Happy Halloween!

Even though it was bitter cold, 37 degrees and windy, Snow White....

a Pirate....

and The Undertaker....

would not be stopped!

It's amazing what these 3 will do....

for candy!

Think if I hid candy in their rooms they might clean them?

MIA!

Yes, I know that I have been MIA lately.

I'm sorry!

I am back now! Seems my kids decided to share the flu bug that is going around with me. After a week on the couch crying about not feeling good, I think I am better.

For now.

I missed everything this week! Showing off my treasures on Junkin Monday.

Showing my done projects for Transformation Thursday.

So.... what is a girl to do?

Maybe change the one room in the house that was pretty much done?

Yup....

The husband is gone for the weekend....

and I am back in the bathroom for a little redo.

You just have to wait and see what it is!

Funny Grandparents Stories

Posted at the DIY Showoff Show & Tell Party. What better to bring to a party than crazy grandparent stories!

I love my grandparents! My dad's parents were a real cut up though. They loved each other and their 8 kids. My grandfather was a tool and die maker. He took pics of kids on a little pony that he had bought for extra money. He loved photography and writing poetry. My grandma was a SAHM. That lady could cook! She did so for the entire family on Sundays every week.

So Misha wanted the streaker story. Well.....

My grandparents would watch the evening news at 6 every night and then go on the porch to sit and relax after. Remember when streakers were everywhere? No of course you don't cause you are not that old. Well everyone was doing it. One night they did a story of a streaker. I don't know where he was streaking. Ok, I can't remember. My grandma told my grandpa that she would like to see a streaker one day. Weird.

So anyways, they finished watching the news and were going out on the porch. There porch was huge and went across the entire front of their house. My grandpa told my grandma that he would be out in a minute. So my grandma went out front and some of her friends were walking by on their nightly walk. She went to talk to them. Suddenly she hears "JULIA! ARE YOU WATCHING?" and here comes my grandpa running around the front of the house butt naked.

Well.... except he was still wearing his black socks. He NEVER took his socks off!

She yelled back to him "I DIDN'T MEAN YOU YOU OLD FOOL!"

Yup, that was my grandparents

We lost my grandpa in '75. My grandma was with us for 10 more years. She had had a heart attack and a masectomy. She got her prosthesis and did not like it. She also didn't drive. I was over there one day and she asked if I would take her to Joann Fabrics. I told her that I would but thought it strange cause she did not sew. So we went. I wandered off to look at stuff and a few minutes later I see her by the buttons with her eyes closed feeling buttons. I wasn't fast enough to get to her. The unfortunate saleslady got there first. I guess she thought she was blind and needed help.

Just as I got there I heard her tell the poor lady "I don't care about the color honey, it just has to feel like a nipple."

Yup, you heard that right....

I don't think the lady knew what to say at that point. My grandma thought her silence meant she should explain more. "Here", said my grandma reaching down her blouse and pulling out her prosthesis "They gave me this but it looks fake cause there is no nipple. I want to glue something to it so it looks more real."

Yeah, taking her out in public was always an adventure.

She didn't really think before she spoke unfortunately. Like when my Aunt Rose and Uncle Dick were leaving to go home one Sunday night. My grandma was playing poker with my dad and his brothers. My uncle went to kiss her goodbye and she started to get up. My uncle told her to sit. She looked at him and said "Don't be silly! I always will get up to kiss Dick!"

So now you know where I get my sense of humor. Maybe I can kidnap my grandpa's book of poems and post a few up here.

Any other funny grandparent stories?

Finally!

The bathroom is near enough done to actually have guests in without being embarrassed!

I forgot to take before pics before I hit it with the cleaning bug!

I swear on the stack of bibles now proudly displayed in here that we did NOT live like this!

At times it does feel this cruddy, but it is not....

Ok, those shelves did look that cruddy. Crap hanging off the edges and stuff crammed in them. Hence the cleaning!

And that really did look that blah....

Oh yeah, I was "trying" something....

But now.....

Are you ready?

I don't think you are.

Do you have to go pee? Get a drink or anything?

Alrighty then....

Here we go!

Where there was clutter....

There is now peace. I can actually leave the door open for people to see! I am still planning on taking down the ugly medicine cabinet on this wall so the molding is waiting. I am going to redo it. The beadboard wallpaper is leftover from the kitchen. Just enough to do in here! The paint is leftover from my bedroom. I ended up finding the rest I had saved, so I didn't have to repaint!

Can you say hallelujah?!

What's that? You want a closer look at the little vignette on the wall?

I framed up pics of my grandparents, added a violet that I hadn't killed yet, a cameo cause it did not seem right to put out a pic of my grandma without a cameo somewhere close by and apothecary bottles filled with wonderful fizzy bath salts.

