Hubby's latest project...

My spices are a pain in the patootie.  I have a cupboard for them with staggered shelves, but I constantly knock the front ones over trying to see what’s in the back.  I usually end up having hubby find things for me because I can't reach far enough back.  Waaaaaa

Enter Pinterest.  I have a renewed love affair with Pinterest this month.  Organization is the key, that’s always been my motto, and thanks to just searching pinterest for Jewelry Organization I’ve come up with some great ideas that we’re implementing.  So then I found this pantry door organizer on Pinterest and hubby jumped on it like a hot potato!  It’s his weekend project, building this for the inside of my pantry door.  I’ll let you know how it works out.

And back to Pinterest.  I have a new Jewelry Organization Board if you want to take a look.  So far he’s sprayed an iron shelf with hooks with Old Gold Spray Paint, mounted it in my bathroom and I have a lot of my necklaces hanging from it.  On top I have candlestick holders for my bracelets, and more.  I’ll update with pictures soon.  It’s working great!  On the other bathroom wall I want a picture frame with mesh in it so I  can hang my earrings and maybe another picture frame for rings. But I can’t have just two frames, I need three, so I’ll figure out something else.

I thought this idea was so clever, wine corks with push pins.  Not for me, but somebody was really creative with this one.  You know, back in the day, I thought I used to dream up some pretty creative things, but now realize that I didn’t really have a clue.  I’m constantly amazed at the things people come up with.  It’s so frustrating being old(er) and not having space for all these new ideas.

Oh, the possibilities.

Here’s the click to the board, I know you want to take a peek… ~ Jan

A smile for you this morning...

I snapped this picture of bebe granddaughter last weekend in her high chair.  Miss Lexilicious, she's just the berries!  Had to share, it’s a Grammie thing...

Anybody remember flour sack dish towels?

I was perusing Vermont Country Store’s site this morning.  It had been awhile, I was suffering from withdrawal, and look what I found!

The dish towels of my childhood, snowy white, bleached to perfection, line dried flour sack towels.  Well, Mother’s were perfection, and she made them herself.

She  kept me supplied in them thru the years, and I didn’t realize what I had at the time, but they were just the most absorbent kitchen towels ever.  Mother was a great supplier of all things simple.  Hubby always had a never ending supply of rags for his garage, always washed and cut in precise pieces.  

In the winter, she cut and rolled balls of rags, then had them made into rugs.  I wasn’t a fan, probably because they were the rugs of  my childhood, but I would be today.

She always took simple things and made something productive from them.  I miss her crafts and her dish towels.  Guess my only choice is to buy these from The Vermont Country Store.

Are you old enough to be interested as well?  Here’s the link...

 

 

Yardley Soap, a Blast from the Past...

I loved Yardley products back in the day.  Way, way back to the sixties, think Jean Shrimpton.  Yardley of London was very pricey then, but not anymore.  It’s still wonderful and now I buy the good smelling English Lavender soap at my local Dollar Tree for a dollar a bar.  Best deal around, it’s awesome for drawers, too.  It’s so soft smelling, brings back memories of days long ago and it’s cheap!

They have other varieties as well.  Oatmeal & Almond and Shea Butter with Buttermilk.  I bought these, too, but nothing compares to Lavender.  Maybe it’s an old(er) lady thing.  Sure works for me, though and it can work for you, too if you have a Dollar Tree in your town.

If not, you can buy them on Amazon Prime for $9.44 for four bars.  Not as good of a deal, but stlll worth it.

Here’s the link, enjoy.  ~ Jan

I'm in love with this Thanksgiving table...

I don’t host Thanksgiving at my house these days.  I’ve passed the torch to the kids, they have big houses and families and it just makes more sense to visit them for the holidays.

But in my dreams, I would so duplicate this idea for Thanksgiving.  I found it in Country Living this morning, it’s everything I love.  A piece of barn board, hoisted up a bit to give it depth, candles, gourds, grapes, maybe add a pear or two and scatter some nuts in their shells, and some grasses picked in a field instead of the green wheat, oh wouldn’t it be de-lovely...

