A Story About A Moose

Moving to Idaho from the San Francisco area was certainly culture shock. Don't get me wrong; I love Idaho. Love it here. It was still a culture shock and we had a friend, who worked for a huge bakery, send us "Care Packages" of french and sourdough bread for awhile. Then we started seeing the brands we were familiar with inside the stores. But there were cultural differences we had to overcome.

Idaho is an agriculture state. It's also known for hunters. Now, we're never hunted and have no problem with people who do. We're all in the "food chain" somewhere and some of our friends hunted to feed their families. Personally, I do not like deer, elk or moose meat. It just isn't my thing. I'm not crazy about meat but I do like it and a good steak is my idea of a good meal, especially Applebee's asiago peppercorn steak.

But one day we had to go visit a family we knew from church and I had never been in their house before. It was a manufactured home on some very small acreage. Mom was a nurse and Dad was a middle school counselor and coach and they had 5 boys if I can recall. I felt sorry for the mom with 5 kids and all boys. But she handled it quite well. She got daughters-in-law and granddaughters after the boys married.

But our first foray into their home was a huge culture shock. We entered through the family room door, which was set up very masculine with a huge TV and all chairs and overstuffed sofa arranged in front of it—typical of a sports-loving family. We aren't into sports in any way, shape or form. I do, however, know the difference between a football and a baseball—one is round and the other is oblong.

As we proceeded through the dining area and into the living room—which actually was the hubby's office—I came face-to-face/nose-to-nose with a moose head that stuck at least five feet out into the room. I started quite visibly when I almost ran into it. Upon looking around I saw all the walls were covered with dead animal heads. As I said, hunting doesn't bother me. But coming face to face with so many animals was stifling in that small area. It was definitely a man's house! I think the mom was used to it and didn't care about the decorating too much. There was absolutely nothing feminine about that house at all. Boggled my mind. I think I was traumatized for a couple of hours but I got over it and declared I'd never hunt if the occasion every arose. It didn't! Thank heaven.

As I've said, we moved from that small town of 5,000 people to a medium-sized town of about 90,000 people. Let me hear it for big towns!! We never looked back. ;-)
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Another cute cottage in Carmel.

A beautiful entrance somewhere in Greece or the Mediterranean.

An attractive but unusual bedroom.

Oooooh my stars!!! I loved this color combination when I first saw it. Gorgeous.

A tub of beautiful posies.

You'd never have to worry about cleaning the shower walls, just sand blast them. :-) Big enough for two and no shower door is my perfect shower.

A cute little step stool.

And cute curtains also.

Pretty door. I have decals on all my doors also. Love this style.

Lovely table setting using blue and pink together.

This little craft room is sort of incongruous with the deer head in it, but cute nevertheless.

A beautiful southern-style home I thought you'd appreciate seeing.

Cute picnic area on someone's porch.

A magnificent kitchen with white shabby chic cabinets!

Pretty roses pillows and chenille on an old wicker chair.

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Linking up with SSS WOW
NMH Open House Party. 

My Journey in Decorating for Pink Saturday 4/7/2012

Today is another Pink Saturday so click on over to Beverly's blog for all the participants of this wonderful meme.
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In the 1980s I was working for one of the very top Fortune 500 companies, highest paid woman, and loving it. Great company, great people who were very supportive, just a great job and, as I said, just absolutely loved doing what I did. I had found my niche in the working world.

I also loved being home and decorating my home.

When we got married we got hand-me-downs from my parents. They were going to move just after we married so they gave us a living room sofa, chair, lamps, tables, a dinette set, two beds and a dresser. It wasn't very elegant but it was very nice furniture and since it came from my parents I knew it was clean and good quality.

Our next furniture, or actually the first furniture we purchased, was a beautiful sofa and chair that was what I called Mexican Colonial. Our neighbors loved it. It was very unique and gorgeous. When we next bought new furniture, it was green avocado velvet but it was in vogue then. I cringe when I think about it now. In the 80s that sofa was recovered in a burgundy fabric. It lasted us several years.

Also in the eighties I discovered crafting. My hubby was thrilled that I had found a hobby since I worked. I didn't feel deprived at all but a whole new world opened up to me with crafting. And that also changed the way I decorated my home.

I then started stenciling my walls. My living room walls I stenciled with a beautiful and intricate design of flowers. Some of my stencils were very pricey, in the eighty dollar range. And if you have any doubts about what I'm telling you, look below at these gorgeous stencils that she sells on her website. Her name is Jan Dressler. I bought stencils from her back in the 80s. She is absolutely the best stencil designer I'm ever, ever seen. Her work is outstanding as seen below on two of her stencils. Going to her website is a visual treat on what you can do with rooms in your home. Do not doubt me on this one. I'm an excellent stenciler and my walls were gorgeous with her stencils. When I was stenciling I was in a world of my own. I loved doing it, and I would still be stenciling if my body allowed it. It isn't the arms or shoulders that get tired; it's the standing on the ladder in hiking boots that started to kill me. (How in the world have I got off topic here?!)


Anyway, I had changed from the fifties furniture of my parents to Mexican Colonial to (shudder) seventies avocado—and with it all the horrid visuals that style brings to mind—to Country in the eighties. I loved Country at that time. But then I discovered formal elegance and that struck me as nothing else could. This is my all-time favorite room. I love this room, absolutely adore this room. I've counted eleven different fabrics in this room. If I could duplicate it, I would absolutely do it.

