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Okay, another issue solved (I hope) -- you can now follow me on Bloglovin' when Google Reader goes "Bye bye!"

It's Like Magic!

Hey everyone!  I have a quick little post to share with you, because it is absolutely amazing!  Now, I know that probably quite a few of you get professional manicures, but that doesn't happen here -- never has & probably never will....lol!  That doesn't mean I do not like having nicely polished nails.  I actually do a pretty decent job (most of the time), but my least favorite part is removing the old polish.  You see, I usually do dark colors and removing the old polish meant spending a good 30 minutes and a pile of cotton balls and lots of rubbing which sometimes made my hands sore.  Well, spending some time on Pinterest really paid off yesterday.  I discovered this incredibly easy method of removing polish.  

I was truly skeptical about how easy it was supposed to be, but I needed to remove my chipped polish and gave the method a try this morning.  Well, it worked like magic!  If you do your own nails, you simply must give this a try.  HERE'S THE LINK.  Seriously, I only used "1" cotton ball!  Yes, I said "1" and actually had a little left over.  I'm tellin' ya, my nails looked so good and were so much happier without all that rubbing and saturation of polish remover.  Can you tell I'm psyched?  Can't wait to re-polish my nails!

Thanks for stopping by.  If you've been following or trying to follow my blog, you know I've been having issues with my posts not updating properly.  Well, it looks like I fixed that little issue.  Now if only I could figure out why Bloglovin' won't let me claim my blog so that y'all could follow me that way.  One step or issue at a time, I guess!  Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Coming Clean!

Hey everyone!  I hope this is the start of a really great week!  I did something a few weeks ago that was so much fun and turned out just as I'd hoped it would.  I made some soap -- not laundry-type, but "luxuriating in a tub" kind of soap!  I had some of the things I needed already but had to make a stop at Hob Lob (coupon in hand, of course) for Shea Butter Soap.  So this is what I did!

I wanted to make two different kinds of soap.  My first batch is Lavender. 

I simply melted the Shea Butter Soap in a microwave safe bowl.

I already had dried lavender, lavender essential oil & coloring that I mixed to get the shade of color I wanted.  I thought it would be pretty to add the fresh pansy blossoms, but they didn't show -- guess they will be a surprise as the soap gets used!

Once everything was melted and mixed well, I poured the mixture into a soap mold that I had.

The second batch I made was lemon-rosemary.  That just sounded like a great combo to me.  I already had some lemons in the fridge and rosemary growing in my herb pot.  I zested the lemon and then chopped it and the rosemary fairly fine.  I added lemon essential oil to this batch plus some yellow coloring.  The yellow with the green of the rosemary looks so pretty.

It's kind of hard to see the plastic mold, but it worked fine and the little soaps popped out easily.

Some of these were being given as a gift, so I wrapped them in some parchment paper,

tied them with baker's twine, and added fresh sprigs of rosemary and lavender.

All ready to be wrapped in tissue paper and popped into a gift bag for someone special.   I think she   

will really enjoy these very fragrant soaps!

I love to party with these fine bloggers:

The Tablescaper at The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
Karen at Sew Many Ways for Sew Darn Crafty
Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Dawn at Creative Cain Cabin for Budget Decorating Party
Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Mondays
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Leslie at House on the Way for Twirl & Take a Bow

Mary Beth at Cupcakes and Crinoline for Project Inspired

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Karin at The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday

Angela at Hickory Trail for Efforts and Assets

Kelly at Live Laugh Rowe for Live Laugh Linky Party

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday

The Tablescaper at The Tablescaper for Oh, The Places I've Been

Jody & Stan at Rooted in Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays 

Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading

Let Us Not Forget

Hey everyone!  Hope y'all are having an amazing Memorial Day weekend -- enjoying the "kick-off" of summer, kids out of school, vacay plans, but also remembering and honoring the reason for the holiday.  I am so grateful for all the women and men who have sacrificed their lives so that we can live in our awesome country and enjoy all the freedoms that we often times take for granted.  I am also very grateful for those who continue to make those sacrifices.  

Have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day!

Thank you, Graphics Fairy, for the beautiful graphic above.

A Cloche Party, Yay!

