#keep dropping crumbs for us tracy

[worth-this-and-more]

thoughts and opinions on bree's birthday gifts!!!!

[spoilers for legendborn and bloodmarked, read at your own caution ;)] it's been long since i got to do long ass posts hehe i'm back in the game yall

first of all, happy birthday bree!!!! (real footage of me making cakes)

starting off strong with alice chen;

that's so cute?? and two gifts!! bree gonna keep that gift card close to her heart!! like common we all know they are book besties like awwieee so cuteee!! and tickets to eras tour?? keep up with the spoiling your bestie i love you alice!!

then we have edwin matthews;

this is so him tho, ofc he's gonna take care of his lil girl for the winters. that winter coat is gonna be very handy on the run. and bless his soul i hope he doesn't have to find out what the battle is-

our golden boy, nicholas martin davis;

that is so thoughtful tho?? and it's so cute he had it handmade like damn dude, and with her initials too. and what did you say about late-night sword training sessions you mean they trained whennnnnn we have been robbed????

our favorite sorcerer, selwyn emyrs kane;

the coupon?? that is so fucking hilarious, imagine selwyn drawing that coupon and smiling to himself like "ahh the perfect joke" comon this is so cute and i bet bree loved it. and the rose?? got me giggling and shit like dude i had headcanoned something like this as like a ring during bree's college trips but comon a rose is so much better?? ahhhhhhhh I'm in looooooveee say what you want this is so cute mann (and the rose kinda reminded me of the rose in tracy's insta story?? is this something or am i too obsessed??)

our rootcrafting companion, mariah;

lmaoo she is not wrong about the reasons tho. bree definitely needs that spa day. maybe add in a braiding session too. she needs those curls fresh and on for the newest adventure.

the cutest legendborn!! greer taylor;

oh my gosh that is so cool bree in training gear yalls I'm so pumped for bree's 1v1 fights with anyone honestly like my oh my!! good job greer!!

our deadliest softboy, william sitterson;

william is a tea guy for sure, ofc his birthday treat is at a teahouse!! spending the day enjoying william's favorite tea and maybe a lil bit of teasing on both sides?? what will be the treats tho him baking his favorite biscuits or a luncheon with his king, i say bothhh

now there are a two people that i really wanted to see;

larkin douglas; yes he hasn't been around in bloodmarked too but comon even he would know sometime from William hehe about bree's birthday what would he gift her?? he did gift her those leather gauntlets, an updraged version of them?? metal gauntlets?? now if bree has her powers in control ofc she doesn't need the gauntlets but it could be a gesture of trust, for the old days sake

valec; like comon i do think he'd just give her a chocolate or a life advice and move on, but given that he has taken a liking to her and has become very protective (as his baby sister okay guys he's not in love) he might offer something else. his knowledge maybe, he has been around for 200 years you bet he has a lot to tell. or like he could answer three questions she wants the answers to, we all know our bree is best at questioning everything.

my thoughts??

can the order of how the people are placed have any correspondence to how events have passed or any foreshadowing to what could happen?? because i am the type of person who likes to order things like that; so if this is foreshadowing, because for the past events we need to put sel after alice and all that yk, does this mean we are going to start oathbound with a different pov?? because alice and edwin are shown first so it is possible oathbound can start from the new pov (either nick or selwyn)

nick giving bree a scabbard, foreshadowing?? i still have to read on arthuriana more, so i can't say for sure but please enlighten me is this related to the legend. all i know is that excalibur's scabbard was gone which is why arthur fell in camlamn. so that means nick giving bree could potentially symbolize him protecting her?? but from what?? selwyn?? shadow king?? who??

also, from the whole order apart from the found family, only greer is mentioned. now i was assuming that sarah will be in charge now after tor has been "betrayed" aka kicked out of gc. so if greer is mentioned does this mean greer will be in charge?? but aren't they kinda young in the whole order, like young as in new?? and if they are in charge, then what will sarah do because by the order of lines sarah should be after tor, right??

