Here's to adventures!!!

My daughter and I are embarking on a ROAD TRIP......how fun!  Our destination is seeing the G'baby!!!  We will be staying with them for a few days.....and loving on baby C!!!  Her Mom and Dad even have a short getaway planned!  I'll be blogging from the road!! Haha.....you can bet there will be pictures!!  Looking forward to seeing them all and seeing how much she has changed.  She is a baby on the go now since she has begun to crawl!!  Let the fun begin!!

need some salad inspiration????

Southern Living comes to the rescue again with some yummy looking salads....what is YOUR favorite kind of salad???

Friday Fives!!!

What's on tap today, my friends??  I've got some housecleaning to do.  I love the results, but I don't like to clean house.  I love the results, in fact, but not so much the steps getting there....what about you, do you enjoy cleaning??

Hey, let's make our Friday Fives about cleaning........wanna play along??

1. Do you enjoy cleaning?

2. What's your favorite cleaning tool or product?  Do you love it enough that you could do a commercial about it???

3. What do you remember about your mom or your grandmother cleaning?

4. What is your favorite "clean" smell?

5.  What's your LEAST favorite chore/cleaning step?


There are some chores that I enjoy toward cleaning my house, but not all.....I do love a clean house.  There are time when I'll see a gorgeous house, beautifully decorated, and I"ll come home and just want to clean and beautify my own space.  I love my home and enjoy making it look nice.  So sometimes, it just feels good to give it a once over.  Other times, it just seems overwhelming.  I KNOW that it can feel that way when the kids are going twenty seven different ways and there is stuff associated with that.  In fact, my daughter's room upstairs....well, I just don't go upstairs a lot!!!  I am hoping, like me, that with age and maturity, she will love cleanliness a little more!!

As I've gotten older, I have realized that I like more order than I used to.  There are areas that have piles and every once in a while, I can't take it any more......I wish I thought in a more organized way, so that those piles didn't build up, and that I was more diligent to not let the piles build up.  But, I'm not there yet.  I'm a work in progress!!!

My favorite cleaning tool might be a vacuum.  I cannot imagine having to clean w/o it!  Not that I love to use it, but I can't imagine not having one! 
I don't remember a lot about my mom cleaning, although I am sure she did.  My granny had a fairly large house for her, and I am sure she cleaned a good bit, too...but I don't remember seeing her clean.  When we were there, she was just enjoying visiting.  What I do remember is having chores at home, and my step father, who used to be in Navy, had high cleanliness standards!! We oftn h


There used to be a Windex product that was potporri scented.....I used to love that scent.  But unfortunately, they don't make it anymore.  I do like Lemon scented cleansers, and some light scents of lavendar.  There is also a comforting smell of PineSol, if it isn't too heavy.

Cleaning floors and bathrooms is my least favorite chore.  But the end result is worth it, right?  It was a little bit of a challenge with my shoulder after surgery, so I did have some help with that.  I hired a girl who still comes once every two or three weeks.....it's just nice to have some help, isn't it?

Hope y'all have a great weekend!!!

Do you have piles?

Do you love HAIR day???

Yippee, it's hair day........may or may not involve color, as only my  hairdresser knows for sure, but it sure does involve a hair cut, blow dry and style and little mini massage....ahhhh.........love for someone else to do my hair, don't you??????  Have a good one, friends!!!

REAL SIMPLE comes thru again!!

Traveling?? Real Simple  has great ideas for traveling using everyday household items....y'all know I love the publication REAL Simple......and I love their brilliant uses for everyday items....well, here's a list for traveling to use your everyday items to organize your travel needs....

http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-travel/index.html

Got any travel coming up?? I know I do and I am excited....going to get to see the GBaby!!! Can't wait to see her eight month old self!!!   OOZE alert forthcoming....you know I am going to have pictures!!! HA!

What's on your agenda for the coming weeks?? Looking forward to a get away????

grown up styles.....

Artwork by Susan Branch....

Just today, I discovered that Susan Branch has a blog now.  I have always loved her artwork and her way of thinking!!!  I've always love that she lives on Martha's Vineyard and tells all about it!    I have followed her page on Facebook (Friends of Susan Branch)   for a while now, and always think that her life is so inspiring.  I actually think the life of anyone who has artistic tendencies and follows them, and may even have grown a business around them, is quite inspiring!  

