I'm Lovin' Slipcovers!

Please tell me I'm not the only one that decides to make a few "little changes" and it ends up being practically a whole house makeover ! Let me give ya'll a little background. For sometime now, I've been craving a makeover of my kitchen. Hubby wants all new cabinets but that will have to wait until next year. So we decided to just paint the cabinets and walls. Right now my kitchen is red with a lot of rooster stuff going on....and while it has been a great look, I'm ready to retire those roosters! Don't be surprised if some of my stuff doesn't end up for sale on this blog!


The first thing that needed to be done was to get the tile and grout cleaned. Okay, I called this company to come out this week for an "estimate". Whoa, daddy...they wanted $700+ just to clean the grout and tile plus another $175 per year to "maintain" it! Does that mean they would be here every week to mop and drop by when the grandkids have been here to clean up that mess? I doubt it. So I called another company.....they came in at $200 so I said go ahead. But wait, they said that I had the only grout they'd ever come across that could not be cleaned because the installers had mixed two colors together and some grit that makes it impossible to get them cleaned. They said they put 1,500 pounds of pressure on the tile/grout and still could not clean it. So I spent 3 hours yesterday on my hands and knees scrubbing and guess what? I sure didn't put 1,500 pounds of pressure on those tiles but they looked better than when company "b" left. I called hubby crying and whining and so now looks like I'll be getting a new kitchen floor (yay!).


Next is the wall and cabinet colors. I am still undecided but I do have an idea of where I'm going with that. The table and chairs in there will be changed out too (I have a nice pedestal and glass top I'll be using with some slipcovered parsons chairs).

Just so happens my dining room is right next to the soon-to-be spruced up kitchen and the chairs were in desperate need of recovering. Flipping through the good ol' Ballards catalog I came across these darling slipcovers so I ordered some to see how I liked them. Kinda gives the room a coastal feel. They look great with my seagrass rug. If I keep them, I will have them monogrammed in black since the border on the rug is black. They are a little big so I tucked in the top portion. I will have to cut out the top part and sew it to fit my chairs a little more snug. I really like the natural linen color of them.

I ironed the heck out of these babies, but being linen, they are supposed to look wrinkled

Cute little flounced skirt....see how good they look with the rug?

Big generous bow in the back

You can see where I've tucked in the top here...

...and here

View from kitchen into dining room. I'm sure that I will "have" to eventually change out the wall color which is a soft gold glazed with brown . I love my drapes but not sure if I'll keep them up. I may do another type of drape in here in keeping with the linen slipcovers. I think I will just cover the other 3 chair seats in a matching linen and not slipcover them. Sometimes you can overdo it.

The brown slipcovered parsons chairs with the initial you see I got at Target. These will be the chairs I will use in the kitchen. I am ordering another set of slipcovers in a natural or off-white color with monogram for the kitchen so I'll have two sets.

Just for the heck of it, what do ya'll think of these dining slips?

Best Friends

We all have a circle friends of one kind or another....some are casual acquaintenances, others are found at work, church, and in our neighborhood. If we are really lucky, we have a best friend, the one person that is there for you through thick and thin, that loves you warts and all. I am lucky enough to have such a friend. Her name is Judy, just like mine! We tell folks that we are sisters and our parents could not decide which one to name Judy, so they named us both that. (Okay, a little juvenile at our age to still be telling that story but we still tell it). We've been best friends for almost 30 years now and I can honestly say never had a cross word. Oh, sure, she'll get aggravated me at times as I have her but the love and respect are there always.

Just before David asked me to marry him, in addition to asking my family's permission, he also went to Judy because he knew of the special bond we had. She knew for about 6 weeks before he asked me and said it was the hardest thing to not say anything to me. Judy's husband and my husband are a lot alike so thankfully they get along great. One time when we were dating, David was telling Judy's hubby that I had a few "little ideas" for the house he was living in at the time. Judy's hubby said "man, don't let those girls in your house....when you get home there will be mirrors, pillows, tassels and lamps everywhere....plus they'll paint everything in sight."! He was serious too! Everytime I visit with Judy, her husband wants to know what that trip will cost him (I have NO IDEA what he's talking about)!

Judy says I have taught her how to decorate and I say she has taught me how not to make fashion faux pas. She is a very stylish lady and never leaves her home without looking 100% put together. You can go here to see how she decorated her house for Christmas.

Anyway, last week Judy came by my house to show me her new "toy".

They have personalized Auburn tags for everything - including her Auburn golf cart!

Posing with her "Z"

Next weekend I will be joining her at the beach for 3-4 days. She has practically lived at the beach this year and keeps asking me when I'm coming to visit so we finally decided on a weekend.

Do You Believe?

