WRITER'S CHALLENGE #1

Today I am joining a new event created by Lori at Family Trees May Contain Nuts, which is a Writer's Challenge. Our topic for this first challenge is 'What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you'. There is a growing list of ladies joining this event, so if you want to sign up, visit Lori for the details. The list is getting longer, and you can already read some of the very special posts that have been written, including Lori's, which just brought tears to my eyes.

Below you will see a picture of a young Blondie sitting on her little Toyota GT with two little boys. It is in the driveway of the home I now live in and have lived in for the past 24 years. You see, at the time this picture was taken, I did not live there and I had no clue that I would, or that these two precious little boys would soon become my sons.

I was dating my future husband who had been widowed the year before after ten years of marriage and was left with his two beautiful sons as a single dad. His wife had died after a three year battle with breast cancer. Jeffrey and Kevin were just two and three years old at that time. She was only thirty years old and although I never met her, I learned she was a spunky little Irish girl that loved life, motherhood and family. And what a wonderful family she had...

After dating my husband for awhile, we became engaged. Of course it was a delicate situation with Patty's family, especially her parents. My husband was extremely close to them. I hadn't met them yet and not only was their son~in~law getting married to this little blonde, this little blonde would become the mother of their grandchildren...

I met my husband's inlaws about 4 months before the wedding. They are a very tight knit, warm and loving 100% Irish family. Considering they had just lost their oldest daughter, it took time for our relationship to grow. But just to show you what a class act his mither in law was, she loaned me her pearls to wear on my wedding day...
I don't think I am showing off the pearls here. I think I am hiking up my stockings!

Our relationship grew as I struggled to become a wife and mother. I went from being a single working girl to a married mother of two little rambunctious boys overnight. And I continued to work full time. I think I earned my mother~ in~ law's respect with my juggling and hopefully, common sense. We began to visit longer when she watched the boys for us and family parties became easier and really a lot of fun. I nearly broke down and cried when she introduced me to some friends as her daughter~in~law. That was really the brass ring for me, and it seemed to open up a million doors. No longer did I feel the need to prove myself to her. We moved on to a closer, more meaningful relationship.

My husband and I had two daughters together over the next 3 years, Emily and Abigail. Nana had a special affinity with Emily, her first granddaughter, saying they were both 'old souls'. I think she was right. Emily pretty much gave everyone trouble except Nana, and not only did they play with toys together that Nana kept at her home, they had long conversations!! When we had Abigail, we gave her my mother in laws name as her middle one.







As I became a mother to her grandsons, , she became more like a mother to me. I never once, not once, had a moment where I had the need to complain about her, be put off, or feel anything but great love for her. I think she was proud of the way I raised the boys. She would ask me what to get them for birthdays and Christmas, what their baseball schedules were, how they were doing in school. She always treated me like I had been there mother since day one.








My mother in law passed a way a few years ago. She was bedridden for awhile. I would go over and sit by her bed and we'd talk until she got tired and then I would read her favorite magazine, Bon Appetite, while she dozed. Near the end I would gently lift her fragile body up into a sitting position next to me on the bed to help her circulation. She abhorred pain medication. In her last hours I repeated over and over how much I loved her and thanked her for all the wonderfully nice ways she had always been to me. This tiny little lady, one whom I was so afraid of twenty years ago, someone I wanted so badly to please and gain the respect of, I now held her hand, laid my head on her chest and cried. I never had to try to gain these things from her. Her heart had plenty of room in it for me.


xoxo
Jane

I was told by my good friend at Aunt Amelia's Attic, that a wonderful young girl named Nancy is sitting by the bedside of her husband who has been suffering from a terrible infection for over a month. This poor man can not even speak. Please visit Nancy at Cold Springs Studio with some words of encouragement and a few prayers. And visit my 'Aunt'. She is one fantastic lady! Thank you friends...

