Where Has October Gone?

Thank you friends for all the sweet comments and emails. After two weeks of fighting nasty colds my daughter is back at school and I'm able to put down the Kleenex box! Lucky for you I wasn't in the mood for taking photos. Lucky for me my mom has spent the last month or so going back and forth, up and down the state and is letting me share some of her photos so I have something to post!

Mom and dad spent a few days in Carmel

for Walter and Tracy's wedding.

They visited the mission and had a beautiful time at the coast.

I just love the verdigris on the bell

in contrast to all the warm terracotta colors.

Walter and Tracy enjoying dinner

and the sunset over the Pacific.

They were married on the beach the next day.

Then mom and dad headed up to Chico in

Northern California to watch

John, Rochelle and Dane run in the Mozart Mile.

Trent played in the band.

The Mozart Mile is a fundraiser for the arts

and is held in Bidwell Park.



Last stop, Southern California

for a baby shower.

Three more weeks, Sis!

Thanks to my family for this post. Love you guys!

Vintage Slipper Chairs and a Wedding

Remember these?

Lovely but worn out slipper chairs from an estate sale for $15 each.

They now have a fresh lease on life in a scrumptiously soft chenille. (Please ignore the floor lamp stuck awkwardly behind them, I had just picked up the little table at another estate sale and wasn't done rearranging when I grabbed my camera!) The pretty, but ripped and dirty turquoise velvet didn't fit my color scheme and the upholstery really need to be redone to keep the padding in shape.  I loved the lines and they seemed really sturdy to me. The manufacturer's tag said "Comfort Chair Co., Inc., Hickory, N.C. I couldn't find anything on the company but I knew North Carolina is associated with quality furniture.

 I took them to Tracy's dad, a professional upholsterer, to see what he thought. The first thing he did was throw them up on some saw horses and try to twist them apart. He seemed surprised they passed the test and said that chairs of this design without arms don't always have the support they need. I think when I called him and asked him to look at some $15 chairs he didn't expect much! He said they were probably made in the 50's judging by the materials used and they were well worth the cost of reupholstering them. The only design change we made was to omit the tufting on the seat. I paid a couple of hundred each to have them done. I know that's not pocket change, and is way over the price of a slipcover, but at a total of about $275 each they were way under anything comparable I could find.

Like the tufted one on the right for $2365... plus fabric!

See, you were thinking I was crazy but I do know thrifty when I find it! And that's why I'm linking up with Leigh for Thrifty Thursday in Bloggeritaville. Please pay her a visit see all the thrifty finds and crafts at her link party.

One last thing before I forget. I'm happy to say that Tracy is, finally, officially my sister-in-law. Congratulations to Tracy and my brother Walter! If you'd like to see photos of their wedding in Carmel a few weeks ago you can check out Erika Jackson Photography. Make sure you scroll all the way to the end. The barefoot on the beach photos are my favorites, although the winery ones are great too. wedding photography has sure come a long way since I got married!

Hugs,

Dawn 



Last Look at Summer

It's a grey, rainy day here so I thought I'd share a few photos from my son's recent luau birthday party.

A friend's son showing off what he learned at swimming lessons this summer.

Oh to be young and fearless!

The whole group, except me of course, that's one of the advantages of being the photographer!

And finally, the new patio. It was so nice to set up tables and be able to walk with out falling into big cracks or off the edge! It was a great end to a wonderful summer and the timing was perfect. We've had thunderstorms and rain the last few days. Time to switch gears and focus on all those inside activities like planning for the holidays, Christmas shopping and ... I suppose cleaning out a few closets. As much as I love summer the extra daylight seems to make us run around like crazy. I'm looking forward to the shorter days and more time to relax in the evenings. Hope you're getting to relax some too!

I had planned on spending some time visiting after I did this post, it's been forever and I'm really missing all of you. But...Hubby just came home, it's hard to mow in the rain so he took the day off. It's hard for me to concentrate on my comments when he's sitting behind me, not saying a word, but mentally willing me to get off the computer so he can have a turn before the kids get home!
Hugs,
Dawn

Double Double, Toile and Trouble ~ We Have Winners!

Double the Birthdays, double the prizes and double the trouble for sure! Poor Mona, I really put her through the wringer on this one. She had never done a giveaway before but she came through with flying colors and once she got over the fright of it all she learned how to work her blogger magic! You can teach an old witch sweet lady new tricks! LOL! Used to be her friend indeed! Make sure you go by to meet her winner and see all that she went through to do it. I forgot to tell her about the random number generator!

 

 

As much as I would have like to be right there with Mona doing our drawings we're separated by half a state and millions of crazy drivers so I had to call upon my own little Witchie Poo to do the honors.

 

 

 

Only six entries so it's pretty good odds. Aren't the six of you glad I haven't been around visiting much lately? Mona had sixty something! And the winner is....

 

 

 

 

Congratulations! I will have your groovy witch in the mail Monday. I hope the kids have a great time with her!

 

If you haven't been by Arbor House Lane you should go and see the spells this great friend casts on old ugly furniture! It's amazing! And for a cackle or two stop by All the Girls Chit Chat where she's been known to hang out with a bunch of clowns like...um...me, not that I've been there much lately either, really I have been busy, catching toads and newts and such.

Thanks to my other five loyal followers! A few of you mentioned you have October birthdays. Next year you'll have to break out the brooms with us! My mom and cousin are also October girls so we get to celebrate all month long! As for Mona, she's really not a witch, at least I don't think so...

When I was looking for old postcards online I came across this poem.

October's child is born for woe,

And life's vicissitudes must know,

But lay on Opal on her breast,

And hope will lull those woes to rest.

No wonder Mona and I became friends, both up in the wee hours of the night blogging and worrying together! I'm putting an opal at the top of my Birthday list! I think I'd like a white one this time. Are you reading this hubby? I  have a pink opal ring from my aunt but I caught in on a card file drawer at the library in college and about ripped my finger off. It bent and I couldn't wear it any more. I should have put it on a chain so it could lay on my chest! Think of all the beauty rest I could have had since then!

I also found that the old postcards list Hops as October's flower. Did you know that Mona?

Well, I probably lost all the January through September girls, and the November and December ones too, so I'll end this tribute to October.

My daughter had to start decorating for Halloween tonight so we strung some fake cobwebs next to the real ones on the porch. The fake palm trees and parrots from last weekend's luau for my son's birthday are still up in the back yard. Can you imagine what my neighbors think? Doesn't matter, I've got all you! And I promise, promise, promise I will find time to visit this weekend, right after the tiki huts are packed away.