Mother's Day, sans Mother

I had been dreading today, Mother's Day, since the day my mother died a little over one month ago. It turns out it wasn't so bad after all. My church meetings were uplifting (as opposed to the sometimes guilt-inducing or overly-sentimental Mother's Day diatribes), and I spent the day with my family--including two of my sisters. After church we drove to Ft. Logan, the cemetery where Mother is buried. We weren't sure if her headstone would be up or not and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was.

Since the graves in Mother's section are all relatively new, they don't yet have sod. Hopefully it won't be long before they do. There is something inherently pleasing to me about the orderly rows of identical headstones in the military cemetery.

Susan arranged a beautiful bouquet of flowers we took to church for the chapel, then came home and rearranged them--from the tall glass vase they were in to a low basket--to decorate the grave (better for not tipping over, should a breeze come up). It was, without doubt, the most stylish arrangement in the entire cemetery and one Mother would definitely love.

My dad held up well today and said that he felt Mother's presence at the graveside. It was a peaceful, happy feeling.

Susan and Fred came from Pennsylvania for the weekend--that's a Mother's Day gift in itself! Susan and I spent Friday and Saturday going through Mother's clothing and personal affects, sorting piles for distribution to family members, friends, etc. There were a few tearful moments, but more laughter and smiles as we reminisced together.

Karen came out for the day (Sunday) and was delighted with the things she received from Mother's stylish bounty! One of the items Mother wanted her to have was her gold wedding band. Dad bought a chain for it so Karen can wear it now without waiting to have it sized.

Mother had designated me as the recipient of her diamond ring, a beautiful ring that to me symbolizes 65 years of committed, loving marriage. My Mother's Day gift was to have the jeweler solder it between my two wedding bands. If you look closely, you can see the ring on my finger in the photo below.

Susan brought along some water to give the arrangement one last drink before we left. (Yes, those are fresh limes in the arrangement!)

Mother's headstone sentiment is a fitting tribute to the live she lived and the way in which she loved us all: Charity Never Faileth.

Today I feel grateful to see my mother's legacy living on in the women in my life, and hopefully in me. I love you, Mom.

Christmas: Black-Eyed Susan style!

15 bolts of satin ribbon: $450

30 boxes of fresh greens for outdoor urns: $1,800

1 tube of heavy-duty hand lotion to soothe hands scratched from endless tree primping: $13

1 scary New York Yankees ornament that had to be worked into an otherwise beautiful tree: $9.95

1 early Christmas present--a warm and very stylish scarf from Paris: undisclosed amount of Euros

Dinner on the run (that's Diet Coke, in case you're wondering): $15

60+ work hours in 4 1/2 days spent with my best sister and friend: Priceless.

'tis the season

This year I have two friend "clients" for whom I did Christmas set-ups. I'm almost finished, except for a little accessorizing at both places, and now I'm faced with the piles of Rubbermaid bins stacked in my own dining room.

Part of me has been energized by the creativity of setting up Christmas for other people, and the other part--unfortunately the dominate, aching back, and very tired part of me tonight--perishes the thought of having to primp more garland and trees with my pricked and sore fingertips.

Hooray for Charlotte and Emily's imminent arrival, because when it comes to Rubbermaid bins, it's always best to have a buddy or two in your back pocket.

signs of the season

Fall decorations are perhaps my favorite of all the year--perhaps because I love the things I've collected over the years, but more likely because I can actually get them out and put them up in an afternoon unlike Christmas decor, which most often turns into a project of several days.

Though you can't really tell in this photo, letters are etched onto each of these votive candles to spell out AUTUMN.

I've had the autumn vine and raffia pumpkins, shown here on the family room mantle, for more years than I wish to acknowledge and should probably consider replacing them. I pull them out each Fall, however, and manage to spruce them up with a few newer items tucked in--the cutest of which is the "Merry Holloween" china sign hanging with ribbon from an open-back frame (courtesy of Black-Eyed Susan, of course!).

Another gift from Susan, and another favorite of mine, are these "Boo!" kugels and wooden primitive crows which hang in an open half-wall of my desk/craft area.

The only new addition this year was two of these free-standing, billowy wheat sheaves. I love them, especially this one with my favorite Black-Eyed Susan crow perched nearby.

The cutest thing frequently found in my house, however, is my darling parents. This photo was taken on my mother's 83rd birthday. My dad, by the way, turns 90 in January! Maybe this Winter we can convince him to hire out the shoveling. . . .

