My Dear Sweet Friend Gert

I had a special request from

a very special friend

that I met here in blogland.

Her name is Gert.

She lives with her hubby

and her dear little dog, Rusty.

She has a blog called, 

Gert, Tom & Rusty, Too

Gert is asking for prayers.

Let me tell you-she is not a person

to ask for anything.

So....if she is asking....you know

she needs them.

Gert struggles with MS

but she is one of the most upbeat,

positive people I have ever known.

But right now she is in

terrible pain and they are

trying to figure out exactly why

she is suffering so badly.

She is in the hospital but they

are going to have to move

her into an aftercare facility.

I know she is apprehensive

about the move and her health.

Please say a prayer for her

and, if you have a moment,

please pop by her blog here

and just say Hello.

I know it will cheer her up.

Thanks so much.
I treasure each of you!

Romantic Homes Review May 2013 Issue

Can you believe that the

May Romantic Homes issue

is here already?

Ready to see some special people?

Here's my friend, Kim,

Savvy Southern Style.

She got a full page nod this month.

Now, let me warn you.

When you get to Kim's blog...

well....this room might look completely

different...cuz she is a 

mover and shaker painter.

You just NEVER know what she is

going to do next.  

That's why I love visiting her.

I love the name of this next blog.

Peeking Thru The Sunflowers.

I found her through the magazine

and she has a wonderful blog.

 I love Kelly over at

Eclectically Vintage, too.

She has a great sense of style.

And I have followed Sandy's blog,

Paint Me White for a long time.

Her style is impeccable-

Even her header is swoon worthy.

w

There is also a feature on

Christine Derderian's home.

The home is full of wonderful artwork..

and sweet colors.

Well, there are a few teasers

but there's a lot more in

the magazine itself.

So...I am willing to share my magazine

with you if you 

want to join me here for a 

cup of coffee or tea!

How about it?

I promise you'll leave smiling!

Fixing The Front Of A Historical House

As most of you know

that have been following me

for a while we have moved

MANY (is it 15?) times in

the years we have been married.

I have REDONE/REHABBED 

most of those homes.

My favorite house -

besides  the one we are in now-

 was the house in the historical section

of Astor Park in Green Bay, WI.

I LOVED this house.

I thought we would be there forever.

Sadly, it was not to be-

a neighbor walked across the street

one day and made my husband an 

offer he could not refuse.

Thirty days later we moved out.

(Now, remember, back then I

was not blogging.  I took

pictures only to have for our files)

When we moved...the 

front looked like this.

There is a porch swing on the left

where we spent every morning 

drinking coffee.

Here is what it looked like when we

moved in.

When we bought it

the ceiling of the porch

was painted dark navy blue

and there was a cranberry front door.

The first thing I did outside was paint

the ceiling white.

It made the inside much brighter.

The porch floor was painted one of the 

colors off the historical colors list.

Inside there was a vestibule and

a foyer behind it.

The vestibule was missing its door

and the built in bench had been removed.

How I wish I had taken better pictures.

The front sidelights had already

been replaced at this point.

After:

We replaced the bench,

the missing glass between foyer

and vestibule.

We also replaced the front door which

was not original to the house and

replaced the inner door with the one

 that had been moved from its place 

and used as the front door.

Oh----this is the home I miss the most!

---sigh---

Later this week

I will give you a peek at the side/back yard.

You won't believe your eyes.

-Bet you can't believe this either-

I do-

You know why?

Because it was on the INTERNET...

and, as we all know, everything

we see on the internet is true!

Have a great day!

Deaths Happen In Threes They Say

My generation was affected

by the style of a special

woman...

Lilly Pulitizer. 

She was well known for her 

brightly colored fabrics

many made into shifts...

usually pink and green.

What most people don't know

is that she developed those prints

to hide the fruit stains that came

from selling produce at her

fruit stand in Palm Beach, Florida.

She was a stylist and a socialite

and, from most accounts,

a kind woman.

I think Jackie Kennedy put her

"on the map" for most people

by wearing her clothing....

a Palm Beach connection that served 

both of them well.

Those were the sweet days of Camelot

for many of us.

And-

 Margaret Thatcher.

I don't know a lot about her politics.

I do know that she was a strong woman,

served in Parliament

and was called 

The Iron Lady.

She was well respected

and stood strong in a man's world.

If you want more info about her

you can find it here.

And, last but not least,

Annette Funicello

She was a Mousekeeter 

that stole our hearts and then 

went on to make beach movies.

She was a sweet, lovely person

and lost her battle with

Multiple Sclerosis.

Heaven has three new angels.

I hope they all held hands,
wearing pink & green polyester shifts,

going through the gates.

The world will miss them all.

Make Me Laugh Monday

As you know

I like to record things

the kids say so that they

can go back and read it 

one day.

Here is our girl

that I call

Literal Little Lulu.

She is the child that takes

things very literally.

For instance.....

She is riding along in the car with Mom.

The radio is on and Mom is flipping 

through stations.

Mom pauses for a few moments on

a Christian radio station.

The preacher says.....

Except for God we are but dust.

There is silence in the back seat

for a few moments.

Mama, Lulu offers.

Yes, honey?

Mama, you know what that guy just said?

Yes.  What about it?

I was just wondering......

WHAT IS BUTT DUST?

Don't ya love it?

Sweetly Ruffled For Spring

My decorating style is

pretty traditional.

It's a bit eclectic with

things gathered over the years.

My husband likes neutrals

so I have soft, muted tones

with pops of color here and there.

But....there is something I

just love to look at.

