Five For Friday

 

Friday...time for some weekend fun and Five For Friday...

1) I have been RElearning the game of chess.  Rich and I set up the board last weekend and after reviewing the rules we played a couple of games in which he did nothing drastic (like checkmate within 4 moves)....Of course as we continue to play he lets me make the move and then instructs...I am missing a lot of obvious moves at this point!! 

2) St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner so we are "puttin on the green"...

We have been going to our dear friends the Delaneys for St. Patrick's dinner for well over a decade now.  As the girls have grown and all gone off to college we have become very laid back about it all...sometime during the month of March when the largest group can gather we have our traditional dinner of Corned Beef (and potatoes and or cabbage) and Soda Bread.  This is an acquired taste kind of menu but we all love it (except Pam...but she cooks it anyway :)

This year the dinner is tomorrow night so Megan, Chelsea, and Katelyn will be able to come as well as Rich's mom and dad!  I am doing dessert this year and have chosen something special I found on Pinterest...more about that in the next post...but it it will incorporate chocolate and mint! 

This particular shade of green is not a color everyone has hanging in the closet to wear, so I jumped on these sweet little green shamrock earrings at the Brighton store over in Destin Commons last month. They had 4 pairs left so we will be covered for dinner tomorrow night and I will send Nicole her pair...no pinches for us ;)!!

3) While I am on this Irish jig...here is a book recommendation for all of you that love a series, a family saga, history, and a good love story...

In the first book we meet the villagers of Ballynockanor including

the lovely widow Kate Donovan Garrity and the stranger in town named Joseph...

I loved this series...maybe it is time to read it again??!!

4) Finally, finally after almost a year of talking about and looking for it...I have found my new "office"...it is on its way and will look beautiful in the sun room and will be used daily for years and years to come! 

this is a picture of it in the Wisteria catalog

 

 5) This weekend ushers in Daylight Savings Time...that means the clock SPRINGS forward an hour...which typically means a lot of people are late for church on Sunday morning! It seems like this clock has already sprung loose!!

I hope you enjoy your weekend whatever it may bring!!

Squirrels in the Attic...Dowagers on the Loose???

My grandmother was no pushover!  She had certain rules and ideas about lots of things.  I remember a certain beautiful lead-crystal-from-Germany candy dish that sat on her coffee table.  Instead of moving it out of harms way she would say "NO-NO...DON'T TOUCH" Somehow that candy dish made it through many grandchildren and great grandchildren (of course it helped that she often had very strange candy in it...sesame somethings...)!!  However...candy dishes are not the topic for today...

She had a slipper chair and this chair was a child magnet because it was the perfect height and it could SPIN!!!  "NO-NO...DON'T SPIN THE CHAIR!"  And that was the way it was until my daughter Katelyn came along. My grandmother was 79 at the time and lived here in Florida and spent lots of time with all of my girls.  For some reason (maybe she was just tired and figured who cares...it's a chair) she was very entertained by Katelyn spinning the chair around and giggling!! I would look oddly at my grandmother as she sat in her wheelchair with her pink or blue or floral house dress on and her very short silvery hair and this smile on her face.  What happened to NO-NO DON'T SPIN?  Mind you I was never permitted to do it so I was a little put out that my youngest daughter was permitted this privilege.  My grandma would just wave her very arthritic hand and say let her be!

It was no real surprise to me when grandma told me that she wanted Katelyn to have her slipper chair after she died.  At this point Kate was about 8 and well past the spinning chair phase and didn't really get it (let's be honest she was probably thinking this old worn-out chair...what am I supposed to do with it?)  Grandma passed and the chair has pretty much sat in this window ever since we moved here.  Over the years I have thought that I should get the chair reupholstered but...you know, it isn't my chair...I am merely the keeper of the chair!!  Recently I decided...it's time and so I asked Katelyn if it would be okay to get grandma's chair redone and put it upstairs in her bedroom.  She said "Sure," and went on to the next subject!

I went to a local business where I have purchased lots of furniture and knew that they had an extensive selection of fabrics that could be ordered. Instead of showing me through the fabric I was reminded that it was more expensive to reupholster a chair than buy a new.  Okay...plan B.  I talked to my friends and was pointed in the direction of a local antiques gallery that has moved into design and decorating in recent years.  So this week I went...finally...to deal with the chair!!  I ended up at another locally owned business that designs and makes fabric...Parthenon has a seconds room that has great prices on fabric.  Many a classroom of mine through the years have had curtains made from fabric that I fell in love with in their seconds room!!  On this trip I was looking for fabric in the blue range...to match Kate's room.

The cornflower blue with white chandeliers...I love it and it has a great story behind it (which I am saving for another post)...but, not enough left in stock!

The blue, yellow, and white stripe...could work...but looks like me not Kate!

 The simple blue...hmmm it is the same color the chair was originally, but as Nicole said...since when do you play it safe??

Okay, so maybe the light blue floral...

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!!! So, since I am dragging my feet on this issue a bit I will move onto Five for Friday stuff!!

