Southern Comfort in a Northern Life

My boy.

2011-08-31T09:39:00.000-04:00

He's a senior.

He's growing into a fine young man.

He's kind.

He's funny.

He's polite.

He's empathetic to others.

He's smart.

He loves football.

He knows a lot of random information.

He loves Chick Fil A.

He eats a lot of junk food.

He loves to sleep.

He loves his computer.

He loves his Xbox.

He loves Dr. Pepper.

He has never given us a minutes trouble.

He has been a joy to raise.

He has a great life ahead of him.

He will make a great husband one day.

I am proud of him.

I adore him.

I will miss him when he moves away.

But I know that he will be fine.

I just don't know if I will;-)

I love you Caden!

Melanie (aka Mom)

Come on in.

2011-08-28T21:03:00.005-04:00

I guess it's time to start showing y'all the house. Come the end of October, we will be here a year and I haven't been a good hostess and showed y'all around:) We'll start with the entry.

The door was stained but of course with me and all my door troubles, I had to have it painted.

Bit Bit is right there to welcome you.

I used the same table that I had up in Cincy but now it is our foyer table.

I added to my collection of little treasures and put some pretty white shells from the Turks & Caico in with the rocks from Lake Tahoe.

The painting came from HomeGoods in Myrtle Beach. I can say that this is the only thing that I have found at that HomeGoods. I really miss the one in Cincinnati.

I just added a couple of photos from our session with the great Erin Cobb.

The rug came from Sam's Club.

There is heavy moulding in this house and that is one of my favorite things about it.

So there you have it....the first of the new home tour. I'll be honest, it's taken a while to feel at home here. I just don't love this house BUT I am thankful for it. It is just that I have lived in 3 houses in one year and out of the 3, this is my least favorite. That's ok because this won't be the last house;-)

Have a great week.

Mel

Linking to Met Monday Amaze Me Monday Beneath My Heart Shabby Chic Cottage

House of Hepworths Inspiration Friday

Monday Musings.

2011-07-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Good Monday morning everyone. I have been MIA most of the summer but I am hoping that I when school starts back, I will get back to blogging.

1. Caden and I went to Georgia last week. He got sick while there and didn't get better until the day before we left. He was still happy that he got to be with his best friend.

2. Erin Cobb sent me all of our picture from our photo session. Just let me say that it is going to be a very hard decision on which pictures to buy:)

3. I got false eyelashes a couple of weeks ago and boy do I wish they made permanent ones. They started coming off last week but I really loved them.

4. Went shopping while I was in Georgia (something I don't do much) and let's just say that Charming Charlie's really loved my wallet!

5. Dreaming of going back to the Turks & Caicos. It was so beautiful and such a relaxing trip. I hope that we can take Caden there for his graduation present.

6. I'm ready for college football to start. Can I get an amen?

7. Started doing a low carb diet about 3 weeks ago. I haven't had a lick of sugar and I have only lost 2.8 pounds:( Not off to a great start but I am going to stick with it. I have to lose some weight so that I can fit back into my clothes.

8. Caden is starting his senior year soon. Bitter sweet, I must say.

9. Being gone a week leaves a lot of laundry. I am going to busy today.

10. And lastly, here is a link to a sneak peek of our photo session with Erin.
http://erincobb.com/Blog/?p=4135

Hope you all are having a good summer. House pictures to come soon.

Pinky promise:)

Mel

30 Day Photo Fun.

2011-07-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

Here's the last of my pictures from the month of June. This was a lot of fun to do. No pressure, just pictures:)

Day 23 Black & White.

Day 24 Love.

Day 25 Citrus.

Day 26 Favorite Color.

Day 27 Weakness. (rum punch on vacation:)

Day 28 Transportation. (our little get about car in the Turks.)

Day 29 Trees. (coconut trees)

Day 30 Family.

If I run across another 30 day challenge, I think that I am going to do it. The prompts are fun and I have my IPhone with me if I need to take a picture. Remember, no pressure.

Next time y'all should join in with me:)

Happy Wednesday,

Mel

Erin Cobb.

2011-07-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

I forgot to tell y'all that we are having our pictures taken today by the fabulous Erin Cobb. I am beyond excited. In all of our 20 years together, we have had our pictures taken at Olan Mills one time. Last year when we lived in Cincinnati, Erin was in Columbus taking clients and I really wanted to go and have our family pictures taken. BUT, we had not lived there long and I didn't want to ask Gary to take off work and then drive the two hours to Columbus.

Well, we just happened to move to SC and what do you know? She posted on her blog that she was going to the Isle of Palms in SC to stay at the beach. I knew right then that we were going to have a photo session with her no matter what we had to do.

I asked Gary about it and he said that if I wanted to do it we would. I know that it is pricey but I am justifying it since we have never had professional pictures taken and because this will be the only chance since Caden will be graduating next May. (sniff sniff)

She is going to take photos outside (she is a natural light photographer) at the beach house and then some at the beach. I got our outfits together on Saturday and we are going to be casual since that is how we really our:) I am beyond excited and can't wait to see the outcome. She will give a sneak peek on her blog in a couple of weeks and I will let you know when she does.

So I leave you with a sneak peak of our vacation in The Turks & Caicos since I can't blog without a picture;-)

Happy Monday.

(storm rolling in but it passed us by)

Melanie

20 Years and counting

2011-06-29T12:00:00.008-04:00

Click image to see in a larger size before viewing video.

Hope you enjoy the following video!

Our First 20 Years from Melanie Gore on Vimeo.

30 Day Photo Fun.

2011-06-23T08:47:00.000-04:00

Let's play catch up on my little monthly project that I have going on. This has been a fun thing to do and I haven't put any pressure on myself about it. I have taken pictures with my phone and a couple with my camera so it hasn't been a big deal.

Day 13 A childhood memory.

Day 14 Someone You Love.

Day 15 Action.

Day 16 Mason or Jelly Jars.

Day 17 Bokeh.

Day 18 Eyes.

Day 19 Summertime.

Day 20 Water.

Day 21 Micro

Day 22 Landscape (Had to cheat and use on of Yosemite that I took last year but I love it anyway.)

All of these with the exception of the bokeh, Yosemite, and flower were taken with my IPhone. That is why this has been so much fun to do. No worries if I don't have my camera with me:)

Is anyone else joining in on this party?

Mel

30 Day Photo Fun.

2011-06-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

I ran across this online and thought that it would be fun to do. I am surprised at how much fun I am having doing this little project. I am doing Project Life but I am not really doing a photo a day. I am doing it the way I want to. I am taking pictures but will put my book together by events instead of daily.

Anyhoo, I am taking my photos daily and thought I would start sharing them with you.

June 1 Self Portrait

June 2 Favorite Shoes

June 3 Hands

June 4 Clouds

June 5 Breakfast

June 6 Books

June 7 High Angle

June 8 Sunset

June 9 Fresh Fruit

June 10 Animal

June 11 Silhouette

June 12 Sun Flare

So there are my pictures so far. I will try and post each day or every couple of days. Most pictures have been taken with my IPhone which has made it really easy to keep up.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week.

I'm off to watch the trial:)

Melanie

Cupcake.

2011-06-10T07:20:00.000-04:00

How can you not love a wine called Cupcake?

I am going to make braised short ribs and goat cheese polenta today and I needed some red wine.

I couldn't pass up the cute label and the cuter name.

I will be making The Pioneer Woman's recipe so wish me luck. Hope it turns out:)

Have a great weekend,

Mel

Just checking in.

2011-06-08T10:43:00.002-04:00

I have been MIA and I don't really know why. I just can't decide what to do with my blog.

Should I keep blogging or should I just call it a day? That is the question.

I am not blogging like I use to and I know that blogging once or twice a month isn't really going to keep people reading.

So, that is where I am at. To blog or not to blog.

Summer is in full swing here at the home front:) Caden and I have been watching a lot of this.

We are already halfway through season 11. We have had so much fun watching it together. We talk about it and rank the winners....it's kinda an obsession;-)

I am also hooked on this.

Pure evil. That's all I have to say about that.

So excited for the new season of SYTYCD!

I can't dance at all and I am in such awe of these dancers. I am pretty new to this show as I have only watched for a couple of seasons but I am absolutely hooked.

The new season of Masterchef has started and I love any cooking competition. I watch Top Chef, Chopped, Top Chef Masters.....you name it, I watch it.

Thinking I need to start this.

I have gained a lot of weight in the last year. I have eaten for fun but mostly for comfort. The last year and a half has been harder on me than I thought and food has been my main source of comfort. I must get a handle on it and get it under control. I am thinking that after vacation I will get back on track.

Speaking of vacation, we are headed here soon.

The Turks & Caicos. I am very excited to be going to the Caribbean! We have never been to an island and never done a beach vacation. Hubby is NOT a beach person and definitely doesn't like the heat so don't ask me how we picked an island. :)

It is our 20th anniversary and we want to celebrate it relaxing and not doing much. We normally travel while we are on vacation meaning that we go from place to place. This year we decided that we wanted to go to one place and stay put. With all the moving we have done in the last year, we thought that staying put would be nice. We are going to snorkel, take a sunset cruise, and take a ferry to the other islands and sightsee. It will be fun.

I just wanted to check in with everyone and say hello. Still deciding what to do about the blog. I am open to your thoughts about it.

Happy Wednesday,

Melanie

Lake Tahoe.

2011-05-25T10:54:00.000-04:00

Last year we went to California on vacation.

I love California. I love San Francisco. And now I love Lake Tahoe.

I have many pictures to show you but I am going to start with our sunset cruise we took.

It was so beautiful and it was the first time that we had ever been on a sailboat.

We met some people from Austin Texas. The guys talked football for much of the trip.

I am always trying to sneak in a photo but I get caught a lot:)

I know Gary's face is shaded but this is the only picture that someone took of us on the boat.

It was really a beautiful place. Gary fell in love with it. He loved the cool water and the mountains. I have more photos to show you soon of Yosemite and more of Lake Tahoe.

Hope everyone is having a good Wednesday so far.

Mel

Friendship.

2011-05-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

This is my bestie Nancy. She lives a long way from me. She's a Texan and that means that we live about 1000 miles apart:( That makes for a lot of texting, ichatting, and phone calls. We've know each other for about 3 years but it has just been in the last year or so that we have become very close.

She has been a huge support to me in the last year. When I knew that we were headed to Ft. Worth for spring break, we decided to do a girls trip. She drove up from Houston to Ft. Worth and picked me up and we stayed in downtown Ft. Worth.

The first evening we ate dinner at P. F. Chang's. We enjoyed a nice long meal and compared IPad's at the table.

Then we walked around downtown Fort Worth.

The next day we went to a store called Sam Moon's. For those of you that don't live in Texas, it is a store with bags, bags, and more bags along with jewelry. I was doing some serious shopping at that store.

And yes, I bought the gray one, the brown, one and the black one:) Also added a white one to the total and had to buy a suitcase to get them all home.

We then headed off to get a pedicure and when we got there, I decided to get a manicure too.

Then it was off to dinner at Saltgrass. We split a filet and got some key lime pie to go.

After dinner we headed back to downtown Fort Worth to do a little more walking.

Nancy took this great shot of some building as we were walking by.

The Dallas Cowboys shop.

A stop off at Starbuck's.

Then a little rest to enjoy our coffee.

A view from our room.

Our final day together we went to a scrapbooking store called The Little Blue House.