It is the ruffled, romantic look

that draws me in...

the feeling of something that is

 girly and pretty.

Sooooo....

When I happened across

a blog called

Sweet Melanie

my mouth dropped open.

This is for all

 you lovers of 

shabby sweetness and ruffles.

Don't you love it?

You can click HERE to go THERE!

Make sure you don't start looking

too early-or you will miss church...

and if you look too late you will

be up half the night.

Don't ask me how I know that, m'kay?

Make sure you scroll through

lots of her posts...there is

something wonderful in each one.

Well, I did all the hard work searching

for you-

Anything else I can help you find?

Huh?  Is there?

Like I have to find my husband's keys

after I have looked high and low

for the coat

he can't find...you know...like that.

he apparently left at the office 

along with his glasses..yeah....

Have a wonderful, blessed Sunday!

Future BAD BOY!

Oh-I can see it coming.

BigBoyE is going to be

The Heartbreaker

at school.

He is already a flirt.

Trust me!

He is cute and knows how

to push every cuteness button there is.

(sorry for the blurry photo-it is like

trying to catch the wind in motion)

He is either gonna be looking

for a Cowgirl...

Or a biker chick....

 Or...

Maybe a COUGAR

Ummmm...Maybe I should tell him

he can't date his cousin

in the state of Wisconsin?

Off to a seminar this afternoon
& evening- I will catch up
late tonight or early tomorrow- 

Old Bag to New Bag

I said

OLD BAG but

I am NOT talking

about myself here

thank you very much.

When my son needed a bag

in a hurry I decided to

repurpose one I already had.

Because he DOES NOT work for

Coldwell Banker

he DID NOT want to carry a bag

like this one.

Looking for a quick fix

I cut the sleeve off an old shirt.

(no picture-bad blogger)

I cut it to size and hemmed around

the edges.

I printed the word LIFE off on a sheet of paper.

I then taped that to the window,

put the piece of hemmed cloth over it 

and with a black Sharpie 

filled in the letters.

Once done,

I used fabric glue to secure it

over the logo on the front.

A grab and go bag for his 

LIFE materials.

Even thought it looks a bit crooked on there

it is not-that is just the best shot

I could get.

As for me-I'll be dreaming

of living LIFE here today.

Anyone care to join me?

We have been having some internet problems
the last couple of days.  I can only get on
sporadically- Bear with me if I don't
get right back to you.

SWEETCHEEKS GUILTY AS CHARGED

Ummmm..

WHO drank that bottle

of  performance juice?

The cap iss stihll on, Nana!

I'm jusht pretenhding.

See?

Really?

Yup!

Let me see your tongue!

You didn't drink that?

Look, Nana-Does it look like I drank it?

I'd say that enhanced her performance

pretty good, wouldn't you?

(you will notice she never directly

answered the question-I think

she is practicing to be a politician)

However, she can't stand it for long

she follows up with...

I'hm jus' kidddin'...

Nana- I drank it!

No KIDDING!

Hey SweetCheeks- TAKE A HIKE!!!

Dollywood couldn't contain

SweetCheeks and her family.

They headed for the hills.

Ready girls?

As you can see,

one of those hills has a

name attached to it-

Laurel Falls.

They had fun....

They climbed and climbed and climbed....

Taking little mini-rests along the way.

What kid doesn't love a cave?

Look at that LION following those girls!

Whew- Time to sit a spell

Looks like the whole family had fun,
doesn't it?

Ready for your next big adventure?
Yes?
You're not tired are you?
NOPE!

Liar, Liar-
Pants on fire!

Easter Blessings

From My Family

To Yours

God Bless You

today and always-

I will be taking the 

Easter weekend off-

away from the computer.

-See you Monday-

The Dollywood Mafia

You know that my family

invaded 

DOLLYWOOD 

this week.

It will probably never be the same.

I mean-

look at this ornery character.

Does she look dangerous, or what?

I wouldn't want to meet these 

guys in a dark alley, would you?

I guess there is safety in numbers

and they have promised to protect

BigBoyE.

However, he managed to dump them

so he could get on stage

front and center all by himself.

Yes...Good old 

DOLLYWOOD

will probably never be the same

after BigBoyE and SweetCheeks

have made their rounds.

I wonder what SweetCheeks will have to say

about Dollywood now?

I'll let you know....

Uh-Oh

Let's hope she doesn't leave 

BigBoyE

"sleeping with da fishes"

Southern Living March 2013

You know my heart is in the South.

Even though I was born in PA

and now live in the Midwest

I was smitten with the South

when I lived there in my 20's,

before marrying MyHero,

a Wisconsinite.

If you remember I talked about 

giving up just about all of my

magazine subscriptions.

Well,  I kept two.

One is Romantic Homes

and the other one is

I grab the magazine as soon as it comes 

and immediately fly through its pages

at a fast pace.

Later,  I go back and study every page.

Look what I found this month.

How about some

Marbled Eggs for Easter Morning?

click on image for recipe

Are those cute or what?

Hmmmm...wonder what kinda chicken

lays THOSE eggs?

I'm thinking they look like this....

but you know how gullible I am.

click on image for link

Has Angel Food Cake EVER looked so Heavenly?

click on image for recipe

So,  While I am covering my eyes so I am not

tempted by the cake

 I am peeking through my fingers and 

yearning to see this.....

click on image for link

However, while I am dreaming of the South

  I look out and see this-

Not a dream at all-

It's a nightmare.

Someone wake me up when

Spring hits, will ya?

oh-yeah- wake the old boy up, too.

Tell him it is time to come out

of hibernation.