1) February has less than a week left and I HAVE been working on my resolutions list for this month. First...paper organization...next week I tackle the last of that...the two drawer safe...it really hasn't been that bad!!

2) I am very happy to show the before and after Laundry Room project...

Here it is in all its practical glory...I mean it's a laundry room and the first stop into the house from the garage.  Some days it is cleaner than others...But, Rich has been on the bandwagon to get anything on that window looking into the garage...that is code for "Kim, this is at the top of my to-do list on your next out of town trip and it will take one 20 minute trip to Home Depot!"

So...thank you smith + noble for sending me your latest window treatment catalog with my new window treatment on the front cover!!! I simply took the measurements,got on the phone and ordered it, and Voila!!

And for today, the laundry room is pretty clean!!

3)  We have squirrels in two of our attics...and so next week is the beginning of that huge project.  I have professionals on this...and of course the first thing they show me is this...

The best way to keep squirrels off of the roof and out of the attics...do not provide them a ladder (so to speak)...I am just being honest, but I don't really see my husband jumping on the let's-cut-this-tree-back-so-the-squirrels-can't- get-on-the-roof. Cause seriously, there are lots of "ladders"...like this Crepe Myrtle tree right outside my kitchen window...

This is one reason why Jack, Nicole's cat in residence (while they sell their house), spends lots of time in this window...watching...

But I digress...the professionals (as I will refer to them) spent 3 hours climbing around the attics and on the roof...and there is now a detailed plan...much like a war plan.  It begins with sealing off entries and trapping any pesky squirrels that just want to be in the attic.  Hopefully by the end of next week all of that, and extensive cleanup (which includes removal of the insulation) will be complete. I will update as this goes on...but hopefully by the end of March we will have restored attics, lower electric bills, and no more uninvited visitors in our home!!

Oh the joys of home ownership...

4) I love my new red ottoman recently purchased from Grandin Road and now at home in the loft.  It provides extra seating, works as a coffee table, and has lots of storage!

And yes, I have saved the best for last...

5)  Downton Abbey!!!

  Need I say more?  Yes I know they are in season 3 and I have just finished watching season 1...

What can I say...I don't watch TV (Morning Joe...O'Reilly Factor...House Hunters...The Property Brothers...Chopped...College Football games...Thanksgiving Parade...)

Every show I have loved I have watched well after the fact:

Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Alias, 24, Parenthood...and now

Downton Abbey...

The simple pleasure of a family saga in the backdrop of the early 1900s English countryside...my favorites of the first season...

The "girls" are not your average mom and daughter set...they have issues but beautiful clothes!

Two good eggs... Anna and Bates.  Will they end up together...ever??

The "ladies"...gotta love Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess

of Grantham and Isobel Crawley...different as night and day,

they scuffle over...well just about anything.  Notice the difference in

the clothing style...it says alot!

Can't wait to start season 2...time for WWI and is that Lady Sybil...

dressed as a nurse??

In case you are wondering...Gabby and I are surviving training...some minor set backs here and there are not stopping us!!  She has learned to stay within 5 feet of me when I am in the sun room...so I don't use the leash first thing in the morning now.  This week we added "Watch Me" to our training. I want her to look at me when I give her a command so this is the homework for the week.  We practice about 4 times a day...when she is very awake and active (unlike this pic in which she is nearly comatose)!!

Have a wonderful weekend...if the rain doesn't go away I may just have to have a Downton Abbey Marathon!!

Do you ever warm up when running a half marathon in below 30 degree weather?

It's half marathon weekend for Rich.  This afternoon we are heading up to Birmingham...home of CLAIRE...and her fabulous parents!

Tomorrow we will go to the race registration/expo, drive the course, have lunch and do a little shopping in Homewood.  We are babysitting CLAIRE tomorrow night so Nicole and David can go on a date...it's tough being pop and gigi ;)

On Sunday morning we will get up at the FREEZING crack of dawn and after dropping Rich off at the start line (possibly dressed like Randy, the little brother in A Christmas Story) Nicole and I will head to Starbucks in Five Points where we will load up on coffee and cheer him on as he speeds by (and possibly collect a couple layers of clothing if he hasn't already thrown them on the side of the road)!

  It is just our luck that it has been spring for the last several weeks and NOW it decides to turn winter on us :(  But Rich is upbeat about it...maybe he will switch his goal from running a certain time, to surviving a brutal below freezing run on the hills of Birmingham!  Nicole and I have changed our goal from a leisurely morning of being team support and discussing all kinds of stuff we never have time to talk about, to can we time our roadside stops and enthusiastic cheering on to under 5 minutes (cause we will only be running from the car to the designated cheering on spot and will be shedding no clothes along the way)!!  Even though we have done no training she and I feel confident we can do our part...I'll let you know...

On another note it's Five For Friday time...this week some new favorite things!

I love this glass jar with the sweet bird stopper.  I found it in Seaside a couple weeks ago and now it holds bubble bath...ahhh!

I wrote about the black bensimon lace ups last summer.  I logged many miles in London and Paris with them.  I found the navy blue slip-ons in Rosemary Beach recently and have enjoyed them during our recent spring weather.  A note about these shoes, they are European and while they have US sizes in them...it's best to try them on!

