I think I am in the middle of a Pitty Party!

I have been struggling with things at work this week and just not sleeping well. I think I am in the middle of a pitty party and I want to break free from it! I'm sure you all know what I am talking about. Things at work have been very stressful and drama seems to come into play multiple times this week-I am so over work this week! I feel like there is no time for "me" in this week at all. I am so hoping next week will be a better one and it helps having Monday off :)!!! Thanks for listening everyone! Y'all are like a big comfy hug to me!!

Some wonderful ideas for the 4th of July!

The 4th of July always makes me think of summer picnics, visiting with friends or relatives, feeling very proud of being an American, swimming, playing patriotic music, parades and having a 3-day weekend. This year will be a quiet one for John and I. We really don't have anything planned. I was cruising around Martha Stewarts site again and I found some really lovely things and I might give some of them a try. Here is what I found (pictures are all from Marthastewart.com):

I have always loved this picture on Martha's site of this stars and stripes gazebo. It is lovely!

Very festive table settings! I love them!

If I had a picket fence, I would definitely drape either flags made of paper or some kind of red, white and blue garland on there!

This project is one of my favorites and I just might have to try that this weekend! I love the simple doormat and the container filled with flags! I have a crock that would be perfect for the little flags I have!

How easy is this centerpiece-jars, sand and red, white and blue starburst! How fun would this be to make with your kids or grandkids!

Everyone please remember our troops and those that are serving our country for our freedom or who have served! So what is everyone doing for the 4th?

The power of prayer is such a wonderful thing!

My friend went into the hospital last Thursday for a routine hysterectomy and found out she has cancer! Today she found out the cancer has not spread and it didn't originate where they originally thought, which is just such wonderful news!!!! I have been praying and praying the news would be better than expected and it is!! The power of pray is just a wonderful thing-we should all use it more often!

Bedroom Redo, Teddy and Toad

John and I slept in this morning (we got up at 8:30, which is sleeping in for us!) and we decided it was time to paint our room the silvery gray we wanted. When we were in the townhouse we had a silver gray room and loved it! We decided to give Glidden paint from Home Depot a try. Megan told us it is thick paint like Benjamin Moore, which we love but less expensive. We picked Misty Moonstone and the room came out just the color we wanted! We have a beachy kind of feel in that room and we achieved that. Here are some before and after photos of our room.

Our room looking from the Master Bath Before.

After :)!

My dresser side of the room-before.

After :)!

Window side of the room now. Makes those beautiful white curtain stand out more!

Another after picture :)!

Ocean Dune watercolor my Mom painted. This painting looks great with the new color!

My Mom had painted this ocean watercolor too. Looks great with the silvery gray!

Our repurposed pewter lamps look great with the new color too :)!

I just had to show you this little pillow Megan made for me when she was about 8 yrs. old (she is 30 now). We were at the Beach and she cut this material out and filled it with tiny shells and gave it to me that Mother's Day-it tugs at my heart every time I see it! I keep it on my nightstand so I can see it every day.

Friday night John and I were reading in the family room and he got up from the couch to get a glass of water. I had to laugh as soon as he was in the kitchen (which you can see from the family room) Teddy decided the couch was just much more comfortable than the floor!! He is just so cute!!

Teddy still looking cute but looking a little sheepish because John came back to sit on the couch! John let him stay there though-what a softie!!

I was out watering my container plants on the patio tonight after dinner and a toad scared the living daylights out of me-I thought it was a snake! I can't stand snakes, but it is just our little resident toady! I wish he would eat more mosquitoes-they are terrible this year.

Well that is about it for me tonight. What a great day!

Fabulous Friday!!!!

Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful Weekend everyone!!

Beautiful Lanterns at the Beach

I have always loved lanterns! All different kinds of lanterns but beach ones are my favorite. I went on-line to see if I could find some really nice choices of lanterns to share with you. Here they are:

This black lantern is gorgeous and makes the starfish and white candles stand out all the more. Just gorgeous. This photo is from Pottery Barn. I love there things!

These lanterns are from Pottery Barn too. I love how they displayed the lanterns, seaglass and shells on a porch railing at the Beach! Just wonderful!

This lantern has a modern flair I think.

I love this weathered lantern with the white starfish on each pane of glass. Just awesome!

These white metal lanterns with the little starfish placed around a vase is just a fabulous centerpiece. What a wonderful idea.

