Contentment

I found this fun flickr site (by Erik Kastner) via Kim at Calamity Kim. I love how with blogging, you click on one person, who leads you to another, and then you find something wonderful, that leads you to more wonderful. Calamity Kim is just that . . . a wonderful blog (and, of course, I'm sure, a great person)!

Shoji Screen . . . next steps

Bought the primer and paint today for the frame and will tackle the painting tomorrow morning. In the meantime, with the day off from work and daughter at school I took advantage of leisurely strolls through the aisles of Hobby Lobby and Michael's. So much fun to see all the Halloween decorations! Have been debating the look I want for the screen and have been thwarted by the fact that I'm usually quite the coward when it comes to injecting color into my home. Well, I'm taking a stance on this little project and am going all out with color.

So as I scoured the scrapbook paper aisles, I honed in on, simply, what I liked. Didn't matter what papers went with other papers or even what colors are in my bedroom. This screen is going to make me happy. You can see I even bought some origami paper and in the lower right corner you can see a filagree stencil paper (in black!). Yes, I will take that giant leap and throw in some black. Watch out, girls, I'm on a roll.

Three Random Things

We've had really bad rainstorms here the past two days. And, of course, Gideon had been bathed this past weekend and so I've been a bit obsessed about not letting him run amuck out in the wetness and mud. Here is the double rainbow in this evening's sky (the second one is tad bit lighter). Quite a site to behold (and yes, I was driving and taking a picture, something I will never do again, because three different people around me almost had accidents because they were taking pictures with their cell phones).Here's our beautiful and clean dog, still smelling of shampoo and much more snuggly than when he was in his pre-bath state.And my Shoji screen, stripped of all the backing, which was sort of a white batting of some sort. I will be painting it a matte white and doing something with scrapbook paper . . . soon to be unveiled.

White Slipcovers Are My Friends

Had a bit of anxiousness about dressing my chair and ottoman in white, especially since daughter watches TV in chair (which means lots of feet on cushions, hard leaning on arms of said chair, and eating and drinking while camped in chair), and big dog uses the ottoman as his perch. But I have loved the look of the white slipcovers and so far so good when it comes to wearability. The saving grace was spraying it with Scotchgard, and the ottoman (dog is dirtier than daughter) needs a washing now, but I'm diggin' the look of it.

And I think what I like most about it is that with it being white, I can accessorize it with whatever accent throws I have. Here is one my Nana made. Have always loved ivory and white together, and of course pink flowers look lovely in any setting.

Check back in with me later when Harleigh dribbles chocolate ice cream on the chair and Gideon comes inside from a muddy backyard and makes a bee-line for the ottoman. But for now, all is good.

Football Season Begins!

We girls here at Chateau Gahan have always lived for high school football season. Down here in the good ol' South, it's the pulse of Friday nights. Before Harleigh transferred to private school (where, alas, there is no football team or marching band), what we loved most about Norcross High were the basketball and football teams and the marching band. Tonite was the first game of the season and Norcross played Camden at the Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. We lost terribly, but Harleigh and I had a blast. 1) We'd never been to the Dome before, 2) it warmed my heart to think of these kids playing in an NFL venue, 3) Harleigh got to see all her NHS bandmates, and 4) she and I got to hoot and holler. Made for a great evening.

We'll be back to small-town highschool football fields next week and the weeks to come, but perhaps we'll find ourselves back at the Dome playing a State championship game.

It's such the little things at the end of the day

The girls at the office all went out after work tonite to some drinky outdoorsy social thingy in town. I love these gals dearly and, as they know, I am comfortable — to a fault — when it comes to working a room, but . . . at my age (and thankfully my contentment level with my life and most importantly, me), there is one thing that trumps going out socially: nesting at home.

This is what I love coming home to every day:

1) A 16-year-old daughter who fills me in on every detail of her day (and then is usually off to run her own errands, which does afford me some quiet alone time)
2) A big old snuggly dog who just needs the ball (in his case, it's a volleyball because it suits his size better) to be tossed a few hundred times while I sit in a chair and maybe, if I am so inclined, while I water plants.
3) A house that is usually cluttered with "1 dog, 2 girls" things but yet embraces me with such a big bear hug that I don't ever want to leave.
4) And my big chair in the "ken" (the room off the kitchen that is supposed to be the dining area, but that I've made into a sitting room). The picture shows the table next to my chair. The radio, an old General Electric that I do believe I've had since I was in my twenties, gets turned on to NPR. The glasses go on so that I can read whatever book or magazine needs attention (and the selection has NOTHING to do with work, mind you). And I am happy.

www.yearbookyourself.com

Way too fun. You gotta try it.

