MODGE PODGE TILE

My sister introduced me to Modge Podge a few years ago.  She makes beautiful tile placques.  We both made coasters for our kids' teachers for Christmas gifts a few years ago.  Because my computer crashed last week and I lost all of my pictures, I have decided to feature something my sister made for me.

Last year my sister and I shared a booth at a craft fair.  I sewed and she made coasters and name tiles, etc.  Unfortunately, I lost the pcitures of that too.  I did manage to load a picture of the tile she made for the booth with my business information on it.  She did a great job and I absolutely love it.  We picked out scrapbook paper which she printed my business information on before she Modge Podged it on.  Isn't it cute?  I love it!  Thanks Kelly! 

I'm linking up with Xazmin's Modge Podge Party at This is the Year.  Thanks Xazmin for hosting!

PIRATE APPLIQUE OUTFIT

If you have read my posts this week, you know that it has been crazy here.  Because I haven't had time to craft/paint/decorate much this week, I thought I would share a favorite project from the past.  As I said earlier in the week, I've been going through my kids clothes for the big consignment sale that happens twice a year here.  While cleaning out the boys drawers, I found one of my favorite projects from last year. 

On a trip to Joann last year, I came across this really cute pirate fabric. 

I bought a yard, which was plenty to make my 5 year old a cute pair of shorts.  I knew I needed to applique a t-shirt to go with it, but I didn't want to applique a skull for him.  He's too sweet for something so....hardcore.  I thought about a big ole X, but decided to do this instead. 

Honestly, it was a pain in the neck to sew around all of those leaves, but I LOVE how it turned out.  I didn't satin stitch it so the leaves are fraying slightly after MANY washings.  I just love that.  It's my favorite summer outfit for L. 

I HATE I don't have a picture of him in the outfit to post, but it's on my computer, which is with the Geek Squad.  

I'm linking up with Fireflies and Jellybeans, Made It Monday at The Persimmon Perch,  Someday Crafts - Categorically Crafting Whatever Goes Wednesday and

    



 

IT'S BEEN ONE OF THOSE WEEKS!

Have you ever had one of those weeks?  Ya know what I'm talking about?  One of those weeks when you have WAY to many commitments, meetings, doctors appointments, etc. until you feel as if you about to absolutely lose it?  I know it's only Wednesday, but it's been one of those weeks already.  I honestly don't know how you ladies who work keep it all together! 

Have you seen these? 

Do your schools collect these?  Mine does and I am the coordinator.  The last day to turn these in for the year is February 28th.  I have been frantically counting and packaging these little boogers like a mad woman all week.  Let me just say, either I'm getting old quick and have really bad eyesight in spite of my new contacts, OR they print those durn expiration dates WAAAAAY TO SMALL!  I found one from 2002.  I mean really people, clean out your pantries a little more often, okay!  Anyway, thanks to my friend Paige for helping me out on this (as if she doesn't have enough to do with her three kids and her full-time job, etc.).

One of the other things I'm getting ready for is the big consignment sale that happens twice a year around here.  That's where I get rid of most of my kids clothes and toys.  It's a great way to make extra $ and find some really cute "gently used" items for the kids.  Do y'all have these types of sales in your area? 

As if this wasn't enough going on, we've had dentist appointments and therapist meetings everyday and yesterday my computer died.  DIED!  Blue Screen!  DIED!  She was saying something to me, mumbling in some obscure DOS language that I don't understand.  I don't speak DOS.  Hopefully, the Geek Squad can save her or at least retrieve my files.  I was freaking out when Black Beauty (that's what Hubby named her) died.  Our conversation went something like this.

Me:  "Babe, the computer screen is blue and saying something about a drive so I just turned it off.  If we      take it to Best Buy will they be able to get off our pictures and videos and stuff?"
Hubby:  "When was the last time you backed up the files?" 
Me:  "Um.....never.  I don't know how to do that!" 

I'm not a computer savvy kind of girl.  I am freaking out at the thought of losing all of my pictures, although last year Hubby did copy a lot of them to disc.  Thank you Lord for small miracles. 

So, this is the kind of week I have had so far.  I was planning on showing y'all my new furniture in the dining room, but my picture is on my other computer.  I'm on Hubby's work laptop now.  No pictures.  Fingers crossed, I can show it to you in a few days. 

