Merrry Christmas

Well Done!

Just had to pop in and say congrats to my sister. She is offically out of nursing school! Pinning on Friday night and graduation on Saturday morning. WTG Missy, proud of you!

A sweet treat!

Okay - I haven't touched this blog in 4 months and it has taken me two days to figure out how to even get into it to make a post - this one will be short and sweet. I'm really not ready to start posting again but I wanted to say thank you to Terry (no blog) for sending me this cute little ornament for my 'sweet tree'.  I'll try to spend some time figuring out this new format while I figure out when/if I want to try to come back on a regular basis. I know I won't make the decision before the new year, but I might make a post or two (assuming I actually get this one to post!) I have missed blogging and have tried to read a few here and there when time allows.

Thanks so much to those of you who have emailed to check on me. I'm still dealing with some issues but things are getting better.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving - I hope to pop back in and wish you a Merry Christmas, but just in case it doesn't happen that way I'll say it now.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Thanks, and thanks.

First, I have to thank two very sweet readers who sent me gifts for my birthday.



Donna sent me a cute little mushroom to add to my collection. The one in the front - isn't he just too cute.

Terry sent me this beautiful bunny thread winder! Another collection I have. I love it!

Many thanks to both of you sweet ladies. And thank you to everyone who sent an email or posted a comment. I'm sorry about the word verification thing - I thought I had it turned off and now I can't figure out how to do it again. :(

Now for the 'and thanks' part. I want to thank all of you who have been loyal readers, whether you comment or not. I've enjoyed this blog over the past five years and I'm going to take some time to go back and read from the beginning soon, but for now I am going to have to back away from blogging for a bit. Both from posting and reading, or at least doing it on a regular basis. I'm not closing my blog and I may throw up a post now and then if I finish a project to share but I won't be posting on any kind of regular basis. (not that I have been lately anyway) This is a hard decision for me, but I feel it is best at the moment. I may stop by and visit a blog now and then if I have time but as for letting my reader accumulate 1000+ unread posts, that is not going to happen. I'm going to mark all read today and after today, if I have time to read a few posts I will, if not, I'll mark them all read and move on to the next day. I will miss each and every one of them but this is just what I have to do for now.

I welcome anyone who wants to stay in touch during my hiatus to send me an email. (can be found in my profile)

Hugs,

Tina

And the winner is. . .

Maureen - with her comment from July 10!

Hey there Tina! I love what you've done with your stained glass windows...gorgeous pieces. My sister does beautiful work with stained glass...I never tire of it!Congrats on your upcoming blogiversary!Maureen

Maureen - I sent you an email, if you will respond with your mailing info I will get the package in the mail to you.


This is my little vine in the back yard


This is the one in my neighbors back yard. Mine is just a baby!

From my sister

I haven't disappeared - yet.

A package arrived from my sister the other day.


She's so punny.

She is quite happy with the fact that she is 5 years younger than I am.

But, I don't have any gray hair! :)

It just hasn't been possible for me to read any blogs this past week. I do miss them.

Oldest kidlet is here for the weekend. He cooked my breakfast yesterday! First time for everything! He and hubby have gone to see the Batman move - I passed.

I hope to pull comments and draw a name for the blog prize sometime Monday.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Rain!

We have had nearly six inches of rain since Saturday! There has been a lot of flooding in the Houston area - thankfully none of it has been close to us. Our yard is nice and green and the plants are happy.

I was beginning to think maybe my hydrangea wasn't going to make it. All the blooms died and the leaves were all turning brown. A few weeks ago I snipped off all the blooms and the brown looking leaves and now it looks like it is coming back! The new leaves are looking good and there are two small blooms - I've decided to just let it bloom pink!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Hang 'em high

I know - long time no post. More about that in a minute.

When I was putting the stuff back on top of my kitchen cabinets I decided not to put my two stained glass window pieces back up there. I had kinda just stuck them there for lack of knowing where else to put them but you really couldn't see them there. I finally decided to hang them going up the stairs.

It's really hard to get a good picture of them. I'm standing in the breakfast room - kitchen to left, living room to right. I tried turning the light on the stairs on and the light in the game room on but both made too much of a glare so this was the best I could do. :( Looks better in person.

I love these pieces and I've always loved the shabby-ness of them. This one is in pretty good shape.

This one is a little worse-for-the-wear. I'm wondering if I need to spruce them up a bit since you get so up close and personal to them when walking up the stairs? (I took the close-ups standing on the stairs)

Where I had them before (on top of the cabinets) you couldn't really see the edges much so it wasn't an issue, same for where I had them at the old house.

Best pic I could find without spending a whole lot of time on it. That was our bedroom window and the stained glass piece was between the mini-blind and the window. Not an option here because of the faux-wood blinds that take up the whole window. (still miss that porch)

This one was in a window on the other side of the same bedroom.

