Monday, October 31, 2016

Fall Is A Wrap




Happy Halloween today! Fall decor is a wrap for me. I can hardly wait to get up tomorrow and pack it all away. YAY! 
Don't look too close at the banner...I taped a leaf in the middle and stuck another leaf on top to hide the tape, but I guess the top leaf fell off. Next year I'm going to use an old fashion clothes pin to hang the leaf up. Obviously the tape wasn't such a good idea
Last month I bought these three little pumpkins at Laurieanna's in Canton TX during their monthly, 4-day sale. With all the stuff I've painted white lately, it's nice to have a little color. 

Speaking of things painted white, this decorative thingy got a coat of Linen paint a few days ago. It started out a rusty brown. It stands out so much better white...


You can see it here holding the large pumpkin and standing next to the tiered cloche holder I made.
 I bought the hanging kitchen sign at Laurieanna's too, but haven't put it up yet due to mis-placing my little handy-dandy electric screwdriver. Turns out when you lose things in your garage, they're not so handy-dandy!
I'm ready for Christmas decor, and I hope it brings a very cold Winter with it. I don't mean to rush the season, but I'm looking forward to the Christmas tree and all the lights this year. 

This magnolia wreath got a few Fall pumpkin pics and some Fall leaves for this month,but next month she'll be wearing red for sure!




Thanks for dropping by!




Sunday, October 30, 2016

Almost Halloween



Almost Halloween and we're preparing treats for the goblins to come Trick or Treat us. Some years we don't get many and some we're overrun. 
Earlier this month we visited one set of grand-kids (and their parents) for a long weekend. We live in different states, so it's always fun to see how much the kids change from one visit to another. One day they're babies, the next day they're kicking your butt at Monopoly Junior!
Listening to Dave Ramsey's podcast the other day, he said he would've been nicer to his own kids growing up if he'd known how great having grandchildren would be! I have to agree with him.
Our daughter's outdoor decorations are solar controlled. The Jack-O-Lanterns blow themselves up as the sun goes down and lights shine through in a cheerful glow.  I enjoyed the light-hearted feel of their decorations.
Wild Bill gets a bit wilder when the little kids are around. I got my camera out to catch his wild run when I heard little Henry yell... "can't catch me!" ...to his Grampy. I'm not sure who was chasing whom, but I'll let you decide. First went Grampy...
 Then came Henry...
 Then Grampy came back around with Henry right on his heels!
They wore me out just watching them. Meanwhile, Lily gave back the dining room table so we could pretend we were a match for her mad skills at board games. Anyone who has Lego-age children or grand-children will know it takes a while to clear off all the Legos.


 You can just tell little brother would love to get his hands on those!

Thanks for dropping by!





Friday, October 28, 2016

Five On Friday: A Dog With An Attitude




Joining Saturday's Critters and Amy at Love Made My Home for Five-On-FridayOn Amy's post this week, she wrote about SUNNY things, showing a wonderful sunny yellow spread she had just made, and it perked up my saddened heart.

Last week our extended family lost another beloved dog-member. Two weeks ago, while visiting them, it was a bittersweet moment when I took these last pictures of youngest daughter and her almost 16-year-old Bailey. 
I knew it was the last time I would see Bailey with her mom, as Bailey's kidney and heart problems were fast bringing a close to this loving relationship. I'd like to share with you five things about Bailey Girl and our family, I'll try to keep them sunny.
1.  Fourteen years ago, youngest daughter was a recent college grad and came to live with us in Albuquerque where we had just relocated. She often said she didn't plan to marry or have children...but a dog...now that was different!

2. We saw an ad for a "Pet In The Park" adoption clinic one Saturday soon after youngest daughter arrived. As we walked into the park that day, one dog lifted its head up high and stared at youngest daughter as if willing her to come pick her up! We went to the park just to have a look and came home with Bailey. 

3. To know Bailey is to love Bailey, but she was quite a handful in her younger days. Bailey's adoption records show she had already been through several home situations in her first 2 years of life when youngest daughter scooped her up and hugged her in that park so many years ago.
4. Here is a list of some of Bailey's devious misdeeds that come to mind at the moment. Some she was broken of, but not all.
  • Bailey loved human food and, when we would sit at the table when she was first adopted, she would knock her head hard against our legs to let us know she wanted us to share. 
  • When Bailey wanted to go for a walk and thought she had waited too long, she would pick up a flip-flop in her mouth and toss it at her mom.
  • When Bailey got mad at her mom's visiting boyfriend, she backed up over his shoes by the door and pooped in them.
  • After chewing on them for a while, Bailey liked to hide her treats to save for later. Under a human's bed pillow was a favorite spot for her wet, mucky rawhides and such. Yuck!
  • Bailey loved short, dark-skinned men. I mean "loved" like she thought she was their girlfriend. An Hispanic contractor named Jerome (who was measuring the backyard for some extensive work) got the brunt of her affection one evening. Bailey created such a racket at the window, we let her join us in the backyard to show her there was nothing to bark about. She made about 30 circles around the yard...zipping past poor Jerome's legs...then throwing back her head in a come-hither glance...grabbing squeaky toys in her mouth and tossing them at his feet. For the next two weeks, while Jerome's crew worked in the backyard, Bailey blew Jerome kisses through the back window as best as any dog can. He was her Romeo, and she made sure he knew it!
5. As bad as she could be, Bailey was just as good-hearted. Slowly through the years youngest daughter's "single girl" attitude crumbled. Another dog was adopted...a husband, daughter and son added...two cats came along...and now a whole herd of fostered kittens shuttle in and out. Through it all Bailey accepted all the newcomers. 

