Blue & White Morning

Unloading the dishwasher...one of those morning chores that needs to be done.

Sometimes it gets done while the coffee is brewing, and that is a good day.

Often it lingers until after dinner and becomes a bigger chore.

You know the kind...dinner is over and you are ready to clean up only to discover there is already a dishwasher full of clean dishes that need to be put away before you can put in the ones now filling your sink. That one extra step seems to be more of burden after a busy day when you are ready to relax than it is if you do it earlier in the day....It is for me anyway. You?

Household Inventory

I am off to the dentist but in an attempt to blog regularly here is my inventory list of useful household items that I compiled many years ago that I was looking at yesterday.

The pictures that I took are not too clear but if you click on them you may be able to see them better.

The dentist is waiting so no time to retake pictures. If you have any questions I will answer them in the comments. Do you have lists like this to help you maintain your household inventories or is it just me?

Vintage Vera Bradley

We had an eventful weekend in Mt. Pleasant. Blake turned 6 today but we celebrated his birthday on Saturday afternoon. Early evening I finally had a chance to spend a few minutes with Sheryl at Friendship Cottage and we exchanged our Christmas gifts. Later we gathered at Dad's to visit with Ray and Rong. They had their adorable daughter, who also turns 6 today, with them. We had not seen them since she was born and what a treat that was. More about that later....

It was a quick trip, but event packed and very fun.

I snapped this picture of my vintage Vera Bradley, Miller Bag, Large Tote & Villager Handbag in the Greenfield pattern, and my book of choice for the ride, as we were heading out the door because I thought it would be a good introduction to one of my favorite bloggers. She also is a fan of Vera Bradley and if you click here it will take you to her blog posts on the topic.

I hope you all had a good weekend, whether it was eventful or not, and that you enjoy meeting Muffy Aldrich at The Daily Prep as much as I have. I am bias toward her because I love New England and find her life style of authenticity, simplicity, thrift and integrity one that I look up to and aspire to emulate. Her traditional life style and choice of clothing translates well to our environment here in Michigan too....

Catching Up

A couple of days ago a dear friend of mine sent me a link to Susan Branch's site suggesting I check it out. Well, I had already been a fan of Susan's for a long time but her message reminded me that I needed to order my 2011 calendar.

I found my 2009 calendar behind my 2010 one when I took it down off of the nail in my kitchen cupboard in my phone and file area. See all the nasty tape on the bottom of the calendars....I need it to keep the pages from flopping down after turning to the next months. Do your calendars do that or are you a strictly digital calendar keeper?

I have tried the digital method but am not ready to fully embrace it for several reasons. 1) I share this wall calendar with Mr. LAH (I recently learned that it is common to refer to a blogger spouse using the initials of their blog title to reference them in blog posts ;) ) who refuses to get with the technical revolution going on in the world. 2) Fear of lost information 3) The love of Susan Branch's little stories and sweet illustrations on her calendars.

Hopefully by the middle of the month our 2011 calendar will get here and I can catch up with the rest of the world or at least our little corner of it.

On another note

I have been discovering (spending way too much time devouring) some really beautiful, informative blogs.

Yvonne, over at StoneGable is one. She has weekly menu's that hopefully will help me with the question of what to make for dinner that often goes unanswered around here leading to too many nights eating out. I love to cook and have tried several different types of sites offering suggestions for menus like, Saving Dinner, French Women Don't Get Fat, and a couple Mommy Blogger suggestions to get ideas for what to fix for dinner. Since I don't want to save dinner I would rather enjoy dinner, I am not French, and my Mommy days are long gone, Yvonne at StoneGable's sumptuous tablescapes, delicious looking food and fabulous presentation of recipes seems like a better fit for Mr. LAF and me.

If you need some meal time inspiration or just inspiration in general stop by and visit Yvonne and tell her I sent you. That might help her understand why I am lurking around her blog so much....Hehe.

Blake's birthday party is this weekend and I hope to catch up with friends to exchange our Christmas presents. Have a good weekend and I will chat with you next week.

The Organized Pantry

Sunday when we got home from up north I got our refrigerator cleaned out. Today I got around to cleaning out the pantry.

It feels so good to be able to look in and find the garlic in its pot front and center with out having to dig for it.

