Pink Saturday ~ A Riot of Pink Roses

Today I'm joining Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for my first Pink Saturday. I'm posting a bit early because I've got a sick child and I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to post later. I don't want to miss it like I did last week! LOL! Please click on the photo to join Beverly for all the wonderful pinkness!

Each spring, for about three weeks, there is a riot of roses in our yard. Two old, climbing, rose bushes burst out with hundreds of raucous pink blooms, taking over the whole scene. One has become part of the structure of the old abandoned wash house, busting through windows and wrapping around the door frame. The branches literally hold up the side of the building against the weight of the roses rampaging over the top and into nearby trees.

An adjacent fence barely contains the masses. It was made from scraps by the neighbor and includes many posts made of railroad ties. Evidently he knew the assault was coming. It stands strong...for now.

There is nothing delicate about these roses. They're aggressive and hardy, reaching out to grab hold of anything that doesn't move. Even the color is a bright, bold, hot pink. No soothing pastels here. Their overgrown foliage hides secret lairs for wild cats who have created paths among the big, spiky thorns over the years. The air gets heavy with their strong, old fashioned scent. At their peak I can barely breathe yet I can't bare the thought of trimming them back.

At some point we will reach this area as we slowly reclaim this property. A decision will have to be made as to the fate of the old wash house. The building holds many family memories and should be restored but it's in terrible condition and may need to come down. It is so intertwined with the roses I'm not sure if either can be managed without destroying the other. I've often dreamed of turning it into a studio for me, something out of a magazine with beautiful french doors framed by glorious climbing roses. Until then, the wild nature of the roses is winning this war and for a few weeks each spring my vision comes to life.

Wishing you a Happy Pink Saturday!
Dawn

Every Happiness

It seems many of my blogging buddies have felt heartache this past week as friends and family have dealt with health or financial woes. I would like to give you all a big hug but will settle for sending this little guy. I found him hanging out with The Graphics Fairy. During stressful times I hope you all can find that moment of happiness; a sweet memory, a feeling of contentment, a glimmer of faith ~ that moment you know that you can get through whatever comes your way. And you can help those around you get through it too!

Keep a happy heart!

Dawn

Birthday "Buddy"

Happy Birthday Darling Daughter!

Your new hamster "Buddy" is so cute!

I bet this is the first time Pet Smart had an entire birthday party show up to pick out a hamster!

Wallpaper on the Ceiling?

Crazy huh?

What's even crazier is my sister gave up a whole weekend of her life to help me do it!

And neither of us had ever wallpapered before.

It's a small galley kitchen. I figured no amount of decorating tricks could make it appear any bigger so why not cozy it up all the way! The ceiling is ivy with red berries. The wall and border look much brighter here than they really are. This photo was right after it was finished. That was 7 years ago and I still love it ~ even though I had a moment where I thought about going back to the original vintage look it had. I've decide I might use the vintage look in the sun room off the dinning room. We're finding so many cute things in the attic I have to use them somewhere!

Many of you commented on the wallpaper behind my red fruit plates on Wordless Wed./ REDnesday so I thought I should show you the whole look. The counter tops are a dark, marble-y green tile. I have a lot of plates and things on the walls now but I'm having trouble loading photos tonight so I'll save them for another day. The dinning room that you see beyond the door is now my RED dinning room that you've been seeing here and there. Beyond the arch is the now "Blonde" living room.

Thanks sis, that really was a lot of hard work but I've never laughed so much in all my life. I was flattered when you said you'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Dawn

Updates ~ The Pomegranate Tree and Attic

I thought I'd share a few updates with you today.

The pomegranate tree stays! At least for another year. Thanks for all your support on that one!

Progress is being made in the attic. I'm afraid I haven't had much to do with it though. My wonderful mother-in-law has been doing most of the work since the dust triggers my asthma.

A nice pathway has been cleared from front to back and most of the dust has been swept up. Check out the various floors in these two photos. They are beautiful vintage floral linoleum pieces.

She has gone through things enough to know whats in various boxes and piles. There is actually enough room in the back now that we can get down to the nitty-gritty of what's going to happen to all of it.

These boxes all hold fabric samples and some are quite large pieces. There are also several bags of drapes in beautiful fabrics.

There are many, many boxes marked save. When we bought the house from my MIL and her sisters we agreed to leave an area in the attic for some family treasures. No one wants them for themselves but no one wants to see them leave the family either.

This box says it all. I think we can manage to make room for our storage needs along side the family treasures. Besides, if I keep bringing stuff down to decorate with the only thing left up here will be our seasonal stuff!