And speaking of tables, here’s a snapshot of mine right now.  And yes, of course it’s overdone, I always overdo it,  and no, you can’t sit here and eat, we eat at the bar.  It’s overdone, too, it’s just the way I roll...

 Sunflower dishes, gourds, candles, roosters and my fat market pig on a lazy suzan so loaded down it won’t turn.  

And on my bar, vintage Dept. 56 egg plates, smiley face mugs, a Scentsy jack-o-lantern pot and more roosters and a turkey.  Makes me happy just looking at it….

Streisand Partners interview with Katie Couric

 

 

This interview was a good one and there were glimpses of what she’s really like.  She wasn’t particularly warm to the idea of making an album in the future with all females.  Also her son, how did she not realize that he couldn’t sing until he was an adult?

I’m not particularly a fan of the lady, way too much attitude,  but oh that voice, nothing will ever compare.  And will I buy the album?  Of course I will, I’m a fan of collaborations anyway and this one looks fantastic.

Here’s the link, it’s worth watching...

Mercedes GLA Commercial, best EVER!

Haunted castle - The neorenessaince style Schlossberger Castle in Tura, Hungary, built in 1883

I watched this commercial, was totally fascinated and researched to find out where it’s located.  Noticed the ferris wheel in the background in the frame with the carousel horse.  Can you imagine what this must have been like at the turn of the century?   Such grandeur could never be repeated today, oh, and the car isn’t so bad either :)

Then I kept digging and found that the movie, The Secret of Moonacre was filmed there.  It’s on  NetFlix Instant Stream.  Guess what I’ll be watching this evening...

 

Granny Panties...

Okay, go ahead and laugh at me, but I’m tired of itchy lace, unbreathable, bunching, twisting, crotch riding uncomfortable undies.   I’m old(er) now, is it time for Granny Panties?

Maybe it is.  I was on, as you all know, one of my very favorite sites, Vermont Country Store, and they have Lollipop Panties, and they come in beige now.  There were glowing reviews, women love these, and the price is right, three pairs for $20 and some change.  I’m still vain, I couldn’t handle  white, but beige is a definite possibility.  And you’re all thinking you wouldn’t be caught dead in these things, and neither would I even five years ago.  So go ahead, wear your fancy schmancy ones, I will wear mine, too, but just not when I’m hanging out at home in my ancient yoga pants, these would be the perfect pairing.

Here’s what the Vermont Country Store has to say about these...

For over 60 years, Lollipop cotton underwear has been known for comfort and great fit. We think you deserve that same comfort today. 100% cotton underwear has a gentle elastic waist, a ribbed-knit cotton comfort leg, and a double-lined cotton crotch. Machine wash, line dry. Imported.

100% cotton panties with gentle elastic waist

Double-lined cotton crotch Ribbed-knit cotton comfort leg<

Pure cotton underwear and panties at The Vermont Country Store. Your favorite Lollipop cotton panties are made to be just as comfortable now as they were years ago.

These are the undies of my childhood, probably yours, too.  Are you laughing out loud yet?  And yes, I know they’re ugly, but I bet they’re comfy and I’m all about comfort now that I’m in my mid sixties.  Well, I’m just going to order these up and see what they’re like.  I might just like them.   And after all, everything does come full circle.  And it’s time to shake it up a bit on the blog, you all haven’t had an eye rolling experience in months now!  

Too much information?  Oh puh-leez, you all know I have no filter and will talk about anything.

You can check them out here. Go ahead, do it, I double dawg dare ya’  and nobody is watching, nobody cares.  hehehehe

The Harris Sisters...

My daughter-in-law, Deanna and her sisters, Misty and Donna, did a Halloween photo shoot last week when she was in North Carolina.  They posted it on their blog, Harris Sisters GirlTalk, and It’s so special, I thought some of you might enjoy taking a peek.  

John was their photographer and he did an awesome job.  Deanna said that they took the pictures in the woods behind her sister, Donna’s house, and they did get a few strange looks from passersby….

Here’s the link

I've been having a few issues...

 

I attribute all the discontent, not only my life, but friends and family a well, to last week’s blood moon.

There was a cancellation of a long planned trip, medical issues, a head laceration requiring stitches, neighbors being carted off to the hospital, broken bones, you name it, it happened! Last week was a total disaster, nothing went right… Shall I go on?

