Happy Fourth of July

In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies, then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

As we celebrate another year of freedom, thanks to the foresight of our forefathers, let's give God the glory for bringing us together as One Nation Under God. Let's give thanks to all those who have fought wars to provide us with the freedom we cherish so much.

Soldiers have defended our freedom from that first July when we declared our independence. They have fought against other nations, they have fought brother against brother, all in the name of keeping our country free and providing us each with an equal right to enjoy that freedom.

May each and everyone of you exercise your right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and choose to have a wonderful, blessed 4th of July.

God Only Cries...

I stumbled on this song on YouTube. It is absolutely beautiful.

My little brown box....

I had another awesome yard sale find yesterday. It was one of those spur of the moment "Yard sale Pit Stop" times. I just pulled over and popped in to see what they had. I found this beautiful brown box in great condition. It only cost me $5.00. The only thing missing is the personalization plaque that was on the front. I don't want to have to refinish the box, because I love it like it is. But where the plaque was is really gummy.

Notice the dividers inside, they can slide to any width or be removed completed, depending on what i use the box for. It's original purpose is a humidor. I looked around the house to see if I could find anything nautical for the gummy area, which I cleaned up with some Pledge swipes. I found some strapping and some jute.

So I cut and glued the strapping the size of the plaque area. Then I went on line to learn how to tie a figure eight knot and glued it on. The finished product isn't too bad, now if I can just figure out where to sit it and what to put in it. Since the beach room is my everything room, the kids play in here when they visit so I'm sure they will want to make a pirate chest out of it. I may simply fill it with some of their little treasures for when they play pirates.

All in all, a great find.

So you think it's hot outside.....

I saw this beautiful sunrise as I ran out to the store this morning. My first thought was "Whew, it's going to be a scorcher today." We've been having some nice days but we've also had our share of hot, humid, "melt the skin off your bones" days.

As I was looking for some pictures on my computer, I came across this one that made me really stop and think. Yes, it has been hot. And some days, almost unbearably so. But on the brighter side, it could be like this....

I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend. What are your plans? I'm starting it off by spending the day with three of my beautiful grandchildren.

Hubby and I are going to spend Saturday just running around. We are going to the Farmer's Market at Market Square in Knoxville. They always have such wonderful fruits, vegetables, homemade breads, butter, jams and lots of other goodies. Very excited about going.

At some point over the weekend, I'm sure I'll hit a vintage shop, thrift store, or yard sale. I stopped at a yard sale on Thursday. I've shared that my sister is really into vintage Corelle. I found her this nice casserole dish for $1.00. It will be perfect for her to fix scalloped potatoes or bake some chicken in when the whole family gathers. She's coming to visit soon and I've got a whole stash of goodies for her to take back with her.

Sunday at church, our choir will be doing a 4th of July program. Some great songs with some wonderful meaning. It should be an awesome program.

On Monday, I'll spend the day with my other two beautiful grandchildren during the day.

That evening, hubby and I are going to have a picnic dinner on the patio for ourselves. He's grilling some ham and making potato salad, baked beans, and deviled eggs. I'll make some banana pudding for dessert or a lemon pound cake.

Then we will relax on the patio. After dark, we have neighbors all up and down the river who set off fireworks. They are always spectacular and we never have to leave the comfort of our home.

I would love to hear from you. What are YOUR plans for the holiday?

The 403 Garden

Come take a walk with me through the 403 Gardens. This is my sister's house. She got the green thumb in the family. So far this year, I've killed some marigolds and a tea rose bush. I'm afraid to try anything else. Her flowers are so beautiful that I thought you might want to walk through her gardens with me....

Upcoming projects....

It all started with my new pillows for the beach room. The room has went from a beach decor to a country decor and now I want it back as a beach room. Right now, I have a couple of these sconces hanging on either side of a picture. My new room is going to be light greens, blues, tans and white for the ocean. First thing, I'm going to do is paint these sconces.

Next, I'm going to get a wreath and some material and try my hand at a rag wreath. I love this one I found at Sandy Paw's Shop on Etsy.

I'm going to get a couple of shadow boxes and do this was some of maps of Myrtle Beach and Panama City Beach, my fave vacation spots.

