My life is to make everything around me beautiful.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Guess What I Found Recently!

For about a year I've been looking for some different dining chairs.

We bought our solid oak table in the early 80s in California. It is 42" square claw feet legs but has 2 leaves with it. We got six chairs and the table for $1,400 at that time which would be several hundred dollars more at today's prices. It is solid oak with a brown stain, which I've grown very tired of and want to paint. The problem is I don't want to do the grunge work of sanding. I've done that and refuse to do it again. That's a tough job.

The chairs that came with it were more a country look, which suited me at the time; they don't anymore and I've covered them with slipcovers I made several years ago. I wanted a new look.

So I went on a quest to find some french chairs. I do like that look. I did an internet search every couple of months to see what was available but nothing I liked or wanted to pay a high price for.  Then, lo and behold, while checking Craigslist recently I came across a table, 6 chairs, a beautiful hutch and an Aubusson rug. I didn't want all of those things and really didn't want to spend a lot of money. So I emailed the seller and we agreed upon a price for 2 chairs. I didn't want her arm chairs and 2 chairs needed the cane seats fixed. So we made an appointment to see the chairs.

Have you ever actually been inside a gated community of million dollar homes? I never had. I've been in some exquisite homes but nothing like this neighborhood in Eagle, an upscale suburb of Boise. When we moved to Idaho in the 90s we could have gotten a new home there for $159,000. Not any more. These homes were definitely upscale. Beautiful inside also.

Anyway, the woman and her hubby were gracious and we bought the 2 chairs pictured below. She buys and resells furniture and these she got at a store in Palm Springs, California, with which I'm familiar. These are very good chairs. I'm thrilled to have them and at a price that was extremely good because at Ethan Allen, my favorite furniture store along with Thomasville, I would have started at about $700+ for upholstery of my choice for similar chairs. I am very pleased with my chairs. It gives a totally different look to the dining room.


The two chairs.


Design on chairs.


Cane seats and backs.


Nice and tight.


The backs.


Gorgeous legs with bracings, which shows it's sturdy.


Just a lovely silhouette with the curved legs.


This is what I'll be making for the two I bought.
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Don't you just love this bright pink fence?!


Sweet pink vignette with peonies.


Some old ephemera.


A beautiful shuttered home with an English garden.


The way I like froufrou!!!


Now this is my kind of hammock. Slather it with fluffy ruffled duvets, pillows and cushions. Ummm-hmmm.


I've seen 2 cookies lately that are the most gorgeous ever. This is one set. I'll show the other later with another post.


An antique sign, pink table, pink upholstered vintage chair, pink cushions and a flowered lamp. My kind of decoration for a living room.
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Tidbit:
Oprah Winfrey sleeps on Frette bedsheets, which boast a very high thread count and sell for thousands of dollars a set. They are exceptional sheets. Looking at the website recently, I could have gotten a set marked down to $1,372.00 from $2,745.00 and that's just plain white 100% Egyptian cotton. It does have delicate lace around the top sheet and the pillow has an edging of lace and an inset of lace. Made in Italy. Oh, I guess you know by now I won't be purchasing them any time soon, right? ;-)
~*~

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Social Media...Again!

Okay, another great grandma brag here. (Remember, it's my blog and I can do this any time I want!) ;-) This is Miss Juliette as of just a few days ago. She's now a few months old. Her sister just loves her a lot. When she went to her daycare to visit with her friends, she called out, "Everybody, this is my Juliette!" She's a very proud and loving big sister. Juliette loves to be held and is a very sweet baby, sleeping through the night already. She's also a very happy little girl.





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The kids are after me again to...well, let me tell you—upgrade my cell phone. If you know me or have read my blog for any amount of time, you know my feelings on social media; I hate it. I have a Facebook account under an fictitious name to see my grandkids and great grandkids. I don't twitter, although, I tried it for a couple of days and then deleted it. Why would anyone want to know what I'm cooking that day or if I'm in the bathroom on the toilet? Boggles my mind. Even at the continuous nagging by my kids, I don't text. Gasp!!! I want to hear their voices and emotions and I'm just horrible at "two-thumbing" talking. I also hate, hate, hate with a passion people in line at the store talking about their very private lives while the rest of us are appalled at them. In restaurants, I've been watching the folks around us and a couple or a family will all pull out their cell phones and are talking on the cell phone or playing games. Where's the family sociality there? No wonder families are in danger! They don't talk to each other; they text each other. I know this to be true with some families we know. I make Love Bunny turn his off before we go into the restaurant. Mine is rarely on except if I'm shopping and need to ask hubs something we might need. I just don't use it much at all. My granddaughter is the same way and she works for Microsoft. She just got one these past few months when pregnant with her 2nd child and her hubby couldn't find her and thought she'd gone into labor. He had a fit so we gave her an old one of ours we never threw away and put her on our plan for ten dollars more a month. NO data plan, no fancy apps, just a phone she can let someone know if she's in trouble. She and I think so much alike, it's as if she's my daughter and not my granddaughter.

And we don't have a television, which brings up my newest rant.

Why do I have to go out to a restaurant with televisions spread all over the place blaring out sports events while my hubs and I are trying our best to talk? I love Applebee's best of all but I'm getting sick of the loud noise. Olive Garden or other restaurants at which we dine don't have the televisions blaring. Actually, Olive Garden has a separate room on the other side of the dining area at our local one here in town. I truly appreciate that. But while dining we should be chatting with the person or couple, not trying to talk above a blaring sports event. Okay, I'll slither back into my hole now and calm down. :-)
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This is a gorgeous room I think. Love the striped curtains.


Just eye candy roses and lilacs.


I have no clue where this building is but it is stunning with its architecture.


Radishes even make a gorgeous flower arrangement.


