HATE CRIMES...

I normally try to keep this blog light hearted and show only pretty things here but I just have to share this with you all today, especially those of you who have children.

Well where do I begin today except for to say that I am in fear for my daughter's physical well-being.

Why?  Because there's a little girl (soon to be graduate) at school who has been bullying our daughter for a while now.  She has been telling her that if she ever gets the chance she is going to "wreck" my daughter's car and more recently she has told my daughter on more than one occasion that if she could get her hands on her she would KILL her. We have told our daughter to just ignore her and that her threats were idle.  You know how teenagers are...but in light of what happened at our house the other night, we are thinking that maybe we should take these threats a little more seriously.

 Late Tuesday night or in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday someone, a stranger, came to our residence and unloaded a fire extinguisher inside my little girls pretty little red Mustang, coating everything with yellow powder (Mono Ammonium Phospate). They then turned around and got into my husband's car where they rifled through his glove box, left the owner's manual and papers out on the passenger side seat and stole his briefcase which held his laptop computer.  The van and truck were undisturbed.

The police have informed us that they think this is just a "harmless" little teenage prank and that there is nothing to be concerned about, but I don't think it's so harmless.  If this bully has carried through with her threat to "wreck" Kayla's car, I wonder if she is dangerous enough to attempt carrying through with her threat to Kill my daughter.  There are so many hate crimes among teenagers these days that you just never know what a person is capable of.

Truthfully and in all honesty we don't know at this point if the girl at school is the one who did this (or is behind this little "prank") but I just can't believe this is coincidence or that it was a random act of mischief.  I believe that whoever did this knew exactly who's car they were vandalizing.  They may not have gone in intending to steal a laptop, it just happened to be there for the taking, but I do believe they intended their attack against my daughter.

Oh and I just received word while I was typing this, that they also took my daughter's backpack from her car. I guess I will be making another call to the police this evening.

I hate to accuse someone of something without knowing the truth but it's just my gut feeling, a mother's instinct, that "she"...the bully, had something to do with all this and now I fear for my daughter.  What will this girl do next?  If she gets in trouble for this incident will she blame my daughter and then commence to commit murder?

I know this sounds overly dramatic but this sort of thing...HATE CRIMES...is happening all over our country.  People, including teenagers, have gone off the deep end, shooting people and robbing people simply because they look different or have a different social or religious background.  Who knows what their reasoning is.

What's a person to do to protect themselves and their property from these haters? We feel violated and vulnerable.  It's scary to think that people would just come onto your property, take and do what they will while you are sleeping.

I do know this one thing for sure, whether the authorities find out who did this or not, that by this weekend a camera surveillance system will be installed on our property.  Not one person, or animal, will step foot on our property without us knowing about it.  And, if they do find out who did this, I just want to tell them that though I am a merciful person, I do not consider these acts of theirs a prank as they are not funny to me. We will be pressing charges...two counts of tampering with a motor vehicle and two counts stealing.  Both of which are felonies.

Sorry for rambling there with a little threat of my own...huh, huh (clearing throat).  I know this is not a pretty post but if you have teenagers in your house who are being bullied, or any other child for that matter, please don't ignore it.  Go to their school authorities and report any verbage or confrontations to them.  You might also inform your local police officers of such things.  You can also file a formal ex parte order of protection against them at your local courthouse for free if you feel you need to.  It never hurts to be safe!

Also, if you can afford it, install a home surveillance system.  They aren't cheap but it's for certain that if someone does do something to you or your property, they will not get away with it.

Anyway, sorry for this heavy topic today, but if it helps just one person avoid being the victim of a hate crime, then it was worth every word.

Thanks for listening...

SOFA SLIPCOVERS AND A PEEK AT A VINTAGE FREEBIE...

Top of the morning to ya my friends.  What a great day to be alive!  Though it's still chilly downright cold in our neck of the woods, the sun is shining and it looks as if the rest of the week will be boasting Spring temps. I love spring and I don't know about you, but I am ready to get out in the yard and do a little gardening. Better yet I am ready to break out a couple large glasses of Iced Tea and do a little sitting and chatting on the screened porch. Sounds like fun, don't it?  Maybe you can join me.

In the meantime let's talk about some slipcovers I ordered from SureFit.  I ordered a sofa cover and loveseat cover a while back.  They arrived right before leaving for Illinois...

Now I know you might be wondering why I ordered slipcovers since I just got the new furniture in December...

Well, it's like this, we needed to protect the new furniture from the cat who has decided it's her new scratching post. She has not left it alone since it arrived. We have sprayed her with water and we lock her down in the basement when we're gone but, she is relentless and possibly even retarded, because no matter how much we spray her or lock her downstairs she just keeps doing it. Did I ever tell you she was a Nuisance? Fitting name don't ya think?

