Pink Saturday ~ Mini Shoe Collection & An Award!

Hello and welcome to my Pink Saturday post, hosted originally for us Pink Ladies over at Beverly's How Sweet the Sound. I look forward to these posts because well, obviously I love the color pink! It is such a soothing color to me. I have the usual items in pink: handbags, some clothing, some high heels, jewelry, baseball caps, etc. But when I discovered I could collect mini pink high heeled shoes....oh boy! Watch out!

Here is what I have so far. Not a very large collection but enough to fill this small curio:

Also today I'd like to present an award, given to me by sweet Mary over at Crash n Smash.

This is the Pink Lemonade Award. How appropriate on Pink Saturday! Thank you, Mary! How sweet! Now I of course, I want some Pink lemonade!



Here is the official info on the award:

What this award is about...

Bloggers who show great attitude and gratitude.


What you have to do...

Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you also pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Link to your nominees within your post.


4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.



5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I, Jillian, being of sound mind and body (ahem!) and love the color pink pass the award to:



Dana of The Stone Rabbit

Ms. Daisy of The Daisy Chain

Polly of Counting Your Blessings

Ms. Lucy Bloom of Lucy Bloom

And just for fun, here is a recipe for PINK Lemonade:





Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup sugar (if using unsweetened cranberry juice, 1 cup if using sweetened)

4 cups water (divided)

1 cup cranberry juice

1 cup lemon juice

Method

1 Make a "simple syrup" by heating sugar and 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.

2 Stir together the remaining water, cranberry juice, lemon juice and simple syrup. Make adjustments to taste. Chill for an hour, or add ice to cool.

Serves 6.

Signing Up

Last Sunday, after church,, I was in the nursery area with Dear Bebe, getting ready to go. Another Mother was gathering up her children and we were making conversation. Her mother was with her. Her youngest is about a year old. He's so cute I enjoy seeing him interact with his mommy. She fed him a few animal crackers. Then my eyes and ears took notice of something else. She said "more?" And he banged his little hands together. Before she would give him the cookie she made him do something else....give her a please. But because he can't fullly talk yet he swiped his little hand near his shoulder. This was good enough for her even though it wasn't the actual sign. So he received the cookie.

Well, being the concerned (new) mom that I am my mind started to race. Sign language? I have to learn sign language! OH NO. The only time I've ever come across sign language was in the fifth grade when I read Helen Keller and thought it might be neat to learn another language. I quickly forgot because I'm sure at that age something else seemed even more exciting and never thought about it again. Until now.

So I pipe up: Sign language? Do I have to know sign language now, too? Like this was going to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

She laughed and said it made it easier to communicate with her baby since he can't talk yet.

I then wondered how we ever communicated to our parents because I don't think my Mother (Or anyone else's mother) ever taught sign language back in the 60's. Ewww. That makes me sound old!

I turn to her mother and say... what did our Mother's do? She just shrugged her shoulders and said "oh no, we didn't do that." And from what I gathered, she didn't need to. It didn't seem to make or break anything.

What I've decided is that what I see are just a few small tools for communication used to help mom and baby and I shouldn't panic. I don't think I need to recite the entire pledge of allegiance with it. Although, I guess that wouldn't hurt.

Any thoughts?

Everyone Knows Best

The other day I decided to take Dear Bebe out for a stroll. I needed to get out of the house....I'd had some sort of flu bug, it's been cold, and the house was getting to me. So, on a fairly warm day, I decided to go to the mall. Yes, I know, I recently wrote about why I don't like shopping for new things...but I had received a gift card for Christmas and I decided I'd better use it before the store goes out of business. (You never know these days.)

And I was going prepared. I wasn't going to be one of THOSE mom's. I had the diaper bag out. I look inside:

Diapers. Check.
Wipes. Check.
Changing Mat. Check.
Bottle with milk. Check.
Pacifier with neat attachment thingy so it is easy to find. Check.
Rash Ointment. Check.
Burp cloth. Check.
Extra outfit. Check.

Then I bring:

Blankie for car seat to keep her from getting too cold. Check.
Cute dangly toys for car seat/stroller to keep her happy. Check.

