8/30/12

Retail Therapy -- Better Than a Spa Day?

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to do a quick little post before The Man & I get back to our "projects."  I hadn't been out shopping by myself in awhile -- when you are both retired, you tend to do everything together -- so one day last week, I went out for a little "Retail Therapy!" The Man also went out & did his own thing.  We do love spending time together, but I think it's important to have "alone" time, too.

Thank goodness it was a bit cooler on that particular day,  because I had lots of stops to make.  First on my list was Bath & Body Works.  I love their hand soaps & Wallflower plug-ins, & especially like it when they are on sale -- well, I only buy in that store when there's a sale!  Yesterday was all about "Fall" scents -- like Creamy Pumpkin, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Warm Apple Cider, Orchard Walk & Vanilla Buttercream, oh my!

My second stop was Hobby Lobby, need I say more?  I always go in with a list & coupon or I'm sunk! Of course, all of the Fall, Halloween, & Thanksgiving is right at the front of the store, followed immediately by all the Christmas things.  I browsed a bit in the Fall section, but only bought a couple of things.  You see, I hadn't gotten my Fall decor boxes out of the garage storage yet so I really didn't know what I might NEED....lol!   I did get more jute twine (that stuff is so useful) & my first tube of E6000 glue -- several projects tumbling around in my brain!  I looked at their florals, but I think the prices on those, even on sale, are kind of high.  Michael's is often times better, price-wise.  An hour can go by really fast in this store!

Then I was off to Kohl's for some new lingerie -- they always have great sales!  No, I'm not showing you my "granny panties!"

Next stop, Sprouts.


If you haven't shopped at a Sprouts, you are missing out.  No, I'm not getting paid!  I pretty much just go there for the fresh produce.  Their prices are very reasonable, the selection is great, & the quality is wonderful.  They also have excellent weekly sales and a very friendly-helpful group of workers.  The link above takes you to their Home page, so you can find out if there is store near you.

My last stop was Wally's World (Walmart) for a few basics.  It was a great day to be out running around, and I felt refreshed and renewed enough to get back to our projects.  The reveals should be coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by, & please stop in for a chat again very soon!
~CAS~


8/28/12

Home Decor Storage -- Think Creatively!

Hey everyone!  Hope y'all are having a great week!  I'm so happy, I've started my Fall decorating!  No, we haven't cooled down yet, but I just can't fight it any longer.  However, I'm not ready to share any pumpkins or fall leaves just yet.  You see, I needed to do a little re-organizing of my storage space first.

We are fortunate to have floor-to-ceiling, built-in storage along one entire wall in our garage. 
I was able to claim one cupboard for my decor items.  The Man used to have large tools on the bottom shelf, but I "re-located" those.....lol!  Now just so you know, all my seasonal items are stored in sturdy plastic boxes in over-head storage & there are many boxes -- The Man just rolls his eyes!  I'll have to share that storage one of these days.  It's pretty cool -- you can raise & lower it!  Anyway, another time.

8/27/12

1st Day of Preschool!


Hey everyone!  Just had to share this pic of my 4 year old granddaughter, Flynn, all ready for her first day of preschool.  Tomorrow is her birthday!  I'm lovin' the manicure to match her dress!

This is a mommentos day, probably more for Flynn's mom than for Flynn!

Have a great day & week.  I'll be back with another post or two this week -- bet you can't wait....lol!
~CAS~

8/22/12

Cars Cars Cars -- ARGH!


Hey everyone!  Happy Thursday!  Don't you just hate "car" issues?  We truly can't complain; our little Toyota Camry is a 2009, paid for a long time ago, gets decent gas mileage & has really not caused us much angst.  That is until a few days ago when the driver-side seat belt stopped working.  Now, The Man can fix a lot of things, seriously "A Lot of Things"; but nothing he tried with the seat belt did any good.  So, off to the Toyota garage he went with $ signs blinding him all the way there.  This is where   "good news, bad news" comes into play.  

Good news first.  I wish I had snapped a few pics of this dealership -- the nicest waiting lounge with free water bottles, coffee, snacks, big screen TV, kids' play area, plus a nice cafe for a sandwich, etc.  You can also get a free haircut, mani/pedi, or massage while your car is being serviced.  Yes, all good news!  The best good news, however, was that repairing the seat belt was "no charge!"  Yay!  But......

My "Most Dreaded" Chore!

 Hey, everyone!  I hope you are having a great week, keeping busy & stayin' out of trouble -- heehee!  What is your worst and/or most dreaded household chore?  I could probably list several, but this one is the worst of the worst!  Can you guess what it is?  First, I have to set-up a few necessary items.

1st -- A nice big glass of iced coffee - YUM!

8/14/12

It Feels Like Only Yesterday!

Hey everyone!  Today is a very special day in our family.  Our first "Grands" were born thirteen years ago!  They were about a month early, so we got well acquainted with the NICU.

Riley Paige -- 2lbs. 8ozs.
                       14 1/2 in.





Taylor Nicole -- 3lbs. 8ozs.
                          15 1/2 in.