We were thinking about getting her declawed but I really don't like doing that. I think it's inhumane, but that's me. Besides, buying slipcovers was cheaper than a trip to the vet and it was my opportunity to get the color furniture I have wanted from the very beginning...white (or off-white I should say).

I purchased the stretch damask slipcovers in Ivory/Oyster when SureFit had them buy one get one 20% off. I love the raised damask pattern.  It's so pretty and I think it goes perfect with my old house...

While I will say that I am not a slipcover sort of person because I don't like things that look all mussed up, I do like these.  Though they are a little too big, they are stretchy and can be pulled tight and tucked in good. They are wrinkle resistant, unlike cotton or canvas slipcovers, so they always look nice and crisp, which is a plus in my book;and, they are WASHABLE.  We need that in my house!  They are also easy to put on and take off which is GOOD because I don't like fussing with stuff!

Another good thing, Nuisance has not tried clawing at the furniture since I put these on it.  Go figure! Anyway, though I would prefer to not have to use slipcovers at all, I really do like these.

Now onto some other happy news...

I have been looking for a large mirror for the dining room.  I wanted something vintage and have been looking everywhere but had not found ANYTHING that I liked.  Well, it just so happened that my mother-in-law had this...

and was getting ready to throw it away because the bottom side broke off.  I had never seen it in their house so I don't know where she got it, but she said I could have it.  Oh and by the way, she said, "Do you want the mirror that goes in it?"  REALLY!  You know I said yes.

I got out the Gorilla Glue and attached the bottom side last night.  I will be working on putting the mirror in soon.  I HOPE to get it hung by the weekend.  I'm SOOOO excited!

And, for all of you who spied the crumbs on the rug, I might even vacuum this weekend too! Hahaha.

Until I see you next time, have a great day!

PAINT, HARDWARE & LIGHTS IN THE KITCHEN...

Happy Monday y'all!  How was your weekend?

This weekend was a productive one at my place.  I finished up painting the kitchen cabinets and installed new hardware, then the hubs installed a couple new pendant lights up over the sink for me.

I am really starting to love this little farmhouse kitchen of mine now.  What started out as a barely functional, horribly ugly, dirty and tiny little kitchen is really taking shape and just might end up being my favorite room in the whole house.  Well here, instead of me just talking about it, let me show you all the details...

Looking pretty good, huh?  The fresh white paint really brightened these cabinets up and the new hardware and lights are the icing on the cake!

We will be replacing the formica on the counter soon, I hope. I want to go with a black granite look. However, we have never worked with formica so we have kind of been putting this job off.  At $80 a sheet we would hate to botch things up, if you know what I mean. In the meantime and for the sake of pictures for the Historical Society, I am just going to glue the missing strip back on.

The new hardware is from Lowes. I suppose the old hardware would have sufficed but the knobs were stripped and kept falling off...A REAL PAIN...and the drawer pulls were fine but very utilitarian so I went with something that I feel looks more suited to this old house...BIN PULLS...

Though the new hardware set me back about $75.00, it was worth every penny!  OH, I AM SO IN LOVE!!!

I am even more in love with the new lights over the sink....

The old ones never worked right.  Not only were they too flush against the wall making it impossible to change the light bulbs, they flickered on and off too.  We never used them out of fear they would start a fire. Needless to say it was kind of hard doing dishes.

In case you are wondering, I didn't have any reservations about getting rid of the old, ugly lights either because they were NOT original to the house. The last owners ran wiring just for the sake of installing lights over the sink but put them in a bad spot and then wired them wrong...the dummies! But now we have LIGHTS, real working, correctly wired lights over the sink. The hubs rewired everything, including the switch and outlet and installed the new fixtures in a better spot. He's such a sweetie!!! Now if I could just get him to do the dishes, hehehe.

I chose inexpensive pendant fixtures from Lowes in brushed nickel ($15.00 each) and added beautiful mother of pearl mosaic globes (Lowes $17.00 each)...

PERFECTLY GORGEOUS!, aren't they?

While I still have bunches of projects left to do in here like...install new Formica counter tops,  make window treatments and paint the ceiling...just to name a few, I am so very happy with how this sweet little farmhouse kitchen is coming along.

Until next time, have a wonderful day!






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A Stroll Thru Life...Inspire Me Tuesday

KITCHEN CABS IN PROCESS...

Whoo hooo!  It's finally the weekend.  It's been a busy week and will be an even busier weekend as I finish up painting the kitchen cabinets.  I hope to get the painting finished tonight and then get them sealed tomorrow. Whew!  I will be so happy to get this job done.  As I mentioned earlier I got the priming and part of the painting done then had to leave town, so this is how my kitchen has looked for the past 10 or more days...

Paint supplies scattered about...

Doors hanging open...(I didn't take them off the hinges because it was just easier to paint them while they were hanging.)

They are 150% brighter and whiter with just primer.  The whole kitchen looks so much cleaner and fresher already.  I can't wait to see the finished product!