It's all there. I'm super confident, so, out we went. Oh I was feeling great about getting out. But, uneasy because I hadn't taken Dear Bebe out to the mall yet. I'd waited for several reasons.

1) The doctor said to wait at least two months before going to the mall. He must REALLY think this place is a germ pit.

2) By the time she was old enough it was Christmas shopping season and even I don't go to the mall then.

3)By the time Christmas was over, I was sick.

We were doing so well for awhile. I'm looking at clearance racks for clothes to fit a 6-9 month old and Dear Bebe falls asleep. Wonderful! Then a 2 year old in a stroller gets closer and closer to our location and I can hear her because she is shouting every word she speaks. SHOUTING! Finally I had to move away from the rack just as I was hitting the mother lode because she woke up Dear Bebe. Ut oh. First comes the pout...then she starts crying. Sigh. Pacifier to the rescue. We're okay again!

We make it to another store, when my biggest mistake of the day is about to happen. The pacifier falls, face down, onto the dirty department store floor. We just make it to the check out and Dear Bebe starts screaming. Of course! Now the clerk behind the counter starts fidgeting. I'm bailing on cute clothes I've picked out for Dear Bebe right and left because I can't think straight. The woman behind me in designer high heeled boots with designer jeans stuffed into them (who wears high heel boots to the mall?) takes off in a huff, clutching her designer duvet cover to her hip. Obviously she hasn't done this before. Or maybe she has!

I look around. I feel like everyone is staring and thinking: "...they should call child protective services on that woman."

I look back to the clerk and stutter "the pacifier fell on the floor! I....I .... didn't want to put THAT in her mouth!" I get a blank stare in return. Clearly a baby crying is a no no in the peace and quiet of her retail work day.

Another woman comes up with a concerned look on her face, looks down and says "She's probably too hot with all of that stuff in there." I look down at the stroller and start pulling away at the blanket covering Dear Bebe's legs. Well, it was warm in there. Another says "She's probably hungy." I pull out the bottle I had already tried feeding her with a half hour earlier to no avail. Dear Bebe is way too upset to eat.

Again, I open my mouth and try to appease them with "this is my first mall attempt." Like this is going to change the situation.

Meanwhile the clerk is patiently waiting for me to swipe my credit card so she can be rid of me and my screaming baby.

Another woman tries to offer me advice: "It does get better!"

I look back to the clerk and she is handing me my package and says in her most sheepish, sympathetic,sing songy have a good day kind of voice: "You did save 97.00!" Like looking like a psycho mom was worth it.

As I walk away I'm wondering how the heck I saved 97.00 when I only bought a handful of baby clothing from the clearance rack. The markup on these little outfits is incredible.

I turn the stroller around looking for the nearest exit while wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea when I realize only 4 people think I am a pathetic mom. Oh, and the duvet cover woman. That's not too bad.

Could have been worse.

Note to self.... always bring a back up binky.

Pink Saturday ~ Bebe's Room Makeover

Welcome to my Pink Saturday post. If you love pink... I hope you enjoy Bebe's room makeover. This was our guest room. It was stark white. We hadn't really decided what color to paint it and I had done a shabby roses theme... you know, the typical pinks n greens. I guess I didn't think much of it because there aren't any pictures available to show you. So here is what we started with... stay with me through this because I have a little something special I promised I'd mention at the end!

The room had plain old white walls from the previous owners paint job. The ceiling was treated first with our aqua choice from Lowes.


The prep work is what takes so much time. The design was starting to come alive.

The pink stripes were tough. All that taping.

It really was starting to look like a Victoria's Secret shopping bag.

It was my idea to paint the aqua polka dot border ALL THE WAY around the room... but Dear Hubby did all of the work. I think I oughtta keep him!

And some are probably really tired of seeing this chandelier on the blog...but I love it and wanted to show what I ended up with... I am thrilled since we had it sitting in the basement collecting dust (I know, can you believe it?) when Dear Hubby brought it home from a clearance sale at Lowes. The original bulb coverings were gray/silver beaded shades. Then I went from the pink beaded bulb covers to the handmade (pink gingham!) covers on the shades instead. I also made the pink chain cover. Sew easy! It took two 60 inch covers to make it all the way up the dangling chain.

