The secret life of an outdoor chandelier.....

Do you see this beauty?  (please ignore crazy shape on left side.... its not noticeable when hanging!)

Another view... at twilight

At night....

complete with its own lace work

it started out life as this

a lowly tomato cage....

(bought at a yard sale as a bundle... $2 for the stack which amounted to 12!!!)

plus old wire, plastic beads, old crystals from a chandelier at a previous house (movers packed them unbeknownst to us and the new owners said to keep them), a hanging light kit (available at Lowe's) for the living room but it never looked right in there. Oh and a bit of leftover ORB spray paint.

The only purchase was an Edison light but which hardly cost anything as I had a $5 off coupon due to light bulbs that lasted months instead of years like they were guaranteed. 

And here is another view...

my dear sweet husband enjoying a book after having been sick for the past two weeks.  

(our friend little lace makers.... well they spin new webs each evening and we never have an issue with bugs!)

        
   

Monday... its really monday, right?

Wow has it ever been a weekend!  My dear sweet husband has been sick for well over two weeks... poor guy even ran a fever for several days.  He finally went into the doctor where it was discovered he had a sinus infection, respiratory infection, and possibly another infection.  So he was put on antibiotics which made him ache for a couple of days plus has made him photosensitive.... yep no hanging out enjoying the sunshine for him.  So he spent Saturday with me going to sales and snoozing in the car... but what a haul!

This is how much of a weekend was spent!  Enjoying the warm evening reading books!  And do you see that wonderful hammock?? We got it at a yard sale for $5!!!  Chris sanded the frame and I repainted it ORB.  And do you see the light?  I know its not the greatest picture but I made that over the weekend... using a tomato cage, a light kit, old wire, and crystals from an old chandelier.  At some point in time I am going to add more crystals but for now it is working great as it is!  Plus a sweet little spider is adding her own lace work which is definitely taking a toll on the insect population!


The last week or two has been spent on things like adding a bit of interest to pillows and making new pillow cases.

Touching up the base of the desk.

Adding this adorable chair, moving the printer, finding this sweet little typewriter that types... in cursive!!  

I LOVE IT!!!

and gathering more bundles of lavender to dry. 

Oh how I love lavender!

(and old pottery)

Have a great week!  

Still alive...

Let me start by saying no I haven't disappeared or fallen off the ends of the earth. :)  Just so busy for a while there that my head was virtually spinning! It was a good kinda spin.... folks in town for a visit, eldest graduated, major clean up in the house prior to the visit, sewing projects which I can't show at this time but I am so excited about, project making, pillows galore, cooking for teen boys, wedding, bum foot which I can finally walk on pain free, woo hoo!  pergola building. ground tilling. garden planting.  That said it is summer and we are off to a roaring start... or maybe I should say we were off to a roaring start but now life is starting to settle into that laid back summer routine.  Did you notice I didn't say lazy?  Because we are NEVER lazy here...nope, not at all. ha ha!

I promised I would not make a big deal about graduation here so I will simply say I am so proud of our eldest!  He is a fine young man and has such grand aspirations in life.  In a few short months he will be heading off on his own out to the west coast for USMC bootcamp where he will start a whole new life.  Until then he is helping out at home, seeking employment which is pretty hard to come by in our area especially since there is a 10 day missions trip to the Bronx he is involved in, and enjoying a bit of leisure as well.

The weather has been gorgeous!  So we are working around the place.... the new pergola went up. The grass is growing like mad and needs mown again.  Yes this is how the back deck looks like most of the time so we are working on prettying it up a bit and organizing it.

Out front we have this going on.  Yes I know it looks like we have lovely things growing between the pavers but in all honesty it is just weeds.  Soon wooly moss, elfin moss and sedum will grace this area as a means of softening it up a bit.

I've also been picking large bouquets of lavender to grace our home!  I love it!

The thyme and lilies seem to be trying to take over the area... I see a few haircuts in the works. In fact that is what I am off to do in a few minutes since it is still so nice out.

