Next Project

My next paint and reupholster project! 

Couch and two chairs.

Brass Wall Plate

 I love these plates! I'm not sure why because they are outdated, but I just do! I see them in antique stores everywhere but have always passed on buying one. This weekend I caved and bought one.  It was very reasonable and quite large. So glad I brought it home. I had the perfect place for it. Also, I found this particular one on eBay for $100.00. I paid a fourth of that! 

Christmas Overload

Here is where we spent Saturday morning. 

Christmas Warehouse Arlington Texas.  

Too much stuff, too many people, too high priced;  in my opinion anyway! I refuse to pay 800.00 for a tree or 50.00 for a single piece of garland, especially when it would take several pieces to decorate anything!!

It was, however, a beautifully decorated store and a great place to get ideas. 

 Colorful, cute and whimsical.

Trees galore! This is not all of them and I didn't take a pic of the room full of the undecorated ones for sale. 

I love this!

 And this:

Santa was around every corner

Oops, where did he go?

The overhead decor was stunning!

The Tea Room

Still a touch of fall

If I could have taken anything in the store home it would have been these.

Loved the angel.

And carolers

And the nativity 

The one single item in the entire store (that I saw, anyway) that indicated the reason for ALL of this!

Before and After

We bought five of these chairs at a flea market for $100.00, a bargain, right? Wrong! Not after the paint, fabric, trim, and labor to reupholster! I would be afraid to add up the true cost. But like a friend told me last night, you can't buy custom work! And she is right! It is worth it in the end to have what you really want. The other four chairs do not have arms. You can't see in this pic how dirty they were. The seats were so nasty we did not sit in them. Bad! Extremely bad! 

Here it is all spiffed up! I love them! I spy a poodle tail! 

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful!

And it's ONLY  November. 

Occasionally I have wondered why the previous owners would ever want to sell and leave this wonderful old house (they still live in this town, in a newer house) ! I may be getting closer to understanding why!!

We bought an old sled last week to decorate and use for Christmas, but we may be using it to get to HEB (grocery store) or work before this winter is over!

It looks like this one.

I have something like this in mind! Maybe without the skates. I DID buy some rusty jingle bells to place on it. 

Thankful for...

-BJ was curious enough to learn about an energy efficient electric company before we moved in and he signed us up.  This town is different from what we are use to at home as far as utility companies go. Instead of having only one available for the area you live in, you get to choose from several.  Ours is not the same one the previous homeowners used, so the winter electric bill they described to us may not be the case since we went with another company. 

-Electric, infrared heaters.

-Fireplaces.

-Winter lasts only a few  months.

-Electric blankets.

-Hot coffee. Hot chocolate.

It is going to take everything within me to not complain all winter about being cold. Hopefully when we get our first electric bill I will not be so afraid to crank up the heat. 

Stay warm!!

Office Space PERFECTION

I have never had a home office and never really wanted one until recently. Our new (old) house has a couple of rooms I could convert into an office if I wanted to and I want to!! Here is a pic from previous owners of the room off the master bedroom.  They used it as an exercise/ TV room. I think it will make a PERFECT office! 

We just happened on this PERCECT little desk for me to use in there last weekend and could not resist it. It may have had a leather inset on top at one time  but it's PERFECTLY fine the way it is now!  And I don't think I will paint it either. Or maybe I will?!?!?

Not too small. Not too large. PERFECT size. 

Details on legs: 

It is solid maple and we paid $125.00. From what we could find online, it appears that we got a deal! 

Just PERFECT!!

In Memory of Cruzee

Close to fifteen years ago, my daughter talked me into letting her get a cat. It was a compromise! She wanted a dog. I didn't want either! I was not a cat person and was not about to become one but I knew a cat would stay outdoors so surely it would stay out of my way and out of my heart! 

Cruzee Man did stay outdoors but he never stayed out of our way as you are about to read and he somehow managed to worm his way into my heart. Tonight I am very sad that he is no longer with us! 

- He was our second choice. The first one hissed at us and he was mean.  Cruzee also hissed but he sounded scared and we oohed and aahed at his hisses. 

- He shared his food. On many occasions I ran outside in the middle of the night because I would hear cats fighting.  Cruzee would be on top of my car looking down on the stray cats fighting over HIS food.  Silly cat! 

- He climbed a tree when he was young and was scared to come down. He would not respond to B.J. so I had to go outside to call him.  When he heard my voice he climbed down. 

- I drove to Wal Mart in the truck one day without knowing he was under the toolbox. I heard him meowing when I got out. He was so scared. I went in the store and bought tuna fish to coax him in the cab but he would not budge. I drove home with him still under the toolbox.  We made it home ok but it was his last trip to Wal Mart! Lol

- More times than not he jumped in my car when I opened the door. 

- Stubborn!! He was every bit of that!

- Katie took him to the vet and had him shaved one summer because his hair had become matted and you could just tell how much he enjoyed being lighter and cooler.

- He killed three baby squirrels one day and I was very mad at him.

-  He also killed cute little chipmunks.

- Amost every lizard we saw near our house was missing all or part of its tail!

- His real name was Chico. Cruzee was a nickname.

- He loved boxes.

- He used the door frame as a scratching post and we fussed at him about it. 

- He loved to climb in the attic but was too afraid to climb down.

- He stayed underfoot until we fed him every morning and every evening.

- When he made up his mind to run inside when we opened the door to the house there was no stopping him!  It was his sneaky side.

- In the winter when the temperature dropped below freezing, I would put him inside in the laundry room.  He loved it and never made a sound.  It was almost as if he thought if he was quite then we would forget he was inside and let him stay! 

- He liked it when I sat outside. He thought I was there to keep him company. He loved to rub up against my feet and legs.

- When we opened the door to walk into the house, he slapped at our legs.  He also sat on the car tire and slapped anyone who walked by. 

- He loved to play in fresh pine straw when we were trying to put it in the flower beds. 

- He was beautiful! 

These are only a few of the many memories I have of our silly little cat. 

Cruzee, you were so very much a part of our family and you will always hold a place in our hearts. It is hard to remember when you weren't a part of us! We are so sad! 

We love you and we will miss you, sweet man!