Dear Hubby also took on the task of painting clouds on the ceiling ("Just like Michelangelo, honey!" I requested.... not too challenging, eh?) By the way, I'm only allowed to show him on the blog, a little bit. He thinks it's funny, kind of like Wilson from the TV show, Home Improvement. Sigh.

And here is my Stepdaughter helping to paint them on the ceiling. She is so talented and really really did a great job. How sweet was that?



I had bought these shadow box frames at Target when I was a single gal living on my own in my newly owned house. I had never used them but found them in a box, still in their original navy blue color. Painted them the aqua color and they turned out great for a baby's room!

I had found some vintage pottery pieces in a box of dingy and dirty planters at a yard sale a few years back. They had cleaned up nicely for re-sale in our booth. We were at my in-laws huge garage sale this past summer. . . I'm standing there, emptying a box of items that hadn't sold when I pulled these out! (We go every summer and I just bring the boxes back, all ready to go from the previous year!) There I was, knowing I was having a girl with a pink and aqua room exclaiming "THESE ARE PERFECT!" I had completely forgotten about them. So, home they went.

This Mon Bebe Doux sign and her name spelled out in letters, which I didn't take a photo of, are about the only things I painted.

And remember my Pink Saturday post about my LuRay dishes? I found these similar cuties in porcelain to "go with" Mommy's set! I can't wait til she is old enough to play with them.


And here she was, just a wee little newborn, four months ago. She was worth all the extra "pink" effort!

Well, have a Happy Pink Saturday! I'd also like to mention here a neat giveaway going on over at The Pink Potpourri .... check it out if you need a blog makeover! I'm hoping I win. Dear Bebe's room isn't the only thing that needs a makeover, my blog does, too!

For more blogs from gals who love pink, check out what they're showing today on Beverly's page here!

The Journey Begins

Today my Stepson left for his first deployment in the army. I'm not even sure if I am using the right terminology. Either way, it is a huge step in a long journey for him. He signed up for six years of duty plus two non active years. He was nervous. Probably mostly about the unknown. Aren't we all that way when we have no idea what is ahead? He is flying overseas to a country he's never been to before and this will only be his second time flying.

With a new President (in my opinion) he may have a lot to be nervous about. Or not. Only time will tell.

It must be difficult becoming a new soldier. You've got to appear tough yet all these emotions are running high. But he made the choice and he's going! That takes a lot of courage in my book. Especially in these trying times. It's a little unsettling.

But if you could today....could you say a prayer for him? A prayer asking for him to stay strong, peaceful and confident about his next phase in life? And also, most importantly, for his safety. Dear Hubs and I thank you!

Vintage Victorian Cards, French Perfume, Ribbons and a Milestone

Ms. Jillian was feeling a little better and did a little shopping. Vintage shopping, as I like to call it, which recently I did a post about how I am enjoying this more and more. But ooh la la I found a really neat treasure. I box of vintage French perfumes... the little teeny weeny size bottles in a gift box. I love it! Of course I bought it to resell, but now, it is hard to part with some of these items when I bring them home.

These Victorian calling cards are so neat. Makes me wonder how it must have been to hand out your cards. I suppose it is similar to the business cards of today.

Also a great find were these 1945 Horse Show ribbons in a creamy winter white. The left side of the ribbons read "Locust Grove Farm." I'll have to look that up and see if I can find any information on it.

And who doesn't like looking over Vintage Valentines and remember the joy of being a kid and handing these out at school? So cute!

Sorry for the blurry pictures on some of these. I just put Dear Bebe down for her morning nap and it usually doesn't last very long...so I am not taking my time. Plus, my eyesight has been much worse lately. I've just made an appointment to have my eyes checked so hopefully I will have a new prescription pair of glasses instead of the "readers" from Costco. I think they are making my eyes worse.

And Dear Bebe hit a little milestone this weekend! She has been staring at me when I eat in front of her...so of course, the things that make you go "hmmmm...." or maybe I'm just slow at this...ha! But I'm thinking she wants to eat some food and soon! So, we called the doctor and we started giving her the baby cereal already. My little Bebe is growing so fast! It is true what I've been hearing. I've got to enjoy every moment.

So I am celebrating her latest achievement today.

