Aunt Nutty's Nutty Life...

A little bit of winter…

2010-11-21T09:42:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, the view from the office window was this…

So pretty.

Today, this is what I saw when I looked out my back door this is what I saw…

Probably should have brought in my patio furniture before today…

The view from the front door…

Front of the house

Can you tell I am from California and I get really excited when we have a big ol winter storm?

More pictures from around the house and the neighborhood

I thought the steam coming up from the ground looked really cool

My husband didn’t let me know he was expecting a package… I rarely ever use the front door as I park in the garage and go straight into the house from the garage. I probably wouldn’t have noticed this package on the front porch except I wanted to go outside and photo the hail storm

Whoopsy!

Happy Sunday All.

XOXO,

Aunt Nutty

Zip Lining in Santa Cruz, CA

2010-11-14T16:36:00.001-08:00

My Friend Lisa recently turned 50 and we decided we needed to something exciting to celebrate. I went on-line and discovered they have zip lines in the Santa Cruz mountains and we decided that is what we were going to do for her birthday!

Here’s the birthday girl – She was afraid she might pee her pants while zip lining, so she wanted to be prepared. Uh Lisa you wear them under your pants, not over them.

Cute!

The gang

This couple lives in Santa Cruz and did not know there was zip lining right in their backyard!

Do I really want to do this?

Wheeee….

Yay we’re alive!

It was so much fun!

Can’t wait to see what we are going to do for my 50th birthday, many many years from now. Ha Ha!

Summer Vacation – Part II

2010-07-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

After spending time in Burlington, VT, we headed to:

It is a really really beautiful park…

This is the bridge between the U.S. and Canada, we walked everyday

Of course we took the Maid of the Mist tour – it was AWESOME!

View of the Falls from the Canada side

The American Falls

The Skylon Tower has amazing views

View from Skylon Tower

So cool you can walk from one country to another

It’s free to walk into Canada, but it costs .50 cents to get back into the U.S.A.

The falls @ dusk

At night colored lights are shined on the falls, it’s really pretty. I especially loved the hot pink falls.

As you can see we had a great time. Now back to reality.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

XOXO,

Aunt Nutty

Summer Vacation – Part 1 – Burlington, VT

2010-06-30T16:18:00.001-07:00

My husband has attends a conference every June in Vermont. This year the conference was in Burlington, VT and I decided to tag along this year. Burlington is a beautiful city, on Lake Champlain. While my husband attended the conference during the day, I went on a “walk about” photographing the city…

I love old buildings and architecture

The lake is beautiful

These gliders are all along the dock of the lake

So relaxing to sit on the swing and look at this… I swear I could have sat on that swing all day!

The downtown area is really cool and there are some really beautiful old buildings…

Burlington also has a really cool downtown area called Church Street Market Place

Lots of shopping and dining. I walked there every morning for my first cup of coffee of the day.

After this we headed to another beautiful place, I believe it is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world…

Have a wonderful day!

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

Beachy Bronze Tablescape

2010-05-22T14:01:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was in Laguna Beach, CA, it’s a darling little beach town and I was able to do a little shopping and ran across these darling bronze starfish…

I picked up 4 of them because I just knew I would want to use them in a tablescape one day.

Today I decided to do a tablescape featuring my cute bronze starfish.

I love the combination of bronze/brown and white so I started with my brown placemats with lots of texture, my trusty everyday dishes, and my new starfish

I decided brown napkins and salad plates were needed

I added a bronze hurricane lantern, I just got at Home Goods, with candles and seashells

Then glasses and candles were added

Ahh I hear the beach calling me

Have a great day!

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

I. Cannot. Wait. For. This…

2010-05-06T20:06:00.001-07:00

Is anyone else excited for this movie?

Celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary

2010-04-29T11:34:00.001-07:00

Today is my 20th wedding anniversary – yikes where did the time go?

Anyway to celebrate our 20th anniversary the hubs decided to try something new and take the train to San Francisco

We had a really great train ride to San Francisco and we decided to take the short walk to our hotel.

On the way to the hotel, one of the more colorful residents of San Francisco decided that he needed to change his pants, in the middle of the sidewalk, in broad daylight… and NO he was not wearing any underwear! Sorry no pictures of this moment!

We got to our hotel and we were somewhat disappointed to learn our hotel was under a 5 year reconstruction phase. Sort of a bummer, but they only work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and luckily neither me nor the hubs are late sleepers.

