My Hubs, the Scouter

Yesterday I was reading a blog post about a hubby and kids building a fire in a pit to roast some hot dogs. It brought back a memory of Love Bunny and the day he.........well, let me start from the beginning.

We had moved to Idaho a few years before and our neighbors to our rear were an elderly couple named F and G, for the sake of anonymity. They were in their 70s when we moved here and they were never blessed with any children. They took us under their wings and thought of us as the youngsters they never had. Actually, she fell in love with Hubs and I was gettin' a bit concerned there for a while. When she had her teeth in she was pretty enticing, let me tell ya!

I'm including some pictures for you to visualize this. Our house was on a small street and on a corner where there was a private drive and there were 2 houses "behind" us. Our driveway was HUGE - enough that a Mayflower moving van could turn around in it without backing up once. So the back of our house looked into the front of those 2 neighbors. (See pix #1.)

Pix #1 Front and Back of house with "side" street and back driveway and garage.

In front of their house, but to the back of our house, was a blacktop driveway with a "garden" between. F & G put it in themselves so as to give them a prettier view and had some evergreen bushes in there. (See pix #2.)

Pix #2 That is their house through one of our back bedroom windows as seen on pix #1 bottom pix. Please enlarge to see what I'm talking about. Okay, now that I've thoroughly confused you, on with the story! It doesn't get much clearer, trust me!)

It was technically on our property. Actually, their blacktop driveway was technically on our property but just before we sold it and left that town we gave an easement to the owner that bought it after F & G died - a couple of years previously.

Anyway, the story continues.......

Love Bunny has been a life long scouter - Boy Scouts - and he's more knowledgeable than any man I know about "scouting" - and one day he wanted to go out in the yard and "control" the weeds. It starts getting frightening about this part of the story so you may want to plug your ears and cover your eyes, chicks!

He had just gotten a "weed burner" a little while before and was burning the little weeds out back. Around that "garden of evergreens" were some "weeds" so he proceeded to burn them Weellllllll, before you knew it the whole shebang was blazing! Hubs tried to put it out with the water hose out there but it would have NONE of that. The other neighbor was the town doctor and his wife started yelling and asking if he wanted her to call the fire department. (See pix #3. Her house is the one on the right with the truck parked. F & G's house is on the left behind the infamous "bushes".)

Pix #3

Okay, just GUESSSSS what hubs said......hmmmmmm?? Of course, nuuuuuu, he could put it out himself he says. Well, luckily, R - again for the sake of anonymity - the doctor's wife who ALSO adopted us(!) - called and the FD came with their BIG hoses and it was out posthaste. Hubs was worrying he'd be the one that killed F & G and just wanted to put it out before it reached their home - a very short distance from the blaze now consuming all the oxygen within a mile radius!! He was MIGHTILY embarrassed about the whole affair and his scout troop never did let him forget it. (Hmmmm, upon reflection, do I REALLY want him to take me "camping" Labor day?!??!) After the fire, Fern put in plastic, YES - PLASTIC, flowers!!! They stayed there until she died; I then ripped them out. Loved that old couple and they were a "HOOT"! I may blog more about the "Misadventures of F & G" someday. ;-)

I had more for this blog but I think that's about all you chicks can take for one day about the adventures of this family!

On second thought I have a captive audience of you so might as well continue with more "things"............
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I decided to keep that little towel holder I bought at a thrift store in Calif. last month and here it it in my guest bathroom. I'm so glad I decided to keep it. Looks great in there!

But now what in the heck do I do with all that stuff that I took down from the trellis?? I don't know. This may require a redo of my craft room AGAIN! Actually, I KNOW it is going to require it!!
My sweet blogging chicks, do you know how far behind I am on surfing blogs?!?!?! I had 80+ to catch up on and was goin' real good at it and then all of a sudden when I was down to ONLY 2, my Google Reader clicked in and said I was 30+ MORE to read. I may not post every day after this. I HAVE GOT to read other's blogs!!!

More Rooms from the 1990s

Remember I told you I'd post more pictures from that catalog of rooms from the 1990s? Here is the first of many room settings. Also remember that I'm photographing them because scanning that many photos is a lengthy process and some of the photos were huge - much bigger than the scanning surface.

Anyway, this is what was called American Country. Personally, I love American decorating. It encompasses so many cultures - American, English, French, West Coast Californian, Tropical, Southwest, Northwest, Formal, Elegant, Contemporary, Modern, Shabby, Romantic.......all of them! Even sloppy teenage decorating. ;-)

So here is the living room that I absolutely love because of the pink/red and yellow combination. It's my favorite color combo. Then you'll see the bedroom and dining room. I LOVE this style, but my favorite is still the living room from Pink Saturday.

