Mr. & Mrs. Kyle White

What a glorious time we had up north celebrating Kyle and Carrie's marriage. It really was a dream come true. The kids all forgot their cameras so I was in charge of all the pictures which is a frightening situation since I usually can't even remember where my camera is, but I must say I think I did alright, maybe it's because of blogging. In fact, there are so many pictures that I had to put them on a separate blog.

Not that anyone is interested, but if you would like to see more pictures of the wedding you can view them on the blog I set up for them at http://kylecarrieswedding.blogspot.com/ .

Hope everyone had a good week! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

The Wish of a Prayer Comes True

My prayer for my youngest son is coming true. On Saturday he will be married to his sweetheart. The heart felt joy of a child finding their mate is so glorious. I thank God for sending Carrie to share the life of my beloved son Kyle. All the glory and honor is his. What a gift from the Lord that Kyle has been to our family. From birth he has been the happiest child, always entertaining all of us with his bright smile and charming humor. In a few short days he will be joined to the wife that God has brought to him. Please join me in prayer for blessings on their marriage and could you put in a word too asking that the good Lord help us fit everything in the car ;)

Well, I better go finish packing. John wants to be on the road by 11:00, which means that at 10:30 he will be saying "lets go". Over the years I've learned that if I plan to be ready about a half hour before his departure time things go most smoothly.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back on Monday with pictures of the wedding, that is if I can keep the battery charged on my camera........

~Photos of Castle Farms, Charlevoix, Michigan~

Wild for White

Right now everything white is catching my eye. Maybe it is because John wants to paint the garage blue and I am trying, ever so gently, to help him realize that if we paint the garage light blue with the pink cupboards that he just installed he may be in for more taunting from his Harley friends than he imagines. I've had these images on my computer for a while and they keep catching my eye. Ornate white moldings add so much texture to what could be a very bland space. Classically placed moldings can be tricky to place but if you get it right it can add so much to a room. One of my favorite women of style is the late Nancy Lancaster. She used art in her living room to create the illusion of classical molding by placing the pictures as if they were tucked inside classically placed molding. That room has been photographed many times and if I find it I'll will post about it.
The hardware on this gorgeous door also adds texture and sparkle to another white room.
The diamond shaped mullions on the windows in this white kitchen add texture and dimension.

~Kitchen Picture is from The Well Appointed House~
~Ornate Door is from
~ Mirror on white is from

Nice Matters & Wedding Update

Thanks Toni at http://rabbithillcreations.blogspot.com/ for awarding me the Nice Matters Award. I'm passing it on to Stephanie at http://greeniegardens.blogspot.com/ she has the cutest post about trash that you have to read. Her daughter Heather at http://splaneyo.blogspot.com/ has a great post about the Nice Matters Award on her blog that had me laughing already this morning when I went over there to see if she had already gotten the award.

The wedding was so much fun and turned into a weekend event. I ended up wearing a sleeveless little black dress even though I'm opposed to black at weddings I guessed correctly that at this one that would be the color of choice and it turned out to be a good guess. One of my sister-in-laws was so mad that her husband told her not to wear black and three quarters of the guests were decked out in the somber color. Not that it was a somber event but knowing my niece and all her friends black was a safe bet on the color.

I took a black light weight cardigan with me but never ended up needing it. Plenty of hot flashes kept me warm even in the AC. For shoes I wore comfy black heels to the ceremony and quickly changed into black Havianna flip flops for the reception which sound awful but blended in just fine. All my gear for the day fit nicely into a mid size purse and kept all my necessities close at hand. I did however leave my camera at the reception site but the MOB brought it over yesterday.

Which brings me up to the pool party for the day after the wedding. Our neighborhood was packed. You could barely get a car down our street. The next door neighbors daughter was married on Saturday too. Both big Italian families partying in their pools created quite the busy place. Our poor other neighbors!

Well, hope every one had a good weekend.

Something Blue For Annie's Wedding

Today is going to be a long day. I don't know about you, but the older I get the harder it is to attend 11 or 12 hour events. Our niece is getting married today downtown at 1:30 pm, the reception is also downtown at 6:00 pm. Well I'm guessing many of you know this dilemma.....What on earth am I going to wear that I'll be able to get through this ordeal in. The usual issues: layering to go from hot flash to freezing in the AC, shoes that won't make me look like a frump but will allow me to stand around in them for some where around probably 6-8 hours, purse to carry a full days supply of necessities that does not look like a suitcase........and on it goes.

We really are excited about the wedding, it's just the getting there that is such a pain ;)

A Walk In The Garden

This morning I grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and my camera to see if there was any thing pretty blooming in the garden that I could share with you. Usually when I am outside first thing in the morning there is no one around, but as luck would have it, the neighbor pulled out of his driveway right when I was coming out. Oh well, I'm sure he has seen worse but it reminds me to try to get dressed first thing in the morning. I feel bad that he had to be subjected to a lady of a certain age in her night gown with a hoodie over it and uncombed hair first thing in the morning. Maybe he didn't notice me as I slid behind a shrub.

Pantry Project

This afternoon I finally got a chance to get the pantry cleaned out and organized. After my last trip to Costco things were stuffed in every which way and in danger of a complete avalanche.

The craziness that is my life has settled down a bit. As a result I had a burst of energy and pulled everything out of the pantry, gave it a good scrubbing, and reorganized it. It was easier to organize this time because John installed some cabinets, that were being discarded from the building he is working on, into the garage, right outside our back door. The non-food things that I had in here got moved to the garage leaving plenty of space to arrange things.

Hope everyone had a good day. Thanks for stopping by.

Rainy Day Protection

It is always nice to have umbrellas handy by the door to grab on your way out if it is raining or rain is in the forecast. These are my umbrellas that I keep by the front door. It is hard to photograph them in the front entry so they are in front of the door that goes to the basement from our backdoor to have their picture taken.

The big one in the back was a Christmas gift from my Mom many years ago, called the Rain House in the J Peterman catalogue. It has a horn handle and is big enough to protect a small family. The size makes it impractical for quick trips to and from the car but it has come in handy at times when we have had to be out in the rain for longer periods of time.

The two plaid ones were gifts with purchases from the old Ralph Lauren store that used to be in downtown Birmingham before they moved to the mall. Seriously, way back when, they gave out these beautiful umbrellas for even a relatively small purchase. All the details have faded, but my recollection tells me that Sarah and I made several trips back to the store, while Christmas shopping that year, for more umbrellas.

The black one with the silver handle is from Chloe's. We also carried the pocket sized version of this one. It had a replica of an antique silver knife handle on it. We sold ton's of them for about $17.00 each. They made the cutest gifts when wrapped up in our blue & white checked tissue paper, put in a clear bag and tied up with blue tulle ribbon. I still have one in the door pocket of my car that gets plenty of use. They aren't the sturdiest umbrellas but work great when there is a bit of a drizzle and you don't want to get your hair wet.

The pink plaid one is fairly new and I would like to add one with pink roses. Lori at http://pinkfadedroses.blogspot.com/ inspired my stroll down umbrella memory lane. I recently discovered her blog from DebraK at http://thebunnysbungalow.blogspot.com/ when she so sweetly included me in her fun tag (I'm still working on it Debra). Lori has a post showing the prettiest umbrellas and parasol's. Hopefully she will share with me where the ones with roses on them came from so I can consider getting one to add to my little collection.

Well, I haven't had much time to post lately but really appreciate all the comments and I'm enjoying visiting my blog friends. Hope all is well with everyone!

Natural Wonders Tag

DebraK tagged me to put names of blog friends on things from the natural world. Since I have no clue how to do that using the computer I wrote the names in my grandchildren's crayons on the back of my old business cards. To coin a phrase from my friend Cindi, I know this is "lame" but I wanted to play along so here is my lame attempt ;) Andrea at http://truesouthernheart.blogspot.com/ always posts beautiful pictures of classic design that I so enjoy. She probably thinks I am a terrible lurker because I could spend hours clicking on her side bar, it is a treasure trove of interesting sites to explore.
This is a rabbit weathervane that Rhoda at http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/ had in a post that I really fell for so I went out and got one for our kitchen. She has a beautiful home that she is willing to share with the blog world and often does tutorial posts about different project that are very informative. She has also been a bit of an angel to me, leaving sweet comments exactly when needed and helping me with my spelling.
Here is a rabbit for Suzi Q at http://rabbitruncottage.blogspot.com/ . I found Suzi Q when first entering the blog world because I loved the name of her blog and still do. That would be the perfect name for our house too because little rabbits play all over our gardens just like they do hers. Her home is just beautiful and her blog is so inviting, I love visiting her and hope you will too.

DebraK at http://thebunnysbungalow.blogspot.com/ tagged me for this post. She is the sweetest lady who's beloved Mother suffers from the same tragic condition that mine does. Thank you for including me in this fun tag. I chose this bunny bookend for you because it is right by one of my favorite books and sends love your way.
Cindy at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ is nestled here among the blue faux berries and blue and white lamp. She is a favorite of many for all here creative energy. Since she has added me to here list of blog friends my readership has increased so I thought I had better get busy and make some posts. Her recent post had many thinking the photos were from a magazine, absolutely beautiful. We share a love of blue & white and I can't get enough of her lovely projects. This isn't really representative of the natural world but it is a painting idealizing my old downtown street scape. Tucked in there is Chloe's, the little shop that kept Sheryl at http://friendshipcottage.blogspot.com/ and I busy and got us through some tough years.

It may not be from the natural world but it was a sacred little space that blessed many and Sheryl was right there with me from start to finish.

Fifi is fairly new to the blog world but most of us probably recognize her work from many of our favorite magazines. Her blog at http://fabulousfifi.typepad.com/ is loaded with pictures from her adorable cottages many transformations. Her sisters French B&B is so pretty.
I am truly in love with this rug that Toni at http://rabbithillcreations.blogspot.com/ made and had for sale on e-bay. It was so exciting when it became mine. Really it is too nice to have on the floor but I love it so much that I have it right in front of my stove which since I have been so busy has not seen much foot traffic. Her creations are truly inspired and she always has witty and sweet comments. I love chatting with Toni.

There, I've done it. This was really fun. Some of you have been tagged before but if any one is up to it have a go. To get more information and to see others creations you can track back from Debra's.