The hotel room was really nice and charming

We did all the usual things like…

Cable car to Fisherman’s Warf

Walking Lombard Street – it’s really steep!

Went to Coit Tower for the first time – The Bachelor took one of the Bachelorettes there on one of his dates.

View is amazing… You can see all of San Francisco up there!

I love all the charming buildings

We went to see the play

It was Great!

We had a great time and I am looking forward to the next 20 years with my hubby.

Aunt Nutty

I love a great bargain

2010-04-17T16:05:00.001-07:00

I saw these cute Steve Madden sandals @ Macy’s the other day. Really cute but @ $59.00 I wasn’t ready to purchase.

Today I was @ my local Target and saw these little cuties…

At $15.00 these little babies came home with me today!

Off to find more bargains. Have a great weekend everyone.

XOXO,

Aunt Nutty

Southern Voice

2010-04-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

Last Night the hubs & I went to a fund raising dinner and after dinner and some cocktails the live auction started… Girlfriend Dana and I were determined to win this prize…

Picked up by…

Taken to dinner here…

then to here…

To see…

And…

Tim McGraw!

Swooning!

After a heated fight with a lady across the room, we were the winners!

I’m super excited for the concert.

Hope you all are having a great weekend.

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T10:55:00.001-07:00

From my kooky family…

Coloring Easter eggs

Poor little Gabby was sick

Patrik was very serious about hit egg dyeing technique!

My niece Kristen stopped by. She goes to Cal Poly, we don’t get to see her very often.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter!

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

Grocery Store Funny

2010-03-28T10:48:00.001-07:00

I’m not always the most mature 40 something year old on the planet, just ask my sisters or my niece…

Anyway, I saw this at the grocery store yesterday and it just made me laugh…

(The picture is a little blurry, I took it with my iphone)

Can you imagine what popped into my head when I first saw this? Um yeah, exactly.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Ever eaten it?

I tempted to buy some and serve it to my family on Easter. Should I? Would you?

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

Spring Table

2010-03-14T12:32:00.001-07:00

Well my table isn’t much different than my last table, what can I say, I’m still loving the pink and green. I did make a few changes…

A light green plate and a white plate with green polka dots makes the table very cheery. Silverware with green handles, a new purchase from my very first trip to IKEA. Love that place!

A pitcher with hot pink flowers and since Easter is just around the corner, these cute white bunnies were added. Pitcher is from HomeGoods, flowers from The Dollar Store and the bunnies I got from the Spiegel Catalog about 20 years ago. No internet or on-line ordering back then!

I love the bunny tail!

Well I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I’m off to find more Easter inspirations!

XOXO

Nutty

A Cheerful Tablescape

2010-01-23T11:46:00.001-08:00

Once again the wonderful Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch is hosting tablescape Thursday. Be sure to stop by to see all the wonderful tablescapes.

The weather has been really cold and rainy all week so I thought I would set a really bright & cheerful table. Who cares what the weather is like when you are dining here?

I picked up these really cute pink and green dishes up at Home Goods. Also got the lime green napkins @ Home Goods. They went perfect with the dishes.

and matching bowls… My new favorite color combo, Hot Pink & Green

Found this cute pink & green birdhouse @ Home Goods (where else!)?

Added Candles, Flowers etc… The little glass marbles made me think of big fat rain drops!

Sweet birdie salt & pepper shakers from Pier 1

A bird’s eye view ~ Can you tell I like candles?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are having a great weekend!

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

White, Gold & Silver New Year’s Eve Table

2009-12-30T21:02:00.001-08:00

This year we are going to have a low key, stay at home New Year’s Ever, but I still wanted to have a pretty table.

I started with a white tablecloth I’ve had for about 15 years

Then I added a table runner and some glittery gold piece (I don’t know what it’s called) The table runner has a very subtle gold and silver pattern

Next came gold chargers from Big Lots and some battery operated lights

My white dinner plates came next

Star dishes from The Dollar Store

A sparkly acorn and snow was added to the star dish

Candles, beads and sparkly things were added

Be sure to stop by Between Naps on the Porch to see more beautiful tablescapes.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

XOXO,

Aunt Nutty

Gettin my craft on

2009-12-27T21:19:00.001-08:00

I am not a crafty person. I really want to be, so every once in awhile I try to do a project.