This won't win me Mother of the Year, but it works . . .

I work full time (actually, now at work with all that we've got going on, it's overly-full time).
I have a 16-year-old daughter who, thankfully, drives now and has her own car. She goes to school, has extra-curricular activities, works out at the gym, takes voice lessons, babysits . . . she's all over the place.
I have a big dog who, rightly so, needs lots of attention.
I have a home, yard, and my own fun projects and interests that keep me busy when I'm not working.

Weekends are our true commitment to mother/daughter time, when we enjoy eating meals together, shopping, going to the movies, lying in bed just talking and laughing. Harleigh is just plain ol' fun to be with and I wouldn't want any remnants of our chaotic and stressful week to creep into OUR weekend time.

One thing that has gotten totally out of whack has been our weekday dinner time. As a meal shared together, it is close to non existent. Which I can deal with. But I really started feeling guilty about us not eating a balanced dinner. Left to her own devices, Harleigh's dinner would consist of a handful of doritos washed down with an energy drink. Mine would be eating corn out a can while standing at the kitchen counter going through the day's mail.

So I went out and bought divided plastic containers. And for the past two weeks have taken an hour on Sunday to make up meals. Neither one of us cares about eating the same thing every night, so I stick to two menus, which makes it really easy. Last week it was black beans/rice/chicken and meatloaf/rice/squash. This week it is salmon/mashed potatoes/cauliflower and broccoli and chicken/mashed potatoes and gravy/green beans. I change the combos around, stick to steaming the veggies, using fat-free gravy, buying fresh fish and chicken . . . the dinners are good for us and taste good too.

Gideon's First Visit to the Dog Park

Gideon has never been to a dog park before. And for purely selfish reasons on my part. I am scared to death of dog fights. I have no idea why. Have no past bad experiences, but I really do need to quit being a big baby about it. Anywho . . .

We are new members of oes.org — an online community of Old English Sheepdog owners from around the globe — and they have a section on their website for posting OES playdates at area dog parks. I saw one for a group that meets 5 minutes from where we live! I couldn't believe that there are more OES's out there in our area. They posted a play date for this evening and I sucked it up and decided we'd go. We had a blast. Three other OES's and their owners showed up (they do a big sheepie play date in late October where 40-50 sheepies show up!). It was great to share stories of our "kids" as well as swap info about the breed.

Gideon was not nearly as playful as the others. He stayed close to me or Harleigh, seeming more of a momma's boy than I would have liked. But he seemed to enjoy himself and is now zonked out asleep.

Here are pix. One of the OES, Sunshine, is a rescue dog whose tail was never docked. A few pictures show a breed I've never seen before, a Tibetan Mastiff, otherwise known as the "lion dog." His name is Aslan and he is just as regal and as gentle a giant as the lion in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Lakewood in Cumming

Harleigh and I decided to check-out the sister location of the long-gone and gigantic Lakewood Antiques Market. Lakewood Antiques Market in Cumming is much, much smaller than we anticipated and lacks the charm of the original location. I know, we're spoiled by all the memories that the big Lakewood created for us. I don't think we'll go back to the Cumming location, but it was a nice way to spend a few hours this afternoon. We did manage to come home with two finds. For my birthday coming up in September, Harleigh bought me two pins that I fell in love with. Can't show them here because she whisked them into her purse as soon as she paid for them; dang nab it, have to wait until the big day.

And yes, we did get funnel cake.

Our dear Mr. Henson, always victorious . . .

Harleigh's band director from middle school, Mr. Troy Henson, passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was just 34 years old. This man was one of the most beloved teachers I have ever come to know. The kids adored him. It was Mr. Henson who encouraged Harleigh to take-up the oboe, since the school owned one and there was no oboe player in the band. It was playing in Mr. Henson's band that made her middle school years such joyful ones. He created a comradery amongst the kids that lasted right up through high school and beyond. The concerts these kids performed always brought tears to my eyes, as his passion for music and the children resounded in every note that was played.

Thank you, Mr. Henson, for the music.

Housewarming Gift

I came across this today and forgot that I had put it aside about a month ago when doing some down-n-dirty cleaning here at Chateau Gahan. This is a housewarming gift a friend of mine, Kelly, had given us back in 1999 when we moved into our "home." (And how sweet it was to say that word . . . home.)

