Beaucoup Joie de Vivre

Kitchen Redo Update

2012-01-23T16:27:00.000-06:00

What started out as a simple kitchen update with granite and a tile backsplash has grown.............and grown.....Here is my former very "oak" kitchen with its worn formica countertops....

And here's an update that's still a work in progress....

Isn't that the way it always happens? One thing leads to another and another and before you know it, the room has a completely different look. You see, once the granite was installed the cabinets looked a little dated.

Thus came the need to add a little interest in the form of a painted and glazed kitchen island.... I would SO love to do the entire kitchen but that would cost $$$$$. Still pondering that one.

The counter height stool was ordered online from Ballard Designs. Debated and debated on whether to order it in rubbed cream or brown and still not sure of the choice I made. I can always chalk paint it if I decide I don't like it. Do you see those iron brackets? I ordered them online in black. When they came in, I thought they were a little too stark so I spray painted them hammered brown. Still didn't like them so I painted and glazed them to match the island. I love them now! Here's a close up pic...

Next up is the addition of crown moulding and a new kitchen table and chairs so STAY TUNED.I'm linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch. Hop on over and pay her a visit!

Looking Back

2011-12-27T10:56:00.000-06:00

I can't let Christmas 2011 slip away without posting any photos. It was a great Christmas, a little sad because it was the first without my dear mom with us, but I know she's in a better place and that I will see her again one day. My grandgirls are so adorable and fun. Look at the note Haylee left behind, presumably for Santa....

Why is you a thief of milk and cookies????

Guess she thinks Santa should work for free, huh???

My tree was so blingy that I decided to tone down my usual mantel decorations.... Do you see my new painting hanging over the mantel? It shows a street scene in Paris around the turn of the century and the beautiful hues caught my eye at Ross. I just had to bring it home with me and am so glad I did. What a steal for $49!!!

Here is my crew. I'm taking them all to Disneyworld in May. My son had an awful scare at Thanksgiving when he developed Bell's Palsy and lost muscle control on the left side of his face. Any little health problem can be cause for concern after beating cancer but thankfully it was a mild case of palsy, totally unrelated, and it resolved itself quickly. I've been wanting to take them all to Disney ever since he went into remission and the girls were old enough to really enjoy it. When I reflect on those bleak days with him undergoing chemotherapy and my DIL on bedrest threatening to have those babies early, I wonder how we managed to maintain our sanity. We are going to have so much fun!!!

Johnny joined us on Christmas Eve, and I went to Johnny's and celebrated Christmas with his mom and kids on Christmas Day. The holidays can feel really lonely after a divorce at the empty nest stage but that just didn't happen this year. I am blessed with people in my life who really care about me.

I've been shopping for a new dining table and chairs for my updated kitchen so you'll have to wait with baited breath for the big reveal. :-))

I'm happy to report that those cabinets FINALLY have knobs back on them.... Decisions, decisions....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS!!!

Counting My Blessings

2011-12-25T08:55:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted one single time over this busy holiday season....... What a whirlwind month it has been! I spent Thanksgiving in Charleston, SC with my sweet daughter. It was a great trip with lots of quality mother/daughter time.....

I have so very much to be thankful for...... A beautiful and HEALTHY family........ We had an awful scare last month when my son suddenly developed Bell's Palsy as I was in route to South Carolina. Brought back all those memories of that bittersweet time in 2005 when we greeted beautiful grandgirls while he battled Hodgkin's Lymphoma.... The palsy is totally resolved and we are all going to celebrate his continuing health with a family trip to Disneyworld this May!!!

Merry Christmas, my friends!!!!!!

The Beginnings of a New Kitchen!!!!

2011-11-09T21:25:00.001-06:00

I've been busy as a bee, can I tell ya? ..... I had granite and tumbled marble tiles installed in my kitchen last week. Something I've wanted to do for a very long time..... But one thing leads to another and another..... And now I'm changing cabinet knobs out, replacing light fixtures, reworking my island, etc. etc. :-)

I'm linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday. I really really need some input so please take time to leave me a comment.

Here's a quick peek at the work in progress. But you can only view if you PROMISE (scout's honor) to post a comment with your preference on cabinet hardware.

I have several design dilemmas to contend with. First and foremost, I want updated knobs that de-emphasize the red in the stain on my cabinets. And I'm very undecided, with the top picks being either flat black or brushed nickel. The black knobs accent the black appliances, but the brushed nickel reflects lights in a beautiful way and matches the finish on my new faucet. I tried oil rubbed bronze but it does nothing for the cabinet color other than blend right in.

Here's a before shot taken the morning of the demo after the outdated white porcelain knobs had been removed.....

It was time for that worn, tired formica, stained tile, and drippy faucet to go. The granite guys came in and had it all torn out in no time flat. They might have worn earrings but they sure worked like REAL men. LOL

Here is my kitchen now, still a work in progress............. I replaced my vent hood because it was grimy from 19 years of duty and I love that it not only has two lights, there are high and low settings. Who would have thought a vent hood could bring such joy? Do you see that ugly outlet cover? After I took this photo, I found some ceramic ones at Home Depot that blend right in with the marble....

I spotted that pencil trim on the backsplash in a kitchen photo online and just fell in love with it. I knew that a lot of pattern on my backsplash would detract from that gorgeous granite so I opted for a monochromatic look with pencil trim to add just a bit of polish.

As much as I wanted a new cooktop, I had them drop the old one right back in. I'll use it until it goes out and then replace it. I know, just call me TIGHTWAD.

I knew I wanted an overhang on the end of my island to increase my usable counter space and possibly house a barstool. I've ordered some decorative iron brackets online but am still considering having the cabinet guys mount two wooden posts under the overhang.

I love it when an island looks like a piece of furniture, don't you? Another thought would be to add some feet to it and stick with the iron brackets. Talk to me, ladies....

And then there's the possibility of painting and glazing just the island in a pretty country white color..... I was leaning that way at first and even consulted with a lady who does fabulous faux finishes, but truly CRINGE at the idea of painting over such nice wood. But a little voice keeps saying, "Wouldn't it be absolutely beautiful????" The cost of faux finishing all of the cabinets would be around $2,700 but to redo just the island would be quite reasonable.

Here's my new much deeper sink and faucet. In hindsight, I would have preferred for the tile to run around the upright area behind the sink for continuity but I won't fret over it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new sink!!!!

Back to the scout's honor stuff......... Please PLEASE post your opinion on cabinet knobs and other stuff if you so desire..... Drum roll, please....................

Knob #1.......

Or knob # 2............

Stay tuned for regular updates.......................

Red Toile Curtains for Sale!!!

2011-11-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

Well, ladies, I don't usually post items for sale on my blog but I'm smack dab in the middle of a kitchen redo and have these pretty red toile curtain valances I'd like to get rid of. I've always been a lover of all things toile and they've served me well, but now I'm ready for a change. Here's a pic.....

All together, I have six of these valances for sale. I bought them online and they are well made of Waverly heavy toile and fully lined. If you are interested in purchasing some or all of them, please e-mail me at Tcolcl1027@aol.com. I'm asking $30 per valance or $25 each if you buy all six. That's six valances for the cost of five...... Here's another shot.....

They're just too darn pretty to donate to goodwill and need a good home..... They will fit 35" wide windows. Stay tuned for kitchen redo pics.......

Happy Thursday!

First Time Cruisin'

2011-10-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

Hellooooo, my sweet blogging friends. I've been sort of AWOL lately, in case you haven't noticed. :-/

The return to school every fall is always a terribly BUSY time for me and I've also been having lots of fun outside of work. Johnny and I went on a four-day cruise over the fall break! Never having been before, neither of us knew quite what to expect. I got a great deal on the tickets so we thought we'd just give it a try and see what we thought. Cruising is really a great value for your money. The price was all inclusive except for cold drinks and alcoholic drinks and let me tell ya, they don't scrimp on the alcohol in those drinks of the day. Just one was enough to give me quite a good buzz. LOL

I was worried about getting seasick but it didn't happen, even the night that some bad weather blew in and got that boat a 'rocking like you wouldn't believe. And we arrived back home just as a cold front was moving in. Have you ever worn a sweater with a sun tan? I guess there's a first time for everything. :-)

Here's our ship docked in port in Cozumel. It stormed all day but we put on our rain ponchos and I slapped a sun visor on to keep the rain off my face and off we went.

The biggest surprise was that the water was the most beautiful shade of blue from the minute we entered the gulf. We spent most of our time basking in the sun on the serenity deck on the back of the ship. It was a kid free zone with comfy loungers and two hot tubs and we could see the gorgeous blue water as the ship cut a path through it. Doesn't this pic just make you smile and say "ahhhhh?"

Even though we ate a lot, we used the stairs and worked off some of those calories.

Notice I said some.....

We gambled a little, too, but those slots just weren't paying off.

Would we go again? Absolutely. I kept thinking of how much my kids would have enjoyed it. Do you do that? Always think about your kids when you're doing something really fun?

It was a great trip!!! And on Tuesday I'm having granite put in my kitchen!!!! So stay tuned!!!

Happy Birthday in Heaven

2011-09-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

We probably never realize the lasting effect we have on those who love us. My mom was such a sweet, gentle woman and I miss her so very much. It's been a little over 4 months since she earned her heavenly wings, but the pain of the loss is still so sharp that it often takes my breath away. The holiday season will be a rough one for me.

Today my sweet Brooke drew this picture. She told her mom she drew it to show how much she misses her great grandmother. It is so beautifully done that it made me cry. There is so much emotion there.

This coming Saturday would have been a day of celebration because my mom would have been 90 years old. I know she is at peace and reunited with my dad, the love of her life, but somehow that isn't much consolation on days like today.

I LOVE YOU, MOM

Metamorphosis Monday Washstand

2011-08-07T20:42:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a whirlwind week I've had. Got my daughter moved up to Charleston for college and am starting back to school tomorrow.....

:( Goodbye, summer, I'm gonna MISS ya.........

To brighten my mood, I'm linking up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday this evening. We are in the process of cleaning out my mother's house and no one seemed interested in this sweet little washstand that my mom had antiqued years ago. Remember the antiquing craze????? Well, I brought this little baby home and gave it an update with old white chalk paint and gave it a good home right next to my rice bed.

Here's the before:

The wonderful thing about chalk paint is that there is no prep work needed. You just slap that paint on and it adheres to anything...... It has been so wet and rainy here that I brought the washstand inside and worked on it in my kitchen.

Here it is with two coats of old white on it. I painted right over the old brass handles. Then I took a sanding block and went to town. Not something I'll do inside again...... :( Made the mess of a lifetime, can I tell ya? After that, I waxed it with clear and then dark Annie Sloan wax. That dark wax has to be used sparingly. It went on too dark so I used added clear wax on top to lighten it up.

Here's a close up shot of the distressing. Talk about relieve some deep seated anxiety in a hurry at half the expense of psychotherapy. Ha!

Are ya ready for the finished product? I'm just so darn proud of it......

Isn't it sweet? And I love the storage it provides. If you haven't tried Annie Sloan chalk paint, you HAVE to. 'Nuff said......

Later,

I Love Water Features.....

2011-07-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

It seems like forever since I've posted! I hadn't been back home from Galveston long when my daughter and I headed off for Charleston, South Carolina to find her a place to live for the coming year. She is entering her junior year of college and was accepted into a national exchange program and College of Charleston was her school of choice. We were hoping she would be placed in a dorm but when that didn't happen, we decided to make a trip up there to find her some roommates and a nice place to live.

That turned out to be QUITE a task. The promising places were rented out from under us and we butted heads over one great old home with fabulous roommates but situated smack dab in the middle of a bad bad neighborhood.

I made reservations at 1837 Bed and Breakfast in downtown Charleston, just steps away from campus. There were no rooms available in the main house so Kait and I stayed in the carriage house out back. It was such a sweet place (and inexpensively priced) and the breakfasts were absolutely to die for! I had NO PROBLEM getting Kait up in the mornings even though she's usually a late sleeper. All I had to say was, "Time for Breakfast!" and that girl was up and at 'em. This Pineapple Upside Down French Toast and fresh fruit with lemon curd was my favorite of them all.

That neat front porch was my relaxation and sipping wine spot after long days of walking and walking and walking....

It's hard to navigate around in the city because of the narrow streets and lack of parking so we walked everywhere. Ate like pigs and didn't gain an ounce either.... :)

College of Charleston is a small and quaint college of about 10,000 students. The campus is breathtakingly beautiful so I understand why my daughter chose this school. My son and daughter-in-law were stationed in Charleston for several years so our family spent a lot of time here.

BTW, I'm having problems with blogger and can't respond to posts unless I do it anonymously. So if I haven't posted a comment on your blog in ages, you know it's not because I'm not following.... Can anyone offer some words of advice on correcting that issue?

Isn't that an incredibly gorgeous house AKA campus building?

I loved this neat old clock..... Dear Lord, help it get her to class on time..... :)

Just when I was beginning to feel that we'd never find suitable roommates that we were both comfortable with, a new ad popped up online one morning and it sounded like just what we were looking for. We went and visited and BINGO, they hit it off. The apartment is above businesses along King Street in a safe area of town. And that's the story of how we found a place for my daughter to live.

Then it was VACATION TIME!

We went down to the battery at the tip of the Charleston peninsula and gazed across the water at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. After the sweltering heat, the cool ocean breezes at dusk were a welcome change.

This gorgeous place is home to a B & B right on the water. It was named in the book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Pretty impressive, right?

We rode over to Folly Beach, just a bridge away from downtown. The beaches aren't as beautiful as those in Florida but they'll definitely do in a pinch....

Here is my sweet girl, all grown up.....

No trip to Charleston is complete without a stop at Jestine's Kitchen. Rachel Ray once featured the restaurant on her show and business has been very good since then, so good that there is always a line that snakes around the corner and down the street. They actually have a large water cooler and paper cups strapped to the telephone pole outside for the patiently waiting customers. We made friends with people in front of us who were from Austin, TX and a bride-to-be behind us who was getting married that weekend at Middleton Plantation. She told me that Charleston is the second top destination wedding location, second only to Key West, Florida. Kait looked at me and I could see the wheels in motion.... That night she said, "Wouldn't it be awesome if I got married here one day?" Gotta finish school and locate a groom first, my girl.....

Jestine's was definitely worth the wait.....

That evening we went on a night tour that detailed the bawdry past of the city. And heard about this fence that we'd seen on campus..... Take a close look.......

People from those parts call it the egg and sperm fence..... Say it represents all that college partying..... Don't even want to go there...... Makes a momma cringe, ya know?

I kept seeing window boxes everywhere and came home and replicated one. Here's the inspiration photo I snapped......

And here's what Johnny and I put together..................

I thought I should add more sweet potato vine but was told that it's very aggressive and will take over so I decided to leave it a little dinky looking.

