Hidden Promise

Show & Tell Friday and Jewelry Making

2010-04-08T08:27:00.012-05:00

I'm so sorry! I was planning on joining Cindy at Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday! Honest, it was going to be the last post I did on my Etsy Shoppe! I truly wanted to show off my jewelry but when I went to link with her blog I discovered you weren't supposed to post things you were selling! As my children say.."MY BAD!" But I either have to delete this whole post or just not link with Cindy's. Maybe a few of my blogging friends won't mind me advertising again!

What I am showing and telling about today is my handmade jewelry! I have just recently started my own Etsy shop! I have to tell you it's sort of scary putting your creations out there for all to judge! Do they like my jewelry or do they hate it? Will they buy it? It really made me feel quite vulnerable! But please forgive me, I tend to be harder on myself than others and definitely bend toward the lower end of self-esteem!

My father died 4 years ago. My mother is still with us but is paralyzed on her left side because of a stroke she had when she was only 58. She is living in an independent living apartment facility and loves it! After my father passed I completely redid their apartment to make it comfortable and more feminine for mom. Dad was a garage sale junkie and had pretty much taken over the apartment! I painted and stenciled and cleaned out! My mother had so much jewelry! Mostly broken or she couldn't wear because she couldn't put it on by herself! I had seen jewelry making supplies in my favorite craft stores and thought "Hey, I'll just restring all these so she can pull them on over her head with one hand! The brooches would make beautiful pendants on these necklaces! And I was hooked! I have been selling my jewelry creations to friends and at church and at Curves where I work. I kept seeing everyone's Etsy shoppes on their blogs and the ladies at Curves encouraged me to put my jewelry on it! I initially called my jewelry "Butterfly Creations" because I was taking vintage jewelry and repurposing it into something else. When I started my blog that name was already taken so I went with "Hidden Promise" from my favorite hymn ..."in cocoons a hidden promise, butterflies will soon be free."

I have recently started making collages with different vintage pieces. This is my first collage necklace. It's made up of 3 vintage pins, (actually 4). The small flowers are from a pin I cut up to use the flowers on the antique brass stem findings I used. And then I added my signature butterfly charm! Every necklace or bracelet I make includes a butterfly, either a charm added or a butterfly is used in the piece itself.

The following piece is made with a vintage Sara Coventry brooch and earring set.

I did turn the earrings into pierced. They were originally clip ons. I do want you all to know that I do not use signed collectable pieces such as Weiss. I would never cut up any piece of vintage jewelry that would destroy its collectable value. If a piece is signed it's either Sara Coventry or vintage Avon. Now some of you might think that's destroying too but I hope my repurposing is turning a piece that was a bit dated into something beautiful someone would want to wear now! I like bling so a lot of my pieces look pretty "dressy" but I like to say that the same piece of my jewelry can be worn with jeans or a cocktail dress!

I made my first sale today!! Yippee!

Easter Table

2010-03-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm joining Susan @http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursday. She is the queen of tablescapes! In fact, there will be so many pretty tablescapes to look at be sure and go over there and check them all out!!

My Easter decorations and table today are mostly from one place...Hobby Lobby!

Don't you just love that place!

Okay, this isn't an official tablescape, but it is part of the Easter decorations that go with my tablescape! Isn't that bunny adorable! It looks like he's made with purple hydrangeas! I got him at the grocery store! They have such great floral departments now!

Here's my Easter table! I'm going to add some Easter cookies later to the teirs!

The butterfly and bird plates are from Hobby Lobby. The white plate/chargers are Southern Living Gallery. The blue butterfly stemware is from Big Lots last year and I need more! Did you notice the flower shape placemats? I got those at Kohl's with only one thing in mind!

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY!

Aren't these napkin rings adorable! Hobby Lobby!! Each one is doing something different!
The napkins I've used before! My dad got them and the tablecloth to match at a garage sale! I haven't used the tablecloth yet!

If you haven't had the chance please be sure and check out my new Etsy Shoppe! I'll be adding more jewelry and some purses I decorated and maybe even a few tassels! Thank You!

Joining in on the fun at the Vintage Easter Blog Hop!

2010-03-28T10:55:00.009-05:00

What a great meme! Be sure and go over to http://thepottingshed-anythinggoeshere.blogspot.com I love Easter with all the bunnies and the colors of easter are my favorite! But most of all I love Easter "Because He Lives I can Face Tomorrow!"

This is some of my Easter decorations around the kitchen!

Thank you for visiting! And have a blessed Holy Week!

My New Etsy Shoppe and Favorite Saturdays with Laurie

2010-03-27T12:34:00.010-05:00

Well I finally did it! Some of you know I make jewelry. My friends have been telling me for months to put my jewelry on Etsy and I finally did. Just look over to your right! I was up till 2 am this morning!! I feel sort of vulnerable! My own personal creations out there for someone to either love or hate! I plan on adding more pieces but I thought I would start slow. I also have some purses I've decorated that I call "Wedding Purses" I want to add, especially with the season coming up! I made one for a friend's daughter-n-law when my friend's son was getting married. Bride's need a little purse too! She absolutely loved it and when her sister got married she used it too! I may even have some tassels!!! I know, blogland is full of tassels!! LOL! But I do enjoy making them and mine are a little different. I am also trying to get back into blogging again!! I've got an Easter tablescape I need to share! Love You All!!! Lauralu :)

I am also joining Laurie @ http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ for her "My Favorite Things Saturday"! She has such a wonderful blog, almost as wonderful as herself! I love to create and I love jewelry, especially fashion and vintage jewelry so I'm shamelessly promoting my new Etsy Shoppe here! Okay, maybe I feel a little shamed but making my jewelry is one of my favorite things to do !

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2010-02-08T19:27:00.005-06:00

Now I know to many of you out there this is nothing! But to us Memphians this only happens once or twice a year, if at all! And we had no warning! I got up this morning, as usual, to get everybody up for school and work. At first I thought it was really foggy outside, until I got closer to the window and saw it was snowing like crazy! I was quite flabbergasted! Usually, we'd have every weather man out in full force warning us of the bad weather coming at us and to be prepared and tell us how to drive and what to get at the grocery store! The kids wouldn't do homework because they knew for sure they wouldn't be going to school and then of course nothing would happen! Well, they sure missed this one! But it was so pretty! Now it's raining and supposed to sleet and maybe more snow!

View this morning from my front door!

Poor little frog!

Love her new hat!

The view from our breezeway!

And Molly loved it!

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Family issues have taken precedence. I'll be back, I promise! Meanwhile, I'll miss you all! I'm still trying once in a while to check out your blogs but I may not leave a message. My heart's just not up to it. Someone tell me! Why does it all go so wrong when they grow up?! What happens to our sweet little babies?? God is right there with us I know! "My Trust is in you, Lord! You are my God! I am always in your care!"

'Cause We Need A Little Christmas!

2009-12-14T19:45:00.011-06:00

Hi Everyone! And Merry Christmas!!! I'm joining many others over at Susan's Deck the Hall Party! Everyone is showing off their Christmas decor over there. So be sure and go over to Susan's @ http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/. (After you've visited mine of course!;)

Last week I showed you some of my various ornaments. I finally got things finished in the great room and cleaned up a bit around the tree! Many of you wanted to see the whole thing! So here it is!

The star's not as crooked as it looks! I think it's the angle I took it at! I know everyone is doing some fun stuff at the tops of their trees now but I'm just a traditionalist! I love the star at the top of a Christmas tree.

This weekend, before it started raining again!, the DH actually stayed home from hunting and helped me get the yard cleaned up and I got the outside decorated. My oldest son usually puts out a big plastic light up Santa we have and puts some lights out but he's been busy with exams. I got the door done and the mailbox and the little breezeway we have between the garage and the house.

The topiary is an iron frame I wrapped with 3 different kinds of garland! First, a green garland went on and then some holly and then a lit holly garland! The garland above the door has grapevine bells, white hydrangeas and poinsettas with white, green and red lights. You can see my ugly tile floor!!! I made the door basket with a metal basket from Southern Living. Mr. Nutcracker is guarding the staircase!

Just pretend all that wrapping paper paraphenalia isn't over there!! I did the buffet in my entry all in Santas! And the banister garland I've had forever! It's got poinsettas and pine cones and then I dripped it with gold, red and silver bead garlands. You can never have too much bling at Christmas!

I love these snowpeople spelling out JOY! I saw these 2 years ago at Hobby Lobby and had to have them with the trees in a little vignette I made. I took a piece of styrofoam and added some smaller pieces on top to give it different heights then covered it with batting. Hot glued the trees and the snowpeople in place, added the greenery and used the glue gun to make some glue ridges on the batting and covered it with white glitter! I think I've told you I love glitter! Then of course I couldn't stop there! I added glitter to their hats and some on the trees! Do you see the potted trees next to the snowmen? I made those too! The sweet angel trio I've had forever! They're so beautiful! I've used them on the tree and off. This year I nestled them in with the greenery on my mantle.

And speaking of mantles! I've never been quite satisfied with my mantle...but I do like it this year!

I love my manger scene! My set includes the holy family, 3 wise men on their elaborate camels, a shepherd boy (which I bought cause it reminded me of my oldest son), the drummer boy (which reminded me of my youngest!) and a lady with a lantern, (that's me!), I haven't found one to represent the DH yet! I'm sure he'd say he was one of the wise guy's! I mean wise men! (LOL)
My father gave me that angel plate a long time ago! He's been gone now 4 years! It just doesn't seem that long ago! My boss at Curves gave me that beautiful Jim Shore angel last year! The whole mantel is my manger scene and just about every angel I could find!

Well, that's it! My memory card is full! So I couldn't show you the kitchen! I'll have to get a new one and take more pics! This year I added one of Kristen's adorable picture frames!

2009-12-04T17:07:00.023-06:00

I'm joining my friend and neighbor Susan @ http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/ for her Deck the Halls Party! I missed last week because I just wasn't ready! I still have alot to do today to finish my Christmas decorating. I've posted pictures of a few of my Christmas tree ornaments. Hope you enjoy this little peek into my obsession with ornaments! When you're done be sure and go on over to Susan's blog and check out everyone's Christmas decorations! Susan is one lovely lady inside and out and her blog is just like her!

