Top 10 Tuesday

I start in mid-May decorating with a patrotic theme. For May Memorial Day, for June Flag Day and for the Fourth of July. Even though I showed you my kitchen table yesterday, it was done 4 weeks ago. But this week, I did my patriotic kitchen centerpiece. I love the metal flag from Hobby Lobby.

Isn't this pillow cute. I need to get a sewing machine so I can start sewing again. I just love this.

I love this Framed flag idea with the yarn balls.

I actually went to Joann's yesterday to try to find this fabric. They didn't have anything similar. There is a little store in my town that has primitive fabric. I will try there when they open back up.

I love these lace flags, Would like to do one this year.

But this smaller version is cute as well.

I actually have the paint and the clothes pins to to try this today. It's raining on and off so it's a good gloomy day to stay in.

Love these super simple little firecrackers.

These last two on my top 10 list are more seasonal not patriotic. But watermelon is definitely a summer standard.

And check out these little apples that would be perfect for September with back to school decor. 

Well there are my Top 10 items for this Tuesday morning. Have a blessed day.

My room re-do's

The first room I did was the bedroom. I went from patchwork quilt to a coral reef. Love the peach, pink, mint green colors.

Ted E. Bear is displayed on the bed in his sweater that has a kite on it. Hubby bought that sweater for the bear years ago when we had just gotten back from the beach. My husband loved to fly kites. He has several and he would take them every time we went to the beach. He got them up extremely high. 

I found some cute pictures at Hobby Lobby at 1/2 off that are really beachy and go with my color scheme.

I gathered extra beach stuff from other rooms or from my storage boxes. I put them on my little shelf.

I love my little tray for my rings and watch when I'm not wearing them.

A lot of the beach stuff came from the beach bathroom. It is still beachy only more nautical.

I love the pattern in the curtain and it is followed through on the bath mat. 

And in this little hand towel.

Believe it or not, but they had the toilet seat with the same pattern on the lid so I bought that but didn't take a pic. It also had a starfish soap dish and a shell toothbrush holder.

I didn't have to do much in the kitchen except put my new tablecloth on.

I love making flower arrangements and so much fun with this one because of the number of different flowers.

I had a tall book shelf in the living room but wanted it in my office. So I found this little one for $10 online. It was so easy to put together. That was the only real new thing I did in the living room.

I found this little shelf locally for in front of the kitchen window. The bottom shelf is a set of four cook books all geared in cooking in the copper skillets. I am going to try a recipe out of one of them this week. I love my copper skillet.

Next is my new centerpiece with my new little rooster. This is on my kitchen table.

This is my Baker's rack of my browns, golds, yellow, orange and red Pyrex collection. It is contantly upgraded as I get more pieces. If I get much more, I'm going to have to get another shelf.

This is my little display rack that has my new pitcher and some of my sandwich glass collection.

I put my new rooster teapot on top of my little stand in the kitchen.

And this is all my  beautiful blue and white Pyrex in the dining room on the wine rack.

That covers everything except for my Steampunk room. I have some more things to do in there and hope to get them done this week. That's my wrap up of all the changes around the house. Hope you enjoyed the visit.

To blessed to stress

Our world has been struggling through these past couple of months with everything hanging in limbo. Yes, it is horrible. And yes it is stressful. So I have been finding joy in the little things in life.These are just a few things that have made me smile this week.

I love to put patriotic displays out in May - July. That way I cover Memorial Day, Flag Day and Fourth of July all at once. Here is my new one this year for the kitchen table.

I had some biscuits with dinner the other day. I saved a couple for a late night snack. Mixed dark Karo corn syrup and butter to make this caramel tasting dip for the biscuits. If you have never had this, I urge you to give it a try. It is delicious.

I got some new rummy cards the other day. These are from Margaritaville. I love the facecards. They are so vibrant. My favorites are the queen of hearts and the king of spades.

I got one of my Thirty-One orders in. Love my new cups.

This is my new Organizing Utility Tote. These colors are awesome.

My daughter ordered the straw shoulder bag for summer. It is adorable.

Went with my daughter to her niece's house and got my hair cut. You just gotta love getting a new hair cut and snuggles from a little baby boy.

In the pic above is a set of glowing eyes to the right side of the picture. That was the other "baby" in the family. He was a beautiful black German shepherd. He was so beautiful and loveable. 

She cuts my hair clean and dry because of the natural curl and that way it never is too short when I wash it. I came home and washed and dried it and I am super happy with it. 

As we left her house, we pulled into Home Depot for a minute. Check out the spectacular sunset from their parking lot. What a view.