I know, I know, I need a brown or black hose as that green one is an assault to the ole eyes.

But the very best part of my trip was coming home to an almost complete garden fountain! Johnny and I got it put together and running on Saturday. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! We did the staining and sealing and assembly and saved $$$$$. Are you ready?????

I need ideas as to what to plant around the base. I want it lush to hide the stepping stone we set the fountain on but not too tall because that would hide the beauty of the pedestal base. Ideas, my friends?

I know this is a very very long post but I just have so much to share..... One more shot. Had to pass my car down to my daughter as hers was not roadworthy so I traded the clunker and bought myself a new car. Well, a new to me car. It's a 2011 with 6,800 miles on it and is a preowned certified car with a 100,000 mile warranty. It's my "one last hoorah before I retire car." Ready????

It's a Beemer and my auto insurance actually went DOWN $350 per year with this baby.

Unbelievable, huh? I got a great deal and just love my new car.

Grace Manor - A Stately and Beautiful B & B

2011-07-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

This summer is FLYING by, I tell ya...... Got back from Galveston, Texas on Monday evening and haven't had a spare moment to share about the beautiful gem of a B & B that we discovered there..... Have been staining a concrete fountain but that's information for another post!

This beautiful home is Grace Manor, located in the downtown historic district only three blocks away from The Strand, a nice area of restaurants, art galleries, and antique shops. It was so nice to be able to walk on over and not have to pay to park. And the exercise sure helped considering how we ate like kings! Here she is, built in 1905.....

Isn't she lovely??? Here's a view as you enter the front gate..... The owner is a sweet lady named Barb and the mansion is named after her cocker spaniel Gracie.

The house still has all of the original stained glass and it's breathtakingly gorgeous. Here's an inside shot of the front door. Those pink flowers in the glass look like oleander blossoms. Oleander grows profusely in Galveston. I bought a bush some years back but it didn't do well at all. It must love sandy soil, something sorely lacking in south Louisiana.

This was my favorite part of the entire house....... These Tiffany glass windows were unbelievably beautiful with the light streaming through them. These pictures really don't do them justice. Barb was told that those windows are probably worth as much as the entire house and I can believe it.

We stayed in the Vanilla Orchid Room, which is on the right just past the antique dresser. The open door next to the stained glass window leads into the hospitality suite, where Barb keeps a stocked refrigerator, hot coffee, tea bags, etc.....

Here's one last view of the hallway. The door on the left leads into another guest room and the staircase visible through the open door goes up to the private quarters and down to the kitchen area. If I saw that settee is any other location, I wouldn't give it a second look but it fits perfectly in that spot, doesn't it? And that's not a stain on it, it's a red and white napkin that someone left behind. Barb puts freshly baked cookies out each day.

Isn't this ceiling gorgeous? It's handpainted and original to the house. And check out that column covered with acanthus leaves....

Here's a close-up shot.....

This is the parlor. Isn't it exquisite? I adore the fleur-de-lis motifs on the rug.

And this is the sitting room. Barb had books about the history of Galveston EVERYWHERE and I sure wish we'd had time to sit and look through a few of them.

I would love to have an antique sideboard like this..... Do you see the inlaid designs in the original wood floor?

Here's a shot of the stairwell. The bench seat on the left lifts for storage. We joked that it looked like there should be a hidden room behind that beautiful woodwork.

This is the Vanilla Orchid Room where we stayed. The wood shutters slide upward and are original to the house. That was one comfy bed.....

Another view of the Vanilla Orchid..... Grace Manor is not on the Historic Register due to the restrictions. When Barb converted the house to a B & B, she wanted to add guest bathrooms and that isn't allowed.

We took a ride around the harbor on The Colonel, a paddlewheel boat.

And even played tourist to the max and purchased our photo! :-)

We visited the Rainforest Pavillion at Moody Gardens where I almost had my camera snatched. Wait 'til you see the culprit......

That old guy has a penchant for snatching and fleeing.... LOL

The weekend culminated in a good, old-fashioned 4th of July parade hosted by the neighborhood residents.....

I'll end with a shot of the most charming thing about The Strand..... The gas street lights.....

Johnny and I hit lots of antique shops and I picked up some treasures for tablescapes...... So stay tuned....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!!!

2011-06-29T20:14:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday in celebration of the 4th of July! This is one of those low cost tablescapes that I so love to orchestrate..... All I bought were the red, white, and blue napkins from Tuesday Morning for the grand total of $7.99.... That's the joy of white dishes, just add some brightly colored accessories and you're ready to PAR-TAY!

I made the starfish garland last summer after seeing one in a gift shop for way too much money. I like the way it mimics the stars on the napkins and on Uncle Sam's top hat.....

I tied a red ribbon on the black lantern and used my red TJ Maxx dessert plates as accent pieces.

This Uncle Sam cast iron bank came from Tuesday Morning many years ago. My grandgirls absolutely love to see the coins drop from his hand into his bag..... Uncle Sam abuse fer sure..... The kittens LOVE it when they are left alone for a bit..... Ha ha.....

The first dinner guest has already arrived............ Just one of three adorable kittens that are free to the first in line.............. And if you take all three, you get a HUGE discount.... LOL

Here's a far shot of my lush and tropical hideaway. Do you see the new plant in the background to the far right? It's a queen palm I got on sale for dirt cheap at Wally World. I painted the old clay pot with Versailles colored chalk paint and waxed it with dark wax. It's a test to see just how durable chalk paint really is...... I love that pretty gray green color......

Of course, that sale queen palm just had me salivating for more so I went back with Johnny in his Surburban and bought a much larger one. This baby was on sale for $23, believe it or not!!! I'm not sure how well it'll do in a pot but if it shows signs of neglect I'll just plant it in the yard..... I love that tropical patio look! Those darned kitties are giving it hell, though. They climb halfway up the trunk and hang on for dear life. PLEASE, someone adopt one or all of them!

Stay tuned for the FOUNTAIN I finally treated myself to...... It has to be stained before it can be assembled...... Here are the girls kissing the LSU tiger at the concrete yard the day we picked up the fountain.... Don't tell their mama cause she's an OHIO STATE FAN. :-)

It was SOME HOT that day!!!! Y'all try to stay COOL now!!!!! Hope you have a FANTASTIC 4th of July!!!!!

Deck Par-tay!!!!

2011-06-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up with Kim at Savvy Southern Style for the deck par-tay! I actually don't have a deck but a patio should count, right?????

Here are my new Bordallo Pinheuro salad and dinner plates that were purchased for a song from Tuesday Morning. I scooped up eight plates and five salad plates, all that were on hand. Need to hit the other stores to see if I can find three more of those salad plates.... If not, I guess I'll have to pay an exorbitant price at Replacements Ltd. :-( The reversible plastic placemats were marked down to $1.00 each at Wally World this week. They are striped on one side and a red and white floral print on the other.....

Here's a close-up of those simply "gaw-jeous" dishes.... My homemade wine cork napkin rings are still my absolute favorite go-to rings!

I'll end with some nighttime shots. I love being outside after dark when the temps are cooler, a nice breeze is blowing, and the crickets are chirping. Makes working for the school system and having summers off worthwhile, ya know????

I just couldn't pass up this Bougainvillea at Louisiana Nursery last week. Isn't it lovely?

The drought-like conditions have necessitated that I water every morning and eve. I can't ever remember a June this dry in Louisiana. We are currently under a burn ban which likely means no Fourth of July fireworks. :-(

It usually rains every single afternoon during the month of June. My oldest was born on June 30 and not only did it rain the day he was born, it's rained on his birthday every single year since. Do you like my little lanterns? They were an inexpensive find at Big Lots a few weeks ago.

My boys replaced my ceiling fan for me on Mother's Day. The old fan had seized up and no longer operated. It's so nice to sit outside after dark and listen to the crickets and enjoy the cool breeze the new fan generates.

I'll end this post with a few pics of my landscape lighting. It was something I've wanted to do for years and years so when my guy Johnny bought and installed it for me, it was a really BIG deal. Thanks, Johnny. Love you..... Notice that my sagos have rebounded and put out new growth......

There was an empty spot behind the crepe myrtle that I filled with two Coleus plants in full bloom. Not sure if they'll do well there but if not, I'll dig em up and try em somewhere else. It's called trial and error.....

Here's a view of the front of the house all lit up. Don't those lights welcome you in?

Here's a close-up of those Coleus plants in full bloom.

Thanks, friends, for taking a walk with me today. Hope you enjoyed the tour.....

Cheers,

First Day of Summer Vacation

2011-05-26T08:47:00.000-05:00

Hello, my friends. I've been in a dark place these last three weeks since my mom passed away. What a sweet, lovely lady she was..... and I will miss her dearly. That heartbreaking loss coupled with the stress of closing out a school year made for some sleepless nights. But sometimes we have to push ourselves to continue this business called living. My mom's dementia caused her to forget that my dad died three years ago and she would often ask where he was and why he wasn't coming to see her. When I let my kids know she was gone, but finally reunited with my dad, the love of her life, my middle child texted me this message, "Yup, PawPaw came and picked her up and they're off on a hot date right now." :) Gotta love that kid...

I spent the day yesterday working in the yard. What better way to welcome summer than that????? My hostas are beginning to bloom.

And the kittens are running all over the place..... Time to find them good homes.....

I stopped off at Lowe's and filled a buggy full..... And came home and planted it all. Pictures to come!

Here's a glimpse.... New patio umbrella.....

And my favorite purchase of all...... New throw pillows for my outdoor wicker chairs!

Stay tuned for more improvements to come!!!!!!

HAPPY SUMMER VACATION!!!!!!

I Love You, Mom

2011-05-01T01:31:00.000-05:00

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

My beautiful, loving, classy, headstrong, dear, sweet

89-year-old mom passed away today.

Isn't she just beautiful? My heart is heavy tonight but

I know that she is in a better place and rejoicing with my father in heaven.

I love you, mom!!!!

The Ups and Downs of Life

2011-04-23T12:07:00.000-05:00

Haven't been active on my blog lately as there is lots going on in my life. My sweet 89 year old mom has been struggling with issues lately and we had to move her out of her comfy assisted living apartment and into a nursing home. She fell hard early one morning last week which caused a blood vessel in her brain to break, resulting in a blood clot on her brain. Always one to drink lots and lots of milk, she has really strong bones and amazingly enough, didn't fracture anything. The only treatment for the clot is brain surgery for which she is not a candidate, due to heart issues. She has been bed bound since the fall. We put her in the best nursing home in the area but the reality of it all is so sad.

Here she is just a few months ago on Christmas day..... Always one to take great care of her skin, she looks amazing for her age, don't you think? She has gone downhill so quickly since then.

On a more positive note, I watched my grandgirls on Thursday night while my DIL went to her economics class. They had a ball playing with the new kittens. They were scrapbooking their little hearts out with their scissors and glue sticks and colored paper and stickers while the kittens played nearby. And then Brooke asked me, "Gram, does kitten hair grow back?" Oh, nooooooooooooo.......

Yep, you got it, she gave him a little trim up top just in time for Easter Sunday............ :)

Please excuse those dirty shorts. Those are my work-in-the-yard-grass-cutting shorts........

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hop, Hop, Hoppy Easter Tablescape

2011-04-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again................. Spring has sprung and it's egg hunt time. And time to think about setting a nice Easter table..... But first things first, had to visit the ole Easter bunny and have a pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt with him. Believe it or not, my girls are twins. One looks like daddy and one looks like momma. Kinda neat, huh?

And now it's tablescape time............

I've been itching to do something new with that roll of burlap I bought a while back. I paired it with some faux Easter eggs and a little raffia for a simple but sweet look and accented with the bunny I bought off the sale table for a couple of dollars at Home Goods last summer. This southern girl is OFFICIALLY on a budget. Had AC problems and had the repairman out who band-aided the problem with a transistor and said if I'm lucky it'll last the summer. The entire system needs replacing to the tune of $5,600...... And I have TWO units! OUCH!!!!!!!!

Rather, make that OUCH!!!!! OUCH!!!!!

The small bunny was purchased at Tuesday Morning a few weeks ago. Doesn't she look cute nestled in the Phalaenopsis peeking out at us?

Haven't a CLUE as to what I'll fix for Easter dinner, but the table will sure look nice. Tee hee.... Note to self: Clean the dirty fingerprints off the back door before company arrives....... Chances are that I'll have to move the entire tablescape to the dining room table and add more settings as that table seats more people.

I didn't spend a penny on anything new, just repurposed things I already had on hand..... My daddy would be real proud of that, bless his heart.

Couldn't help posting this close up shot. I love the way the light reflects off fine china.

HAPPY EASTER, Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!

Linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. Hop on over and pay her a visit..... http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Weekend Getaway, Part II

2011-03-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

Our last stop on the pilgrimage tour was Airlie. Built in 1790, Airlie was used as a union hospital during the Civil War. This private residence is now home to a young family. The mom told us that the room that was once used as the surgical suite is now her young son's bedroom and that he loves to tell his friends that he's counted 15 bloodstains on the wood floor. She says it's his way of making up for having to wear ballet slippers back when he danced in the Natchez Tableaux. :)

After the grandeur of the previous two homes, Airlie seemed somewhat of a let down, but we did see the most amazing "fancy chairs" from New York that are the prized possession of the owner. The chairs still had their original finish intact, but the decorative painting that once adorned the backs was so worn that it was barely visible. Have any of you ever heard of fancy chairs? The seats were rush and woven in an unusual pattern. I googled fancy chairs and here's what I learned........

During the opening decade of the nineteenth century, delicately fashioned and elegantly painted English-style chairs became popular in America. The period name, “Fancy chairs,” referred to their decoratively painted surfaces. Fancy chairs were painted in fancy colors (poppy, green, yellow, cream, white, and black) and were decorated in a specific vocabulary of neoclassical motifs: musical trophies, clusters of shells, scrolling vines, and foliated vines, urns, cornucopia, and eagles, and were painted to simulate bamboo.

Here's a picture of some very well preserved fancy chairs.... Aren't they lovely?

We spent the afternoon in downtown Natchez ducking in and out of antique and thrift shops, ate some awesome wraps at Slick Rick's, and sat on the levee just enjoying the beautiful spring day. If you're in the market for massive antique mirrors, armoires, and canopied beds, Natchez is the place to shop.....

We also strolled through The Eola Hotel, built in 1927. What a beautiful place!

I tried to make a reservation here when we were first planning the trip but the hotel was booked weeks in advance of the pilgrimage.... There is a gorgeous courtyard area out front with a huge fountain. Been googling fountains all afternoon..... ;)

Check out Johnny in this king sized chair in the lobby but please ignore what appears to be a drug deal taking place outside..... LOL

Here's yet another shot.....

