Can't Wait Any Longer!

Remember these? We made a stop at the Shoppes at Wiregrass on our way home from Gulfport last week. I am not overly into PB right now as most of what they are featuring is still too "summer" for me. I grew up in south Florida and am just not a fanof shells, coral, sea glass or "beachy" decorating anything-although I really love the beach itself!

But, when I am this close to a PB, I must make a stop. Lucky for me, Indian summer was sneaking in and I found a few goodies that I will be able to use in a lot of my decorating all year long.

I seem to be drawn to olive jars, urns and jugs that have the old, beaten look. Since this one is a slightly different style than my others, I grabbed it. It also didn't hurt that it is red as it will be out much of the year-even if it is just sitting up on a shelf or below a table in a vignette. Right now it is fitting into the 4th theme on the kitchen hutch. Doesn't scream 4th of July, but it doesn't need to as the color is right. And, believe me, I do not really need to add one more flag to my house!

While I was there, I also grabbed another of these wonderful baskets. I love the one in my kitchen so much that I am sure this one will be put to good use very soon. Until then, it serves as a prop on the coffee table in the living room.

I also got this small cache pot. It sits in the sun room while I am deciding if the gold works with the new valances. Yes, I stuck it up there and still haven't even taken off the price tag. I really bought it to go with my decorating after the 4th when I bring out my sun flowers and go for the hot, end of summer feel. It will look so pretty clustered with the red jug soon!

Look closely at the sunroom table. Notice anything new?

I just added this large lantern and, as with most everything I do, there is a story. Remember how I posted that having 3 daughters who know my taste is like having 3 extra pair of eyes. As I was driving to Gainesville the other day, my phone rang and my youngest told me she had just left HL and they had some of their lanterns on sale for 80% off. I have a lot of lanterns and really don't need more, but she thought I might want to see what they had.

Since I was more than half way there, I continued on but as I was heading home later in the day, I thought I may as well swing by to see if any were left. As I neared Ocala, the beginnings of tropical storm Debby started hitting and the rain was really coming down. I really don't like to drive in the rain but 80% off was too good to pass up. Before I knew it, I was driving through totally flooded roads but it was too late now to turn back so I forged ahead.

It was a bit of a nail biting ride, but I made it and luckily for me, there was only one large lantern left. It had been $109.99 - which obviously no one would spend for a lantern in HL - but I got it for $22.00 I had intended to bring it home and "rust" it up a bit, but when I put it on this table, it totally looks great with my smaller lantern, so risking life and limb was so worth it in the end!


Also new to my house is the Mother's Day gift my daughter had gotten for me that was on back order. I finally got it last week and it is another something that will be out in my house through every season. For now, I poured some rice into the tubes and added some flags. I added it to the sofa couch vignette and I love it. Keep an eye out because I am looking forward to finding many more ways to use this.


And lastly-enter a large SIGH here- I have loved the above vignette ever since it first appeared in BH&G Magazine in 2010. It is what inspired me to start my Poe vignette in my livingroom. And, ever since then, I have been on the hunt for an old, upright typewriter. I have actually found a few in antique stores in Micanopy and Mt. Dora, but the prices were ridiculous! Plus, I don't care if it works or not. I just want it to make all of my "ravenly" visions come true.

Imagine my sheer delight when a text came in with a picture of this beauty! My oldest daughter and 2 of my grand daughters were in a little, eclectic shop in St. Pete and there it was. The funny thing is that my daughter and I were going to go to this shop while I was down visiting, but it was supposed to be closed on Mondays. She ended up taking the girls to the movies after we left and got re-routed on their way home due to road construction. The new route took her right past the store and she noticed that they were open, so they stopped and went in. She was buying some new wall sconces when she spied this little beauty and the rest is history. And, the best part is that it is a gift from her to thank us for taking care of our grand dog while they are out of the country again. We love that dog and take care of her any chance we get, but I'm not about to look a "gift typewriter in the mouth".