Hope everyone else is having a good week. 

The Bunnies Are Attacking!

Yes, it is spring time and Easter is just around the corner.  Angie over at The Happy Homebody has been decorating with her cute bunny stuff.  Her bunny plates are adorable!  BUT, that's not the bunnies I'm referring to (did I just end my sentence in a preposition?  OOPS!).

Okay.  Let me ask you a question.  Where do you think the dust bunnies go to breed?  Apparently, the answer is, behind my couch! 

Seriously, this floor was swept the day before yesterday.  Look what I found behind my couch!  

EEEWWW!  Seriously?  NASTY!  I realize we have three girls with long hair and a dog with short hair, but come on!  God forbid we go away for the weekend and leave them here to breed alone!  They'd attack the family as we walked in the front door before we could even call 911!

Am I the only one dealing with the dust bunny crisis?  Am I the only one stupid brave enough to admit it?  Back me up my bloggy friends!  Is it just me?  Have y'all cornered the market on killing the dust bunnies?  If so, I want to know HOW you do it?  Is there some specialized extermination process that I am not aware of?  Some kind of special broom or dust mop that leaves behind a substance to kill the bunnies as the breed?  OR, are the rest of you, like me, battling the bunnies on a daily basis? 

(IF, I am the only one with the dust bunnies, please do not hesitate to completely forget you ever read this post and please don't hold it against me!)

LIKE NEW TABLE

This is the table I have had sitting beside my bed for fifteen years. 

It is a lovely shade of barn red, which was fine in the early 90's.  I've been thinking about painting it for several years, but haven't been brave enough to try it.  After stalking visiting my favorite decorating blogs over the past few months, I have been inspired to try it. 

Today at Wal-Mart I bought some Krylon spray paint in Glossy Black.  I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed and this is what I came out with.

I changed the knob too.  What do ya think?  I might need to buy another can.  I see a few red spots peeking through just slightly.  Do you think I should paint the top black too?  I'm still trying to decide. 

**Please ignore all the cords stretching from the phone outlet to the computer.**

I'm linking up with Frugalicious Friday, Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up, Making the World Cuter and It's So Very Cheri.

CRISPY SOUTHWEST CHICKEN WRAPS

Ya know how it is when you find a recipe you love and you just won't shut up about it until everyone you know tries it?  I have found such recipe!  So, I thought I would pass it on to you. 

My sister, Kelly, introduced me to a recipe blog that she loves.  It's called My Kitchen Cafe.  I was amazed once I visited this blog and found out that this blog writer, Melanie, was a mom of four young boys and still has time to cook these awesome dishes.  WOW!  I'm doing well to cook 3 times a week. 

I am always searching for new recipes.  I was stalking visiting Melanie's blog a few weeks ago for meals that don't include wheat or milk products because my 5 year old is on a gluten-free/casein-free diet and I needed a break from cooking 2 versions of every stinkin' meal!  (Don't ya just love a good run-on sentence?)  Anyway, I came across a recipe for Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps.  I LOVE mexican food.  I am pretty sure that I'm not actually of Scottish heritage, as I am told, but maybe from Mexico instead.  Anyway, I made these wonderful wraps the next night.  They were super easy and so very, very good!  I LOVE THEM!  Click on the recipe title to get the recipe.  You will thank me.  Even my pickiest eater ate them with no fussing!

Okay, confession time!  The top picture, I totally stole from Melanie's blog.  Hers look so much prettier with the cilantro garnish.  I didn't get fancy because my kids don't care if there is garnish or not.  In fact, if I put some green herbs on their plates, they'd freak out and not eat a thing.  So, the bottom, not very pretty, kind of plain picture, is mine.  Mine may not be pretty, but they tasted AWESOME!  I love the combination of lime and cilantro.  YUM!  Let me know if you try them! 

Gotta go work on my project.  Want a hint?  It involves black spray paint.  Hope it works!

Let's Play A Game

Okay.  Let's play a game.  Let's play.....if I had all the money that I wanted and could buy anything for my house, what would it be!  Wanna play? 

