Bloom!!

Are we living up to our motto?

Let's check the yard and see what has come up this sunny February.

It's not the flowery fields of Keukenhof in Holland with millions of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other bulbs, but Florida wouldn't be Florida without flowers suddenly popping out of the ground in February.

Traveling in style

When you fly overnight 1st Class to Asia, you get a bed and pampered service. We decided that travel overnight by car should have the same benefits.

We tried it out on an overnight drive to Wendy and Daniel's in Houston for Lucy's baptism...

with all the grandparents.

We had a great baptism dinner ...

of Filipino food--adobo and pancit with rice--cooked just the way we like it by our favorite Filipino cook, grandma Caroly.

The ride home was just as first class as the trip there. Listening to Louis L'Amour cowboy adventures made it go even classier.

New Roof

Another project is done--the new roof. The color is "Desert Sand." How do you like the spring flowers?

Preliminary Grand Tour

We still have a couple of projects left before we have Heather come and do the final staging to put the house on the market. But for the curious, here is a preliminary look at the house after downsizing everything and redoing the rooms.
Let's start with the living room. Do you feel like you are being invited to a great horseback adventure on the other side of the rope bridge?

This is the bird corner with our family motto--bloom where you are planted.

Can you see our new watch dog hiding under the poinsettias guarding the entryway?

As you pass into the kitchen, the Florida room invites you to exercise a bit, swim some laps, cook some BBQ, or just relax and enjoy life in Florida.

When you go back into the kitchen...

and stand by the new oven and microwave shelf...

you can see the wise Thompson owls inviting you into the new mudroom...

where you can take off your shoes, put on your swimming suit, grab a towel and jump in the pool. Or if you've been working in the garden, can take off your muddy things and throw them in the wash.

Next to the mudroom is the multipurpose den where you can work on the computer or do some sewing or art projects or read a book while picking up a game of chess with whoever else is in the room. Can you see how big the walk in storage closet is?

At the other end of the house we have the Flamingo Room...

and the Sunshine Room.

The "girls" bathroom has been redone in taupe, at Heather's suggestion. Note the new shower nozzle, medicine cabinet, and mirrors.

Here's our bedroom ...

with a new IKEA light and a picture painted by my grandmother Lallatin when she was a teenager.

Finally, here is the "boys" bathroom.

Do you think it will sell quickly and at a good price? I'll post again after Heather has added her special staging.

Fix up time

Some of you wonder why it has been so long since our last posting. We're fixing up the house so we can get a good price when we sell it for our new log cabin. Here are some action shots. Me tiling the laundry room...

and creating a new BBQ area for outdoor grilling...

and mom planting flowers ...

and enjoying our new baking center. Don't you love her fuzzy gorilla slippers?