Just Jabberin' Today 11/19/2013

This is my laundry room just above the washer and dryer. For years I used a large box of Tide with a handle on top and one on the side to pull it down to use when I'm doing laundry. Well, I've had to tape it with very strong duct tape to hold it together as it's getting a bit flimsy. So I tried a pretty box that was strong to put my detergent in. After a while I thought it might break the small metal handle. So I looked around the internet and found this metal one at Pottery Barn for $29 and hubs said to go ahead and get it since I just couldn't make up my mind. So here it is and it may get painted white and decals put on it. We'll see. But it fits there perfectly at 8" X 8" square, very strong and not so tall that it wouldn't fit in there. Score!!! I love it; however, I didn't throw away the old Tide box. Why do they change styles on things that we love and worked for us? I don't think a mother/woman/executive would design like men are doing now. No, I am not a feminist but women do have a different view as to what works for woman who are homemakers. I absolutely love being home all the time.

Okay, this is my very first foray into buying Cath Kidston. Squeeeeallll!!! I've always loved her style but especially her dishes. So recently with a coupon and free shipping I bought these 4 gorgeous little bowls...

and these 3 cups. Hubby has his own favorite mug to drink hot chocolate out of so I just got three for me. I'm telling you they are simply gorgeous in person. These are called Stanley mugs and are much bigger than one of our "regular" mugs here in the U.S. They had a Crush mug but it was a bit smaller I think and a bit different in its shape. But I chose these Stanley mugs and love displaying them in my kitchen.

I really do like the look of some French things around my house, but I'm not one to go all-white. I love pink and that's what color my home is. I just couldn't have all white as I'd find it too boring. I love color! So after making over those little foot stools with drop cloth fabric (see that post here), I'm also going to make a pillow or two for some chairs. I have so many beautiful pillows I've bought over the years and hate to get rid of them but it might just have to happen. Granddaughter will have first choice when she's here for Thanksgiving and then the rest might go on eBay. Many are feather-filled pillows. Some are beautiful European prints. All are gorgeous. If any of you are interested, send me an email and I'll take pictures of all of them and you can make your choice. I'm not going to bother putting them all on here. I'll just take some pictures and keep them for any inquiries, but I doubt you'll be disappointed in any of them.

I actually love the look of things like this out in the open. I don't have a large kitchen, in fact, it's small, just the size for senior citizens (that's old people to some of you) and people who don't like cooking everyday and love eating out (that's ME!). I don't have enough space in my kitchen to do this, but I have vases and beautiful pitchers holding kitchen utensils in my kitchen.

What a delightfully colored chandelier.

I like the look of this mosaic table but I'd paint it white. I do love white furniture.

Another squeeeeeallll! Isn't this adorable? I saw it on the internet and have no idea who did it but I'd love to have one to hang on my porch.

See what you can do with a plain ol' chest! Jazz it up with stencils. I find it darling.

Now this? Ooooohmygosh. Of course, I love Christie Repasy's art but she outdid herself with this little gem. I'd love to have it but I'm not willing to pay high prices this probably got. My hubby would probably faint if I spent money on something that looks like it's falling apart. He just doesn't get it and never will. ;-)

I'm going to make one of these to hold...something, just haven't figured out what. But if it turns out cute then I'll make one for a giveaway. Wouldn't you like something this cute to hang in your laundry room? I already have 3 darling ones I made hanging in mine but there's always room for a few others. :-)

Yes, I also like these little baskets but I don't have room for a lot of "fluff" around here. I would dearly love to have one though as I'm very visual and just looking at gorgeous things makes my heart flutter and my eyes glaze over.

I'm old enough to remember these drying frames and love seeing my whites hanging on a line drying. The sun actually bleaches them naturally for you and just seeing them out there brings back memories to me. I recently found some indoor drying racks on a pulley system in the UK but they were several hundred dollars and that ain't gonna fly with this chick! They were really nice looking and would be great to have for winter time and if you didn't have a dryer.

I'm not this organized but I love looking at it. I rarely give gifts so I don't wrap a lot of things. But when I do wrap it's on the kitchen table. I hate wrapping packages. I really do.

And I love looking at white linens. That reminds me that I need some new sheets. I have some Lily Pulitzer pink patterned ones and I love them but apparently she isn't selling sheets anymore as I cannot find any. I also love very high thread count sheets and will only sleep on great sheets. I feel the difference actually. My daughter bought 600 count sheets just for her spare bedroom for when we visit. She was taught well by her mother! That would be ME!