Let's see, first off I would just build my dream house.  It would have a HUGE kitchen with a hearth room or keeping room.  It would have LOTS AND LOTS of cabinets.  It would be red, of course.  It would have those gorgeous cream cabinets with the dark antiquing (this thing needs spell check!).  I would have a professional gas range and a walk in pantry with lots of shelves.  AND, I would have one of these: 

 

or one of these

or maybe one of these

I mean really?  How gorgeous is that with the red cabinets?  I love the faucet coming out of the wall. *** SIDENOTE - Did any of you watch the Bachelor Monday night?  Did you notice the sink and faucet in his bathroom in the hotel room in St. Lucia?  Oh my Gosh!  I made Hubby rewind it like 3 times just so I could look at it again.*** So, the bottom line is I love the apron front farmhouse sink.  LOVE!  LOVE!  LOVE!

Okay.  My dreaming is over.  Back to reality.  What would you buy for your home if money was no object????

I'M LATE FOR THE PARTY

I'm late!  I'm late, for a very important date.  Okay, it's not a date, it's a party.  Holly at Homebody is having a PB Knock-off party!  WOO HOO!

So, this is what I came up with.  It's not much, but I love it anyway.  I've been working with what Wal-Mart has because I haven't been to Hobby Lobby in WEEKS - not by choice, mind you.  I've either been iced in, had a sick kid or some kind of something going on with therapist meetings or school parties or painting,etc.  It's always something, isn't it? 

So, here's my inspiration photo. 

See that cute burlap tablecloth?  That's not it.  Didn't have time for that one this week. 

See those cute hurricane lamps with the rope?  That's it. 

All for $12 at Wal-mart.

I got really lazy and just taped the bottom of the rope.  Then I just wrapped it around and tucked it in on the backside.

It looks pretty good in my dining room on my new furniture (to be seen later).

Could it get an easier than that?  I think not.  I couldn't find these on the website, although I'm sure they were more than $12.00. 

**After doing this post and examining a little closer, I see that the big hurricanes on the table had the rope on the INside of the glass.  OOPS!  MY BAD!  Oh well! 

I'm linking up with Homebody Holly. 

NEW DAMASK PHOTO MAT

So, I've been painting this weekend and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  I just stand in my dining room and soak in the beautiful red that I finally settled on.  I LOVE IT! 

While I was standing there loving my new room, I realized that my photos would not work in this new room.  That is, the mats around the photos wouldn't work.  They are baby blue, which just doesn't gehaw with my room (y'all say gehaw, right?  it means it doesn't work well with something else).  This is the picture before. 

This is one of my very favorite pictures.  This is my daughter C dressed and ready for my wedding when she was three (yes, I was previously married).  My new sister-in-law got her this gorgeous silver tea service to play with while the rest of us were getting in our attire.  It's been hanging in my dining room since my MIL and SIL hung it there years ago(I told ya I didn't hang stuff).  This is a pottery barn frame my MIL bought me and I just LOVE it, but the mat, as I said, didn't gehaw. 

I got out my beloved Michael Miller Dandy Damask which I have used on previous projects (such as this).  I decided to wrap my fabric around the back of the mat and mount the picture on top.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  What do you think?

This is it on the wall - my beautiful new wall. 

 

Sorry about the glare.  The picture is actually hanging straight, I just apparently can't hold the camera straight.  

I'm linking up with Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered and Making the World Cuter, It's So Very Cheri and DIY Day at A Soft Place.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!  I just had to include a couple of pictures of E. 

She loved her Elmo Valentine's card from her Nana so much that she fell asleep with it.  SO SWEET!  And, yes, just for the record, she is almost four and she still has a pacifier, but I told her she has to give them to a new baby when she turns four next month and she only has it at bedtime.  Yes, I'm a bad mother and she will probably have to have braces.  I know!   

She had obviously already been into the Valentine's chocolate. 

So, I'm thinking that I'm NOT counting calories today.  It's a holiday by golly and I'm eating some chocolate.  There is a Kit Kat calling my name. 

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Red Paint Prep and Problems

It has been a crazy couple of days.  The kids went back to school yesterday (Praise God!) so I finally got out of the house for a little while.  You know things must be bad when the highlight of your day is going to Wal-Mart to get groceries.  I'm DYING to go to Hobby Lobby, but I just didn't have time.  Next week I am soo there! 

E finally wore her outfit I made forever ago that hasn't been on her body yet. 

It's a little spring like, but I just adore this fabric. 