This year the tree was the first thing I got up! Last year I bought a pre-lit tree from Hobby Lobby after Christmas! We don't get real trees anymore because they effect our sinuses too much! My old tree was the kind with the pole I had to stick each branch in to and then string it with lights. I always used white and colored lights. I had it down to a science! It only took me a whole day to get the tree ready to decorate!!!!! Needless to say I'm a little anal about my Christmas tree! Pardon my french! Did I say that?!?! Anyway, while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner I asked my 21 yr. old to bring down my tree. We put it together 1,2,3 and voila the tree was up and the lights already done! How cool is that! Okay, so I'm a little behind the times! It wasn't until last week I got around to decorating it. This new tree is smaller than my previous. My DH came home and saw it and the first thing he said was "you'll never get all of your ornaments on that tree!". Well, he was right, so I'm working on the tree in the dining room and the one in the study. Since I knew my space was limited I rummaged thru my ornaments only putting my most beautiful and favorite ones on the tree! I started putting them on the front first. I had also added a star. By the time my DH came home from work my tree was leaning to the front with the weight of the ornaments! We had to take everything off and straighten the tree again and start all over! It's done and I do believe it's my favorite tree ever! Of course I say that every year! I thought I would miss my colored lights but my ornaments actually seem to show up better with just the white! I love Christmas tree ornaments! Did I mention I love Christmas tree ornaments! You know how most of you are dishaholics....while I'm an ornamentaholic! Whew! that was hard to spell! My tree is a mixture of all kinds of ornaments and all colors! Take a look!

Handmade Ornaments!

These are two of my favorites I made. The ball I made 2 years ago. It's decorated with ribbon and various Christmas piks! The santa ornament I made from a kit 2o something years ago! I can't believe it's that old!

Last year I made several of these Christmas flags. I saw the idea in a magazine. Don't remember which one! They're all different. I have three on my tree. I made them out of scrapbook paper, stickers, ribbon, red and white pipe cleaners and small wood finials I covered with glitter. Have I mentioned how much I love glitter!?! I love how you can glimpse my Christmas tree elf! Isn't he adorable?

To your right is a styrofoam ball I covered with sequins and pearl pins of various colors! Took me forever! But I loved every minute of it! The star was a form I got at Hobby Lobby. One side is this pink and green and white with gold accents, the other is gold and silver. I love glitter! Oh yeah, I said that already!

Faberge Eggs!

Oh, I have more! Trying not to make this post too long!

I love these kind of ornaments! Does anyone know what they're called?

Angels!

And Faeries!

The ones on the left are part of my Christopher Radko collection. On the right are blown glass ornaments I actually bought at Hobby Lobby last year or the year before...I can't remember!

Vintage Ornaments!

These are ornaments from my Grandmother's. We used the birds on our tree was I was little! A long time ago!!!

Okay, I'm done! But there are so many more! I'd love to share them all but you'd be here til next Tuesday! I'll leave you with this mosaic and a large Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Marty's Hostin' a Party!

2009-12-03T21:07:00.004-06:00

This is my first time to join Marty @ http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ for her wonderful cloche parties! I don't have a real cloche! I don't know where you ladies are getting yours but I've only seen a couple around here and they're expensive! But I'm gonna get in on the fun anyway! Marty is such a sweet lady and has the best blog! Be sure and go over to see everyone elses fantabulous cloches! (After you've looked over mine! of course!)

Now this is actually a covered serving dish I got at Marshall's. But I had such fun making

little Christmas vignettes under it!

This one's sort of hard to see. A golden rocking reindeer sitting on a bed of Christmas greenery!

A vintage snowman, trees and a couple of old Japan bunny figurines!

I also used the tip I got from Mary at Mary's Meanderings about using Epsom salt instead of the fake snow!

I changed the snowman out for a couple of miniature wooden santas!

This is an adorable little elf ornament I got last year at Hobby Lobby!

A silver glittered tree and one of the miniature santas. Can you see he's holding a bunny!

The one on the left is actually a music box! (I got my DH's nose in the picture!)

And the one on the right is actually a tree ornament!

Well, Thanks for stopping by and checking out my pretend cloche's! Don't forget to go over to Marty's to see many more!

Sunday Favorites

2009-11-28T22:30:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm finally going to join my bestest, sweetest blogging friend Chari @ http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/ for Sunday Favorites! Chari has such a beautiful blog! She is one talented lady, and have I mentioned how sweet she is? Well she is! So be sure and go by and say hi and check out other blog favorites you might have missed the first time around! But before you go I wanted to revisit my very first tablescape! This was March 2009! So long ago! (LOL)

I was just mindin' my own business! I had the day off and was in the kitchen baking a birthday cake for my son, nephew and brother-n-law (they're birthdays are the 11th, 9th and the 6th of March) and I was thinking about all the beautiful tablescapes I had been privy too that morning via Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ and one thought led to another and before I knew it I was imitating Laurie at bargainhuntingwithlaurie running all over the house looking for just the right thing to complete my tablescape! I hope you enjoy it! I really did have fun!

It's a garden theme! I didn't use placemats because there wasn't room and I really love my handpainted table! Can you see the tree branches? There's a wren and nest under my plates! I did it myself! Painted right over the top of an antique oak pedastal table and my husband hasn't forgiven me yet! Recognize the green glassware from Old Time Pottery?! I told you they would go with my everyday china!

This pattern is George Briard and you had to buy it in sets of four because each plate has a different flower! Wasn't I a horrible bride?! It's discontinued now but I have seen it on China Replacements, Inc. And this is gonna hurt ya...years ago I had alot more of it including some serving pieces I had displayed on a wall mounted shelf in our kitchen in our first house and one day I was mopping the floor and I had moved the table and chairs out from under the light fixture... when I raised up from bending over mopping my back hit the bottom of the shelf which pulled it away from the wall and CRASH! Not much survived. Luckily I only had 2 plates and 2 salads up there or I probably wouldn't have what I have now!

Lupinus, texensis or better known as Texas Bluebonnet! Do you see my little butterfly and bunny Sabino glass?

Persicum Giganteum or Cyclamen. See the little Sabino squirrel chewing on a nut!

Viola Pedata or Bird's-Foot Violet. Over in the left hand corner you can see my Sabino garden statue. It's a little cherub holding a bouquet of flowers!

Chrysanthemum Segetum or Corn Marigold

The flatware was my grandmothers. The white chargers are actually plates from Southern Living! I'm trying to collect the whole set! So far I've got 4 plates and 4 bowls. The butterfly napkins were a gift from my dad who was always perusing a good garage sell. I have the tablecloth to match! He found so many great things at garage sales! Alot of junk, but alot of good things too!

Don't know if you can really see. I used a bird's nest and faux violets in my Southern Living toile pots and of course my Sabino glass pieces and a Goebel bird and I had the little garden urn...it was a candle that had burned down and this Christmas I was putting up things and there was this silver ball and the urn and I thought hmmm if I turn it upside down in this urn it looks like a miniature garden reflectory ball! Aren't I just so clever?! LOL

Thanks for taking a look at my first tablescape! God Bless! Now be sure and go over to Susan's to see all the other great tablescapes! I'm going too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T23:51:00.004-06:00

It's that time of year to remember and to be thankful for all of our blessings!

It's late and I've made the Southern Living Magazine pumpkin pie recipe and my family's favorite rum pie. I've polished the silver and set the table. The turkey I'm hoping is completely thawed! Schedules for oven time are swirling in my brain but I'm just too tired and I'll figure that out tommorrow! (you can call me Scarlett!) I've created a tablescape I'm rather proud of and it's all been inspired by every one of you! I am counting my blessings for my blogging friends! Some of the sweetest ladies I've never met! (LOL!) It is such a blessing to get to share one another's creativities and thusly each other's lives. The ladies I've met are all about beauty, creativity, love of family and home and of God. I am constantly inspired, touched, awed and humbled by each one of you! Thank you! and Thank God for bringing us together!

I know that you all have probably already got your Christmas decorations up and I'm just now getting around to showing you some of my fall decor with my Thanksgiving table! I am having my in-laws over for Thanksgiving. First my sons and I are going over to my mother's assisted living and eating turkey and dressing with her! I'm going to have 2 Thanksgiving dinners! Boy, am I going to have alot of dieting to do after the New Year!

I did the arrangement myself! They're real too!

My china is Marjolaine by Havilland Limoges. I love it! I love the colors, the flowers, the scalloped edges....I picked it out 25 years ago and I still love it! The gold chargers are the one's my mother-n-law gave me. I wanted something different for the Thanksgiving table so I combined 2 wired ribbons and just laid them over the top of the charger and then just folded down the edges!

Look at my napkins! I've had these for awhile! I think I got them at Target years ago! They're ivory with a little gold thread going thru them and gold autumn leaves. There are actually 2 different sprigs that make up the napkin rings. I took some of the ribbon I used on the chargers and just stapled the ends together on the back then just tucked in the leaf sprig and put the acorns on top. They're actually Christmas sprigs I got at Michaels half off!

Here's my close-up Mr. DeMille! My crystal is Wedgewood Majesty. I got the little candleholders at Michael's too. They're Christmas too! And on sale 40% off! There's alot of copper and brown and purple this year for Christmas! Not my style though. I am still a traditional red and green person myself.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Pineapple Cake Extraordinaire!

2009-11-13T08:13:00.003-06:00

Hello Everybody! Last night I promised the recipe to this oh so fabulous cake! My mother-n-law gave it to me years ago! Before my husband and I were even married! It's his favorite cake! For years I didn't make it for him because the kids always wanted chocolate cake with chocolate icing which my husband loves too! I made it one year for my boss on her 49th birthday; my dear friend who was my manager at Curves. She's the one working at the jewelry shoppe now! You know, the one who got my hubby to get me that amethyst ring for our anniversary! Come to think of it...I ought to make her one now just to thank her!

Of course I'm linking to Michael's wonderful blog http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com. Be sure and check out all the wonderful recipes everyone else is sharing today!

My menu for my husbands 51st birthday was a wonderful pork tenderloin out of Southern Living's cookbook, the DH's favorite potatoes out of the Silver Palate Cookbook from way back, and a great salad I got out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine! I served a wonderful Zinfadel from the wineries at the Biltmore Estate! I am usually a Merlot lady myself but this was perfect! And it had such a beautiful pink color too it! Okay, for the moment you've been waiting for! (sorry I didn't take pics of the food!)

Favorite Pineapple Cake:

1 yellow cake mix

1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple

1 pint sour cream

4 tbsp. corn starch

1/2 to 1 cup sugar ( I used 3/4 cup)

Make the cake as directed on the box. It helps to oil and flour the pans for easy release. Let cool thouroughly. I made the cake 2 days in advance and wrapped well in saran wrap and you can either freeze or store layers in refridgerator. Cut each layer in half with serrated knife before adding filling.

