September 12, 2008

Birthday surprise and other birthday goodies

This morning when I came stumbling in the kitchen trying to wake up I saw this on the table. A card from hubby and what was unmistakeably a jewelry box! Boy howdee, I couldn't wait to open it up...







Whoopee!


Can't show you my fingernails cause I need a manicure


Thanks sweetie.....you did good!!!!









Yesterday the coil in our air conditioner went out! Now for those of you not familiar with the humidity in the deep south, let's just say it's like sitting in a tin box left outside in 100+ degree weather.....I stood it as long as I could and decided a little outing to someplace air conditioned would be a good thing. Hubby said to stay gone until the AC man got it fixed s-o-o-o-o.....I dropped by Lowes "just browsing" when I spotted this seagrass rug. It was only $49.99 for
a 5 x 7 and I thought it would look great under my table in the kitchen. I brought it home to see how I liked it. Hubby says he likes it (sometimes I think he just says he does so I will stop bringing stuff home which might cost more $$)....I've put the rug and table on an angle in the kitchen.....think I'm gonna keep it.




(Gotta iron those slipcovers!)


Picked up this pretty iron candlestick recently. I wanted to add some height and drama to the tablescape....I love it's lines and color






I haven't put the TV back on the 3 corner cabinet yet and was just playing around with my shells. These will be so pretty next spring but I will be putting them up soon in favor of my fall decorations











MORE RUGS!

Also spotted this 8 x 10 jute rug in Lowes. It has a black border and is very much like the rug we custom ordered for the dining room. (Go here to read about that).

Again hubby says he likes it but I'm thinking it is too light. It does brighten things up and the darn dog hair won't show as bad. Haven't decided on keeping this one or not.....


Here's my fireplace and mantle (or mantel?). I want to paint the brick and possibly the little mantle shelf. Has anyone painted brick and if so, did you have good results? Did the paint adhere after using the fireplace? Please help me decide on a paint color for the brick and mantle!!!





PAINT SAMPLE
Now ya'll know no post is complete without me showing you another paint sample for another project! Sometime back we converted the grandkids baby bed into a day bed and I painted it a real pretty green. It was hard work but I finally got it done (read about that here). The room just isn't working for me. My desk is painted black and distressed, the walls are a chocolate brown, and I'm using black and creme toile on the day bed. Not a pretty sight plus it's dark in there at night. I've decided to paint the bed black and lighten up the walls. So many of you are using the pretty blues and aqua tones and those colors look pretty with black. So here is a sample of what I've found that I like....



It's called "Greek Sea" and it's a Valspar paint at Lowe's. Alright, now I need some feedback from all you talented ladies out there......is it too bright?






I want to thank everyone who has left me birthday wishes. How exciting to get all this birthday love! I also got a phone call this morning from a friend that I used to work with . I had no idea she even remembered today was my birthday! We worked together at the same law firm for about 14 years.....we went through many highs and lows together.....the death of her first husband a week after he turned 30.....my divorce upteen years ago, her children growing up, my children growing up......what a surprise and joy to hear from her! BAH, I love you!



19 comments:

Melissa Lester said...

Happy belated birthday! What a gift your husband gave you! A little box like that always looks promising, doesn't it? I think opening it up to discover the treasure inside is half the fun!

Your kitchen is so pretty! I wish mine could stay looking so "together." At lunch today, Christian, who is home sick, spilled Gatorade across the table; Mary Ashley spilled chicken noodle soup across the other half; and Emma spilled her glass of chocolate milk all over herself, her chair and the floor. I guess it will be awhile before I can put a pretty run under our table! But I know I will miss these messy days when they are gone, so I will just try to enjoy keeping my babies close while I can.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

What a beautiful ring, Judy! You must have been surprised over that one. I am loving your kitchen all finished up & that rug looks nice in there. I really like the black bordered one too, maybe you can find a spot for it if you decide not to use it in there.

You know I'm loving those aquas too. The color looks good on the chip, but it's hard to tell how bright it will go.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

OH! Did you see my last redesign, with the glazed brick fireplace & painted black mantel?? Go look if you didn't see it. I think yours would look great like that too.

Bren Haas said...

Happy Birthday Southern Friend. I just adore your blog! Thank you for sharing your wonderful taste and style. Friend from the Midwest!

Bo said...

Wow...that ring is out of this world...your hubby is a keeper for sure! A/C or no A/C, that big hunk of ice ought to keep you nice and cool...LOL...I'm having a really nice b'day too, but I picked out all of my gifts due to an agreement 40 years ago with my DH not being so good at it... ;-) Bo

Unknown said...

