Sneak peek of a few projects

I have just been a busy little beaver as of late and I wanted to give you a few peeks!!
{Kinda helps me keep my mind off of missing my granddaughters so much...keeping it real here}
I haven't had the time to do a pretty post yet about any one of these items, so thus this post.

Floor length chalkboard above was a brainy idea I had one day. We had taken out an outside
door a few years ago and just drywalled that spot, but didn't do one other thing. You know
how the months years pass and things just keep getting put off?? Yep, happens here quite
a bit.  I wanted to make over my pie safe and this drywall was right behind it so I decided
to make a big chalkboard also. Well, here it is!!  The drywall wasn't exactly level with the other
walls {it sat in a tad bit} so it was a perfect solution to do this and trim it off.

I also ripped up the MAUVE carpet in my bedroom and painted the floor "pinch of salt" white.
LOVE how it turned out.

Pie safe BEFORE above...

Pie safe AFTER above....I LOVE it also!

I know some people think I am crazy , but you know what? I don't' care! Life is way too short to
 get hung up on whether someone else will like it, so I don't. It is exactly the look I was going for.
 I did take the old screen out of it before giving it the makeover and we haven't gotten
anything put back in it yet. Trying to decide what I want for sure.

Today we started this project!! Wish us luck! ha! It has needed done for years. We are
halfway done. Fun times and busy, busy, busy.

What have you been working on? I would love to know!!

A day away in Shipshewana!

My bff and I hit the road bright and early last Saturday morning and headed out to
 Shipshewana, Indiana.
I was so looking forward to attending their antique and garden show on the lawn of
the antique mall.  I just knew it would be huge, amazing , etc...yea , well not so much!
It was not at all what I had anticipated.  There were maybe 12 vendors in all and in
my book that is not huge.  I have been to an antique show there once before and it
  WAS huge, so I don't know what happened this time around.

I picked out the flower above at a shop in downtown Shipshewana. They were giving
them away free in honor of the towns Mayfest. 

There was a neat garden vendor at the show and I purchased a few violas. This one is called,
 "Rebecca".
Isn't she amazing with her white petals tinged in purple? This flower is prized for it's compact
habit and tempting vanilla fragrance.

I also purchased a columbine that my bff said is called
 "Grandmothers bonnet"
...how neat is that name? Love it! Hope it does well for me.

I always purchase a few different varieties of basil. This one is called Pesto Basil.

This pretty viola is called
"Etain".
Large lemon yellow flowers accented with contrasting
lavender-purple edge and lightly scented.

Love my basil!

Rebecca peeking through. :)

I purchased these purple violas at Wally World a few weeks ago.

This is what my back porch entry looked like a couple weeks ago.  Now not so much.
The lilacs are done for and it is time to spruce it up again.

I A.D.O.R.E. rosemary and I can never have too much of it!

Love any chippy old doors that I find along with their old doorknobs intact.

I also purchased this huge white ceiling tile and these three posts in Shipshewana.   Thankful
that the day didn't turn out to be a total flop. We had a great time just being together as those
days are very few and far between anymore. Although I will say I was so tired by the time
we got home. I crashed and still haven't fully recovered. hee hee

I can't wait to go to the flea market there and the auction that they have every week.
It is always fun times to go to that part of Indiana and luckily for me it is only a little
over an hour away! Happy Wednesday everyone!!

{My get up and go has got up and went and I would really like it to come back home!}

The French Laundry

We spent the weekend with our daughter and her family at their home in Burton, Michigan.
We heard that our area could possibly get four to six inches of heavy , wet snow so we
opted to leave after hubby got home from work on Thursday instead of waiting until Friday
evening.  When Friday rolled around she took us to a charming little place called
THE FRENCH LAUNDRY
in Fenton, Michigan for lunch.

We got there at the perfect time, before the place was all filled up so I was able to sit at my table
and capture the wonderful atmosphere with my camera.

I loved all the chalkboards that they used and thought the "Headlines" was a unique feature on one of the
boards.

This was MY lunch and I am here to tell you that this was the most delicious salad ever!!
I think it was called "the Bohemian". It has lettuce, chicken salad, mandarin oranges, strawberries and
cashews along with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. As you can see they did not skimp on anything! I
ordered a small size and I am sure my mouth dropped open when the waiter handed it to me.
It was huge! :) 

This was my 12 year old granddaughters lunch. Not exactly what kind of soup or sandwich , but she
loved it!

They also had quite an extensive wine list...

...but being a non alcoholic drinker , I opted for water with
fresh lemon which is what I get most of the time.
I also purchased two of these glasses for moi. :)
 I figure it I can't get to France, I will bring it home with me.

I took this photo right before we stepped inside and it was really snowing and blowing. Big huge
snowflakes. :) I am sure glad we got there when we did because when we left there were gobs of
people waiting for tables.  Obviously it is "the place to be". :)

I snagged this photo and the one below off of their facebook site so you could get a much better view of this
wonderful place. We left here and walked to a little chocolate store and indulged in a few sweet treats.
All in all it was a great day. :)

Here is the addy in case you are interested:

The French Laundry Café and Market
125 West Shiawassee Avenue
Fenton, MI 48430-2005
(810) 629-8852

Got chalk?

I have wanted to make a chalkboard for a long time and I finally got around to doing it. I found the perfect antique frame at a garage sale for $2.00. It used to be an ugly gold and I painted it white. Imagine that! :)

                    I don't know for sure where I will use it, but had to make a pretty display for you!

                                                             I love the carved detail on it!

                                                                                     

                                                      still lovin' my Peacock Park goodies

                                                                            

I am bummed because a few weeks ago I saw a wooden box full of vintage chalk for $7 at the antique mall and when I went back to get it this past week it was gone.  I guess you snooze...you lose or in this case I lose.  I thought it would be perfect sitting underneath my chalkboard.

I love how it turned out and I have had some offers on facebook already to sell it, but I am keeping this one. I hope I can find some more old frames to do this with. Easy as eating pie!!

Laundry Room Part 2

I thought I would show you the *rest* of the laundry room/

back porch. This is the room we enter when coming in the

house. I absolutely LOVE my tile floor. Favorite floor in

the whole house. Hubby and son did it a few years ago and I could not be more happy.

{you walk in the door right across from my $2.oo chippy

white vanity...need hubby to make a drawer for it...

it's on his *to do* list. lol.}

We need to put some finishing touches on parts of the room yet.

Like fill in with wood behind the washer and trim off the one

end of the shelf. Finish the baseboard trim ...etc. etc.

Sure wish I had before pictures of this room. There was a

large window behind the sink/washer that you could see into

the bathroom! I don't know what they were thinking. It

also had ugly paneling as did a lot of this house so we

drywalled and painted and it looks much better.

We are definitely *do it youselfers*!

I wrote the names of my peony starts that my bff

gave me a few weeks ago on my chalkboard

and they are still there.

We put our old bathroom vanity and sink out here several years ago , but it needs replaced. Keeping my eyes peeled at garage sales...by the way LOVE my sink out here to save the grimy dirt from coming in the house.

Looking out my kitchen door which is off to the right of the vanity.

Still loving my chippy wicker barstools that I found last year. My laundry soap, bleach jug etc. are in the tote on the wheeled cart. {another $3 find from the Goodwill}

Now this is interesting girls. I think I have told you before that this house has almost NO storage, closets, etc. so a girl has to do what a girl has to do. Behind this chippy piece of wood {which I found in the attic years ago} are gallon paint cans stacked up! I put as many behind it as would fit. lol. This corner is looking out my kitchen door and off to the right. I hope you enjoyed your tour today. I have had most of this *stuff* out here for a long time and find the need every once in awhile to mix things up with items in the house so you never know what it will look like. Happy day! Blessings~

Lunch with my BFF ~

My bff invited me for lunch at her lovely home

Wednesday and we had the most wonderful time ~

We used to meet at the Coffee Basket for lunch

and we were very bummed when they closed~

But not to worry...we still had the Coffee Basket experience

because bff purchased this chalkboard at their auction

and hung it in her home.

It is very large and sooooo neat !

She wrote our lunch menu on it,

just like it used to be when we walked in the

door of the Coffee Basket~

So thrilled that she purchased this chalkboard because

we can still have the Coffee Basket *experience* ~

She made delicious tortilla soup and grilled basil cheese sandwiches ~

along with

thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies

and

cranberry jumbles ~

everything was soooooo delicious!!

Thank you Peggy!!

I had to whine and coax her to let me take pictures

{with her camera} to share with you because i forgot mine.

I assured her I wouldn't take any of her. lol

This is her gorgeous potting shed ~

love this wreath that she decorated ~ Inside her shed as I looked up. She has quite a collection of watering cans. love them~

Her new fence that her hubby made for her.

I enjoyed my day soooooo much!!!

Blessings~