I've been absent because of this little girl

Don't think I've disappeared! I have a very good reason, uh, long list of reasons actually, for my silence in blog world. At the very top of the list, however, is this tiny little baby girl who decided to arrive about two weeks early. After 27 hours of labor, a C-section was finally performed and this tiny baby made her way into our family and waiting arms.

I'd like to introduce you to our newest member of the family born to my stepson and his lovely wife just after midnight on August 27, 2010 , Emma Grace, 6 pounds and 19 inches long.

Isn't she just so precious? A living doll she is. Don't you just love babies, they are  like living dolls aren't they? Everyone is doing well and Emmas' parents are also doing well ;))  So is my absence forgiven now? Thank you...
I promise that very soon I'll make it around to your blogs to catch up with you and your happenings. Just give me a minute day days week to catch up here in my own life. Wait, me catch up??? Sorry, I'm laughing way too hard  in this thought of "catching up" to my own life. Who am I kiddin'!
Ya'll have a wonderful day!!

xoxox,

You Girls are the Best!!

I am truly blessed to have awesome women such as all of you! Your responses to my need for decorating input have been outstanding to say the least! Thank you, each and everyone of you!

Not only were the suggestions refreshing and on target, they were simple and creative - I love it! I was amazed at the response in comments and my emails, you are the best, Thank you!

I hope to soon be able to complete that particular decorating project and share, however, I received a phone call today that may very well change a few things in my life within the next few days. It was not a bad call, just unexpected and yet, so like my Heavenly Daddy to be rather timely in answering other concerns.
 Thank you all again. You truly are the best, most thoughtful and helpful women out there.

xoxoxo,

Need your input on this..

Remember this picture from last week and I promised out loud that I would re-do the shelves? Ok, moment of truth, I'm procrastinating again and am working on these shelves for a new look. Some of you ladies have me going on the Fall kick here.. Combine that with our cooler weather in the Mid South which, I know, is only a short lived teaser before the heat and humidity spring back with a fury. But, I am wanting your input as this is as far  as I have gotten today using picnic baskets.

                                      

 Do the baskets yell "spring / summer" too much? I know some of you use your picnic baskets year round, but I want to hear your thoughts..ehum, please leave comments as I really am on a creative drain and need a boost.  Thank you so very much for your participation with your input!!

Also, a huge hello to those of you who have "signed" the wall of the Beautiful and Chic!! Yes, I have noticed and am throwing huge hugs and kisses your way! I promise I'll be making my rounds to all of your blogs later and can not wait to read what you have been up to today and I hope you all come back to visit regularly!

xoxox,

Girls about town

Good Day Everyone!  I was thinking that a little diversity would be good for this blog today so I'm going to take you on a really quick tour of Downtown Nashville, TN. You'll see the true heart of what our little town was built on, or at least, a tiny, tiny glimpse. These are pictures of just one block of downtown. I promised the Girls that I'd behave with the camera and "just a few of downtown".... So being true to my word, here are just a few pictures...

Nashville is loaded with tons of historical buildings which drip with awesome architecture details everywhere you look...

                            

Here is the famous Ryman Auditorium. For those of you who don't know, the Ryman was the former home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. It is still used today as a forum for some of the best music and live performances you could ever hope to experience. Every time I attend a concert here, it never fails to exceed expectations of greatness.  The Ryman is also referred to as the Mother Church of Country Music because of its intertwining history of starting out as a church in 1885, moved to being the Union Gospel Tabernacle and throughout our history, finally landed upon present day Performance Hall. 

( I was not on the front side to capture the more appealing side, but it is still the Ryman)

                                      

                                     

Tootsies Orchid Lounge and the Bluegrass Inn are only a couple of the more historical must see and hear joints downtown. Long history of The Most Famous Old Country Stars got their starts here. Along with this next place, Roberts. Roberts is very interesting as it started out and continues to this day as a shop for boots! Take a look,

                                                      

                                      
Now and as in the past number of years, Roberts has evolved into being a Honky Tonk Grill with live music. Some of the best of the best have been on this tiny stage... and it's open to the public nightly for free. I have seen a lot of stars pass over this stage and watch their music careers take off from here, wow!

                                      

                                      

Let's drop in for a quick spin at the Legends Corner to see their take on the music world.

                                       

                                      

How about we stop over to say "Hello Dolly", before her, uh, enlargement of reputation? Ok, here she is in her very early years:    

Now we'll go over to the other wall and say hello to the "after" Dolly shall we? Helloooo Dolly!! Good Golly!!

                                      

Here is a guitar for the dog lovers. It's made from a metal box. Now there's a creative challenge for those of you in the mood to make music...

                                    

Here is a sign that I really wanted to follow me home...

                                   

Here is our famous Bat Man building.

                                  
And I'll leave you with a colorful row of historical buildings which house just as much entertainment and history.

