Finish It Up Friday- Five Random Things

Okay- Here we go.

I am cleaning out my picture files

before  Winter.

YOU poor people get stuck looking

at all my 

RANDOM  STUFF.

This is taken just North of us in beautiful

DOOR COUNTY, WI.

They call it the Maine of the Midwest.

Can you see the haze 

toward the tops of the trees?

Across and up the road a piece  was this barn

filtered by the haze in the air....

This was taken from about 1/3 mile away

and then cropped.

I just realized that looks almost like 

a painting.  

That is what happens when you 

have a cheap camera. 

Two weeks ago two little sisters

spent an afternoon by the Bay.

It is getting too cold 

to sit down on the beach now.

There was a migration of birds.

THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS 

OF BIRDS.

They flew in a steady stream for almost

a half hour.

We have never seen this particular bird here before.

AND- we have never seen birds fly this low.

There were mere inches above the waterline.

The actually created a ripple on the water

from the wind from their wings.

 

I have hydrangeas drying all over the place.

These are poked all over an old birdcage to dry.

 Yeah- I know- I enlarged the picture

AND look at the watermark.

Don't like big watermarks?

Shut your mouth eyes and move on, m'kay?

Well, that's my FIVE.

Guess that is all the pain I can put you through today.

But- I can't resist this night shot

taken over the Bay- this would be from

our family room window.

The bright orange on the lower left is a

lit pumpkin garland on the playhouse fence.

On a clear night like this one you can see the shore 

across from us. 

AND

My Hero is out of town for a seminar.

Whooo Hoooo...

I may or not behave myself 

long enough to get around to visiting

a few blogs.

A Bit Of Halloween In The Family Room

I do quite a bit of 

FALL DECORATING

but not so much for Halloween.

We don't get any 

Trick-or-Treaters 

where we live.

I usually go in town and enjoy all 

the HALLOWEEN DECORATING my 

daughter does at her house.

On Halloween night I go 

door-to-door with the grandkids.

That will change this year, too,

because they have moved

out into the wilds country.

sniff-sniff

So, I will content myself with 

bits and pieces of

Halloween here and will show you
just one little corner of our 
family room.

I painted this years ago when 

my kids were little.

It's propped against my 

CHRISTMAS CACTUS.

That's kind of a joke in itself, isn't it?

Halloween/Christmas- get it?

Nevermind....

It sits on a trunk in the corner.

I park most of my inside plants here

for the winter.

The little old runner is there to protect

the top of the trunk from water damage.

I love this old trunk.  

I have had it for about 15 years.

Love the corner detail, too.

Speaking of trunks and Fall!

Look what I found at the base of

another tree.

Is that cool, or what?

I told you it was cool!!!

You KNOW it is a FAIRY HOUSE, right?

I fell into a prone position to take a photo

of what was INSIDE this tree.

YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!

HONEST!  You won't BELIEVE IT!!!!

Let's look through that hole!

Ready?

source

 Is that the cutest little fairy house

you've ever seen?

Didn't I get a great shot

of the inside of that tree?

What do you mean 

YOU DON"T BELIEVE ME????

Well, as SweetCheeks would say....

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTT!

If you haven't signed up for my 
giveaway yet-you still have time.

Miss SweetCheeks will do the drawing
on November 1st.
Sign up here.

A SWEET LITTLE GIVEAWAY- FROM ME TO YOU

I KNOW you all love GIVE AWAYS

and this is one that

KEEPS ON GIVING

all year long!

I KNOW how much most of you 

LOVE MAGAZINES.

We were all doing magazines

LONG before Pinterest 

and blogging, weren't we?

I  know that a lot of you dropped

your subscriptions once you started

blogging because there was so 

much inspiration online

AND because magazines are expensive..

However,

There is just something satisfying

about having a magazine 

IN YOUR HAND,

isn't there?

So- Here's the deal!

I am offering you a 

ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION
to

COTTAGE.

It is published 5 times a year.

You will LOVE IT- trust me!

What do you have to do?

Just be 

A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG

AND

LEAVE ME A COMMENT.

That's it-

No hoops to jump through-

I don't need your Mother's maiden name

or your father's blood type.

Just your name!

Got it?

GO!

Drawing is Saturday November 1st!

Well- don't just SIT THERE-

Leave me a comment  dopey

I will be away for most of the day 
but will try to play a bit of catch up tonight. 

Romantic Homes October 2014

I missed highlighting a few 

Romantic Homes Magazines

while I was on break.

I thought I better get

October's post done 

while it is still October.

So- here we go!

First up is Gay VanBeek's beautiful home.

The article is called Charmed Life.

Her blog is 

Canterbury Cottage Designs.

Prepare to be enchanted.

Here is one more interior shot.

I WANT those boots!!!

