Doing Some Cleaning

I invite you all to watch the two minute video; it's up to you of course. It is part of a speech given by a member of The First Presidency of our Church. It inspired me as no other video could ever do on creating. It will touch your heart. It will give you hope. I published it several months ago but thought it might inspire someone again.

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The weather has turned cooler and I'm trying to be productive. It isn't easy being productive.

Today I attacked some drawers in my dresser. Five drawers to be exact. So far I've rounded up and given to thrift stores: 11 shirts, 4 pairs of shoes, 4 of hubby's sport coats that are just too small but in great shape, 2 bathing suits, 4 hats, 3 t-shirts and 54 pairs of socks in good shape, but don't wear knee-highs anymore. That leaves me with 5 empty drawers. I'll not be refilling them with new stuff as I just don't need any more stuff. I'm trying to lighten our load and get rid of stuff. I cannot even recall what else we've taken to the thrift stores prior to today.

Why do we accumulate things? For me, it was partly because I wanted to make sure I had enough. Yeah, you heard me. I didn't just have enough; I had more than any one person needed. Then when I saw a rose plate or anything with roses on it, it was mine. I'd buy it. I am truly sad to have bought all that stuff long ago and now getting rid of it. Not the getting rid of part, but the money I wasted on accumulating stuff because I thought I needed it and certainly thought I wanted it. I see bloggers all the time accumulating more things—vintage, rustic, whatever—because they love it or want to have it. I've come to the realization that I don't need that stuff to make me happy. This is absolutely true. I didn't figure it out until a few years ago. All the thousands, yes, many thousands, of dollars I spent on clothes, plates, anything I wanted. What a waste. I see homes on blogs that have so much and the women keep on adding to it. Now, I'm subtracting from it. Funny how that works out but it is so free-ing to be able to get rid of it.

A friend on an eBay discussion group I had for many years told me that she and her hubby were just taking anything they could to the thrift stores or throwing it out. She said it felt good. I took a lesson from her and am doing the same thing and getting the same feeling. It truly does feel good. :-) And besides, my kids don't want anything we've got. I've already given them keepsakes from their great grandmothers and jewelry I no longer wear. My daughter told me if I didn't get rid of most stuff, she would put it on eBay for 99¢ with free shipping and I think she just might do it!
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Another gorgeous living room, shabby chic romantic kind.

A darling vignette of teacups.

Isn't this little hanging element adorable?

A cozy patio bench with beautiful pink pillows.

This would be a darling setting for a pink lover's party—stripes and polka dots.

Just a feminine setting with ruffles, lace, roses and a french chair.

A chocolate pot with gorgeous roses and green color.

Wow!!! What a stunner of a bathroom! Woooohoooo.

More roses for ya, but with feathers this time, sweets. ;-)

Got enough roses yet? Hmmmm?

Or pink???

Box of beautiful laces waiting for someone to do something with them.

Pretty pink, blue and white kitchen dining area.

Now, this one I adore. It could very well be the "perfect" kitchen in my eyes. Gorgeous!

Just like these vivid colors. Anyone who has been to Mexico probably has one of these. We've picked up a few on our travels down there.

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Everyone has a talent; I think mine is nagging.
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Feathers in my Food!

It all started with wanting different shades for my dining room chandelier. I saw 2 styles that really mesmerized me.

This one:

and this one:

One has pink roses all around the bottom of the shades and the other one has a pretty ribbon on it.  I had some pretty paper roses but not enough to go all the way around 5 shades, plus they were a bit big for the tiny shades. I especially loved the shapes of the 2 above. I couldn't find the exact shades—at a cost that wouldn't hurt my bank account. But all I could find at our Lowes and Home Depot were the usual ones, nothing fancy, just a sort of flare at the bottom. So I let everything sit for a while until I felt inspiration since I had bought 5 of them and painted them pink. After painting them, I realized they would not cast much light so it was back to Lowes for 5 more shades. Those were left unpainted. Then after about three weeks, it hit me—feathers. I had bought 3 feather boas a few months ago, just in case I'd need them at some point. I also had a pretty trim but only enough for one, so I was off to hunt for more of that particular trim. I finally found it after much looking at Joanns. I mean I really looked hard for about 20 minutes through all their trim and was just about to give up when on a bottom shelf I saw it. There were only 3 yards of it left and I bought it all! I put the jeweled trim around the top part and feathers on the bottom and then I put 3 little paper roses along the top, Then I finished it with a pink bow. While I love the shade with the sassy ribbon and how the ribbon goes around it, without that straight-sided shade, doing it the way it is in the photo just wouldn't work, so I had to improvise. Plus, I loved that ribbon but couldn't find it anywhere.