We ended our visit with lunch. Nancy wanted to meet Gary & Sandra and so they met us at Chili's. I enjoyed Gary being able to meet my bestie but most of all, I am glad that I finally got to meet her in person.

She is the best friend a girl could ask for!

Mel

The Birthday Boy.

2011-05-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

Today my boy is 17 years old!

Let me say that again. SEVENTEEN!

Where did all the time go?

Every year I say that we blinked and he grew up but it really is true.

He is almost a senior....almost an adult....making me an almost empty nester.

We will not be discussing his graduation or his upcoming move to Texas.

No we will not:(

We are making our way through all of the seasons of Survivor. We are almost finished with season 4 and I am loving every minute of it.

We go to the gym together.

We laugh a lot.

We talk about politics every single day.

He has been the easiest child and teenager to raise. We have been so lucky and so blessed to be given a son who has not been a minutes trouble. I have enjoyed being his mom and in the next year, he will be spreading his wings and leaving the nest.

I will be thinking a lot about that this year and preparing myself in the process.

But until then, I remember my one little word.....present.

Present in the moment and remembering that he was the best present I have ever received.

Happy Birthday Caden! I love you with all of my heart.

Mel

aka Mom

Ramblings.

2011-04-26T08:20:00.001-04:00

* I guess I took another blogging break since I haven't blogged in 2 weeks.

* I can't wait for The Voice to start this week.

* I am really really happy that the sun is shining and that the weather has warmed up.

* I miss my besties Nancy. We had a great time together in Texas and I have lots of pictures to show you of our trip.

* I am beyond jealous that the fabulous Kasey Buick is going to up and move to Hawaii for a year. I can't wait to read about her exciting new life that is to come.

* I am so looking forward to school being over. It's been a long year and I can't wait to not have to drive Caden across town every morning:)

* It's going to be a busy summer for us and I am looking forward to it.

* Loving Cee Lo Green and Adele right now.

* My sweet pea had to work nights last week and one day I passed him on the road when I was taking Caden to school. When I got back home, this was sitting on the counter in front of the Keurig.

* While I was in Texas, I got a my nails done in black;-) I LOVED it! It kinda had a silver tint to it and I fell in love with it.

* Caden and I started watching the very first season of Survivor. We are going to watch every single season. We are half way thru season 2 and I am loving every single minute of it. I am relishing every moment with him because he will be graduating and moving to Texas next year. I sure am gonna miss that boy.

* And lastly, I am getting excited about the Royal Wedding this week. I didn't think I would care but I think that the future Queen, Kate, is just lovely. A commoner (as they call her) marrying her Prince. I will be watching this week. Will you?

Melanie

Getting to know YOU!

2011-04-10T21:05:00.001-04:00

Hello again.

It's Sunday and you know what that means. Here's this weeks questions.

1. do you watch/read the news? I don't. I do watch Rush Limbaugh though. Now don't go hate'in on me:)

2. how would you describe your "look"? I don't really have a look. I wear what I like but I could be a little bit of a hippie.

3. did you play sports in high school or college? I didn't. I am not athletic.

4. would you rather give up lipstick/gloss or high heels? High Heels because I don't wear them a lot.

5. what's your favorite show to watch on tv? I love to many to name just one. Deadliest Catch is the first one that popped in my head. Amazing Race, Survivor, 48 Hours Mysteries, The First 48......

6. would you rather bake or cook? Cook. I use to do it all the time but with this last move, I haven't cooked that much. I do love to bake too.

7. shorts or skirts? Lately it has been skirts since I have gained 10 pounds. My shorts don't fit as well.

8. what's your favorite scary movie? I don't watch scary movies.

Check out other's answers over at Mann Land 5.

Hope y'all have a good week.

Mel

Texas and a game of basketball.

2011-04-07T23:02:00.003-04:00

I should call this Texas Post 1 since I can't show you all the pictures in one post. So, I will break it up into a couple of posts for y'all. As I just typed this, I remembered that I haven't even showed you all the pictures from our vacation last year. That is a must do post!

We decided to fly to Texas to visit my sister in law and her family. We usually try to visit every summer but since we have moved so much in the last couple of years, we haven't been since 2009. It was high time for a trip out there for some family fun.

Had to travel in my new Pleated Poppy scarf. Loving my new purchase:)

Waiting on dad to park the car.

Usually I read on any flight that I take but this time Caden asked to play me in a game of scrabble on my IPad so that is what we did. Gary always brings some type of history book to read:)

Flying into Ft. Worth and loving all the wide open spaces with touches of green!

So we flew out on a Thursday evening because my nephew was only going to be home until Sunday and we wanted to see him. He is in college in Arkansas and his spring break was the week before Caden's so that is why we left a little early.

I have to say that when this group gets together, it is nothing but a big competition. Courtney & Christopher (my niece and nephew) play college basketball and Gary & Chris seem to forget that they are 43 & 45 years old. I think you know where this is headed.

This was the first thing they all did.

The grown men trying to whip up on the college kids:)

The boy who doesn't play basketball;-)

The whole time my sweet pea was playing, I was praying that he wouldn't have a heart attack! (that's him shooting the ball)

A great father and son shot.

And lastly, the two old guys resting after dipping their heads in the pool to cool off! They forget that they are middle aged now:) I have to say that the old guys held up pretty well. They didn't lose by much;-) That was the only game that they got to play since Christopher had to return to school.

Up next I'll tell you about all the board games we played and my visit with my bestie Nancy that drove up from Houston to see me.

Until next time, toodle loo!

Melanie

Getting To Know You!

2011-04-03T19:12:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late posting but now that Keely is hosting GTKY Sundays, I want to participate each week. So here is this weeks questions.

1. do you weigh yourself? Absolutely! Every single day.

2. what's the nastiest thing you've ever eaten? An oyster:(

3. snail mail or email? Email all the way but I do love to send a card every now and then.

4. do you have any irrational fears...what are they? Heights and being closed in.

5. do you play an instrument? Years ago, the piano & the flute.

6. would you rather be bitten by a snake or attacked by a bear? Neither but I think I would chose a snake because you'd have a better chance of living. (I think)

7. do you ever go braless in public? Yes but it is in a sundress with a sweater:)

8. today i am thankful for........................? My husband. That's a given;-)

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I have been catching up with the laundry and getting ready for the real world again tomorrow. I'll be back soon with photos of our trip to Texas.

Mel

Texas. Yee Haw!

2011-04-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

That's where we've been this past week. It was spring break so we decided to go and visit my sister in law and her family.

We had a great time and I have lots to tell you about but first there is mail to go through, bags to unpack, and laundry to do. (oh yeah, and 10 pounds to lose! urgh!)

I will be back soon with all the details and will be catching up with all my blog reading.

Have a good Sunday.

Melanie

Getting to know YOU!

2011-03-27T11:34:00.000-04:00

Keely is hosting Getting to know You Sunday's again and so I am going to participate. I missed out on last Sunday but I am linking up today.
So todays questions are:

1. what inspires you? I love looking online at different decor website for inspiration for my home.

2. what was the last thing you bought yourself? Just yesterday I bought myself a maxi dress.

3. would you rather watch a movie in a theater or from the comfort of your own home? In a theater because then I would actually watch one. (I don't care for movies)

4. household chore you don't mind doing? Laundry.

5. coffee or tea? Both. I have to have coffee in the morning & sweet tea during the day.

6. what could you eat every day and not get sick of? Steak.

7. what's the last book you read? I have about three books going right now but one that I read and loved is Still Alice.

8. do you think you "look" your age? I guess I do. I am 43 years old so y'all tell me:)

Happy Sunday everyone. Have a great day.

Melanie

Couponing.

2011-03-23T21:17:00.000-04:00

I've been couponing for the last few months. I started slowly and just went to one grocery store. I just took a class this past week from a girl here in my town that teaches some of her tricks. I think that I needed to take the second class because I knew most of what she talked about.

So today, our Harris Teeter was offering double double coupons. This is what I got.

Total spent $17.45!

My total before my coupons and store sales was $64.57!

Here is a break down:

2 Jello Temptations Free plus .41 cents back

Kraft Shredded Cheese 4 bags @ $1.15 a bag

2 Smart Balance Milk Free

Starbuck's Coffee $3.00

Philly Cooking Cream Cheese Free

Wisk Detergent 2 for $2.00

Lysol Cleaner 2 for $3.00

Dawn Detergent .50 cents

Uncle Ben Rice 2 for $1.00

McCormick Inspirations Free

Coffee Mate 2 for $4.70 That was the only thing that wasn't on sale.

That's a pretty good day if I do say so myself:) It does take a little bit of time to match up the sales and the coupons but when you see the savings, it is so worth it.

Here is my little stockpile of stuff.

I'm off to a pretty good start. I have found a lot of deals on cereal, deodorant, and shampoo. I won't become like those people on Extreme Couponing:) Have y'all seen that show? It's really unbelievable. They have another show coming up next month and I will be watching.

Do any of you coupon?

Mel

Project Life.

2011-03-18T08:46:00.000-04:00

I am keeping up with my Project Life but most of the pictures are happening with the IPhone. I don't have the book caught up yet but I am working on it. I thought I'd share a few photos from the project.

A pretty sunset from the window of the office.

Caden's SAT Admission ticket.

Mama got a new phone. I am now known around the house as the IWife since I have an IPhone, an IPod Touch, an IPad, and a MacBook Pro:)

Having lunch with my guy while in Florida. See, we are outside in the nice warm weather! Florida, I miss you.

My trip to Sam's Club.

Our crazier than usual dog with his big ole butt hanging off the back of the couch. He is for another day, another blog post I tell ya:( The cause of much stress in my life right now.

So there are a few of the pictures that are in my Project Life Book. I was looking at a friends PL book (Monica of Without Filters) and her book is gorgeous. She has a little one and a baby so she has a lot more going on in her life than I do. She is layering her book and I really love that. I am thinking of trying to do that but not sure what I would put in between the pages. We'll see what my creative brain can dream up.

Caden is out of school today because they are decorating for the prom so we have a date for lunch, shopping (for him) and then the gym. Hope you all have a great weekend. We are suppose to have some warm weather so I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

Mel

PS. Thanks for all the comments on the dining room. I will post the finished room whenever I get it completed.

American Idol.

2011-03-16T07:38:00.000-04:00

Can we all just take a moment to soak up this talent?

He is hands down the best talent that they have this year. I am really pulling for him.

Enjoy!

Mel

The Partially Finished Black Dining Room.

2011-03-13T23:20:00.023-04:00

I know that everyone has been wanting to see the black dining but it's not finished. As I told you before, I haven't been working on the house much. I am kinda living in it and seeing what needs to be done and what needs to be bought.

The one thing that this new town doesn't have is good shopping. It's certainly not Cincinnati so I am just having to take it slow. I have some ideas but they aren't coming together very quickly. I decided to show you the dining room as is and then when I am finished with it, give you another tour.

This was the chandelier that was up when we moved in. It was nice but I brought all of my lighting from my other house so I am going to give it to my realtor. I replaced it with this one.

I also changed out the foyer light.

So here is the half reveal:) More will come when I get it finished.

This is what it looked like last week. I have now taken the rug away and moved it to the family room. That rug has been busy because it has lived in the family room, then the dining room, and now it has found a home (again) in the family room. THIS is exactly why I am not rushing the decorating thing. Let's face it, this is not my favorite house that we have lived in and that is for multiple reasons. But one of the reasons is that none of the rooms have come together right. Our furniture doesn't fit right and it has been a challenge needless to say.

