Eureka!!

Today was going to be a simple day-just a quick trip to the grocery store and that was it. But, as often happens around here, one thing after another popped up on my radar and, before I knew it, I was contemplating other stops.

I told you two of my granddaughters are coming for a Halloween crafting weekend so I am beginning to think about the crafts we might want to do. And, that sent me to the Hobby Lobby ad where I realized that some of the supplies that I need are on sale this week. That meant a trip in the opposite direction of where I had planned. And then, I thought about Walmart. We all know how I feel about that store and, since our kids just went back to school and the Walmart closest to my house was still loaded with school supplies, what were the chances that the one further out where I was now heading would be any different? But, the thought wouldn't leave my head and, as much as I didn't want to, I had a gut feeling...and so, off I went. I headed into that Walmart and saw most of the same stuff I saw at "my" Walmart until...I spied the beginnings of an autumn decor area and, right next to that, the much anticipated "My Texas House" Halloween arrivals. I think they had pretty much all of the newest drop and it is all wonderful and, if I didn't already have SO much Halloween decor, I probably would have gotten more but I grabbed the things I really wanted and truly couldn't believe my luck!

This stuff is much sought after and usually sells out soon after it hits the shelves. I think a lot of it is bought by people who keep it until it is sold out in the stores and online and there is still the demand and they can sell it on eBay for an inflated price.

In any case, the main thing I was wanting is the black garland. Many, many years ago I spent a fortune for one from Grandin Road. I loved it so much that I wanted another but they never had them again. It always went over the mirror in the living room like this:

Then when I added the shelf, I moved it over there but still always wished I could get another so the mirror still had one.

And, I always wanted one for the family room mantle as well instead of this:

With that in mind, here is what I came home with today from Walmart.

I bought two of the garlands but now I'm already thinking I might need two for the mantle and will still be one short. I also bought the dripping garland wreath. I have no idea where it is going to go but I think I can see it with the dummy board wreath I made nestled inside of it...maybe?

I also grabbed the gold metal spiderweb bowl in keeping with my new "gold" obsession and two of the small pumpkin cocottes which made me think of my autumn decorating. Normally that would not be until the last week of August but I will be having granddaughter #5 staying with me that week while my daughter and son-in-law head up to S.C. to do a total house install and there is no way I would inflict that total house decor swap chaos on her. And then, that weekend will be our crafting weekend so...it looks like I will be doing the swap out next week. That only leaves me a bit longer to enjoy the sunflowers but I am always ready for autumn!

I am running a bit behind this week as the tree guys ended up taking two days to get everything done, I had a hair appointment, I had a roofer come by for a bit and I'm getting ready for daughter #1 and my grand dog for the weekend. It seems like any time I have workers here, I can never accomplish anything else-especially tree guys because I am glued to the process the whole time. The last time I used a company that had that fancy new machine that did all of the work so no one had to climb up the trees. This time, my neighbor used a different company and I tagged on to that so some poor guy had to go up into those VERY TALL trees. It was too hot to sit outside and watch but I watched a lot from one of the guest room windows and when I saw this fall right here, it got my attention. This is literally just the top of one of my trees. If the whole tree ever decided to topple, it would definitely take out a good bit of that end of the house.

That's all I've got for today. I'm waiting for grandson #2 to come by with his magic impact drill to help me put some more of the fence back together. It looks like the tree guys might have hit the post between the two gates trying to get their backhoe into the back yard and have knocked a good portion of the fence off of the posts so that neither of the gates-the regular one and the one for equipment-any longer close. It's always something but I'm happy he has a few days before he heads to UF and can do this for me. Stay safe and stay tuned.

P.S. I still haven't finished the ornaments either...maybe tomorrow.

  

Eternal Optimist!