and if this order of names thing is correct, we will be seeing mariah yayy but William is last, so is this for the whole book or like the first half?? because there's no valec no lark (my babies i wanted to see themmm??)

or maybe im just reading too much into this

[attempted--eloquence]

Hello it’s me tossing out shit in my drafts again. I humbly present you a wacky thiam college campus coffee shop ficlet that i wrote sometime last year solely bc i had feelings about alt milk fees <3

CW: brief alcohol mention

Theo is three customers away from the coffee shop register nibbling on the crumbs of what was a banana nut muffin as he considers dropping a class just so he can eat a fucking lunch, for once. Third time this week that his anthro course hasn’t let out early enough to nab a ham and cheese quiche.

By the time he darted across campus, up two sets of stairs, and weaved in and out of a campus tour group, the order line for Stomping Grounds wound its way around the front counter, past the condiment station, and out the propped-open double doors with Theo at the tail end. His hopes for decent sustenance fled the coffee shop lunch rush in the hands of the ungodly patron that found it appropriate to not only buy the last quiche before Theo even made it inside the shop, but also to eat it grasped between their grubby hands like a fucking sandwich.

Absolute animal behavior.

So he settled. Claimed the dead last spot in the queue, after which no one joined presumably because of the egregious wait. Twiddled his thumbs through the twelve minutes it took for him to near the front of the line. Made himself unpleasant enough that the couple of classmates that spotted him idling didn’t stick around long for small talk. Snagged a banana nut muffin from the pastry case that, really, he tried not to eat until making it to the register.

But here, now, after a few more minutes of shuffling forward, the muffin’s been reduced to a few crumbs on the inside of a wrapper. He’s still hungry. And certain to be late to his four-hour neuro lab.

He really could’ve used that fucking quiche.

There’s only one barista on duty. Some disgruntled guy that Theo vaguely recognizes, usually works the closing shift. His face isn’t as twisted up and sullen then. And he usually offers up free leftover pastries and the gritty remnants of whatever’s in the coffee urns half an hour before closing. He’s real decent about letting Theo keep studying after hours while he counts down the register and cleans up, even though Theo’s certain that probably goes against some shop policy. Always locks the doors and sends him off with a genial “Have a nice night.”

But now, he’s got lunch rush fatigue written all over him. A thin sheen of sweat clinging to his forehead, cheeks flushed from espresso machine steam, eyes wide and frantic like he’s rapidly burning through both the patience and caffeine that have fueled his shift. His customer-service-smile has fully inverted into a permanent frown.

It’s contagious. His un-sunny disposition. Theo has witnessed the last five customers—at least—get all huffy about the slow service or the fact that the Earl Grey is out of stock or the lack of napkins at the condiment counter. And the alternative milk surcharge. Especially that.

Theo gets the discontent. Almost a dollar fee. For a different kind of milk. Sounds like the kinda thing they’d debate in his ethics class and come to the same conclusion as they do with all other hotly-discussed topics: yeah, the world’s kinda fucked up in general.

But he’s pretty sure the barista on shift didn’t single-handedly implement the policy—despite the fact that he’s taking all the heat for it—so Theo won’t be a dick about it. Even if he wants to. Just a little. Tracy said he’s gotta work on dismantling his natural air of hostility.

“Hey. What can I get for you.”

It’s less of a question and more of a dread-filled entreaty to hurry up and place an order while there’s a lull in activity.

“A banana nut muffin, and…a large oat milk latte,” Theo says. And just because the guy looks about ready to shove his hand in the coffee grinder, he tacks on a belated, “Please.”

“Sure. $5.90. Oat milk costs 75¢ extra, just so you know,” he replies, bitter-voiced as he jabs buttons on the POS system.

Disgruntled Barista Guy goes stiff at the blank expression on Theo’s face, takes on the demeanor of a preemptive flinch, like he is waiting for something worse than Theo’s shrug, outstretched hand gripping a $10 bill, and, “Yeah, I know. That’s fine.”

