Good Wednesday Morning To You

We hope you are finding yourself in a place full of sunshine like we are here. A fresh pot of coffee is brewing, the table is set and our Grandson's, Aidan and Blake are on their second On Demand movie of the morning, first Scoobie Do now Tangled. Dana is getting some much needed rest so Grandma is spoiling the boys with two movies this morning.

The little hand in the picture is Nolan's, our baby, who is growing up very fast. He helped me set the table.

The Smokey Links are browned, the English Muffins are sliced and in the toaster ready to be toasted, the eggs are scrambled and waiting to be cooked, the jelly and juice are decanted. All we need now is for Dana to wake up and join us for this simple breakfast.

After breakfast we will clean up then head out for some shopping. I need to replace my Clinique Foaming Facewash at Nordstrom's so I for-see lunch in their cafeteria. This is the start of my birthday week celebration so I will let John decide on dinner plans, and I hope that it is something that does not include me washing piles of dishes.

Oh, we had a very strange incident last night. Something very odd happed to our refrigerator. When we opened the door to the regular side of the refrigerator a blast of warm air came out. The freezer side was still chilling but the other side was in a full meltdown. I have never seen anything like this before. We transfered the contents of the meltdown side to the refrigerator in the garage, pulled the frige away from the wall, dusted it off, swept and washed the floor, unplugged it, let it set a few minutes then plugged it back in. This morning when we woke up it was cold again.

Has anybody ever had anything like this happen before?

The Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino and Martha

This morning while I was browsing blogs and catching up on Faux Fuchia's baby news I spotted my long lost friend Martha, who FF refers to as OUR DOMESTIC GARDENING AND DECORATING LEADER, in her side bar and decided to have a visit. As it turns out Martha and I were both at the fabulous Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino of Las Vegas at the same time. I did not have a personal photographer with me so have no pictures of my own to share, but Martha did, and does. Click here to see what Martha has to say about the dazzling Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino and see the gorgeous photos of her trip.

We did not run into Martha and her crew but our crew did clock quite a few hours in the Chandelier Bar's area that is shown in the top picture. We also had fun with the Jackpot trinkets (actually purple chips that we all immediately cashed in), that John shared with the girls in the family at The Crystal, which is connected to the Cosmopolitan, that Martha took lots of pictures of and describes perfectly. I had no idea that the Louis Vuitton store there was the largest in North America while we where there, but Martha pointed that out and I can believe it. There were three floors of beautiful bags, accessories, shoes and more in this flag ship store.

I have never, and I mean never, been a fan of Las Vegas, but this trip has changed my mind. The Cosmopolitan and the surrounding area is a game changer for me. There is so much to see and do there. I highly recommend taking a second look if you are not a fan of Las Vegas too. You never have to leave the resort area, they have it all.

So sorry! The links to Faux Fuchia and Martha Stewart are not working. Something must be up with blogger. I will try to fix it later in the mean time you can find both links in my side bar if you are so inclined.

Hummm....I am seeing that when I link to someone it takes you to a site where you have to click on a Google search. Is that what you are getting when you click on what I have linked here or is it just me on this computer?

Another Grosse Pointe House

We got back from our trip Friday night and the first thing I did was check the news and read my e-mail. To my surprise a house in Grosse Pointe Farms on one of, what I think is, the prettiest streets in the Farms, had a major price reduction according to my Realtor.com e-mail alerts. I clicked over to the site and I gasped a little bit when I realized the major price reduction was on a house the we had driven by last week and looked longingly at but realized it was way over our budget so we moved on. I had seen the house and put it in my saved listings because it had everything we would want in a house even though it was out of our price range.

Isn't the back of the house beautiful? I love that it has a big tree shading the patio area and the ivy climbing up the trees base adds to it's charm.

Pool House

This is the pool house that is behind the main house. We entertain out of town family so this extra space would be a real bonus. It is winterized and would be a welcome addition to accommodate the overflow we experience when the whole family is here.

Guests would have their own little kitchen, bath, and even a fireplace to warm cold winter nights.

I love this fabric and wallpaper in the Pool House bedroom.

The front of the house has a big circle drive right off of Cloverly.

The box woods in the Chippendale planters soften the entrance.

The kitchen is a rarity at this new price point. Most of the homes in Grosse Pointe are older and the kitchens are often dated. This kitchen is an exception. There are loads of cupboards on the other side of the kitchen and a nice eating area.

I like how they furnished the cozy den.

Another bonus is the completely updated master suite. There is an updated bath and dressing area through the door at the back of the bedroom.

This house is probably around 2,400 square feet with the Pool House adding addition square footage which is a good size for us. The main house would be big enough for us to use efficiently and when family is here we could accommodate them for visits while not having to use resources to maintain the extra room when it is just us.

The Grosse Pointe's are unique in that home owners also have access to Lake St. Clair via the individual parks that are available to each of the Pointe's communities. The parks have pools, boat slips, and most have tennis courts. With a house in the Grosse Pointe's there really is no need to have a separate cottage some place else although many of it residents do and I probably would too if it wasn't such a long drive up north. We have a saying here in SE Michigan that we have two seasons ~ Winter & Road Construction. Where we live now it is almost impossible to get out of town on a Friday night to head up north during Road Construction season.

The Pointe's are also walking communities. From most locations you can walk either/or to the lake and the parks or to the two town centers. The house above is within walking distance to both which I love. Where we live now you have to get in the car to go anywhere which I don't love.

I have my eye on a church that we would join and there are many opportunities for community involvement in The Pointe's that I have missed over the last 9 years living here in the suburbs. We are spoiled here with the fabulous markets and restaurants, but maybe by moving to GP I could walk off some of the extra weight that has crept up from the close proximity to all that fabulousness. We will see....