I am going to change the color of the mirror and I have a friend that is making me two pieces to put on the buffet. The black is a gorgeous color but you do have to decorate with it differently. I will also be moving that centerpiece off the table. It was on the table in the other house but it doesn't go with the dining room now.

The rug matches the walls but doesn't match the feel that I am going for. The table also is now on an angle and that looks really good but I don't have a picture of it to show you.

So now that you have seen it, really the only thing that is staying the same is the furniture;-) I have angled the table, taken the rug out, and haven't hung up one thing yet. I had the windows tinted in the room and I am going to have a cornice board made when I find some yummy fabric. I didn't want to cover the windows up but I had to have something done because the sun sets on the front of our house and it will ruin the furniture. I think that a wonderful fabric will really pop against the black. I am not going to do a lot to the room. I think that the black walls, the cornice board, and the coffered ceilings will speak for themselves.

There you have it, the UNFINISHED black dining room. I knew that y'all were dying to see it and I wanted y'all to but you will have to see the unfinished version. I promise that it will be finished one day and when it is, I will give you the grand tour.

I'm off to a rousing start....a post up on Monday;-)

Melanie

linking to Met Monday Diddle Dattle Sumos Sweet Stuff  Type A Decorating No Minimalist Here

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Savvy Southern Style Elements-Interiors The Shabby Chic Cottage

At The Picket Fence  Romantic Home  Fingerprints on the Fridge  Handy Man Crafty Woman

The Charm of Home  Designer Garden  French Country Cottage  Funky Junk Interiors

House of Hepworths Thrifty Decor Chick

Ramblings.

2011-03-11T07:07:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday morning. Just some rambling thoughts this a.m.:)

*I got my hair cut last week. I showed up at an appointment that was scheduled for today and so I let the girl that was working that day cut my hair. (you can do that when you move so much and don't really have a hairdresser yet;-)

It is a modified bob like I had last year. After having the cut for about a week now, I am not tickled with all the layers in the back.

*On Sunday, Gary took me to Myrtle Beach to do a little shopping. We headed to HomeGoods and I can now say that it is not worth the drive. It just isn't as good as the one in Cincinnati. We only found one picture and nothing else. Next time we are going to go to Charleston to that store and see what we can find. Anyway, we ate lunch at P. F. Chang's and I have to say that I have found a new love....fried string beans! YUM YUM!

*On our way home, it was raining and we saw a rainbow. I shot this with my IPhone out the window.

*I joined the gym. Lord help me! I have never even been inside of a gym in all of my 43 years. Caden really wanted to join but I didn't want to commit to a year but I did. My first visit by myself was Tuesday and I did pretty good. I went back yesterday after I picked Caden up from school. I am sore today but I hope to lose a few pounds and tone up a little;-)

*This weekend I am going to be working on my Project Life. I am WAY behind in my book but I am taking the photos. I have to say that I am taking a lot of pictures with my phone but that's ok. At least I am taking them.

*Last Saturday we were shopping for Gary some new clothes for work when we passed a really cute pink coat. In passing I said "that is a really cute coat but I wouldn't have anywhere to wear it." He bought it the next day and had it wrapped in a bag sitting in my bathtub. You girls know I love my bubble bath every night and that was the perfect place to put it. I squealed like a teenage girl. Not everyday that I get a surprise like that.

I love it! It has ruffles on the pockets, cute buckles on the sleeves, and the color is blush pink. Love, love, love it! (sorry for the bad pictures but they are all taken with my phone and trying to take your own photo is hard to do) I knew that he would go back and buy it for me. Don't ask me how I knew, but I knew.

So that kinda wraps up my week. The last two weeks have been very busy and I am hoping to get some things done this weekend and then pray for a slower week next week. Hope everyone is enjoying a little sunshine and some warmer weather!

Happy weekend,

Mel

I've become a driving instructor.

2011-03-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

Last week I became Caden's driving instructor. Not by choice, mind you, but by need.

MY need for Caden to start driving. He has had his license since last October and he has only driven one time. I told him to take his license to school because he was driving home!

Gary could not believe that I was going to let him drive that far (and in so much traffic) since he has never driven more than a mile;-)

But you know what? I am tired of taking him to school every day and he needs to learn how to drive before his senior year. You know it's bad when the mama is telling the child to drive and being the one to teach him. When I had him almost 17 years ago, I told Gary that HE would be the one teaching him and not me.

Well, that didn't happen.

He was concentrating really hard here.

Hands tight on the steering wheel:)

And finally home safely parked right in the garage.

I'm going to make him drive home from school every day when we don't have somewhere to go other than home. It will be a lot of experience for him. I have to say that I was more proud of myself for staying calm than I was for his driving skills:)

And a big THANK YOU for all the condolences about Caden's math teacher. She was 68 years old and just couldn't pull through. The kids did fine and some went to the funeral. Caden passed as he doesn't like to see the bodies but she was on his mind a lot last week. He even got upset that some students got out of school to go to the funeral and they didn't even have her for a teacher. It made him mad that they just wanted to get out of school:( But thank you again for all of your comments.

Hope everyone has a great week this week.

Mel

Sad Day.

2011-03-01T07:15:00.000-05:00

Last night Caden came in the bedroom and said that his math teacher had passed away.

We just met with her a couple of weeks ago to talk about Caden's progress in his pre calculus class that he had been struggling in. She was a very sweet lady but she meant business. She had been at the school for years and was highly regarded. She told us that Caden's grade would not go up for the rest of the year as it would be getting harder and harder so for us not to concentrate on that. She said that the tutoring was helping so he needed to keep that up. She also said that he should have been put in Algebra 2 instead of pre calculus because of all the moving that we have done in the last 5 years, he had just missed out on some fundamentals.

She just got Caden. I was very impressed after we left the meeting.

Then Caden came home and said that she was in the hospital with pneumonia. Then he came home the next week and said that she was still in the hospital and was in ICU. It didn't sound good.

So, yesterday morning she passed away. He is shocked. I know that the kids are going to be very upset. She was loved by the students. This will be the first time that a lot of these kids have experienced losing someone that they know. It will be a tough day for them.

The school is a small college preparatory and all of the kids know each other and have a lot of the same teachers. Just this year, Caden has lost one teacher that got fired, one that moved away to be with his sick sister, and now Mrs. Carter. The school also lost another teacher but Caden did not have him.

So today, if you think about it, could you say a prayer for the kids. I am really sad for them and know that it will be a very hard day at that little school.

Thank you so much,

Mel

I'm Back!

2011-02-24T06:26:00.004-05:00

I think I'm back girls.

Just with some different rules for myself.

I love blogging. I love my bloggy friends. I love reading blogs. BUT with all of that, came the......

Guilt.

Yes, guilt.

I felt a lot of pressure, put upon myself by me, to reply to every single comment. Sometimes at night, that was all I was doing. I also felt like I had to visit every single blog of all the people that were reading mine.

It was just to much.

So I am back but just on my own terms. I love all of you who stop by and read my little ole blog. I love all of you who comment and I love all of you who lurk. I appreciate all the comments that you leave but I will not be replying to all of them each and every time. Know that I read and appreciate all of them.

I will also blog whenever I want and about whatever I want. I don't want to set a schedule up (in my head) and stick to it because it stresses me out. I can't try to link up to all the parties each week and I can't worry about blogging just about the house each time. I know that with a new house I should have a lot to blog about (and I do) but I don't always remember to take pictures. And sometimes I just want to blog about whatever is on my mind. Blogging needs to be fun again for me and I think that doing it on my own terms will make it just that.

While I have been away, I have done absolutely NOTHING! :) I have been reading, eating, and watching TV.

I didn't do one thing that I said I was going to do while I was on my break. I mostly closed up my laptop and completely stepped away.

It has been nice. I haven't done a thing to the house either. That SAD (seasonal affective disorder) thing was in play this winter for me. That and the two moves just about did me in but I am trying to put one foot in front of the other. (literally and figuratively)

I started walking on the treadmill again yesterday and I am praying that we will see some warmer weather soon. It's been a rough winter and a rough 8 months but I am hoping that I am on the other side of it.

Thanks to all my blog friends for the support during the last year. I have missed y'all and hope to visit y'all very soon.

We just made a quick trip to Florida on Sunday and went to eat with some friends. I'll leave you with a lovely picture of the Florida palm trees and my date for the evening. And just so you know, I am a Florida girl at heart. I love the sunshine, palm trees, and flip flops;-)

Melanie

Monday Musings.

2011-01-24T08:50:00.004-05:00

Good Monday morning!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We enjoyed watching the playoffs and just lounging around.
Right now:

It is overcast outside. I am in desperate need for sunshine and some warm weather.

I am enjoying a fire in the fireplace with a good cup of coffee.

I have to go to the courthouse and get our SC tags today. That and some car insurance. I can't find our insurance policy since we moved. I am thinking that we didn't receive our renewal papers in the mail while we were in between houses.

I think that I have narrowed down a comforter for the master bedroom. Hoping I will like it when I receive it in the mail.

I have to go to Lowe's and order some blinds for the house. The only one the has curtains right now is Caden.

I am starting a 'no sugar' faze today. Let's pray that I can last. Coming off sugar is so hard to do.

And with that, I want to say THANK YOU to all my blog friends that stop by and take time out of your busy lives to read my blog and leave a comment. I can't tell you how much it means to me. But for now, I am stepping away from the computer. I am in a slump and I just don't feel like blogging. I don't feel like reading blogs, and for the most part, I don't feel like being on the computer. I have a lot of things to do to the house and they are not getting done because I spend way to much time looking at other peoples houses;-) I really want to work on my bedroom, laundry room, and finish up the dining room. I want to learn my IPhoto and Photoshop so that it doesn't take me so long to edit my photos to put on the blog. I want to walk on the treadmill and maybe take a yoga class.

I just want a break. I will be back but I don't know when. I might post something if the mood strikes me or I might not. I hope that y'all will still be around whenever I decide to come back. But for now, I am on an extended blogging break.

Yosemite 2010

Take care and have a great week.

Melanie

I won an award:)

2011-01-20T09:26:00.001-05:00

I received a couple of awards from a few different bloggers. Traci over at The Traci Chronicles, Cad at Oasis in the Desert, Jill over at Blessings of a Stay at Home Mom and one from Lindsey over at My Happily Ever After.

The rules are:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Answer 10 questions
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award

Here are the questions.

1. Why did you create this blog?
We were moving from Florida to Cincinnati Ohio and I thought it would be a great way to keep our friends and family up to date with our new life. I also loved blogs and had made friends with different bloggers and thought I could meet some more. And I did:)

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
I follow decorating blog, cooking blogs, and just blogs about regular families.

3. Favorite Make-Up Brand?
I use Mary Kay foundation and then whatever else I pick up.

4. Favorite Clothing Brand?
I am not a huge clothes horse. I love Target and Kohl's. I like other stores that are more expensive but I would only buy things if they were on sale.

5. Indispensable Make-Up Product?
Foundation. Getting older, I need it more.

6. Favorite Color?
Green

7. Favorite Perfume?
Happy Heart and Euphoria.

8. Favorite Film?
The Thornbirds. I never tire of watching it.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
I don't know if I can pick just one. Italy, Switzerland, France.....

10. Would you rather forget to put on mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?
I think I would rather forget the blush. I don't have long eyelashes and I need all the help I can get in that area.