But then in the late nineties and into this new century I found romantic and shabby chic. I love that decorating style just about as much as I love that room above. While I prefer a more formal living room, the rest of my house definitely leans more to the shabby chic/romantic style. And that's where it will probably remain for the rest of my life. I don't want an all white room as I love color, especially pink, too much to be void of it in a room. I have yet to see a living room I would choose over the one above.

This is a sweet living room. I don't find wicker especially comfortable though, and comfort is the highest consideration along with being beautiful.

I'm so tired of talking (writing) at this point that I'm not going to say much about the photos. Just enjoy the eye candy I've provided for you.

I do love viewing rooms through a pulled back curtain though. The entrance to my family room is like this.

I have lace on every single window in my home.

A gorgeous way to display lace.

This scene reminds me of a story I'll be sharing with you soon.

Hubby and I have been to these Cliffs of Moher. It is a breathtaking view. You actually look down on the birds flying.

I have debated showing this photo because it almost looks funereal, but it just has a haunting quality about it. I prefer to think of it as ethereal though.

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The word crisp sounds just like it means.
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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest

Sugary Eye Candy and A Newlywed Story for Pink Saturday 3/31/2012

Just to let you know that if you're seeing two different fonts on here today, so am I. No clue what is happening but I'll figure it out later. If it ain't one thing, it's another, as they say.
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Welcome once again to Pink Saturday brought to you by Beverly's blog. Just click and go to her blog to see all the pink participants.
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Back in the 1960s we lived in Oceanside, California. We were newlyweds and quite poor. It would be a magnificent day if I received a letter from my mom with two dollars—that would be about fifteen dollars in today's money—in it. But I truly look back on those days with fond memories. Another blogger evoked those memories on her blog not too long ago. I hadn't thought of those days for many years. And that brings to mind a story.

We first lived in a trailer, which was on blocks in a very neat and orderly "neighborhood" of trailers on the USMC Military Base of Camp Pendleton. It was one bedroom, if you could call it a bedroom and actually quite nice. It was small—about the size of a small camper— but immaculately clean. When I had our first child we then moved up to a two bedroom trailer and felt like we were in heaven with all the extra room. After our son was born, we moved into base housing—called Sterling Homes— in the town of Oceanside. We had a 2 bedroom, first floor apartment. It was furnished as we had nothing but a crib, clothing and dishes. We had two children, only one car and were fortunate when it ran. I have no pity at all for people who complain they have only one car. My hubby drove the car to work; I did the shopping with two kids in a stroller and walked about a mile to the local Vons grocery store. But if I was real lucky I could take a bus or hubby would drive and shop with me sometimes after he got off work. I said "No pity" and I meant it. Try doing that today.

In those days there was a truck that came around; actually, there were two trucks that came around as I just this moment remembered the second one. The first was a bakery truck from a LA-based bakery called Helms Bakery. This is a photo of that coach, as they were called. I loved that truck. As I recall, you could just step up into the coach and get your items and put them in a paper bag. It also sold cigarettes and at that time hubs smoked; however, I've never smoked and am glad of that now. (He hasn't smoked for 30 years now and I'm glad.) But they sold all the items on that coach on credit. You just signed a receipt, no credit cards in those days as I recall, and paid when payday came around. It saved us from starvation many times. Not only bread was sold, but pastries, my favorite sweet.

The second truck was a big ole lumbering truck with fresh vegetables, fruits, candy and other things that actually eludes my mind now. It had fold-up sides and he even carried a hanging scale to weigh the produce. And it also took just a signature to buy something and pay it off on our paydays. The man who owned that business was Mexican and he had a service that few people had in those days, but he was valued in our neighborhood, let me tell you. That truck also kept us from starving a few times. Okay, so we weren't truly going to starve, but it sounded good in the telling of this story. We've been incredibly blessed in this life. Always enough food and always enough money to survive. That's a great blessing
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This is a very brave color to use and I love it. That living room is about the size of mine. Small. Actually, mine is probably smaller than this room.

Can you really believe a polka dot Aga stove?!

Isn't this lovely in blue? Just a sweet setting.

Organized perfectly in my opinion.

When I saw this pink door I started thinking about painting my front door pink. It's red now and I am wanting to repaint it a vibrant red, but I just may opt for pink instead. We'll see.

I'm not fond of carnivals or amusement parks but this merry-go-round is stupendous.

I like pink and white stripes but I can't even begin to imagine the amount of thought and measuring that went into this bathroom wall decor.

Definitely my kind of setting.

Oooooh, yesssss, white fluffy clouds in a pink sky.

Love this studio also. Awesome workspace.

Can you imagine these colors in a cottage by the seashore?

Another awesome blue vignette.

I have a hook that is very similar to this piece of jewelry.

I'd never thought of painting my hutch pink but this one inspires me! I think I'll do it this summer.

Weathered doors are always great eye candy. Just a certain patina to them that draws us.

My embroidery thread never came on tiny palettes so beautiful.

While some people may like this look, I think I want a more polished look in my bathroom furnishings.

Another stroke of genius in the color department. Gorgeous!

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Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents or parents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity. Both of my kids did it as teenagers, besides working at a drive-in theater, and they are both huge successes today. It gave them character.

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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest.