Is it possible that spring or summer is finally here!

The state of things....

Sorry I'll be on my soapbox for a moment... BEWARE RANT COMING! 

1.  Never, ever, ever, EVER let your parents get a reverse mortgage... NEVER EVER. And don't you do it either!  PLEASE!!!!
There are things they don't tell you.  Sounds like a great deal - stay in your house and we'll pay you back the equity on your home in monthly installments.... nice.  The problem 1:  You no longer own your home so unless you've got other retirement you've got nothing to sell and live in say Assisted Living with.  Nursing and Assisted Living homes are CRAZY expensive.  The problem 2: The reverse mortgage really expects you to die before the loan ends, sad but true.  Just like a regular mortgage you can take this thing out for X number of years.  If you live longer and want to 'extend' the mortgage why you can do that but you now begin to accrue interest due on the loan AND you become upside down.... needless to say my mother is now not only homeless but will probably have to declare bankruptcy because of this reverse mortgage process.... so please DO NOT DO IT... DO NOT LET YOUR PARENTS DO IT!  Just take out a conventional loan if you need the money that badly.

2.  It has been raining and snowing here in Colorado and is FINALLY drying out this week.  I thought I'd been transported to someplace else.  It was crazy!  But now the sun has come back for 3 days and it's been in the 70's and even 80 on Saturday so I've got everything blooming in my garden. It is an explosion of flowers.  If you follow me on Instagram you've seen some of my garden.  Check it out @Vicdenni on Instagram. 

BUT I've FINALLY gotten the porch together and the house flipped around.  If you have been here before you know that I flip my living/dining room around in the summer.  Now my dining room is in the living area and vice versa. 

I think it makes my new living area very cozy.

So welcome to my 'summer' home!

I added a summer picture of one of my favorite places in Colorado, The San Juan Mountains.  That is Mt. Sneffels.  I took it 2 years ago in early September, a bit too early for the Aspen but if you look closely at the photo you can see that they are just starting to turn. 

 I filled this mason jar full of sand and shells I collected on a trip to Mexico along with some shells that are very old and unique in the front.  This is my husband favorite thing of all my summer décor, he just loves the shells in the jar. 

 See my dinning is now where my living room was.  What do you think of my camera collection?  It is growing and growing.  I bought the larger camera with the large flash this year at a flea market. The thing must weigh 10lbs... I can't imagine having to carry it around to take pictures with! 

 The buffet, yes with the broken leg, sits behind the table. 

 Love my lilacs! They smell so amazing! 

 This is a photo my husbands Grandmother gave us.  It is of the Denison homestead in Mystic CT. Yep my husband can trace his family back to the Revolutionary war... pretty cool!!!

 Above the buffet, yes with the broken leg, LOL!  I have a shelf that I added a sculpture of a sailboat.  My husband did a lot of sailing as a kid and teenager with his Grandmother. 

 If you turn around you've got my china cabinet - I think I want to paint it but gosh I'm afraid to paint any of this crazy old furniture, yes even the buffet with the broken leg!!  That large Ficus will go outside with the other plants once it stays above 50 at night. 

 Here is a close up of my little living area.  I got the mason jar lantern at Kirkland's. 

 Here is my side table with its omage to the sea.  A fish bowl filled with sand dollars and a small turtle, both from Home Goods.  The conch shell is a find from our honeymoon 26 years ago! 

Down the hallway - we've got a ranch style home - so down the hall is the bedrooms and at the end I hung a mirror and put the old front entry table under it.  I added a light and some rocks along with a 3-D print (fancy.. I just hot glued shells to a flat canvas) and a bowl with sand dollars.  The dog balls are extra.

 Sweet

 Now to the back deck!  I am so happy this has been set up! 

 My little tray vignette with an old fashioned diving helmet - Hobby Lobby.  The tray and shell dish are from Home Goods.   The glass floats are from a childhood trip to Maine.

 Want to play a game of Cribbage??  It is a fun game that the hubby and I play often.  We keep track of who wins etc... currently I am the reigning champ!

The seating area is to the left.  AHHHH still no patio couch or bench.... good thing I am so good with chairs! 

I moved my window outside and hung it against the fireplace wall.  Underneath is a bar cart I found at Home Goods in the clearance section for - $20.00 yep....nothing wrong with it either!  Can you say SCORE!

Here is my outdoor coffee table.  The plank I did 2 years ago now maybe... really easy to do.  The mason jar thing I got at Kirkland's last year and I've used it during all seasons.  I put some colored rocks in them to hold the flowers down and in the others I'll put small tea light candles.  With that and the new table lamp and the overhead lights the porch will take on a wonderful glow this summer!

This is the lamp and side table I got at the At Home Store. The lamp was $10.00 and the table was $30!  The tile coasters I did myself.  An easy project to do here

 Finally the sun is setting, the leaves are finally growing and Colorado is coming back to life!  I get to look at this amazing view every day - and this is just my north view.  You can really see the sun move in the sky here and this is where it sets for the next few weeks until it moves a bit farther north.  Then after the summer equinox it will slowly move back, all the way to the other side of Pikes Peak and farther south. 

The sun won't set until well after 9pm during the summer here and sometimes it can still be dusk at 10pm!  If you want to find me, I'll be on my back deck soaking it all in and being amazed at nature's beauty. 

I'll be back next week sharing my garden...have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.  Let's take some time this weekend to reflect on those who have lost their lives protecting our freedom. Let's also take a moment to thank those still with us that have or are serving.   Bless them they are the true hero's. 

Victoria

Please follow me on Instagram - @Vicdenni

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https://www.pinterest.com/vicdenniso/

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