2/28/14

Grace and Mr. Rosemary Lane - Father Daughter Dance 2014



Each year since kindergarten, Grace and her pop, Mr. Rosemary Lane, have gone on one very special date to the Girl Scouts Sweetheart dance. And last night was the night.











The theme this year was a princess dance so Grace opted to wear the gown she wore for the National American Miss pageant last August. The tiara was the one I wore when MR RL and I were married 11 1/2 years ago.




They had a fun night dancing and munching on snacks. It is hard to believe that there is only one more father-daughter dance to go and then Gracie will start attending her junior and senior high dances and proms. 

They just grow up too dang fast don't they?

Here is Grace through the years...








When I look at this last picture I just cannot believe how little Gracie was only 5 short years ago.

As the expression goes..."In the blink of an eye."

Have a great weekend!!!

XO

2/26/14

Simple Tip for Reviving Wilted Flowers



So what do you do when you walk into the dining room only to find some of your newly purchased supposedly fresh cut flowers drooping down towards the dining room table? 

My short story goes like this...

On Sunday Mr. Rosemary Lane picked up two bunches of my favorite flower, tulips, for the center of the dining table. You see I had invited my Aunt Ann and sister Kim up for dinner to celebrate our Aunt's birthday. (She turned 85 last week...God bless her.)  Today I was bummed out to find 3 of my beautiful tulips trying to kiss the tabletop.

Pretty droopy huh?




So how, in only 20 minutes, did I get my tulip looking as fresh as a daisy!
(Yup it is the same tulip in both pictures) 




Luckily for me not only is Mr. Rosemary Lane a  handsome fellow but he is also pretty smart too! He told me to cut a little off of the stems and then lay the flowers down flat in a pan filled with water.




And in 20 minutes all three flowers were like new! 
Pretty cool right??
This trick works with roses as well and most likely with many other types of  fresh cut flowers.




And that my friends is how to revive a wilting flower.
Hope you are enjoying a great Wednesday!!!

XO

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2/23/14

What's Your Personal Decor Style???

You know me and how I like taking these on-line..."what's your color personality"? test or "what's your design style" quiz. Well here is another one, this time answering these questions will help you find your own personal "decor" style!

Mine apparently is...

(psssst...I took the test twice...same result!)



Traditional Country

Even if your backyard isn't acres of farmland and you don't actually have a chicken coop, your house sure brings you back to a time when that was the case. You love spaces that feel casual and lived in. Furniture is practical and comfortable, and yet at the same time its very stylish. The best part of country style is how much it highlights collection and found objects. Antiques here, garage sale finds there and Aunt Milly's hand-me-downs throughout. Unique items that used to serve very practical purposes are now on display, and their history seems to permeate the home. Each space in the home seems to invite friends and family to come in and stay a while. There is a true sense of home felt throughout.





Materials

When it comes to materials in Traditional Country homes, think rustic, warm and comfortable. Wood or natural tile floors, natural or painted wood tables and chairs, and natural materials on the soft furnishings. Stripes, plaids and florals are popular and often all are mixed in one room. Soft vintage leather and suede are common and wrought and rusty iron also reinforce the rustic nature of the rooms. Large wood pieces of furniture are very common, and help manage storage throughout the home. Wallpaper is very popular and most often highlights floral patterns. For traditional country, the concept of minimalism is avoided at all cost. It's the collections that give the space character and reinforce the lived-in nature of the spaces.

Colors

For color, spaces can go either bright and airy or soft and muted. Think of the countryside in spring and summer with yellows, bright greens and blues. Or you can go for more of a fall country day, and go a bit darker but still stay in the earth tones. Dark browns, reds and greens. Either direction you go in, be it light or dark, the key is warmth. Traditional country rooms rarely, if ever, feel cold.


To find your own personal decor style just follow this link.
Would love for you to stop back to tell me what your style happens to be!
And enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!
XO

2/20/14

Dorothy Hamill and Me...

If you have been watching the Winter Olympics games you will know that last night kicked-off the women's figure skating competition to crown the best amateur ranked female figure skater in the world. And as I watched these beautiful skaters on the ice doing their triple toe loops and incredible spins, I couldn't help but to think back 38 years to the winter games in Innsbruck Austria when 19 year old Dorothy Hamill skated her way to the gold medal and into the hearts of America.




You see in 1976 I was only 14 years old and at the time going through chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. I was a freshman in High School that winter and was just diagnosed with cancer in August of the previous year. If you can, imagine how my parents dealt with this because I certainly can't.  In addition to surgery there were two different drug therapies available for me at that time...the first one was one drug injection a week for 10 weeks in a row...this made me loose all my hair. The second drug was given over a 5 day period every three months and it was this drug which caused immeasurable vomiting.