The first was a dog named Wrigley who had been so badly abused, he cowered at your slightest movement. Bailey sensed Wrigley's fear and helped him overcome it. When Wrigley would cower, Bailey would nudge him with her nose or give a low growl, as if to reassure Wrigs she was by his side. In the picture below she sits up high in her normal, vigilant pose. 
 Bailey would normally take the lead and let Wrigley hang back a little, but not too much. Here they're getting use to their doggy packs for a Pet Adoption Day Parade. Bailey's leading in the black pack while Wrigs is hiding behind her in the blue. I think if Bailey had been a human, she would've rode a motorcycle and had a lot of pretty tattoos showing!
Bailey, ever watchful of her house, taught Wrigley (on the left below) to look out the window for anything out of the ordinary. No bird or cat entered "her" yard without a protest from Bailey.
From the start, one of Bailey's favorite past times was joy riding in the car. As Wrigley got a little braver, Bailey was smart enough to let him sit in front of her so he got most of the wind in his face. 

Just looking at pictures of the two of them makes me wonder how Wrigley will ever get along without her? For that matter, how will we?


So long Bailey Girl...
Thanks for dropping in our lives 14 years ago!








Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Use It Or Lose It Wednesday



Still downsizing my crap stuff. My goal is to reduce my "stash" by 50 percent, so we've developed a use it or lose it attitude. While a lot of stuff has gone out the door, some I've kept to fix-up and paint. Here's my latest creation...
A lot of people have been making these tiered trays with old plates or pans and candle holders. This one is made with a terracotta saucer and an old candle holder.
I made sure the terracotta saucer fit the cloche I had. If you don't have an old terracotta saucer, you can buy one at a local hardware store in the garden section for $2 or $3 depending on the size you need.
I bought some Amy Howard paint in the color Linen recently, so I used that to paint the candle holder and terracotta saucer. The candle holder is wood with a small metal piece on top. 

After I was happy with the paint coverage (3 or 4 thin coats), I used Miss Mustard Seed's clear wax to give the paint a little protection. It was what was handiest today. Any of that type of wax would work.
I eyeballed centering the candle holder on the bottom of the saucer, then I put some sturdy glue on the rim of the top of the candle holder and put them together. 
I used this project glue that I already had, but Gorilla Glue or E-6000 or the like would work just as well. 

OK! Now we're at the fancy part!!! I looked around the kitchen in a panic for something that was heavy and would fit in the saucer...
The idea was to weigh down the top so the glue would bond well. Just in case, I threw in two cans of salmon to add as much weight as I could. 
TA-DA!!!
Don't laugh, but I was so proud to finally make something and get it done. I have really seen a lot of my prized "project" stuff go out the door with all the downsizing. Finally a little of my junk gets to stay.


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Monday, October 24, 2016

Kopycat: Fall Candle



I like the simple stuff even though I seem to complicate everything I touch. Hmmm...Does that even make sense?
This is my version of a recent Fall decorated candle holder I saw in a magazine. Yeah, I dropped some Fall colored leaves down the sides of the candle...I told you it was simple!
The faux leaves are from Hobby Lobby, that mecca of crappy decorating products that we all can't seem to pass up.
The candle is faux too. No lives were endangered for this touch of Fall moment! This remote-controlled, battery operated faux candle is from Costco (pack of 5 various sizes for about $20 and 10 batteries even included) and, though not as real looking as some, still better than lighting candles.

This picture was my inspiration for the 5 minute Fall decor. There are so many great ideas in this seasonal magazine from Country Sampler, it was well worth the cover price.

The cover says 217 Quick & Clever Ideas for Fall, and I did find a lot of the ideas charming. 



Thanks for dropping by!



(as always, just my opinion...not compensated for any product endorsements)

Friday, October 21, 2016

Five On Friday: Smitten



Friday again! Hope your week was a calm one. The older I get, the faster time flies and this past week really flew. Joining Amy at Love Made My Home for Five On Friday again this week...
Love this newly opened shop in McKinney called Home.ol.o.gy, which already has their shop decorated for Christmas. 
Love is not the right word...I think smitten works better. Just take a look.
ONE:  The flat metal reindeer on the wreaths outside the store's door had me at hello. Smitten! Luckily for me, the shop was closed when I walked by last night on my way to an evening paint class or I would be dead broke today.
The entryway is appealing all by itself. I wish I had gotten a better picture of the whole entry, but it was late and getting dark and my class was about to start.
TWO: Have you ever seen a sweeter sign? Smitten! I didn't mind being told the store was closed in this way. I loved the contrast between the dark wood doorway, the black and white tiled floor, and the straight up and down sign.


THREE:  Here's a shot of the chandelier hanging over the doorway outside. I was really smitten with that light! 



The contrast with the fancy chandelier and the dark wood was very, very appealing.
FOUR:  When I looked to see the store hours on the window, I fell for all the Christmas decor inside. The sparkly reindeer and the large white candle holders in this window made me want to come back real soon.
The class I was headed to was a painting class for Amy Howard's paint and finishes. 
The large candle holder painted an off white probably was my inspiration for choosing a white-ish paint called Linen for my sample board (a wooden tile) in last night's class. 
I painted the wooden tile linen with a little dark wax to age it. I think I will be attacking everything in the house with my new brush and linen paint!
FIVE:  I peeked in every window of the shop before I hurried to my class. I tried to get the best photos I could. Everything was so pretty and I wanted to remember it all. Amy Howard has a taupe color similar to the shade on this large candle holder below. I might just have to paint some things with that color too. Smitten once again!



Thanks for dropping by!


Joining the party here:
Amaze Me Monday
Dishing It And Digging It
Five On Friday