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Friday, December 30, 2011

2011 in Review

Projects and Posts
2011 started off just fine with this finial I made from a lamp bought at a 
thrift store.
I shared my completed master bath after I sewed up a skirt for the sink.
I shared the details about my antique tile that makes up my fireplace.
My post on Dita Von Teese's house turned out to be one of my most popular posts of the year.
It gets lots of hits every month.
Amy of Maison Decor created this sketch of my home as a surprise and mailed it to me.
For Valentine's I made this paper rose covered heart shape candy box.
The boys enjoying an early spring day.
I painted all my dining room furniture.
And enjoyed my first Easter with the newly painted furniture.
Complete with Luray Pastel dinnerware.
I decorated the dining room with large tissue paper flowers, I made.
The tissue paper flowers led to several encounters with hummingbirds in my house.
So the flowers had to come down.
I painted this little table periwinkle.
I changed up my kitchen back splash for less than $20.
I finally had the all white back splash I'd been dreaming of.
I redid this lamp over adding a new crystal ball shade.
I created a little bit of summer under glass complete with vellum butterflies.
I turned a wall fountain into a planter over flowing with impatiens and money wort.
And stacked a pot on a birdbath and turned it into a planter too.
see post

I'm making my list of projects to complete for next year.
I already have paint courtesy of Dutch Boy to paint the bedroom and my new tv is going to
inspire me to make my office/den look good.
I am seriously thinking about painting the living room and dining room and kitchen.
But that will be quite an undertaking.

Are you making lists of things to accomplish in 2012?

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mod Mix Monday 30

Yes, I know it's Wednesday...
Times a ticking...
I'm counting down the hours and minutes till this year ends.
Isn't this a cute way to decorate for a New Year's party?

I'm feeling butterflies in my stomach at the thought of 2012 getting started and
being a much better year than 2011.

I'm not normally like this. Usually, I cherish the year I am in at the moment but this year
has not been kind to me.

So let's move on to the next...

I have been too exhausted to get my Mod Mix Monday post up this week.
I started it several times and fell asleep.

So here it is mid week.
I'll be working less hours soon...which will be good and bad.

I was invited to a New Year's Eve dinner with friends and I was so looking forward to going but
I have to work till 10, so I will not be able to attend and I'd bought a pretty sparkly sequin scarf to wear
and everything.

Thanks to everyone has written me the last few weeks with words of encouragement and support.
I keep thinking I'll write you back but I'm too sleepy when I get home.

I will get to you though. You cannot imagine how much I appreciate it.

I had a really nice surprise Christmas night, I went to see my friends Shannon and Jeff M.
They said they were dying to get my Christmas gift to me.
They'd tried all week but they were working and I was working.
They even went by Pier One to surprise me but I was at Target that night.

So we didn't get together till Christmas night when they surprised me with a
32" HD TV! I was shocked.

My main old tv had broken like a year and a half ago and I'd been watching everything on a
small tv that was intended for my bedroom.

I am beyond thrilled to have this because I had no idea when I'd get around to buying one.
Always vet bills to take care of first.

It was just such an amazing and thoughtful gift and I got such pleasure out of imagining the two
of them out shopping for it.

I feel so blessed to consider them family.

Now on with last week's favorites from Mod Mix Monday.
and
Valorie aka The Visual Vamp shared her Christmas decor with everyone in
New Orleans as her house was shown on local news there.
Some day I hope to make a trip to New Orleans and visit with Valorie in person.
She has been so kind to me.
Kristie aka The Decorologist created a christmas tree out of stacked books on a cake plate.
She was inspired by a tree she'd seen at the library. 
Her's turned out delightful.
Michelle of Sweet Suite 10 made over her head board complete with nail head trim.
It's so elegant. Love that lamp and table too with the wrinkled white sheets.
I wish my own bedroom was this soothing.
Rita of Design Megillah made this modern version of a menorah.
Isn't it pretty?
Steve's OTHER tree over at An Urban Cottage.
Steve had two spectacular trees this year.
Both were unusual and gorgeous just like his entire house.
Steve's blog is one of my favorites and it's not just because I designed his header, which I did.
It's because he has great taste and ideas.
I'm always inspired by him.

Now on to this week, sorry I'm behind.
Yes, I've had a rough patch but I'm gung ho to do lots in the coming year.
Shelly was very supportive of anything creative I did and the very last thing she would want
is for me to let my blog slide. She asked me almost every time I saw her how many
followers I had. I think she'd asked only about a week before she died.

