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Share Your Style #317

Welcome to this week’s Share Your Style #317. Happy Wednesday to you all, dear friends! 🙂

This link party is for home decor, DIY, crafts, recipes and the like, but you are more than welcome to share any of your family-friendly posts with us all. Please feel free to share this post too and join my small but loyal band of friends. I appreciate you! I appreciate your subscribing, also. As always, I am glad that you are here… 💜

I am Barbara Chapman and I’d love it if you’d follow me here on my blog and on any of my other social media sites, too.  Thank you!💜 

French Ethereal: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest

I am Barbara Chapman and I’d love it if you’d follow me here on my blog and on any of my other social media sites, too.  Thank you!💜 

French Ethereal: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest

Happy Wednesday, y’all! The shed is coming along but not quite where I’d like it to be to be able to share the inside, so hopefully next week. 😉 Other than that, we had a quiet Labor Day weekend and just worked on getting the backyard into shape and more things moved into the shed.

I did however get out in the garden and shoot some evening plant photography! Hope you’ll stop by and check out my little garden. <3

So with that, let’s get this party started…

Here’s what I shared this past week at French Ethereal…

Early Fall in the Garden ~ a look during our lovely evening light…

And here are this week’s featured posts…

Baskets6
Fall is a good time for completing small projects, like this upcycled basket by MaryJo of Master “Pieces” of My Life ~ Weathered Baskets DIY. Love it!!!
Sandy from Dinner at Eight shared her 2021 planting story in this post ~
The Backyard Landscape – First Phase. You’ll love Sandy’s labrador puppy! He’s very cute!! ;)’
Asian-style-Vietnamese-dishes-buffet
Debbee from Debbee’s Buzz is back with an awesome foodie post ~ Cultural Cooking Adventures: Vietnamese Dishes. Serious yum!!!
Niky from The House on Silverado speaks my language here with this post on How to Dry Hydrangeas the Easy Way. I just successfully got a small bouquet to dry perfectly since moving here to Texas! Excited to share this post so you can learn how, too. <3
I am loving Penny of Penny’s Treasures new look in her kitchen!!! I think many of us have been cleaning and clearing out this year and Penny explains what all she has done in this post ~ Less is More Wall Decor, New Snack Bar Chairs and a Fall Tour.
I am loving this post by newcomer Sinziana from Coffee Time Classics called
365 Days of Lifestyle Photography – Week 3. Fun photos and lots of good information, plus a challenge we can all jump into! Come check it out… 🙂 And welcome, Sinziana!!
Robin over at Junk Journal shared the before (above) and after photos of this DIY project ~ Spoon Rack Display Transformation. Jump on over to see how it turned out!

Thank You so much to everyone who linked up this past week. A special thank you to everyone for always promoting Share Your Style on your blog and on your social media channels! I do see it when I stop by and I appreciate the love. 💜

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜  Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜  Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

Happy linking, everyone!

Barb 🙂

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
Uncategorized

Share Your Style #307

Welcome friends, to this week’s Share Your Style #307! Happy Wednesday to you all, dear friends!

This link party is for home decor, DIY, crafts, recipes and the like, but you are more than welcome to share any of your family-friendly posts with us all. Please feel free to share this post too and join my small but loyal band of friends. I appreciate you!
 As always, I am glad that you are here…

I am Barbara Chapman and I’d love it if you’d follow me here on my blog and on any of my other social media sites, too.  Thank you!💜 

French Ethereal: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest

This past week I’ve been over to McKinney with my mother- and sister-in-law visiting a friend of Jodi’s who moved there back about 20 years ago. Gini and I went over to the City of McKinney’s Vital Statistics building and happily found a microfiche of her grandfather and grandmother’s marriage license from 1897!

On Friday evening, we went to a Texas Rangers’ game down in Arlington. They ended up losing but we enjoyed getting out and trying some ballpark foods and listening to the crowds and announcer, and enjoying the ballgame live.

Saturday was a workday and Gini, Jodi and Corey (my nephew, who flew in on Friday morning) drove over to Farmersville to watch an IOOF and a group of local re-enactors honoring of an 1812 soldier from the area. Because of the busy week, I didn’t go but I would have enjoyed the ceremony. I slept all Saturday afternoon.

My mother-in-law Gini, sister-in-law Jodi and hubby Charles
Corey showing off his perfect pizza!

Sunday we enjoyed baking homemade pizzas out in the Ooni and then we worked on a satin banner project Gini is making for a future IOOF ceremony.

This banner will have a purple backing and other images placed around it and wording at the top and bottom. Should be neat when it is all done!

