Savannah or Bust...

Hello, Hello!!!  I'm back all refreshed & rested...it feels great (I hope it lasts).  We headed south this past weekend and spent 3 days in gorgeous Savannah, GA.  We really needed to get out of town and just relax.  It was a 5 hour drive and our timing was perfect because we missed a bunch of storms while we were gone.

I'm just going to load you down with some shots around town.  We started at the Bonaventure Cemetery.

 These pictures don't do justice to the beauty of this statue.  It's carved marble from Italy. The azalea's were scattered around her when we got there.  It was stunning and very sad.

"Allured to brighter worlds and led the way."

Brian taking in the Jesus statue marking a family grave.

The details were amazing.  Again carved marble from Italy.

 

This lady was an actor telling the story of her husband's death.  It was a little jarring to see her gliding through the graves.

  

 Azaleas were in full bloom.

 Trees covered in Spanish moss.

 John Wesley Square

 Market Square
This is where you can get some great pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go's.

 Lady & Sons block 

(We didn't go to Paula Deen's restaurant, btw.  You have to queue at 830am inorder to make reservations by 9am and the line goes around the block THEN you end up waiting for over an hour to eat.  Sounded like too much work to me.)  We went to a place call The Pirate House and it was amazing food!

 

 This stove was in The Pirate House. It's the oldest house in Georgia and is rumored to be haunted.  They encourage you to explore the building, so you can do your own ghost hunting!

 The patina on the railings and brick were so pretty.

Right before I took this picture a man was picking flowers to give to his wife - what a good husband!

  These horses were huge!  We saw a woman wiping one of the horse's rear end...that's dedication.

Savannah is so beautiful.   There are tons of nice hotels to stay in right in town, you can walk to most places. We must've walked 10 miles (no joke) including up and down this flight of stairs!

 They were super steep...but look what waited for me....

 

 !!!FIESTA!!!

 I've been collecting Fiesta for years and it's fun to see the older pieces.  These nesting bowls were over $2,000.

 There were tons of antique shops to poke around too...

Entry to 37th & Abercorn

Peeking into a closet.

                                                                                  

 Delicate hankies, linens & silver were in this room.

 Clocks everywhere.

 

Very, very old babies.

This piece was just gorgeous!

Look at these details!

And of course the resident kitty found the coolest chair to call his own!
 

Shiny happy people!

 I'm painting furniture this week and working on my new blog - all fun stuff but we're also seeing our accountant to file taxes...double blech!  Weekends like this make dealing with the day-in/day-out things a whole lot easier!  I hope you all can make a little time for yourselves soon!

Total Score & A MUST Read!!!

Hello, hello!

I have two things I would like to share with you today.  First up, would you like to see what made a grown woman squeal yesterday??

 This beauty!!

I walked into GW for a quick looksy and there it was sitting front & center when you walked in.  I could NOT believe it!  There were a couple of men sitting on it and I asked them how it felt.  It got the thumbs up.  They helped me test it for sturdiness (they were good sports) by wiggling around on it to see if it was wobbly or anything. Nothing...completely solid.  It must have been under plastic or something b/c there are no funny smells and the cushions are like new..nice & firm. 

 I have been shopping around for a sofa for our den and LOVED these...

I love the legs on the second one and the curve in the arms on the first one but the $3500 & up price tags were definitely a bummer.

I know buying a used sofa is a bold move but I couldn't pass this up.On top of it being over 8' long, it was only $48.49!  Can you believe that? I'm going to recover it..I don't know how or with what fabric yet.  I don't want to cover up the beautiful shape, so this will be a challenge for me, as I have no idea how to do this but I'm up for it!

AND

It passed the crap-out test!

The second thing I wanted to share with you is a book called  

"Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle"

It is one of the sweetest stories I've ever read! 

"Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving.  But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis.."

It was given to me as a birthday present from my brother and I just love it. He was named Nubs because his ears had been cut off..how pitiful! But I promise this is a wonderful story and a great lesson for the kids about determination & friendship in humans & animals.

With that, I'm going to run now...take care,

I've started the snowball now....

Since finishing the dresser I've started painting the room it's in white. I don't like to move stuff all around, so my painting technique is just one wall at a time.

I've painted the wall and baseboards of one wall and will move onto the next in just a little while.  I don't normally use a drop cloth either...that usually doesn't work in my favor. 

It looks a little plain for now, but when the beadboard & crown molding are up I think it will be more interesting & give this little room a pop.

 My mom framed this for me and gave it to me when I was going through a really rough time in my life.  I repainted the frame for this room.  I love what it says:

Be not the slave of your own past - plunge into the sublime seas, 

dive deep, and swim far, 

so you shall come back with self-respect, 

with new power, 

with an advanced experience, 

that shall explain and overlook the old.

                                                                       Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for coming by...I have to get to work now (the one that pays the bills).

Need a lift?

Thank goodness it's Friday and hopefully it's a 3 day weekend for everyone!  

You know, there are so many blogs with so many awesome & creative ideas and I appreciate all of them.  But I think there is more to all of this than us just making our homes cute.  I personally like feeling like I have a ton of girlfriends out there in blogland cheering me on..I love reading about how other women not only survived but THRIVED through adversity.. like Donna at Funky Junk Interiors.  (If you haven't read her blog yet or lately, then you should..especially if you are hurting or need a little hope & encouragement.)  I also enjoy reading everyone's comments of encouragement on my site and others.  Isn't it awesome?

For me, like most people in the world, I've had some great times and some really, really bad times.  Enough so, that I recognize the good times and I drink them in..they don't go unnoticed with me.  I love my God and I know that He has my name (yours too) inscribed on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16).

I hope you all have a safe & fun July 4th.  Enjoy your independence, love our country and drink in your good times! 

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try – Author Unknown

I have lots & lots of plans and ideas running & jumping in my head..but for now, I'm happy with this baby step of starting the blog.