(clearing my throat first) ....I wOuld liKe to thank the Academy!!~

Thank you JOY from http://myreasonstoblog.blogspot.com for giving me this wonderful award!  First I am in a commercial, and now this!!~You like me, You really do like me.....this is what I felt like when I saw this award today...remember Sally Fields way back when she accepted her award...she was so cute, still is?! Anyhow I will graciously accept this award...and gladly pass this on to fifteen others. Although I have only been blogging for about 7 weeks, I feel like my heart and soul have been put into this blogland...and it has and in return I have felt the reward of meeting like minds, great women, and having fun! So this award came at a good time...gives me more drive to keep on keeping.  In no particular order this is who I would like to acknowledge and pass this down too. Now you pick fifteen blogs you would like to give the award to as well.  Then link them to your page as shown and let them know.....

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com

http://vickydar.blogspot.com

http://sonnydaydreams.blogspot.com

http://shadesofred-michelle.blogspot.com

http://roseteacottage.blogspot.com

http://menonewmom.blogspot.com

http://diydesignfanatic.blogspot.com

http://christineshomeandtraveladventures.blogspot.com

http://beneaththebigoak.blogspot.com

http://kimsdomesticbliss.blogspot.com

http://transforminghome.blogspot.com

http://sparkle-soup.blogspot.com

http://jemsmom.blogspot.com

http://anita-faraboverubies.blogspot.com

http://theycallmejammi.blogspot.com

Now some of you may have recently received this award.  If that is the case I ask that you give up your reign to another blogger you feel best. I know some of you are friends so if I did not include you, it is because I know you can pass it to your buddy!  Now we are also suppose to include 7 things, I bet you did not know about me....here goes
1.  I am super, duper crabby in the morning til I have my coffee
2.  I am sensitive
3.  I avoid driving on the highway at all costs
4.  I like to be a homebody
5.  I have learned not to take myself too seriously...I can laugh at myself and my kids have learned to do that at me well!
6.  I lack patience at times, often times
7. I love cute, trendy clothes!
8.  One for good luck....I love life!

Mosaic, Mellow, Blue Monday!~

 

  

  

  

  

  

 

~HiStory of the Front PorCH~

"Porches are as synonymous with American culture as apple pie. While not unknown in colonial times, they rose to nationwide popularity in the decades before the Civil War, and remained in fashion for almost one hundred years. Ironically, the very social and technological forces that made them both popular and possible were eventually responsible for their decline." -- from Kahn, Preserving Porches
"Nobody thought much about the front porch when most Americans had them and used them. The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time."
 
 
 


One of the main things that I loved about our home was having a front porch.  We spend a lot of time on our rockers come Spring and Summer.  We love to watch the kids play, and hear all the sounds of nature....my husband enjoys a cold beer and relaxes.  He gave me permission to post this pic, so it's all good, he won't be mad! Hope you enjoyed your SOuthern Front porch lesson.  DO you have a front porch? Do you enjoy it?

Conversation:("Listen I am in a serious meeting here", you have your people contact my people ASAP!

Aprons~~

Ok so I see these adorable Aprons everywhere.  Have been tempted to buy one...they are a little pricey though.  But anyhow....are women really wearing these again? Do you wear one? It reminds me of Mrs. Cleaver...and I can tell you I am not Mrs. Cleaver!!~LOL  no offense she was  a nice lady, but way too patient...always sweet, and well, just not ME!!~LOL

Now these are way too cute! I think my husband would like these!~
These look like summer dresses! So let me know if I am not up on this.....and I thought I was trendy! NOT!!~
After looking at all these again, I have decided....I am getting one...I will put it on my birthday wish list....hey I may as well look cute while cooking, maybe I will even start dancing! Which one is your favorite?

Show and Tell Friday

Sunday Favorites hosted by CHari athttp://happytodesign.blogspot.com
 

 Show and tell Friday hosted by Cindy from my Romantic home....
http://romantichome.blogspot.com
 Please go check out some more fun show and tells..... 
 