Since Monday, I’ve been down with a cold or Covid-type feeling illness… If it is Covid related, two days on, the vaccine is beating it down and I am feeling better today. 🙂

And thank you, friends! We had 84 links up last week, and there were so many good posts to look through to feature. Keep ’em coming!…

Here’s what I shared this past week at French Ethereal…

This month’s Pinterest Challenge was all about setting a Summer Table and here is my entry ~ Setting a Beautiful Summer Table with Castleton’s Dolly Madison China.

And here are this week’s featured posts…

Debbie from Debbie-Dabble Blog shares her home decorated for the upcoming 4th of July celebrations in this pretty RWB post ~
A Little Bit More RWB in the Living Room. Love love love this wreath!!!
Juliet from French Country Cottage shared her beautiful find in this DIY post ~ French Country Cottage Sideboard. Beautiful!!!
DIY Sock Gnome
Kippi of Kippi at Home shared her really in-depth instructions to make these
Easy DIY Gnomes [Tutorial]. Totally cute and perfect for us to create this summer for all the seasons coming up!
Awwwww! Puppy Challenges in the Garden was shared by Sandra from Come to Dinner at Eight. Puppies are a challenge but with time and good correction, all puppies can turn into the best dogs! Come check out this sweet post {and isn’t Finnegan just cute??!}…
Perfect as a follow-up, this post from Kelli at 3 Boys and a Dog looks like a fun recipe to make for your favorite furry friends! ~
Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Puppy Chow.
Vintage Botanical Print in the Early Summer Entry is this week’s share from Debra over at Common Ground. I love Debra’s wonderful mélange of goodies she puts together each season here in here entry, and I bet you do, too.
Lori over at Dinner for Eight shared her stunning table set for summer in this post ~ Blueberry Bliss Summer Tablescape. Love the soft blues!
purple floral kimono, olive green midi dress, caged sandals, wicker bag, Style Imitating Art, fashion over 40, Shelbee on the Edge
Shelbee from Shelbee on the Edge shared this lovely lavender-filled post
Style Imitating Art: Heather, Sweet Peas and Butterflies. Love Shelbee’s outfit for this garden tour!!
Tara from Stilettos and Shiplap brings us this DIY post ~ Thrift Store Challenge: Coffee Table Makeover. Love how it turned out!
Newcomer Lena from Way 2 Good Life brings us this fun travel post ~
Balloon Festivals in the United States. I can tell you they are so beautiful to
watch lift off! Welcome, Lena!!! She has also shared this post ~ With love from Medora, North Dakota’s Treasure.
Last up for this week is Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home sharing her finished kitchen remodel in this post ~ Cheerful Summer Kitchen Refresh. Love the bright pops of color for the season!

Thank You so much to everyone who linked up this past week. A special thank you to everyone for always promoting Share Your Style on your blog and on your social media channels! I do see it when I stop by and I appreciate the love. 💜

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜  Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜  Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

Have a great week, dear friends!

Barb 🙂

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
Uncategorized

Share Your Style #306

Welcome friends, to this week’s Share Your Style #306! Happy Wednesday to you all!

This link party is for home decor, DIY, crafts, recipes and the like, but you are more than welcome to share any of your family-friendly posts with us all. Please feel free to share this post too and join my small but loyal band of friends. I appreciate you!
 As always, I am glad that you are here…

I am Barbara Chapman and I’d love it if you’d follow me here on my blog and on any of my other social media sites, too.  Thank you!💜 

French Ethereal: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest

Happily this week I have some news on our new garden shed! I received a text this week from Wolf Valley Buildings.com wanting to schedule our shed’s arrival, so… Now it’s all about prepping the site and removing all the junk in that area, including the current shed.

Next, as you will see here, I finished the painting in our master bedroom and bathroom. What a big project! As any of you painters out there know, it was about 100 hours from start to finish for the three areas of commode, bathroom and the 15′ x 17′ bedroom with 14′ ceilings at the peak. The crown moulding had never been painted in any of the areas and was put up with just original primer on it, so that all needed special attention. I didn’t get rid of the “alligatoring” from humidity like I should have in the bathroom area, but will another time. I wanted to finish before my mother-in-law and sister-in-law arrived. They are here now and the bedroom was finished this Friday.

So now it’s back to focusing on the garden with prep for the garden shed!… :💜

Here’s what I shared this past week at French Ethereal…

A Star-Spangled Blue Jean Recycle Placemat Project ~ a fun idea I’ve had waiting for this pair of jeans to finally wear out in order to make!
A Glowing New Look for Our Master Bedroom/Bathroom ~ So happy to have this job completed but really just so happy to have a light and bright bedroom and bathroom now! Really loving it!!