I saw these really cute recipe card/photo holders @ Shanty2Chic and just had to try them. So off to Lowe’s I go. I must have really looked lost and out of my element because every 2 minutes some nice man in a red Lowe’s vest asked if he could help me.

I found the square dowels and had them cut by a really nice man @ Lowes. I looked for the roof flashing but the only roll I saw was about $30 and I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out so I thought I would need to come up with something a little cheaper. I couldn’t find the craft circles, so I used a molding rosette and a fence post topper, if that is what it is called??? Found the finials and then off to the Dollar Store. I forgot to get a piece of 1 x 8 x 4 wood, so grabbed a couple of picture frames at the Dollar Store. Now what to use so magnets would attach and hold either the recipe card or photo??? Aha a cookie sheet. I’ll just cut it up the size of the photo for the frame. Not really as easy at it sounds, a little blood was shed from being stuck by a piece of the cookie sheet, but oh well.

Then I had another thought, wouldn’t this be cool if it was a chalk board as well as a magnet board, so I spray painted the cookie sheet piece with chalk board paint. Love that stuff. I couldn’t find those cute Fleur-de-lis wood pieces the Shanty girls used, so I glued some magnets on the back of some pretty green stones.

Put everything together per the instructions from the Shanty girls and VIOLA…

Thanks to the Shanty Girls for your inspiration. Be sure to stop by their blog to see lots of really cute projects. Those sisters are really talented.

Have a good one!

Aunt Nutty

Another Christmas has Come and Gone

2009-12-26T20:06:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas and I really enjoyed checking out everyone’s blogs for Christmas decorating ideas and inspirations. You are all so talented and inspirational.

Here’s a last look and some of my Christmas decorations. I’m already thinking about next Christmas. You too?

Have a Safe & Happy New Year.

XO XO,

Aunt Nutty

Is this really necessary Target?

2009-12-23T14:38:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I stopped by my friendly neighborhood Target store, for some last minute CHRISTMAS shopping and what slaps me in the face immediately as I walk in the door, but the evil…

Yep, those are really swimsuits at Target 2 days before Christmas! Ugh.

Well I guess I better go exercise. Thanks Target!

Everyone have a very Merry Christmas!

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

Cookiepalooza 2009

2009-12-15T20:24:00.001-08:00

This weekend was our family COOKIEPALOOZA weekend.

We all get together at my niece’s house, and bake yummy cookies all weekend long.

We all start looking for cookies to bake in October and November

Here is what we baked this year….

Nutmeg logs – they kinda look like french fries, but they taste a lot better!

Peppermint Melt-A-Ways

Angel Wings

Baklava

Muddy Buddys

Christmas crack

My Nephew, Cameron, was lots of help with the gingerbread people…

Gabby wasn’t a lot of help, but she sure is cute!

Well thanks for stopping by.

Merry Christmas to you!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-07T19:25:00.001-08:00

The hubby decided he wanted a Red, White and Silver tree this year. This is what I have come up with so far…

The white trees on the mantle, I got for 75% off @ Von’s Grocery Store about 2 years ago. I also got the red trees on the hearth @ Von’s after Christmas. Yeah Von’s!

Presents nestled in the tree… Like the way the wrapping matches the tree?

This is one of my favorite Christmas decorations. I got it about 20 years ago and I haven’t seen one since I got this one. If anyone knows where I can get another one, please let me know.

Apothecary jars on my kitchen island. I have a thing (addiction) for apothecary jars

Well that’s all I have so far.

Have a great week!

Aunt Nutty

Christmas Color I’m Lovin…

2009-12-04T19:36:00.001-08:00

This beautiful green… Not sure if it’s lime, citron, chartreuse. It’s probably not a new color, but for some reason it has popped up on radar this year. Got these pretty ornaments @ Wal-Mart. 5 for $2.00. Not too shabby.

Since my tree already has a lot of red in it, I’ll be using this color scheme to add my new fave color…

But I’m really loving this color combination

I just love the pink and green. Hmm maybe I’ll have to do a small tree in these colors.

What’s your new favorite Christmas color or color combination?

Off to do more decorating.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend.

XOXO

Aunt Nutty

Christmas Table #1

2009-12-02T20:40:00.001-08:00

Once again Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch is hosting Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to stop by her blog. Her Christmas table is spectacular!