Hey everyone!  Well, I almost missed this party, but got my act together just in time!  It's always fun to join any of Marty's parties, but she has some of the best cloche parties -- so inspiring!  Do you know that I didn't even realize cloches could be used anywhere except in the garden -- well, that is if you are a Martha Stewart gardener, until I saw one of Marty's cloche parties.  I certainly didn't realize there were so many lovely shapes & forms of cloches until I started blogging and met Marty.  Marty was one of the very first bloggers I met back in 2010, when I first started blogging.  I didn't even know for a long time that she is also an Arizonan.  We've never met in person, but I'll bet she is just as warm, friendly and knowledgeable as she is in her blog.  So....anyway, here are a few glimpses of some cloches I love to decorate with in our home.

This is my favorite cloche, and I usually have it somewhere in my dining room or sitting room.  It's quite large, and is very thin glass.  Would you believe I found it at Ross several years ago?

I love this little tea set displayed inside.

I have it sitting on a stack of china plates.

Decorating here in the entry is always fun.

Some of you might call this a birdcage, but I see it as a cloche.  It was a sale purchase from Michael's several years ago.

I've used this cloche in so many ways over the years, but I really love this display -- a sweet little teacup and saucer, some tiny book page scrolls and a little chalkboard with "Family" written on it.

This little wire cloche was either from Hob Lob or Michael's, on sale, a few years ago.

It is residing in our guest room right now........

filled with a tiny china tea set that I use with my two youngest granddaughters when they come to visit.

I'm always on the watch for cloches.  They are just so much fun to decorate with and can be used for any seasonal or non-season displays.  I hope you enjoyed seeing my very small collection and the simple ways I've used them.  Please come again soon!

I'm linking up with Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for her Cloche Party.

I DID IT!

Hey everyone!  I am super-excited!  This won't be a big deal to many of you, but I finally figured out how to add Social Media Icons to my blog......YAY!  Like I said, not a biggy to most of you, but I've been flying by the seat of my pants ever since I started blogging, just inching my way along as I learned how to do things -- you do remember I'm a "senior citizen," don't you?  I've tried several different tutorials, but would get about halfway through and come up against a block wall.  Well, today I found THIS tutorial, and it was a home-run!  Tiffany at Beautiful Dawn Designs really spelled it out so this elder person could get it.  Give her tutorial a try if you are wanting to add some cute little icons on your blog!

Aren't they great?
     

 HERE is a great place to find some icons to suit your taste!

Now, if I could only figure out why some of my lovely blog followers are not getting my updated posts......if anyone else has had this problem, I would truly appreciate any advice or suggestions.  Some of my "besties" are showing my last post being 2 months ago!  Geez, y'all know I post much more often than that, and Blogger Help has been no help!  Oh well, it is what it is.  Thanks so much for stopping by -- that is if you even know I posted....lol!

I love to party with these fine bloggers:

The Tablescaper at The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
Karen at Sew Many Ways for Sew Darn Crafty
Cindy at Dwellings--The Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Dawn at Creative Cain Cabin for Budget Decorating Party
Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Mondays
Maria Elena at Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life  for Inspire Me Tuesday

Leslie at House on the Way for Twirl & Take a Bow

Mary Beth at Cupcakes and Crinoline for Project Inspired

Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Karin at The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday

Angela at Hickory Trail for Efforts and Assets

Kelly at Live Laugh Rowe for Live Laugh Linky Party

Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace at Home

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Kathryn at The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday

The Tablescaper at The Tablescaper for Oh, The Places I've Been

Jody & Stan at Rooted in Thyme for Simple and Sweet Fridays 

Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading

Tic Toc How Many Clocks?

Hey everyone!  Just how many clocks does it take for a family of two to actually function, especially when said two people also have iPhones & iPads that have built-in clocks, alarms, & reminders?  Well, I don't know, let's just count them, shall we?

Of course, our pride and joy.  It's a piece of furniture that happens to keep time!

Hand-Painted China

Hey everyone!  Y'all may remember back in March when The Man's sister and bil hand-delivered all the wonderful family treasures to us.  You can see the Grandmother clock, silver, & china HERE.  What I didn't share at the time was some hand-painted china plates that The Man's aunt painted, but no one wanted -- sniff, sniff, how sad!  Anyway we got them, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with some of them.