And here are this week’s featured posts…

Jeanie from The Marmelade Gypsy shared her glorious peonies in this inspired post ~ The Fragrance of Spring. Glorious!!!
Jeanie also shared this cutely titled post ~ It’s Really Good That I Like to Lick the Batter Bowl. Part of our summertime recipes at SYS…
I HAD to add this post from Tiffany (Tee) from TeeDiddlyDee as I am still just as horse-crazy as I ever was as a kid. Meet D’artagnan, Our Gentle Giant ~ an incredibly gorgeous horse in his prime.
Sarah over at Hyacinths for the Soul shared this patriotic RWB post ~ Inspired Tables of Red, White and Blue. Love this!!!!
Niky from The House on Silverado shared this sweet bench ~ DIY Garden Bench Makeover. Fun project!!!
Renae from Peacock Ridge Farm shared a restyling for the 4th in this post ~
A Fourth of July Hutch Refresh. Beautiful!!! Love the ironstone and flow blue…
uncle-sam-wreath-feature-image
Debbee from Debbee’s Buzz brings us this really fun wreath full of patriotic flare ~ Uncle Sam Wreath Peddles Bike to 4th of July Parade. Cute!!!

Thank You so much to everyone who linked up this past week. A special thank you to everyone for always promoting Share Your Style on your blog and on your social media channels! I do see it when I stop by and I appreciate the love. 💜

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜  Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜  Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

Happy summer, sweet friends!

Barb 💜

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Click here to enter
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Winter Photography Fun in the Fall… More From South Dakota

How much  is that doggie in the window?  So sings the song and it was especially apropos on this early fall snow day at our son and daughter-in-love’s home.  
Our trip to South Dakota just a short time ago was plumb packed with apple picking, 
Mall of America shopping and lots of photographic moments like this one.

Come along as we enjoy a little fall snow fun!…


Snow is  enchanting when there is just a dusting of it on the ground ~ it is a bit magical with each tiny snowflake sparkling as the sun peaks through the clouds and sets it aglow.
Our son and daughter-in-law’s dogs were excited to go out and play in the snow as was I.

***
 Snow is also fun to enjoy from a dog’s point of view.
;)’

Luna ~ part Siberian Husky, collie and sheltie, if I remember right.  She has the long nose and a collie’s face with those pale blue husky’s eyes!  Striking!!!

Part of what I wanted to accomplish while I was visiting was to try and capture Luna and Bandit’s expressions.

Bandit ~ like his name, he is hard to photograph.  A bit shy and very quick, I had to focus on his body where I thought his face would be later and click-click to get him to turn.  Love this of him!

I started taking pictures the first morning after we arrived.

This photo of Luna I had to sharpen ~ she moved ever so slightly as the shutter clicked.  Also added a bit of blue to her eyes, backed off the whites and highlights.  Decreased the blacks.  🙂
The lead photograph for this post says it all.
Luna and Bandit are best friends; attached
at the hip.
Where one goes so does the other.
🙂

Happy with these pics I then went on to shoot pics
of the October snow day outside.
According to the weatherman this day and snowfall tie the record for the earliest day since recorded snow in Sioux Falls history.

This was just a study of leaves and eaves.
Ha ha, pun not intended.
😉

I love how the snow highlights the rolled up
garden hose…


Pristine snow and leaden skies with just a
hint of blue…

“Home”
The doormat says it all…

A neighbor’s cute entryway.
How much  is that doggie in our homes’ windows
waiting patiently for us to return each day ~ our best sparkling home decor ever??


Priceless!
;)’


Sharing with
Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Katherine’s Corner


If you missed Photography Lessons at the Falls of Sioux Falls or apple picking at Country Apple Orchard just click on these highlighted sections.  🙂


Sweet doggie dreams,
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Summer Weather and a Sick Dog…

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This week  has been a catch up week for me with computer
issues then hubby coming back from a business trip to California with a nasty cold.
Now our sweet Yoda is sick and I am not sure why but his
tummy is upset but I may need to take him in
to see the vet.



He got into a ton of round stickers this week which
Mr. Ethereal didn’t see out in the little greenbelt outfront
so…
I’ve been cutting and brushing Yoda like crazy trying to get them
all off {usually Yoda has a fit if I try cutting his fur so he must
really want them off!}.

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Yoda  has been a part of our family since 2005 and was a rescue dog coming to us via a Boy Scouts silent auction
and the Animal Friends of the Valley animal shelter in
Lake Elsinore, California.

He was somewhere between 9 months and 18 months old
at the time of his adoption that October.
He is a Pekingese mix and possibly part Lhasa Apso
being the same height and length as his friend Rusty
who is a full Lhasa.
:)’

Mr. Rusty with his mom’s toes in the pic ~ lol!