And to top it all off, I haven’t been able to blog because of a glitch in my much loved Mars Edit blogging software.  Surely this week will be better, won’t it?  Surely it will… 

Looks who's having a birthday, today!

Happy Birthday Abby Leigh, you're the cutest five year old granddaughter in the whole world!

XoXo ~ Grammie

The Old Closet Switcheroo....

No, this isn’t my closet or my grandchild, but a picture is worth a thousand words, even if it's not your own.

I have a huge pile of clothes in my bedroom, and it’s time once again to switch it out.  Oh, how lucky was I when we lived in the Gingerbread House and I had an entire bedroom papered with pretty wide pink and white striped paper that hubby had turned into a closet for me.  I had a dressing table that overlooked the backyard, a window seat, enough racks for summer and winter clothes, lots of bins and cubbies, it was really awesome.  *sigh* Those were the days, and I didn’t appreciate what I had until now.  I do have a "walk-in" closet these days, but that's about all you can do, just "walk-in."   And LC uses the guest closet for his clothes, because he knows he doesn't have a shot at stuffing his things in my closet.  And he's a neat freak, the clutter would drive us both 'round the bend.

But no matter how messy my closet gets, I can’t compete with a certain family member that is dear to my heart, whose entire closet collapsed last month from the sheer weight and volume of the clothes. It’s not my story to tell,  but it sure is a doozey if it ever does get told ;)

Every year I whine about changing my closet, I vow to throw things away and keep it organized, but I never do.  Now my kitchen pantry has stayed in great shape for a few years now, ever since I put in all those baskets.  But my closet, oh it’s a disaster of epic proportions this fall.

But I have to switch it, cooler weather is coming  and it looks like this is the weekend.  We were headed to visit Ryan’s family and celebrate Abby’s 5th birthday, but the kids and Lindsay are sick so not only do I not get to see the family, I have no excuse to not clean out that damn closet!

Remember a few years ago when I got so overwhelmed with my closet disaster that I sat in the middle of the bed and cried and hubby had to bail me out?  Well, I feel another one of Abby’s come aparts about to happen this year as well.  I already warned poor long suffering LC that I’m not coping well.  I just can’t stand a mess in my older age.  And boy do I have one ahead of me!

So, wish me luck, ladies, it’s not going to be pretty around here Saturday, but a girl’s gotta do what a girls gotta do, unless she has a husband who will do part of it for her. *grin*

Ali McGraw at 75...

 

 She’s absolutely stunning at 75 with her gray hair.  It’s so refreshing to see a celebrity who looks their age and embraces it instead of trying to recapture youth, which they can never do.  There’s a time for all seasons, and here’s proof positive that it’s okay to look older.

She’s on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday this morning, here’s a clip.  Enjoy... 

Decor Steals Spice Shelf...

I’m such a fan of daily Decor Steals.  Every day at 9am they post something new, I subscribe to their mailing list, always check out what they have to offer and occasionally I’ll buy something.  My problem is space, I have to take away and replace anymore, so I pass on a lot of things.

But this metal yellow spice shelf was a “must have.”  It was only $18.50 and it’s awesome!   I’m still looking for the perfect spot, and I’ll find it, but just took a picture of it to share.  It’s so vintage looking, and the detailing and lettering is spectacular on the tins.  Love the mustard color, too.

If you aren’t familiar with this site, you might enjoy it as well.  If you see something you like, you have to order it the same day, or the deal is gone.  They sell out often, too, because the prices are excellent and the quality is good...

Fall Scents...

Nothing reminds me more of fall that scented candles.  A few days ago, my friend Trisher’s granddaughter was selling Yankee Candles, and since I use wax burners more these days than actual candles, I was going to purchase a variety pack of the little wax tartlets.  Then I went online and read that it’s cheaper to buy votives, because you get twice as much wax for your money.  Just tear the paper off the bottom, slip out the wick and put a knife point to the hole and apply pressure.  This results in it cracking in the middle into two pieces.  I haven’t done it yet, but I will, and then I’ll take it further and separate it into still smaller segments as those little wax cubes are really small.