All of MY photos can be clicked to enlarge, not the ones starting with the stone cottage. Y'all KNOW how I hate small photos!

This is the jeweled trim.

Yep, I used a pink ribbon and trust me, it wasn't easy getting them to come out right. I had to make 3 of them before I got the dimensions correct.

They add a whole new look to the dining chandelier.

And I love them.

See how the light comes through now. With the pink-painted ones it was much darker.

Love the look now. When Love Bunny came home and I showed him the chandelier—he'd never notice on his own, trust me—the only response was, 'Oh, great, feathers in my food.' I assured him I shook them out 3 times and vacuumed up all the feathers to put that risk at minimum. You should see my Dyson vacuum cleaner!

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A little stone cottage by the sea.

A little country stone cottage with tiled roof. They've set the table outside for dining.

Another cute way to display craft items.

I love how this homeowner made a magazine holder out of a beautiful old bucket next to her chair.

Some old beach chairs decorated in the french fashion with those pillows.

I'm truly thinking of some way I could copy and incorporate this into my kitchen. Only problem is I have cathedral ceilings in there, but I'm thinkin', I'm thinkin'!

And a scrumptious periwinkle blue living room. I think the whole room is gorgeous.

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Linking up with WOW and Open House Party and Favorite Things Thursday 

How Well Do You Speak?

Being a product of school systems that actually taught proper English, etc. back in the forties and fifties—I think it started its decline in the sixties actually—and teachers who actually corrected us when using incorrect language when talking. I'm a stickler for proper grammar, spelling, etc. Nowadays, it's perusing blogs that I find the pitiful state of our English language. This is even from college graduates. It's becoming so no one can spell, which is easier for some than others, I'll admit, but the grammar from even our students in high schools is pathetic. Hubby witnesses this because he works with some of the schools in the area for the Voice of Democracy the Veterans of Foreign Wars has each year. He and one other man read them and listen to the students' tapes to determine a winner. There are some schools that will not participate. That stymies me as the student can win a $30,000 scholarship at the national level. That's a hunk o' money, folks! But if the school doesn't participate they don't even get the chance to win. Even at the very local level, a high school student wins $150 minimum and that can come in handy to a teenager.

Now, I'll occasionally make mistakes in my blog even though I go over them meticulously. I can proofread it several times, and I do mean several, then publish it and read it again and see where I made an error. Trust me, it's a typo as I certainly know better, but it still frustrates me that I overlooked it. I'm sure some of you have done the same thing. So today, I'm going to give you just a few little grammar lessons. Very simple. Very easy. But terribly important in life.

Than vs. Then
Then refers to time when using it in a sentence. Than refers to comparison. Than is used only in comparisons, so if you're comparing something use than. If not, then you have to use then. ;-) What could be easier than that?

It's vs. Its
Remember: if "it's" cannot be replaced with "it is" or "it has" then it's its. :-) See what I mean.

Their, There, They're
If the word means "belonging to them," use their, as in their face. If you're able to replace the word with "they are," use they're. Otherwise, there is only one correct answer: there.

She/he vs. him/her
I cannot even tell you how often I hear young people, school teachers and old people use her/him at the beginning of a sentence. For instance: Her and me are going to the movies. That shows ignorance on their part. It's accepted language now! Pathetic. It should be: She and I are going to the movies. Language is what defines you more than anything. If you don't use proper grammar when speaking, you'll be looked upon as illiterate. When job seeking, you'd better be sharp because no matter how smart you are with your job skills, your grammar will define you and you may not get the job because you can't speak well when interacting with others. You'll be passed over. Trust me on this.

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A gorgeous pink sofa with gold trim.

Eye candy.

Another really sweet, frilly, feminine bedroom.

Pink velvet ribbon.

A pretty vintage-looking apron.