Today I am taking down all the "stuff" in my dining area so hopefully, it will get painted tomorrow.  I'm supposed to tape off the trim so Hubby can paint the ceiling first.  It's a taupe color (Desert Sand, I think) and he's painting it white.  Then, hopefully he can paint my dining room red.  There's only one problem, well two, actually. 

1.  The very nice weatherman (Hi Mike!) is calling for more winter weather tonight.  UGH!  I love my kids, but I DO NOT want them to be home tomorrow.  We can't paint with four kids running around the house, not even to mention that I have a date tomorrow night with my Hubby for early Valentine's Day and I will NOT be happy if I have to miss it. 

2.  I CANNOT find a decent red.  CANNOT!  Everything looks pink.  I know the people at Lowe's are sick of me.  I keep buying the little sample cans just so I can come home and put a big ole splotch on my wall and it ends up PINK!  Three coats and it's still pink!  UGH!  Why can't I find the right shade?   Becca over at Adventures in Decorating used RL Stadium Red and it turned out beautiful.  Maybe I'll run to Home Depot and try that.  Anybody have any other suggestions? 

Isn't that color gorgeous? 

Okay, I'm off to start taping.  Have I mentioned that I HATE to paint? 

KITCHEN CABINET DECORATING DILEMMA PARTY

Amanda's having a party!!  WOO HOO!  I love a good McLinky party!  It's Decorating Dilemma Day and boy do I have some of those.  I think today I'll be going with my kitchen issue, well, one of them anyway. 

We're getting ready to paint the kitchen red and I'm losing the red, white and blue Americana stuff that I love, but is just a little outdated. 

My problem is that totally non-functional space above my cabinets.  UGH!  I ended up just putting a bunch of stuff up there that wouldn't fit in my cabinets.  It's AWFUL!  There is only about 12" of space.  What am I supposed to put up there?  I LOATHE greenery!  I just am drawing a complete BLANK!  Help! 

Please forgive the wild grapevine that looks as if it is attacking my beloved bowls.  I had a friend with some on top of her cabinets and it looked wonderful.  I worked with it, got frustrated and gave up, but never took it down.  AWFUL! 

So, any suggestions on what I could put up there?  OR should I just leave it blank and dusty up there?  Stupid pre-fab, builder's grade, spec house, crappy cabinets! UGH!  HELP!! Please!  I'm desperate! 

Rustic Initial Art

I love anything monogrammed or with an initial.  I'm think this stems from NEVER finding my first name on ANYTHING, EVER.  My name is Tanya (like Tanya Tucker, not Tonya Harding - it's an A people, not an O).  Anyway, remember back in grade school in the 80's and everyone had those cute little pencils you could buy with your name on them and cute little hearts?  They also made cute little pads of paper and erasers with your name on them - or cheesy little door signs for your room that said "______'s room".  Yeah, well, they didn't make any of those for the name Tanya.  Tiffany, yes.  Tricia, yes.  Tori, yes.  Tanya, not so much.  **Thanks Mom for the weird name.**  So, because of that rather frustrating time in my life, I have taken to things that have my initial, or for the last nine years, my last name initial, "M". 

I have been searching for a simple sign with a big ole "M" on it.  I haven't been able to find anything plain and rustic which is what I was going for.  I finally just decided to try it for myself.  I initially (pun intended, HA!) wanted a wood sign, but since I am iced in the house with my four kiddos today and had a canvas just lying around (laying? lying?  I'll never get that right - apologies!) I decided to just go for it.  What do ya think?  

I know it's not perfect because I had to freehand it.  I need one of those Cricut thingees.  It's hanging a little crooked on the wall right now, but I actually just put it there for the picture.  I'm not sure where I'm going to put it yet.  I'm thinking about hanging a collection of other "M" pieces around it, maybe.  They have so many cute ones at Hobby Lobby right now.  I think I'll try and pick up one or two there this week.

On that note, please say a prayer that these kids get to go to school tomorrow.  After one day playing in the snow, it has now turned to a yard full of ice.  Not fun!  My apologies to those of you I didn't feel so sorry for that have had an abudance of snow.  You must be going stir crazy!  So sorry.  I now feel about 1/10th of your pain and I apologize!  My prayers are with you. 

I'm linking up with

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT FINALLY HAPPENED!