Well, that's it for now...what?...the porch?...Well I was hoping you all would forget I asked you to keep on me about getting our porch fixed up. Patti at Cottage on the Curve called me on it yesterday. We got a good start but with the heat we haven't done much else. I forgot to tell Patti I did pick up a new flag for it. It's a beautiful Mary Engelbriet design about gardening, done in vibrant red and green. I'll show it to you...after I find my battery charger for my camera. Patti and I both love porches but she is definitely more organized than I am. You should check out her newly organized scrap booking room. It's amazing!

Dawn

Wordless Wed.~ Bummer! ~ and REDnesday!

Dixie in French Lique, Texas is taking a break so it's blogger's choice for Wordless Wednesday. Today my choice is

"Bummer!"

Please visit Heather as she guest hosts "Wordless Wednesday" and Sue Loves Cherries at My Secret Garden for "REDnesday" as I'm joining in the fun at both today.

Met/Blue Mon. ~The Blue Birds are Happy Again, Thanks to Penny's Tip!

Not long ago I received a wonderful comment from Penny at The Comforts of Home/Lavender Hill. She wrote:

Hi Dawn,

Thanks for stopping by. I just love your blog. Your shabby rocker is just perfect!


I wanted to let you know a sure fire way to get rid of the brown staining on your sweet blue bird plates. Fill a plastic bucket or tub with hydrogen peroxide and make sure the plates are covered. Put in in the sun for the day and it should bleach out the brown stains!


Hugs,

Penny

Now first off, I'm a huge fan of Penny's. She has such wonderful style. Her work is beautiful. And she is a real sweetheart. So I was thrilled that she made time to stop by my blog and comment. Not only did she comment, she left me this wonderful tip. She was referring to the blue bird plates I had found in my attic. Below are two photos from the original post. You can see there is a lot of crazing and brown stains.

I used one and a half large bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide to cover the plates. The photo is blurry but you can see it's the 32 oz. size.

I could have used less if my tub had been closer to the size of the plate. I had thought I could fit both plates at once but guessed wrong. You know what they say, "measure twice, bleach once" or something like that. I left it in the sun all day as Penny said.

Here you can see the first plate I bleached on the right, compared to the unbleached one on the left. It made quite a difference!

Here is a close up. The crazing is still there but without the brown stains you don't notice it as much. It's like a doing a reverse crackle finish! Ha ha! An "uncrackle". Oh, I just crack myself up.

I did the second one and it turned out just as well. Now you can go out and buy up all the ugly stained dishes you can find. They're cheap because they're stained but now you know you can make them look almost like new.

Thank you so much Penny!

It's funny how sometime the blogging world seems so small. Just before posting this I was going through some magazine clippings from a year or two ago. I came across one on a mosaic artist that was part of a series of articles on women's businesses. I had saved it because it was so inspiring. I thought, "That looks like Penny's work". Sure enough I flipped the page over and there was our own wonderful Penny! The article was from Romantic Country and titled, "A Bouquet in Bits 'N Pieces" by Bunny MacIntyre. So it looks like I was a fan of Penny's even before I met her through blogging!



Now that I'm done gushing, go on over and visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and Smiling Sally for the rest of the Met. Mon. and Blue Mon. madness!

Dawn

Thrifty Thursday ~ Red or Black?

Is it Thursday again already. This week has just flown by. I've barely had time to do a few posts and visit a few blogging friends. Summer seems to be that way! I hope you have time to visit Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville to see all the other thrifty finds.

This is not my usually thrifty find. Hubby's birthday was Tues. and I hadn't bought anything yet. We have been trying to get more organized and one thing we can never find are tools. Our garage is detached and a ways from the house so we always end up sticking a screwdriver or hammer in a drawer somewhere to be put away "later". The problem is we never put them in the same drawer and it takes forever to find what we're looking for. The kids wanted to help so we loaded up and headed for Orchard Supply Hardware. I was thrilled to find Craftsman tool chests on sale! (if your interested click on the tool chest for a link to the OSH site to get the details on this sale, it goes through July 18, I think)

50% OFF! That's right a whopping $70 savings for the middle 3 drawer section! But here's the kicker...the sale is only on the BLACK ones not the RED ones. How silly! Other than color they are the exact same! Of course I'm buying the black one....aaauugh! No pull tags for the one I want. I'm thinking...maybe they have some in back anyway...maybe I can get a rain check...Sears is right across the street...do they have the same sale...is $70.00 worth it to load the kids up again in 100+ degrees and make one more stop...for the sake of time and my sanity do I just get the red one?



So I take a deep breath and head for the customer service counter. I grabbed the tag for the red one just in case 'cause I didn't want to walk all the way back with the kids. I showed the lady the tag and told her I wanted the black one that's on sale. She said I would have to go back and show her the exact one...back across the store with kids in tow. She grabbed the sign for what I wanted, then we headed ...back ...to ...the ...front.