This morning driving to work I was tuned into a Christian station. I didn't catch the first of the broadcast but the speaker was talking about a friend of hers who had recently passed on from cancer. The friend's name was "Mary." According to the speaker, although Mary knew her time on earth was drawing to a close, she still loved and lived life to the fullest. She loved to be around people and go to parties. A few weeks before Mary's death, she and the speaker were at a luncheon when the speaker reached over to hug Mary, she said Mary felt like a sack of bones and her skin was like brittle paper. Mary acknowledged the radiation treatment had rendered her body useless but that she was still full of life. Mary said she would praise God and tell everyone about His love until she no longer could.

The speaker was out of town when Mary passed away. The speaker called the mutual friend to inquire about Mary's last days. The lady said right at the end, Mary sat up in her bed and said "they" were getting a party ready for her in Heaven! She had glimpsed eternity and came back long enough to ask this friend to promise she would lead her hospital roomate to Jesus. Then Mary went peacefully to be with her Lord!

This story brought tears to my eyes and I could barely see to drive. It reminded me of another story of a cancer victim. My son had a friend in high school....we'll call him "D". D had the reputation of being a "wild child" and at times I had to ask him not to come to our home because he would be so disruptive. After high school, he went into the Navy with my son. My son told me that D got very dispondent during basic training to the point of wanting to end his own life....only though my son's intervention was he able to complete his training and come home. Shortly after he got back home, it was discovered he had an incurable form of cancer. Just when you thought D was down and out, he rallied and seemed to get better. On a family skiing trip shortly after Christmas one year, D collapsed and returned home, this time for good. My son did not want to see D because he knew the condition D was in and didn't want to remember his friend like that. I told my son he needed to go see D because he would not have a second chance to see his friend. D passed away shortly after that.

This is the story D's mother (call her "L") told at the funeral: D was so weak his mother slept beside him so she could hear him call out to her. D had asked to be baptised during his last days and the family minister came over and they put D in the bathtub and baptised him. One night D told his mom to "put him at the foot of the bed." Everytime "L" tried to sit him up and put him at the foot of the bed, D would protest and shake his head "no." The next morning the Hospice worker came by and "L" told her the story. The Hospice worker went in to see D and came out with tears in her eyes. She said "L", D said 'did you see the angel at the foot of my bed?'. "L", it's time to tell him it's okay to pass over, he's waiting on you to tell him it's okay. Can you imagine telling your child it's okay to die? Within 24 hours D went into eternity. He was 23 years old.

My best friend's daughter developed Reye's Syndrome at age 2. Judy (my best friend) was told by the doctor that there were 5 stages of Reye's Syndrome and that Summer was in the 4th stage (coma). Summer was transported to a children's hospital about 100 miles away. Judy and her husband were not in the ambulance (she later found out from the doctor he did not think Summer would survive the trip and didn't want Judy in the ambulance if Summer passed away). At the hospital, they were allowed only short periods of time to go in to see Summer. About the 2nd day they were there, the doctor came out and told Judy and her husband to come right away. Judy said she thought that Summer had died or was about to die. When they got back to the intensive care unit, Summer was sitting up in her bed, smiling! When Judy approached her, Summer said "Mamma, Jesus came by my bed and healed me!" Now, what 2 year old would say something like this if it wasn't true? Remember, Summer had been in a coma! Every child in that unit got well. Summer is now 28 years old! Some 20 years later, this story still brings chills to me. In church that Sunday, the power of God was so strong you could hardly stand up!

How can anyone say there is no God and that miracles are for the "olden days?" I choose to believe....

Outdoor Projects Continue....

Here's the glider I painted black....

....and the swing

I found this material - on sale - this week to use on the glider and swing. You can go here to see the cushions I found at Target - since I bought all the cushions they had I was really happy to find this material which blends with those ready made cushions. The floral fabric was 1/2 off 1/2 off (does that make sense?) so it was ALMOST FREE! The striped fabric was 1/2 off the regular price of $19.00 a yard and I needed a little over a yard of that.

See how good they go together?

These black and lime green pillows from Wal Mart were $5.00 each!
I'll use them for accent pillows

Click to enlarge the pictures and you can see the lime green in both pieces of fabric and that's why I got the green pillows. I love how this combination looks together.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I think this will finally complete my patio and deck projects. I do want to paint a harlequin or checkerboard "rug" on the deck but that will be later down the road...maybe this fall when things cool off or even next spring. But it's definately on my "to do" list.

The next outdoor project will be adding a planter wall across from my kitchen window and some stepping stones from one side of the yard to the deck area - this is where my dog has dug holes to China so I'm hoping to discourage her from that! Of course, she'll just find a new place to dig.....any suggestions on how to stop a "digging dog" will be much appreciated!

We're off to son's house to cookout for his birthday. Ya'll have a safe and happy weekend!

Happy Birthday Son!

Thirty four years ago today (July 11, 1974) at 8:11 a.m. this precious boy came into my life. No matter how old he gets, how big he gets, how successful he is, he is still MY BABY! He is my heart, my joy, my son!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

I Love You,

Mom

Ain't he handsome? (LOL)

Do You Believe In Miracles?

