White Roses

Hubby was pruning the roses recently and this is what he brought in. He loves them as much as I do and he's the gardener in our family. Many have emailed asking how I do it. I tell them I don't. His thumb is green and mine is pink. He just listens to our local nurserymen after much nagging from yours truly and they blossom out like this. The white one below actually starts out pink, then gets paler until it's almost white, but the scent is a citrus-y rose scent. Most wonderful, I assure you.

I was cutting some limbs from our dead pear tree to use for a project and cut off the leaves here on this table. I thought they would make a good prop for a photoshoot for this bouquet of roses.

Now, what could I be going to do with these things?

~*~

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Morning in the Garden

I spotted something on the back patio recently and thought it would make a great photo. So this morning after hubby left I tracked out there barefoot—my usual mode of foot attire—and just took in the wonders of the garden, so to speak. This little sign hangs on the back of the house near our vegetable garden.

This little flower pot needs another coat of paint but I like it like this so I'll leave it alone. The little hanging candle holder I fashioned from an old canning jar was taken down from the top of the patio recently to give it a good scrub or something like that and I've yet to hang it back up.

We bought these grapes last year to train them to go over a trellis we bought about 3 years ago. The name of the grape is Himrod and they are the sweetest grapes I've ever eaten. Delicious! Love Bunny brought me in a bunch of them last night and I had the whole bunch almost eaten when I spied a bug on my pant leg and then another one on the arm of my chair. He hadn't washed them and I wondered just how many bugs I ate before I noticed those two. I feel like something is crawling on me as I type this post. ;-) I'd like to say I was aiming for an artistic photo of the leaves, but truthfully I was aiming for the grapes but this turned out even better than I'd hoped. So see, mistakes can be nice after all.

Same here. ;-)

Ahhhhh, now we've got it! Luscious grapes.

Just my view of the trellis from where I was standing. You can see my neighbor's tree in the middle of the background.

Maybe I'm on my way to be a vintner, huh?

My footprints as I was heading into the house. It truly was quiet and beautiful out there in the morning with the dew lapping over my feet. Quiet and cool.

UH!! Now, how did Caroline get in here? LOL This is your eye candy for this morning. She's wearing a dress her great grandma wore almost 70 years ago. ME!

~*~

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Hydrangeas

I'm doing something just a tad different in our family room entrance so I brought a mosaic from the entrance to the family room to the entrance to the house. Ever changing, as I've said before.

I had to show you the hydrangeas and roses once more. I thought they had finished blooming but not so. They were planted a couple of years ago and didn't really take off well until this year. Each year they keep getting bigger and bigger like those we had in California. They struggle but I do believe they'll bloom in abundance in the next couple of years. Isn't this bloom gorgeous?

This one on the other side of the plant is withering slowly—playing out its existence for the year.

See how much thicker it's getting.

Again, the opposite side is dying its natural death.

And the roses. I didn't think this bush had that much left in it after Love Bunny's severe pruning thinking that the season was over for it, but I was wrong. (Yeah, let LB know I was wrong! He'd croak for sure.) :-)

Another bush has burst forth in all its glory also. We are truly blessed this year with roses.

And the hostas and day lily are flowering also.

Would you just look at how wonderful God is to bless us so abundantly with this marvelous garden area.

~*~

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Porches #4

Fall in the woods with the leaves changing color and the American flag add a touch of nostalgia to this lovely porch.

A beautiful farmhouse like this could be anywhere in the midwest. Starched curtains hanging in the windows. White with touches of black and red just grip my heart here.

There's a trend toward this sort of home in the southeast vacation places. While I can surely appreciate its beauty, it isn't a style with which I'm particularly fond. Very stark and clean looking.

The typical farmhouse found in just about any area, state or county in America. I know many women who would absolutely give up anything they could for a place like this.

I could spend summer mornings and evenings on this cute porch. I like the circular shape and the woodland view. But the wicker really captures my heart.

Mid America? Western America? Northern America? With the basement window barely visible I'm guessing it definitely isn't California!

~*~

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Curtains I Love for Pink Saturday 8/28/2010

Happy Pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly and the other participants by clicking on the logo below:



This past saturday I visited with Ineke at Ineke Original so pay her a visit. Delightful blogger.
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There is a celebration of life going on over at Kelee's blog for Colette who has survived cancer. It's a wonderful story of faith and life. But I also have a personal story to tell you.
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Hubs and I were married and started our family immediately. We had a daughter within 11 months and our son came along 11 1/2 months after her. When I started in labor with him I went in to the doctor at the military hospital in Oceanside, Calif. twice and got sent home. The 3rd time they knew I was in trouble. There were about 9 doctors in that examining room poking everywhere they could. Finally, they could see I was in trouble. They looked at my fingernails and knew I was dehydrated and then found out I had uremic poisoning and my kidneys were hurting pretty badly. (Later we found out I have medullary sponge kidney, which means I have stones TNTC (too numerous to count) and have passed 14 so far in my life.)