She was happy that I had a place to share everything;
although she had no interest in having a blog herself.

She was a clothes horse and had lots and lots of pretty clothing.
And in the last couple of years she had taken more interest in home decor.

I wonder if she was really interested or just trying to share with me.

I'd helped her pick the colors for her hall bath redo.
The vintage tile was yellow and so we went with gray.
She bought the gray ruffled shower curtain from Urban Outfitters and I have to say
it transformed that bath.

Then last summer I painted her bedroom the most lovely shade of blue -
Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams.

Her husband and her bought all new furniture for the room.

I always intended on showing it but almost immediately after it was finished with new
drapes and everything...an oxygen machine was moved in and hundreds of bottles of
medicines.

She didn't want it shown like that.

But she said the color of the walls made being in bed so much better than it would have been.

She was in that room all the time since about July.

I did hang her chandelier in her backyard which she enjoyed but the night I hung it was the night
that Newman died at the vet so I never showed it.

Still, she got to sit outside with it's candles lit and enjoy it once or twice before she was too
sick to be outside.

She called me one day so excited because a neighbor had a litter of puppies she got to play with.
She said she was so happy to smell puppy breath one last time.

I told her that it would not be the last time.
Perhaps I needed to go get a puppy right then for me and her.
She said no...that was all she needed was to be with them that day.
The neighbor had said she would bring them over any time she wanted.

But Shelly was too sick to have her do it.

I still can't believe she is gone.
My good friend Pam came to town from Memphis over Christmas.
I only got to see her for a little after work one night and yesterday morning for breakfast before
I went into work.
I wish we lived close to each other again.
I miss her so much especially now that Shelly is gone.

I knew Shelly my entire life but I've known Pam since I was five so we are very close too.
We lived in Atlanta together for about seven years.
I hope to make a trip to Memphis soon to visit.

Ok...enough...on to this weeks late Mod Mix Monday or should I say Mod Mix Wednesday?

Link up below....

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas Remembered

m e r r y    c h r i s t m a s
Last night I thought a lot about Christmases past.
I've had many lovely Christmases. 
I grew up in a large white cape cod style house built in 1939. 
This is why I've always loved old houses. 
In my opinion nothing beats a white house at Christmas.
Just look at that beauty above.

My own childhood home sits on Main Street in my hometown of Blanchard, Oklahoma. 
A large tree with white lights was always in the front window and the white posts of the porch
were wrapped in wide red ribbon. 

We referred to our house as "Holiday Inn" during the weeks up to Christmas.
A life size Santa sat on the front porch that Mom made after we were inspired by 
a small Santa we'd seen at a craft show.
Our Santa wore a pair of my Dad's old boots.

We were always big on decorating for the holidays inside.

But each year when I was growing up I begged my father to put lights on the house and he never would.
But when I was 28, I moved away from Oklahoma to Georgia.

I called home that Thanksgiving wishing I was home with family.
I spoke to my Mother in the evening of that day and she said that she was so irritated with my father.

She said he'd been out working in the yard that morning and when called in for dinner, he barely ate
after she'd slaved away for hours on Thanksgiving dinner.
She wasn't speaking to him, she was so upset. And she said..."he is saying nothing...he's avoiding me!"

When Christmas came...

My Dad picked me up at the airport and drove me to my hometown. As we neared my house...
I could see christmas lights lining the edge of the roof. The whole house had lights around it!
I was so thrilled that my Dad had finally put lights on the house.
It only took me moving hundreds of miles away and him wanting to please me when I got home.

It was then that he told me that Thanksgiving morning, 
he'd been outside working on putting the lights on the roof when he fell off the roof 
and into the back of his pick up truck.
He said it was pure luck that he fell into the truck and not to the ground.
He laid there with the wind knocked out of him, wondering if he was ok.
After awhile he decided nothing was broken just as my Mom called him in to dinner.

He didn't want her to know he'd fallen. So he just came in and ate what he could to keep her happy.
But he felt nauseous and hurt all over. 
So he ate a little and retired to the sofa.

Mom didn't know till years later that he'd fallen off the roof that morning.
She had been so mad at him and he was just trying to make sure she didn't worry.

And he couldn't tell me because he was keeping the lights a surpise.