I don't think many could understand the excitement in my house this morning when we woke up to snow.  SNOW!!  SNOW IN ARKANSAS, NOT ICE!!!!  We have about 4 inches right now and it's still coming down!  I still can't believe it.  What a wonderful day!  I know many of my blogging friends have been getting snow for several weeks and are ready to pull their hair out from being cooped up in the house too long (I may be the same way by Wednesday).  For now, I am soooo happy to spend the day dressing (clothes, gloves, hats, etc.) to go outside only to play for 15 minutes just to come back in and undress and put everything in the dryer for the next trip outside.  The boots/shoes are lined up in front of the fireplace and I have dried the living room floor of melted snow SEVERAL times today.  We have made hot chocolate and had tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch.  We have built a sad little snowman.  We have had a snowball fight, several actually.  Sadly, we don't have a sled (did I mention it doesn't snow much here?), but I am seriously considering taking a Rubbermaid tub lid to the top of the hill behind my house and hurling myself down on top of it.  Maybe I'll try and cookie sheet.  That's really sad, isn't it?  Talk about your "southern backwoods engineering".  Ya make do with what ya got! 

I'm thinking homemade chicken noodle soup for supper!  YUM!

E getting ready to pelt me with a snowball.

L happy to stomp around in the snow.

C and Emme, the 5th child.

Okay, I'm off to boil a chicken.  Thanks for checking in.  I hope everyone is having a good day!

NEW VALENTINE'S KITCHEN TOWEL

Well, I was starting to feel really terrible about my lack of Valentine's decor.  Everyone has such cute stuff and I had....nothing.  Ya see, my house is only 1500 sq. ft and when you are a family of six, that's not much space.  So, I don't have a lot of storage space to put things I can only use for a month or so out of the year.  That being said, I thought hearts can be used year round and red is one of my favorite colors... so, I made this:

Nothing to cutesy and I got to use my beloved Michael Miller Dandy Damask and polka dots too?  What could be better?  It's not much, but it's better than nothing. 

Look at that cute little polka dot heart.  It's heat set, but I didn't satin stitch or zig zag so it'll fray just slightly over time.  I love that!

Okay.  That's it.  I'm linking up with Frugalicious Friday , Tater Tots and Jello, Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered , Making the World Cuter and DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land..  I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!

SHOW US YOUR LIFE - BEAUTY TIP - CURLING YOUR LASHES

Today I'm hooking up with Kelly's Korner for beauty tips.  I can't wait to check it out.
I LOVE makeup and beauty products.  I should have been a beauty editor.  They get to try all of those new products for free!  I would LOVE that! 

This beauty tip is all about longer eyelashes, or curled lashes.  A friend of mine told me about it last year.  We were sitting in the school office and she was putting on her makeup before school (she's the secretary) and was complaining about not having her hairdryer.  I was VERY confused because her hair was dry.  Then she explained that if you heat your metal eyelash curler for a few seconds with your hair dryer, it like a curling iron for your hair.  Oh My Gracious!  GENIUS!  I have seen heated eyelash curlers in magazines and on the internet for $35 - $150.  I don't think so!  Free is much better!

Heat metal eyelash curler for 3-5 seconds with hair dryer before your curl your lashes.  Immediately apply your favorite mascara.  My favorite is Voluminous by Loreal.  I've tried all kinds and always go back to Voluminous.  Be careful not to burn your eyelid.  Good luck!

ANNIVERSARY DATE, PANCAKES AND FREE DEAR JOHN MOVIE

Hey!  WOW!  Two posts in one day.  That's strangely productive of me!  Anyway, I just wanted to share that yesterday was my anniversary (well, mine and my Hubby's - not just mine).  Nine years with the love of my life.  YEA!  So, my aunt kept the kids so we could have a night on the town.  WOO HOO!  I wore my cute jeans and boots and my new scarf and cut plaid coat from VS.  I LOVE that coat!  I wore makeup people.  I got to be a girl.  It was such a good day! 

We went out for breakfast to Cracker Barrell.  They have the BEST pancakes EVER!  Then we went shopping and we bought a new armoire for the kitchen (more on that later) and after we picked up the big three from school and dropped them off we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (at 4:30, just like the old folks who can't drive after dark) and then to FREE MOVIE.  FREE!  We had free tickets to the Dear John preview.  It was so good and of course I cried like the big ole baby that I am.  It comes out Friday.  I highly recommend it!  AND, Channing Tatum is BEAUTIFUL!  Sorry the picture is so out of focus, but trust me, he is BEAUTIFUL!