 She has a section on her blog called  I Love England.....and within that section is a post she wrote about Laura Ashley.  Boy, did that take me back!!!  I remember being a young woman, right about the time I got married and shortly thereafter, and I LOVED Laura Ashley.  I loved going into the stores and soaking up the atmosphere.
Had we not been poor graduate students, I am certain I would have used more of their fabrics and items in my life!!!  I love the way their colors looked so fresh, all so coordinated, and just the perfect combination of cottage but classy.  I remember making some dresses that were much inspired by Laura Ashley and wore them proudly!  Small cotton print, tucks, white color.....maybe you remember the style?????

I used some Laura Ashley fabrics in my daughter's nursery and bedroom later on in my life....so dainty and pretty.  Until my daughter outgrew them and said she didn't want "dainty and pretty".......sigh.

Perhaps you remember some similar sentiments!!
Here is a copy of vintage Laura Ashley fabrics from Susan Branch's blog......

thanks, Susan for taking me down memory lane.

Now, I really only have one room that is similar in style......I guess you might say my tastes have changed and grown up a little.  But soon it will be time to freshen up the college kids rooms/guestrooms, and perhaps I'll find more Laura Ashley"ish" fabrics coming back into my home......hmm.....what about you?  Remember styles that you used to use/love that maybe you've outgrown??  Tell me about some of them.......

A whole lot of giggling!!

Today, I had the pleasure of picking up some precious little three year olds to bring them to my house.... 3/5 of the quints!!  They are nearly three now...and you can read about them at their mommy's blog   HERE

First birthday pics

I decided since my husband was going to be out of town, that I would invite all three girls (in the past I've only kept Sidney whenever I helped out) to stay overnight.  It gives their mommy a break, and it sure is FUN!  So they came over, and brought some fun and joy to our household.  My daughter helped us get thru bathtime...and then she read them books.  It is hectic --but their mamma does this every day, with FIVE of them.  They are such a miracle, and so darned cute!!! 

This is them from when they were oh so little....gee, next week they will be THREE!!!

this was last summer, and they are two......they are growing, growing!

I am blessed to be a part of their lives!!!  If you checked out their blog, you'll see them currently, almost three!

Willow House Wednesday!!!!

Her name is Fiona and she is our Mystery Deal of the Day today on Wed. June 15th!  She holds 2 quarts and is creamy white!
  Today only (and maybe until about 8:00 in the morning on Thursday, she is only $9.96!!! I bought this at full price (well, ok, outlet price for $24.96 and it was worth it...it's a STEAL for only $9.96.  Get two or three for gifts even!!
Order at my website, and do it quickly because these sweeties will go quickly!!
Order at Southerninspiration.willowhouse.comwww.southerninspiration.willowhouse.com, and get your Mystery Deal today! 
Take care!!

A Cinderella story....

I've had this chair that used to be my Granny's.  I guess I've had it for 30 or more years, now that I think about it.....geez, where does time go?  And when I first got it, I refinished it, and it was in our newlywed apartment....oh those were the days! Very little furniture, all hand me downs.  But this chair, was very special, since it belonged to my Granny.  I fixed it up and we used it for a number of years until someone came to visit us and sat in it.......and the bottom broke out of it.  We made a semblance of a repair but couldn't afford to have it fixed professionally at the time, since we were poor graduate students!! Over time, thru a few moves, the fabric got ripped and it became a sad, sad chair that I had plans to fix "one of these days".  Now that I actually remember how long I've had that chair, I can't believe I said that for so long!! I am a procrastinator at heart as well as an idealist, so I never quite figured out how I wanted to finish it--paint it, or restain it, which kind of fabric, where to use it, etc.
Here it is in its sad little state.....(don't judge....look at the great potential!! )

Recently my husband wanted to clean out the garage, and I knew the chair (which he confirmed!) either needed to be repaired and used, or well, it needed to be repaired and used....shudder the thought of getting rid of it!!!
So I asked my daughter, who will be moving into an apt. in the fall (out of the dorm!) if she wanted to use it, and we decided to get it fixed so she could do so.  We picked out a fabric that went with the things she wants to use, I found an upholsterer on Angie's list....and here she is, all prettied up, and ready for the ball!!
Now, I am not sure how much wear it will get in my daughter's room, other than a place to pile clothing, but I am so glad to have it repaired and useable again...makes me sad to think it had to be so long in coming....but I am not getting myself into a guilt trip over this.....now she is pretty again, and will be used.  It might have been a better idea to paint it, but if it's used again somewhere else, maybe that will be the case.  For now, she looks good again, and is in a repaired state so that she will be useful. 
Here she is, in her new gown!!

Sorry for the blurry pictures!!!

We will make her a fun burlap pillow and there is enough of the fabric to make a sham for her bed......we are good to go!!!