Now this is strange to me, but the above pic is the sunset that night. This next picture is the sunrise over my little woods in the view from my porch. Is that not amazing. I have always heard and old expression that said "as different as day and night". Well, I don't know about you but I don't see a whole lot of difference in Tuesday night to the west and Wednesday morning to the east.

But I will say they were both beautiful and I couldn't help but take pictures.

Hodge Podge Wednesday

Hooking up today for Hodge Podge Wednesday at From This Side of the Pond

1. Ever played the game Farkle? Are you a risk taker? In games only or also in life?

I have never played Farkle. I am somewhat of a risk taker in games. But mostly analytical, trying to watch what moves others are planning. I am very competitive in playing games. As far as life, yes I have taken a risk or two in my time. Thankfully they always paid off. I tend to go with my gut for the most part.

2. What's your favorite thing about your yard or whatever outdoor space you may have?

Sitting on my front porch and watching all the activity. Birds are always so active. We attract quite a few smaller bird like house finches, yellow finches and blue birds as well as wrens heavily in the winter. We also have rabbits all summer and squirrels all winter. And deer in the field across the road year round. And on a clear day in the other direction I can see some of the Smoky Mountains.

3. Tell us about the most interesting building you've seen or been in.

Definitely Wonderworks in Pigeon Forge, TN. It is an upside down house with all kinds of fun hands on activities you can do. My favorite is standing on a "island" in the pool of bubbles. You raise up a hoola hoop with a robe and it makes a giant bubble that you are stanind inside. Then there is the dancing room 

4. In this current season of social distancing, what's something you've come to realize you take for granted in more ordinary times? Do you think you'll make a conscious effort to appreciate whatever that 'it' is once normal life resumes?

I have come to realize who my true friends are and which ones that are my friends simply because I am always the one cultivating the friendship. My real friends have showed me how much they care by staying in touch and checking up on me without me have to initiate it. And yes, I will make a more conscious effort to not get sucked down in the mire of the ones who have shown me they are very self-absorbed.

5. Share a favorite song with a springtime flower in the lyrics somewhere.

Every Rose has it's Thorn by Poison. Brett Michaels has been one of my favorite "bad boys" of rock for 4 decades.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I find it funny that my #1 genre of music is Southern Gospel and Country (old and some new). But the song I picked above is a 1980's rock band. I am a closet rock and roll addict and most people have no clue. LOL

Weekend Wrap Up

I had a fantastic weekend. It started off with me trying a new recipe. A Milky Way poke cake. Chocolate cake with holes poked in it, drizzeled with caramel syrup and chocolate syrup. Chocolate frosting with Cool Whip folded in. Chopped up Milky Ways and then drizzeled with more caramel and chocolate syrup. I took it to my friends house and it was just about all gone by bedtime. It was a big hit.

The next day, my friend and I went antique shopping. Imagine my excitement when I found a dish I had been looking for in the first place we went and for just $10. These are normally $20 - $29 when I find them.

In the same place I also found another dish I was wanting for also $10. Again it is normally in the $20's.

I found a pretty blue salt dip to add to my collection for just $4.00

We went to the next one of my favorite antique places. He had never been to that one and couldn't believe how much they could cram in some of the small spaces. You feel like you never see everything in that store. But my eyes sure picked out this cute little feller for my rooster collection. He was $5 which was a good price.

But my favorite find for the day was a rooster tea pot. I have been looking for one for awhile now and at $15 I snatched it up without thinking twice.

That night my son and his family took me out to eat for Mother's day. We went to the diner. I love eating there and always get breakfast for supper. Got to spend some good time with them all. Here's a pic of me and my first grandchild. He is 21 now and still one of my pride and joy.

The youngest grandchild usually doesn't try to smile for me but he can't help himself. Didn't notice till later that even though I got a smile, I didn't get the eyes open. I think he only smiled because my oldest granddaughter held his head. I love all my grandbabies but I wish they would quit growing up so fast.

And wonders of wonders, they really surprised me with my gift. If you have been reading my blog for long, you know that every so often I talk about the Arcopal France company version of Pyrex and how I want this particular pitcher. Well, they found me one. I went back on my blog and it was 11 years ago that I first posted how much I wanted one in this exact pattern and I finally got it. I was thrilled.

I got to see my daughter and her family over the weekend as well but didn't get to get any picture. But this is the shirt that they got me. I love the bold colors. I can't wait to find someplace to go to get to wear it.

Sunday was nothing but a day of rest. I really enjoyed just laying around the house all day and not doing much of anything.