Look at him. All unhostile. Tracy would be proud.

“Okay,” he exhales, something like relief. He readjusts the lacrosse-stick-embroidered baseball cap on his head. “I’ll have that up for you in a second, Theo.”

Theo falters. He stuffs his $4.10 in change into the mostly empty tip cup that has FEED ME scribbled on the outside mostly as an apology for not knowing how the hell this guy knows him. Says, “Thanks.”

He squints at the plastic name tag pinned to his apron. Liam. He almost says it aloud, but the window to attach a name onto the end of his halfhearted display of gratitude has closed by the time he has concluded his internal debate about the merit of establishing rapport with someone who’d probably also rather not engage in humdrum small talk. Liam’s got his back to Theo, hunched over his latte cup. The edges of a tattoo peek out from beneath his shirtsleeve.

Ding ding ding. It’s a reminder.

This Liam, lunch rush grump Liam, isn’t just familiar from closing shifts. But from Scott’s potluck at the beginning of the quarter, which was really just a party that happened to have a meager smattering of appetizers to go along with all the alcohol everyone opted to bring.

Theo showed up after most of the snacks were gone but the drinks were plenty. Remembers his half-coherent rambling about wanting a tattoo. Skull with crown. Hazy memories of Liam drawing a sketch of it on his bicep with a silver sharpie. Stiles having to talk Theo out of booking an appointment right then and there and using Liam’s drawing as a reference photo. Right. That night—or, the awful morning after—is the reason he swore off strawberry lemonade Svedka for good.

He’s pretty sure it’s also the source of the one unrecognizable number in his text history. The only message from it was “dont wrory I googled it dude sharpies are nontoxic ook” that probably went unanswered by Theo because he passed out beside the toilet in his bathroom the moment he got back to his apartment.

Huh.

Liam places his drink on the counter with a grin that’s less customer-service-y and more friendly. Says, “See you around.”

Theo retrieves the latte, double-takes. There’s a hasty scrawl of near-illegible words trailing around the circumference of the cup. A ballpoint pen ramble that covers the cup’s surface from top to bottom.

Most of the baristas here draw little doodles on the cups. A smiley face or cartoony mug of coffee with squiggly lines to represent steam. Maybe a “have a nice day!” if they’re feeling particularly chipper.

Not Liam.

Listen, I find the convention of upcharging customers for alternative milks ridiculous and unreasonable considering the vendor prices for these milks are only marginally higher than that of dairy milk so really, non-dairy drinkers are getting scammed for their shitty digestive systems or dietary preferences.

Theo reaches the bottom of the cup. And yet, not the end of the rant, which continues on the drink sleeve Liam had slid across the counter with his order.

Personally, I prefer to upcharge based on how much of an asshole a particular customer is when they order. It’s a much fairer system than capitalism, I think.

There’s an arrow pointing to the other side of the cup sleeve. Theo glances up at Liam, who's got his hands buried in soapy water, washing a sink full of dishes. Real casual like he didn’t just spew his pent-up dairy product industry frustration on an innocent bystander. Theo would be lying if he said he didn’t respect the effort. He flips the sleeve over.

P.S. I didn’t charge you extra for oat milk

P.P.S. Thanks for the tip, you get first pick of stale pastries if you’re here at closing later

Something in Theo’s stomach flutters. Could be butterflies. Or maybe it’s his shitty digestive system.

Half of a person’s caffeine intake is eliminated from the body within six hours of consumption—sometimes neuroscience classes provide more practical knowledge than the redundant lessons on the functionality of the human eyeball—which means his awful caffeine dependence will be in full force soon after his lab ends.

Maybe Theo will swing by the closing shift. Just for the free coffee and stale pastries. That’s all.

