Show Us Where You Live Friday~Dining Rooms

Welcome back for the newest installment of Kelly's Korner Tour of Homes. This week we are touring all over the counrty and taking a peak at where families gather around the table to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and family dinners. Welcome to my dining room, the second least frequented room in my home. (We celebrate most holiday meals at my sisters.)

We bought this dining room furniture 16 years ago and it is really traditional. I pride myself on being a traditionalist, but this is a little formal for us now. However, I don't like change very well, so it stays for now.

This is looking into the dining room from our living room. (the LEAST frequented room in my home). I run into the living room when I talk on the phone to escape my boys and the sound of Sponge Bob Square Pants. The moldings are done very nice in here, traditional, but nice.

I added the shades to the existing brass chandlier. I wanted to change the thing so bad when we first moved in, but now I am embarassed to say it has sort of become invisible to me. Lookie there...it that a light bulb burned out? Nice!

But I am the Queen of the dimmer switch. If everylight in the house could have a dimmer on it, I would be a happy woman. I don't really like overhead light to begin with, but can work with it if it has a dimmer.

Looking back into the living room

{entry way light with a dimmer :-)}

I bought this piece two houses ago and it has been in a different room in each house. I store placemats and candles here. In our last house this was in our family and I kept a downstairs supply of diapers and wipes for quick changes. The picture is a Windberg that used to be in my MeeMaw's apartment.

This is the butler's pantry right inside the kitchen area. I use it for my laptop and sort of desk area. Hey! There are my two sweet nieces on the screensaver!!

This sofa table was a wedding present 18 years ago!! It has seen ALL the homes we have lived in. A long time ago a decorator friend told me that when you have an accessory table you should have 3 things on it. Well, I have 3 vingettes going on here. 3 finials from Hobby Lobby, a clock, and a cake plate with 3 rose bowls with candles on top. I think I pushed the "rule" to the limit here. The clock is one I treated myself to a couple of years ago from a place in Plano called AntiqueStop.

This is my formal dinnerware (you know, because we are SO formal). I chose Lenox Eternal pattern because it has a classic look and my mom and sister have a pattern called Mansfield that looks almost identical. When we have a shower,we have 36 salad plates between the three of us!! In addition to the Eternal salad plates, I also selceted to get the Holiday salad plates when I did my wedding registry. This was a BOLD step 18 years ago when I got married. All in all I am still really happy with the choices I made back then. We still have and use the white Mikasa pattern that I chose for our everyday dishes.

In the last several years my mom started this pattern for me which I LOVE! It is Christmas Tree Grove by Spode. This is much more my style and we use it for our everyday dishes during the holidays. It is a litte different than the traditional Spode Christmas pattern.

I really love the paint treatment we did in the dining room. When we bought the house it had a deep burgandy almost purple paint on the walls. The paint now is a mossy green (Ralph Laren ~ Herb Garden) with a tea stain over the top of it also by RL. It was so easy to do too. Big Daddy painted the room one day and then the next day we did the tea stain while the kids took a nap. It was really quick and we were so surprised with the finished product.

When we first moved into this house, it had carpet in the living and dining rooms, so when we put down the hardwood floors we needed a rug for the dining room. We found this rug at Costco for not much money and it has worked great!! We thought it would get the job done for now, you know those kind of purchases. You spent your bundle on the the floors, but now you need a rug for cheap. The durn thing has actually grown on me. It stays for now.


I thought I would throw in a picture of my family at my sister's house and HER dining room, this is where we usually gather to celebrate! Thanks for stopping by and see ya next week. Y'all come back now!!!

Field Trips

Fields Trips...didn't you just love 'em when you went as a kid? It is one of those things that just isn't the quite the same when you go as an adult and chaparone. My second grader, soon to be third grader had a field trip to the Rough Riders baseball game.

Here is Zack's class getting ready to load the bus. Zack is the one there with arms cross thinking there mymomis with her dang camera AGAIN!! Whoo Hoo!! Parents didn't have to ride the bus, you could just follow behind in your own car!

The Frisco Rough Riders is a Minor League Baseball team, but they have a wonderful facility and they do great things for our surrounding communities and it is a great family day venue. I wasn't sure what the purpose of this particular field trip was going to be, but soon found out that it was "Elementary School Day". Uh Huh!!! about 6000 kids! You had to be affiliated with a school to get tickets to the game.