This table all started with these cute Christmas plates I got at Home Goods, way back in October, the gold chargers are from Big Lots, and the white plates are my every day Mikasa French Country Side

Red napkins and gold napkin rings were added (the napkin rings are actually Christmas ornaments I got at Kohl’s)

Christmas Trees from Home Goods (Love that place!)

Simple glass vases with red ornaments were next

Reindeer from Pottery Barn. I picked them up last year after Christmas. Forgot I had them until I started unpacking all my Christmas Deco boxes. Merry Christmas to me!

Got these cute holiday picks from Michael’s

What’s Christmas without presents?

With some candle light…

Well thanks for stopping by. Hope all your Christmas decorating is going well.

Oh PS this is what my extra room looks like now…

Do you dare show me yours?

XOXO

~Aunt Nutty~

~Thanksgiving Table~

2009-11-25T17:13:00.001-08:00

Once again the lovely and talented Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting Tablescape Thursday. Please be sure to stop by Susan’s blog to see all the wonderful Thanksgiving Tablescapes and even some Christmas Tablescapes. Yikes, Christmas already!

Anyway, I forgot to take pictures at the very beginning of setting my table, oh well.

I only have 4 leaf bowls, so I put red bowls at the head of the table. I think the red gives the table a pretty shot of color

Down the center of the table I put some glittery netting and then some faux fall leaves

Pumpkins, Gourds and Candles were added. Can you believe I have had some of these pumpkins since before Halloween?

I liked the Orange color in the clear vases

But, I felt the table needed some height and I could not figure out how to make the plants look good with the oranges so I exchanged the oranges for pistachio nuts

With some candlelight…

I like the texture the pistachio nuts add

Napkin Rings made by me…

One last picture…

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

XOXO

~Aunt Nutty~

Clean Refrigerator

2009-11-22T10:47:00.001-08:00

Is it just me or does anyone else get excited when their refrigerator has just been cleaned and organized?

Ta Da!

Getting Ready for Cookiepalooza

2009-11-19T19:27:00.001-08:00

Cookiepalooza is quickly approaching. What the heck is cookiepalooza, you might be asking yourself? Well it’s me, my mom, my sisters, my niece and my niece’s kids all get together for a weekend of non-stop cookie baking. We have a ton of fun.

Here are some pictures from last year’s cookiepalooza…

Cute little “Kissmas” mice…

Making a little boy smile like that, that’s what Christmas is all about!

This year I made some small chalkboards to hang of the cookie jars holding the various cookies we are going to bake this year

Can’t wait until cookiepalooza 2009!

I did this in livewriter and it’s pretty awesome!

Charity Tea Tablescapes

2009-10-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I visited my sister in Sacramento, CA. Her boss, Mable, of Fats Family Restaurants invited us to a charity tea for My Sister's House. My Sister's House is a shelter for battered women.

Each table had a hostess who was responsible for decorating the table.

Here are some of the beautiful tables...

This is the table our hostess, Mable, decorated

Hope you enjoyed the tables as much as I did.

Happy Halloween to everyone.

Be sure to visit Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch to see all the wonderful tablescapes this week.

XOXO

Halloween Tablescape

2009-10-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, the wonderful and talented Susan @ Between Naps of the Porch is once again hostingTablescape Thursday. Be sure to stop by to see all the wonderful tablescapes.

I wasn't sure if I was going to do a Halloween tablescape as I don't really decorate for halloween, but gosh darn it, all your halloween tablescapes were so cute, I just had to try one myself.

I didn't have a black tablecloth so I used some black paper napkins

Then I put a piece of sparkly material over the top of the napkins, mainly to keep the napkins from flying away

Then I added some "spider webs" and these cute spider plates (they are paper)

More paper plates in Halloween colors were added

I wasn't sure what to do with the napkins, so I stuck them in a plastic pumpkin and put the pumpkin in a martini glass. Ooh that made me think of a pumpkin martini... Anyone have a recipe?

For the centerpiece I thought a candy filled jack-o-lantern would be perfect. I wanted the jack-o-lantern to be elevated, hmm what could I use?? This green jar filled with mini pumpkins seemed fitting.

Of course we need candles

Well that's my Halloween tablescape. I hope you all have a very safe and happy Halloween!

So excited

2009-10-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to post larger pictures on my blog. It only took me, well I won't tell you how long it took me, just that it took me a really long time.