Girls, I appreciate the awards. I always like to read something different from bloggers to learn a few fun facts about them. I won't be passing along the awards but if you would like to do a post and join in, than please do. Go visit my friends that sent me the awards to me and see what they have to say.

Have a great weekend,

Mel

My Happy Wall.

2011-01-16T20:38:00.009-05:00

I know that y'all are laughing at that title but it really does make me happy. I am talking about this.

The wall of art that Caden made in first and second grade. It makes me smile every time I walk by it.

It is hard to photograph this area but it is a small hallway that is between Caden's room and the guest bedroom. I have had this same grouping in the Florida house, the Cincy house, and now this house. Each piece is adorable.

This was something that he made in kindergarden. We were building our first house and he made this out of cereal and glitter. I am so happy that it has made all the moves in tact.

His little hands that my mom photocopied when he was 2 yrs. old. I went into the ugly cry when she gave this to me for Christmas:)

A picture that he drew of himself. He even added his glasses that he use to wear. That was drawn in second grade.

And finally a little poem that he wrote when we lived in Georgia. I found it in his drawer.

So there is my wall of happiness. I will forever treasure it. It reminded me of a recent post from Edie.  She talked about how it was just 'stuff' but how she loved it and missed it. So moving. Please stop by her blog and read it.

I have a few things to show y'all in the next few weeks. I have been getting the house together but I have to take pictures of everything. Right now I am trying to figure out my Photoshop Elements 8 and IPhoto. If anyone has any advice, send it my way. It's frustrating.

Happy Monday,

Mel

linking to: Met Monday  Market Yourself Monday Southern In My Heart

Amaze Me Monday  The DIY Showoff  Savvy Southern Style

Making the World Cuter  Boogie Board Cottage Romantic Home

Hip Mom Jewelry.

2011-01-14T18:48:00.001-05:00

Way back before we ever left Cincinnati, I won a giveaway at Hip Mom Jewelry. I didn't have a chance to look on their website and make a decision before we moved, so when Christmas rolled around I decided it was time to order my necklace.

This is how it came in the mail.

I am a sucker for packaging and this had some cute packaging. It also came wrapped in some cute polka dotted tissue paper.

Can you see what it says? Gary Melanie Caden

I love it!

I like the chain that it came on too. I just wish I would have gotten the longer one. I bought the 16 inch, so if you girls buy anything from them be sure to order something longer.

Go check them out. They have some really cute things.

We still have a backyard full of ice and I am still enjoying watching Bit try to get out the back door:) Here's to some sunshine and warmer weather!

Have a great weekend.

Mel

Cabin Fever.

2011-01-12T11:28:00.008-05:00

That's what I have. We haven't left the house since Sunday and I am itching to get out. I am a homebody by nature but when you KNOW you can't go out, it kinda gets to you after awhile.

I have to take Caden to his tutor lesson this afternoon and I will run to the grocery store while he is there.

Last night I decided that I would bake this cake last night to use up some yogurt that I had. Then I realized that I didn't have any orange marmalade. Well, that didn't stop me. I knew that I could come up with a glaze so I baked it anyway.

*photo & recipe by Pioneer Woman

Well, the flour was bad. NEVER has flour (or butter) gone bad at my house. That tells me that all this moving has caused me not to have time to bake. I will remedy that today:-)

The sun is shining and the ice is melting and now I am getting a sore throat! Can't win for losing.

Mel

1/11/11

2011-01-11T09:08:00.003-05:00

How cool is it to type that date? The problem is, there is nothing happening on this date except another snow day. Yesterday we woke up to a winter wonderland. I believe that the snow just followed us down here.

My neighbor called me and said that they haven't had this much snow in 5 years:) When we moved to Cincy last winter, every one told me that that was the worst winter that they'd had in 15 years. Not sure what that says about me;-)

It even made it onto the back porch.

It was starting to pile up around 11:00 am.

My view from my kitchen sick.

Now today, it is nothing but a big sheet of ice. Have you ever seen a dog go outside to use the bathroom and try getting around on ice? It makes for a good laugh early in the morning.

People are without power and every one has been told to stay off the roads. I wouldn't try driving in this for nothing. I was really worried about Gary driving home last night from work. He said that the roads were as bad as he had ever driven on. Up in Cincy, they are prepared for snow but in SC, not so much.

I worried this morning when I got up that he had to drive back to work in it. This type of weather is the pits for the railroad. I don't expect to see him before 7 or 8 tonight. I feel bad for him:(

Hope everyone that is dealing with this winter storm stays home, stays warm, and enjoys their snow day.

Happy icy Tuesday.

Mel

The New Pantry.

2011-01-09T20:14:00.013-05:00

For most of you that have been following me, you already know that I am all about a pantry. I have talked about my other pantries here and now after 3 houses in one year, I have another one to show y'all.

This house has a standard sized pantry which is of course in the kitchen. It also has a coat closet and a linen closet in the hallway. I had to rework those closets to hold kitchen items.

This is the pantry that is in the kitchen. It has REAL wooden shelves and I could not love them more.

A shelf for canned goods.

A shelf for our boxed goods.

A shelf for all things coffee. Yes, I have a shelf for coffee items and a draw;-)

A shelf for my dry goods, cereals and sugar. I love my clear containers.

I have a double cabinet that holds all of my spices.

My baking shelf. (which isn't being used right now due to a diet)

In Florida and Cincinnati, I had a lazy susan. I loved my lazy susan. I miss my lazy susan. I decided to use those round turn thingies from Walmart to put my most used spices on.

This is the closet that is at the end of the hallway. If you turn right, you go to the master bedroom. If you turn left, you head up the stairs to the bonus room.

This houses more dry goods, extra things, and all my small appliances. It has a light in it which is really nice and more wooden shelves. I didn't need to use this for linens as we have built ins in our closet and the other two bathrooms have linen closets in them too. This was the best use of the space for us.

A while back I showed you the hall closet and what I was doing to it.

We asked the builder to put two shelves in this closet because we thought that we would use this as the overflow pantry. As soon as we moved in, I knew that it just wasn't going to work. I needed a place to hang the laundry up and also a place to put the dog food and the vacuum cleaner. I just have to paint the boards that held the shelves.

So that is the tour of my pantries. I have to have more than one to hold all the goodies I bought today at Harris Teeters;-)

My total bill rang up $83 and I walked out paying just $35. I think that was pretty good since it was my first time using coupons in a long long time:)

Hope y'all have a good week. We are hunkered down for the bad weather that is coming our way. They have already called off school for tomorrow. I feel a day of blog reading and coffee drinking coming my way.

Mel

linking to Met Monday Making the World Cuter Monday Sumos Sweet Stuff

The DIY Show Off Skip To My Lou Dittle Dattle Boring to Better House of Hepworths

The Shabby Chic Cottage Romantic Home Southern in My Heart Fresh Clean & Pure Friday

Serenity Now

Project 365.

2011-01-07T11:10:00.002-05:00

I have decided to participate in Project Life. Project Life is the brain child of Becky Higgins. It's a scrapbooking project where you take a photo a day for 365 days. Back when she designed the first kit, it was called Project 365 but now she has renamed it Project Life. You can do it however you want to. You can take a photo a day, a photo a week, or whatever you like.

I started Project 365 back in 2009. I completed it up until August but then we got busy moving to Cincinnati and I quit taking a photo a day. I decided that this year, I would do it again. I had to order a new book because I didn't have enough stuff to get me through the year with the old book. The book hasn't arrived yet but I have started taking my pictures. I thought that I would share a few.

January 1st: Doing nothing but watching football and reading magazines.

January 2nd: Nothing like Caden waiting until 2 days before school starting back that he tells me that he needs this book for English.

January 3rd: Our Pier One is going out of business so I went and bought these cute measuring cups that I had been eyeing for some time.

January 4th: Report card day that won't be posted due to private info on it.

January 5th: My first kit from Studio Calico came in the mail.

January 6th: My cute little Anthropology kitchen timer that Gary bought me. It matches my Kitchenaid mixer.

So there is my almost first week of photos. Just the mundane of every day life but I like the mundane. Hope everyone has had a great week. I have been doing the normal stuff and also counting my calories. Ugh, it has been hard but I have stuck with it. Wish me luck.

Happy Friday!

Mel

Late Christmas Post.

2011-01-05T10:04:00.002-05:00

While Caden was on Christmas break, we went down to my parents for a couple of days. I got to visit with my aunt's the night that we got there. We had a lot of food, laughter, and fellowship.

I wanted to share some photos with you of all the fun that was had by all.

All the aunts and my mom. The only photo taken with me and my aunts didn't turn out:(

My cousin was taking pictures while I was:)

The grandparents.

Caden is now as tall as my dad.

She forgets that he is almost 17;-)

I enjoyed getting to visit with my aunt's. Each one is very different and has brought something different to my life. They are getting older and I don't get to see them very much. Their ages range from 69 yrs. old to 87 yrs. old. I can't even believe that as I type it.

My mother and I went shopping one day and then had a pedicure the next day. We then celebrated Christmas on Tuesday before we headed back.

It was a nice visit.

How did y'all celebrate your Christmas?

Melanie

(since none of the photos turned out, they all have PW's actions applied to them.)

Happy New Year on 1/1/11

2011-01-01T08:52:00.012-05:00

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good night last night.

We watched Florida State beat South Carolina. It sure will make living here a little easier until next year:) Today we will be watching football again. This is always a fun weekend for us because of the bowl games that are on TV all day long.

I will also be starting my new eating plan! Plenty of water, no snacking, smaller portions, and walking. I plan on losing the 8 pounds that found me over the last year.

I have some goals this year and that is not something that I normally do. I am going to do Project Life which is taking a photo a day and journaling about it. I haven't ordered the book yet but I will start taking my photos today and have them ready for when the book arrives.

I also want to read every single day. That means something other than the computer;-)

There are things that I want to do to the house too. I am doing some of that now during my self imposed break. While I've been away (some), I enjoyed a visit to Florida and spent some time with these ladies.

My sweet aunts and my mom.

I bought some rugs for the kitchen but am still undecided about them. Thoughts?

I started spray painting this ottoman that I bought at Pier One last year but I ran out of paint.

I started reading this.

I have also worked on this room. Yes, the black dining room:)

So as you see, I have been enjoying not blogging so much. The few times that I did, it was just a quick post and one that didn't require remembering to take photos etc. I am still not ready to come back. I don't know when I will be. I have to find a balance between blogging and living my life. I am thinking about only reading my blog list in the mornings while I am drinking my coffee and then blogging at night while I watch TV or maybe getting some post ready on the weekends.

I have to do other things. Walk on the treadmill, relearn my photography class, cook some delicious low cal meals......just step away from the computer some.

On a final note, my One Little Word this year is Present.

Present

1. being, existing, occurring at this time or now

2. at hand, immediate

3. being actually here

That is what I am going to be working on this year. We have been living far to long in the future. Always waiting for that phone call from the railroad to tell us to move. That has been our life for the last year and a half.

I want to live each day IN that day. I am profoundly aware that our day to day time with Caden is quickly coming to an end. I want to take that all in. Time goes by so quickly and I feel like we lost the last year and half with all of our moves. I think having this word as my One Little Word will remind me to live IN the moment.

So, I will be back. I have a lot to show you and I miss you all when I am away. But it will just be on a limited basis for a while. I will find that balance that I need.

Ha! Maybe that should have been my word!

Mel

A Little Happiness.

2010-12-29T13:31:00.003-05:00

Remember when my hubby gave me this sweet letter? In it he said that he was thankful for the joy I get from a good cup of coffee.