I know your wondering why all the walking is such a big deal. Especially since my "kids" are teens. Both of them have special needs. My daughter moves very slowly and gets tired easily. They both talk...a lot...about everything around them. Stores are total sensory overload.



So we finally reach the desk again only to realize she's not there. Evidently she was headed to a different computer or she just gave up on us. We walked back a ways and stood in the intersection of the main rows where I could watch for her. Eventually she came from the front at the other end of the store and hollered, "I think we might have some, I'll be right back". To which I hollered, "I'll take two if you've got 'em!"......



About 15 minutes later, after explaining 100 times why we don't need the giant floating pool raft that could hold a whole basketball team, she comes backs with a big smile.. and says, "The truck is here right now and it's got two, do you want them?" DUH! I did the happy dance all the way through the checkout line! I didn't even flinch when darling daughter started to throw a fit because she wanted the $7.00 tub of ladybugs and sweet son threw one because bugs gross him out. I just grabbed my pick up tag (without any bugs) and headed for the loading dock...did I mention my darling daughter gets hysterical when she sees a forklift...



Thank you OSH lady, you really did go the extra mile for me...and I do mean mile! Happy Birthday Hubby, hope you enjoy your tool box, and the can of pink spray paint...that's for my toolbox!

Dawn

Wordless Wednesday ~ Hot?

Please visit Heather at Simply Joyful Photos to see this week's Wordless Wednesday posts.

Heather is filling in for Dixie in French Lique, Texas for the summer.

Blue Monday ~ Dinning Room Got the Blues

It's Blue Monday and this is my first time joining in the fun at Smiling Sally's. Please remember to visit Sally and see who else has the blues today.

I recently shared some rooster plates that had beautiful blue borders in different patterns. They were the added to tie some blue and white salt and pepper shakers into my red, green and yellow color scheme. You can check them out by clicking here. I was really trying to stick with those colors but my rooms seem to take on a life of their own and before I knew it blue had become the main accent in the dinning room. These are some of my favorite blue and white plates that hang over my hutch.

This one hangs high on the picture rail to cover where the pipes from the original wood stove in the kitchen sent warm air to other rooms. It had been removed long before we moved in. The picture rails had been cut around the duct work so the top of a circle is missing from half of the rail here. The hole itself was covered by what almost looks like an upside down plate. If you look close you can see part of the rim under my plate.

My hutch is always evolving depending on what new treasure I've found, the seasons and if I need extra storage for groceries. It's not uncommon to find a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos wedged in there "for now". Our dinning room is the middle of our home and open to several other rooms. We have a small galley kitchen so we eat here every day and use the table for everything from paperwork to crafts. Some day I'll get all the rooms clean at the same time, have the puzzles, bills and smore's maker cleared off the table and the curtains back up. Then you can see the whole room, but don't hold your breath! That's why I covered the mirrors inside the hutch with wallpaper. Mirrors are great at doubling space but they also double clutter!

One my favorite collections is my Tracy Porter Stonehouse Farm ceramics. It has a quirky mix of great colors and patterns. Some pieces are mostly dark, dark blue, almost black, with just a little of the red and cream plaid. Others are just the opposite. Throw in a rooster, some almost pastel veggies and a bright green accent and they're perfect for someone like me who likes everything and can't make up her mind what direction to go!

You can see the rooster plates next to the hutch. Not much is left of my original color scheme except a few table clothes but they can only be seen at dinner time when the rest of the day's accumulation gets cleared away!

The yellow and green have taken a back seat to the blue and red.

And Bessie is looking girlie in her blue toile bow!

I don't mind though, sometimes Plan B works out for the best. That's Plan "B" for Blue of course!

Have a great Blue Monday.

Dawn

You Look'n at Me?

There are so many stories behind this photograph I don't know where to start. I guess the beginning is as good a place as any. This little heifer and a bunch, oops ~ sorry cow people, a herd of her friends live down the road and around the corner from me. We drive by them several times a day taking the kids to school or going to the Starbuck's drive-thru. Not that I go to Starbuck's several times a day...well, maybe when they have that nifty little promo where you use your morning receipt to get a deal in the afternoon. Did I mention I'm starting this post in the middle of the night? Are you here with me Mona, or are you "wsprng" sweetly of cottages in your sleep? Back to the cows.



