A day with a change of plans...

I have wanted to do this forever!  and I love the way it looks!  

It's hard to live in Florida and not love the beach. But I have always loved the ocean.  I have always loved the water: the river, the bay, the sound, the gulf BUT there is nothing like the Ocean.  

Whenever I stand on the edge of "my" world and gaze out as far as I can see, I can feel so small on God's earth but so at peace.  On a nice day it is truly peaceful and calming, feeling the current tug.  Tug at your feet, tug at your soul, rejuvenating your mind, body and soul.  But on a day with a storm on the waters, the fury and anger that churns rising and falling is a magical message that "this too shall pass".  My life, just as the ocean, has ups and downs.  It has good days and not so good days.  It goes back and forth, and sometimes it's in a spin...but always, after the storm comes a peaceful day and a sign of the better days ahead.  The Ocean is a friend of mine and helps me find myself, ground myself, be myself, refresh and remind myself that everything is a circle...

Chill Out to the sights and music of The Ocean

 I have always lived a short distance from the beach here in Florida as well as on Long Island, New York.  As I have shared with you numerous times, the beach is very much the soul of me as well as my decor.  It has been running through my veins for my whole life.  So far most of my decorating has been inside...I finally got to the front.

Gramma and I at Jones Beach, NY.

I can't thank ACE Hardware in Titusville, FL enough!  I asked, they listened!!  I can only handle a few bags at a time so they made it so much easier for me.  It works out for me physically and financially.

I have more plans for more coquina shells too, but this is it for this month.  In the meantime, there are little things to add and tweak around the front and another bed to get ready for shells. 

Meanwhile:

While my Heron was drying in the kitchen for a second time around,  more to be on the safe side, I gave his eyes a little make-up.

Then I packed some things up in my basket and went outside, planning on some outside crafting for a change.

I went out front and grabbed my sandcastle and gave it a quick coat of the sand paint...

remember this?

It may need a little bit more.

My faux coral really needed some love!  I was going to spray it red but it was originally a coral color so I stuck to that, and I had coral spray paint.

 It did have a shiny black base that I hit too with the sand textured paint.  I may hit it again and may or may not glue shells to the top around the coral.

I went inside for something, I'm not even sure what anymore, and it started to thunder!  I am not a happy camper at this point.  I decide to take the dog out before it gets closer and gave the other side of the coral a good spray of paint.

Heidi barking at the thunder!
Then she mumbles like it hears her; maybe it does.

So, since I couldn't do much outside, I thought I would share some of the things I picked up and wanted to work on BUT DIDN'T!

While at ACE Hardware, I picked up 4 coleus plants and 2 others that I haven't figured out yet.  They were only 50 cents a piece and the red coleus grabbed my attention for color.   I have some empty pots to plant these in to add color around the patio.

I thought this was cute and may be a good idea.  It was $4.99 at ACE.  It is a solar light and I am thinking of hanging it from the patio over-hang.  I'm going to see how this goes, because I might want to hang a couple in the side bed.
 

And this:

I have been eye-balling this for months at ACE and finally said "to heck with it" and bought it.  It's a table top fire pit, that says: LIVE LOVE LAUGH.  They were out of fire pit gel so I am going to use this Sterno a very little at a time for the ambiance!  There is nothing like a glass of wine and a little fire to chill out and enjoy the work I've been doing!

 I picked up a pail and these sandcastle molds were at Dollar Tree for the front.  I think if I use caulking, I can some how work them together with shells...maybe near my "sandcastle".

Need to figure out what to hang out front too.

Let's see how the week-end weather goes.... maybe I will get something done....Meanwhile, enjoy your journey!