Specific Prayers For Friends

I heard an observation about praying for people in ambulances.

 Lifting up a flare prayer for a stranger in an emergency is a good thing.

 Lifting up a prayer for someone you know in an ambulance

 is an entirely different sort of prayer.

That prayer is more specific, heartfelt, and wrenching. 

That is how I felt this morning and last night as I prayed for my 

 blogging and Instagram friends in harms way from this horrific storm. 

 I have heard from some of you who have posted already today and that was a sweet relief. 

For others still no news.

Olive

Pottery Barn Outlet Holiday 2012

Fall tablescapes, pumpkins, and lanterns were in the front windows 

but Christmas reigned supreme throughout the store. 

If you look at the clipboard, on the left, dining chairs were buy one get one for a penny. 

I would like to have some of these sunflower stems.

This is a happy Christmas vignette. 

Many customers were buying the rustic reindeer.

This neutral sofa looks wonderful pepped up with red pillows.

The candy canes are in the children's section of the store. 

I like their generous size.

All images were taken with my iPhone.

I did ask permission and was told I could take "a couple" of photos 

but they were actually not allowed.

My last PB Outlet visit includes fall vignettes.

July Fourth tablescapes in the Pottery Barn Store are here.

♦♦♦

CC and I had a lovely time together. 

The weekend was far too short. 

Linking@Tweak It Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday's

Praying a safe place for all in the path of Sandy

Olive

Halloween Yard Inspiration

There are some scary folks driving around these days.

I ran across this ghoul driven pick up truck on Highway 129 North before Athens Georgia. 

I was nearly ran over by a log truck taking these images. 

Spiders real or not will be my undoing.

A lot of people paint hay bales but the spider legs are a creepy yet fun touch.

That's some mighty big Halloween yard inspiration for your weekend viewing 

whilst I am visiting with CC in the mountains.

♦♦♦

CC and I are having a lovely time. 

Last night we talked for a long time, ate grapes, and tiramisu in our hotel room. 

The leaves here in the north Georgia mountains are not as pretty as usual because of our drought.

I will attempt some pictures of the Pottery Barn Outlet because I know y'all enjoyed them last time.

Happy Halloween

Olive

Trumpet Flower

Isn't she pretty?

She has got to be a she. 

That yellow flower looks like a soft exquisite yellow ballgown.

This is my first trumpet flower. 

I bought her from a neighbor's plant sale last year. 

She looked pitiful. 

She was the last trumpet flower she had.

She was about six inches tall and riddled with cricket holes.

 She was not Nearly Dead but was Awfully Bitten. 

I have been eagerly waiting for this pod to bloom. 

She did not disappoint.

Many more blooms are going to open soon.

♦♦♦

When this post goes live I should be on my way

 to the mountains to see my kiddo. 

I can't wait to see her.

happy gardening

Olive

Whimsical Field Stone Fire Place

A wire white tailed deer head.  

We think him rather whimsical. 

Up there on the stone.

My friend, Fancy, thinks we are crazy. 

She also thinks painting brown furniture is nuts. 

We agree to disagree.

The hearth was incredibly busy prior to these images.

 I had to remove a vast amount of clutter. 

I seem to have acquired many funeral baskets, cloches, and shoe lasts. 

The camera reveals all.

He is looking spiffy in the quatrefoil mirror. 

I paid ten dollars for our deer at Goodwill.

 If you like him be in awe of that price.

♦♦♦

I did paint the round coffee table yesterday. 

Oddly enough I painted it with black latex enamel.

 Now I am trying to decide if it needs a finish on it. 

Wax? 

Poly? 

Any tips on this as latex enamel is an indoor/outdoor paint are appreciated.

♦♦♦

I am traveling to the mountains to see our daughter CC in the morning. 

I will be spending the weekend with her.

 Joe will be here with the Fight Club(Shelley Puppy&Clovis Grumpy).

Linking@Vintage Inspiration Friday

joy and peace

Olive

Painted Coffee Table

I painted the top of this small coffee table a creamy white color last week. 

I finished it this past Saturday. 

I paid next to nothing for it because the top was damaged.

I found that cute bottle at Goodwill.

I like how it turned out. 

Slightly distressed and not perfect. 

Shelly Cooper Shepherd Puppy has come out to play. 

He and Clovis throw down.

 I call them Fight Club.

Clovis (my cat) has a no puppy tolerance policy. 

Clovis would make Garfield seem cheerful and friendly.

Shelley, as I pen this, is destroying a pool noodle. 

We have to channel his ripping and shredding into

 ripping and shredding objects we have no affection for.

Life is sweet here with both the fur babies.

Linking@Open House Party

♦♦♦

Back to the table...can you believe I painted a piece of furniture?

