In Memory and Special Memories that I need to catch you up on...

This is my Aunt Weasy and I miss her already. She was diagnosed with cancer on March 13th and she died April 23rd. She was so sweet and is a perfect example as to the fact that if you love someone, you should tell them every day. I never thought we'd lose her so quickly and I'm glad I was able to go and see her in the hospital a couple of times and hug her and tell her I love her. I miss you Aunt Weasy.

I don't even know where to begin to explain why I've been so out of touch. If you look at my previous entry you'll see just a hint as to what all has been happening in my life. Since March 13th, you know that was a Friday right??, I've lost one of my favorite aunts, had a man at work have a massive stroke while he was talking to me about a video, I was involved in 2 accidents where my car was messed up and winded up at the body shop twice, we had a family member who was found dead in his home after a month, one of my best friends' brother died in his sleep at 47 years of age...I'm telling you, I REALLY need a vacation from it all.

Along the way though, I did go treasure hunting a few times, if nothing but for sanity's sake, and we had our garden club flower show, my dear friend's son graduated from high school (so proud of you S.R.), I bought a new piece of Heywood Wakefield furniture, have still been working on putting the kitchen back together, etc...

So, instead of trying to make a bunch of different entries about all these events, I'm going to just post lots of pictures and hope that you all enjoy them! So, here goes....First, meet sweet little Emma Rose, this is my 2nd cousin's little girl and she's just precious. This was the day of my aunt's funeral and my aunt loved little babies...

And this little man, is Grayson, he's my cousin's youngest son and looks just like his older brother.

These are just some of the fellas in my life, L to R, my hubby, my 2 nephews, my brother and my cousin by marriage. The boys were talking sports (I think...) after we all ate dinner at my aunt's house on the day of my Aunt Weasy's funeral.This is my arrangement I made for our annual Garden Circle Flower Show. I think it turned out pretty darn cute considering I had to borrow flowers from my neighbor (who is really a gardener) and some I bought at Sam's. The judges liked it and only had one negative comment about the "prominent" placement of the flower in front, and I agreed. The above arrangement was made by my talented MIL for the flower show, isn't it gorgeous. The picture below is more of our members' arrangments. Enjoy! This gorgous plant was given to me by my neighbors for my birthday, isn't it pretty, and so far, so good, I've kept it alive, that's a miracle for me. Keep your fingers crossed. This is what I love about summer coming, the fresh vegetables! My sweet SIL gave me these when we went over and ate lunch with her for Mother's Day. They were awesome and I'm telling you, I could eat fresh squash every day!
Oh, sorry these are a bit out of order but I'm just trying to remember everything that I haven't posted. Check out the Easter Eggs below, I saw Martha Stewart making these and thought they were a cool idea. You use men's silk ties, or any other silk material, and vinegar and the pattern from the silk transfers onto the egg. Isn't that awesome. Oh yeah, the cute little vintage cup I got at the Salvation Army in Panama City when I went to see my dad for $0.50! I got some plates and platters too! They match the new kitchen awesome.

A couple of yard sales that I made it to in the last few months. The one at that church is always awesome and they have great prices. I try not to miss theirs.

Well, I've got to post a piece of furniture on Craigslist tonight so I'll have to post more very, very soon...

Sorry I've been out of blog touch...

Hey, well, I can't even begin to tell you what's been happening in my life since my last entry but here's a small list and you'll see why I haven't had time to think, much less update you and my blog. Here's just a partial list of what has happened in my life since my last entry, and oh, by the way, this all happened since Friday, March 13th...

• My aunt, who I love dearly, had emergency gallbladder surgery and we found out that she has stage 4 cancer in most of her vital organs and they're not giving her long to live, since then, she's already been re-hospitalized twice and has now been sent to live at a Hospice House, keep her in your prayers:
• My dear friend, Ms. Major, lost her brother in his sleep at the age of only 47 years old from a heart attack;
• My mom wound up in the hospital with chest pains and found out she has/had pnuemonia and is still out of work;
• A cousin of my father's was found dead in his home where he had apparently been for almost a month;
• While I was at the viewing for Ms. Major's brother, my car was hit by a hit and run driver and did $2300.00 worth of damage and guess who had to pay the deductible of $250.00 plus another $200.00 worth of dealer work that's "not covered by my extended warranty" (see why GM is going out of business....);
• A dear friends' mom, who is my neighbor, had her breast cancer return after she already went through a double mastectomy, and it's in her blood stream and they say there's not much they can do for her right now;
• Last Friday at work, a nice co-worker came to see me about some video work and had a massive stroke while we were talking and we had to call the ambulance and get help for him, I went to see him yesterday and thank God, he is doing remarkebly well, and I truly count that as a blessing;
• This week, my car flooded due to a bad "water deflector" and is costing me money at the shop;
• And, Friday night, another dear friends' father wound up in the emergency room and they thought he was having a heart attack but then after some tests, think it's pneumonia in his lower lung;
• And last, but not least, we're still trying to put out kitchen back together.

So, as you can see, life has been a little rough in the last month so I'll add some more pictures and fun stuff soon. Pray that life starts treating me a little kinder...

Kitchen Renovation Continues - Part 7 - Boomerang Countertops!

Well, it's finally here; Turqoise Boomerang countertop installation day! It's almost like a newly celebrated holiday at our house! Seriously, can I tell you how ready I was to make the next step in this ongoing project!

First, let me say, that our contractor (call me and I'll be glad to give you his information...) was AWESOME! First of all, he's kind, professional, returns all your phone calls, doesn't try to push things on you that you either can't afford or don't want to do and works long, long hours ...stay tuned to the photos below and you'll see exactly what I mean! So, let's get started...it all happened on Thursday, March 12th.

The guys got here around 9:30 and came in to double check all their measurements and take one last look at the old butcherblocks before they

took them outta here... Okay, they got their measurements confirmed and then they pulled

out the old countertops;

Oops, what's that I see in the lower right hand corner of this shot, could that be turquoise boomerang backsplash that I see laying over there... This is our contractor, E. H. and his helper, L., set up in our driveway with the workbenches, saws, etc...and oh yeah, that's the back of my countertop you see propped up there. We were lucky, it was gorgeous weather for our work day.
The guys have brought the pieces in and started making the fine tune measurements and get them all lined up and double checked before taking them back outside to start adding the polished aluminum trim that I purchased from Outwater Plastics. They were great too, they helped me so much on the phone with all my questions, measurements, etc...as you see, I did all the research to find the products and get them ordered and stuff so I learned more than I ever wanted to know regarding polished aluminum trim and inside vs outside measurements...should I go on? Oops? You caught my island topless! See our custom 10" backsplash?! I'm SO glad my contractor suggested these to make our kitchen more custom and he was so right and there was only $100.00 difference in the price; so why wouldn't I? He then told us he'd do custom trimming around the outlets with the trim and you'll see below how this really stands out as a custom detail that we love. Thanks for the suggestion E.H.!

Oooooohhhhh, aren't they pretty? Here's where they brought them in to make sure that everything "measured up"; and the place you see on the right side of the sink is the cabinet where we took out the dishwasher (that I never used and only stored dishes in anyway) and he was rebuilding for us. See the custom hole he cut in it to have a subfloor piece in case we ever need to reach those pipes again under there.

Here they are making some minor adjustment cuts...check out the length of their hair, easy going cabinet guys you just gotta love it!

L. makes cuts to the aluminum trim on the table they have set up outside on our carport. Yep, that's right, we have a carport as our house was built in 1959. Our utility room is also located on our carport too!Doesn't it look good? See how they had to make all the special miter cuts for the corners and joints. Yep, you guessed it, I had to find all the right trim pieces online and then get all the screws to screw them on...I told you I learned alot in this project.
Ooohhh, Ahhhhh, I absolutely LOVE the look of it! Formica's turquoise boomerang and then the trim is from Outwater Plastics. I can provide any of you with the the information if you want it. Above, you'll see how he had 3 different sizes and shapes of trim, that he had to cut and then match up. The above shot shows the countertop, the face plate edge trim, and the cove piece.

See how late it's getting....he's still hard at work... See, they hadn't "quite finished up" by 6:00 or so, so E., pledged to commit and stay working as L. had to leave I think. We all already had such busy schedules for Friday that we all decided he could stay until 9:30 or so and then he'd be able to pretty much finish except for a few minor things. Friday the 13th actually turned out pretty good for us as our countertops were completed and so was our new slink installed, so not that bad a day, huh? and I even got to see some The hubby helped him fix up some extra lights and he kept the saw a spinning until 9:30 p.m. and then he just worked fast and furious to get it finished primarily before he left as I had only asked for one day off from work and B. did have to work.
Are these awesome or what? See how sharp and detailed his miter corners are? He did a great job and then polished them smooth...Love, love, LOVE THEM!C Check out all those custom cuts and details in the top of the backsplash and at the cove joint...See how gorgeous they're looking? We Love Them! E & L; best of luck to you in all your future projects!

E.H. our contractor had just made his last cut and walked in the house to install it when I took this shot...you know the neighbors were glad we were ready to turn off that saw for the night. I just appreciated the fact that he was so willing to stay and finish it up for us, great guy, great job!

Oh, and did I tell you, that living through renovation...Sucks!

So, let me just remind anyone that has had to go through something like this, yeah, it's fun and I'm excited but if me and the hubby's marriage makes it through this then we can make it through anything. You see, everyone thinks he's such a passive, sweet, kind and patient man - well, let's just put it like this...even HE can be pushed to the edge in all of this. I had to "walk away" again tonight... best thing to do when no one has anything nice to say anymore...enough said about that just wish us luck to be able to make it to the light at the end of this tunnel! LOL!
Whew, I feel better already...hope he does....!

Click on Pictures to view them larger...

I forgot to mention that if you want to see any of these images larger, just click on them and most of the time they'll enlarge so you can see the details!

