21 Rosemary Lane is Going on Vacation!!!

Today we are headed out on our summer vacation through beautiful upstate New York to one of north america's 7 natural wonders, Niagara Falls!

Some quick facts about these grand falls...

6 million cubic feet of water flows over the crest every minute during high flow.

The average flow is 4 million cubic feet

The falls are located between the twin cities Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Niagara Falls is the collective name for the three different waterfalls between the U.S. and Canadian borders. The three falls from largest to smallest are as follows...

Horseshoe Falls lies on the Canadian side and has a drop of 173 feet and is 2,600 feet long

The American Falls lie on the American side and has a drop of between 70-100 feet and is 1,060 feet in width.

The smallest fall is Bridal Veil Falls and it is also on the American side separated from the other falls by Luna Island.

The first jump into the falls was by a women in 1901 with the latest jump being just last year in May of 2012, when an unidentified man climbed over the railing and took the plunge, both jumpers survived. Since 1901, 20 people have gone over the falls, 15 survived.

Does Niagara Falls ever freeze over?...yes but not completely. Water still runs underneath but the ice above has been know to freeze to a thickness of 50 feet!

We are looking forward to Michael and Grace's reaction when they lay their eyes upon these magnificent falls for the first time!!!

See you all in New York!!!

XO

$5 Worth of Furniture and a Back Patio Reveal

I am an absolute genius!!!! Either that or I have managed to totally luck out...most likely it's the latter. This year our back patio was updated with a few new items. Almost all glass items from the space have been removed since our dog Buster took out one of my glass top end tables last month. I also incorporated a couple thrifty craft ideas which cost virtually nothing! 

In this patio update I really wanted to bring more vibrant color to our beautiful outdoor living space. My jumping off point was actually the colors of the love seat's cushions which were purchased at the end of last summer. Then a bright lemon yellow and bold ocean blue were infused into the overall color palette. One brown pillow was kept on the love seat to tie it to the brown of the carpet.

The first easy peasy craft  idea is my shatterproof home made vase below. To see what it was made from and how this look was achieved, just click here.

Last summer I created a wine cork serving tray from an old tray which had been lying around the house. To see how this transformation was done click here.

 For only $17 I did splurge and purchase two cute wire candle holders over at the Christmas Tree Shop.

I still have the glass top cart on the patio but the plan is to replace the glass with either wood or a metal grating. Right now it is in a very "out of the way" spot, so it should remain safe from destruction. The Lemon color tablecloth I found at Kohls today for $15. The cute place mats I picked up for only 50 cents each at an end of the summer clearance sale a couple years ago.

By the way the floor is nothing more than painted concrete. To see the tutorial you will need to click here.

So here is the breakdown of the cost for furnishing our back patio...

1. Hand me down table and 4 chairs from my parents 17 years ago...cost $0

2. Serving cart which was a yard sale casualty from 2 years ago...cost $0

3. Wicker rocker was a yard sale find...cost $5 

4. Freebie table from my sister Kim...cost $0

5. Wicker love seat found on the side of the road last summer...cost $0

6. End table re-purposed into a coffee table was a curbside find from just last month...cost $0

7. Curbside find from last year that I found on my own block...cost $0. (To see the rocking chair before it's paint job just click here.)

8. (Not in Picture) The small wicker table between the love seat and rocker was a $2 yard sale find my sister purchased and then passed on to me...cost $0

Total cost for all of the furnishings...

A whopping five dollars!!

In addition to my previous purchases of the yellow table cloth and wire candle holders, this year I spent another $150 on the new outdoor carpet to anchor my seating arrangement, three outdoor throw pillows found on clearance over at Pier One, and eight curtain panels purchased this week at the Christmas Tree Shop. So for just $182 spent this summer, my back patio received a brand new look.

I just adore the colors of our living space, it's so fresh and cheerful with a very cool vibe! I hope I may have given you an idea or two for sprucing up an outdoor retreat of your own. Remember to keep your eyes open and your mind creative when it comes to furnishing any room in your home!

Wishing you a fabulous weekend!!

Now where did I put my coffee and HGTV magazine?