Joining up with http://www.abeachcottage.com/ for Good Life Wednesday...

What a wonderful weekend! Hmmmm, where to next? :)

A Fun Weekend Getaway

2011-03-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

It was a perfect weekend.... Johnny and I drove up to Natchez, Mississippi for the spring pilgrimage. We stayed at a quaint bed and breakfast called Bisland House. The house was built in 1904 and Christine and Byron were wonderful hosts. When we arrived on Friday evening, we asked Christine to recommend a good restaurant. She made reservations for us at Magnolia Grill. The food was delicious! We had an onion souffle and crabmeat stuffed mushrooms followed by BBQ shrimp. Yum!

Gotta attempt to replicate that onion souffle... We sat on the sunporch that overlooks the mighty Mississippi River and watched a glorious sunset. Then we took a walk down to the Isle of Capri riverboat and won a little money.

Here's a shot of Bisland House and the two porches that are wonderful places to catch a breeze.... It was an aMaZiNg place to stay and I wish we could have stayed longer.

Breakfast was served promptly at 8:30 a.m. in the dining room. We dined on fresh fruit, hot homemade biscuits, crispy bacon, a scrumptious sausage and cheese quiche, and banana fritters. What an awesome way to start the day! It sure would have been nice to spend more time out here on the second floor porch listening to the birds sing....

There are three rooms available at Bisland House. We stayed here in Jessi's room. Do you see the photograph on the mantel? It's of the three young girls who grew up in this house. Christine said a thoughtful relative sent them to her when she learned the house had become a B & B.

There were so many special touches.... a vintage flowered plate containing fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate in the room, warm cookies in the dining room, a frig stocked with water and drinks....

After breakfast, we headed out to tour some historic homes. Our first stop was Magnolia Hall. Magnolia Hall is owned by the Natchez Garden Club and the upstairs area houses a costume museum. Constructed in 1858, it was the last mansion built in downtown Natchez before the Civil War. Indoor photography was not allowed in any of the homes. :(

Ladies dressed in period costume were on hand to greet the visitors and take them through each home.

Our second stop was Shields Town House, a lovely home built in 1860 and currently a private residence that is open only during pilgrimage. The tour guides kept referring to antiques purchased by the homeowners during their travels in the seventies and I quickly realized that the owners were quite old. And low and behold, the gray haired lil lady of the house awaited us in the dining room. She runs a bed and breakfast in her home and the outlying buildings! Unbelievable! The gardens surrounding the home are incredible. Here is a shot of the beautiful azaleas that grow along the property line.

On the south side of the home, there is a beautifully maintained English garden. Makes me want to go out and plant me some boxwoods!

Wouldn't that shady place to the far left be an awesome place to have your morning coffee? And out back is a courtyard centered by a huge cast iron fountain that was custom designed just for this home....

Guess who looked at fountains online today? :)

Trip to Natchez to be continued tomorrow.........

Happy Monday!

Diggin' in the Dirt

2011-03-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

This lady is ONE TIRED PUPPY tonight....... You see, I've been looking forward to diggin' in the dirt all week long. It was an extremely stressful week at work and I was SO READY to relax. I made a trip up to Home Depot and picked up some plants yesterday and this morning I set out to plant them. My sweet friend Julie stopped by and told me that some of them won't tolerate the sunny location so I altered my plans a bit. She has worked at a plant nursery for years and really knows her stuff. Here's the finished look....

That's an apple blossom camellia. I wanted something that would grow tall and provide flowers that I can view from my kitchen window. The flowers will be white with touches of pink around the rims. Now all I have to do is be patient!

Once that was finished, I tackled the bed in the back of my house near my patio.... I hadn't really worked in that bed in a number of years. It was filled it with perennials that came back from year to year so the most I've done in a very long time is spread fresh mulch. Well not THIS year. I dug everything up and turned the soil and mixed in six bags of top soil to raise the bed. And in the process, earned myself the first sunburn of the season! Ouch! I didn't finish getting everything planted and mulched so you will have to wait to see the fruits of that labor....

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!!!

The Luck o' the Irish

2011-03-17T22:48:00.000-05:00

Did I catch your attention with that post title? :)

Well, that's good cause I'm not even the least bit Irish..... LOL..... But I am a wee bit lucky cause I've been nominated for the Stylish Blogger Award by my new friend Lisa over at Buttercup Bliss. Thanks, Lisa!

I recently stumbled upon Lisa's blog and just fell in love with her decorating style. By all means, hop on over and pay Lisa a visit.

Here's how it works:

1. Thank the person whom awarded you and link back to them in your post.

2. Tell 7 random facts about yourself.

3. Pass the award on to 7 "new" found bloggers.

4. Contact each blogger and let them know you want to pass the award on to them;

Nominees, let the giver of the award know you accept the nomination.

Well, here goes.......

1. I love to work in my flowerbeds and couldn't survive without a nice patio area. It feels just so gosh darn wonderful to have the sun on my face and hear the birds singing in the trees. I do a lot of blogging on my laptop sitting out on that patio.

2. My favorite store in the whole wide world is Ann Taylor Loft. The sales are fantastic and teachers get a 15% discount all the time!

3. I have an amazing man in my life and we so enjoy spending time together. We share many of the same interests and just have fun hanging out on the weekends. He's helped me with lots of home improvement projects and actually says he enjoys doing them! How awesome is that?

4. I've worked for a school system in one capacity or another since 1978. I've been a classroom teacher, a science facilitator, and now serve as a reading/SBLC facilitator. If you're wondering what that entails, it means lots and lots of interaction with parents whose children aren't achieving in school for various reasons. Often exhausting but never dull!

5. I love french manis and pedis!

6. I have three amazing children who are just striking out on their own, two sons and a daughter.....as well as a wonderful DIL and two sweet twin grandgirls. My baby girl is a sophomore in college and was recently accepted for a semester of study in the fall at the College of Charleston in South Carolina!

7. I can easily give up sweets when dieting, but bread is an entirely different matter! Italian bread is my favorite.

Enough about me............ DRUM ROLL, PLEASE................

Here are my favorite bloggers whose posts I never ever skip over.....

1. The Self Confessed Lamp Tramp over at Lamp Tramp is one gutsy lady who's survived a devastating hurricane that ruined her beautiful home.

2. Diana at Nana Diana Takes A Break shares the sweetest and funniest stories about her grandchildren!

3. Kristen at Kristen's Creations designs the prettiest picture frames I've ever seen. She has beautiful things in her etsy shop.

4. Lori over at My Heart With Pleasure Fills is an awesome floral designer who always takes time to make sweet comments on my blog posts.

5. I've recently started following Lana at Lana Austin: Motif. She's a new friend who just moved with her entire family to ITALY for a year! How exciting is that!!!

6. Melanie at The Frosted Gardner takes garage sale furniture and paints and distresses it with amazingly wonderful taste.....

7. Sweet Judy at Gracious Southern Living always has something exciting going on!!!

Ladies, each and every one of you enrich my life with your creativity and spunk!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!!!

Spring into Spring

2011-03-08T20:25:00.000-06:00

I'm joining up with Judy for Spring into Spring and Kim for Wow Us Wednesday to share the Easter wreath I made for my mom's door at the assisted living facility. She is so appreciative of my efforts and I like to think it brightens her day every time she comes and goes. I found some awesome burlap garland at Michael's and just couldn't wait to play around with it. It was a rainy, dreary day and I didn't finish up in time to snap a pic before darkness fell so the quality isn't very good but I couldn't wait to share.

I'm already thinking of all sorts of uses for that burlap garland, aren't you?

Here's a close-up view......

Looks like the beginnings of the blue hour outside, doesn't it?

Thanks for visiting!

Sunday Afternoon Antiquing

2011-03-08T10:42:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a really really fun day. I went antiquing with my sister-in-law. She's a great friend and our friendship survived the divorce and for that I'm so grateful. We share a love for antiques and vintage items and both picked up some neat stuff. I meant to bring my camera along but

forgot it at home so I can't show you what she bought.... :(

I didn't spend a lot of money, but I found some sweet little treasures that I can't wait to share! I spent

a little time researching them on the internet last night but didn't have much luck.....

I know, I should turn off the flash but I don't know how on this new camera!

It's too complicated for me, I do believe. I found the gold corbel at a garage sale last spring and never did anything with it. Am thinking of hanging the plates above it.... They are Queen Anne by Stetson with 22 karat gold trim on them. I found a Queen Anne pattern on Replacements.com but it doesn't have the center design. You can't appreciate the intricate design without a close-up shot....

Is the woman a sheep herder? Did women even do that way back when?

Little Bo Peep did, didn't she? I just love the sweet details. I don't think she's too

interested in her suitor, do you? Here's the other one...

This lady looks like she's got a bad of PMS going on. LOL

I just love my new plates and can't wait to hang them....

Can you pick out my next little treasure below?

If you guessed the picture on the wall, you're an observant soul. It's new but it came from my mom's house and the print is called "First Blow for Liberty" In Memory of the Patriots of 1776.

No, my second little purchase was that cute little book. Let's take a closer look....

Isn't that just adorable? It's called Reg'lar Fellers and it was copyrighted in 1933. It reminds me of a comic book but in book format. Definitely got to read it to get the scoop on those reg'lar fellers.....Anyone know anything about such books? Here's a closeup but you must

pRoMiSe to ignore the dust.....

I will have to do some research.... Was this the precursor to comic strips

or did the comic strips come first?

Here's my last little treasure. I did do my homework for this one....

This danged camera picks up dust that isn't visible to the naked one! Check out the Spartan Brand Aspirin tin. Can you imagine purchasing 24 aspirin for 15 cents? The lady sold it to me for a dollar cause it wasn't priced. When I got home and googled it, I found lots of them for sale on ebay

for ten bucks a piece. The tin dates back to 1910. A real steal

for something a hundred years old, don't you think?

Hope you enjoyed seeing my new treasures!

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

Sandwich Glass

2011-03-06T10:28:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of you for the input about the green glassware but most especially Phyllis with Tea Party Every Day who called it sandwich glass..... Thank you, my friend..... I had googled and searched prior to my post but kept pulling up the lighter green depression glass, but when I googled sandwich glass, I found what I was looking for. This pretty glassware was produced in or near Sandwich, Massachusetts, thus the name sandwich glass.

It turns out that my sandwich glass was produced by Anchor Hocking. Here's a little tidbit about it....

Anchor Hocking produced their version of Sandwich from 1939 to 1964. Many will be familiar with this pattern as they were used as promotional items at grocery stores and gas stations. Five of the items, in Forest Green, were included free inside boxes of Crystal Wedding brand oats. While these five pieces are abundant, the remaining pieces in Forest Green are much harder to find and are highly sought after by collectors. Punch bowls, usually in milk glass, were fairly common promo items at gas stations in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

So while I have the sought after forest green glass, my pieces were the common ones found inside boxes of Crystal Wedding brand oatmeal. I have shallow bowls, small juice glasses, larger glasses, deep bowls, and saucers, so there's your five promotional items. My momma sure loved to cook that oatmeal! She had a degree in home economics education but only worked for one semester before my dad proposed, and after that she was a stay at home mom to the five of us. If you don't count her many terms as PTO president, that is.... She always cooked a full breakfast for us on school days, eggs and bacon, oatmeal, or cream of wheat.

Here's a pic of Anchor Hocking sandwich glass I found online....

And here's mine in forest green......

I just love the texture that those little raised dots give the glass......

I'm off work til Wednesday for the Mardi Gras holiday and headed out in a bit to meet my sis-in-law to go antiquing in Denham Springs...... There is an entire block of neat antique shops there and she's got her eye on something she saw there...... When there are antique shops, who needs parades?????

Have a great Sunday!

Vintage Glassware

2011-03-02T22:39:00.000-06:00

St. Paddy's Day is one of my favorite holidays. The green oatmeal dishes from my mom's house are the perfect complement to my St. Paddy's Day mugs and placemats. I call them "oatmeal" dishes because back in the 50's and 60's they came free in boxes of oatmeal. A pretty novel concept, don't you think? It's no wonder I ate so much oatmeal back in the old days..... tee hee....

Here's a close-up of that gorgeous orchid I picked up at Lowe's a few weeks ago. Another blossom

has opened since I took this shot. Doesn't it make a lovely centerpiece? It's quite the contrast to the bleak winter landscape outside that window, isn't it? Those flower beds are about to receive

a total and complete overhaul so stay tuned......

Here's a shot of some of those beautiful green oatmeal dishes.... Don't they look

right at home in that vintage cheese box?

The placemats came from Kohl's and were a steal at 40% off. The adorable mugs with a sweet shamrock inside each rim were picked up at Ross' several weeks ago. There were only two of them but I snapped them right up.... Can't have orphan mugs now, can we??? :(

The best thing about St. Paddy's Day is how it signals that SPRING is NEAR!!!!

Here's a peek at that sweet shamrock inside the rim of the mug.......

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!!!!!

Thank you, Susan, for hosting such awesome parties at Between Naps on the Porch.... Hop on over and pay Susan a visit, dahlin......

A Before and After

2011-02-20T21:24:00.000-06:00

I have this huge empty expanse of wall in my family room behind the sofa. At one time, I had mirrors of all sorts of shapes and sizes covering it. After a while, I grew tired of that look and took them all down when I changed the paint color on the walls. I've looked at prints but just couldn't find anything that seemed large enough for that wall. And since I like to position my sofa away from the wall, a really large picture would need a piece of furniture below to ground it.

Here's the before:

While shopping at Kirkland's for those bathroom mirrors, a very large iron piece caught my eye. I had no idea if I could afford it so I asked an employee to take it down for me. The $129.99 original price had been marked down twice, from $99.00 to $79.00! That was all it took for me to snap it up. It was too large to fit in my car so Johnny picked it up in his surburban and brought it out. I want to find some type of buffet with an open shelf to put beneath it but for the time being, I'm improvising with an antique sewing machine cabinet while I continue to search craigslist for the perfect piece...... I'm thinking I'm going to take the plunge and try to paint and distress whatever I find. All the painted furniture I've been seeing on the blogs has really made an impression. Here's the after:

And all of a sudden, that huge piece seems quite small...... I love the way it brings the eye up to emphasize the ten foot ceiling............

Here's a little table that I brought home from my mom's house. I'm not sure if it's an English or American antique or what its purpose was. Is this what is called a spindle table? It's a little high to use as an end table so I'll have to look around and decide where to use it. There were some watermarks on the top so I used some Old English on it. Other than that, it's in fairly pristine condition.

Well, it's off to bed for me........

A Stroll Through the Past

2011-02-18T19:29:00.000-06:00

Thank you for the sweet comments on my last post about dividing up my mom's things. It has not been the best week for me. I agree with all of y'all, things are just "things" and I brought home very little. No one can ever take away all of the happy memories no matter how hard they try.