Friday Fives......

Well, here we are at Friday AGAIN!!! It seems time just flies by.  I've been getting my yard work finished up and by finished up, I mean, that there's really not much left that I can do that's worth getting out in the heat for!! I will save the rest for fall, y'all! It's sweltering already, and we need rain!!  What's weather like in your neck of the woods?

Friday Fives again! Yay!
My son is coming home today for the weekend...sure have missed him!  So I'll try to cook up some of his favorites!!

What about your weekend?? Got big plans??

Friday Fives:

1. How many blogs do you read?  Is your blog list longer than your ARM??? :D
2. How much time do you spend on your blog?
3. How often do you leave comments?
4. What do your favorite blogs have that you like? What do you dislike?
5. Does it bother you when people blog about their businesses??

and for bonus today!!!
6. What makes you HAPPY today???

An exciting giveaway!!!

Today, our designers (at Willow House) over at Plate and Pattern are giving away a PAIR of Bradford Lanterns!!!  Talk about a FABulous giveaway!!!! In fact, every Tuesday is Prop Closet Tuesday where they do a giveaway for a Willow House product!!!  You may just want to bookmark that blog so that you head over there EVERY Tuesday to see what the product of the day is!!!!

Head on over and see what they do behind the scenes to bring about our catalog features, design our products and pull together terrific displays and ideas!!  Simply leave a comment about how you would use them and you are entered to win!  Have a great Tuesday!!!

The Bradford Lanterns

Friday Fives.......

Friday Fives....(you may find these fairly personal, so if you don't want to pariticipate today, that's okay.) This is just a come clean party for me today! LOL.

1. Do you consider yourself a nutrition conscious person?
2. Are you happy with your weight?
3. Are you happy with your level of fitness?
4. What is your area of weakness for food?
5. What nutrition/fitness goals would you like to achieve?

The reason behind these Friday Fives is a long story, but one I will begin telling you about today. This is not easy for me, but I figured some accountability taken to another level would be good for me...so here is part of my story.

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This is today's entry.....moving forward.

Recently I started getting more serious about losing weight, healthy living/lifestyle and getting more active. After finding out I have thyroid disease, going through menopause, and a serious weight gain because of some medication I was taking, my ongoing battle with my weight was kicking me in the boo-tay!! It was getting bigger, I was getting more unhealthy, and I was getting more discouraged. Hmmm...ever been there?

I realize that there are a few people who don't struggle with this, who don't have a problem with a sagging metabolism...let me just say, I envy you. I know that many of you consistently exercise and keep your weight at bay.....and love it. I have never really LOVED exercise and sweating. It's hard work! But I have finally come to the realization, that this ever on-going struggle, which is only complicated by aging, and the three factors I mentioned above (thyroid disease, menopause, and medications) was only bound to continue and get worse if I didn't get moving. I am tired of shame and tired of feeling frumpy. So I have embarked on a journey of getting back to a more healthy, energetic lifestyle. I stopped taking the offending medication ( pain be damned!) but just because you stop the meds doesn't mean the weight falls off! I found SparkPeople.com and have loved the ease of keeping track of my nutrition and fitness via their FREE website. Even if you don't want to lose weight, I can see the value of it just to keep track of your exercise progress or keeping on track with good nutrition.

I have been reading a really good book on thyroid disease, and I would encourage anyone having it to read the book. It's called The Thyroid Solution by Dr. Ridha Arem. It has opened my eyes to so many things, and truly comforted me that I am indeed not going insane. I wish more doctors would read the info he includes, in order to better understand their patients!! It's THAT good. Having thyroid disease is very complicated. This book helps one understand how it affects the body in so many ways.
Well, at the risk of either losing you here, or writing a post that takes two weeks to read, I'll stop here and pick up the story at a later date. I hope I haven't lost you; I hope I have encouraged you. This does not mean that my blog is now a weight loss blog, but I wanted to be open about my journey and a part of who I am.
I hope you enjoy your weekend. See you soon!

Announcing a NEW sparkling and exciting part of Willow House....

Our new jewelry by Sara Blaine.....simply good design. I am thinking we are going to have to add another tag line, Simply GREAT and DAZZLING design to this jewelry line. Take a look for a sneak peak...looks like some of our design girls (www.plateandpattern.com) got together for a little Willow House/simply good design jewelry party!! Watch and see and tell me what you see that you like!!! (You can click the bottom right hand corner button with arrows in all directions if you want to get a full screen picture....)

