Carolina Country Living

The Perfect Antidote to a Grey and Dreary Day

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:15:00 +0000

It's been raining for two days straight here and the forecast calls for more of the same tomorrow. After working on the farmhouse this morning, I came home, started a roaring fire in the woodstove, and ate a bowl of homemade cheese tortellini minestrone soup. Though the house gradually warmed and the chilliness departed my bones, I still needed something to cut the dreariness of the...

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A First Look at the Farmhouse Interior

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:17:00 +0000

Happy New Year, everyone! My apologies for being an absent blogger these past few months. How about I make it up to you by sharing some interior photos of the farmhouse before work began? These photos were taken just after the closing and the house looks much different now, but unfortunately not in the way you might think. Right now, more than half of the house is down to the...

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Season's Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Hello friends, It's been awhile since I've been present here. These last two months have been full and tiring and a mix of both good and bad stress. I'm looking forward to slowing down this week, hopefully avoiding what feels like an oncoming bout of flu, and spending leisurely time with family. I wish you all peace, joy, and love as we celebrate the change in seasons and the...

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Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:33:00 +0000

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Candles, Candles and More Candles

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Good evening! First, I must thank all of you for your wonderful messages of support and your well-wishes for the new farm. The responses you sent were so incredibly encouraging and I especially enjoyed hearing about how some of you have taken similar downsizing journeys. If I wasn't already feeling good about this decision, your comments definitely sealed the deal. This weekend...

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Introducing...Our New Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 01:18:00 +0000

A week ago today, we became the owners of a 42-acre farm and this small, funky farmhouse. I realize this announcement is completely out of left field, so let me share the back story: Even though we've lived in our current house for a mere five years (and put untold hours into building it, decorating it, and most recently, landscaping it), my husband and I have come to the realization...

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Country Living Fair ~ Atlanta 2012 Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 01:38:00 +0000

Exactly a week ago, Stacey of A Sort of Fairytale and I were eating Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream--which totally lives up to its name--and resting our barking dogs after spending a day at the 2012 Country Living Fair in Atlanta. What a fantastic weekend! The fair's locale, inside of Stone Mountain Park, was simply gorgeous and serene. Most of the vendors were situated in a pine forest,...

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Fall Decorating Around the House

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Halloween, everyone! We're headed out shortly to go trick-or-treating, but before November officially arrives, here are some shots of the fall decorating around the house this year. Pumpkins are stationed at the back and front steps. Mums in a chalk-painted chair. The grapevine wreath that always hangs on the front door is embellished with fauxliage....

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Country Living Fair or Bust!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 01:21:00 +0000

First thing tomorrow morning, I'm headed out and will make the 6-hour drive down Interstate 85 to Atlanta to attend the Country Living Fair. ROAD TRIP! Though this will be a road trip for one--which is all good because my car's CD player has a date with several albums, namely Babel by Mumford and Sons--Stacey of A Sort of Fairytale is flying in and we're going to rendezvous tomorrow...

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Guest Posting Today at Primitive & Proper

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:37:00 +0000

Happy Friday, everyone! It is such a gorgeous day here...I was driving home earlier and leaves were raining down in the sunshine. Fall is very much here and I'm loving it! Just a quick post to let you know I'm sharing a furniture painting project over at Primitive & Proper today. It's been awhile since I've painted any furniture around here, mostly because I've taken a...

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Fall Decorating Peek

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Good afternoon, lovelies. I was hoping to take photos today of the fall decorations around the house, but it's a grey, rainy day. This house is difficult enough to photograph on a sun-shiny day, much less when it's overcast! Hopefully tomorrow. However, since I'm really in the mood to post photos of fall decorations, it occurred to me to share a couple photos from a project I...

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A Miss Mustard Seed Milk Painted Frame and Autumn Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:01:00 +0000

Last month I brought home two boxes of the new Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint (MMSMP) from the trip to Lucketts: Linen and Kitchen Scale. I haven't tried Kitchen Scale yet but here's an old, formerly brown frame, now bearing a gorgeous coat of crackly, chippy Linen. The frame came from my mom some months ago and cost just a few bucks. It had an "alligatored" finish and I...

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Anatomy of a Lovely Day

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 02:00:00 +0000

{via} *Wake up at 6:30 a.m. perfectly rested and well after feeling on-the-verge-of-coming-down-with-something yesterday. (Thank you, Benadryl.) *Welcome the fact that it's a drizzly, chilly day and that the leaves are really starting to change color: fall is truly here! *Realize that my husband is off work, so there is no need for me to take Jacob to school. ...