Hope you all have a great day today, whatever it is you're doing...despite cold temps here on the East Coast, USA, I am!

Pink Saturday ~ Ballet Slippers

The challenge of finding something pink around my house shouldn't be too difficult to find. One of my favorite things are pink shoes. But these aren't just any pair of shoes. They're for dancing. Ballet to be more precise. Last year, I did a very special tribute to my pink satin ballet slippers, here, if you'd like to read the story of how I started dancing.



They're special to me and I've saved them. Hopefully Dear Bebe will get a kick (literally) out of seeing them or maybe it may inspire her to try dancing. If not, they will remain special to me forever. I've worn them for countless lessons and for a few shows, one of them being The Nutcracker, when I played a "Snow Deer."

I can't wait to see what others have shown today on their blog. Check out the rest over at Beverly's How Sweet the Sound, especially if you love pink!

Baby Steps

No, it's not Dear Bebe who is walking already. It's me! Jillian. I've been down with some sort of bug and it just wouldn't GO AWAY. I've had no appetite so therefore, no energy. I've been taking baby steps, so to speak to make my way back to the real world.

And there's nothing like trying to get over a resilient bug and then the moment you realize you are starting to feel better. Relief.

Looking around the house though, it is obvious I've been sick. It's a mess! The kind that makes you want to crawl right back under the covers. But, here, I'd like to take a moment to thank Dear Hubs for taking such good care of Dear Bebe over the weekend and in the evenings when I've had to retreat. And he's been spraying and cleaning every door knob or handle or phone to try not to spread any germs. He is such a good Daddy. So instead of leaving me a comment today, would you leave one for Dear Hubs? He'd like that.

A Bed, A Bug, & A Movie

Oh, and my laptop. I figured while I am stuck here dealing with the flu (any and all sympathy here is completely welcome,) I might as well watch some movies we rented. And, as in the past if I find something good, I pass it on to you.

May I present, Flawless, starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine.

It's a diamond heist movie. Surely we've seen those before. But this one is a little bit different. Maybe it's because I'm easily entertained when stuck in bed for 48 hours but I was held spellbound by the details. How was it done? Who was REALLY involved? What would happen next?

The actors did a good job. Michael Caine was a little bit laid back as the nightly janitor but maybe that was all part of the suspense. He never gave away much to the audience about why he wanted to be in on the heist. (Although Dear Hubs says he had it figured out.) Demi Moore I had doubts on simply because I haven't seen her in anything good lately. She did a great job with her steely reserve, playing the part of a woman executive working in a man's world with a building bitterness towards the huge diamond company she worked for.

I really enjoyed the 1960's setting, with it's period clothes, music, and scenery. Take me back to another time and take my mind off of being sick and you're at the top of my popcorn list. Well, at least pretty close to it.

I'd give it four (out of five) popcorns.

And for the first time on the blog, I'm adding Dear Hubs' vote to the mix....because he's never referred to a movie rating before as "popcorns" until now. How cute! Anyway, he gives it:

Five popcorns! That's big for Dear Hubs. He R-E-A-L-L-Y liked it. Must have been those tight pencil skirts Demi was wearing. Or, it's just that good.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Or, if you've seen it already or maybe a different movie this weekend, let me know now.

Pink Saturday ~ Vintage Pink Prom Dress

Thank you, this has SOLD!

Nothing says Pink Saturday more to me than this little beauty! Dear Hubby and I were tooling around an out of the way area not too far from our home two summers ago when we came across a cute little shop. The woman had it in the front window and of course, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Makes me wonder who the young woman was wore it. To her prom? Who was her date? Where is the photo that was taken of her in it? Such a mystery. But yet the dress remains a charming piece of history.

If you love pink check out the many other gals who have posted their favorites today on Beverly's site, How Sweet the Sound

And if you really love this pink gem, you may click here: http://www.bellarosaantiques.com/ and purchase it for yourself!

My Crockpot, My Friend

It will be five years ago in May since I've had one of my best friends. My crockpot. She's one of those friends you take for granted. Always there, always faithful and really helpful when called upon.

It will be five years ago in May since Dear Hubs and I were married. She was a wedding gift from my Mother in Law. One of the best gifts we received!