WHITE WEDNESDAY: AROUND THE HOUSE

Today I have linked up with Faded Charm Cottage for White Wednesday. It has been a gray, blustery day here in Chicago and I spent it in my jammies; blogging, straightening up, blogging, a little nap, blogging, a shower. This really is a great way to do it without getting that numb feeling in your bum and wondering when you last spoke to a real person! It was so depressing outside, I decided to make a nice meal in the crock pot. This is another great thing to do while blogging~let the crock pot do the work. I cleared out the vegetable bin; potatoes, carrots, onion, squash and tomatoes. I threw in a few pork chops for protein and some curry, cumin and nutmeg for a sweet little twist. Oh, it smelled so good. I put the tomatoes in whole and they just sort of burst and went everywhere. It was a very good meal.

So I thought to myself this evening, as the wind was blowing like crazy, this is a good time to just walk around the house and take some pictures and do a post, and then I thought White Wednesday would be fun. The news said we are having 40 mph winds. Wow!! If my picture is not in the Weatherpixie icon, it means I was blown right out, along with that little Golden Retriever that is not mine. So here is what I have:

Above and below are pictures of some of the blingy jewelry I have on my dresser. There are some white pearls so I thought I would include this in my post. I hope I am not cheating! Christine from Christine's Home And Travel Adventures did a post on how she stores her jewelry. I had asked her because i know she has a lot of beautiful pieces and I am so disorganized when it comes to my jewelry. Plus, Emily & Abby mix theirs with mine, which is okay because we all have the same taste and there is more of a selection this way. So I bought one of these jewelry trees, which is so cute. It can hold anything; necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings... I love it. I also keep a little crystal dish to hold other items. I like how the light reflects off all of this.

It still looks messy, but it is an organized mess!

I have a thing for birds like most everyone. These are little white chippy birds that I keep on a chippy table in my living room. They are so cute!

This is a little pitcher and jar of shells that I made. Abby brought the shells home from Florida after this last Christmas. I noticed a bad odor coming from her room about 2 weeks after getting back home and discovered her shells in her half~unpacked suitcase. Ooooh...(nose wrinkling). I cleaned them up a bit in some bleach and water and decided to display them in a jar but instead of layering them with sand, I used strips of crinkled, recycled packing paper. I am not 'green' by any means and I need to work on that, but I was appalled that the bags of sand that they sell at Target are 'Made In China'. I'm not political and maybe I need to work on it. I guess I did. When it is 'Made In America', I will buy it!!!

This is a pretty little vignette on a cabinet in my living room. The pitcher needs to be changed out for fall (it is still doing it's spring thing!!), and I have St. Francis there, who I believe I am a true follower of. Someday I will do an animal stories post. I like this photo because of the reflection (I was on the floor). The lace curtains are white, I made them from a vintage tablecloth years ago and you can see one of my favorite pictures by the front door. It has white matting.

This is a pretty dove lamp on the upper level of the cabinet. I fell in love with this in Naples and had it shipped home.

My good china stacked in a glass cabinet.

These candles are actually vanilla and are a creamy color, but the lighting is making them yellow. Hope I'm not cheating! I bought these fleur de lis candle pillars last week at a local gift shop. They were marked down to $22.50 for the set. They are heavy silver plate. The candles should be pillar but I need to find a good drip less candle before I trust anything on these candlesticks.

A stone covered birdhouse which was a gift from my sister a long time ago. Isn't it pretty?

And finally a lamp with a green and white ticking stripe shade. One of my favorites.

I want to thank you for joining me on White Wednesday. Be sure to visit all of the other participants showing off all of their pretty whites. It is a nice reprieve from all of the bright fall colors we are seeing now. Have a wonderful day!