My Birthday Celebrations - Saturday Morning Treasure Hunting

Well, you know a perfect birthday HAS to fall on a Saturday and I HAVE to go treasure hunting! And, I was so lucky to come home from treasure hunting to the gorgeous roses above from the sweet hubby and a beautiful card that almost made me cry. It just goes to show you that even though we've about come to blows a few times through our kitchen demo/restoration project, we really do love each other and I truly know how blessed I am to have this wonderful man who works so hard, is so kind, and who loves me just the way I am; 46 & all!

Found this awesome old covered casserole dish (actually a few weeks ago but am just now posting) at a moving/estate sale for only $8.00. I also got the hubby a pair of sawhorses (which we've already used while cutting tile for the kitchen backsplash project) for $10.00. The summery fabric underneath; huge piece, just $4.00. Love them!

Okay, can I tell you how happy I was to find this awesome pair of chalkware parrots from 1967 at a sale for only $5.00; well, they were marked $7.00 but you know it's all about the bargaining!

Got this "Best of the Best" cookbook at this awesome estate/moving sale in the most gorgeous custom home, (which was actually designed by the husband of one of my garden club circle friends) and it was only $1.00! Can't wait to make something from it in my new kitchen...it won't be long now....

If you know me, and know how much I love vintage buttons, then you have no doubt as to how happy I was to find this button box on my birthday; you guessed it, cheap; only $2.00! I'm going to use it to store sewing items in I think, or I may put some of my vintage buttons in it. I use them to make jewelry with and button bracelets....

If you look to the right of the above picture, you'll also see the cool, heavy wall sconce that looks like a banana leaf and candle which also came from the same sale, it was $10.00. It was kind of "pricey" for me from a garage sale but it was so nice & heavy I didn't want to pass it up. Notice the DVD's in foreground, same sale, only $1.00 each and to the left of them; best treasure of the day and best bargain, garnet bakelite bangle that I got for a mere $0.50!

Steal, cha-ching!

Okay, so, it's hard to tell from this picture, as to the size & Scale of this picture but this gorgeous hand made bowl is stunning! Got it at the same moving/estate sale for, are you ready....only $5.00! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it and it's going on the table as a spring centerpiece as soon as I get my dining room back together and that's just a matter of days now...

We have another friend, who has a beautiful beachhouse and has a piece very similar to this on her table that I coveted so you can IMAGINE how I did the Happy Day Birthday Dance when I found this! Isn't it nice to see how easy it is to make me happy?! And, I'm cheap too!

It has gorgeous purple dragonflies in the middle and these awesome black and white zebra stripes around the ruffled edges! Oooooohhhh, aaaaaahhhhhhh!

My Birthday Celebrations for my 46th! Friday Night

Here is where the birthday weekend started....good food,

good friends and good times!

Cheers & Bottoms Up for my birthday bash on Friday, March 6th at Barnacle Bill's on North Monroe...! For those who know the place, know that you just heard a little jingle as I wrote that! But, I have to admit, that margarita in my hand really kinda sucked! It was more sour mix than anything and that's about all I drank of it. I'm so lucky to have such a large group of great friends and I spent time with alot of them for my birthday. This was Friday night and we all went to eat seafood and share some laughs for my big day; hard to believe that I'm actually 46 years old now as I still feel about 30; so I'm hangin' on to that feeling for as long as I can!

These are "my girls" C. & T. and they joined us for my birthday and were so sweet and gave me some awesome gifts that I love. Towels & stuff for the new kitchen project and a beautiful Turquoise teardrop pendant necklace and the sweetest cards. I wouldn't have met C. if it hadn't been for T. and I love them all! I also wouldn't have met the other T. (of Thelma & Louise - proud parents of Ruby Rita - who you see they didn't bring to the party...it's okay Rita as I scolded them for leaving you in the glove pocket of the truck....) if it hadn't been for C.! I love how friendship grows when good friends and good hearts are involved. Below is T., me and T.; it really stands for Trouble, Trouble & more Trouble! LOL!

Thank you so much for coming girls!

I love ya all!

This is C., T. & D.R., hubby of T.R.; I love that man too! He's put up with me for a long time too, you see, as I knew him, before he even met and married my girl T., and he knew my hubby before I knew him...you see, it really is true, six degrees of separation... or is that seven degrees, can't remember, old age really is setting in! We did almost all have to break out our "readers" to place our orders. This is our very own "Paula Dean"! I love this face & I love this gal! She's probably one of the most generous and kind people I've ever known and a total nut at the same time! So, of course, we get along like biscuits & gravy!Below, you'll see my "boyfriend" A., in action trying out the gumbo, which we all know, is no where near as good as his own homemade gumbo, it's FANTASTIC and so is my Boyfriend!
T. & D. eating some oysters...D. is the "other woman" involved in my boyfriends' life and god knows I love her too! Thanks for the gift certificate to Chili's D & A; can't wait for my awesome blossom!
The photo below is immediately following A. adding tobasco sauce to his gumbo to "kick it up a notch"; looks like it worked huh?
I think this shot sums it all up for the evening! We had a great time and even ran into some old high school friends to boot, so, thanks guys for once again making a night full of fun and great memories to my life!