Finally

Four years later and I'm finally finishing our honeymoon scrapbook, as I mentioned here. It was actually a great trip down memory lane for Dear Hubby and I to pull out the rest of the photos and re-live our trip to Paris. It was a great time and we loved every minute of it.

(Side note, Dear Hubs has become blog shy again and is only "allowing" me to show him in part on the blog...as he put it "like Wilson from Home Improvement." Try showing your honeymoon scrapbook on your blog without getting a shot of your Dear internet phobe Hubby.)





Our favorite event was the dinner cruise which took us along the Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower while we danced to American music like Frank Sinatra's New York, New York. A fun moment and one we'll never forget.

I also enjoyed visiting Monmarte and having my portrait sketched, although, this artist was probably one of the more "starving" type because it ended up looking nothing like me. Oh well, it was the moment that was cool. I'll have to dig out the sketch and take a photo of it. I have no idea who he was sketching that day, because it wasn't me.

We also went to see the Sacre Coeur. We stopped at a book store and bought our own sketch books and joined the many artists and tourists who sit on the front steps and draw.

We also hit the Paris Fleamarkets (marche au puces, is this correct?) to find vintage goodies to take back home and sell in our antique booth. Found some neat things which of course, have pretty much all sold now. I did give my Mother some of the Quimper I found.

While I"m not an expert scrapbooker, I do okay. I think the pages I just worked on turned out better than those I started four years ago. There's something introspective there I could say about getting wiser the longer you are married but I'm not sure it applies to scrapbooks!

So, another project on my list can be crossed off. And technically summer isn't over til the third week of September... there's still time!

Hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend! I'm off to see what's next on the project list. And maybe I'll make my favorite potato salad (shown here) as the summer "season" comes to a close.

Chandy Project & Upcoming "Reveal"

Remember this chandelier I showed you awhile back, here? I had made the chandelier chain cover and was thrilled with my sewing attempt? Well, I'm still not done with it. I can't decide if I like the pink beaded bulb covers on it or not.



So, I looked and looked on ebay and found a gal selling 3 mini lamp shades...but they were covered in black fabric. I figured ..."that would be easy to change and make them pink." Like I need more projects!As soon as they arrived I started yanking off the black pleated material. And it was easy. But once I had the material off, I was't sure how to go about getting the material I had chosen, ON. Hmmmm. Not so easy now. And what else can I do to them to spiffy them up?

Here they are with my pink gingham choice. The black is still showing through a little bit on the edges, but I think some sort of trim on the top and bottom will cover it. I just need to find the right ribbon or beaded trim.

And then the chandelier will be all ready to hang in this room, above, which Dear Hubby has worked so hard to complete. (Minus the hanging of said chandy and crown molding he still wants to put up.) Remember this is my "not so normal" shabby chic room, which we have yet to reveal. Very soon. Very, very soon. In a few weeks as a matter of fact. What is he doing to the ceiling????? Stay tuned!

Summer Lovin' Italian Style Pasta Salad

Summer. The best time of year. No coats, long days, lots of sunshine, barbecues and great foods. It is no wonder I love this time of year. So what if the kids are all going back to school. It ain't over. Especially not while I still have great foods growing on the vine. Like tomatoes.

When life gives you tomatoes....you ....uh...make pasta salad.

These are some of my favorite ingredients to use. You could vary it a little. I also like to add marinated artichoke hearts or black olives. Dear Hubby does not like either one, so lucky for him, I did not have them handy and couldn't put them in. I did have a jar of green olives and I sliced up a few to throw into the mix...but so far he hasn't said anything!

After I boil the tri color rotini and give it a cool water bath, I add my pre cut ingredients. Today's choice : Yellow onions, red ripe tomatoes (grown here!,) cheese, minced garlic, sliced green olives, sweet basil, salt, pepper, parmesan and romano cheese, and some parsley flakes.

(Notice the LuRay salad bowl???? One of my favorite pieces in the collection for everyday use. I also have one in pink, of course!)

For the dressing I simply use EV olive oil and red wine vinegar.

And there you have it. My version of Italian pasta salad. Mmmmmm! Delizioso!

May summer's reign live on! At least for another month.

Kreating a New Look

A Kreativ Blogger award has been bestowed upon me by Ms. Daisy over at The Daisy Chain. Thank you, Ms. Daisy! What an honor!

While this is a WONDERFUL award to receive however...(I love being creative), I now feel the pressure to live up to it's title!

