Takedown.

This beast...
came down after a lot of work with the loppers and hedge trimmers.
and now we have this "trellis" to contend with.
but what a difference it makes!

Checking in

Veruca Salt here. Still no Martha Paint in Home Depot. Please get it together. I've got a room to paint before company this weekend.

Sincerely,

Liz

Wedded Bliss

We hit the road up to the Upstate last weekend to visit old friends and celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs. Matt Wojo (no, not their real last name but I cannot pronounce it let alone spell it plus I've always known Matt as just Wojo).

The wedding was in Flat Rock State Park and it rained and rained. I know Laura was bummed about moving the wedding inside but it was truly the best of both worlds. The lodge was GORGEOUS! Check out those ceilings. My point and shoot does not do it justice.
AND we still got to enjoy this view and the mountain breeze.
This my friends was the place to be... a Brick Street Cafe Cake Heaven? It does it exist!!!
The one on the top right is sweet potato - it was our wedding cake too and it pretty much kicks every other cake in the world's butt. I'm just sayin'.

I'll leave you with this final hilarious photo of Wojo - you're welcome.
Hope you had a great weekend - I'll be back tomorrow with a garden and yard work update.

Passing the buck

I have lots to write about and lots of pictures to post from our marathon yard work weekend but today, I am passing the buck.

I would love to introduce you to two of my daily reads.

Here we go.
Meet Eric, my hubby and probably the funniest person I know. (No i am not married to the man above, that's Jim Gaffigan - some say Eric looks like him). So quick witted, passionate about politics, ethics, law, government employment, bs in the south and writes hilarious commentary on all of the above. Check out Running Into Walls.

Meet Katie - new and fabulous food blogger at Sweet Tater. She and I went to college together (Katie - remember the FU get together in Naperthrill???) Check out her adventures in vegetarian, gluten free cuisine and you won't want to miss Caturdays.

For more inspiration on home design, home keeping and the like hit up that the little sidebar to the right.

Ta Ta for now.... I promise I'll fulfill my blogly duties soon.

Please excuse my Veruca Salt moment.

ok, so I'm totally a Martha Stewart Paint stalker. I've been reading about all the great colors on the blogosphere for months and it is NOT IN COLUMBIA YET!!!!! ARG!

Don't worry - the commercials for her paint are running here too. Tease.
Literally (and I am so not joking here - ask my husband), I call the local Home Depots (yes, all three of them) about 3x a week to ask if they have them yet. NOPE.

Please, Martha, get it in gear and put your paint chips up in the Columbia Home Depot(s) - I promise I'll stop stalking your MSL products until you do something else cool.

After my morning run to Home Depot I learned they will be installing the display April 26.

BUT I WANT IT NNNNOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!

Woof.

Truth be told, Eric and I can't do all these DIY projects by ourselves. We have two helpers that want a little credit.

Meet Lucy

Beagle(ish).
Years of experience: 5
Specialty: Food. Any food. More food.
Tool of choice: Go go gadget nose - to find food, duh.
Nemesis: Food wrappers and trash cans with lids.
Most embarrassing moment: Eating a whole large pizza off the counter.

Meet Charlie.

Foxhound(ish).
Years of experience: 1.5
Specialty: demo and document shredding.
Tool of choice: The relentless Bark.
Nemesis: Neighbor dogs under 10 lbs.
Most embarrassing moment: Beeps of any kind scare me.

Not for hire.

Finally...

FEELING BETTER!!!

I have a big weekend lined up as its the last weekend I'll be home for a few weeks.

On the docket:
- State Farmer's Market Annual Plant & Flower Festival
- taking the Lady Banks Rose down to the G.R.O.U.N.D! (It has totally taken over and I know this seems like a total sin - but it has to be done) - this one's not ours but it looks similar.

- cutting down the the Loquat Tree (planted way to close to the house & looking gangly)
- IF the azaleas are done blooming they'll be getting a haircut too.
- touching up the painted buffet going into the dining room
- running to HD to pick up the new Martha paint colors then heading to the fabric store to *hopefully* find a combo I like for the dining room - yes the DR rears its ugly head again.

If it looks like a lot of yard work, it is! When we bought our house the landscaping hadn't seen any TLC in a few years. Now we get to play catch up - which I think is much better than starting with a totally blank or overworked canvas.