 I don't make a secret of the fact that I much prefer Target over Walmart...in fact, I really don't care for Walmart at all...except for certain seasonal things. I do like "My Texas House" decor items which are available only at Walmart. And so, I try to hit the store about the time I think those items will be hitting the shelves. I totally lucked out for the 4th of July and was able to grab some things that sold out immediately after! And, that was my hope for today. I have seen a number of bloggers post their new Halloween decor in their stores and I saw a few things that were absolutely speaking to me. And so, I crossed my fingers and headed out. Of course, my hopes were quickly dashed when I saw the MASSIVE back-to-school displays-aisles and aisles of it! Our kids go back to school next week and I should have remembered that...unfortunately, I didn't.

But, since I was there, I also had a list of small home repair things I needed and then I hit the autumn decor. My store didn't have everything I have seen available there either but I did grab a few things just to make the trip worthwhile. Lol

I have actually been looking at the gold tray for a bit so today was the day. And, I like the pitcher. I am using it right now and then it will stay through autumn and probably come back for Thanksgiving. And who doesn't need an air-fryer silicon basket for "more even cooking"? LOL Darn those endcap displays!

My basil plants had pretty much faded over my use of them and the summer heat so I got a few replacements at Publix as well as the magazine so I can sit and dream about what is to come.

My weekend was pretty quiet as I still had grand dogs here but they went home yesterday morning and then I went over to daughter #3's yesterday afternoon to help celebrate granddaughter #5's 17th birthday. Since they had just returned home from their trip and the whole gang is only going to be here for a few days before they head in other directions again, a very impromptu party and dinner was planned and any of the family who could make it was here.

For whatever reason, my picture taking was few and far between. The kids had friends there and I didn't want to interrupt their time together but I did get my obligatory Nana photo. I think I get shorter in every picture we take.

 I NEVER take videos but, somehow every now and then, I inadvertently must hit the video button. And, of course, I know there is a way to get a still picture from the video but I'm not truly sure how so, after much button pressing, this is what I have and I will just go with it...the birthday girl with her presents and her cake.

I've got one more little peek for you of my latest project. Let's just say it is not going as I had planned-or hoped-so it is on hold for another day. I'll fill you in on all of it when I get back to it.

Luckily, that's all I have for you today because we have a MASSIVE thunder and lightning storm hanging over us right now. It has been pouring for about 30 minutes and the lights are continuing to flicker so I'm guessing it won't be long until we are in the dark! Guess I better go grab the flashlights and a book. I'll be back-hopefully-lol. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Happy Sunday!

 Happy Sunday. Just popping in for a quick visit to show you what is making my heart so happy today. I think I told you that daughter #1 has recently redone her entire downstairs and the new furniture could no longer accommodate two chairs that she had that I just loved so much. I think from the day she bought those chairs I was heard saying "if you ever want to get rid of them....". Lol And, every time I visited, I made sure to reissue that statement. I'm kind of like the "Mikey" of the family-give it to Mikey....!  LOL

And so, I think I always knew that some day those beauties would find their way to me. And this was the time! Of course, only one has made it so far as two wouldn't fit on her car this time as this trip was meant to get granddaughter #4 out of her apartment and relocated to a house that shar and some roommates will be living in now.

Kris, Liv, my brother and sister-in-law, grandson #1 and Liv's dad headed to Gainesville on Friday and they got the lions' share of the needed work done. I stayed home with my grand dog and grand kitten. When they arrived home that night, we ordered pizzas and just sat and visited and enjoyed the antics of the animals.

Saturday saw the three of us joined by daughter #3 heading back to Gainesville. Our job today was to  cleaning the apartment and then get Liv's stuff in the house all incorporated into her room and, of course, with two interior designers in house, you had to know discussions would soon turn to decorating said house. And, of course, the list of to-dos grew by a bit! Lol I think it's looking like we will be having an "all hands on deck work day" as soon as Liv finishes her summer internship. We'll have that place looking like home in no time.

By the time we were done, we were exhausted so we headed home to my house and made ourselves comfy in the family room and no one moved until we were so hungry we had to do something! Lol Daughter #3 was able to join us as her family is scattered right now. Everyone is headed to a family wedding in Arkansas but everyone has different stops along the way while she stays here for work not flying out until Thursday and, of course, that is when I will have some other grand dogs for awhile. Should be a fun five days.