Well, I am enjoying my 4th cup today and it happens to be a gift from my sister in law. She sent me a really good columbian coffee.

BUT what makes me really smile is this.

This cup makes me happy. I'm easy like that:)

Mel

I woke up this morning and thought I was in Cincinnati!

2010-12-26T19:33:00.002-05:00

That is what my backyard looked like. I knew that we were going to get some snow but I really didn't believe it.

I had just told Gary that Cincy was getting snow on Christmas and that if we still lived there, he would be getting his white Christmas. Little did I know that we would be getting one too, just a day late.

It snowed all day long. It started melting some this afternoon and I think that it has finally stopped. All I know is that the sun will be shining on Tuesday. HELLO SOUTH:) No snow on the ground for 2 1/2 months straight and no having 4 weeks straight of gray skies and no sunshine. I am a happy girl.

Gary just told me that it was going to be 70 degrees on New Years!

I could take a few days of snow if it turned sunny and 70 the next day;-)

I did do a lot of this today.

And I got the tree down. Yeah me!

Have a good week,

Mel

Merry Christmas and a winner.

2010-12-25T18:40:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope your day has been wonderful and that you received everything that you wished for. We had a quiet Christmas here in our new home, just the three of us. Having a teenager makes for a quiet day. Caden didn't even open presents until 12:30 since he didn't get up until 11:30.

Oh the joys of being a teen;-)

So on to the winner of the Little Brown Pen gift card. It's Staci @ A Life Less Ordinary! Email me your addy and your card will be in the mail.

I have been enjoying my little break from blogging. I have been reading a lot of magazines and deciding what I am going to work on next in the house. I am not sure when I will come back but I hope to feel like it after the New Year.

This morning I was catching up on some blog reading and ran across this horrible news. Edie @ A Life in Grace had her house burn down early Wednesday morning. They lost everything and I ask that you pray for her and her family. They have not been in their home that long and I just can't imagine what they are going through. They need a lot of love and support right now.

Hope everyone has a great New Year and I will see ya soon.

Mel

I have a sickness and a little break.

2010-12-20T22:46:00.002-05:00

Girls, I have a sickness and it is called Keurig.

Keurig. As in the Keurig coffee machine.

Y'all know that I love to organize and that is why I have a coffee drawer. No matter that the bonus room was still a mess, I was happily standing in the kitchen organizing my K cups.

They have all kinds of flavors. Different brewed coffee so that if you like bold you can get bold. If you like french roast, you can get french roast. They also make teas and hot chocolates. Just recently Folger's started making K cups. So far, that one isn't my favorite. That would be the Green Mountains Nantucket Blend. That one is delicious.

I love the decaf too. I usually have a cup in the afternoon.

The cappuccino is pretty good but it isn't Starbucks caramel brulee, I tell ya:) I haven't tried the iced vanilla coffee yet but I will let you know how it is when I taste it.

In other news, Gary was on vacation last week and we got a lot of stuff done in the house. I have many things to show you but I think that it will be after the first of the year.

Yes, I am going to take a little bloggy break. I love blogging and I love my readers but I am tired.

I have gained 8 pounds.

I haven't walked on the treadmill in over a year and a half.

I haven't finished a book since July.

I want to read again.

I want to read the many many magazines that have piled up.

I want to finish decorating my house.

I want to cook some new recipes.

I want to get settled.

I want to rest.

I have felt so much support from all of you while I have been going through the move. (or moves:) Y'all will never know how much I appreciate it. Even my mom told me that y'all have been so great to me and it is true.

I don't want to feel guilty because I am not visiting all of you. I can't seem to keep caught up on emailing every one back when y'all comment. I feel guilty about that. I never want to leave anyone out and I never want y'all to think that I don't read every.single.comment! I have made so many true friendships through blogging and I will keep blogging. But for a while, I am going to disconnect from the computer and get back to what I use to do.

I will be back. I will visit y'all. I will miss y'all while I am away, but I have to do this for myself. I will pick a winner of the gift card on Christmas and post the winner that afternoon. Then I will take a break.

I have moved two times in 9 months and have had 4 addresses in a year. I think that I should be tired:) The break will do me some good and I will come back refreshed and ready to show you our new home and what we have done to it so far.

We will be having a quite Christmas this year with just the three of us. Caden and I went to Florida and enjoyed a visit with my parents and celebrated Christmas a little early. I hope that every one has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Y'all will never be far from my thoughts while I am away.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Mel

Little Brown Pen.

2010-12-19T07:33:00.001-05:00

I love Little Brown Pen! I found her on Etsy and just fell in love with her photography. She loves all things Paris (she lives there part time) and she takes pictures of things that she loves.

I decided I was going to buy 4 prints for the kitchen. This is what came in the mail.

The outside of the envelope has a picture of what I bought.

Look how cute the packaging is. See that little envelope that says Little Brown Pen? Look what was inside.

A pack of miniature calendar cards and two gift cards for $10.00 off the next purchase.

Cuteness I say! Cuteness!

Here is a shot of the 4 prints that I bought.

This calendar has 5x5 pictures on each month that can be framed after it is used.

I can't wait to get the pictures hung in the kitchen and I will be doing that next week! Gary was on vacation this past week and we were busy working around the house. I didn't get to hang these pictures though.

Since I received two gift cards in my goodie package, I would like to offer one to my readers. Just go to Little Brown Pen and come back and tell me what you would use your $10.00 credit towards. It expires in January so be sure if you enter that you would be able to use it before it expires.

Happy shopping,

Mel

A Few of my favorite things.

2010-12-16T08:23:00.002-05:00

Here are a few of the things that I am loving right now.

I am not much of a country music fan. I do like some artist but I watched Keith Urban on Oprah last week and immediately went on Amazon and downloaded Get Closer. Man oh man, it is a love song from start to finish. My favorite track is number 3 but I love 1, 3, 5, and 7. The whole CD is wonderful.

I love Starbucks during the holidays. My favorite coffee is the Caramel Brulee Latte. Yum yum. I just don't think you should look at the calorie content before drinking one;-)

I have been wanting this cookbook for a while. I ordered it a couple of weeks ago and all I can say is WOW! I am loving everything in it and I can't wait to try some of the recipes. It is southern with a twist to make the dishes a bit upscale.

This is a delicious smelling lotion. I read about it in a magazine and went and bought it at Target. It smells like vanilla almond and I love anything that is vanilla.

I love this game! I probably have 10 games going at one time but it has been my mental salvation during this move. At night I have played this game to relax my mind and it has carried me through. I love playing and sometimes I am good and win and sometimes I am not. BUT, I love playing no matter what.

This book is total eye candy. Lovely photos and I can't wait to sit down with it and soak it all in. When we get the house totally set up, I am going to break out my photography books and start reading again. I have a lot of things to catch up on. I took Karen Russell's class last year and I am going to reread all of the material. I feel like I have forgotten a lot of it.

So theses are the things that I am loving right now.

What things are on your list?

Mel

PS. If I haven't returned an email to you from your comments, just know that I have read them all and appreciate them. Gary is on vacation this week and I haven't been online. We are working hard to get things hung on the walls and the house set up so that we can start the New Year off on an organized front. Hope to be back next week.

I {heart} my blog friends.

2010-12-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

Look what I got in the mail on Friday.

Lisa, from Pickles & Cheese sent me a Christmas towel that she hand stenciled. Y'all know how much I love mail and getting something from a blog friend makes it all the better.

I love it. It is so cute and so is Lisa. She loves all things stenciled, numbered, and french.

It is perfect hanging on my stove. I have only decorated a tree this year so this towel adds a touch of Christmas to my kitchen.

Thanks Lisa for making my day!

Mel

A Different kinda Christmas Tour.

2010-12-12T23:09:00.003-05:00

Since we have moved a lot in the last five years, I don't have pictures of every single Christmas for each of those years.

This year I managed to get a tree up but I didn't get to fully decorate the house. I wanted to participate in a couple of parties that are showcasing Christmas home tours.

I thought that I would do it a little different.

This first photo is from our Christmas in December 2005. We were living with Gary's mom while we were building our home in Florida. This is our Snoopy tree:)

That is what I could manage to get put up in her house since we had just moved in.

These next photos are from our last Christmas in our Florida home which was December 2008. It was a wonderful Christmas. My sister in law and her family came in from Texas and we just had a great time seeing each other.

Last year we moved to Cincinnati on November 9 and I didn't get a tree up. This year we moved on November 1 and I did manage to get a tree up.

I got rid of our tree that we have had for the last 15 years and went with a skinny tree. I like that it fits the space perfectly.

And now for some of my favorite ornaments. They are things that Caden has made, things that I have collected through the years, and ornaments of places we have traveled together.

Thank you for indulging me with another look at our tree this year. It was fun taking a trip down memory lane and showing the trees that we have had over the last five years. For those of you who are new to my blog, if you want to read a really sweet story about a gift I received for our Christmas in 2008, you can go here. It is worth your time.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you are all having a great holiday season.

Melanie

Linking to Met Monday

Kellys Korner

The Nester

Barking Dogs.

2010-12-10T07:17:00.002-05:00

I have a dilemma. There is a barking dog that lives on the street behind us and he is barking all the time!

He woke me up twice last weekend very early in the morning and then this morning he woke me up at 5 am. 5 am! I think that it is rude to let your dog out, leave him, and let him bark at everything. I don't know what to do.

My next door neighbor said that she could give me their phone number but I told her that I would tough it out. That was before the dog woke me up this morning.

I don't want to be 'that neighbor' but I also don't won't to be woke up at 5 am three mornings a week. When I let Bit out late at night or early in the morning, I don't even let the screened porch door slam. I close it myself so that I don't disturb the neighbors. I wish they would be more considerate of all of us.

I didn't go to bed until 12:30 this morning, so to be woke up by a dog has not started my Friday off on a good note:(

I sleep with a box fan going, ear plugs, and a sleeping pill. I don't know what else to do to not hear the dog.

So what would you do? Try and tough it out for a while or give them a friendly call? I was wondering if I could find one of those bark things that they advertise on TV. I don't know if it is something you can hang outside or if it is something that you have to press a button. If it is the latter, that wouldn't work because I would already be woke up by that time.

So what are y'alls thoughts?

Mel

Our Traditional Christmas Tree.

2010-12-07T15:05:00.009-05:00

I am a traditionalist when it comes to a Christmas tree. I have ornaments that I have collected for the past 20 years of marriage. I have things that Caden has made over the years, ornaments from the places we have been, and just ones that I love.

We have had the same Christmas tree of about 15 years. I got it for $25.00 from Michaels and it was big, round, and gorgeous. When we moved in last month, I decided that it was time for a new one. I wanted one that already had lights on it since that is the thing that I hate to do most each year. Caden and I went to Sam's Club and bought a 9 ft. skinny tree. I don't know if the hubby is loving the skinny one but he will get use to it:)

Caden promised me that he would help me put it up and so this is where we started out this past Saturday.

Then we had to take a moment to watch the football game;-)

All the while, crazy was watching me.

The nice mess that decorating creates. (like I needed another mess)

So here is our traditional Christmas tree. Warning: heavy photo post:)

Now for some of my favorite ornaments and what they mean to me.

My favorite place to visit.

Our favorite college football team.

My cutie patootie snowman.

Our family.

A reminder of our trip to Crater Lake.

Our 2007 trip to The Rockies.

My favorite jingle bell snowman.