Just sharing these lanterns with all of you make me want to set up my black metal Pottery Barn lanterns in a little beachy vignette! I hope I have inspired some of you too!

Visiting the Hospital where our Grandbaby will be born.

Tonight John and I are going with Jenny and Kevin to see the hospital where Owen will be born in just a very short period of time. We will tour the maternity section of the hospital so we know where to go and where we can visit Owen once he is in the Nursery. After we take the tour we will be having dinner with Jenny and Kevin. Can't wait to see all those babies!!

Double Dog Tired!

Today I was so busy at work I just wanted to come home and crawl into bed! Tonight I am doing nothing but vegging and watching TV! Here is what I would love to just crawl into and read, knit, sleep:

Doesn't this bed just look divine!! I found this photo on google and I would love a room like this!

I did have a chat with one of the owners of my company and they are trying to get me a reliable person to assist me everyday and not the my boss' daughter! Yippeeeeeeeee! Hopefully it will happen sooner than later.

Everyone have a lovely evening!

Happy Birthday to John!

Today is John's Birthday! The girls and their men are came over and had a picnic to celebrate his birthday and Father's Day. I took John to breakfast this morning at our fav breakfast place called Skillets. I took him to Lowe's so he could get a cordless drill set he wanted and a firepit. We came home and he still insisted on mowing the lawn and putting the firepit together!

We have been married for almost 32 years (it will be 32 on Aug. 11th). We have had the 2 girls and now are expecting our first grandson next month. We have been through ups and downs in our life with jobs, homes, children, etc., etc. but we are still forever in love! He is such a good man, husband, father and will be an awesome grandfather! Some times I just don't know what I would do without him and I hope I never have to find out!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!! I hope you love your day today!

A Lovely Night out on Lake Wylie, SC

Last night some of my co-workers, my husband and I headed down to Lake Wylie, SC. A Subcontractor invited my company to come on a houseboat, have dinner, drinks and a cruise around Lake Wylie for about 3 hours. It was such a nice night! The event was called Fiesta on the Lake and it certainly was!! There was a DJ, Mexican Food, Margaritas, dancing and just plain relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Here are some pictures of the night:

Here are all of the girls in our office: Leigh, Kim, Kaitlyn and myself!

Here is John and I enjoying the sunset and relaxing.

What a great evening was had by all!! The moon also came up and it had a orangey cast to it and it was full!! What a sight to behold. The sunset was also exceptionally beautiful!

Everything is A-OK!!

Jenny was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon! They said she did not suffer a stroke and all her blood vessels are looking fine. Owen is doing great too! She was extremely tired from being poked, pricked, prodded, woken up all night, etc. It just really makes you realize how blessed you are when you get news like that! Life is way too short and people need to realize how blessed they really are. Life is a miracle and should be treated as such. I have been so stressed at work, running around doing so many things, torn in so many directions and this episode with Jenny just made me realize that life is to valuable to keep up this pace! I am going to talk to my boss and see if they cannot get an assistant for me. Working for 13-16 people and doing so many different things is just too much for 1 person and it should never have been determined that 1 person will do all this.

Sorry to be on such a soap box but I am feeling alot different about life and some of the choices I need to make right now. Thanks everyone for being there and listening!! Hope your day is an awesome one!!

Update on Jenny

Last night Jenny was admitted to the hospital. Her Dr. called her and said she felt Jenny should have some neurological tests because of her episode last week. This morning she had an MRI and 2-3 more scans are being done today. Owen has a baby monitor on also and he is doing just fine they said. This is just precautionary but it is still very scary. They are doing all these tests because they want to rule out that she had a stroke or may have one in the future. She has 4 weeks to go before delivery and they just want to make sure everything is just fine.

Please keep Jenny and Owen in your prayers! I know everything is going to be all right but it is still stressful to say the least! She is keeping an upper chin about the whole thing but I know she is stressing also.

Everyone have a great day!

Two Great Ideas from Martha Stewart!

I was waiting for something to download so I thought I would look at the Martha Stewart site. Here are 2 ideas I really liked that she had directions for. Check them out!

I love everything about this idea! I love the colors, the stenciled numbers over the hooks, the canvas storage units under the bench, etc. I really don't have an area I could do this but I could improvise maybe in the room we are going to use as Owen's Nursery!