The ring is beautiful Judy! So glad you had a great birthday!
diane

santamaker said...

Judy! Happy Birthday fellow Virgo! Aren't we perfect?! Wow, you been a good girl to get that gorgeous ring. I love it. The blue paint color looks like a great shade on my computer, I just know from experience that it tends to get a little darker on the walls. It will be stunning with the black and white toile!
Hope that you have a great weekend!
Be Good,
SAnta

Mama said...

love blue with black and white toile.

I've thought about doing that in my master, but I have brown furniture I don't want to paint. I guess that wouldn't look so great, huh?

Justabeachkat said...

Happy Birthday Judy! Wow...what a gorgeous ring!

I was gonna suggest you go to Rhoda's to see her post for ideas about the fireplace area, but I see she's left you a comment too.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs!
Kat

Lamp Tramp said...

Wow, hubby did great, your ring is beautiful! Sorry about the AC, happened to us this summer too, took 5 days of us suffering while the broken part was shipped. Your kitchen looks amazing, love your slips and both rugs!
That new paint chip is dreamy for sure, that will be beautiful.

edie said...

Wow, what a birthday present. I just 'discovered' your blog this morning. Love your taste and love that you're Southern. I've been teaching my girls just this week that a Southern girls never leaves home without her mascara, lipgloss, and earrings!

Picket said...

Ohhhh weeeee....that is some serious bling!!!! lol Happy belated birthday you spoilt thing you! lol I love all the kitchen redo...everything is gorgeous and that toile pattern makes my heart start racing..ohhhhh! I agree with Rhoda...look at her projest with the glazed brick and a black fireplace...well I am not prejudice but the black just might turn out fantastic! lol lol...I need to ask her about that glazed brick stuff..that might really make mine just pop! Thanks for coming by girl..can't wait to see what you decide! Have a great weekend!

Inspired Kara said...

Happy belated!!

I think the living room rug would look cute "layered" with a smaller rug under the chest/coffee table, something with a few black accents. Never really thought about layering rugs, but I think I like it.

Marie said...

You DID have a wonderful birthday! Beautiful ring. LOVE the rug too. :o)

Mrs. B said...

Oooh! Love the birthday bling! Very pretty! Happy belated birthday. It looks like a good one. I LOVE the pictures from teh kitchen. It look great! The shells are so pretty in that cabinet, I'm sure you'll hate to change them out for fall. I like the jute rug. And for the bricks, I actually really like bricks so I'm probably not the right person to answer this. I would either not paint them or just glaze them. I saw on Rhoda's blog that you can buy kits for glazing bricks, just to give them more of an aged look rather than actually painting them. It looked really nice. I remember that little daybed! I loved the green, but I think the blue would look very pretty too!

Mrs. B said...

Oh wait, I just realized the walls were what you wanted to paint blue and the bed black. Yes, I think that would be a nice wall color and be very pretty with the black/cream.

Anonymous said...

Your kitchen looks great but the ring....WOW EEE! I've given up on my husband buying me jewelry. I just go buy it for myself and that way I get what I want.

You are one lucky lady and I'm sure you deserve every diamond you get. Happy belated birthday.

Gretchen
birdnestcottage.typepad.com

MIMILEE said...

Wow, girl! You did good!! That ring is gorgeous!

I love your home! So lovely!

WAR EAGLE! BEAT LSU!!

In Joy,
MIMILEE<><

Suzann said...

What a gorgeous ring! I sure do love beautiful surprises, don't you? I trust that life is much better with the AC back up and running too.
Okay, the more I read, the more eerie things became - LOL-. I have been looking for seagrass and jute rugs, even showed a small one to hubby yesterday. You got a great deal at Lowes, so I'll be heading over there for sure - hopefully mine has some. The paint colors you're looking at are so similar to what I'm going to be putting in my bathroom re-do too.
I love both of the colors and toile is my absolute to die for favorite fabric in the entire world! I did hear something interesting the other day that might help you in deciding which color to choose. If you want the color to be very soft on the wall, choose the color that looks muddier than what you want - the color that has more black in it will appear softer and not so bright on the wall. Another tip, most stores will mix up a sampling of paint for you to test at home. I've had Lowes and Sherwin Williams do this for me recently. I am always more at ease when I can see a sample board of the color in the natural light that comes into the room I will be using it in. Good Luck and I cannot wait to see more!!

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