Kelly bough the Visitor's Journal (this and other fun journals can be found at this site), and done some fancy work to create a new cover for it. She even photoshopped "Chateau Gahan" onto the gate sign. I've loved having it. My houseguests — whether it be for just dinner or an overnight visit — have enjoyed writing in it and I've loved looking through the entries. Makes me feel like the proprietor of a B&B.

Two Shell Crosses for Sale

When I did my 200th Post Giveaway, I had an overwhelming response to the shell cross included in the package. That particular one was a small cross, but most of what I've crafted have been larger ones (13" x 9"). Some people thought they'd be perfect for a beach house, one gal is doing a nursery in a seaside theme, others collect shells, some — like me — adore anything beachy, a few collect crosses, some live in coastal communities, others have beach- or ocean-themed rooms in their homes.

It is a project I love doing. My heart goes into each and every one. I'm selling two here. Both are the large version. I debated on price, and with the help from some blog friends and chatting with my family, I'm going to offer one at $40, the other at $45. That does not include the shipping, which I can figure and then communicate to whoever wishes to purchase one.

Simply leave me a comment; first come, first served. Tell me which cross you'd like to purchase. Make sure you also leave me your email address if your name doesn't automatically link to a blogger profile that contains your email address.

And I do plan on making many more.

Crosss 1: The Sea Urchin Crown — $40 plus shipping
Cross 2: Broken — $45 plus shipping
I found this twisted piece of coral (?) on the Florida coast, and it seemed to work perfectly here to symbolize Christ's twisted body. I used lots of broken shells and shell fragments to piece this cross together.

Crossed off my TO DO list!

Back in June I did a post about a lamp I have at my kitchen window. I believe it was Sarah from Vintage Lily who made a suggestion about covering the cord. I made a note in my little TO DO spiral notebook and have tackled that project today!

I always keep a strip of hide-a-cord in my garage. I have a few wall-mounted lamps in my house and use these strips to hide the cords. They're easy to paint the color of the wall, and the peel-n-stick back mounts easily and stays secure.

Thanks, Sarah, for encouraging me to do it right!

Shoji Screen

Was in Hobby Lobby today just killin' time (so nice to do nothing after this past week of work; that's a post unto itself!). Saw this Shoji screen and didn't think twice about it, but then I saw that one of the paper panels was ripped. Light bulb lights up in head. Went to the manager and he gave the screen to me for $20. The original cost was $70, which I would never have paid. I think I'll rip all the rice paper off and replace the backing with a vintage fabric or wallpaper. I might even spray paint the frame and panes, depending on the fabric I find.

One of the nice things about the screen is that the hinges allow the panels to fold both ways, so there's lots of configurations I can put it into. Now . . . onto the hunt for the fabric/wallpaper.

Nana's Nightgowns

Growing up, a trip to my Nana and PapPap's was always a treat. My grandfather owned a one-man feed and grain brokerage that he ran from an office in his basement. Nana was his "secretary" and they shared a huge two-person desk, facing each other. So for me and Beth, there was always lots of playing "office." Typewriters to peck on with fingers we pretended were graced with long, painted nails (secretaries always had well-manicured nails); stamps with rotating month/day/year that we'd press onto ink pads and then date our correspondence; order pads with two sheets sandwiching a waxy, purple page of mimeograph paper so that we'd have duplicates of all orders placed; chunky, black rotary dial phones with square clear plastic buttons in a row under the dial that lit up depending on which line you were on; a big adding machine with a roll of paper. And all of it scented of PapPap's pipe tobacco, adding to the allure of being grown up and running a business.

Upstairs in the dining room, their coat closet housed a toy box, filled with old toys from our dad's childhood as well as random items that Nana and PapPap would buy or be given (an occasional can coozie or toothpick dispenser) that never fell into the toy category, but would always bring squeals of delight simply because it was new to the box. But the best part of the toy box were Nana's nightgowns. We called them negligees back then. There was nothing Victoria's Secret about them. They were all rather plain and mumu-like. But it was the fabric . . . that wonderful, flowy polyester, usually at least two layers of it. And the pastel candy colors, and satin ribbon trim, maybe even embroidered flower appliques. They were magic to us, so easy to play princess when there's lot of dreamy fabric to sashay from side to side. There was always an equally enchanting assortment of hi-heels to wear.

We'd walk the driveway in our negligees and heels, a pocketbook in the crooks of our arms, and play dress-up for hours. Out in front of the house there were two graceful mimosa trees and we'd climb them as high as we could go, sitting on the branches in our Nana gowns, hi-heels dangling. Oh what the neighbors must have thought.