For a year or so now I’ve been buying Better Homes & Gardens Butterscotch Maple Cream Wax Cubes at WalMart.  I buy them in bulk, because the scent is wonderful and it’s a cheap thrill.  Warm and syrupy, but not overpowering, the smell is intoxicating and the price is only $2.00 for an eight pack.  Lots cheaper than Scentsy which is $5.00 and these smell just as good.

I have multiple electric wax burners going all over the house, some are wall plug-ins and some sit on the table all with the same scent and it smells so good!  A lot of mine are from Scentsy thanks to my friend Ang, but now WalMart has a huge selection.  I really like the wall plug-ins, but the table ones are great for the living room.  Here’s a link if you want to check out WalMart’s selection

I was talking to my friend, Barb, this week and she’s a Salted Caramel Candle and Wax Cube girl.  She’s used this scent for years, and just this Fall Yankee Candle came out with their Salted Caramel Scent.  So of course I went to Yankee Candle in our local mall today and bought a couple of votives to split and try, once my Butterscotch Maple Cream gives up it’s scent.

As soon as I got in the car, I ripped off the wrapper and the smell was fantastic.  Barb always knows the good stuff!  It’s more subtle than my Butterscotch Maple Cream, and I’m guessing since it’s Yankee, the scent will last longer.  We shopped for awhile and every time we got back in the car, the smell was wonderful.

So I’m going to take Salted Caramel for a test drive and if I like it as much as I think, I’ll cough up the big bucks for the Salted Caramel Candle.  That way I can layer the fragrance.

And while I was in Yankee Candle I spotted these Candle Toppers.  They had a candle burning out the checkout with this fall leaf design with a bronze lid, and it was very pretty.  They had several designs to choose from  and it was only $10. 

Here’s a link to the topper, and from there you can check out the candles.  

Scents have come a long way since the 90’s, when I had the little rings that went on my light bulbs.  I would fill them with Claire Burke scents, and vanilla and cinnamon oils, but I overdid it.  To this day I can’t handle either vanilla or cinnamon smells unless they’re mixed with other fragrances.

So indulge yourself, for not a lotta money you can make your house smell so fallish.  Some of Yankee’s fall scents are - 

Apple Cider
Apple Pumpkin
Apple Spice
Autumn Leaves
Autumn Wreath - this one is on my “must try” list 
Campfire Treat
Caramel Pecan Pie - another one I want to try
Harvest Welcome
Macintosh
Pumpkin Buttercream
Pumpkin Pie
Sugared Apple
Witches Brew

Oh the possibilities, just think, for only $2 you can buy a votive and split it and you can make your house smell amazing!   Well that is unless you have to buy the warmers, but it’s oh so worth it…  ~ Jan 

 

 

Lexi's in the pumpkin patch!

Four and a half months of adorable baby cuteness, just had to post this!

And can’t wait for pictures of Ben and Abby in the pumpkin patch.  Grammie’s are equal opportunity employers after all.  Oh what a fun time in my life, having all these sweet little grandchildren and so thankful for the technology that allows me to share them with all of you!

Skillet Apple Pie

Trisha Yearwood made this pie on Trisha’s Southern Cooking this morning.  And since I just blogged about how a piece of pie and cup of coffee gives me pleasure,  I’m thinking, “To heck with healthy eating for a meal," I’m going to make this pie and have a piece!”  

Of course I don’t have a 9” iron skillet, mine is 10.5, and she say’s that’s too big, because you want a deep dish pie, so I’m either going to have to add more pie filling if I use the 10.5”  iron skillet, or I suppose I could use a 9” cake pan, that would work, but there is just something about cast iron, I love cooking in it, much more in my old(er) age than when I was younger.  Mother always used cast iron, and of course I had to break away from it and become an independent cook, but life does come full circle and I’m once again enamored with cast iron, it runs a close second to Ball Mason Jars.  So the thought of making this pie in a cake pan just doesn’t do it for me.  Maybe WalMart has a 9” Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, it’s worth a try.

So, I posted the recipe on Jan CAN Cook, if it intrigues you as well, check it out.  It takes 5-10 minutes to make, you start by melting a stick of butter and a cup of brown sugar in the bottom of your skillet, and then start building the pie.  What’s not to love, this has to be good.  I may make chili to go with it, too.  I’ll update you when I make it...

Here’s a quick link to the recipe on Jan CAN Cook

Happiness Vs. Pleasure

  

I’ve often talked about happiness being fleeting moments in time but inner peace is what I strive for.  Then I read an article about happiness vs. pleasure and it made me step back and think about what gives me pleasure.  It’s not revelations, yet reaffirmations of what I already know.  At this age, I know myself pretty well, warts and all, and most important, I accept who I am.  And if you read me regularly, you can pretty much figure out what gives me pleasure, but I may throw a curve ball at you, so here goes...

• The obvious, family, grandchildren, a simple phone call is all it takes to give me great joy.  FaceTime takes it to a whole new level and actually makes me giddy.
• A furry little body sitting by my side, silently warming my soul.
• Walking to the window with my morning coffee, in the summer stepping outside to feel the wind on my face, observing the wonders of Mother Nature is the most calming thing in my world.
• Accomplshment.  My mother always said “Never let a day go by without accomplishing something” and as usual Ma was right, even doing a little job that I’ve procrastinated about gives me pleasure when I actually do it.
• A smile, whether it be from a loved one or a stranger, just the interaction with people is uplifting.
• A good hair day, yes dear hearts, I’m a vain woman and there is nothing like a good hair day to perk me right up.
• Oh, I can’t forget cutting the tags off of new clothes.  I don’t know if it’s the clothes themselves that give me such pleasure, or if it’s cutting the tag off something that actually fits without going up a size.  I’m sure you can relate.
• A touch, a hug, human kindness.  We need more of it in our world.
• Giggling, happy children.  It always sends my pleasure endorphins into overdrive..
• A loaf of warm crusty bread, a rarity in these days, preferably shared with my boys who are both bread lovers like their mom.
• Date night, no surprise here, but nothing gives me more pleasure than Friday nights out with hubby.  
• Pine trees after a rain, nothing more fragrant, the smells of nature are a wondrous thing.
• Food, doesn’t it give us all pleasure?  A piece of homemade pie with a cup of coffee, a plate of pasta, takeeoutee chinese eaten in front of the television, homemade candy, preferably caramels or fudge,  all the things that give me pleasure, and the very things I deny myself 95% of the time. 
• Clean sheets, I haven’t had line dried ones in years, but there is nothing better.
• Occasional solitude.  I’ve discovered I really do like my own company.
• Those in my life who love me in spite of my transgressions.  We’re all human, doing the best we can, living the best life we can.  

I could go on and on, actually no big surprises here, what about you?  Think about what gives you pleasure and make it happen… Today!

I've aways loved to read...

"If you’re a reader, you may remember the book that took you down. The one that hooked you, that made you realize: I love to read."

I saw this quote and I knew immediately which one it was.   I was back in elementary school reading a little book I had gotten at the annual school book fair, and the name of it was The Trolley Car Family.

Here’s a synopsis:

This is a feel good story about a family of 6 and a once grouchy neighbor in the mid twentieth century.

The father is a trolley car driver who feels lost and upset when the trolley cars are suddenly replaced by busses. He not only refuses to drive a bus, but takes his trolley car instead of severence pay. During a family meeting to brainstorm their options grouchy neighbor Mr. Jefferson, who delivers milk in the wee morning hours and is usually unable to sleep due to all the noise, comes over to see why it is so quiet next door.

Thanks to contributions from all, the family decides to live in the car out in the country. And, the adventure begins . . . The new neighbors they meet there, the spring, the cherry trees, the curiosity, the changes some of them make . . . all make for a wonderful, warm reading experience.

I read this book over and over again.  I loved it so much that hubby bought it for me a few years ago on eBay and I read it again.  I tried to interest Abby in it last year with no luck, I’m hoping that in a few more years I may be able to entice her to read it with me.

I was also a Bobbsey Twin fan and as I got older I think I read everything Zane Grey ever wrote.

 

I remember being in the third grade, and every day after lunch we would have rest time.  We would put our heads on our desks, and Mrs. Wageneck would read us chapters of books.  One in particular was so fascinating, it was the story of children who lived in adjoining large castle like homes, they were forbidden to play together and so they dug an underground tunnel from one home to the next.  I’ve tried in vain to find out the name of the book, with no luck at all, but I remember it being a wonderful story.

 

And then our 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Wilson, read us Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It horrifying and frightening, I was not a fan!

 

And so it goes, a little literary trek down memory lane on this cool Tuesday afternoon in Heavensville...

 

Look who's having a birthday today!

Lexi’s Daddy!  He is having such a good time with his little pumpkin, and LC and I are really enjoying watching him interact with her.  He loves her so much it makes me teary eyed.

So Happy, Happy  Birthday to John, my firstborn, what a special birthday this is for him..

Joan River's Favorite Recipe

 This is pretty funny ladies.  A little giggle for a Monday morning.  ~ Jan

Just some quotes to get you in an Autumnal mood...

 

 

 

 

Abby's riding solo

That’s our Miss A in the white helmet, riding her horse out of the barn.

And she’s off.  Her Mama posted a video on Facebook last week of her cantering her horse.  Grammie broke out in a sweat watching it, but Abby did great!

We’re all so proud of her, this is quite an accomplishment for a not quite five year old with an overprotective Daddy and a not much better Grammie.  What a wonderful thing for a little girl to do, especially one that lives in horse country.   You’re living Grammie’s dream Abby, I’m so excited for you...

Grandchildren melt my heart...

I look at these precious little children and sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am.  Oh, what sweet little souls they are.  It’s hard to believe that Ben is two and Abby will be five in October.  Time passes so quickly and having baby Lexi brings back so many memories of Abby and Ben as babies.

We were in Nashville last weekend, Lexi is four months old now and she’s just the sweetest little puddin’ pop.  She babbles non-stop, crows like a little rooster, laughs out loud, and loves her bouncy chair.  It was Abby’s when she was a baby, and I have such wonderful memories of Abby in it, and now Lexi.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.   How did I ever get this lucky...

Sometimes I amaze myself...

So I had an appointment for a haircut yesterday at 4pm.  I’m so organized, I put it on my iCal, set my alert for an hour ahead, I’m good to go.  At 1:50 I check my calendar to make sure of the time, yep, it’s at 4pm, so on a whim I look at my text from my hairdresser, Rachel, because nobody actually calls for hair appointments these days, we just text, and it says Thursday 2PM.  TWO PM!!!!! Oh no, oh crap, I’m in my grubby clothes, no makeup, hair a rats nest, cause I had washed it night before and let it go au naturel, which translates to a curly mess.  So I quick text Rachel at 1:52 pm, tell her I will be there ASAP, I hotfoot it to the bedroom, throwing off clothes as I go, I jump into something presentable, smear some makeup base and eyeshadow on, clip up my hair and I’m off.  Hubby takes me, he had errands to run anyway, and Rachel is just five minutes away from the house if you speed.

Well, he roars in there at 2:05PM.  Yes, sports fans, 2:05!  It was a sprint to the finish, and a record for yours truly. Except now LC will expect me to always be that fast...

Jeez oh pete, what a disaster.  I know what happened, too, hubby had a haircut last week at 4PM, and my befuddled brain just wrote down the wrong time.  Inspector Clueless here….

REDKEN POWDER GRIP 03 - TEXTURIZING HAIR POWDER

Buy this right now, today, IMMEDIATELY!!!!!  You know I always share the good stuff, and this product is the best ever for aging, thinning or fine hair!  My friend Carlene told me about it, she lives on the East Coast, they’re always ahead of us in Heavensville with trends, and her hairdresser clued her in.  She hadn’t even tried it when she told me about it, but I ordered it as soon as I read her email.  I went right to Amazon and bought it, and let me tell you, it’s a game changer.

Okay, for the details.  I’m old(er) now, my hair is thin on top, thin on the sides, but thick, thick in the back.   I’ve used every mousse, volumizing shampoo, root lifter known to (wo)man with absolutely no luck.  Well this power comes in a little tube, you only use a little bit, just wash and style your hair like you regularly do, then sprinkle it at the roots where you want lift (I section the top of my hair, put the powder behind the section, sprinkle it on and rub it in with my fingers.  It disappears, but gives you natural looking lift, volume, texture and best of all, it doesn’t go flat mid-day.  It doesn’t even go flat the next day.  You wake up to hair fuller than when you went to bed!  Seriously!!!!