WHY MY BLOG ROCKS?!?!?!?

Well, it's blissdom time!  The parties, the speakers, the Harry Connick, Jr. - I mean WOW!  That man is pretty and he can sing!  Well, the party sounds good, but I don't have stacks of $$ laying (or lying?) around to take a trip, NOR do I have anyone willing to spend a few days with all four of my kids for free (and just for the record, if I had either of those things, I'd be headed to Hawaii with my Hubby for a few days anyway).  So, on the bright side, Amanda at Serenity Now is having McLinky party!  Find it HERE.  I am supposed to list five reasons why my blog rocks.  HMMMM!  Does my blog rock?  I don't know.  I hope so.  I'm not one of those extremely confident people with parents that lead them to believe that they were the greatest thing on he face of the earth (unlike some of those American Idol tryout kids that apparently were told they could sing really well from the day they were born -  EEEK!) therefore, this is a little uncomfortable for me.  Which brings me to my first point:

1.  I HAVE LEARNED TO EMBRACE MY INNER DORK AND IT'S KIND OF FUNNY, I THINK.

I, in my old age, have learned that it's okay to be a dork.  I am accident prone (Hence my nickname, Grace) and scatterbrained and am constantly doing things like accidentally allowing my 3 year old to lock herself in the car, in her carseat with the keys.  Everyone does dorky things like that, but I share all my crazy adventures with you.  Sometimes it'll make you laugh, sometimes cry, sometimes you'll feel look you are the coolest kid on the planet because you aren't quite as dorky as I am.  That's okay too.  Either way, my dorkiness is entertaining.  I tell my Hubby that "it's part of my charm".

2.  I TRY TO POST AT LEAST 5 TIMES A WEEK AND I LOVE A GOOD LINKY PARTY. 

Generally, I post the days my Hubby is working.  His days off vary so you can never tell when I might post something.  Lots of people don't post on the weekends, but if he's not home...I post.  I also post if he's all caught up in some boring sports commentary that I care nothing about, but that's a whole post in itself.  Also, I'm lovin' the McLinky parties going around.  I love the Before and Afters, Fruaglicious Fridays, etc.  I'm even thinking of hosting a few myself.  I love a good recipe swap and beauty tips as well.  My face is so dry I look like I'm molting.  I'm in need of a good moisturizer suggestion and I have a few good tips of my own.  I would LOVE to get that going!


3.  I AM CRAFTY AND  I LOVE TO DECORATE.

I love to craft.  I don't always have as much time as I would like to craft, but I do love it.  I love to try to make my own artwork as oppossed to spending a lot of $$ to buy something.  I love to search for new ideas and if I find something cool, or make something cook, I am all about sharing.  I love to decorate although I am no expert.  I love to share ideas and get everyone's feedback (sometimes I need opinions because I'm not very decisive).  I love all kinds of decorating.  Decorating and sewing (I make kids clothes) are my latest obsessions. 

4.  FOUR KIDS INCLUDING ONE WITH AUTISM

Kids are funny and cute, aren't they?  Well, I have four of them.  I am not now nor have I ever claimed to be an expert at raising them, but I try my best.  They say and do the funniest things.  One of my kids ("L") has autism.  I am very open about autism and it's challenges, and things that have worked for us.  It is NEVER dull at my house.  Loud, yes, dull, not so much!

5.  I AM YOUR NORMAL, EVERYDAY, SOUTHERN GIRL. 

I am NOT the southern debutante kind of girl.  Some of the blogs I've read are by ladies that frankly, I would be intimidated to talk to in real life.  I am not that girl.  I grew up in a small town and I like it that way.  My blog may be full of "y'all" and "taters" and other southern slang.  I don't have perfect grammar and I love a good run-on sentence, but like above, it's part of my charm.  I love all kinds of people and all kinds of blogs.  Like Oprah always says, "I love to see how other people live".  Come see how your typical southern girl with four kids lives.  It's never boring. 

Okay, that's it.  That wasn't as bad as I thought.  I did it!  YEA!  Okay, I'm off to tackle my couch full of clean laundry (y'all do that too, right?).  Can't wait to check everyone's blogs out. 