Our yearly ornament that we collected when Caden was born.

The lighthouse that we visited on the Oregon Coast. Ironically it says Florence Oregon. So funny that we have lived in Florence Kentucky and now Florence South Carolina:) I guess Florence has some kind of meaning in our lives.

Letters to Santa.

Now for the nighttime shots.

My sweet boy at the age of 4:)

A reindeer that Caden made and a train;-)

Looking up:)

After not having a Christmas tree last year, I think I did a good job by just getting one up this year. Moving twice in the last year, during the holidays, is just not recommended! I was thinking that I need a topper and some ribbon on the tree but after standing back and looking at it, I am happy just the way it is. Now I just to get some presents under it.

Merry Christmas!

Melanie

Linking to The Pleated Poppy Thrift Decor Chick Southern In My Heart Dittle Dattle
Savvy Southern Style Met Monday My Romantic Home The Shabby Chic Cottage

Domestically Speaking House of Hepworths Hooked on Houses Coastal Charm

Happy Mail.

2010-12-06T09:46:00.001-05:00

About a month ago, I got an email from one of my blog readers. She felt bad for me with all the stress that was going on with the move, the movers, and the builder. She said that she wanted to send me something in the mail and asked for my address.

This is what came last week.

That's right, bath salts! Cricket didn't even know how much I love my bath every night. She sent me all different scents and they have the cutest names.

Fairy Dust Lavender, Blue, Violet, Yellow, Red, Orange, and Indigo. They smell so good and make me SO happy. I take my baths seriously;-)

Thank you Cricket for being so kind and thoughtful.

It made my day.

Melanie

We have a winner!

2010-12-05T20:08:00.002-05:00

Kristen from Bringing Pretty Back is the winner of the "taking hunger out of dieting" prize pack. Email me your addy and your prize pack will be in the mail.

Thanks for participating everyone.

Up next, a Christmas tree!

Melanie

Been a busy week.

2010-12-02T22:45:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy week for me. Not much blogging going on and hardly no time for visits to all of you.

I have been working on this.

And this.

And sadly the chairs didn't make it to the family room:(

Then I went to this.

And this.

Y'all know how much I love to organize and I took a day to do just that. We have a pantry that is small so we asked the builder to add two shelves to the hall closet. (you can see one in the picture) I decided that I needed that closet for hanging up my laundry when it is finished drying and also for my swiffer etc.

So I reworked the closets and it is more functional for me. I will post pictures of the finished product when I can remember to take pictures.

I then went to work on this.

This is the bonus room that Gary and I will share as an office/craft space. I can't wait to finish this room and show you the closets (there are two) and a full bath that is built on a step up. It is going to be really nice.

The room looked much worse than this. This is before EVERYTHING was unpacked and put up there. I took a picture with my cellphone and sent it to a friend and she called and said "that is a lot of stuff!" It was completely overwhelming.

Anyway, I have made great strides this week. I found some fabric to recover the ottoman that is in our family room, found someone to make a roman shade for my dining room, and got the bonus room where we can walk in it without me breaking a leg:)

But now I have to do this.

Caden went with me to pick out a new Christmas tree. We decided on a tall skinny one and I am hoping that I like it. He has also promised that he would help me decorate it, so when I show you a picture of it, you'd better remember that! HA!

So as you can see, progress is being made and I have lots to show you but I have to remember to take photos of everything. I start something and forget about pictures and then I finish and don't remember them then either.

But honestly, I have been so busy that I haven't had time to blog so it wouldn't have mattered.

Hope everyone has had a good week and that you'll have a better weekend. We will be decorating the tree, cooking some football food, and watching the ACC game Saturday night.

Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.

Mel

Eating breakfast and a giveaway.

2010-12-01T09:35:00.002-05:00

It happens every year…. I’m sure I’m not the only one – we over indulge around the Holidays! For me it most definitely starts around Thanksgiving – portion control goes right out the window when there’s creamy mashed potato on the table, along with green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, not to mention desserts! But Thanksgiving is over and I don’t intend to carry on those kind of eating habits for the next month. I need to get back to eating healthier and shedding a few pounds before the next holiday – Christmas!

I hate the word ‘diet’, it always makes me feel like I can’t eat so many things I like. The way I prefer to think of it is just ‘eating better’. And eating better for me starts with a better breakfast. I recently was asked to try Fiber One cereal. I don’t know about you, but some breakfasts just leave me feeling hungry again an hour later! With Fiber one I feel like I’m getting something ‘filling’.

One serving of Fiber One Original cereal provides more than half (57%) of the Daily Value of fiber. It has 0 grams of sugar, 14 grams of fiber, 60 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving.

There are quite a few to chose from.. I tried the Caramel Delight recently, I really enjoyed it. The sweet caramel taste and crunchy wheat squares made me feel like was ‘indulging’ in a cereal that wasn’t so good for me. Knowing it WAS good for me made it taste even better:)

So from now til Christmas (and of course in to the New year too I hope), I will strive to eat a better breakfast. I plan on checking out the yummy Fiber one Pancake and muffin mixes too.

What about you? What are your worst over-indulgence’ moments?

I was sent a ‘Take the hunger out of dieting’ prize pack from General Mills and MyBlogSpark and one to giveaway to my readers.

What about you? What are your worst over-indulgence moments? If you would like to win a prize pack from General Mills just leave me a comment telling me what you normally have for breakfast.

I will pick a winner this weekend.

Melanie

Monday Musings.

2010-11-29T10:20:00.002-05:00

Good Monday Morning.

1. Is anyone else having a hard time getting up and getting things going? I am. I can't decide if it is because of the long holiday weekend or because I have so much to do that I don't know where to begin.

2. I am trying to get it together but it is a slow go this time.

3. And now we have Christmas coming. I have to go and buy a tree this year. We got rid of the one that we have had for the last 14 years.

4. Yes, I said 14 years:-)

5. I asked Caden if he would decorate the tree this year and he said yes.

6. The next day, he said no. Boo!

7. Gary is on vacation in two weeks and I have to be ready for him to finish up around the house. It will be the last time that he will be home for any length of time. New year means much work and no honey do time.

8. I am thinking that next year will be our big Christmas where we invite everyone to come here and spend the holidays with us. I just can't do it this year.

9. I think I am exempt:)

10. I can tell you that I don't want one thing this year for Christmas. Moving twice in 8 months will do that to you. SO much stuff and I am tired of stuff.

11. The house is coming along. I hope to have pictures taken of some of the things that I have finished.....which is not much:(

12. Don't you know that this is the reason for this rambling long post? I got nothin for y'all:)

I shall go now and get dressed and head out to buy a tree. WOO HOO! Fun fun:)

Here a picture of me and Gary in Oregon on Cannon Beach. I will be dreaming that I am there today.

Happy Monday!

Mel

Thankful.

2010-11-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with you what I received today.

It was a letter from my sweet hubby. This is what it said.

My Thankful List:

I'm thankful for the little funny faces you make when you don't even realize that you are making them.

I'm thankful for glimpses of you when you never know that I am looking.

I'm thankful for the little noises you make when you like or dislike something.

I'm thankful for the contentment in your eyes.

I'm thankful for the joy that a simple book or good cup of coffee brings you.

I'm thankful that you are comfortable being you.

I'm thankful for the pride that you take in your family and your home.

I'm thankful for your love for your family and your acceptance of mine.

I'm thankful for you being my rock--my one sure thing.

I'm thankful for you always supporting me and never wavering in that support.

I'm thankful for you giving me my son and loving, teaching, and nurturing him to be the great man that I know he will become.

Most of all, I'm thankful that you made a decision 19 years ago to share your life with me, to help me become a better man, and to walk beside me as we chased our dreams and made memories.

So you see, I don't need a day on the calendar to celebrate what I'm thankful for because I'm thankful every day that I have someone that still takes my breath away and that I'm still falling in love with after 19 years.

I love you with all my heart and soul.

Gary

Yes girls, that man is mine and I am SO lucky to have him. I told y'all he was a keeper;-)

Melanie

Linking to Southern in my Heart and I know that it isn't a craft or holiday decor but I thought it was so sweet and spoke volumes about the man I married:-) Thanks for letting me share it with all of y'all.

Italian Cream Cake

2010-11-23T09:04:00.017-05:00

This is a wonderful cake. It is beautiful and taste delicious! I will tell you that it is a lot of work but believe me, it is worth it. The CSI Project is hosting a contest and this week is holiday baking. I love this cake so much that I thought that it would be fun to enter it.

Here is the recipe.

You'll need to start this cake a day ahead because the Fresh Orange Curd must chill for 8 hours.
Yield: Makes 12 to 16 servings
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Fresh Orange Curd
3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted
Glazed Pecan Halves

Preparation:
Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until blended.
Combine flour and soda; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread 3/4 cup chilled Fresh Orange Curd between layers; spread remaining Fresh Orange Curd on top of cake. (The Fresh Orange Curd layer on top of cake will be very thick.) If desired, loosely cover cake, and chill 8 hours. (Chilling the cake with the curd between the layers helps keep the layers in place and makes it much easier to spread the frosting.) Spread 3 cups Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting on sides of cake, reserving remaining frosting for another use. Sprinkle 1/2 cup toasted coconut over top of cake, if desired. Arrange Glazed Pecan Halves around top edge of cake, if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Note: Cake may be frosted with Pecan-Cream Cheese Frosting immediately after adding the Fresh Orange Curd, but the cake layers will not be as steady.

FRESH ORANGE CURD
You can substitute reconstituted orange juice for fresh; however, squeezing navel oranges only takes about 15 minutes and can make all the difference in this cake's fresh flavor.
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups fresh orange juice (about 4 pounds navel oranges)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
Combine sugar and cornstarch in a 3-quart saucepan; gradually whisk in fresh orange juice. Whisk in lightly beaten eggs. Bring to a boil (5 to 6 minutes) over medium heat, whisking constantly.
Cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture reaches a pudding-like thickness. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and grated orange rind. Cover, placing plastic wrap directly on curd, and chill 8 hours.

Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 4 cups
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Preparation
Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.

Glazed Pecans

Combine pecan halves and corn syrup, stirring to coat pecans. Line a 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil; coat with cooking spray. Arrange pecan halves in an even layer in pan.

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes; stir using a rubber spatula. Bake 8 more minutes. Remove from oven, and stir; arrange in an even layer on wax paper, and let cool completely.

I got this recipe out of Southern Living Magazine.

I know that this cake is a lot of work, but you will be glad that you made it.

Make, Eat, and Enjoy!

Melanie

Linking to these parties:

Tempt Your Tummy Mouth Watering Mondays

Tasty Tuesday Made by you Mondays

Tuesdays at the Table Amaze Me Mondays

Saturday Fun Day.

2010-11-22T22:30:00.001-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, CSX had a family fun day. It was held at the rail yard and all the workers were invited. This is something that they do occasionally for the employees.

This get together came at a time where Gary had been working about 30 days straight and Caden and I hadn't seen him much. I decided that the only way to get Gary out of the office and be able to see him for a couple of hours was to take Caden and go.

They had a bouncy thing, a cotton candy machine, a face painter, and a climbing wall. It was really geared toward small children but it was nice.

They had hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq chicken, and sides.

After we ate, they were playing bingo and I wanted to play. Of course Caden didn't but after a round or two, he came on board:)

Then we toured an old caboose and headed home.

It was a nice day that we had as a family.

Hope y'all are having a good week.

Melanie

The Next Iron Chef.