Happy Fall!

mini makeover

Five years ago we moved into our current home, inheriting a number of lovely "gifts with purchase," so to speak. Some things I simply could not abide and was driven to change immediately, and others--though I didn't like them--got pushed to the bottom of the to-do list until, sadly, I guess I became used to them and almost forget that I wanted to change them.

My bathroom shower curtain was one such item. Southwest-style prints have never been a favorite of mine, but I guess the fact that it was a pretty shade of red and I happened to have matching towels made it somehow tolerable, or at least not annoying enough to move up on the priority list.

I'm not sure what first inspired my desire for a black-and-white shower curtain, but I had a vision in my head of what I wanted. One day while reading a home improvement post by blogger friend Lee in Pennsylvania, I saw the shower curtain that was in my head! I posted a comment about the irony of it all, praising her for her good taste. She quickly emailed me to say that she had made hers from a table cloth she purchased at T J Maxx, and that she had an extra one I could buy from her for a mere $15! Woo hoo! One step closer to getting rid of Southwest kitsch.

Fast forward about four months. The table cloth had been sitting on my sewing table, waiting for me to find the time to transform it. One afternoon after work I decided that there's no time like the present, and I sat down and made myself a shower curtain!

The table cloth was not quite large enough on its own, so I added a weighted hem in solid black. I decided to tie grosgrain ribbon in single-looped bows at the top of each shower ring.

Remember my powder room re-do last March? I saved the rather scary hardware (towel bar and switch plate cover) and got out my favorite transformation tool: black spray paint.

I haven't hung the "new" towel bar yet, but you can see here the lovely one I'm replacing. Do you know of anyone with a log cabin who would like to decorate with a hunting motif? Perhaps the more pressing question is, "Why in the world didn't I replace this hideous thing sooner?!"

The finishing touches, and perhaps the final impetus that got this project in motion came as birthday presents last March. Susan gave me these cute ceramic canisters for Q-tips and cotton balls,

and Michelle brought me (among other things) one of the darling black-and-white boxes of Puffs I had coveted after seeing them on her blog. I have alerted each of my family members that I will NOT be throwing away this box, but re-filling it.

See the wonders of blogging? Table cloth from T J Maxx: $15. Black fabric on sale at Hancock's: $5. Twelve yards of black grosgrain ribbon: $12. Sending the Southwest to Goodwill: Priceless.

Vanity gene

I confess. I'm a carrier of the Vanity gene. It comes from the Hunter side of my family and causes me to never leave the house without lipstick applied (with another 6-7 shades in my purse, just in case), wear shoes that are often chosen for style over comfort, fret a little too much over the condition of my hair, and do things like change my Blogger profile picture numerous times in one month--at least this past month.

In my defense, I kept this--my first profile pic--for quite a while:

Jessie took this photo of me in May 2007 when we were in Utah for a family reunion. I was actually holding Bella on my hip, but liked my hair and the lighting, so I cropped it for my first-ever profile picture.

When I changed hairstyles in December '07, it seemed like I should update my profile once again. It took me awhile, though, as the picture I used was not taken until August '08. Perhaps the update was more a result of my evolution from blogging commenter to actual blogger. This photo was originally a SP of Charlotte, Emily, and me, but I like my eyes--so a quick crop and I have Profile Pic #2.

Almost a year later it seemed time for another update, after all, my hair had changed yet again and this SP I snapped before going to a concert in May '09 seemed like the right choice (though in retrospect, I might have thought to PhotoShop that blemish off of my forehead).

Not one week later I decided to cut my hair and go for a short summer look. I credit (or blame, depending on how you look at it) Susan for the change, as when we were in Vail she brought out her customary stack of hair and fashion magazines in which she had flagged all the cute new 'do's. Mine turned out a little shorter than I had bargained for and I fretted I was destined to look like a Middle-Aged Ball Head. Nevertheless, I felt that my profile pic should reflect my current look.

Now, a few weeks into my new cut, I'm starting to like it more and feel a little less ball-headed. Since I liked the way I styled it today (why is that some days we like our hair, and some days we don't?) I decided to snap these two photos in the afternoon light of my sunroom. Now I can't decide which to use as my new(est) profile pic.

*sigh* The vanity gene can be really bothersome at times.

the big reveal!

