TIME TO PAINT THE TRIM

We are in the season of transition at our house. We are two-thirds of the way to being empty nesters and the one-third holding us back starts driving in November. So as you can imagine, a few things need to be touched up around here after raising three kiddos. The trim is at the top of the list.

Some of it has faded from years of sunlight that generously flowed through windows.

Master Bathroom

Some of it has been banged up by little hands that turned into big bodies.

Kitchen Door

Some has been stained by who knows what (but it might be hair color).  :-)

Bathroom

Then, when we were moving the oldest two off to college, I had the realization that the trim in some of the bedrooms did not match the rest of the house. In the rooms without much natural light the trim looks a creamy off-white, but in the brighter rooms it looks like a truer white. The point is our house is in its twenties and it's just time for a face lift. And even though it may take me until my retirement years to get it done, I think I'm ready to take on the trim.

I'll need to do some more investigating, but my research makes me think that Benjamin Moore's White Dove is the color I want to use. My mom swears by it, and so many of the bloggers and Instagrammers I love have used it in their own homes.

BM White Dove

It's also gorgeous for an entire room. 

Elements of Style

The Design Atelier via Home Bunch

I'm planning on starting by ordering a sample or two from Benjamin Moore. I do have a few other options in mind if the White Dove doesn't work out. I'll keep you updated!

Do you guys have any suggestions for trim colors?

Kathryn

LEAVING SUMMER BEHIND

There are only seven more days to cross off of the August calendar. 2016 is marching by at a ridiculous pace!

Saying goodbye to Summer and hello to Fall always makes me a little giddy. I love the lazy days of summer, but Friday night lights, boots, cardigans, and new school supplies make this teacher happy! 

Before we start officially talking fall, I thought I would revisit some of my favorite posts from the summer. Some of them were yours, too.

A Snake Tale definitely made the list!

I served a Potato Casserole for the first time around here.  

I shared my go-to, favorite new top/blouse/shirt--the tunic.

You loved the restored Drish House as much as I did. Take the tour here. 

(My most viewed post of the summer!)

When the world went a little crazy, I shared a few verses in A Sunday Thought. 

And that's a wrap!! of summer on the blog...

Thank you all again for reading along and all your sweet encouragement. I'm enjoying meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones.

Don't forget you can also follow along and keep up with Woodbank Lane on Instagram by clicking here. 

Kathryn

MY TOUR OF THE SOUTHERN LIVING IDEA HOUSE

Have you seen the cover of Southern Living this month?

It is surely one of my all time favorites. I love everything about it--the natural lighting (which I'm jealous of because our house doesn't have much), the traditional styling and furniture pieces, and the color scheme to name a few.

The room on this month's cover is from the Southern Living Idea House in Birmingham, Alabama. That's only about 70 or so miles from me. So, I decided to take the tour. The house is open to the public until December. My husband even went. He's now referring to himself as "Husband of the Year" for accompanying me.

I thought I would take you on the tour. By the way, I did ask and it was fine to take pictures. I hope you have a big cup of coffee. I took a bunch.  :-)

Front Porch

Left side of porch

Right side of porch

I'll show you the kitchen first. It was really green and too dark for my liking, but beautifully designed and decorated. 

 Half bath off kitchen

Dining Room

I loved the gallery walls in the master bedroom and bath.

Upstairs Bedrooms and Baths

This pretty gold and glass shelf was one of my favorite things in the house. The Mr's only comment about this room, "Elvis would probably like it." 

Office 

And finally, the room from the cover. 

It was a fun way the spend a sunny, Sunday afternoon and pick up a few (hundred!) decorating ideas.

See anything that you liked? Have you visited a Southern Living Idea House?

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Kathryn

EXTEND YOUR SUMMER WARDROBE--ADD A CARDIGAN

I know, I know. It's still 9,000 degrees outside and sliding into anything other than sleeveless cotton probably doesn't sound too appealing right now. Here's the thing though...my teacher friends and I would like to wear our cute summer dresses and tops to work, but some styles may be a little too strappy on the arms or around the shoulders. No problem!

We can add a cute cardigan, and still pass inspection upon entering the halls of academia.  I've found a few to wear with hot weather looks and number nine and ten I just liked.

1  //  2  //  3  //  4   //  5  //  6  //  7  //  8  // 9  //  10  //  11

Most all of these come in different colors, so if you see one you like, click on the link. It may come in the color you need.

Go ahead--wear your sun dress to work, but don't forget to throw on a cardigan. You don't want to get called out for a dress code violation. :-)

Have a great week!

Kathryn

BOOK TALK

So, I finally made it to the last page of what seemed like the never-ending-book (What Alice Forgot). I mentioned it, what seems like now, forever ago. It took me much longer to finish up than anticipated. Granted, I have little time for reading during the school year, but almost never has it taken me the entire year to read something! Now, based on that, you can more than likely guess how I felt about it.

The story was not a bad one--the concept was actually a good idea--but it took entirely too long to make its point.

The main character, a mom and wife pulled in oodles of different directions, saddled with a bundle of daily responsibilities, falls and bumps her head in exercise class. When she wakes up, ten years of her life is missing from her memory. As we begin to get to know Alice, Alice is getting to know herself all over again as well. Her beloved husband is barely speaking to her which has her beside herself. Their journey back to each other and their children is the bulk of the plot. That part of the story is attention-keeping and fun. The parts I found distracting were the stories involving the extras. I felt like too much time was given to, what I call, the sub-stories. The sub-stories elongated the book. The premise of losing ten years did grab my attention, but it just couldn't keep it.

On a happier note, I was pleased with the ending.

Now this book...

I'm only on Chapter 3 and I am hooked already. :-)

I hope you'll forgive my sporadic postings of late. The back-to-school crazy has started around here. Hopefully, we'll be back in the swing of routines and schedules soon!

Kathryn

FRESH FRUIT PIZZA

Just in case you don't already have a fruit pizza recipe, I'll tell you mine. My husband loves fruit pizza, and I haven't made it in a good while. So last week, I threw one together for him (and me, of course!). It's easy and so pretty when you get finished!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 fruits of your choice, sliced if necessary

1 - 18 oz package of Pillsbury frozen sugar cookie dough

8 oz bar of cream cheese

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 cup pure orange marmalade

1 tablespoon of water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. There are two ways to create the crust from the cookie dough. I put the entire roll of softened dough in the middle of my pizza stone and rolled it out. You could also slice the dough as if you were making cookies, spread them on the stone or pizza pan, and pinch all the sides together. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is just browning.

Wash and prep your fruit.

Then, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Set aside. After the cookie cools, spread the cream cheese mixture onto the crust. Finally, arrange the fruit. I'm a symmetrical gal, so I put mine as even as I could get it. But random placement might be fun, too. :-)

Mix the marmalade and water, and glaze the fruit (I skipped this part). Chill and serve--or eat immediately like we did!

Hope you like it!
Kathryn