So it just happens that I have projects to work on. I mentioned them in a post here. I was supposed to have worked on them all throughout the summer. I could come up with some excuses but right now, I won't . Let's just start by showing a couple of them.

First we have this cute display case. We picked this up at the antique mall where we have a booth. Another dealer was closing up shop and was selling this in his last days. The top is plexiglas and very scratched. I think it has potential. I'm thinking white washed or shabby white paint...a new glass top and fill it with vintage goodies from old buttons to photos to silver collectibles. The problem will be: Will I sell it or keep it for myself?

Next we have this adorable child's sized (doll?) vanity. This was something dear hubby brought home one day. He was at a neighbor's house and the elderly gentleman said it had been his wife's and her Father had made it for her when she was a girl.
The cute oval mirror is missing in the picture because the frame is currently being repaired by Dear Hubs...
Can't decide...white or light pink?

The knobs would be nice to leave on but I am picturing little glass knobs...these are tiny and I need to find small replacements. Maybe on ebay? Anyone have a good idea for me?

And the funny part about all of my projects is...this latest one wasn't even on the list! It is a new addition. I think this is why I can't seem to get the other projects done. So I may have received the Kreativ Blogger award but do they have one for the Procrastinating (...er shall I dare say it... Lazy) Blogger?

I'll get my speech ready.

In the meantime, if you have a project still on your list this summer ...feel free to accept the Kreativ Blogger award from me. Go ahead! Add it to your post...it is a great motivational tool!

Quirky Movies Worth Watching

If you're into quirky movies like I am, you might want to check out two of the sweetest and quirkiest movies I've seen in a long time. Quirky in a good way, as I like to say.

The first is Waitress, starring Keri Russell and my oh my, Nathan Fillion. I have to note that I don't remember seeing Nathan in any other movie before, but he caught my attention here. Or was that my breath he took away??? Cutie!

The movie is about a young gal in a small town who is trapped in an extremely terrible marriage with a controlling, mean, and insecure husband. She likes to make pie however and it is through the pies she finds her happiness. The rest of her tale I will let you see for yourself if you'd like. The other mentionable to the movie is sad. The director and supporting actress, Adrienne Shelly, was murdered last year in her New York apartment. Very tragic ending to her life but according to the special features on the DVD, she was loved by all. Her movie portrays this and this is another reason to watch. I'd give it 4 popcorns for it's spunk and "real" quality.

And speaking of "real," the next movie, Lars and the Real Girl, is VERY quirky and you have to be able to see the "real" meaning behind what is obviously a very silly thing. The lead character falls in love with a "blow up doll" and acts as if she is his actual girlfriend. Right there, many people might be turned off, which I was at first, so I never rented it. But after another viewer recommended it, I decided to check it out. I'm glad I watched the movie because it shows how there are people in this world with "real" mental problems, which I knew of, but never thought much about.

What is unique about the film is how the rest of the people in his environment saw his problem was real and tried to help him by going along with it. Many parts are touching and sweet and I know many of you ladies just love Ryan Gosling and he doesn't disappoint. The movie never goes too far or feels forced... you just go along with his journey with him as he tries to come to terms with his emotions. I'd also give this one 4 popcorns.

Check them both out when you get a chance... I'm glad I did.

Now excuse me while I go see what other movies that dark haired Nathan Fillion has been in before... and put them at the top of my "to see" list!

PS. Editors Note: Yes, I just discovered that Nathan Fillion has been on Desperate Housewives and yes, I do live under a rock. I just don't watch the show and had no idea he was on there!

Oh, let's just go on and give him 5 popcorns!

Most Embarassing Songs Tag

I have been tagged by Ms. Daisy from The Daisy Chain. And the tag is right up my alley. I'm supposed to choose 5 songs I enjoy listening to that could be considered embarassing! I love music and the challenge here for me is to narrow the list down, believe it or not.

So, here it is:

1) Thank God I'm a Country Boy by John Denver. I admit, I complain a lot about how much I can't stand country music, mostly when it is playing in our house or in the car. (Dear Hubs loves country.) Plus, I'm originally a Jersey girl. Think about it. But for some reason this song puts me in a great mood!

2) Oh Yeah by Yello. This song is played at the end of the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Oh yeah, that's embarrassing.