To make filling: In med. saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Add pineapple (juice too) and cook carefully until thickened. Try not to burn! Cool completely and then add sour cream stirring slowly to blend well. Fill between halved layers of cake. FYI: I actually forgot to add sour cream this time but it was still delicious!

Cooked White Fluffy Icing:

In top of double boiler combine:

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/3 cup water

Beat with hand mixer until icing forms stiff peaks. Yes, this may take a while! But it is worth it! Let cool slightly and fold in 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. When cooled, ice your cake as normal.

This is a cake made best atleast 1 night before serving! Enjoy!

2009-11-12T21:10:00.005-06:00

Hello Everybody! Boy! I am just squeaking in at the end of Tablescape Thursday! But I thought if I don't go ahead and put this in I won't be around til after Thanksgiving! I don't know how you all keep up with all of your wonderful posts! I really miss visiting with everyone! So I'm back to show you the fancy table I set for my hubby's 51st birthday! I had his parent's over and made his favorite cake, pineapple! Boy, do I have a recipe for you! But I think my mother-n-law would disown me if I shared it. But guess what?! They don't have a computer! So, I'll post my recipes tommorrow on Foodie Friday! I'm so bad!! Of course you've probably already been over to Susan's at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/. She has the most beautiful blog, especially with everyone sharing their tablescapes today! Anyway...here's my tablescape:

Gold chargers were gifts from my mother-n-law. What do you think of my fall china?! Did you guess it's paper?! Yes, I used paper plates! I thought they were so pretty and I wanted a Fall table! Hey! Have you priced some of those fancy paper products lately?! Some of ya'll have bought real china for much less! (LOL!)

My crystal wine glasses are "Majesty" from Wedgewood. I don't think Wedgewood is making crystal anymore. The green etched glasses I used for water or tea. They're from Old Time Pottery. I bought them last year for about $1.50 per stem. The Wedgewood is about $50 a stem!

Notice the flowers? I used a glass vase I bought at a thrift store. I didn't have any floral foam so I carefully cut all the flowers down to size and then placed them in so full they couldn't fall over! I also used a closeup of them on my Fall blog header! The candle votives came from Walgreen's last year! The tablecloth is actually yellow gold but it doesn't show up very well in these pics. I bought it two years ago at Tuesday Morning. It's reversible!

Paper plates and matching napkins and my mother's sterling! I really mixed it up for this tablescape! (LOL) This pattern I think is Stradivarius. That's all I know. It got stolen once and mom and dad had to replace it. Did you notice how the etching on my green glasses is reflected on the knife?
I'm so glad to be back! Hopefully with Thanksgiving and Christmas I'll have stuff to blog about!

A friend emailed me this and I thought about all of you!

25 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2009-09-25T11:21:00.005-05:00

I haven't been around much this month! I'm sorry! I haven't done any wonderful projects to share with you all! I've been working alot at Curves, started selling Avon!, my sister from Fresno, Ca has been visiting and the DH and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary! And I can say with great pride that "DH" stands for "Dear Husband!" and not "dumb husband"! LOL! I took the week off from work because he had wanted us to go back to Florida where we went for our honeymoon. From previous experience last spring for my birthday we were not inclined to leave the house in the hands of our 21 and 17 year old boys! So we planned to go out to dinner as we do every anniversary. I've been worked up about this anniversary! I wanted it to be special! Special dress, manicure, pedicure, jewelry...I worked myself up into a tizzy! Did I expect a gift? No, I really didn't. He's never done that for an anniversary before...but then again?!? It is our 25th! Yes, I admit here, to you all, that this lady was feeling quite sorry for herself the morning of the 22nd on our anniversary. A friend of mine works at a very nice local jewelry shop and she had picked out some pieces she knew I would love. I even went by there and tried on the ring. It was a sterling band with 18k gold filagree overlay and a beautiful faceted amethyst and 2 little pink sapphires! Very vintage looking! It fit perfectly. "you can try, but he's never given me an anniversary gift like this," I told her. As I was indulging in a pity party that morning I told myself this was ridiculous! Laura, you have a blessed life! I needed to turn to the Lord that morning to get myself back into perspective! I have to share the scripture message: "My life makes its boast in the Lord. ~Psalm 34:2 "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Understand who you are in Jesus Christ. You are more than capable in Him." In other words, He has given me everything I need to do and to live as I should...flowers, rings, these things are not what I should be seeking to make me happy! You'd think I was 10 years old and not 49! I immediately felt strength and peace and happiness with what I have! That night I came downstairs decked out and ready to go out to dinner with my wonderful DH (dear husband) and of course asked him the proverbial "How do I look?" Wonderful he says, "but something's missing" WHAT! ...then he hands me a small wrapped package! Good things do come in small packages! He got me the ring! I ate humble pie for dinner that night! I cried! I told him how special he made me feel! Did I need the ring to make me happy? No, by that time I had learned my lesson. But, as I've tried to explain to my husband...it is the thought that counts! What I truly needed was the thought and not the ring. Here's to the next 25! (But don't get the idea I'm returning the ring! After all, it does fit perfectly! LOL!)

Late Mosaic Post!

2009-08-17T21:07:00.005-05:00

I've been trying so hard to make some mosaics out of the pictures I took of the jewelry I've been making! Some of the pictures just did not turn out good. I don't know what I did? Then when I put a mosaic together it was cutting off the pictures and not showing the whole piece of jewelry. After fiddling and fiddling I finally just made this one mosaic with the bracelets I made that the pictures turned out the best. Mosaic Monday is sponsored by Mary @http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com and she has the most beautiful mosaics! And much more experienced mosaic makers have posted their gorgeous mosaics too! So go by and take a look!

About 3 years ago I started making jewelry and decided I would call my "creations" "Butterfly Creations" . Every bracelet and necklace I make has a butterfly on it somewhere. I named it this because I was taking old, vintage pieces of jewelry and making new pieces with them. Not all of my jewelry is made this way but that's how I started.

All of these bracelets are made from vintage brooches except the one on the bottom left hand side. It is made with Swarvoski crystal components. The top left bracelet is made with Swarvoski pearls and Swarvoski crystal rondelles. It is a pull-on stretch bracelet with a beautiful little butterfly charm added. The top right bracelet is one of my favorites. I love the color combination of turquoise, white, cobalt, crystals and gold. It too is a stretch bracelet. The bottom right bracelet is also one of my favorites made with a gorgeous emerald green and aurora borealis brooch, Swarvoski pearls, aurora borealis glass beads and a sterling clasp.

I do sell my jewelry, so if you're interested let me know. I made many more pieces, including several necklace and earring sets. Hopefully I can figure out how to make them work in another mosaic.

Just Another Mosaic Monday!

2009-08-09T21:13:00.011-05:00

Summer Flowers & a little piece of the baker's rack in my breezeway!

This is my first mosaic! I'm still working on my techniques! But you can go see alot more professional mosaics by going over to Mary's @ http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/. It's been almost a month since my last post! Thank you all for your sweet and caring comments concerning the post about my sister! My elder sister lives in Fresno, CA and keeps up with my blog and your comments meant the world to her too! Now, for an update.

You might have heard of the great meeting of the midsouth bloggers! Laurie @ Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie and Susan @ thoughtsfromovertherainbow and Glenda @ adabofthisandthat all met for lunch and had a most wonderful time! We knew each other instantly and fell into conversation as if we'd known each other forever! Glenda shares my passion for vintage jewelry and making jewelry! I'm hoping we can get together and share ideas! And yes I enabled Laurie into buying some great things! Both of them were pairs! First a pair of outdoor light fixtures that I loved!!!! and then a beautiful pair of country girl and boy figurine pot thingamajigs that Laurie has already used in a tablescape! We were comparing our southern accents! Laurie with her Arkansas country, Susan with her Mississippi belle drawl and Glenda and I have our own unique west Tn. city accents! And the value of words like "ya'll" and "fixin'" and the phrase "bless her little heart" or the variation "bless her little, pea-pickin' heart!". Being the southern lady that I am I can't tell you what it means when a southern belle replies "Thaatt's nice." But rest assured we always say it with the sweetest little ole smile on our faces! I have been busy making a huge mess on my kitchen table making jewelry! I told ya'll I am a messy crafter! So I haven't done any tablescapes lately. I'm hoping by next Monday I can put together a mosaic of my jewelry. I'll also tag it in Met Monday because alot of the jewelry I make is from vintage pieces I reconstruct! So now I'm going to leave you with my 2nd attempt at mosaics! These are photos I took in the greenhouse at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC this spring!

In Loving Memory of my Beloved Sister!

2009-07-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

7 years ago today is a day I will never forget for the rest of my life. I lost my baby sister, my best friend. She commited suicide. She would've been 47 yrs. old now. I'm not quite sure why I am doing this post. I am not trying to elicit sympathies. It's just that I think blogging offers us an outlet to our thoughts that we don't have in the non cyber world. I guess I want to share my memories in this new outlet with my new friends. So this post is in loving memory of my sister Carolyn and an opportunity to give voice to my constant thoughts about her life and her death.

Here we are at my wedding 25 yrs. ago! She was my matron of honor. 4 years earlier I had been her maid of honor. She was 17 when she got married. She had always wanted to be married in April like our mom so she hadn't even graduated from high school yet. I was the old maid in our family! My mother and my sister's, even my grandmother were all barely out of high school when they got married! In this picture (which I took of a picture) her first child was barely a year old.