My mom has been wandering out of her apartment and into the hallways after she has been put to bed and the manager at the assisted living facility is concerned about her safety. The night before last, she decided that she needed to cook a gumbo and called my sister to come and get her so that she could go and buy some shrimp. And it was 11:30 p.m.!!! My sister told her to go back to bed but the night workers found her trying to enter the kitchen at 4:00 a.m. just determined to cook that gumbo! My mom was always a night owl, staying up well past midnight and then sleeping in each morning once us kids were out of the house. It used to drive my dad crazy. We have explained repeatedly that she MUST get up and eat her meals in the dining room in order to remain there, and that means going to bed at a REASONABLE hour. But it falls on deaf ears.... And when the sitter arrives at 9:00 a.m., she has a hard time getting her up and dressed. Here's a picture of me, my mom, and my daughter on Christmas Day. I sure hope I look that good if I live to be 89!

I want to share a neat item that I brought home on Sunday. My mom, who was a fantastic cook, received this cast iron cake mold from my great aunt's estate and I recall her trying it out one Easter. I googled cast iron lamb and discovered that the Griswold company produced lamb, bunny, and santa cast iron molds back in the 1940's. I'm not sure if this is a Griswold because it doesn't have raised numbers across the front like the ones I saw online but it doesn't matter to me because I think it's pretty cool no matter what company manufactured it.

The two parts of the mold fit together and there are holes to wire them in place. When I looked inside, there was a handwritten recipe for the cake in a yellowed envelope inside. It appears to be my great aunt's handwriting. Since there are no openings for pouring the batter inside, the first thing I wondered was how the cake can rise enough to fill the mold if batter is poured into only one half. I think the answer is in the mix because it calls for 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 3 beaten egg whites. I'm thinking that it will be somewhat of a sponge cake. Here's a picture of the inside of the mold and the yellowed envelope containing the recipe.

Pretty awesome, isn't it? Once I give the mold a good scrubbing, I think I'll try this recipe out. Of course, I'll wait until my grandgirls are sleeping over so they can help decorate the cake. The instructions call for icing it and then sprinkling coconut all over and adding raisins for the eyes and a ribbon or flowers around the neck. I can envision a fantastic scrapbook layout featuring two adorable flour-coated little princesses, can't you? :)

Do they still produce Calumet Baking Powder? I hope you have enjoyed my little blast from the past.....

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Dividing Up the Estate

2011-02-15T18:04:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a very hard day. My siblings and I met at my mom's house to divide up the household contents in order to prepare to put the house on the market. After my dad passed away three years ago, my mom lived alone for a while. She was really struggling without him and ended up at my sister's house, where she lived for the next year. Dealing with her memory issues really wore my sister down. We also worried about my mom being home alone all day alone, so we started to look at other options. Last March we moved her into a nice assisted living facility and hired sitters for nine hours every day. After the sitter leaves, the workers at the assisted living check on her periodically during the night. The house has been sitting empty all this time and we knew if something happened to it, the insurance company would refuse to cover any claims.

There has been terrible animosity amongst some of the siblings and ladies, I can tell you that sibling rivalry is alive and well in my family. But that's another story and believe me, you really don't want to hear it.

In the coming days, I will be posting about the things that I brought home with me. I've been doing some internet research to learn more about each item and I'll share that with you as well. Here's a little sneak preview.....

Hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day!

A Pick Me Up

2011-02-13T21:05:00.000-06:00

Johnny and I went over to Lowe's last night to pick up some supplies and chanced across these beautiful Phalaenopsis orchids and I just couldn't resist buying one. I'm not sure why but they were priced unbelievably low.... $14.99 for this gorgeous specimen of a plant... Just what I needed for a little wintertime pick me up.

Don't ya just LOVE it?

I'm not sure how it'll do in this location so I'll need to watch it carefully. My other one is in my kitchen window and that's been a great spot for it. It rebloomed last spring and is all budded up and ready for another show of glory. Before long,
it's going to look like this.....

Isn't that the most beautiful flower you ever saw? But for the time being, it looks like this.....

When it shot up a stalk and rebloomed last spring, I was AMAZED.
And there it is again, a new stalk with little buds springing forth.

Here's a better view.....

Do you see how one bud looks darker? Not sure what's going on there. Once it starts budding, the stalk continues to grow and more buds will appear. Or at least that's what it did last year. I've read that these plants like to be rootbound, but when the roots started growing
out of the hole at the bottom of the pot, I crossed my fingers and repotted it.
Since then, the leaves have almost doubled in size.

Just looking at these blooms makes me smile......

Throw Me Somethin' Mister!

2011-02-09T19:31:00.000-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!

Carnival season is about to kick in here in south Louisiana and this week's tablescape highlights the purple, gold, and green colors that signify that special time of the year..... People tend to let the good times roll and you never quite know what sort of sights you'll see along the parade route. I used my new Lumix camera to shoot these pics..... Still learning how to use it.... I ask you, why in the world would someone want face recognition on a camera????

What a shame that I can't locate any Mardi Gras dishes! I looked, I really did! Mardi Gras is a gaudy, bawdy kind of holiday so get prepared for some serious BLING.

I scooped up those adorable gold glittered crowns at the After-Christmas sale at Louisiana Nursery Outlet. I used a couple of them on Mardi Gras wreaths and sure wish I'd bought more.

Don't you just love the netting?

I originally had two sweet jeweled crowns in the apothecary jars on each end of the table but used them on a wreath for my mom's door..... Bless her heart, she loves the decorations I bring over to her assisted living apartment. There's one thing about having a failing memory; you can enjoy the thrill of something new over and over again....

I couldn't pass up that sweet bee. Had to tape him to the votive cup and

didn't do such a good job of it, did I? :)

Linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday..... Drop in and pay her a visit for some awesome eye candy.

Miss Mustard Seed Vignette

2011-02-04T16:28:00.001-06:00

I'm joining Miss Mustard Seed and Funky Junk's design challenge on this dreary cold day. I sure hope that Punxsutawney Phil was correct in his prediction of an early spring cause this girl's rEaDy!

Imitating Miss Mustard Seed's style was a little more difficult for me. She loves blue and I don't have lots of blue in my current decor..... And she loves to slipcover pretty French chairs.... I do have lots and lots of tarnished silver..... LOL..... So that part was easy peasy....

Here's the little vignette I set up....

I pulled out the jelly dish and silver pie server..... The jelly dish came from a yard sale and the extremely tarnished pie server was a Goodwill find..... Since Miss Mustard Seed is big into sewing, I used my jar of wooden spools of thread that I inherited when my grandmother willed me her old black sewing machine.

And the post wouldn't be complete without some vintage books and a soft pillow "karate chopped" down the middle, Miss Mustard Seed style. I have no white furniture so the Queen Anne chair will have to suffice....

The blue plate hung on my wall years ago when I had a blue kitchen. The typesetter's tray holds some vintage typesetting blocks. Miss Mustard LOVES old white pitchers and likes to fill them with slightly tarnished silverware..... And I've added some vintage napkins adorned with two blue glass hat pins from my great aunt's hat collection.

So how do you think I did? Lots of improvising with this one.......

Y'all stay warm now,

Funky Junk Vignette

2011-02-04T16:28:00.000-06:00

The weather is frightening down here in Louisiana so school was cancelled again today.... No soft white lovely snowflakes anywhere, just nasty, icy conditions. So it was the perfect opportunity to accept the Miss Mustard Seed/Funky Junk challenge.....

While my taste doesn't run quite as rustic as Ms. Funky Junk's does, I do love old, battered vintage items. They make me wonder about what life was like for their previous owners. When my great aunt passed away, there were quite a few old items that I scooped up much to the amusement of my siblings. One of them said, "Don't bother to call the Salvation Army to come and get the last of the stuff, just call TERRI!" :)

Here's the little vignette I put together with some of that stuff..... The old watering can is too rusty to hold water but I love the way it looks in its usual spot above my kitchen cabinets with some greenery and grouped with other vintage items. My librarian gave me a bagful of old rulers that the students used to hold the place when they pulled a book off the shelf.

The child's chair came from an estate sale. It's very sturdy and my grandgirls both love to sit in it and draw pictures of kitty cats for me. Sure wish there had been two of them....

Make that chairs, not kitty cats..... The starched tablerunner and ball of twine add a bit of texture and interest. The cheese box came from an antique shop. It usually resides in my kitchen window near my sink filled with an embroidered fleur de lis hand towel and pink depression glass.

Do you see that sweet black and white photo? That's my dear mom and my two older sisters on an Easter Sunday many years ago. I love that photo..... My mom looks so young and beautiful in it. She's still beautiful but not so young any more, she turned 89 last September. Aren't those pine cones the biggest ones you've ever seen? The two rusty flour sifters came from garage sales..... Do any of you sift your flour any more? Not this girl.....

Here's an up close look....

I've had that cobbler's shoe form for at least 30 years..... It came from an antique shop in a nearby town. The buttons were in the drawer of my grandmother's sewing machine when it was given to me. I always enjoyed sewing and made most of my clothes when I was in high school and she left her machine to me in her will.... She was a frugal lady who never forgot the hard life during the depression. And most of those old buttons still have the thread on them. I guess when clothing wore out, she cut the buttons off and saved them for future use....

Thanks for visiting and be sure to check out my Miss Mustard Seed vignette!

Finally.......... The Big Reveal

2011-01-27T07:08:00.000-06:00

Hi there, everybody, are you ready for some BIG news? I am SO EXCITED to announce that Debbie over at Debbiedoos Blogging and Blabbing is featuring my blog this week! Please hop on over and tell her hello! Her sweet e-mail was just the incentive I needed to push myself to finish my hall bath renovation in order to share it with y'all....

Well..... make that finish jUsT about everything....

There are a couple of areas still needing some TLC but I'll try my VERY best to hide them from public view. :)

Let me begin with a little history. When my house was built in 1993, I had the bathroom vanity area wallpapered in a hunter green and white striped paper that made the faint hearted feel dizzy, very very dizzy. It wasn't the emotion I intended to invoke, that's for sure. But we lived with it until I pulled that outdated stuff down 7 or 8 years ago and allowed my dear daughter to choose the color scheme for the room.......

She's the one in the middle hugging the Mona Lisa.............

She picked a bright periwinkle blue color and a colorful striped shower curtain and bath accessories that totally DID NOT match the traditional style of my house. But hey, she had a great time with it and since two sloppy teenaged males shared that space with her at the time, it wasn't exactly wise to splurge on a major renovation. Here's a "during" picture taken after the large wall mirror was removed. Notice the outdated light fixtures and worn out bathroom faucets... I had absolutely NO IDEA what to do with the mirror so I posted it on craigslist and made $60 off of it! The floor had already been changed out from a very white SHOW EVERYTHING vinyl floor when this picture was taken.

Looking through the doorway into the tub area, you can see the newly installed ceramic tile that replaced a cultured marble tub surround. The marble was cracked below the soap dish and I figured
it would cost as much to replace it as it would to have the area tiled....
Remember, I'm a single girl living on a budget..... Nuf said...

Geez, just looking at all those tools makes me tired....
Back when I removed the wallpaper and painted the area, the wall had no texture so we mixed some granules into the paint to texturize it. BIG MISTAKE.... Please don't ever EVER make that mistake.....I had to do a lot of sanding and scraping to remove it.

Over my two week Christmas vacation, I did a lot of the work..... And my man Johnny was there hammering and drilling...... and critiquing my painting :)....... and working right alongside me. What a guy, can I tell you? And the best part is that he LoVeS home projects, says he thinks they're fun! I'm doing my best not to scare him off.... LOL Thanks, baby, you're the greatest!

Is this not a total and complete transformation, ladies?

The mirrors were purchased at Kirkland's, $59 each. I made numerous trips back and forth and tried out four different mirrors before settling on these. Not only did I want them to blend well with the color of the stain on the vanity, I wanted to tie together the brushed nickel and iron accents.... We hung them high to bring the eye up and highlight the nine foot ceilings. We also plan to install crown moulding. The fleur de lis towel rings were purchased at The Royal Standard, my favorite gift shop in the whole wide world. Since Hurricane Katrina rolled on through, the fleur de lis has become the symbol of rebirth and hope down here in south Louisiana and it seemed fitting as I rebuild my life post-divorce....

We centered the mirrors over the sinks and that created a large space in the middle that needed filling..... I debated between a gorgeous floral arrangement and tall apothecary jars and you can see which won out. I filled one jar with bath salts (most definitely NOT the hallucinogenic variety) and the other with sea sponges and a pretty soap that was gifted to me by my sweet daughter. The silver plated mirror, brush, and comb set was purchased last spring at an estate sale for fifteen bucks! I've always admired those sets in the antique shops but never wanted to pay top dollar..... I'm not sure of the age of this one because the comb appears to be plastic not bone, but I picked it up for a song and love it nevertheless. The towels come from Wally World and I'm planning to add some washcloths to that basket once Wally World gets more of them in.

But alas, that beautiful arrangement is ever present in my mind's eye. Just have to share its classic beauty with you..... I've always LOVED white flowers and have dreamed of a totally white garden.

Here it is.....

Isn't that about the prettiest thing you've ever seen? After considerable google searching, I determined that the tall flowers are Serracenia, an endangered variety of lily. The small flowers at the base are hydrangeas. I'm thinking of ordering a smaller arrangement of the same flowers done up in an iron wall sconce/basket to hang between the mirrors. Ladies, I'd love to hear feedback on that idea, certainly don't want to bring the

DiZzY

back with too much "stuff."

I originallly envisioned oil rubbed bronze faucets in this room but decided that it might date the room...... So I chose a classic style in brushed nickel. Aren't they absolutely the most elegant fixtures you've ever seen?

A word of advice..... Stay away from the model showrooms when selecting bathroom fixtures..... I visited a high end plumbing showroom and was told that I'd pay a minimum of $250 per faucet for the wide handlespread type. I shopped around and my plumber told me about a friend who has a small warehouse with no model showroom overhead costs. The guy was more knowledgeable than anyone else I spoke to, didn't rush me, was more than willing to open boxes and show me lots of choices, and he cut me a great deal. The faucets are high end American Standard and he sold them to me for $165 each.

Shopping around really pays off....

Here's a shot of the new light fixtures....

Squint your eyes, please, and imagine pretty glossy white crown moulding....

One plus of hanging the mirrors high was that the openings where the original light fixtures were hung are covered by the mirrors. We did patch them but didn't have to worry about doing a perfect job.

My bathroom is small and I wanted to make it appear as large as possible so I chose a white shower curtain with just a touch of chocolate brown trim. It is similar to one I found online at Ballard Designs at twice the price. The Ballard one had a large monogrammed initial in the center and I'm thinking I'll have this one monogrammed with my initial or a fleur de lis. It has a lining that is detached at the bottom so it could easily be monogrammed without an ugly backside showing..... Your thoughts, ladies????