I love the soft feel of this article 

Romantic Vintage

setting by 

Melanie Bowe of En Vie Interiors

Melanie's bedroom is softly serene, too.

And last-but not least-

An article called

The Vintage Kitchen

by Jacqueline deMontravel 

There are several kitchens featured there.

This is part of one of them.

I think you can still pick up a copy of 

October's Romantic Homes.

As for me?

Well, today my own

ROMANTIC HOME

 features

Santiago the Squirrel

who has apparently buried his acorns

in my HOUSE PLANT that was 

out on the porch for the summer.

I will be re-burying them outside 

FOR HIM

so I can bring my rosemary plant back inside.

Hope he can find them before the snow sets in!

Bright Eyes At Six Months Old

It seems like just yesterday that she was born!

And now here she is 

SIX MONTHS OLD.

Here is what is funny...

At the last minute she threw her leg up in the air!

LOL

Maybe she's going to be a gymnast 

LIKE ME.

Okay- I mighta lied about being a gymnast...

what I meant to say was I had to take

GYM in high school.

You know- back when they made you 

shower naked with all the other girls

and they would stand by the shower door

and check your name off as you came out..

Anyone else HATE that?

-Six Days-

Six Months!

I think she gets cuter by the day!

Have a wonderful Monday!!!!

UPDATE! Thank You For Praying- Clayton Jones Was Found Safe This Morning

Missing 13-year-old boy, Clayton Jones, found safe'!

Clayton Jones (Courtesy Photo/Roxy Jones)A missing 13-year-old boy has been found safe near Rye.

Clayton Jones, of Avondale, went missing Saturday morning, but Custer County Sheriff's Office dispatch has confirmed that he was found by a family member around 10:45 a.m. Sunday.

Fremont County Search & Rescue helped in the search, CCSO confirmed. He was missing near Hwy. 165 and Ophir Creek Road near Rye.

Praise God he was found safe and sound and thank you all for praying for him.

Please continue to pray for my friend Laura as she deals with cancer.  Thanks so much!

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED FOR A LOST CHILD-Clayton- & FOR MY FRIEND Laura-DEALING WITH CANCER

I apologize to those of you who

were here earlier but I feel like I need

to really ask for prayers for a desperate family situation.

Here is Roxy's post from

Living From Glory To Glory:

Our Grandson, CLAYTON, is missing in the Colorado Mountains
He is lost, we need prayer now!!
Please Pray for him!

He has been missing for over 12 hours now! It has begun to snow!


God Help us!!

UPDATE:

This is day two still no sign of him!
PLEASE PRAY

Horses will be able to go in at first light!
He is only 13 years old...

Pray for the rescue people
Pray for him to be found
Pray he is not hurt
pray please I need your prayers


The chopper will start searching at 9:00 AM

Please keep praying.....

Thank you
His Mother is now on her way up to the mountain; she needs prayer also
His Daddy and Grandfather have been searching all night
Hundreds of rescue people, no sign as of yet

I am also asking for prayer 

for my friend, Laura.

We met many years ago on an

MSN women's group.

She is a very private person

but has asked for prayer

and sent me a picture of herself.

It's a thumbs up for her even though

she has lost her hair due to chemo.

She is now dealing with a serious

lung infection and they have

stopped her chemo treatments.

Please pray for a healing for her.

She is a wonderful person and 

has such a sweet spirit about her.

Pray that the lung infection clears

and that she can resume her

chemo soon.

AND pray that the chemo

KILLS the CANCER!

Amen.

Thank you-I know that is lot

this Sunday morning but I 

also know that we all care

about each other's struggles in life.

Bloggers are a good bunch!

LITTLE SWEET CHEEKS SITTING TALL-WHY'D YOU LET YOUR PUMPKIN FALL?

If you have seen this before

I apologize.

I think it will be a recurring post

every Fall for me.

I couldn't resist

posting this again.

for all you

PUMPKIN PICKERS.

This is SweetCheeks

at two years old.

She is 7 now.

Here she is holding

THE PUMPKIN

she picked out.

..AND..

Here she is about 

15 seconds later.

Ummmmm.....

Poor SweetCheeks.

I love that we have a

moment like this forever

frozen in time.

Someday she will show this

to her own granddaughter

and smile a sweet

little smile of remembrance.

I hope you have a 

Smashing Saturday..

and I mean that in the

NICEST WAY!;>)

Finish It Up Friday- My Random Five

One of the things I have been working on

whilst I have been "recovering"

is sorting pictures.
(speaking of recovering- I am having
my stitches out today)

I have so many odds and ends-

Nothing to make a whole post out of...

but perfect for

Finish It Up Friday.

This post might be

PRETTY CORNY
#1

This hangs by our steps

#2

It's THE IRISH in him!
Doesn't he look like a little leprechaun?