All of these bargins are tempting but I am not sure I have what it takes left in me for a move. So, thanks for coming along on this journey of sorting it all out. I hope you enjoy seeing the GP eye candy.

Fleeting Moments

Photo

My Parents Guest House

Good morning from the Guest House. If you click on the link above it will take you to a recap of the creation of the Guest House. With the devastation that continues to unfold in Japan I reflect on fleeting moments which of course is all anything is anyway and give thanks for this very moment that I have the privilege of sitting here writing to you.

This little Guest House gave me the opportunity to be close to my Mom in her last few years here on earth. For that opportunity I thank my sweet Father for having the fore site to buy this little cottage behind his beautiful house and allowing Dana and I to transform it back to its glorious self. Many happy moments were shared here with Mom and I can still see her beautiful smiling face enjoying those sweet times. What a blessing those precious memories are.

Thank you for coming by. I hope the tour of the Guest House is a pleasant break from the saddness we are all feeling for the people in Japan and the world as we continue to pray for those in harms way.

Blessings and much love,

Sue

Test and Paint Color Question

Testing a new way to link to the blog. This

'> office has been on our radar for years.

We will see how this new way of linking products to the blog works.

Well it seems to have worked, sort of. It will need some tweaking.

Does any one have a guess what this wall color might be? I am thinking maybe BM Woodlawn Blue (HC-147) or Yarmouth blue (HC-150). Any thoughts?

Bon Bons and Nuts

Yesterday John and I went antiquing with a long laundry list of items for the house and came up with a couple of items that I will post about later, but came up empty on several other things. One of the things we, well I should say I, was looking for was china to go with the new wallpaper that is going in the dining room. Having failed on the road I resorted to my favorite Internet site for all things fabulous in dishes, Replacements.Com.

After an extensive search I narrowed down my choices and decided on this Haviland pattern called Princess. I think the small scale of the pattern will be a good contrast to the large scale pattern in the wallpaper and the faded chintz fabric that we have in the living and dining rooms.

This pattern has the scalloped edges and gracefully curved shape that I always favor. It brings out the Southern Belle in me as opposed to the North East Prep that I also embrace. This ditsy print suites me. The number of pieces available is right up my alley.

As a public service announcement I am listing the pieces on my wish list for family to have ideas, forever listed here on the blog, to get me for gift giving occasions. Aren't I thoughtful?

Replacements.Com

Haviland

Princess

Large Salad Serving Bowl 10 5/8"

Round Covered Vegetable Bowl

Oval Covered Vegetable Bowl

Tureen with Lid

Oval Tureen with Lid

Oval Serving Platter 14 1/8"

Oval Serving Platter 16 1/4"

Oval Serving Platter 21"

Tea Pot with Lid

Chocolate Pot

Gravy Boat with Attached Underplate

Round Covered Butter with Strainer

Demitasse Cup & Saucer

16 oz Pitcher

32 oz Pitcher

48 or Pitcher

Bon Bon 6 3/8"

Bon Bon 8 1/2 "

Nut Dish 5 3/4 "

So, there you have it. Start saving up kid's 'cause Mama needs new dished. You may need to chip in together and combine holidays when you see the price of some of these beauties. That is alright, I am patient. The Tea Pot alone would have your gift giving requirement covered through Christmas 2012.

Living Room and Dining Room Wallpaper

After ages of trying to decide what color to paint our living room and dining room I finally made a decision and decided not to paint at all but to wallpaper both rooms. While contemplating make a move, continuing making our suburban house into an English Cottage in the burbs keeps pulling me back.

This cabbage rose paper with a great deal of white space will go in the living room. I had a similar paper in blue and white in the foyer of our old house that I liked so I am pretty sure I will like this one too.
This pink damask paper will go in the dining room. It should make a good background for my old pieces of art and the plates that I will hang on the walls.

I have enjoyed the bright jewel toned colors that have been in these two rooms for several years now but the landscaping has grown up dimming the light in these two rooms. Hopefully, these two light bright papers will lighten things up. We will see. If I don't like it when it gets here I will send it back or add it to my someday inventory.

Grosse Pointe Shores Village

This is my new love. Isn't she a beauty? If you are from Mt. Pleasant you will probably see the resemblance between this and the house we sold when we moved in 2003. I loved that house on its pretty maple lined street and this Grosse Pointe Shores house reminds me so much of it when we first bought it in 1996. I'm guessing Kyle will recognize it and make the same comment he made when we bought the Maple St. house. "It looks like a box and when you fix it up it will still look like a box with a wreath on it". He later recanted his statement.
The gleaming wood floors are an improvement over our former house that we had to remove miles of pet stained carpets from and refinish all the floors. The window and fireplace placement are identical. Some moldings around the fireplace would be all I would do in this living room.

The mirror in the dining room would have to go.


The kitchen has a good layout for the way we live which would save on renovation costs. I would add crown molding, paneled doors, paint the cupboards creamy white, add bin pulls to the lower cabinets and knobs to the uppers in gold, thick marble counter tops with ogee edges and marble back splashes, a farm sink, new faucets, a couple of lanterns over the island, and new appliances with a focal point hood added over the new gas stove.



New doors and windows with mullions, a slate floor, and painted rattan furniture in here.

Wouldn't this be pretty with beautiful windows and doors on the sun room?

There is plenty of room for a pool which is a must for us even though this house is only one house away from Lake St. Clair.

Do you like classic old houses? Would you even consider a house that needed updating like this one if you were contemplating a move? Feel free to add any suggestions of what you might do to this house to make it fabulous.