Would you like to have a seat? { new find }

Lookie here at what my Mammaw bought me.

I’ve been on the hunt for a wing back chair for awhile & she found a real beauty.

I love the shape….very unique.

and the wood trim…..made me swoon.

She paid $10 dollars for it. That’s right a whole ten bucks. I think this chair is 1940’s-ish. What do you think?

I wish I had the talent, knowledge, will power, initiative and over all creativity to recover this chair myself…..but I don’t. So, off to the professionals she goes…..

I can’t wait.

Have a great weekend.

Your friend~

Jessica

A Little Peak~

How it all started…..

A new to us, dining room table was purchased for a new house we didn’t buy, last September. We decided to stay here at The Cozy Kettle. =)

( a really good decision )

The table is quite large for our little space…..maybe one day we will get another table a round-ular one. Round-ular is a word isn’t it?

So Sunday after church, I drug Mister to Kirklands and bribed him with food afterwards….the way to get my mister to shop is his stomach.

Then, I saw this…..and fell in ♥

and then, I saw this….

They both came home with us.

I’m still working on the 2 walls that lead into the kitchen. As you well know, when you change one thing…the snow ball effect starts happening. =)

Have a beautiful day~

♥ Jessica

Thrifty Finds & A Little Project~

The Genius', bear and I went to several yard sales last Saturday.....But first I went to my favorite "junk" store. I found this grain sack basket ( I'm thinking laundry room ) and a cute stool.....

We then went to 9 yard sales....had it all mapped out and used the gps to navigate around since we weren't in our subdivision. Total spent $32. Time with my kids ( yes, I claim bear as mine...lol. ) .....priceless.

I found this lovely vase and cute detailed mirror ( both have been freshly painted already )

I loved the detail on this frame.....$1.00

also already received it's first coat of paint. :)


this silver urn ( I have a thing for urns.... ) $4.

Then we started a few little projects....

The genius' hot glued moss on a wooden H from Michaels and a foam ball for my silver ( shabby ) urn.....she did a good job didn't she?

Found this { I call it a jelly cabinet...but not sure really what it is } at a church rummage sale for $5.

I have an idea or two for this one....it's already received a coat of primer and it's first coat of rustoleum heirloom white.

I'm thinking this would look great on the wall above the bathtub with pretty towels and some silver.... :)

{ sorry for the poor picture....it's actually a quite charming piece. }

This beauty ( I've always loved this dresser ) has been in our garage for about 5 years. I have it pulled out on the deck for some much needed painting.

Say goodbye stencil....hello.....it's a suprise....and I hope I can do it. { winks. }

Thanks for coming by & have a beautiful day!

Hugs~ J

~ Yard Sale Finds + A New Dining Set ~

Saturday morning, the genius, bear & I set out to find some local yard sales. We found lots of goodies....a wicker basket~ that I plan to use in our new laundry room, a rattan planter, picture frames and even a few Christmas ornaments.

I love silver....even though I have some already I don't think a girl can have enough silver and at $1.oo for the small dish ( I have plans for that one already ) and $2.00 for the platter.....I thought it was a a good deal.

Don't you just love this crackled turquoise planter. $2.oo.

Now for the steal.... I mean really good deal...lol.

So then we happened upon a lady that was sitting outside with an antique settee....we stopped and chatted with her. She mentioned she is moving and going to be selling more items including her dining set. I asked if we could see it. She said sure. We walked in and we saw this beautiful dining room....I casually asked how much she was selling it for ( I noticed a few bumps and bruises but nothing major....seat cushions needed to be replaced but we saw the potential. ) She said....how about $200 dollars? { gulp.....I played it cool, I think. I knew how much this set was at the furniture stores....we've looked at about twenty something thousand stores, lately. } It's the perfect size, 2 leaves, table for 6...and cherry finish....just what we wanted.

So, of course.....I called my Mister, made an appointment to come back a few hours later....went back, bought it and had it home in 30 minutes.

Remember, the chair cussions needed work...right?

Here they are before:

It was a team effort....( I was ironing. :)

Here they are after.

