Time to Rise and Shine!

Good Morning!  Rise and shine sleepyhead!  That's what I used to wake up too every morning as a child and teenager.  Well almost every morning, to be completely honest, there were lot's of mornings when my mother would just yell from the door...time to rise and shine!  

It's hard to get excited about rising and shining when the weather is so dreary outside.  It sure has been quite overcast, drizzly and foggy lately!  Luckily for me I am off to work and will not be looking at this dreary day for long.  That's one advantage of being inside a building for an 8 hour stretch, wouldn't you agree? For someone like me who loves being outside it's great to have an excuse for being stuck inside on a day like this.   Hey, you gotta look for the positives in life friends, always!

Speaking of positives, I thought I'd share a little kitchen vignette that I set up in the kitchen with my cheery and colorful rooster.  After I took the Christmas tree down in the kitchen I decided to put my black desk back in the kitchen instead of the painted fruit table.  I like how the black coordinates with my dining table and stools and provides a great background for bright colors to bounce off of.

After bringing my colorful rooster back out I decided to stay with the whole rooster theme and keep going with it.  So, out came the little salt and pepper shaker I got from Cracker Barrel last year. 

Now, I know I'm jumping the gun a bit here with the spring flowers but I just couldn't help myself.   A big bonus is they have been especially cheery to see every morning with  all this dreary weather and I really needed some height here in my vignette.  Lesson learned, just because it's cold and dreary outside doesn't mean it has to be that way inside.

Checked napkins in a basket and stacks of dishes and I was just about done.  Very country huh?

I love seeing stacks of dishes sitting out, do you?  I especially love it when the dishes are interesting and colorful too.  I wish I had one of those cute little willow and wire chargers to sit this on but just can't quite talk myself into spending what those things cost.  Please someone let me know if you ever see them go on sale anywhere.

 These rooster dishes are from Fitz and Floyd purchased at TJ Maxx.

And because I had a cute little cubby hole and more dishes small enough to fit in there I added them too.

Nice and bright and cheery!

Cock-a-doodle-do!  Rise and shine Yall!

I am joining Marty today for a very special 

Tabletop Tuesday.

She is celebrating her 100th linky party.  I am very happy to be able to attend and have already been checking out a few fabulous vignettes.  I can't wait to get back home tonight to check out more for lot's of beautiful decorating inspiration.  I sure could use it!

Congratulations Marty and Thank you for hosting such a wonderfully inspiring party every week!

Hope you all have a beautiful day whatever the weather is in your neck of the woods.

Thanks for stopping by!

Drip Drop Goes the Faucet

Did that get your attention?  Have you been there before?  I'd even bet some of you are thinking this is going to be a post about all the pretty new wonderful faucets available out there.  Sorry to disappoint you but it's not.  It's literally a post about a dripping faucet, not that I have one though.  Now I know some of you may be a bit confused right about now and wondering...do I have a leaky faucet or not. I most definitely do not.  Then what the heck am I talking about?  

I am talking about capturing the drip drops of water from the faucet on the photos.  You see, I am rather amateurishly trying to learn how to use my camera.  I am participating in a blog lesson party over at It's Overflowing.  Please check out the link here to see more for yourself.  This lesson is about shutter speed and this photo was taken with my shutter speed set at 1/30.

 This one shows my shutter speed set at 1/60

Again, this one was taken at 1/250....

And this one, set at 1/500.  I am loving how the water shows up differently in each and can see the lesson on movement but am quite baffled about why the lighting changed in each of these photos without me adjusting anything other then the shutter speeds.  If any of experts out there would care to comment on this I would love to know.  

Please be kind though and remember I am a newbie! 

On a personal note, I am enjoying a full weekend off despite the weather. Hope you are having a great weekend too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Question about Blogger Reply?

Hey Yall!  I've got a quick question regarding the new blogger reply feature.  I am so thrilled by this new addition and of course added it right away.  Why so thrilled?  Because I had previously allowed for blogger reply comments in my emails.  Now, for some reason when someone comments on my blog I get an email in my inbox twice from them.  Once when they comment then again after I accept the comment.  That leaves two comments per person in my email box that need to be deleted eventually.  Not that I am complaining about the few comments I get but that  I am such a lazy deleter and tend to have quite a bit of junk that piles up in my email.   I am desperately trying to get rid of all the junk email I receive but it seems most companies do not pay much attention to those requests to be taken off their email lists.  Can you relate?