Tuesday afternoon Shannon and Taylor were involved in an auto accident. Shannon had taken Taylor to the doctor for follow up on her surgery a few weeks ago and had dropped Jackson off at my office while they went to the doctor. I was taking Jackson for a haircut and Shannon was meeting me at the barber shop. Unfortunately, Shannon was traveling on a street she was unfamiliar with, came to an intersection, and when she went through it, she collided with another vehicle. It is my understanding the other car flipped over before coming to land right-side up and here's what Shannon's car looked like:

As you can see, her car is pretty much totaled out.

This is the other car that was involved.

Other than being extremely shook up, NO ONE WAS HURT! Is that not a miracle? To me, it is nothing more than divine intervention.

This is how I found out: She called me on my cell phone and said "Mama, I've been in a terrible accident, you've got to get here now!" Then her phone went dead! I can tell you, my heart was in my throat. I had little Jackson in the car with me and was just at a loss as to what to do. I called her back and thank God she answered the phone. She was breathless and confused. I asked her if she and Taylor were okay and if anyone was hurt. I could hear the sirens in the background getting closer to her....she said they were okay and tried to explain where the accident was. I had a pretty good idea so I headed that way. I called David and he got from across town in 8 minutes! The sight I saw when I got there was enough to stop a mother's heart.....many police cars, several ambulances, firemedics, etc. The first thing I did was check on my babies.....Shannon was holding Taylor, the firemedics had checked both of them out - not a scratch! Taylor wanted her Pop so David took her and Jackson to his truck while we dealt with the police and unloading her car into mine. We finally got to leave and I don't think I've ever seen Shannon so upset. I had to stay calm for her and the twins but all I could think of was THANK YOU GOD.

Many times we see things like this and that's when you know a split second can change lives forever. This kind of thing puts everything else into perspective. I always hug my kids and tell them I love them but is that enough? Do I really appreciate all the goodness in my life, the wonderful life that I have, do I appreciate my home, my family, my husband and the kind of life he works hard to provide for us? In all honesty, I get so caught up in my little "wants" that I sometimes forget what's really important.

Every day, all around us, are the miracles of life. I hope I never take anything for granted again.

Give a loved one a hug, tell them you love them, call up someone just because....and I just want to say thank you to all you dear blogger friends for being here for me.

Free Works For Me!

For the past week I've been painting (lots of painting), sanding, scraping and giving my patios a newer, fresher look. I guess you could say that I'm lucky that hubby goes "dumpster diving" for me on a regular basis! A lot of what I've furnished my patio with this season are "freebies" which, fortunately, have turned out to be a good thing! I do love the thrill of the hunt and finding something that I can repurpose and/or renew into something that's new to me and my constant endeavoring to "primp my house" (I didn't say pimp!). Let me show you what I mean....

This little pedestal I found a few years ago in a wonderful little antique shop in Birmingham - not free - but it's appeared several places in my house. It has been in storage but I recently had hubby bring it home. Don't you love the color?


Little round glass top free (found behind storage building); rusty lantern, terra cotta angel (with no feet!)

The wrought iron chairs are some I've had for 20+ years and we still enjoy them

Cushions are new this year from Target....you'll see more at the table on the upper deck
I also have a two seat glider that is getting painted black. I will have to make some pillows for it and it will face the two chairs. For about two years I've had a wrought iron table and 4 chairs in this spot but since I got the free one (see below) the "old" one is making it's way to daughter's house

I love this little chippy table (free off the street) and the two rusty old garden chairs are another free find!

All three of these plants came from my uncle's home about 2 years ago. They are still in the old pots he had them in...I can't bring myself to repot them yet. The "lace" fern is rooted from one that belonged to my grandmother - my mom has that one and it is about 75 years old!

I got a little carried away underneath the table but have since removed that stuff

See the wooden swing? That's another paint project....I will also be painting the frame and making pillows for it as well

I know for some folks these chairs are just a little too rusty and crusty but once I dress them up with pillows, they will look a little better. However, for myself, I like the rusty look

Here's the "new" table and chairs. Someone had thrown them out on the street and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. Spiffed them up with a new coat of black paint and waa-laa!
Found the limey green placemats at Goodwill - 8 for $4.00!

Used black chargers, Wal Mart plates and Bordello plates to set the table

I will probably "mix this up" again but I wanted ya'll to see how good they look with the cushions

Part of the reason I was in such a hurry was because we were going to be cooking out some with family here over the 4th of July weekend. Now, we are going to the lake, which I never turn down! Anyway, my porch re-do is almost complete and I'm very happy at how it has turned out.

P.S. Please excuse my droopy plants you can see on the fence in some of the pictures. That is the result of our 90+ temps and humidity here in good ole Alabam.....they got a good drink of water late this evening, which is the only time to water here!