Lemonade Home

Modern Family

2011-01-07T11:08:00.001-05:00

If you aren't watching the ABC show Modern Family, you're missing out on some funny stuff.

An Old Friend

2011-01-07T10:56:00.003-05:00

Young Girl Reading, Jean-Honoré Fragonard

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

A copy of this painting hung in my mother's dining room for years. My mother says she chose it because it reminded her of me and my love of books. While visiting the National Gallery this week, I saw the original. Painted around 1770, it is in beautiful condition and almost seems to glow due to the sunny yellows and golds. (I took this picture with my new iPhone *muffled squee*)

Hello, old friend. Looking good.

The Burden of Possessions

2009-04-03T10:28:00.006-04:00

One day recently there was an ad in the Free section of Craigslist for a Groundhog Day DVD. The owner was so burdened by that one DVD that they placed a special ad on Craigslist to rid themselves of that particular possession. "Must go," the ad said.

I'm wondering if there was some deeper meaning or symbolism to that, or if it was just randomly odd. I was also a little saddened by it. That's one of my favorite movies; why would owning it be such a burden?

Monday I stopped by a local thrift store, and saw these purple transferware tea cups. Delicate, lovely pieces, discarded and uncared for by a previous owner. One day he or she couldn't bear to own these any longer, so they made a trip to the thrift shop to rid themselves of them.

What is burdening me to own? My donation pile currently contains an electric frying pan, a pewter creamer and sugar bowl, a Corning Ware casserole dish and some unopened body lotion. Who knows why they must go? But go, they must.

Hooked on Thrift Stores

2009-02-27T00:11:00.002-05:00

I'm a real newbie at thrifting. In fact, I have always avoided yard sales and shunned thrift stores. Until August, I didn't even know where the Goodwill store in our area was located. Now most days when I'm out running errands, I pop in and take a quick look around. What have I found recently?

I found this silver dish with a tailored shape and a pretty texture in the bottom.

The little glass bunny is sitting pretty on the silver stand. I bought them separately, but thought they looked sweet together.

I have a sudden abundance of white tureens. The large one in the middle was given to me by my mother during the holidays, and see what happened? It reproduced. Now I need a big cabinet!

One of my favorite finds is this white pitcher. It's in perfect condition, and I think it was $3.99.

This blue oval covered casserole dish is by CorningWare, but I don't remember ever seeing them in stores. The inside is white, and it has a scalloped edge and cute handles. It was love at first sight.

Can you see why I'm hooked on thrift stores? Now go over to Hooked on Houses and see what everyone else is hooked on this week!

We Laugh Because We Love

2009-02-21T22:53:00.003-05:00

As I've said before, Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places to shop. It's a quirky store for sure, but that works out well because I have in fact been called quirky myself. So I had to laugh when I saw the rogue commercial that someone made for Trader Joe's.

Since I always shop at the same location, it's hilarious to see that apparently some things hold true for Trader Joe's shoppers everywhere. (Who knew the overflowing parking lot was more than just a local problem?)

Scrabble: Not Just For Game Night

2009-02-20T00:05:00.002-05:00

Scrabble is my family's favorite board game. We've had many fierce competitions huddled around the table complaining about how long the other player's turn is taking. When I received the deluxe version of the game as a gift several years ago, I gave my old game with it's cardboard board to a local thrift store.

Recently I've come to regret that donation, and have even been searching for a used Scrabble game to purchase. Why would I want one?

I saw cute bracelets made with wooden Scrabble tiles at a local craft fair. The ones I saw were made entirely of wood tiles, but look at this pretty silver version.

This post on Curly Wurly Gurly tells how to make coasters out of an old Scrabble board cut into squares and covered with clear contact paper. We could use these coasters while we play Scrabble- I love a theme. Oh, and I could wear the bracelet too :)

{photo from http://curlywurlygurly.wordpress.com}

Last but far from least, I fell in love with this idea from Spymommy. She has a big white bowl full of Scrabble tiles in her family room, which they use to spell out little messages for birthdays and holidays and to welcome guests. This month's message is a quote by Plato. See? Cute and educational. Love it. Go read her full post about this clever idea!

{photo from http://samanthaleelee.blogspot.com}

If you love Scrabble too, read Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis for a peek into the world of competitive Scrabble players. (Wait, are there any other kind?) I promise you will feel NORMAL when you finish the book.

Now go over to Julia's Hooked on Fridays post to see what everyone else is hooked on this week.

Back to Lucketts

2009-02-14T16:54:00.014-05:00

I really wanted to get some photos of the Old Lucketts Store , so this afternoon I made another visit with my camera in hand. Here is the "garden of urns" in the yard outside.
Inside the store, there were bracelets made from the keys of old typewriters.

Look, something shiny! The silver was dazzling.

These old cross stitch pieces made me smile. I love the saying on the top picture: "Who ran to help me when I fell, and would some pretty story tell? My MOTHER"
You know if there was any moss around I had to take its picture. This "moss" ball was actually made from a chenille fabric (no sneezing!) The saying on the sign is also great: "We do not remember the days. We remember the moments." That's almost as good as my personal favorite: "The days are long but the years are short."

My heart beats fast for these two prints. Wouldn't they be cute in a dining room or butler's pantry (not that I have one, but oh well.)

I must have really liked these moss balls, because here's yet another picture. They're even laying on a mossy mat (also fake but tastefully so.)

These topiaries were quite large and were decorated with black and white striped ribbon.

This room in the store was my favorite! The wreath was called Sprouted Grass.

More greenery and a huge metal light fixture. {Click on the photos for more detail.}

These boxwood balls were beautiful on the silver urns. The finial was made of mercury glass.
I'm so glad I went back, and have started saving up for a Spring shopping spree!

Saturday Shopping Trip

2009-02-13T20:48:00.011-05:00

This week I'm hooked on Lucketts, VA....

{photo from Apartment Therapy}

My daughter and I went on a little shopping trip last Saturday to the The Old Lucketts Store in Lucketts, VA. Although it's only about 30-35 minutes away, we had never been there. WELL. We won't make that mistake again. I think we both have a new favorite shopping destination. The only frustration is that we forgot our camera. That won't happen again either!
On the way home we stopped at a nearby place, On a Whim, which has an eye-catching pink silo. We had so much fun looking at all the goodies inside.

My girl is a world class shopper, and came home with armloads of fun stuff. I saw so many things I admired, but my only purchase was this black Spode plate. You can be sure that the next time I go, I'm bringing home a bag full of cute things.

If you live in the Washington area, plan a trip soon. If you are visiting the area, put it on your list of places to go! Forget about that old musty Smithsonian- go to Lucketts instead :)
**Saturday Update: I posted more photos in a new post today**

Now go over to Hooked On Houses to see what everyone else is hooked on this week!

I Love A Good Hissy Fit

2009-02-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs is written by Eddie Ross, the former Martha Stewart Living editor and "Top Design" contestant. He recently shopped in Atlanta with a group of people, many of whom were bloggers also. One of the shoppers/bloggers was Mary Kay Andrews, an author of six cute books that looked to be just my type. I checked out Hissy Fit from the local library and finished it today. Now I've started Savannah Blues, and look forward to reading them all.

Playing My "A" Game

2009-02-08T23:59:00.007-05:00

Coco at Ordinary Miracles recently played a blog game in which she was assigned an alphabet letter and had to list 10 things she loved that began with that letter. She then gave out letters to others to keep the game going, and my letter was A. Hmm, that's a bit of a challenge. but at least it's not a Q or an X. (As an aside, I taught kindergarten and preschool for lots of years, so I've read many, many alphabet books. My regard for a book was often based on how gracefully they handled those 2 pesky letters.)

Anyway! On with the game.