3) Chug a Lug by Roger Miller. Similar to reason number one, but there's a story behind it. When I was a little girl my parents stored a box of records in my closet, along with other things we didn't have storage space for, like the vacuum cleaner. (That was the last thing I wanted in my closet, trust me and better yet, the vacuum cleaner has nothing to do with why I like this song.) When I was bored I would play some of the albums on my hand me down turntable and this song has been a favorite of mine ever since. Not sure who's record it was originally.


4) The theme from the tv show ALICE. Does anyone even remember this show let alone the words and music? I will belt this one out in the shower. COMPLETELY embarassed now that I've typed it out. Tee hee.




5) Copacabana by Barry Manilow. I must be stuck in a 70's or 80's rut because looking at my list now I am picking songs that remind me of my childhood. When I was a young starry eyed dancer I saw a dance troupe perform a routine to this song and I thought it was FABULOUS. I still dance around my living room whenever it comes on my iPOD. Yes, it is on my iPOD and I'm admitting it.

There are four more I could blurt out to you now but I think I will save some grace and dignity while I still can and omit the others!

I'm going to tag these lucky bloggers to try and come up with their own lists:

Oliver Rain

Jillian, Inc.

I'm a Little Teapot

Hope you enjoyed my most embarassing songs! This was a fun tag and I hope the gals I'm passing it on to have just as much fun.

Feeling Lazy

Now that all of the excitement has died down with the biggie birthday, the blogaversary, etc...I am feeling a bit... well, lazy. It could be the uh, ....er, dog days of summer (more like the kitty days) or I'm just tired from all of the things we've been doing. This leads me to realize however there are more projects I wanted to get done this summer.

One of them is finishing my honeymoon scrapbook. (Did she say honeymoon?) Well that was four years ago and counting and yes, I did not finish it. Terrible! So that is on my list.

I had planned on framing and matting more of my photography to sell in our booth...but I haven't gotten around to that either. This is something I could work on in the fall maybe?

Then there's the basic clean out and restock/store of the antiques we have not sold or haven't even gotten around to pricing, listing or selling. Being an antique dealer is fun but it also comes with this never ending stash (or should I say pile?) of stuff. The clean out is usually a HUGE task and will involve Dear Hubs. I struggle sometimes getting him on board for this project. He enjoys the hunting, not the sorting and storing. Who can blame him? It's not fun. Nor is it pretty. But it is oh so necessary if you like to have a normal living space to walk around in, which I do.

Another project is to work on the 3 or 4 pieces of furniture Dear Hubby and I have picked up on our travels. These are stored in the basement. One is a cute little display case table...which we need to replace the top Plexiglas piece with actual glass. Another is a handmade sofa table with three cut out squares to cover with glass and use as a display case. I can just picture it filled with either ivory buttons and old family relics or seashells and vintage photos. Really neat. And it is still sitting in storage. (Oh the lovely basement. THANK GOODNESS for the basement! I'll try to snap pics and add these pieces to the post.) This sofa type table goes on my list as one of the first things to work on. See, this is why the honeymoon scrapbook is not finished!

And my goal was to get these things done this summer. Oh dear. Time is going by so fast now. Well, summer is technically over in late September, right? A project a week and I'm set!

Right.


PS. I wanted to thank all the lovely bloggers who left such sweet and fun comments about the blogaversary. I really enjoyed reading them all and it just helped make the whole experience that much better! You gals are the best!

One Year Blogaversary!

Wow, I can't believe a year has passed already since I started this blog. It is amazing to me how much the blog has changed, how much I have changed, and how much I have enjoyed blogging.

What started out as a way to get over a painful experience turned into a wonderful journey. I knew I needed something to take my mind off of my pain. And the blog did that for me. I went from being worried about "how to blog" to creating my own graphics! Things I never thought I could do, I did. And I even found encouragement and support to start my own online antique store. Then I started encouraging others to start a blog! Amazing!

So, to celebrate, instead of having another giveaway, I thought the only thing appropriate right now would be to take a look back at a wonderful year. Maybe some of you who are new to my blog haven't had a chance to read more about me or what I've been doing these past twelve months.

My first post. We had just returned from the beach and I was excited to have pictures to post as well as actually GETTING STARTED with a blog. It seemed so intimidating at first. I had read other gal's blogs, and was also following along with my colllege girlfriend's blog (Bobby's Escapades) when I thought...hey, I should just DO THIS. So I did.