Thru the month of June, the opportunity exists for someone to join Willow House for only $49 and be able to reserve a spot to also sell our new jewelry line. If you'd like more info, go to my website and view the opportunity or leave me a comment and I can get more info for you. Would love to have YOU join ME in this exciting new adventure that Willow House is embarking on!!
Southerninspiration.willowhouse.com...there is a video on my site that has a few more close up pics of the jewelry by Sara Blaine. Enjoy!

The Gardening continues...

I'm outside a lot lately, so not doing a lot of blogging.  I'm trying to get my yard under control again.  Have definitely made progress, but not done yet!!!  I did hire a guy at my church to help me, and they worked all day on Saturday......finally it's shaping up.  It no longer looks like a war zone.  It's a very large yard, so while it won't be a paradise when it's done, at least it will be under control again.  You can again see the dirt in flower beds as opposed to the blanket of weeds that somehow shouted mutiny and overtook the flower beds.  Right now, I just want to get all the weeds out....and slowly decide what I want in some of the beds.  Some of them are done....I'll have a few pics in the next couple of days.  In the meantime, I'm burning calories (YAY!) and working in the yard....

See ya soon!

Simple treat for Memorial Day....

Are you ready for Memorial Day? Looking for a FUN treat!! Try these!!

Red, White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
1 pint fresh strawberries (approx 12 oz)
4-oz white chocolate
......Blue sanding sugar or sprinkles
Line a baking sheet or cutting board with wax paper or parchment paper.
Chop up the chocolate roughly with a knife if it is in block form. In a medium-sized, microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in 45 or 60-second intervals, stirring between each time to ensure that the chocolate is melting evenly and not burning. Meanwhile, place blue sanding sugar into a small bowl and set it aside.
When chocolate is smooth, dip the berries 3/4 of the way into the chocolate, dip the tips into the blue sprinkles, and place on wax paper.
Berries can set at room temperature if you live somewhere cool, otherwise refrigerate them until ready to serve to allow the chocolate to set up.

 

A fellow Willow House Consultant posted these on Facebook, and I just had to share with y'all!!!

Have a blessed Sunday, my friends.....

Friday Fives!!!!!

Yea, It's Friday!!! (And for many, a long weekend, due to Memorial Day on Monday.)

1.  Will your holiday weekend involve a pool, a beach or a lake???

2.  Will you host a group or will you go to someone else's house?

3. Who do you WISH you could spend the weekend with?

4. Will you work part of the weekend (either work or DIY projects)  or will totally take off and rest?

5. If you could re-do a room in your house this weekend, which one would it be???

Happy Friday, y'all!!! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday!!!

It's been a while since I've posted about Wednesdays with Willow House, so I thought I'd catch you up on some things that are going on. 
Our eOutlet: is meeting with HUGE success!  It contains retired items at a bargain savings.  For even better savings, check out the WEEKLY deals that come out every Monday morning.  These are marked at 60 or 70% off!  The weekly deals are only good for a week, and then they will go back to regular outlet prices.  Also, there is now a MYSTERY deal a couple of times a week.  It is ONE product that is a GREAT buy for ONE day.  If you want to LIKE my page on Facebook, usually I will post the mystery deal once I know what it is.  There is not a prescribed day for it, so it's always a happy surprise!!  Willow House, Simply Good Design is my FB page....I would LOVE for you to go on over and choose to like it!! I'll wait....

The last Mystery Deal to run was this past Sunday....the Tuscan Olive Jar was only $18.96 for that day......wow, what a deal!!!  I have a friend who ordered one, and she said...."I was almost resigned to the fact that if I wanted an Olive Jar, I was going to have to pay $60 or $70!! I am SO glad I found this deal!"

You can, of course, order from our regular catalog as well, 24/7.  If you are up at 3 AM and decide to shop for a wedding gift, you can do it on my webiste!!! HA....southerninspiration.willowhouse.com
And MAY has some awesome specials sale prices going on here......

Click on the picture and you will be able to see the full sale, and in a larger size!

I am trying to meet some sales goals for May so if there is something you want to order, you can do so at my website......Southerninspiration.willowhouse.com.  The customer special will also apply to any of those items on the May sale, so if you spend $39.96, then any item valued at $40 or less can be yours for 1/2 price, even the sale items.....so those canisters up there???  You could get one of them for 1/2 off if you spend $39.96!!

Other news is that Willow House is becoming the first direct sales company to be multi-divisional....in the fall, we are launching our second division of Simply Good Design by adding a JEWELRY component under our umbrella of Simply Good Design....we just got a sneak peek at some of the products...well, here take a look!  And on June 1, the designer of our exclusive WH products will be announced...so exciting!!!