Apples: Any list about the letter A has to include apples. I do love them- raw apples (especially Gala) and Irish Apple Cake are my favorites. Apples are also the symbol of the teaching profession that has been such a big part of my life. Many of the nicest people I've known have been under 6 years old!
Aidan: My precious grandson is smart, sensitive, determined, loving, imaginative- he's a lovely boy. I wish I had some of his energy too!
Airports: This one may seem an odd choice- most people hate airports. But because of the nature of my husband's career, we will always live near airports, so we appreciate them for the "magic" of air travel.
Autumn: I love sweater weather, back-to-school time, and the beautiful colors of the fall foliage.
Art Museums: My favorite ones are the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery in D.C. The Louvre is fabulous, but overwhelming in size and scope. (By the way, I love museum gift shops too.)
Applique: I took a class in machine applique when daughter #2 was small. I've had such fun through the years making little jumpers and rompers and appliquing bibs, burp cloths, tote bags and sweatshirts. (A quick anecdote- I once appliqued a jumper with a detailed Little Red Riding Hood design. I sewed the last stitch, slipped it on my cute toddler, and went to do some laundry. Just as she toddled past the washer, I somehow splashed some bleach water on the jumper and ruined it.)
Amazon.com: This website has saved the day for me on many occasions. We live far away from the rest of our family, so this is often the best way for me to send gifts to loved ones. The prices are great and I almost always order enough to get free shipping.
Alphabet books: (See explanation above) Animal ABC is one of my favorites for sentimental reasons. Daughter #1 learned her alphabet from repeated readings of this much-loved book. I gave her a copy to read to her own children.
Azaleas: I was born in the South and am thus genetically predestined to love this beautiful flowering shrub. The variety 'Coral Bells' is my sentimental favorite.
America: I love our country, and hope and pray that we will emerge stronger and smarter from the challenges we are experiencing.

That's it! If anyone wants a letter let me know!

The Thrifty Chicks

2009-02-04T12:50:00.003-05:00

I recently discovered this new-to-me blog called The Thrifty Chicks. Ms. Golightly is a master thrifter- a Pottery Barn sleeper sofa in mint condition for $250.00? That's an amazing find. Don't miss the posts on the left sidebar titled [How To Thrift.] I love the subtitle below her blog's name: "Thrift Store Gurus, a nation-wide network dedicated to a more robust global repurposing market."

Global repurposing market. Excellent.

The Odd Couple (and Family)

2009-02-03T14:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some odd facts about my family:

My husband's sister is married to my brother. Our children and their children are double first cousins.

I've known my husband since 8th grade. He was my first date, and we went to both junior and senior proms together. We go way back.

My husband was stationed overseas with the Army during the months before our marriage. He arrived home on the Tuesday before our Sunday wedding. We had been apart for almost a year.

There is 15 years difference between the ages of my oldest and youngest children. My son is closer in age to his nephew than to his sister.

I was a child bride. That's why I am a grandmother at age 39 (and holding.)
Just kidding on that last one!

My Zen Zone is Zapped

2009-02-01T21:11:00.020-05:00

My thrifting adventures have gone from fun to frustrating. I've only been at it for a few months, but there has been a sad decline in the number of "treasures" I'm finding. Maybe it's the cold weather, or more likely, the economy. I've found a few fun things recently but there's still a big difference from a few months ago.

Some of my recent purchases haven't been photographed, but I still love 'em. A good kitchen utensil for next to nothing can make my day. I'm shallow like that.

A Baldwin lamp for $5.00 (a lady followed me around the store asking me if I'd changed my mind about buying it- AWKWARD).
It's a small thing, I know, but I found this brand new wooden spoon that I like better than any of my old ones, including the ones from Williams Sonoma. Cost? 19 cents!
An expandable wooden draw organizer for $2.99, also new. My junk drawer is now tidy, girls.
Two English blue transferware plates for $1.49 each. Apparently I've started a mix-and-match collection of blue plates. Resistance is futile. Blame my mom for the dish disease gene.
A stack of quality titles of hardback children's books for the grandsons for 69 cents each. These were originally $12.95- 15.95.
Eddie Ross has somehow hypnotized me into digging through bins of cutlery to buy old silverplated pieces. My Goodwill charges just 19 cents per piece, so it's a cheap guilty pleasure. I found some cute little demitasse spoons monogrammed with our initial. They have an old hotel's name engraved on the back. Love it.

This set of heart-shaped measuring spoons were apparently sold as wedding favors. The spoons are standard measure, but are marked " a pinch of joy", "a heap of love" etc. So cute.

These 2 black candlesticks were $2.50 each; the pots of grass were $1.59 (I found 2 of them.)

While looking for silver cutlery per Eddie's hypnotic suggestions, I found this little fork for my grandson, cutely engraved with his initial. (Yes, 19 cents...)

I also found this odd little wooden spoon in the depths of the cutlery bin. (I photographed it beside a regular spoon to give a sense of its size.) I have no idea what it's for, but for 19 cents, who cares? It looks hand carved on the back.
So here's to better thrifting karma in the future!
Namaste.

{top photo by e chan}

Happy Birthday, Little People!

2009-01-30T00:28:00.009-05:00

{picture source: etsy.com/retrograndma}

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Little People play sets sold by Fisher Price Toys. Most people hold fond memories of these cute little toys and leave it at that, but my dirty little secret is that I collect them. I have box after box of vintage Fisher Price toys in my storage room. If unboxed, I could have my own Little People Metropolis- a school, zoo, garage, farm, main street, airport, house, bus- even a castle!How does a collector know when they've gone too far?

They own a guide book to collecting Fisher Price toys.
They know the best web site to help with identifying figures or vehicles.
They know the Little People dog's name. (Lucky)
They know that the pink dragon that came with the Castle is very rare, especially with its ears intact. (I don't have one. Bah!)
Their husband can't store anything in the storage room because it's FULL OF TOYS.

So I'm contemplating going cold turkey- getting rid of it all and letting go of the past. Wish me luck! Oh, and happy birthday to all the Little People.Be sure to visit Julia at Hooked on Houses to see what everyone else is hooked on this week!

Hooked on Trader Joe's

2009-01-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

Trader Joe's has become a place I just can't do without. The first time I shopped there I didn't understand its greatness- it seemed small, the produce section was limited, and I couldn't do all my grocery shopping there. But slowly, my list of "must have" items has grown longer and longer:

granola
nuts
whole wheat pasta
organic marinara sauces
blueberry fruit spread
nut butters
baking mixes
bagged baby spinach
frozen organic vegetables
salad dressings
vegetable fried rice
12-grain crackers
green tea
baked blue corn chips
mini whole wheat pitas
frozen brown rice
frozen wild blueberries

Each of these items (and many more) have become staples in my fridge and pantry. The prices are great, too. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby but don't shop there, give them a try and see if you grow to love them too!
{P.S. The stems in the picture are a bunch of just-beginning-to-open daffodils that I bought at Trader Joe's for $1.49. Love it!}
{P.P.S. I've now officially blogged about my grocery list. Sigh.}
{P.P.P.S. Don't forget to check out Julia's Hooked On Fridays to see what everyone else is hooked on!}

Dreaming of Spring...

2009-01-21T21:32:00.004-05:00

Cold winter weather may be the reality, but my mind is free to dream of spring. I found these pictures of my garden from a past spring, and it made me eager to start thinking and planning about this year's garden projects. Divide, move, plant, sow, stake, trim- there's always lots to do. Hurry up, spring!

Hooked on Needlepoint Pillows

2009-01-16T00:05:00.005-05:00

{Julia at Hooked on Houses is hosting Hooked on Fridays again this week. Head over and see what everyone else is hooked on!}

Recently I found a vintage needlepoint picture for a great price that I'm re-purposing into a pillow. As often happens, this one pillow led me to think about starting a small collection of needlepoint pillows. Although ideally my collection will be older pieces, I found that there are lots of new pillows available as well that are very tempting.

Here's an elegant petit point Chinese Fishman pillow. It would look great on my red sofa!

Two of the bookshelf design pillows. (I'll have one of each, please.)

This pillow is called Peonies and Pomegranates. There's a companion pillow available if you need a pair. Did you know pillows had companions?? That's so sweet.

This America nautical print pillow can be yours for $195.00.
See the ship's name on the little flag?

The Brookshaw Melon pillow designs come in 4 different variations, each of them lovely.
This one is titled Scarlet.

For more needlepoint "eye candy", check out the many, many other designs available at Village House.

(all photos from http://www.villagehouse.net/index.html)

Thrifty Finds, Vol. 9,999,999

2009-01-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

Finding a hidden treasure while shopping is one of life's little thrills for me. Everyone has different tastes, for sure, so I always appreciate that what makes my heart go pitty-pat might cause a big yawn from someone else. Here are some of my recent fun finds.

This wire basket is heavy stainless steel and in perfect condition. I'm using it for my faux apples now but it will be a great bread basket. I think it was $1.99.

I found this $5.00 lamp at Goodwill. It blends right in with my Stiffel lamps that I have just always loved. Aren't those two cute little boys? I wish they were my grandbabies- oh wait, they are! I'm so lucky.

I found two of these gold glass trees on sale for 90% off at Target. If you are as math challenged as me, they were originally $24.99 each, and on sale for $2.49. Hee.

I found two Willow plates by Churchill for a pittance- maybe $2.00. Should I feel guilty?