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This is my family room in another disarray! As hubs said today (as I was suggesting places and looking for a corner to put it in), "There aren't any more corners in the house to put it; you've got something in every one of them, Connie." It is currently holding just about anything and everything that doesn't have a place yet. I didn't have anywhere to put this trellis but behind the sofa. I plan on "doing something" with it but I'm a bit tired from nailing more holes in the wall today that I'll have to think on it a bit. I'm a tad dangerous with the hammer and screwdriver at this point, chickees!

Pink Saturday

I'm truly sorry but these last few weeks with the remodel has left me without a pink item to show except for the pink in this room. I'm getting the house back in order and today I mopped the floors and it felt sooooo good to walk across the vinyl in the baths and kitchen without something jabbing me in the foot (I did step on a tacky strip where we peeled back the carpet and it BLED!) Do I hear some "ooooh, ouch, chickie"?! Maybe you could send me some chocolate! That might help......sob....sniffle. Oooooo, yeah, definitely chocolate!!! ;-)<----- smirky wink!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you my all-time favorite room. In 1997 when I was looking to buy a new sofa (Yes, it's the one in my living room now and looks as good as when I had it delivered.) I journeyed to Ethan Allen in Boise. The sales lady gave me one of their catalogs. I perused it when I got home to help me decide and came across this room. I almost expired on the spot!! Truly, I don't think there is another room that captured my heart so much as this one. I counted 10 different fabrics in use in that room and just fell in love with everything about it. The tufted white sofa, the drapes and mix of different pillows and one with the family crest perhaps(?), the white wrought iron tables juxtaposed with the french country coffee table, the old vintage books lying about on the table, the mullioned windows, the fresh bouquet of roses, the portraits of ancestors perhaps, the requisite globe, the lovely carpet, the throw to warm you in the cool evenings, the staffordshire lamp, the comfy chairs, the kilim fabric on the footstool by the fireplace grate (mostly "hinted at" in this photo as the observer cannot see it, but surely there is one there!), the old wood paneling, the window seat where you can wile away the snowy winter afternoons and the look of the room - as if it had been collected over a lifetime of the owners. That's the look I'd like to capture in my home. Of course, our "stuff" has been collected over our 47+ years but it certainly isn't as elegant as this room. But my home is my home: a mixture of old, new, shabby, english, country with a shadow or hint of formality, romantic, flowery, roses, pink and ME - Connie. That look I have down "pat"!! :-) AND you MUST enlarge the pix to view it properly!!!!!! And I'll show you another room from that catalog sunday. I think you'll like that one also. :-)

Decorating the Living Room

I seem to be making some headway in this house the last 2 days. But wouldn't ya know it; I had to stop and resuscitate the mouse!! She's been giving me a fit lately and I usually just dust her off - her belly button, ya know, that scroll wheel. But she's been sucking some serious dust around here so it's been a miracle that I can revive the little darling. *Sigh*.........................

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This was 2 days ago. I was so tired I didn't know whether to climb the ladder to paint/hang pix or get on my knees and put stuff back that was to be "lower"! My feet are killing me from standing on that ladder, chicks.

Do you realize that I "shopped" right outta this house??? Yep, old things placed in different places seem new again. Besides, hubs said to keep it to a minimum. They're just no fun when it comes to remodeling and redecorating. Actually, this whole remodel was his idea. Ya woulda expected me to say nuuuuuuuu?!?! Get a grip, chicks, this was decorating and spending money here. It's our lot in liiiiIIIIiiiiiffffffffee. (When I type the words that way you'll know I'm RAISING my voice and lowering it. Hah...No matter.......on with the show.)

Anyway, today shows a marked improvement.....in the living room. The family room??? Pfffffffffttttt. It's trashed! Now, I'm not so proud that I wouldn't show you but there's nothing to show in there at the moment. I've pretty much stripped the pix off the walls and brought them into living room.

Notice the french wire baskets. I don't know where to put them! I'll have hubs help me decide tonight. He's actually pretty good at noticing things and recommending things when I'm stymied. You all have been a big help with your email suggestions also. Thank you!

