The World's Ugliest Ottoman Transformed!

You get an extra post this week. Isn't that exciting? LOL Anyway, Happy Valentines Day to everyone and hope your sweetheart makes you as happy as mine makes me.
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This is the world's ugliest ottoman and I am almost ashamed to admit I bought it in 1973. Yes, I did! But the upside to this is that as ugly as it is, it's been used every single day since we bought it and hasn't lost its foamy-ness (just try to figure out how to spell that since there isn't a word) or its usefulness or its cushiness. It was well worth the price. The chair it came with is long gone. I just couldn't stand it anymore. Gone to chair heaven with all the other hideous stuff I've bought over the years. Remember, when hubs was a Marine, we took hand-me-downs and whatever we found cheap at garage sales. This was the sixties so you can imagine what we had. This ottoman and its matching chair I actually picked out myself new. Bleecchhhh!! Must have been cheap because I wouldn't even consider it today. That's why I gave it a new cover. This is what I made for it a couple of years ago. It's in the forefront here.

Here it is uncovered, ready for a new fresh cover.

I used a $20 drop cloth from Home Depot and had some left. Now, here's the story.

I used the old cover as a pattern so that worked out well. But when I put the skirt on the two seams were inside out. Now, I did this over a couple of weeks to not get frustrated and hurried and make mistakes. Sigh. Mistakes happened anyway. I ruffled the skirt and them sewed it to the border around the middle with the seam showing on the outside. Hubs told me to just take it apart at the two seams and turn them. I started doing it for then I realized I not only sewed a straight seam but I also sewed a overcast seam and that wouldn't come out as easily. So I thought I'd be creative, leave the seam inside out and add a feather stitch up the seam. Turned out fine. I simply didn't want to take it completely off and turn it around after sewing it on and overcasting all the edges.

This is the top with a ruffle of rose and cream stripe. I still need to iron the whole thing and hem it. But it's pretty much what I wanted to do.

Here is the seam if you look closely. Just a cute embellishment, I must say and there are only 2 seams so that's a bit of luck.

A fence with a plethora of roses on it.

I thought this wintry snow-covered road was beautiful.

Look at those darling little crocheted shoes for a little baby. And those little legs? Adorable!

Just a beautiful look at fall foliage.

Another look at a European village and the beautiful homes and walkways.

A lovely study in blue.

Just can't get enough of these thatched cottages and will display them as long as I can. They are so serene-looking.

And I love looking at dining chairs now that I am on another quest to find 2 more chairs for my dining room.

I love this setting but I think it's more than one tablecloth. I could do this and think I shall when I get some time. First come the dining room table and 2 French chairs, painting them with some chalk paint. This may take a while though. I'll be looking for some old cotton sheets for making the 2 cloths.

I thought this was one of the cheeriest 2 rooms I've ever seen. Just so bright and cute.

This has also given me an idea. I have a chandelier just like this over my dining table but done in pink. But I am going to add some little roses to the lower arms like this. Truly, I can't get enough roses! :-)

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Tidbit:
Worldwide, Norwegians drink the most coffee and have the highest rate of anxiety disorders.
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Linking up with Inspire Me Monday.

Goals, Resolutions

I've been reading blogs with New Year's resolutions and wondered about that. I don't think I've ever made resolutions for the New Year. I tend to just go about normally like I always do. What comes will come and be happy or not so happy about it. I don't think I've ever set goals or if I did, I didn't realize they were goals. I just do what comes naturally for me.

I'm a pretty simple woman; although, there are some that would disagree with that. Just seeing eye candy on blogs makes me happy as I'm very visual. Things like laundry drying on the line, pretty decorated bottles, flower gardens, beautiful rooms, an oldie song on the car radio, my great granddaughters playing around sillily and those type of things really do bring solace to my mind.

I have friends who say reading scriptures brings solace to them. Since I'm a late-bloomer when it comes to religion, I don't understand them as much as if someone tells me what something actually means. Think Isaiah! I'm amazed sometimes when it's opened up to me. I've been know to say, "How did you get that out of that paragraph?!" Okay, so some of you are better at understanding than I am; that's just fine. I try.

But to soothe this soul, pretty images do it all the time. I could lose myself in pretty magazines or online photos much of the time as you can tell from all the photos I post on my blog and on Pinterest. I've committed—is that a goal or a resolution?—to read the scriptures every day. Maybe I'll start to understand them better. I need all the help I can get, trust me.

I've never "dreamed" big. I'm pretty happy with my life. I'm happy with what I've got. This realization has come to me many times over the past years, but more so lately. We're still trying to give things away to friends, granddaughter, thrift stores, etc. Does this come because we're in the winter of our lives? I think that's part of it.

Most of the gals I run around with are just a few years older than my granddaughter. (Most of my granddaughter's friends are surprised when I am introduced as her grandmother. I don't think it's that I look young but that I sound, think and act young.) We have the best time eating lunch together. I rarely socialize with people our own age. There is only one couple we go out to dinner with and she's about 6 years older than me, but they think young like we do. And we have a really fun time with them talking about our lives and what's the latest gossip. They're the only couple our age with whom we go out to eat.

I just cannot think old. It's not in my makeup. I wonder if all older people are like that. Hmmmm.

I was sitting next to a teenager in church today, a beautiful 16 or 17 year old girl. I had taken a dinner in to her family Friday night as her mother had been in a car wreck and was pretty banged up and her father was just diagnosed with cancer only men can get. But they all looked so happy today. But anyway, I turned to the teenager and said to her teasingly that I'm a girl just like she is and think girly thoughts. She smiled. I told her she'll always be young in her mind, even when she's a grandmother. She smiled at me again. Give her 20 more years and she'll know exactly what I mean. I just love life, even when it throws me a few curves sometimes. But I have been happy with my life, truly. And if you're someone who isn't then you need to rethink your priorities in life. I did.
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Don't you just love the sereneness of this living room?

As I've testified before, hubs and I love trains. I can just picture us going through this beautiful snow setting and cuddling in a small suite on a train. I just might treat him to one this year. He'd love it.

A gorgeous metal gazebo with glass sides.

Delightful vintage, rustic window with a lilac wreath.

A "purple" party!

Another water feature I love with old stone tubs and rusted water spigots.

Folded roses are so very easy to make, even and especially out of scraps.

Beautiful earrings.

En pointe!!

A beautiful old window updated for a homeowner's preferences.

An antique door still in use.

Pretty pots holding roses and posies.

My kind of eye candy—you can really eat these cookies on a stick. ;-)

Beautiful crochet on pillowcases or potholders.

A very romantic bedroom.

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20th Century Fox has a trademark on "the spoken word 'D'oh' ", but not the written word.

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Yeah, Yeah, Another Great-Grandma Brag

We were gone a week but we're home now. I'll have more on the trip to our granddaughter's house later; however, just let me say this. I take my laptop when traveling but this time I forgot my passwords for everything, including my Google Reader and my blog! I wasn't able to get in; I could only read it. That will never happen again! I have so many passwords that I couldn't possibly remember them all. I store them securely and I mean securely. Even the words themselves are coded. ;-) I trust no one when it comes to passwords. And, unlike most people, I don't have just one password for everything. My passwords cover 2 sheets of paper—single-spaced. Call me paranoid, but this happens when you get robbed three times. You learn to trust no one and nothing. :-)

And this is them while we were there.

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Remember, I'm the great grandmother here and it's my blog so every once in a while I have to feature th' girls. ;-) This is one of those times. Christmas picture taking. I cannot tell you how much joy these two little chicks bring to me and hubs.

We start with their first shot together. Notice Juliette looking warily at her big sister.

Now we see her starting to get in the spirit of things.

Now she's really groovin'.

Then she sticks out her tongue at her big sister, Caroline.

"I need my own show here, people!"

"Aaaah, nuts, Sis is stealing th' show from me."

"My big sis is so "out there!"

"Do I have to do this every single Christmas?"

"I think I'll take a nap now."

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Another gorgeous decorated bottle.

This would make a really great family room with all that seating.

You could make a wreath like this for Valentine's Day next easily with roses or peonies from the garden.

I like that large sink but I prefer my stainless steel one that's not so deep and back breaking.

Just beautiful linens.

Another birdhouse I found on the internet.

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Useless Information:
The Statue of Liberty's fingernails weight about 100 pounds apiece.
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This Is NOT A Food Blog

I do not like to cook often at all. I much prefer going out to eat but we only go out twice a week for dinner and at least once a week for lunch. But I am a terrific cook. I can say this with modesty because I'm not much good at anything else, except listening to friends problems and listening well and giving good advice.

Anyway, this is definitely not a food blog. But a recipe I've developed myself and recently taken in to friends in our ward who are sick and have absolutely raved about it. To me it's just a simple recipe for my favorite food pasta but I'm going to share the recipe.

I fly by the seat of my pants usually in creating a new recipe. I'm also picky, picky, picky about food. I use the best ingredients and do NOT economize on essentials. I believe this makes a world of difference in taste.

Pasta Primavera, which translates to Pasta Spring, meaning fresh vegetables. I love pasta. I use rigate penne for this dish.

For two people:

If you want chicken in it, take one chicken breast, sprinkle it with black pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning and roast it in the oven just until it starts to darken in its juices. That will be the best time to pull it out. It will have a sweet roasted flavor. I may sometimes spread a tiny bit of butter over it but there's no need. Let it cool before cutting it into small bite-size pieces. Then set it aside while preparing the other stuff. I have never, ever boiled a chicken. I can't imagine doing it because of the gross smell. I've always roasted chicken breasts in the oven with Mrs. Dash, which makes all the difference in the world for a piece of chicken breast.

2 cups of penne pasta, salted lightly in pan. Cook until al dente. Set aside for a few minutes.

Topping:
Sliced red onion
Sliced yellow bell pepper
I toss in some California veggies—broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, just one or two handfuls
Chicken you've set aside
Fresh cut up tomato, one roma does it for 2 or 4 people
Peas, a handful of frozen

I throw all the stuff for the topping in a sautè pan with 1/2 stick of butter or more if needed.

This is what the vegetables will look like sautèing in butter.

Closer view. See how some are browning a bit. Just be careful not to burn. Keep tossing until the vegetables carmalize in the butter. This makes a tremendous difference.

And what they look like when ready to serve. Now you'll take the penne pasta and drain it, put it in a pan adding one whole cube of butter, some heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese. I don't measure anything because as you start adding the whipping cream and stir it in you'll see how it looks. Just enough to cover the pasta but enough to not let it be dry. Put some on plates and then spoon the sauteed vegetables/chicken, if you want chicken, over each plate of pasta and serve. It's a wonderful meal and so incredibly simple. I can throw it together in 15-20 minutes. Friends and family will love it and it quite impressive to see on a plate. French bread if you want also. Just remember to saute in the butter to carmalize the vegetables and they just start turning brown. The sweeter they'll be, I promise.

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Isn't this a beautiful shot of the sky through a beautiful umbrella?

This is gorgeous! I really do like stripes.

A pretty bracelet.

Squeeeeal!!! How tiny can things get? Adorable!

A caravan or camper with all the accoutrements needed. Well, except for maybe a chef to cook all the meals. ;-)

Loved this photo of the table setting.

I have no idea where this is or even WHAT it is but it looks like some sort of living quarters.

Adorable entry. This is one I'd like to have.

We took some old windows out of a storage shed we had once and I saved them. Imagine my surprise when Love Bunny burned them in a wood pile! I was NOT happy, trust me.

A beautiful shot of a sky, castle and private beach.

Gorgeous vine/climbing roses.

One of my top favorite flowers.

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Useless Information:
First year sales of famous products, proving you shouldn't give up if you've come up with an idea:
VW Beetle: 330
Wite-Out: 1,200 bottles
Cuisinart food processor: 8
Remington typewriter: 8
Scrabble: 532
Coca-Cola: 25 bottles
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