I have been to a LOT of Southern Living at Home parties. I have purchased MANY items- some I use, some I don't. But I appreciate the prices they command. So when I saw this (retired) Historical Bell Jar in Goodwill I recognized it right away. For $2.99 it was worth it just to know how much money I saved ;) (I just realized the small hurricane beside it is also from SLAH, but I paid full price for it. Bah.)

That same day, I also found these 2 bowls which I have always admired whilst sitting at the many SLAH parties I've attended. But I always resisted and bought other things. So it seemed like fate when I saw these at Goodwill for $.99 each. Yes, that's right. $.99. I DO feel guilty. I believe they were originally $30.00 for the set of 2 bowls.

This small OXO salad spinner looked brand new, and originally retailed for $20.00 or so. Since my big salad spinner takes up so much room in my cabinet, I knew this was a perfect purchase. I think it was $1.99. Do you love salad spinners as much as I do??

See how clean those greens are?

Yum, this salad was delish. Little pleasures make for happy hearts.
You may quote me.

Hooked On Fake Fruit

2009-01-09T00:05:00.002-05:00

{Julia at Hooked on Houses is hosting a Hooked on Fridays Blog Party. Don't forget to check out what everyone else is hooked on!}

Sometimes you look around and realize that without even meaning to, you suddenly have an awful lot of one thing. That happened to me this week with my fake, I mean faux fruits (and one veggie.)

lemons, of course

pears

artichokes

apples and strawberries from Christmas (It's back to just green apples now)

and yellow apples (see the faux bruise?)

Would it be wrong to admit that I still want limes? And maybe red apples.
But that's IT, pinky swear.

Sharing the Lemonade

2009-01-08T14:30:00.001-05:00

Thank you to Coco of Ordinary Miracles for passing the Lemonade Award (love that name) on to me...I love reading her tips and admiring her gorgeous home. She is a talented decorator, so check out her blog if you haven't. Thanks again, Coco, for the encouragement and support!

There are a few rules that come with this award...

Put the logo on your blog or post.

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

Be sure to link your nominees within your post and let them know they received the award by commenting on their blog.

Don't forget to link back to the person from whom you received the award!

I choose to pass the award on to just one very special blog- Houndstooth and Nail. Its author, to whom I happen to be very closely related, is just finishing up college, and is entering the "scary" world of job-hunting and post-college planning. She's doing it with a great attitude (along with the occasional vent) and lots of sensible thinking. I'm so proud of her! In her honor, I'll temporarily dub this award "The Crystal Light Award", as we are both hopelessly addicted to that refreshing calorie-free lemony drink.

Thoughtful Is As Thoughtful Does

2009-01-07T21:30:00.001-05:00

My thoughtful husband remembered this John Derian decoupage plate from our afternoon in Middleburg in late November. He drove back out to the shop another day and purchased this Eliza silhouette plate for me as a Christmas surprise.

Eliza spends her time wandering from place to place around our house, searching for her beloved. I know she's lonely, but hopefully we can reunite her with Robert pretty soon. Settle down, Eliza- and welcome to the family.

Blast From the Past

2009-01-06T22:30:00.000-05:00

Over the holidays, I went with my parents to visit my sweet aunt. She gave me a Life magazine from the year I was born. I won't say what year that was, but let's just say I am younger than Jerry Seinfeld and older than Madonna. Anyway, looking at the ads in the magazine was hilarious. The ads were full of exciting products like green peas! saltine crackers! tomato soup!

I took a few photos of some of the ads just for fun:

Hindsight being what it is, this was a really bad suggestion.

Ancient torture device?

Here's an ad for oak paneling- this room is actually pretty cute if you lose the big eagle.

FIRST Electric Eye Movie Camera!! This is history, people.

I think Betty's had a little work done since then- here's her latest photo:

I don't know how she looks so much better now, but just in case her secret's in the brownies, I'm baking up a big pan of them tomorrow.

I Wanna Be Ina's Friend

2009-01-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Barefoot Contessa is one of my favorite cooking shows. I love to watch her cook and plan parties, and her house in the Hamptons is amazing. Her new cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, was one of my Christmas gifts this year. One feature in the book is her list of "10 Things Not to Serve at a Dinner Party." Can you guess what they are?

Appetizers that take two hands. (then you couldn't hold your drink)
Beets or red wine. (stains)
Three rich courses. ("your friends will thank you")
Nuts. (allergies)
Garlic and raw onions. (unless you know your guests very well)
Spinach and poppy seeds. (gets in your teeth)
Corn on the cob. (cut it off the cob or provide dental floss)
Two fish courses. (since some people don't like fish)
Offal. (this means liver, brains, kidneys, tripe, etc.- ugh)
Raw beef or raw eggs. (thank you, Ina)

During the holidays I spent a few days with my daughter and her family in Durham. One night she made Orzo with Roasted Vegetables from Barefoot Contessa Parties!, and it was fabulous.

I'm SURE that if I lived in the Hamptons, Ina and I would be best buds.

January Joy

2009-01-03T19:56:00.009-05:00

I love the month of January! Christmas is over, the decorations are (mostly) put away. The house seems tidy and calm. Love it! I spent ten days in North Carolina, so it's good to be home again.

My mother was in a de-cluttering mood as we visited over Christmas. She gave me a few things to bring home, so I unpacked them this afternoon.

A quilt made by my grandmother

A white soup tureen

Some back issues of Country Living that she saved for me

A set of Blue Willow dishes for my younger daughter, since she loves all things blue and white (also all things pink and green, but that's another story)

While in NC, we went antiquing one day in some nearby shops. I saw so much beautiful vintage needlework for sale; the needlepoint pieces were especially beautiful, but pricey. Yesterday I popped in a local thrift store and found this good size needlepoint piece for a STEAL. My tentative plan is to make it into a pillow. Unfortunately, this purchase has made me want a collection of needlepoint pieces.

I gave away (donated to a thrift store) a needlepoint sampler I made in the late 70's just a few years ago. I kept it all those years and then got rid of it right before I decided I liked it again. Doesn't that always happen?

I Won!

2008-12-21T23:56:00.005-05:00

What could be more fun than having a chance to peek in on hundreds of homes decorated for Christmas? The blog parties last week were amazing, and the icing on the cake for me personally is that I received word from Julia at Hooked on Houses that I won a Christmas movie in her giveaway. I chose The Holiday, starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz (love them both!) I'd like to publicly thank Julia for hosting the House Tours and also for the great holiday DVD. My husband and I went to see The Holiday when it first came out, and will enjoy watching it again soon.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and may we one day truly experience peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

Simply Christmas

2008-12-15T00:15:00.005-05:00

BooMama is hosting her Christmas Tour of Homes today, and the lovely Julia at Hooked On Houses is hosting Hooked on Holiday House Tours. Join in the fun and check them out!

My family's Christmas decorations are usually pretty simple. Since we travel to NC for Christmas each year, we are never at home on Christmas Day. (I KNOW- that's how much we love our extended family!) This year, I also tried to use items I already had or had purchased for little cost. Here's to simplicity!

I wrote earlier about our tree, so I'll begin with the Nativity scene. It's a Fontanini set, and I should really add more pieces to it. Are they still making it? I also think I need to add more moss to the stable.

When my husband and I went to France for a special anniversary, we stayed a few nights in the Normandy city of Bayeux. We bought a small terra cotta Nativity scene in a convent shop which sold items made by nuns or monks. Our creche was made by Benedictine nuns at the Abbeye de Jouarre. (Yes, they have a website, isn't that great??) I didn't put it all out this year, but here is the Holy Family. They are very tiny; Joseph is about 2 inches tall.
Here's my family room mantel. When you see my garland you know why I didn't participate in the Nester's garland party. That garland needs some oomph. Oh well, it's in keeping with my theme of simplicity.

While I was digging through my boxes of decorations I found this small Norman Rockwell print that I haven't unpacked in years, and decided I loved it again. Norman and I have kissed and made up, at least for one year.
Here's my holiday variation of the "fern in an urn"- a poinsettia in an urn. Surprise!

In the dining room, I just added a little garland to the sideboard. Red walls are wonderful in December.

On the table I added green moss, red beads, and a white votive to my hurricane glass collection. Yes, that's a vinyl tablecloth. I have a teenage son who is death on furniture, and he likes to do his homework here.
Last but not least, I filled the apothecary jar on my kitchen counter with green apples and strawberries that I already had on hand. They are not traditional holiday fruits but I wanted to do something fresh. The strawberries were 79 cents at the thrift store! After I took this picture I tied a darker green grosgrain ribbon around the lid that adds a nice touch.
For BooMama's Tour, I'm sending along this holiday recipe that I've made literally dozens of times. It's perfect for the holidays with the red cherry topping. You can also use holiday baking cups for extra cuteness.