Now I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, that only washes her hair probably every five-six days.  I can’t go even one day!  I flat iron the next morning, it’s not bad, by mid-day it’s limp as a rag.  But with this product, I can flat iron my hair the next day and it looks great all day!   Just can’t pull the plug and go three days without washing it, but I bet it would still work!  Reviewers say you can use it mid-day or before an evening out for instant volume and lift.

Okay, here’s what not to expect, a miracle.  C’mon, your hair is thin, this product isn’t going to make you look like a Pantene commercial, but it will give you noticeable lift that lasts.  It’s just the best find in years!  And don’t go crazy sprinkling it on when you first try it.  Try a little bit at a time to see how it looks or you will end up with really big hair.  I mostly use it in the crown area, that works best for me.

The cons - the only one is that it does make your hair feel tacky where you sprinkle it.  It’s sticky like hairspray.  But it’s just the roots, the rest of your hair is soft, it’s no big deal, and the best part is that it doesn’t give it up an hour after you use it.  No more flat hair!

And the price - $20 from Amazon, it’s a really small bottle, but you use such a small amount it will last for months.  It’s the best $20 I’ve spent in a long time.  Here’s the link

Making Summer Memories

I continue to be a huge, huge fan of HGTV’s The Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines, and of course I love her blog.  She had a post this week about celebrating family and one of the things they did at the dinner table was to talk about their favorite summer memories.

And now that summer is almost over, I have a few of my own and of course most of them revolve around grandchildren.

So let’s gather around this picture of Joanna’s table and I’ll tell you a few of mine.

Baby Lexi visiting us for the first time at at a month old, and early mornings when John would bring her and put her in bed with me so Mama could rest.  I would feed her and lay her on a pillow and just watch her sleep.

Abby’s annual summer visit.  Watching her excitement at finding pirate treasure every day she was with us, seeing her interact with my friends, introducing her to Grammie’s favorite place, the river, taking her to Burdette Park to feed the ducks.   After she left hubby and I relived her visit over and over again.

Ben, our sweet, giggling, laughing little boy who loves to ride on the golf cart.  Saying the phrase “cock-a-doodle-do" and hearing him always repeat “Bob” afterward and then bursting into laughter every single time.  Watching his love of the outdoors, playing with a ball and running full steam ahead, his short little legs churning as fast as they would go.

Our “summer project" landscaping our walk and watching the flowers grow.  It has been so much fun, having early breakfast outside most mornings, just sitting at the little bistro table, drinking my coffee, watching the butterflies and honeybees flitting around and the finches lighting on the coneflowers, it’s just so pretty and serene.

Spending as much time as possible outdoors because we’ve had such wonderful weather.  Lots of evening rides on the golf cart, talking with neighbors, just doing the simple things, living in the moment and enjoying nature.

And summer’s not over yet, there’s still time to make more memories.  Make every day count ladies, we never know what tomorrow will bring...

If you want to read Joanna’s entry about Celebrating Family, here’s a link to her blog.

Pictures courtesy of Magnolia Homes

I wasn't going to plant anymore fleurs, but...

I’m finished planting my new garden area, but I saw this Rudbeckia and couldn’t resist.  Unlike Black-Eyed Susans, this variety has very large flowers, it really pops and looks more like sunflowers.  Will they winter over?  Here’s to hoping’ but not holding my breath...

Hanx Writer, SO much fun!!!!

 

 It’s so old school, retro, vintage, a blast from the past, oh this is a goodie, an iPad app created by none other than Tom Hanks.  

Typing has always been my thing, I cut my teeth on manual typewriters and this app looks and most importantly sounds  and feels like an old typewriter, you even hear that familiar bell “ding” when you get to the end of the line.

It’s only available on iPad right now, hopefully it will come to iPhone soon.  After you type your “letter” you can either email, message or even save it to iBooks.