Here’s Rusty!  He’s a cutie and it’s funny how similar
their personalities are ~ both only like certain dogs.
They get grumpy in the evenings and sometimes
with each other.


Yoda is a cream colored Pekingese but Rusty is really a pretty cream color.


Peke’s get grumpy too as I’ve heard from many
Pekingese owners over the years so it’s not surprising
that Yoda can be a handful sometimes.
😉


Yoda with Charles at our Big House in California ~ photo taken with my iPad, about 2012.
His behavior has really improved since we first adopted him
all those years ago as he was really food aggressive then
and really protective of me.
He doesn’t have the almost weekly outbursts now and finally realizes that we are trying to help him
instead of hurt him.

He still likes to stay in his dog bed if either of us is still sleeping
of a morning to be there to protect us while we sleep.
If either of us is sick ~ like Mr. Ethereal has been this week with long work hours, lots of travel, and not much rest ~
Yoda tends to stay right with you.
He is a true protector and very loyal to his family.


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But my walking buddy of all these years is about 13 years old now and the humidity here in Texas really took its toll
last summer…
We are only going outside in the early mornings and around
5:00pm to potty, then around dusk now for his evening walk
 as temps 85 degrees and above are just too much
for this Old Pup.
Pekingese dogs live between 13 and 15 years of age
on average… and he is right there.
🙁

*He did finally just eat for me this evening ~ first time since last evening when he then tossed most of it back up.
Thankfully he has been drinking lots of water so
hopefully Yoda is on the mend.
I know dogs can get a type of dog flu but he may have
picked up ant poison or something on his paws.
It’s so hard to know.

I did call the vet and I’ll continue keeping an eye on him
and if he continues appearing to be ill
{there hasn’t been any vomiting or diarrhea since yesterday}
then I’ll take him in to be seen.


A favorite photograph of Mr. Yoda in the sycamore tree leaves at our Big House.
However long  we have with Mr. Yoda
it has been an adventure.
Just thought I’d share my heart and some photos
new and old with you for today’s post.

Here’s the first post I ever wrote about Yoda ~ Yoda in the Leaves.
:)’


Sharing with
Wow ~ Savvy Southern Style
Feathered Nest Friday
Thursday Favorite Things






Hugs,
Uncategorized

Places to Shop ~ Posies and Picket Fences

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Posies and Picket Fences
While out west visiting my friend Kathy who lives
just north of Santa Barbara and Ventura in the rural
coastal city of Nipomo,
she took me to two really neat shops…


The first  shop we visited once I had arrived after driving
several hours {from Ranch Cucamonga/Ontario where my hotel was} to
meet up with Kathy for lunch was to

Picket Fences
1588 Mission Drive
Solvang, CA 93463
805-688-6559


in the Danish-inspired city of Solvang, a city
founded by a “group of Danes who traveled west to
establish a Danish colony far from the
cold midwestern winters.”*


Just off the main road coming into town, Picket Fences has

lots of unique mercury glass candlesticks, candleholders and
urns which are so lovely to use for decorating.


{This is where you might want to stop

a sec and grab a cup of coffee or tea
and a bite to eat…
This post is a lengthy one today!}



Look at all this lovely poor man’s silver ~ mercury glass is really pretty en masse!

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After drooling over all these lovely silvery
stoppered decanters and perfume bottles and browsing
the candles and candlesticks and linen-covered lamps
that were on this table and on the buffet to the left
I fell in love with all the
heart-inspired pieces there in the shop and brought home
three small heart-shaped ring holders ~ one for myself and
two to send to my 
d.i.love and daughter for Valentine’s.


I posted mine on Instagram if you’d like to see it!
Sadly, I didn’t take any photos of the other two.
🙁


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I really like  stores which carry “smalls” as they
are easy to pack when you are traveling plus often
these items are a little easier on the wallet.
Each of these hearts above are only $4.95 a piece ~
perfect for saving for gift giving!

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Of course  being that we were in Solvang sweet
Danish mementos were in every shop and window!
These are such lovely reminders with their blue and white
ladies in traditional Dutch costumes and clogs
windmills and farm scenes gracing pieces of china
tile or on lace for your kitchen windows.

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This was  a special time for me personally too as I had
spent a weekend with my German host family in
Alkmaar, Holland
back during the summer of 1981 when I was 19 years old.

{Ja, ich kann die Deutsch sprechen und die 
Niederländisch ein bisschen lessen!}

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Aren’t these  brassy hearts really neat? 
They open up so that you can add little notes or sweets
or anything you’d like to place inside.
Perhaps a place to store love notes from your
sweetheart or hubby?

