Just Rambling Again 6/12/2013

Okay, I promised a giveaway and this is the day. To enter you have to be a follower and leave a comment. That's it. How much easier could it be? Here is what I'll be giving away. First this little ribbon tree. Yep, it can be yours. But there's more.

 Then these little letters to place on a table or to hang on your wall. I also include the fun-tac that will hold it, so no nails or anything to damage your wall.

Then a book I've been touting for many years: Living A Beautiful Life.

So it's up to you now to enter and I've told you the rules. On with the regular post.
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I love the this little kitchen/reading/dining area. Looking at the architecture, appliances, sink and windows, I think it might be in another country. Oooh, the colors definitely have something to do with it, but I just would like being able to have a little reading nook near a kitchen. This probably is due to the fact that I've burned many a meals while being here on this computer. My office is down a hall at the front of the house while the kitchen is on the back of the house. I even had the whole house fill with smoke while on this computer once and didn't know it until I went in to check on the roast I had forgotten I was searing. The whole house was filled with smoke except in this office. I had every window and door opened to get it out before Love Bunny got home from a few days away on business. I can't tell you how panicked I was because this has happened several times before. I was so afraid of what he'd say. The house aired out before he got home that evening but he could still tell I'd burned something from the smell in the garage even though I sprayed the entire house with Scentsy several times. He was kind. I now carry a kitchen timer with me wherever I go in the house if I have something on the stove.

I like paper lanterns outside. But sometimes we get high winds here in the desert so it tears them up rather quickly. I wondered if Mod Podging them would make them sturdier. I might try it on one and see how it works but I don't have much hope. And I'm too lazy to put them up and take them down when the winds come and go.

These are bags called Ruby Rag Tag bags. I've loved them for years but never bought one. She does the most gorgeous bags I've ever seen outside of Mary Francis bags, which are absolutely stunning.

I love the way she throws in loopy ribbon or fringe and the colors she uses.

I love this huge bathroom. Look. It has 3 sinks. Perfect if you have 3 girls! But the shower is huge with a sitting bench. My favorite shower would be one without a door to clean though. I have a friend that has a bathroom that is about the size of half of my house. Truly, she has more cabinets in there that any kitchen I've had in my life! Her shower is curved and stone but she said she's going to have to have it re-grouted as it tends not to last well. I can't remember the kind of stone. Anyway, there's no door on it as it doesn't need a door and that's my dream, to not have to clean the nasty scum and mold off of them. What am I saying? Hubs does that for me and it's not really bad in this area anyway. I can still lust, can't I?

Have you ever had a room with wacky colors like this? I haven't but I do still like the combination of colors she used.  Very pretty.

I've had old wine bottle boxes decorated similar to this many years ago. I think I gave them away as I haven't seen them around the house for years. They are usually pretty and very handy for additional shelves in a room.

A faint pink chair in a corner of a wainscoted room with a gorgeous rug underneath. Love the chair and ottoman. I'll be shopping for a new chair very, very soon.

Just something that touches my heart, a laundry basket with a pretty lining.

The chair is a bit busy and the room a bit dark for my taste but it is a very welcoming area in a room for reading a book.

A folding screen in a bedroom has always been a bit of drama I'd like to have had but I can never find room in any of my houses for it.

A European country lane invokes a lot of nostalgia for most of us.

I read recently where a famous person, I won't say whom, asks for her tour accommodations to have bottled water chilled to 21° (Isn't that ice instead of cold water?!), new toilet seats, special red toilet paper and $900 straws. Yes, that's $900 straws! What a waste.

This soothes my nerves after the post above! ;-) Just calming to my mind.

A beautiful way to store dishes, linens or just about anything. I think I'd love this one right here. ;-)

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Tidbit:

Each year, 36 million gallons of oil run off pavements into streams, rivers and eventually oceans in the United States. That is more oil than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.
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Linking up with NMH Open House and Pink Saturday.

My Hunt for the Best New Chair

Here's the story of my hunt for a new chair.

First of all, Juliette has 2 teeth now. This is great granddaughter #2.

This is one of the fabrics I was thinking about putting on the Lucien chair I wanted. When I showed it to my friend, she said, "It looks like you." I said, "Does that mean I'm cute?" :-) She said, "Yes."    :-)

This one was a serious consideration after seeing it done up in a darling bedroom at Ethan Allen in Boise.

While I loved this red fabric, it wasn't even close to the same red in my other chair so it wouldn't work.

My final choice. It's a bit French-looking also, which was a plus. I like a little bit of the French look in my home. The fabric is ideal also. It's almost burlap feel and look, but very substantial with a grade of "heavy duty" so it'll stand up to grandkids and great grandkids.

When I saw this ad in the a local high-end store in Boise, I almost cried. It's pretty much like the sofa I was considering at Ethan Allen, but went with another one instead. This one is priced at less than half the other sofa though.

That would NOT have been the color I would have chosen though. I am not into browns in any way.

Then I found other sofas while looking for a chair. Isn't this one darling? Reminds me of Pierre Deux fabrics and style.

I loved the style of this sofa and the whole room actually, but then I do love "Traditional" decor.

This one looks comfy also. We have so many choices that it's hard to select just one.

There isn't just any one thing I like about this room but put together, I love it. I think it's absolutely stunning.

This isn't an Ethan Allen chair but I would have chosen this fabric in a heartbeat; however, I have no clue where to find this fabric.

This one is gorgeous also but I like a cushion seat.

This sofa is so much like mine it's uncanny. Now, I can look at this and see how 2 of my current sofa, now in the family room, would have looked if I could get 2 sofas in my living room. I can't. It's just not big enough.

This would have been one I'd have seriously considered if it was available to me. But I love fringe on a sofa and I love that pink with the yellow walls. My sofa leans toward the yellows and my walls are pink. I love it though.

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Tidbit:
The average woman will spend 8 years of her life shopping.
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A Taco Bell Incident

Not long ago, I noticed a dark spot on the carpet and told hubs I think he spilled some chocolate from his mini-drumstick. (Remember, I've banned the ones with nuts on them because they were forever falling off and I'd be stepping on them in my bare feet all the time. As much as I love the Drumsticks with chopped nuts on them, I love my feet more!) He said he didn't think he did it, but I hadn't had any chocolate so it had to be him. Anyway, he got the spot remover and I got it up and all was well. Then I asked him how he was always dropping stuff from the cone onto the carpet. His reply to me: Because nothing gets past your chest. He's so right! That's one of the problem larger-chested women have. So be happy if you have a small chest. We've discussed this before, have we not?!? Hmmm?!
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Then recently there was the Friday trip to Taco Bell. I love Taco Bell and don't think anyone can beat them for Mexican fast food. But this night was a disaster. I ordered a taco and a burrito with beans and rice on it and a small drink. I filled it with lemonade, took it to a table, put it down and it immediately spilled over 2 tables, floor and me. Sigh. Then I got some burrito on my shirt. I tell you, be glad you're small in the bust department. It was truly ugly that night. I even offered to mop up the lemonade for them, but being kind they refused. I was so embarrassed but that's my life sometimes.
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A quote I love:
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. This can apply to people and houses.
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If this photo doesn't make you happy, there's no hope for you. These colorful cottages are adorable. The foliage looks tropical but it looks like snow on the ground, but it must be sand.

What a way to decorate for a party. This is first-class, I tell ya.

Just some beautiful flowers. Almost seem tropical with their vibrant colors.

Yeah, yeah, I know, you want the bed but the pillows must come with it, right? In fact, I'd like a couple of those pillows but I have enough to start a store now.

Just love the patina of this door and the balcony.

Learn your geography while spending time in this bathroom. It's a wee bit busy for me, but very creative. Wonder if it's in England. Hmmmm, could be.

A rose covered old cottage.

This looks like a vintage photograph but I'm sure it isn't. The photographer did a very good job on this though.

While the yard and path are gorgeous, I threw this in for a friend of mine, who loves dogs.

A stunning room. I'd love my office to be this cute.

For you lovers of cups and red ware.

Look how this homeowner has made the dining room so cute with these old barrel chairs painted white and shabby-ed up a bit. Then the gorgeous display of roses on the table and the huge plant on the credenza with a huge mirror. This is a lovely room.

I haven't a clue what kind of tree this is but I love its purple flowers and the serene setting for a luncheon.

This is in no way my style, but I just love the little daybed. Very colorful room though.

You've probably noticed I have a "thing" for secluded spots for lunches. Even indoors at restaurants I prefer a secluded spot if available.

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Tidbit:

The Netherlands has built 800 miles of massive dikes and seawalls to hold back the sea.
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Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie. The Day the Blender Died.

Reminder about my Pinterest page. I now have almost 9,300 images on there that you won't see on here for a long time. Also, a reminder about the giveaway I'm going to have. It'll be on 6/12 so be sure and be here to check it out.
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This is a long post so be prepared.

Some people who read my laundry post emailed me with a homemade detergent recipe. I had read blogs extolling its frugality and effectiveness, but I'm lazy and didn't want to make it. Not all that stuff works well for some of us. Plus I have a year's supply of Tide. But, hey, I'm game to try it out if so many of you see results. So onto the shopping list went Fels Naptha, Washing Soda and 20 Mule Team borax. Hubs wondered why in the world it was on our shopping list and I told him and he remembered his mother using Fels Naptha and I remembered the same about my grandmother slicing it up into her round ringer washer and me helping her with it, so he was game for it. (Any conversation of this sort fondly recalls memories from his childhood and I have to listen to—get the pleasure of hearing him tell me the stories. That should have been my first clue. ;-)

So on one of our twice weekly visits to Wal Mart the items were purchased. I also read the instructions from one particular blogger that said it works really great and it was cheap. Cheap never enters into my shopping decisions. I've been thwarted more than a few times; no, make that more than a lot of times. I simply don't care if something is cheap or not if I want it. I know some of you understand that. Of course, I always watch the circular that a store here in town sends us for Pepsi so I can get 4 cases for the price of 3 cases. Other than that I don't care.

So I pulled out my blender to use as I don't use it much at all anymore. In fact, it's in a closet in our 4th bedroom. I use a food processor now for all things I have to make/cook. This is in lieu of eating out, which I prefer above all. Need I say more? No!

I cut the chunks into small pieces after setting the blender up. I took off the cap in the lid to drop small chunks in. Well, it went flying all over the kitchen. I immediately stopped. If you look very closely at the buttons, between the last white button on the left and the 14 Speed Blender on the right side, you'll still see bits of Fels Naptha. It was a mess, so I had to stop and clean up a bit.

At that point, I'd stop the blender when I dropped a new chunk in, put the cap back on and blended again. We're talking soap here so it was a bit waxy/clingy. That's when the blender started smoking—big time. I thought my kitchen was going up in flames. That brought about the ambivalent feeling of "do I let it happen and eat out for weeks" or "should I try to put out the fire and cook for the rest of my life." I had to stop and think about that one. Saving my house and the embarrassment of explaining to the firemen was the biggest consideration. (I've already had the police here with our security alarm going off and me not remembering the code or contact person. The policeman told me that's one and I only get 3 of these alerts before they start charging me for trips to my home. Sigh. But that's another story that I've probably posted about before on here and can't remember at this point.)

I then poured the 2 cups of the other 2 products into a bowl and emptied the blender stuff into it. I'd forgotten the smell of Fels Naptha from my youth. It isn't bad; it just isn't Tide's smell. I could get used to it I suppose. But it didn't blend as well as the instructions said it would. If I ever do this again—and that's pretty iffy at this point—I'll grate it with my grater that I was afraid I'd thrown out but found later in the day. (Due to the availability of cole slaw already chopped at the stores now, I refuse to grate another cabbage! In fact, most times I'll even buy the salad greens already chopped in their neat little bags. I'm all for someone else doing it for me.)

I'll let you know after a few times of washing how it does. I guess putting in the fabric softener will dull the smell a bit. The nice blogger said she'd gotten used to the smell. I doubt I could because I'm such a fanatic about good smells, especially in my home.
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Now, onto the second item of business here.

When we moved into this new house, there was a large mirror over our double sinks in our bathroom. I thought we needed more shelving over our sinks before we needed a huge mirror. So we took it down, gave it away and put in 2 medicine, or in my case, makeup chests instead. It worked fine but now I thought we needed more shelves in there as my counter was becoming crowded. I then saw this photo on the internet and asked him to make me one. That was a marriage-killer right there, let me tell you.