I had the tile guy lay the floor tile on a diagonal to make the area appear larger. He repeated it in the shower surround and added a border of small tiles to dress it up. It's a much nicer look than the cultured marble, isn't it?

While he was at it, I had him tile my master bath as well. I used a larger 18" to 18" tile in there. See my Meet Molly post here to view it.

There's nothing like new towels to freshen up a bathroom, is there?

A bucket of towels keeps them handy and ready for use.... Even the potty got a nice new seat. :)

Can't forget the matching tissue holder! That white stripe on the wall is a shadow.....

So there you have it, my new to me bathroom done on

a shoestring budget.

Changing out the vanity knobs really made a difference but I'm still debating whether I should paint and distress that vanity. I think it'd look awesome but once you do it, there's no going back.....

We still have a bit left to do, shoe moulding to nail down, that crown moulding and one more fleur de lis robe hook to hang, and a bit of patching...... You see, my friendly plumber suggested that we raise the shower spigot owing to the fact that my sons are six footers......

So in exchange for less shower stooping, Bryan agrees to maintain a neat and tidy bathroom, right???

He's just too darn cute to be a slob.....

Can you hear me, Bryan??? HELLO??? :)

Here's one last look at those classy faucets...........

Thanks much for visiting, my friends, and please drop me a quick comment as I love to hear from y'all...........

And kudos to Johnny....... He's THE MAN!

Fleur de Lis Decor for Three or More Tuesday

2011-01-18T21:33:00.000-06:00

I'm linking up with Tam over at The Gypsy's Corner on this rainy yucky Tuesday evening for Three or More Tuesday. Be sure to hop on over and pay her a visit.

The fleur de lis has always been a popular symbol down here in south Louisiana but after Katrina wrecked serious devastation on the city of New Orleans in 2005, it became a symbol of tenacity and hope. And then those good ole boys wearing black and gold became Super Bowl champs last January and fleur de lis fever really spiked. The English translation is "flower of the lily" and its roots can be traced way back to King Louis VI or VII when it was first used on a shield.

So I found it really fitting to use the fleur de lis in my bathroom redecoration efforts post-divorce.... I love the look and it aptly represents my efforts at rebuilding my life. I am WOMAN, hear me ROOOAAAARRRR........ (giggle, giggle) as I hammer and paint and drill and nail my way back to SANITY!!!!

I'll soon be revealing my bathroom redo but here's a glimpse of three or more.........

Two nice iron fleur de lis towel rings adorned with new towels from Wally World that add a touch of chocolate brown......

There's nothing better'n one fleur de lis than two of 'em....

Can't leave out the tissue holder!!! Stay tuned for the big reveal.......

HAPPY THREE OR MORE TUESDAY!!!!

Meet Molly

2011-01-16T11:06:00.000-06:00

Meet Molly............ She's been around a lot of years, the old gal.....

Years ago when I was a college student, my mom went to a surplus equipment sale. The home economics department at a nearby high school had replaced all of the sewing machines and the old models were all on sale. For cheap, EXTREMELY cheap...... So my thrify mother walked away with five Mollys in wood cabinets that had been antiqued in a hideous green color, one Molly for each daughter and one for her only daughter-in-law. Remember that trend of antiquing furniture in bright colors??? And on the front of each of the sewing cabinets, someone wrote in permanent black Sharpie marker, "SOLD, $20." Now I have to say that would HAVE to have been a male..... That, my friends, was criminal behavior. Even an ugly green finish didn't need to be defaced like that. Ha ha....Needless to say, I ditched my cabinet and kept old Molly. Of course at that time she was in the pRiMe of her life...... And I used Molly to sew all sorts of things.....

Dresses and tops for me while I was a struggling college student.

Bumper pads and a bed skirt for my firstborn's baby blue nursery.

Pretty Christmas outfits with battenburg lace collars for my sweet daughter.

Adorable sundresses for said daughter.

Window toppers for two new houses.

Brightly printed sundresses for my twin granddaughters.

Molly and I even took a field trip to my best friend's beach condo last spring where she was put to work sewing slipcovers for a nice banana plant chair and ottoman. 'Til she ran out of steam trying to sew the thick cording on those slipcovers and we had to run over to Wally World and buy a cheap machine to finish up the job. And hurt Molly's feelings in a BIG way.... My BFF said, "Seriously, Terri, it's time to buy yourself a decent sewing machine, don't you think????" There's something about all those memories that makes me feel like a traitor to give up on old Molly.....

Cause Molly and I have shared a lot of HISTORY together. And lately the old girl has started to need a lot of coddling. She has to be plugged up just so or the electricity doesn't flow. And the foot pedal has to be pressed just so in order for it to work. But somehow I feel like a traitor to give her up for a new machine.....

Here's what she worked hard on yesterday.......................

I know, the color is off and I REALLY need a new camera..... I don't bond to cameras like I bond to sewing machines.....It's just a matter of $$$$$$ before the camera gets replaced.....

The fabric was a remnant on clearance and I got it for $6.00....... Went online and searched for more and ordered another yard for the other window...........

This yard cost a whole $10.99 with free shipping........ I think I'm going to buy some new towels in that pretty sagey green color with all the money I saved on window toppers..... :)

This bathroom also got a new ceramic tile floor....

I plan to change the wall color at some point but right now I'm focusing on my hall bath that's getting a TOTAL redo.... I love these floors, can I tell you? The original flooring was ugly white vinyl that showed every single thing. It NEVER looked clean, never ever. I LOVE my new floor!

Stay tuned for the big reveal on the hall bath.................... Off to start painting the hallway.....

Woo Hoo, A Blog Award!

2011-01-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

Kudos to Diana over at http://thenanadiana.blogspot.com/ for bestowing the Stylish Blogger Award on my humble little blog. Please pop over and visit Diana's sweet blog.... If you're one of us "old timers" and married in the 70's, you'll especially appreciate her wedding pictures with that hot hubbie in his blue leisure suit. Tee hee.... Quite honestly, I've been so busy between work and play that my little blog has been showing serious signs of neglect....

You see, I've been renovating my two bathrooms which has turned out to be quite a lot more work than I envisioned..... Here's a glimpse of what's to come if you hold on and wait patiently.....

Some soothing green paint accented with this crisp white shower curtain trimmed in chocolate brown. Should I have a big ole script initial monogrammed on it??? It has a nice white liner that would cover the ugliness of the reverse side of said monogram.... This girl thinks ahead.....

I know, the suspense is absolutely KILLING you, isn't it?

I looked for towels EVERYWHERE and guess where I found these, of all places????? Didn't pay a king's ransom for them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or root around for them at TJ Maxx or Ross Dress for Less or Marshall's..... They came from Wally World! They are deluxe, very plush brown towels with a neat quatrefoil design on them. Now I can't wait to get the room put back together so I can actually USE them! New faucets are in the installation process (one down, one to go) and new tub/shower fixtures are on special order...... Can't wait to share with you.....

This weekend's project????? You guessed it..... shoe mould.... To finish up the newly installed tile flooring. My kitty is still pouting over those new tile floors..... She opens a certain bathroom cabinet with her paw, climbs in, and has a special spot on the far (dark, very very dark) end of the cabinet where she snoozes for hours on end. 'Cept she hasn't been back there since the tile man left out of here...... I think all that sawing and pounding scared her silly....

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, FOLKS!!!!!

The Reveal....

2011-01-05T19:39:00.000-06:00

A few hot glue gun blisters later and VOILA! A Mardi Gras wreath for my front door.... Unfortunately it's too dark out to take a picture of it in its rightful place. And my camera sucks in low light, don't you think? Sorry for the poor quality of the image.... Doubleclick on the pic for a better view if you dare. :)

And ladies, for your viewing pleasure here's my Mardi Gras tree from a previous year's burst of creativity. HAPPY MARDI GRAS from the deep south!

Glitter on the Rug.... AGAIN??!!

2011-01-04T22:56:00.000-06:00

Just when I thought my rug had finally recovered from the deluge of red and green glitter that fell off the new Christmas ornaments, along comes the gold, green, and purple making a mess all over my rug...AGAIN....

Hobby Lobby was just a callin' my name this afternoon, on the eve of my first day back to work since December 22nd. Couldn't let the LAST day of Christmas vacation pass doing idle housework now, could I? One hour later I emerged with a stash of glittery gold wire ribbon, shiny purple ribbon edged in gold, some adorable glittered musical instruments, wire sparkly thingies, and a nice cheap grapevine wreath. Sigh..... Could've spent a ton of money in that place.... There's nothing like a project to make a quiet evening fly by, is there?

To that I added gold mesh recycled from my Christmas swag and a neat fleur de lis and glittery crown I got for half off at Louisiana Nursery Outlet the day after Xmas. Throw in a hot glue gun, a handful of glue sticks, and one blistered finger and what do ya get????

Tune in tOmOrRoW for the result. HAPPY MARDI GRAS, EVERYONE!!!

Some Holiday Pics

2010-12-28T13:57:00.000-06:00

Here are my two little sweeties on Christmas Eve..... Aren't they AdOrAbLe? One has curls and one has straight hair, one has brown eyes and the other blue.....

My middle child Bryan just loved the Moscato......... So now I call him Hey, Moscato. LOL

No Louisiana Christmas is ever complete without some LSU gear........ Kaitlyn is in her sophomore year at LSU....

Here she is with Amanda, Bryan's girlfriend, opening their monogrammed pink and brown slippers from The Royal Standard.....

The perfect sentiment........ Live Well, Laugh Often, WINE Much

My 89 year old mother with the scrapbook I made for her.....

Johnny and I in front of the Christmas tree......... Can't figure out how to rotate this photo.... HELP!

Waiting for Christmas....

2010-12-23T19:06:00.007-06:00

Blogging has seemed to take a back seat in my life lately. I'm in the midst of remodeling one bathroom and changing the flooring in the other. That'll have to wait 'til a later post though... For now I'm linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch to share my holiday table. I've had my Christmas decorations up a while now but just haven't stopped to upload any pictures. I kept my table simple this year, used my Noble Excellence Night Before Christmas dishes with my everyday white china. The chandelier is decorated with shiny Christmas balls and my apothecary jars are filled with the same balls in a smaller size... Doubleclick on the photos for a close-up view... I searched high and low for some nice Christmas napkins but came up with nothing. Guess that's what the after Christmas sales are all about. Ha!

A friend gave me some adorable wine charms that add a festive touch, don't you think?

Not sure just yet what I'll serve in that huge Noble Excellence bowl..... a nice salad? Homemade banana pudding??? I would just LOVE to purchase the entire set of Noble Excellence china.... Hmmmmm, a girl can always dream, right??? :)

Here's my Christmas tree in front of my nicely cased windows. I'm getting my house in order little by little and it feels so wonderful..... Stay tuned to see some major bathroom renovations!

Merry Christmas, my friends!!

Terri

Lots Happening Round Here

2010-12-04T09:40:00.007-06:00

I put my Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving this year. I guess going over to decorate my mom's assisted living apartment put me in the holiday mood... I love the look of my mantel from this angle! I bought some of those battery operated votive candles to give them a try.... My daughter can't have candles in her on-campus apartment so we bought a pack for her. I love love love them and went back for more for me! When they're turned on in my JOY snowman candleholders on the mantel, you'd swear they were real votives. The light flickers just like a real candle. The lights on the left side of the swag have decided to go out on me since this picture was taken. Just can't figure out why all my light strings tend to do that! Here's a view of my tree.... Doesn't it look nice in front of my newly cased windows?

And a closer view.... My grandgirls are coming over today. I'm going to have them write a Christmas list for Santa to slip into the LETTERS TO SANTA ornaments. Trying to start a tradition with that.... Hope to pass those ornaments down to them for their own children one day....

But the best news of all is that I'M GETTING NEW TILE TODAY!!! I'm starting with the master bath and will tackle the hall bath next weekend. This is something I've yearned to do for years and years. When my former husband and I built our home 18 years ago, our budget was lean by the time we got to the flooring. So we put sheet vinyl down instead of tile, which is what I really wanted. It's coming up and there'll be 16 by 16 inch ceramic tiles laid in its place. WOOHOO!!!! Stay tuned for updates....

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Xmas.....

2010-11-22T11:58:00.003-06:00

My parents never had a nice Christmas tree..... For years they had the silver kind with the rotating color wheel. My kids were FASCINATED with that tree..... And then they bought a small artifical tree that usually got set up the day before Christmas. They just didn't get into decorating for the holidays like I do.... So I decided that this year my mom needed a nice tree that would make her smile when she looked at it. Her assisted living apartment is small so it couldn't be a full size tree... Here is what I came up with..... I love love love the combination of bright red and lime green! Doubleclick on the pics to enlarge them.... I ran over to Walmart and picked up some cheap garland and used the limey green ribbon to tie it all together.... Wish I had strung lights through the garland as well..... Sorry for the quality of these pics, I took them with my cell phone camera. Merry Christmas, Mom!!!

Today I'm tackling my tree!

What a Difference Five Years Can Make.....

2010-11-10T22:00:00.003-06:00

Here are my two precious twin grandgirls wearing their momma and daddy's Air Force BDUs in honor of Veteran's Day. Aren't they just DIVINE? Five years ago they were wee babies and their daddy was fighting cancer. Today they are happy, healthy kindergarteners and their daddy remains in remission. Life is good. Happy Veteran's Day, all!

It's Starting To Look A Lot Like...............

2010-11-07T13:46:00.007-06:00

Happy Sunday, my friends!!! You may remember way back in June when I blogged about some neat Christmas resin ornaments I found for a song on the clearance aisle at Tuesday Morning.... I loved them so much that I visited every Tuesday Morning in town to scoop up as many of those 29 cent babies as I could. Click here to go back to that post. I hid them away in the spare closet to await the holiday season.

Fast forward five months and take a look at the first of my gifts wrapped and adorned with those sweet ornaments..... Doubleclick the pics to enlarge the images.....I fell in love with the gold polka dotted paper and got it 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby. I tied the ornaments on but they kept sliding across the paper and marring it, so I bought the white netting and tied it tightly over each ornament to hold it in place. The netting is sheer enough that the ornament shows through.

I'm pretty proud of my gift wrap theme for Christmas 2010...... I love the contrast of the whimsical ornaments against those shiny polka dots.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back today! Check you later; I'm off for more gift shopping!