Wish us luck!

bummer

If I had more time, here are the projects I would be working on:

Spring Napkins from the Purl Bee

Knock Off Wood's (Pottery Barn inspired) Storage Daybed

Market Tote Bag from Between the Lines

Photo Blocks from Yummy Mommy

Homemade Laundry Detergent on DIY Natural

but instead my nose is dripping, I'm losing my voice and my lungs are burning. poop.

Wishlist

Seeing that my birthday is a couple of months away and you might want to know what to get me. (HA). These are some things I am jonesin' for.

Guy Wolff White Pottery

Jamie's Food Revolution

Ikea Shopping Spree

Ceramic Composter

and LOTS of Hydrangeas

that is all

on the upside

While in bed A-L-L day with my super sore throat I've been able to enjoy the daily Martha Stewart marathon on the Hallmark Channel. Classic Episodes of Martha in the Kitchen, Garden or Home definitely lifted my spirits. (plus the evolution of her hair is so funny)


Have you guys seen this? If you have nothing better to do, need a little daily inspiration or are laid up sick, be sure to tune in between 11am and 6pm eastern.

UPDATED!!! Hallmark Channel just changed the lineup - now Martha is only on between 9am & 11am Eastern - this totally bites a big one. If you watch between 11 and 6 you see ugly vintage Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie - Really Hallmark? You had a good thing goin'!

pollen, pollen go away

The whole state of SC is covered in this stuff.
and... i am sick :(

I am really, really, really hoping its just allergies but I have a sneaky suspicion that it is more than just the pollen. boo. UPDATED: It's not just allergies - come on antibiotics please kick in.

Can't wait for the thunderstorm that's supposed to blow through tonight. BRING IT ON!

Photo from The State.

New York Public Library

Have you all seen the beautiful New York Public Library Digital Gallery?

These galleries have been all over the blog world lately and I finally had a few minutes to look through a few of the galleries and here are some of my favorites:



There are millions of images to look through. It seems like you can purchase professional prints of a lot of these images but the disclaimer says the images are for free and open use. Seems like you might be able to save these images and use them for your personal use.

Have fun looking through the galleries - and let me know which are your favorites!

I'm BLAD (and punny apparently)

ok, that was a really bad Michael Jackson pun. See I even had to tell you the joke of the pun it was so bad. BUT... do you love these or hate them?

Blad curtains from Ikea $59.99 a pair

I am thinking they might just be the ticket to my dining room dilemma. Move the existing curtains that I still love just can't coordinate to the living room where they will be very happy and insert these which look to have the exact blue I am dying to use.

Thoughts?

Hoppy Easter

Happy Easter to you and yours!

These cute cupcakes are from Martha (of course). Check them out here.

What to Eat Now

Just stumbled upon this great site - its so simple its genius - Eat Seasonably.

We've planted our own garden, just finished studying from In Defense of Food and are trying all around to live by this simple mantra: Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants.

I love Eat Seasonably because it breaks down whats at its freshest now as well as another part of the site that tells you what to plant now. Plus the graphics are gorgeous!


You can download and print this poster for yourself as I did. I've printed the one at the top of this post too. I'm gonna pop it in a cheap Ikea frame and lean it on my floating shelves in my kitchen.

Completed Kitchen

I shared with you awhile back that our kitchen was very bad when we moved in and we did a mini makeover until we fully renovate with new cabinets, floors, countertops, etc.

Well, here's our gorgeous kitchen now! Don't you love it?









April Fools!

St. Simons Shopping

On our recent Beach getaway I did a little shopping in downtown St. Simons which had the cutest little home decor shop... which I can't remember the name. Sorry :(

Here are some of the items I covertly snapped to bring home for inspiration as I could so not afford a stick of gum in the place. BUT that doesn't mean I didn't get some great inspiration for DIY projects.
Nautical/cottage was the name of the game in this shop with beautiful painted furniture and whimsical accents. This blue pillow is just burlap - and you could get the look with a nautical stencil and white fabric paint. I love the grommet detail and nautical rope - so easy to add.

This couch is awesome - I was loving all the burlap/canvas upholstery. You could take a canvas drop cloth from a home improvement store which costs around $8 and make pillows or slipcovers. Cheap and easy!
This fun little mirror would be another cheap and easy diy project - its not even driftwood, just sticks, which you could leave natural or run a little whitewash stain or drybrush even to make it more "beachy". The sticks can just be hot glued over a cheap frame or tied on with floral wire. I'm going to be using some burlap/canvas in unexpected areas this summer. I'll be sure to share all the DIY steps.