And did I mention that it’s free!  You can upgrade for $4.99 to two other styles of typewriter, which of course I did, but I actually prefer the free version.  If you’ve got an iPad and you like nostalgia, this is a must try!!!!

Here’s the link to grab it!

Blue Books, I'm in LOVE!!!!!

  

Facebook is so much more than just keeping up with friends.  I find the most spectacular things on Facebook, and this picture of shelves of blue books just called to me.

Of course I showed hubby the picture right away because he’s at tag sales every weekend and he came home with a few for me.  It will be fun browsing antique stores, also, I’m sure we will find treasures...

Lauren Bacall the last to witness the Golden Age is gone...

My friend, Carlene sent me a link to this Vanity Fair article with Lauren Bacall from March of 2011, and it’s a wonderful read.  She was really something, Betty Bacall, a strong woman with a potty mouth and very strong opinions.  Here’s an excerpt...

The apartment is cavernous, on a high floor of the Dakota, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Huge windows overlook Central Park, 30 feet above the tree line, with the grand residential buildings of Fifth Avenue in the distance. My meetings with Lauren Bacall, who is 86, are at three P.M. in the winter, so the light is silvery blue in the wood-trimmed parlor, where Bacall has set the scene for our sessions. A tall wooden chair, for her, is positioned in the center of the room, near a low, white-and-green-upholstered club chair, for me. A single lamp burns in a distant corner. She is dressed, every time, in a black shirt, black pants, and black orthopedic shoes. She always has with her Sophie, an excitable papillon, and what she refers to as “my friend,” her aluminum walker, with tennis balls on its feet. The “fucking fracture that I’ve got on the hip” is the result of a bathroom fall a few months back, a frustrating how-do-you-do after a life of near-perfect health. “Can you imagine? It’s the only time I have been in the hospital except for the times when I gave birth,” she says. A fighter by nature, Bacall has begun to venture out, supported by her walker, onto 72nd Street, going alone to physical therapy, for the most part unrecognized, just another senior citizen. “People don’t pay any attention to me or the walker,” she says. “The other night I was going into a doctor’s office, and some son of a bitch came out of the building, almost knocked me over. I said, ‘You’re a fucking ape!’—screaming at him. He never even turned around. Couldn’t care less, this big horse of a man.”

and here’s a link the rest of the article...

Lexi at 3 months

 

This Grammie experience is just the best and it keeps on getting better!

Miss Lexi is now three months old, and a total charmer.  She smiles all the time, laughs out loud, sleeps twelve hours a night and is a little social butterfly.  She’s out and about all the time and that red hair gets her a lot of attention.  Her daddy got a lot of attention when he was a little boy because of that hair, too.  I’m loving these baby blues, her eyes just sparkle!

Oh, what a treasure this one is…..

Regrets, I've had a few...

The older I get, the more I reflect.  My family has heard over and over how there were two things in life that didn’t happen for me.  I never got a horse and I never lived on the water.  They’re tired of me talking about it, I’m like a broken record, especially about a house on the water.  It wouldn’t have needed to be a big house, just a little lake house, with lots of windows, pine trees and a stone fireplace, but it didn’t happen.  But actually, I do have a few other woulda, coulda, shoulda’s...

I also regret that I never had a Vespa.

Not a new one, an oldie like the one above.  Wouldn’t this have been just fantastic!  Never woulda happened, actually I’m terrified of any kind of motorcycle, but a Vespa is just so awesome!  

And poor hubby has heard me dream for years about wanting a Woodie.  Oh yeah, a dark green beauty, I would have loved this.

And lately I’ve had thoughts of owning a VF bus from the 50’s.  Not a hippie bus, but a spiffy red one like this.

But what I really, really would like to have is a Glamper! A retro one like this with a great interior like the one below.

But none of the above is going to happen.  I would have had a shot at a Glamper if we were younger, but we’re too old now, I’m afraid the thrill would be gone after just a few trips to the wilderness anyway.  We’ve never been campers.

But an (older) girl’s gotta dream, even if the dreams don’t come true.  Age creeps up on you and  you realize there are limitations that weren’t a factor when you were younger.   But  darn, that VW bus would look so cool pulling a glamper and pulling up to that little lake house with the Vespa parked out front and the woodie in the garage!