Wish I Had MY Red Pen

 

(favorite grading pen:  red, medium point BIC pen)

***

Just when I’ve decided to take a

blogging break (today),

someone nice writes me an email and says

she enjoys my blog.



Now what to do?


I went back to my earlier posts-

I have written 673-

(which prompted me to shout

“Good night nurse!”),

and I saw a distinct difference in my writing

from one year to the next.


If I had my red pen from my days as a high school English teacher,

and I could write teacher notes in the margins of my own recent post margins,

I might write:

”Laura, where are you headed with this?”

“How many times do you plan to use the word amazing?”

”Dance with who brought you and get back to the voice of your blogging youth.”


See what happens when you receive a nice email?

Honor in Sports

At my oldest grandson’s last game of the little league season,

while standing at the concession stand buying my youngest grandson a

ring pop sucker,

I turned my head and saw this posted on the fence.


Mercy.

What else is there to say?


For all of the opinions rolling around out there,

I know, my husband knows, our daughters know, and our son- in- law knows

there is great honor in sports.



And when I stood at the chain link fence,

as close to the batter’s box as I could manage,

trying to get my blogging camera to focus perfectly on

my oldest grandson’s face of

pure determination- at age 8-

I knew every determined member of our family,

long gone,

was watching too.

And when I turned and saw my husband

tutoring our youngest grandson ,

who was all sticky and hot with ring pop all over his face,

in his new summer haircut,

on how to best swing the bat,

I knew my husband was remembering

a time in his past when he was looking up on the receiving end

of that same advice.

 

Door Knocker Earrings

 

source

I loved these earrings so much.

Did anyone else have Anne Klein lion’s head door knocker earrings???

They were the perfect gold earring , especially when paired with a boyfriend length blazer

with shoulder pads and the sleeves pushed up.

What was so wrong with the 80’s???

Everyone knows door knocker earrings are the most flattering.

And shoulder pads…?

Well, lifting the eye UP is never a bad thing.

So, when I saw these knobs at a local cabinet shop,

I flipped, had a flashback

and bought them.

Next quest?

A boyfriend blazer and

some shoulder pads…

There’s Something Happening Here

“There’s Something Happening Here…”

Remember that song?

Buffalo Springfield???

Anyone???

It is a new world when you are SIMULTANEOUSLY obsessed with a song running through your head

and the fact that things with just a little more funk are calling to you.


Case in point #1:

I love this small scale wingback chair that my mother gave me 20 plus years ago.

I love animal print.

Therefore, I really love this chair recovered in small scale animal print.

Case in Point #2.

I love the look of a brass based coffee table (retro-not 80’s light weight)

with an orchid like flower on it.

I found this one in fuchsia

for a steal at TJ Maxx.

The color has zero relationship to anything else in the room,

which makes it even better.

In my living room

“The Times They Are A Changin…” (Bob Dylan)

Oops!

Wrong song.

***

PS.  It occurs to me that I still have two things which belong to daughter #2 (the librarian):

the zebra rug and her Mary McDonald design book.

I am in big trouble.

***

Linking to:

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Swing Into Spring
Kimmie at Sugar and Dots for What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Michele at Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursday
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for Open House Party on Thursdays
Katherine at Katherines Corner for Favorite Things Thursday Hop
Niki at The Vintage Farmhouse for Creative Things Thursday

 

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

Faux Twitter: Checkout counter at Ross Dress For Less

 

10:35 am   Oscar begins to ring up my ‘had to have’ selections.

10:38 am   Total appears on the screen as Oscar asks

 

“Are you a Senior Citizen?”        (It was Tuesday Senior Citizen Day)

 

10:39 am   I reply,

 

“When I REMEMBER.”

10:40 am   Completely cracked myself up.  Oscar didn’t laugh.

Dear Daughters: The Keys to Real World Design

DEAR DAUGHTERS,

There really is no formulaic design mystery here.

I promise.

In fact your eye for design is far beyond mine was at your age(s).

Let’s pretend you asked my opinion anyway…

Here are a few key points to real world design.

Key Point #1:  

In the world of daily real world design (where we live), I have 
realized that a key distinction (in addition to talent and 
training) that separates confident, successful

and even professional  designers from you and me

is CONFIDENCE.

They are simply confident in the doing of it all.

My recommendation when you are standing in the middle of your living room feeling doubts?

Think ‘this is not world peace.’


Key Point#2:    My confidence is not really confidence.


It is rather

the mother of invention,

the shoestring budget,

the sciatic nerve pain from moving furniture for a million years with my hips because I just HAD to try it right then,

the shouting, when in a bind on a step stool with small sharp nails in my mouth, to anyone who will listen,

“Help!”,

the avoidance of furniture stores,

and the pleasure I find in seeing what you do.

Key Point #3:  You do not have to know what you like.

Like it all.

You know how we gravitate to the diverse anyway?

Your home is your love of diversity with a roof.

It is what we do-

as in invite everyone.

Be very, very glad that I realized early on that nothing good happens in a world of cookie cutter harvest gold and avocado green.


I so cookie cutter tried.
Trends will continue.
We are currently living in a land of farmhouse living.

It is lovely. 
However, I will never forget what Papa said when I encouraged him to read The Grapes of Wrath.

He said, "I don't have to. I lived it."

Let's just say South Texas farm houses of the 50's and 60's don't look like farm houses of today.

And finally one last family memory.

In 1958, when Nonnie painted her kitchen at the ranch

bright white, with white cabinets, used black wrought iron pulls,and installed red formica countertops,

she wasn’t looking for like minded people.


How can you dance in the kitchen to Ray Charles

if it looks like everyone else’s?

Love, Mom

My Small Cutting Garden

One of my favorite pleasures right now

is cutting flowers from my garden.


I have even designated two beds as my ‘cutting garden’.


(Yes… a little Downton Abbey fantasy, I know.)

You must do this.

Find some small corner of your yard that gets full sunlight, prepare the soil, and plant some seeds.

If that isn’t a possibility, then plant seeds in containers.


It is so satisfying and rewarding.

Zinnias will be your best friends and the colors are perfect for summer.

The variety above is salmon colored and is called La Senora.

If I can do it, you can.

I know you can.

Hurry!

***

I am linking to these special parties. Thank you ladies.

Joy at Thriftin on a Thursday at Savvy City Farmer

Stacy at Embracing Change for Creative Inspirations

Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration

Cindy at My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

Courtney at French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

Heather and Vanessa at the picket fence Inspiration Friday

Sherry at The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home Friday

Thinking or Feeling?

(the view across from my reading corner in my kitchen)

One of the smartest things I have heard in a long time

was a line of dialogue in The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep as

Margaret Thatcher.


To paraphrase liberally, in a scene where her doctor asks her how she feels,

she responds that

too much attention is given to how we feel rather than what we think.


(pause… let that sink in…and now hang on to your seat)

I decided (using thinking rather than feeling)

when I heard that,

that how I feel may not always be

what is best for me if I gave it rational thought.

Examples:

I don’t feel like exercising.

I don’t feel like cleaning out the utility room.

I don’t feel like cooking supper.

I don’t feel like _______________.

blahblahblahblah.


But…

I think I better.


From the Steel Trap Mind,

your friend Laura

at

White Spray Paint.