XO

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From My Front Porch to Yours

Common Ground

It's Overflowing

Nifty Thrifty Things

The Tablescaper

BeColorful

Ivy &Elephants

No Minimalist Here

Cedar Hill Ranch

Savvy Southern Style

The Thrifty Groove

Summer Time Emerald and White Rocker

Over the past week I have been piddling around out on our back patio trying to make a few changes for this summer. The one thing I did do was to insure that all of the furnishings and accessories are durable and both kid and dog safe, so no glass. I have been working on the seating using this image from the June issue of "This Old House" magazine as the inspiration for my arrangement .

I also managed to fall in completely in love with the aqua on the floors and walls. I remember thinking how I would just adore having a color like that somewhere in an outside living space.

So for my arrangement I have one white wicker love seat and one white wicker rocker. Ideally another wicker chair or even love seat would be perfect, but as of right now well I don't have either as an option. I'll have to put my sista Kim on the lookout for one as she is the yard and garage sale queen. In the meantime in an effort to round out my current seating arrangement, I hunted around my home...love to do that...and came up with this old wood rocker I trash picked about a year ago. It was sitting in the kids room with a pile of their c*#p all over it.

Then at Lowes yesterday I spotted this little sample jar of paint by the company Pantone in a color they called "Emerald".  When I Googled the company name I found out that this is their color of the year 2013!!

(This is where you all say "ooooooh pretty")

The color reminded me of the aqua in the magazine's porch picture. So in today's ungodly and thoroughly oppressive heat, I sanded down and painted my old rocker. Now you may ask how HOT was it???

It was so dang hot that the paint was literally drying as fast as I could brush it on!

I painted the seat, back and arms of the chair in the emerald and then decided to paint the bottom portion of the chair in a clean white. 

 Once I finished painting I hopped in the pool with the kiddies for a quick dip...ahhhhh refreshing!!!

Isn't she one crisp and cool looking rocking chair? I think the colors of my outside pillows add the perfect touch!!

I am still working on the patio and as soon as we get a little reprieve in this hotter than Hades heat, I will hopefully finish it up. 

Make sure to stay tuned for the reveal!!!

And try to stay cool my friends.

XO

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Coastal Charm

Elizabeth & Co

Made From Pinterest

Our Gracie is a Pageant Finalist

Grace was selected as a 2013 National American Miss (NAM) state finalist in the pre-teen category.  She will compete next month in the state finals and the 5 winners in her age group will then go on to compete in the national pageant this November in Hollywood California.

To be honest I never gave much credence to beauty contest although as a little girl I used to love to watch all of them on TV! My sister and I would jump in our PJs and sit in front of the television with our own little score cards. And despite our keeping score I was always amazed at how my dad would be able to pick one of the 5 finalist from just the introductions in the beginning of the show.  

Since Grace has become involved with this pageant I have begun to see all the work that goes into it on the contestant's part. Grace has to write, memorize and recite a 30 second introduction speech. She has to practice walking and standing in her model pose. She needs to work on slowing down when she speaks and on the annunciation of her words. But most importantly Grace needs to learn how to interview. To be able to answer any question in a well thought out and clearly stated manner. Not that easy for our Gracie as she has always struggled with her ability to communication both verbally and in the written word. Even when we were adopting her in Kazakhstan, her Russian was what most people referred to as "baby" Russian. She tends to mumble her words and sentence structure is still not that strong even though she is almost 11 years old. But Grace does possess a quick wit, huge heart, and a special charm all of her own. And she is anything but ho hum!

The reason why we decided to let Grace be part of this process is because the National American Miss pageant really concentrates on helping girls and young women become confident in the person they are, and build a strong sense of self worth. There is a strict "No Makeup" rule for girls 12 and under, this is because the pageant focuses on natural and inner beauty. Grace also will not have to perform a talent, this part of the pageant is optional for girls in her age category. 

We are hoping that the pageant experience will be something to truly help Gracie begin to unleash her potential, and give her some wonderful memories that she will be able to cherish forever! 

For more information on The National American Miss (NAM) Pageant go to www.namiss.com

XO