Life is Just a Chair of Bowlies...

They're coming today, and I'm almost ready. Just have to go to the fruitstand, smash out some burgers and make my special spaghetti sauce. Oh, and pitch a tent in the backyard for the kiddies to play house. Yep, we're all ready for company for the next couple of weeks. First my daughter and her brood, then my daughter-in-law and her two. (I feel special that my daughter in law wants to come, even though my son is working out of town. I mean, how many daughters-in-law want to visit mom-in-law for a whole week?) Soon we'll be riding the ferris wheel at the county fair, scouring the beach for pretty shells, walking the Boulevard to Fairhaven, and playin' in Fishtrap Creek down in the city park. Life's gonna be a Bowl of Cherries around here!

So the guest room is made up. My guest room is far from something you'd see in a magazine. Even though I'm moving toward modern in my decorating esthetic...this room seems to be stuck in a time warp. But I rather like it, so as Dad used to say, don't fix somethin' that taint broke!

The pretty duvet was a thrifted find for a buck!  Embroidered pillowcases, some made by moi, some from local antique stores.

 Made these cute little pillows a few years back for the family room. My tastes have since changed; but they seem quite at home in the guestroom.

 Our little town was settled by dutch folk. Every year we have Holland Days Festival; and of course, there are commemorative prints. The 2002 one makes me smile. Look at the scale of the people compared to the building! They look like the dwarves in Sleeping Beauty! I guess this must be the artists' style...but why?

 I like this one. We have a little Dutch mall downtown that looks like this. It has a canal inside with koi fish. That's the good news. The bad news; it was purchased by some big city bigshots who jacked up the rent so high that every little shopowner moved out. All that's left in the building is the hotel.The owners don't care. It's a tax write off.  This print was done in better days.

 This lamp has been in my family since I-don't-know-when! It's hand painted and I think that's real gold-leaf paint on it. It used to sit by my old iron bedstead when I was little. I remember sitting on the bed and running my fingers over the shape of those flowers as I daydreamed about many things.

 No childhood is complete without Raggedy Ann and Andy. I don't care how hip or expensive a doll is; nothing compares to a dolly that has "I love you" embroidered on it's heart.

 Mr. Teddy, you have been well-loved!

Baron has staked his claim at the foot of the bed on the fancy oriental rug we inherited from Uncle Myles. Dear me, Uncle Myles would not be thrilled to see a dog lying on such a fine antique. But Baron isn't just any dog. He's family. Patience, my puppy...the children will be here soon; and then life will be Bowl of Cherries...or as Mary Engelbreit puts it; a Chair of Bowlies!