Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Bathroom Pennants!!


Bathroom, originally uploaded by jasna.janekovic.

OH, I am still loving the pennant, bunting thing! This white bathroom is totally cheery with it.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday Reading: Marie Claire Idées


Sunday Reading: Marie Claire Idées

I must try this somewhere, sometime in my house!! I love the idea of using random wood pieces to make this!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

smell the flowers along the way



These three pictures are from Thursday morning's walk at Noccalula Park. I decided to take my time enjoying the springtime beauty of the park without stressing about what I needed to get done the rest of the day. The air was nice and cool today and birds were chirping and flying about. Trees have been blooming here for a few weeks and our cars were covered in yellow pollen this morning.
I am determined to enjoy this season even though I know that summer will follow along soon enough, a season that lost its glamour to me whenI no longer went to elementary school and hot flashes became a part of my life. I am praying that this year won't be filled with 100 degree days, but be more normal- ish.
Our front porch is so nice at this time of year with black birds, robins, cardinals, blue jays and mocking birds supplying the entertainment. The bees seem so happy this time of year, but I am hoping that we somehow regain the use of our back deck without fear of the dive bombing critters.

"I stuck my head out the window this morning and
spring kissed me bang in the face. " Langston Hughes

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Urban Springtime







Urban Outfitters is a store I love to browse in. Filled with eclectic home decor with a vintage vibe, it also has some good sales and clearance items all year round. They also sell really cute shoes and clothes (unfortunately I don't fit into any of the hipster clothing options).

You can visit their website and go to the APARTMENT section for home goods, if you don't have one near you. (I always live an hour away from one myself)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

March So Far...

me and Ray and sweet Kavi taken right before we left Florida to go back home to Alabama


colorful blooms, a picture taken during my walk this morning

Lake Guntersville from a recent visit

The falls at Noccalula Park where I usually walk, are gushing from recent heavy rains

Ray and I just got home from a four day visit in Florida with my daughter, son in law and grandson. It was so wonderful spending time with them and enjoying our grandson. He is such a sweet, loving, smart and happy child, and we enjoyed every minute with him, and it is always so wonderfully refreshing spending time with Stina and Suj. They recently returned home from a trip to India to visit with Suj's family who still lives there.
Kavi (grandson) drives a kiddy F150 truck around his backyard like an old pro and seems to especially enjoy our reaction to his driving. His future (way in the future, he's only three)driving test should be a piece of cake!
Florida was warm but not stifling yet, thankfully and we were able to visit with my mother in law who moved back there from this area in September. (She said she missed the sand and palm trees) I don't think sand and palm trees are that exciting myself! Or the four month long summers. (no offense to any Floridians reading this, I am just wimpy when it comes to heat) We also had dinner with some good friends at a Greek restaurant in the area which was also very nice.
Spring has surely sprung around here with trees blooming and carpenter bees already taking over the back deck, and the temperatures in the low 80s. I am looking forward to next week when it is back in the low 70s which I think is the most perfect warm temperature. I still prefer fall and mild winter temps but spring sure is beautiful :)

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

re-united and it feels so good...

This is the reason I haven't posted or left any comments for a few days! My sweet three year old grandson Kavi! My husband and I left yesterday to go for a long anticipated visit, being three months since last seeing him. Christina, Suj and Kavi just returned from a trip to India last week and we were so excited about seeing them after two canceled trips to Florida because of the stupid stomach virus.
In three months time, Kavi has gone from saying some phrases to totally talking about and understanding everything! Today we gave Kavi his long overdue birthday presents, had lunch at Paneras (oh how I wish we had one back home), coffee at Starbucks, Michael' s for craft supplies, painted wooden cars, trucks, airplane, dinosaur,hand, birdhouse and dog with Kavi, Chinese food for dinner, watched him skillfully drive his kiddy F150 around the back yard, and smiled and laughed until bed time. A wonderful first day of our four day visit!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Etsy Items Helping Japan's Relief Effort



Each of these etsy sellers have agreed to donate part or all of the sales of these items towards relief efforts in Japan. If none of these things appeal to you, simply put "Japan Relief" in the etsy search bar for many more choices. I know that my family and many of you will continue to pray for the people of Japan who are still reeling from the earthquake, tsunami and aftershocks.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

it popped in my head and I made it!