Clock was moved last night but moving a grandfather clock is a delicate matter. We had to almost disassemble it to move it - take out the weights and pendulum. But it's there. I've added 2 pix above it and some pretty little boxes on the overhead. Being from California I'm squeamish about putting things "UP" when they could "FALL" on your head! These are light however and not a problem.

The print on the left of the photo is 1 of 3 of my favorites. It's a Susan Rios print. The one in the middle below the painting of the girl (more on that in a moment) is my absolutely favorite of all times. When we lived in California I had a huge family room and had slipcovers made for a sofa I had. It was a wide pink and white stripe. That thing cost me a fortune! That was over 20 years ago and cost me $800.00. I could actually have bought a new sofa for less at that time. I loved it though.

One day when I was at the Valley Fair Mall in San Jose I went into the Martin Lawrence Gallery there and found this print. I immediately bought it because I absolutely adored it and it looked a great deal like my home with that sofa and the lace curtains. My heart was stolen, little sweets. But when we moved up here and then to this new house 3 years ago we didn't have room for it. I sold it for $100.00 and included 2 outdoor wrought iron chairs. Pathetic.

Anyway, the limited edition on the far right with a white frame is another of Susan's prints. So I grouped them all together.

Now, about that painting. I purchased it recently at Goodwill for a couple of dollars because it touched my heart and it has pink roses on her hat. BUT the thing is Susan Rios did a self-portrait once and that is a lot like her portrait. I have a book of her painting and prints in it and that portrait is in there. Except for the hat it could almost be her. It is truly amazing. So I hung it with her paintings. I've also included her self-portrait for you to see the similarities - the pose, the hair, the white blouse, the direction in which she's looking. You'll have to enlarge the pix of living room to see that portrait better.

My new sink!!!!!! I love it. I like stainless steel and it's not as deep as the old porcelain one. I did put one pix over the sink that I can look at. Still much more to do there but I had to get some of them off the floor and hung! I'll get Love Bunny to put a shelf in there - I have no "shortage" of shelves or I'll hang that little french country shelf for miscellany.

This is a mosaic my daughter and granddaughter made me. She never got a photo of it 3 years ago and is updating her portfolio of mosaics. So I had to photograph it for her. If you want to see some of her pieces for sale go visit Nan. This is a hobby for her. She's like me and CANNOT do nothing!

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Now I want to share with you a special gift that Katie recently sent me! She just started a selling blog. But I have to tell you also that she recently has taken up silk ribbon embroidery. (We've created a monster!! Aaaack!) AND she's recently had her first grandchild, Syllah May, which was a terrific thrill for her. We followed the journey with her from the announcement of her daughter's pregnancy to the delivery of Miss Syllah. She's a beauty also, but has the most extensive wardrobe of any new chick I've ever seen!! Anyway, Katie made this quilted tote for me and it's lovely. You have got to go to her blog and see her exquisite silk ribbon embroidery! That new baby had the most exquisite first wardrobe I've ever seen. Goooooo! Ooooh and why the tote???? I guess she just "loves" me for some crazy reason! :-)~*~

*UPDATE at 10:15 pm TONIGHT!*
I composed this post tonight at 6 pm or so after working all day (but I wanted you to view the "latest" of the kitchen) and adding to the draft of this post and scheduling it to come on line at midnight, but hubs put up a couple of shelves for me tonight so it's 10:15 pm and I've been up for 20 hours now and still going strong............ Hah! If you believe that you're nuts because you can tell by the run on sentence!!!!! I'm about to keel over. BUT I'll just post this and go because hubs is tired.*Fini* Bon nuit!

Redecorating is Tiring!!

To those of you who have sent me emails asking me how I go like the energizer bunny - I don't, sweet chicks! I'm losing steam rapidly. I have been getting up around 4:30 or 5 am every day for weeks just because I can't sleep knowing what I want/need to do. But my "mental energy" is abounding and astounding! Today's post will be short - got lots to do. Now, what I'd like is some suggestions. I'm putting my 3 Susan Rios prints on this wall - the partly new wall. I think the 2 french wire baskets are too big for this and the 3 tiered white plate stand I want to showcase some faux pastries on is too big for any plates I have. Sooooooo, my little bunnies, what do I put on a 13 1/3" round plate holder - 3 tiers so I'll have to do "3" of whatever? I don't think I've seen 13" plates anywhere. Then what do you think of the little chair with books and that victorian house with foliage and roses in it on top of that?? By george, I think I've got a vignette just in that quick photo below!!! Hah.... And I can assure you the rest of the house is suffering......but NOT for long. I'm on a roll today!!!!!!!!!!!