2010-11-21T12:04:00.002-05:00

Tonight is the finale! I can't wait. This season of The Next Iron Chef has been really good. I am Team Forgione all the way. For some reason, Canora rubs me the wrong way. He is an excellent chef but seems to be a little fake. Who knows, maybe he is that way in real life.

I can't wait to see what they have to cook and who will be the winner.

Will any of you be watching?

Melanie

We have a winner!

2010-11-20T10:03:00.001-05:00

Denise @ Den's Daily Life!

Send me your addy and I will ship it out next week.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Melanie

Help!

2010-11-18T13:38:00.004-05:00

ETA: Working on posting some other pictures of the black chairs in place of the couch.

Hello everyone! I am desperate for some help. I am going to show you some photos of our great room and ask for some advice.

This room is long and not square. We just bought furniture last August before we moved to Cincinnati and I am really trying not to have to buy anything else.

That's my problem.

In all the photos you will see a bunch of junk and I am embarrassed for y'all to see it but we just moved in and it is still a mess. So forgive the vacuum cleaner, the Uggs, the ladder....you get the picture.

So here we go.

This is the long wall. Gary wants to put the couch on that wall and buy a love seat. It would look best but I don't want to spend the money. We had the couch there and this morning I moved it around. This is what it looks like now.

With the room being long, it just isn't working right. Nothing is coming together the way it should.

I like walking in and seeing this.

If we bought a love seat, you would still see the sofa table when you came in but that is what I am trying to NOT do. Buy another piece of furniture.

So I thought about moving my chairs from the kitchen into the great room. They would be beautiful to see when you came in because they have a pretty back to them and some great fabric. I could then move the sofa table to the foyer wall. We don't have anything to put on that wall either:(

I would have to buy another rug though and there wouldn't be anything in the kitchen. So my question for all of you is do I buy a love seat and move the couch back to the long wall? OR do I move the chairs from the kitchen into the great room and buy a new rug?

I have a couple of options.

1. is buy a love seat and move the couch onto the long wall.
2. is move the chairs from the kitchen into the great room and buy a new rug.
3. is just leave it has I have showed y'all and wait on the love seat or just decorate around the long wall.

Thoughts?

And here is a little peak at the black dining room. I am going to have to redecorate it and have some roman shades made for the windows. I am thinking a yummy fabric for those. We get the afternoon sun and it will fade my furniture so they are a must. I will show you the room whenever I get the light changed out and get it decorated. Some thought is going to have to go into that room too. ;-)

But for now, here it is.

So help a girl out! I'm ready to hear all your thoughts. Bring it on.

Mel

I Fly.

2010-11-14T19:39:00.001-05:00

The hubby is a daredevil. He will bungy jump, free fall, and now he did a simulation of jumping out of a plane.

Caden did it too.

Just for the record, I told Gary that he could sky dive (the real kind) but Caden could not:)

We found a place outside of San Francisco and off we went.

Here they are getting ready to go in the tunnel. They are both very excited.

In the tunnel waiting for their turn. I think Caden might be getting a little nervous at this point.

Here's Caden fixing to 'jump' in.

He's very happy at this point.

He's going on his own at this point.

This is right before the instructor takes him up really high in the tunnel. They add much more air in the tunnel at over a hundred miles an hour and it takes them up and drops them.

There he is going up in the tunnel.

Here is Gary's turn. He had just 'jumped' in.

Gary didn't get to go as high up as Caden did but they both loved it and said that they would do it again. Of course Gary would jump out of a real plane if he could find one.

Maybe that would be a really good birthday present for him:)

Have a great Monday.

Melanie

Giveaway Time!

2010-11-12T09:41:00.002-05:00

It's giveaway time.

I want to thank all you girls (and Odie;-) for all of your love and support during this move. It has made me feel so much better when I would get in the bed at night and read your emails. I received comments and private emails from you girls that just made me smile.

THAT is why I love blogging. All the friendships that I have made.

To thank you all, I am going to have a few giveaways. Everything that I will be giving away is something that has come from my home. Everything will be washed and ready to go to someone else's home where it can be loved there. I will also be listing some things to sell but I won't be able to do that until next week because my house still looks like this.

;-)

So, for the first giveaway, I have a rooster pitcher with a salt & pepper set.

This set has moved to 5 houses with me and sat on my counter in 2 of those houses.

There is a slight chip in the beak but other than that, it is in great condition.

It has beautiful colors in it and I think it is adorable.

So if you would like to enter this giveaway, just leave me a comment to let me know that you are a follower. For a second chance to enter, blog about the giveaway and leave a separate comment to let me know. For a third chance to enter, tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment. I will pick a winner next Friday and announce the winner on Saturday.

I won't be answering any of your comments in this post. If I have not emailed you back this week, please know that I have read every comment and appreciate them all. I have had no computer time this week but at night I have tried to email everyone back. I know that y'all will forgive me if I didn't. I was busy looking for the dryer receipt:) Hee Hee!

I just want to say again THANK YOU for all of your support! It really has been a blessing to me to have all of you sending me some blog love.

Good luck and have a great weekend!

Melanie

Unpacked!

2010-11-10T07:09:00.002-05:00

All 220 boxes are unpacked!

We've lived here a week.

Some stuff went to the dump and the rest went upstairs to the bonus room. But, the boxes are unpacked. Gary is very happy about that. He seems to like all the boxes unpacked even if it means stuff sitting all around. We kinda differ about that system but it's okay.

The painter is finished. He is coming back at the end of the week to re stain my front door and paint the garage doors. He has two places at the top of the stairs to finish up but he will need some help with that. BUT he is all finished with the house. So today I will be cleaning up and we will move all the furniture back and place it where it is suppose to be. I don't have a picture yet but I will say the black dining room is to die for;-) Pictures will be coming soon.

Yesterday, we ran across this.

This is a broken drawer (or is it draw?) on Gary's Nana's sewing machine. We had it refinished when we lived in Georgia. I am thinking of using it as an end table. I am not going to fix it until the claims people come out and look at everything. Our stuff really got damaged with this move. I am regretting the decision to use Suddath. They were suggested by some other railroad workers that had just moved but I have not had good luck with them. I am thinking that it is the guys that they use here in SC that has been the problem.

Anyway, my dryer is not fixed yet either. The repair guy couldn't get out here until Monday and he said that it was a burned up part. I told him him that it was just a year old and he said that if it was under a year, it would be under warranty. So off I went to find the receipt. If you can believe it, I found the receipt in all of the mess and guess what the date was? November 8th and it was November 8th! Praise God that it was under warranty! He will be back at the end of the week or early next week to fix it. Until then, I am washing clothes today at home and then going to the Laundromat to dry everything.

Always something, isn't it?

So today I will be cleaning and doing laundry. Thank goodness for Gary being at home. He has really pushed me and helped me out. Hoping that by the end of the week, I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I am going to have a few giveaways in the next couple of weeks. I want to thank you all for your love and support during this trying time that we have been through. I am also going to list a few things and you girls can decide if you would like to purchase anything. I will wait and do that this weekend.

So check back soon. A thank you is coming.

Have a good Wednesday,

Melanie

In a funk.

2010-11-08T07:17:00.002-05:00

That's how I feel. I am in a funk. I guess the last year has just hit me. For the last week, I have felt like doing nothing but sitting in the recliner. There is stuff everywhere and I just don't seem to care.

I don't do good with messes.

I usually am all gun hoe to get everything put up and in its place but for some reason, this time, I am not. I guess it could be that I have just unpack and decorated a house not even a year ago. I think that that is the main reason.

Gary is on vacation this week so he will keep me busy and on task. The first thing we had to decide was where to put the furniture in the family room. The room is long and wide instead of square.

We are thinking that the couch should go on the long wall. I normally wouldn't put a couch on a wall but I think that this is the only place for it. It will require buying a love seat and I don't want to do that but Gary says that it will look the best.

Here is a shot that shows the pretty molding. Oh how I love the molding in this house.

Here are the two rugs that we were trying to decide upon. The red rug is not that big but it was in the family room in KY. and I bought the green one for our master bedroom but never lived there long enough to finish decorating it.

Here is a view of both of them down and we went with the green one. It has more color and is bigger so it just looks better.

A glimpse at the box that was built for the tv. I will show you a better picture when I get the room finished.

Furniture and junk just sitting in the middle of the room:(

Caden doing what he does best.

I kid, I kid.

Okay, so maybe I'm not kidding:) You can see that I put the buffet on the smaller wall and you can see more stuff sitting everywhere.

Here is a shot of my office right now! I know a lot of you thought that I had already finished the office here but that was a post done just to enter a contest. LOL! I am not THAT good at unpacking. This is what it looks like after Gary brings in box after box and wants them unpacked. I just sit stuff everywhere. (he is trying to get all the boxes out of the garage)

So as you can see, the house is a disaster just as the move has been. I think that is another reason for the funk. All I can see is the mess, all the stuff that has to be sold or given away, the claims that have to be filed, and all of that on TOP of Christmas coming. I can't even go there.

But on Friday night, after Gary got off from work, he brought me this.

And these.

So I had a snack before I went to bed.

That boy is a keeper, I tell ya:)

I don't have a picture of the dining room yet. The painter is coming back today to repaint it and finish up. I pray that he gets done today. We also have the people coming to look at the dryer. I really hope that it gets fixed today as well. I had to get the company to pay for laundry service last Thursday but now it is all piled up again.

We are really busy and trying to get everything done so it will be a busy week for us. Wish us luck.

Melanie

Kara's Cupcakes.

2010-11-05T08:31:00.001-04:00

I love cupcakes.

I love gourmet cupcakes.

I love Walmart cupcakes.

I don't discriminate when it comes to a cupcake;-)

When we were in San Francisco, I ran across Kara's Cupcakes.

It was a stark looking store where all the focus was on the cupcakes.

They were not very big but they were very yummy.

I bought a chocolate one with a raspberry filling and a red velvet. I bought a third one but I can't remember what it was.

They really have cute packaging too.

They were very good but then again, I haven't met a cupcake that I don't like:) As I was leaving and trying to get a photo of the name of the bakery, I took this photo. Later when I uploaded it, I noticed that it caught my reflection in the window:)

This was the start to my weight gain that has taken place through vacation and these past two moves. It sure was fun putting the weight on but now it is back to the treadmill. You play, you pay!

Thanks to all of y'all for your support during this nightmare move. I am plugging along one box at a time. We are filing a claim for them to repair our furniture, replace the refrigerator, and a repair guy is coming on Monday to hopefully fix the dryer. Gary is on vacation next week so we plan on working hard and finishing up. I know that it will all come together but it has been rough. I have felt the love and support from everyone and it really means a lot. I would think about your emails when I was unpacking and remembering all the sweet words and prayers. It helped a lot.

Have a great weekend and I will have a sneak peek of the dining room on Monday;-)

Melanie

Finally Home.

2010-11-02T21:39:00.001-04:00

Yes, we have finally moved in. We spent our first night here last night. We had to be out of the apartment by tomorrow at noon so we took a couple of days and moved our stuff out.

We are just moving stuff from one pile to another;-)

This move has, by far, been the worst to date. We have moved a lot over the last 12 years and this one just blows all the other ones out of the water.

First, we had to move our furniture to storage. The guys at the storage facility here in SC didn't rewrap it and it got damaged. Many pieces are going to have to be repaired. Then it rained on moving day. That held the progress up. We really thought that it couldn't get worse but then it did.