The cook books are now back in the pantry where they are easily accessable after spending the holiday season in the office to make room for the abundant supply of food we set in for entertaining from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

This is a picture of of the floor when I started. Apparently my sprouting onions had rolled behind the broiling pan out of the basket on top of my hanging produce stand. You can see them in the picture below....nice hah....

There they are! I like this basket but if the potatoes or onions get off balance they fall out and create a bad, bad smell that I have to go searching for when it gets to bad to tolerate....yuck!

All the candy and opened bags of salty junk food is out of here.

Good by messy pantry..... see you this summer when the pool season begins......

Winter is a verb.

When we were leaving Harbor Springs I spotted this billboard on the corner of M-19 and Pleasantview Rd., the road that leads to the ski resorts. I knew that in the Official Preppy Handbook the phrase "Summer is a verb" was used but this is the first I have seen Winter described as a verb but I agree with the use.

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and wish you a very happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

It has been almost three years now since my oldest son Aaron developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and its more insidious form called TENS. The syndrome manifests from an allergic reaction to over-the-counter or prescription drugs and is deadly and has life long consequences for those that survive.

Early diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is the key to survival of this hideous condition. Because it is rare (or so they say) very few health care providers are aware that it exists and many people afflicted die going undiagnosed.

I am taking a few minutes here to post this public service announcement to advocate for better education in the health care profession for SJS awareness. I am also advocating for personal awareness. If you or a loved one develops any kind of a rash that involves blistering, especially around the area of the lips, mouth, and throat, please, please, please seek medical attention immediately and raise the issue of SJS with your Doctor and ask them to do an Internet search for information about it and then follow up with it on your own and find another Doctor if the Doctor you are seeing does not.

Many of you long time readers of Life At Home will remember Aaron's battle with SJS. For new readers or any one coming here for information I refer you to my side bar categories list where if you scroll down you will find a category labeled Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. There are 49 entries in the category so I would suggest you scroll to the beginning to read through the progression of Aaron's case.

There is not much technical information in the blog posts, they are mostly a Mother's heart being poured out for support while going through the ordeal of a sick child.

For more technical information about SJS for any one afflicted with it, or that has a loved one experiencing it, I would direct you to the SJS website but I issue this warning that it is not a pleasant subject to delve into right before Christmas and the pictures shown there are beyond (though accurate) graphic and horrifying so enter the area with pictures with caution.

Links are provided on the SJS website for those interested in donating to raise awareness. Aaron and I thank you in advance for anything you can give.

Peace

Hopefully you are all keeping your cool during these last few days before Christmas. We had our family celebration here a couple of weeks ago so the bulk of my shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, and hostessing are complete. You would think that this week would have gone smoothly, and it has for the most part, but yesterday I felt like I might be loosing it with papers piled a mile high on my desk and the ghosts of things undone all came rushing in at once.

I was on the phone most of the day with our insurance prescription provider, then with Boyne Highlands and Dad trying to get rooms reserved for the overflow up north next week. Stacks of menu ideas, grocery & to do lists, year end charitable giving lists, graduation and wedding cards to get in the mail (added anxiety about being so negligent), Christmas pictures to download and forward were all piling up. Hurt feelings soothed and confusion clarified.

This morning though I woke up with a new attitude. These smiling faces greeted me on my computer and reminded me that all is right with the world even if I don't get every thing done.

I am so grateful for the grace that my family and friends give me, and we give each other, year in and year out for my, and their, short comings. Isn't that one of the best gifts we can share with each other?

Blessings and grace I share with You my kind reader. As you go about your day may the peace of the Lord be with you. Smiles all around!

Pictures of our Grand Children

by

Ashley Privite

A Visit To Meadow Brook Hall

Tonight we are going to visit one of America's Castles. Meadow Brook Hall is located on the property of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. They open the house every year for their main fundraiser, a Holiday Walk.

Here is a closer picture of the enterance.

The picture above is of the Banquet Hall.

Here is the fireplace in the Main Hall beautifully decorated for the Holiday Walk.

This is the living room fireplace.

I love the paneling in Mrs. Wilson's Study

Meadow Brook Hall is a place for the community and its visitors to be entertained, educated and inspired by history. As Meadow Brook Hall is fully self-funded, it relies on events such as the annual Holiday Walk for its preservation and interpretation.

You can read about the history of this interesting house and view more pictures at the link below.