When I found out that I was having a girl, the first thing I did was start a dress-up trunk. By the time Harleigh was old enough to want to play dress-up, I brought out the tub chocked full of heels, gloves, old prom gowns, purses, and . . . you bet, lots of vintage nightgowns. They were always her favorite to wear. For all the same reasons that we adored them.

This past weekend when shopping at the thrift store I came across this one and bought it to add to the dress-up trunk (never even thought of doing away with it once Harleigh grew out of dress-up play). I figure that if I have a granddaughter (or two or three), then I will grow a tradition as sweet as the one my Nana made for me.

Just one more thing . . .

. . . to keep you up late at night, glassy-eyed, in front of your computer. Harleigh introduced me to picnik.com, a great free sight on which you can upload photos and then do all kinds of fun things to alter them. It has all the bells and whistles of iPhoto, plus it offers up all these neat tricks, like turning your photo into a pencil sketch or neon sign. You can add a shape or doodle (from a huge menu), text, and all kinds of frames.

Here's a picture I took of a print in my bathroom. I boosted the color a little, added the text and a Polaroid frame.
Here is one of my favorite pictures of little man Gideon. I did something funky with the color, fuzzied it, added a thought bubble and made the corners round.
This picture below has a 1960's effect, like the prints I used to get when I got the film developed from my little point-and-shoot.
What a great way to add variety to the pictures on your blog!

Sunday Warm-Fuzzy

Harleigh told me about this, we watched it, I cried like an idiot.

Air Plants

Last Christmas a co-worker bought me a lovely hanging glass vase. I had been poking around blogland, having just started my own blog, and saw a post where someone had used an air plant in a similar glass vase. Well, try finding an air plant anywhere else but Florida. I've been searching since December of last year to no avail. So I turned to the internet and ordered a variety assortment of air plants from Black Jungle. The box arrived a couple of days ago and how pretty they are!

A few others at the office were gifted with the vase, so I thought by buying a variety pack, I could give everyone a plant for their own vases. I've hung mine at the kitchen window using fishing line.

New Thrift Store in Town

After dropping Gideon off at the groomer this morning, I noticed a sign for a newly-opened thrift store. Detour! Detour! Wound up getting these two shells (from the FREE box), two satin-lined boxes covered in a neat quilted vintage fabric, two small bowls for $1 each. One, with the daisies, is made by Haviland & Co., the other is made by The Butchart Gardens out of Victoria, Canada. The March "sweet dish" from the Gardens is on their online store for $8.99 so I got a good deal on that. It will be a little extra gift in my sister's birthday package come March (her birthday month).

My sister's daughter, Melanie, has just graduated from high school and will be starting college this fall working towards a degree in library science. I've been holding off on sending her a graduation gift check, trying to find a first edition book to send her, with the check tucked 'tween the pages ala bookmark. Seemed a little warmer than sending just a check. Snagged this edition for $24. I don't think it is first edition (first edition would have been 1886 and this one is 1895), but just couldn't pass it up. Just look at how beautiful the spine is.

And the winner is . . .

I used the number generator at random.org and the lucky number was 3! Jackie at Empty Nest Full Life is the winner (and she would not have been if she hadn't posted about my giveaway and gotten herself two additional entries which allotted her entry numbers 2, 3 and 4!! Way to go, Jackie!)

For those of you who have expressed an interest in my crosses, I have decided to offer them for sale. I love making them and certainly can't hang them all. I am debating going the etsy route and am looking into that today. Will publish a post with the outcome. In the meantime, I'm working on a if-I-must-say-so-myself truly beautiful one now!

What's worse than a cottage cheese ceiling?

A cottage cheese ceiling with water damage.

Came home this Wednesday evening to discover a puddle in the middle of the hallway carpet. Looked up to see a dimpled and somewhat bulging ceiling, heavy with water and dripping. Not a plumbing issue but a heating/AC one. Seems that there's some faulty mechanism on my AC unit that caused an excess of condensation on the pipes snaking through my ceiling to the attic furnace. Am close to getting the AC fixed, but now have to deal with homeowner's insurance to repair the ceiling. Perhaps in the process I can get rid of the cottage cheese?!?!?!

With our AC off for two days (and temps here in ATL in the high 90's), our poor Gideon has been boarded at the vet's. With a part on order and likely not to get installed until next week, it will be a long couple of days with nothing but fans going in every room. There's nothing worse than getting ready in the morning — especially if it involves a hair dryer — whilst sweating like a pig.

Last day for entering 200th Post giveaway!

If you've not already commented on my giveaway post, the contest ends at midnight tonite!