Yes, that is a Beanie Baby -- do you remember those?  The Phoenix Suns would make regular stops by the NICU at Phoenix Children's Hospital to drop off preemie clothing & Beanie Babies.  The little Beanies were used to cradle & position the tiny little babies.  Our little girls were so incredibly small, but absolutely perfect in every way!


Just a few years later, they were already growing too fast for this Nana.  Oh my goodness, they were a couple of busy-bees, let me tell you!  What one didn't think of, the other one would.

How did they get this big?  Where-o-where did the time go?  I do miss those adorable little babies, but these beautiful young ladies will charm your socks off!  I think we'll keep them!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY PRECIOUS SWEETIES!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
CAS

8/12/12

A "Smashing" Experience!

Hey everyone!  I hope you've been having a wonderful weekend!  I know many parts of our country are still experiencing "extreme" heat, including here (115* yesterday & predicted for the next 3 days - ARGH!), so I hope you are finding ways to survive it.  As I've shared before, we have been working on some big inside projects but took yesterday off for a little afternoon "date!"  We grabbed a burger at our favorite spot & then went to the movies, where we saw "The Bourne Legacy."  If you are a fan of "The Bourne" series with Matt Damon, you won't be disappointed with Jeremy Renner in this off-shoot movie -- very good!

Okay, enough about movies.  I want to share something "fun" that I started a few months ago after reading about it at Ricki Jill's from Art At Home.

It's a Summer Smashing Journal Party & Give-Away, hosted by Ricki Jill and 
Angie at My So-Called Chaos


8/10/12

Not Boastful, Simply Proud!



Hey everyone & happy Friday!  Just a quick little post today, sharing a Momma's pride.  As I've mentioned before, our son is the Executive Chef of True Food Kitchen.  This is a restaurant (there are 5 now with the 6th to open in October in Denver) that started the movement of "farm to table cooking" & healthier eating.  Their motto is "great-tasting food that just happens to be good for you."  Dr. Andrew Weil is part-owner, & he & Michael (our son) worked together to build the menu that this motto reflects.

About two years ago, Dr. Weil & Michael started working on a cookbook.  Writing a cookbook has been a goal of Michael's ever since he became a chef, & that goal has finally come to fruition.  
True Food will be on the market in October, but Michael got an advanced copy yesterday!


This is the face of one very excited, happy & somewhat shocked young man.


He knew it was going to happen, but having the "physical" book in his hands & seeing his name on the cover, made him feel almost "giddy" with excitement!

This kid (my baby & always will be) knew from a young age, that he wanted to be a chef.  He started working in a restaurant as a busboy (at night) when he was 15.  As soon as he earned enough money, he bought an old, beat-up pickup, fixed it up, & worked an early morning paper route job before school to help with the running of the "old beater!"  He had a few hours after school for homework & friends, then went to his restaurant job.  (Oh, just an FYI for any who may be wondering, he did very well keeping up his grades & school obligations).  His goal was to work in the kitchen & glean as much as possible from the chef, so he kept begging the poor man until he finally said "yes, he would give him a trial run."  He "blew the man out of the water" with his natural talents & creativity & soon became the chef's right-hand man.  That was just the beginning of Michael's career & his passion for cooking only the best quality & best tasting foods.

Michael truly is passionate about "food," but it comes second to his family.  He has a lovely, very supportive wife & 4 adorable children.

To say his Momma & Dad are proud of this young man, would be putting it mildly!  So, I thank you for letting me share our excitement with all of you.  Now I have to get back to work on "projects!"  I hope everyone has a great weekend!

~CAS~

Just in case you live in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, or California, & want to experience True Food for yourself, here are the locations.  And, no, I am not getting paid for this advertisement!
  • Phoenix, Ariz. (opened Oct. 2008)
    Biltmore Fashion Park
    2502 E Camelback Rd.
    Phoenix, AZ 85016
    602.774.3488
    See a slideshow from the Phoenix location.
  • Scottsdale, Ariz. (opened Nov. 2010)
    Scottsdale Quarter
    15191 N Scottsdale Rd.
    Scottsdale, AZ 85254
    480.265.4500
    See a slideshow from the Scottsdale location.
  • Newport Beach, Calif. (opened Aug. 2010)
    Fashion Island
    451 Newport Center Dr.
    Newport Beach, CA 92660
    949.644.2400
    See a slideshow from the Newport Beach location. 
  • Santa Monica, Calif(opened May 2011)
    395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 172
    Santa Monica, CA 90401
    P: 310.593.8300
    F: 310.593.8301

  • San Diego, CA (just opened in July)
  • Fashion Valley Mall
             Next up:  Denver, CO




8/5/12

Patiently Biding My Time -- Seriously?

Hey everyone!  Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, but we've got some big projects going on around here that have been keeping me very busy.  With none of those projects being ready for a "reveal," I decided to share some "tweaks" I did last week in the entry & sitting-dining rooms.  I know quite a few of you are like me & cannot wait to begin decorating for Fall, but I dare not venture there with all the current projects going on.  Sooooo......to ease me through this "transition period," I did some tweaking in some of the only areas of our home that haven't been hit by total chaos & messes, namely the entry and my sitting-dining room.  Would you like a little "look-see" tour?  Well, come on!


This entry table (aka "the old Singer which you can read about HERE) is always one of my favorite places to decorate.  The only newly purchased things here are the two little pots.  We had to make two trips to IKEA last week, so I scooped up a few things that I could used throughout our home in a number of different vignettes.  The pots are white ceramic, & I just covered them with some of the same fabric that the table cover is made of.  I think the look is fresh & inviting as you enter our front door.


Speaking of IKEA, that's where I found these two beauties.  I love lanterns & just couldn't pass these up.  They are 19" tall & 10" square & were only $14.99 a piece.  That wasn't a "sale" price!  I love the clean lines & can see lots of "dress-up" for these lovelies.  Oh, & the finish is for both indoor & outdoor use.  IKEA did have all their candles on sale, so I snagged a few vanillas & some cream-colored unscented ones as well.


I did some switching between the top of our mini-bar & the top of the china cabinet (you'll see that a bit further down in this post).  I have had the 3-section fireplace screen for years, but it used to look like.....

this.  I decided to give it a little makeover with some white spray paint & then shabbied it up a bit.
I'm really liking it & already visualizing how it will look dressed for Fall.....lol!  This lantern, which I love, used to be on top of the china cabinet.  I have a battery-operated, auto-timed candle inside -- lights up at 5pm & shuts off at 10pm -- love that kind of technology!

For the coffee table, I simply redressed it with some things I already had.  The large book is our "Travels" album.  I love having it here where anyone can browse through it.


I switched out the gold-colored candles & keys with these that I wrapped with scrapbook paper & returned the keys.

I love this cloche & always try to have it somewhere in my decor.  Here, I simply filled it with some chunky potpourri & a couple of deco spheres & topped it with a tassel.  I added a bit of Rub 'n Buff to an old silver charger & then draped some burlap around it for the cloche to sit on.  Can you see that I'm already pulling in some Fall colors?  I'm hopeless.....lol!

I reorganized these bookshelves, too, & tweaked a few things here & there.

The large glass piece was previously located on top of the china cabinet, but I like it much better here.  We bought it in Sedona several years ago & have enjoyed it in many different locations around our homes.

I've had this corner shelving unit since shortly after moving into this home, but have never been quite satisfied with the different vignettes I've tried.  That is, until now.  I decided to fill it with framed photos, mainly of our "Grands."  It's located in the corner of the hallway going to our master bedroom, so it is the last thing I see at night & the first thing I see in the morning.  Those sweet faces make me smile every single time!


The main thing I changed here in the dining room is the top of the china cabinet.  Oh, if you look close, you can see Abby sitting in the archway -- she was supervising!


Sorry, she just always feels the need to be "spying" on me.....lol!  Okay, enough distractions,
back to the tour!

This is a nighttime view of how the china cabinet looked before.  There were too many things on top & they were almost all the same height.  I do know better than that, but it just took awhile to figure out the right solution.  Do ya'll ever have that problem?

I like it much better now.  I would like to add something on the wall up there but haven't found the perfect thing yet.  I added a few book bundles in with my deco spheres & like how that looks.


One last look at my "peace & tranquility" room.  I truly love this area of our home!  Wish I had time to
sit in my comfy chair & read my book :(  Who am I kidding, I would find some other project
to work on!

Just one last vignette to share.  This is just to the right of the doorway going into my kitchen-keeping room.  Sometimes I display seasonal quilted wall hangings here under the shelf, but for now I'm displaying some art pieces.  I love creating vignettes on the shelf.  For some fun & color, I framed a really pretty piece of scrapbook paper.  Easy-peasy!


Just a peek at what's going on in the kitchen, but you will just have to wait on this one.  And.......

because we just love having several "balls in the air" at one time & truly enjoy working outside during the AZ summer heat, we have more chaos going on outside, too!  We are actually about two-thirds of the way finished on this project, but it has been put "on hold" until after our extreme heat lets up a bit.  Now we are concentrating on finishing the kitchen & laundry room -- oh, I forgot to mention there was yet another project going on, silly me!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour & the glimpse into "project chaos," & have enough courage to come again.  Maybe next time I can offer you some refreshments.
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
~CAS~

I'm happily linking to the following parties:

Cheri at  It's So Very Cheri for Party Time
Cindy at Skip to My Lou for Made by You Monday
Susan  at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday
Toni at A Bowl Full of Lemons for One Project at a Time
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Table Top Tuesdays
Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Jenny at The NY Melrose Family for Whimsy Wednesdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Katie at Katherine's Corner for Thursday Favorite Things
 Kristen at Kristen's Creations for Share Your Creations on Thursday
Heather & Vanessa  At The Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Karen at Sew Many Ways for Find a Friend Friday
Traci at Beneath My Heart for Best DIY Projects of May



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