Real Question Is?  With the new reply feature added do I still need to have email alerts.  Does anyone know if I can close the email reply feature and still keep the reply feature on my blog?  Will it work and still alert whomever I am replying to on my blog?   Just wondering since I am assuming that the reply feature on the blog most likely sends an email to whom ever you are replying correct?   Or will it send a reply notice on your blogger homepage if you have taken off the email alert?  I'll be trying out this feature soon in response to one of your questions so do a little investigating on my own but thought I'd see if any of you already know the answer to this.
Thanks so much for you help!
Have a great day!

My Bathroom Retreat

Do you have a refreshing retreat at the end of the day?  I sure do!  In fact I think it's so important for all of us to have a place to unwind at the end of a long hard day that thought I might share a few tips with all of you on how I created my own little sanctuary right in the comforts of my own bathroom.

First let me say my master bath is not large by any stretch of the imagination!  In fact I've never had a large master bath in any of my homes.   I have however been blessed to have one specific key ingredient in my master baths, and that is a Jacuzzi tub.  In our first home as a married couple we had a very standard Jacuzzi type tub that I rarely used and personally thought to be quite a bit of trouble to clean.  But then in our previous home that we built ourselves I was adamant about having an extra long Jacuzzi tub.  It was quite enjoyable to stretch out in that by myself at the end of the day, after pulling the boys out of it first of course! 

 Those were the days, and I have such great memories (and photos that they won't let me share) of them enjoying that tub! 

This house we bought, not built, came with a corner Jacuzzi tub.  At first, because we had been in a rental for several months in between moves without a Jacuzzi tub, I was ecstatic when we first moved in.  Then after the reality of how large this tub was to clean I quickly became a bit dissolutioned.  Since we had also installed an outdoor Hot tub I didn't give our master bath tub much thought until I also tired of cleaning the outdoor Hot tub.  It was then that I decided that the Jacuzzi inside would be enough and we got rid of the hot tub outside.

One of the first things I had to do was to learn how to fill the tub to the correct levels with just the right amount of water at the right temperature.  Hard to do when your tub is so large that you run out of hot water before it is filled.

It was actually the Mr. that advised me to set the knobs completely on Hot from the minute I turn it on and then by the time it runs cool it will cool down the scalding water.  Lot's of trial and error here!

One of the next things I did was repaint the bathroom in a color that felt like a spa to me.

I love green and thought it also went well the existing taupe colored tiles that surround the tub.

The Mr. bought this lucky bamboo shorty after we first moved in almost 9 years ago this May.  It's grown quite a bit and been transferred into a new container, but remained here in this corner ever since. 

The next thing I did was to add a green glass chandy over the tub for ambiance lighting.  

It was a fairly simple project (or so I say) because it went where we already had an existing pot light right over the tub.  Thankfully the Mr. know's how to change out lighting easily enough!  The hardest part was finding a suitable surround to cover the hole from the recessed light that was larger then the chandy's base.

My own artwork was a must in here!  I actually created this piece for our old home to go over my long master bath.  It represents what I think a dream Master bath should feel like, a bit of paradise!

But the biggest tip I wanted to share with you today is about finding the right bath additives.

It has taken me years to find just the right bath salts and I really want to share this product with you too.  If you have a Jacuzzi tub you know how annoying it can be to use bubble bath.  I'm sure I don't have to remind you that the minute you turn on the jet's it isn't long before your tub is overflowing with bubbles.  This is not a problem with bath salts though!

I have my sweet oldest son to thank for finding me this excellent product.  He purchased this for me only a few years ago for Christmas when he first moved out of town.  He knew how much I loved the smell of lavender and told me he bought it from a health food store.   I was so excited to try it out and I quickly went thought my first jar in record time.  After googling this product online I found a store across town that carried it and drove out one day to buy a replacement.  I was quite frustrated to find out they were down to only one jar and weren't planning on replacing this product.

So when I finished up that jar recently (with a little help from the Mr.) I decided to just save myself some miles and try ordering this product online.  I was able to order it on sale just recently from Vitacost and also got a second jar for what one jar cost me in the health food store.  Now that's what I call a bargain!

Since going back to work I have looked forward to retreating to my bathroom at then end of the day quite a bit.

The lavender aromatherapy is so therapeutic and the refreshing to my skin and my senses.

I highly recommend creating a retreat for yourself too!  As you can see it really doesn't take much to turn your little bath into a very welcoming spot and yes, you are worth it!

This isn't really a new project for me but I am linking this up with 

Metamorphosis Monday

for those of you who may be considering a few changes of your own.

Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration!

I hope you all have a great day!

I've got a new Roo!

Hey Friends!  It's been quite awhile since I've joined one of Marty's parties (hey that rhymed!) over at A Stroll Through Life.  But today, I've got just a little something to share with you that  I think a few of you might like to see.  What it is you say?