Pictures courtesy of Meadow Brook Hall website

Favorite Things

Well the neighbors may have questioned the sight of me outside this morning in my robe and PJ's but I wanted to get this picture for you so it was worth it....

One of my favorite things is having our dry cleaning picked up and delivered. Every week I hang the cute yellow bag the cleaners provides us on the front door and in a couple of days they bring us beautifully laundered and pressed shirts and pants. The best part of this small luxury is that they provide this service for FREE....

Thank you Bella Cleaners of Shelby Twp., Michigan. If you are in this area you might want to give them a try or ask the dry cleaner that you are using if they provide this luxurious service. It really is one of my favorite things.

Two New Books

The books that I ordered months ago, before they were released, were delivered a couple of weeks ago. These beauties will be my project today.

It Is Freezing Here In Michigan

I am ready to fly off to any where that is warm. From the looks of the weather maps that might have to be somewhere outside of the US.

We celebrated Christmas here at our house last weekend. Today my plan was to head up north for a party with my girl friends but the black ice covering the roads is keeping me home ;( Hopefully by Christmas Eve the weather will be better so we can make it home for the final family Christmas celebration.

During the spring, summer, and fall I don't have any problem jumping in the car and traveling all over the state. When Winter hits I get much more cautious. The least bit of potential for slippery roads keeps me house bound. It is a good thing I love ~ Life At Home ~.

Well, since I have no plans to jet off to warmer weather any time soon, and I have to miss all my girly friends, I better go find a project to get busy with around here. One can only watch so many episodes of The Real Housewives and I think I have reached my saturation level.

Who Hijacked My New Camera?

Photo by Taylor White

Techno Tike's

This was the scene yesterday at our house. Nine Grandchildren all over the house plugged into their new Pottery Barn Kids personal DVD players with matching headphones.

I hope you all are enjoying this lovely time of year with the ones you love!

xoxo,

Sue

Christmas Past

It has been so long since I have blogged it is hard to remember how. Anyway, how is everyone? Thank you for the kind expressions of sympathy. This is a difficult time of year for those of us that have lost loved ones and my heart goes out to all who are dealing with their losses.

Friday we have the family coming to our house to celebrate Christmas. This year we got one of the new pre-lit, slim Christmas trees that they had at Costco. It will be our only decoration this year. With Thanksgiving close to the end of November, an early celebration to accommodate family commitments, milestone birthdays to commemorate and my general funk it will have to do.

Life At Home, or any where for that matter, always has its ups and downs. The second half of this year has been weighted more to the down side but I look forward to a new year. With all the problems of last year filed away as life being lived, lessons learn, and memories saved we all move on. We make the best of what we have left with the ones we love and carry on.

Blessing and much love,

Sue

Missing My Mother

I am sad to report that the keeper of this lovely house died on September 28th after a 15 year battle with Alzheimer's. Mom also had heart problems that created problems that could not be overcome. She died peacefully surrounded by her family.

This is a picture of Mom at last years CMU Homecomings parade. RIP Mom.

The Summer Shuffle

The mirror from the foyer is now in the dining room.

I added a few old leather books to the living room.



It cost me a broken window but finally the trays that I have had for years are hung over the fireplace.
This is a close up of the mirror that I am contemplating for the foyer

So what do you think? Is it a keeper?

Porch Season

Porch season has finally arrived here in Michigan.The morning pool skimming, flower watering, and flowering plant feeding is in full swing. My back door chaise lounge is beckoning me to get out there for some PTH (peak tanning hours) tan time.

John wanted a rainbow of flowers this year with nothing hanging down to get in the way of his constant grooming of said porch so I complied and picked out sun loving plants in a rainbow of colors for him to plant....Roy G. Biv (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and indigo) kept running through my head as we cruised the rows of blooms at the nursery.

With the morning chores out of the way it is time for a Friday mani & pedi, a couple of hours of sun, wardrobe change, hair and makeup then out to dinner with friends on our other favorite porch at Brio, a show, then music in the town center.

Tomorrow morning trips all over the neighborhood markets for fresh produce and fodder for the grill for the family and friends that will be joining us to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday weekend that we observer here in the US to honor our Veterans.

Good Morning

Just stopping by to say hello. Hope all is well with you and yours.

xoxo,

Sue