Anyway, the other thing I am really excited about is my new iPhone. Yep, I'm probably one of the last 10 people in the country who did not have the iPhone... until last night. My husband asked me if I wanted one and of course I was all over it. I really don't need one, just that MOM all the other kids at school have one! Anyway, I am having a lot of fun with it and so far I am still in love with it. Can you love your phone? Is it right to love a phone? My husband & I both got the white one. It's soo pretty!

Here's picture of my fur baby Mattie, I took with my new phone. She is the sweetest dog ever!

Here's a picture of my other fur baby, Macy. She always jumps up on my pillows right after I make the bed, but when she is this cute, what are you gonna do?

Tablescaping My Kitchen Island

2009-10-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today, I can't decide if I am late for this week's Tablescape Thursday, or super early for next week's Tablescape Thursday. I'll let you decide.

Anyhoo, the fact is, probably like a lot of you out there, we don't really use our dining room that much. Since it is mostly just the two of us for dinner, we usually sit at our kitchen island bar. So I thought hmmm I'll do a simple tablescape there.

I just used some simple placemats, my everyday dishes, so happy when they came out with the square salad plates, some chocolate brown napkins and a cute little pumpkin.

For the centerpiece I used some apothocary jars, I'm seriously addicted to apothocary jars, with some fall pretties in them. Threw some fall leaves and candles around them to complete the look.

Since the evenings are starting to get crisp & cool, I think we'll have some after dinner coffee, maybe with a little Bailey's Irish Creme...

Not a super exciting tablescape this week. I'll try to do better next week. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Be sure to stop by Between Naps on the Porch for many much more beautiful & exciting tablescapes. http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/10/welcome-to-60th-tablescape-thursday-and.html

XOXO,

Tracey

Pink Tablescape for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2009-10-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in honor of my dear friend Jen, who has been battling breast cancer this past year I decided to do a pink tablescape.

I wanted to find a pink table cloth, but with it being fall and everything, pink table cloths were impossible to find. So I went to Wal-Mart picked up a twin flat sheet for $3.00 bought some pink fabric dye and made my own pink table cloth, then I added a piece of sparkly tulle over the pink sheet

I have also been all over town to find some pink dishes and I finally found some with pink flowers @ TJ Maxx

I found these fushia napkins on the clearance rack @ Pier 1. I used wired ribbon and a silk flower for the napkin rings

They look pretty on the plates

I bought some pretty pink roses at the grocery store

Then I saw this little tutu I bought my niece and thought it would dress up the flowers

I was on the hunt for anything pink and I saw these pink disco ball ornaments I thought they would look pretty on the table.

Then I added candles and some sparkly stones and glasses of pink lemonade to the table

I discovered tutu's and candles do not go together, so I had to remove the tutu before I lit all the candles. Do I have too many candles? Is there such a thing as too many candles?

A view from the top...

This table was so much fun to do I just kept make changes all week long

Found some pink votive candles today

Thanks for stopping by and ladies please do everything you can do to save the Tatas!

Please be sure to stop by Between Naps on the Porch @ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/10/welcome-to-59th-tablescape-thursday.html

to see lots more beautiful tablescapes. Thank you Susan for hosting Tablescape Thursday!

Tablescape #2 - Margarita's by the Pool

2009-09-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to say THANK YOU to all of you that left me comments on my first tablescape. You are all so sweet and encouraging!

Now onto tablescape #2...

I know the calendar says it is now fall, but someone forgot to send the memo to the weatherman in my home town as it is still 100+ degrees here. So I thought we should do margaritas by the pool one last time this year.

I started with these cute square placemats I picked up at Pier 1 Imports

Then I added my everyday dishes I registered for and received when I got married 19+ years ago. They are Mikasa French Country and I still love them.

Green salad plates I got @ my local grocery store, Von's, $2.80 for 4 plates. Score!

Okay, well this is a little backwards I added striped napkins between the dinner plate and the salad plate

Mikasa French Country bowls were added next

Then I found these margarita glasses in my cupboard. I didn't even know I had them! The leaves on the table were cut from my mini lime tree. I have to tell you the thorns on the mini lime tree are NOT mini and they hurt like the dickens!

Then all the other fun stuff was added. The lemons are "faux" but all the other stuff is real cut from plants and flowers in my backyard

Of course we need candle light as the sun is setting

Okay confession time... It was so hot the real flowers died in about 15 minutes so I went to Michaels and bought some faux flowers. I thought the yellow would brighten up the table

More table pics...

Since we were having margaritas I used Patron Tequila bottles as bud vases

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my end of the summer tablescape.

