My Day and A Half At The Beach (or the Shortest Beach Trip On Record!)

Last Wednesday I left to spend 4-5 days at the beach with my best friend Judy.    We met off the interstate and followed each other to her place on the beach (she was supposed to stay after I left so we had to take two cars).    We arrived shortly after lunch and it was so hot we didn’t even take time to unload our cars.     She got her dog out, gave her some water and put her up and we took off for lunch at Lulu’s in Gulf Shores.    

 

I used the new frame tool on Pic Monkey for the scalloped edge frame (I don’t know why I have such a death grip on my purse!)

 

I ordered my usual that I always get at Lulu’s…their famous Summer Shrimp Salad with a side of fried green tomatoes (I had already started eating when Judy reminded me to take a picture!)

 

We had not even ordered when her brother called and said that Judy’s mom was going to have a pacemaker put in Friday morning.     I thought we were going to have to leave immediately for the 3 1/2 hour trip back home but she said we’d spend the night and get up and come home Thursday afternoon.     She wanted me to stay at her place  after she left but I didn’t want to stay by myself.     I called hubby to see if he could come down Saturday and we’d come back Sunday but he was working at a softball tournament (part of his job) and couldn’t get away.     He really didn’t want to drive that far for just a day (and I don’t blame him) so I decided to follow Judy back home (her mom lives in my town).

After we ate we decided to get out and make the most of our time.    We went to a souvenir shop that sells some really nice high end home décor and I bought a beautiful old sailboat for the top of my bookcase in the den.    I’ll show a picture of it later when I finish styling it.    It was a great price and size and looks very Pottery Barn-ish!     I saw one just like it in Savannah last winter and it was over $300.00….mine was no where near that price.  

Then we went to the outlets and Target then back to her place for some tomato sandwiches which we ate about 10:30 that night.    Fresh bread, fresh tomatoes, salt & pepper, Hellman’s mayo, chips and Coke….I love a meal like that.     I loved it so much that I had a tomato sandwich for breakfast the next morning!

Thursday morning before we left we got out to check out a couple of consignment/thrift stores.    I didn’t find one single thing!      You have to know my friend Judy – she is a real cut up and when she saw this hat made out of a bazillion flowers she put it on and insisted I take her picture…which I immediately sent to her husband, daughter and my daughter.     My daughter’s response was “OMG”….she knows how nutty we are when we get together!

She got her yellow and gray sweater at this thrift store last week.     And here’s a tidbit about my friend, when her dad passed away several years ago, she came into quite a bit of money.    You wouldn’t think she’d shop at thrift stores but she doesn’t mind at all.    Her house and beach place are both furnished with many thrifty things but the way she puts them together they look like a million bucks.     The only thing she indulges in is her jewelry (see her rock!).    Also the gold coin ring on her index finger was from a gold piece that belonged to her daddy…her husband had it made into a ring for her a few years after her dad’s passing.     She was a daddy’s girl just like me!

 

We got a few looks while we were playing around but that’s just us….we have a good time every where we go!

Judy wanted to take me to some places around the area that I’d never been to before.    One of them was Magnolia Springs, Alabama, a beautiful, quaint little town that boasts the only river route mail delivery in the continental United States.

(via)

 

 

Our destination was Jesse’s Restaurant.   

 

 

 

 

We got there just as they were setting up for lunch and were lucky enough to be seated in the glassed in sunroom.

Loved the planked ceiling!

 

After lunch we drove a short distance to Bon Secour to see the Swift-Coles house.   Unfortunately it wasn’t open to the public on the day we were there but we were able to park the car and walk around the grounds.  

 

 

 

 

I may be wrong but I think it’s only in the South you see these beautiful old trees dripping with Spanish moss.

We headed back to her place and loaded up for the trip home.    Fortunately, I had not even taken my suitcase out of the car…I just got out what I needed the night before.

While I hate our trip was cut short, we still had a lot of fun.    And her mom is doing great!

We’ve been so lazy today for the 4th of July….just hanging out at home and doing nothing.    We took my mama to Jim ‘n Nick’s for an early supper (she calls it Jason and Nick’s).     Tomorrow I’m having lunch with a good friend who I haven’t seen in a while.    I remember when she was in law school and then passed the Bar…she now practices law in a near by town….I can’t wait to see her!

Isn’t this heat oppressive?     Too hot to go outside to work on any projects and my deck needs some serious attention.    I actually got out the other morning at 6:30 a.m. to spray paint my deck furniture…I have two more chairs and a table to paint but it’s just too hot.    I’ll get around to it one day and since we don’t plan to entertain this summer outside I’m not going to worry about it for now.

Hope you all had a safe and wonderful 4th of July!

Beach Bound

By the time most of you read this I’ll be heading down I-65 South to Gulf Shores.    My best friend (also named Judy) is meeting me off the interstate and we’ll follow each other to her place there.    I’d love to ride with her but she's not coming back when I do…that’s the beauty of having a place at the beach, you can stay as long as you want!