Carolyn was my younger sister by 2 yrs. At times my best friend and then my worst enemy! Boy did we fight as children! Mother would try and settle our "disputes" by making us draw pictures of each other! We drew some pretty hideous faces, but always, as we drew and calmed down, each picture got prettier and prettier! Carolyn was the youngest out of 4 children. There were 6 & 8 yrs. respectively between us and our older brother and sister. My sister Carolyn loved me so much! I only wish I had showed her half the love I had for her! She had a difficult and rebellious youth, but my sister's heart was so tender and loving! As I'm writing this I am want to go on about her troubled life, our difficult teenage years as our father and mother struggled with his health issues. I have eluded to his brain surgery and resulting disability and the need for my mother to go to work in previous posts. My sister had her own set of issues which I cannot divulge but they only added to the turmoil of a young teenage girl. When I look back now, I think I handled these desperate years by taking control of the household as best I could while my mother went back to work and concerned herself with my father's health. Good Lord, I was no angel by any means! But I find that if something is bothering me I will seek out someone to talk to. Carolyn kept things to herself. When things in our lives are taken completely out of our hands there are those of us who grasp for what we can control and give the rest to God. Then there are those of us who seem tossed about on a rolling sea with no control as to where the tides will take us. That was my sister. I know that when things around here get too crazy I automatically start cleaning and organizing. Hey! You'd think my house would be spotless! (LOL) And the whole time I am working I am praying. I think my sister spent her life on the rolling sea without a life preserver, struggling not to drown. And then finally the only control she could muster was to let herself drown. Do I blame myself? People will advise you not to blame yourself for other's behavior. "Laura, it wasn't your fault she killed herself!" "Don't blame yourself!" The last time I saw my sister alive she was standing at her door waving goodbye to me as I left for the 6 hr. trip home from NW Arkansas to Memphis. She asked me to call her when I got home. I didn't. She called me. You see, it had been an emotionally exhausting visit. She had divorced her husband of 21 years just about 7 or 8 months before. She had been struggling with issues I cannot divulge but I knew she was suffering greatly! I wanted time alone with her to talk and visit. There was a man she was hanging out with and she seemed to want to spend more time with him than me. I didn't like this man and I didn't like the way she was living her life. I should've called her when I got home. She needed God so badly! But some people will not open that door for whatever reason they have come up with. I believe it was because she thought she was not worthy of His love and thusly believed Him to be more of a vengeful and judging God rather than loving and forgiving. I prayed the 6 hour drive to her house that summer of 2002 that God would give me all the right words and actions to help her open her heart to Him and if not me, then give someone else in her life the words! I know that I came across preachy sometimes when I would try and witness to her. I prayed for God to lead me. It only works if it comes from God! To this day I don't know what happened on that trip. Her suicide note was dated the day after I left. But it was to be about 2 weeks later she finally gave up her struggle. Giving it to God, I trust Him that my sister was so far gone in her struggles that peace for her on earth was not to be and only coming home to Him would she find the peace she so needed. In my heart this was not her choice. She was not able to make a rational choice, but God knows what we do not. He took her home. We played "In the Arms of the Angels" by Sara McClaughlin at her funeral. No, it is not my fault that my sister is gone from this earth but....I didn't love her enough. I didn't love her unconditionally. I know that we are not responsible for another's actions, but we are responsible for our own and I know now that I should have been praying for my ears and heart to be open to see where Carolyn was, how much she was hurting. If I had paid attention to the signs. The shotgun resting against the wall in the kitchen. The bills piled up on the kitchen table. The hopelessness I could feel in that house. I wish I had paid attention! Why don't we pay attention to each other? Jesus said the greatest commandment of all is to love God and to love yourself as you love God and then to love one another as you love yourself. Paul told us what love is: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1Cor. 13:4-7 I didn't love my sister this way. Do any of us love like this? "I" have not loved like this! Do you have any idea how many people commit suicide?! Suicide is an act of desperation and hopelessness. Why are there so many desperate people with no hope out there today? People need attention and appreciation so badly. I learned that I have a responsibility as a child of God to show love. We should go out of our way to show love, God's love, to everyone we meet. Maybe, just maybe, if we did, there would be more people feeling loved and appreciated and not desperate and alone.

I know this post is extremely long and I thank God for you if you've journeyed with me this far but I would like to share this prayer that we recited at my sister's funeral.

" God of us all, we thank you for Christ's grace, thru which we pray to you in this dark hour. A life we love has been torn from us. Expectations the years once held have vanished. The mystery of death has stricken us. O God, you know the lives we live and the deaths we die, woven so strangely of purpose and of chance, of reason and of the irrational, of strength and of fraility, of happiness and of pain. No mortal life you have made is without eternal meaning. No earthly fate is beyond your redeeming. Thru your grace that can do far more than we can think or imagine, fulfill in us your purpose that reaches beyond time and death. Lead us from strength to strength, and fit us for love and service in your kingdom. Into your hands we commit our lives. You alone, God, make us to dwell in safety. Whom, finally have we on earth or in heaven but you? Help us to know the measure of our day, and how frail we are. Hold us in your keeping. Forgive us our sins. Save our minds from despair and our hearts from fear. And guard and guide us with your peace." ~~ Amen Carolyn I miss you so very, very much!

I'm on Ebay!

2009-07-01T18:02:00.006-05:00

Well, I did it! I jumped in with both feet! I've never sold anything on ebay before! Bought stuff...in fact I just bought a chandelier for my dining room! I'll be sure and post when that one comes in! But I've been on the edge of the ebay selling pool for awhile now because I've got some things of my dad's I really need to sell for my mother. She's on a fixed income and in an independent living facility. She's been disabled ever since she was 58 and had a stroke. Dad collected everything and was a true garage sale junkie! But today I decided to get my feet wet and auction this cloisonne vase I found at a consignment shop. It really is beautiful! The details are amazing. I could only post 4 pics on ebay but I wanted to show my blogging buddies more!

The vase itself is just over 6" but with the stand it's about 7 1/4". The background in the front and back is some kind of coppery foil which shows up in the art deco design at the top of the vase too! It's also in little tiny dots within the tiny scrollwork! Isn't it amazing! I got a real good deal on it so I hope I make some money!

See the copper foil shining!

A bluebird is flying under wisteria and swooping down on a lotus blossom!

These dragonheads are on the sides of the vase and there's even scrollwork inside the color around the dragonhead! Can you see the little dots of copper foil in the scrollwork?

Isn't it just beautiful! I bought it to keep of course but I really thought I might do well on ebay with it to help mom out! Wish me luck!

Tablescape Thursday!

2009-06-10T21:24:00.000-05:00

I'm joining everyone else over at Susan's @ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursday! Everyone is doing it so be sure and go over there and check out all the beautiful tables!!!

My sister was in town for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I was sick with a sinus infection some of that time, but as soon as I got well we made our traditional trip to Old Time Pottery! Yes, blogging is turning me into a dishaholic! I bought 6 of these plates! I loved them! They look so summery to me! They were only a $1.99 each! They're marked "Home Goods". I bought the green and white ginham napkins too! I already knew exactly what placemats I would use. A friend gave me these for my birthday one year! I think it looks like a picnic!

I originally had my white Southern Living At Home bowls on top of the plates but I decided I like just the plain plates...no charger, no salad or bowl...just the colorful plates! The little pitcher was my grandmothers. I just thought it looked good with the plates! The red pottery vase is from Southern Living At Home! And the fleurs are real! Do you see the little frog? Just a touch of whimsy!

The stemware I bought at Old Time Pottery last winter! The flatware is our Oneida we got when we married! We're a tad low on forks now! (25 years later!)

Thanks for stopping by! God Bless! Lauralu :)

I've got some Blooms!

2009-06-09T20:22:00.008-05:00

It's another Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan @ ttp://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

This is my second time to participate. Last week I showed you some of my front and back yard but not much was blooming. But now the daylilies have burst open!

Hope you enjoyed your visit! Maybe by next Wed. my front flower bed will be blooming! Now be sure and go visit all the pretty outdoor scenes over at Susan's! God Bless! Lauralu :)

Blogland's Next Top Model!!

2009-06-05T20:09:00.007-05:00

Yes, it's true! I am Blogland's next top model! (LOL) Some of you may remember that I did a photo shoot (that's what we call it in the biz!) last fall for Diane magazine. Diane magazine is the magazine that "Curves" puts out 4 times a year. And they selected me for one of their Body Love sections in the magazine! Can you believe it! I still can't! I originally said I liked my boobs best because when I was skinny...a long time ago...they weren't bad, but being fat only added to them! (LOL) Of course I was being funny! So seriously I said I loved my arms...yeah they're still too big but because I work out at Curves they ain't too flabby! But mostly because you use your arms to give people hugs! They liked me, they really liked me! And today we received the magazine! I'm a celebrity at my own Curves! The owner is going to have a special magazine signing! I told ya'll that I wouldn't really look like myself because they did my hair totally different and my makeup totally different! But that's my blouse I'm wearing! It turned out better than I thought! I'm not too embarassed! So as promised I'm sharing my magazine shot with all my friends in Blogland!

Oh! did I tell you I do runway too?! One of the members of the Curves I work at did a fashion show and tea for the mother's and daughters at the alzheimer's daycare she volunteers for and she asked me to model! I got to wear 2 beautiful outfits! And here we all are!

The lady to the far left is my friend Teresa that hosted the fashion show, then my friend Debbie, moi, and my friend Shelby. They are all members of the Curves where I work! I love that place! I wanted to buy that top but it was $149 dollars!!!!!! Yikes! See what a giant I am compared to everyone else! Alas, I was not born with a petite bone in my body! Well, I hope you are all properly impressed! (LOL) That's all the bragging I'm gonna do about that! God Bless! Lauralu :)

2009-06-02T19:11:00.010-05:00

Hi! This is my first time to participate in Outdoor Wednesday! Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan @ http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.comWe've had a very rainy Spring this year! I finally finished planting everything I was going to plant this year. I took these pics of my front yard. Hopefully soon I will have some before and after shots once all my perennials start blooming and the annuals fill in some! I'm really trying to make Tootsie proud of me!

This is my front yard. I used to fill this flower bed with begonias every year but I decided last year to make it into a perennial flower bed. I have 3 kinds of daylilies, purple cone flowers, black eyed Susans and various others I just picked out at the nursery and didn't pay attention to the names. I filled in with some double bloom impatiens, coleus and pink begonias. Dusty miller and blue salvia come back every year. I really hope everything blooms well this year!

A little closer look from a side angle.

This shot is from the side of the front yard and encompasses the flower bed on the other side of our creek bed. I wasn't thru cleaning this bed out and I've got to do a little work to it so I'll save that for another Wed. You can see a little of the creek bed on the other side of the oak hydrangea.
Here's my little pond. Yes, I've had fish in it before and I've had plants in it, but the fish attract racoons or get caught in the pump and the plants were getting too big! I like it without them. You see more of the water.

Here's a little of the backyard. I'm trying to little by little extend the flower bed around the pool. Last fall I planted some ferns and wild phlox and a purple leafed bush I can't remember the name of! I bought the bush at our zoo's plant sale and my best friend gave me the phlox and ferns from her yard! All the daylilies are from my father-n-laws daylily collection he had when they retired in Arkansas. They moved back to Memphis several years ago because of his health and he came over and got daylilies from me this time!
Thanks for dropping by and be sure to go over and check out the other outdoor pics at Susan's!