Do you see it? Nope! It's not the cookbook ladies!

Yep!  It's the new Roo of course!  See, didn't I tell you, you'd like it!  Now don't you worry, I am still not going to get caught up in all that Rooster collecting business, no NOT me! 

But... I do know a few good Roo's when I see them.   Especially since I have been looking at quite a few of them almost everyday for months.  We sell this collection and another set at Stein Mart.  So, after looking at this set everyday for over 3 months now I finally broke down and bought this decorative plate when it went on sale.  I love how the plate is in the shape of a rooster!  

Of course, I knew that the black on the rooster would also fit in quite well in my kitchen.  I knew exactly where I wanted to display it too, right here in this little nook in my kitchen.

It's over here tucked away with the bread box and cookbooks.

And the cute little clear jar that started out as a pecan jar after seeing you fabulous bloggers using these last year.  Then after the nuts were gone it turned into a hot drink packet jar, then quickly became a tervis tumbler "tops" jar.  This jar sure is versatile, isn't it?

Anywho, back to my new Roo!  Isn't he purrrrty!!!

I am really being so good because there is such a huge collection that goes with him.  There is a huge cookie jar, utensil holder, platter, salad plates, salt and pepper shakers, ect.  I am trying my best to not to add anything else but the coffee mugs are starting to call my name too.  Look out!

I thought he would look wonderful over here by a cookbook so I pulled out a nice comforting one for the winter.  Maybe this will give the Mr. a few hints too.  Ya think?  

Then, when I was trying to figure out what napkin or tea towel I wanted to add to this vignette I remembered my new plaid napkins. I purchased these from work on the day after Christmas sale.  They also have black in them so I thought it would look great.  What do you think?  Still, nice and wintry right?

And because I promised awhile back to show you these but got to busy to do so, here they are!

For those of you who do not know what I'm talking about I bought all of this at 75% off the day after Christmas from Stein Mart.  I was surprised they had not already sold but was quite pleased to be able to add them to my home.

I have a set of six placemats and six napkins.  I love the red,black,hunter,blue and white in the plaid.

I was also lucky enough to score two sets of silver and red beaded napkin rings at 75% off too for a total of eight each!  Can you believe that?  I know I can use those napkin rings year round! 

Well, that's it!  I just wanted to share a little vignette with you all today.

Thanks for stopping by! 

I hope you have a little more time to visit many more pretties over at 

Tabletop Tuesday.

Have a great day!

A Year of Tablescapes in 2011

Hey Everyone!  I have to admit I was feeling a bit down recently about having missed several opportunities to make a few fun and pretty tablescapes for the holidays.  Not having the time or energy to pull one together had me feeling a bit behind in blogland.  

With a little extra time this morning I was contemplating creating a tablescape but decided to visit a few of you instead.  I couldn't help but notice a few of you put together a year's worth of your tablescapes from 2011.  Since I try to keep these as a page on my blog I didn't think I really had many to share with you after looking at that.  

Well, I think I've missed a few to link on my tablescape page because after scrolling through my photos I realized I actually had quite a bit.  So in true copycat blogger style I decided to create a few collages for you of my tablescapes from last year.

Last year started out with a blast.  I made my traditional New Years dinner that was quickly followed by one very unusual snow storm.  Then I fell in love with Valentines and and my own King of Hearts.

Spring was soon to follow and I enjoyed St. Patricks day, celebrating the Royal wedding, fresh new spring colors and the rather quick arrival of warmer temperatures.

We had several opportunities for outdoor dining on the porch but it quickly became way too blazing hot.   I celebrated the fourth of July with a few tablescapes that I thoroughly enjoyed putting together.

Late summer brought the arrival of ladybugs and pool side dining throughout the process of building a new pool in our backyard.

After a long hot summer, I quickly embraced fall tablescaping with peacocks, pumpkins and a new turkey.  Oh, and let's not forget sitting for a spell with old Miss Abigail.

After going back to work the tablescapes slowed down rather abruptly. Before you know it Christmas was here and I only practiced one setting ahead of time.  I barely even managed to snap a few shots just before our guests arrived on day two.

 Wow!  What a wonderful year of tablescapes!

I will try to update my Tablescapes page as soon as possible for those of you who may wish to go back and see a few more details on any of the above.  I am linking up my year of tablescapes with BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today!

Thank you so much for your visit.

  For those of you who have hung in there over the year I really do appreciate you.  I don't tell you often enough, or visit you often enough, but I do so appreciate each and everyone of you for all the joy and inspiration you bring to me.

Blogging friends are wonderful and always worth a second glance!

(wink-wink)