Monday Mystery

Okay, this is a bit of a lame Monday Mystery. 

While I was out on my walk in the neighborhood I noticed this:

It's pretty obvious that this is a mailbox--it is embossed "US Mail". I don't really think you need anything else--especially since ALL of our boxes in the neighborhood are the same--obviously mailboxes. But this neighbor must have decided that the fact that it is, indeed a mailbox isn't enough. I guess they want to make sure the mailman doesn't put the mail in the newspaper slot below the actual box. 

Or, maybe they just liked the little pop of red as a decor accent. Okay, I can get on board with that. But then, why couldn't they at least put it on straight? Or for that matter, why would you want to call attention to your crappy, rusty mailbox. How about getting a new one?

I have many questions--a mystery for sure!

Monday Mystery

Butch told me about the bird living under our mailbox. I hadn't seen it and, frankly could not imagine how it could possibly fit under there. Then, a couple days ago when I went out for my early morning walk, I rounded the corner where the driveway meets the street--which is where the mailbox is. 

Out flew the bird, scaring the living daylights out of me!! How in the world can that bird fit under there? 

It's a half inch gap. I tried to look in there to see if there was a nest, but it's so narrow, I couldn't see. It's a mystery for sure!

Speaking of mailboxes, I have always hated this one. I know that seems pretty strong language for a mailbox. But, it's true. Not only is it a hideous color, but it's so random. The h ouse doesn't have yellow shutters or front door, so I just don't understand it. Plus, it's beat up and needs replacing. I guess they thought if they painted it, no one would notice that its beat up. 

Anyway, I get it now! It matches the roses planted there. 

Now I actually like it. I like this picture too. Well, except for the utility poles n the background. Now if I had the awesome editing tools that Butch has on his computer, I could remove them The best I can do is this:

I guess it's better than nothing.

Scrapbook Saturday

"love notes" 

This layout contains little notes that Butch has given me through the years. 

"1971 was Awesome"--and it was. My friend, Nancy asked me to make a mailbox for her AYM layout. I liked how it turned out so decided to use it to hold the "stuff" I still had from 1971--the year we got married.

This is Jeanne's AYM layout for February. 

Can you tell that I was scrapbooking pictures from my Butch and Barb album?

"Collect" is all about old things in my collection.

Scrapbook Saturday

Last week, I scrapbooked some old pictures. This was my baby sister's wedding in 1994.

"1971 was an awesome year!" I got the idea for the mailbox from my friend, Nancy.

I did several layouts with older pictures. I'm just about finished with ALL of my old pictures.

Our first trip to Richmond, VA. We did some geo-caching while we were there.

This was my AYM layout for February--"for the love of scrapbooking!" We have been scrapbooking in February for over 20 years now.

What's Been Happeniin' This Holiday Season!

There haven't been as much going on this holiday season. Still, there are a few things to share:

I had a festive lunch with my high school friend, Cathy. This was our first time here and the food was unusual and delicious. I highly recommend the "hot brown."

We went to the Buttermilk Ranch--all dressed up like a gingerbread house. 

I finally got Morgan and Olly's Christmas card after 10 days! It only came from Illinois, so not that far!

Aren't "the boys" cute in their festive scarves? They are really well-behaved for sure! I know, I've said that before, but it's so true!

Morgan and Olly went to some "dress like santa" bar party.

I'm not sure what it was all about, I think it was some sort of bar crawl thing where you visited several places. They went with friends. Sounds like fun. I would totally do something like this.

Sara, my garden girl, and her crew planted my winter boxes. I look forward to them every year. They also surprised me by decorating our mailbox--our Christmas gift from Sara.

Nicky always sends me pictures of Rio hiding during the holidays. 

She always loves to get under the tree. She doesn't bother anything, though, so that's good.

You never know where she'll turn up.

Speaking of Nicky, he delivers a beautiful poinsettia to me (and his mother) every holiday season.

They get bigger and bigger every year. It's so gorgeous! And that's why he's my number one son-in-law!!

Last Friday was our poker dinner. Unfortunately not everyone could make it.

From the left: Karolyn, Butch, me, Linda, David, Jack and Connie. We had the best time. We vowed to get together more often.

Also, last week, we went to the Bonefish Grill with Stephanie and Nicky. We used this special event to celebrate Steph's new job. It was the BEST deal! "Merry Martini" was a 5-course dinner paired with 5 different drinks. We started off with a glass of champagne with a bowl of lobster bisque--with lots of lobster on top. 