Party Cheesecakes
24 vanilla wafers
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 T. lemon juice
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling

Place paper liners in 24 muffin cups. Put 1 vanilla wafer in the bottom of each liner. Beat softened cream cheese and sugar with a mixer till smooth. Add eggs, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Pour enough filling into muffin cups to fill each about 1/2 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool thoroughly or refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, spoon pie filling on top of each cheese cake.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Happy House Guests

2008-12-14T20:35:00.001-05:00

There's an article in the Washington Post Home section this week about being a gracious host(ess) to your house guests. It lists six things to provide for visitors in your home, after the obvious bed and nice sheets. Drum roll, please...

1. Terrycloth Robes: They caught me on this one. I never thought to provide these for guests.

2. Warm Throw: Oh, wow, we love our warm throws...I should buy one that's dedicated just for guests so it won't be worn out.

3. Extra Pillows: How many is enough? It doesn't say. It does say to have some hypoallergenic ones (not down.)

4. Luggage Rack: I need to get one of these.

5. Goodies: Although they mostly mean toiletries, I also like to leave a few snacks for guests as well, especially if it's someone who wouldn't feel comfortable opening up the pantry to hunt for a bag of pretzels.

6. Hangers: Easy enough. We have 5,000.

There's a lot of buzz in my area about the inauguration. Apparently, many people have been swamped with requests from out-of-town family and friends wanting to stay with them for the inauguration. Some people are even renting out their apartments and houses to strangers. I just laugh because my phone has been oddly quiet on this front. If I only had bathrobes and a luggage rack I just KNOW they would come.

Penny Pinching Pet Peeve

2008-12-13T14:23:00.002-05:00

One of my pet peeves (yes, there are many others) is to buy an item and then see it on sale or find it at a much better price. To what extremes will I go to get the better price? Great ones.

This week I returned a coat I bought for 30% off and bought it again at 40% off. Earlier this week I also placed an order for over $100 to Lands End. Yesterday I got a coupon in the mail for $25 off any purchase over $100. To make it worse, when I go to Landsend.com I find that the items I ordered are now even MORE on sale than they were earlier this week. So my plan was to buy everything again, get the new sale price AND use the $25. coupon and then return the first order when it arrived. (I'm crazy.) But before I did, I called Lands End and they made the price adjustment for me. Phew. Now I'm going shopping to spend all that money I saved :)

A Really LONG Walk Down Memory Lane

2008-12-04T09:00:00.006-05:00

Thrifty Decor Chick has organized a Christmas Tree Party, and We Are That Family is hosting O {Share} Christmas Tree at her place, so here's a look at my family's tree and some special-to-us ornaments.

Putting up the Christmas tree always starts me on a walk down Memory Lane. Many of our ornaments are sentimental objects, reminding me of a special time or place. The little Santa below is from our first Christmas as a married couple. We were very young and starry-eyed, so this ornament reminds me of that sweet happy time.

This tiny little Bermuda house is a souvenir from the cruise my husband and I took to Bermuda with 2 other couples to celebrate our 10th anniversary. If you've haven't been to Bermuda, the houses are all painted in pastel colors.
I bought this starfish snowman in the Outer Banks back when we were just a family of three. My oldest daughter was an only child for almost 10 years. That trip was our last summer vacation before she became a big sister.
This little lamb was for the new baby sister's 1st Christmas in 1987.
This smocked ornament was made for me by a talented friend who MADE me learn to smock for my new baby girl. I caught the bug and smocked her many, many dresses before she got too old to enjoy smocked clothing. *sniff*

These ornaments are very special to my son and me. My last born, my only son, born fifteen years after his oldest sister- these ornaments represent his first 5 Christmases. The miracle is that I actually got all 5 of them without missing a year. My son loves to put these on the tree each year, and I will let him take these for his tree one day when he's all grown up.
We have the White House ornament for each year that we've lived in the DC area. We moved here in 1995, so our collection is getting quite large. This one is my favorite.After college, our oldest daughter did a stint in the Mississippi Delta area with Teach For America. On one of our trips to visit her, I found this Santa in the shape of the state of Mississippi. Were you wondering why his beard was shaped so oddly?

My younger daughter and I bought these Little Women ornaments at the Kennedy Center on a girl's day out when we went to see a production of that show one holiday season.

Baseball and softball sort of took over our lives for a few years as our younger kids both played on travel teams. One year we went to Coooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame and I got this silly ornament there. It always makes me smile.
My husband and I enjoyed a FABULOUS trip to France to mark our 25th anniversary. I bought this ornament in Paris.

This voluptous mermaid is a souvenir from a family vacation to Ocracoke in the Outer Banks. My oldest grandson Aidan was a little baby that year, and I was in grandmother heaven. I hardly even stepped foot on the beach. I did manage to find a gift shop though.
Well, if you're still reading this you deserve a gold medal. Now I'm off to tidy up because the grandsons are coming today! (And their wonderful parents, I don't mean to slight them.) For the first time Aidan is going on the weekend trip with his mom and dad and just Harper will be staying with me. I hope he'll be happy without his brother around. He'll be 2 in January, and is cuter than cute. My tree may be rearranged a bit this weekend, but that is part of the fun.

You Call That A JOB?

2008-12-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

I was in (wait for it) Goodwill recently, and this woman was digging through the stacks of dishes while consulting a large notebook. I watched her for a while, and when I couldn't stand it any longer I said, "Do you sell used china?" She explained that she did not directly sell it, but instead re-sold it to Replacements. If you haven't heard of Replacements, Ltd., it's a company that sells china, crystal and sterling patterns both old and new to people who need a piece or two to complete a set or to replace a broken item. When this buyer for Replacements has accumulated enough stock, she drives to Greensboro, NC to their headquarters and sells her goods. Hmm. Sounds AWESOME.

I'm At Risk of Exhausting Myself

2008-12-02T11:46:00.007-05:00

If you type the URL of your blog into the Typealyzer, it will analyze your writing and evaluate your personality type. I tried it out and this was my result:

ESFP - The Performers

"The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don't like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions."

Some of the comments seem accurate. I do avoid conflict and hate confrontation, and I am really bad at planning ahead. But what is UP with that picture?

No Acorns This Year??

2008-12-01T19:28:00.007-05:00

photo credit: Richard Lipski- Washington Post

The War of the Squirrels has taken an unexpected turn.

My husband pointed out this article in yesterday's Washington Post about "starving, skinny squirrels eating garbage, inhaling bird feed, [and] greedily demolishing pumpkins." The article goes on to say: "Last year, oaks in metropolitan Washington produced a bumper crop of acorns, and squirrels and other urban wildlife produced an abundance of young. This year, experts said, many animals will starve."

Gulp. Perhaps I'll be putting out some food for the squirrels too.

Pandora Bracelet, Christmas Style

2008-12-01T19:20:00.002-05:00

I'm off to re-visit my happy Pandora Bracelet Dream World. Want to come along?

photo credit: http://www.pandora-beads.com

photo credit: http://little-treasure-trove.com/home.php

In my dream world (actually in my real world too) my favorite beads are the gift package and the silver tree with the gold star. The red and green Murano glass beads are also ~~beauteous~~ ~~beautious~~ pretty.

A Visit to Hunt Country

2008-11-29T11:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend my husband and I rode over to Middleburg, the cutest little town in Virginia. We once enjoyed a Valentine's Day overnight stay at the Red Fox Inn and loved it, but this day we just enjoyed a late lunch and did a little window shopping.We wandered into a shop called Creme de la Creme, which was full of eye candy for sure. Most of their wares are from the South of France and Italy. They had a large collection of santons- tiny clay Nativity figurines from Provence- which I have loved since I was a child and read a Christmas story about a little French boy who broke one of his family's santons. Anyway, they looked something like this...
I mentioned before that I found a John Derian alphabet tray at Target this fall (which I love) but this store sells the original line of John Derian decoupage plates and trays (not his line made especially for Target.) These small plates were hanging on the wall behind the counter...Each silhouette plate has a name- please meet Robert and Eliza. Hee.

They also sell decorative cicadas (is that an oxymoron?) in several different sizes. Apparently in Provence the cicada is considered a good luck charm, and ceramic or pottery cicadas are hung near the front entrances to their homes. The cicadas at Creme de la Creme look like this...Now maybe this would be really cute, but somehow I'm not sure. Has anyone seen one of these hanging near an entrance door?

