Meta tags:
Headings (most frequently used words):
2024, friday, tuesday, march, blog, my, time, decisions, december, 27, november, 26, july, 12, june, may, 28, saturday, 30, stay, updated, subscribe, follow, comfy, house, on, bloglovin, search, this, popular, posts, archive, blogging, friends, design, inspiration, beautiful, reads, food, cooking, blogs, favorite, quotes, what, reading, melanie, books, last, post, quick, hello, for, some, small, changes, in, home, it, about, update,
Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (221), and (139), with (52), this (49), for (43), you (39), that (38), have (33), was (32), our (31), all (27), are (25), not (23), share (19), can (19), #december (19), house (18), march (18), may (18), there (18), november (17), she (17), july (16), but (16), into (15), one (15), here (15), june (15), they (15), had (15), years (15), day (14), where (14), room (14), september (14), january (14), february (14), when (14), out (14), home (13), october (13), april (13), new (12), been (12), last (12), time (12), from (12), august (12), what (11), some (11), also (11), blog (11), two (11), were (11), water (11), still (11), don (10), how (10), about (10), now (10), basement (10), blogger (9), melanie (9), down (9), just (9), over (9), post (9), email (9), comments (9), another (9), only (9), living (9), favorite (8), your (8), know (8), around (8), garden (8), space (8), having (8), back (8), other (8), even (7), most (7), which (7), things (7), small (7), kitchen (7), food (7), get (7), 2024 (7), tim (7), has (7), going (7), then (7), few (7), good (7), thing (7), her (7), area (7), year (7), community (7), who (6), too (6), old (6), through (6), life (6), love (6), first (6), full (6), follow (6), pinterest (6), facebook (6), blogthis (6), created (6), spent (6), coffee (6), much (6), said (6), family (6), right (6), big (6), look (6), think (6), berries (6), done (5), high (5), place (5), once (5), same (5), weekend (5), beautiful (5), stuff (5), little (5), being (5), friends (5), homes (5), rain (5), took (5), brian (5), hope (5), again (5), because (5), made (5), his (5), least (5), filled (5), like (5), enough (5), door (5), these (5), patio (5), need (5), bar (5), them (4), fall (4), great (4), roof (4), show (4), spring (4), blogs (4), week (4), style (4), cottage (4), friday (4), many (4), season (4), weeks (4), labels (4), chicago (4), next (4), lots (4), planting (4), flowers (4), those (4), see (4), behind (4), though (4), got (4), decided (4), different (4), didn (4), used (4), since (4), friend (4), very (4), kidney (4), disease (4), vet (4), live (4), surgery (4), trap (4), center (4), plant (4), hello (4), houses (4), comment (4), instagram (4), tree (4), lived (4), ago (4), never (4), use (4), looking (4), photos (4), using (4), books (3), every (3), could (3), doing (3), everything (3), people (3), recipes (3), want (3), best (3), open (3), design (3), desire (3), own (3), therapy (3), school (3), heart (3), easter (3), happy (3), month (3), strong (3), way (3), blogging (3), past (3), bad (3), electricity (3), working (3), getting (3), days (3), comfy (3), stay (3), front (3), porch (3), soup (3), walking (3), photo (3), doors (3), cool (3), told (3), leave (3), off (3), loved (3), visit (3), long (3), looked (3), clementine (3), blanco (3), thank (3), hanging (3), without (3), age (3), remember (3), tried (3), him (3), sure (3), basically (3), came (3), walk (3), huge (3), covered (3), shop (3), awhile (3), their (3), retirement (3), property (3), annual (3), course (3), windows (3), nice (3), already (3), melaniescomfyhouse (3), any (3), newer (3), neighbor (3), help (3), meantime (3), falling (3), problem (3), started (3), except (3), move (3), moving (3), put (3), well (3), problems (3), main (3), models (3), level (3), stairs (3), console (3), wall (3), join (2), book (2), reading (2), deepest (2), fear (2), light (2), gorgeous (2), soon (2), tomorrow (2), tell (2), should (2), plan (2), precious (2), important (2), entire (2), red (2), salad (2), easy (2), bread (2), half (2), pizza (2), sourdough (2), finds (2), yum (2), cooking (2), moon (2), aka (2), plate (2), rid (2), christmas (2), nest (2), takes (2), meals (2), dressers (2), white (2), dinner (2), air (2), 2017 (2), 2022 (2), following (2), tis (2), tour (2), wonderful (2), thunderstorms (2), illinois (2), while (2), more (2), storms (2), hard (2), lot (2), went (2), reader (2), eating (2), popular (2), posts (2), search (2), subscribe (2), guinness (2), brewery (2), yard (2), start (2), delicious (2), admit (2), better (2), than (2), car (2), top (2), floor (2), garage (2), view (2), night (2), rather (2), restaurant (2), booths (2), opened (2), serving (2), glasses (2), fantastic (2), empty (2), later (2), definitely (2), list (2), others (2), beer (2), brewed (2), bookstore (2), request (2), children (2), end (2), finally (2), extra (2), update (2), columbine (2), cedarburg (2), leaving (2), nine (2), diagnosed (2), probably (2), fang (2), months (2), extremely (2), might (2), dental (2), would (2), fine (2), kitty (2), comes (2), currently (2), several (2), times (2), couple (2), store (2), won (2), charming (2), town (2), various (2), enjoying (2), vines (2), inside (2), colectivo (2), dome (2), holiday (2), lives (2), party (2), wisconsin (2), mostly (2), pots (2), shape (2), leaves (2), vine (2), did (2), trailing (2), truly (2), come (2), storage (2), usually (2), tornado (2), warning (2), posted (2), holds (2), haven (2), keep (2), send (2), tuesday (2), reply (2), trim (2), will (2), worse (2), news (2), unripe (2), yet (2), stains (2), families (2), means (2), negative (2), expense (2), land (2), monthly (2), carpet (2), decking (2), liked (2), large (2), surrounded (2), why (2), fix (2), sometimes (2), options (2), model (2), ones (2), bedroom (2), ranch (2), unfinished (2), part (2), laundry (2), either (2), decisions (2), homegoods (2), table (2), rug (2), moved (2), media (2), fireplace (2), hallway (2), boys (2), alcove (2), watching (2), downstairs (2), floors (2), painted (2), flood (2), laminate (2), housing (2), yes (2), quick (2), able (2), chrome (2), browser (2), powered, ratings, goodreads, club, reviews, mary, oliver, inadequate, powerful, beyond, measure, darkness, frightens, ask, ourselves, brilliant, talented, fabulous, actually, child, god, marianne, williamson, finish, blunders, absurdities, doubt, crept, forget, shall, begin, serenely, spirit, encumbered, nonsense, ralph, waldo, emerson, exactly, prayer, pay, attention, grass, idle, blessed, stroll, fields, else, doesn, die, wild, mother, teresa, although, its, element, return, physical, hub, schedule, imagination, mind, globe, revolves, single, spot, bright, arrow, hovers, undetected, above, gretchen, rubin, happier, quotes, greek, orzo, pasta, grazer, mess, seeded, soda, taste, nourish, braised, leeks, lentils, arugula, yogurt, smitten, strawberry, repeat, baked, harvest, deep, dish, upon, chef, winter, squash, dill, walnut, dressing, naturally, ella, discard, crust, recipe, roots, protein, breakfast, smoothie, fit, foodie, palak, paneer, cookie, kate, garlic, butter, crispy, chicken, creamy, beans, pinch, shrimp, sushi, bites, maxi, matcha, mango, gummies, aip, unbound, wellness, joy, swissmiss, memories, susan, branch, gratitude, practice, thousand, shades, gray, lovely, cup, cried, threw, writing, group, jena, schwartz, reads, elease, emily, henderson, thoughtful, inspired, spaces, inspire, gel, magazine, image, transfer, jennifer, rizzo, scouting, vol, 288, gnats, apartment, saving, world, inspiration, merry, springtime, backyard, fence, inner, gypsy, calling, nana, diana, break, three, song, associations, pen, myakka, elephant, sanctuary, mereknits, 1970s, dee, michigan, robin, tiger, wood, junk, chic, gets, simplifying, welcome, 2026, flowerlady, musings, diy, decal, pitcher, makeover, exquisitely, unremarkable, difficult, dewena, window, project, reveal, crafty, scents, repel, ants, cozy, stepmom, greatest, blessings, ron, across, versions, grace, greetings, breath, fresh, 2010, 2011, 2012, 140, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, archive, jemma, visiting, lineup, each, deluged, northern, appreciation, purging, closet, tops, sweaters, nifty, thrifty, regular, passions, healthy, belie, yin, yang, bloglovin, name, address, indicates, required, updated, atom, older, wrap, clean, blooming, wait, cold, longing, warmer, outside, morning, celebrate, flight, california, delayed, wandering, local, antique, mall, homefront, cabbage, evening, mine, parking, wound, sharing, charcuterie, appetizers, interesting, solid, slid, shut, claustrophobic, refilling, servers, awkward, meats, cheeses, sourced, farms, premises, stop, arcade, retro, pinball, video, games, hockey, pool, hours, packed, tons, young, cousin, joined, felt, frat, burgers, story, holy, burger, person, bets, blue, indulgence, try, beef, bone, marrow, supposedly, item, care, brought, bones, saved, mom, dog, stock, aesthetics, guys, location, dublin, shipped, wouldn, requested, bathroom, walls, per, downtown, found, proceeds, literacy, programs, city, checked, journal, happened, feb, wrote, noticed, ordinary, moments, seeing, relatives, hadn, seen, girlfriend, togethers, making, chemo, attending, poetry, slam, overdue, massage, extended, hunting, buying, saturday, plants, peonies, gardening, sending, emails, sweet, unbelievably, stage, hyperthyroidism, lost, upper, dentist, teeth, common, cats, especially, massive, infection, risky, mention, estimated, 