A sneak peek at some of our new Willow House jewelry to be offered in FALL 2011

 

 

Yes, I did mention multi-divisional!!  We are told there is a third division in the works!
It is all so very exciting...and you can actually be a part of it as well....for May and June only, an individual just like YOU can sign up for only $49!! That $49 gets you a mini-kit and the business supplies to get you started...and it secures your place to be set to sell our new jewelry in the fall, as well.  So now, hostesses can choose whether they want to have a jewelry party or a home decor party!!  If you'd like more info about the opportunity for getting in on this great opportunity, just let me know in the comments and we can talk.  Never before has this opportunity been offered for such a low price, and now it is not only low investment, but the outcome of your investment has the potential to be doubled with our TWO divisions!

If you've gotten this far in reading this long post....I hope you don't think I am self-serving....I REALLY want to get this opportunity spread far and wide.....AnYwaY, if you are still reading, I am hosting a giveaway for the person who goes to my website and tells me what your favorite WEEKLY deal item is......
The Giveaway will be held on next MONDAY, so get the word out....yes, if you want to spread the word via your blog, your FACEBOOK page, your twitter account or sending an email, just let me know in the comments and you will get an entry for each thing you do. 
The GIVEAWAY prize will be a Willow House product of my choice.........the more entries we get, the bigger the prize will be!! So go spread the word!!!

That's the Willow House Wednesday Report for today!!  If you'd like to get my monthly newsletter, the Inside Design, by email, just let me know in the comments.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

the Thriller, the Filler and the Spiller!!!

No, I'm not writing a mystery novel, but I thought that the article on Container Garden I recently received from Lowe's was a fabulous way to remember how to make a beautiful container garden........If you don't regularly receive Lowe's  Creative Ideas for Home and Garden publication, you might want to go to their website and sign up for it.  It's free and it's chockful of inspirational projects and ideas for your space!!
Go HERE and you can actually read it online or subscribe.
This month's edition has an article on container gardening.  It suggests that a good way to make a great looking container garden is to have a formula of  three types of plants for your container....a thriller, a filler and a spiller.  Quite clever, I must say.  So what does that mean??
They say fill an 18.5 inch pot with a container potting mix.  (A tip I've used before so that the pot is not so heavy is to fill the bottom third of a large pot like that full of styrofoam peanuts, or some other filler that will allow drainage but take up some of the room so that you don't need that much dirt.  It must be able to drain, however) . Then they suggest choosing a tall, dramatic thriller plant, a hardworking filler and a trailing spiller for a stunning display in your pot.  You'll find their combos in the Creative Ideas publication.  They suggest  for an all-white container, the thriller being One white pampas grass (tall), the Filler being three white petunia plants (will grow full and eye catching!) and the spiller being four white bacopas, that will spill over the side and are covered with tiny white flowers.  This combination also gives you varied textures, which is pleasing to the eye.
Another example they show is the Shade Lovers Container, which includes Two large leaved Coleus Plants, four begonias in assorted colors, and five licorce plants that will spill over the sides.....beautiful.

The third selection they show is a not so mellow Yellow filled pot.  The thriller is Foxglove, which grows pretty tall, the filler would be marguerite daisies and the spiller is a plant called Calibrachoa, superbells, similar to million bells.  They all look so pretty and allow you to use various kinds of plants to enjoy and play together sweetly!!  You'll want to check out the Creative Ideas publication.
I've made a few container pots for my porch and they contain impatiens, and a trailing ivy...the guara I tried to transplant for height died, so I need to go get something for my thriller behind those impatiens.....caladiums might be a good solution!

What about you? Do you have some container gardens you can tell me about???  What are some of your favorites???

Friday fives!!!!

Yay, the end of the week!! Are you glad it's Friday?  It's been a busy week for me, and it will be a busy weekend......but I guess that's better than the alternative!!
So here we are at the end of May....gee, time flies.  Weren't we just discussing winter and how cold it was??  No longer cold here......it's hot and humid, but hopefully we are in for some rain....we have drought conditions and could use it so badly!

So onto our Friday Fives.....

1.  Do you have someone finishing school so that your summer schedule will be altered?  Is that a good feeling for you??

2.  What do you like best about summer?

3. What do you like least about summer?

4.  Do you have big plans for Memorial Day Weekend?

5.  What one goal do you have that you'd like to complete by the end of summer?

Thanks, y'all for playing along, and have a great weekend!! See you soon!