[anneedmonsonus]

A Blissful Pool Retreat for a 100-Year-Old Rural Farmhouse

Imagine having acres and acres of land around you, no other houses as far as the eye can see. Sounds like heaven – right? But what if it’s so many endless acres of space that every so often you actually end up craving a little more intimacy, a bit more privacy and enclosed space? That’s part of the story behind this garden renovation I’m sharing with you today.

I most often seem to write stories on homes that are on smaller landholdings, as  little as inner-city blocks just 200sqm in size. Today I’ve got something a little different for you – it’s a courtyard garden and pool transformation on a huge 6,000 hectare sheep farm – and it’s beautiful. This complete renovation saw this once-scrubby garden in rural Bindi Bindi turned into the most blissful poolside retreat with alfresco area. It looks so lovely now you could easily believe it was the private pool of a boutique heritage hotel. You guys will love seeing the “before” shots of this one!

The beautiful new alfresco area offers a year-round space for the Lefroy family to spend time together.

Landscape designer Ascher Smith wanted to fulfil Tracy and Kristin’s dream of an outdoor space where the family could come together. “I feel the family relish in the time they get to spend together as they are one super-busy family,” she says. “The kids love nature and the outdoors and although there is plenty of space to roam on a farm, having the pool, outdoor lounge, sun deck, breakfast bar, outdoor dining area and sprawling farm views all within the same location, it can now be used by the whole family whilst they spend quality time together all doing the things they love the most.”

This farm is home to owners Tracy Lefroy, who runs online homewares store Cranmore Home, her husband Kristin Lefroy, a farmer. They live with their kids, Henry, 9, Oliver, 7, and Eve, 4, as well as sheepdogs Rippa and Rosie, and Milla, a Jack Russell x Dachshund. You might remember Tracy’s name from when I covered her farmhouse renos to date back here – and when I also visited the farm one winter for the inaugural Cranmore Home Winter Workshop.

Cranmore Home owner Tracy Lefroy (she stocks these beautiful hanging chairs – as well as almost all the lovely pieces you see around her pool area).

The farmhouse at Cranmore Park. Photo by Sally Mills.

Photos by landscape designer and exterior style consultant Ascher Smith.

Those photos will give you an idea of how stunning their property is – and also how big. The Lefroys live at Cranmore Park, a 6,000 hectare sheep farm about two and a half hours north of Perth in Bindi Bindi, 37km from the country town of Moora. Their farmhouse was built in stages, the first in 1909, and the build has been going on ever since! (Stone from the farm has been used in the construction of the walls, garden beds and chimneys – you don’t get more ‘locally sourced materials’ than that).

Tracy and Kristin moved into the farmhouse on June 25, 2009. “I remember the date as it was on my oldest son’s first birthday!” says Tracy. “We are the fifth generation of my husband’s family to live in our home.” “I love that there is such a rich sense of family here. Our home is the home my husband grew up in and where my in-laws lived until they moved down to our Bindoon farm. What I love about living on a farm is that you don’t choose the house – you get one with the job! We were just incredibly lucky that our farmhouse is such a beautiful old dame.”

While the house needed a little love when Tracy and Kristin moved in, they were incredibly fortunate that the bones (or stones!) of the home were perfect. “We have tweaked things to suit the lifestyle of a young family, including enclosing a veranda to make a passageway that services the bedrooms, new bathrooms, renovated kitchen, and a separate office building.”

BEFORE

With a farmhouse this old, nothing happens overnight, and a commitment to doing everything to a high standard means their renovation progress has been slow but steady. When they moved in, Tracy and Kristin created a super-organised ten-year-plan for renovating the house, with a plan and careful budget for each year.

All was going well, but then came a curveball. “As with all old homes, our home presents us with lots of ‘surprises’… not all of them good!” says Tracy. “At the end of 2016, we were super-excited as we had finally saved up enough to renovate our very tired ensuite and create a new family bathroom (we used Jane Ledger for this and she nailed the brief). Then, in January 2017, we discovered that the footings of our home were not in great shape – euphemism of the century! We needed to eliminate all water from our courtyard and build retaining structures to stop our house falling down – she is an old lady, after all… everyone falls down at some stage! So we then shuffled, jiggled, raided the kids’ piggybanks and sold off unnecessary internal organs so that we could fit both a courtyard overhaul and bathrooms into one year.”