xoxo

Jane

VIVA LAS VEGAS, THE WIVES & BIG HINTS

Well, here we go again. Off to Las Vegas, an annual trip with The Husband and group of people integral to his business. And The Wives. Do you feel the same way that I do about The Wives? You know, your husband has some friends and the next thing you know, you are all getting together and you get to meet The Wives. They are nice enough, you make small talk, sometimes you are even thrown into more er....intimate situations with them, such as having them as guests at your lakehouse. You are now in what was a familiar setting, only with The Wives running around in jammies and various attire, borrowing dental floss and asking for Spiced Chai Tea at breakfast... Well, sure, I would have to be a zombie, not to mention terribly ungracious not to make attempts to befriend these Wives, but when they leave, I have a hard time controlling the urge to do the happy dance. So off we go to Vegas. Over the years I have perfected the Blondie Code of Vacation Rules. Blondie does not like to have breakfast (true). Blondie likes to watch Oprah and takes an inordinate amount of time to get ready for the day (true, and if the hair will not straighten properly, I don't have lunch either). Blondie thinks that all trips require a 2 hour siesta from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (True, I like to read, talk to the kids on the phone, order room service or hit the mini bar for one of those mini bottles of wine and a bag of M & M's). I like to emerge about 7:00 p.m. (like an nocturnal animal) for our group dinner where inevitably, The Wives are seated at one end of the table together. I get to hear all the gossip about their day at the pool or in the sauna or when they got their facials or massages in the salon. They try to include me in plans to shop and I graciously manage to get out of that because The Husband you know, has a black belt in shopping, and we have to do that together.

This is not so much the ordeal I am making it out to be. These are all very nice women. I am just sort of on the shy side and don't open up to people that well. But I have had one on one lunches with a few of the ladies here in Chicago, and if the food is good, I actually enjoy myself. Anyway, we leave Saturday for 5 days in Sin City. The Wives and I will be seeing Cher. Ooh la la. Hasn't she retired about six times already? I am excited to see her costumes and headdresses.

I take you from the bright lights of Vegas to a rainy day in Three Oaks, Michigan where The Husband and I stopped for breakfast Saturday morning on the way to the lake. This is one of those quaint little somewhat artsy towns in the middle of nowhere. We ate at Bailey's (horrible picture above. There was storefront seating so I just couldn't stand in front and take a picture with people eating right there and it never occurred to me to go across the street). The owner is French and there were some very cool things on the menu. I had Eggs Benedict over Crab Cakes. Imagine...Three Oaks, Michigan! I wish you could click on larger but somehow my computer ate up that option and I don't know how to fix it.

Two little toney shops across the street...

...and an art gallery

...and a butcher shop. Think you love the pig in the window??

Aren't these cute?? There is something that sort of makes my arm hairs stand on end when I see something adorable like this, all the while knowing they are selling the same thing inside in a much different form.

Now this is something that I have wanted to post about for the last few weeks. Blondie bought a sewing machine! I really didn't want to say those words. I want to say The Husband bought me a sewing machine and I will tell you why. A few years back I went through a time in my life when I was really down in the dumps. One day The Husband came home, dragging in an artist easel, a beautiful cherry box with a huge assortment of oils and acrylics and watercolors. Bags of pastel chalks and colored pencils, the finest brushes and canvas. He set it all up and said, "Paint!". I thought he had lost his mind. Years ago I used to draw and paint, but I sort of fell out of it. He was trying so hard to get me off my bum and do something. Well, sadly, I didn't do much but Emily whipped off a few oil paintings in no time at all. Okay, to speed this along, he bought me a new bike this summer so that we could ride together, and again, to get me off my bum. This is going pretty well, but I could be doing better. And then he surprised me with a fishing pole a few weeks ago and I am embarrassed to say that although I love to fish, I haven't tried it out yet (said very meekly...). But Emily tried it. Somehow this all reminds me of that saying 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle'. Hmmm...

So anyway, for the longest time I have been wanting to sew. On a machine. I could kick myself for not trying harder when we had sewing in Home Economics in high school. Threading the machine and following the pattern really boggled my mind. But now when I see the beautiful creations our blogger friends make, I really long to do the same. So I hinted to The Husband that I'd like a machine. I googled machines and showed him all of the ones on sale. No response. I bought the book Sewing For Dummies. He nodded and said, "Good idea". What I really wanted was for him to buy it for me! Why? Because if I failed, it was his idea!

It didn't happen. Last week I went out to Joann's and a lovely girl helped me pick out this beauty. See Martha on the front:

I have to think she would approve of my endeavor. Heck, she may have the same machine. I can see her whipping out pillows and curtains when she is not standing knee deep in a cranberry bog or collecting rare eggs from her ostrich coop. But here is the thing...I don't have a clue what to do with this bad boy. The only thing standing between me and 7 sets of curtains for the Summerhouse is the User Manual. And I am terrified. The Husband really hasn't said anything. A few days after I bought it, he said, "I see you took it out of the box." Last week he said, "Oh, you put the cover on it." (Have to keep dust from collecting). But I am going to do it!! I have a very adventurous To Do list that I am working on. Sewing is at the top followed by learning to ski and then para~sailing...I mean it. It's a new improved Blondie.

