It's A Surprise Party: Happy Birthday Mom!

 

Marge Turns 80

 

It's my Mom's birthday today! Uh oh, the cats out of the bag. Happy 80th Mom!!!! Not that we all didn't say that on Sunday at the surprise party we had for her. It does seem that it was indeed a surprise party, or she's a good actress.

 

My nephew Joe went to pick up my parents under the pretense that my sister was having a cook out. Plausible, yes?

 

The guest of honor arrived a yard full of people.

 

"What are all these people doing standing in the yard," says Marge.

 

 

Friends and family galore, all there to celebrate the 'original' Marge.

 

 

There was lots of merriment, mingling, and a ton of food which the birthday girl missed in the other room. I think she was too busy enjoying it all.

 

 

Old Marines stories, the short and tall of it, my Father serenading my mother, and pictures.........lots and lots of pictures.

 

 

Oh yeah. And drinks.

 

Some were even spilled, right Kel Roy? It was a tragedy of Cosmo proportions.

 

 

Born in Yonkers, NY, after she graduated high school Marge worked at Con Ed (with my Godmother). She then moved all over the place for my Dad's work.............Little Rock, Boise, Spokane, Hampton, Plattsburg, and Newton, Mass where I was born and back to Hampton. She drove across country changing diapers in the in the back of a station wagon (by the way, our dog inky flew.....go figure). She was a Fashion Wagon rep, a member of the Catholic Women's Club, the Lioness Club, the Royal Society Bridge Club. She drove a station wagon with a paint can on top when we owned a hardware store and knows more about nuts and bolts than the majority of men.  Marge, along with my father, was invited to lunch at the White House with President Carter (in the family quarters no less). A day she'll never forget. She's met many celebrities along the way and hosted many political affairs at our house.  Congressman Dick Gephardt, and his wife Jane, were favorites. Again, along my father, she helped lead the planning of our town's 350th parade which was a parade to end all parades. 

She's put up with 5 kids who were not always easy to put up with and she has 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. And many pets including Inky, Rascal, Dynamite, Skipper, Brandy and Max.

There's been many good times over the years including many cruises that my parents took to wonderful places including Bermuda, Aruba and the Panama Canal. They've also visited New Orleans and used to have a yearly date in Beantown on Patriots Day to watch the Marathoners go by their hotel.

I'm obviously missing a lot, but my mother has just about 'done and seen it all'. She's beyond thoughtful and I have no hope of keeping up with her thank you note schedule.

So here's to you Mom. They certainly broke the mold when they made you.

Happy 80th Mom.........you deserve the best!

Love you lots. xxoo

 

 

Hope you're having a great day. I imagine there will be a cocktail on the porch at 10 Tobey Street to celebrate Mom's birthday later. What's happening in your corner of the world?

 

Ciao for now,

 



What Inspires You Wedsneday

 

 

A Little Book

 

My mother gave me a book recently. I looked at it and knew immediately that I'd originally given it to her. She said, "I thought you'd 'use' this more than I do."

 

Well, let me just say.....I give good gifts. This book is a gem. The verse, the illustrations. All of it.

 

 

The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden. They call it 'a facsimile reproduction of a naturalist's diary' and was first published in 1977. It's just lovely.

It makes me want to keep my own 'naturalist's diary'.


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Something else that is inspiring me today is people's resolve and strength.  The tornado that tore through Moore, OK this week was incredibly destructive. Unfathomably destructive. Yet the people there- despite all they've lost- say,"We will rebuild. We will get through this." People who face adversity head on are undeniably inspiring. My thoughts are with them.

I hope you're having a great day. Pretty darn gray again here.  We had a good lashing of rain as we went to be last night, complete with thunder and lightning. It's damp and ugly today.  On the bright side, it sure will make everything pop when the sun comes back out.

Ciao for now,

Inspired Design: Bohemian Flair

Easy Ways To Give Your Space A Bohemian Vibe

 

Here's the problem.  I love Scandinavian design. LOVE it. Love the neutrals, love the simplicity, love the calm, soothing style. 

 

On the other hand, I LOVE bohemian, which is pretty much the opposite of Scandinavian sensibility in some regards, and it's probably much more reflective of my personality and design style.  What's a girl to do?

 

I just go with my gut. If I start out simplified and more Scandinavian, I've learned to accept the fact that when I follow my gut and what I'm drawn to, it will end up more bohemian in the end.That's just me.

 

The thing about bohemian is, if you love it like me, it's not hard to give your space a little bohemian flair.

 

It's as easy as adding: 

 

*pattern

*texture

*a mix of materials (i.e. wood, plastic, metal)

*a variety of colors

*a combination of different design styles (i.e. traditional, modern, mid century)

*layers (i.e. fabric, artwork, pillows)

*old (i.e. vintage/antique) and new

 

 

 

 

1. via style by emily henderson, 2. via the design files/photography toby scott

 

 

 

3. tapestry throw via urban outfitters 4. via house beautiful 

5. lamp via DesiderataDecor 6. chair via heather rudd

 

What's your favorite way to add a bohemian touch to your place? 

 

If I had to choose, I'd have to say color and layering. 

 

Are you a bohemian at heart? Or is it totally the opposite of how you decorate? How would you best describe your design style?

 

Hope you're having a great day.

