February Decor & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #793
As I mentioned last Friday, we have been experiencing record-breaking cold temperatures as low as -48˚F (-44.4˚C) and it is still snowing nearly every day. Even when my weather app indicates no snow in the forecast, I look out the window and, sure enough, it’s snowing. As my kids say, “The snow is great until Christmas. After Christmas, it’s just annoying.” Honestly, the only nice thing about new snow this time of year is that it covers all the dirty snow banks with a fresh coat of pristine white. But then I start moving the snow off the sidewalks and driveway and it is all black and nasty again.
Spring is near for most of the northern hemisphere, but not so much where I live. We still have at least 12 more weeks of winter despite what Punxsutawney Phil says. And spring is always preceded by mud season which is even uglier than black snow season. At least I don’t have to shovel the mud. Instead, when my mudroom becomes more mud than room, I need to clean the floors every single day.
However, I don’t actually clean the muddy floors daily because it starts to feel like I’m brushing my teeth with Oreos. As soon as you step outside and back in again, there will be muddy footprints everywhere. I tolerate it for the week and mop on the weekends so I don’t drive myself crazy.
Enough complaining about the seasonal elements that irk me because complaining about the weather is one of the most useless wastes of energy. We can’t change it, we just tolerate it, and embrace the beautiful days when they come.
In anticipation of the coming spring, I changed some of my living room decor from my raggy Christmas decorations to my Valentine’s inspired raggy fireplace garland in shades of pink and purple which coordinated perfectly with my thrift store vase arrangement from Christmas. The red, green, and gold colors used in the mantle display transition nicely into a festive Valentine’s Day display.
Next I changed the scarves on my windows from reds and greens to reds and purples and I removed all of the Christmas themed decorations but left the winter themed ones. My Christmas tree is still lit up on my front porch and I love the way the lights look against the snowy background. I usually leave my tree out until Daylight Savings in March because the soft lights in the dark morning hours make me happy.
I also removed the golden reindeer and Christmas tree from the thrift store mantle stools and replaced them with spring floral arrangements. My kids made the purple flowers on the left from coffee filters in some elementary school project years ago and the flowers on the right are a bouquet from my husband that I had dried. Instead of fake floral arrangements, I have been drying all the flowers that my husband gives to me and using them in my home decor. There are dried bouquets everywhere and I am running out of vases! I need to go stock up on more vases from the thrift store soon.
The raggy Christmas garland from the doorway between my living room and cloffice hallway was replaced with a lacy border made of hand me down doilies. In between each doily, I hung small pendants with cat portraits. These little portraits once made a bracelet but it broke and I saved the pieces for a future project.
Finally, I moved my green raggy Christmas tree into the dining room and replaced it with a raggy tree that I made in shades of brown to coordinate with my antique suitcase end table display. I have had the brown and white gingham lamp for many years which I adorned with another hand me down lamp shade doily. The three stars on stick stands were a thrift store find a few years back.
One way or another, I do have to take some outfit photographs soon. Like tomorrow, in the insanely bitter cold. Then I have to start making all the Super Bowl food for Sunday. The work never ends, my friends. But that’s okay because when there’s no more work left to do, I think that means we’ve reached the end. And I am not anywhere near ready for the end!
Happy weekend, y’all!
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
12 Comments
Stephcreatesthings
Shelbee, thank you for hosting! I’m happy to see that my decorative Valentine jars were enjoyed. I appreciate the feature. Your newest decorations are lovely as well. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Steph! I always love a good upcycled craft! I hope you have a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
I live in Wisconsin where winters can be very tough, but it sounds like you’ve been having a tougher winter than me this year. Thanks for the party.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Amy! We are actually having a pretty standard winter. Our average seasonal snowfall is usually around 90-100 inches. I think the latest report I heard was 88 inches so far so we really are right on target for our average. I complain about it every year but I should be used to it by now! Stay warm, my friend, and have a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Estelle Forrest
Love the lacy garland! Thanks for hosting this weekly linky
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Estelle! Have a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I complain about our cold and snow every year too and yep, you think I’d be used to it after 40+ years and I am but I still don’t LIKE it! I forgot what one of the ladies at the gym asked this morning but I answered “Oh I’d move in a heart beat if I could get my husband to agree!” and she seemed surprsied. Of course I honestly have no idea what I would do if he agreed one day as I don’t have any specific ideas or plans just a “move south”mindset.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
We had planned to move south once the kids finish school but now we feel too established here. We will definitely move further out of the snow belt though! We are currently at the top of it so we get that 8-10 feet of snowfall every winter compared to the 20+ feet they get each year in the center of it. If we moved about 30 miles north, we would be outside of it completely and get normal snow fall amounts. More snow than the south, of course, but I do enjoy having four seasons. A little snow is nice. Stay warm, my friend, and have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Your home just looks so cozy and hygge! I love the dried bouquets…what a wonderful idea. Mike doesn’t buy me flowers anymore because I told him I wanted rose bushes instead. He owes me two now! Your raggy decor is just amazing to me, and, as my daughter puts it, I’ve never met a doily I didn’t love! We have had very cold temps, too. In fact, this is the longest snow has remained on the ground since we moved here in 2015. I’m OK with the snow…it’s the cold that I don’t like. But, we dont’ have a mud season except our front yard will be torn up this year to get rid of all the pea gravel the contractor put down then covered with a thin layer of dirt. I’m having it torn up and replaced with good dirt then reseeded. We’re also having an irrigation system installed so I need good grass for it! Thanks for the link up! (I need to take photos, too!)
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thank you so much, my friend. I have never met a doily I didn’t love, too! A friend of Jeff’s gave me a giant bin filled with her grandmother’s doilies and I so cherish them. I incorporate them all around my house. I want to make clothing from some of them but I haven’t decided what I want to do yet. I am realizing that I don’t really enjoy sewing all that much. I get all these ideas but then I dread getting out my sewing machine. It frustrates me! LOL Good luck with your lawn revival! I am sure you will get it all plushy and green!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
And we are complaining here when there is a day or 2 of snow! You have been busy with all the decorations in your home! Very cozy. Have a great Super Bowl weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, my friend! I will be prepping food all day today for the big game! Have a wonderful weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee