Our Time on the East Coast—A Memory

Since my hubby was a Marine, he was required to go overseas a few times. We were fortunate in that he only had to go over twice in the 21 years before he retired. Marines rarely get an accompanied tour which means wives and kids can go. Such was our case. He went over twice in 21 years for a 13-month tour each time in the Philippines.

The second time he went over I traveled back to the East Coast to live so we could be near his family for a while—parents and 7 sisters and brother. It wasn't the most pleasurable time in our life for me or the kids, but we made do.

We lived in a small town near them as there weren't any decent rentals in the town his parents lived. It was only a few miles and for us that wasn't even a commute as we were used to commuting 20 miles to work in California. I'm a West Coast gal and am not fond of the East Coast. It's just a lifestyle preference since I've spent most of my life out west here.

But we had a duplex. We shared a common wall with the staircases on the common walls supposedly to cut down on noise. It didn't. It had 3 floors and a basement and a decent yard. The neighbor was a single woman with 2 kids and we struck up a friendship. It really was different living there because if you weren't certain ethnic groups, you didn't fit in. That astounded me because it wasn't that way with military people. We were all in it together no matter what your ethnicity was. We stuck together.

It was very different for my children also because they were the new kids in town and from the West. If it hadn't been for one of their teachers who was an ex-serviceman I don't think they would have made it through the year. He was kind to them. Also, the town had few transient people. We were differentiated because of our lack of the local accent. I can tell in a couple of sentences if someone is from that particular area of that state. We've been back there only once since then when we went with our son and his family to visit hubby's relatives.

The duplex was large for a duplex but most people there owned their duplex and at that time it seemed strange to us to own a home with a shared wall. Rental, yes; ownership, no. They were brick with really good sized porches. The garage was out back, detached from the house and I never used it, just parked on our street. I don't think I'd do it differently, even now, as it gave us a perspective we could never have gotten on other areas of the country. Now, I'm truly proud of this whole country and the people who make it up. However, for this gal, I'll always be a West chick. I simply love it out here.
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A beautiful log home.

I thought at first these were lilacs, but they're hydrangeas. Aren't they scrumptious in that old basket? Update: A friend told me they were indeed lilacs. What do I know; I'm ignorant of flowers names for the most part. I just love them is all. :-)

A small potting area with a darling brick floor, chandelier and curtains so it must be inside.

A black and white and gray color scheme. Very pretty.

Don't sigh; it's easily done with a hammock and a canopy from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Tassels in pink. I actually have several pairs of tassels hanging around the house.

A simply pretty photo to share with you. Lots of those in my iPhoto and Photobucket.

Easy to make hearts for a project.

I have a silk blouse this color and just love it. It doesn't fit anymore but it's still gorgeous. ;-)

Cute tiny cottage with a heart window, pink lace and a terrific view.

While it's a gorgeous kitchen, it looks like Morticia's kitchen in The Munsters. A bit too dark for me.

Just goes to show you that even in an apartment you can grow your own vegetables, have a patio to eat on and have a fantastic view. Of course, the highest apartment gets the biggest patio.

I could live with these two chairs. They're my style, my color and would go well in this house. Love this room!

An old stone farmhouse. Beautiful.

And, of course, a beautiful bottle.

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Tidbit:

An Ohio student hurt his head when a train struck him. He told police he was trying to see how close to the moving train he could place his head without getting hit. [Well, he found out, didn't he? LOL]
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Dollar Stores and Tulip Town

No one should deprive themselves of the joy of color because color choices, unlike most choices, aren't a matter of money. You are free to select colors that put a smile on your face and edit out the rest. Living with refreshing, life-enhancing color in your room, in the clothes you wear as well as the paraphernalia in your handbag and the accessories on your desk can do wonders to your spirit. Color to me is one of the gifts of grace that is ours to select and a tool to help us live beautifully. Alexandra Stoddard.

Make your office or wherever you work colorful. I do. Actually, I do it to my whole house. My husband is a manly man, a retired Marine, and he lives in this froufrou pink house and loves it. Your hubbies probably want you to be happy, so go with the color that you love best. Beige is sooooo boring and depressing. Simply tint a white with a tiny bit of a beautiful color/pigment instead of brown. I'll never use beige again.
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 I've decided to have a giveaway soon. Just stay tuned because I'm not exactly sure when but very soon. I'll give you plenty of notice. I have ordered a couple more of her books to give away and there will be other stuff also. Just so you know. Truly, you don't want to miss my giveaways. You really don't!
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I have to file my nails every week because of keyboarding so much. They grow so fast since my doctor told me to take more calcium. I've never had great nails but since I chew 2 calcium chews a day they've been growing like crazy. AND it's very hard to type with long nails!
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He's still at it, hubs, I mean. We went to the Dollar stores the other day looking for a certain kind of pen that the man at our bookstore uses and I liked a lot. Flows easily with gel and is clickable. They're called WOW. Couldn't find them but I'll keep checking. They were wonderful to sign my name to the receipt with and I asked him about them. I've told you I'm a fanatic about certain things!

Anyway, we were looking for them and hubs went looking for cheap candy...again. I've told him and told him that Dollar Store cheap candy is just that—CHEAP! He bought some cheese popcorn. I tasted it later at home. He did also. He admitted it wasn't so good. (Need I say more?) Well, I'm gonna...say more that is. I don't buy cheap food at the Dollar Store. It isn't worth it. They get it because no one else will buy it at the regular markets. [Did you know that Dollar Stores have the biggest mark-up on their merchandise than anyone? Yes, this is true.] Anyway, the jelly beans he bought were atrocious also. I got nauseous from their smell even. When I'm dead, he can buy anything he wants, but for now I don't buy cheap food!
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My granddaughter posted on her Facebook a trip to Tulip Town in Mt. Vernon, Washington, they took in April. The most gorgeous tulips in all colors were there. I thought we might go over next year to see them. But it reminded me of a trip they took a year or so ago to the raspberry farms to pick raspberries. Caroline is three years old now so she was just a wee toddler then, but she could pick and eat the raspberries. Granddaughter apologized to the farmer, but they said it was fine that kids will do that. She was eating faster than they could fill baskets. Needless to say, she had the most poopy diapers ever for a couple of days. They thought she'd never stop pooping! We laughed so hard at that, we cried. Here she and our newest great granddaughter are and a picture of the pink tulips, my favorite ones.

I think she looks a bit geeky in this photo but she really is so, what can I say. But as her grandmother I think she's gorgeous and I'm not one bit prejudiced...no, really, I'm not. ;-) Okay, she is kinda cute and Juliette is also.

This is her last year before she got pregnant with the little doll she is holding above, her second daughter. When she's not being a computer geek at Microsoft, she's a cutie. But she is very smart.

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Yes, I still would love to have an outdoor shower.

A gorgeous shade of blue. Actually, I love this little kitchen.

Another pretty patio/picnic area.

A cute quaint neighborhood in England.

Look at this tiny chair. Maybe it was meant for a doll house. Even has its own tiny pillow.

Where do people find these little treasures? An old farm wagon dressed up in pink and blue.

Just some lovely froufrou items.

And yet another bird cage for you to see.

A staged photograph for sure but I think it's adorable. An outdoor, under-the-trees room.

Another countryside pathway. Sort of narrow for cars though.

A cute bedroom with lots of color.

Another stone sink.

Respite from work done cute!

Sigh. How adorable is this room! Look at those curtains and that pillow, rug and settee.

Have a coconut cupcake, but you might want to wait or rethink that after reading the tidbit today.

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Tidbit:

To cure hangovers, people in the Middle Ages would down a plate of bitter almonds and dried eel after drinking. In Outer Mongolia, they slurped down pickled sheep eyeballs in tomato juice. [Ooooh, yuck!!]
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Linking up with NMH Party and Pink Saturday.

Just Photos Today

Reminding you again of my Pinterest page, where I post at least a couple of times a week. You'll see images that aren't yet on my blog so go there for a visual treat of nothing but beautiful images.

Also, I'll keep reminding you until 7/1/2013 that Google Reader will no longer be available. So if you want to keep track of your favorite blogs or, if you are a blogger, you'll need another site to do that. Of course, you could just see them if you have bookmarked them, but you wouldn't see if they're updated so you'd have to check every single one. I'm using Bloglovin' as many others are and while it's not as good as Google Reader, it's still better than having to click on every single blog to see if it's updated. If you want to follow me on Bloglovin', just click on the logo on my side bar.
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This is one of the cutest spots for a dinner I've ever seen. Can you imagine sitting in the shade of this old barn? Yummmmy!

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And another cute way to store linens.

I've always loved purple and it is the favorite color of my great granddaughter. Her mummy buys her a lot of thing in purple or lavender.

A quaint old country neighborhood. They live much closer than we do and I kind of like that idea. Much more secure and that's important to me.

Personally, I love these old stone sinks. I'd much prefer one outside rather than inside but they have so much character.

Several years ago I found some pink towels. Now, I mean a true bright pink, not rose-colored. I have not been able to find any pink towels since then. They are gorgeous, and I'm going to be very distraught when they wear out. Why can't the towel industry come out with just pink instead of a dulled-down pink? This photo reminded me of that. This is a beautiful soft pink but I'm waiting for the true pink to come again.

These little bins are adorable. I wish I could find some for a few items I would put in them.

I adore this old country kitchen. Large sunny windows. Cute old photos on the wall. A sturdy table. Splashes of color in the plant peeking in the photo and on the table.

I'm sure this is a set-up for a wedding but think how cute the idea is for your dining room. Silk flowers and ribbons on the back. Not a lot of trouble or money at all and the pay-off is jazzy.

Yep, we're going out for ice cream tonight!! Did I ever mention I have pink spoons for eating our ice cream? I sure do and it makes the experience even more beautiful.

Yes, I really do like white sofa slipcovers and even had one made for my old Ethan Allen sofa. I can put them on or take them off and have completely different looks. They only cost $400 and I thought that was a steal considering the ugly ones I've seen online.

An excellent, cute and inexpensive way to add storage to your bedroom.

I really like this settee. I've never seen one like it but it looks comfy. Of course, the pink stripe adds to the effect for me.

Just a quaint and cute place for a lunch.

This has to be a shop for Green Gate items. They have the most darling kitchen ware of any store I've seen.

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Tidbit:

Ringo Starr received more fan mail than any of the other Beatles and George Harrison was afraid of flying.
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Linking up with the Dedicated House. 

White

I've been wanting to do a white post for a long time. Oh, there will be a bit of color among the white but not much; it'll be mostly white. So let's get on with it.

A dresser, lamp and shade, frame, curtains and walls all white except for a painting of a rose on a white frame.

White walls, shelves, bowls with a bit of flowers and the door.

Lamp and shade, measuring cup, walls, table and frame on table.

Mostly white with sofa, stairs, lamp and table, pillows, bookcase, walls, dining room table and chairs and white wallpaper with flowers on it.

White walls, sofa, table, chair, pot on table, a bit of color in curtains and pillow.

White walls, rug, sofa, hanging lamp, heater behind sofa, table on far wall.

White kitchen except for the stove, mixer and a plate of watermelon.

White walls, doors, table, chairs, plates.

White walls, glasses and paper in glass, candle holder, round white candles, white picture.

White walls, windows, doors, table and chairs, cover on sofa,

White walls, chair, chest of drawers, rug, bed.

White walls, floor white and beige check, cabinet, doors, sink, table and chairs,

White chairs, basket, cover on table, white pot on table.

White everywhere in this living room with just a touch of red in the pillows on the sofa and red flowers in the pot on the coffee table and chandelier and lace curtains.

White sofa, chairs, ottoman, walls, doors, curtains, armoir, floors painted white

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Tidbit:

Highest legal drinking age in the world: 21, in the United States.

Linking up with Pink Saturday.