Can you tell what we covered it with?

Yep, the rage of blogland....painters drop cloth.

Washed 3 x, dried, ironed and stapled.

We are super happy with results. Here it is minus the 2 leaves in our dining room. As you know we are getting ready to move in September.

Total cost $235: including material and staple gun. :)

Next mission.....find a buffet. Ahhh...the thrill of the hunt.

More projects coming soon including~ a redo on an old dresser that's been living in our garage. :)

Have a great week!'

Jessica

~ Random Acts of Kindness ~

Hi friends~

I hope everyone had a great weekend. :) I couldn't wait to share this Random Act of Kindness that has been bestowed on my family.

You see.....many months ago on Cindy's ( Just Another Day in Paradise ) private blog she shared a beautiful Annie doll she made for her granddaughter. My heart went to my knees when I saw it. I was just in awe. I remembered my great-grandmother made a Raggedy Ann & Andy doll for me when I was little. I remember the dolls but I have no idea where they ended up. :( I do however have pictures of them that I need to scan and share with you ( I will add that to my weekend "to do" list. :) Anyway. I shared that memory with her. Low and behold.....Mister, the genius & I all have dolls. WOW!

Aren't they fabulous? she wrote the sweetest letter....I framed it. We were all in tears after we read it. The genius immediately took her doll to her her room....I told her that the 3 dolls MUST stay together and she said she wants hers for now. By the heart of each doll is embroidered names....like the genius' says " mom and dad ". More tears came after we read those. You see....the genius will be joining the military after she graduates this year.

Cindy....my friend....I can not believe with all you have been going through you made these dolls for us. In case you don't know her son....has just left on a 2 year mission. They will have little contact while he serves the Lord. Which is a wonderful and heartwarming experience and makes us proud as Mother's .....it's still hard to let go. Thank you Cindy. I never knew that I would 'meet' such wonderful people here with my little blog.

WE will cherish them always!! Just as we cherish you and each and every one of my blog friends.

Meanwhile....it's been cold here in our neck of the woods. We are still shocked over our water scare on Friday and have overly prepared....thank goodness we did. We had freezing weather for 4 nights in a row. YIKES!

Have a beautiful week!

Hugs~ J

~ A New Treasure & A Little Peek~

Hi friends~

I hope everyone is doing well~ I'll be coming by to visit all of you very soon.

Have you ever been by Michelle's @ Sweet Something Design ~ she is a fabulous decorator and her pictures are awesome. Well, she had a give away a few weeks ago...and little old me...WON! YAY! ")

She made these little gingerbread men....aren't they adorable ~ Thank you so much, Michelle.

p.s. she sells little treasures in her Etsy shop, too~ { including the gingerbread men. }

Have you seen these cuties? They were @ Michaels for .99 cents....I only bought 2....I should have bought 10....lol.

In the mean time.... does this classify as a peek? I plan to finish decorating this weekend. :)

I hope ya'll have a safe & happy weekend.

Hugs~ J

Breaking News: We are expecting a 'winter blast' today~ there are many reports that we will get snow~ ") YAY! I was wearing a short sleeved blouse @ work yesterday...lol.

Stay warm!

~ A Special Gift & A Project ~

Hi friends~



I just had to show you this bloom in our garden....everything is just blooming like crazy! More on that on Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday....this week. :)

I have been up to no good this weekend....painting up a storm!

But, Saturday afternoon when Mister got home....he brought in a special delivery. { I was ready for a much needed break }

It was such a nice surprise!

Look what Queenie made with her own two hands....aren't they priceless? Oh, I can't wait to add them to our Christmas tree~ { it's just around the corner you know } You can also find these in her Etsy shop. :)

This beautiful bag with the cutest little pom poms on the bottom~ ADORABLE ~ with the sweetest hand written notes. :)

What a special birthday gift....she is a doll! If you don't visit her blog already, she finds the most adorable treasures....but really....she is a very dear friend.

ALL of YOU are.

How did I get so lucky?

Thank you so much Christie~ I will cherish them always!!