~*~

Tidbits About Me

This sign was made for me; I just personalized it a bit more.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I carry a small note pad in the car (along with a back scratcher in my door pocket) so I can write down thoughts that occur to me for th' blog. That worked, but then Love Bunny thought an audio recorder would work better. I bought one thinking that for once in our marriage he might be right and that it would help me more than trying to write while driving. And it did...for a while.

Then the battery went out and I was too busy to replace it so put it away for a while until I remembered to replace it. Then once again, I forgot it for a little while. Sigh. I always promise myself I'll remember what I wanted to write down. I rarely, if ever, do! I now have the audio recorder working and am using it again. I hate not remembering things I want to blog about!

Since I've been posting tidbits recently from a book I've read, I thought I'd post a few tidbits about me.

I am attracted to anything pink, architectural details, vintage gates that remind me of my childhood, vibrant colors, soft colors, gorgeous sofas, beautiful chairs, chocolate, pretty papers, froufrou images, chandeliers, flowers of any kind and any, and I mean ANY eye candy . Not necessarily in that order.

I love big hair on women and big photos on blogs. I have very fluffy/big hair and my great granddaughter does too.

I went wild this past New Year's Eve by buying corn chips. Yep, I'm soooo exciting! Sigh...

I've had a lifelong dependency on suspicion. True!

I do have a soft heart and am a bit of a sentimentalist, just a tiny bit.

I once did something I'll never, ever admit to. ;-) Nope, it wasn't immoral or illegal.

I am a very uplifting person and try to leave everyone feeling that way. True!

I leave toast crumbs in the butter and am not the least bit embarrassed by it. Butter should have toast crumbs in it.

I once wrote to a very famous interior designer and she wrote me back. I was thrilled. That's not the norm. She was a gracious lady.

I get up in the morning and immediately put on my clothes for the day. I don't change until we go to bed at night. (Hubs changes at least 3 times a day.)

I am an excellent speller and rarely get a word wrong.

I can't eat spicy/hot food, no way. Someone will tell me, "It's not too spicy" and invariably it's too spicy. So I trust no one anymore. I also don't like hot food; I prefer it at room temperature.

I'll never be a politically correct person. I say Merry Christmas and we'll fly the American flag until we die.

I'm a very opinionated woman and that will never change.

I love music from the 60s, 70s and 80s and also love the Big Band songs from the 40s. Also, classical guitar is one of my favorite things to listen to. I love the cello and bass music and most classical music. I absolutely hate rap music and I use the term music loosely in describing it. My granddaughter likes french rap music however.

I made my great granddaughter a music CD with oldies on it and she loves it but her favorite song is Lollipop and sings it at her daycare for them.
*

Similar to my new quilted bedspread but mine has 11 ruffles on it.

More pretty bottles, one of my favorite things.

Lovely patio, just lovely!

I really like this house with the pretty tables and stone floor. No cleaning carpets!

Antlers and roses? Sure makes a cute table setting though.

Pretty homes on a street in Italy.

Yes, this is actually a cake. I can't even imagine the time and expertise, let alone the price, of such a creation.

Linens covered with roses.

Pretty hat boxes.

Lovely pearls gracing a hanger.

Beautiful pink chrysanthemums.

A kitchen we'd all love to have. Large farmhouse table with a gorgeous chandelier.

I'm not fond of mirrors but this one is gorgeous.

Pretty vintage tin boxes.

Gorgeous pink fabric. I wish I had it to make pillows.

*

Tidbit:
In 1994, there were more than 420,000 accidents caused by kitchen knives, 122,000 by drinking glasses, 29,000 by refrigerators, and 7,000 by dishwashers.
Refrigerators??

Okay, now the "I" states and what each state is #1 in.