 

(via)

Toodles Poodles!

Party At The Lake

This past Saturday we celebrated my mom’s 92nd birthday at the lake.    I think I’m just going to share pics without a lot of “talking” (yeah right - we all know that ain’t gonna happen!)

My sister and I decided to keep it easy so we just had hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixins’ ….simple and good.    The highlight was watching my mama enjoy being with her family….boat riding and seeing the kids and grandkids having a blast.   

Here we go….

Side deck where we cook and eat…son was the designated chef as my sister’s husband was under the weather and stayed inside all day and my husband was working a ball tournament

 

My “baby” boy (who will be 38 next month)!!! 

 

Here’s our bride-to-be (she is marrying my sister’s son next July).   We’d love to hate her because she is so pretty and so TAN but she is just too sweet…we love her to death!    BTW, I have created a Pinterest board labeled “Lake Wedding” if you’d like to see some of our ideas for their wedding next summer.

 

Her ring

 

Mama at the ‘kids table’….so cute!   Surrounded by some of her great grandchildren and enjoying every minute

 

Granddaughter Taylor has a huge girl crush on Stephanie

 

And here she is on the boat surrounded by her “fan club”…both of my granddaughters

 

Jackson showing off his dance moves!

 

We had a dance-o-rama going on!   I think they were doing the Cuban Shuffle….now I can’t get that song out of my head!  (Can you tell they are twins?)

 

Leaving the dock for a sunset cruise

 

 

DIL and grandson Cade

 

 

 

This little place was owned by the former CEO of Health South (he’s serving time in prison for what I like to call “greed”)

 

 

 

My sweet grandson Cade…he was about to fall asleep

 

Too much sun and fun makes one sleepy!

 

The end of a beautiful day on the lake…I love spending time here

I was supposed to leave for the beach tomorrow but Tropical Storm Debby has other plans so hopefully she’ll be gone from the coast area by Wednesday and my BFF and I can head to Gulf Shores!  

Happy Birthday To My Mama!

Today my mama turns 92!   I can’t even imagine all the changes she’s seen in her lifetime.    My mama is an amazing woman, she never complains and always sees the glass as “half full”…she’s full of life and never has anything bad to say about anyone.    She’s so grateful for anything we do for her.   

This was taken in the 1940’s….a “glamour shot” if you will!

 

And this is her with her four children:

 

From left:  Sister Kim (black and white print), her twin brother and the only boy Kelly (in back), me next to Kelly (in gray and white), my sister Betsy in front  and seated is mama.

Saturday we will celebrate her birthday at the lake house with 3 of her kids and all the grands and great grands!    She loves being with her family and I treasure every minute of every day I have with her.

   

“When you were small and just a touch away, I covered you with blankets against the cold night air. But now that you are tall and out of reach, I fold my hands and cover you with prayer.”
-Dona Maddux Cooper

Evolution of a Porch Bench

A few years ago I bought this bench at auction for something like $25.00…it’s not in the greatest shape, but it fits so perfectly on my porch so I make it work.

It was a faded teak when I got it so I decided a quick fix for me was to paint it.       Here’s its first debut with my burlap stenciled pillow that I first shared back in 2009:

 

These were taken before I started using photo editing programs

 

I loved the black color because my house is khaki with black shutters so it “went” with my house

 

Then this past spring I got a wild hair to paint it turquoise.    After spending a lot of time and $$ trying to find the perfect color, it ended up like this…..WARNING:  EPIC FAILURE AHEAD!

U-G-L-Y!

 

…but I was not happy with it AT ALL!   It looked waaaaay too rainbow bright for me.

 

Then the other day I was in WM and saw Rustoleum’s Camouflage in Khaki.     When I first started spraying the bench, I thought it would be too close to the brick color so I had hubby move it back to the porch to see if it blended in too much.    It looked okay so I went ahead and sprayed the whole thing.    I love the color and even though the color is VERY close to the brick color, I love how rich it looks.    Well, here, see for yourself:

That poor ol’ burlap pillow has been through about 3 seasons so it’s time for me to make a new cover…it’s so faded

 

 

The print pillow is an outdoor one I picked up at Target when I was on my turquoise kick….but I still like the pop of color it adds

 

 

See that empty wall planter back there?   The brutal sun has already killed the flowers in there and a hanging plant on a shepherd’s hook so I’ve got to replace them with something else.    I have some faux hydrangea stems I might use in there for now….even with daily watering most of my flowers don’t make it throughout the summer here.     The ferns are Kimberly Queens….the only kind I can grow!     They do wonderfully here on my covered porch.

On a side note, I’d like to thank EVERY ONE OF YOU that left me a comment about the removal of the Southern Living Idea House photos.    It seems that they want to feature the home in their August issue and apparently don’t want to spoil any surprises.    However, it would seem to me they’d love any free publicity getting word out about the house and sparking interest in others visiting it.    I’ve always loved Southern Living but this has left a bad taste in my mouth and I doubt I’ll ever feel the same about that company.    But, what’s done is done and after the magazine comes out, I plan on reposting a lot of the photos.      Thank you for your understanding about my “uh oh” moment!

