Happy 4th of July...on the 5th!

Hello everyone! I trust all my fellow American friends had a delightful 4th of July! Mine was really nice. The hubby and I went to see this movie.....

It was a very good and perfect to see on the 4th of July! After the movie, we had a nice lunch and did a little grocery shopping. After that, we came home, grilled hot dogs, and met some family and friends to have a picnic and watch the fireworks. It was a wonderful day from start to finish. 

I never got a chance to show you my Independence Day tablescape so I thought I would share it today. It wasn't anything fancy in fact, it was very simple. I really like the way it turned out though. I didn't purchase anything for this table, although I did look for some small red, blue, or Americana plates with no success. Anywho, let's have a look.

I used my Little Red Racer wagon for the centerpiece. So cute! I added some vellum bunting from my scrapbook stash. I just taped it on. It made a cute addition I think!

I did not have any small plates to go with a red, white, and blue theme, so I just didn't use any. I folded my napkins accordion style and then folded them in half and tied them with gingham ribbon. I think they look like bunting too.

I printed off a small 4th of July Subway print to add to the table.

And I used some other pieces of vellum scrapbook decor to create this piece and added it to a wooden skewer. I just popped it into one of my milk glass vases.

Like I said, this was a very simple table. My vintage teddy sits in the red wagon and is holding a flag I kept from a Memorial Day cookout I attended. 

Here's the whole table. I am currently trying to decide to set the table with next. I am about to go do that now...as soon as I hit publish! I'll share the new tablescape sometime soon. 

I hope you are all having a lovely and restful Sunday. It is storming here and I am enjoying listening to the low rumbling of thunder in the distance and the rain hitting my tin roof. Perfect day to piddle around the house. Have a wonderful week!

Until next time.....

A Little of This and a Little of That!

Hello! I can hardly believe my 3-day weekend is coming to a close. It was such a nice weekend and I got a lot accomplished, and had some fun as well. I wanted to thank you all for the sweet comments on my last post. I'm sorry I didn't get to reply to them. It was my first full week with my kinders and it was an exhausting week. I was just too tired to get everything done, so I'm afraid I slipped on replying, but please know how good your words make me feel. I am loving my "new" spaces, even though they aren't complete, but I love hearing that other people think they look as nice as I do. You all are the best! As for what I accomplished.....the hubby and I finally got my chandelier hung....love it! I'm debating hanging some crystals from it. We'll see!

We also hung my shelf and I created some sweet vignettes on it. I'm looking forward to fall decorating, but am loving having my bee items back in place after being packed up for weeks!

I also did a little shopping at TJ Maxx and Tuesday Morning and found some sweet things. I love my new milk pitcher! I'll share the other things soon.

I had a couple really tasty meals...one with my sister and two nephews at Longhorn Steakhouse on Saturday night and another with the hubby and son at Chili's today. I love the pork carnitas fajitas from Chili's! So yummy...check them out.

We also went to see this movie......

It was excellent...cannot say enough good things about it. Sony Pictures says this about the movie......Inspired by a true story, WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL tells the remarkable journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel), who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport. 

I love sports movies and true stories, so this was a win win! So clean too...don't remember hearing even one bad word and even had scripture references throughout the movie. I will definitely be purchasing this one when it is released.

I am happy to report that I also got a lot of junk cleaned out this weekend and am trying to get rid of stuff. We have a truck load of donations to haul to the Hospice Attic soon. Feels so good to purge! We also got one of the bedroom doors hung and trimmed out, just need to paint it. We cleaned out a spot in the shed for all of our supplies and tools to get them out of the house and my dining room is looking good. Still waiting for trim...hopefully in a couple weeks we can get started on it and finish it up this month. I cleaned out the guest room closet and reorganized my decor shelves. I did a few things for my classroom as well. 

I'm excited about a book club/study my friends and I are starting. Our first read will be this one.....

I love Charles Martin...he's my favorite. I have every one of his books and have this one ordered...it releases tomorrow! He's very similar to Nicholas Sparks, but an even better story teller. I always love his characters. He's from Jacksonville, Florida and references things in the south a lot, so I relate to that too. He has been to our middle school twice to speak to our students about writing. I missed him both times...:( 

Maybe there will be a next time...I really want to meet him and have him sign one of my books!

I hope each of you has a blessed and beautiful week. It's just a four day work week for me, so that's exiting. I'm even more excited to have my daughter, Miranda coming home this weekend for an early birthday celebration. She will be 25 this month! I can hardly believe it...time flies!

Until next time.....

Dinner & A Movie and a Little Thrifting Too!

Happy Sunday...:) Today I am sharing my Saturday with you. It started with a little house cleaning and laundry and then the hubby and I had a day out. I have been planing to go to dinner and a movie since I saw the previews for Labor Day a few weeks ago. It opened this weekend, so off we went to see it. We started the afternoon by eating a late lunch/early dinner at a new place I had been anxious to try. It is called 4R which is short for 4 Rivers Smokehouse. The food was amazing! Brisket is their specialty but their sides are out of this world. Very flavorful food, which is what I love. The brisket was so tender I could cut it with my spoon! Here is my meal....yumminess!

So, after we left 4R, we had about an hour until our movie started, so we decided to run to the Goodwill which was close by. I found a few things to drag home of course. 

This little campfire pot caught my eye. I thought it was super cute and it brought back memories of Girl Scouts camping with my daughter when she was younger. So fun...:) Anywho, I picked it up to check the price and noticed it felt like it had something inside.

Sure enough....a baby pot and lid!

Sorry for the dusty picture, but it didn't make it to the sink before I got the camera out. These two cuties were just $1.99. I think they would make cute planters. I may or may not keep them...haven't decided yet.

Next up, I found this metal basket for $0.99. I loved it, but not the green stones so much!

So, after careful inspection, I realized I could snip the wires holding the stones in place and remove them. I did as soon as I got it home.....much better.

This heavy silver plated candlestick was also $0.99. 

I love it and it will work well in many different vignettes. Sorry....I just noticed it's dusty too!

This adorable little china basket had to come home with me to join my violet collection. It is in perfect condition and was just $0.99. So pretty!

My last find is an apothecary jar. You know I couldn't pass it up. I have never seen one like it and am not quite sure if I like it or not. It looks kind of like a dumb bell shape or a weird baby bottle. It was only $0.99 though so I bought it. It will most likely join some of my others in the craft room.

 

I spent six dollars and change and got some great stuff! After we paid, we went to the movie theater. We like to get there early to get a good seat and watch all the previews. 

There are several good movies coming out in the next few weeks/months. The one we saw today did not disappoint. It was a little slow, but I actually like slow movies. Overall, it was a great movie.

 I love a good love story...:)

Source

After the movie, we ran into Target for a few minutes and then came on home. Sadie Lou was patiently waiting for us to get home and let her out of her yard. She is such a sweetie and I love her so much! 

She is so big now and still growing. Here she is chewing on one of Dakota's socks she stole..:)

Well folks...that's all I have for now. I really hope to have time later to put up my Valentine's decorations that I have had in a pile for two weeks now! Between having family visiting from Utah, working, and being sick, I haven't had time to do any crafting or decorating. Have a beautiful Sunday my friends!

Tallahassee Trip & Treasures!

Hi all! I hope your weekend has been as amazing and special as mine! I just got home a couple of hours ago from Tallahassee (Florida's capital city). My daughter, Miranda moved up there a few years ago to attend FSU (Florida State University) and she loved the area so much, she stayed. Good thing for me is it's only a couple hours drive there, so I can go visit a few times each year! I hadn't been since before Christmas, so I was excited to have a chance to go! Stick around and I'll share my trip with you....:)

I left a little earlier than I needed to on Friday so I could make a stop by the Goodwill in Perry. I have been able to stop in once because it is closed on Sundays when I am driving back home. Anywho, I am glad I stopped since I found a few things there! Let me show you!

First up is a beautiful candle/plant stand. It is really large, probably around 10 inches tall and 5-6 inches across. I think it will make a pretty plant stand. I love it, even though it isn't a color I would normally go for. It's really pretty and was $3.99. I'm sure it cost much more than that new!

I also found this pretty hand-painted plate. It was made in Italy. It was marked down to $1. The color around the edge looks really pretty with the plant stand above! I think they will be pretty together in a spring vignette.

This isn't a very good picture, but I got these pretty Kenmark rose salad plates for $1. There are 4 of them, so .25 cent each! I will probably list them in my ETSY shop (which I hope to open this week on spring break). I can get much more than a quarter each according to Replacements! I was excited about this find!

Here's a close-up of the roses!

I also found this sweet little dish for $1. You might remember I am collecting white dishes!

This one has pretty detailing around the edges!

This was my best find though! I got 6 white dinner plates for $3.99! I was so excited to find these. I really want open shelving in my kitchen when I redo it, so I can display all my pretty white dishes!



Next stop on my road trip was by a little roadside store that sells pecans, different kinds of chocolate-covered pecans, pecan brittle, homemade jellies and jams, etc. I have never stopped there, but my mom and daughter have. I have had the pecans before, and let me tell you they are delish!
These are my favorites.....heavenly!!!

I also bought pecan brittle and dark chocolate covered pecans to share with my hubby and parents. I had to refrain from eating the whole bag of these on the way, so I could save room for my dinner! Speaking of, that's next up! Miranda and her boyfriend, John wanted to take me to a new favorite spot of theirs....Tallahassee Smokehouse. I know now why it is a favorite! 

Check out my dinner below!

Talk about yummy! It was called The Country Dipper....similar to a French Dip, but with strips of grilled steak and smothered in cheddar cheese. I wish I had another one now! You can see John's pork sandwich in the background...his was tasty too! Of course we all sampled each other's food...LOL! The atmosphere was nice and they had the sweetest mason jar lights hanging over the bar! Ok....enough about food! Next stop....the movie theater, where we saw an excellent movie, Oz, the Great & Powerful! It was very entertaining and I highly recommend you go see it if you haven't already!

After the movie, Miranda and I dropped John off and went back to her apartment where we proceeded to go to sleep! The next morning, we slept in a little and then headed out for a day of shopping! First stop.....one of my favorite stores....Goodwill! This Goodwill was by far the most awesome one I have ever been in (over-priced, but awesome). I could not believe the amount of beautiful home decor and the way everything was organized by color. It was so neat and clean too! Like I said above though, it was over-priced on most things, but I did manage to find a few goodies! 

Here is a picture of Miranda and I that she put on Instagram! Horrible picture of me, but oh well!

The pretty coffee cups were one of Miranda's finds....they are really thick glass with the world map etched on them. They were put out by Nestle' in the early seventies. She also picked out a vintage Winnie the Pooh record (she loves Pooh....Randa Pooh is what her dad and I have called her for years). 

On to what I found.....

This white ironstone popcorn bowl was too cute to leave behind. I think it was $3 or $4.

These two large, shallow white bowls were .99 cents each and will be great pasta bowls!

This sweet little plant was $1.99. I had to have it...:) It will work well in lots of different vignettes!

Last was this little vase. It is a pretty aqua blue (although you can't tell in this pic) and was just .99 cents. It used to hold an edible arrangement according to the bottom of the vase!

After the Goodwill, we went to another new (to me) place for lunch....Peppers! I wanted Mexican food, so Miranda suggested this place...and I am so glad she did! It was excellent! We split an appetizer and entree, and couldn't finish either one because we were so stuffed! Look at this specialty queso with sauteed mushrooms...so good! Our entree was a steak chimichanga and was also delish (I forgot to take a pic)!

After Peppers, we went to another movie.....and it was hilarious! A little crude, but still so funny! I love Melissa McCarthy and can't wait for her new movie with Sandra Bullock to come out! They are my 2 favorite actresses so I know I will love it!

From there, we went by World Market, Ulta (well, Miranda went to Ulta while I went to Michael's), and Marshall's! Here are my finds from these places. First up is the cookie jar I bought from World Market. It is the color of jadeite and I love it! I hope to incorporate this color in my kitchen redo! It was just $12.99. I also got a few things for my upcoming giveaway, so be sure to check back  and follow me if you want a chance to win! Anywho, I had a 10% off coupon so I got the cookie jar for an even better price! I saw lots of things at World Market that I would love to have, but this was the one thing I had to have! I will definitely be going back!

At Michael's I bought this sweet little mini birdcage for a couple dollars as well as a few more items for my giveaway!

My last purchase was at Marshall's where I bought this pretty enamel coated lemon juicer and a new dish for taking my lunch to work. I don't like to hear in plastic, so I am always on the lookout for good deals on these types of dishes. I loved the aqua blue of this large mug! I also found this awesome watch/clock themed wrapping paper up front near the registers. They always have the coolest wrapping paper! 

It was $2.99 I believe! I am sure I will come up with a cool project for this paper!

 



Well, if you are still with me....thank you! Just to finish my trip, Miranda and I went back to her place to fix a simple dinner and bake some cookies while we watched a Redbox rental....Playing for Keeps. It was really good! We got a good night's sleep, got up and got ready for church. I enjoyed attending her church with her for the first time! After church, John met us for lunch at the Village Inn before I headed home. It was a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to go. I always love spending time with Miranda (and John). John is such an awesome young man! He was off this past week for spring break and heads back to school tomorrow. He is in his second year of Med School at FSU and is not looking forward to going back to the countless hours of classes and studying that he has throughout the week! It will pay off one day though...:)
I am so happy you stopped by and thanks again if you stuck with me through my trip!
I'll leave you with a picture of the capital that I snapped Friday afternoon on my way into town!

Until next time.....