The Lefroys were told with the bad state of their old house’s footings, they needed to get rid of all garden beds and work on the structural integrity of the footings. “It was actually Kristin, my husband, who came up with the concept of using a concrete wall as both structural support and a swimming pool – genius!” says Tracy.

BEFORE

AFTER. The pool was by Add a Splash Pools. “Add A Splash Pools did a fantastic job with the pool area – including when our bedrock managed to break their rock-breaker!” says Tracy.

BEFORE. The kitchen window and external access.

AFTER: A much more practical, usable outdoor space. Photos by Ascher Smith.

How beautiful are the farmhouse’s old stone walls? The daybed is the ‘Lounger’ by Byron Bay Hanging Chairs.

Then it was time to hunt for the perfect person to bring that courtyard vision to life. Tracy stumbled upon the perfect landscape designer on Instagram – Ascher Smith, exterior style consultant of Ascher Smith Exterior Styling and Landscaping. “We completely clicked in terms of our vision for how the space was going to ‘work’ and she also got that as a busy family, things needed to happen seamlessly,” reveals Tracy.

While she loves doing residential gardens throughout Perth, Ascher jumped at the chance to turn her talents to this one-of-a-kind country project. “My residential designs are always bound by harsh Colorbond fences and built-up neighbouring houses that I spend my life trying to soften or hide!” she laughs. “I rarely get to work this close to nature. For me a great design starts with its canvas and the ‘borrowed landscape’ where I like to incorporate distant elements of the surrounding landscape into these gardens, creating the feeling of greater space.”

Landscape designer Ascher Smith – yes heavily pregnant, right after she finished Tracy’s job! (She just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a few days ago). This lady never stops!

Ascher brought her wealth of knowledge of the landscape industry to the renovation. I am always inspired by people who overcome hurdles or adversity of some kind to get to where they want to be, and Ascher is one. About 12 years ago she began her landscaping career as a landscaper in Broome where she gained the basis for her design qualifications. “I developed severe carpal tunnel in both wrists, to the point I could not work physically with my hands anymore and was told I should not landscape anymore,” she says. “But I was so passionate about the industry, and not ready to give it up – so I learnt the art of Landscape Design and soon found myself in love with the creative aspect of landscaping and the myriad of options nature has given us to create beautiful outdoor spaces. Specifically, I really love residential garden design.” Now she has her own landscaping business, working closely with her husband who manages their in-house construction team, making gardens happen from design to completion.

Ascher says she was enchanted by Tracy’s farm as soon as she saw it. “From our first meeting I adored Cranmore Park’s charm, character and function,” she says. “I feel gardens begin inside your home, on axis with key views, so I wanted to design the garden with the home and surrounding land always being the hero. I was careful not to start with any preconceived notions about what a ‘farm garden’ should look like. The last thing I wanted to create was a high-maintenance garden for Tracy who already juggles her thriving business, family, farm and other life commitments. I needed to keep an open mind about how this area could be the most functional and visually appealing garden all year round.”

BEFORE

AFTER. The beautiful sofa and chairs are available in the Cranmore Home online store and are from Globewest.

BEFORE

AFTER

One of my favourite features in Tracy and Kristin’s courtyard garden is this – a bench by the kitchen window, where the three children can eat their breakfast in the morning (while dogs can hoover up any dropped crumbs!) The kids now often swim before and after school. Styling by Tracy Lefroy and Ascher Smith. Photos by Ascher Smith.

Of key importance was achieving a seamless blend between the old stone farmhouse’s exterior, the interior style and the new garden, alfresco area and pool.