Every time we drive by my daughter talks about the cows. We talk to the cows. We yell "Good MOOOOOrning" to the cows and darling daughter laughs and laughs. Then the questions start...
Why are they by the trees? It's shady there.
Why are they walking to the barn? It's feeding time.
What are they saying to us? Go away.
Do you think they know us? Yes.
What are they saying to each other? There go the crazy people again.
Why are they playing leap frog? They kicked the football into the neighbors yard and don't have anything else to do...
And then the question of all questions...
Why are they all white? They're a different kind of cow.
What kind? I don't know.
WHY NOT?......I'll look it up on the computer when we get home.

Okay, I don't have the answer to every thing. If I had known there were such things as a text service that answers all your questions, I would have called and asked Gwen at Murphy Grace Home. But I didn't. I really meant to find the answer online but every time I turned on the computer I was compelled to check on all my bloggy friends and soon forgot about the all white cows.

Then one day I was hanging out in French Lique, Texas and saw a photo of an all white cow! The caption said, "This is a Charolais Heifer"! In her infinite wisdom Dixie had answered my question without even knowing I had one.

Just to be sure I pulled up my little white heifer photo, and put it next to Dixie's little white heifer photo...and they were almost a mirror image! What did I tell you Dixie? We are in a parallel universe!

Below is my original photo. Have I told you how much I love my camera's 10x optical zoom! It keeps me from having to climb over fences into cow pastures! But it's still small and lightweight. Love it, but can't tell you what it is 'cause I don't remember.

Now my darling daughter is happy and back to asking a million other questions about the cows. I'm thrilled I didn't get a ticket for taking that heifer's photo from the middle of a busy road ~ took me three days to get the opportunity with no other cars around. That's why she's looking at me that way. She is thinking, "That crazy lady and her little girl are stalking me again and this time she's gonna get run over by a hay truck!"

I'm also left with memories of my grandmother who fondly called me "you little heifer" and my sister...but we won't discuss cow tippin' in front of you know who.

I almost forgot ~ Cotton Blossom, please tell Mama Cow we said Good MOOOrning when you drive by to let the kids wave!

You all watch out for the hay trucks and have a great weekend!

Dawn

A Thrifty, Vintage Corner

It's a double meme Thursday with

Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville

and

Suzanne at Coloradolady

Please pay these fun ladies a visit when you're through here and check out all the other thrifty and/or vintage things being shared.


You may remember a few weeks ago I shared a vintage flour sifter from my attic. A short time later I received a special gift of a vintage apron from Kathy at Kathy's Cottage. I started feeling the urge to redo my kitchen in a vintage style. I didn't get that far but I managed to put together one little corner in my dinning room to showcase my new-old things. As luck would have it they are all thrifty finds too!

I had this flat sided dress form in my bedroom with nothing on it. I thought it might work to showcase this beautiful apron. With a tiny bit shirring at the waist I was able to get it to fit nicely. My husband never liked the dress form, he thought it was weird. I never got around to showing him all the beautiful ones in the magazines and blogs. He also didn't care for Bessie, my dinning room cow. You can meet her over there on the left side of my blog. Hubby said the liked the apron because it reminded him of his grandmother who always wore an apron over her dresses except when she went to town. I thought, "OK, he's coming around". Then he floored me when he said, "Why don't you hang it (the dress form) under her (the cow head)?" Now that would be weird!






I kept the red necklace on it from the bedroom. Gives her a little class while she's hanging around dusting my wall!







Here's a peek at how the dress form is made. I forgot to take photos before I added the apron. It looks like a fancy wire corset. I don't remember the cost but it's from Ross so it had to be thrifty.







Most of things came from the attic. The cowgirls are my hubby's great aunts. Do you see the Scotties sticking out from the little red tin? I have special plans for those little pups when I get time to do some crafting. Translation ~ when the kids start school in mid August.









The milk bottles are part of my husband's collection. He started collecting them while a teenager growing up on a dairy. The rooster tea pot was one of my Strawberry Saturday finds, along with the doilies and the red tin on the shelf. I rarely drink hot tea but that over-scale rooster sticking his head out knew he would be right at home here.

And yes that is the microwave on a cart in my dinning room. We have a small galley kitchen with very limited counter space so we had to make do with it here. So that's my little vintage corner. The rest of the dinning room looks more like my header. It has more rustic colors and a french country feel. Fitting in the bright vintage colors was a little tricky but it's working at that end of the room. The other corner nearest it has a vintage Pepsi clock and thermometer, also part of my husband's collection. I tried to explain that he was cramping my french country style but in the end I had to compromise or face the wrath of the whole family because the Pepsi clock has always been in that corner. That's OK, compromise means everyone is happy. It does lead to an interesting room though. I hope to clean the kids' games and puzzles off the dinning room table and my shopping bags out of the corner soon so I can show you the whole room. Translation ~ when the kids go back to school...

Hope you find some great thirfty, vintage thingies this weekend.

Dawn