Terri

My Garden Redo

2010-11-02T21:37:00.008-05:00

I'm linking up with Kim over at Savvy Southern Style for her very first blog party and sharing photos of my newly redone front garden. It was a JUNGLE, I kid you not..... Scroll down to the previous post to see the before pics.... I hired a tiller guy and with the help of my man Johnny, they ripped out the old plants and brought in top soil to build the beds up. The sagos had been planted way too close together so we dug them up and potted them. Doesn't it all look wonderful???? The holly plants will grow to three feet high and three feet wide so we placed them accordingly. Can't wait to see them once they grow a while. Take a glance at those small lights out front..... you'll see the replacements in just a bit.... The angel has been temporarily replaced with this rusty scarecrow that I bought at the Canton Craft Fair a few weeks ago.....

And once that garden got done, the front door looked so very SHABBY.... So we sanded it and painted it a dark mahogany red, scrubbed the tarnished brass handleset shiny once again, and finished it all off with a nice brass kickplate.... Be sure to doubleclick on the pics to enlarge them.... I haven't yet decided what to plant on the right side of the house in front of the kitchen window.... I want something that flowers.... Any ideas or suggestions???

And here are my new lights........ They put out a beautiful glow at night. My sagos are looking a little rough but I'm praying they will make it. I added a nice fall wreath and a grapevine garland to welcome my guests.

Here's a nice night shot................. Isn't the glow lovely? The large picture window on the right has remained shutterless but I'm thinking of having matching shutters built.... Any thoughts on that?

I can't wait to cover those beds with net lighting at Christmas time...........

Front Yard Redo Before and After

2010-10-10T15:23:00.012-05:00

It's AMAZING what two weekends and a little sweat equity can do for a front yard.....

Here's a "before" shot. My yard was a mess, a real mess. I love working out there and regularly maintained my flower beds until my daughter was accepted at a wonderful high school that happened to be 45 minutes (on a good day) away from home. Despite carpooling with another family, I spent many an hour on the highway until she was old enough and experienced enough to make that drive by herself...... and my yard suffered. DOUBLECLICK on the pics to enlarge them. Pretty disgusting, huh? Those sago palms were planted WAY too close together and the border grass was encroaching into the bed.... And the Japanese magnolia had not grown an inch in five or more years. I originally had beds on both sides of my front walkway but I let one of them grow over and neglected the heck out of the other one. And I planted things piecemeal without any real master plan. When I'd pass those houses with gorgeous yards, I'd dream of what mine could become.....

All summer Johnny and I talked about how we might redo the yard..... But we decided to wait until cooler weather to put our plan in motion. Our original plan was to rent a tiller for the day but when I found out how expensive that would be, I decided to see how much more it would cost to hire someone to do the tilling. One call later and I had a very reasonable offer from a guy named John that was too good to pass up...... Are you ready to see the complete and total transformation???????

Isn't that about the prettiest raised bed you ever saw in your life? My entire house has a completely different appearance now. After much debate, we decided to pull up and pot the sagos. They are showing slight signs of shock but I really think they'll make it.

We alternated Japanese Yaupon Holly with Indian Hawthorne and accented with variegated liriope. The hollys will grow to three feet in both height and width so we spaced them accordingly. Didn't John do a wonderful job with that tiller? Not to mention his very hot looking assistant... tehee... We plan to put in another crepe myrtle at the stucco corner to balance off the other one.

Here's another shot....

Home Depot has a new ground cover called Mexican Salsa that I fell in love with.... It's currently their Plant of the Month. Weeds are always a particular problem around those roots so I thought that ground cover might help stave them off..... I'm not sure what I want to plant down the side of the house so you can see it's left bare. Any suggestions?

Just in case you forgot how awful that yard was, here's another before shot....

Next dilemma....... The front door is worn down to the bare wood from that blistering afternoon sun. Johnny suggested that we paint it a pretty glossy red. We narrowed down the choices to two.... And I painted a little sample of each on the door because I need your input. Which color do you prefer, burgundy wine on the left or sweet spiceberry on the right?
Thanks for visiting. Please take a moment to stop in and say hi and DO come back now........

Napkin Rings Made of What???

2010-09-07T18:43:00.010-05:00

Back to school is always a busy time for me and I've been coming home and crashing on the ole sofa......... I think I'm becoming a sofa ornament. :)

I've been collecting wine bottle corks for years now without nary a single idea as to what to do with them. Suddenly, VOILA! When I started putting this fall tablescape together, an idea popped into my head. What about cork napkin rings???? What do ya think of these? Double-click for a closeup view. The corks have that earthy feel that goes so well with fall foliage. I shared my inspiration with my man Johnny and off we went to Lowe's. After looking at tubing and PVC pipe, we selected a short length of PVC in just the right diameter for the rings. One hacksaw later (I love that gadget) and we were in business.....

We sliced the corks in half lengthwise and cut half inch rings from the PVC. The flat side of the cork halves were then glued around the outside of the PVC rings. What an easy project! I picked up the orange and green leaf dishes at Ross for $1.99 each..... I love the way they bring out the colors in the centerpiece. That old crow couple came from Big Lots years ago. They make me smile everytime I look at them.

Don't forget to hop on over to Susan's sweet blog Between Naps on the Porch to see more beautiful tablescapes.

The placemats that I picked up at Pier One over the summer have completely lost the beachy feel now that they are used with fall decor. They make me think of a cornucopia. Here's another view of one of the napkin rings.....

They need something inside to cover that ugly PVC pipe, maybe a strip of burlap or a earthy toned ribbon. Still working on that....

Here's a birds eye view of the entire table.

Those two are some quite contented crows, don't you think????????

Here's one last view...... May the fall colors bring cooler temps here to hot and humid south Louisiana.....

Happy fall, y'all!!!!!

Goodbye, Sweet Lazy Days of Summer

2010-08-03T22:15:00.004-05:00

It's back to school time here in Louisiana..... Grrrrr......

In an attempt to sttttttttrrrrrreeeeetttttcccchhhh out the last few days of summer vacation, I'm posting a pic of my starfish chain that I copied from one I saw in a high-end gift shop in Orange Beach, Alabama. It was easy-peasy to make.... Just start with a long piece of jute and tie shorter pieces along the way. Then wrap the opposite end of each shorter piece tightly around a starfish leg and apply a little Tacky Glue to the backside. I attached some seashells for interest and VOILA.... a little taste of the beach to bring home and enjoy...... And no, I had NOT been drinking when I took this shot.... :) Even though summer vacation is ending, I'm not going to take it down until this ferocious heat starts to slack off...... Somehow colorful fall leaves just don't mix well with 100 degree temps.

Paint N Party and A Little TLC

2010-07-31T13:10:00.005-05:00

It's Saturday afternoon and I should be washing and cleaning but it's just way TOO HOT! How's that for a plausible excuse? :) It's soon to be BACK TO SCHOOL time and my cohorts and I got together for a painting party last Monday night. What a fun group of people! That's me on the bottom row, second from the left. Don't you just ADORE my masterpiece? Bet you can pick the art teacher out from this group.... Hers was very Picasso-like and just beautiful. I'm going to hang my canvas in my office to remind me of the lazy days of summer. Doubleclick on the pics for a better view...
Here's a close-up shot. The purple paint was a little runny so I decided to kick things up a notch and add some detail.... Zinfandel brings out my creativity. LOL

Here's a shot (a lousy photo shot) of my new cased family room windows. Don't you just LOVE the way they look? I bought the wood with a primer coat on it and it hasn't been painted yet. I'm going to use the high gloss white that matches the rest of the trim. I'm a little undecided as to whether to leave them the way they are or put up a nice rod and some valances. Suggestions would be welcomed...... I had valances that I made from a Waverly fabric on them for years but grew tired of the navy, burgundy, and hunter green print and took them down. The room definitely looks larger and more open without them....

I NEED A NEW CAMERA!!! My DIL figured out when I got this one and told me that she's had THREE cameras in that time frame. LOL Cheap old me. Do you see my outdoor wicker chairs on my back porch? I've been watching the sales on outdoor wicker all summer and finally caught a good one, 30% off at Big Lots. Will post pics later once I find a cute table to go between them.....

Happy August!!!!!!

Terri

100th Post and Tablescape Thursday

2010-07-28T17:26:00.009-05:00

It's time for Tablescape Thursday once again. Special thanks to Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting this weekly event. Today's post is my 100th and I can hardly believe it..... Oh, how does time fly.......

On my last trip in to Old Time Pottery, I found this beautiful red and yellow quilted table runner marked down to $4.39 and just had to have it. I looked high and low for coordinating placemats and napkins, but they were all gone, every last one. There was just something about those sunny colors that hooked me and it made its way into my buggy. When I got home, I started looking around for objects that would complement the runner. I had totally forgotten the red canape plates I scored at TJ Maxx for $5.99 a few months ago. They match perfectly, don't you think? The yellow tulip arrangement that usually resides on the side of my whirlpool tub was bought at a garage sale for $3.00...... My only new purchase was the golden yellow napkins from World Market Imports, 6 napkins for $9.99. World Market has just gotten in an assortment of gorgeous colors from yellows to reds, purples, blues, and greens.....and I want em all! That store is quickly becoming my favorite.

I used my Southern Living at Home glass-topped tray to ground the flowers on the colorful runner. The fleur de lis napkins rings came from The Royal Standard a while back. Lil Brookie broke one of them but luckily they were still in stock when I returned, so I was able to replace it. Pllllleeeassse ignore the messy countertop in the next picture. I have developed a severe case of the late summer lazies.... happens every year like clockwork....

The little birdie topiary came from Tuesday Morning. Isn't he cute perched up top of that imaginary bush? Here's a close-up of one table setting....

And here's one last view of my thrifty red and yellow tablescape..... Doesn't it just SCREAM fajitas, chips, avocado slices, and sour cream??????? Ummmm, I think I know what I'm having for supper tonight...

Thanks for visiting and do leave me a comment, please........

Terri

Sun and Sand x 2

2010-07-21T20:11:00.012-05:00

Wow, here I am on blog post # 99 and it seems like just yesterday that I didn't have the foggiest idea how to set up a blog much less link up with others.....

It's been a very difficult time in my life even though I have tried to remain upbeat at all times. Attitude is EVERYTHING, don't you think? I am now officially divorced from my high school sweetheart and husband of 30 years. We were rolling along "pretending" at being happily married for a very long stretch of time and one day it became clear to me that life is just too short for such unhappiness. We struggled along financially for many years with both of us working long and hard, always dreaming of better times. And the sad reality is that when my hubby finally got "the big promotion," our dreams were worlds apart. Through blogging I got a glimpse at couples who shared the same vision and dreams and who were actively working at making them happen. I will always love my ex but we were never a good match, worlds apart in temperament, attitude, and life goals. And oh what a slob he was, a real slob. :) But I wish him nothing but the best as he steps into his new life.

Enough said. The time I spent at the beach this summer was so healing, so filled with fun. I am very blessed to have people who love me in my life. Here I am with my two sweethearts, Brooke and Haylee. Grandchildren bring so much happiness to the circle of life.
Here they are loving on their auntie KK. She's so very patient with them and they love her dearly..... She's beginning her sophomore year of college in a few weeks.

My middle child Bryan wasn't able to make the trip. :( He recently graduated from tech school and really didn't want to have to ask for time off since he hasn't earned vacation time yet. We really missed him. Here's the rest of the brood at dinner at The Crab Shack. Can you see how one twin looks just like her daddy and one just like her momma?

Here is my older son Casey and my sweet DIL Angela. Take a good look because he tends to disappear everytime the camera comes out. Do you see his mouth moving? He's saying "MOM, put the damned camera AWAY." LOL

Here's a pic of me with my friend Johnny. What a guy.

Only a menopausal woman who no longer gives a flip about what people think would post a pic of her 54 year old self in a swimsuit on a public blog. Blame it on the hormones. Ha!Here's the two lil rugrats again, about to ride the train at Destin Commons.....They are momma's girls, can you tell?

I cherish the friendships that I've made through blogging and want to thank each and every one of you who have extended a hand in friendship over these last 99 posts. Here's to many, many more posts and new friends........

Terri

Beachy Tablescape Encore

2010-07-14T19:16:00.008-05:00

I just can't get enough of the beach these days. Returned from Orange Beach last week and am headed out for Destin early Friday morning, this time with my kids and grandkids. Woo hoo!!!! Time for a celebratory tablescape, don't you think? Be sure to hop on over to visit Susan to view other breathtaking tablescapes when you finish here.

I found these beautiful ocean blue glasses at Old Time Pottery and just had to pull out the fish dishes and do another beachy tablescape.... Aren't the salt and pepper shakers just adorable? When I caught sight of them at World Market, I just HAD to have them... The placemats came from Pier One. I bought the last four, sure wish I could have found two more..... I wanted to incorporate more of that gorgeous ocean blue so I strung the glass beads (Wal-Mart clearance item) to pretty up the napkin rings. And while cleaning out kitchen drawers yesterday I came across the perfect fabric for a table runner. Are you ready to hear the source? I discovered a carry bag from an old patio umbrella that has long since been retired in the back of a drawer. And better yet, the colors were PERFECT for the tablescape. I cut that baby up and sewed up a table runner, easy as pie. How's that for some highly creative recycling, y'all?

Here's another view of the table runner. I used some pretty shells to add some interest.

This tablescape is set for three, me and the two kids who still live at home even though more often than not, they just perch briefly before heading out again.... Oh, to be young again....

I love this fat fish! He doesn't seem to have missed many meals....

I decorated the candlesticks with twine and a sand dollar and starfish. Here's one last view....Look out Destin, here we come!!!!!!

Beachy Tablescape Thursday

2010-07-06T20:48:00.016-05:00

I celebrated the 4th of July holiday at the beach with friends. The pretty shell dishes were picked out on a previous trip to Old Time Pottery but my friend Kim recently upgraded her table and chairs and a nice tablescape was just a callin my name..... ;-) The table base looks wood but is made of resin and the chairs are seagrass. Kim was able to re-use the glass top from the previous table and save a little money. The floral arrangement was purchased at Haverty's in Baton Rouge. That's Kim in the background preparing dinner.

Doubleclick on the pics to see more detail. Kim is in the market for new silverware. What you see in the pic is what was in the condo when she and her hubby purchased it. Any ideas on the best place for nice heavyweight silverware at a bargain price???

The condo was about to go into foreclosure when they bought it and they've made some nice upgrades since. Just about all of the furniture has been changed out.

Here's a view of the living area and balcony beyond. Do you see that chair and ottoman in the background? I sewed the cushions for Kim. Not bad if I say so myself..... I will NEVER EVER work with braid that large again because it was a royal pain to sew.

Last summer the condo was booked solid but the oil spill brought about a lot of last minute cancellations. If anyone is interested in rental information, please don't hesitate to leave me a comment.... The condo is located in Orange Beach, Alabama just about 4 miles from the Florida state line.

The roses on the countertop were a birthday gift for Kim. She rolled over into a new decade that will remain unnamed on June 30th..... :) Here's one last shot of the beachy tablescape........ Happy Tablescape Thursday!!!!