I love my grandparents. They were sooo cute. When they were first married, my grandma got a set of cookware. She had never cooked a day in her life. I guess her cooking was so horrible that my grandfather buried the cookware in the yard and told her until she learned how to cook she wasn't getting it back!

So she went to school and became a chef!

Then there was the streaker story....

Anyways, back to the bathroom....

This has been replaced with....

THIS! I think I love this the most. I sanded, primed, painted and urethaned the countertops in here. I also took out the backsplash that matched the countertops and replaced it with a travertine tile.

I popped a plant in my dad's old shaving cup and put the brush there. It kinda hides my hubby's electric thingy.

Wow! That sounded bad!

The other side of the sink we have a toothbrush holder, a pretty cut glass decanter filled with mouthwash, a milk glass candy dish filled with delicious soaps from Cindy @ The Real Soap Co, a milk glass tophat with q-tips and a candle I switched out which you will see later.

But first.... Cindy's soaps.... talk about a bit of heaven on earth! OMG! I am in love! Cindy don't you ever stop making soap or I will boycott bathing for the rest of my life! I am so in love! The fragrance that comes from these little pearls is scrumptious! Go on and shop at Cindy's, I'll wait....

Back?! Did I not tell you it is wonderful? Just wait til you get your package! You will kiss me full on the lips if you ever meet me for hooking you up with Cindy!

Back to the bathroom....

Remember the ugly shelves? I hid them with a curtain like the one on the window. A tension rod, some rings and voila! what shelves?! The top shelf has been turned into a vignette. I did swap out the candle on the counter for this sweet little cast iron bird I found today for 3.00!

I guess I have an affinity for birds. My mom told me once that when I was younger there were these kids beating on a poor bird. I ran up and beat them as well as a 5 year old could and brought the bird home for mom to "fix".

And now to that ugly window....

....which is ugly no more! I took down the wood shade and added the plantation shutters for 8.00. The valance I made from a curtain I had. The little box vignette is just to add interest.

This vignette is very special to me. The mirror and hairbrush are a set that my mother gave to me. I remember when I was young, about 3, and we went to visit my great grandmother in Tennessee. She was sitting in a chair and she took like 1 pin out of her hair and this tumble of hair fell to the floor. My mother sat there and brushed her hair with a silver brush set like this. The postcard is from my older sister that I have not seen in about 40 years. It is one of my prized possessions. The little teapot pincushion reminds me of my great aunt Lily who used to sew us new school uniforms every summer.

Such sweet memories....

And now if you would like to linger in here a little longer....

....some reading material. You got your choice of Country Living, an Australia guide book or Uncle John's bathroom book.

Take your time....

but leave a comment when you are done.

You know I am a shameless hussy for comments!

Posted @ Sanctuary Arts

100th post giveaway!

Lori @ Wildflowers has done it!

She has hit 100!

Isn't she a cutie? If you haven't visited her blog you should go. Go now!

I'll wait....

Just remember to wipe the drool off your face after seeing her gorgeous photography!

That glazed donut look is kinda cute though!

For Jacqueline AGAIN!

Your wish is my command!

Just kidding! That's my daughter Syrina!

Come on, now we want to see a picture of you in one of those stunning gowns you always post!

If I looked HALF as good as you there'd be pics of me all over this blog!

Thank you to everyone for your sweet comments! You made a fat girl feel great!

For Jacqueline!

and of course anyone else interested.

Here is my pic when I was crowned Mrs Southeast Michigan 2005.

One less kid, 50 lbs lighter, 5 years younger and waaaaay less gray!

I loved this dress! I just thought I was the cat's meow in it! Boy! Does it make my butt look big!

BTW - I'm the dark haired one, not the cute blonde!

A Vignette

I am redoing this for Donna @ Funky Junk's Vignette Party

Come on and join the fun!

For my first vignette (or vinaigrette as my son says) I used....

an old pic of me and my little sister taken many moons ago....

a cutesy vandle holder that at the time I just HAD to have!....

some old bibles. The bottom 2 were my husband's grandparents. The missal was given to my dad by his parents when he went into the Air Force. He gave it to me when I left for the Army....

my Mrs Southeast Michigan 2005 crown cause what do you do with a crown like this? Wear it to clean house? Ok, I do do that sometimes....

That is my orchid that when I got was so beautiful but now I have not been able to get it to bloom. I haven't killed it yet though so that is a bonus!

Add it all up....

and you have my very first vignette! I am so hooked on these now!

Hopefully, I will also get a couple more done today that I have in mind.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

So I painted my bathroom awhile ago.

A couple of months in fact.

It still looks good. In fact I do like the color. It's the same color as my bedroom.