But first things first. I need to go shopping for some 'Cher' worthy outfits and then I am going tanning. Sewing can wait until after Vegas...

Have a happy week!!

xoxo

Jane

IT'S FALL Y'ALL!! AND A TABLESCAPE!!

It's a fall party, hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality!! This is a wonderful way to see every one's fall decorations at one time and get inspiration to create even more. My decorating started at Crackle Barrel, as you can see from the above photo. Yes, those are my bags. And the big red one is much lighter than when I went in! I wasn't planning on doing any harm to my wallet, and then I saw that some of the fall items were discounted to make room for Christmas decorations. Oh my! The funny part is, as I was looking at the dishes, promising The Husband that I wouldn't go overboard, he started to pick up matching pieces saying things like, "You have to have the matching salt and pepper shakers."!! Well knock me over with a feather!

And look at this sweet little squirrel holding his acorns, which are the salt and pepper shakers! How cute! No wonder hubby loved it!

We were on our way to the Lakehouse, so once we got there I got busy setting up a little tablescape with my new little dishes. Nothing like playing house at my age! I decided again to use some veggies since they went over so well in my last tablescape...

Aren't these eggplant beautiful? My friend Sue, who owns the lake farm stand told me to simply roast these right on the grill as they are, no foil whatsoever. They turned out gorgeous. I sliced them in half, warmed up a bit of salsa that I had made that morning with the tomatoes I grew out behind the Summerhouse. I spooned that over and then sprinkled them with some grated mozzarella cheese. Oh, delicious!

At Cracker Barrel ,I bought the brown salad or dessert plate that has little leaves and acorns textured on them and the sunflower bowls. I also bought cute little sunflower S & P shakers, but when I saw how cute Mr. Squirrel looked with his acorns, I used those in the tablescape. The white dishes are my everyday Gibson, the napkins are from Marshall's. The tablecloth is vintage (and in need of some TLC sewing repairs).

I love this little squirrel candle holder. He is bigger than he looks, about 6 inches high and he has a nice gold rubbed finish.

I haven't done much decorating outdoors at the lake as I spend so much time in my English garden, so I picked up a few pots of yellow mums from Sue and she gave me some small bushel barrels to put them in as I don't like the containers they come in. This is my front porch. I took this picture just as the sun was coming up Monday morning. The Husband and I now stay until then and he leaves for work once we get back to Chicago.

I bought this little metal envelope container at Michael's and filled it with silk flowers. This is also on my front porch at the lake (at sunrise...)!!

This is a little grouping of playful squirrels hanging out on a candy dish and two candle holders. I am trying to remember where I bought these... it was recently and it was at one of my regular haunts. Maybe someone else has seen them. I made a mistake in my last tablescape and said that the votive holders were from Dollar Tree and they were actually from Walgreens. I apologize to anyone who went to Dollar Tree looking for them. I received so many compliments on them. This is why I am not going to guess at where I bought these.

Another view...

And finally the wreath on my front door that says Hello and Goodbye!!

Thank you Rhoda for all of your hard work organizing this party. I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to go knocking on doors to see what all my friends have in store for fall decor!! And thank you Susan, at Between Naps On The Porch for being our gracious hostess of Tablescape Thursday!

Happy Fall, Y'All!!!

xoxo

Jane

PET PARADE!!

Today is the big day of Design Gives Back Pet Parade Party hosted by Kelee at Katillac Shack. You know, awhile back I posted a picture of my Milo wearing a decorated scarf which earned $10.00 toward raising funds for displaced animals caused by housing foreclosures. What an incredible endeavor this turned out to be on behalf of all of the people involved with the Pet Parade. The $2,000.00 goal was reached when bloggers in 43 states decorated and submitted pic's of their favorite pet (including a ferret!!) to Kelee. Proceeds went to the Northland Pet Pantry. Each link to Kelee's blog will earn $3.00. In addition, all comments will earn $1.00.

