September Acres

We spent a day at Donner Lake (as in the Donner party ) in California last week. The weather was perfect. Warm and sunny. At the west end beach there is a little area marked off for swimming and lifeguards for the area. There are a couple of playgrounds, picnic tables and volleyball. The perfect way to spend a day. We came prepared with some beach toys for LM . She spent hours building a moat and a little pool area for the ducks. The water was a bit chilly but quite refreshing when it got too hot on the sand. I loved the fact that we were standing in the water, in our bathing suits looking up at a mountain that still had snow on it. Some of the ski resorts in the area were actually open on July 4 th . I think I prefer the beach to the slopes this time of year. They had paddle boards and kayaks and pedal boats for rent. LM insisted on renting a pedal boat. I gave in. She cried because she was afraid and she didn't want to go out too far. I was horrible at driving it. I found it ...

It seems that every spring Pottery Barn has some sort of sea/water theme with lots of fun, beachy decor and decorating ideas. It's truly my favorite time of the year. Lots of ideas for summer-izing your home - many are things we can re-create because, let's face it, sometimes PB can be a little pricey. I got my latest PB catalog today full of coral, shells, and blue, lots of blue. My dad was in the Navy so we moved around alot and spent most of our time on the coast (obvious, probably). We lived on the water at times but always near it. I thought that was how everyone lived - swimming in the river or ocean regularly. I think this is the reason I love the water. And I love decorating like I live on the water. Maybe somewhere like this: Or this: Or this: Even if you live in one of those places (lucky you!) you have to be careful of making your beachy decor look too cutesy, theme-y or, well, tacky. It's a fine line. Even at somewhere like Pottery Barn you can end up making ...