It was a beautiful day, but HOT!!

Our school getting recognized on the jumbo tron

Trip to the souvenir shop for trinkets. Why else do you want mom to come on the trip??
Zack got a pennant for his room and a BIG foam finger!

Mom comes for a moment like this.

I love you Zack and am so proud of you.

A Weekend Full Of Graduation And Gratitude...Ready or Not

This past weekend was full of milestones for my family. My youngest, Kyle graduated from preschool and my niece Grace graduated from Oklahoma University. My sister and I are 10 planned years apart. My mom, aka Meemommie came in from West Texas busting with pride to see her grand children do their thing. Friday started off with Kyle's end of school program at his preschool. The children who will be starting public school next year perform and it is sort of like a graduation/recognition program.

The stage was all set, and so was my heart. I am so ready for him to go to kindergarten next year because I know he is so ready to be there. I was REAL happy when I wrote my last check for tuition earlier this month. OK, back to my heart... when Ms. McClinitic welcomed everyone, I felt my face get red and my eyes start to fill. Where was this coming from??? I am so ready, Kyle is so ready.......I thought I was ready. Get a grip!!! You are ready!!! I think I was just overcome with gratitude to these wonderful people who have helped form Kyle's little life so far. These are the people who have taken time on their Saturday's to come watch him play sports, who tell me he is so precious, who tell me he is a good friend to others, a quiet leader by example. UGH!!! Am I really ready to let go of this innocence just yet??

A sweet little preschool where you get to sing about God's Amazing Grace and how they have "Joy, Joy, Joy" down in their precious little hearts? Kyle has made some great little friends at preschool and I was just a little unexpectedly sad to see it come to a close. I won't even discuss the slide show at the end where they played no other than Amy Grant's "Friends are Friends Forever" and showed pictures of our babies. I get choked up just typing it.

Our Littlest Graduate

Buddies Ryan, Kyle, and Braden on their way to lunch with the moms

We went to Momma's pizza for lunch afterwards to celebrate.

Then the next morning my mom and I set off for Norman to see Grace, my niece graduate from OU. We missed the all University graduation on Friday night and opted to go to see her graduate from the College of Mass Communications. We should have gone to the Friday night event, we heard that it was amazing with fireworks and all.
When mom and I got to Norman we met up with my sister and her clan. Let me introduce them...My sister Cindy is in the pink,my mom, Gracie Girl our graduate, my brother in law Rich, (my boys call him E-Rich) me and my niece Hannah. Hannah lives in NYC. Crazy Texas girl living in the big city and all!!!

Our Girl all "Pomp and Circumstance"

Here she is pointing out to her friend her red-necked hillbilly relatives!!!

"Yep, them right there!!"

She did it!!! And the girl's got a job waiting for her in Dallas to boot!!!

Mission Accomplished!!

Grace, we are so proud of you!!!

After graduation we had a nice lunch feast at Legends in Norman of delicious steaks, blue cheese wedge salads, and scrumptious Coca Cola cake as well as my favorite, lemon cake.

Grace opened her presents, shed a few pent up for 22 years tears, and we shared alot of laughs. Poor Grace sort of had that same kind of moment that I had where she was all caught off my her emotions. She thought she was ready. ;-) Shhh....she really is.

Crazy Sisters

After lunch, it was time to head back home to North Texas. You can't get in the car without a drink and snacks with this bunch! Grace had us go to The Classic 50's. It is an old Sonic that I don't think has been updated since the 50's!! They sell delicious cokes (all flavors are called "coke" where I am from) and you can add peanuts, skittles, hot tamales, and really just about anything you can think of to your drink. I couldn't decide, so I settled on old faithful...Dr. Pepper. The place had good crushed ice too!! My brother in law was so sweet to drive my car so all us girls could ride together, visit and spend time together. Thank E-Rich!!

We had a little pit stop on the way home at the Cracker Barrel in Gainsville. My mom was just going to "wait in the car". OH NO!!! You HAVE to come in and SEE all the stuff in the General Store. They don't have Cracker Barrels where I grew up and so she had never been to one before. My mom is not a "road trip" kind of gal. She will fly and meet you where ever your destination is, but don't ask her to ride in the car for much more than 100 miles. Hence, the reason for not ever stepping foot inside before. We had alot of fun giggling and laughing at stuff. We left bladders empty; sack full of Yankee Candles, (Sea and Sand fragrance~smells like Coppertone suntan lotion), ZOTS candies, and some trinkets for my boys all courtesy of my sweet bro-in law. Thanks again E- Rich!!! I think he has traveled with the clan long enough!!

