Redemption...

I realize that I have been pretty hard on my friend Gwyneth as of late...but I just couldn't find one redeeming quality in her choice of footwear. Then I saw this...

the kitchen in her house in the Hamptons! Unbelievably beautiful and crammed full of style! I would like to apologize in public for my critical post on her poor fashion choices and just say to Gwyneth, "Right on Sista! Right on!"

Quilt Giveaway...

The Red Barn is giving away a quilt made with Sandi Henderson's ginger blossom fabric...and it is to die for...

HOO-RAY FOR THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE!

Here's hoping you and yours...have the greatest day...in the greatest country in the world!

Sidenote...

Anna Maria Horner has her new fabric line up on her blog...Not my cup of tea...but very interesting to look at. I am amazed by and admire these fabric designers and their creative ingenuity!

Red...White...and Blue...3

After being completely sidetracked by dear Gwyneth yesterday...I am back celebrating the 4th with some quirky accessories that make me smile. Enjoy...

We Interrupt this Program...

I know I promised a week's worth of celebrating the 4th...but poor Gwyneth is at it again! She needs to fire her stylist and hire me...I know I could do better than this! Why...my sons-in-law could do better than this...

I know this picture is small...but my goodness...check out those gladiator shoes...the woman is stuck in a time warp...as in Egypt a couple of thousand years ago! Oh...and recently I found these...which tells me that my warning has not been heard! I'm going to start some kind of grass roots campaign to rid the world of this plague...

I am marching on Washington...anybody want to join me?

Red...White...and Blue...2!

One of the reasons I find Christmas to be such a fun holiday besides the food...shopping...presents ...food...music...family...and food (did I mention the food)...is the decorating that takes place both inside and outside of our home...plus the homes of our family and friends. There is nothing that says..."Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat"...MORE than a home filled with Christmas decorations. I also think it is fun to decorate for the 4th. Red...white...and blue is a terrific color combination. It speaks of summer fun...festivities...and feels so relaxing! See what I mean with these...

Looking at these makes me want to put up some red...white...and blue lights(I have some)...hang out our flag...buy 2 white rockers for the front porch and fill some huge pots with lots of red geraniums. Hummmm...I am off to the nursery and Wal-mart!

Red...White...and Blue!

A week from now we will be celebrating Independence Day all across the country. I just love the 4th of July...especially here in our small town. We go all out with a parades...picnics...and fireworks. It's still very much an old-fashioned celebration with lots of family coming home just for the festivities. So...for the next week...in honor of the good ole' red...white...and blue...I'll be posting some fun accessories you might want for your house as you celebrate the 4th!

What about some darling red and white dishes...I love how these casual dishes are paired with fancy silverware and simple table linens. Check your local $1.00 store for a good buy on patriotic dishes! I can just imagine French toast...strawberries...whipped cream... served on these on the morning of the 4th! What a great way to start a great day!

Blog Swap...Hoo-ray!

Thanks to Ashley for putting together the "favorite things" blog swap. It was so fun...first to receive this from cute Chantri...


and second to send some of my favorite things to Jill. What a great idea...thanks Ash! I love making new blogging friends!

TIPS-N-TRENDS...It ain't all good!

I've discovered a disturbing trend of late...it actually keeps me up at night. I lay awake wondering if someone I love will get caught in it's deceptive web or succumb to peer pressure. I worry that once they start they won't be able to stop! I worry that it will become a habit...an expensive habit. I worry that they might eventually have to lie...steal...and deceive to support it. I see celebrities getting caught up in it and worry that my loved ones will be reading a People Magazine and think, "Hey, that looks fun and exciting...maybe I will try it just once!" It's tough to resist...especially when worn by Gwyneth...

Yes...that disturbing trend is...Gladiator shoes! A fad gone bad...and the bane of my existence...(at least for right now). I have only one question..."Gwyneth honey...What in $*## were you thinking?" Now...every where I look...this is what I see...

Women of America...and other parts of the free world...Avoid this pit-fall at all costs...it is the work of the devil...it will bring you down!

Mid-Week Inspiration...Dishes on Display

I own dishes...a lot of dishes...more than I will ever need...it's an obsession...as in...I could feed a small army...but only if they ate with their fingers...because I don't particularly care about silverware...but I do have a large supply of plastic forks...so...I guess I could still feed a small army and they would even appear to have some manners. When you have a lot of dishes like me...you have to put them all somewhere...they don't all fit in the kitchen cupboards...so...I store some of my dishes in my entryway in this...


I also store some of my dishes downstairs with my food storage...because I am of the mind set that food and dishes go together...right?...my husband does not have that mind set. And there will be no picture of my storage room!

What I really want...is open shelves...in my kitchen and maybe elsewhere in my home...so my dishes can be a real part of our family...out where the whole world can bask in their...dishy-ness. Open shelves like these...

I want that yellow bowl on the left...

Love that the dish racks are hung over the windows...

Check out those purple cabinets...

And my personal favorite...these scalloped shelves are to die for...A...door...a...bull!

I Have a New Fabric Crush...

Just took a look at Heather Bailey's blog and...Golly Miss Molly...was I in fabric heaven or what! If you haven't seen her new fabric lines...quick click and take a look. Unbelievable!!!! And she's having a giveaway...hoo-ray! That's all I have to say!!!!

Mid-week Inspiration...Flower Power...

I've been out of town for the past 9 days helping a daughter move from Utah to Colorado...even though it was a working vacation it was still alot of fun!

Here in Idaho...as well as in many places in the west...we are experiencing extreme...record breaking...cold. Yesterday set a record for temperatures...a bone-chilling 33 degrees...with some snow in the morning hours! Flowers are freezing and gardens are literally rotting in the ground. Things are looking up though...with a projected high in the 80's on Saturday! Whoo-hoo! Today's Mid-week Inspiration is especially for those of us who are NOT enjoying summer weather but hope to soon.

I was never much interested in flowers and gardening until recent years. Yard work was always just that...work! But I have really grown to love being out in the yard...digging in dark soil...planting seeds and flowers...dead heading...fertilizing...water and weeding...just everything that goes with gardening. I absolutely love going to a nursery and just enjoying the sights and smells that surround me. Hope the following pictures inspire you in a "flowery" kind of way!

Flickr Fun...

Hey...this was fun...give it a try! Thanks, Shell!



1. Smile on Fair, 2. Spaghetti in Tomato Cream Sauce, 3. Sumatran Tiger @ DC Zoo , 4. The Earth is God's Canvas., 5. patrick-dempsey-Versace, 6. Lazy Cow , 7. Borrowdale, Lake District , 8. Crème Brulée, 9. Excelsior, 10. i don't think there's any question here | day 363, 11. bookshelf, 12. doobie hat, var.

TIPS-N-TRENDS...

New feature to the blog...TIPS-N-TRENDS! A place to share new products and/or trends of interest around us...Today I would like to share a product that I found totally by accident. While I was at Walmart picking up a few items...I reached for what I thought was Bounce dryer sheets and picked up this product instead...

Shout color catcher...I was so mad when I got home and realized that I had NOT picked up what I needed...hence another trip to the store...but a few weeks later I thought...Oh, I will try one of these dumb things...threw it in the wash with some reds...I was amazed and thrilled that I had found a new help for accomplishing a most dreaded task...the laundry.

Have you ever bought a red and white strip shirt...tablecloth...placemat...or whatever...and once you have washed it...even on cold...it comes out of the washer and the white is slightly pink? I can't tell you how many times that or something similar has happened to me! Well...with the miracle color catcher cloths...that will never happen again. Even when you put a batch of multi-colored clothes in the wash...you have to know that a little dye bleeds from each item making the wash water a murky gray...over time making your clothes less vibrant and true to their original color.

Now I am going to use some very technical terms here to describe how these cloths work...and hope you non-scientific persons can understand. These cloths..."catch" the dyes that bleed out of your clothes as they are washing...and hold on to them...and when the wash is done you can just throw the cloth away. I sure hope you non-scientific persons could understand that! So...get a box today at your local Walmart!

Okay...so now it's your turn...What product or idea makes doing your laundry easier...more enjoyable...faster...more fun?

LOST...

JUST A WORD OF WARNING...DO NOT CALL ME TONIGHT...DO NOT COME TO MY DOOR...DO NOT TEXT...I AM DEEPLY INVOLVED IN A CRISIS HERE AT HOME AND CAN'T BE INTERRUPTED! I'VE JUST GOT TO CHECK UP ON MY PEOPLE...I'VE GOT A BAD FEELING THAT SOMEBODY IS GONNA DIE...I JUST FEEL IT IN MY BONES...BUT WHO...I AM ASKING YOU...WHO?

Mid-Week Inspiration...Blue is the New Beige...

My daughter Ashley recently told me that the color blue is making a comeback. This is all I have to say about that..."Good for you blue...personally I have always loved you...but got stuck in your country blue/mauve decorating scheme for far too long. But look at the new you...Botox really did wonders to your tired old face...now you look vibrant...fresh...young and exciting...who knew? Now I've just got to have you back in my life..."

I need this in the center of my dining room table filled with daisy's...

this tucked into some corner...

this for crafting and sewing...

this to brighten my breakfast...

and this for early morning rides through the country...
Look at you...blue! Oh...and by the way...
if you would like to win this bicycle go here!