Then we had a "send off" dinner for my Stepdaughter... as she went off to her first year of college, away from home. She was excited about the year that lay before her and we were excited for her.

Every year we make a trip up to Maine to visit my Dad. He loves it up there and we have grown to love it too. We see something new every year. This year we won't be able to take the trip however, but maybe next year. For now we can look back at our former adventures. This is a shot of me in Baxter State Park along one of the many falls. So peaceful and soothing!

One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I love going to Maine because there are so many photo opportunities! This was in Baxter State Park, a 42 mile journey by car if you take the whole scenic route, which we did. I think that is Mt. Katahdin looming in the background.

We also make a point of stopping at a lighthouse each time we go. This is the Nubble Light near York Beach. It sits on it's own special island so you can't walk right up to it. But, the morning we were there was gorgeous. As one of the locals remarked to us outloud ...."It's a real stunna!" We agreed.

We were on a roll as far as going places. The next adventure was camping in the "family camper." We share it between my Dad, Sister, and I. But, my Sister hasn't really taken an interest in using it so my Dear Hubs has gladly accepted the use of it when he can. I however, can take it or leave it. I can be a city gal at times.

Which leads me to our next trip which was Pittsburgh! I had never been there before and it was fun taking in the sights.

And while shopping a gift shop, yes, Dear Hubby thought this was the perfect hat for me. (Pink!) I wasn't so sure.

Then before we knew it ...Thanksgiving was upon us!Then a trip up to the Poconos for a party at Skytop Lodge! Always a good time ... I love going there because it has this old fashioned feel. Everyone always says "It's like the lodge on the movie Dirty Dancing." And they treat each guest like royalty. Highly recommend!

And then we were celebrating Christmas. A special time of year when we remember the reason for the season....The Greatest Story Ever Told!

And we love to have the whole family together. Here Dear Hubby is opening his birthday presents from his children. (He was a lucky fella to be born near Christmas, eh? No matter how hard you try to make it special, unfortunately it just gets blended in with all the other holiday celebrating!)

Then I was helping out a close friend of mine by taking a Flat Stanley along with us on some of our adventures...so we took him up to the family farm for another Christmas celebration. Ever meet a Flat Stanley? It's a great school project for kids. I've actually "adopted" Stanley twice. Once when I was working for the local TV station, he was able to see a newscast produced and visit the control room! I'm not sure which visit he liked better. At least at the farm we "fed" him homemade apple pie.

Oh there were concerts... something I actually rarely do. But, Dear Hubby's favorite country gal (always a blonde) is Carrie Underwood so we went to see her perform. Great show! Then we went to see Stephen Curtis Chapman. I was completely impressed with his concert. If you ever get a chance, you will be inspired by his music. It's a must see. Then most recently, we saw Billy Joel in concert. Awesome! He never disappoints. His music is TIMELESS.


A couple of times I even attempted giveaways....which I really had a lot of fun with. I hope you did, too!


Then I took a big risk and decided to open my own virtual antique shop, Bella Rosa Antiques. We have an antique booth and I've always sold in online auctions, but this was going to be a new venture. I'm still in the early stages, but I have no regrets. It has been a wonderful experience so far and I am still learning how to be a better "entrepreneur."


Then my Stepson graduated high school and left right away for bootcamp. I don't think we were prepared for the abruptness of his departure. I'm not sure he was either. We are all currently writing back and forth and keeping up with his time there. So far, he is doing well!

I always know when warm weather is near. I get the urge to make potato salad. This could be my official kick off to summer. And, I also thought it made a great blog post. I hope you enjoyed it, too.
That and impromptu ice cream stops. I love love love ice cream in the summer. Who doesn't?



Don't forget the infamous "Bunny News Update." We haven't seen the babies ...they could be so grown by now we don't even recognize them. But Mama bunny (Dear Hubs nicknamed her Henrietta) still makes her appearance.


And what year would not be complete for antiquers like ourselves without a few yard sales? This is my hubby's favorite hobby. I know he'd like to think it was hunting or camping....but secretly between you and I...it is THIS. He can sniff one out like animals can smell a storm brewing. And he can't drive on by. He HAS TO STOP. Luckily he finds some neat things...or else I'd have gone crazy by now. Or have I????

Either way, it has been a great year. I've learned a lot about blogs, met WONDERFUL friends, and wouldn't want to give up my blog any time soon. Here's to another year, new adventures, and lots of fun.

Take the journey with me...I'd love for you to come along!