Oh, I saw that on December 6 the Middleburg Hunt is going to hold its annual parade down the main street of town before their meet. My fox friends will lay low that day if they're smart.

Last but not least, oh no, not NEARLY the least, look at this cute house we saw on our way into town.
Really what is there to say? Charming.

Show and Tell Time

2008-11-28T23:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the cutlery print I found this week at my favorite store.
"$2.99!" My daughter and I both agree it's definitely a keeper.

Thanksgiving Day: The Review

2008-11-28T00:20:00.001-05:00

Our Thanksgiving Day was quiet but nice. The entire remainder of our family was in NC, but we weren't able to go this year. We made the best of it, but missed everything about not being with them except the 6 hour trip each way.

This morning I was sitting at my kitchen table fighting the War of the Squirrels, periodically getting up to bang! bang! bang! on the sliding glass door and startle those thieving rats with bushy tails. A movement in the woods beyond our backyard caught my eye. I grabbed the camera but could only snap a blurry photo of our visitor. Remember my post about the red foxes? We hear them at night, but to see one in the daytime is pretty rare. Can you find it?We had our Thanksgiving meal in the mid-afternoon since my kids ate breakfast around noon. I set out our meal buffet-style on our kitchen table.

When I set our table I used my green goblets, so they are no longer technically useless wedding crystal. The plates were my grandmother's (each plate has a different scene-so cute) and I made the napkins from some fabric I already had. I hadn't put the silverware out yet when I took this but I promise we used cutlery. Speaking of cutlery, I can't wait to share the cutlery print I found at Goodwill on Wednesday. Either I have unusual taste or people are getting rid of really cute stuff- such as this wreath I mentioned earlier, brand new with the Target tag still on it (you can see it if you look) for $2.99. I think I'll be really glad I bought it next spring.Hope your Thanksgiving was happy!

War of the Squirrels

2008-11-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

As any bird lover knows, keeping squirrels away from the feeders is NOT EASY. Because of the wooded area behind our house, we have a squirrel population the size of Manhattan. Every day we fight the battle to keep the seeds for the birds, not the squirrels. I'm losing the war, General Audubon, so please send in the reinforcements.

This particular feeder* has been abused, knocked out of a tree, jumped on, bent up, hammered back into shape and refilled with seeds. Mr. Bushy Tail wants them seeds, though.

*this is a squirrel-proof feeder (ha ha ha ho)

Aww, Look At Those Little Hands

2008-11-26T00:05:00.000-05:00

My mother had this small picture hanging in her guest bedroom. I may or may not have mentioned once or twice how much I loved it, or maybe SEVENTEEN times each visit, anyway, one day she gave it to me! I wonder how she knew I wanted it? Moms are psychic.

NPR, How I Love Thee

2008-11-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

Wake up.
Stumble downstairs.
Turn radio to NPR Morning Edition.
Make coffee.

Ahh, now life is worth living.

Morning Edition, The Diane Rehm Show, Tell Me More, Fresh Air, All Things Considered- these shows ebb and flow throughout my days.

Then! Saturday!
Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me, This American Life, The Splendid Table, A Prairie Home Companion- too much deliciousness for one day.

Sunday is my NPR Sabbath- a day of rest- but Monday morning, I'll be back.

Now That's a CORKboard

2008-11-25T00:02:00.001-05:00

I bought this corkboard at Goodwill even though I knew I didn't have a place for it, breaking Thrifting Mental Checklist Rule Number Two. Hmm, rules are made to be broken?

Luckily my daughter agreed to adopt it. Would YOU have left this languishing on the shelf? It's made entirely of wine corks glued in a parquet pattern inside a weathered wood frame, and is a functional bulletin board. Irresistable.

By the way..."$5.99!"

Marry Me, Ethan Allen, and Bring Your Furniture With You

2008-11-24T07:29:00.001-05:00

Ethan darling, we were meant for each other. Marry me. Just one request- when you move in to my house, could you bring your bed with you? Yes, the black one. Thank you, dear.

XXOO,
Gigi

Detective Gigi

2008-11-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

I bought this cutting board at Goodwill, still in the shrink wrap, with a Williams Sonoma sticker on it. I paid $2.90 for it, but was curious what its original price had been. Detective Gigi and her sidekick, Mr. Google, set out to solve the case.

Williams Sonoma no longer carries the item on-line, but a quick search found the identical board on several sites- Shun round bamboo cutting board, 14 inch diameter, 1.5 inches thick- unmistakable. Zappos has it for $66.00, Kitchen Universe for $59.95, and OOH, yes, I found it! If you buy $600 worth of Shun cutlery at Williams Sonoma (that's about 3 knives, by the way) through 12/24/08, you get a free 14" round bamboo cutting board, value $59.95!

Mystery solved. Someone bought expensive knives, got their free cutting board, didn't need it, and threw it in the Goodwill pile for ME. Thanks, Mysterious Benefactor, I love it.

Tally Ho

2008-11-22T11:00:00.004-05:00

Our entire family has deep, deep roots in North Carolina, but our little branch of the family tree has been transplanted in the Commonwealth of Virginia (don't call it a state) for 13 years now. Gradually, reluctantly, the ~~state~~ commonwealth has kinda grown on me, and I no longer weep when I cross the state line from trips back "home." (You think I'm kidding? Ask my husband.)

So to celebrate my newly found emotional stability, I bought these two hunt prints for my dining room. Virginia's Hunt Country is just a short drive away from our home. But I think all the foxes are hiding out in the small woods behind our house, so maybe the hunt will come bounding through my backyard one day. There's this one sound that a red fox makes that will chill your blood- it sounds like someone being murdered. The first time I heard it I almost dialed 911. True story.

Odds and Ends from an Odd Week That is Ending

2008-11-21T09:34:00.004-05:00

Ha, ha I crack myself up. This week hasn't actually been THAT odd but I couldn't think of another title. How did it get to be Friday anyway?

Of course I have to start off with a few thrifty finds. I love this wooden black stand. A plate sits perfectly on top of it.

This pillow was brand new, feather filled, zipper backed, and $2.00. THIS is why I love Goodwill.
Did I tell you about the bird feeder, still in the box with an original price tag of $24.99, marked $1.99? Or the fitness ball new in the box for $1.99? How about the round bamboo cutting board from Williams Sonoma still in the plastic shrinkwrap for $2.90 that retailed for $66.00? Or a brand new lavender wreath from Target with the tags still on it for $2.99?
I swear I try to be HIGHLY selective now, but I'm not strong enough to turn down this stuff.

Who knew I wanted an artichoke candle? I had NO idea, until I saw this one. Hee.

At last, something I MADE, not bought. These are the Peanut Butter Cookies my two guys love love love. 2 dozen cookies eaten in two days? Who's counting?

Speaking of cookies, my daughter went to a baby shower for a friend, and the favor was this adorable cookie. Too cute to eat, I say.

Last but not least, for his two big sisters in far away places, here is your little bro being inducted into National Honor Society last night. Note the teacher who is second from the left. Doesn't he look like Napoleon Dynamite? The word is that he went to BYU with Jon Heder, so maybe they saw each other one day and did a double take :)

Happy Friday!

A Very Veggie Thanksgiving

2008-11-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

{Ha ha ho- you have to admit this is so cute}

The idea of a Thanksgiving dinner that includes no meat, dairy or eggs doesn't fit the typical Norman Rockwell image of this autumn holiday. When I planned our Thanksgiving meal last November, I was surprised by how easy it was to adapt our traditional menu for a veggie diet. My husband cooked a turkey breast for those who wanted it, and we had a few traditional sides and desserts for the family that did contain butter, cheese or eggs. What else did we eat?

spinach salad with dried cranberries and walnuts, raspberry vinaigrette
roasted sweet potatoes
three bean salad using kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, red, green and yellow peppers, and lots of red onion
fresh fruit salad
broccoli florets

There were bunches of other choices, of course, but these were family favorites. The best part of this meal was that afterwards I didn't feel like an overinflated balloon.

Three Bean Salad
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 can green beans, drained
1/2 cup each red, yellow, and green peppers (may use all of one type if prefer)
1 small purple onion, sliced thin and lightly chopped
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive or canola oil, or any combination of the two
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup sugar

Blend together vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Pour over beans, pepper and onions. Stir well and chill overnight. (This is even better the second day, so it can be made on Tuesday before Thanksgiving.)

Check Your Back!