A Treasure of a Bargain

2010-06-24T17:45:00.007-05:00

The pace of my summer has slowed down just a tad and I stopped by two thrift shops this week, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow on Monday and Goodwill on Wednesday. There was NOTHING of interest on Monday but on Wednesday I found this silverplated pie server and pyrex pie plate.... It was heavily tarnished but nothing that a little silver cream wouldn't take care of. I'm linking with The Shabby Chic Cottage to share my treasure. I flipped it over to see what the price was..... Someone went wild with the pricing gadget for sure.... Doubleclick to see the absolute STEAL it was.....

Yep, you read it right..... $1.99!!!!! Talk about a bargain, huh? I snapped that baby up. Saw a funny sight just down the aisle.... A white wooden wedding frame decorated with silver wedding bells with the wedding picture still in it!!! Guess those two must have divorced cause somebody sure didn't want that picture on display.... Somewhere there is a woman who has NO IDEA that her wedding picture is sitting out on display at the thrift store! LOL

Here is the pie server all cleaned and polished up. I think I really scored, don't you? If I weren't being totally lazy this evening, I'd bake up a nice pie in it. OH, WELL..... :)

What type of pie do you think would taste best in it????????? Leave me a comment; I'd love to hear from y'all.......

My Hunky New Love...

2010-06-20T08:19:00.005-05:00

I'm in love........ It was delivered this week - my new stainless side by side refrigerator. Isn't it a beauty? My milk was spoiling in my old frig and the ice maker had been out for over a year so I felt it was time to take the plunge and upgrade. I'm SOOOOOO enjoying this baby. It really dresses up my kitchen, don't you think? Now it's time to prioritize what I'd like to do in the house and decide what can happen and what can't. My poor house is almost 18 years old and has had little done to it except for paint, so little changes (well in this case, BIG changes) make all the difference in the world. What do ya think of my new friend??????

Master Suite Upgrade

2010-06-12T10:52:00.006-05:00

It's done! Carpet installed and new fan hung and my poor cat doesn't know what to do. She hates the new carpet smell and didn't like the looks of the installers or the sound of their Spanish music one bit, disappeared while they were here and I couldn't find her ANYWHERE! I kept calling her and heard a THUMP in the kitchen. She had jumped onto the countertop and then up onto the top of the frig and then above my cabinets just to chill and have some quiet time. Bless her little heart. I picked a neutral carpet color that should go with about any color scheme and upgraded the pad to a better grade to make it cushy...... It's lighter than I pictured it would be but with my kids grown, it shouldn't be a problem. Just have to keep the grandgirls out of here with drinks. The fan was a cheapo white one with shiny brass trim and it made a clickety clickety sound that drove my kids CRAZY. So I upgraded to this antiquey looking one.... Is antiquey a word??? The one in the showroom had low watt bulbs in it and I liked the ambiance so I'm gonna change them out as the recessed lights provide plenty enough light when needed.

Here's another view. See the lamps? I bought the one on the left from Kirkland's several years ago. Stopped off at a garage sale yesterday and saw its mate and just had to reunite them.... I really need larger lamps but these wil do for the meantime, don't you think?

Just don't like the look of the white wicker rocker and am thinking of spray painting it. Any suggestions for color? It's funny how whenever you buy something new, stuff that looked just fine suddenly looks old and tired.... Here's one last view of my beautiful new carpet. Stainless steel side by side refrigerator is on its way so stay posted......

Happy decorating, everyone!!!!

Playing with Trains

2010-06-08T13:20:00.008-05:00

What a fun weekend we had! Angela had guard duty so the girls came for a visit. We saw the new Shrek movie. And my new friend Johnny decided to bring his trains out to play.... Haylee had been digging in a box full of Kait's old dance costumes, thus the Carmen Miranda look. : ) We moved the kitchen table to clear room for the track. When the girls saw the circus train, they just about FLIPPED. And out came their animal shaped markers and beanie animals..... They stuffed those empty cars full of animals to the point that I was afraid it would be too heavy to move! Geez, I need to clean my back door, don't I????

Do you have ANY IDEA how hard it is to snap a good picture of the both of them at once?

They had a ball creating "tunnels" for the cars to travel through.....

There's that LOADED down circus train...... Cute conductor, huh?

Here's the Carmen Miranda tunnel......... Isn't she a living doll?

Angie took them shopping last week and they picked out their own clothes. They bought some matching outfits but mostly not...... My girls are growing up too fast! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm LOVING my summer vacation.

The Joys of Frugality

2010-06-03T10:34:00.007-05:00

Well, this frugal lil lady has been staying out of the stores lately but Tuesday Morning was just a calling my name so I stopped by yesterday. I was in the mood to pilfer so I stopped down the clearance aisle and found these sweet resin Christmas ornaments..... They were marked down to 49 cents but when the clerk rang them up, they were 29 cents each.... What a steal, huh? Need to visit another Tuesday Morning and pick up a few more. I can picture them tied on my Xmas gifts with some pretty cream colored ribbon, can't you? DOUBLECLICK ON THE PICS TO SEE MORE DETAIL.... And the next thing that went into my basket was this iron cookbook stand. I TRY SO HARD not to spatter my books up but I'm not usually successful...... Maybe this stand will help.... $4.99....

And that dormant calla lily that popped up in the midst of my split leaf philodendrum was crying for a pot of its own...... Wish granted for $7.99.....

I NEVER look at clothes at Tuesday Morning but like I said, I was in that sort of mood...... And I scored this cute and cool gown by Esprit for $15.99..... Would work as a swimsuit coverup as well...

But my favorite find was a magnetic notepad that says............ "Insanity: Grounds for divorce in some states. Grounds for marriage in all of them." :) Couldn't resist that one... $1.99

The best part of all is that I walked out with all these treasures for under $50.00..... Happy thrifting!!!!!

Mother's Day Pics

2010-05-10T21:36:00.008-05:00

Some members of the family who will remain UNNAMED tend to wince when the trusty old camera comes out...... I don't understand it. Here I am trying to document these special times for posterity and I get strange grimaces. GEEZ!!!!! What's a mom to do but snap those shots anyway.... KK, your habits are rubbing off on your wee niece. Shame on you!!! And no, you are NOT seeing double.... The two on the left are the identicals of the triplet brood. The two on the right are fraternal twins. Aren't they all simply adorable?

Here's a shot of all five of them.... Haylee, Emma or Isabella, Isabella or Emma (can't ever tell them apart), Alexandria covering her face, and Brooke hanging onto her daddy....

Beating and pounding on the countertop demanding FOOD!!!!! LOL

Here they are. My two precious grandbabies swimming in my sister's pool. Haylee was shaking so bad that her teeth were chattering. It was unseasonably cool for Louisiana yesterday.

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.........................

The Blue Hour

2010-05-05T22:20:00.008-05:00

Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch recently posted about a neat phenomenon called "The Blue Hour." Each morning and evening there is a small window of time when the sky appears a deep royal blue when captured in a photograph. Susan discovered it entirely by accident when she was taking pics on her porch and did some research to learn more about it.Down in my neck of the deep South, the evening Blue Hour occurs between 7:58 p.m. and 8:32 p.m. daily........... Pretty neat, isn't it? In order to get the best quality shot, be sure to turn off your flash and set the camera on night shot....... When I took these photos, the only thing I could see in the viewfinder was the light of the bathroom window.......

The photos below were taken before I turned off the flash..... I was convinced that no picture would appear without the flash but much to my surprise the image appeared....

The Blue Hour is still visible but not so pronounced with the flash on.

Pretty neat, huh???????????

Sunflower China

2010-04-24T22:32:00.014-05:00

Woooo hooo! I'm getting more prompt with this tablescape stuff. Thanks, Susan, for hosting Tablescape Thursday. Please visit Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com. I stopped in at TJ Maxx yesterday afternoon with my BFF Kim and found these cute sunflower plates on the clearance rack, marked down to $2.00 each. Kinda hard to pass up such a bargain, don't you think? DOUBLECLICK ON THE PICS TO SEE THE DETAIL! I pulled out my artificial sunflowers and red dessert plates and had the beginnings of a charming new tablescape.... Here's a bird's eye view.

Sure wish I had some red glasses to accessorize with. Wouldn't that be beautiful? But alas, I'm just a single gal on a budget still trying to refinance this darn house of mine....

If you haven't tried to buy or refinance lately, a word from the wise..... Pay your bills on time and work on improving that credit rating. Even though I NEVER made a late mortgage payment in 27 years nor ever one single late car payment, my ex wasn't the best at his bills and the old credit rating isn't pristine. Not bad, but certainly not pristine. And oh what a fuss the bank is causing as a result. I could string that guy up by his toes, and I'm not talking bout the mortgage loan officer either!

This whole refinance thing has been going on since September now. They told me I needed a property settlement and I got that, only to be told they needed final divorce papers. Grrrrrrr! So now I'm going with a different company that says divorce papers aren't needed. Hello??? I knew that all along.

Please forgive me cause I digress..... Here are the beautiful sunflower plates on black glass chargers. Doesn't that make for a sweet tablesetting?

They coordinate beautifully with the red dessert plates that also came from TJ Maxx.... I sure wish they'd quit advertising so much on TV cause the lines are unbelievably long these days.....

Some day I'll be able to afford to entertain with my pretty dishes.....

HAPPY TABLESCAPE THURSDAY!!!!!!!

New Dishes for Tablescape Thursday

2010-04-06T18:45:00.009-05:00

Posting my tablescape early this week because I have a hot date tomorrow evening.... ;-)
I'm linking up with Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. Being a single girl on a budget while this divorce thing happens, I've been doing my best to stay out of the stores. But TJ Maxx was just calling my name last night and I gave in to temptation....
Doubleclick on the photos to see the detail. Aren't these bird plates by Royal Stafford just charming? They match my kitchen decor so perfectly that I couldn't resist. And oh what a steal they were...... The plates were $3.99 and the cute salad plates were $2.99. How can a girl with any amount of shopping savvy pass that up????

I mean really, passing them up would have been a huge mistake..... Don't you agree? The colors matched the stripes in my patio umbrella so well that I decided to do an outdoor tablescape.

But then couldn't wait to see them on my kitchen table, so you have some shots of that as well. ;) SMILE ;)

Here are two of the plates on display. The walls are gold, not brown as it appears, not sure why that happened. BTW, check out my carefully weeded and mulched flower bed in the background. I love springtime so!

Okaaayyy, back to the outdoor scenery. These cool, breezy spring days make dining outside so refreshing after a long day of work. And speaking of work, there are just 36 days until summer vacation!!!!!! Woo hoo!

Here's a good shot showing the details of the design. I wonder what kind of bird that is. Any bird watchers on board?

I think I went a little overboard on the photos.....

Here's one last shot of my tablescape. Isn't it lovely? Anyone care to join me for dinner?

Seeing Double

2010-04-05T16:57:00.007-05:00

I had a great visit with my son and D-I-L and my two sweeties on Easter Sunday. Aren't they just the most adorable girls ever? Haylee had her tonsils and adenoids out last Monday and this marked her first time outdoors. Before long, she was running sprints across the yard with Brookie....... til Mommy reminded her she wasn't supposed to get overheated for a few more days.

That's Haylee on the right. She's always weighed less than Brooke, but she hasn't been eating much and has dropped more weight. She was a very good girl throughout the entire ordeal.....

More documentation of trying to keep a four year old from getting overheated. LOL

The Easter bunny sure did well with these blowup animals. They were a hit with the girls. This Easter marked the five year anniversary of their daddy's diagnosis of advanced cancer. They weren't yet born and mommy was on bedrest at the time. What an awful, stressful, anxiety-ridden time that was! But here we are five years later with a healthy daddy and two beautiful healthy twin girls!!!!! Now THAT is something to celebrate!

Easter Tablescape and Three or More Tuesday

2010-03-29T18:08:00.011-05:00

I got the inspiration for my Easter tablescape from this blue and purple scarf from Target. Don't you think it makes a nice tablerunner? I wanted a soft look so I bunched it up so it would drape nicely. The bunny figurine is acually a candleholder, but I preferred it holding an egg. Thrifty people find ways to be resourceful..... LOL The milk glass dishes belonged to my mother and she passed them down to me shortly after I moved into my new home. All those empty cupboards bothered her, can I tell you? I have place settings for four and want to expand to six or eight so that I can enjoy them in my dining room as well. The bunny cupcakes came from Pier 1's Easter clearance sale. Aren't they adorable? They are very realistic and look good enough to eat. Doubleclick on the pics to see the detail.

Here's another view of that cute bunny sitting atop the cupcake.... The marble bunny standing guard in the background came from Tuesday Morning. Thanks, Joe, ;-)

My kitchen table was my great aunt Clara's. It didn't have a durable finish on the top and after several water rings appeared, I painted it flat black as a temporary fix. Several years later, I've grown to really like the look of it. One of these days I'll get around to stripping the finish and redoing the entire table. One day..... ;-)

I picked up the tall bunny for a song off the clearance table at Old Time Pottery last summer. It's amazing what great buys you can find off season. The smaller bunny is fashioned from an old wooden spool. I've had it for years.

Here's a closeup of the bunnies and apothecary jars filled with pastel eggs. Do those eggs qualify for Three or More Tuesday?????

Did you notice the basket of bunnies in the last picture? Believe it or not, those bunnies are fashioned from a cotton garden glove. Each finger is stuffed with batting to form the bunnies' bodies. Here's a better shot of them. Those bunnies have been around since my kids were babies. My sweet mother-in-law made them many years ago. Now they stand guard over the grandkids....

Here's one last shot of my Easter tablescape. Hope you enjoyed it. I love to read my comments so pllllllleeeaassseee leave me one. HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!!!!!

Can You Say Fleur de Lis????

2010-03-28T19:58:00.005-05:00

I got out today for a while with my BFF Kim to do some Easter candy shopping. Stopped for a bit to meet my sweet daughter at the after-hours clinic to have her checked out..... terrible sore throat that I was sure was Strep, but turned out not to be. Feel better soon, KK! On the way back home, I decided to stop at The Royal Standard, one of my favorite stores. I've been staying out of the stores due to the tight budget.... But low and behold, there was a TENT SALE going on. I had admired these pretty napkin rings the last time I was in and guess what????? They were on sale for half price - $1.00 a piece!!! Twelve napkin rings later I was headed home feeling ever so smug. ;-)Aren't they beautiful? I just love anything Fleur de Lis. It's a French symbol that's always been around but regained its popularity after Hurricane Katrina. It's also the symbol for the New Orleans Saints, our NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

Who dat?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Three or More Tuesday

2010-03-22T18:46:00.005-05:00

Do three or more orchid blooms count in this contest????? I'm so proud of this plant --- doubleclick to get a better look. I nursed it through last season's blooming season and all winter long after the blooms dropped off.... And look at it now!!! It makes me smile every time I walk over to my sink.... HAPPY THREE OR MORE TUESDAY!!! Don't forget to hop on over to visit Tam and see more Three or More Tuesday entries.

