Wrapping Up

So the last room to see is the dining room. Once again, sunflowers and citrus colors prevail. Here we go...

Once again, I'm showing some blog love. I started the DR table as you see in the first picture-it was not my favorite. Then, as I was catching up on my favorite blogs, I spied an old box set on a DR table looking very much like this. It was a no-brainer. I had made the long wooden box over a year ago, so it was ready, willing and able. And then, I looked up in my office-as if to divine intervention-and there they were-a bunch of ivy plants that I had nestled on top of the upper cabinets. I used to do this all of the time but have removed most of them because1. I don't like faux plants all that much and 2. they really are nothing but dust collectors-and I have more than my share of a dust collection going on without additional help. But, they too were ready, willing and able-after a few squirts of silk flower cleaner. And then, the sunflowers. They are in abundance in my house, so I simply "borrowed" a few out of other arrangements and there you have it. I moved the other arrangement out to the sun room and I am happy!

I am using today to get caught up on so much so that I can enjoy a few days with grand children. Should be a fun few days. I will keep you up-to-date. Stay tuned.

Tawanda Is Alive and Well...

...and back in our backyard!!!

Between my husband's surgery and rehab care and our excessive summer rains, I guess I have pretty much neglected a lot of our back yard. The lawn men still cut, edge, trim and blow everything once a week, so it is presentable, but I do the gardening so the weeds, deadheading, etc. fall to me. And I love it that way. I enjoy gardening. It gives me quiet time and is very peaceful and calming to me.

But, every now and then, I look around and decide that it "is time". I don't think I ever really plan a day like yesterday-it just sort of happens. I am a "one thing leads to another" kind of gal. That is why I usually avoid big projects until I know I have whole days free-never quite know where I will end up once I have started.

I noticed a lot of vines coming up and over our fence at the back point. We have almost 17 undeveloped acres behind us and all sorts of things find their way into our yard. Our property is a little more than 3/4 of an acre and there are many areas we don't use all that much. The point on the other side of the pool is just such an area. Over the years I have tried to plant formal gardens and make seating areas but they have always gone by the wayside as we gravitate to the areas around the pool, new patio or playground most often.

Many, many years ago I put in low brick walls around the perimeter of this point and planted azaleas and tea olives. It softens all of the privacy fencing in that area and makes it look like I am on top of things when I really am not. Once the field infringement gets very noticeable, I get busy. I stand on a ladder and lean behind it to clip the vines and bushes as low as I can get. And then I start yanking the vines that have covered the ground and entwined in the bushes. That usually leads to my pruning back the azaleas. And that is where I most often stop. But, every so many years, I look at the azaleas and realize that the base plant is just ugly. Often the main shoots have grown together and the plant just isn't pretty any more-and, since they are azaleas, their "green" time is much longer than their bloom time. And so it was yesterday. The mood just struck and before I knew it, I had every bush pruned back to nubs.

They will probably survive but I am not sure. Nor do I really care. I have been thinking lately about possibly digging them all out and trying to establish a shade garden in this area. And so, I will wait to see what develops. I will let you know. I am O.K. either way. Really. Just thankful we have our pool as it was so hot yesterday that I would head in for a dip every few minutes. I think that is the only way I would have survived. I guess I could have waited for the weather to cool off a bit but I have so many more fun things planned for those days. Stay tuned.

"I'm Trying So Hard"....

...to not rush the seasons any more than I do but how can I help it when things like this appear at my doorstep without me even having to go looking for them???!

I love this magazine. I love every issue of it. But, it goes without saying that I love the autumn issue the absolute best! I could move into just about every page of this issue. It makes my heart beat a bit faster and makes me wish my life away a little more each day.

We are going to try to get out of town for a little adventure one day this week and then we both have several appointments as well as two of our grand children coming for a few days this week, so it should go rather quickly. Then next weekend, I am off to downtown Disney for a princess lunch and make-over for Presley's 4th birthday celebration. Should be so much fun. And, before I know it, we will actually be one week closer to "the real thing". I can't wait!! I do have a bit more late summer decor to show you so stay tuned.

Step Quickly

So I promised you for the last several posts that we would head into the family room next. I am going to keep my promise but we are going to move quickly. First, because there really aren't any "ohhh and ahhh" moments in this room and second, because the sun is actually still shining outside and I am just chomping at the bit to get out there and tackle the yard...or maybe just float in the pool if truth be told!