Mother's Day Breakfast Table

2009-05-13T22:08:00.010-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mine was, well, I've had better. I really don't want to sound like a whiner but things in our household have been, shall we say, a little tense?! I'll put it to you this way...I have three men in my family...my DH turned 50 last Nov., my son's turned 17 and 21 in Feb. and March...I don't ever want to hear how bad women's hormones are!!! Testosterone is running rampant in my household of alpha males, indian chiefs, Peter Pans, whatever you want to call it! But the kids came thru for me last Sunday. My 21 yr. old loves to cook and being a college student, was without funds, so he made plans to make me breakfast. That Saturday night I was up fretting about how to keep peace in my family so as I was cleaning the kitchen up I decided to set a table for my Mother's Day breakfast! Then I could use it for Tablescape Thursday! Which I have not participated in for awhile! Tablescape Thursday is of course hosted by the most talented and lovely and sweet Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/. So be sure and check out all the tablescapes posted on her blog!

The plate is Southern Living "Gallery". It's so large I use them as chargers too! Of course, I had to add the coffee cup & saucer of my George Briard everyday china! I have to tell you! My 6'5" 21 year old that was on the offensive line for the Tigers of the Univ. of Memphis football team, drank his coffee from this cup just for me! He was trying so hard to use good tablemanners! Usually we're all swigging down the caffiene with humongous mugs!

Here I am trying to imitate all you talented and artsy photographers out there! I love my scalloped round placemats from Marshall's! The blue glassware is from Big Lots! I showed you these in a previous post! They have the most beautiful butterfly design etched on them!
The flowers are for my mom! Usually I do my own florals but I just loved this compact little arrangement with dark coral roses, daisies, mums and asters! I love the pot too! And what do you think of my birds?! I bought them in the floral department at Schnucks when I got the flowers! They were $6.99 ea. but I just couldn't resist! I don't think that was such a bad price! They look much more expensive! The little votives I picked up one time at Marshall's. They're all different colors! I used the dark purple, yellow, green and dark pink!

These were taken at night, but breakfast was wonderful! My youngest, the 17 yr. old, gave me a beautiful cross necklace! Unfortunately the DH was pouting about a 'disagreement' in teenage management 101! (You know they do that sometimes!) But I'll forgive him! He did take me to the Biltmore you know! Men! Gotta love 'em!

Sayings to Live By!

2009-05-08T07:52:00.005-05:00

Good morning ladies! My post today is to share 2 wonderfully witty statements I discovered on my trip last week! Some friends of ours own a chocolate shop in Knoxville. We stopped there on the way back to pick up some goodies for the ladies in my husband's office. On the wall above their counter hangs 2 absolutely adorable art pieces. They were collages that featured the following statements on a woman's life that I thought you all would enjoy so I wrote them down! I've added my own pics from the web for effect!

"I am fairly certain that given

a cape and a tiara, I could save the world!"

and

"Life is tough ~~ so I recommend getting a

manicure and a really cute helmet!"

It's Good To Be King!

2009-05-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, The Biltmore! George Vanderbilt was only 33 yrs. old and a bachelor when he opened his home on Christmas Eve 1895. Talk about a most eligible bachelor!!! What a bachelor pad! The Biltmore is not measured in square footage but acres! 4 acres to be exact! This little country house has 250 rooms: 33 family rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens and an indoor swimming pool! The 125,oo0 acres of surrounding grounds featured farms and a dairy, 250 acres of wooded park, 5 pleasure gardens (see previous post) and 30 miles of roadways! So now for the closeups! I love architecture and this house was incredible! No cookie cutter stuff used here! Every little nook and cranny was unique and beautiful! I thought about waiting to post these on wordless Wednesday because no words are needed but I couldn't keep ya'll waiting!

These were on the side of the house where the spiral staircase is! It's too the left of the front door.

You can tell the sun was coming in and out that day!

The Italian Garden! on the left side of the house!

The conservatory sits one terrace down from this formal garden! You see the top of it!

Details of the front of the house! I could've gone on forever!

Details from the back veranda!

Even the copper gutter spouts!

I wonder what this little guy was playing!

I just loved this owl! Look at the fabulous artistry!

And an elephant! Do you see his trunk coming up underneath the scrollwork?

Out of the window as we were leaving!

I know this post was long, but I hoped you enjoyed it! If you're not too tired and don't have anything else to do today! you can look at my previous post to see the beautiful gardens!

My Birthday Trip!

2009-04-30T12:15:00.015-05:00

Gosh, I feel like Christine! You know yesterday was her birthday too! Happy Birthday Christine!
Well, I just got back from a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC! My DH had a business meeting in Pidgeon Forge and offered to take me to the Biltmore for my birthday! We had a wonderful time! I got to shop at some antique malls in Sevierville! (That will be another post!) We got to, I mean, "we arrived at" the Biltmore Tuesday afternoon and decided to tour the gardens, conservatory and the winery that afternoon and save the house for the next morning! I'm glad we broke it up like that. We enjoyed each without getting too worn out! I took lots of pictures but you can't take pictures inside the house!!!!! Trust me! It was drop dead gorgeous! I can't even imagine the amount of money that was spent on this house!!!! Everything inside is a priceless treasure! I mean everything! Down to the last little detail! But I could've spent all day just taking pictures of the outside! I love to take pictures of beautiful architecture! But alas I had to stop so we could actually tour the inside of the house!

I'll start with our tour of the conservatory 'cause that's where we started!!

Look at this beautiful hot house orchid!

I wish I had a place in my yard that looked like this!
Look at this gorgeous terrarium!

Here's a close-up!

I don't know what these are but they were beautiful!

And another terrarium! Look closely in the bottom left corner...venus fly traps!

Now let's go out to the gardens. For the most part, spring had done sprung and summer was just beginning to wake up. They had tons of roses but alas they were not blooming yet! This beautiful foxglove was surrounded by blue sky and wisteria! I have a planter just like that!

And look at this wisteria! I want to paint this! If only I was a painter! Hey, isn't that from a song? Sheila help me out here!
Some of the tulips still looked pretty good! I love the cream and magenta!
Now for the azalea gardens! You're not tired are you?! Just wait til you see!

These were the steps down into the garden!

I'd love to be able to paint this one too!

Well, ladies, I think I've captured enough of your time for this one post! I have to say I was pretty impressed with my camera! The DH gave me the camera last birthday! I just put it on auto and pointed, zoomed and clicked! I promise to post the house either tomorrow or Saturday! Thank you for sharing the first leg of my trip with me!

I Love this Place!

2009-04-24T09:03:00.014-05:00

I've got some awards to thank people for! First of all my kin in name Laura at http://tomariescabin.blogspot.com/ honored me with the following award telling me she was a fan of my blog! Well, Laura I am a fan of your blog too! You are so sweet and have the most beautiful and cozy cabin!

And sweet Kim http://kimsdomesticbliss.blogspot.com/ gifted me with this award!

Isn't it adorable! This award is given to a fellow blogger that exhibits an "Attitude of Gratitude". And I am honored and humbled to receive it! I associate gratitude with my faith. Gratitude seems to be a lost emotion in today's fretful and fastpaced world! People are so busy looking for what's around the corner and how to get it now that they are forgetting to be grateful for what they have! Yes, I get caught up in the rat race from time to time but because of my faith in my Lord I remember to be thankful for what He has given me! He has taught us that He has already given us everything we truly need! I hope that is why Kim gave me this wonderful award because somehow that attitude of gratitude is showing itself thru my posts! Thank you again Kim and Laura!

Of course the rules for blogging awards are to pass them on to your fellow bloggers! I love the way Christine at http://christineshomeandtraveladventures.blogspot.com/ gave her fan award out! She said that if she had visited your site she was a fan so to be sure and take the award from her and pass it on! I agree! If I've visited you then I'm a fan! I have made such wonderful friends out there in blogland! So take this award from me to you and then pass it on!

The Lemonade award asks that you pass it on to fellow bloggers you think show an "Attitude of Gratitude"... that they are happy with their life under any circumstances! I think that all the blogs I have visited show this but I specifically want to pass this award on to the following:

Christine at http://christineshomeandtraveladventures.blogspot.com/

Susan at http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/

Chari at http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/

Mary at http://megardengal.blogspot.com/

Donna at http://designson47thstreet.blogspot.com/

Heather at http://butterflygenes.blogspot.com/

Cindy at http://sisterhoodofthecreativehearts.blogspot.com/

Tootsie at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/

and right back at ya! Kim at http://kimsdomesticbliss.blogspot.com/

These ladies have made me feel so welcome and comfortable in blogland! Instant connections were made and I feel very grateful to have met them! They are sweet and wonderful ladies with a heart for the Lord and an "Attitude of Gratitude!"

This Sunday I am leaving to go to west TN and then to Ashville, NC to the Biltmore! for my birthday! It is incredible that when I told Christine about my trip she informed me she and her husband's birthday are on the same day! April 29th! I promise to start posting again when I get back! Of course I'll have my pics of the Biltmore to share! Love you all! God Bless! Lauralu :)

Blue Monday!

2009-04-12T21:20:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone! I haven't posted a new post for awhile! Was busy, nothing to show off and my whole household was wiped out last week with the stomach flu!! So now I'm trying to get back in to the swing of things again! Don't have anything for Met Monday yet but I can post some pretty pics for Blue Monday! Sally over at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ hosts this fun event so I hope you'll go over and check out her blog and all the other blue posters!

Today, I would like to share with you my handpainted kitchen table. This particular antique oak pedastal table was given to my husband by his mother before we got married. It, in turn, had belonged to her aunt...so it is a family heirloom! Those of you who are familiar with my kitchen know that when I redecorated it I went sort of "wild" with wildlife! From stencils to stickers to rub-ons, if it's a flower, bird or bug it's on my kitchen walls! Well, the time had come when the top of our kitchen table needed refinishing again, but I had always had in my mind an idea to paint the top of it and so.. I did!!!! Then my husband comes home as I'm finishing up and has a conniption fit! Is that how you spell that?! Don't know if your DH's are like mine but it is sacreligious to paint over finished wood in his eyes! But being the selfish, if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, female I sometimes can be....Yes, it's true! I'm not the perfect little homemaker you all think I am..you do don't you?! anyway..I didn't care that he didn't like it! So there! And I have loved this table ever since! And guess what? His parent's love it too! Maybe one day he'll get over it...I do seem to notice that when he cleans his guns he just puts paper down and not a vinyl cloth to keep those caustic cleaners from eating away at my paint job....could he be trying to slowly but surely sabotage my lovely creation? Hmmmmmm!