2008-11-19T07:20:00.004-05:00

The grandkids came for the weekend, much fun ensued, the grandkids left, the *young* grandparents wondered how their parents do it day after day. If we could siphon off childhood energy for our nation's energy needs we could end our dependence on foreign oil. Love those boys, they are two adorably fun guys.

On a new topic, today's public service announcement comes courtesy of my recent dermatological hijinks. I made an appointment with Dr. S because of a rough patch on my nose that I suspected needed to be treated. Dr. S quickly sprayed it with liquid nitrogen and then unexpectedly asked to see my back. He took one glance and said, "THAT one needs to be checked out." The chair was quickly transformed into a table, I was flipped over on my stomach and before I knew it I had a stitch and a bandage on my back. They performed a punch biopsy on the suspect mole, which removes a small plug (I picture it like a bulb planter.) The results came in as atypical but not cancerous, which means on the scale between normal and cancerous my mole was in the middle. The next step was to remove a larger plug to remove all the atypical cells as a precaution. One quick visit and two stitches later, that's done too.

The lesson learned? The back is a common place for melanomas to be found. People can't easily check their backs for suspicious moles, so enlist a spouse or friend and check each other's back! The earlier problems are caught, the easier the solution.

What should you look for?

Asymmetry: one half of the abnormal skin area is different than the other half
Borders: irregular borders
Color: varies from one area to another with shades of tan, brown, or black (sometimes white, red, blue)
Diameter: usually (but not always) larger than 6 mm in size (diameter of a pencil eraser)

Also, any mole that is NEW or CHANGING quickly should be examined. I plan to take a digital photo of all my existing moles as a baseline for comparing future changes.

And that's the medical report for today. We will now return to our regularly scheduled program.

Sigh. More Thrifty Finds

2008-11-10T08:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is really getting out of hand. I need a 12-step program. Thrifters Anonymous, anyone? Well, if you know me, you know that I tend to get slightly obsessed with my current interest. If I like a book, I'll read every book the author wrote. If I start watching an old TV series on DVD, I'll watch an entire season in a week. So I know that this too, shall pass. I'll move on! But even though I'm trying to rein it in, I just keep stopping by the stores "while I'm out" and then I find things I really like for SO CHEAP. It would be wrong not to buy such a bargain!

Recent finds: Cute wreath for $1.59. See what I mean?Set of eight nice heavy-weight glasses- I loved the design. Okay, I didn't need these, but I bumped out a set of not as nice glasses that I'll put in a box of items for my son's first apartment in a few years. The whole set was four dollars.

Tissue box cover- I can never find tissue boxes with neutral designs. Since we are a family of allergy sufferers, tissues must always be close at hand. I just never thought to get one of these before, but this is a GREAT FIND for me.
Small black round table in great condition. No painting required!
Wicker lampshade that is probably vintage, but it is in PERFECT condition. I love the texture it gives the room. Couldn't resist it, glad I didn't!!

Set of four small white bowls:

Copper tray from Pottery Barn, the perfect size for our chair side table, also the perfect size to hold a couple of magazines or catalogs:

I liked the copper tray so much that I decided to get this small copper mold. Not a hard decision since it costs *fifty-nine cents!* Seriously, what can you get for that price? Not even a pack of gum.
I'm really trying to STOP THE MADNESS but as you see, when there's such cute stuff out there it's a challenge. Stay tuned.

Short Order Cook

2008-11-09T22:46:00.010-05:00

I realized after writing my last post that I left out some pertinent points about the Welcome Home meal. Nothing is simple at mealtime here. Hubby eats and likes everything, so he ate the King Ranch Chicken. I, the vegetarian at the table, had a bean burrito with romaine, tomatoes and salsa. My son, the "only likes 5 different foods" eater at the table, had a chicken quesadilla.

See how nutty our meals are? At least all the entrees used similar ingredients. I'd like to tell you that it was unusual for me to fix three different meals for us, but that would not be true.

And now you know the rest of the story.

Recipe Riddle

2008-11-08T20:17:00.006-05:00

Since my hubby has been out of town all of this week and most of last week too, I decided to make him a "welcome home" meal which more accurately was a "I kinda feel guilty I haven't cooked in two weeks" meal. So I made a King Ranch Chicken casserole from my sister-in-law's recipe. The first time I made this dish I also googled it and found hundreds of other versions online. I printed several of them and tucked them away in my recipe binder. Today I pulled those recipes out and tried to combine the many variations into my final version. One can each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup or 2 cans cream of chicken? 1 cup broth, 2 cups broth or no broth? 2 cups cheese or 4 cups? (Seriously, FOUR cups of cheese??) 12 tortillas or 16? Cook for 40 minutes or 60 minutes?

Jim gave his dinner a thumbs up, so at least I had customer satisfaction. This time I jotted down some notes to myself, so maybe I won't have to do this again.

Do you have any recipes similar to this- ones which have lots of different versions? I think everyone makes meatloaf a bit differently, for example. Of course, mine is the best :)

Too Much Thrift?

2008-11-05T00:38:00.007-05:00

Thrift is good, right?
Or is it possible to be TOO thrifty, and by thrifty I don't mean careful with money. I mean thrifty as in buying too much stuff at thrift stores. I'm pretty sure this is not a good idea. I was doing so well on de-cluttering my house, and now multiple times a week I go buy "stuff."

I try to be really selective and only buy good things at a good price. But still, how much can one home absorb?

I think it's time to make a Thrifting Mental Checklist:

Do I need this?
Is there a place in my home for this?
Is it an upgrade for something I already have?

If I limit my visits and ask myself these three questions, I can hopefully still enjoy my treasure hunting trips without having to have a big yard sale to get rid of my excess thrifty finds.

Pandora Bracelet, Fall Style

2008-11-05T00:27:00.002-05:00

A new serving of Pandora Love...

Today's featured bracelet: {Description from website, and by the way, I'd like to have THAT job}
"With fall in mind, this bracelet was created using beads with warm brown tones. We started out with the dangle heart in a rich shade of brown, then selected coordinating stone colors in the same shade. Stone colors are enhanced with three Murano glass beads placed in each section of this bracelet. Without glass beads, stones appear more subtle and don’t seem to “pop” as much... This 7.5 in bracelet has 22 beads, including two clips... Estimated Cost of This Bracelet: $965.00"

Read that last sentence again. I'll wait.

Hmm, that's not good. But I should be used to this price problem, because mark my words, if I'm shopping and see something that I like a lot, it will be the most expensive item in the store.

At least with Pandora bracelets you can buy them one bead at a time. Hee.

Favorite beads on this bracelet: the brown dangle heart and the pineapple.

What Was I THINKING???

2008-11-02T17:11:00.007-05:00

I married my sweetie in the Bicentennial year. For you wee babes out there, in 1976 the country was awash with nostalgia for colonial America. In addition to the Bicentennial Fever sweeping the US, we were smack in the middle of the 70's and the dominant color scheme of green, gold and orange. As a 20-year-old bride to be, what did I know about choosing china, silver and crystal patterns for the long term? Even ten years in the future seemed ridiculous to imagine. The year 2000? Science fiction!!

Maybe this was the Perfect Storm for poor decisions, or maybe I just had BAD TASTE. As I recall through the mists of time, I found some spongeware by Stangl at Belk's that came in several lovely colors- classic blue, yellow, brown....and GREEN. Predictably, for my everyday china pattern I chose the Stangl Town and Country pattern in green. Cute. Very colonial, at least if our founding fathers ever used green dishes (doubtful.)

Since my china was in the Bicentennial spirit, I chose to continue the theme by choosing not sterling, not stainless steel, but PEWTER flatware. Pewter that is really not supposed to get wet. Very practical for the young couple.

For my formal china, I veered off the path of colonial fever and made a sharp turn down 70's Lane. Reverie by Noritake was decorated with flowers and butterflies in lime green and yellow. It came with a choice of trim in traditional gold or LIME GREEN, so I *wisely* chose the lime green. Because I needed them to match the LIME GREEN crystal I chose (Moonstone by Fostoria.) Clear crystal would go with any old china pattern, and who needs that?? It must be green!! but not the same green as the spongeware. Oh no, we needed two different shades of green dishes.

All of those dishes, etc. have been boxed up in my basement for decades. What a shame, one might think, just get rid of them. But I can't get rid of them because, you know, they're my wedding china :)

Did you make good decisions on your wedding china? Or are we a nation of clueless china-picking brides?

12 Movies I Love

2008-11-01T22:32:00.020-04:00

*Update: Welcome to those coming over from Thrifty Decor Chick's My Favorite Things Party!