Anyway, they admitted me and I was pretty much out of it but Keith has born within a day and they whisked him out of there before I could hold him. I was alone and in very bad shape for about a week. Then on the 8th day I saw this bright light in my room. So bright I couldn't figure out how I could look at it because it was brighter than the sun. It was a sort of tunnel of light beckoning to me but I knew I was "not going", that I needed to be here. I later learned the doctors all told hubby to come and say goodbye to me for the last time because I was so sick I wasn't going to make it. Hubby told me he just sat in our home and cried and cried with our 11 month old daughter. But that day I knew I was going to get better. I tried calling the nurse because I wanted a drink. I was thirsty beyond belief because I was just getting IVs for all the time. Finally at the 9th day they let me walk down to see my son. He was in an incubator with no diaper because of all the antibiotics he and I were given, his diaper area was a mass of sores. When we took him home on the 11th day we couldn't put a diaper on him. Just let him lay on top of the cloth diaper.

Now, I wasn't religious at all at that time but something like that spiritual experience got me to believe in my heart that I'd live a long time. I really was looking beyond the veil that day into the next life. I absolutely know that now without any equivocation. Our son was just fine after that except for an episode of convulsions at about 2 than ended after a couple of months. He's perfectly normal now and a good son.

When he was attacked in April of 2009 we were devastated but we KNEW he would survive the beatings and trauma. I just never wondered about it because I believe God gave me the peace to know he would be fine. Prayer does work and also the father's blessings my husband—his father—gave him. He's pretty much healed from the beating they inflicted on him for trying to rescue that girl from them at the gas station. I trust God to take care of my kids and grandkids and me and hubs. Yep, prayer does work. We're a religious Christian family who attend church every sunday and try to live a holy life.
~*~

I have a short story to tell about this fabric, so bear with me.

For one thing, they are sheets—Fieldcrest called Cassandra. I spotted them over 20 years ago in our local Macy's store in California. I loved the fabric and bought several sheets that day simply because of the fabric. (This is probably my all-time favorite fabric. When something grabs at your heart like this, you never want to see it disappear.) I wanted more, but when I went back another day there were no more sheets. BUT standing in line was a woman with some of those sheets in her arms, and I found out she was returning them! Oh be still my heart. I told her I wanted them. So the saleswoman took them, gave her credit and turned right around and sold them to me. I thought I was in heaven for sure that day. One moment sadness and the next moment extreme joy! But I later thought about having even more of them for a stash of fabric in the most beautiful print I'd ever seen. So I called around to other Macy's in our local area but no one had any.

Then one day as Love Bunny and I were traveling over past Sacramento to someplace forgotten in my memory at this point in time, I decided to stop at Gottschalks north of Sacramento in Auburn. Just happened that they had more Cassandra sheets. I bought a couple of sheets there as I thought I'd probably have my "lifetime supply" at that point.

I made some pillows and curtains for our home in California. But when we got to Idaho I wanted some more curtains in our first Idaho home. We had 7 huge windows in our living room. They were about 6' high. That living room was about 20' x 26'. I loved it being so large. So I made 4 pairs to frame the banks of windows on each wall. One wall had 3 windows and the front wall had 4 windows with just a few inches in between the windows so I couldn't—and actually, didn't want to—frame each individual window. And because I had bought all those extra sheets I could do it.

So now how did these sheets look in the first Idaho house? Let me show you. But first be forewarned: these are NOT digital photos and I was absolutely the worst photographer there ever was with a regular old camera. This is not stated to get a 'oh, no, you weren't.' I take full responsibility for these pathetic photos, but they are all I have of this house. Betcha didn't know digital cameras didn't always exist, huh? And these are scans of bad photos to begin with so you see how horrid they are.

It was a wonderfully large room to decorate and as I look back I see how pathetic I was 20 years ago. I even covered a chair with the sheet I loved so much. The chair on the right by the window and the same one in the foreground is a Baker chair that has seen 3 different fabrics on its self. It is such an expensive and well made chair I've been able to do that. It pays to buy good furniture. Trust me on this.

I did these pillows in California and brought them with us to Idaho and just loved flopping them on this old sofa. That sofa today would be 38 years old. When we bought it, it was avocado striped green velvet. (See how we all make mistakes when we're young?!) It was then recovered in burgundy as seen here and everyone just loved it. I actually gave it away to a young couple and since I take excellent care of my stuff, it looked brand new when they got it. They were thrilled.

So why talk about them? Well, hubs was up in the attic again yesterday and found this box of 4 curtains left. I'm going to sell 2 of them, but I'm keeping one set of 2 for who-knows-where in the house. I just cannot see myself parting with this fabric. They are still as crisp as the day I bought them. I've never washed them, just threw them in the dryer to be dusted off when needed. They look and feel like new. I'm a bit sad selling even one pair but I know I'll never use 2 pairs in this house since it is our last house to occupy. You'll see them on eBay probably very soon. ;-)
~*~

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Froufrou Friday #4 8/27/2010

Inspiration finally struck.