Wouldn’t these be a perfect addition also to a
bridal shower table?
Hearts in many forms are pretty much perfect for
Valentine’s or any holiday celebrations really.
🙂

Then there is the large iron heart just in front of them
which just calling out to go home to my yard… 
sigh!
Okay, moving onward.
😉


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A bit dark  I thought I’d share a few photographs
of the whole shop for you.
I had forgotten about the black and white pillows
plus the lanterns on top of the right hand cupboard.
Black and white never goes out of style and I am finding
that though I’m not usually big on black in my decor
I am being drawn to it this year.

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As you can see  the black really stands out with all
the other neutral whites and rusty iron decor ~
I’m loving the look and maybe
you do too!
Still can’t wait until we have a house again and I can
either make some fun farmhouse signs like the one spelling
out “farmhouse” up on the high shelf.
I’d like to hang a few signs around our walls.
Soooo cute and on trend!
And I’m not usually a trend person as I like what I like
but word signs are pretty cool!

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And then  there is a favorite beaded chandelier which 
just whispered to me like a few favorite toys did long ago,
“Take me home.”
😉

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One last look at this sweet shop which was also just 
up the street from a bakery which Kathy wanted us to visit
but which was closed ~ it was getting new flooring.
Next time!

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Love the Dutch doors!
Did you ever wonder how they
got their name?

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Apparently they were invented to keep critters from
wandering into Dutch homes and kitchens since screen doors
weren’t yet invented and though they were created in Holland
they were really a bit hit here in America.
Here’s a neat article on Dutch doors for you to check out.

Solvang is  a great little town that after you’ve parked
you can pretty much walk everywhere to dine and shop.
Here Kathy is leading us on a quick tour around to see
a few other shops.
Oh, and there are a number bed’n’breakfast
places and hotels in Solvang to stay at, too.


From here  we drove back to Kathy’s lovely home but
before we go here are a few last photos of Solvang and one
on the way driving through an ethereal allée of trees!!!

***

Our headline photograph from above, again ~ here you can see the lovely ethereal blouses
and some of their beautiful white on white antiques and vintage goods displayed 

The next day  afters spending the late afternoon having
tea and cherry scones for a snack instead of dinner
{We were still full from lunch, really.} and then talking until
late in the evening about decorating and all the
things Kathy and her husband Ken have been updating
in their new home.

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Oh, and touring her garden ~ which I’ll be sharing both
with you in more detail soon.
We drove up to Arroyo Grande, California
and waited patiently for this shop…

Posies in the Village
106 West Branch Street
Arroyo Grande, California 93420
805-481-0404

…to open it’s doors and let us in!
Okay, we weren’t too patient but we did manage to visit
a few antiques shops which had opened their doors at 9:00am
plus we visited with the local chickens!


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Chickens  are something Arroyo Grande is famous for
and they have always roamed free.
They even wander into shops sometimes
as one shop owner told us
to escape the cold or hot weather.
Cute!

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Posies  is on the opposite side of the street from
where the chickens are so they don’t often get in here.
But if they did…
They’d find three beautiful shops in one…


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Eclectic and fun  there’s a mixture of gift items and
antiques up in the front of the store and upstairs.
Then here in the middle is a display of vintage record albums
which I promptly snapped a photo and sent to my son
who thought the place was cool.

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For me  it was chandelier heaven! Each was unique and
other than this next really large one ($995 on sale) and
another really beautiful French chandelier
most were in the range of $120 – $350 or so.


Colorful  candles, mugs, pretty jewelry, curated clothing
and unique chandeliers all for sale along with spoon rings ~ 
Posies has something for everyone who
comes through their doors for a visit.

🙂


Sharing with
Wow Us Wednesday
Feathered Nest Friday
Thursday Favorite Things
Sweet Inspiration
Create Bake Grow and Gather
Hearth and Soul
Farmhouse Friday


Until next time, à bientôt,
Uncategorized

A Special Little Garden

 

Gardens are such special places and getting to see how
my friends Julie and Jim’s gardens were coming along was a
real treat on my recent visit to California…
Jim added the shade cover to their vegetable garden to protect the plants there from the harsh
and  intense California summer sunshine.  Great idea to incorporate in our gardens!