Fairies? If they say so, it must be true. Can you spot them?


Gorgeous wallpaper.


Gorgeous balcony and french doors.


A small little private area in a big city.


I think Claudia would like this island. ;-)


Gorgeous, stunning fuchsia chairs and curtains.


Pretty pillow cases with embroidered lace edges.


Eye candy tag for you.


My kind of license plate!


Yummy cookies!


Another place for your pretties, hanging in the windows overlooking an ocean.
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Tidbit:
It is illegal in the U.S. to sell raw almonds. They must be pasteurized before sale.
~*~

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

I've Done It For 52 Years!

I've added even more photos to my Pinterest page. Go visit it and see them. I know you'll love all the images.
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A few weeks ago at church, hubby invited some friends over for dinner before he told me he was going to do it. He's such an entertainer and social animal; I'm not. That wasn't a problem really, but he drove me crazy that afternoon.

The friends were invited over for leftovers from Christmas—ham. It was a beautiful and huge ham and although, I love ham I didn't particularly want it for 4 or 5 meals. Hence, we invited them to help us eat it. He fretted like a little ol' lady about dinner. Remember, I've been cooking his meals for almost 52 years.

Hubs: What about potatoes?
Me: I'll mash a big pot so you'll have some leftovers for next week.
Hubs: Great! Sounds good.

Hubs: What about salad?
Me: What about it?
Hubs: Could we have some coleslaw?
Me: What if I just make a fruit salad?
Hubs: OK! Good, good.

Hubs: What vegetable should we have?
Me: I'll make my famous fried corn.
Hubs: Ooooh, yeah, that sounds good.

Hubs: I think we should use some good china.
Me: Uh-huh. (Sighing at this point.)

Hubs: How about those leftover caramelized yams?
Me: Uh-huh, fine.

Hubs: I'm cutting up some pickles and putting some olives on a plate.
Me: Uh-huh, fine.

Hubs: I'm making a pitcher of sassafras tea.
Me: Okay, but not everyone likes the taste of it so why don't we have juice or something.

Hubs made a pitcher of the sassafras tea and had to explain what it was and how he loved it growing up. I knew the drink would necessitate a history of his childhood! It did. Sigh.

She and I had water. I think hubs was disappointed she didn't try the sassafras tea. (Snicker)

After dinner and after they left, I cut the rest of the ham off the bone and wrapped it up and threw away the bone. I told him cleanup was up to him and left the kitchen.

Let's see how long it is before he asks anyone over to dinner again. ;-) I love this man to no end. :-)
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A yellow laundry room is quite cheerful.


Ireland. Love that country.


Painted cookies? Adorable.


Sweet tweet hangers. ;-)


Darling cups and bowls.


Aren't these the most adorable hatboxes you've ever seen?! I love them.


Old world walkway with pretty tubs of colorful flowers to brighten up the drab stone homes.


More beautiful perfume bottles.


Darling kitchen with plenty of work space.


I really, really, REALLY like this room!


A profusion of pink flowers on a balcony.


Cute ol' French tubs.


Pretty vintage green tri-fold doors.


Cute vignette in a vintage room.


Just some eye candy to leave with you.
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Tidbit:
Only U.S. town where mail arrives by mule: Supai, AZ (at the floor of the Grand Canyon).
~*~
Linking up with NMH Open House party.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Just A Few Thoughts Tonight

I'll mention again my Pinterest page where there over 7,500 beautiful photos for you to see. I can't believe how fast the following is growing on my site! Thanks to all of you who are following. I'm humbled by the response to it.
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Just a few thoughts on my blog tonight.

I've never shared this website with anyone on my blog. Don't know why. But I'm rectifying that on this post today. I found her a couple of years ago when she commented on my blog. I went back and read every single post she ever wrote and just about split a gut laughing. She lives in Utah and is a mental health counselor but the most irreverent woman I've ever met...and FUNNY!!! I warn you this woman can be a bit bawdy sometimes. Sometimes??? She is absolutely hilarious, at least to me. She gave up blogging for a while in March and gave us another post in September, but you've really got to visit and laugh. This is her blog site. She gets comments in the hundreds almost all the time. I wish she'd come back but I guess there are so many nuts in Utah that she's too busy counseling. ;-)
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Hubby is a party animal. Well, more of a social butterfly and gregarious. I'm not. I'm pretty much a let's-eat-and-leave-type chick. It's really hard to party with ibuprofen being my main "snack" lately!
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I'll mention my "thrifty" friend again. She's the only person I know who doesn't get rid of a car until it qualifies for the Guinness Book of World Records for the most mileage on a car. Sigh. That subject came up recently since they have almost 300,000 miles on her hubby's car. I've told her to get rid of it but she says it's still okay to keep around just in case one of the other cars goes out. I just can't get my head around that!
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Darling white, pink and flowery bedroom.


Love this color combination.


What a gorgeous bracelet!


Pretty crocheted roses.


Gorgeous white formal home.


Lovely vignette in a forest.


Now that's a bicycle I wouldn't mind having. Cute seat cover and basket to hold groceries.


What is it about stone steps that attract us so? Very quaint and adorable.


Yes, I do love this sofa and cushions also.


A gorgeous bouquet of roses so full there must be a gajillion petals in there!


Talk about living in the water! ;-)


A bouquet vignette I couldn't NOT show you.


Pink does it every time for me. Isn't it lovely?


I looooove this cuff. I think I'll try to make one. When I wear mine, I always get attention and question on where I got it. I tell them I make them and they're quite easy to make.


This is a modern-type of homespun room. I like it because of the colors and it looks comfy even if it trends towards early American. Adorable.
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Tidbits:
Your tuition dollars at work: The University of Alabama offers an "Intro to Zombies" course. Puzzling as to WHY!
~*~