Southern Living Idea House–Photo Removal

I have been contacted by a copyright person at Southern Living demanding that I remove my photos from my blog of the Southern Living Idea house in Senoia, Georgia.    He stated there were signs saying something to the effect of no photographs can be taken.     I did not see the sign and specifically asked the person on the front porch where we bought our tickets if I could take pictures, he said to help myself and take all I wanted!  Just about everyone there in the house touring it was taking pictures so I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.   

So  in order to comply with his demand I will be removing both posts today.

I hate to sound disgruntled but I think they need to be a little more clear about their policy…surely I’m not the first person (nor will I be the last) to take photos of their idea houses….and I know I’m not the only blogger posting them!

Wicker Trunk

Remember this trunk in the guest room of the Southern Living Idea house I shared last week?   Here it is in case you missed that post….

 

I was lucky to find that truck at Ikea when we went later that day and happily loaded it in my buggy!    At $59.00 I thought it was a great buy and although I didn’t have an exact spot in mind where I’d put it, I subscribe to the notion that you should buy what you love for your home, and you’ll find the perfect spot for it!    When I go back to Ikea I’m going to buy another one to use in one of the guest rooms (just as soon as I get it cleaned out – you could call “Hoarders” right now and I’d qualify!!)…..I want to use two twin beds with this truck in between.

Anyhooo, here’s where it landed at my house:

 

 

I love it!  (I don’t know why my floors look so red…they aren’t red at all).    I shopped my house and used things I already had so this new vignette didn’t cost me anything

 

Love the strap

 

You can’t really tell but this trunk is huge!   It will provide some good storage for me

 

My nephew sent me these antlers from some of his collection….I love free!

And here are more of those free antlers:

 

 

 

What a busy bee I’ve been…I made a skirt for under my kitchen sink (promise I’ll share) and I’ve repainted my porch bench a gorgeous neutral color.      I’ll be sharing both projects in the next week or so.

Next weekend we’re having my mama’s birthday at the lake….she’ll be 92!    A lady at her assisted living cottage turned 100 this past week!!!     Then I’m leaving on Sunday to spend a week at my BFF’s place at the beach!   

Toddles Poodles!

Me Likely Monograms!

Being a Southern girl, I love anything monogrammed.    I think it’s in our blood.    So now that I’m retired, I’m eager to finish up some projects that have been left halfway done.    I decided to tackle my bathroom first.     It’s probably more than 1/2 done but just needs a few finishing touches before I share.     Just like in the rest of the house, my bathroom and master bedroom is awash in creamy neutrals.    While out shopping yesterday I stopped in one of my favorite monogram shops and found a darling linen towel that I left to have monogrammed.     I picked it up today and love how it turned out!

I need to iron the ruffle but I couldn’t wait to hang it up to see how it looked

 

 

My shower curtain is a pretty linen curtain panel that works well as a shower curtain (I have a heavy duty liner behind it).     I’m adding a cream colored ruffle to the bottom to give it a custom look.   That’s the plan anyway!

I also want to say a big ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who left such supportive and encouraging comments on my retirement announcement.     I’m still pinching myself about this new change in my life.     Today I was able to take care of some personal business and drop by my daughter’s office with lunch for her.     I think I’m going to like this retirement thing!

Mini-Announcement–I’m Retired!

Last week I hinted about some drama going on in my life which was work-related.    Due to said drama, I am now officially retired!    (Unless I find something part-time I love doing).     At this time I can’t go into a lot of detail about the drama (and it’s juicy) but I promise I will at the appropriate time.    

Since this is my first week “off” I’m trying to figure out how to fill up the day.    So far I’ve been shopping and eating out!   But of course, that can’t last forever.    I have lots of plans for purging and cleaning my house and working on never-ending projects.      Also, I’ll be making a much anticipated trip to the Ikea store in Atlanta soon for my new slipcovered sofa….but I need to sell my old sofa first.    

My BFF has a place at the beach and I'm heading down there sometime this month to spend some time with her.    I also want to keep the twins once a week….since they turned 8 it seems like they have grown up overnight….it won’t be many more summers they won’t think hanging out with MiMi is fun!

I’ll be taking my mom for our annual visit back to the home place in Lowndes County.   

I’ve been planning our meals better and hubby loves having a home cooked meal every night as opposed to us rushing around and eating out.    

I plan on starting to walk around the neighborhood early in the morning before it gets too hot….and I want to join a ladies’ Bible study.

As you can see, I have lots of “plans”….I just hope I don’t get too bored not having someplace to go every morning.

Right now I’m off to change sheets and clean bathrooms…..not fun but necessary!

Enjoy the day!!!

Words of Wisdom

 

Can you relate to this?   When I found this on Pinterest and I just had to share….this is s-o-o-o true of my life this week.    Lots of drama…will share soon (does not involve anything between me and husband)