Groundhog Day
Dave
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Father of the Bride
The American President
Love Actually
Gone With the Wind
Amelie
Wizard of Oz
Waitress
Stranger Than Fiction
Chocolat

A few memorable quotes: [singing in the shower] Dave: Hail to the chief / He's the one we all say "Hail" to. / We all say "Hail" / 'Cause he keeps himself so clean! / He's got the power, / That's why he's in the shower...

Toula Portakalos: Ma, Dad is so stubborn. What he says goes. "Ah, the man is the head of the house!"
Maria Portakalos: Let me tell you something, Toula. The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.

Phil (to groundhog): "Don't drive angry."

Franck: [looking at a book of wedding cakes] So this is a very popular cake with many of the fashionable weddings, you know? And this...I just don't do anymore. And this is fabulous.
Nina: Oh. Oh, that is incredible! Annie, that's just like the one we saw in the magazine.
Annie: Do you like it Dad?
George: Well, what is that? Is that dollars? $1,200?
Franck: Well, Mr. Banks. This is a very reasonable price for a cake of this magnitude.
George: A cake, Franck, is made of flour and water. My first car didn't cost $1,200.
Franck: Well, welcome to the nineties, Mr. Banks!
George: [voiceover] Not only did I not understand a syllable this guy was saying, now I had the feeling he was putting me down.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:40:00.003-04:00

Even though my youngest "baby" is now 16, I still try to maintain a few special Halloween traditions. (Won't it be strange not to have ANY children at home in a few years?? I've had at least one child at home for 31 years! Yes, my 3 kids' ages are very spread out.) So whether the boy likes it or not, today I will light the clay jack-0-lantern, bake Halloween cookies, and make a jack-o-lantern pizza for dinner. I use Trader Joe's ready-made crust and jarred sauce, then make a face with pepperonis. So easy but it makes it fun.
I miss the days of choosing costumes and walking around the neighborhood with a flashlight and a pumpkin bucket, but some things will never change. He'll always be my baby.
***Update: He teased me about the decorations, said the cookies "tasted funny," decreed the Halloween tablecloth ugly (possibly true) and rolled his eyes at the pizza but ate four slices. Sigh.

Meet The Grandkids

2008-10-30T08:44:00.001-04:00

Being a grandmother to these two wonderful boys is an honor and a blessing. They are amazing.
Love you boys, and mom and dad too!

{photo credit to my daughter}

More Fall Finds

2008-10-28T10:13:00.009-04:00

This has been quite the season for thrift store "treasure hunting!" Since I'm taking a {short} break from working outside the home, I've had the time to pop in to our local shops fairly frequently. Have I been missing out on great stuff all these years??

Anyway, it's been fun, even though I have to work on my new compulsion to blurt out the price of my new-to-me home decor.

Visitor: "I like that picture frame."
Me: "$1.99!!"

You get the idea. Sad.

So without further ado, I present the latest edition of Fall Finds:

This little pot of boxwood from Pottery Barn still had the $14.00 price tag on the bottom.
Me: "$2.99!"

I found 3 of these Johnson Brothers bowls with a lovely rope trim. They are perfect small serving dishes and also have many potential uses outside the kitchen.
Me: "$ .59 each!"

I loved the fluted base of this classic column lamp. I added a new black shade to replace the dented navy shade it came with.
Me: "$7.00!"

This easel clock had an orange-ish finish, but a little black paint revealed it's cuteness. It has two pegs in the back so it will stand alone.
Me: "$2.99!"

If you know about my fondness for all things alphabetical, you know I couldn't resist this metal tray. I don't love the gold color though, so I plan to paint it. Any advice as to what color? I'm leaning towards a creamy white.
Me: "$1.99!"

Thanks for tuning in to this latest episode of Fall Finds!

This Year's Dancing With The Stars Winners!

2008-10-27T00:14:00.004-04:00

My Favorite Things, ABC Style

2008-10-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

I accepted this challenge from my daughter, and it was WAY harder than I thought it would be. But as an homage to my previously mentioned love of all things alphabet, here's my best effort:

My Favorite Things, Alphabet Style

Art museums, apples & appetizers
Bracelets, basil & burritos
Craisins, crepe myrtles & clocks
Daughters, diamonds & dvds
Emeralds, earrings & empathy
Furniture, fun & folk art
Grandbabies, grapefruit & Google
Hydrangeas, humor & hummus
Ironstone, iGoogle & my iPod
Jon Stewart and Jon & Kate Plus Eight
Kisses, kitchens & kindness
Love, lemons & library books
Mother, Manhattan & my MacBook
North Carolina, Netflix & NPR
Orange juice, ottomans & organization
Pistachios, Paris & preschool
Quilts, the Quigleys* and Q-tips
Reading, rocking chairs & rainbows
Silhouettes, soy lattes & soup
Toile, topiaries & Trader Joe's
Urns & umbrellas
Virginia, veggies & vanilla wafers
Washington Post, West Wing & white dishes
X (I got nuthin')
Your blogs, YouTube & YOU
Zyrtec, Zaytinya** and...Zat's all, folks!

* my daughter's family- love you, Q Crew!
**restaurant in DC

Buddy Getting The Figs Picked

2008-10-23T22:38:00.001-04:00

When my oldest daughter was living in Mississippi during her stint with Teach For America, I loved to visit her as much as possible. We often ate lunch at a charming little place in her Delta town named The Crown Restaurant. I noticed a very unique picture on display there, and learned that one of the ladies who worked at the Crown was related to the artist. She told us the story of her relative, Ethel Wright Mohamed, and of the little museum that had been created from Ethel's former homeplace. We made arrangements to travel to Belzoni, MS and tour the museum, Mama's Dream World. Mrs. Mohamed was called the "Grandma Moses of Stitchery" by the Smithsonian, as she began documenting her family's memories through needlework in her later years, after the death of her husband.
I was able to purchase a few small prints and notecards of her work. One of my favorites was Buddy Getting The Figs Picked. The story behind the picture, in Mrs. Mohamed's words, was as follows:

School was out for the Summer. Buddy had nothing to do all day but play. I wanted him to know how to work- I told him I would give him 50 cents, but I wanted him to pick every fig. In those days 50 cents would buy the ticket at the movie and drinks. He seemed pleased and said he would; so in a couple of hours I went to check on him. There he sat under the fig tree, in the shade, and his little friend was up in the tree picking the figs. "Buddy, I wanted you to pick the figs," I said to him. He said, "Listen, Mama, I will give him 25 cents if he will pick every fig, and I will have a quarter left. When he gets them all picked, we will both go to the movie." So I walked away - this was not the day to talk to Buddy.

I have this small print hanging in my bedroom, and it makes me laugh each time I think of this Tom Sawyer-esque scheming little boy, and the day he outsmarted his sweet mother.

John Derian Alphabet Tray

2008-10-22T22:55:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I love Target. On a recent "errand" to my local Target store, I saw this Alphabet Tray by John Derian, and it jumped into my cart all by itself. Surely a tray with those motor skills deserved to come home with me. Since I taught 4 and 5 year-olds for many years and worked in preschool administration for many more, alphabet motifs are near and dear to my heart. It's made of melamine so it won't break, and unlike John Derian's NON-Target trays, it was very affordable.

Love at first sight really does exist! Also, jumping trays!

Fall Finds

2008-10-21T21:01:00.005-04:00

I've been popping in and out of a couple of local thrift stores this fall and have found a few things that I really love. The saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is surely true for me. So what treasures have I unearthed?

Find #1: Creamy white oval platter- love the shape, love the color!

Find #2: Black table- purchased for $3.00, this was my first painting project. Notice the shape of the legs. It was white with ivy stenciled across the top when I bought it. NOT a good look.
.

Finds #3 & 4: The black shelf has dentil trim under the ledge. Love that. I set the shelf on our bathroom counter, and added the little saucer to hold my favorite bracelets. Can you see the roman numerals around the edge of the saucer? I love how it echoes the numerals on the clock.

Find #5, 6, & 7: I've long loved five finger vases, but never wanted a large one. One day I saw this petite version, just about the size of my own hand. It was white, with no decoration. Perfect. I think it was 99 cents. My other finds are the small dish for holding jewelery and the tiny framed mirror.

I've had a lot of fun sifting through the "trash" and finding these few small treasures. But my FAVORITE find doesn't even rate a picture- it's not very cute, but I was happy to get it. I broke a lid for a Corning Ware dish years ago, so two dishes had to share one lid. When I recently found a lid in perfect condition for 75 cents, it was a sweet moment. I hate missing pieces!

