Through The Tulips Words of 'Wiz'dom

April 5, 2016

Life

Filed under: Shop til ya Drop,Travel — gardener @ 12:21 pm

Life is moving along at such a fast pace these days. Vacation is coming soon and work has me buzzing along at a busy pace until we leave. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.

It was funny, because a friend said the other day- “Won’t it be great to have some time to do nothing when you’re on vacation?” I laughed out loud when I read her question because trips home are anything but chill time for me. It’s always a time for us to spend time with family and friends, so that often means seeing various people throughout the day- sometimes for lunch, dinner and in between. It can be crazy, but again I wouldn’t have it any other way- because I love my people, and I’m beyond grateful that they want to spend time with me.

This year- we are gearing up for the big wedding as well, and with the wedding means that yours truly needs wedding clothes to wear. I don’t have anything at all to wear to the wedding, and so far all my searches have come up empty. I know I’ll find something, but I want it to look great. The clock is ticking, but I know I’ll find just the perfect thing.

Anyone have any suggestions?

February 29, 2016

Home Projects Continued

Filed under: Home,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 1:48 pm

Marcel and I have been doing some painting in our home and sprucing things up for a while now.   We have had so much on our ‘to do list’ when it comes to the house, but we finally actually decided to make it happen this year.

He’s doing the painting of the walls, but I have had a few ideas and projects on my own brewing.   A friend gave me an old window and frame when she moved, and I have had it stored in the shed waiting for inspiration to strike as to how I wanted to use it.

Once the painting in the living room was done, it hit me that I wanted to hang the window on the wall behind the sofa-   I also thought it would be nice to hang a shelf under it-  and set a few things on the shelf that makes me smile.     Then came the decision on what color I wanted to do the window and the shelf.    Since I love the darker, cranberry red color (or any red, but the cranberry goes well within our home), I decided to order some Annie Sloan chalk paint and paint both the shelf and the window frame with it.   I’ve had that plan for about a month now, but FINALLY I took the step and ordered the paint today.   Hopefully, with a little luck I’ll have it within a few days and can begin on the project this weekend.

In addition, I have a couple of photo frames that I think would look good with the same color-

The ideas and inspirations are flowing, and I can’t wait to see it all come together.     Have you used Annie Sloan paint?  How did you enjoy using it?

February 8, 2016

Honoring Mom

Filed under: Holidays,Life,Shop til ya Drop,Women — gardener @ 8:47 am

One of my life’s greatest inspirations has always been my mom.    Even though life has taken me thousands of miles from ‘home’, I still call her at least twice a day, sometimes more.   Then there’s always Facebook, WhatsApp and other means of interaction.     She’s been my greatest teacher, my greatest cheerleader and supporter, and my ‘go to’ person when I need an ear.   I can not imagine life without her.

She has always put others first, which is one of the many things I admire about her.    This year, I have been talking with my brother about doing something special for her.   I saw some beautiful  mothers rings from joyjewelers.com and thought it would be a wonderful gift for mom.     I’ve sent a few ideas to my brother and I’m waiting to hear his thoughts on my suggestions.   He may counter with a few of his own, but I would love to be able to give her something, that when she looks at it reminds her of my brother and I.   We both appreciate our parents so much and want them to know it through our every action.

What about y’all? What’s your favorite gift to give your mom for Mother’s Day?

January 25, 2016

Momentum

Filed under: Life,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 11:39 am

I can’t believe that we’re in the last week of January. Last week we had a tiny bit of snow on the ground and several days of freezing temperatures, but today brought about full sunshine, blue skies and temps warm enough to actually have the doors and windows open. It was blissful.

Despite the beautiful weather, it’s been one of those ‘off’ days. It’s a true Monday if there is such a thing, and I’ve done my best to be kind to me. It’s the only thing we can really do when things seem to be out of whack. We can’t control those things, but we can control how we respond to them.

This evening- I have spent some time adding to my ‘to do’ list of things I need to accomplish in the next day or so. Now that we’ve finally finished painting, I’m slowly taking the time to purge things that I no longer use and we’ve give quite a few things away. We’ve also realized that we’d like to paint the doors and all the trim work- but since we’ve needed to leave the doors open to let the house air out- we’ll wait until later in the year when the weather is warmer and daylight hours are longer.

Tomorrow afternoon I’ll spend making 48 cupcake toppers for an upcoming order. I’m looking forward to it. Once I’m done- and get the other items checked off my to-do list- I’ll curl up with Big Magic and finish reading it- I can’t wait.

