Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Post-Grooming Nap, Memorial Day Bunting

Two things draw me to the series of Reader's Digest Condensed Books (and neither has anything to do with the stories inside). One is the spines. I have several of these books on my mantle, displayed simply for the pink and gray spines that tie in with my living room colors. The second thing is the patterns on the front and back covers. Found these two yesterday at the thrift store and dang, they're too pretty to shelve with all my other books and so they are displayed on a table.
Giddy got his summer shave and came home exhausted from all the attention. Spoiled rotten is all I can say.
I've always thought patriotic bunting is so Martha's Vineyard. Found this bunting at Dollar Tree and although I don't have a sweeping wraparound porch to hang it from, they worked rather well in my windows.

Giddy's New Bed and a Kickin' Cute Bath Mat

How very refined (and feminine — but Chateau Gahan is rather girly) that Gideon has a Cynthia Rowley patchwork dog bed, found on the cheap at TJMaxx.
When it comes shower and bath time, there's nothing like white. White towels, white plush robe. Found this round bath mat with crocheted trim at Cost Plus World Market. It goes well with the other white rug I have in my bath as well as the matelasse shower curtain.

Setting the Stage for Graduation Day

So much preparation went into the big day. Thank God for such wonderful family. They all worked their tails off to make the day as special as it was. The following pictures were taken the day after graduation, so the settings lack the personality that they oozed when they were filled with people, food and love. But still wanted to share.

Moved the potting table from the garage to the back patio to use as a bar. Mom cleaned it up real good and then Fred, my workhorse of a stepdad, was my designated bartender on the big day. Potting table put to perfect use! And my outdoor rugs dressed up the venue nicely.
Found this darling metal table painted blue and perfectly "chippy" at a thrift store a few days before for $10. Loved that it had the double holes to hold an umbrella. Umbrella found at Garden Ridge for $9.99.

Harleigh saw an old swing set at a neighbor's curb with a big "Take Me: Free" sign. She loved the swing part of the set and luckily we were able to remove it. Fred hung it from the treehouse, warmed it up with a quilt, and it became a favorite spot for the kids who came to the graduation festivities.

The steps off of my back patio had become a mud patch and so Fred laid these pavers for me (in the drizzle the day before graduation; thank you thank you thank you!). I can't believe how much they help with dirt being tracked into the house.

Graduation Day!

What a whirlwind of a Saturday!

We started off with a breakfast for 14 at the house and then off to graduation. The weather was a bit overcast, but it burned off early afternoon. Before the graduation, my Dad and I found Harleigh's car and decorated it with writing on the windows, a flag and stickers. Came home for a Southern barbecue lunch and then the open house. The attendance was overwhelming. Surrounded by so many loving co-workers, family, church family, neighbors, friends . . . what a glorious day!!!

I opted for those big 3-foot-wide balloons for outside. Tied them to a vintage suitcase I bought on ebay. Put a Georgia Southern University sticker on it and made a Class of 2014 tag for the handle.

My collection of bird cages always get so much mileage for events that I do. Graduation didn't go without one! [The egg in the nest is actually a real bird egg that fell out of a nest and never got beyond the yolk stage.]

The Graduation Announcement and Open House Invitation

I wound up not purchasing the school-branded graduation announcements that most kids send out. There was something cold about sending a generic announcement with a picture stuck inside. Not to mention that I wanted the announcement to tie in with an invitation to our open house on the afternoon of graduation day. So I had Harleigh craft a sentiment and then we made cards using scrapbook paper. We included a graduation photo.
The open house was a huge success in that most of the invitees were able to come, and that Harleigh was as gracious a host as I could have hoped for. She enjoyed herself, was able to greet and hug everyone, and made me so proud to call her my daughter.

More pix to come!

Graduation Gifts for the Girlies

Harleigh's posse is a group of 8 girls. She really wanted to give them something personal and so we came up with the idea to do a letter for each — the first letter of their first name — that they can hang on their dorm wall or lean on their dresser. We bought those papier mache letters and then Harleigh picked out scrapbook paper to match each girl's personality (and in some cases their college colors). And then on the back she wrote a special message and Bible verse. Hope they like them 'cause they were fun to make!

Fasten My Seatbelt

With Ali's wedding weekend past (and boy, do I miss the crafting and creating already!), I'm focused on Harleigh's graduation coming up on May 22. Planning a breakfast, a lunch, an open house. There's pressure washing to happen to the patios and patio furniture, gutters to be cleaned, more plantings to undertake, the house to be cleaned, a dog to have groomed. Here's a rather fuzzy picture of the neighborhood sign that lists all of our graduating seniors.
We have her Senior Picnic this Saturday and Harleigh decided on what she wants to give her group of girlfriends. Of course it involves me and a craft project. I've got six projects to get done tonite; the first of the seven took me three hours last night. I don't have the luxury of three hours a piece for the remaining six, so momma needs to kick it up a notch tonite.

I also have to get Harleigh ready for her class's senior trip to a dude ranch in Colorado. We have to be at the airport on Sunday morning at 6:30. Yikes.

Oh, and I'm in charge of all the decorations for our church's Vacation Bible School which is June 7-11. That will take a priority once graduation happens.

And this, my friends, is what I plan on doing come June 12 . . . [With the onslaught of warm weather, Gideon finds a hardwood floor bed and the cool stone of the fireplace hearth for a pillow. And it doesn't matter how uncomfortable a position he winds up in.]

Ali and Matt's Wedding

OH.
MY.
GOSH.