I CAN NOT wait to decorate with it! I have already pulled out all of my ideas I have been filing away. Do you think my family and friends and neighbors would think it odd if a bright orange glow started emanating from my house the week after the 4th of July? I am so wishing my life away. I will try to take a breath and take it one day at a time but it will be hard. We will see how long I last. Stay tuned.

Wrapping Up Bits & Pieces

Last of the 4th of July decor-the guest bath. Didn't really go over board here because I didn't think anyone but hubby and I would be here to see it....boy was I wrong on that-more to follow on that issue.

In any case, some red, white and blue towels, flag or two, an extra Uncle Sam and some of my very old handmade soap-so old in fact that when I look at this picture I see that the colors have pretty much blended all together. I enjoy making soap. Might have to be on the to-do list for next year!




Here are a few more shots of how I used my new gift. I really love this piece. Can't wait to see where it ends up next and what fills the 5 vases. Leaning towards Gerbera daisies-they say summer to me and mine are blooming really well right now-but, we shall see.

And now, about no one being at my house to see my 4th decorations...we always celebrate the holiday at our oldest daughter's house in Gulfport. Her house sits on the water and the fireworks go off right in front of us without us even having to leave the pool, so it is a no brainer! And, this is usually the time of year everyone is busy with camps, vacations, etc. so my house doesn't see a lot of company in early July.

For some reason, this year has been very different and we have had a steady stream of company. My grand daughters have pretty much been together at one place or another since the dance recital. It does my heart heart good to see how much they love to be together and how well they get along. My house has kind of been the trading spot and their moms have come along and joined in the fun too. We love it and since none of it was really planned, all the better! No stress fun!

And, since daughter #3's house is getting close to the finish line on the total gut, I mean update renovation, we have all made lots of visits over there as well to see how it is all finally coming together. And it is coming together beautifully. It will be gorgeous and just what they have wanted-well worth the wait I am sure!

The last visit saw all of the daughters and 6 of the grand kids (Hannah is 16 and has a summer job) at my house for trade offs once again and just lots of fun visiting and bonding. Grand daughter # 2 had just auditioned for the elite dance group at her new school-heading into St. Pete H.S.- right before they hopped in the car and came here. She was supposed to hear results by 8P.M. that night. We all headed out for dinner and e-mails were checked constantly but, no news. Still NO NEWS at 9:15, so we pretty much figured she had not made it and only the girls who had were receiving the news-and that would only be 2 girls. Let's just say that after much sadness and words of comfort and advice on what to do to try out again next year, it was discovered that her CONGRATULATORY e-mail actually went out at 6 P.M. and for some reason, didn't get through! Ain't technology great? Let's just say it was probably just as well that it came when we were all back at my house as the decibel level went to new extremes! Don't know who was the happiest! It is hard to watch someone you love so much hurt for any reason. Those of us who have "been there" know that in the scheme of things, this is just one small bump. But, for someone just starting to find her niche in life, this was monumental!

Anyhow, the next day we picked up a small congratulatory cookie cake and she, her sister and her cousin enjoyed the celebration. And now, these 3 and their 2 boy cousins are all together in St. Pete while the littlest munchkin is up in Gainesville with Hannah, Aunt Becky and Uncle Todd...and Nana and Papa are catching up on their sleep after those late nights! Ha-ha! And, in just a few days, the WHOLE gang will be converging in St.Pete. Can't wait!

And so for now, congratulations once again to the newest member of the St. Pete H.S. Devilettes! You will soon find out what a great choice you made as this is one AMAZING KID!!!!

On the road again!

The spring is always a really busy time for us, but somehow this year it carried over into the summer as well. I have been on the go a lot and thought I would share a few pictures. The first ones were taken at Harrison's last awards ceremony. He got many acknowledgements again and I am very proud of him. This was a totally new school for him in a totally new town where he knew no one. Although, we always say, Harrison has never met a stranger. He is a super happy, friendly kid but a new school with new ways can be a bit intimidating to anyone and he just had a really successful year and we couldn't be happier for him. He has made many new friends and just loves life!

