I beg your pardon.

Please allow me to beg your pardon.  It has been just shy of a year since I last blogged.  Inappropriate.  I know.  But, it's never too soon (or too late) to claim a New Year's Resolution, right?  So, Happy New Blog Year!!   Let's try this whole blog thing again and see if this time we can get it to stick...

Sometimes I might write this blog as though we're the closest of friends, and I will often make assumptions you know who & what I am talking about.  And other times I might write as though we're strangers and spend too much time describing people and places -- so just bare with me, please.  If you expect me to blog often you can't be too critical of my blogging style.  Deal?.

To Recap: Last year's blog was an account of the transformation and journey of our little old Zeeland (farm)house.  (We don't live on a farm.  We live in the city.  (a cute little city, called Zeeland, actually.)  But I tend to refer to our house as a farm house because, well, back in 1865  people lived on farms.  And, well, our style mimics that of an old farm house.  We're not so much country, not so much primitive, not so much vintage.  Just eclectic.  (that's the polite way to say "random") but somehow, it all seems to work.  Or at least I am hopeful that it works.  Updated Farmhouse.  That's us.

If you want the whole story on our new old little farmhouse, you can dig back deeper in this blog.  I think it's back there.  But here's the short version: the house was built in 1865.  It's the second oldest standing house in Zeeland (or so we've been told.)  Most recently the house has been a two family rental for 40+ years.  We bought it December 23, 2008 and started working on it January 2009. 

312 East Central BEFORE:

312 East Central: DURING

More DURING (poor thing!)

Ta Da!!  312 E. Central: AFTER

We moved in May 2009 and have been living happily ever after ever since. 

So who is the US behind this blog?  We're the deRoo's.  Taylor & Abby (mostly Abby...Taylor doesn't blog.  But you will hear about him a lot because he's great.)

We're just two young kids, pretending to act like grown ups when all we really want to do is play with our 'dales.  (Airedale Terriers: meet Finn & York.) 

Yorkshire deRoo - turns 4 yrs old January 2011

alias': Yorker Porker, Buster, Buster Brown Dog, Yorkerboy, Yorkchop

Finnley deRoo - turns 2 January 2011

alias': Finner, Finner bo, Finner b., Finner b. Good, Finner Finner Chicken Dinner, Skinny Finny

So this blog will vary on topics but you can mostly count on: crafts, decorating, fashion, airedales, and commentary on our little deRoo life.  But please understand that I am both obsessive and lazy at the same time.  I go in very sporadic streaks when it comes to follow through on my hobbies, which now includes blogging.  For example, this summer I read like 20 novels -- I couldn't get enough.  But now it's October and I haven't picked up a book since August.  My other hobbies follow similar patterns: cooking, running, visiting friends....and when it comes to crafts it's the same way.  Lately I have been making every craft I see -- but I make no promises that I will actually keep this up for an extended period of time.  Decorating is more of an ongoing hobby -- but of course this one relies on money and time.  (two things that us Zeelanders are pretty stingy about.)  !!  But regardless of my varying levels of ambition to create new projects...I am quite the self proclaimed blog stalker. I am very good at stealing style & craft ideas and combining them so it all fits together like a style dream!   

So...now that I have talked myself up :) .... let's see what kind of entertainment we can come up with.

This evening I am hosting a craft and wine night with my neighbor friends.  A couple are crafty and a couple, are, well....not so crafty. (girls, you know who you are.) Since I am hosting and taking on the roll of Martha Stewart for the night, I got to pick the crafts.  Here are the projects we are going to work on:

      My Book Page Wreath                        



You can find a how-to tutorial at here at Living with Lindsay.

Linked up at the Jones Design Company Link Party!



My Felt Birdie Pin

You can find a tutorial here at Lemon Tree Creations.

Corn Husk Wreath (I have made 3 but haven't taken pictures yet)

Picture and tutorial found here at House of Hepworths.

...and finally Potato Stamped Pumpkins

pictures and tutorial found here at Lemon Tree Creations.

I went craft binge shopping last night at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and JoAnn's to gather all of our supplies.  I just need to track down some extra large potatoes to carve my {FALL} stamps.  Not entirely sure how that is going to go...

wish us luck! 

um...by the way.  I am playing around with this new blog makeover...so don't be surprised if the look -- or the title changes as I go.  Just warning ya..