I did use a stencil for my wrens. Yes, I cheated! I never said I was a Rembrandt! I mean for gosh sakes I have stickers on my walls because I can't paint the butterflies myself! But the really creative part that I am rather proud of is that I just used the stencil for the basic body shape and then handpainted the birds myself! The same with the nest and the eggs. The tree branches and leaves are all mine! I even think the bird stencil was actually a finch but we have a family of wrens that have been here since we moved in 16 years ago so I really wanted the birds on my tabletop to be wrens. The background is a light yellow that I brushed over the top and then dry brushed the sky blue over that! The branches go all the way around the edge of the table!

In the garden world purple flowers are sometimes called blue because blue is such a hard color to find in flowers. There is blue salvia and of course the beautiful blue delphinium that i can't grow down here in the south because it's just too hot for those gorgeous blooms! So even though my clematis is purple and white we will call it blue just for today! I just had to take pictures of my clematis so full of blooms! It's trained on the wrought iron fence we have around our pool! In the summer it will start losing leaves and not blooming much at all but right now it's absolutely gorgeous! Enjoy! and I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Lauralu :)

A great story!

2009-03-28T13:17:00.002-05:00

No pics today! Just a really funny story a member of Curves told me she read about! You may have already seen this story but I just thought it was so funny and wanted to share it.
An elderly lady was doing her grocery shopping and when she came out of the store and went to her car she saw 4 men getting into her car. She dropped her groceries and pulled out her pistol and screamed at them to get away from the car! They all scattered! She was shaking so badly over the situation that when she got in she couldn't get her key to fit in the ignition and that's when she noticed a football and some beer in the car! Yep! You got it! It wasn't her car! She found her car and proceeded to the closest police station to tell them what had happened! The officer couldn't stop laughing hysterically! The 4 men the elderly lady had chased away from their own car were also there giving their report about some crazy old lady with gray hair and a house dress pointing a gun at them and stealing their car! No charges were filed in this case but...the author of the news item mentioned that if you're going to have a senior moment I guess this lady made it a memorable one! Glad I don't carry a gun!

Treasures Lost & Found!

2009-03-20T18:30:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I had gone to a church yard sale and found some great treasures and now I'm going to show you 'em! You are going to be sooooo jealous! I parked in front of the church and had to walk all the way around the back to the yard sale that was being held in the gym! All along the way people were coming out with their arms full of goodies! I thought there's nothing good left but I'll just go look while I'm here! When I walked in it was so crowded and stuff was sort of haphazardly piled up on round tables all over the gym. So I took a deep breath and started wading thru. I'm not big on fighting crowds...I'd never make it up north at a Macy's basement sale! Anway, I had gone all the way around the gym before I spotted something I liked..a plate, but it wasn't enough to make me break out the cash. So I turned to the next table and people were grabbing up stuff and I looked down and there it was! In like new, never used condition! A Wedgewood serving piece! And you know how much I paid for it! $5.00! It just sold on Ebay without the lid for $41.00!!! Take a look!

It's such a pretty cream color! And the details are so pretty!

And now, for my favorite! I have a small collection of transferware plates. Most of them bought on ebay. I have blue and white plates, a brown and white piece and a purple and white showcased in my blog's title picture! And now this piece! I just looked down next to my Wedgewood dish and there was a stack of plates and I saw this wonderful purple and white sticking out! It couldn't be! But it was! Oh JOY! It's mine! I grabbed it as quick as I could without arousing any suspicion! Didn't want anybody to know what a great find I had! They might try to get it from me! (Yes, paranoia had set in by this time!)

Isn't she just beautiful! Below is a closeup of the center!

And a closeup of the beautiful scalloped edges and the intricate rosettes!

Guess how much! One Dollar! It's selling on ebay for $58.00 buy it now! According to the seller this is an unmarked Staffordshire plate from about 1835! Just imagine this piece being made in England and where it's been to end up in a presbyterian church yard sale 174 years later!!!

And my good buys didn't stop there! I got 2 other things that I'm going to post another time! Got to keep my peeps in suspense so you'll come back! I'll give you a hint: I spent a total of $24...you do the math!

Cabbage Salad!

2009-03-20T09:18:00.003-05:00

The wonderful Gollum at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com is our host today for this wonderful event! And this time I have no trouble fitting in because it's all about kitchen disasters or goofs or something gone wrong in the cooking department! You know they say "misery loves company!" so when you get thru here go over to Gollum's and check out other kitchen blunders!

My story starts long ago in a galaxy far, far away!...before my DH and I were married! We weren't yet engaged but had been dating 4 years! 'Course half that time he had a job in Atlanta and I was still in college in Memphis...and just let me add a little plug here during March madness...GO TIGERS! Anyway, my boyfriend (that's the DH) was a groomsman in his ex-girlfriend's brother's wedding! A little matchmaking going on to my way of thinking at the time! But I played it cool! While he was at the wedding I decided to make him a romantic dinner for two! I've forgotten now what the menu was, but I had shopped and was going to make him a lovely fresh green salad! Now, I have to explain here that I love bunnies but I don't eat like one! For some weird reason unbeknownst to man I don't like salad! I'd probably be alot thinner if I did! In the middle of my preparations my man came back to his apartment to find me in the kitchen making the salad for our dinner and started laughing hysterically! Now you have to understand I had been on pins and needles all day wondering what exactly was going on at that wedding! I had just reached in and pulled out the lettuce to make the salad. He said, Honey are you using that to make the salad? Yes, I replied, of course, it's lettuce.............ummmm, Honey, that's a cabbage! Cole Slaw anyone?! God Bless! Lauralu :)

Tablescape Thursday!

2009-03-18T20:01:00.013-05:00

This is my second tablescape and I can see how people can become dishaholics!

I only set the table for two because I only had 2 of the green plates with the bunnies. Ususally they're hanging on the wall of my kitchen but I just had to use them for a spring tablescape featuring bunnies! Did I ever tell ya how much I love bunnies?! Hope you enjoy and then be sure and go on over to Susan's at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ to check out the other beautiful and creative tablescapes! Thank you Susan for hosting this fun event!

Sheila do you recognize your placemats?

Christine how 'bout our same pewter bunny napkin rings?

The butter dish and salt and pepper shakers are Tracy Porter from Target a couple of years ago.

It's A Small World After All!

2009-03-17T18:37:00.007-05:00

I'm so excited! One of my new blogging buds came by to see me! A couple of weeks ago I met a new friend in blogland! Some of you may know her and some of you may remember I did a little post about her blog http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/! Her name is Susan and she had a post about not thinking so much about what we were willing to give up for Lent but rather what we can give to others during Lent! Well, one of Susan's posts also talked about Memphis and highlighted our local talent currently on American Idol, so I asked her if she was from Memphis, like me! Guess what?! She lives down the street from me!!! How cool is that! So here we are at Curves where I work. She told me she was going to come by so be sure and bring my camera! One of our lovely members took our picture for us. We didn't like the first one so we made her take it again! HA! How vain we women can be! Hey, if I was going to post our pic for all to see, it had to project just how beautiful we really are! Of course, you may notice I look a little hunched over! Susan is a beautiful and petite blonde..I on the other hand am a giant beside her at 5'8" and not a petite bone in my body! We even found out that our children went to the same high school! Her son was a senior when mine was a junior!! And if you read her blog she has a friend who was in the process of moving after losing her husband and her friend lived on my street! Susan and I exchanged numbers and will be "doing lunch" soon! Maybe we need to have our own bloggers luncheon! God Bless everybody! Lauralu :)
P.S. she came in asking for Lauralu so I knew right away who it was!

Metamorphis Monday/Yard Sale to Upscale!

2009-03-15T20:31:00.002-05:00

Today is metamorphis Monday sponsored by the lovely hostess Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/! So when you get thru checking out this great metamorphis go on over and see what everyone else has metamorphied! (That can't be a word!)

Last Saturday I was on my way to work. I wasn't on the schedule but I'm training a new employee and so I didn't have to be there at an exact time...but anyway, on the way, a church was having a yard sale! I had seen the signs during the week and had planned to go. So I did. And boy howdy, did I find some goodies! But that is for another post so stay tuned! When I got to Curves of course I had to show off my treasures! And one of the ladies asked if they had any lamps. I hadn't been looking for a lamp but I remembered a yellow ginger jar lamp that had a very nice shape to it and told her about it. "I don't think you want yellow but you could paint it!" Well, this week I saw her at work and she couldn't wait to tell me that she had gone to the yard sale just to see what they had. It was late and she expected for there to be nothing left...and there was the lamp I had told her about. Not only did she buy it, but it was so late they had everything on sale at 1/2 price! She paid $1 for this lamp. Here's the before!

Straight out of the early '80's I'd say!

And now are you ready to see what she did with it?!

Just look at that! She painted it with brown & gold paint she already had at home then bought that cool tassel at Hobby Lobby and a little darker lamp shade from Target and VOILA! Isn't it smashing?! Oops! better watch my language around the lamp! Isn't it beautiful?! Cathy had been looking for a lamp and said she had looked at some over $200! I think she said with the tassel and the new shade she ended up spending about $30! Cathy is so proud of it! and she should be! and I am quite honored to be the muse to her creativity! Below this I've posted my Blue Monday so be sure and take a look before you leave!

Blue Monday!

2009-03-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

This wonderful event is sponsored by Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/. I told you last week I had plenty of blue in my house. Here's my living room/great room/den whatever you want to call it! When we moved into this house everything was original 1978. This room was so dark! Ugh!!! Dark paneling, dark beams, dark mantel! My husband was all for painting it. I couldn't believe it 'cause you know how men are about painting wood! Anywho...I looked at all kinds of beiges and ivories and taupes and nothing screamed at me USE ME! I think I told you before that I always buy my fabric first and go from there and I kept seeing in my mind's eye this wonderful color blue on the walls with crisp cream molding and trim to go with my coral fabric on the valances. I thought my DH would never go for it but I found a picture of a room in Veranda magazine that was painted a lighter blue and showed him. He loved the idea! Go figure?! So all this to show you my blue walls! God Bless you all today! and thanks for sharing your day with me! Lauralu

I think it's amazing how different a color can look in different lighting situations!