#3

Remember the other day when I posted this

and called it 
THE END OF AN ERA?

That SweetCheeks was no longer dressing up as 

SNOW WHITE?

I was wrong!

Guess what she picked to wear for 

Halloween this year?

hahahaha

My words usually come back to bite me!

#4

Dining Room
Mantle Left and Right 
Table Centerpiece

That basket belonged to Gramma Stella.
It has the original green paint on the handle
and is in excellent condition.
The MIX sign is from the cattle stock yards
in The Valley in PA.

FINALLY #5
I have a
NICE LITTLE SURPRISE
for MyHero when he gets home today.
I have a 
WONDERFUL SIGN
for his office door.

Wait till he sees the lock I installed on the
OUTSIDE OF HIS DOOR!

My NEW MOTTO is:
BE NICE OR PAY THE PRICE.

He's gonna be in there a LONG time........

A Blog That Will Tear Your Heart Out-ALZHEIMER'S-The Living Death

While I have been recovering

I have had a chance to find and read some blogs

that I never had a chance to visit before.

My own mother had 

ALZHEIMER'S

and it is what I thought of as 

A LIVING DEATH.

Here is my mother at

about 45 years old.

The life was gone from her eyes

long before she passed.

Susan's blog is for anyone that is 

caring for a parent, spouse or loved one

with dementia like her mother.

Susan is able to verbalize thoughts

that plague so many of us.

This will break your heart

but also give you comfort 

if you are dealing with someone

afflicted with Alzheimer's.

Here is the link to Susan's post called

A Daughter's Prayer To God.

The name of her blog is

My Alzheimer's Story

but use the link above

to take you there.

No laughs today-

Bring your tissues.

BIRD TALK From A BIRD BRAIN

It's amazing where my imagination

will take me when I am not able

to do much.

Now- I am reduced to 

creating a whole fantasy life for

THE BIRDS.

that are sitting on the playhouse roof!

Pictures are NOT great-taken 

through a window!

I will let the birds do all the talking

for themselves.

Yeah- Even being 

FREE AS A BIRD

is not all it's cracked up to be!!!!

I need to DO something-

the mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Jan's KITCHEN REMODEL- Out With The Old-In With The New

My friend, Jan, is one of the

MOST PATIENT PEOPLE 

I know.

She has to be-she is married to

MyHero's best friend and movie buddy, Mike.

Mike & MyHero deserve each other.
I call them Itch & Scratch

and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Anyway,

Jan has lived in her house for many years

and always wanted a new kitchen.

It had the older blond cabinets from the 40's or 50's,

harvest gold linoleum,
a wall with Spanish style wrought iron
that divided the kitchen and living room.  

Did I mention dysfunctional?

Her refrigerator stuck out along one wall
and she did not have a dishwasher
or much storage.

However, remodeling seemed overwhelming to her.

She does not like to have to make choices

(and argue with Mike about HIS choices)

She finally bit the bullet a while ago.

I helped her make some decisions

and helped her lay out the remodeled space.

She did not want granite ,

stainless steel or white cabinets.
She did end up with stainless steel
but mixed it with as much black
as she could on the appliances.
The refrigerator is solid black.

Janet & Mike both like warm earthy colors.

I won't tell you that she went with a more

"minty" green when left to her own devices...

even though it IS HER house.

I don't have many BEFORE pictures

but, in progress, it  looked like this

by the kitchen sink.

To the right of the sink and down the dinette wall-

Ceiling fan---GONE--

Win for Janet- Loss for Mikey

Across from this wall

the refrigerator stood alone like a soldier
with a small closet next to it.

Now it is surrounded by built ins.

She was NOT expecting me to pop in 
and take pictures.

I will say that she was a really good sport about

showing her real-life/lived in kitchen.

The kitchen, dinette and living room all flow

together so colors had to blend

with existing furnishings, too.

This is looking from the kitchen into the living area.

Mikey picked the rug-Good job buddy!

Isn't this just warm and welcoming?

And, this is how they live-
she wasn't planning on me
stopping by for photos.

The room is narrow so we chose pictures that

had a "deep" feel to them.

They visually expand the room.

uhhh...Jan...that pillow that is standing 

UPRIGHT needs to turn itself sideways...
just saying....

And...to add to her warm welcoming nature

she is also a gardener.

She has plants inside

and outside!

She sighed a 
BIG SIGH OF RELIEF
when all the decisions had been made 
AND
the kitchen and living room project was finished.
She loves it and is glad the mess is over.

Ummmm...Janet.....guess what's next?
Yeah- gotta bring that bathroom
into this century.

I can already hear Mike whining about
his bare bear getting tossed 
OFF the toilet.

However, IF he is nice to me I promise
not to tell that I saw him in his
tightie whities the other day....by accident.
And THAT, my friends is the REAL REASON 
I needed eye surgery.