Jim purchased the beautiful red barn {top lead photograph above}
and then built it towards the left-back part of their property
in the Wildomar/Lake Elsinore area of Southern California.
*Update: Julie just FB me and said Jim built this lovely barn from scratch.  I am not surprised as he is a terrific carpenter.
🙂
Being that their property is quite wide and is deep ~ nearing a half-acre with a covered porch set up against the eastern-facing back-yard, a large swimming pool to the immediate right and traveling back down along the fence line, bougainvillea along the chainlink fence separating their yard from their neighbors and many lovely rose bushes planted in-front of the bougainvillea,
Jim and Julie were able to do a lot with their yard.
Their next big plans are to add a retaining wall running down the left side of the yard and to plant it with oleander bushes, which grow really big in California and will create a nice privacy screen
with their left-side neighbors.
Don’t ask why  I didn’t take any photographs of the rest of the yard for you ~ I have no idea why except I was there just to visit initially and then Julie suggested we go on a tour.
That’s how we ended up upstairs seeing her home’s
gorgeous bathroom!
I’ve been to their home many times over the past decade for
teas that Julie has hosted and often just to visit or to pick her up
on our way as a group to go antique browsing or out to lunch.
So, at some point I can share more of their beautiful home
and gardens through other photographs I’ve taken back when
we were all getting our photographs printed.
🙂
 
Two sweet chickens who are friendly and enjoy being picked up and cuddled ~ Rhoda (L), a Rhode Island red and Mr. Clara (R), in the apron, and who was originally thought to be a female.  Lol!  The Barred Rock chicken below is Maddie.

Today it’s all about the chickens
These girls are gorgeous in their black and white feathers
and their shiny red combs.
I just looked them up and I think the black and white
chickens are of the Barred Rock breed which are good
egg layers and produce large white eggs.
Here’s a link I found talking about types of chickens that I
found useful in trying to identify these fluffy girls.
Another friend in Northern California who also raises chickens
and whom I went on a long hike back several years ago
says that the way to sex a chicken is by their tails ~
roosters have curved tail feathers as compared to the
straighter female’s feathers.

Julie was telling me a while back that she makes little
“aprons” for her chickens to keep them from getting
picked on by the other birds.
Unfortunately I guess chickens do this a lot as several of
her birds are in separate chicken pens due to having
been picked on.
🙁
Guess that’s where being hen-pecked comes from…
😉
*Here’s a link to pick up some chicken aprons of your own
if you need some:
I am an Amazon affiliate and if you purchase something from me I will earn a small
commission on it ~ please see my full disclosure HERE.  Thank you!
\Aren’t they the cutest??!

I kept trying to get this one chicken to turn so I could get a good picture of her sweet pink apron but she wasn’t budging.
Oh, well!
I loved the big red chicken barn with it’s places to roost ~
now Julie just needs a sweet chandelier to make her chicken’s
home a little “chicken chateau!”
😉
 
Seriously, though, their farmyard garden is a working garden and the chickens are providing eggs for friends and family.
The vegetable side of the garden has pole runner beans, a variety
of lettuces and even tomatoes currently growing in the
Southern California warm winter sunshine!
I have been hankering for a fresh homegrown tomato and if
they had been ripe I would have asked to eat one.
🙂
 
Just a quick post today as that’s all the photos I have for you
from their garden.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the tour!
 
Sharing with
Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make ~ My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies
Inspire Me Monday ~ Create with Joy
Family Joy Link Party ~ Thinking Outside the Pot
Dishing It and Digging It ~ The Freckled Rose
 
 

Happy Monday,
Barb 🙂
Uncategorized

Bathroom Decorating Ideas on a Budget

My friends Julie and Jim recently renovated
their guest bathroom upstairs after a pipe burst and caused
some flooding and she is graciously letting me share
the amazing results with you!

Little Miss Daisy checking out the bathroom with us ~ love this wallpaper!
So bright and airy  this lovely bathroom is stunning with
a new marble countertop, clawfoot tub, light creamy white beadboard under the wainscot moulding ~ really a bath lover’s dream!
Jim is a retired carpenter by trade and the man who along
with my son rebuilt our patio cover several years ago.
Jim effortlessly added chair rail moulding to this bathroom and
in all of the other rooms of their home plus he laid the floor tiles here and in their two other bathrooms.

Julie might kill me for printing this picture of her
but it really shows off her bathroom to its best advantage and as she had been outside gardening all afternoon and wasn’t expecting a visitor…
I told her no one would mind seeing her this way as she is always
beautiful no matter what.
You can see a really nice photograph of Julie on my
sidebar in the Follow on Google + link.
🙂
Seriously, though, isn’t this vanity stunning??!  I gasped when
I first saw it ~ then I found out she and her hubby bought it
on Ebay…
Can you believe it?!
I definitely am going to check it out if it’s still available
as I’d love to pick one or two up.
They actually purchased four of the same vanity ~
the one for this bathroom, two for their master bathroom
and one for their downstairs powder room.
By buying four, they were able to get the cost down
plus insurance picked up some of the costs with
the renovations due to the damage.
There were actually two different water pipe breaks and the
bathroom I am sharing today was the first break several years ago
but this room wasn’t fully remodeled until the second waterline
break this past year.
The second break occurred in their master bathroom causing
damage there and also to their powder room directly
right below downstairs
so…
This is how they ended up with four of the same gorgeous
vanities which look seamless throughout.