3000, welp, lastly, totally, subject, feral, poor, beat, ears, tnr, neuter, release, avail, borrowed, defective, cat, squeeze, opening, cage, buy, perhaps, farm, supply, close, taken, glass, screen, let, within, six, feet, after, headed, rest, popping, shops, lunch, spots, perfectly, thunbergia, delicate, pink, annuals, baskets, admired, between, drinks, sat, welcoming, serve, favorites, snob, milwaukee, based, locations, kid, signatures, enjoyed, served, sacrificed, country, attended, discovered, amazing, attached, heaven, bluemel, butterfly, green, bloom, sun, piece, veggie, tomatoes, onion, purple, bell, pepper, fell, saw, iresine, blood, leaf, native, brazil, bold, color, colorful, mimulus, known, monkey, flower, licorine, trek, centers, planted, fill, begonias, rosemary, lush, sides, planter, makes, appearance, begins, weddings, graduations, barbeques, swing, shorts, shirts, dining, fresco, becomes, breezes, mixture, sunshine, extreme, humidity, summer, believe, future, easier, please, page, private, unknown, answer, questions, someone, wanted, couldn, privately, sees, click, looks, coming, sunday, wants, something, forward, relax, talk, woman, previously, nasty, friendly, cooperative, understands, frustration, cut, works, freak, accident, work, broke, jaw, commission, trimmer, ripen, rot, attract, flies, plus, stain, dreaded, mulberries, early, maybe, dealing, mushy, walkway, itself, gutters, speaking, storm, damage, soffits, blew, channel, leaked, guest, left, ceiling, middle, insurance, company, roofing, contractors, fun, excitement, ends, owner, position, answers, stressful, sold, retiring, generational, grandparents, separate, finding, really, biggest, montly, bit, side, therefore, lease, hoa, includes, taxes, lawn, mowing, charge, trees, bushes, snow, removal, garbage, bedrooms, carpeted, hate, vinyl, railing, material, super, cheap, quality, trex, railings, five, trails, throughout, lodge, gatherings, fitness, facility, treadmills, weights, trampolines, backyards, quite, noisy, costs, fortune, simple, frustrating, phone, calls, stinks, slight, rust, colored, tub, shower, goes, generated, siding, exterior, both, bathrooms, updating, does, expensive, sooo, pour, money, sell, dipped, toes, exploring, far, pictures, track, belong, overwhelmed, turned, bath, 2112, thinking, retires, pros, cons, 1120, wasted, washer, dryer, upright, freezer, pantry, sterilite, boxes, clothes, tiny, closets, knees, scary, carrying, basket, ten, thanks, such, posting, sporadically, upstairs, office, weird, anything, angled, needing, builders, furniture, placement, challenges, attractive, point, change, staircase, assortment, metal, faux, vintage, signs, recently, tired, wider, angle, couch, bookcases, shaped, handy, birthday, parties, spread, teens, kids, hang, pizzas, pop, snacks, cabinets, built, appliances, pieces, platters, tucked, drum, set, treadmill, exercise, equipment, leads, fold, usuable, watchers, evenings, bear, purchased, anchor, cement, contractor, ever, under, ruin, suggested, stand, explaining, explained, looming, decide, staying, nearby, reasons, particular, development, take, advantage, besides, foyer, immediately, staring, current, ish, find, shows, glare, changes, thanksgiving, peaceful, blogland, given, completely, bloggers, lately, laptop, whatever, reason, sign, upload, nor, anonymous, googled, luck, forum, board, noone, third, cookies, enabled, incognito, mode, latest, crossed, rainbow, bridge, battled, chronic, seven, peacefully, transition, longest, knew, wish, miss, seems, quiet, bottom, continuing, online, friendship, melriley62, gmail, com, anytime, certainly, guess, say, official, goodbye, logging, uploading, dedication, phil, gardens, contact,
Text of the page (random words):
i could find of the living room that shows the tv from last fall another negative thing about having the tv in this space the glare from the windows we purchased a big rug from homegoods to anchor the living space the floors are painted cement long ago we had carpet but had a basement flood the contractor said at the time that even if we put down laminate if we ever had a basement flood again that the water would go under the laminate and ruin it so he suggested just having the floors painted then we moved the tv and media stand downstairs ta da a usuable space once again we re not big tv watchers but sometimes on the evenings where brian has the next day off we ve been enjoying our time watching tv downstairs we re currently watching season 3 of the bear tucked in back of the living area is a little alcove where tim used to have his drum set it now holds the treadmill and some other exercise equipment to the right of this alcove is a small hallway with a door that leads into the unfinished part of the basement same with that bi fold white door that you see you can see in this wider angle of the room that behind the couch are bookcases and a l shaped bar that bar area came in handy when our boys were little and we d have birthday parties in the basement it was a great area to spread out all the food same for when the boys were teens and they d have their friends over a great space for kids to hang out and use the bar top for pizzas pop and snacks the bar has cabinets built in behind it so that s where i store all my large kitchen appliances and big serving pieces and platters a view of the bar not a very attractive area but at this point in our lives we don t have any desire to change it it s good enough for our use right now the wall with the staircase behind it used to have an assortment of metal faux vintage signs on it but i recently took them all down was tired of looking at it back upstairs i moved the console table from brian s office to the space where the tv and media console were it s a weird place to put anything with this wall being right next to the angled fireplace and needing enough room to walk into the kitchen or hallway i don t think builders think about furniture placement or design challenges thanks for still being here and leaving such nice comments even though i ve been posting sporadically created by melanie at 5 24 pm 16 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels area rug basement console table family room homegoods living room friday june 7 2024 decisions decisions we re at that age where we re thinking about what we want to do when brian retires do we stay here or do we move there are many pros and cons we have a ranch house with a basement we basically live on just the main level which is 1120 sf the basement which has a big family room is wasted space we re never down there except for when there s a tornado warning the unfinished part of the basement houses our washer and dryer an upright freezer extra pantry storage sterilite boxes full of out of season clothes because we have tiny bedroom closets and lots of stuff i m still in good shape and my knees are fine but it s getting to be a little scary going up and down the stairs carrying a laundry basket full of laundry how are the stairs going to be for either of us in ten years or 20 we are also surrounded by houses full of children why do they all have trampolines in their backyards which means it can get quite noisy here at times another thing i don t like having well water when there s problems with the well it not only costs a small fortune to fix but it s never a simple fix it usually takes several days lots of frustrating phone calls and then we re without water sometimes the water stinks and it leaves slight rust colored stains in the tub and shower if the electricity goes out we have no water because the well is generated by electricity our house is now 36 years old we ll need a new roof again in a year or two we need new siding new exterior doors and all new trim both bathrooms need updating and so does our kitchen there s other little things that need doing but these are the main expensive things sooo do we stay here and pour our money into this house or do we sell as is and move into a newer place last weekend we dipped our toes in the water to start exploring options we looked a model homes in an over 55 community not far from here i think we looked at nine models and i took so many pictures i now can t keep track of which ones belong to which model they all started to look the same and i got overwhelmed turned out i only truly liked two of the models all the homes in this community are one level most are two bedroom two full bath and have a two car garage here s a couple of photos of one of my favorite models i think this was the one with 2112 sf i loved this open floor plan with the huge living room going into the kitchen with the big eating area surrounded by windows there s also a covered porch off the living room looking into the kitchen the covered back porch some other things we liked there s a lodge you can use for large gatherings they also have a small fitness facility with treadmills and weights walking trails go throughout the community the biggest negative of this community is the montly expense it s a bit on the high side you own the house but not the land therefore there s a monthly land lease not a hoa the monthly expense includes property taxes lawn mowing you are in charge of your own trees bushes and or flowers snow removal garbage and water of course there were some things i didn t like about the houses most of the bedrooms are carpeted i hate carpet and the vinyl decking and railing material is super cheap definitely not quality trex decking and railings which we had put in at this house five years ago our next door neighbor sold his house a few weeks ago and is retiring to wisconsin we were told there are two families moving in we don t know if that means a generational family with grandparents or two separate families we will be finding out in a week in the meantime i look around my home that i ve lived in 34 years and think do i really want to leave there are no easy answers moving is hard and extremely stressful at least we re not in the position where we have to move in other home news the dreaded mulberries have already started falling they re early this year and it s all the unripe berries in all the past years we ve only had a few unripe berries fall don t know what is different this year except maybe all the rain we ve had we re already dealing with mushy berries all over the walkway to the patio and on the patio itself worse yet they re also falling on the roof and into the gutters oh and speaking of the roof we had storm damage a few weeks ago where the soffits blew out of the j channel and water got in some of that water also leaked into the guest room and left light water stains on the ceiling we re in the middle of working with our insurance company and roofing contractors the fun and excitement never ends when you re a home owner of course once the berries ripen the problem will get much worse the berries rot and attract flies plus they stain the patio we can at least talk to this newer neighbor about the tree the woman that previously lived in this house some of you might remember was very nasty this newer neighbor is nice friendly and cooperative he understands our frustration with the tree and was going to cut it down last fall he works with people who can help him do this but had a freak accident at work where he broke his jaw so was out of commission for awhile in the meantime we had a tree trimmer come out and look at the tree and he can at least trim it back to where we won t get so many berries falling on our property it looks to be a beautiful weekend here a friend is coming for a visit tomorrow and sunday i m going back to the over 55 community with another friend because she wants to look at these homes too i hope your weekend is filled with something to look forward to and time to relax ps if you leave a comment as unknown and it comes through to my email as a no reply comment blogger then i can t answer any questions you may send me someone on my last post said she wanted to follow me on instagram but didn t know how i couldn t privately reply to her so if she sees this go into instagram search for melaniescomfyhouse and click on follow created by melanie at 9 15 am 11 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels new houses over 55 community retirement tuesday may 28 2024 it s about time hello i can t believe it s been two months since i ve posted not sure what the future holds for my blog i haven t had much of a desire to keep up with it it s so much easier to post on ig if you don t already follow me there please send me a follow request my page is on private at melaniescomfyhouse i think may is my favorite month of the year spring finally and truly makes an appearance here planting begins weddings graduations and barbeques are in full swing shorts and t shirts come out of storage dining al fresco becomes a thing again windows are open for the beautiful cool breezes and there s usually a nice mixture of sunshine and rain in may without the extreme humidity that we get in the summer though this year we ve had more than enough rain this month lots of thunderstorms and even a tornado warning the other night i ve made my annual trek to my two favorite garden centers and got my big pots planted of course they ll look much better when they fill out i did this same planting last year begonias rosemary and a trailing vine by august this should be huge and lush with vines trailing down the sides of the planter this is my first time planting the colorful annual mimulus also known as monkey flower the licorine plant vine is also new to me another new to me annual that i fell in love with with i saw it iresine or blood leaf it s native to brazil love the bold color and shape of the leaves we don t have enough sun on our small piece of property to plant a veggie garden so we plant a few things in pots tomatoes red onion purple bell pepper my butterfly garden is