The second course was a shaved brussel sprout salad with pomegranate vinaigrette along with a pomegranate martini. Next came a seafood del mar with crawfish, shrimp, and scallops in an Alfredo sauce paired with a white Christmas cosmo. Next came a filet lobster thermidor with a Christmas martini. Finally, the meal ended with a gingerbread espresso brownie with a gingerbread martini. It was all so delicious--the portions were huge and we took a lot home with us. Since I was the driver, I had just a sip of each martini to taste them. They were all so good too. And the best part---the cost was only $75.00 per person!! Later, I priced out the cost of the food at $96.00 plus the drinks--which I have no idea what they cost--but 5 of them--probably at least $12.00 each--it was so well worth the cost. 

The downside, it was to be a "community" event--which meant that there were long tables. Luckily for us, we were at a table to ourselves, so we had the best time. 

Check out these events at Bonefish. You can rely on delicious food for sure--one of our favorite places. There's another one coming up in January. Check it out.

On Monday, Connie and I planned to pick up our old lady bridge friends--almost 97 now. Betty was sick and not able to join us.

We picked up Louise and took her to The Midtown Cafe! Another delicious lunch. 

Yesterday, I was at Richland for our annual Christmas bridge luncheon.

I snapped this picture at the entrance to the club--so pretty. 

After my post yesterday about vintage decor, I thought I would share this little lady.

She is so darn cute standing on top of those old blocks! I think I picked her up at some antique mall a very long time ago. She still makes me happy!

I thought I would share the entry when you walk through the front door.

This is the reason I wanted an open foyer/entry. We've been here for almost 30 years now and have the bannisters decorated every year.

The entry table differs every year.

It's pretty easy. You just pile on a bunch of stuff! Books are always a part of my decor. 

This is the latest needlepoint that I've done. 

It was a lot of fun to stitch. Wouldn't it be fun to have a complete red and pink tree? I won't be doing it as I am starting to get rid of and not replace my decor. I love it when it's done, but more work than I want anymore. 

Okay, I guess that's enough for today. 

The whole family starts arriving today to celebrate a couple very special birthdays. Mindy is turning 40 and Jordan is turning 30. We have a jam-packed, fun-fulled weekend planned--all a surprise for the birthday girls. 

I might be able to slip in a post or two, but no promises!

Okay, I'm Tired of Waiting...

...for the plumbing fixtures! Now we've been informed that they are due to ship on February 18th. That's about the third date we've been given. I'm tired of waiting. So, I'm going to go ahead with the "big" reveal--everything except the guest bathroom. Here goes:

Mindy's Bedroom and Bathroom (for lack of a better name--I guess we could call it "guest room #1):

With Mindy's room, I broke my own rule. I always say that when you re-do a room, you need to do everything so you get the "wow" factor--and don't get tried of what you have too soon after. 

Everything here is as it was prior to the remodel---just new paint, light fixture (it's a retractable fan), new carpet, a few new decorations and new artwork. Window treatments, bedding and furniture remain the same.

I had those two colorful throw pillows in the closet in my office from about 15 years ago when the room was black and fuchsia. I was going to get rid of them, but decided to use them here for a pop of color. You have to really blow up this picture to see them. Side note: that black and white afghan was the last one mom made before she died. She wasn't even making it for me, that was just a coincidence that it worked for me. I finished it and knew I'd use it here.

Changing the paint color and the fact that it goes smoothly in to the new bathroom makes all the difference. This room really seems new and fresh.

The view you are seeing here once was the linen closet. We took that out and opened up the entire space. Christy's guy, Wilder, did the most fabulous job with all of those angled walls. Basically, when you entered the bathroom, the linen closet was on the left with a door next to that to the bathroom. The double vanity was on the same wall as the new one is now.

The linen closet was relocated to where the shower used to be. It was Christy's idea to use the same bi-fold door from the original linen closet. She always tries to save us $25 or $30 whenever she can!

All of the pictures were taken with my iPhone. All the ones here are from our trip to France. The small photo above the sink is from Monet's garden. 

That little floral on the left is left from before the remodel. It's actually an old, antique mailbox that I bought at the flea market years ago. I made the floral arrangement in it. I still like it!

You can see better where the linen closet was. It's made a huge difference by opening up the entire space. It looks so much larger now. Actually, it is a pretty good size bathroom.

I would probably never have used black tile, but Christy suggested it. I agreed with her that it's nice to tone down all of the white. Y'all know how I feel about white!! It's kind of hard to tell, but there is a bath tub here. 

Next is the hallway.

As you can see, it's a long hallway. We had everything painted including the 2 story entry. It's amazing how paint just brightens and cleans everything up. We also replaced the ceiling fixtures. There are three of them.

I removed quite a few of the pictures. I kept all of the girls wedding pictures and our 25th wedding anniversary picture. It just dawned on me as I'm looking at this. I need to get our 50th wedding anniversary picture framed too. I think I'll put that on my list!