For more beautiful and inspiring tablescapes, visit Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/09/welcome-to-58th-tablescape-thursday.html

Her fall tablescape is especially beautiful this week!

XOXO

Tracey

My First Tablescape

2009-09-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at all the wonderful Tablescapes on tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan @Between Naps on the Porch and have been inspired to try doing a fall tablescape of my own. This is my very first tablescape so no laughing you experienced tablescapers.

I started with green dinner plates that I got at Marshall's for about $2.00 each. I don't remember where I got the placemats.

Then I added these salad plates with fall colors, also from Marshall's for $2.00 each

Cute leaf bowls from Marshall's and wine glasses from Kohl's came next

Then all the fun stuff was added. The faux pumpkins and leaves are from Rite-Aid. 50% off!

The quails are made by a local artist, Margaret Hudson. Check out her web-site, she has some cute things!

Bird's Eye View

Thanks to all the tablescapers for inspiring me. Can't wait to do the next one.

Lisa C's Paris Guest Room

2009-09-06T20:41:00.001-07:00

My friend Lisa C lives in Santa Cruz, CA and she has the sweetest guest room done in a Paris theme...

The bed is so pretty & comfortable

The cute side tables

More Eye Candy...

The guest bathroom:
I'm looking for a La Toilette Sign for my bathroom. I think this one is so cute!

Even the heating grate is pretty

Family Visit

2009-04-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

My sister, my niece and her 2 beautiful kiddies came for a visit, we had so much fun!

Cameron made a bunny cake

Sister Vicki made a bunny cake

Cameron and Mattie had a great time hanging out

Gabby did lots of exploring and spent every minute just being the cutest princess baby ever!

Mattie thought Gabby's blanket was pretty comfy

The Great Aunties with the prince & the princess

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Getting ready for Summer!

2009-04-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

I worked in my backyard today. It's starting to look like summer!

The Bettye

2009-02-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

My hubby's boss has a beautiful home at the beach. We are fortunate that she lets us borrow the house from time to time. We call it the Bettye because we usually just hang out at the house and have many cocktails. We almost feel like we need to check into the Betty Ford clinic for a week after a weekend at her house.

Anyway, here are some pictures of her beautiful home...

The Front Gate that opens up to the courtyard...

The front door, you open the front door and boom, ocean view

Living Room - I love the coffee table, it's inlaid with fluer de Lis's

Dining Room, the ocean is in the background

Kitchen

The back of the house, there's my cute spouse

A picture of the house from the beach

My second favorite house, just 3 doors down from the Bettye, a girl can dream can't she?

A beautiful sunset. Bye bye Bettye, we'll see you soon

Snacks for the dog sitters

2009-02-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

We are going away for a long weekend. We are lucky enough to live next door to 2 girls who love to babysit our dogs when we go out of town. I always leave them a bunch of snacks to say thank you for taking care of our girls. This is the snack bowl I am leaving for then this weekend, I love the hot pink lollipops!

Thanks Becky and Rachel. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

My Friend Lisa's House...

2009-02-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

My good friend Lisa E. has a beautiful home. She has a great eye for decorating and always has something new and pretty to admire.

This is her lovely living room...

Her dog Callie is the princess of the house

This is her beautiful kitchen...

Her dining room

The bathroom...

Ring Shots

2009-01-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why, but lately I have been facinated reading Wedding blogs. Maybe it's the Valentine season.

A lot of them talk about ring shots and they have some very creative ways of taking pictures of their engagement or wedding rings. This motivated me to try out my creative inner soul and here is what I have come up with...

My Blood Buddy

2009-01-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

I have a very dear friend named Joel. He and I started this tradition of giving blood together. We meet at the blood bank on Saturday, give blood and go to lunch.

The person who gives blood the slowest has to buy lunch. This is always a very heated competition and we always make our nurses aware of this very important competition.

Well lately I have had trouble with my iron being high enough. Your iron has to be 12.5. In October I tried to give blood, but my iron was only 10.3 :-0 Then I tried to give in November and it was only 10.8 :-(

The blood bank told me to increase my iron, eat Cream of Wheat, which I think is super disgusting, for 2 or 3 days before giving. Well all last week I ate Cream of Wheat every morning for breakfast, I meet Joel at the blood bank, sign in, have my iron tested and... 12.3, aargh! Off by .2, what a bummer!