In any case, let me show you what is making me smile so broadly! You can see from here how the room looks with the new chair and still the other old one. But....

....if you just divert your eyes this way you can see the "full" pictures of just how gorgeous this little cutie is. I don't know why I love this chair so much but I know that Kris will be back soon to finish the move-in and I will soon have them both!

I had thought about possibly putting one of the old chairs in my bedroom to replace the one that is there but, when I started moving things around, I realized just how deep and wide these chairs actually are and that wasn't going to work.

After our design meeting at Liv's house, we think there might be a use for the chairs up there as there is plenty of room for another conversation area so, she is going to see what her roommates think and if they like that idea, the chairs will find a new home there. If not, daughter #3 actually would like them for somewhere in her house so, no matter what, they will have a good new home soon.

Until then, the one is sitting here.

It's a bit in the way but the funny thing is that since I just put it here, numerous people have been seen sitting there because it makes for an easy conversation if someone is on that love seat at the end of the dining room-and, that love seat DOES get sat in often!

So that is all I have for today. I just wanted to pop in. I think I'm off to change the guest room sheets so I will be ready for the next visitor and then I am going to call it a day. We ordered Mexican food last night and there is truly a lot leftover so dinner will be easy tonight! I've got a list of things I want to get done before the grand dogs arrive so I'm not sure when I'll be back but, until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

PIVOT!

 So for a bit I have been hinting about a project with a drop cloth that I picked up from Lowe's. I have seen many people use the fabric for crafts and I had a "brilliant" idea that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on because I wasn't sure I could pull it off-so I thought I might give this a shot.

I won't go into my long, sad story but suffice it to say that my brilliant idea quickly became a "no-go"-but not until after I had already done some cutting on it. Thankfully I also wanted to try to make a sort of ottoman cover for the black ottoman in the sunroom so I had to pivot and move on to that. Luckily, none of the fabric that I had already cut had to be wasted-in fact, it was almost the exact size that I needed.

Here is a reminder of the ottoman.

Again, the dark ottoman didn't bother me when I had a darker chair there but the new, lighter chair just seemed to be a bit too much of a contrast. Of course, there is a lot of other black furniture in this room so I guess it wasn't that awful but I decided a change was in order,

At first I thought I might want a cover where each side is a loose flap and then they were tied together but, for some reason, that just seemed too fussy for me so I went for the absolute basic. I cut one piece of fabric for the top making it large enough for seams on each side and a bit of leeway in case I ever wash it and it shrinks. Then I cut four more pieces for the sides leaving them longer so I could decide how long I would leave this after it was done. I made sure to write myself notes so I didn't put the pieces together incorrectly since the sizes were close.

Then it really was just as simple as sewing the four sides onto the top and then sewing the side seams on all of the sides. The corners can be a bit tricky but this fabric has enough "give" that they went together perfectly!

Once I got that far I couldn't wait for a "fitting" because I truly am not the best when it comes to precise measurements. Lol  And, it was just right!

Once I got this far and was happy with the fit, all I had to do was mark a hem and get it stitched up. I decided that I wanted the cover just a bit off of the floor and not showing as much of the feet (because they too were black) as they did originally. And voila...

So, some thoughts now that I'm here. Firstly-do I wish that there weren't all of those wrinkles? Absolutely! That is an easy fix except that on a day with a heat index in the triple digits, I'm not about to drag out the iron. At this point I'm hoping maybe the humidity will help a little.

Secondly-could this have been a much more upholstered look with bindings, trims, etc.? Absolutely! But, that is really not the look or feel that this room calls for. This is the room where we are comfy. Nothing is pretentious-actually that kind of describes my whole house. I truly just wanted it to look like an unstructured cover-and I think that is exactly what it does.

And, thirdly, could I have chosen a "nicer" fabric? Be it better made or a better color or a better pattern or a better texture? Absolutely! But, again, summer is not my friend! And, the last thing I would want to be doing in this heat is running around this town trying to find the right fabric-especially now that JoAnns is no more.