I am starting to paint a round coffee table today.
That is if I get out of my pj's.

joy and peace

Olive

Crazy Lamp Lady Explained

One could easily ask if I am becoming the crazy lamp lady? 

It would be a legitimate question. 

Do you recall last weeks lamp and shade?

 Keeping.

Just so you know Joe and I have a lamp clinic, of sorts, here.

 He can rewire them.

I rebuild parts missing with epoxy and then paint them.
Broken lamps are always a steal.
I never admit I can repair them.

 I rebuilt a rose, last month, on an oriental lamp.
 It sold quickly.

 I am not keeping this large, heavy urn shaped lamp. 

Please forgive me the wonky shade. 

The pineapple lamp is coming back to this spot. 

I seem to have a knack for finding lamps, with potential,

 at estate and garage sales.

Or do they find me?

Sometimes we find lamp parts at Habitat For Humanity Restore.

I keep harps and finials in a drawer and spare shades in an extra closet. 

I am forever switching shades with different lamps that I find. 

Restoring lamps and selling them has become a team project we both enjoy.

Linking@Tweak It Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday's

joy and peace

Olive

Vanilla

Slit three vanilla beans length wise with a sharp knife. 

Place in a clean bottle. 

Add Vodka (unflavored) to cover the beans.

♦♦♦

In about three to four months you will have vanilla for baking. 

These vanilla beans have been in the Vodka for two weeks

 and are giving off that beautiful brown color already.

I am starting late but I think it this would make a lovely gift.
 This is my first attempt at making vanilla.
I have friends who make delicious baked goods.
Their cookies and bars are a step up from mine
and it is because of the homemade vanilla.
 If you make vanilla please give tips in the comments.

Amazon.com sells Madagascar Vanilla Beans 10 for $12.99 here.
I have also seen them at the Williams Sonoma store.
The medium glass bottle came from TJ Maxx.

happy baking

Olive

Pansies and The Nearly Dead

 I planted blooming pansies and Nearly Dead ones on Saturday.

We have not had them in two years and have missed their happy faces.

I bought two flats of blooming ones. 

 Then found some Nearly Dead ones for half price. 

You know that set my thrifty heart aflutter. 

 I returned one of the full price flats.

 A good soaking of water and sun and Nearly Dead soon

 becomes Lovely and Alive.

These in the terracotta pot, on the front stoop, will soon be thriving.

 I declare folks at the store were looking at me with dread

 with the dry pansies in my buggy. 

They will be blooming within the week.

 Got to have faith people. 

When you purchase Nearly Dead plants it is important to remove all blooms

 to promote growth in the roots.

 The majority of my perennials were Nearly Dead once.

The pansies will bloom far into January.

Do you have a favorite fall or winter flower?

happy gardening

Olive

White Fall Table

The urn I painted has joined vintage pottery and a garage sale lamp on our white table.

This is a good example of mixing old pottery with new. 

The large white cachepot in an unmarked McCoy.

We bought this shade for six dollars, on clearance, from Target last year. 

We were waiting for a lamp to pair it with. 

Finally we came across this lamp on Saturday at a garage sale.

Total cost nine dollars. 

The burlap like shade, lit, gives a soft glow to our yellow walls.

You can read about painting the large urn here.

Linking:

Tweak It Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday's

happy fall

Olive

One Cloche Two Ways

 Little Wilton candy holders are in the cloche.

 I found them in a thrift store, new, for fifty-five cents.

Eek!

 Boo!

Orange slices were a penny at Publix (with a $10.00 purchase) on Wednesday. 

 I filled the same small cloche with them.

One cloche two ways. 

I spent .56 cents to fill it for Halloween.

Despite my lovely bargains you can fill 

a cloche for very little money too.

Orange slices are $1.67 a bag usually. 

Candy cups are quite reasonable as well.

Linking@Fall Cloche Party@ A Stroll Thru Life

happy fall

Olive

Two Paint Projects

This urn was seriously ugly. 

 It had tacky gold paint on it.

 I gave it a coat of Valspar Satin Churchill Hotel Vanilla.

Paint project number two is a little wooden spice shelf.

Churchill Hotel Vanilla brings a coat of pretty where there was none. 

I have difficulty finding this spray paint. 

I tell Joe if he sees it to buy four of them.

 He has the number memorized.

Oh how I love that man.

This had blond wood and was crying out for paint.

 You can see I am using it for tea bags. 

I have been painting items off and on this year.

 I painted several candelabras and a tray turquoise and all of them sold.

The urn has found a place in the living room and I will be posting pics soon.
The spice shelf is in a dark spot in the kitchen and photos are impossible there my darlings.

Maybe I will get braver about showing my little paint projects.

Linking@Potpourri Friday

joy and peace

Olive