Scripty Shades

Here is just one more example of why it always pays to browse around Walmart 

when I go food shopping.  

I apologize in advance for the poor photo quality.  It is a rainy, dark and dreary day here, and not wanting to use the flash ~ yuck ~ there wasn't enough natural light to get a good photo.

Which, for me, can be good and bad!

You know what I mean ;o)

When I do grocery run at Walmart (not all the time, mind you, but when I need to pick up some stock items), I always make sure I cruise through the seasonal, home goods/decor, craft departments on my way to the food side of the store.  

My last trip netted me with this super-cute French script shade for the floor lamp in the family room.  It was in the BH&G line, and IMO, a steal at just under ten bucks.

I loved it so much, I had to go back and get a matching shade for the small table lamp in the same room.  Again, just under ten bucks.  It's a good feeling when I find something really good like this at Walmart.  It certainly pays to keep your eyes open when you're there!

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Quiet Saturday Morning

It's an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning here.  Sunny and crisp outside.  Quiet and peaceful inside.

Hubby's gone to play a round of golf.  Son No. 3 is still in bed.  

And I have a new stack of reading material.  

Romantic Homes.  One of my favorites of all the "romantic" decor style magazines.

At first I was going to take my cup of vanilla biscotti coffee and the pile of new mags outside on the deck, but it was still just a bit too nippy.  So, I decided I'd venture off to a place I rarely visit . . . well, rarely visit for the purposes of relaxing, that is.  

The living room or sitting room.  

Off I went.  

I plopped into one of the soft, oversized chairs, threw my feet up on the ottoman, and got lost for a while within the pages of all that new inspiration. 

And, yes, that's a tattoo on my ankle.  That was my "turning-40-midlife-crisis-I-need-to-do-something-crazy" moment.  

Joy!  The new issue of Country French.

Always a great source for cute and quick paper crafting ideas.

Oh be still my heart . . . the new PB and Ballard catalogs.  Well, not fresh off the presses, but they've been in my mail basket for a while and I'm just now getting to them.

What a nice way to start out the day.  

Why don't I come in here more often?

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SURVIVOR SUNFLOWERS

As you all probably know, here on the east coast, Mother Nature presented us with a pretty eventful week last week.  

Last Tuesday we had our first relatively strong earthquake in like a hundred years.  We didn't have any damage like areas near the epicenter, but it was a little weird feeling the earth literally ripple beneath your feet.  It was a gorgeous that day, and me and Son No. 3, Owen, were hanging out at the pool.  The pool water was sloshing back in forth, and the umbrellas were swaying.  It was pretty crazy.  

Then along came Irene.  Boy, talk about panicking!  Watching and listening to reports on her progress throughout the week created a bit of concern for those of us here on the east coast.  We actually live about 60 miles from the closest beach, but as you all know by now, the threat of Irene coming so far inland had many worried. 

By the end of last week, I figured I better get a little better prepared.  I made sure I had lots of bags of ice in the both freezers (we have two frigs ~ one in the kitchen, and one in the garage).  I also bagged up ice from the ice maker for clean ice, and filled empty milk jugs and juice bottles with water and put them in freezer.  We weren't so worried about flooding where we are, and not too many large mature trees to worry about with the high winds.  Our main concern was power outages.  The power company even had automated calls go out the Friday before (the storm was set to hit here late Saturday night), alerting their customers to be ready for possible long-term power outages.

I ended up at Costco that Friday, not necessarily to stock up on water like every other person in the state.  Good thing, I guess, cause they ran out.  Or so it seemed.  On my way to the registers, they were just hauling in another pallet.  It was like a free-for-all people grabbing cases.  Anyway . . . it was a regular Costco day for me, and I was dreading going knowing it would be mob scene.  And that it was.   Funny though,  I was in and out quicker that day then I ever have.  Crazy, huh?!  

Then I spent a good portion of the afternoon Friday bringing all the outdoor furniture, pots and planters.  Basically anything that could become a projectile in the high wind. What a job!   

The deck, before, with all the furniture and plants:

And after completely cleared off:

Let me tell you, THAT was a workout!