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The Old Lucketts Store in Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0000

If you ever find yourself in northern Virginia, the Old Lucketts Store, just outside of Leesburg, is an absolute must-visit. The weekend that I met Janet of The Empty Nest in Warrenton, VA, I also visited Lucketts for the first time. I already want to go back with a truck and trailer! :) Lucketts is the home of Miss Mustard Seed and numerous other vendors, and it's filled to the...

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A Quick Landscaping Update

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:39:00 +0000

We're making major progress this week on what I've just decided to call Project: Landscape This House For Crying Out Loud Because You've Lived in It for Five Years! Let's recap what's been going on with PLTHFCOLBYLIIFFY to this point... Earlier in the year, I enlisted the help of a local and very knowledgeable gardening consultant because I know next to nothing about horticulture. ...

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One of the great things about blogging...

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:52:00 +0000

...is that sometimes you get to meet the real people--the creative, funny, inspirational, warm, kind, and lovely people--behind the blogs you read. The first instance of this for me was when I had the chance to meet the crafty and stylish Ali of My Third True Love for a cup of coffee last August while visiting California. (Never mind that I went to the wrong Starbucks...Ali...

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Monday Morning Music: Sia

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 09:00:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I've put up a Monday Morning Music post. But this infrequent series is back today with a good entry! Sia Furler, known mononymously as Sia, is an Australian jazz-pop singer and songwriter. As you'll see shortly, she's quirky as hell, full of joy, and out-of-this-world talented. Now, I'm not going to pretend like I've known about and loved Sia for...

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Time Keeps on Slipping...

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 18:47:00 +0000

People, I'm freaking out that it's already September! Anybody else feeling the same way? Don't get me wrong, I'm so very glad September's here and that fall is soon to come. I'm practically lusting for an autumn breeze and a change of color in the leaves. I even had to stop and photo this leaf last week when I was mowing the yard, the colors of it thrilled me so...

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Home again, home again...

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:22:00 +0000

...jiggity jig. (Yes, I'm a dork who quotes nursery rhymes.) After two trips in the past three weeks, I'm totally out of sorts in regards to blogging. There's so much I want to share and my mind lurches into warp speed when I consider what to write about first. But in the end, all I do is work myself into a mental tizzy and walk away from the computer. Ha! Fear not, coherent posts...

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Easy Blackberry Cherry Cobbler

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 22:35:00 +0000

Hello, friends! Looking for a quick and supremely easy summertime dessert? Thanks to my Aunt Sherry, who made this cobbler and shared it with me when I was visiting her and my Uncle Gerry back in the spring, here's a most excellent one! Her delicious version used home-canned peaches, but I used fresh blackberries and store-bought canned dark cherries for equally tasty...

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The Craft Room Details

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Thank you for all the wonderful comments and kind words about the craft room reveal last month. The room was even featured on a few blogs! This project was a labor of love (and fabric, and paint, and organization...) and even nearly a month after completion, I'm still enjoying it every single time I step foot in here. I've actually already done a couple crafty projects, so they be...

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The July Garden Update and Lessons Already Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 18:57:00 +0000

Wow, this heat wave we've been having will seriously make you not want to do anything besides lay around and catch up on past seasons of Sons of Anarchy and The Office. It's been 100+ degrees here for what feels like weeks. A cool front's supposed to move in tonight and drop the temps into the low 90s tomorrow, then into the 80s the rest of the week. Please, please, please...

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Happy Independence Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

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Home Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 14:21:00 +0000

Good morning! Come on over to A Sort of Fairy Tale today to see some new photos of my house in the Blogger's Home Tour series. I've changed up a few things around here--particularly in the master bedroom and the dining room--and I'm excited to share them. Here's a peek of the front porch... Many thanks to Stacey of A Sort of Fairy Tale for the opportunity to participate in the...

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Craft Room Reveal!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:34:00 +0000

Stick a fork in it 'cause the craft room is finally done! Though these amateur photos of mine don't do it justice, this space turned out just as I'd hoped. It's happy, colorful, has a vintage charm, and inspires creativity. Here's the before photo where it looks like a tornado hit the room. Oy vey! And here are the afters! On this bright and lovely beadboard wall there...

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