  My hubby has to get it perfect or try. It is NOT perfect but you'll see the photo down among the flowers below here. He drove me nuts. I wanted 4 shelves but he said he couldn't do it with our ceiling height and the light bar over our sinks. Fine. Adjust it. Then he had to go shopping for special lumber. Heaven forbid, he doesn't have we'll-use-this-sometime-in-the-future-lumber out in the garage or his shed. But off to Home Depot he went.

I wanted bars across it to hold items better. I didn't get them as he said it wasn't high enough between shelves to lift a bottle up and get it out. Then he wanted to spray paint it after he assembled it. I told him it would be easier to paint before assembling but he's his own man and did it his way. Is it perfect? No. But it's definitely better than having 3 mismatched shelves in that space, plus there's more surface to put things on.

I wanted them done in a timely manner. Riiiight. That'll never happen around here as he's involved in too many things. So my makeup and few random items sat on the countertop for several days before I made a deal with him. I offered to do a task for him one night while he installed the shelving. I have to say it's not what I expected but it'll do fine. He's such a good husband that I don't want to burst his bubble. And he is going to do a perfume shelf for me in our bedroom. That will have the cross-bar to keep my plethora of perfumes from falling. I've just about destroyed my dresser top from spilling perfumes and oils on top of it. I'd redo it but I just don't have the energy and it would take a lot to haul it outside to refinish and that's not going to happen—due to the energy problem, mine, not our natural resources.

This is the blender sitting on a small freezer in our garage. I put it there so the garbage can wouldn't catch fire as it was still smoking. He just happened to be walking in as I was taking the blender out to the garage. I told him what happened. He didn't even flinch. He knows me too well.

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This is the first peony of the season. Hubs sure can grow beautiful flowers.

One of our rose bushes. Sorry, he hasn't had time to weed them yet.

Another gorgeous rose. I usually only buy David Austin roses. They're very fragrant smelling and have performed magnificently for us in this hot summer desert.

It's very hard to have a favorite but this one is at the top of the list. Perhaps that's because I love pink and yellow above all other color combinations.

This is the shelf hubs made. Sigh. It actually looks pretty good there between the 2 medicine chests. We could only go so far in the width but lower than the 3 mismatched shelves we had there before. Plus the shelves are deeper so that worked out even better. You can see the birdcage I have hanging over our garden tub also.

Another peony, different day.

This is the little tin that I put the washing detergent in. I'll be sure and let you know how it works after several wash loads.

I'm rather chatty today, but this gorgeous blue in this hydrangea reminds me of a color of Jantzen sweaters that was called French Blue back in the late 50s and early 60s. I longed for a Jantzen sweater that other classmates had before I got mine. I didn't wish for much and rarely bared my feeling to my parents. I don't know why I didn't get one for a long time but when I did, it was a double-breasted cardigan in this color. It was gorgeous. I loved it. When I think about those lustings back in my teenage years, I have to chuckle. I am rarely envious of anything anymore that someone else has. Oh, I see the beauty in some things but I'm just glad I'm this old and alive, have beautiful kids, grandkids and gorgeous great granddaughters. I am truly blessed in this life.

I think this is a gorgeous home. I don't lust for it but I doubt I'd have turned it down when I was younger. Now? Too much yard and too many levels.

A delightful kitchen in aqua and white.

A shop somewhere that I'd love to go visit. I see a couple of things that tweak my interest.

Same with this shop. Notice the beautiful French doors to the entrance and the molding on that doorway. I could probably spend a long while in this shop.

A cheery dining room with a vintage table, chairs and red roses on the curtains. I like this room a lot.

Oooooh, I don't know where to begin on this porch. I want mine to be this pretty and relaxing. I say every year I'm going to do something with ours but I haven't so far. Maybe this will be the year I succumb to those desires and get my bum off the sofa and do something with our large porch. :-)

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Tidbit:
 I've always been interested in English since an early age. I loved English and majored in it in college. But I'm always seeking out the abuses of our language. That's why I find these little tidbits to pass on to you. I'm forever correcting someone's English and grammar, whether written or verbal. Sigh. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. Right, Claudia? ;-)

Just Deserts:
The phrase has its origins in the obsolete word 'desert', meaning that which one deserves. In use since at least the 1300s, it is commonly seen in print as just desserts, as in the sweet final course of a meal. It is pronounced this way, but the spelling is incorrect.
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Linking up with Pink Saturday, NMH
and SSS.