mostly green right now just the columbine is in bloom if you re in the us i hope you enjoyed your long holiday weekend thank you to those who served and sacrificed their lives for our country we attended a retirement party i spent time with friends and another day we spent the day in wisconsin we discovered an amazing garden center bluemel s with an attached coffee shop i was in heaven the dome is from an old high school inside of the dome still has the high school kid s signatures the inside of the coffee shop is welcoming and charming but best of all was the coffee they serve colectivo one of my favorites i admit i m a coffee snob colectivo is milwaukee based but they now have locations in the chicago area there s a huge covered patio between the coffee shop and garden center so we took our drinks and sat out on the patio for awhile then we took a walk around the garden center these are some of the annuals and hanging baskets i admired i came home with this gorgeous hanging plant thunbergia love the vines and the delicate pink flowers after we were done at the garden center we headed to the charming town of cedarburg spent the rest of the day walking around and popping into various shops having lunch at one of our favorite spots in this town and basically just enjoying the perfectly beautiful day lastly on a totally different subject a kitty update remember blanco the feral he s still around and comes most every day for food poor thing currently has beat up ears i have tried several times in the past couple of years to trap him for tnr trap neuter release to no avail and now the trap i have borrowed from a friend is defective a cat can squeeze through an opening in the front of the cage not sure where i can buy a trap perhaps a farm supply store it s on my to do list by the way i am not this close to blanco in this photo this is taken through the glass of my screen door he still won t let me within at least six feet of him and my sweet clementine she is still unbelievably very much with us she s around 15 years old now and in stage 4 kidney disease she also has hyperthyroidism when she was nine years old and first diagnosed with kidney disease the vet told me she d probably only live about another 1 1 2 years and then in 2022 when she lost an upper fang the vet dentist said that without surgery all her other teeth are bad too very common in cats especially as they age she d get a massive infection where the fang used to be and that she d only live another few weeks to a few months but the thing was it d be extremely risky for her to have the surgery because her heart might ve not been strong enough not to mention they estimated the dental surgery would be about 3000 welp over two years later with no dental surgery she s doing just fine for those of you still following me here and leaving comments and sending me emails thank you for hanging in there with me created by melanie at 6 22 pm 10 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels blanco cedarburg clementine columbine flowers gardening peonies plants saturday march 30 2024 march update it s been way too long since i ve checked in when i looked back in my journal to see what had happened since since the end of feb when i last wrote i noticed my life was filled with extra ordinary moments seeing friends and relatives that i hadn t seen in years girlfriend get togethers making soup every week for a friend going through chemo attending a wonderful poetry slam getting an overdue massage meals out with extended family hunting for and finally buying new glasses best of all tim was here for a visit last week per his request we spent an entire day in downtown chicago we found a cool bookstore filled with used books where the proceeds went to children s literacy programs in the city bathroom walls in the bookstore tim requested a visit to the new guinness brewery the aesthetics were beautiful the guys said the beer some brewed at this chicago location others brewed in dublin and shipped in was fantastic i wouldn t know as i don t like beer good food was definitely on our list too we decided to try beef bone marrow supposedly a popular item at this restaurant i didn t care for it at all brian and tim loved it i brought the bones home and saved one for my mom s dog and with the others made a delicious stock the burgers were a different story though holy yum i m not even much of a burger person but with this one all bets are off good thing it s only a once in a blue moon indulgence another stop was a cool arcade filled with retro pinball and video games air hockey and pool we got there when they first opened so the place was empty a few hours later it was packed with to...
|