In fact it was leftover from my bedroom.

I had a tiny bit left for touch ups in the bathroom.

Now I am ready to do the touch ups.

No paint!

Why?

Cause when I cleaned the laundry area of the dungeon, where the paint is, I must have thrown it away!

So now....

Do I run to SW and see if they can dig up the formula for this color and buy a quart of it?

Or....

Repaint the bathroom?

I think I will be repainting a bathroom tomorrow.

Transformation Thursday - week 1

Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottage made a challenge. 10 tasks in 10 days.

Is she nuts? I can't do that!

Now she has done 5 tasks in 5 days. Same thing in half but it didn't seem do daunting. So I made the list (see my sidebar) and got to work.

You know what? It was alot of fun! I felt so good every time that I got to check something off! Any time that I felt like sitting on the couch upside down to watch TV for something to do, I just went to the list.

I even added to the list.

The tasks that I * are the ones that I am choosing for Transformation Thursdays.

So here goes....

*Paint kitchen chairs....

Done! I didn't even cheat. I really did all 6!

*Paint desk....

Done!

*Distress desk....

Done!

*Move kitchen bench....

Done!

*Move desk to girls room - Done! You have to trust me on this Hurricane Syrina hit hard yesterday and the room is a mess. I did get the husky man to schlep it up there with alot of whining and crying. I was my usual sympathetic self though. "Just dry it up and move the bloody thing up there!" I can say bloody in front of the kids. They don't know it means damn.

On my to do list today is to get it all set up and find all the casualties from Hurricane Syrina.

But I do have a bonus! and a cute story. My son when he was younger would forget words and call things what he thought they were. Like he couldn't remember my china cabinet was a china cabinet. He called it the chinese cabinet. Yes honey, that is where I keep the chinese! He would giggle. Our weirdness is in the genes unfortunately....

Anywho, he was looking over my to do list last night. Suddenly he says "You have to make a vinagarette? Are we having salad tomorrow?"

It's VIGNETTE! Not VINAGARETTE!

Oh....

So without further ado here is my first vinagarette, I mean vignette!

Ta Daa! I am no longer a vignette virgin! I love it! I have an oooold pic of me and my baby sister, a silly little candle holder I had to have at the time, an orchid that I can't get to bloom again, my Mrs Southeast Michigan 2005 crown and some old bibles. The bottom 2 were Jeff's grandfathers and the top one is the one that my dad was given by his dad when he went into the Air Force. He gave it to me the day I left for Army boot camp.

So there ya go! I'm going to keep the list going. Whatever is getting done for Tranformation Thursdays will be * and removed after Thursdays.

Now, I got a party to get ready for....

Would you like to come?!

All are invited.

It's Jen @ Sanctuary Arts monthly Makeover Party on the 25th!

Hopefully, I am bringing a bathroom!

White Wednesday

This is my first White Wednesday post. Honestly, I have tried to stay clear of white in my house since my tribe is of the messy sort. I do love how crisp and clean white looks though.

How perfect for a bathroom!

Is there any other color for beadboard? Even if it is paintable wallpaper.

Especially when it is topped off with a pretty white trim.

Windows look so dreamy with a sheer white fabric draped over them. I love my white distressed white plantation shutter peeking out from behind.

A white shower curtain is daring when you have well water, but what the heck?

I always feel pampered wrapping up in a super fluffy white towel.

And stepping onto a soft thick white bathrug is a must! Even if the floor does need to be replaced this winter.

This makes me want to work on the bathroom transformation some more today!

P.S. Either I missed White Wednesday or I am just stupid (don't answer that!). Oh well, maybe next week. I am still tackling that bathroom. It's starting to drive me nuts!

Some Girls....

....feel old and ready for the trash.

A day at the spa can make them feel alive again!

A little color....

....a little exfoliating on the edges....

....maybe even some highlights. Or in this case lowlights....

...and of course a girl needs some bling!

In the end it all comes down to just feeling pretty.

Atleast pretty enough to hold all the crap a 13 year old can pack in!

Now I just need to con a husky man to help me schlep this bad girl up the stairs!

Posted at DIY Surprise Party

I'm taking a poll

Do you think I got more paint on me?

Or on the chairs?

It's a close one, but I think the chairs won. Finally! They are painted....

and distressed! My husband requested the distressing cause he likes the look of it.

I really did do all 6! 6 at the table just looks too crowded and does not work with the leaf down and the legs of the table.

The bench even made it to her new spot. She will look prettier when I get to doing my thing to the walls in here. The pillows need to be changed out though. I got an idea for them. Not today though. Today I got 3 sick kids....

....and one goofy Great Dane. She likes to watch TV this way and her favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, is on.

I think she has a crush on Pluto...