Today you can go to Kelee's website and view a video, not only showcasing my little Milo, not even all of the other SWEETEST blogger's pets, but to hear the plight of these special, displaced pets and their families and to see the joyous response from the pantry to our donation. I am so proud to see Milo in this video...it was so well made. It made me honest to goodness have a BIG cry...the music alone is worth it. And when you see all these adorable pets wearing the yellow scarf, you will realize how special and fortunate our pets are and how other's aren't. The video is incredible...

Now that Milo is a rising star, I thought I would show all of you a picture of him back when he was just an 8 week old mutt!! Believe it or not, he turned 5 years old last week. I wish they were like elephants (not in size!!).

Enjoy the video and I will see you in time for Rhoda's party!!

xoxo
Jane

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY: END OF SUMMER SUPPER

The days are getting so much shorter now. I feel as if I am trying to squeeze every bit of light out of each day. I love the way the sun moves over my house to the west, leaving my kitchen in long cool shadows. I fiddle on my laptop, glance at the evening news once in awhile and stop to daydream as I hear the children playing on the sidewalks and see dogs being walked on their leashes. Sometimes I feel a little melancholy over times like these when I would call the kids in to wash up for supper, and even the other day I sat wishing that Abigail were just down the hall in her room, listening to her Ipod and texting her friends. But I am in a good place, with new traditions unfolding, a little more time finding the things that I want to do, discovering new interests, maybe a new me!! So, before I look any further toward fall, I decided to a tablescape that represents the end of summer (though technically it ended Tuesday!). Please join me and Susan from Between Naps On The Porch for another Tablescape Thursday, that wonderful day of the week when a group of grown up ladies get to play with their dishes!! After you have left a comment. visit Susan and see the beautiful table she has in store for us and then visit all of the ladies who put off making meals for their own families to make a pretty table for us. ;-)

I have managed to sneak in those home grown tomatoes again in case you didn't get a good long look at them on Tuesday. I am a complete showoff!! It has just been so long since I planted a vegetable garden and I believe I will go back to doing that here in Chicago next spring. And tonight, I am making bruschetta to have with dinner and then salsa to bring to the lake. And then I should have more there and maybe I will start to freeze them.

In this tablescape I have a sunflower theme vaguely going on. I have had this runner and the decorative accents in the window of my family room for awhile as they match a big sunflower bowl (not pictured) and go with the neutral decor in there. I am using the same dried flower arrangement as last week... haven't given it to Megan as a housewarming gift yet as I have a cold and don't want to be near new baby Conor. So I am getting as much use out of it as I can. ;-) I added a raffia bow to change the look. The family room leads to the backyard and this table is for snacking and games and homework, none of which have ever occurred here. The Cleaver's would do these things, but the only time my children have used it, I suspect, is when they have had poker games on the occasion's The Husband and I were out late.

I have little votive holders from the Dollar Tree and vintage (and bent) salt & pepper shakers on the sunflower runner

Next to MY TOMATOES (!!!!!) you can see the fleur de lis glasses I bought at Pier I last winter on clearance for $1.96. They are very cool, a goldish/brown color...

The dinner and salad plates are from HomeGoods, although they are not a set, the flatware is Hampton from somewhere I can't remember, I have had it so long. The napkins and ring are also from Pier I.

A few close ups....

Last night for supper we had Corn Dog Casserole which was a recipe from Paula at Sweet Pea. It was incredibly easy, delicious and filling. Served with a small salad, it makes a great Indian Summer supper. Click here to visit Paula and get this recipe. She has also given suggestions on how to keep the calories and fat down. This is a wonderfully creative recipe that tastes like the real thing!

