Fallen of the Face of the Earth.

I have not fallen off of the face of the earth.  

Mom's care once I brought her home from the hospital has taken all my time.   

Right now I am barely keeping my house clean so no time for decorating or any projects.  

 I will be back this week hopefully. 

Not A Decorating Post 2

This is my little Mom, Susie, from just about 2 years ago.  

The past week has been such a bad week for her.

For those of you new to my blog, my Mom is struggling with Rectal Cancer 

and just had a 7 hour surgery (3 weeks ago) to remove the tumor.  

We know the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes but she is too weak 

for any further tests right now to see if the cancer is presenting itself anywhere else yet.

As of tonight she is back in the hospital.  

 She is not recovering from the surgery.   

My house is so lonely tonight.  

I would greatly appreciate good thought and prayers sent her way.

Walking out of hospital from a radiation treatment.
Married 54 years.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Spring Fever

 I am sick.

I am feeling feverish!

Spring Feverish!!

I am so ready to loose the heavy covers and curtains.

 Is it too early to do that?

It has been in the 60's this weekend and is supposed to be close to 70 degrees on Valentines Day!

Did I mention I have spring fever?

I want to throw open the windows and let the freshness in. 

Source

Wash my bedspread and hang it out in the warm sunshine.

Source

Spring is close.

Pottery Barn Inspired Wall

I have a lot of "stuff." 

I have been wanting to create a wall of pictures and accessories. 

This picture is of the wall I wanted to work on
and these tables were just pushed here while we were painting.

So yesterday I pulled out a lot of "stuff;" and set out to create one.

I studied the pictures in Pottery Barn for inspiration.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn

So with a lot of mounting squares here is the wall that I came up with.

Couldn't get a good picture without the ceiling fan blade in my way.

I used my some of my photography. It has been up for two days and it is already the thing everyone who comes in comments on.

There is still one empty frame--bottom right.  I have to find a picture of my daughter Jennifer to go in that one.

I tried to make it with that not so organized look but as I add to it maybe I can give it more "found object" look.  

I like my squirrel but I need something sleek, maybe something glass to put in the box.  Something to contrast textures, give it a little more juxtaposition. 

I am still working on the living room.  I will continue to post pictures as it comes together slowly.

Thanks for visiting my blog,  Become a friend, add me to your blogroll or just visit often. 

Linking up to Debbiedoos Newbie Party.

Ya'll come back now...

Romancing The Porch

This evening while most people are watch Superbowl XLV I am daydreaming about romancing my porch.

I am joining Gypsy Brocante and the Porch Club and sharing my ideas for my romantic porch.

The first thing that I thought of was having privacy (of sorts).  

My porch would be attached to a big ol' house sitting in the middle of about 100 acres.

It would have a constant breeze blowing across the porch so that the gauzy curtains would billow in the breeze.

A few shade trees.

I would not have the usual porch swing.

No..I have always wanted a swinging bed so I can go out and nap in the afternoons when it is too hot to work out in my yard.

I would have lots of plants so the air would hang heavy with the smell of lilacs, roses, and maybe some wisteria.

There would be an outside fire place fireplace for those cool fall evenings when snuggling is in order.

Lanterns and candles for mood lighting.

And lots of blue flowers just because I love blue flowers.

These are just a few elements of how I would romance my porch

 but the most important thing I just have to have is...

My rugged, handsome Mr. Fix-It.

As long as he is with me he makes any porch romantic.

Case In Point

A Pillow Case in Needlepoint.

My sweet little Mom has been keeping herself busy.

Here are a few samples of some of the sets of pillow cases she has made in the past few months.  

This is the one she is working on right now.  It is one of my favorites.  She has made a set for me and my sister and all of the grandkids.

She has had this old box as long as I can remember.  I  love all the colors.

My Momma's hands.  My new favorite picture.

 Primroses.

A hint of spring!

My Southern and Eclectic Self

When you decide to write a blog you in essence decide to share a little of yourself, allow a peek inside your life.  It represents something about who you are.  

My decision to start a blog was a way to fill a lot of free time.  

Now I do it because I love blogging and I love reading other people's blog.  I have learned so much.   

You decided to start a blog and the first thing you did was to chose a title.

Do you have a story behind why you chose the name for your blog? 

 I read some of the names of the blogs I visit and I think the names are pretty self-explanatory.
 Some I look at and go "hmmmm."

 I thought I would share how I came about mine.  Not by the obvious as you may expect.

Not because I live in the south but because I am southern...

right down to my red cowboy boots.

But it is so much more than that.

A few years ago I found a book that I love because it expresses what I love about the "south."  