Walking Through The Screen Door Back In Time

I was iced in for most of the weekend, so I had a pajama weekend day.  I did laundry and watched a few movies.  I loaded up my DVR with movies.  Hubby had to work on Sunday so I settled in to watch one of my beloved Hallmark movies. 

I think it was called Valley of Light.  It was about a soldier coming home from the war in the mid 40's.  It was a good movie, but mostly I loved noticing the things of another era.  The 40's fashion, including those little aprons women ALWAYS wore, the great cars (I LOVE antique cars) and most of all, the screen doors on everyone's houses.  Isn't it funny how something as simple as a screen door slamming can take you back to another place and time?  I immediately was taken back to being about twelve years old and going to my great-grandmother's house.  It was the house where my mother was raised.  It was a simple three bedroom house in the country.  My cousin was just a few years older than I and we often planned visits during the summer months.  My cousin and her parents lived in the house with my great-grandmother.  This place always fascinated me.  There was a front porch and a back screened in porch, each with a screen door.  I always wanted to "dig for taters" in the garden, which my cousin did a lot and hated.  I LOVED it!  It was like finding buried treasure (I LOVE potatoes).  We played in the old smokehouse.  We played on the big iron bed on the back porch.  We explored down the dirt road and in the pasture and barn.  We played barefoot in the front yard, spraying eachother with the waterhose and avoiding the sweetgum balls that were so prickly when you stepped on them.  We ran in and out all day long.  "Y'all quit slamming the screen door" Mama Keith would hollar at our backs.  I can still hear her voice calling from the kitchen as she and Aunt Nell peeled the potatoes for supper.  That is what a screen door reminds me of, a fun, simple day in the country, with family and good food.

I ventured to our local Habitat for Humanity resale store a few weeks ago.  It was my first visit.  The back room was full of light fixtures, toilets, etc. but on the back wall there stood a row of doors.  Some paneled, some plain, some hollow with holes in them, but in the middle was a white screen door with peeling paint.  It was five dollars.  I wanted it so badly, but I just couldn't seem to figure out what to do with it.  I knew if I brought it home without a plan for it, my hubby would give me the look.  Ya know, that where in the world are we going to put that thing look?  Do ya ever get that look?  Anyway, my mom pretty much gave me the same look when I told her about it.  I do realize it's not a practical thing to have a screen door when you have central heat and air, but....surely I'll think of something.  Until then, my beloved white screen door sits in the back of that store just waiting for me to come claim it.  Someday. 

Rug Indecision - HELP!

There are some things in life that I am good at (surely, there is, right?), but there are LOTS of things I am not.  One of them is jewelry.  I'm terrible with jewelry.  The second is hanging things.  I'm terrible.  I have no confidence when in comes to hanging things.  My sweet sister-in-law knows to come hammer ready when she visits from Texas.  I always have something for her to help me hang.  She, on the other hand, is excellent at both jewelry and hanging.  The third thing I admit to not being good at, is rugs.  I'm just not good at it.  Mainly, because I am soooooo picky.  I tend to go for something kind of plain.  I love pattern and color, but it's just one of those weird picky things for me.  I have a hard time finding anything I like.  They're usually soooooo busy that it's just too much for my little brain to handle, so I just don't fall in love with rugs. 

Having said that, this is what I had in mind for the living room. 

Nothing fancy, just a sisal rug with a simple border, red like this is what I had in mind.  I looked at Target, NOTHING.  I looked at Wal-Mart and they were out of the red.  I found another rug I like and thought it was pretty.  It had all the colors from the living room and adjoining kitchen (which will soon be red....IF I ever find a good red)   AND, it was $79 as opposed to the $149 at 20% off Potttery Barn rug above.  HMMMM!  So, I did what my niece used to say, "Buy it and bring it home" (she was three at the time and was referring to a new toy or DVD, but it fits).  So, this is it in my living room. 

I think it's too close to the colors of the paisley loveseat, don't you?  Should I go back to my original idea of the sisal with the red border for more contrast?  -OR- should I start all over again?  HELP! 

Also, I am aware that I need to make some pillows, etc. for the couches.  I'm just trying to get the rug picked first and do a little at a time.  It's so........void of color in there, except for my gold walls.