Sorry these two photos are so blurry but they were sent to me via my daughter's phone.

The ribbon around his neck was given to him with his first medal and then each accomplishment is awarded a new pin that you add on year after year. By the time this kid hits 5th grade, he won't be able to lift his head!

The next week, the 3 kids were up with my brother and sister-in-law. Since my brother still heads up the Alachua Co. Summer Track Camp, Harrison goes off with him every day. On Friday, they finish up the week with a track meet so Jennie and I went up.

My oldest grand daughter was there as she serves as a counselor. She loves working with all of the kids and they love her!

The boys love to be with their Uncle Joel. Think on many levels he thinks much like they do-after all, he has taught 5th grade for so many years, he knows how their minds work and they can have so much fun with him. My girls always loved their time with Uncle Joel and Aunt Cyndi as well. After all, who else would let you bring ducks into the house, or make afternoon candy runs to the Jiffy store, or dress up in your best clothes and heels, and...well, you get the picture.

Harrison actually won a first place ribbon this year for the shot put. This kid is strong!

Getting ready for the next race. Definitely need to be patient as half of these kids lined up facing the wrong direction. But once they got going, they ran their little hearts out. Siblings were in this race too and it was cute.

Hud had fun as well and at this age, ribbon colors are of no importance!

Morgan spent the week with Uncle Joel and Aunt Cyndi also and I think these two got a blue ribbon just for looking cute!

And then we were off to this view. I am trying to remind myself of the picture perfect weather that we had. Literally in the low 70s with a beautiful breeze and hardly any humidity. And all of this in Florida in June. Of course, I am now looking out the window at some of the havoc Tropical Storm Debby has wreaked, so I'm trying hard to remember that beautiful weekend. We truly wanted to spend the night out on the porch or in the hammock.

We went down for the girls' yearly dance recital and we are always amazed at how professional the dances are. This year, since the recital was on Father's Day weekend, middle daughter and her family came along as well and we took the opportunity to do lots of celebrating with 2 birthdays that week as well. Must say, it was difficult getting ourselves up and out of there on Monday!





Since then, I've made several trips back and forth to Gainesville and had grand children visitors on several occasions. I do love the laid back rhythm of summer. No need to make concrete plans far in advance. We've more or less been flying by the seat of our pants and it is fun. Not to mention that we got to fit in one more Michigan marathon-and, for once, I won. Too bad we weren't playing for the big bucks!

If Debby ever decides to start moving, my oldest daughter is coming up for a few days and then we will all be down at her house for the 4th. And so it goes. And, if I am lucky, it will be September before I know it. Stay tuned.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Yes, I could be talking about my husband, children, grandchildren or friends....but, I am not! I am talking about Pinterest! Have I told you how much easier it makes your life?

I have always been a "filer". BP (before Pinterest), I had to buy every magazine or book that hit the stands. Then, I had to find time to read them and choose what I might one day want to try. Then, I had to come up with a good way to catalog these ideas without building a new room to house all of them-which I guess I sort of did when I had floor to ceiling bookcases built in one guest bedroom, a craft armoire added to another and 2 walls of built in cabinets and drawers in still another-but I digress!

I had just about come up with a clever way to find an idea and its instructions-if and when I remembered it without going back through EVERY idea I ever pulled-when Pinterest came into my life.

Now, ideas flood to me every day via pinners that I "follow" and I pin anything I am interested in. Then it is a simple matter of pulling up a "board" and finding what I want. It saves so much time-not to mention money- as magazines are quickly becoming a thing of the past in my house. Last October I was grabbing the new Halloween magazines off of the shelf in B & N like a holiday starved crazy woman. Thank goodness I began leafing through them. I soon realized that someone had found the same magazines before me and all of the ideas were already posted on Pinterest and I had already added the ones I liked to my boards earlier that day!