And so, I am good with this. The color doesn't jar my senses quite as much and it is comfy!

And, while all of that fun was happening my phone dinged to let me know FedEx had just made a delivery!

I have to say that I do get a bit apprehensive when I know FedEx is delivering something that I ordered-especially now that I have the cameras around the house with the "neighbors" feature where people can post anything happening around them and, except for lost or found pets, the number one issue is FedEx delivering packages to the wrong house. I guess today was my lucky day!

Not only did I get my two "sunflower" candles-which I will admit not only have a pretty label but smell quite nice also-but I grabbed a "harvest" for November-I LOVE the Indian corn on that label-and, maybe one of my absolute Yankee Candle favorites, Autumn Leaves for September. I probably already have  a few of each of these but, I was a G.S. and I like to "be prepared" just in case. Lol I also like to use the jar lid rings to help the candles burn "straighter" and not be affected by fans or A/C. I think I have them for every holiday/season but for my sunflower decor. I used a generic copper one-that is pretty and is still going to be on one of my candles-and then a generic silver one that just didn't cut it with the warm hues of the sunflower candle. I grabbed this new one that not only looks like those "could" be sunflowers but it also incorporates the other citrus colors that I am using right now. It is so pretty!

And so, I have had a good day. It's time to change some sheets, pick up and put everything I have dragged out away and get ready for family to arrive in the morning. We still have a bit of our tour to finish so I'll be back. Stay safe and stay tuned.

What a Week!

 So, where do I start? Let's just say that this has been a week so far! But first, let me catch you up on my weekend. It was wonderful and I blame that for part of what has happened this week. Lol I simple could not re-enter after the holiday. It actually started last Thursday when I was sure it was Friday all that day...more about this later.

My brother and sister-in-law came on Friday afternoon and we spent some time catching up and then they wanted to know what was on "my list". I truly did not expect them to do any work this weekend but, they're not used to sitting still and I think truly love lending a hand. We kind of made a little list before enjoying the start of our 4th of July picnic and watching some TV.

Early the next morning, they were off for a holiday race that my brother not only ran in but won for his age category! Once they were home, we started on the list and really got a lot accomplished before calling it a day, having more of our holiday feast and nestling in to watch the firework display from NYC. After so many years of fireworks, I guess we're at the age where we no longer have to be on the front lines. Lol And, again, because we have done this for so long, none of us took any pictures until my sister-in-law got one of my grand dog to send over to daughter #1 and granddaughter #4 as they are in Italy.

We kept tackling the list until they left on Sunday afternoon and almost everything was off of it at that point-except some repairs on the privacy fence that required more than what we normally have to do. We had it figured out but just couldn't get some VERY LONG screws to go into the wood. I was blaming my power drill battery. No matter how hard we tried, those screws would not move. We finally called it a day with almost everything else up and running in my house again. And, honestly, I would have been OK with leaving it the way we jerry-rigged it but since grandson #2 had volunteered his help for anything I needed before he heads to UF in August, I sent him a message and when he got off work the next day, he arrived with an "impact drill"-which I had never heard of and literally in less than 30 seconds those screws were all the way in and then he grabbed another box of screws and hit all of any other slats that he could see that were loose at all! I would say it was his strength or youth but, honestly, in the case it was his knowledge of the correct tool to use! Lol 

Now for my week. I think I told you I would be starting my 4th swap out on Monday-which was still the plan until early Monday morning when I flipped my calendar and saw a hair appointment for Tuesday. Of course you know that that changed all of my plans because I need to go great guns with NO interruptions. And so, I found other little things to do and figured I would now have to wait until Wednesday.

And so, I get up on Tuesday morning and head out and get to my hair appointment and my hairdresser looks at me like I'm crazy and says "I don't have you on the books for today-I think it's tomorrow"! And, yep, she was right. I go back to last week being off by a day and I guess after the holiday I was still on "Dorine time". I used my time wisely since I had gone to all the trouble to actually get dressed in "real" clothes and put on make-up and made a quick trip to Lowe's for a drop cloth. I'll fill you in on that another day.