After that, my Dad made a tradition of putting lights on the house so that they would be there when 
I came home.
He would also line the yard and driveway with yellow solo cups that he turned upside down over large white lights. 
It looked junky during the day but at night it looked like small lanterns lining our yard and drive.
Dad took a lot of pride in how nice they looked at night.

I remember one Christmas night, the whole family including uncles, aunts and cousins were all
over at my Grandmother's house which was across the street from my parent's house. 

As one of my uncles gazed out the window...he saw a truck swerve purposefully into my parents yard 
and take out about three of the plastic cups.

He yelled, "Hey! Someone just ran over your lights, Jim!" (my Dad was named Jim)
Immediately, all four brothers (my dad and uncles) were flying out of the house and 
off the porch. Dad said, "Jump in the truck and my uncle yelled...get your gun!"

This seemed completely ridiculous to us in the house.
"Get your gun?"
Us women realized it was most likely teenagers just having a little fun.
They didn't know those cups were my father's pride and joy.
I remember my Mom saying, "That's a bit of an over-reaction, isn't it?"

We all watched out the window as we saw my Dad and Uncles go by several times 
in the pickup looking for the perpetrators.
Thank goodness they didn't find them.

The next day my father talked about the incident at the coffee shop and he and his friends 
deduced the guilty parties based on the description of the truck. 

A visit was paid to the father of the driver of the truck.
Yes, a high school boy who didn't see the harm in running over a few of my Dad's prized lights.

He promised to never do it again and the whole matter was dropped.

But I'll never forget the Christmas that I heard the words,
"Get Your Gun!"

Ah... family Christmas memories.

I hope you are making wonderful Christmas memories with your own family
and I hope they do not involve fire arms.

sharing at

Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas Prep

Are You Ready?
Is all your decorating done, gifts bought and goodies baked?

                                                                                                                                                                    
All of these images are from my Christmas Board on 

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mod Mix Monday 29

H a p p y     H o l i d a y s
Thank you so much for all your kind emails and comments in support of me at this sad time in my life.
I have read all and appreciate each and everyone of them.
I will be writing back to you as I can.
Shelly's Memorial is Tuesday afternoon.

I'm so sorry that Mod Mix Monday is coming out on Tuesday, I am doing the best I can.
I was at Target till 2:15 am Sunday night and just didn't have it in me to post.

I love that image above. I'd be doing good to have even something like that up.
I have not a single decoration up in my house. 

I feel so lame.

But there was so much great holiday stuff in last week's Mod Mix Monday.
I enjoyed looking at all your pretty homes and decor.

Here are my favorites...
Kristie Barnett has decked out her whole cottage to the hilt at The Decorologist.
You must take this tour.
Patty at A Few Pennies dressed her lady bust in Christmas finery for a few pennies. 
I love how classic yet modern this looks.
This is only one of the Twelve Doors of Christmas that Marie of Marie's Maison decorated 
for the holidays. You must see the rest!
Common Grounds' Debra has lots of lovely creamy white in her Christmas decor.
This entry is just the beginning. 
You know how I love white kitchens and there were two linked up in last week's party.
First, this one from Thistlewood Farm
So many things I like here...I wouldn't know where to start.
Another pretty white kitchen... Shannon of Fox Hollow Cottage showed off her white kitchen dressed for the holidays. Pretty...pretty...pretty.
I have mad crazy love for Theresa's new office at Momma T's Place.
I love turquoise and red together. Don't you?
Steve of An Urban Cottage did not link up last week.
But I just had to share his wonderful sparsely limbed Christmas tree.
Then a person could do a lot of fabulous Holiday party hosting with this 
vintage radio turned bar by Sherry of Pondered, Primed, Perfect.
And finally - little Rosie shows off the great tulip chair that her Mom and my friend
Cindi of OldBlackCatBoo
recently acquired. Cindi had a scare with Rosie last summer but she is doing super great now. 

That was a lot, wasn't it? But there were so many good things linked up last week.
I could have shown more. 

Link up below...

Anything old redone to be new. Old mixed with new.
Anything new redone to look old.
Mix it up.

If you enjoy this party...I'd hope that you'd become a follower.
Please give me a link back in your post and be sure to link up to the exact 
post address not your whole blog.
Please no food links or baby stuff or clothes. This needs to be decor and furniture related.
I'm going to start deleting links off subject.
Thanks!