Hannah came over on Sunday to have lunch with us before she headed back to NYC. Because of all the graduation celebration she had not seen my boys. We had brunch of some southern favorites, pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, and homemade blackberry cobbler. It was a beautiful day and we just hung out and had lunch outside. Hannah we miss you, wish you would come back to Texas!!

Show Us Where You Live Friday~Guest Bedrooms

Welcome back to Kelly's Korner Tour of Homes. This week she is featuring the guest (forgotten) bedroom. I am like Kelly, I have not done much to my guest bedroom and almost embarrassed to show it, but here goes...

Welcome to the only room in my house that doesn't have color on the walls. Most of the time the only people that sleep here are my mom and Big Daddy's folks. My sister's family stays with us on Christmas Eve. I love when they come and spend the night, even though they live in the same town as us. We HAVE to be all together to see what Santa has brought. Sometimes I move up stairs to the guest bedroom if Big Daddy is having some REAL restful sleep (snoring up a storm) and I just can't take it anymore. (You know what I am talking about!!!)The bed is from Thomasville and the matalasse is from good ole TJ Maxx from my Sis for Christmas several years ago.

This cute mirror is from my sister about 10 years ago. She got it at Sample House.

I made this pillow and it was super easy. I reused a throw pillow that was out of style, bought a bouquet of red peonies from Hobby Lobby, cut the blooms off and hot glued them in rows. I had seen one at Nordstrom and it cost around $120.00. CRAZY!! Mine, less than $7.00.

This is a sheet of paper dolls that I bought in New Orleans when I was in college. My mom had it framed and matted for me to hang in my first apartment.

This was my cradle when I was a baby. My mom went out and bought this the day she found out she was pregnant with me. Many, many, many family members and friends have put their babies in this cradle. Since it was 32 years since I had first slept in it, it was in major need of of some TLC beofre it was ready for my babies. My Father -in-law stripped and re stained it for us. He did a great job.

My Sis had the bedding made for it when I had my first baby Zack. I am sensing a future post about my sister coming soon. There is alot of her contributions in my guest bedroom. She has THE most precious house and she is a big influence in my decorating style.

I am so embarrassed that we never got around to finishing this piece of furniture. I have had it in different rooms and have never been sure if I should paint or stain it. I used to think that I might have a little girl and that it would be cute for a girlie room, but that just ain't gonna happen!!

I store ALL the Battenberg lace table cloths and linens that my mom gets me (and my sister) on her trips. She LOVES that stuff and has made sure that my sister and I each have at least one or maybe two of everything she buys.

Cutie things on top.

Yes, another piece of unfinished furniture. The little ladder back chair belonged to Big Daddy's grandmother. I think it was avocado green when we acquired it from Big Daddy's parent's lake house 20 years ago.

My mom bought this rocking chair the day she found out she was pregnant with my sister. The framed picture was from my grandmother's house. It is a photo taken of my dad's sister and two of her girlfriends. My aunt is the one on the bottom left. I looked alot like my aunt at the same age. I am laughing at myself now, the beautiful needle point pillow was a gift from, you guessed it...my sister.

My guest bedroom bath. I can't stand this wallpaper, but we have never gotten around to changing it. You know that saying "out of sight, out of mind". I always put white towels in here, bottles of water, and a new unopened full size bar of soap so it will feel like a hotel.

This is coming into the bathroom from the hallway, this side services the game room.

OK, see that smoke detector...waaayyyy up there on the ceiling of the guest room? It has been beeping with a low battery for about the last 10 days. Well, my mom was coming to town for my niece's college graduation and was going to be staying with us. Uh huh...your thinking the same thing I was. How in the heck are you supposed to get up there and change the battery??

Not like this!!!!! Big Daddy had the wrong kind of ladder and LEANED, yes "LEANED" the end of the ladder against the "SLANTING" part of the ceiling. Big Daddy was like "why are you snapping pictures?" I told him I was taking pictures so I could show the insurance company how exactly he fell and broke his neck!! Not really, I knew it would be "blog worthy". (You know those opportunities)

Hey, Big Daddy since you have that ladder out (and are living dangerously), can you change the light bulb...

UP HERE?

YEA!!! The light works again!!!