Global Warming????

2010-03-21T17:16:00.006-05:00

The gorgeous spring weather got me hyped for sunny days. Until this dreadful cold snap hit, that is.... Whatever happened to global warming???? In an effort to escape the same old sweaters and boots that I am SO ready to retire to the back of the closet, I decided to go out and look for a cute pair of summer sandals. What do ya think? I found these by Chinese Laundry at Ross marked down to.... are you ready..... ten bucks. Can you believe it? If that wasn't a great enough find, there was a new shipment of tall mugs like the ones I bought there a while back. So $7.00 and two mugs later, I now have a complete set of coffee mugs. I LOVE A BARGAIN, can you tell? The baby shower went off without a hitch last weekend. Here I am (second from the right) with my niece Amy and the other hostesses. Amy looks positively radiant, doesn't she?

Here's another shot of Amy with a cute posh pig baby bank. Gee, I miss having a baby around. My twin grands are almost five now......

One more week until spring vacation!!!!!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!

Golly Gee, A Blog Award!

2010-03-02T18:16:00.016-06:00

My friend Lori over at My Heart With Pleasure Fills has bestowed on me the Beautiful Blogger Award! Thanks, Lori, for the honor! Lori hasn't been blogging long but she's got a really good thing going..... I don't know how she finds time between a full time job and a part time floral design business but somehow she does. I'm now assigned the task of selecting 15 of my favorite blogs to keep the chain going. So...... here goes! The very first blog I discovered was Cindy's My Romantic Home. Cindy does absolutely AMAZING things on a tight budget, with a budget being something I am QUITE familiar with.

And then there's Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch who hosts weekly tablescape parties which I have lots of fun participating in. Susan has a back porch TO DIE FOR, I kid you not. I've always loved to decorate for the holidays but Susan has really inspired me to take it to a new level, I'll tell ya.

I can't forget Lamp Tramp over at Self Confessed Lamp Tramp who lost almost the entire contents of her southern household to a hurricane and does AMAZING things with oyster shells.

And whenever I want to remember the sweet slobbery kisses of my wee little ones and get a monogramming "fix", I take a peek at Kelly's Corner and her beautiful daughter Harper.

One of my newer blog favorites is Annicole over at Our Suburban Cottage. If you're looking for a unique sort of humor, check her out. A recent post asked for advice about a noisy bed. LOL

Laura over at White Spray Paint loves vintage things like chafing dishes and tarnished silver. She keeps me watching the estate sale ads.

And owing that I'm the grandmother to gorgeous twin girls, I love reading about the antics of the twins over at Twice as Nice. These two sisters are the bestest of friends and I would be hard pressed to tell them apart.

And Kristen at The Self Family has a beautiful family and a deep love of photography. She recently set up her own photography site. Her blog pics are always breathtaking!

I have a backdoor blogger friend Susie at Bienvenue. I followed Susie's blog for the longest time having NO IDEA that she lives virtually in my own backyard until my sweet daughter happened to glance over my shoulder and recognize Susie's exceedingly handsome son Jessie.

And how could I leave out Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality? Rhoda is a true professional who isn't too proud to buy secondhand. I love checking out her neat and cheap finds!

Equally creative is Tam at The Gypsy's Corner. Tam recently redid a chair for her guestroom that I would DIE FOR! I love her blog!

And Judy at Gracious Southern Living likes to make little road trips that she shares all of the details about. Judy, I've driven by The Myrtles Plantation many, many times but the next time I definitely am STOPPING IN!

Nina's Nest is Linda's little baby and she's been writing about holding an estate sale for her dear mother-in-law's household possessions. She's one lover of dishes, I'll tell ya.

And I can't leave off Laura at Decor to Adore and her tales of the Fashionista and sweet boy. Laura's blog was another one of the first few blogs I got hooked on.

And last but ABSOLUTELY NOT LAST is Joy's blog aptly named Joys of Home. Joy loves to browse in thrift stores and is the queen of cheap treasures. Her blog always inspires me to look for my goodies in unusual places.

So, ladies, there you have it. All of the reasons that blogging threatens to CONSUME my life! I think I need a 12-step program! I can't get enough!

Signs of Spring

2010-02-27T11:06:00.009-06:00

Last Mother's Day my sweet daughter-in-law and son gave me a beautiful Phalaenopsis plant in full bloom. Not knowing one thing about this type of plant, I put it in my kitchen windowsill and hoped the sun exposure would be right. Not only did it work, the plant thrived and the blooms lasted for what seemed like forever. I nursed that plant all winter and low and behold, it's returning to its full glory. Here is the first bloom just beginning to open a few days ago....Now if you doubleclicked on that picture, pleeeeaase don't tell me that I need to wash my windows cause I know that already. LOL And this is what I came home to on Wednesday.....

And on Thursday, the second bloom opened.... It's quite the contrast to the dead and brown landscape outside, isn't it?

And this morning I awoke to signs of bloom #3 just beginning to open. It's beginning to look a lot like spring, isn't it? There is a robin warbling on my back patio as I type. The sun is out and I'm gonna finish mulching my flower beds this afternoon. C'mon on spring, I'm ready for ya!

Time to Celebrate!!!!!

2010-02-21T09:52:00.005-06:00

He did it! Worked 40+ hours per week while attending school four nights a week for 22 months. It was a long haul and he was perpetually exhausted, but not only did he do it, he earned the gold medal for having the highest grade point average in his class! I'm so proud of that boy. Isn't he a cutie?

Here he is with his girlfriend, Amanda.

And his proud mama and grandmother.

How About a Little Paint and Party?

2010-02-13T00:37:00.002-06:00

There is a new business in town.... It's called Paint and Party. My teachers' sorority held our meeting there last week. With the Saints Super Bowl win last Sunday, it was only fitting that we chose a fleur de lis design. That's me on the back row, fifth from the left. It's amazing how a little wine gets the creativity flowing, you know? It was a welcome reprieve from the week's stresses and strains. I learned on Wednesday that my mortgage refinance will be delayed (once again). I've been hanging on, nickeling and diming it for six months now and the thought of at least two more months of the same is really really discouraging. There always seems to be more month than money. LOL

Enough whining. Hope everyone enjoys their long holiday weekend!

Great Things Come in Small Packages

2010-01-29T13:04:00.008-06:00

There's not a thing better for a dreary rainy winter day than a good craft project! My sweet niece Amy is expecting a baby girl in May and I'll be helping host a shower at my house in a few weeks. I LOVE welcoming little ones, can I tell ya? Amy is my brother's only child and he and my sis-in-law are tickled pink with the news. My mother was here last week and she and I made a diaper cake to use as a centerpiece for the refreshment table. My sweet mother is 88 years old and has a lot of time on her hands so I put her to work. We drank a little wine and rolled diapers and had a ball.... I wanted to use good quality diapers so they wouldn't go to waste. Here's a picture before the decorations went on. The base layer was formed by rubberbanding three rings of rolled diapers around a tall bottle of baby oil. The second layer was more of the same, except just two rings worth. And the top layer is one ring wrapped around the cap of the bottle. I used ribbon that coordinated with the paper goods to tie everything together....

I picked up some soft stuffed toys at the mall, decided to change out some of the ribbon, and added some pink flowers from Michael's....

Isn't this about the sweetest cake you ever saw???? Looks like the sheep on top got into the wine, huh? Need to straighten him out before he topples over....

The pink and blue curly hair bows came from Gymboree. Hope the lil one has hair! I was a bald baby as were my siblings. But when my babies were born, they had full heads of straight black hair. That was a surprise, can I tell you? More news of the shower to come, so stay posted....

Valentine's Day Breakfast

2010-01-14T18:23:00.008-06:00

How better to start a special day than with a homecooked breakfast? People who know me know I am DEFINITELY NOT a morning person but hey, special occasions deserve special sacrifices. LOL

Doubleclick on the pics to see the detail. On the menu is French Toast stuffed with cream cheese and bananas, coffee, and mimosas.

Are you getting hungry yet? Aren't my Valentine's Day dishes just adorable? I got them for a song at TJ Maxx just after Christmas... I paired them with the black glass chargers I picked up at Hobby Lobby last summer for $1.59 each, yes you heard me right...

Don't you LOVE my Fleur de Lis magnetic memo board? It was a Christmas gift from my dear friend and office mate Darlene. She got it at The Royal Standard. I got several wonderful gifts from others from that store and I definitely plan to make a trip there soon.....

Here's the recipe for the French toast:

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large loaf French bread, cut into 8 slices

4 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Nonstick cooking spray

Confectioner's sugar

Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Add brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar melts. Add bananas and toss together. Cook until bananas are soft. Cool. Add cream cheese and mash with wooden spoon. Cut a 2-inch long slit in one side of each bread slice, creating a pocket that leaves 3 sides of the bread intact. Divide banana mixture equally among the pockets. In large bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, milk, and cinnamon and whisk well. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Put the bread into the mixture and let soak for three minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bread and let excess drain off. Spray wire rack with nonstick spray and put rack on a baking sheet. Place bread on the rack and transfer to the oven. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Garnish with confectioner's sugar and syrup.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Three or More Tuesday Estate Sale Bargains

2009-12-28T19:21:00.007-06:00

I heard about an estate sale website from Bill over at Affordable Accoutrements some time back and joined right up. Whenever there is an estate sale within the parameters that you set, an e-mail is sent out to you with pictures and details of the sale. Check it out at http://www.estatesales.net/. Here are the treasures I found for a song......

A child's primitive vintage chair...... $20.00...... Won't it look adorable with a little pillow on it?
And a comb, mirror, and brush dressing table set in sterling silver......$15.00..... I have admired these sets at antique shops where they go for much, much more money.

And last but not least, a fine set of 30 miscellaneous cut crystal bowls and coasters..... $10.00... Talk about 3 or more, try 30!!!! Here are a few of them on display in my china cabinet.

A close up shot of some of the pretty crystal bowls. They will be great for fruit or ice cream.

Quite the bargain for ten bucks, don't you think? This may have been my first estate sale but it certainly won't be the last! Happy Three or More Tuesday!!!!

Thanks, Gypsy, for hosting this event!!!

Noble Excellence ..... The Night Before Christmas

2009-12-26T17:50:00.011-06:00

It was a memorable Christmas in many ways. My very best friend Kim surprised me with these beautiful Noble Excellence salad plates. There is a story behind them.... Last Christmas we were out shopping together and came across these gorgeous dishes at Dillard's. They were being discontinued and were 1/2 price. I bought Kim a chip and dip set and she bought me the large serving bowl pictured. Later, she decided to purchase the entire set of dishes and ended up driving halfway around the south to find enough place settings. I've envied those dishes ever since and threatened to borrow them for my last tablescape. LOL Well, low and behold, she went on the internet and found these salad plates and ordered them for me! What an awesome Christmas gift. Here I am opening them up..... And here she is, my BFF in the world. She has always been there for me through thick and thin. She is always willing to hear me out. And with a divorce in process, I often need a sounding board. And her husband, he's a real sweetheart as well. He jokingly calls me his girlfriend and teases their daughter that she'd better like me cause if something ever happens to her momma, I'm gonna be the stepmomma. LOL

So now Katie calls me Stepmom. I know, we have a slightly perverted sense of humor down here in Louisiana. Aren't they beautiful dishes?

I adore this pewter fleur de lis dip bowl that was a present from Apryl, my secret santa at work. Thanks, Apryl!

Here's another shot. Doubleclick to view the details....

These apothecary jars were bought last summer at Old Time Pottery. I love their versatility and will be making a trip back to Old Time in a few days. Kim and Callan have invited me down to their condo....

Here's a view of the table from the foyer..... Aren't you proud of me for finally hanging the antique mirror? It's been leaning against the wall for months now. Nothing like a holiday to get me motivated... @<(;-)

Here's one last shot of my beautiful Christmas dishes..... Thank you, Kim. Love ya!!!!

Blogging Changes EVERYTHING

2009-12-17T18:22:00.006-06:00

It's amazing how blogging can inspire one to try new things....

In the last year, I've learned about the joys of garage saling and decorating. Not the old fashioned kind of decorating that puts a major dent in the checkbook..... but the new decorating-on-a-dime kind. My garland was looking pretty puny so I decided to kick it up a notch and here is the result..... Don't forget to doubleclick!!!! I added some red plastic grapes I bought a couple of years ago at Tuesday Morning for $1.00 a bunch and some shiny red balls from Wally World... Decorating doesn't have to cost a bundle! What do you think???

Two and 1/2 days of school remaining til Christmas vacation........ ;-)

It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

2009-12-14T19:24:00.009-06:00

Here are my two sweeties in front of the tree.... Looks like there is an artificial one like this in their future because Brooke broke out in hives all over her arms when helping to decorate their live Christmas tree. That darlin' is allergic to just about everything... Bless her little heart.
DOUBLECLICK ON THE PICS TO SEE THE DETAIL. Over the cased opening, a gilded angel adds to the festive look... Can you hear the music?

It's been so rainy and gray lately that the colors look washed out. Rain, rain, GO AWAY!!!

Here's another sweet angel watching over my loved ones....

And Papa Noel himself, broken hand and all.... I used the hot glue gun to cover the damage with the sack of goodies.... Five and one half days of work left until CHRISTMAS VACATION!!! Whooo Hoooo!!!!

Countdown to Christmas Banner

2009-12-13T18:05:00.007-06:00

I have been under the weather with a bad cold and have been staying home and taking it easy. I woke up feeling better today and got the itch to do something crafty. Here is the Christmas countdown banner I came up with. There is a mini clothespin adorned with ribbon that can be moved from day to day. It's about time for a new digital camera, don't you think? In low light, the pics are fuzzy. DOUBLECLICK ON THE PICS TO ENLARGE THEM. Here's a close-up of days 1-9.....

Days 10-18...... See the itty bitty clothespin marking today's date?

And days 19-25...... As much as I would like to keep it, it's a gift for someone.... Hope she doesn't look at my blog! ;-)

Christmas will be here before you know it!!!!

I Am Grateful....

2009-12-11T21:55:00.004-06:00

This Christmas I am very grateful. For a hard working son who remains in remission from his cancer. For two beautiful grandchildren who are so precious to me. For a wonderful daughter-in-law who has done a fantastic job of raising them while pursuing a college degree. For a loving son who has worked full time and attended class four nights a week and endured many hardships. Graduation can't come too soon for him.... For a sweet, gorgeous daughter who just finished her first semester of college. For great friends who have been there for me when the days were bleak... As I step into my new life, I thank God for these blessings.