The book is called
  My South: A People, A Place, A World Of Its Own
by Robert St. John.  

When I was thinking about naming my blog this book is what I thought of.  

The feeling that I got the first time I read it.

One of my favorite parts from the book is:

"My south is where it is a yard sale, not a garage sale, not a tag sale-that advertises an 8 a.m. start but really starts at 5:30 in the morning when that first car pulls up, knocks on the door askin' why nothin' set out yet." 

That is where the "Southern" came from.

The "Eclectic" came from one of the best compliments I think I have ever received.   

A few friends and I were talking...a few years...and we were trying to choose 1 word that
described each other best. 

 Out of the blue, a male friend (and I specify male just because it surprised me coming from him) said that he thought of me as eclectic.
A little bit of this and a little bit of that.  

That has stuck in my mind ever since.
I like the word and what it infers. 

Source

To me it says that I am not a "cookie-cutter" kind of personality.

Southern + Eclectic = Me!

So, how did you decide what to call your blog?

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Update: Mr. Fix-It and I have continued to work off and on this week on painting the living room.  We still have some finishing touches to do.  It has not went as fast as we  (or should I say I) had hoped.  Most of my time has been spent going between work, to doctor appointments, having Hospice come in...etc..etc..

I had hoped to have pictures to post by now showing you how fabulous the new colors in the room look (and we all do love it) but that may not be happening this weekend. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Squirrels, Sunshine and Sundays

I hope you had a great weekend!  I spent my weekend bringing my mother home from the hospital and getting her settled in AND painting my living room!!  Da-daa-da-daaa ...Superwoman!

Saturday I got Mom settled in.  It took us most of the day to get her discharged from the hospital.  

 I woke up to a beautiful sunshine-y Sunday!  I had a nice time having a cup of coffee with my Mom and watching my squirrels play in the woods that border our yard.   It was even warm enough today for her to sit for a while out on my front porch.   Then I finished painting my living room and I am so excited about it.  I love the colors I chose.

Cathedral Gray-for the accent wall

Silver Sateen-for all the other walls

Why is it you find so many more cobwebs when you paint than you do when you dust?
 How do I miss them and yet find them when I am painting?

My living room is still a mess and I have to do a few more touch ups before I take any pictures.  I haven't quite finished painting the accent wall yet.  Then my sweet Mr. Fix-It is going to hang the flat screen on the accent wall.  

 I am trying to sort out what rooms I want to put my furniture in.  I still have so much that I need to get out of storage.  I have completely changed my whole decorating style and I am trying to change my furniture to match my new style.  Trying to decide what to keep, what to paint and what to sell or give away.    

Here are a few pictures of the house we sold.  See how country it was.

I can't wait to get a roof built over my front porch at the new place.
 In true southern tradition I paint my porch ceilings blue. 

 Funny but I don't miss it at all. 

Now I am trying to incorporate my furniture and accessories into the remodel of the house we are living in now.  The kitchen that we remodeled here is very different than the house we used to own.

A totally different look for me.   With this kitchen I got to choose everything where in the old house I had to decorate around what was already there.  I guess there are some good things about buying a home that has been completely stripped of everything.

My living room is definitely a work in progress.  The new paint color really makes me ready for the new furniture that we have picked out   See the furniture I want  here.

I will take some pics of the new colors in the living room sometime this week. I still need to get some things settled back in place and pictures back on the walls.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Linking to:

Debbiedoos Newbie Party
Gypsy Brocante Porch Club Monday

Wishing for a Mudroom.

I have been painting for a little while each evening after coming home from staying with Mom at the hospital.  I love the color and it is completely changing the way this place looks. 

I want to make an area in the living room that resembles a mudroom...just a stopping place right inside the front door.  This modular home has no mudroom.  This is kind of what I am thinking of...

This I can do.  I have an old toy box bench that I could use and I have a shelf made very similar to this one that Mr. Fix-It built me a few years ago.  I can paint them the same color and make them look like a set.    This will have to be my next project once the walls are finished.

 I will be bringing Mom home from the hospital tomorrow to live with me for a few months.  We did get bad news again.  Her cancer has spread into her lymph nodes.  She will be going from Palliative Care to Hospice Care.   I took today off and spent the morning with her at the hospital and then cleaned up her bedroom and got it all ready for her to come home tomorrow.   There is no real space for any decorations in her room.  We have her hospital bed, her wheel chair, a bedside potty chair, a dresser, a bench and chair for visitors.   I try to make it as nice as possible because she has to spend so much time in there.  Any suggestions for making it more pleasant, let me know.  

 
By the way, cancer sucks.