Saw this in the All You magazine. I tested it out and the tea candles don't set level because of the arch in the bottom of the jar. I'm going to use some ribbon to go with my beach colors and put either sand or shells in the bottom of the jar so I can level out the candles.

I keep seeing shelfs and mantles with star fish on them. I have one and a friend is bringing one back from the beach. I'm going to get a shelf at AC Moore and spray paint it and incorporate the star fish and a few more items on it to keep up with the beach theme.

I would love to hear any ideas or see any links that would give me some more decorating tips for the beach room. 

Top 10 Cleaning Tips

Tuesday's Top 10 Cleaning Tips

1.  Peroxide for blood stains - One of the best ways to remove blood stain is to pour some peroxide on the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with cold water. This will usually take the stain right out. Launder as usual. Some fabrics may fade slightly, so do a test spot first.

2. Grass stains for baseball/football pants - We've all been there. The little boys who don't think it is a sport unless they slide into base or jump on the tackle. Grass stains are very hard to get out of those white pants so many teams wear. When my son played ball, I discovered that you could make a "paste" of Cascade dishwasher detergent and a little water and rub it into the stain. Scrub a little and let set for about an hour. Launder as usual and the stain should come right out.

3.  Ball caps - People of both genders and all ages love their baseball caps. Whether for work or play, they have a tendency to lose their shape when you wash them. For years, I have washed hubby's hats with Arm and Hammer detergent (it is good for removing sweat stains and odor). I then turn a sauce pan upside down and place the hat on it and sit it out in the sun to dry. They look brand new when it's done.

4. Laundry Baskets - I am a big fan of a laundry basket for easy clean up around the house. I start at the front of the house and walk through every room and collect items that are not where they are supposed to be (magazines, shoes, socks, etc.). After making a sweep through the whole house, I start back at the beginning and as I clean a room, I pull out items from the basket that belong in that room and put them back up. When I'm done, the basket is empty and things are where they should be.

5. Emergency Dusting - I hate to dust. I try to do it on a regular basis, but it seems like the minute you are done, it starts all over again. How many times have you received "the" phone call that says "I'm in your neighborhood and just wanted to stop by and visit." You immediately look around the house to see what absolutely needs to be done. A quick swipe of a Pledge Dust Cloth can get around the main items. But what about that knick-knack area that has so many things that need removed before dusting? It's simple. Keep a can of the computer air spray that you use on keyboards and simply "blow" the dust to one side of the shelf and make a quick wipe on that side.

6. Emergency Clean Up - The drop-by visit is another reason to use the trusted laundry basket. Simply walk through the house and put anything that's out of place in the basket and sit it in the laundry room or the floor of a closet until after the guests leave and then pull it out and put things away.

7.   Quick and Easy Floor Cleaning - We all have those high volume traffic areas across our kitchen linoleum that always looks dingier than the rest of the floor. I always keep a clean sponge and a bottle of Mean Green under the sink. When I start seeing that dingy area on the kitchen floor, I simply get the sponge wet, spray some Mean Green on the dirt spot and wipe it clean with the sponge. Instant shine and no more grime.

8. Laundry Spot Remover - We have tried them all....Spray & Wash, Shout, etc. But I recently found a new one that said "Stains Gone Guarantee" and "Triple Enzyme Remover". It is called Zout and it is exactly what it says "Stains Gone." I have never had a stain remover that works as well as this one. I even got a chocolate stain out of a shirt that had been laundered and tried 2-3 times with Shout to no avail. I love Zout and will never be without it.

9.   Tarnished Copper and Brass Pans - Anyone with copper pans knows how hard they are to keep clean. Here is a simple inexpensive way to clean them....Ketchup. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on your pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.

10.  Splatters in Microwave - We have all been there. We are heating up some spaghetti and the phone rings and next thing you know, it has splattered all over the microwave. This tip is more of a prevention than a clean up tip. For years, we have used napkins to cover bowls of items that might splatter. The motion of the microwave causes the napkins to blow off or drop into the bowl. My hubby found the perfect solution.  Coffee filters. We simply put one down inside the bowl so that it covers the food we are heating and the sides cover the top inside of the bowl. When it is heated, we simply dispose of the coffee filter and we still have a nice clean microwave.


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