Now it's time to say good bye to allll the family.....

Well, folks, I'm back up in Massachusetts, but 

I'm not done with Florida.....

I have a few more stories to share.....

So lets finish with my house once and for all!!!!!

As I showed you on Tuesday, this is my home in the subtropics!

I've done everything I could to it to make it as cottagey and cute as possible.

Living in a community that has a home owner's association, I was somewhat constrained by what was allowed.

I changed the landscaping.....

My neighbor hood was only 2 years old when I moved in, and all of the plants were

really really really really really small!!!!!

This was right after my new plants were installed.

Since then, the bushes in the front and back have been replaced twice.....

and they are still this big 8 years later!

This is one of the bitchin' things about living in a place with a 12 month growing season.

There was a problem with the architectural detail over the windows.....

Only my model had this mistake.....

I think someone using a CAD (computer assisted design) program, plugged in the wrong size header, and then no one caught it until the @#$ things were actually being built, and then 

probably

NO ONE WANTED TO ADMIT A MISTAKE!!!!!

So the houses were built like this,

and I'm the only one who noticed!!!!!

AND I HAD TO FIX IT!!!!!

See how the molding above the windows runs along the top of the shutters?????

IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!!!!

NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!

See how it is on my porch?????

That's how it's supposed to be.....

And while we're at it.....

check out the cheapo light by the door!!!!!

So, a couple of years ago, when all the houses in my neighborhood were being repainted, 

I felt it would be a good time to remedy the situation!!!!!

I had a carpenter pop off the header, pop off the keystone (in the middle), it just fitted on top of the horizontal piece.....

cut the headers down in size by cutting them in the middle, and hiding the cut with the keystone being reattached!!!!!

SO....

Now it looks like this.....

Much gooder!!!!

And I added a house number and changed the light to this....

from this

And the screen door helps make it look a little more cottagey and traditional, with the look of divided lights.

So let me show you the full front again, so you can be amazed by my brilliance.....

Now, come on in, and I'll show you my entry....

or my exit, it depends upon which way you're going.....

You may remember this from when my guest host, Chloe wrote about my house.....

I think her picture might have been better.....

Of course, she was focused on the toys in the bowl.....

The console is once again my favorite....

split reed!!!!!

I had fun with the table top arrangement....

the carved driftwood birds I found in an antique store in West Palm Beach on antique row. 

I had no idea where I was going to put it, but I knew it had to come home with me.

I DIDN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO HAVE IT!!!!

I am a petty and small mined person.....

And of course.....

if you have a bowl, and don't know what to do with it.....

FILL IT WITH SHELLS!!!!

I found this doorstop, and thought it was too cute not to buy....

It's probably from the 30's or 40's and is cast iron....

While I was scouring the antique stores, I came across this painting by a local artist.

I don't usually go for monkeys...

(I find their images a little creepy)

But for some reason, I fell in love with the vibrancy of this painting.

Across from the console is my umbrella holder.

I had a very specific look I wanted, it had to be small,

I wanted it to have a bamboo vibe,

and it had to be old.....

so I trolled ebay for weeks, and finally found this one.

I paid way too much for it, but time is money, ya know, and who knows when I would find another one for any less?????

Across and to the right of the front door is practicality central!!!

It's where I hang my hats, and sit to put on my sneaks when I go for my

LOOOOOONNNNGGGGG walks.

I found this great hat rack in Massachusetts, and shipped it down to Flerida.

Then I added the tropical tambourine to its middle, to spice it up with some funky flavor!!!!!

I hang some of my best hats here.....

On that note, I think that Mickey would like to say goodbye to my house for the summer.....

(don't worry, though, next up is Lissettes living room across the street,

then it will be the stuff in Massachusetts!!!!)

Later Gator