Ironing board cover from www.potterybarn.com ...makes me want to...iron!

Pillows are an inexpensive way to change up a room...

Avenue Sea in downtown Panama City always has beautiful pillows for every season and room!

And finally...the metal blue  bird that I found at my favorite poke about shop on the west end of the beach...The Beach House Market

 Hope you have a grand weekend...it's gonna be cold...so make some soup, build a fire, and read a good book!!

Debates, Colonies, National Treasure...It's Five for Friday!

It is a political season complete with the good, the bad, the ugly; and whether we like it or despise it we are fortunate, are we not, to live in a country that allows the discussion and yes, the heated debate.  I have to confess I am a junkie for this kind of stuff...not the political pundits going on and on mind you, I like to listen to the candidates debate and really appreciate a good exchange in which sometimes everything that was said yesterday is "unpacked" and sometimes denied today.  It is entertaining at times...you must admit! 
Last night I watched the Florida debate with fascination...I am going to vote today so it was must-see TV for me! While I choose not to publish my personal political views here on my blog, I strongly encourage all of you young citizens of our wonderful country to pay attention, engage your mind, listen to the candidates, look at history, talk to your parents, siblings, grandparents...and vote!!

So, off of my soapbox, I am wondering...when was the last time you took a look at the Declaration of Independence?...(yea, I know, not the best segue, but it was referenced last night...I remember memorizing this for a college class on teaching History ;)  Well here it is...the well known and often memorized preamble... 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

 Five facts For Friday that you might or might not know about this document.

1)  Thomas Jefferson was the author of the document ~ chosen to pen it from the committee of FIVE that was appointed to draft a statement.

2) The Declaration of Independence was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies* on July 1st 1776, New York did not vote. Congress began the debate, revisions were made, and the bells rang throughout Philadelphia on July 4, 1776...the Declaration of Independence had been officially adopted by all 13 colonies.

3) John Hancock, President of the congress, was the first to sign the parchment.

4) There is writing on the back of the original.  It is not visible and reads
"Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776." It is written upside down.  NO, there is no map leading to treasure (contrary to the notion in the much loved movie...National Treasure).

5) There are 26 known copies of the document; 21 owned by American institutions, 2 by British Institutions, and 3 by private owners.


 *The 13 Colonies in chronological order (in case you have forgotten...I have):

Virginia~ the first English-speaking colony to survive was Jamestown, VA founded in 1607
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Maryland
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Delaware
North Carolina
South Carolina
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Georgia ~1732

And now for a bit of fun on this Friday...National Treasure...



Doesn't every boy want to be a treasure hunter??  
Treasure your weekend!!

The United States Map...It's a Good Thing!

While in Birmingham last week I happened upon this United States Map and snatched it up!  It is a combination of the teacher/traveler gene in me that makes me smile at the possibilities a map holds!  I plan to find a really cool frame for this map and then find someplace in my home to showcase it!

Looking at this map brings interesting things to mind...

 This is my "stomping ground" and while my kids seem far away at times, I realize that I am very fortunate that they are just up the road and I can get to them all with no worries!!   I love this part of the country, it is home and holds memories that I cherish...as well as future adventures that I look forward to!

It's interesting that my present day hometown, Panama City, isn't on the map in Florida, but my childhood hometown of Parkersburg, WV is!! Looking at a map it seems weird to me that you have to travel slightly NW to get to Columbus, OH!! While it didn't really seem southern to me while growing up, I did live south of the Mason-Dixon line so technically I have always been a southerner!!

Lots of love for this part of the country...We've done a couple trips to Philadelphia, Boston (fabulous place to take a group of 5th graders), New York City (my absolute favorite big city), and Vermont...our favorite after-Christmas-to-see-snow destination...

Okay, so before I get too wrapped up in my map let me just end this post with Five things you can use a map for on a Friday...or any other day!

1) You can learn all the states...or relearn them!  Over Christmas we somehow played this game in which we had only so many minutes to write down all the states...I did it by alphabetical order, one of the girls did it by regions, Chels's bf Stephen wrote down the ones he could think of...I don't remember, but i THINK Kate was the winner! We all got 40-some...but you know Rhode Island...it slips your mind!

2) You can learn all the state capitals! This is really useful knowledge if you are ever around Richard Dodd who loves the joke..."How do you pronounce the capital of Kentucky...Louisville or Loueyville?" (It's...Frankfort :)

3) You can buy a map for every vacation you take and visually journal your trip on the map by marking all the places you visit and adding pictures; then matte and frame it. Instant scrapbook! My father-in-law has done this for several of his vacations and they are all hanging along one of the hallways...very cool!!

4)  You can do cool stuff like mark every state you have been to; every big city you have visited; every state park you have camped in; every place you have run a race...the possibilities are endless!

5) You can come up with some excellent ideas for future vacations...I am definitely thinking I want to go to the Grand Tetons, Alaska, and Texas someday!!! 

What can I say...I love a map!!