Happy JUNE  and welcome to Thursday Favorite Things! I am so excited to be co-hosting this fabulous party with Katherine of Katherine’s Corner and a fantastic group of bloggers for this inspiring weekly link party for bloggers and blog readers!

If you would like to make some new friends,  grow your blog audience, or just find some weekly inspiration, this is the place to be! *Bloggers: Please leave a comment with the number of your link up for a chance to be featured at next week’s party. The hosts are all looking forward to what you’ll share this week! (If you missed the last party and the AWESOME features, you’ll find it here.) To get the party started, here’s what I have been up to recently:

Beautiful Madame Butterfly Snapdragons

Earlier this week I shared a post about my Madame Butterfly Snapdragons which have been blooming continually last summer (even through the ice storm!) Check out my post to read more about these beautiful flowers which I thought were annuals!

Summer Goal #1: Deep Cleaning

Over the next few weeks I am going to be deep cleaning and working to  declutter the basement in preparation for a big yard sale. We are also getting ready to start renovating our bathroom which is obviously going to be a messy job. After the basement leaked after the ice storm it seems as if the house started smelling musty even though I had it professionally checked for mold and mildew. I really think the house is just due for a major clutter “detox” after living here for 6 years. I can’t wait to get all the extra junk hauled out of the basement!  Once all the work is done I also plan to have a professional  air duct cleaning to improve the air quality as well. Who else is summer deep cleaning?

DIY With My Guy

I have been checking out plenty of great blog resources to get me motivated to purge, purge, purge!

Summer Break!

Today is my first real day of summer break! We finished up the school year successfully with my Senior Chamber Choir members singing at Baccalaureate and graduation. Now I can relax a little and get back to focusing a little more of my home, garden and blog during the summer months.

Next week I will be sharing my early summer home tour as part of the annual Summer Home Tours hosted by Marty of A Stroll Thru Life. The tours are always so full of inspiration and fresh ideas! 

On Tuesday my Husband and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary! We had planned a big 20th anniversary trip to Scotland, but the pandemic put a rain check on our plans. Instead of the Scottish highlands, we ended up just spending the day together in the hills of Appalachia with no stress and it was a wonderful day! 

We did a little shopping around for a new wedding band for my husband to commemorate our 2oth. His tungsten carbide ring has really started to show some wear, so we thought this would be the perfect time to replace it. We stopped by CF Reuschlein Jewelers in Huntington, WV, a gorgeous store inside and out.

I just fell in love with all the details on the old building.  CF Reuschlein has been in business since 1887. It is encouraging to see that there are still some local businesses that have made it through the pandemic! (Huntington, WV is about 25 minutes from where we live in KY.)

Early Summer Deep Cleaning

Over the next few weeks I am going to be deep cleaning and working to  declutter the basement in preparation for a big yard sale. We are also getting ready to start renovating our bathroom which is obviously going to be a messy job. After the basement leaked after the ice storm it seems as if the house started smelling musty even though I had it professionally checked for mold and mildew. I really think the house is just due for a major clutter “detox” after living here for 6 years. I can’t wait to get all the extra junk hauled out of the basement!  Once all the work is done I also plan to have a professional  air duct cleaning to improve the air quality as well. Who else is summer deep cleaning?

Now it’s time for some beautiful features from last week’s party!

Early Summer Garden Joys at TFT

Great Ways to Use Lilacs in Decor~Cloches and Lavender

Country Cottage Garden Display~Common Ground

Is the Cottagecore Design Trend for Me?~Penny’s Vintage Home

The Traveling Teacup Takes an Exciting Train Ride~Mantel and Table

DIY Copper Rimmed Flower Pot~My Thrift Store Addiction

Astilbe and the Shade Garden~Life in Kentucky

Starting Plants in My New Aero Gardener and My New Raised Bed Garden~Designs and Events

Bonus Feature

Vegan, GF Smore’s Cookies~Strength and Sunshine