And just for kicks, I thought I would throw in the one I had in my kitchen window before. It is now hanging in front of the breakfast room window (which was right behind me when I was taking that first picture)

Okay - I haven't posted much lately. Seems I just have a lot of stuff going on (in my head) and I can't seem to get in the groove to post. I've done a bit of sewing but they are gifts so I can't post those. I haven't taken pictures of the piece from the applique class I took last month. I'm still working on the last block, but I could at least take an in-progress picture. I started a small (old!) cross stitch project but haven't taken any pictures of that either. :( Not a very good blogger am I?

All that said - if you have made it to the end of this long, boring post - I'm going to have a small give-away. And when I say small, I mean small so don't go getting too excited. Just a few little things I picked up in anticipation of my 5 yr blogging anniversary on the 15th of this month. I thought I would have some small handmade something and would put this stuff with it but the small handmade something hasn't happened and time is running short so it likely isn't going to happen. I had originally thought I would publish my first post on my birthday (July 20) way back when but I got so excited I went and published it on July 15. Since my posts seem to be so few and far between these days, I'll count any comments that happen between now and the 20th, whether on this post or any I might make between now and then. I appreciate all comments and try to respond if I have a way to reach you but some of you don't leave any way for me to reach you. For the drawing,if you are a no-reply commenter and I don't have your email address, please leave an email address so I can contact you. Thanks!

The Front Row

Way back in December, the hubby won tickets to a Coldplay concert. Front row tickets! That show was Monday night.


These pictures were all taken with just a point 'n shoot camera


I don't know how many times they shot out confetti but it was everywhere!

Can you imagine how good these pictures would have been with a good camera?

See the lights in the background?

Everyone was given an wristband - pretty cool when they were all lit up!

We were the oldest people on the front row - but oh well!

I think my insides have finally stopped vibrating and someday I may be able to hear again!

Some things never change

and sometimes that's a good thing!

If I were an organized mom, which I'm so NOT, I could show you a picture from about 15 years ago with this same expression. (minus the shades and his bride) I'm sure there are more than one, I just remember this one because at the time it struck me as being so 'him' and he hasn't changed! Love that kid!!!

Oh - I totally swiped this picture from Ashley's facebook page.

Happy Wednesday

Or, I can't come up with a title. Not that I don't wish you a happy day - just, well, you get the idea. Not only do I not have a witty title, I don't have a witty post. :(


Since I don't have anything crafty to show, I thought I would show an update on one of the plants that seems to be doing well at the moment. (most of them are NOT doing well) Anyway - I planted this Lantana in April


Now look at it! (this is the 'back side - the side I see out the front door)


and this is the front (street) side (like the first picture)


I wish I could say the Lantana in the hanging baskets is doing as well but I'm afraid those baskets are about on the list of things to replace. As much as I LOVE hanging baskets on a porch (especially ferns but I gave up on those last year) I am about ready to just hang wind chimes on the front porch hooks - they wouldn't have to be watered!

The chair

This is what hubby wanted for Father's Day.

We ordered it in April and picked it up a couple of weeks ago (in the middle of working on the kitchen) You can kinda tell the color but it definitely looked greener in the store than it does in my living room.

I tried to help it, but there is just only so much you can do. It is a recliner - have I told you how much I dislike recliners? Nothing wrong with sitting in them, and I will admit it is comfortable, but it is a recliner. We looked and looked for one that didn't look like a recliner but he never could find one that he thought was comfortable. Oh well. Do you notice anything in this picture?

Yep - two weeks later and the tag is still on. I think I'll start calling him Mr. Minnie Pearl.

For those of you who have asked (and thank you for asking!) Autumn is better. Still limping, but not as bad and if you call her to eat she can move as fast as ever!

Plastic-ware and a lame dog

Seriously, how much plastic-ware does one person need? And - I had already gotten rid of some back when we had the garage sale in April! I used to buy lots of snack stuffs in bulk at Sam's so I did use those large containers at one time. I had a house full of teenage boys - mine plus the friends they always had over. Man can they go through the food. They were there so much they would even put stuff on the shopping list (I kept a running list on the side of the fridge) when we were out!
Anyway - I put all the lids and containers together to make sure everything had a mate (one lonely lid went in the trash). This was split between two cabinets (meaning it was taking up 4 of 10 shelves!) I was determined to get it all into one (2 shelves) hubby said I couldn't do it. The stack in the middle of the back has two sets of large containers - I ditched one set. The 2qt pitcher (there is another 2qt pitcher behind some of the bowls - from Pampered Chef, I kept that one) and the Velveeta keeper went too. That's it. Everything else went in one cabinet!