Remember this post here? Well, Love Bunny dragged me off to the wilds again so I had to wait until we got back to do something with these tin pots. I decoupaged them with some old flowers decoupage I've had for years and then added a little clay rose I made. Add a bow and voilà, how vintage shabby french cottage can we get here?!

I just have to make some more roses for the other pot and decide where they'll go in this house. I'm quickly running out of space!

~*~

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Jubilee Furniture = new beginnings for quality used furntiure!

This week has been one of beautiful crisp mornings full of promise as I drove past lines of kids waiting for the school bus and thought fondly of my own two - now both in college - when we would make an event of the first day of school. New clothes, new notebooks, new teachers, new studies - amounted to equal amounts of excitement and fear. I remember watching for the afternoon bus wondering if the day had gone well or not. There is something special about the start of a new school year. Something wonderful about the cool nights when you can finally turn off the constant hum of the air conditioner. Something magical about leaves still wearing every shade of green yet knowing they will soon change to yellow, orange and red. Such hope. Ahhh...

Though not as exciting as a brand new start of a brand new school year, it's not unusual for someone who finds themselves at Jubilee Furniture for the first time to be pretty impressed by both the quantity and quality of our inventory. This week is another that will not disappoint!

So, join me as we take a look at some of the new-to-us items you'll find at Jubilee Furniture today (Friday) from 1 to 8 and tomorrow (Saturday) from 9 to 4. Shall we begin?

this is a beautiful - if large - Thomasville bedroom set - starting top left is a long, low dresser (no mirror) for $125; armoire for $175; and then a queen size headboard, lighted bridge and two storage towers all for $275 (mattress not included)

here's another gorgeous bedroom set - this time it's a dark, almost black finish - top left photo shows the dresser (love the height of this piece) and then the mirror which attaches behind the dresser (but is leaning on it's side next to the dresser in the photo) and is priced is $175; the queen head board, foot board and side rails are priced $225 (and the head board has a leather - or leather like - insert which is brown) - again, mattress not included in price; there's only one night stand and it's priced $125

bunk beds (there's a ladder but it's not shown in the photo) which include two bunky boards (the thinner "box spring" you use under a mattress) and is priced $235; the twin mattresses you see in the photo are priced $65 each

wonderfully large drawers in this six drawer dresser for $65

love, love, love this retro Bassett dresser for $85

incredibly fun vintage drop leaf chrome and Formica table for $75

here's another retro piece, also a drop leaf table with one leaf and four chairs manufactured by Meier & Pohlmann Furniture Co. and is priced $125 for the set (good condition but needs to be thoroughly cleaned)

sweet, small wood entertainment center with two drawer (and fantastic drawer pulls) for $50

love seat for $65

beautiful Drexel side board for $95

I shouldn't have had my flash on when I took this photo because the chair isn't as red as it looks - regardless this is an ah-mazing swivel, rocker, recliner in red leather with a small head rest that you can pull up to make sure you're super comfy and 100% relaxed - what other chair can do all that and for the low, low price of $175?!

this is one of those cool curved "conservation" sofas and in excellent condition except for the rip under the middle cushion (which could be fixed by using the fabric from the arm rest?) and priced $95

2 piece lighted curio cabinet for $75

lovely end table for $35

super nice retro coffee table w/glass on top for $65; beautiful decorative plate for $20

our donations this week truly were super nice and this mint-condition retro three piece sectional is gorgeous! I love that this sectional has a curved corner table which would be prefect for a lamp and is included in the price of $235. The bottom right photo is an up close shot of the fabric

here are a couple of matching Room & Board pieces - we have a chair and ottoman (ottoman is tucked to the left of the sofa) for $175 and the sofa is a sleeper and is priced $225 - all in excellent condition

here's a folding ladder bookcase for $65

this is an almost identical micro suede Max Home sofa with chaise (or no chaise - extra cushion turns the chaise end into a regular old couch) that we had a couple of months ago and is priced $185 (when I was talking to a customer about the other Max Home piece I told them it was a "Maxwell House" sofa accidentally! Can a sofa be "good to the last drop"?)

these are beautiful metal and glass pieces - a higher coffee table and two end tables - I've priced them individually (end tables $125 each and coffee table $145) or if you purchase them all you'll save $45 and only spend $350 (plus tax)

here's another Room & Board piece - a chair (duh) in an incredible pattern which I love and is priced $75

this is a very fun table - Ginger said it's a game table where a small chess or checker set would have been stored in the table but then could be taken out and the table opened larger when you wanted to play! How cool is that!? Priced $75

gorgeous,, gorgeous, gorgeous gold on gold striped sofa for $185 (and did I mention it's gorgeous?)

LOVE this Crate & Barrel rusty orange sofa in perfect condition for $295

this three piece sectional is also by Max Home (or Maxwell House) and is a great gray color and has lots of squishy places to chillax (and you thought I was an old fuddy duddy - oops by using the words "fuddy duddy" I think I just solidified that I am indeed one!) and is priced $250

So, regardless of where you are in your life right now, dear reader, I pray you feel the same excitment and hope as I saw on the young faces waiting for the school bus (minus the terror- smile).

Peace and grace to you - as always!

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