I had hoped to post my bathroom makeover photos yesterday, but a nasty migraine sent me to bed for the afternoon. I can't wait to show you what we accomplished during Susan's and Fred's brief visit!

We decided to paint right over the existing wallpaper--not always the best idea, but two of the bathroom's walls had already been painted over by the previous homeowner, and time was also a consideration, so we forged ahead. Susan painted the room while I worked downstairs sewing the window treatment from the beautiful silk remnant she brought. Look at this fabulous silk ball fringe to be used as trim!

Susan recommends always painting the ceiling the same color as the wall, and I have never been disappointed when doing so. (It also makes cutting in much easier!)

Once the base color was on the wall, we marked it for tone-on-tone striping with an ingenious tool Fred devised for doing so. This photo doesn't really show the tool, but it's a wooden template of sorts that marks 10" stripes on the wall (with the assistance of a level).

After marking the lines in light pencil it's time for the blue painter's tape to go up. We masked off the lines that were going to be painted in a slightly darker (and flat finish) shade. The base coat of paint is an eggshell finish.

The fun part is taking off the blue tape to reveal the crisp, straight stripes. We laughed at this huge gob of tape amassed in the garbage can.

No more blue tape!

I almost forgot to mention that we decided to paint--yes, I said paint--the floor. We put a coat of primer over the linoleum, then a lighter base coat of color. Next, Susan used a plastic bag to do a "faux finish" on the floor. We chose the color from the floor rug she brought, which ties the wall color with the floor. (Note our ingenious use of Glad Press 'n Seal wrap to cap off the exposed sink pipe!)

Thankfully, the blizzard lasted only one day and we were able to get out on Friday for a trip to one of our favorite stores: TJMaxx/HomeGoods. Here we found several great accessories, including a really cute glass-front chest to hang above the toilet. We weren't really looking for one, but when we saw it we knew it was the perfect thing.

This one's for you, Jill. I actually remembered to snap this SP after our successful HomeGoods run.

And now--drum roll, please--Ta Dum!

Now for the fun part--accessorizing! Once the new sink and vanity was installed and the mirror, valance, and chest hung, Susan began her finishing touches. She has such an eye for and attention to detail. She brought some new things and scavenged around the house for a few existing items to use. Here's a good look at the HomeGoods chest, filled with rolled aqua towels we found on the clearance aisle of the same store (the bottom shelf has rolls of toilet paper--who knew they could be so cute!):

One of my favorite things is this collection of framed prints that Fred gave me. They are photographs of old pressed botanical samples. Some of them date back to the 1800's! He did a beautiful job of photographing them--they look almost dimensional in their pressed glass frames, and I like how the wall shows through like a "mat."

I would never have thought to put cute things on the back of my toilet! Look at these monogrammed soaps in two different shapes in this cute cute glass apothecary jar.

Here's a closer look at the detail above the wall chest. She brought the cute round mirror from her store and pilfered the books and fleur de lis from my dining room bookcase. I still don't know how she managed to get all of this stuff in her suitcases on the way here!

New light fixture, made even better because it was only $26.99 at Home Depot. It sure beats the Texaco bathroom look of the old one.

A little of the old (reframed) to mix in with the new: a photo of Emily and I when she was a baby. I had it hanging in here before, only in a different frame.

No detail was left unattended to. Susan bought new switch plates, faucet, a new towel bar, hook, and toilet paper holder. She even brought a fragrance diffuser (from her store) that's not only in a cute square bottle, but also in one of my favorite scents--grapefruit. We found a cute china casserole lid among my things (a gift from Susan in the past) to hang above the towel hook.

The project took a little longer than we had anticipated (we worked until about 9 p.m. on Saturday night and they were scheduled to leave Sunday morning) but it sure was satisfying. What a wonderous gift of love to me! Their generosity is overwhelming--not just the money spent on the project, but their time, as well. That is probably the best part of the gift--having the entire project finished in such a relatively short time. It's really fun to work hard with people you love, and even more fun when the project is something you've been wanting to do since well, FOREVER.

The best part? Now I'm no longer embarrassed to let people use my powder bath--in fact, I might even encourage them to do so! This project has been such a morale boost to me, now I know why all those people on Extreme Makeover, Home Edition cry when they see the finished result. Thank you, thank you, thank you dear Susan and Fred. You're wonderful and I love you both!