So with that, please come on in to the late summer decor in the familyroom.

O.K. I admit it! I so jumped the season. It has been so rainy and dreary around here lately that when the big PB box arrived and I saw these mercury glass pumpkin lights, I just HAD to try them out. I love the glow that strings of lights on the mantle bring to the family room in the evenings when we are sitting in there watching TV. This is about the only time of year (except maybe a week or two in January) that there are no lights and I missed the warm glow. I am all about ambiance. I like the pretty niceties when I finally sit down at the end of the day. So, have I justified why I am leaving pumpkins up in July and August? So not like like me!!! But honestly, I love the light so much that I seem to be blocking out the fact that there are PUMPKINS in my family room in the summer and seeing them more as just the "colors" of late summer! Don't judge!!!
 

Now we only have the dining room and a few random shots to go. I have actually started thinking about some larger home projects and maybe some Halloween ideas that I could get started before life gets super hectic again but right now I am just taking a few minutes to enjoy the fact that life is NOT super hectic right this moment. Looking forward to a few days of the mundane-think it will play out that way? Yet to be seen. Stay tuned.

Waiting Patiently!

I know I promised that in my next post we would continue on with the late summer decorating tour, but it has been so rainy and dreary lately that it has been hard to get good pictures of the rooms and, quite frankly, I just needed something to perk me up.

We were going to head to Wiregrass for a day, but that is not a place you want to be in the rain as all of the shops are pretty much open to the elements. And, we have had one, two or all three of our daughters and their families here for the last five days. We have loved every minute of having them here but I was feeling some PB withdrawal, so hubby said to order some things out of the latest e-mail-they were offering me 15% off and free shipping so how could I refuse?

And before I knew it, my friendly UPS man was at my doorstep with a big box.

First up are the two new things I ordered for my autumn decor.

I absolutely LOVE this hand painted pumpkin pillow cover. It is 20X20 and can go so many places in my house that I just might have to buy another...or two!

The box held these wonderful pumpkin lights. They are orange mercury glass so I am in heaven! Gotta love anything in mercury glass!

And then - be still my heart - I started this year's Halloween purchases.

First off, this raven pillow. It is just perfect for me because, not only will it be fabulous in my "Poe" living room, but since our last name is Ravn and we have 3 daughters, what could be better? I love it. It too is 20X20 so it has some impact.

And who can live without one more skull - especially if it is mercury glass as well. I love my new treasures and can't wait to be able to use them in my autumn and Halloween decorating!

Next time, on to the family room-I promise! Stay tuned. 

Just When You Think You Have It All Planned....

O.K. I have admitted here before that I like to be in control! But, that being said, I am also one who can adapt pretty fast if my family is involved. Last week is the perfect example.

It looked like a pretty mundane schedule for hubby and me. A few more P.T. workouts for him and then our "normal" routine. We decided to go to a movie on Tuesday afternoon and then out for a nice dinner. My phone was flashing a message when we came out of the theater and when I called daughter #2 back to see what was up, she said she had a somewhat crazy question for me-what would I think about being featured in a television commercial? Now I will admit, when I was WAY younger, I used to fantasize about being Doris Day or one of the Lennon sisters but as soon as I was old enough to realize that I truly have NO talent in any theatrical avenues, I gave up those thoughts.

But, I know Becky has a friend who owns an advertising firm and that she often uses her friends as "talent". Long story short, she was shooting a commercial for a podiatrist and needed people who fit "the demographic" they were trying to reach-I guess women who could have feet, leg and varicose vein issues. And yes, I would have SO rather the commercial had been for Ralph Lauren or Beringer wine (figure they might give out free samples), but Dr. Koppel was very sweet and we had a fabulous time!

Guess I jumped a bit ahead of my story, but we discussed it over a wonderful dinner and of course, I said "yes" and hubby and I headed up the next day.


I must say that it was very fun seeing the behind the scenes of a television commercial. It takes so much more work than I ever realized. None of us really had lines, but we did have to "talk" as they taped. We will be shown walking in, being greeted and escorted back to an examine room and ultimately having a confab with the doctor. I have never had any trouble keeping up my end of a conversation but it was a bit awkward just talking for the sake of them recording moving mouths. We started out like I was really a patient but they did 2 takes of most angles and they did a number of angles so by the time we were done, we were getting a bit silly. After all, how does someone not trained in acting do a decent job showing concern over the image of "their" veins on a screen when the thing that you are looking at bears no resemblance to anything you have ever seen before! Actors and actresses have much more respect in my book these days. Don't think I will be going after my Screen Actor's Guild membership any time soon but it was really fun and I enjoyed it. I would do it again if I ever fit in any more demographics-perhaps Depends or Geritol?