Well Joel recruited one of his friends to come down and give blood, he was a first time donar, the big yellow patch on his jacket says "First Time Donar" and I told him he was my stand in and he better not let me down!

Being the prankster Joely is, he stuck that big yellow sticker on Mikes back and didn't tell him. Mike left not knowing the sticker was on his back. Joely you are soo bad!

Joel gives first, his time is 7 minutes... Not bad.

My stand in gives next, his time is.... 4 minutes!

Yeah we kicked Joely's butt! Whoo Hoo!

After you give blood, you get to go sit in the snack area. I think this is really the motivating factor for me and Joel to give blood. You just have to eat sugar. Ho Ho's, Ding Dongs, our personal fave, chocolate covered twinkies! We cannot find chocolate covered twinkies anywhere but the blood center. Have any of you seen chocolate covered twinkies in the stores?

After we left the blood center, we had lunch at Popolo's, it was soo good. Thanks for lunch Joely!

Well needless to say, we have a fun time giving blood and we encourage everyone to give the gift of life. It's soo fun giving with friends!

Wishing you all a great week, month, year.

Until next time.

Tracey

Extreme Home Makeover

2009-01-13T18:30:00.001-08:00

The show Extreme Home Makeover show is making over a home for a family in my home town and I was lucky enough to be accepted as a volunteer. Yes, you have to apply to be a volunteer! 19 people from my office all volunteered together, we didn't really get to do anything on the house, but we had a lot of fun.

Here is the story of the family who is receiving this wonderful gift...

Born without legs and only one fully developed arm, Mary Ann is no stranger to adversity. Mary Ann was placed in foster care at an early age and grew up in poverty and an unstable household. After getting married and having four children, she struggled financially and found herself on welfare.
Despite her living conditions and disability, she was determined to lead an independent and active life while providing love and support to her four children. It was this same unwavering determination that prompted her to obtain a driver's license, be the first in her family to graduate college and become both an employee and state/national Ambassador for the Easter Seals program. Her work with the Easter Seals has taken her all over the country, inspiring thousands of people to overcome adversity and reach for success. In 2006, Mary Ann became a first-time homeowner and has since been employed with the local Housing Authority, where she counsels other struggling families in her community to find housing.
Unfortunately, her own home is ill-equipped to serve her physical challenges and has led to many serious physical injuries. Mary Ann's children are deeply concerned about their mother's care and safety, especially when she's home alone. Despite its challenges, Mary Ann's home is nonetheless, a source of great pride to her. In one-week, Mary Ann and her four children, Nichole (18), Victoria (17), Angel (15) and Jessie (14) will have a beautiful new home where they can live safely and create memories to last a lifetime.
Mary Ann and her family are true heroes in our community and it is because of this that De Young Properties, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and hundreds of volunteers are building them a new home in seven days!

Here are some pictures...

Checking in at the volunteer tent

On the volunteer bus on our way to the jobsite

The House...

Michael from Extreme Home Makeover

My Favorite Celebrity...

Some of our group got picked up for garbage duty - UGH!

And some of us had to help protect the streets...

A Peek Into my Home...

2009-01-11T19:34:00.001-08:00

Since I love decorating blogs, I thought I would show some pictures of my house. I welcome any CONSTRUCTIVE critism.

This is my living room, the couch is super comfy & I love the leather ottoman

I love all the extra storage the bookshelf and cabinets provides. I'm crazy for extra storage! I'm kinda challenged in bookcase decorating. Anyone have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I like things clean and uncluttered.

My Kitchen - I love white kitchens and white appliances. I know stainless steel is all the rage right now, but I love the look of white!

Bathroom...

The guestroom has its own entrance and attached bath. Oh and a friendly black dog to greet the guests

Guest Bath we added about 3 years ago...

2009-01-11T08:34:00.001-08:00

This is Macy, she looks kinda drunk in this picture, but I swear she isn't!

Getting to know me...

2009-01-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

This is where I call Home. It's prettier in the spring and summer. I live here with my husband and 2 four legged furry girls.

2009-01-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

This is Mattie sitting on the leather ottoman, or as she sees it, her a super expensive dog bed! I got the leather tray at Pottery Barn. I think it was regular price $60.00 and I got it for $14.00. Sweet!

2009-01-10T15:32:00.000-08:00

These are my girls, Macy & Mattie. It kinda looks like they are in doggy jail, but they are just in the front court yard.