More and More This & That

Good Morning, everyone, grap a cup of coffee or some of this wonderful stuff - although you will notice that is is Sugar Free and Decaff (not the first thing I have in the morning.....but later on in the day it's a nice treat!!!)

In all our moving and re-arranging, I had to move some books, so thought I would share some of my favorites with you.....

these are some herbs books - haven't read much in them - but I really want to learn more about herbs and how to use them...in cooking and home remedies....

I don't know why my pictures are turning out so fuzzy - they look good on flickr!!!

...these are some "homey" books - I love books like this...always looking for a new way to do things....

some of my very favorites...The Country Store has all kind of recipes for bath salts, shampoos, soaps, etc.....and then a book JUST on homemade soaps - I really want to learn to do that one day...on my bucket list!!!!!

...sewing books - my machine has sooooo much dust on it - hasn't been out in a while...another project!!!!!!

...gardening books - can you tell where I live??!!.....

...more gardening books - and no, I don't have a garden this year...I need more hours in my day!!!!

...speaking of which - I love Emilie Barnes...she tries to help me!!!!!

...I haven't gotten to read this one very much yet...it is my newest one and it's about 2 years old - have scanned it and it looks good - will spend some more time with it....

My precious son-in-law, Landon, here with Brandi on their wedding day, 2 1/2 years ago -

...sprained his ankle really, really bad - doesn't that look horrible.....

...but they doctor said it is not broken...would that look even worse???!!!!!!!

...hate to leave you on that note - this weekend will be busy with my BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!! YIPEE!!!!! ....do I will be back on Monday and I have tons of pictures of my dear friend, Judy's house - it is so gorgeous!!! It will take me all week to get them all on here

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!!!!!!!

Donna

More This & That....

Good Morning - I am noticing from my blog, that I need to quit being in such a hurry when typing my posts - I am making a lot of mistakes - I really can spell and know correct grammar - it's just that my fingers can't keep up with my racing mind!!

This is a prayer bottle, that my very dear friend, Joyce, gave me a couple of Christmases ago - isn't it beautiful.

See, the piece of paper rolled up inside - you are supposed to write your prayer on that and put it back inside the bottle (I haven't written anything in it yet!!)

In all our "changing" this week, I was trying to find a new place for it - I have put it on this cute little shelf in the hall bath (I think I got it at TJ Maxx) - for now this is where it will be.

No, all of my house is not red - the laundry room (entry way - since everyone comes through the carport door), kitchen and hall bath are the red rooms and the rest of my house is Harvest Gold.

These are the magazines I am reading now;

Look, what I found - I don't know where I got this bowl or how long I have had it - but while moving and changing I turned it upside down and look:

I guess I could have rotated that picture around - instead of making you stand on your head!!

I hate to admit it, but I used to have some nice McCoy pieces and then I went through a period in my life - where I just wanted to get rid of everything and I did - probably sold them for little of nothing at a garage sale or gave them away......

BJ at Sweet Nothings has got my mind on Kitchens - I saw this one in a magazine and I love it - just a little partial to red, you know.....

I absolutely love these book shelves in the kitchen......

This is just my favorite piece - I love those two colors together....(that was the best picture I could get, sorry!)

I told ya'll yesterday that I moved my kitchen table into my tiny, tiny kitchen...I tried to get some pictures so you could see just how tiny, and if the table is too much: this is what it looked like before:

...and this is what it looks like now....

..come Saturday, that white dishwasher is going to be Stainless - I am getting a new dishwasher for my birthday - my birthday is not until Tuesday, the 3rd, but my daughter and some very, very dear friends are giving me a 50th birthday party Saturday night!!!!

So what do you think about the table in the kitchen??? I love it - now I have a place to sit and visit in my favorite room in the house!!

I am going to paint the cabinets and the paneling that is half way down the wall...a light cream color.

Have a wonderful day!!!!!

Donna

This & That

Hello, all!!

I know, I know, I have not been around in a while - I have been soooo busy!!

Still, being fairly new at this bloggin' thing - I always feel like I need lotz of pics and at least something semi-interesting to blog about....but I think I need to do this more for me and quit stressing about it!!

Miss BJ over at Sweet Nothings is having a Kitchen Parade - you need to go on over and see all the great pics she has. But be warned....you will be wanting to tear your kitchen apart and start over.

Which is about what I have been doin', except to the WHOLE HOUSE!!

My friend, Paula (you remember, the Sweetie, that did my back porch for me) and I went to a thrift store this past Monday on a quest for plates (will get to that later), but I found some light globes (4 for $.99) and my living room ceiling fan really needed new ones.....these are the old ones.....

Yes, the really ugly, frosted, looks like a square dancing dress globes!!!

These are the new ones - clear and simple......

I really like then, however, as I stand here and look at them from this view - I thinkt hey are too little....the bulbs stick out too much....so, I guess it's back to the drawing board on this one.

While we were at the thrift store - I ran into these (I got two) with the stickers still on them - never been used (love that) - I LOVE coffee mugs and I loved the shape and especially the color of these. They are a muted turquoise.....

...and they are a match to my cute little lamp out on the patio....

...and my turquoise chaise - so I had to have them!!!