2009-03-08T16:20:00.010-05:00

I've got so much blue in my house I didn't know where to start! So I'm only going to pick a couple of pics I already have in my computer. This event is hosted by Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/. I am very new to this but there a lot more people over at Sally's blog showing off their blues so go on over and take a look!

Now this picture is one of my very favorite pieces..so I've already got it posted in my sidebar! It's a vase I bought years ago at an antique shop for about $30. My DH and I were still setting up our first home and I couldn't wait to turn this into a lamp! I love, love, love it! There is no mark on the bottom but I'm thinking it may be an early handpainted Nippon. What do you think? Does anybody have any info for me on this piece?

The picture below is part of my mantle. When we first moved into this house I could not figure out what to do with this long mantle! It was the whole length of the end of the room! I either had too much or too little! So one day when I wanted to see how the other half lives I went strolling thru Ethan Allen and they had free design service...they would actually come to your house and bring stuff to decorate your house with and then you could choose what you wanted to buy! She showed up with some gorgeous things....and used big blue and white chinese urns on my mantle. Alas! those urns were over $200 each!!!!! Not in my budget! It was funny...I really didn't like what she did with the whole mantle but I loved those urns and I did buy two prints for my dining room that believe it or not were in my price range! So later at a local department store (which is now a Macy's) I found these beauties! I like them even more than the ones from Ethan Allen and they were only about $30 each! The little plate is a handpainted Nippon with a cobalt blue rim edged with gold.

So that's all for now...but I've got plenty of blue left for many another Monday! And if you haven't already...check out my post below and give me your opinion on finishing my tile project. I sure would appreciate it!

Please Help Me Finish this Project!

2009-03-06T19:05:00.000-06:00

Some of you may remember my kitchen on RMS. I love my kitchen! This house was built in 1978 and had all the original everything except the mulit-brown shag wall-to-wall carpet! The kitchen had light blue and beige small plaid vinyl wall covering and original dirty, beige, fake stone linoleum, not to mention macrame roman blinds, fake butcher block countertops and a 1970's "early american" chandelier. All the appliances were original but atleast they were beige and not "harvest" or "avocado". The whole house was so dark! I have to admit it depressed me! So little by little I started painting and redoing. After a couple of years I finally convinced my husband to let me redecorate the kitchen. I say redecorate because we didn't do any structural changes or new cabinets. This was on a budget! We were initially going to go for a wood floor but decided at the last minute to go with tile which I don't regret a bit! We kept the woodwork and cabinets as is because it would've been too labor intensive to remove or prime and paint, besides, as much as I love to paint wood, the wood in the kitchen was the nicest in the house! I found my fabrics at a local discount fabric store on sale!!! and went from there! When I decorate a room I always start with a fabric. I love fabrics! So after painting over the existing vinyl wallpaper with about 10 different colors! (I wanted it to look old and tuscany) all new appliances, a new chandelier and a medallion I handpainted, lots of stenciling ,etc., I had my kitchen! Of course since then I've added things...(well of course!) We couldn't afford new countertops at the time of the original redo so a couple of years later we replaced the countertop. Now don't get me wrong...I would've loved to have shiny granite but they would have been more expensive than the whole original kitchen redo! So we did laminate. I later painted my backdoor and added the resin fruit basket to it..the stenciling over the sink and painted the top of our antique oak pedastal table which my husband has still not forgiven me for!

The fruit matches my Tracy Porter print perfectly!

I bought the chairs from a friend that had closed down her restaurant. I painted them different colors and reupholstered the seats.

This is my backdoor that leads to a breezeway and then the door to the garage! I got the idea from a french country kitchen I saw years ago in a Renovation magazine!

Before you ask...No, I don't have the pattern to these valances! I showed the seamstress a picture of what I wanted from a Southern Living magazine and she just made it up as she went.

The iron rods and finials I got at Hobby Lobby. They were Waverly Garden and I crackle painted the rods with the red coral and then handpainted the leaves and grapes. The leaves holding the valance up are cafe curtain clips.

I made a stencil for this myself by using Word and then enlarging the letters on my husband's copy machine at his office. Notice I used the shadow on the font! Then I just used carbon paper to trace the image on my wall and then just colored it in with paint markers! The flowers are cut from scrapbook paper!

And now I need to complete another project and would like your help in deciding how to finish! When we had the countertops replaced there was one little measurement we forgot about! the backsplash! So I had about an inch and a half of blank wall where the old countertop had been! No problem, I'll just do some really neat tile above the countertop and cover that up! Well, I just couldn't be satisfied with any ole tile! I had to find something special! By the time I found the tile I wanted I realized tiles can be very expensive!! At the time I was starting a collection of transferware plates..so, while cruising Ebay for plates I came upon transferware tiles! Light Bulb! I started buying the tiles and did a mosaic with these tiles all around the kitchen. Ladies, it only cost about $50 to do my whole kitchen. But now I need to finish off with this molding which I've started but can't decide if I want to paint it or stain it! Would you please take a look at my pics below and give me your suggestions?

Before with no molding!

<-- Stain OR Paint -->

For the painted trim I used the craft acrylics I already had. Colonial blue and yellow and little of the coral red and there may even be a little green in there! Don't be shy! Let me know what you think...even if you have another suggestion! Thank you!

Let's Be Friends!

2009-03-04T00:03:00.018-06:00

So, at first, when my dear friend Vanna (aka lvrofantiques) awarded me my first blogger's award "The Sisterhood Award" I tried to keep it light and funny and cute. I alluded to the fact that everybody else had all these awards and I didn't have any and wasn't that just so pitiful and now I'm all happy because V came thru for me! Well, she did it again! This time it's this adorable valentine-looking award to the left that say's "Let's be friends!" "The rules for this award: The blogs with this award are exceedingly charming! These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends! They are not interested in self aggrandizement!" (1. to make greater, more powerful, richer, etc; 2. to make seem greater or more exalted) I had to look that one up! Wanted to be sure I wasn't a self aggrandizer! "The starters of this award hope that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."

The thing is, that this time when Vanna told me she had a little blog award waiting for me over at http://lvrofantiques.blogspot.com/ I was humbled. These awards are great! They're such cute little illustrations to decorate your blog with but I haven't been doing this for very long and what I've learned is, that we all really care about each other! We may have never met....may never meet in person...but we pray for each other and celebrate each other's accomplishments and show our love and support in any way we can. And not only do we do that for the people we have already grown to know, but we are willing and even eager to pass this love and support and care on to others, actively seeking each other out. Thank you Vanna for showing me what this blogging award is all about! Below are my friends I wish to pass this award on to. Most of them I selected because they're brand new friends for me!

My sweet and very creative niece-n-law Heather at http://butterflygenes.blogspot.com/ I love to read Heather's blog! Not only is she a great wife and mother but she's a most excellent writer! She takes every Friday to write something about why she loves her DH (aka my nephew!)

One of the most creative ladies I've had the pleasure to meet is Athella at http://athellag-ocdesigner.blogspot.com/. I first met Athella on RMS!

One of my newer friends I met strictly thru blogging I mentioned on another post a couple of days ago! Susan at http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com/. I just know we're going to become great friends!

Also a new friend Darlene at http://darlenesdays-darlene.blogspot.com/. She's got a wonderful blog! I really look forward to following her!

And a new friend Linda whom I just met yesterday at http://ninasnest.blogspot.com/. She was so sweet to respond so quickly when I left a comment on her wonderful blog!

My friend Donna at http://designson47thstreet.blogspot.com/. We're already sisters in faux fleurs!

And I know that Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ has probably received this award many a time but it was thru her Met Monday that I met some of these wonderful ladies! Thank you Susan!

And my new friend Kim at http://kimsdomesticbliss.blogspot.com/. I just had to edit this post because I must've skipped the page I had Kim's blog address on and then she left a comment and I realized she wasn't on my post! I really need to proofread these things better! Kim is a sweetie pie!

The request of this award is to "Please give more attention to these writers. And when you receive your award to pass it on to atleast 8 or so more bloggers who must choose 8 more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their award. Also be sure and put a link to their blogs and then let them know they've been selected!"

My First Metamorphis Monday!

2009-02-28T17:41:00.018-06:00

Today I am joining my friends on Metamorphis Monday hosted by sweet & beautiful Susan @ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/. Most everyone has been over to Susan's, but if you haven't you definitely need to! Not only will you see more wonderful 'metamorphi' (that is my version of the the plural of metamorphis) going on, but you will love her blog!

The pictures I am showing you are from a craft project I made for a friend and fellow Curves co-worker when she got married last summer! Their romance was truly storybook! She's slightly younger than me. A sweet and beautiful divorced mother of 3 beautiful children, my friend had given up on 'happily ever after'. Then bam! A wonderful man swept her off her feet and after dating a little over a year they were married in a private ceremony with just her children on the beach in Panama Beach, Fla.! As I was looking for a wedding present I thought about a frame with shells for their wedding picture and then I thought "I could do that!" The added sentiment came from the shells I used because they were actually from the beach in Panama Beach on our last trip there! So checkout my before and after! She tells me all the time how much she and her sweetie love it! and they did put the family wedding photo in it! The newlyweds and the children walking along the beautiful beach all of them barefoot, with the sun going down behind them and dressed in their wedding attire.

I bought the mosaic frame at Marshall's and then hot glued the shells. You can see in the picture above that the tiles were a translucent glass with all the soft colors of the beach!

I made it to so they could use it horizontally as well as vertically. (I have a picture of the frame on its side but when I bring it over here it switches to this and I can't get it to rotate for some weird reason!)

Now I also wanted to show Vanna @ http://lvrofantiques.blogspot.com/ what her little cherub looked like before she gave it a good home!

I bought this little fellow at Hobby Lobby when the garden statues were on sale at the end of the season. I like to buy angel garden statues and then paint them for Christmas decorations.

Just look at it now!

I swear the little fellow looks like he's smiling! I just knew he'd find the perfect place in Vanna's oh so french and beautiful home!

Quote for the day!

2009-02-28T08:19:00.002-06:00

I have started following a sweet lady's blog called http://thoughtsfromovertherainbow.blogspot.com. Her name is Susan. Don't you just love the name of her blog! Check out her "thoughts" about Lent. She has given us a wonderful challenge, that if I know most of us, should be no challenge at all! It made me think of this quote from Norman Vincent Peale we have on our bulletin board at Curves where I work...

"The way to Happiness:

Keep your heart free from hate,

Your mind from worry.