Idaho:
Trout Fishing
Highest suicide rate

Illinois:
Pumpkins
Nuclear power production

Indiana:
elevator manufacturing
Divorce

Iowa:
Percentage of residents over the age of 85
Water pollution
~*~

Just A Few Thoughts Today

Has anyone noticed that for the past several years that cakes are becoming a fashion statement? I see the most elaborate cakes all over the internet. Some look like they've taken days or even weeks to assemble. And the cost has got to be prohibitive for the average person. But they are gorgeous and works of art!
*

I'll never be beautiful. I've accepted that and it's really okay. I have a beautiful spirit though. I've been told I am but I'm definitely a realist. At most I'm attractive, meaning I attract attention. Even at 70 I get looks from men. But truly, I'm not gorgeous or beautiful. BUT I feel beautiful and that's a start. If you're so down on yourself that you have to have surgery then you don't have the confidence that you are beautiful. I truly believe everyone has a beautiful spirit and if you think you're beautiful, pretty or striking, you will be. And I've got a smile that can dazzle them. I'm always smiling. Maybe they wonder why I've always got a smile on my face. I don't know, but the moment someone starts talking to me I smile bigger. Always have.
*

The other night hubby came around the corner while I was in the kitchen and we hugged. I looked up at him, smooched him and asked him how he could love an old, fat, nagging, wrinkly woman. He said, "You're not wrinkly." I said, "Yes, I am." He repeated his statement. I felt better. :-)
*

Our house is rather open, meaning the kitchen, dining area and living room are in close proximity that smells cover all three areas. Our cathedral ceiling allows the cooking smells to waft over the wall in the kitchen, which doesn't go all the way to the ceiling. It's one thing I don't like about our house but this is our last house and I deal with it. But if I know someone might be coming over, I don't cook fish, beans, hot dogs or sauerkraut. Nothing smells as bad as those foods to me. If someone drops in, I quickly spray the house with Scentsy if I catch them coming up the walk. I love those foods...well, the sauerkraut not so much but hubby does... but they sure smell the house up horribly. If someone drops by when I've had fried potatoes with onions or a roast, I don't worry because I'm always greeted with "Gee, it smells so good in here" when cooking those 2 foods. And they're right!
*

This is another room I like, especially the curtains.

Another darling vignette with brightly colored tins, plates and cups.

Romantic flower vignette.

Wouldn't small matchboxes be cute covered in this paper?

Stepping through these doors could be a bit hazardous.

I love rain. I love hearing it, seeing it and feeling it.

Geraniums always remind me of California. We had many when we lived there.

This is a room I'd feel right at home in, but the walls would be pink.

Pretty linens are always nice to have.

Why not put netting around a table for a party?!

A little girl's room that a mummy decided to make froufrou and gorgeous.

Love this shade of lavender.

More pretty linens.

A pretty kitchen. I like the blue counter top, too.

A breakfast of croissants, fruit and juice in Paris.

*

Tidbits:
George Washington was the only president to have been unanimously elected.
John F. Kennedy was the first president born in the 20th century.
Jimmy Carter was the first president born in a hospital.
~*~

Weighty Thoughts Are on My Mind Today.

Just a few thoughts on some things I've seen, heard or read lately.

The Taliban has threatened to stop their polio vaccines until the U.S. stops its drone attacks. Oooooh, really? Now, I ask you: Who in the world is that going to help? While I sit here in my home in the U.S. and dearly love children and hate seeing them hurt, who will suffer for this? Their children! I, hubby, my kids and grandkids have all had our vaccinations. We're in no danger. Seriously, who are these nut cases? I feel for their children who may contract polio. Oooh, sigh, sigh, sigh!
*

Which also brings me to China? They have a one-child policy and don't particularly like girl babies. Well, if they destroy all the girl babies, who is going to birth females, as it is they—women— who have the babies? They have it all backwards in my estimation. In the Bible, men have been asked by the Lord to take multiple wives to propagate the world. So China will end up with no one if they continue on this stance. Just boggles my mind how some people think.
*

A Canadian p*rn star's trans**ual lover reveals that she could have been the killer's victim. (I obliterate things so I won't be on some list when the p*rverts google some things. And yes, I can track this! So don't doubt me. I prefer to have legitimate surfers, not the weird kind.) How sick does a person have to be to want so much publicity that she makes this statement, which could happen to be false?! She is so desperate for her 15 minutes of fame that she'll make such ridiculous statements like that. Sigh...again! Read my blog post of fame here.
*

I read where the USA Olympic basketball team beat the Nigerian team by 83 points and some criticized the USA coach for going on when the other team was so far behind. What are the idiots thinking?! It's a championship and if the Nigerians can't take it, then they should never have shown up. Would they have stopped the game if they were so far ahead of the USA? I don't think so! The game is timed. That's how it's played! They couldn't stop.
*