Having all my pots and planters grouped in one area really made me realize just how many flowers I have. 

They all looked so pretty smooshed together on tables in the garage. 

Saturday morning I started cooking - meatballs and sauce, Sante Fe chicken salad, potato salad.  I chopped and minced veges for pico de gallo and bruschetta.  I figured if we were going to loose power, I had lots of ice for coolers to store cold food, and the grill for cooking up all the stuff in the freezers.  

Son No 2., Colin, and his GF Shannon, stayed over.  We weathered the storm watching movies and munching.  And just in case we lost power, we had board games ready and I put together a basket of candles, a lighter and flashlights.

Well, for us the storm brought lots of rain and some pretty gusty winds.  We fared well by comparison from a lot of reports after the storm.  The worst thing for us was my garden was mowed down by the winds.  I have yet to get out there and clean up and start yanking stuff out, but I did find some sunflowers blooming.  Little survivors they are.  

The day before the storm:

The day after:

I couldn't resist cutting a little bouquet of those last surviving sunflowers, and putting them in salt glaze crock.  I placed them on the table of my new bistro set on the deck.

Isn't it adorable??!!!  

AWalmart deal.  I couldn't resist it the other day when I was there.  On clearance for $198 from $329.  

The back pillows didn't come with the set.  They're ones I bought earlier in the season when I was trying to match the other deck set.  The back pillows for the bistro set were too big and puffy and the same color as the seat cushions.  Kinda boring.

These pillows look so much better, are more comfy when sitting in the chairs.  And see how nicely they coordinate with the pillows from the other lounge set?  

Every time I walk by the door, I have to pause and look at my cute new furniture out there.  The weather's been just fabulous here since Sunday night, which has allowed me to keep all the cushions and pillows out everyday.  Before we know it, though, "deck weather" will be over and everything will be put away.  But I'm going to savor enjoying my outdoor room as long as possible.

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No More Summer Slacking!

Around here, you can sense summer's coming to an end.  Hanging on to the last few days of sleeping in, staying up late, no real schedule, and blowing off stagnant home improvement and home dec projects.

About the only things I've kept up with this summer is the basic housework, my exercise routine, a weekly round of golf and some gardening. 

Son No. 1 went back to school in North Carolina last week.  Son No. 2, who lives on campus here in Delaware, and Son No. 3, who'll be starting 8th grade, start back next Monday.  And with only a couple weeks left in August, and the nights getting a bit cooler, you can certainly feel the change in the air.

So, next week I'm vowing to get myself back into . . . well, everything I've been putting off this summer.  

Like, straightening up and deep cleaning my craft room.  It's a mess!

Making a new counter skirt and window treatment in the craft room with this new fabric.  I think it's going to look great with the pink shaggy area rug and the green apple walls!

Cleaning up and sorting through all that stuff under the table in the living room.  What's the deal with all that junk? Well, that's stuff I was using when creating new summertime vignettes here and there around the house, and it just got stuffed under there.  Outta of site, outta of mind, right?!

Our master bathroom.  UGGHHHH!!!  I'm almost embarrassed to show these pics.  

We started this mini-reno almost exactly a year ago.  We had some drywall repair done and that begun the long needed makeover.  Because we honestly can't afford to replace fixtures and completely overhaul the bathroom, we're hoping some updates will help out this tired-looking space.  First of all, fresh paint on the walls.  Since we have to keep the big fixtures like the tub, shower, etc., I can live with their pale grey color, so I'm working with color scheme that compliments.  I tell everyone to think beach glass.  Pale greens, blues, greys and whites.  

A new tile floor and tile around the tub to cover the ugly cedar planking painted grey should help.  And some white bead board paneling on the front.  BTW, I hate that the tub is situated on an angle.  I've never been able to figure out what to do with all the space back there.  Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciate ;o)

I picked out glass tiles for the backsplash around the tub and behind the vanity, below, which will be getting a new coat of heirloom paint and a new vanity top and sinks, and, of course, new vanity hardware.  New light fixtures and new shower doors will give this bathroom the facelift it desperately needs.