And right next to the cups....I found this perfect valance for my kitchen window - I have had the same boring white little cotton valance up there since I moved in that house 4 years ago - in fact, it was there when I moved in...anyway, I saw this and Paula said it would be perfect - I wasn't sure, but she was right (as always!!) and it looks great.

After looking at soooo many wonderful kitchen pics, trying to find ones to send to Miss BJ - I caught the fever.....and that is never good.....and starting working on mine. One of the nicest pieces of furniture I have is a baker's rack in my kitchen...but I have never been very good at decorating it....but after looking at all of your wonderful decorating ideas....I think I may be learning something. I went through every drawer, closet and under beds and drug out everything I could find to decorate with....here are some of my ideas....if you have any, please let me know...Paula and I are still working on a lot of this....

This is a fleur-de-lis (remember I am in Louisiana) candle holder that I had stuck in a closet and an old bowl that came from my grandmother.

These are some very old cookbooks - the one in the middle my aunt gave me...she got it at a garage sale....she had been gone now for about 10 years and she was very special to me....so this is a treasure. The other two I got at garage sales or at our local college book sale (another post altogether!!!) ....and a fleur-de-lis book end - that weighs about 20 lbs.

This is a tray that I got a couple of years ago and has been on a antique piece in my living room - I moved it to here for now....I'm sure I'll move it somewhere else before this is all over with...
This is what it looks like now...the picture above it was in my dining room and I moved it over the baker's rack....that is my favorite thing I did to this whole area...is the picture - I love it over the rack!!!

...not quite sure what to do with the bottom shelf - don't know if I want to leave my bread bowl there on put it in the middle of my table....I will have to think on that....that cream loaf dish - I got at another thrift store a couple of weeks ago..I think I am going to start looking for that color....I really like it.

...this is a closer view of it...

see these fruit plates...I have had these for a couple of years...they have been in a vertical plate rack under the fruit picture (now over my baker's rack) in my dining room...we took them out of the rack and put them in plate hangers and put them here...

...I promise, my kitchen is not purple...but it sure looks like it in these pictures - the color of my walls are Brickpath Red (Paula picked it out when I moved in...I think this should really be her house!!!!)...see my table there...it has been in my dining room (which is just an extra room where the back door is...and I haven't know what to do to it (until now...another post!!!) - I have always wanted my table in the kitchen but it was just too small - well, it's in there now...and I LOVE it!!!!!! ...it's very cozy!!!!




...how do I get rid of that phone thingy!!!!

I was at a garage sale a couple of years ago and I saw these two red toile pictures in these wonderful black frames....I thought they would be expensive...the lady said, "Oh, $2", I almost choked, I very calmly said, "OK" - gave her my $2 and ran to the car and sped away as fast as I could go....they are my treasures!!!

...and this is what Paula did with them on my dining room wall where the fruit picture and fruit plates used to be. I had the white plate on top and the red and white platter on bottom...the other two or what we found at the thrift store....the reason we went...to find plates to match this grouping...can you believe the perfect plates we found....I really like this....
...and here is the progress on Brandi's house - it's getting there!!!!

Whew!!!! I am tired - see, I told ya, I've been busy!!!! I'll have more tomorrow!!!!

An Incredible Surprise....

I had to go to a graduation party Saturday evening and while I was gone, my very dear friend, Paula, (we've known each other for 40 years now) told me she would be coming by, to leave my house unlocked - she had an idea for my birthday present and needed to see if it would work in my house.

Paula is an incredible docorator - I have always told people, "She can take what is in your house and $50 and make your house look totally different". And that is the gospel truth - she is very talented.

Well, when I got home, I was looking around the house and I noticed my back porch light was on - I opened the back door and this is what I saw:

Now, not only is this just gorgeous and an oasis for me, but you can't really appreciate it unless you had seen my back porch before - thank God -there are NO photos of that. It was crammed with a bunch of junk - wheel barrow - boxes of books, a really long very heavy table - like in school cafeterias - very, very ugly and she moved ALL that by herself - swept and cleaned it up so nice and then added this!!!!

I know the picture is a little dark - it was about 9 PM, the little lamp on the table was lit and the white lights on the tree behind the chair and it was the most peaceful, serene setting.

Is that chaise lounge not the most wonderful piece of wicker!!

Here is a close up of the table!! She brought some things and took some things from my house and made this "little piece of heaven" just for me!! I had mentioned that I really wanted to do something with my patio this summer - she is one of those friends that listens and does something for you that you really wanted.

(We are going to take the plastic off the lamp - just wanted to make sure everything was going to work!!)

These are pictures I took the next morning.

This is a closer veiw of the table - I just love it!!!!

I had this white iron dish - and she put these stones in it!!

This lamp is probably my favorite thing (beside the chair!!) - I love the color - you won't believe where she got it!!!!!!!

She put these flowers on the floor beside the chair, Youngest Daughter made this for me for Mother's Day - painted the pot and everything - she is the creative one in the family.

In the little frame on the table I will either put this picture of me and Paula...or

...this one of all of us from high school.. not sure yet!!

Paula said she is not through, she has a dresser she is going to re-finish and hang some curtains to kinda "screen in" the porch - just half of it - where the chaise is.....anyway - I don't know many people who have a friend like I do...she is ALWAYS doing things like this for all of her friends...she is truly one in a million.....

Paula, thank you so much - you couldn't have done anything that I would have liked more.. YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!!!!!!