September 30, 2015

Brainstorming

Filed under: Gratitude,Home,Shop til ya Drop,Travel — gardener @ 11:12 pm

Part of having mom and diddy here means inspiration flowing for home projects. Painting (finally), window treatments and even the thoughts on building me some cabinets with 60 inch drawer slides for my business supplies.

It’s fun talking about it and sharing it with not only Marcel but the people who gave me birth.

Today though, we travel. Next week too, with much fun, laughter and good times.

Enjoy the little things- as one day they will be the big things.

July 10, 2015

Friday Happy Surprises

Filed under: Gratitude,Shop til ya Drop,Things I Love — gardener @ 12:44 pm

I woke up this morning to find an email from Starbucks that said-  Happy Birthday- your free birthday reward has been loaded to your card.    YAY!     Since I’m not in the country at the moment, and won’t be before my free treat expires- I decided to pass on the birthday love and share it with someone else.   I suggested to mom that she download the app-  log into my account, and voila-  a free birthday treat for mom.    She only goes to Starbucks with me- and now she can have her beloved Caramel Frappuccino and think of me while doing so.   Thanks Starbucks!

Surprise number two-   I get an email from Hallmark saying- you have three rewards.  Don’t let them expire.  I had no clue that I had any rewards-  and knew that the program was about to be discontinued- so off I go to the website- and low-and-behold  I have three rewards.   So- I cashed them in for-   a 5.00 Starbucks gift card,   A one year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and a one year subscription to Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine.    Both of which I’ll share with mom.

Little things-  but they bring a huge smile to my face.

 

What made you smile today?

April 8, 2015

Enter Spring Projects

Filed under: Home,Inspiration,Life,Seasons,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 11:24 am

The time change and longer daylight hours (and a bit of sunshine) have given both Marcel and I a huge boost of energy when it comes to home projects. We have both been working on various painting projects, plus browsing goods home furnishings best furniture to decide what new additions we would like to add to our home after we get finished with painting.

We are giving the inside a few more weeks before getting started on the painting- so that we can leave the doors open and the fumes won’t take over- but the outside is taking shape and we are getting ready to paint a small area that is our ‘lounge’ space. I picked up some adorable wooden letters today to go along with the pallet sign I bought last week- both will look amazing- and once the plants and flowers start blooming, it’s going to be even prettier- Yes, it’s going to be a great year for home projects, and Spring is the perfect time.

Wedding Planning Across the Miles

Filed under: Life,Shop til ya Drop,Things I Love — gardener @ 11:16 am

Some, if not most of you who read this space know that one of my best friends daughters are engaged and the wedding will take place next summer. It is one of those things that I’m very excited about- my first Southern wedding in a very long time (since moving), plus it’s extra special to me because it is the marriage of two people that I adore and love. It has been wonderful seeing them grow from teenagers to college graduates and now planning to start their lives together.

I am honored to be able to help in the planning. Even though I am not physically ‘there’- I love that technology allows me to help plan across the miles. It brings me great joy. From the flowers, to the ceremony, to the venue (which we chose when I was home for the holidays) to everything in between- I’m so excited to be a part and can’t wait to see Miss A. start her life with the man she’s loved for so many years.

Lets Get the Party Started

Filed under: Life,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 8:16 am

In the midst of wedding planning across the miles- I’m finding that I’m learning things about weddings and wedding music that had never really crossed my mind- I’ve always thought- get the band, let them work their magic and be done with it, but it isn’t quite working out like that, since the band is also a family friend.

I’ve learned that I need to order rapco cables for the speakers, and also that having a band also is much different than having a DJ- in terms of how much space each needs.

It’s going to be a magical night, filled with music, dancing and a lot of fun. Lets get this party started.

October 18, 2014

Helping a Friend

Filed under: Holidays,Shop til ya Drop — gardener @ 11:09 am

Our Neighbors who have a son who is a musician stopped Marcel on the street the other day asking him if he could help find some particular music related gifts that he is looking for to order for his son for Christmas. Marcel and I are much more tech savvy than this guy, so we offered to browse around and see what we could find.

The guy really encourages his son to stay with the music and doing what he loves- and has really been supportive of getting him various lessons, and now some new equipment. We’ve sent him the link to musciansfriend and he’ll take it from there. I hear he’s going to be doing a concert this Christmas season for their annual holiday party. I can’t wait to hear more details. I love seeing people following their passions.

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