Now on to my office. I didn't change anything here except the carpet. I didn't even take anything off the walls (I am thinking about getting rid of a few things--just haven't done it yet). I did get the closets cleaned out and got rid of all kinds of stuff. I cleaned every nook and cranny including all the files in my desk. I moved some of the decorative items around to freshen it up and got rid of quite a few--like my Aunt Jemima cookie jar. That's just too politically incorrect these days. But, I still love pancakes!

This is one of my favorite needlepoint pictures. It's called "Kaleidescope" and is a counted piece. Connie and I both did one.

The window treatments are the same as what's in Mindy's room. Christy had them done for me--identically about 10-12 years ago. She didn't balk when I said I wanted to keep them, so I guess that means she still likes them too! She's not one bit afraid to give me her opinion! I'm fine with that. I need her to make sure that I don't make some terrible mistake! Plus I like that she oversees and handles everything! 

I don't really use my office much at all anymore. Basically, the printer is here and I file stuff. That's about it. The computer still works, but is so old, it can't support the printer. The only reason I'm keeping it is because, hello, it's a computer hutch! About the only thing I use it for is to transfer photos to my laptop. They are all in the cloud anyway. They are just easier to access on the computer.

When we started this remodeling, we thought about changing this room back to a bedroom. Since we already have two guest rooms and a queen size futon in Butch's office, we just left it as it is. This furniture is just that cheap pressed wood, but it weighs a ton. I was concerned that the carpet layers would not be able to move it. Christy said it was their problem. I guess they deal with really heavy stuff all the time, because, apparently, it wasn't a problem! They moved it all out on the balcony.

Yeah, as I'm looking at this picture, those giant safety pins are going. 

I had planned to get a couple of new, more updated lamps. But these are really old. It was sort of bothering Butch---all of the things that had value that we were literally taking to Goodwill. In the end, it was his idea to just keep them. I'm fine with them. Since I got them from my "adopted" grandmother back around 1990, they will continue to be a reminder of her.

When I cleaned out my desk, I decided to take the file that had cards from Butch and the girls through the years and turn them into table decor. I just tied them all up with a blue ribbon. 

Now for the guest room. Let's start with a couple "before" pictures:

We donated all of the furniture and bedding. 

We didn't need a dresser and chest of drawers. 

Plus, I was just ready for a change. The room just looked so tired to me.

Now for the "after" pictures. It barely looks like the same room!

I bought the chairs from my friend, Nancy. 

I didn't want to put anything in front of the window this time. I just wanted the room to feel more open without a lot of furniture. I kept the matchstick blinds and curtain rod. The window treatment is custom with the natural linen fabric that I used downstairs in the family room. But, I had these made to match what the other window treatment was. I like the top part--maybe it's called a "flange"? I'm not sure. The lady that made them added buttons to it which I love. Christy handled all of that for me. There will be a Roman shade in the bathroom made out of the same fabric. That's the other great thing about Christy. She has all the records. So if I want something I had her do 10 years ago, she knows exactly the color or fabric. 

All of this bedding and the pillows on the bed came from Walmart. Sandy introduced me to a blog called "My Big Texas House." I've already told you about that girl and how I've become a Walmart shopper now because of her. Uh oh, I don't think Christy knows about my new Walmart obsession! Actually, I've said it before, I hate Walmart. I just really like this line. Plus, remember my cute Christmas pillows? You can't beat the prices, that's for sure. I'm not that worried about how well all of this might hold up as this room will only get used a few times a year.

The pictures over the bed used to be in our master (or should I say, "primary") bathroom years ago. I liked them, so saved them. I'm so glad I did. I have to give Butch credit for using them. He was the one to suggest it. I love how they work here. 

The little vintage chair came out of my scrapbook room. When I was starting to plan this room, this chair was probably one of the first things I knew I wanted to use with my French farmhouse feel. Stephanie thinks it's kind of goofy, but I like to have something on both sides of a bed so there's a place to put your phone, glasses, drink etc. It's just practical. 

One last thing, the pillows on the chairs were also something I'd saved from about 15 years ago when our bedroom was red. They are needlepoint, but not done by me. If you go back to the first picture, you can see the cream and tobacco colored one. I needlepointed that one--actually, that was my very first pillow. It's about 25 years old. The whole room is kind of a hodgepodge with a little of this and a little of that. I think it all works together just fine! I'm really happy with how it came out.

So, the last thing is the bathroom. You can see just a little sneak in one of the pictures. I have everything waiting to be placed and decorated. That will be after the plumbing goes in. Whenever that happens! Christy is on top of it. We couldn't have done any of this without her! Or, rather, I should say, I don't want to do it without her. It's so nice to just have someone handle everything. I love that girl!