If only my bedroom were this big to accommodate a desk/vanity like this one. Sigh.

I actually do have a clock very similar to this one.

Beautiful pillow cases for a bedroom.

Light pink and darker pink against a beautiful blue sky.

An old wine bottle holder put to exceptionally good use. :-)

A beautiful ceiling.

If I had a vintage claw foot tub, I'd paint it yellow with my pink walls, absolutely.

Someone has taken a vintage—almost worn out—petit point rug and made it into a pretty cloth for a table.

A sweet rose-strewn bed.

Nothing is prettier for holding back curtains than a bouquet of roses, whether real or faux.

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Ridiculous Things I Hear about Mormons

When I started blogging, I had on my sidebar my Mormon logo. I kept getting emails from some pathetic little person, who always posted anonymously, nasty remarks about being a Mormon. He/She said I was going to hell. I needed to repent. It was an evil religion. I got tired of his/her antics and just deleted all the nasty comments and chose to moderate every single one after that. No way was I going to publish something so evil. They finally gave up harassing me. I felt sorry that someone is so pathetic that they would have to harass me about my religion. I never, ever harass anyone about theirs. If that's what makes you happy, then go for it. But most people have no clue what my religion is about and what we do. I've had the weirdest questions asked of me.

I've been told so many things that people hear about us and I refute them of course. When I want to know about someone's religion, I ask them. Someone told me that heard we have to shower in our underwear. Ooooh, really? Well, hubs and I don't. We wash them in the washing machine just like everybody else.

Another person said we can't eat chocolate, that it's forbidden. Then I'm going to hell because I eat chocolate just about every single day.

They say we have to give money to our church. It's called tithing, people, tithing and yes, I tithe. I also Fast the first Sunday of each month and give the amount of money we would spend on 2 lunches and dinners eating out to our Bishop called Fast Offerings. He gives that money to people in our ward who are struggling to make ends meet. Well, not the actual money, but food that money would buy or pays their mortgage/rent/utilities, etc. The ward we're in is an affluent ward—NOT because of me and th' hubs, trust me—and can alleviate some of the suffering because of the less fortunate in this horrid economy. So our religion puts its money where its mouth is. I'm sure other churches offer help to their congregations also. I am just more familiar with ours since before I joined this Church I never attended the church into which I was born.

Others have said we do evil things in our Temples. No, we don't. Trust me! People who have never, ever been to a Temple say these things. I just don't get why people who have never been in one will tell me what we do in them. I go to the Temple and can tell you truthfully, they're sacred places and no shenanigans go on in there.

When a new temple is being built or being refurbished, the whole city is invited to attend before its dedication. If that is happening near you, I suggest you go and attend and see how beautiful and serene they are. You're welcome to go!

A friend of mine was dating a guy in high school and he was always feeling her head. Finally, one day she asked him why he did that. He said he wanted to feel her horns. He had heard Mormons had horns! Can you believe that? Boy, did we get a good laugh out of that. Horns??? I don't have any, just fluffy hair. It truly amazes me the stories people tell me about my religion. Non-members! If you want to know about being a Mormon, ask a Mormon. We'd be glad to tell you our beliefs.

Yep, just come on over to my house and we'll have a nice, fun chat and I'll even feed ya my delicious chicken salad sandwiches, but let me know before you do because I'd have to hide my hubby's other wives before you come. Just give me notice. ;-)
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Imagine awakening to this view every morning.

While pine cones are associated with Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, I don't see why we can't use them all year round as decorations. These are very pretty, but take away the holly and evergreen and add other things that aren't seasonal for winter and you've got a pretty door hanger for any occasion.

Beautiful handles on vintage knives.

Do you think any kids in this family dive from the balcony and try to hit the water? Makes one wonder.

A quintessential craftsman house. I particularly like the red geraniums with the yellow shakes.

Kids' spot!

Some things don't need words.

I'll never, ever throw away a funnel again!

Pretty pink glasses.

Inviting stairs to an entry.

Another kids' spot. Or even a mom's getaway! Cute.

Fit for a queen.

I would take those white doors in a heartbeat. Pretty.

Just pretty eye candy. Love that tote though!

I call this "The Tiny Cottage in the Woods."

Lovely setting.

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