I had every intention of working on several projects to distract me while my daughter, her husband and son were in India for a few weeks. Wouldn't you know that I couldn't think of a blessed thing to do while they were gone. Even painting my front door was technically before they even left and I thought that would be the catalyst for all other plans.
Well, today the three of them finally arrived safe and sound,back to their homes in Florida and I felt like my brain could relax. Talking on the phone with Christina and my grandson Kavi really made me happy and set my mind at ease today. So...today is when a creative idea popped in my head! I was thinking how I wished I had something new to put over the fireplace in the dining room and also wishing I could make a silhouette of a deer. I already had a poster board covered in orange burlap and also some plain burlap, so looking at a key holder with a deer on it for guidance, I sketched on to the material with a pencil and then cut it out. I traced it on brown paper to make a template for any future projects with different fabrics. I glued the silhouette onto the orange burlap and placed it over the mantle and I am very happy with how it turned out for absolutely free and taking very little time!
I guess I need my family on the same continent with me to truly be relaxed enough to be creative!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I Like Color




Let's face it. I love color. I can never be a neutrals kind of person. Some people think beige is beautiful, I think beige is bland. Unless of course it is the backdrop for rich colorful furniture, fabrics and accessories.
I spent a large part of my life with off white walls, but as soon as we bought our first house, ideas began churning in my head with ideas for the sad colorless walls. My less than stellar upbringing had dreary home surroundings and I would daydream about having a home that glowed warmth and comfort. Where you could just relax with some tea or coffee and feel as though you were in the safest place in the world. I had a copy of 101 Decorating Ideas back in the late 60s which had rooms accented with oranges and pinks, greens and purples, every possible contrasting combination and I remember loving it so much.
I understand how modern and versatile neutral surroundings can be. I even have enjoyed the decorating with white themes in magazines, but to me color evokes emotions, like happiness,peacefulness, coziness. My living room and dining rooms which are connected are a light yellow that looks like it is lit by candles when the lamps are on. I have never been a fan of bright overhead lighting either, preferring to have several lamps in a room casting a more pleasant light on things.
My kitchen is a vintagey turquoise with red accents through out picking up on a popular 1940s and 50s color combo. My bedroom is a aqua color which I find to be so soothing for a bedroom. It was called Morning Frost by Kilz and I have black and white accents which plays so nicely off the color.
I like the pictures of the rooms above for their cozy, quirky (moose one), happy color! Makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book doesn't it?

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Craftaholics Anonymous: t-shirt pom poms TUTORIAL


Craftaholics Anonymous: t-shirt pom poms TUTORIAL: " got an old tee or two {or 20!} that you don't wear anymore? turn them into *pretty little pom poms!* they're fun and easy to make and ..."

Friday, March 4, 2011

my version of Rachel's chai , India pics and walking again!

This is Christina having chai in India, something that happens a few times a day. "Chai" simply means "tea" in Hindi, "Chai Masala" would be the special spiced tea that we simply call "chai" here. Christina's husband introduced us to Indian tea as soon as we met him. It is nothing like the tea and milk we drink here. I don't know Suj's exact recipe, but it is made with milk in a saucepan, loose black tea leaves and sugar (no water), so the milk cooks down to a more creamy texture. After straining it you have a rich sweet and strong tea that is more like a dessert than a beverage. Suj would add crushed ginger to the milk while heating to make it a spicy tea, a flavor I have been craving lately. It is normally served in small tea cups because it is a treat, not in the extra large mugs like we drink here in the U.S.!
This last month has been weird around here with the stomach virus thing going around everyone in our house. And everyone has had some relapses a week later, not a violent gross stomach virus, but one where your digestion and appetite are off, with fatigue and achy legs. My friend Rachel made some ginger tea to help soothe tummies which I really enjoyed during that time. It involved cooking in a sauce pan also. Today I treid to imitate it without an exact recipe and it came out nicely.
I used 1 cup water and 1 cup milk in a small sauce pan with a few slices of fresh ginger, 3 black teabags (I like mine strong and decaf but you could use 2), 1 tablespoon of honey (You can use more or less according to your taste)
First combine milk, water, honey and ginger and heat to a slow boil. You have to stir and watch carefully or it will boil over, so heat will have to be adjusted accordingly.
Then add your tea bags being careful not to set fire to the tags if they hang over. ( I did that today, oops!) You can just remove the tags and put the bags totally in the liquid.

When you see a nice rich color to the mixture then your tea is done.
I think I made it sound more complicated than it was, really!

Now remember this is just a non Indian girl's ginger tea, there are many exotic recipes out there that are more authentic, but this was a nice and soothing cup of tea to me!
This is my grandson playing with his Leapster in India! I miss him terribly badly!!
This week I resumed my walks at Noccalula Park which has been lovely after just exercise biking all winter!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

put a little spring in your hair!



Just added several new hair clips to my etsy shop. Perfect for sprucing up your spring wardrobe!