So in February of 1976 I had to take the second round of the what I then called...the "throw-up" drug. I remember lying in my parents bed watching their little 13 inch TV as Dorothy Hamill skated her beautiful short program. I remember thinking not only how perfect her skating was, but how perfect in fact she was. Her skin was flawless, unlike mine which was gaunt from numerous trips to the porcelain throne, and had little bumps all over from the chemo. Her eyes were bright and she was so strong, while mine were tired and my 5'7" 118 lb frame had dwindled down to 107 lbs. And her fabulous hair...the style which swept a nation was incredible....my hair, well there just wasn't any. 




But despite the very different worlds we were in, I found a connection with Dorothy. 




Dorothy gave me something else to focus on aside from my own pathetic situation. She gave me the chance to cheer for her, to be in her corner and to let her win my heart. I remember watching intently when she skated her long program. I watched every move in complete awe of her beautiful talent. I had never seen anything so graceful yet athletic in my entire life. As a matter of fact I watched her long program performance so many times in newscasts that I was able to see the entire program in my mind whenever I wanted. Dorothy's skate for the gold got me through one of the most physically challenging times of my life. I didn't realized it then but in looking back, Dorothy Hamill was one of my very first heroes!




Now flash forward to 2010. My brother-in-law Charlie had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in January of that year.  Ironically enough, through my high school reunion committee I became friends with a gal who was one of the chairpersons for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in a town local to where my sister Kim and Charlie lived. So Kim and I organized our own team for that year...team Charlie Brown. Really...my BIL was the original Charlie Brown! 




Anyhow, through my friend I found out that Dorothy had ties to the same community as the Relay she was chairing, and that Dorothy herself made an appearance the previous year at Relay. (If you didn't know Dorothy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008) When I found this out I emailed my friend and told her how much I loved Dorothy and how she got me through chemotherapy all those years ago with her skating. I think I wrote something like " Dorothy will never know how much she meant to a little girl in Glenside Pa, who was going through her own personal battle with cancer."




Then my friend totally blind sided me and asked if she could share my email with Dorothy. 
I was in shock!

Completely flabbergasted I replied "Of course you can"!!! And she did!!! Now it has been 4 years since that all transpired but I will never forget my excitement of having the knowledge that Dorothy was now aware of  how important her skating was to me all those years ago. I know Dorothy did reply to my friend's email, unfortunately I can't remember exactly what her words were. But they were something to the effect that you never know how you might impact another person's life and that it meant a lot to her to know her skating helped me through such a difficult time in my life.




So tonight when these amazing skaters hit the ice in their free style programs, I hope if somewhere there is a little girl who may be going through a difficult time of her own, that watching these incredible skaters might in some way unburden her if for just a few minutes, and give her something to cheer for and remember.

Thank you Dorothy!!!

XO

2/18/14

Awaiting the Birth of Spring















I looked around for a poem to share with you...but found none to really express my longing for Spring. Some flowers, some green grass, some color aside from the occasional red barn standing out against the brilliant white snow. And while I do enjoy all the seasons even winter, this year I just cannot wait for Spring's rebirth. I want to feel the warmth of an April sun on my skin and breathe in all of the beautiful colors returned to us by the spring.

It's cold today, but I know God's promise of Spring has rarely failed in the billions of years since the ice age. So I sit and dream about the scented air of May, and the symphony of music provided by birds as they sing their little hearts out while perched on the branch of a budding tree. The soft colors of early Spring...the yellows and purples, the pinks and the whites, oh how I long for Spring's magnificent return.

XO
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2/14/14

It's Valentine's Day and I'm In L O V E



The other day I pulled my mail of out of the mailbox to find this catalog from Grandinroad. Now I have never heard of the company before and how I ended up with their catalog is beyond me, but as I started to flip through it's pages I found myself falling in L O V E!

Just take a peek at some of Grandinroad's beautiful things.




How could you not love this big stuffed chair in such a cheery print? I love how fresh and crisp it looks!!!




Or how about this beautiful ruffled burlap table cover? It would be so elegant on my back patio table this spring! Can we say IDEAS as my wheels are turning.




And this bench is straight out of a DIYer's dream! It's so eclectic!




A girl couldn't help but to just swoon over this gorgeous front door wreath and porch with those to-die-for urns!!!




And what canine wouldn't give up his favorite squeaky toy for this over the top all-in-one dogging feeding station? It can be personalized too!




This well coordinated table is simply stunning with the fabulous chair wraps and swags.




Now what room wouldn't be instantly brightened up by one of these darling ottomans with the tufted tops in such vibrant patterns? You can also purchase throw pillows in matching fabrics!

I loved thumbing through Grandinroad's beautiful catalog and to be perfectly honest the prices are a lot lower than what I would have expected!!! As a matter of fact I was so excited about the catalog that my children instantly came up with the conclusion that Mr. Rosemary Lane must have had it sent as a Valentine's Day gift!!!

Hope you are all enjoying this day of love with the one or ones you love most!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!!

XO

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