All Through the House

Stop by and see more Christmas all throughout the house tomorrow!

 I am also joining these parties …

Metamorphosis Monday

Tweak It Tuesday

The Scoop

Inspire Me

Wow Us Wednesday

Okay Bentley, let's get back to work.  There is still a lot to

do before tomorrow!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Here's Whats Happening at the Cottage

This coming week Tidings Holiday Housewalk begins!  I am so 

excited to be joining this holiday blog hop.  Ten tours in two

days ~ don't miss it!!

Here is a sneak preview of what y'all will be seeing at

Ash Tree Cottage ….

Dogs rule in our cottage and Bentley wants y'all to know that

he has helped his mama prove the point!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Christmas on My Nightstand

I added a bit of Christmas cheer to my night stand by tweaking two framed

pictures just a bit and adding a plaid ribbon to one.

The frame on the left usually holds just a piece of floral fabric that I love.

I just popped out the cardboard backing the fabric and covered the

whole thing with plaid wrapping paper.  Then I used poster tape

to top the plaid with a Mary Engelbreit  print that I saved from one

of her magazines years ago.  All of it can be easily removed after

Christmas.

I added a tartan bow to the vintage Scottie print.  

A little Christmas tree to the left of the Santa picture, a resin Scottie with a

plaid leash, a Santa ornament and the vignette is finished.

Nice to have a mystery to read on the night stand too.  Easy changes

with things I already had and a real penny pinching display.

Today is the final day of the Christmas in Texas blog hop.

It's been such a fun week visiting all these talented and

friendly Texas bloggers.  I have been so proud to be a 

part of this group!  Here's a list of who we can visit today:

Andrea at Opulent Cottage

Laura at Decor to Adore

Lisa at Hospitable Pursuits

Joyce from At Home with Jemma

I can't wait to see what these gals have for us!

Have a wonderful Friday.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

A Texas Love Story

This is the story of a girl from the North Shore of the Chicagoland 

suburbs and how she met and fell in love with her Texan.

I met and fell in love with a Texan back in the 1980's in Houston.

It was never my intention to fall in love with a Texan because I had

every intention of going back to my hometown, but what's a girl to

do when she is she meets a guy who is determined to make her dreams

come true????

David and I were married in Houston, Texas in 1989.  But we didn't 

live there after the marriage.  Instead, we moved to northern Virginia

right after the honeymoon because David's job took him there.  After

four years of living in Virginia (the state for lovers), we then moved to

Idaho for twenty years.  In August of 2013 we moved back to Texas.

So here we are living happily ever after in the state where we met.

Come on in and visit our happy home in Texas!  Bentley, my little dog,

and I are so happy to welcome you.  Let's go out back to our patio first

because we have some Texas barbecue to share.

When we bought this house we fell in love with the yard as much as

with the inside of the house.  It's big and lush with many, many live oak

trees and lots of ginger, banana trees and an enormous magnolia too.

Here we are, have a seat and enjoy the weather.

The weather has been so very beautiful here in South Texas.  We are

loving every moment we can spend outside since it has finally cooled down.

Here is David's smoker ~ the pride and joy of every Texan!  See all that

ginger out there?  Isn't it gorgeous?

Let's relax on the back porch swing.  It's a favorite spot too.

My potting sink on the porch is ready for Christmas too.  Would you like

to go back inside and see the dollhouse miniatures in my breakfast room?

My minis in here are all on a vintage shelf.  

Next is my full size kitchen ….

Christmas tarts on the island just waiting to be eaten.

Or ready to serve up some lunch.  Let's go into the dining room next.

And into the formal living room ….

Boots?  Well it is Texas y'all know ;-)

Let's go into the family room next.  We love that cozy spot.

David made me promise not to paint the paneling, so I have not.  It's 

so cozy in here.  Just like a cozy quilt that envelops one with love.

Here is the little tree in this room all decorated with rustic fun.  The big 

tree in the formal living room is waiting to be decorated so stop by

next week when I will be joining another Christmas home tour.

And our golf loving Santa.  A tribute to my hubby's favorite sport.

Hats hung from a vintage hat rack in the back entry.

I was at a brunch last week with a large group of women, most of whom

were born and raised here in Victoria.  When I was relaying the story

of how I was from Chicago and how David and I met, one woman 

paid me the nicest compliment when she said ….

Well honey, you're a Texan now!

And I am, and I am proud to be one too.  Thanks for stopping by.

I am so pleased to welcome you into our home and to be part of the

Texas Blog Tour.  Y'all come back again soon!  Don't forget to

visit the other gals today.

Linda at Linda's Life Journal

Ellis at My Heart Lives Here

Laura at White Spray Paint

Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles

Kathryn at The Dedicated House

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Just a Note To Let Y'all Know

There are four more Texas blogs to visit today!  More beautiful

Texas homes are opening their homes to welcome y'all and to 

share some Christmas cheer.

So put this on your to do list right now!

Shelly at Queen in Between

Carol at Blue Sky Kitchen

Kim at Hunt and Host

Celest at Southern Day Dreams

Have a wonderful day and see y'all back here tomorrow

when Bentley and I will be opening up our own home

for a great big Texas tour!  See y'all there!!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley