Bird Nest Powder Room & Diet Confession

How is everybody this morning? Hope everyone in MP that attended CMU's opening game of the football season under the lights last night had a good time. Wish I could have been there with you, for one reason being that, it may have prevented me from making a big plate of nachos and blowing the whole 3 Day Diet thing. Well, probably not, the chicken wings and other treats there would have probably had the same effect. Really, I missed being with all of you guys and do hope that you had fun and that CMU won.

Anyway, today I'll try to drink lots of water to counteract all the salt in the above mentioned offending diet busting nachos. Maybe if I slather myself in this yummy cream and smell really nice no one will notice my puffy eyes.

The picture above is of our powder room that I posted about here. Hope you all have a good and safe weekend.

Hugs,
Sue

~ Wedding Prep and Prayers ~

Good morning. While rummaging around the closet this morning trying to figure out what to wear to a wedding that we have to go to tomorrow night I decided to share the process with you Life At Home readers. I like to read stuff like that so I thought you might too.

This first picture is of my favorite nail polish Essie's, Mademoiselle. It is a medium sheer pink that just makes your nails look clean and fresh. Tonight while John is playing golf in his golf league I'll give myself a manicure and pedicure.
The plan is to wear this brown dress. Hopefully it won't be too hot out. It is an evening wedding so I think I'll be OK.
Next up is The Henry Ford Hospital 3 Day Diet. This thing has been around for years sometimes with different names and a few variations. There are only 2 days left until the wedding so I won't be able to do the whole thing but even a couple days should help get the dress to fit a little better.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all that have been devastated by Gustav. While we go about our daily business of living there are many around the world that are dealing with much suffering. Thank God for his Word that tells us to cast our cares on Him and He will bear our burdens. It would be very easy to become despondent while preparing for a wedding while others are preparing to be evacuated from their homes or fearing for their lives in the European Georgia. If you are reading this from any of these troubled areas please know that our hearts and prayers are there with you.

God bless you all where ever you are.
Hugs,
Sue

Let's Make The Bed

We like to start the week out with a fresh bed so usually on Monday morning I take the old sheets off and smooth out the matress pad to dust if off a bit.
Then select a fresh set of sheets from the linen cupboard and iron the pillow cases if I have the time.
The fitted sheet is put in place and smoothed out. Next comes the top sheet that is put on backwards so that when you fold down the top you get the finished edge showing. Try to line it up so that you get equal amounts of the sheet on both sides. To do this I stand at the foot of the bed and hold the bottom of the sheet with both hands placed equal distance from the center of the sheet and kind of throw it on the bed. At that point it is close to being centered. Then go to the head of the bed and adjust the flat sheet so you have equal amounts of the sheet on both sides of the bed. Fold back the sheet, smooth it out, then tuck in the foot part and make your hospital corners by pulling the side of the sheet up at the bottom and tucking in the part that is left over, then let the sheet fall back into place.
Next take your comforter and center it on the bed like you did with the top sheet. Fold back the top and bring the flat sheet down a bit over the comforter.
Try to make sure that the top sheet is covered by the comforter and that it is straight along the edge.

To get that look you see in magazines, that also provides nice soft cushioning for reading in bed, put a couple of Euro size pillows up against the headboard or wall.
Then put your clean, pressed pillow cases on your sleeping pillows and prop them up against the Euro pillows.
Next take an extra set of pillows and cover them with some kind of complementary pillow cases and put them on top of your sleeping pillows to keep the dust off of them during the day.
From there you can do what ever you want to add some decoration. Currently this big pillow that used to be downstairs gets plunked in the middle to kind of fill in the space between the functional pillows.

Thanks for coming along with me while I made the bed and thanks for all the sweet comments, awards, and tags you gals have been leaving. It has been a busy week around her so I haven't had much time for blogging but I want you to know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.

Hugs,

Sue

Curvy Shelves

Good morning. The other day Nancy from Southern Lady asked to see more of this shelf in the hall upstairs just outside the laundry room so I thought it might be fun to feature some of our shelves here at Greenbrier. This flimsy little shelf is a good size to tuck into narrow spaces. Size is one thing that draws me to one shelf over another. To keep things from being too heavy to hang with a couple of common nails the ones with fret work on the sides usually work best. Some people are drawn to straight lines but curvy pieces work for us.
This shelf was the perfect size to tuck into a corner. The design on it is so detailed that I didn't think it needed much on it. This shelf is missing some pieces and the finish is much less that perfect but lovely none the less. I have no idea what that thing is on the top shelf. I really should wear my glasses when taking these pictures.........
This simple shelf in the family room is a good shelf for a few little books that would be lost in bigger book shelves. It is in a bit better condition than the ones upstairs.
In the dining room this shelf holds seasonal displays and has groves on the back of the shelves for propping plates up on. This shelf is of a better quality so it works well in this more formal room.

Thanks Nancy for asking about the shelf. I hope you all enjoyed your visit here this morning and the tour of a few shelves.

Hugs,
Sue

~ A Barrel of Fun ~

Good Monday morning Ladies. Hope you all had a good weekend, we sure did. We had a barrel of fun. We couldn't resist it when a fellow sojourner offered to take a group picture of us in front of this flat bed truck carrying three huge barrel's of who knows what, to who knows where, that was parked beside us while we fueled up the Harley's for our weekend trip up to 320.
We had packed up our four bikes to the brim and loaded up one of the nonbike riding wives car with provisions for our fun filled weekend. A couple times a summer we try to take a ride a little farther than the local areas and this was one of our weekends for that.
Along with biking and eating we managed to convince Dana to take us on a boat ride on the lake.
Some of the others chose to do other things on Saturday, but Patty and I couldn't resist the opportunity to spend an afternoon on the lake with this bunch. Thanks Dana!

After our day of various activities we all gathered back at 320 for an evening of entertainment provided by the grand's, a fire in the fire pit provided by Bruce and a delicious meal provided by all of us. The star of the dinner was a salad that Angie brought over that I thought you might all enjoy. Several of us are in various stages of Weight Watcher's so this salad with only 2 pts. per serving was a big hit. The recipe makes a huge bowl that would probably last a long time in the refrigerator. Here's the recipe for this tasty salad that I have no idea what it is called.

Angie's WW Salad

2 cans of corn

2 cans of black beans

1 large green pepper chopped

1 large onion chopped

2 small can black olives

8ounces Fat free Italian dressing to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Many blessing to those of you that are busy getting your children ready to begin the new school year in public schools, private schools or homeschools. I remember what a busy time this is for young families. My prayers this week will be that we continue to have a choice where and how our children are educated.

Blessings dear ones,

Sue

~ Old School ~

Hi Ladies. How is everyone this beautiful morning? We are old school around here. Not because we have made the choice to be but just because we are old and things are the way they are because that is the way they always have been.
We use cloth napkins and occasionally cloth table cloths.
We have placemats to protect the tables.
We dry dishes with dish towels and wipe up things with a dish cloth.

I wear an apron to keep my clothes clean while doing house work or cooking.
We always have a roll of paper towels on hand but seldom use them.
Because we have been around a long time we really have a lot of placemats and cloth napkins ~
B U T ! Here is my new favorite thing. Chlorox Disinfecting Wipes. These things are great. My favorite thing about them is that they wipe down our counter tops with out having to dry them with a towel when you are through. This tub of wipes is huge so we will see how they work out in the long run. Having things around to do cleaning with that you can do just as well with a soapy wash cloth has always seemed a waste to me but these just might become a staple for cleaning counter tops around here.

Hugs,

Sue

~ English Country ~

Do you sometimes walk around your house and think, what was I thinking? Well, I do too. Walking around the hall up stairs this morning getting ready to start the day I took note of all the disparaging colors and thought, this has got to change. But, then on second thought consoled myself with the knowledge that somehow even with the pink and red, French and English, oak, maple, mahogany and orange cherry this is home. This is a home where each and every thing tells a story or recalls a precious memory. So, the deer hunt pictures that represent a long line of deer stalkers in our family sit on fussy French toile wallpaper that represents the spring we spent in the south of France visiting the vineyards that provided the grapes for the wine that was imported for the wine business that was housed in the basement of one of our companies.
For years I collected old deer hunting pictures and had them framed in gold frames like were seen in English Country books. The addition of deer plates and 3-D items like this deer head hat rack added dimension to the groupings. In our old house we had other pieces that filled our family room but many of those have moved on to Dana's house.
This old demi-lune table made out of who knows what sits at the top of the oak stair way. It works because the rounded edges prevent nasty bruises when rounding the corner from the bedrooms. It matches nothing but its shape makes it work. The stacking boxes on top of it hold John's old family pictures that were passed down to him when his mom passed away 4 years ago.
The wall at the end of the hall holds family pictures that are badly in need of updating. This little shelf is right outside my laundry room. The little lady on a ribbon has a pair of scissors attached to her that I use to trim loose threads from freshly ironed items.
This book by Caroline Seebohm and Christopher Simon Sykes is one of my favorites and when I get to thinking that nothing matches around here I pull out this book and enjoy seeing all the things that are plunked down together and form a cozy mish-mash of loveliness.

I love this picture of the pure white stair case and hope one of these days to give our oak stair case this same treatment.

Did you all have a good weekend? We had fun up north with Kyle and Carrie on the boat. Hopefully Carrie will e-mail me some pictures because I forgot to take my camera.

Fall Boxes Opened

OK, it is way to early to be finished with summer yet but it is fun to see what we have to work with for fall and get a plan going. This year I might even get the table cloths ironed for Thanksgiving and consider using real plates.
This is what we have to work with. Add in the pumpkins, fresh fall candles and a few mums and we should be good to go.
Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Sue

~ Vases ~

Well, you know how it goes, try to do one thing around the house and it leads to another. In an effort to take a peek into the fall decor that languishes in boxes in the basement I had to rearrange a bit to get a flat surface to set the boxes on. That task lead to decluttering the basement. To do that I go around the room sorting things in to categories, usually in the middle of the floor. Once things are sorted it is easy to wipe down the shelves. Then comes time to put things back.
Last fall John put pink cupboards, that were left over from a job site, into the garage. I never took the time to organize them, but with everything sorted in the basement I figured it was time to sort the junk that had haphazardly been stashed in the cupboards. Sorting seemed to free up some free space so I decided to gather my vases and put them in the cupboards in the garage. Since it is right off the kitchen it will give me easy access to them.
So, that's what has been going on around here. Several trips up and down the stairs rearranging.
All the baskets from around the house fit on top and will come in handy for fall decorating. One of the coolers got thrown away because it was badly damaged and the other one fit over on John's side of the garage freeing up space for the baskets.
This is still a work in progress. There are a few pictures that will go in here to get them out of the basement. My garden tools and flower arranging things will go in the drawers and potting soil and fertilizer will go in the big deep lower cabinets. Unfortunately the trash bin has to stay where it is.

Most of the things in the basement have been put back on their clean shelves with some tweaking left to do but not much. I even cleared a spot for wrapping Christmas presents using my big roll of shiny white paper that was on a cutting rack on one end of the long table.

Right now I think it might be time for a nap. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to the fall boxes.

Take care Ladies.
Hugs,
Sue

Thinking About Fall

Did you have a good weekend? I sure hope so. It seems like our Michigan summers just keep getting shorter and shorter. You can already feel fall in the air. It has been a beautiful summer in these parts, just warm enough and plenty of short rain showers to keep things nice and green through most of the season. Last year we were so busy that I didn't do much seasonal decorating around the house but this year I'm already thinking toward fall and the holidays. With the harvest beginning around here and the local fruit and vegetable stands brimming with delicious fresh local produce my thoughts are turning toward pumpkins and scarecrows and away from daisy's and rosebuds.
It is still a little early to change the decor of the little spots like over the kitchen cupboards and on the tables but this afternoon might be a good time to open a few boxes in the basement and see what we have to work with for the coming fall season.

Hugs,
Sue

~The Handbook of Beauty~

I don't know about you but during the summer for me the grooming seems to slip a bit. In anticipation of the family reunion with John's cousins that we are going to later this afternoon I'm about to head up stairs for an over haul.
Hum, let's see what this pretty Lady does to get herself in shape. OK, I have an old robe. Nope no makeup on for the last few days. I can wash my face. Hum, tired eye treatment....not so much. No time to fuss with new makeup ideas right now, moving on to #7. Face massage and mask, I can do that.
Off comes the old nail polish and face mask. What is a tired foot treatment? We'll save that for another day. Major pedicure work needed here. Exercise, check. Hair, check.
Well, you get the idea. Hope you've enjoyed this tour of my 35 cent beauty book and that you are enjoying this lovely weekend with a fresh mani & pedi and a sparkling scrubbed face.

Hugs,
Sue

Rhoda's Favorite Junk Store Find Party

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality is having a party today. Hope you all head over there and join in. I know so many of us have created some very lovely homes for our family and friends by using recycled items. Lets all join in and share our finds, we know that it takes an eye for beauty and a desire to create comfort for our families and God's grace more than a lot of money to create a beautiful home. This three tiered table works well to keep the blue and white pitchers that we use a lot easily assessable in the dining room. I often keep an eye out for narrow little shelves that you can pick up for very little because they fit into all kinds of small spaces and are a good way to display things that you use on a regular basis. It is much easier to use things that might add a touch of beauty to your table if they are not shoved into a dark cupboard.
This old, old, worn out oriental rug is another one of my favorite things. It was rolled up in the corner of a junk shop when I stumbled upon it. Ralph Lauren uses a lot of well worn rugs in his work so when I found this big 9' X 12' rug with all the colors that are in our house I decided to bring it home. Well, after airing it out and trying to clean it the best I could it ended up in the dining room and has been useful for more than 10 years. One of the added benefits of these old rugs is that it hides all the little scraps of anything that may end up on the floor until you get around to sweeping them up.
This is one of a pair of little end table that I picked up for Summerhill several years ago. Their small size and pretty detail make them valuable to use as pull up tables where ever you need a surface to plop something down on. Kind of like a refined TV tray ~

Thanks for stopping by Life At Home this morning. I hope you had a good time here at the party.

Hugs,
Sue