History of the Antique Fire Extinguisher
Nowadays antique firefighting equipment is very much in demand by firefighting memorabilia collectors worldwide. One particular item which always draws attention is the antique fire extinguisher.
The earliest types of antique fire extinguisher date back to the early 1700’s. These antique fire extinguishers were of a primitive design consisting of a cask filled with a fire retardant liquid, incorporated in the internal construction of the cask was a gunpowder charge connected by a light-able fuse. The fuse would be lit which ignited the gunpowder which in turn exploded the cask releasing the liquid onto the fire.
The first modern type of antique fire extinguishers were patented in the early 1800’s. They consisted of a mixture of compressed air and potassium carbonate in a copper cylinder. On operation the compressed air would expel the potassium carbonate at the base of the flames.
A further development of this design was patented in France in 1866, which utilized the the internal mixing of water, sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid to produce carbon dioxide gas.The carbon dioxide gas was directed at the seat of the fire to extinguish the flames.

Here is our most recent find while in our travels of antiquing.  My husband noticed it from a far and I loved it.  And I thought at 40.00 seemed like a good price to me.  I have since priced them out, and they go up to as much as 300.00.  Regardless it goes perfectly in our home, and again another cool conversation piece! I would also like to give a shout out to all the awesome  and courageous firefighters we have today! What a job, and they do it so well, without hesitation to rescuing lives! WOW, what would we do with out them? Do you know any firefighters?

 

  

  

 

And there you have my Show and Tell along with a little history lesson!!~  

BOyS TV ROOM TransforMation

http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com
http://roomtoinspire.blogspot.com 
Thanks for hosting these awesome linkie parties!~ Go check some more cool projects out!~

Finished Room over Garage...I never knew what that was til I moved in this home.  This is our first two story home too so I guess I would not know that.  Anyhow, this is my boys TV room.....the room they can hang out with friends, watch movies, play video games, build legos....and yes for the record I just cleaned it for the photo shoot!!~ When we first moved in we had all these retro tin signs, bar accessories and we just decided to throw it all in there.  As the boys became older I realized they probably should not be hanging out with beer signs.  So one day I just tore the room apart, ran to Walgreens with some of their toddler and baby pics, made Black and Whites...bought some cool distressed frames from Walmart....then added new curtains.  What a room transformation for little cost!~ Oh new pillows, and my husband added the wall sconce light, which was cheap from Lowes.  It is pretty comfy in there now.....We also painted the room over with a warmer shade of green and used the Benjamin Moore Aura paint, it was awesome, and easy to clean too! Little boys tend to mess up walls with finger prints and slamming toys around.....
BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

  

  

My boys pics when they where small, Alex would kill me if he knew the one below was on here.....

  

Curtains from World market

 

 :

FLying~

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com  
http://etsycottagestyle.blogspot.com 
Today I am using the letter F Vintage alphabet Party~ I thought only for a moment what can I do and say about the letter F...came to me right away...FLYING!!~ First off, I have a FeAr of flying in my  OLD  age.  I have flown on airplanes since I was a baby...in fact at the early age of 5 my Mom even put me on a plane by myself to go visit Gram and Gramps....I loved it, and did it all the time.  It has only been for the past let's say 5-6 years that I have anxiety about it!~ Not to a point of needing a drink or a Xanax YET~! I have learned to wear very light clothing, (in order not to perspire or have it show through my clothing) I do not drink a lot of coffee before hand, and I pray to dear God the entire time! Oh and if you sit next to me, I may talk excessively~! Well anyhow...aside from that what I really want to talk about is my Flying Dreams~!~ Oh how I love those, I soar thru the sky like a bird...like a plane, like SuperMan....I feel so empowered in those dreams, and really want to stay asleep to finish them......I looked up what it all means...you know our dreams do mean something internally....and this is what I found.....

Many dreams are Forgotten or lost by the time we awaken Fully, but that is not usually the case with dreams of Flying.  They are FUN and they are often remembered vividly For weeks.  In general, they also mean good things For us.  We Feel on top of the world and are soaring to great heights in our minds when we Fly.  Flying dreams are very often a precursor for lucid dreaming, a dream state in which we are aware we are dreaming and can manipulate the outcome of the dream.  Even in a dream state, most of us are aware that we can't Fly in normal life, thus on some level a Flying dream likely coincides with dreaming lucidly for the vast majority of the population, though most awaken unaware of the Fact that they were engaged in a lucid dream.  

Having said that, interpretation of flying dreams is fairly simple.  Something is generally going RIGHT in our lives!  Occasionally, we may be Flying to avoid something, but the Flying in and of itself is still an enjoyable dream activity, and the WAY we do it may tell us more about ourselves than the actual Flying. So Fly on peeps and have fun!~ Tell me have you ever had a flying dream?

So ready for SpRing~

This Spring, I plan on bringing a lot of color outside, on my deck, front porch and near my outdoor fireplace.  These pics inspired me and I will be using, a lot of blues and greens....along with yellow flowers. Hoping my Arbor can one day look like this....


I love this blue table with the red chairs!


This is a really pretty vignette~
And how simple is this, even to have on your indoor kitchen table, perhaps three of them filled with some fresh simple flowers....

Spring Flower Garden Ideas

The best place to look for spring garden ideas is in current gardening magazines. These can be a great resource for inspiration as one looks for the particular flower garden he or she wants to achieve. Magazines also offer a visual, which can be very valuable for those without landscaping skills.
Another place to look is online. Often the same magazines will have a website with an idea archive to browse through. Some websites even offer a blueprint for landscaping to help their readers create the garden in the examples.

Read more at Suite101: Where to Get Ideas for Spring Gardens: Garden Planning in Spring http://landscaping.suite101.com/article.cfm/where-to-get-ideas-for-spring-gardens#ixzz0gSoTMpcU

FuN fOtO FriDay update~

I will be hosting my Fun FOTO friday the First Friday of each Month....so my next one will be on March 5TH!~ So grab my button, or the smiley and dig into your photo archives for some fun shots:)  Remember it can be anything that makes us smile!!~

My Mr. Linky will be up on the Thursday before.....see you then:)

Outdoor Wednesday~

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com  Thank you to Susan for hosting this Outdoor Meme, please stop by to view some more fun shots!
      ~~PLEASE CLICK PIC TO ENLARGE~~

We have had the pleasure of stopping through Savannah, Georgia twice now.  We want to make a weekend trip there soon.  It is one of the neatest places I have ever seen!!~ Oh and the food, to die for...here is a little history lesson on Savannah

Since her founding in 1733, Savannah has been one of America’s favorite destinations for business and pleasure. Today, she attracts nearly seven million visitors every year, sparking seven million cases of love at first sight.

Located in the heart of Coastal Georgia's Lowcountry, Savannah is a city of rare natural beauty—of azaleas in bloom and stately oaks draped with Spanish moss. These landscapes have been lovingly enhanced by two centuries of manmade splendor, from her distinctive park-like squares and cobblestone streets to the magnificent architecture of her storied antebellum homes and churches.

Savannah is also known for many ghost tales, if you are interested in reading some please click here

http://www.castleofspirits.com/savannah.html  

Funny thing about Savannah is you really do feel like there are ghosts all around....Good ones though.  Charleston South Carolina is also filled with Ghost stories and tours, along with St. Augustine Florida.  We actually took the Ghost tour in St. Augustine at 11:00p.m.  all I can tell you  is my Boys where sheet white!~ It was funny, and they where not too traumatized.

 

 

taBletop Tuesday......

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com Thank you so much Marty for taking over this fun Tabletop Tuesday party. It is one of my favs, as I have so many things I display, and change. This is Just a small  vignette...I started to incorporate more blue in my home...this little pitcher is something my Mom sent me last year with some beautiful tulips for our anniversary.  I have put a plant in there for now.  The bubble glass is something from my husbands Gram, and the decorative balls are from Walmart...which I saw the same ones at Pier I for double the price!!~ Please stop over and see Marty at a Stroll thru life to view some more awesome tabletops.... Please click on pic if you would like to supersize.....

 

 

This pie safe was given to me many years ago from my hubby, I just loved the antique tea stain and hand painted work on it. I change it up every season, holiday, and just for fun.  I have wanted to put some material behind the chicken wire ( Kim inspired me) but as you can see I have not done it yet, and yes it is a mess inside so don't look!

 These French plates I have had for years! I try putting other plates above it and I just do not like them...so these seem to work with all the colors in our home as well, and add interest! Thanks for stopping by and please take a hop on over to Marty's to see some more Beautiful vignettes.