I have had a few people ask why I would paint my charming, old shabby chic cabinets with all their chippy, crackling farmhouse gloriousness...and perhaps you might be wondering why too...

It's because no matter how much I wiped them down THEY WERE STILL DIRTY and dirt is my PET PEEVE!!!  I loved the shabby chic appeal but NOT the dirt, grime and grunge.  So this isn't a job I tackled just because I wanted something to do (I have plenty of things to keep myself busy for a VERY long time). This was totally necessary in order for me to retain my sanity.  They were too dirty, chipped and yellowed for me to ignore them any longer.  I guess I am just not a true shabby chic enthusiast.  However, I have noticed that the natural crackling effect, which was my favorite part, is still noticeable even after priming.  So they still look old and crackly just not old and dirty, which is a huge plus!

Anyway, once the painting and sealing is finished I have some plans for new drawer pulls and knobs.  I also have two new pendant lights that will be going over the sink...

I hope I'm done with the painting and sealing by Saturday afternoon so the hubs can install the new lights while I am working on the hardware.

I am really pushing to get these things done because I got a call Monday from the Historical Society and they are wanting to come out and take pictures of the house's interior within the next week or so.  I am excited yet terrified at the same time because I am no where near done with this place and the pictures they take will be published.

So, wish me luck and God speed to get these few projects wrapped up because then it's clean up time.  Boy oh boy, just thinking about all this work is making me tired all ready but, I have to have this house in tip top shape before the photographer gets here.

Here's hoping that YOU have a wonderful and RELAXFUL weekend! As for me, I will be working my little patooty off.

LIFE IS BUT A VAPOR...

Dear friends, so sorry for my absence as of late.  I wish I could say that it is because I have been working on an incredible DIY project that would blow your mind, but that is not the case.  I did finally get started on priming and painting the kitchen cabinets, a job I had been DREADING, but that had to be put on hold.  I got them primed a week ago Friday and was half way through the first coat of paint Saturday morning when I received a call that my mother had suffered a massive stroke and was in the hospital.  I dropped the paint brush and immediately headed for Illinois.

Mom passed away on Wednesday, March 12, 2014.  We had her funeral yesterday, March 17, 2014.  I miss her terribly but I am comforted in knowing that she is in a better place and is safe in the arms of the Lord.  I guess that is the only thing that helps me to hold back the tears.

This is a hard post to write and I am not looking for sympathy.  I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that LIFE IS BUT A VAPOR and encourage you to call your mother today to tell her how much she means to you.

I hope to be back soon with those kitchen updates.  Until then, cherish the ones you love.

A LITTLE DUVET TWEAKING & I'VE BEEN PHOTO BOMBED!

Good morning everyone!  How was your weekend? Mine was great!  Since we had a little bad weather around these parts and was shut in for part of the weekend, I was able to knock out a little project for the master bedroom.

I got out the sewing machine Saturday evening and went to town turning that King size duvet cover I found for $5.00 at Salvation Army last weekend into a queen size cover and two shams for my bed.

Now I know most of you probably already know what a duvet cover is but in case you don't, let me explain...it is basically a HUGE pillow case that slips over a comforter or duvet (which is basically a white comforter).  They usually have a button or tie closure at the bottom to keep the duvet from sliding back out. They come in a variety of colors, patterns and styles and are usually cheaper than buying a whole new comforter or bedding set, which is a BIG plus in my book.  In the warmer months when you want lighter covers you can take the comforter out and just use the duvet cover as your blanket.  Another plus is that they fold up easy and are compact making them easy to store when you want to switch things out. Unlike big bulky comforters, they are easy to clean...you simply throw them into the washer.

Anyway, my project didn't take very long at all.  I made a few cuts and sewed a few seams and was done! Everything turned out great! Well, except for when I went to take a few pictures of it...I was PHOTO BOMBED!!!...

Nuisance followed me upstairs on Sunday when I went up to take pictures and would not leave.  See her there on the bedside table?  She was in EVERY.SINGLE.PICTURE I took.

As much as I tried she would not move...Well, except to walk across the bed...

Then she had to come check out the camera too...

So now you can truly understand why her name is NUISANCE, can't you?

I edited her out of this one...hahaha Nuisance, you can't sabotage me!

So tell me, what do you think of my "new" duvet cover and shams?  Oh, and feel free to scroll back up to take a closer look at them, since you may have been paying too much attention to my little photo bomber to even notice the bedding.  LOL...

I think this beautiful gray and cream Toile looks soooooo much better in here than my other bedding, don't you? I think I might do a little mixing, matching and playing around with the bedding and maybe perhaps add a little animal print too to bring in some more pattern and color.  That's all still up in the air though.

Anyway, I have a long ways to go in this room but I'm super happy with how she's coming along.  

Have a fantastic week!!