So that brings me to this post-albeit the long way around! Since I make about every new holiday idea I see that I like (and, I am as old as the hills so I have been around the pike a few times), it is often hard to find anything new I can try. Enter Pinterest! Just when I thought there would be no new entries to this year's 4th of July decorations, I saw the picture above.

It caught my attention and because I had this.......


I was able to make this..... And, I truly did not have to buy one thing to make this gift!!! I remembered that JoAnns had given me the roll when I bought my valance fabric. And me being me, I kept it "just in case". It was perfect for this craft because it is THICK! I actually had to use my chop saw to cut it. Then, I headed to my 4th of July download file and printed up copies of the Declaration of Independence. I covered the tube with that and began cutting chipboard shapes, glittering, etc. I even got to use my new M.S. scorer-makes folding card stock for rosettes SO MUCH EASIER and the folds actually come out the same size so the rosette goes together very easily! I pretty much "ripped off" the Pinterest image exactly but since I am not selling them and made a few changes, I am O.K. with it.

And, since everyone who is receiving one has already gotten it, no eyes have to be averted during this post.I just realized that I added a small star shaped rhinestone to the center of the rosette after I saw this picture. It looks better than that plain, little white circle.


Here is where I added mine. I think it fits right in with the other vintage decor.



This is the fire cracker I made a few years ago that used to be in the vignette. I simply moved it to this little shelf and it is happy here.


And, because I am saving so much time with Pinterest, I actually have time now and then to get back into the kitchen. Just finished making this chickpea and tomato salad. I used a lot of the grape tomatoes I still have on my plants and fresh basil that is flourishing in my garden now that the summer rains have returned. This salad is delicious. We first had it at my daughter's house the other night-and yes, she had found it on Pinterest as well!

Have a few new treasures that I will show you next time-one that my oldest daughter found and bought for me that is making me positively giddy!!!! Do people still say that? Told you, old as the hills..... In any case, it is wonderful to have daughters that know my taste so well that they see things that "look like me" all of the time. It's kind of like having 4 pair of eyes and since they all really "get around", I get all kinds of wonderful things without ever leaving home! Thanks Kris!!! Can't wait to reveal my newest find. I'll give you a hint...Halloween decorating is involved! Probably no surprise there as that is about all I can think about these days. Told you before, I'm just not a summer kind of gal! Stay tuned.

Coming Together

The sunroom is starting to come together but, oh, do I know myself so well!!?? I headed off to buy some accessories for the new room and as I started to see what I would be spending, I reined myself in because I know I will not be leaving this color scheme up after Sept. 1 even though my youngest daughter tried to convince me that autumn colors could work with the new valance. I am an orange, gold, brown & red kind of autumn girl. I wish I wasn't! Life would be easier if I could just decorate once and live with it but I can not! Actually, on this very same trip to look for misty green and taupe accessories, I ended up buying 3 new things for autumn,,,,and have bought even more since-more to come on another post about that.

This is the start of the table vignette. The whole idea for the room actually started with the tin pitcher my daughter gave me for my birthday. I love the color and feel-very calming and cooling. Just what this room needed for summer!

The 2 seafoam pillows are actually all I ended up buying. Because I felt they needed to be grounded a bit, I brought the flax colored ones from the livingroom and I am content.


I filled the pitcher with my never ending supply of hydrangeas. I tried to find the "greenest" of the blues. So much punch for free and I can just let them dry in this spot and they will last as long as I need them. The pitcher is sitting on a plate in this picture. I inherited a set of plates from my daughter as she was packing up her home and realized that the colors could work in here-and another freebie-what could be better?

Here are the 3 plates whose colors work hanging on a post. I'm not a huge fan of all of the visuals, but I needed that pop of coral from the postcard pillow. I'm also not a huge fan of how low they are hung and the distance between them, but I am using existing nails instead of hammering in new-once again, it is temporary in my mind.