And so now here I was with no swap out happening, almost nothing left on my "to-do" list and time on my hands. Luckily, I had just had some grout pens delivered from Lowe's and I decided to give them a try.

Many, many years ago when I was re-doing my kitchen cabinets and getting rid of everything avocado in the room including the avocado Formica countertops, I had white tile counters and back splash added. What was I thinking? It was pretty but so hard to keep clean and I found myself using straight bleach and constantly scrubbing the grout lines. And, I'm sure because of that, the grout wore down and I could not get them clean any more.

That is when I did the second hardest DIY of my life. I used a grout saw to remove every bit of remaining grout and then re-grouted the entire kitchen. I had never done anything like this before so I relied heavily on my friendly Lowe's guy in the tile department. I had read enough to know that I wanted pre-mixed grout and that I wanted the one that wouldn't stain without needing to be sealed. By the time I had gotten to the grouting stage, I was not going to add yet another step unless I had to. I was assured that what he sold me would do the trick-and, it did. For a little while. But then the grout starting staining and no matter what I did I could no longer get it back to white. I think I was just browsing somewhere when I saw mention of these pens. They look just like a paint pen and work exactly the same way...and, they are miracle workers!

They not only come with reversible nibs but also an extra with each pen which is really necessary because my grout is "sanded" so it can wear out a nib rather quickly. Just look at the difference.

I only bought 4 pens so far because they don't give you any idea of how much coverage you get so I am starting with the countertops and will get back to the backsplash at another time because, obviously, they are nowhere near as stained because there isn't anything happening on them. 

Since I am just trying these, I have no idea how long the coverage will last but I can tell you, even the places where my coffee maker sends out drips every morning is covering as easily as everywhere else and I am having fun doing it. It is kind of like coloring in a coloring book-just follow the lines!

With that being said, I probably won't get it all done before tomorrow so I will push this to the side and get on with my swap-unless there's something else I'm forgetting or remembering incorrectly. Fingers crossed I will be back soon to show you the start of my late summer decor. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Sooooo!

 So, I've been sitting here thinking and revisiting yesterday's post. Of course, all of that autumn goodness is sitting  here right next to me so it isn't hard to envision. I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on my autumn decor. I'm thinking if I could do this, I could begin to make some changes and tweaks and that makes me excited. It's funny how my brain is skipping right over my next decor which I term "late" summer and it consists of sunflowers and my Mediterranean decor with some citrus thrown in. And, even funnier, is the fact that if I had any inclination to change that up a bit, I actually COULD easily get to it as I can quickly put my hands on all of the sunflower stuff as well as the yellow and citrus colored candles. The Mediterranean jugs and urns are all in the garage but they wouldn't be what I would be tweaking if I had the notion.

As my decor stash has grown over the years...and my children have moved out...I do have a lot of storage space. I have three guest rooms with fairly large closets. All of them also have chests or armoires that hold a lot. As I have evolved in my decor, I try hard every year to make the storage of said decor easier to find the following year. I have pretty much ended my habit of having to write myself notes where certain things are and have found dedicated spaces for those things. That doesn't mean that it can all be stored together. That depends on the size of the stash but, since we all know that summer is not my favorite, the summer decor-at least the sunflower part of it-can easily find room together. This room affords me a closet-which is loaded with decor from many other holidays, a pie safe that holds cookbooks, dishtowels and lots of colored Mason jars, a dresser that holds mostly scrapbooks, cards, letters, etc. and the armoire.

That armoire is one we bought at Naked Furniture in Tampa back when we were just opening my husband's CPA practice. That is where we got most of the furniture for the six rooms we had to fill. While he was busy with the business end of things, I was busy finishing the furniture. Lol When he retired, we brought some of our favorite pieces home to enjoy and this cutie is a workhorse...she holds a LOT!

She is kind of like the blanket chest in the living room that holds WAY more Christmas stuff than you would ever think possible!