I saw a video on the internet that a university is making. It's beyond my comprehension how some people can be so absolutely and utterly stupid. This video has white/Caucasian people of various ages on it with graffiti covering their faces saying: It's unfair to be white. Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't have any say in the matter when my parents conceived me. I doubt I cared one whit what color I came out. I would still be the happy chick I am, living in Idaho with my hubby and still loving every single person in this world no matter what color or ethnicity they are. After all, some of my grandchildren are Asian and some are Hispanic and they are gorgeous, let me tell you and this statement is absolutely prejudicial: I have absolutely beautiful grandchildren! What a pathetic attempt at dividing people this is.
*

I'd prefer to think about more weighty matters like life, death, cellulite and donuts.
*

Hubs asked me some time ago why I have to eat so many donuts when I buy them. I told him I have to sample a dozen because I don't want to miss one single culinary experience if I don't have to.
*

Recently, a friend got the VOIP on her phone to save money. I hate VOIP and will probably never, ever have it. When talking with someone on that type of phone connection (phone through the internet) every second and third word is dropped. I'm not ever giving up my land line for that simple reason. I want everyone to hear me properly and I would like the same consideration but it isn't going to happen. I choose wisely where I spend my dollars. Also, VOIP is easily broken into and someone can make a call looking like it came from your phone and not theirs. Yes, this can happen. Just remember that when you get a phone bill from some Caribbean/off shore phone company with thousands of dollars in costs on your phone. You have absolutely no recourse but to pay the bill. Your local and/or long distance company cannot help you one bit and they warn and tell you that. You are absolutely stuck with those phone bills, not the person who made them. YOU!
~*~

More on the book about Presidential Secret Service. Just a few tidbits today.

There are a few more on the President I mentioned here. Remember, I'm doing every single one in this book, no preferential treatment whatsoever. If you're interested in all the stories, buy the book. ;-)

An usher had helped the previous First Lady learn how to use a computer. One day he got a message from her to call him back requesting his assistance on her computer. He did return her call and was fired. He had worked as an usher for the WH for many years and had 4 children. He couldn't find work for a year after that. It was the sitting President that had it done; it wasn't a rule to be able to work there. What a mean man he was!

This President also refused to let the public area be re-carpeted. It was a shambles but he micro-managed so much he wouldn't let them do it. It was replaced immediately after he left office. He even had solar panels installed on the WH roof and they didn't generate enough hot water to run the dishwasher! They had to go out and order a new hot water system just to keep it going. That blew any savings it may have generated but it was a fiasco for the WH staff.

The book calls this family the biggest liars of all. If I tell you a story, it will give it away who it was but I'll just say their private persona was totally different from their public persona. They were not missed when they left.

He wanted to be known as a big fitness buff but he collapsed into the arms of a SS agent when running once, but he had them way off track. They had to find a pay phone to call a cab, but finally called 911 to call the WH to get a vehicle out to find them. Some of these stories are hilarious!

I think that's enough for today, don't you?
~*~


I like this relaxed look of white and splashes of red. It would make a darling family room for me. I'd thrown in a lot of pink also.

Yes, I love white slipcovers. Mine on our family room sofa is a green and white stripe and I got it for a bit of $300 about 4 years ago. I've never seen another cover like it and have many compliments on it. I would like these in there also. Just crisp and clean and washable!

Cute lanterns for guiding your sailor home.

Sweet dining area with all pinks and reds.

One of the most inviting entries I've ever seen.

Now you know what to do with that old tree you're going to chop down in your yard. :-)

Is this pup guarding the home or is he just showing you how cool he looks perched there? ;-)

Aqua and red eye candy.

Little pink cottage with an eyebrow roof line. Looks like it's been neglected though.

Coffee filters covering a lamp shade. I think nothing has contributed to decorating like coffee filters. :-)

Just going in to a fabric store perks me up with all the beautiful and bright colors.

A very well organized kitchen area. Cute how the homeowner has pretty colors and decals on all her stuff.

A beautiful pink french château in a rose-strewn garden.

Another cottage in a flower garden with rock pathway.

Isn’t this cute?! I love the bright pinks mixed with apple green and white.

My window seat in this office isn't as big but I love it for the ambiance it gives this room.

Ooooooh, yeah. Burlap-looking covers with ruffles for femininity.

Another hammock strung between trees for you to relax and dream.

~*~