So I hope you have enjoyed my tablescape. I started very late but I do have time now to go visiting every one's tables, and there are a lot of new and different idea's pouring out with the change in the season. We are still in limbo here in the Midwest. The trees are not as vibrant as they once were, but the leaves aren't changing. Today is a little sticky and humid. Have a look at my Weather Pixie on my sidebar. It gives the time and temp and there is a little Blondie that changes outfits (not as much as I'd like to, but at least my hair is straightened, lol!!) and in the evening I have a little dog, whose, I don't know...it looks like a golden retriever that just wandered in my Weather Pixie icon like it was nobody's business. So, if you are ever lying in bed at night with that burning question, "What is the weather in Chicago?", look at my Weather Pixie.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...

If the weather gets cool, serve Paula's Corn Dog Casserole and bring back those memories of the state fair!

xoxo

Jane

GOODBYE SUMMER

I finally have tomatoes!! I had forgotten what a thrill it was to see something you plant turn into something you had always bought. What a pleasure. I picked these at the lake on Saturday and Monday morning as we readied to come home, I picked 4 more! How exciting! I really planted these on a wing and a prayer. There was a pile of dirt and debris behind the Summerhouse where Former Resident Carpenter had stacked up bricks and stones, etc, but the area was out of the way and got a lot of afternoon sun. I raked and neatened up the area, added a little black topsoil and made a little bed along the Summerhouse. I think I am a good gardener, or at least have been over the years, but it was July already and I thought, I'm just going to throw in some tomato and basil plants, a few marigolds to deter pests, and see what happens. Now I have to decide what I want to make with them!

Milo enjoyed lying in the dappled sunshine on the dock this last weekend of summer. It makes me feel a little bittersweet to think of all the good times we had in the sunshine over the summer, all the places we went and fun we had. How we woke up to it and how it stayed with us so very long each day. To wax poetic, I think I am finally saying goodbye to summer.

The Husband's clematis is blooming like crazy on his arbor (yes, we have his/her arbors!). Isn't it pretty? The lawn guy kept trimming it down before it had a chance to grow and I did the unthinkable, I told The Husband to mark it with a stake or post. But the rule on the his/hers stuff is that we cannot tell one another what to do with his/her stuff. That is why we have his/her stuff.

I'm envious of his stuff.

The acorns are everywhere. When I was little I loved to collect all things small. I loved the book The Borrower's and I longed to climb right inside it and become one of them. And acorns remind me of little houses with thatched roofs.

Ooooh! Look! I have a village!

Emily decided to try my new fishing pole which surprised me because she is not the daughter that loved to fish. Abby used to lie on the dock on her stomach and catch bluegills with her hands!! So The Husband gave her a few pointers...I think he was telling her not to hook that boat in our little marina....

He makes sure she is off to a good start...

"Look Dad!"

Well, here we have a little crappie! Not bad. Once Em realized she had to take it off the hook, she decided she didn't want to fish anymore. I told her she was giving women a bad name and to just tell him she didn't want to mess up her manicure. I do love fishing in the fall. The days are hazy and warm and the fish seem to be jumping. We don't keep them unless there is a big group of us fishing and someone is willing to do the cleaning and cooking. We have had some great fishing parties at the lake, but not so recently. Maybe I will make a deal with The Husband. He cleans, I cook. I think somehow he will leave an eyeball or two.

This summer I got an F. An F for failure. I failed to read one single book. I am beyond ashamed of myself. Reading has always been such a treat for me. Something I looked forward to to doing in my spare time. Of course I have so much more spare time now that I am pretty much an emptynester (Kevin leaves in November). Reading just seems to have a hypnotic effect on me. Reading in bed at night causes me to be drowsy within 15 minutes. If I sit in the family room and read during the day, I become distracted. Most of all, I miss my Book Buying Trips. Armed with all of my torn out pages of book reviews, off I go to Borders to spend an afternoon book hunting, reading snippets and treating myself to coffee and a scone. But how can I do that when I haven't finished or started the last bunch of books?? Woe to me.

I can browse (somewhat) safely at Amazon where I came upon this lovely book. Below is the inside jacket that will tell you what the book is about and I have a few photos of pages I like. I savor a bit of this book everyday, like a great bowl of ice cream that you want to last. I highly recommend it to everyone.

So it is goodbye to summer and hello to fall today!! It is rainy and dreary here in the Midwest. Guess I had better get used to it... Have a happy week!

xoxo

Jane