 

Ciao for now,

 



For The Love Of Lilacs

Scratch and Sniff

Lilacs. My favorite flower. The fragrance has been filling the air here. G says it's intoxicating. I wholeheartedly agree.

When I came to look at our little cottage (Yes, I.  Garrett was at work, and we ended up making an offer on this place without him even having seen it.........but that's another story altogether), one of the first things I noticed were the lilacs. Plenty of lilacs. The weren't in bloom, but I knew what they were right away.   

Now, every year at this time we are treated to a most beautiful display, one which I gather up and bring indoors. To fill a house with bouquets of lilacs is surely something to relish.  And we do.

I only wish you could smell them through the computer.

 

I wish you something just as sweet, filling your senses today.

Have a great Monday in your corner of the world, and I'll do the same.

Ciao for now,

10 Small Things That Make Me Happy and Freeform Friday

 

 

Take Time To Smile

 

Since we got a few things off our chests thanks to Thursday's 10 Things That Make Me Crazy post, I thought we should end the week on a high note with focus on some positive things.

So in response to 10 Things That Make Crazy, here's 10 Small Things That Make Me Happy.

1. Fridays. I just love 'em. (is an entire day too big for this list?)

2. The smell of lilacs wafting through the air.

3. The hound. He makes me smile every day. That Lucan can be pretty funny.

4. Being able to see the stars at night from my bedroom window when I go to bed.

5. My handy dandy ruler that has decimal conversions printed on it. YAY.

6. A good cuppa Irish breakfast tea in the morning.

7. When I fall asleep on the couch and my husband puts the afghan over me.

8. My big Jacki O sunglasses.

9. Sticky notes [even if my wall is covered in them].

10. Gold paper clips.


So.......what about you? What small thing makes you happy?


Freeform Friday

This song makes me happy and makes me want to groove. Ms. Shirley Bassey is just too cool for school and one hot momma. If you're reading by email click here.



Any plans for the weekend? We're going out to dinner with my parents tonight to Mama Leone's season opening at our beach. It's an annual event where we all get to see familiar faces we haven't seen in too long.  Oh, and eat delicious Italian food. Hello.

Have a great Friday,

Flower Arranging Made Easy

Flower Arrangements Don't Have To Be Hard

Do you incorporate fresh flowers in your home? Are you intimidated at the thought of arranging fresh flowers?  You don't have to.  It's time to enjoy fresh flowers without any fuss.

Fresh flowers made easy:

1. Keep it simple. Use one type of flower in your arrangement. That's it.


Let me illustrate how easy it is to accent your home with fresh flowers by keeping it simple.


{sometimes even a single stem will do}

{two varieties of the same flower}

{simplicity can be dramatic}

{one type of flower can have big impact even when it's small}

See.

Easy peasy.

Have you brought any flowers into your home lately? What's blooming where you are?


It's a beautiful day here. The sun is shining, it's warming up over the last couple of days and may even hit 80 here.  I'll take it, but guess I should get going on springing up the pool, which means lots of de-leafing because once again, the cover didn't cooperate.  Being the water bug I am, it's always worth it in the end.

By the way, comments on yesterdays post '10 Things That Make Drive Crazy' were nothing short of hilarious.  You all went above and beyond your duty in making me laugh out loud. If you haven't already, feel free to add to the list. 

Make it a great day, it's a great day to have.

Ciao for now,

10 Things That Drive Me Crazy

In No Particular Order

So here's the deal.  I was planning on doing an Inspired Design post today, but each picture I clicked on that I wanted to include, had absolutely no attribution as to where came from and it started to drive me nuts. Really nuts. That is why, instead, you are getting 10 Things That Drive Me Crazy.

Beginning with the obvious.......

1. Beautiful photographs on this big old world wide web that have not been sourced. If you can't attribute it to where it came from, don't post it. I'm sure the person who originally took the photograph worked hard to get it to look so great, so why would you want to post it without giving them credit? It is their work, right?

2. Grubs. They're icky, they're gross and they are literally the only thing I will kill. Add the fact that they completely desimate our lawn just about every year and you can see where I'm going with this one.

3. Chairs that aren't pushed in. It's a pet peeve. I think I've mentioned it before. But seriously, you stand up from a table and leave without pushing your chair back in? What's with that? {I know, I'm weird.}

4. You know those Geico commercials with the guy and all the kids? Well the one with the little girl ranting {read: whining in the most horrific nasal, depressing voice} about why more is less.....like nails on the chalkboard to me. If I knew where she lived, I might even impart some bodily harm on the poor child. OK, I wouldn't go that far but I sure would put a sock in her mouth.

5. Speaking of nails on chalkboards.............

6. People who leave ridiculously long messages on your answering machine. I don't need the entire conversation you were going to have with me, just the fine points like name and number.

7. Being more disorganized than I would like. It makes me so confused. I wonder why? Wait. What was I saying?

8. The lack of integrity that is running rampant at the moment. Nobody is as good as their word anymore. We wonder how we got to this point in time in our world? This is one of the reasons. 

9. Crazy-ass 20 foot vine weeds with really long roots, wrapping themselves around flowers and trees alike. What are they? Where did they come from? And why are they here?

10. The sound of other people chewing. It's a problem. A big problem. I am not making this up. There is actually a word for it....it's  misophonia. I've got it.

There you have it, 10 things that drive me completely bonkers.

And you?


Ciao for now,