This project, primarily the tiling, is Hubby's.  And it's been slow-going, mainly because he's been working tons of overtime, annnddddd playing quite a bit of golf on the weekends this summer. Which I can't complain about.  He's been working so hard, and golf really relaxes him.  He knows he's going to have to get busy back on the project soon, though . . . hint, hint, Hon!

Another project waiting in the wings for way too long is the painting and refinishing of the kitchen table and chairs (this table does have a leaf that's out right now and six chairs altogether).  The chairs are getting a fresh new coat of glazed heirloom white paint, and the table top's getting refinished with a new coat of stain - I think.  

Not sure if I should restain it or paint it.  Suggestions?  

And I haven't decided if I'm going to paint the base glazed heirloom white or black.  Guess it would depend on what I decide to do the top.  Again, suggestions?

So among so many other big projects needing to get down around here, such as; pulling up the carpet in the finished basement and putting down the wood floor we purchased over a year ago; painting and redecorating that space; repainting the third bedroom; restaining the boy's bathroom vanity; painting and organizing our master bedroom closet; etceterAH, etceterAH, etceterAH . . .  (saying that in my head in my best Yul Brenner voice from the King and I).

All these projects, big and small, are gonna require a big swift kick in the butt for me.  Part of the reason, besides just summer slacking for not getting a lot of them done or at least started, is I just think I've lost a bit of my mojo.  I need some real motivation to get these projects going and completed, and some serious inspiration to make some much need decor changes around my home.  

I'm hoping when Son No. 3 gets back into school next week, and I have a few full days at home alone, I can get going on these projects and more.  How are all of you getting back on schedule now that summer's almost over?   It can be a tough transition some years!

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Laundry Woes

How true is it that we really don't miss a modern convenience until we are without?  

Having to do this . . . 

. . . hang every bit of my laundry . . . 

. . . out to dry.

Was a direct result of this . . . 

. . . my only 2-1/2 year old Samsung dryer . . .

. . . down for the count.  

The culprit?  

See that box up there?  That's the heater for the dryer. 

It was done. 

Kaput

Dead

How about that? 

 Two and half years old, the most expensive dryer I've ever owned, and it's heater is done.

The repair guy said they have more problems with Samsung dryers then any.  I was, frankly, shocked.  Whenever we spend, say, more than a hundred bucks for something, Hubby is very, very good about doing his research on that product.  

He researched for months on the best washer and dryer ~ that we could afford ~ so much that I was begging him to make a decision. He found nothing but good reviews on the Samsung.  Maybe the units are too new to have bad reviews popping up just yet.  Don't know.  But we thought we were making a good decision.  

All I can say is I'm glad we spent the $150 for the extended warranty!

Having to hang the clothes out for a week really wasn't all that bad.  It does require a bit more time for the whole laundry process when you're line-drying though.  

And, there are some things that line-dry fabulously.

Bed linens, for instance.

There's nothing like making, then climbing into a bed whose linens were line-dried.  There's that fresh, clean-air fragrance on the sheets and crispness of being wiped around out on the line.

T-shirts, gym shorts, Hubby's button-down dress shirts ~ they all do very nicely dried on the clothesline.

Not so nice on the clothesline are towels, jeans, socks.  The all become stiff and cardboard-like.  Oh, and then, of course, there's my unmentionables.  No way do they go outside on the line.  I find a private place inside for those items to dry. ;o

Growing up, my Mother used her clothesline A LOT!  Oh, we did have a dryer, but she preferred to line-dry.  She would even hang clothes on lines crisscrossing in the basement if the weather didn't allow outside line-drying. 

Having to use the clothesline all last week got me thinking of how many "pretty" clotheslines I've seen over the years.  You know, out on country drives . . . colorful clothing or bed sheets or quilts hanging on all types of clotheslines.  Or how about photographs of clotheslines in European countries?  Some of those people go to literally crazy heights to line-dry their clothes! 

 I decided to Google image clotheslines, and thought I'd share some of the cool pics I found.  

Do you ever line-dry outside?  

I guess, for me, I've realized it's not so bad when I don't have to! 

And just to make you smile . . .  :o)

How cute is that?!

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