Most repairs and changes that happen to our home are physically done by us.  We hire out for jobs bigger than ourselves, but in general we can personally make most changes, updates and repairs.  It's not just a money thing. Ok, yes it is.  I'd rather spend my $$ on something other than paying others for the upkeep of our home.  

We recently had the bad siding replaced and window frames tweaked outside. Now it's time to get to the painting.  The hardest part was picking a color my husband and I could agree on.  We started the process long before the siding was replaced.  Swatches were painted on all sides of the house. Once we went to pick up the paint, we started second guessing ourselves.   Standing stupefied at the paint sample bar, we became "paint drunk". We ended up with an entirely new choice.  We went top of the line, Valspar's newest line of paint.  It is a primer/paint.  Two coats of paint! What?  I have no concept of this easy paint method.  I usually have to do the primer, then the paint.  The joy of one product was making me giddy at the mixing counter. We walked out more confident in our newest choice than the one we mulled over for weeks.  Follow your instincts! 

I am allowing myself an hour to an hour and a half a day to work on the project.  Goal set for the onset of fall to finish.  In each morning's "paint time", I prep then paint.  A simple scrape, sand, wash all in one swoop.  Climb back to the top and do a single coat.  The next day, I do my prep for the next session, while it's drying, I add my second coat to yesterday's coat, then first coat the newly cleaned area.  It's slow and steady and in the Texas hot summers, its the perfect way to attack it & get it done! 

​When I am traveling, there is one thing I must do: shop.  Not the "touristie" kind of shopping on the city's main drag, I'm talking about scouting out the local hidden treasures.  I love finding those items specific to the area I am visiting.  The keepsakes I am drawn to are the ones not found at the souvenir shop.  ​I look for Thrift Stores, not the brand-name shops - the off brand, one of a kind types.  They have the best deals and the most unique selection of items.

In my travels, I have found items that were related as well.  When I traveled the Oregon coast, I purchased a berry colored tea set with 4 place settings in a style I had never seen before.  Many years later, while shopping in Nyack, NY, I found additional pieces to complete the set.  
 
Across the country, there are totally different pickings! Cost differences depend on how deep in the city or out in the countryside. Even the array of tools are a varied lot, in different regions. I'm particularly keen on local hardware - I'm a fool for tools!  
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This summer's trip to the North East was a blast.  It was a small town extravaganza of good.  All the junk shops along the way were humble and filled with their local style.  It was awesome.  I stuffed my bags full of Vermont's finest "treasures" from the Waterbury Flea Market. This particular flea market is touted as "Vermont's finest".  It was different than a Texas flea market experience.  Most flea markets in Texas have become pricey through the huge number of people who have created more of a commercial store that travels from one flea market to the next. Vermont was particularly well priced by folks who just want to sell their stuff.  They too sell online, but are not as fancy or well organized as the market sub-culture that has taken Texas by storm.  

This all sounds a bit like "This Land is Your Land" .... but, I will tell you, junking was made for you and me!

We have blogged about the many companies that are environmentally conscience, FLOR's 2017 Spring catalogue takes steps to recycle more products.  With new designers on board, take a look at their latest styles and see why we keep cheering them on!
​https://www.flor.com/about-us

Tour du Jour is our favorite of all our posts to write and publish. Every home design lends new ideas and thoughts about where people come from. Wheeler Ranch tells us about the owners' history of riding horses as a child and the love of the ranch/farmer implements. Like her, we value our fathers & grandfathers hard work and love displaying items that mirror our memories. This home certainly is not typical. A one room space, L shaped, has only two doors that lead to the water closets. There is a pantry door that it is a vintage screen.

It's quite overwhelming at moments but that is the trick to looking at a space like this, finding a spot to focus on and gradually work your way out. All the photos we took overlap in spots as the view changed with each side step. It's a brand new, custom home, built like it was a homestead from a century ago. She infused just enough feminine to balance the wood, metal and concrete structure.

Let's not forget the wrap around porch built for relaxing and adopting a simple lifestyle. The vast yard has seating vignettes hidden under trees, nestled in the woods and a fire pit for a huge family & friends gathering.  

Enjoy the frantic simplicity. We are awe struck by the ingenuity and value placed on common tools & hardware that regain high regard for what it means to be a rancher, farmer or homesteader. Knowing those tools are in a good home being upcycled into "extremely cool" decor instead of fading away in a falling down shed in the middle of nowhere, well that is blog worthy to us. We hope you feel the same.

This is one of Historic McKinney's most charming homes.  It has always been considered a gem in the neighborhood.  This stone is getting polished with a new slate roof.  It is amazing to watch old homes regain their original beauty.  Well Done!

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McKinney's Historic Square is expanding in new directions. The growth of new businesses can not be contained inside the original grid. Now we find the brick & mortar is heading north on Kentucky & Tennessee Streets, as well as east on Virginia & Louisiana. New homes are nestling closer to the square as well.

This expansion isn't just the landscape of the square, shop hours are extending to capture the high traffic that continues into the evening hours.  Eateries are shuffling chairs and tables to the sidewalk outside their businesses to give shoppers that coveted al fresco dining experience.

Having lived here for nearly 30 years, I never thought McKinney would grow like this. I'm overwhelmed that it's day has come again. There is not a bad time of the day or evening to explore this town.

I walk my dog to the square early, most mornings and can see the progress in a different light. With the many changes, there are still things for me to see that have been there for years and not caught my eye. There are little streets & alleys that still show me subtle or vintage nuances that hold McKinney to it's past. Whether visiting the square "before hours" or after, there are new and old elements that make this town's spirit and style grow with grace.