My Greatest Role-Model

Happy Mother's Day!

Courtesy of the Graphics Fairy!

Which women in your life, have been your greatest role-models?  I know today, as we anticipate the celebration of mothers, most of you would quickly respond that it would most certainly be your mom, and I think that is wonderful.  For me, it was my grandmother.  

My grandmother was a genteel Southern lady through and through.  Her kindness knew no limitations, and she never met a stranger who didn't immediately love her.  My own parental foundation was rather rocky, but my grandmother always made certain that I knew unconditional love, security and safety within her arms.  She taught me so many things -- how to make bread and enjoy a slice with butter right out of the oven, the joy of simply sitting next to her on the porch swing with a gentle breeze enveloping me with the sweet smell of her talcum powder, and she taught me that I was worthy of being loved.  She and my grandfather gave up so much to move across the country in order to stay close to me, to protect me and keep me safe.

My grandmother was always the one I turned to with any question, even through my teen years.  I knew she would never find fault or be shocked, but always gave me the confidence to make my own decisions and come to my own conclusions.  Without her, my life would have been very dark.

So today, I celebrate my grandmother.  She left me way too early, but I am so thankful that she got to meet her great-grandchildren.  I am so grateful that she got to see me "happy."  I know it was all she ever wanted for me.  "MawMaw, I miss you and feel your love every single day.  I hope I am the kind of person you would have wanted me to be."

Mother's Day Cards!

Hey everyone!  I truly wasn't going to do another post this week, but I just couldn't help myself....lol!  My sweet friend, Dawn at Creative Cain Cabin, had this adorable Free Mother's Day Printable HERE. Well, I was planning to simply copy it and pop it in a frame, but then decided to make the print smaller, as in card-size, and whip up some special Mother's Day pretties for some special people.  The Man & I no longer have our Moms with us, so I made these for some other dear ones.  Here is what I came up with.

I made the card base out of red card stock, and the inside is a pretty golden yellow -- for the verse.

I added a Baker's twine bow and gave the cards dimension with some paper flowers & then some sparkle with glitzy faux diamond centers.

Now, I'm no poet and certainly do not claim to be one.  When I make my cards, I try to just allow the words to flow that I feel fits the person or situation.  That being said, and knowing that you are all very kind and would never judge my lack of poetic talent, here is the verse I wrote for the cards.

 Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day is really every day,  

But according to the calendar, 

we only get a big “to-do” one day in May.

Every mom deserves some recognition

for the choices she has to make,

the boo boos she kisses,

the interest in Barbies or light sabers

that she sometimes has to fake.

A mother’s day begins with that first “Mom”

shouted from a crib or a teen’s unkempt room,

and doesn’t end until all are safely abed & 

she can finally sweep away the last crumb

and put away the broom.

Mothers are not always the most popular,

with cries of “No!” or “That’s not fair!”.......

But still, mothers forge ahead,

greeting each day with never-ending love for

each of her children -- one, two or more than a pair, 

Babes or adults, you are always their Mother.

Love,

Got these in the mail today to some sweet friends who just might need a little extra love this Mother's Day.  I hope they will enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoyed making them.  Thanks so much for stopping by, and please know you are always welcome anytime.

Aaack......More Tweaks! Really?

Hey everyone!  Why are we compelled to tweak?  Is it because we get so easily bored with our every day that we just need to change it, even a little bit?  Is it because we are dissatisfied with some aspect(s) of our lives, and we think that making a change will bring us happiness?  Whatever the reasons, most of us bloggers do it, and I mean we do it a lot!  For some of us, the changes or tweaks are subtle, maybe just a new little vignette or rearranging of a bookshelf. 

I May Be a Hoarder.....Hmmm?

Hey everyone!  I've contemplated this query before as I seem to have a terrible time getting rid of things.  I think I hear some head nodding going on!  However, I usually redeem myself when I find exactly what I need in my stash to add that final touch to a project.  My issue isn't with decorative items.  My collection of those items is pretty small -- I don't have an entire room or even an over-size closet for an in-house store.  

My every-day decorating pieces fit nicely in a small cabinet in our garage.