Richard Keith LanghamI love Books. They are such a source of inspiration. And I know there are a lot of you just like me who are very visual. The Peak of Chic did a great post on books yesterday and posed the question: "How best to display books". Let me know how you display your books. I display my books all over the house....in stacks, on tables, on chairs, countertops, bookshelves and even in the bathroom. I am not a fan of covering books in false jacket covers. There is so much beauty and inspiration in book covers. Having said that, for some books I take off the jacket covers because I find the original binding of the books more attractive, but I always keep the original jacket covers filed away. I also like to rotate books in stacks as decorative objects. I have stacks of books that are current around me and I put the books on top that I most want to look through first. My stacks of books are always changing depending on what I am reading or am inspired by. I do like to arrange books on shelves in subject matter as closely as possible, it makes finding them easier. Large books are better laid flat. Small books grouped together. Magazines filed in piles chronologically and by magazine. But having said all the above, I have no hard & fast rules as my book collection is constantly evolving and ever expanding. Sometimes I am very neat and sometimes books are everywhere in wild abandon.
Absolutely Beautiful Things
Unknown
David Kleinberg 
Bunny Williams Home from New York Social Diary
Miles Redd
Photo New York Social Diary I love this library table with the lamps and chairs all around, just ready to sit down and devour the piles of books.
DreamHouse
David Duncan Livingston This is something how my office looks with stacks of magazines.
Cote de Texas I love the way that Cote has all her books stacked.
Bunny Williams Home from New York Social Diary
And this photo is for those of you who don't mind not being able to see the title of the books. I agree that it looks ever so Chic, but I wonder if the books become somewhat mysterious. Would you want to take each book of the shelf and see what was inside? I would!"You are the same today that you are going to be five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read." -- Charles Jones
If anyone knows the source of the above "unknown photo" please let me know.
Well, we are 80% finished with the pool and pool deck. All that remains is to put up some more privacy lattice around the top of the deck, build the changing room (Paul has something special in mind), and finish installing the white pool railing at the back of the pool. We decided to go that route at the back as we have total privacy in our back yard and the trees are so lovely to look at.
We are finally getting some proper pool weather and I can finally stop whining about the rain. However, anyone who knows me knows I don't mind complaining about hot, humid weather either!! I won't now though, because if I get too hot I can drag my sorry self into the pool; and now that Paul installed the air conditioner in the kitchen window, inside is also nice and cool. I can now be one of those people who seem so easy going about the heat. That's me...cool and collected...never complaining about the weather...!!!
Did you notice the umbrella? It is within the basket of flowers itself. It is one of my favourite things I have created. First I placed a cast iron umbrella stand in the empty basket. Next, I added a plastic catch pan for the water run-off from the flowers. I had to cut a hole in it and slip it over the umbrella stand post. Then, I also cut a hole in a large flower pot and slipped it over the post as well. Next, I added a bit of gravel. Then I put the actual umbrella into the stand, added some soil and the plants and voila. A pretty, shady spot to shield me from the worst of the heat while I lightly peruse my decorating mags (...I mean lifeguard).
"Hey, no diving!!" Actually, that's a handstand...I really do lifeguard them well...
Speaking of night, we have an underwater light for the pool, but I found these beautiful lanterns at Winners/Homesense. I love them and they take a candle so they were perfect!! Aren't they pretty??
Next, is the coveted lounge chair on the kid's side of the deck. The boys don't seem to care that it is a bit girly, because that pad on the lounger is sooo comfy. I picked it up last year at Pier One...on sale. The boys look pretty cute on it!!
Lastly, before you go in this pool,
You need to read these rules:
Our youngest son competed on Saturday in the annual Kids of Steel triathlon at Melmerby Beach. I guess I shouldn't say competed as it was considered a non-competitive event, but try telling that to an eleven year old!! 