 

The front garden is need of a little work... so these will make great before shots because it really brought home the fact that we are desperately in need of color.... and need to find a new home for the hose.

Any suggestions?  

Well I am off to tame the wilds!  And see what we can dig up around these here parts in an effort to add a bit of beauty and whimsy to our outdoor spaces.

Have a great day!

Good monday morning!

Well I'm back, sorta.... first off I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers!  Trust me they could be felt!  Has there been a change and a slowing of the hectic pace?  Nope, not necessarily... but there has been a change of heart.  And trust me when I say that can go a long ways!!

Not a lot to report on the creative side of things.  I've been doing a tiny bit of crafting but have taken absolutely ZERO pictures!!  Most of my time has spent like this....

sorting, washing, folding, start over again!!  Yes, we've been changing out clothes, actually it is more like washing up the too small clothes, pulling out the bin of once too big clothes, washing and discovering that the once too big clothes are almost too small!  One question for you.... how did that happen in just a few short months?  Seriously... this is something I try to do quarterly so that no child (okay only the youngest "child" has a bin to "grow" into any longer and it is almost empty!) grows out of stuff before they ever wear it.  Yes they are hand-me-downs from older siblings but still I figure if we can get a little more use out of them then why not.  The situation comes in when the eldest two now wear the same size and have for the past year.  The youngest child in now only one shirt size smaller than they are... umm yeah.

Did I mention we have graduation coming up??? In 19 days?  And we still not have the "official" announcements?  Or any kind of announcements?  Or plans for the open house?  And my folks will be here in17 days?  And the spare room is piled high with stuff?  And there is no bed for them to sleep on?   The landscaping is not done? i've not finished decorating the house?  or i still need to schedule driver's ed classes? defrost the freezer that got left open a smidge all saturday night? i might need foot surgery (ok there is not might its just how long can i put it off) on my right foot?  okay... now deep breath!  I'm good!!  This is ALL good!!  It can be done!!!  So if I go AWOL again you know why.... its not that I don't love you all, its just that I've turned into a mad tornado of a woman and am working like crazy.

Not to worry though... I thought I would show you some of the soon to be quirky new additions to our home.....

Source

Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

Pottery Barn

I have those same jars... one from a yard sale eons ago and the other from Goodwill's 1/2 sale this past weekend! 

Pottery Barn

And to think I have all the necessary supplies for a little Pottery Barn inspiration!!

Toodles!  Have a great week!  I am now off to finish up the laundry for today as well as start on sorting through the "spare room" and prepare packages to be mailed!  Its crazy as the pile is now waist high on me.... okay so it isn't ALL that tall since I'm only 5'2" but trust me it is tall enough!  especially since its only the beginning... :)

Once again have a wonderful week and I will check back in periodically!  Maybe with some photos even... :)

Take care now!!

blogging hiatus

I know it has been sometime since you've heard from me.... its not the first time its happened and it probably won't be the last.  You see when life gets complicated I have a tendency to retreat... its as though the words will just not come and the words that do come are not the words that everyone wants to hear.  So my friends I am going to have to take some time off... time to reflect, time to draw closer to my Lord who I know is cradling in His arms right now and wiping my tears away, time to make memories with my family....

I want to thank ALL of you for your support over the years and for your friendships.  Some of you I know in real life and some we've never met in person but I still call you friend!  Thank you!  You will never know how much I cherish these friendships, how they bring a ray of sunshine into my life.... so for now I bid you adieu but it will not be permanent, that I can promise you.  Yes, I will pop in from time to time to show pictures of things I've made, glimpses of changes we're making around here, and maybe even to share what is on my heart but for now my heart is too raw.

Once again thank you and know that I appreciate any and all prayers whenever you happen to think about us.

Love you All!!