Well, that concludes our one block tour of downtown, thanks for coming along and I hope you enjoyed our little night out on the town. Come back and see us now, ya' hear?!





xoxoxox,

Enjoy your Sunday

Peace and joy to you all on this Beautiful Sunday. I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend with family and friends.

xoxox,
Ellen

Dropping in to say hello

I thought I'd try to squeeze in a quick post before my guests arrive, not sure what time that is suppose to be, but here goes none the less. Remember yesterdays post about wanting to rearrange a little? Well, I did get some areas done. Here are the more noted updates. This is the cleared top of my window cabinet I made for my tiny hallway, so pardon all my pictures - working in small spaces here.

And this is what happened after I played around for awhile with some of my old-new favorites:

Here is a full shot from across the tiny hallway so you can see the whole cabinet better, pardon the glare of the lamp, still working on my photography skills;)

Here is the dining room table cleared and ready for "Da Guys" to land. Clear of any "clutter". Yawning..

Now after restraining myself to keep it "guy simple", here it is just slightly dolled up,

Here is a longer shot for a better full view,

and here on the other side of the dining room, the buffet before shot,

This is the after and yes the lampshade is the same, so just imagine it in right proportion to the lamp and hopefully a more neutral color. Not many changes so much as to the top of the buffet, I'll deal with the rest of it later when I have time (she suppresses more snickering...time, what's that?)

Does the chalkboard look familiar? I apparently was so caught up in my mental decorating yesterday, that I actually thought that a large chalkboard would look great over the buffet, too bad I don't have one.... Then I caught myself and had to laugh hard at my absentee thought. Yeah, it was a true "duh moment". I mean, I make chalkboards..... Moving on, here is the Girlfriend radio cabinet now guest room bedside table. Again, remember I have a small house, so work with me here, ok,

I like to keep the guest area on the light side since I expect my guest to bring their own stuff and their stuff needs a place to land. The books however, are humorous and light reading with a vase filled with fresh flowers suitable for the Guy who will be staying in here.
Here is my favorite corner of the living room fluffed up with more "guy like" flowers.

I have to go now as I'm baking  faking my baking of cookies and brownie bites, shush don't tell the guys....   it's Toll House ready made ;)  Well, that does it for us Girls today. Tuffy said to tell you all Hi as she is ready for me to start on her, uh, their cookies.

   Have a great day!

xoxoxox,
Ellen

A day off to play at home

It has been rainy since yesterday afternoon. Which on top of already feeling rather blah, I really did not want to do much of anything today - except maybe do some moving stuff around here at home.

I was at my booth yesterday (forgot my camera again) and packed that little space to the rafters.  I had a rather challenging time fitting everything in so that it was not precarious for buyers to see it all without moving to much stuff.

Being there always inspires me to want to clean my house and start with a blank canvas, so to speak, for moving things around here at home.

Sooo, that is what I think I am going to try to work in today. You see, I'm suppose to be the good hostess and clean house today for my bro -in- law and his college age son to be here tomorrow for the weekend. They are taking my husband to a baseball game in Chicago this weekend. Can I get a shout of rejoicing here!?! Oh Yeah! All girls weekend! Ok, that means at least one night and the girls, well, me and my four legged shadow, Tuffy - she's always up for a girls "whatever", just bring food and her bed and she is so in!

Ok, back to the subject at hand, moving stuff around today. I have all the right elements a.k.a decorating treasures, but for some reason, I have been suffering seriously from "duh, whatta I do with dis?" and have fallen into that dreaded creative void.

Part of the problem is that I am the only one here who actually appreciates this kind of "decorating art" if you will. My husband thrives on new and modern. Pleassseee! So not me! I do appreciate that preference - from a distance, with binoculars and knowledge that it is not coming to my house. In all seriousness, I do try to compromise and keep in mind that I have to share this space with a man who is in need of, shall we say, refining? He is actually pretty good about letting me just do what I want in here - he can be trained, yesss!

Currently, I am torn between just really letting summer whites have their last hu-rrah all over the place, or begin that subtle transition to fall which is still a number of weeks away. (did I really just type that word "subtle"? Note to self: look up definition of "subtle".) Oh decisions, decisions.... Any input would be greatly appreciated! Meanwhile, I think I'll just play around and see what happens.

Oh, does this above picture look somewhat familiar? As in the transformed radio cabinet recently? Humm? Yes it is the kissing cousin to said transformed radio cabinet. This is also a radio cabinet that I happen to score this past Saturday while helping my best Girlfriend clean her attic and garage. It was tucked away in a corner, all covered with garage kind of stuff and so not appreciated. I passed it a couple of times and almost had a happy dance right there, BUT I restrained myself and said not a word. Sometime later, my Girl asked if I would like to have it - Are you serious? "Like"? More "like" LOVE" to have it!! So this is now going to be the new bedside table in the guest room. Yeah, that guest room  I am suppose to be cleaning, oh right about now.

Have an awesome day,
xoxoxo,,
Ellen