Our "pay" was a gift card for dinner out, so we had 2 fabulous meals in a row! And, this time my daughter, SIL, and grandchildren were with us, so all the better!

We're ready for our close-ups, Mr. Demille!

In all seriousness, I did learn that varicose veins are a very real (and painful) problem for many women - especially if you have carried pregnancies or had a job where you are on your feet a lot. If you are in our area and looking for help, you might want to check out Dr. Koppel.

We spent the night, had a lovely breakfast in one of our favorite restaurants in G'vlle., made stops at Fresh Market and Trader Joes and then headed home.

But, the fun didn't stop there.When we got home, I headed over to pick up Presley. She had voiced that she wanted to come to Nana and Papa's - without Mommy and Daddy! Today was the day we had set and she told me she wanted to make cookies and have a tea party.

Off we went to the grocery store and then home to make Nana's "famous" chocolate chip with salted Spanish peanut cookies. Presley bakes a lot with her Mommy so she really was quite the little helper!

You can only see Crisco in this picture, but rest assured REAL butter is also involved!

Since her tummy was "full" of quality testing, we decided to play a bit before heading out to dinner.

So many Barbies, so little time! I can't believe so many of these dolls have been around since they belonged to my girls! Others are somewhat newer as I bought them as grand daughters came along. The furniture is all left from the girls' big, old Barbie Dream Houses. Some of the furniture has their names on the bottom just in case one ever showed up broken or missing-with 3 girls all close in age, this made problem solving a bit easier. Barbie really is one of those timeless toys as Presley loves them just as much as her cousins and her Mommy and aunts! Who'da thunk I'd have Barbies in my possession for over 35 years??!?

Then, off  we went to dinner. We like taking the younger kids to either Horse & Hound (they have a wonderful outdoor area for them to play and eat in & they love it) but it was raining or Bob Evans. They have a really nice children's menu with lots of healthy entrees and side dishes.

Presley came to our house wearing a really cute headband but somewhere along the way she found the "40" crown that we have used for so many birthday celebrations. Since "all of those ships have now sailed", I put it in with the dress-up stuff and she was adamant about wearing it. Let's just say it drew lots of attention to our table-plus a free chocolate chip cookie! Just what we needed after just baking dozens, but who would turn down a big, gooey chocolate chip cookie? Presley actually decided she wanted to save it for Mommy.

When we got home, it was time for the tea party. Notice how she lined up some of our stuffed animals and dolls? Then, she set the table "just so" and took her time pouring us tea-lots of tea, over and over. Papa even had to learn how to do the pinkie lift. It was so much fun.

After enough "tea" to keep us all running all night long, we put together some puzzles and then settled in for a movie before heading to bed! It sure was a fun visit and I am so happy she loves to come spend time with us!

Then, the next day my driveway looked like this:

My family all converged on our house for an impromptu get-together. I love it when that happens. Didn't take many pictures because most of us didn't even put on make-up or even presentable clothes but I snapped a few. I think I managed to catch at least one shot of each grandchild except Harrison-think he must have been in the pool when I actually picked up the camera in the house and one of the dogs-yes, there were four! Good thing the girls DON'T read my blog because I'm sure their photo would be vetoed but, oh well. It was a wonderful, unplanned weekend-hectic, loud, over-indulgent-all those things I love.

Yes, there IS a big bowl of fresh vegetables and mac & cheese and roasted garlic potatoes on the table-you just can't see them behind all of those chips!!

 BTW, if you need more proof (aside from the lack of photos) that this weekend really was impromptu and that I have learned to adapt quickly in my old age, check out that dining room table!!! In the past, potato chip bags, no placemats, paper plates, etc. would have truly given me apoplexy! See how I have changed!?

The house has been too quiet since they all left -although we have been dog sitting for the 2 dogs from G'vlle while daughter, SIL and four oldest grand children have been at the beach. Just got a call and they will be heading home soon and want to know if they can spend another night! Yipee! I love that they want to do that!

And so, tomorrow is another day. I don't have too many things on the calendar for this week so I am planning to get back to our tour of my late autumn decorating. That is, unless another better offer comes along. Then, all bets are off! Stay tuned.