I love the crafty idea! You take a small clam shell and then glue a larger shell to it and it becomes an instant soap dish! How wonderful is that!

McDermitt Crystal and some things around the House

Today I found a box in the garage labeled McDermitt Crystal. I had forgotten all about this box of crystal. The crystal in this box was John's grandmother's crystal glass. They have thistles etched into the glass and they are so elegant. Here are some pictures of the glasses:

This crystal goblet is squat and has a long stem. They just don't make crystal like this anymore.

This one is more like a water or wine glass, very elegant.

You can see in this closeup the thistle that is etched on these glasses. Just beautiful!

I also found this handblown blue glass vase John and I bought on a trip to Rockport, ME. We have had it for years but we never were able to hang it up because it needed just the right window. The colors have always fascinated us-it is just spectacular when the light hits it!

One of my most favorite daylilies opened today. It is creamy pale apricot color with a purple center.

John and I pretty much have the house all put together except for repainting our bedroom. We were going to do that today but we decided to actually relax a little. We took a drive and then came home, had dinner and now we are watching a movie. I just love the weekend! Hope everyone is spending their weekend doing something fun!

Lovely Outdoor Spaces!

I was looking on the Martha Stewart website and I found alot of wonderful outdoor space ideas and pictures. All the pictures you are looking at were found on the Martha Stewart website. Take a look!

I love this picture!! I would love to sit in those wonderful beach chairs by a lake under an umbrella-that would be so relaxing!

This little bistro table and chairs looks so inviting and relaxing!

I thought this was a clever idea of Marthas! You take huge shells and put votive candles inside. Group them all together and you have instant outdoor lighting!

I think John and I are going to purchase a firepit this Fall. I would love to have this view by one!

This would be an easy table cloth to make. Take you material and then stamp a huge leaf loaded with green paint onto the material. Just beautiful! I have seen this done with shells too!

For some reason herbs in clay pots just seem to go together! I love these clay pots because they used chalkboard paint around each rim. What a clever idea Martha!!

These huge paper flowers hanging over a table would definitely bring some color to any table outside. Just gorgeous!

This would take alot of pots and you would have to have the perfect wall for this arrangement but I love it!

I am in love with this nightime picture of this wonderful ocean view eating area! I love the green and white striped table cloth too! I could see the table cloth in blue and white too.

If you just need to add some color to your outdoor space these wonderful pillows made out of napkins are really fabulous! I think I just might have to try that.

You know how much I love porch swings-need I say more!

If you are looking for a Tuscan style outdoor eating space-this one is it!

What a wonderful way to end an evening with all these lovely votive candle holders hanging from your umbrella. How romantic!

I hope these pictures from Martha Stewart gave you some wonderful ideas you can use at your house! Enjoy!

Jenny Scare!

We had a scare with Jenny. Right before her knitting group baby shower Jenny had some vision issues, lost feeling in her right arm, tired, nagging headache, etc. I was so worried she was having a stroke, preeclampsia, Owen was in danger, etc. Thank goodness it wasn't any of those. Her Dr. thinks it was a migraine after she had some tests done. They put a monitor on Jenny for her blood pressure and to monitor Baby Owen. He is absolutely fine and Jenny is too now! She has about 5 weeks to go and they can't go fast enough for all of us!

We just thank the Lord that everything is all right and pretty soon there will be a new member in our family to love!

Some daylilies and flowers in the Garden

I walked around the garden last night and took some photos of some of my daylilies and flowers that were blooming. I thought I would share them with you!

My gardenia shrub started blooming the other day and it smells wonderful on the patio.

I planted this Bee Balm (Monarda) when we first moved in the house. The Hummingbirds really love it!

I love this little cherry rose daylily! It is one of my favorites.

These daylilies are really great bloomers!

I bought this daylily when we had the farm in NJ. I dug it up and brought it down to NC with me when we moved here 7 yrs. ago. The name of the daylily is Lake Norman Sunset. How crazy is this I bought it in NJ and moved to NC and the Lake in our area is Lake Norman and the sunsets are just gorgeous!!

I just had to show you my lemon. I have 4 of them growing right now, but this is the largest one!

Oriental Lily in a container on the patio.

This peach and maroon daylily is a beauty.

I love tuberous begonias. I bought this one around Mother's Day.

This is the same begonia but the flower is opening more and there are some buds. I can't wait until they all start blooming.