Julie loves  Shabby Chic and all the whites mixed in
so it’s no wonder her bathrooms all look lovely with white
painted antique furniture and roses strewn here and there
in luscious wallpaper borders and in her favorite china pieces.
Julie also loves blue and her downstairs has Victorian furniture
and blue carpeting but after eight years or so of living in this
home she said she is ready for some changes.
I didn’t  take any photographs downstairs this time but
I did capture their front yard from the porch and some of the roses
she hasn’t yet cut back for the season.
It’s sooo hard to know when to cut back roses in Southern California as some of the best growing times for roses are
during the winter!
🙂
 
 
A little cherub wall pocket hanging outside the bathroom.

Here is  one of their spare bedrooms and it is devoted to sharing Julie’s dolls which belonged to her mother and grandmother and also a sweet hexagonal paper pieced flower quilt hand-sewn
by her grandmother almost a century ago.
Bright and airy and turn of the last century this look is
Victorian and timeless.
 

Here’s little Miss Daisy
I just loved her sweet face and personality ~ she is a very
gentle Maltese/toy poodle mix and was so photogenic
that I had to snap a quick photo of her.
Daisy looks adorable sharing the lovely tile flooring and
this sweet bathmat with you.
Sharing with
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog
Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage
Thursday Favorite Things ~ Katherine’s Corner
Over the Moon ~ Gwin Gal Adventures
Wow Us Wednesday ~ Savvy Southern Style
I’ll be sharing fromJulie’s garden soon,
Barb 🙂
Uncategorized

A Year of Giving Thanks

This has been a year of
giving thanks
for us…


First of all, I’d like to welcome you if you are coming
over from Katherine’s Corner today with the
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Give Thanks Tablescape 
Blog Tour
W e l c o m e !!!


We are recent transplants to Texas via many years
in California.
My husband was blessed with a new position
here in the Dallas area last November.
We are very blessed to be here and for his work ~
our first reason to give thanks…


My former home’s backyard garden in Murrieta, California the year before we sold our home.

Giving Thanks

We have much to be grateful for ~ the least of which
is that we weren’t homeless over the past two
years while Hubby was out of his normal work.
We made it through having to sell what I thought
was our “forever home” and instead took up
a slightly nomadic life
living in a 27′ Coleman travel trailer for about
1 1/2 years before we traded it in for
our new 41′ fifth wheel
which we love for its room!

Looking west over neighboring rv’s here in North Central Texas.

Just a few photos from earlier this fall of my
kitchen and dining areas.
The lemon poppy seed cake on the back counter
is one I often bake when having friends
over for tea.

The garden area in September just after putting in the little square stepping stones.

Our little prairie rv home

This is the garden area just outside our fifth-wheel.
We had no “pop-outs” on the previous trailer so we were
really cramped and constantly having to move a box
to sit down to eat, watch tv, to do anything.

In this beauty, we have the luxury of five slides which makes
the inside about 16′ wide throughout most of the trailer.
It is really a small apartment in many ways.
We are staying nomadic for just a little while longer as we
begin looking for land and a house.
🙂

My friend Peggy came for an impromptu tea one day recently.

“One is silver and the Other is gold”

I am thankful also for my “old friends” in California,
whom I can visit with anytime via Facebook and Instagram,
and I am thankful for the “new friends” I have made
since moving here to Texas.
I believe God has provided for this need for friendship
with park owners who really care in every sense of the word
for the people and animals who live here.

Little Skidboot at his first shearing.  He is one of 13 alpacas here at Wagon Master
RV Park and Alpaca Farm, Sanger, Texas.


It is a great blessing for everyone here,
whether as short-term campers or as extended-stay residents,
 to be able to stay here.
The owners really act as caretakers of the land and
have a heart for people.
🙂


A tablesetting I did earlier this fall.


New beginnings

We are grateful for a chance to start over
and work on rebuilding our nest egg.
We also are rebuilding our household ~ of which
this “prairie home fifth-wheel” is a big part.

Traveling to new places as I work on making
my little blog into a real business
is also an exciting part of the new here in Texas!
I am grateful for the chance to do something
I love full-time.
🙂

A  recent Thanksgiving tablesetting with pumpkins and pansies.


Grateful for the little things

Mostly I am grateful for all the little things which
have “coincidentally happened” this past year…

Our daughter moving to Texas before we did to
move out and live with her friend
then…
my husband finding and getting his new position
also here in Texas.