Now....are you wondering why I have been up to no good this weekend? Paint, paint & more paint. I did have some much needed help...The Genius & Bear were here Friday night ALL night to help. Thank you two!

{ keep in mind this is the before. }

Can you see how the wall color looks a little pink? I promise it wasn't pink when we painted {about 5 years ago....sigh } The color was Sugardust by BEHR. Now, it's something different.

I have never really been happy with the color of the breakfast table and have looked high & low for you one just like it...it has a leaf in it...and we really need that especially around the holidays. But I never found one I likes....so PAINT was the choice. I guess I have been scared....but NOT ANYMORE...lol.

I've always been a neutral kind of gal....

Except....this year I have fallen in love with the color....blue. But I don't want to get too carried away with it. :)

Also, all the projects this year...have been a little different than my normal style....maybe it's changing? I just can't help but feel the breakfast room should be a little bit....country-ish. With my much loved hutch....that I can never part with. Is it okay to have different styles in different rooms?

I'm searching for a fresher look.

I will not be ready for the reveal until next week....Please, keep your fingers crossed that it works out. :)

Then after painting the living room, breakfast room, entry and hallway....I spent Sunday....doing this. MORE painting!

Gotta love my pink scrunchie....that matches absolutely nothing I own...lol. You gotta love him, too....he pretty much lets me do whatever I want around here. :)

Have a beautiful week!

P.S. That picture shouldn't say meanwhile....oh well...it's already loaded. :0)

~ Tablescape Thursday ~

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch~

This week I put together my 2nd fall tablescape of the season. This one was a lot of fun!

My daughter and I made mini 'pumpkins' { carrot cake } as seen on last months Southern Living magazine cover...except ours weren't as large { or as pretty } but they were fun to make and tasted great. The table runner was a birthday gift from my dear friend Cindy. Thank you~ I love it!

Note: You may click any picture to enlarge.

I normally would not add pink with fall colors....but I found the fish-shaped silverware holders at a craft show last weekend and I HAD to have them. I thought they were fun and added a bit of whimsy....so I HAD to buy 3 different sets. :)

I used some of my everyday creamy white stoneware~ Marshalls
flatware~ Walmart years ago
bird/candle centerpiece~ Michael's last year
leaf tea-light holders~ Kirklands
glasses~ a gift...many years ago :)

That's my tablescape this week~ I can't wait to see what everyone else has done!

Thank you Susan for hosting~Ya'll go by & pay her and all the participants a visit.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

J~

Out & About on Sunday ~

My Dad...aka 'gampy' came by and took the genius & bear fishing, again.

It was a beautiful day.....

Look at that jelly fish! She took some amazing photos, don't you think?

{ p.s. that's HER fish on ice... }

They had a really great time~

Meanwhile....back in town. Mister & I went to the flea-market....I had never been to one as big as this one before and of course, no camera.....but let me tell you....it was awesome. We walked around, shared an ice-cream cone.....& tried to get lower prices on a few things.....that was fun....Mister is quite the negotiator. :)

What about you? Anything fun lately?

Your friend~ J

~ Treasures & Sharktales~

Hi friends~

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend! We sure did....particularly the genius! But first, a little shopping story. Saturday, Mister got off work early { yeah } and he decided he needed new tennis shoes and I decided I needed yellow napkins. So, off we went. We looked high & low for yellow napkins...see they were important because I got a deal on a pitcher and 2 cups at Kohls....see that yummy pitcher? It was $3.oo on clearance...I bought the 2 coffee mugs and pitcher for $9.00 total. The pattern is buttercup by Sonoma. I also found yellow napkins at Kohl's on clearance for $1.19 a piece....so I bought green ones, too...lol. Oh, and they had napkins rings for .79 cents, too....I bought 8. :) I'm loving this new addiction. We found the butterfly embroidered small table cloth at an antique mall for $2.95. This as you can see turned into an all day event. { winks } When we came home I started playing with my dishes and a new treasure that I haven't told you about yet. :) Mister said, Babe, that looks really nice....set the table like that next Saturday morning.... & I'll make breakfast { yeah, he's off Saturday and yeah...he is cooking! } Then he said, it would look better if the chairs weren't that color....I said I know I haven't painted them yet. So, slip covers were the answer....purchased at Target $14.99 each. WE are much happier with this quick fix. Maybe he is being extra nice since it's my birthday month...or maybe it's because the last 2 months by body has been trying to betray me or maybe it's just because....