Every bit of my sunflower stuff is in there as well as the large boxes full of stuff from other holidays!

And, if I needed them, the candles take up just a small part of the bottom shelf of a cabinet in another guest room.

And, I just realized something else. Even though I was in HL yesterday-and I'm sure it was full of sunflowers-I never made note of any of it. What is happening?! The heat must be getting to me. LOL I seem to be wishing my life away and completely forgetting that it is only July 1 and I truly have the rest of the summer to get through before I can start thinking of fall. Calgon, take me away.

I am sure everyone is planning grandiose celebrations for the coming holiday but mine will be a little more low key. I currently have daughter #2 and family in Chicago, daughter #1 and granddaughter #4 heading to Rome on the 4th and daughter #3 and family off to Crystal River for the weekend so it will just be my brother, sister-in-law and me here in Ocala...and, of course, Benny will still be here. I got spoiled after so many years of watching fireworks while floating in Kris' pool down in Gulfport so the idea of loading up and heading off into the crowds to find a spot for viewing-not to mention the heat and the mosquitoes-just doesn't appeal to me anymore. In one evening, we could see displays from St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Gulfport, Largo, Indian Rocks Beach, and any of the other places along the coast that set them off that night. We were SPOILED! If we decide that we want to head out, we can always head to daughter #3's front porch and watch a number of displays from there but.... I'm guessing that when I got to this age, if I'm not seeing these things through "young" eyes, I've probably seen enough fireworks to last a lifetime. Honestly, once you've seen the fireworks at Gator Growl, not much else can compare-not even Disney.

I couldn't resist a few images from over the years.

I'm thinking we will still try to keep our food within the 4th guidelines but we shall see. You never know what will happen around here and, as you know, anything can-and often does-change at any time. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.

Summer Doldrums!

 When last we visited, I mentioned that this would be a pretty empty week as far as obligations on my part go. But, as so often happens around here, things change! Lol I was supposed to get my grand dog next week but instead, he came up on Wednesday of this week...and, will be here until July 12 or later. As I have mentioned before, he is easy so no problem incorporating him into my routine although it does have to change a bit as he needs some outside activity every now and then or his inside activity could wreak havoc! Lol

In any case, this is the time of year that those of you who have been following for awhile probably know that you will see a post like this right about now. It's no secret that I am not a fan of summer-well, that may not be totally true. I am not a fan of the temperatures summer brings. It seems as if we are breaking records every year and just when you think it couldn't get worse....!!!

I am pretty much outnumbered in my family about these feelings but I stand my ground. And so, my activities really do get snipped over the summer. Everyone thinks that because I have a pool that I shouldn't be bothered but, let me tell you. Sometimes it is even too hot to be in the pool until a bit of shade creeps over-and, that is usually in the late afternoon which is just about the same time that the summer thunderstorms come through! Lol

I'm really not complaining but I am finding it harder to fill my days with fun things to share with you. I think I have made a sunflower out of every craft supply possible-Mason jar rings, paper bags, ripped and dyed muslin, cardboard, corn husks, wooden Christmas ornament shapes,....! This is when I would normally be crafting something new for my next decor but, honestly, as much as I love my sunflower theme, there are only so many sunflowers one house can accommodate-as witnessed from some views from last year.

Now that I have tweaked this spot over the past year, I am thinking I will need to add some book risers to the mix. The peat pots need a bit of an "oomph".

And, honestly, if I don't come up with something new, the only changes I can envision is if I move things around and I kind of like things where they are. So, we shall see. I'm anxious for the color switch but I'm really not sure how things will go.

Don't get me wrong-this happens every year at this time but then something else will come along to get me excited again and I will stumble through until the autumn leaves return once again. Lol

And so, with that, I am off to take my little sidekick out for some exercise. He fits right in because he isn't the biggest lover of the heat either-maybe it's that gorgeous fur coat he insists on wearing. At least when he's here I don't feel the need to stay on top of the vacuuming because as quickly as I get it up, it just appears again so...???

Until the next time, stay safe and stay tuned.

One of Those Days!