Or like last Christmas time when I found a
J Broadhurst Constable series set of china
minus the lid for the teapot in an antique mall
I just happened to visit for the first time.
It had been in my heart for many years to have a set
of pinkish-red china like this as it so beautiful to me.
God knew it and led me to it!
Of this, I have no doubt.

Lastly, for meeting a new group of friends and a
Bible study being offered here at the park and farm
by a new wonderful friend.


Coincidence?

I don’t think these things are coincidences.
I believe they are gifts and blessings from our
Great Creator.

I hope you do, too.
😉

Our kitchen table set for a little Thanksgiving tea!

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And follow me on any of my sites if you’d like.
The links are above and here in the sidebar.

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Thank You.
😀

Many blessings to you and your family
this Thanksgiving…

Please enjoy visiting with all of the lovely ladies
who are linking up today.
There are many wonderful and inspirational
tablesettings and ideas out there for
your holiday decorating…


Also sharing with
Tablescape Thursday ~ Between Naps on the Porch
https://betweennapsontheporch.net/nora-fleming-servers-and-minis-perfect-for-holiday-parties-and-special-celebrations/

No Rules Weekend ~ Life As We Know It by Paula



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Uncategorized

Places to Visit ~ The Stockyards at Fort Worth

Just about a month ago now, my husband took a week’s vacation and we took advantage of the time to go on a mini vacation first catching a Texas Ranger’s ballgame.  {They won!}
After the game, we drove just a half-hour away to Old Fort Worth 
just west of Dallas to the famous stockyards area where cattle were rounded up and shipped across country east and west.












Summer school students out on a field trip enjoyed watching the cattle drive.

The Stockyards

Famous as “The beginnings of the West” as the description on the 
Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District website online says, the area boasts original cow pens, a railyard turnstile for turning engines around when heading a shipment of cattle east out to all points across country, wonderful old brick and limestone buildings with tall false fronts popular during the heyday of western expansion, and of course those famous Texas animals, the Texas longhorns, who walk the length of East Exchange Avenue two times a day to the delight of visitors.


Things to See and Do

The twice daily cattle drive at 11:00am and 4:00pm, the Stockyards have plenty to see and do.  Everything centers around the history of the cattle drives and America’s western expansion.




Several museums cover the local history of Fort Worth and one of those is a large museum called The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame devoted to modes of travel during the  mid to late 1800’s and up until the 1920’s or so. This museum also houses booths sharing historical snippets and memorabilia of famous Texans from rodeo, stage and movie stars who have ties to the the Fort Worth and Dallas area.


As you come into this carriage museum, the first thing you see is
Roy Rogers’ beautiful palomino horse forever rearing as a living testimony to the raw awesome beauty and danger of the Old West.

Roy Rogers’ beloved Trigger ~ He lived a good life performing in 188 movies and living 33 years.
Sorry some of these photos are blurry ~ all were taken with my iPhone as my
Canon’s memory card was full…


Just like on Hollywood, California’s famous sidewalks, Fort Worth also has its stars!

Famous rodeo rider

These are just a few of the photographs I saw in the museum’s Famous Texans area in individual booths.  I’ll share more of that next week when I share the museum itself.  

Recognize this really famous fellow???
Give you a hint:
Think “Men in Black” and “The Fugitive.”


In addition, cowboys roam the streets on horseback and will answer any questions visitors have about Texas and the heyday of cattle driving.  These same cowhorns will bring Texas longhorns out throughout the day and park them under tree-shaded areas for visitors to come and sit on for photo opportunities. 

Shopping and Restaurants

Stores are open for patrons to shop for everything Texas and to buy Texas mementos.  This also includes vintage and new boots and gear.  Some shops cater specifically to all new bootwear ~ some will even take custom orders as in days of old!  I saw both new and used boot shops with vintage and new clothing as well.  Hubby purchased a new pair of boots that fit like a glove! and I’ll share about that in an upcoming post on Shopping in Fort Worth.

Cool Texas wall art inside Cavender’s Boot City, Fort Worth.

There are burger places, bars and sit-down restaurants for every budget and we ate at several.  This is the place we had lunch on the Friday we watched the cattle drive, a little sit-down burger joint of whose name I didn’t catch.  It’s inside the stockyards covered shopping area, though!  🙂

Artwork up on the wall inside this burger place ~ pretty cool!

Well that’s it for now! Next week I’ll share
the museum and a really lovely spunky Texas
shopping mecca for Texas-style women’s clothing ~
the fun and funky
Sassy Pantz!
{hint:  It’s where I picked up that really cute ruffly blouse cum tanktop!}
Sharing with
Share Your Style ~ The Red Painted Cottage
Friday Feature ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!
Friday at the Firehouse ~ A Fireman’s Wife
Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondocks Blog

Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party ~ Blue Willow House
Blessings to you,