you have lots of shade and moist grounds these are the plants for you.  The next step is to pebble where the grass is .. then add flagstone for the walkway! Maybe in a few weeks.....  (if we recover from today!) hope you had a great day!! xxoox! Valarie

Vintage Baby Bath & Pansies

A few of my favorite things in the spring..... the bird feeder, the mosaic birdhouse, the climbing roses, and of course the vintage baby bath tub filled with yellow pansies!!

Hope your day was sunny!
Valarie