Live simply, expect little, give much!

Forget self and think of others.

Try this for a week and you will be surprised!"

Look for me in the funny pages!

2009-02-27T13:25:00.003-06:00

Well Ladies...I received an email last night from a lady at Diane magazine wanting to confirm the information they were going to publish in the June issue! I am just guessing that this means I'm gonna be published in the Body Love section of the June issue of Diane Magazine! Aren't I so special!!! LOL

And Now My First Foodie Friday!

2009-02-26T18:01:00.008-06:00

Last Saturday it was a cold and wet day so I decided to make some soup for a late lunch with my DH. I had also just bought Sandra Lee's new Semi Homemade magazine and had seen a great cornbread recipe that I thought would go great with the soup! Now, I really like Sandra Lee! I don't do that much cooking and actually prefer HGTV to the Food Network. One day I caught her show and really loved her and the way she cooks and I really like her style of decorating too! So I grabbed my camera and started snapping so I could join my fellow sisters in Foodie Friday hosted by the grand dame herself Gollum! But you don't have to watch just me boiling water, go on over to http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com and check out the real cooks!

Yes, I can boil water!

Then I did my imitation of Sandra by using "Bear Creek" bean soup mix. Just whisk the mix in to 8 cups of boiling water! This was the hard part: trying to whisk with my left hand and take the picture with my right!

Then I took it upon myself to add pre-cooked, pre-cubed ham and substituted 2 cups of water with chicken broth from a box. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes!

Now for the cornbread! "Spicy Cheddar Cornbread", how can that not be good! Gather my ingredients...mix 'em together....Voila!

Does mine look like the magazine picture?

My attempt at tablescaping our lunch!

And now for the cornbread recipe: 2 tblsp. veg. oil, 2 (6.5 ounce) pkgs. yellow Martha White cornbread mix, 2 (1 ounce) pkgs. taco seasoning, 2 lg. eggs, 2/3 cup water, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 400*. Grease 9-in. iron skillet w/veg. oil and place skillet in oven while preparing cornbread. In a lg. bowl combine cornbread mix, taco seasoning, eggs and water, stirring well. Pour batter into preheated skillet and bake for 12 minutes. Sprinkle cheese evenly over cornbread and put back in oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and cornbread is golden brown.

This is straight out of her wonderful magazine and I really hope I'm not violating any copyright laws! And by the by, the cornbread was delicious!

My Very First Blog Award!

2009-02-21T21:38:00.015-06:00

There I was, feeling all sorry for myself! I drool over all of ya'lls tablescapes! I envy all of your gorgeous homes! You all have so many followers! And everyone has all these cute little awards 'cept me! Poor, poor, pitiful me!!! (recognize that song!) And then I see my good RMS bud Vanna ("winks!") at http://lvroftiques.blogspot.com/ Delusions of Grandeur has a new posting and lo and behold she gave me an award! Vanna has the most gorgeous antiques in her home! Believe me when I say that her home is not a grand delusion! C'est Magnifique!! Most of you already know her, but if you don't, go over there right now and say hi to a wonderfully funny and sweet lady! I have to say I feel very honored to be one of her recepients of this award!

Now the rules for receiving this wonderful award are as follows:

1.) Put the logo on your blog or post.

2.) Nominate atleast 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude.

3.) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4.) Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5.) Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

And the Nominees Are:

My sweet and creative niece-n-law Heather at http://butterflygenes.blogspot.com/

So sweet Chari at http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/

My sweet RMS bud Athella at http://athellag-ocdesigner.blogspot.com

Who doesn't love Laurie?! at http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

Sweet Donna at http://designson47thstreet.blogspot.com/ because we share the same love and passion for silk flowers but not cleaning chores!

Lovely Cindy at http://sisterhoodofthecreativehearts.blogspot.com/. Cindy was my very first visitor! And I think she puts all of us "sisters" thoughts best when she says in her profile "I am an admirer of all kinds of beautiful, creative things!"

Sweet Debbie at http://confessionsofaplateaddict.blogspot.com/. You've got to check out her staff!

Mary Ellen at http://megardengal.blogspot.com/, "Mary's Meanderings". Her home is as sweet as she is!

and sweet Sheila at http://notesongs.blogspot.com/. She makes everyone feel so welcome and works hard to respond to everyone visiting her! And she's cute as a button!

A Little Spring Cheer!

2009-02-21T12:19:00.003-06:00

Yesterday in my neck of the world it was sunny and beautiful! Trees are starting to show signs of life, jonquils are starting to bloom and beautiful quince is showing off its gorgeous coral blossoms! My VBF brought some jonquils and sprigs of her quince bush to my mother yesterday when we had lunch with her. We both were sighing with anticipation about getting to work out in the yard! I'm going to get some of her quince to plant in my yard! Even my daylilies are popping their green heads out of the winter droll and then.....today I look out my window and it's raining and cold and miserable and we might get sleet or snow! I hurried out yesterday afternoon to cut the jonquils that were blooming before they got hammered by winter weather! Why don't you get a cup of coffee (with some hazlenut creamer of course!) and come join me at the kitchen table with these bright yellow beauties! I bought the little mug with the bluebird on it at TJ Maxx about a week ago! Don't you just love that place! You can find the best little treasures there! God Bless you all and thanks for dropping by!

Shopping Spree at Old Time Pottery!

2009-02-20T19:21:00.008-06:00

Today my best friend (refer to the previous post below in the white bikini) and I went to eat lunch with my mother who is in assisted living then we went shopping! Of course, neither one of us has any money right now what with kids in college and private schools and utility bills!, but that didn't stop us! We headed to the local outlet store Old Time Pottery! It's right up there with Marshall's and Hobby Lobby as favorite places to shop for home stuff with me! (At this time I just want to check and make sure Vanna noticed my title rhymes!) (winks!) Anyway, all I needed were some kitchen glasses, not the tablescape kind! the kind my kids take up to their rooms and leave until they become petri dishes! (OK I'm sorry that was TMI) so where was I?! Oh yea! Anyway, I don't even participate in the tablescape thursday and I'm looking at everything thinking about how to use it in a tablescape! Then I found these beautiful glasses! For $1.99 each! Look at the pretty etching of leaves! and the stems are a beautiful spring green! They'll look so pretty with my everyday china!

I bought 4 of them because I only have 4 complete sets of my everyday china. But I quickly decided after I got home that I needed more just in case!

And then I found these wonderful christmas plates!

Adorable Chickadees!

Glorious Cardinals!

Fabulous Finches!

Cute Nuthatches!

And now for the big reveal!! They were $1 each! Well I thought that was pretty good! So maybe by next Christmas I'll have figured out how to do one of these tablescape Thursdays!

Time Flies When You're Having fun!

2009-02-10T21:27:00.003-06:00

My post tonite is about time and how fast it goes! One day you're graduating high school and frolicking on the beach in Florida in a bikini, young and carefree...then you're at your 30 year high school reunion and old boyfriends are showing pictures and you suddenly realize that you're older than your mother was in that picture! then your DH reminds you you're as old as your mother was when you and he got married! Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind getting older; they do say it beats the alternative!, but you tend to forget that you're getting older until

something like this comes along to, oh so suddenly, remind you!

Since I don't know how to post these with titles the top is me and my friends in Florida 1978 right after graduating high school! I'm in the green bikini standing up in the back with my still best friend! The picture here is my mother. I'm right behind her! This was at my friend's house while we were all getting ready to leave! What were our parents' thinking!!!!!!! By my calculations my mother is only 44 years old here! ARGGHHH!!!

Don't Hate Me 'Cause I'm Beautiful!! or follow-up to my Curves photo shoot!

2009-02-06T19:31:00.004-06:00

It's really hard being a supermodel! People doing your makeup and hair and dressing you in gorgeous clothes...then you have to work! Sit this way, put your hands this way, lean toward me, turn your head that way but keep your eyes on me, chin up, pull your shoulders back, sit up real straight, NOW RELAX! Whew! I'm exhausted! And the endless powdering of the T-zone and adjusting the clothes and on and on and on!!! I'm kidding! I had a blast! Everyone was so nice! They kept telling me how gorgeous I looked! Heck, I would've come for the free lunch! I wasn't worried about how I looked! Now, I have to admit, they did my makeup and hair totally different than I normally do and it's hard to think you look okay when your hair isn't at all like you like it! They wanted a natural feel, which really meant I didn't have half the eye shadow I'm used to wearing! And she filled in my eyebrows! They're lucky to even get plucked by me! And girls I actually used an eyelash curler! Under strict supervision of course! I met wonderful people and thoroughly enjoyed my day...and it was all day! I got there at 9:00 am and my final shot took place about 4:45 pm! Whew again! I have to admit I was ready by that time to get back into my jeans, merrell's and my son's peach polo button-down shirt and wipe those eyebrows off! I'll post some pics if they send me any! and of course if I don't look totally fat in them! It's true what they say about the camera! Atleast that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

A Super Model is Born!

2009-02-05T20:45:00.004-06:00

I mention in my profile that I work at Curves. If you don't know, Curves is a great workout place especially designed for women! Well, last spring the people who put out Diane magazine, which is the official Curves magazine, came to our neck of the woods for a casting call. And now guess what?! I'm going downtown tomorrow to do a photo shoot for the magazine! Our manager just got back from New York City (as they say in the commercials) where they shot her pics for the cover!! If I make the magazine I'll be in the very back under a section called Body Love. It's a section that focuses on what women like about their bodies. Trust me it wasn't my rear end that's for sure! So I know you want to know... what I loved about my body, (mostly out of the process of elimination) was my arms! No they're not skinny but because of working out at Curves they ain't too flabby!! and they come in handy when you want to give someone a big hug when they need it! Now my challenge to you is to hear what you love about your body and why! Don't be shy ladies, keep it clean, and be proud! God gave you every bit!

2009-02-03T20:37:00.000-06:00

This is my very first official posting! It is so much fun to see what other creative people are doing and visiting their beautiful homes! Years ago when DIY shows were brand new I caught a segment showing how to make tassels. They actually handwrapped the wooden spools with various colors of silk threads. That was before you could go to the computer and look up instructions from the show and so I promptly forgot how they did it! But I always wanted to try it...then for my mother's 75th birthday my nephew's wife made my mother 2 unique and wonderful tassels! The time had come to try my hand at this and voila! This adorable little bird sits on a nest of various ribbons and a little beaded fringe for sparkle. My best friend loved it and it's hanging in her kitchen now!