I tend to forget how helpful a crockpot can be. And when I do pull it out and use it, I wonder why I don't use it everyday!

Yesterday I relied on her. She came through for me like a gem. I had chicken, some risotto, and leftover chicken broth I needed to get rid of. Dumped it all in there and had a tasty meal in just a few hours with very little work.

While I'm showing you my crockpot I also thought I would show you these Lock n Lock storage boxes. I LOVE these. They somehow inspire me to cook. I feel so organized, so....so....Martha.

And these little glass nesting bowls are another favorite inspiration of mine. I love filling them up with all of the ingredients I may be using in a recipe. For some reason it helps make cooking fun. Why shouldn't it be? Unless of course when I don't have time. Especially with a 3 1/2 month old in the house.

That's when I pull out the crockpot. My faithful friend.

What's your kitchen inspiration?

Why I Like Vintage Things

I like to shop. Most women do. It's fun to go with friends to a mall or to a hip city street lined with specialty shops.

But I rarely do it anymore. In my twenties I moved around for my job in television so I found myself living alone in new town a few times. To keep occupied, I went shopping. Clothes, home decorating items, and probably lots of things I didn't really need filled my bags.

Now that I am getting older I still like to shop, but I've tried to curb the desire, which is waning.

One particular reason shopping has become less desirable is my love for vintage things. I am fascinated by the history behind them. Now one could say I am still shopping, but just bringing home previously owned items. I suppose this is true. But, I resell a lot of what I buy, and only enjoy them for brief periods of time. This makes it fun and there is always some "new" eye candy to enjoy.

The other reason I am not as crazy about shopping for new items is because it seems like everything is made in China.

Please understand I know there are hard working people in China putting together these items we buy, but there is also this thought:

If I go to an upscale store and notice the items are made in China and not of good quality and then head to a discount chain and see the items are also marked Made in China, why should I pay the higher price? To me the "Made in China" tag has lowered the value of the item.

For example, I love the artistic look of Mackenzie Childs items. I always wanted to own something from their catalog. Then we went to Pittsburgh to visit my StepDaughter and went shopping on this trendy row of shops. Voila! I found a store that carried Mackenzie Childs them. I was thrilled! There were these pretty pink n white stripe canisters I really wanted for the kitchen. How cute they would look with my LuRay dish collection. Dear Hubs was about to buy them for me for Christmas. Until I looked on the bottom. Yep, you guessed it...it was made in China or another similar location. All of a sudden it lost its appeal!

I did end up bringing home one of their ornaments and I display it on my bookshelf, but I no longer think so highly of their line. They really are no different than anything else I could find at stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx, etc. The prices Mackenzie Childs charges makes me laugh now. Don't ask how much one ornament was. I'm almost embarassed I bought it. While it is pretty, I'm not sure it is "worth" it's high price. What makes this ornament worth more than one bought at let's say, Target? What make an item worth more than another? When dealing in antiques it is usually the rarity of a piece to drive up it's price. I find this fun and fascinating at the same time. If I can order something from a catalog, like the ornament above, it can't be too rare.

So, my love for vintage continues.

Pink Saturday ~ Roses n LuRay, the Pretty Pink Dishes

This is my first "Pink Saturday" post! Beverly of How Sweet the Sound hosts this fun tribute to Pink every Saturday.

So, without further ado, below are some of my favorite pink things:


Pink roses. For any occasion, of course!

Antique porcelain items with pink roses on them. These are some of the pieces that were in our antique booth.


I collect LuRay Pastels vintage dinnerware. Probably because of the one color they produced in pink, but I love all of them except the gray, which are actually rare. The LuRay "sign" is not a vintage piece but I just had to have it! And, it is pink!

An old "LuRay" dinnerware advertising card. Feel free to right click and keep it for yourself! (And click here if you'd like to see the LuRay I am selling in my online store.)

A lovely usage of LuRay dinnerware. Loved what the person did with the LuRay dishes and wanted to show you.


Hope you enjoyed my first Pink Saturday post. Not sure if I'll be able to post every Saturday, but since I love pink, I've always wanted to particpate... now if I can figure out how to get my name on the list... I'll really be "tickled pink."