Really, why do men doubt us? I LOVE my pull-out shelves!


Autumn had issues last week. Not sure what her thing was but she just wasn't herself. She was just moping around. She seemed better by the weekend though and we though things were fine. Until she got a bath on Sunday. Don't know what happened but we could tell she was in pain and she would not use her front paw (not sure if it was the leg or paw) anyway - this is what she did the rest of the day. Hubby took her to the vet first thing Monday morning - nothing broken and no visible injury but she gave her pain meds and something for inflammation. She is much better - open the food container or pull out the leash and she is bouncing on all-fours but I think she is still playing the sympathy card! Just like kids who never grow up! This picture was yesterday but she is doing the same thing today. Maybe it is the heat, 'cause dude, it is HOT!

I started an applique class Monday - we have homework. Learning three different methods. This week was spray starch - next week is freezer paper, then back basting. Need to finish the block for this week and my house is still in recovery mode from working on the kitchen. (as in the rest of the house took a ride in a hand-basket if ya know what I mean!)

Evolution of a kitchen

Long, picture heavy post!

It's finished - well, almost - for now. (still some touch ups, need to find a rug and well, things always seem to move around - a few things have already moved since I took the pictures!)


Inspection Day - August 2009. This is how the previous owner had the kitchen. I don't know if she just took the 'depersonalize' aspect of home sale to the extreme or if she actually never decorated anything while she lived here. There had never been a curtain on any window and not a square inch of builder beige had been changed.

First thing we did was replace the sink and faucet. You can kinda see the sink in the first photo but you can't see how shallow it is or the awful faucet! This is how we spent our first New Years here. :) This is so much better!

Then we painted the builder (fugly) beige walls. It is really hard to see the color but it is called 'Butter'. Came from Lowe's but not sure if they still have the color swatch - I know some of the colors I have used they no longer have, good thing I saved my color swatches! (except two which for some reason are not in my purse - need to find those) Sorry - got off track a little there.

I attempted to draw your attention away from the ugly with stuff on top of the cabinets! And well, that stuff has to go somewhere! LOL Those awful lights are on the list for someday too. Can't figure out exactly what to do with them - the placement is weird in relation to the counters/sink so I don't think pendants are going to work. I think they just centered them in the room before cabinets went it.

Next we added hardware to the cabinets.

and under-cabinet lighting. Helps a lot (as does the white paint, but lighting is still on the list)

I snapped this after we had already taken the trim off the side cabinet because I couldn't find a good pic of the great hole. Anyway - the next step (before painting) was to do something about this empty hole above the fridge. I don't know if it was the combo of the cabinet on one side and pantry wall on the other and/or the tall ceilings but it just seemed like an unfinished space to me.

We just framed out an open shelf thinking we could extend the crown moulding and make it all match. Joke was on us though - we couldn't match the moulding (we could match the profile, but not the size) so we had to replace it all. More on that later. (that's a whole post!) We also added beadboard behind the open shelf and above the cabinets. Love beadboard!

Now we have all the uppers painted, the beadboard painted (I just painted it the same yellow as the walls) and added trim to the top of the beadboard. We just used a small trim and only did around the beadboard because I'm hoping to eventually do something to the ceiling (maybe tin?) and that will have to come down then anyway.

Time to start painting the lower cabinets!

Hubby built dividers for my silverware drawer. I could never find the right size tray thingie or one that would hold my whole set of flatware, so he customized it for me! (he made it as an insert so it can come out if no longer needed) We did this to two other drawers too - the ones that get all junky with gadgets and then you can never find the gadget you are looking for!

He (we) built pull-out shelves for all the lower cabinets - 10 pull-outs, 2 per cabinet. (I googled pull-out shelving and we ended up using the directions at This Old House as guidelines) Amazing how much more you can get in a cabinet when you can pull that shelf all the way out!

He customized one of them for my baking sheets! There were no directions for this (that I found anyway) but we figured it out!

and here she is all (well, mostly) put back together!

Doesn't she look pretty? I didn't buy anything new for above the cabinets (I lie - I bought two easels) I do need to replace that pitiful looking plant up there but it fills the space for now. (I did give it a bath before I put it back up!) I'll show you the stuff up there in another post - this one is getting long!


This will never be my dream kitchen (way too small for that!) But it is 1000% better than it was just a few weeks ago! Much easier on the eyes!

I don't know how to do the side-by-side, before and after thing but here is a quick re-cap.

When we purchased the house, so I guess this would be the 'before-before'.

Sometime before we started the paint project a few weeks ago - not sure exactly when this was taken but I see my 'Pantry' sign isn't on the door so it had to be before Thanksgiving, but nothing had really changed. So this would be the 'current-before'.

And now!

Whew, I'm tired - but happy!