I like the feel of the room when I step into it. It is calm and inviting but I still find myself wishing my life away. There will be a huge smile on my face the day that first leaf, pumpkin or acorn can find its way into my decorating!!!! Stay tuned.

Now Look Who Came to Live With Us!

Isn't he (or she) beautiful? I am in love although I think I spent way too much! Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!

I think I mentioned that I am always looking for ways to get more storage in my house. I have a fairly large house with more than the normal amount of storage. But, on the other hand, I have a LOT of STUFF!!!

I have 9 drawers in my kitchen. That is probably more than most kitchens but I also have 2 full sets of cutlery plus tons of utensils, serving pieces, pot holders, dish towels, junk, etc. I have always had the drawers crammed so full that finding anything when needed was beginning to get to be impossible. A few months ago I did a bit of a re-do and moved some things around so it made more sense (notice I didn't say "got rid of"?) but there was still room for improvement. Now, IF I were ever to get new cabinets, I have all sorts of ideas to solve my problem but short of that, I am always looking for solutions.

Enter one of my favorite blogs, "Dear Lillie". The woman who writes this blog has lovely taste and one day I noticed an antique basket on her kitchen counter that she said she uses for dish towel storage. Light bulb goes off!!!! I did some looking locally and couldn't find a covered basket that fit the bill. Now enter another favorite, Pottery Barn. Just a few seconds searching their site and I found exactly what I wanted!

Aren't these beautiful? They are called Colton Woven Trunks. The small size was EXACTLY what I was looking for and quicker than a wink it was here and on my kitchen counter. It is full of my dish towels-just the seasonal ones of course. The rest get stored away waiting for their turn to shine. By filling this basket with towels, one more drawer was entirely empty. Of course, that didn't last long and it is now the proud home of all of my silver serving pieces. I am so thrilled to be able to open a drawer and find exactly what I want without pulling out a dozen other things.

Because the kitchen was already decorated for the 4th of July, I just put the basket where you see it but once things clear out, I am going to reassess. I am also going to see what else I might be able to store in a basket and where else I might be able to fit one..or two..or-well, you get the picture.

I am going to be getting some outside opinions on kitchen color. My kitchen is currently a tomato red with a white glaze. It is very Tuscan feeling and I love it. It is warm and cozy and works for most seasons. That being said, I think I am just starting to tire of it. I see all of these bright white kitchens on Pinterest and they look so clean. But, I am not a white wall kind of girl so I am having a struggle within. I am going to ask everyone who enters my home this summer and maybe I can come to some kind of decision. My problem? I like all styles and looks. Just don't know if I like them for me. But, after all, it is only paint. Time shall tell. Stay tuned.

Moving Right Along

So we are on to the family room. I have shown you most of this before but I want to document it for myself so I hope you don't mind coming along. The above wreath was made for me by my youngest daughter and contains my grand children's hand prints. I love it and it always holds a place of honor in my family room for everyone to see. If you are very observant, you will notice the addition of a flag that I added. When I made the small banner last year, I could fit an extra flag on the page I was printing so I went ahead and did. Then I walked around until I found just the right place to clip it. I think it looks cute right here.


This year's mantle holds the bead board flag I made a few years ago, my newest Uncle Sam, my white stoneware pitcher from Target full of flags and some small Uncle Sams, red white and blue stars and red white and blue votives. It does look really pretty at night when the star lights are lit and the candles are glowing through the votive holders.








Now I know why we call large TVs the big, black hole. That is truly what it looks like in this picture but once again I am cataloging the unit to make my life easier next year when I have to remember how I could possibly have fit all of the STUFF I have somewhere in my house. Bear with me!


Here is a little teaser of what I have been up to of late. I have been out of town and on the road way more than I have been home and oh, the places I've been! I will share in my next post. Stay tuned.