Going Shopping Can Be Hazardous to Your Health!

I went shopping the other day, but it wasn't pleasant prepping for it.

Hubs was gone already and I had showered and was drying my hair and all of a sudden I heard this very loud pop and a bright light flashed. Blow dryer promptly died! Not just died, but blew up. But I had no electricity in either of the bathrooms after that so this is pretty much how I left for the day. Okay, so I look like a scared rabbit (sorry SusieQ) and my eyes are still glazed over—like in this video shot from my iSight cam—but I went anyway.

Here is the culprit that took away probably a year off my life and I don't have too many left so I'm frosted about that, chicks.

It's toast. Luckily, being the OC/DC woman that I am, I had a brand new backup one under the sink. But no electricity to use the curling iron. Hubs fixed it when he got home but that's another looooooong story! Later maybe.

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I've been seriously thinking about a new sofa—ME, not hubs. So I dropped into the Ethan Allen showroom in Boise and looked around. I knew the style I wanted and thought I knew the fabric but the 3 I picked out were discontinued. Now, I bought my sofa in 1995 from them and it looks as new as the day I bought it. I'm very careful with my things but we don't have the traffic that someone with little kids would have, so it looks excellent.

My dilemma, besides convincing Love Bunny we need (translated: I WANT) a new sofa, is what to do with the old sofa in the living room. I love it and don't want to sell it but after 15 years I want a change.

But I also love this sofa cover on the one in the family room. The sofa underneath is not as expensive or good as the living room one so I'm thinking of putting the one in the living room in the family room and covering it with the green stripe slipcover because I can wash it and it's heavy and pretty and I love it.

While I was in the Ethan Allen store the interior decorator showed me a sofa that they were trying to get rid of to make way for new styles. It was a lovely style, 97" long, down filled, but it was navy blue. That's not a color that would go with my decorating scheme but it was a $3,500.00 sofa marked down to $1,000.00!! Noooooo, I didn't get it but that was one heck of a deal. EA furniture is tops in my opinion for the price you get superior, quality furniture.

But she gave me a small catalog—nothing like they used to give me—and it had this room in it. Be still my heart!!!! Isn't this gorgeous? Pink! I can't imagine a man thinking this is "just a woman's room" because it is simply romantic. I know MY man loves "romantic" stuff.

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Now I think I'll just tease you with some delightful photos.

A petticoated bedskirt adds charm to any bedroom no matter what its style.

Simple pleasures: a beautiful rose in a tin can.

Fill your sachets with straw, fragrance them with oils and hang them around your house. I use something special for my sachets but no one has ever guessed yet what I use. It's organic so no allergies to it but I've never heard of anyone else using what I stuff mine with and it absorbs the oils well and keeps them fresh for a loooooong time.

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Random Thought:

The unruly children running amok in Wendy's the other day were certainly not as charming to the other diners as they were to the grandma who was treating them to burger, fries and ketchup the other day! Keep that in mind, grandmothers.
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Miscellany

There are times when I don't have a lot to say. Marvelous, isn't it?! Anyway, today I thought I'd just share a thing or two and get back to the house work and garden and let you enjoy NOT listening to me so much!

Looking through some clothing catalogs recently I realized the T-shirt is now becoming somewhat dressed and jazzed up a bit. So I took this plain black one and added some black with roses fabric I ruffled and sewed it on. Has anyone else noticed the T's are not so drab and plain anymore? Some have lace and are pleated in front. Just a whole different look. So for me instead of buying a lot of new ones I'm just froufrou-ing up the old ones.

Aren't these decals lovely? I saw them and couldn't resist but now I'm deciding where to put them. They are 7 1/4" x 4 1/2". So where could they go nicely? Any suggestions?

A Huge Giveaway and Random Thoughts

Shelf Reliance is giving away a Harvest 72" food rotation system! Visit the Shelf Reliance blog here to enter. The Harvest 72" is valued at $459.99 and can hold up to 600 cans, making it perfect for a healthy food storage supply. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 26th, so hurry to the blog for your chance to win!

Ladies, this is a fantastic food storage system! I have some of their shelves but this is a huge one. Go enter now.
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Collage of my garden roses 6/2009

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I've been wondering why it is that the politicians are always sorry AFTER they get caught lying about their taxes or some other such lie (take your PICK, chicks!!). It's becoming prevalent in the country today. I don't think I've ever seen one of them admit it BEFORE it was discovered! That's not true sorrow as I know it. Being sorry is what you are before the cameras are in your face. Truly sad.
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At church a while back in our Relief Society, someone asked a question and "Big Mouth" here had to raise her haaaAAAAAaaanddd! I said I was truly a "happy chick" and a positive person and truly felt sorry for the women who don't take the time to get to know me. Yeah, yeah, I've said this before here on th' BLOG, but it was the first time I said it in a class of other women. They laughed. It wasn't funny; I was dead serious!
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And while I'm on a roll today, let's talk about the "parkers" in the parking lots. You know the ones I'm talking about. The monster trucks that could house the state of Wyoming in its cab! Yeah, those ones. And the people in the vans with a handicapped sticker. Okay, you might be handicapped but can't you park those vans properly?!?! Hmmmmm??? I came out the other day and could NOT get in my drivers side door unless the chain saw massacrer cut me in half!! I was there first, too. Puhleeeeeeze. Learn to park those things.
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I usually prepare our meals and just put it right on our plates instead of dirtying more dishes with serving bowls. (Hey, it's just the two of us now, ya know!) Anyway, I always give myself the bigger plate and Love Bunny the smaller one. I also give him bigger portions. BUT it looks even bigger on a smaller plate and he's never caught on. My portions look small on the large plate and he sometimes thinks he's got waaaay more than I have! It's so easy to fool a hubby. He needs to watch how much he eats is why I do this. *Wink*
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It's been years since we've watched a television commercial but I remember one from back in the 60s, 70s and even 80s. It's the one about laundry detergent or fabric softener—can't remember which one OR it might have been the same for both. Remember the woman who is making her bed and the sheets are clean and fresh and she is throwing them up in the air? They billow out and slowly come down on the mattress top all nice and pretty. That's a crock! I've tried that for years and even gave it a try the other day as I was remembering how beautiful it looked with those white sheets coming down so perfectly. Puhleeeeeeeze! It just doesn't happen. Besides I use all cotton sheets and they're wrinkled unless I take the time to iron them. (Secret: I've given that up so I can walk around the house in heels vacuuming! Yep, I'm the poster chick for that one! Hah!)
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"Hang loose" What exactly does that mean? Does it mean being sloppy in my attire with slovenly clothing? If so, I'm hangin' loose I suppose. Or does it mean to take situations not so seriously? I don't know for sure, but I'd bet one thing: none of those people who said "hang loose" ever had a daughter on a date with a guy on a Harley!
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Glammin' Up the Backyard for Pink Saturday

Thank you for visiting today. Be sure and visit Beverly at howsweetthesound for more participants in Pink Saturday.
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Our son and grandsons were here for a couple of days this past week. The 2 on the right are our grandsons, 20 and 11, and the young man on the left, 13, is a "sort of adopted" child. He takes him whenever he and his wife can because his mother isn't a good influence on him and he loves our son and boys. He is treated just like his sons in everything: trips, cruises, punishments and college when he is ready. His mother won't give him up because......well, just because. He is a sweetie though. Keith is doing much better but, of course, he will have to repeat the surgery on his leg that the gang injured when they beat him. He is very optimistic about everything though.

Here is hubs planting 2 grape plants for us. I suggested we use this metal arbor since the clematis' have all, but one, died. He transplanted the clematis. We'll have a lovely place to view from our patio door and have the grapes to eat. The arbor will definitely hold them.

I have looked at every garden and hardware store in town trying to find a window box I thought was pretty enough. There was nothing available and then "POOF" an epiphany! I had two french vintage wire window boxes in the house—one in the living room and one in the family room under the faux mantel. Another "duh" moment for me. *Sigh*.........

Anyway, out it came from the wall and I put it under the window in my office with the faux ferns (I can't grow any other kind). Then...........

We went out to Michaels and Joanns and found some lovely silk peonies and roses and I stuck them in there with the ferns. I absolutely love looking at it from the front of the house and I can see it out my window seat.

The peonies are really very pink. I took this picture just after a rain storm and it was a bit dark but you can see underneath how the water stayed out from the box a bit. (Notice the rock underneath in the above photo.)

Here are the other faux roses and dahlias I purchased today at Michaels and Joanns. They are truly lovely and 60% off!

While I was out there I snapped more photos of the new crop of roses in the rose garden. Aren't they lovely? I have finally succeeded in growing something!

Just absolutely stunning to me, chicks!

Have you ever seen anything as gorgeous as a rose except for a newborn baby? I think not!

Ooooh, I almost forgot to mention th' thumb! This is what happens when hubby and son take me and grandsons target practice at the local shooting range and they neglect to tell me my thumb is in the wrong position on the semi-automatic handgun for the sliiiiIIIIiiiide (slide)! These are 2 Marines who know and taught Marines how to shoot but neglect to tell th' wife and mom. They're just lucky they weren't standing in front of me after I dropped the gun. *Sigh*........it hurts!!!!

And...........*sigh*........the fluorescent ear plugs you wear when shooting???? Well, I tried one pair and they fell out of my ears so I tried the 2nd pair and they got stuck in my ear! I tell ya, it was not a good day for me, bloggerettes. Thank goodness my son is a nurse. Hubs tried to get them out. I finally got the right one out and I couldn't hear out of my right ear. It was strange because it seemed that I could hear out of my right ear through my left ear. Then Keith tried pulling the left one out and he couldn't get a hold on it. He said, "Mom, why did you put them in so far?" I said that they kept falling out. He used his fingernails to grab the very edge and started pulling and boy, did it hurt. Felt like he was sucking my ear drums out! I had to tell him twice to stop as he was pulling. Well, I can hear out of the left ear but the right one is still plugged up badly. I can hear it trying to pop but I've been going around for 3 days "yawning" to pop it but so far nothing. I think I'll give up shooting.........unless it's a hubby and son! Target practice just could be hazardous to their health, ya know. :-)

Wordless Wednesday Signs of Spring