Vacation!

We're going on vacation y'all & I'm so excited! We never go anywhere but that's about to change cause we're headed to Hilton Head Island SC on Monday for four days... I've never been there before so I'm doubly excited My dear sweet husband drives, it's his job so I'm going to do the driving on our little trip. And guess where I'm going to take us along the way... To see Old Sheldon Church ruins near Beaufort SC. Isn't it just hauntingly beautiful? I can't wait to see this holy place in person. Looks romantic doesn't it? I've wanted to go there for the last 7 years at least...

I'm going to keep this very real friends and tell y'all maybe we should spend money on my dental work or a much needed hoopty mobile. We've spent years postponing vacations for various reasons, all of which are mostly forgotten when we think back on it. But then I remember what my dear friend Rosie, Rose Big Pond - Marquez told me after a particularly rough patch in her family's lives. She said she wished they had taken more vacations together because they would have those memories forever. I've sadly lost touch with my dear Rosie, how I wish I could find her. But her words ring true in my ears!



Excitement of anticipation has been so sweet these last 3 weeks as we've planned our vacation... It's gotten me thru some tough long days at work. Just thinking about walks on the beach hand in hand... Quiet moments together... Sunrises on the water... Swimming in the ocean...

And the memories of our early days together, when our love was brand new. Y'all don't know this but we met on a little island very far far away... We spent our first months of married life on that island and being at the ocean recalls those memories for us. That will be the sweetest part of this trip, recalling those precious early days while making new memories.

Where have I been?

You guessed it, Hobby Lobby! So much going on at my store and it's been a roller coaster ride. My blogging has definitely suffered. Then this past weekend while I was walking our new dog Dallas (pictures coming soon!) I found some road graffiti in front of our house.

I wish this was what I found but sadly it wasn't... What I found spray painted at the end of our driveway was so foul, so dispictable, so vulgar that I can't even speak it, I shudder to think of it still... Why would anyone do such a thing? After the police came and later the country road dept, it's slightly better but that's an overstatement. The county worker said in his 16 years on the job he's never ever seen anything like it... NICE All day Saturday cars slowed to read it and most likely wonder why we were "gifted" with such vulgarity. We do not think we were the intended recipients of the graffiti... We're nice neighbors! Honestly! There's a young couple across the road who have been having their own little drama going on and we think it was intended for one of them. But I have to say I wouldn't wish this vulgarity and vileness on anyone!

The upside was several of our neighbors came out to show their support and talk it over with us. We had an opportunity to connect and in some cases reconnect with our neighbors that our commuter job lifestyle has inhibited for the last several years. So I'm focusing on that blessing in the midst of the *other* foolishness.

How was your week?

Meet Indiana Jones

Whatcha doing Indy-bug?

Indy! Get down! Bad Kitty!

Cute Chicken Wire Frame

I was inspired by a new piece I saw come off the truck a few weeks ago at my favorite store *wink*wink* So I got a package of this from Lowe's.

I've been hording this piece of burlap for years... why? Frame was purchased dirt cheap because the glass was broken out of it ~ again, from that favorite store of ours..

I had this stuff already so I just cut a piece almost the exact size of the backing board which by the way really REALLY needs to be a bit smaller than original size so everything will fit.Would you look at the size of that glue stick!!!
After I glued my fluffy bit down I cut a piece of burlap slightly larger than the board so I could wrap it around and cover nicely.

Then I wrapped my painted chicken wire around that. I didn't glue that down, why bother?

Get a load of the mess I work in!

Added a decoupaged MDF bird from Mike's with a painted clothes pin attached to the back with hot glue. Bird directions: trace the back side on to the back side of scrapbook paper, cut out. Meanwhile paint what will be backside and sides of bird with paint, let dry, apply paper with Modge Podge, smoothing out, cut off excess with craft knife, sand edges for distressed look, go over entire piece again with Modge Podge, then embellish to your hearts content, hot glue clothes pin to the back of bird... Enjoy your craftiness!

I ~giant sparkly heart~ comments!

Thrifted Easter Bargain

Sweet bargain from my local Habitat Resale shop. I almost passed this bargain up because they were on an Easter decorations table a) I haven't found my stash of Easter decorations yet & b) felt guilty at the thought of buying more. But I took a closer look they were marked... HALLMARK for only $3 !!!!!! Well I quickly decided I could afford a few Easter decorations this year *smiles* Now where are my candle tapers?

Before & After

My home is old, as in 100+ years old & it started life as a simple country church. Then sometime in the 1930's it went onto the tax rolls as a duplex type dwelling complete with two front doors! I can't imagine how a family of 5 & another family of 6 managed to live in this home side by side when our small family of 4 are always bumping into each other! Sometime in the 60's it was remodeled into a single family dwelling & we purchased it in 1992. There's lots of little things that I love about my home like it's solid oh so heavy wood doors & crystal door knobs. And a few odd things like the whiff of pipe smoke I occasionally smell (none of us smoke or have friends who smoke in our home) & this odd little shelf over the stove area of our kitchen. I've decorated it with lots of old jars collected from my husband's grandmother's barn, I've had ceramic pieces displayed, currently it's spices. But whatever I've done it's always been a hodge podge mismatched collection that always looked cluttered, never pretty. I'd sure love me some pretty for a change!

On my day off last week I shopped somewhere else other than Hobby Lobby *gasp* I know! Don't tell on me please! I went to TJ Maxx to look around since so many of y'all rave on & on about the great deals you find there. I found this plate for only $3 !!! I *heart* damask & I especially *heart* black and white. So I was thinking what if...

Sort of bare though so I shopped the house, remember these?Put them together & see what y'all think...Now I'm not going to use plate stands for them. I just wanted to see what it would look like. While at work I picked up some plate hangers and over the weekend hung them up carefully measuring and eyeballing to make sure it would look right. Here's my after picture!
What do y'all think? Good idea?

Mistreated windows

I needed a change! The black & khaki homespun ruffled panels I was making do with had to go! So a bit of leftover dec fabric, some quick sewing, and left over crafting ribbon and this is what I came up with. If I knew what I was doing I would have made a mini roman blind type thingy but since I don't know this is it! *smiles* I tried it on a curtain rod but I hated how it looked so I got my dear Mr Darcy's staple gun & with some help from The Girl we stapled it up over the sink... You can't even see the staples really... But you sure can see the uglist kitchen sink light fixture in the history of all kitchen sink light fixtures - for shame!I did use a rod for the back door though...
It was so hard getting these pictures! My camera doesn't want to work half the time *smiles*
I just love this fabric because it feels old fashioned to me & my house is definitely old.
So what do y'all think?