“I wanted the old home to have its way,” says Ascher. “I didn’t want the garden to compete with the home, only to complement it.”

“I feel we have achieved this through the natural materials chosen for the landscaping such as the tumbled travertine stone paving and spotted gum decking that surrounds the pool. It will silver off over time and blend into nature even more.”

Normally when I interview people about their home renovations, I ask them how the finished result reflects the way the family likes to live. What’s interesting about the Lefroy courtyard renovation is that the design didn’t necessarily reflect the way the family has lived, but rather represented an ideal of how they WANTED to live – a little haven from the hard work of farm life.

“Living and working at the same location can mean that it is hard to switch off, but our courtyard genuinely feels like a little oasis and a retreat from the farm,” says Tracy. “Sunday afternoons it gets a workout from the kids, whilst during the week the pool is utilised before and after school. Kristin and I relish having our morning coffee out on the deck overlooking the pool.”

OLD WITH NEW: “Although the landscape features new patios, outdoor dining terraces, and new swimming pool, I felt this design really has its emphasis on the natural splendor of nature,” says Ascher of the farm’s courtyard garden. “I like that our clients can still feel so connected to the land by the way of the architectural lines of even the pool fencing, which help direct the views in reassuring ways.”

Ascher and Tracy styled and shot these photos on a scorching hot summer’s day! Luckily they had the pool, a perfect way for Ascher and bump to cool off.

I asked Ascher to give her tips for other renovators wanting to achieve a gorgeous and highly functional country garden and she was happy to help.

“Do think about how you will use the space. The design should stem from the practical ways in which you want to use the landscape.”

“Do use timeless materials such as timber, stone, concrete and steel to help blend the garden into its natural surrounds.”

“Do your research and choose plants that will survive the local environment and conditions.”

“Don’t overdo the plant palette. An overly complex garden can appear fussy and demanding alongside a serene country setting.”

“Don’t create a fad garden… Timeless gardens and landscapes have the ability to make an impact on individuals and speak to us for years on end. This has everything to do with the choice of materials and plants used within the garden to create this timeless feel.”

“Don’t go overboard. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should! Great projects are the ones that show a little restraint.”

Since it was completed a few weeks ago, the beautiful courtyard garden and pool has been in full use every day. To Ascher, Tracy is most grateful. “Ascher as a designer has been without fault,” she tells me. “From her incredible renders of the completed space (super handy for my husband and I to visualise the end result), to the communcation regarding time frames, when her team would be on-site and absolute attention to detail, I could not receommend her business highly enough. As with most people, our lives are pretty darn busy, so knowing that Ascher was not only designing the courtyard but also coordinating the crew to carry out the work was magic!” Maya x

You can visit Ascher Smith Exterior Styling and Landscaping online here or follow her on Instagram @ascher_smith. To check out the delectable goodies in Tracy’s Cranmore Home online store, go here or follow her on Instagram @cranmorehome.

  HOME LOWDOWN

  THE OWNERS

Cranmore Home director Tracy Lefroy, 38, her husband Kristin Lefroy, 41, a farmer, and their kids, Henry, 9, Oliver, 7, and Eve, 4, who live with their sheepdogs Rippa and Rosie and Milla, a Jack Russell x Dachshund

THEIR HOME

A 1909-built stone farmhouse on Cranmore Park, a 6,000 hectare sheep and cattle farm

LOCATION

Rural Bindi Bindi, Western Australia

MOVED IN

2009

THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNER

Ascher Smith of Ascher Smith Exterior Styling and Landscaping

SUPPLIERS

The pool was by Add-a-Splash Pools The barn doors were by local cabinet maker DG Cabinets Most of the furniture and homewares are available through Cranmore Home

STYLING

Tracy Lefroy and Ascher Smith

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ascher Smith

The post A Blissful Pool Retreat for a 100-Year-Old Rural Farmhouse appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement http://house-nerd.com/2017/12/10/blissful-poolside-retreat-100-year-old-rural-farmhouse/