Grace Manor - A Stately and Beautiful B & B

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!!!!

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!!!!

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

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

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!!!!