The refrigerator got damaged as I talked about here. We are filing a claim and hope that they will replace it. After all of that, the movers couldn't find the hardware to put the beds together. They left and the next day Gary & Caden unloaded the ENTIRE garage to find the box marked 'parts box.' It was in the middle of the garage on the bottom of the stack. The movers should have seen the box and kept it out. After we found the box, they sent the guys out to put the beds up.

They didn't even do that right and Gary had to redo them.

So, as I am making a list of THE REPAIRS that the company is going to have to make, this is what I found.

See those two red stickers? That is what they mark the furniture with. There should only be ONE sticker on the bed but there are two. There are two because of this.

That's right. They took a chunk out of the bed (when they took it down in KY) and didn't tell me. They put two stickers over it so that it would stay together.

This bed is not even a year old. This is a chunk and not a scratch. It is big.

That is just one more thing that has to be fixed.

On Friday they sent a third party person to set up the washer and dryer and hook the refrigerator up. I was unpacking in the bedroom and the guy came back there and said that the refrigerator wouldn't fit. It.Would.Not.Fit in the space. Then he dropped the other bomb that just about sent me over the edge....the dryer wouldn't start! My brand new dryer! I just set down on the mattress (since the bed wasn't put together) and wanted to cry. I wanted to call Gary and tell him to come home from work but I didn't. I didn't cry either. A little while later Gary showed up because his boss sent him home to help with the house and he got to work. They are going to send someone to look at the dryer on Monday. I am very upset about the dryer. I have to have the dryer and I am hoping that they can fix it and that I don't have to have it replace. I am afraid that I am going to have to have the refrigerator replaced also.

The other thing that happened was the paint. I picked out the same color that we used in Kentucky. We hadn't had it that long and I wasn't tired of it, so we decided (or I decided) to go with it again.

Our painter has been painting for a couple of weeks now and he painted the kitchen the other night but when I came back over, I didn't think it looked right. Gary didn't either. We just thought that it was a different house, different cabinets, and different lighting. It looked like it had a berry tint to it. I couldn't quit thinking about it so I brought the color swatch over and guess what? Yep, it was WRONG!

Lowe's color matched it wrong. I went to Lowe's on Friday night and they redid it for me but I still didn't like it.

It just had a red undertone to it. It is the color on the right. I am so glad that our painter had not painter the great room or hallways because that was going to be the color. I thought the second from the right was a little light and the one on the left was very close to the color that I loved, so I went with the third from the right.

You can see the difference in the colors in this photo. I am so happy that I changed it. I used Prairie Dust which is what I painted Gary's office in Kentucky. We also paid the painter to repaint the kitchen. It is a nice creamy khaki color. He is trying to finish up and get out of here. He has worked nonstop for days. But tonight, he told me that he would be back Monday and finish up all the touch up and put a few more coats on the black dining room walls.

This is what our great room looks like right at this moment. I have washed all the dishes and the kitchen is set up except for all the stuff on the counters;-) The bathrooms are almost finished but I will have to wait until the painter leaves for me to really get to unpacking. Until then, we are living in a mess.

So, as you can see, it has been a disaster. I am completely wiped out. We both are but each day I am putting one foot in front of the other. I know that it will all come together. It just might take a little longer than it usually does.

I just want to thank everyone for your sweet comments and all the prayers that have gone up for us! We have needed every single one of them:) I really appreciate all of you.

Melanie

My Favorite Room.

2010-10-31T21:23:00.001-04:00

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is having a Mom Cave contest. I love the idea of a 'mom cave.' Men always seem to be the ones that get to have a man cave so it is nice that Home Goods is sponsoring a giveaway for the best mom cave.

This is the first house that we have ever lived in that had room enough for me to have my own special space. Gary has had an office in two of the last houses that we have lived in and it was nice to have an extra bedroom to use however we needed to.

This is a space that I read in, blog in, and scrapbook in. I love it. So let's take a tour.

This is the view from outside of the room.

I ordered the desk online at Target. Some other blog friends had the same desk and assured me that it was a great buy and it has been. I love the open storage and how big it is.

My printer station.

The bookshelves are from JCPenney's. I had one that was in Caden's room and so I used it and ordered another one.

A print from Red Letter Days and a sonogram of my son. It was a gift from my mom.

The bookshelves hold my books and some of my pretties. I made the print at the top of the shelf.

The desk holds a lot of things. Some of my favorites:)

A cute cup to hold pens and a reed diffuser, both from Home Goods.

My computer station holds all my crafting supplies.

A print of our home in Florida.

Since I don't have drawers, I use baskets and plates to house my papers and as you can see, my paint swatches.

Initial plates with the initials of our family.

More storage and finally a look from my desk.

The only thing that my 'mom cave' is missing is a sitting area. I would love to buy a chair and and have a spot to read in. I have a seat at the desk but one a little more stylish and comfortable would be great.

Thanks for taking the tour of my mom cave with me. Go see all the rooms that are linked up at Susan's. There will probably be some really great rooms.

Melanie

Moving Update.

2010-10-28T22:09:00.002-04:00

I know you girls are tired of hearing about the move but I need to vent.

Hope you don't mind.

The day started off really well. The cleaner was there cleaning the house and I swept out the garage so that it would be clean for all of our boxes and extra furniture.

Here is the first, yes you read that right, the first moving semi.

They got the one semi down the culdesac without backing it in.

This was the beginning of the boxes. Not to bad so far.

They took the oven out that came with the house but they hadn't found the new one on the truck yet. This is just a peak at the tiled backsplash.

This is what the kitchen looked like after two, yes two boxes:(

Then it started raining. RAINING! I have lived down here for two months and we have had about 2 days, 3 at the most, of rain. It might rain an hour and then go back to sunshine. But we woke to rain this morning. I thought "what else can go wrong with this move?"

Then came the brand new refrigerator that we bought when we moved to Kentucky last year.

I will start off by saying that we were noticing that none of the furniture was wrapped in the quilts. It was all wrapped in thin paper. Not even packing paper. I asked the movers why and they said that since it had to go to storage, the original mover wanted his quilts back so they wrap it in paper. That would explain the two scratches on the dining room table, the scratch on my dresser, and my buffet table with a big gash on the foot. (the furniture didn't make it as easily this time around.)

So back to the refrigerator.

They got the refrigerator to the front door and they couldn't get it in. The handles stick out on the front and even taking the door down wasn't going to get it in.

When I went to the door to see what they were going to do, I saw this.

You can't see them all but there were 7 dents in the side. One side.

A couple of dents on the other side and a big long scuff mark.

Then a dent on the door. When they got it inside (after Gary figured out how to take the bottom freezer off) It had a big scratch on the FRONT door and another two dents on the door. THAT is when I had a meltdown. A full blown meltdown. Every move brings at least one and it was time. I just couldn't believe what my refrigerator looked like.

Now I have to file a claim. Wonder how long that will take? They are going to either buy me another refrigerator or fix the one that I have. All the men said that they would vouch for me that it was damaged.

Then, no one could find the bed hardware. Not for ONE.SINGLE.BED! The movers are suppose to set up the beds, put any tables together etc. NONE of that was done.

There was no finding the box for the hardware because this is our garage.

We could not get one more thing in it. We have stuff on the back porch, garbage cans in the yard, and bicycles too.

It is a mess. The craters didn't show up to uncrate the TVs, hook up the washer and dryer, or the refrigerator. So until I unpack some boxes, we won't be moving in because we can't put the beds up.

Oh, and the painter is painting around all the furniture that is in the middle of the rooms. He also dropped black paint on the hardwood floor. A LOT! I know that he was upset because he knew that I had been crying and he probably thought that I would have another meltdown but I didn't. He is wonderful and cleaned it right up.

The only upside to this day is that the painter started painting the black dining room. I can't wait to see it finished tomorrow.

So I really need all your prayers. I am crying at the drop of the hat and I don't know how I am going to unpack when the bedrooms are not quite set up. I am going to keep Caden home from school tomorrow so that he can move boxes for me and I am going to do the kitchen, closets, and clothing. I have to make some headway so that we can find the bed hardware.

Wish me luck.

I will see you all on Monday.

Happy weekend,

Melanie

PS. To all that commented on Caden or the move, I appreciate them all and I will do my best to email you all back.

He did it.

2010-10-28T06:55:00.002-04:00

He finally got his driving permit!

I took him yesterday, to take his written test, when I picked him up from school. He only missed three:)

It took him three times to sign his name before the lady would accept it. When did they quit teaching cursive writing in school? ugh!

So now the fun begins.....teaching him how to drive.

Thank God for daddy's:)

I asked him did he want to drive home and he said "no way." "I just wanted the license to say that I have a license and I can drive if I want to."

He drove home from the mailbox to the parking space at the apartment:)

Yes.He.Did.

Melanie

Almost Here.

2010-10-27T06:42:00.001-04:00

The moving day is almost here. It has been a stressful 3 months. More stressful than any other move that we have had. It all started with the house and finding one that was headed (or in) foreclosure. I say that because we were told that it was headed there but at closing the attorney said that it was in foreclosure.

Either way, we closed last Friday. We didn't close on time but we closed. The painter has been over there since last week caulking, touching up the trim, and painting. The biggest headache has been the builder. He builds a good house but he procrastinates. THAT has been the biggest stress. He is suppose to be finished today and sending a person over to clean the house.

I really hope that he does because the moving semi will be showing up bright and early tomorrow morning. Come Friday, I will be knee deep in boxes and happy to be with my 'stuff!' It is a running joke with everyone because I love my stuff, meaning our furniture. I guess I have learned to not love a house but to love us being together as a family and our things.

Getting your heart broken over a house will do that to you. That and moving a lot;-)

So, I will be away for a few days getting the furniture moved in and will be unpacking boxes. I hope to take a few photos and post them on Friday morning. I have so much to show you girls and will have plenty to blog about.

I am leaving you with a picture of Lake Tahoe that I took while we were on vacation. It is not photoshopped. The water is truly that color.

Enjoy. (believe me, there are many more to come of that! :)

Melanie

Let's Do Lunch.

2010-10-25T08:46:00.001-04:00

I wanted to tell y'all about the wonderful lunch that Gary and I had while we were at the Farmers Market in San Francisco. (you can read about the market here.) There was a lot of vendors there cooking on the spot so we decided to try one.

Now I will start off by saying that I am married to a meat and potatoes kinda guy. He doesn't eat any veggies, condiments or salad. It can sometimes be a challenge but he has expanded his taste buds in the 20 years that we have been together. He sometimes will call me and read something off the menu and ask me if he will like it.

Yes, he does. THAT is how long we have been together:)

So here are some pictures of our yummy lunch.

You know you can't go wrong when there is a line like this.

Look at that pork on the rotisserie.

This is the menu. I don't know if you know what Porchetta is but it is a pig that is gutted and then layered with meat & fat and rolled up. I couldn't believe that Gary tried it but he did and he loved it.

I got mine with everything on it. Doesn't it look delish?

Gary got his plain.

Look at all that meat and it had that fatty pork skin on it. It had crunch and was juicy.

We had rosemary potatoes and a coke with our sandwich. It was probably the best thing I ate while we were in San Franciso. We have been to San Francisco 3 times but we have never had great food and it is a foodie town. Our stomaches were never on the west coast time and so we had to eat whatever we could find. This was one time that our meal was wonderful.

I would highly recommend trying the porchetta sandwich if you find yourself at the Farmers Market.

Now I am off to find something to eat:)

Melanie