 When last we "spoke" I mentioned that daughter #3 and I had been invited to a book launch-the first one for me-and I was excited. As the time got closer, my daughter mentioned that she had a huge presentation scheduled for today so if I could meet her at her office, she could work a bit longer. And so, that is what I did and I assumed that after we left the launch, she would be going back to work and I would be headed home for dinner on my own. 

But, as sometimes happens, the day went differently and it could not have been more wonderful! And that started with us finding the MOST PERFECT parking spot right downtown almost in front of the venue so no walking for blocks in the unrelenting heat...and, believe me, at this time of the year in Florida, that is a HUGE PLUS!! Lol

The book launch with signing was a fabulous success and we visited with so many old friends and Jen introduced me to so many new ones. Our initial thought was to buzz in, chitchat a bit, get our books signed and head out. BUT, as usually happens, we got deep into conversations with everyone and before we knew it, we were closing down the place when Jen suggested we head to our favorite (Harry's) for dinner. And, a quick text to my son-in-law saw him joining us. I got home much later than anticipated and I was tired but the really good kind of tired. What a wonderful, albeit unexpected, day!

The author of the book is a childhood friend of my daughters and just a beautiful human being. To say that we are happy for her would be a vast understatement!

And her illustrator is a friend of many years. I met her when she was a teacher at my girls' middle school and then we did some craft shows together. She is such a talented lady. She went on to be an incredible elementary school principal and when she retired, she went back to her artistic talent and has become very successful in that endeavor and her work in this book is absolutely perfect for the theme!

These three have been friends since elementary school and the tales they tell and the things they  remember when they're together are truly heart warming and hilarious. Their lives are all so different now but when they get together it's as if no time has passed.

The story that this book tells is beautiful and the way we should all try to live our lives-children as well as adults! "Bee" kind, "bee" patient, "bee" thankful, "bee" courageous, "bee" honest! What a wonderful world it would be if we all just were!  I hope it finds incredible success!

So now I am on to today. We had a storm last night with lots of rain so everything looks green again outside-finally, But, since I really don't have anything left out there to tackle momentarily, I have just been piddling around inside and, for whatever reason, two things-that really have nothing to do with anything-caught my eye.

The first is the very large picture display that I have had on the side of the pantry ever since we had it added to the kitchen. I don't normally post pictures of it because it truly isn't all that attractive. That is what actually got me looking at it. I thought about taking it down in my "simplify" mode.

When the pantry was added years ago, that very large white expanse bothered me so I added a bulletin board that I covered in the fabric that was also on the stool cushions and the "curtain" on the front of the kitchen desk area. And, when that wasn't large enough, I added some fabric covered foam core board that made the display pretty much the whole size of the area.

For many, many years I would change those photos out monthly to match the theme but, as time went on, I had family Christmas cards photos that I wanted left there and then other priceless photos that I wanted left there and, before I knew it, I was leaving SO MANY photos there all of the time and then just taking the "themed" ones and sticking them in willynilly until, I have a huge mess!!!

One plus in this predicament is that even though I have changed the fabric in the kitchen twice since doing this except the fabric on here-which would require taking down all of those photos and, well...!-  there is so much "stuff" on here that you can no longer tell what fabric I started with. Lol

So, once again I am thinking about removing this "treasure". The question then remains, "where will I put all of those memories"? There are not enough frames in the world nor enough space in my house to display said frames if there was so???? I'm guessing for now, this will just go onto a back burner and we shall see. 

And then, as I was getting out of bed this morning, I once again realized maybe why I enjoy decorating so much-little things just make my heart happy...and, for whatever reason, this glimpse is one of them...

My plan is always to add a bit of the current holiday/season theme here as well as other places in the bedroom but I could not bring myself to do that here. For whatever reason, this little glimpse just makes me feel at peace.

And so, that is all of the "feels" for me today. I am off to photograph the family room and I hope to be back soon with that. My car goes in for servicing early tomorrow so I will be "stuck" at home until I get that back so I am sure I will be anxious to visit again soon. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.