Peggy

Madras plaid golf pants rehab

I don't know if I mentioned it but this is a busy time of year for our family.  Last week was spring break, then Easter, followed by Chris' birthday.  In celebration of my beloved's day of birth we took a trip down to Indianapolis, just the two of us... and who sings that song?  anyone..... no fair checking... okay I admit it, I had to check myself to find out.  But I am sure Chris knows, cause he's smart like that!  Seriously, he never ceases to amaze with the things he knows.

Oh sorry!  That would be Bill Whithers!  Man, I love the sax solo in this song!

What did we do in Indy?  Why a bit of goodwilling!  Yep you heard correctly.... we went from Goodwill shop to Goodwill shop.  Some were crossed off our list of return locations but other were true gold mines.
Chris came away with some seriously nice shirts and khakis.  But seriously I think I am the one who made out like a bandit! I mean look at these.....

Don't you wish you had a pair just like them?!

(They are men's which about did me in!! )

(& i forgot to take a picture before i hacked the legs off so i had to set them back together.)

But do you want to see what they look like now?

Seriously, aren't you the least bit curious?

Okay.... here are the new, revised madras plaid golf pants....

And do you know what?  My 18 year son came out of his room and gave me the highest compliment....

"Cool bag, Mom!"  

And I finally got to use the flowers I made over a year ago.... now if only I could remember how to make them again.

Have a blessed day,

Peggy

    

          

The details.... "Tuscan" kitchen makeover

Now that Spring break is over and all is quiet around here I thought I would share a few of the details of our kitchen makeover.  I have to be up front with you........ this "makeover" was a LONG process for us as we just weren't sure what we wanted to do.  And because I have agonized over whether or not I ought  to paint oak cabinets.... you know because of how it might affect resale value.  But well, this is OUR HOME.... and WE are living here so we NEEd to do what is best for us (or in this case best for me.... trust me, I'm the only one who spends much time in the kitchen and I LOVE spending time in there now!)

The artwork:

Virtually all the "art" in our kitchen has some sort of special meaning or purpose.... a picnic basket from a yard sale still fully functional, cake stands for entertaining, decorative plates from my childhood in Europe, a grinder like my mom & grandma used to make Grandma's cookies at Christmas, and then the LETTERs.  Yes my husband has a LOVE of typography (as do I) so I thought I would incorporate that love into our kitchen.

I just love our number 5.  It represents our family.  On the way it looks like it came from an old sign but in real life... cardboard, painters tape, and several layers of paint make up this lovely.  

The tin "I"... for our eldest.  In fact each member of our family is represented in our kitchen.  The old zinc/tin "I".... you guessed it. Cardboard again.  And not just any cardboard.... its from a pizza box.  How apropos for a teenager!!

The Hardware: 

All I can say is brass, brass, and more brass!  Ugh, I am NOT a brass person.... give me oil rubbed bronze, chrome, nickel, cast iron, even galvanized but please, please do not make me keep brass.  (and for the record we still have brass hinges but they make me cringe every time I think about it.... but they get the job done so... they will stay the same.. until I spray paint them!)   You can take a look here to see close ups of the new hardware.  The cabinet door handles, all the hinges, and the oven knobs all got a new coat of spray paint, Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Above the kitchen stove you will notice a trivet and a spoon hook.  The hook, well it is a souvenir.... it may or may not have came from the dining facility at our last base.  To this day we have no idea how we ended up with it, just that when we were unpacking after the move we found it.  So as a reminder of all the lovely times we had we made it into a hook.  Yes it was a group effort between the bending (which was no easy feat!) and the pounding to flatten it (that was a LOT of fun!!)

(sorry about the poor quality.... its in an odd space that just does not get good light... and trust me this is not an accurate representation of our red walls... its photographing too pink.)

I guess I really ought to get myself in gear... the next project awaits me.  Art for the dining room (final project) and then its off to work in the spare room or go do a little grocery shopping.  And maybe make up a loaf or two of French bread and some chocolate chip cookies to warm up the house a bit.  

Have a wonderful day!