He loves me. I think that's it!!

Thanks Mister, for such a great day and buying us a cinnabon, too....yum.

~Sharktales~

Late Saturday my dad called and said....what are those 2 doing...meaning the genius & bear. They were actually walking out the door to go play putt putt. He said stop them....I want to take them to the bay and go fishing. The genius has never gone salt water fishing before and look what she caught!

A 2 foot sand shark.

The first 2 pictures were taken by a sweet couple that were walking the beach....they saw her reeling in something BIG ( while being coached by my dad ) it was a struggle but she got it! They asked if they could take pictures and offered to e-mail us since they didn't have a camera.

Good to their word, they did....thank you Mr. & Mrs. C.P.

The bottom 2 pictures were taken in our driveway....they were all so happy.

The boys didn't catch anything....lol. But were thrilled for her.

Have a beautiful day.

Your friend~ J.

P.S. Mister did get his new pair of tennis shoes, too....lol.

~ A Great Coal Miner ~

Hi friends~

I hope everyone is having a great week! I wanted to share a new treasure with you. My Great Grandfather was a coal miner & I just received his certificate to serve as foreman of the coal mines. It's in rough condition but I straightened it out as much as possible and framed it. If anyone has any tips on how to preserve this better or make it less crinkly~ please let me know.

{ click to enlarge }

This is dated the 22nd day of March 1948.

Yes, my great grandfather was a coal miner and later became a true southern baptist minister. My great grandparents married in 1933 on Halloween. They didn't get married that day because it was Halloween in fact they claimed they didn't realize it was Halloween until later on that day. It was the first day after he proposed that the coal mining whistle didn't blow. Can you imagine getting proposed to and not knowing what 'day' you will be married? They had to have their marriage license for a minimum of 30 days and grandpa couldn't afford to take a day off work so he told her that the first day the coal mine whistle doesn't blow he would be by to pick her up. True to his word the bell didn't ring that morning of October 31, 1933 and she was ready when he arrived. Isn't that something? True love indeed.

Unfortunately, I don't remember my great grandmother; she passed away when I was a 1 1/2 years old { breast cancer }. Granddaddy passed when I was 12 from 'black lung'.....from working in the coal mines. I remember going golfing with him ~ we would eat doughnuts and he even taught me to drive the golf cart. One time I caught a lizard and gave to him as a 'present' and he thought it was the BEST gift ever. :)

I am proud that Mammaw gave me this certificate...she must have known that I would treasure it always.... and I will.

Thank you for letting me share.

Big hugs~ J

~ 199 & a half ~

I'm calling this post 199 1/2 can I do that? Ya'll sure you don't mind? :) First I wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive of my little blog....it's just a peak into my everyday life, things I love....sunrises, flowers, butterflies & my family. I'm so glad I get to share it with you.

Let's have a small recap of the things we've shared since post #101....

We've seen gorgeous sunrises~

& 'grown' some butterflies.... YEAH!

I've shared a few new treasures with you...

Remember Mammaw found these cute little measuring spoons~

We've been downtown....

& found another reason why the genius IS called 'the genius'....lol.

You have learned that there are @ least 37 reasons why I love My Mister....

Although there are many more reasons, this is reason #12 :)

and been so thankful that he came home safe to our family...

We've grown sunflowers for Poppaw

and 'flaunted our flowers' Tootsie style~

I showed you my pink rain/garden boots~

We added a little arch to our yard~

Celebrated special birthdays~

and watched them jump from airplanes....for F-U-N. { I still don't get it....}

The genius....

& My Mister and I...

Want to thank you for being a part of our lives....we adore each & every one of you~

Stay tuned.....my 200th post is Wednesday 7/22/09.

There will be a give-away!

Big hugs~ ♥ the 3 of us.