I'm still coming down from a high. The weekend was amazing. Ali was such an enchanting bride. The ceremony was touching and personal. The reception fun. We achieved the whimsical yet elegant feel we spent a year creating, in everything from the happy tear hankies to the fabric wreaths on the front doors. I took no pictures. Nothing could do it justice like what Ali's wedding photographer captured. Ali flew in Jill Thomas from California. Not only was Jill a total girlfriend (which made us feel like we had known her forever) but her photography is . . . well, look at her site.

In the meantime, here is the ONLY picture I snapped. The quilts were a huge success. All of the kids and a handful of adults chose to sit on quilts on the grass. At one point one of the winery dogs plopped down next to Harleigh and napped in the sun. It was all so magical. The weather was probably the most perfect I've ever experienced here in Georgia. Thank you, God, for delivering that little surprise!

Will share pictures as soon as Jill posts them!

Peonies and Thanks

I've not been a very good blogger lately. Not posting a lot. Not visiting and commenting a lot. So busy right now. I'm off this week for Ali's wedding which is May 8. Harleigh's graduation is coming up May 22. And work, oh mylanta, busy busy busy.

And so a quick post to thank everyone for their sweet comments about Harleigh's prom pictures. I shared each and every one with her. Thanks for reading. I'll be back soon with pictures galore from this month's big events. In the meantime here's a pic of an arrangement in my living room — my peonies are thriving and so I've lots of blooms to place around my little country cottage.

Bible Storybook Keepsake Box

I got into major craft mode this afternoon and made this keepsake box. I began with vintage books about the Bible. This particular one is in a four volume set, so I have three left to make more boxes.

I began by drawing a rectangle on the first page of the book and then drilled a hole in each corner. These served as my guides when I took a ruler and exacto knife and cut out the inset. This took a while since I could only do enough pages as I could cut through. Once the box was cut out, I replaced my drill bit with a drum sander and sanded the cut edges to smooth them out and even them up.

I covered the inside front cover with scrapbook paper as well as the inside back cover (which you can see at the bottom of the box) and a portion of the cover. I then added pages from vintage Bible story books I had on hand. Then as a final step I brushed glue on the last page of the book to adhere it to the back cover, then the outside edges of the pages as well as the edges inside the box. Allowed it all to dry by stacking books on top to keep it flat. I also slipped a piece of wax paper between the cover and first page so that they wouldn't stick if there were any stray glue.

Harleigh can use these as graduation gifts for friends, and I just might keep a few to use as gifts!

Chateau Gahan Facelift

With Harleigh's graduation coming up and lots of folks expected at our humble abode, I bit the bullet and worked a bit of magic to take our house from a dated 70's cedar look to an English cottage feel. With a new dressing of gray paint, off-white trim, the addition of shutters, and a rusty-red door the place looks so much better. And this past weekend I did a bunch of planting . . . an evergreen clematis climbing up the basketball hoop, two peony bushes, a colorful mix of annuals and perennials, hydrangea. It all makes me very happy. (And the back yard is all planted too!)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Before and After

I got this cabinet a while back and was really considering just stripping and refinishing it. I hate to be that woman who always paints everything white. But in this case, I really did think it would look better in white. Not to mention that we'll be using it for Ali's wedding and so it needed to be spruced up anyway. Before and after below. Whatcha think?

Pretty China

To add to my growing collection of ceramic kitties and floral plates . . .

PCA Senior Prom 2010

It was a grand day! The weather was perfect. I went and got myself a haircut, picked up the boutonniere, then we headed to the salon. Harleigh had chosen a Sarah Jessica Parker 'do and we brought along some flowers to add in. Two hours later we headed home to get ready; we found her gown at a consignment shop over 8 months ago (for under $100!); it needed some alterations, but Grandie helped with that. We had to leave the house by 2:30 to be at Jenny's by 3:30 for picture taking with the dates. Harleigh went with a friend, Rhys, who used to go to PCA before transferring to Norcross High. And so he was excited to be asked to prom and see all his old friends. Once at the venue, Villa Christina, there were more pictures to be taken, and then the Senior Walk where each senior is announced along with what college they will be attending. For the prom itself, there was a sit-down dinner and then the dance. Afterwards they had their after-party at Jenny's house. Harleigh said it was the best prom/dance she's ever been to. And nothing made me happier than to see her glowing. And when she laughs, the way she crinkles up her nose and throws her head back . . . it warms my heart.

Down and Out

A bug hit me big time and so I've been out-of-pocket for the past two days, then back at work today functioning, but only at half speed. So bear with me as I get my bearings, catch up on lost time and stacked-up chores and to do's. Gotta be in 100% shape for Harleigh's senior prom this Friday — a full day of preparation and pre-prom festivities leading up to the evening event. Stay tuned! Don't give up on me!

Painted Chairs

I can't seem to pass up a painted chair. (The painted bench from a couple posts ago called to me . . . well, come on, who would pass up that sweet little number???) This one in Goodwill the other evening was so sturdy and the friendliest shade of ivory.

Giddy and Me

Harleigh is gone on Spring Break this week and so it's been just me and the little man. This is what we've been doing every evening after I get home from work; he surveys the birds and the squirrels and I sit in my chair and talk to him. We stay out until it turns dark. I miss my daughter big time. And it's only a week. Eegads, college is gonna kill me.

Peeps

My 90-year-old grandmother, Mam Mom, loves Easter peeps. And so at this year's Easter lunch they were served on a silver platter.