Silhouette From The Past

2008-10-20T20:45:00.000-04:00

When I was about 18 years old I went to Disney World with my parents, grandparents and little brother. While there, I had a silhouette done by one of their artists. It had long languished in my Southern Living Cookbook (don't ask me why it was there- I DON'T KNOW. But at least I knew where to find it.) You see, the flaw in the silhouette for me was that the oval border said "Walt Disney World" in small but readable print. So I never put it on display even though I have always been fond of it, especially as my 18ish-year-old self became more and more of a distant memory.

Recently, however, I had a *moment of revelation* that I could use some little cheats to solve my problem. I scanned the original silhouette, loaded it into Photoshop, and deleted out all the border-y stuff. Then I printed it out onto cardstock, trimmed it up and popped it in a frame. Now I can admire my young self every day, as can my hubby who's known me since eighth grade. Thanks, Photoshop!

Pandora Bracelet, Halloween Style

2008-10-20T00:21:00.004-04:00

I've posted before about my Pandora bracelet (Thank you, honey.) Each bead is purchased separately, so you design your own bracelet as you go. I don't have any Murano glass beads (yet) but I saw this bracelet online today that was so cute for Halloween. Some of the charms could be used year-round, but by adding the orange and black beads the look is completely different. Do you see the little jack-o-lantern and ghost? Love them.

The Mantel Chronicles

2008-10-19T10:17:00.006-04:00

Here at the Lemonade Home, things are cozy. The ceilings do not soar, the floor plan is not open. So we take our lemons and make lemonade- get it?

Several years ago, my son was taking a practice swing with a baseball bat (I HOPE it was a plastic one, truthfully I've sort of blocked it from my mind) and cleared off half the mantel by accident. No, he wasn't allowed to swing the bat in the house. Oops.

Demoralized, I let it sit mostly empty for a ~~few years~~ short amount of time before regrouping and trying again. I'm a nut for symmetry, so I looked and looked for matchy things that fit the scale of the room, were inexpensive (see baseball bat story above,) and that didn't burn my retinas.

After a few trials and even more errors, here is my current version- clean, simple, symmetrical, etc. The clock was a gift from my parents one of the first years we were married, and although it doesn't keep perfect time, it makes a soothing tick tock sound that I love. The glass hurricanes echo the glass of the mirror and don't take up a lot of visual space. The white plates add warmth without a lot of weight.

Does it kill me that the plates don't match? Yes, indeedy, I've switched them out for matching plates several times already, but each time I switch them back.

So now that I've finally got it set, it's almost time to re-do it for Christmas. Good thing I took a picture...

Lovely Lemons

2008-10-18T18:49:00.000-04:00

One thing I have always loved is white dishes. My latest set is about 6 years old and I never grow tired of them. BUT I have discovered the world of thrifting, and oh my there are some pretty white pieces out there! My next goal is to collect a set of 8 to 12 mismatched white plates to use together as a "set". I have 7 different ones currently and am on the lookout for a few more. Love that idea..

Two of my favorite finds so far have been a large cream tray and a footed bowl ($2.99 each.) I put them together and filled the bowl with (fake) lemons. They make me happy each time I walk past them.

Pillow Makeover

2008-10-18T17:09:00.001-04:00

1. Take one turquoise (and not in a good way) pillow from Goodwill. ($2.00)
2. Zip off the pillow cover to reveal a lovely down and feather pillow insert.
3. Sew new cover from remnants of black and white toile fabric and pom-pom fringe.
4. Stuff pillow insert into opening. Stitch opening closed with needle and thread.
5. Enjoy new pillow!

Hooked on Moss

2008-10-18T12:48:00.003-04:00

I have recently found myself "hooked on" moss. It all started with my re-do of a little topiary my sister-in-law gave to me years ago. The ivy on it was starting to look a little tired, so I removed it. But without the ivy, the topiary ball looked really bare. I covered it with sheet moss, which gave it an updated, fresher look.
My next mossy project was to cover a large styrofoam ball with sheet moss to make one of those big moss balls I've seen. It took a while to find a container that was just right, but I like the one it's in for now (a Goodwill find!) I may change it up at Christmas.
The sheet moss had its drawbacks, however. There is a lot of dirt on the back of it, and truthfully it did make me sneeze. So when I saw this idea, I couldn't wait to try again! I bought the double topiary balls and 2 inexpensive clay pots at Joanne's . The reindeer moss was purchased at Michael's, with a coupon, of course.
A little hot glue and a few burned fingers later, they were done. I cut sheet moss circles to cover the top of the pots (ah-choo!) I still may paint the pots, but for now they are unadorned.

I was excited to open my latest Pottery Barn catalog and see lots of moss accessories included. It's looking like a Very Mossy Christmas. (In fact, B J's Corner has a post about changing fall topiaries to Christmas ones. So smart!)

Pandora Bracelet

2008-06-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

My husband gave me a Pandora bracelet and 3 charms for my birthday. It's been fun choosing beads to add to my bracelet, and it now looks *almost* like the one above. My favorite part is arranging and rearranging the beads to get just the right look.

Envirosax Shopping Bags

2008-06-30T14:20:00.000-04:00

5 bags in a set, available here.

FYI

2008-04-01T23:44:00.001-04:00

1. Do you like blue cheese? No, I don't like it at all.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No, thank God. What a question.
3. Do you own a gun? Even if I die as a victim of gun violence, I'll gladly live my life gun-free.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Don't have a local Sonic.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No, but I might if I had a bad feeling about what I might hear.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Honestly, I like them, but I don't eat them now.
7. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? COFFEE. Orange juice.
9. Can you do push ups? Girl push-ups- yes.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding band and diamond band.
12. Favorite hobby? Reading blogs.
14. Do you have A.D.D? Actually, I think I do.
15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Lack of self-discipline
16. Middle name? Jo
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.. Need to go to bed. Wish I didn't have to work tomorrow. Need to exercise.
18. Name 3 things you BOUGHT YESTERDAY? 10 lb. bag of grapefruit, 20" sofa pillow inserts, new clothes for Tyler.
19 . Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, water, orange juice
20. Current worry? Will I like the new kitchen counter tops? Also a couple of minor medical issues.
21. Current hate right now? Clutter
22. Favorite place to be? North Carolina
23. How did you bring in the New Year? Lame party in the neighborhood
24. Where would you like to go? UK, Italy, Austin
25. Name three people who will complete this? No clue
26. Do you own slippers? Yes, gray Land's End clogs, but they ran a little small. I kept them anyway but always wished they were a half size larger.
27. What shirt are you wearing? a brown button-up shirt
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never have but it sounds unappealing.
29. Can you whistle? Yes, but not very well.
30. Favorite color? I've always loved green.
31. Would you be a pirate? Never.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower. Weird.
33. Favorite girl's name? Lily
34. Favorite boy's name? Jack
35. What's in your pocket right now? Absolutely nothing- I checked to be sure.
36. What's something that made you laugh today? April Fool's jokes. I am GULLIBLE.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? Pink and yellow floral
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Black eye, I guess. I slipped in the rain and hit my forehead on the sidewalk.
39. Do you love where you live? No, no, no. Never have, never will.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 4.
41. Who is your loudest friend? She who shall not be named (SWSKBN, for short)
42. How many dogs do you have? none, due to allergies in the family
43. Does someone have a crush on you? sadly, no
45. What is your favorite book(s)? Don't make me pick, NO!!!
46. What is your favorite candy? I try very hard not to eat it, but if I was going to eat it, I would eat Junior Mints and Sour Patch Kids. Also, Dove dark chocolate.
47. Favorite Sports Team? Nationals, Red Sox
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Heavy, baby, heavy.
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Umm, I was online. Do you have a problem with that?
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? It's TUESDAY. I don't have to go to work today!!

How To Buy A Couch

2008-02-18T22:10:00.001-05:00

Shop for 2 days at 5 stores. Have no idea what you're looking for. Ask for help in ordering custom sofa. Let pushy designer pressure you to make a major purchase in 30 minutes or less. Wait three months to even see what your major purchase looks like. Live with your choice for 20 years.

***updated to add: I LOVE my new sofa (Bennett Sofa from Ethan Allen.) Traditional but updated style, super quality. I'll be happy to have this sofa for 20 years!

How I Voted (Primary Edition)

2008-02-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

How I voted:
Hillary Clinton

How I wanted to vote:
Barack Obama

Why I voted for Hillary:
Didn't want to live with the fact that I didn't vote for the first female candidate for President.

Who won the primary election:
Obama, by a large margin

How I felt:
Happy