J~for Jacuzzi

J is for Jacuzzi.....

 My husband came home the other night with a offer from a friend at work. He had a Jacuzzi for sale. It was posted on craigslist but he wanted to let us know about his deal. Now I've always wanted one, but wasn't sure about how much space they take up. Well, needless to say, we now own that Jacuzzi. It is a fixer upper type thing, but it is in great machanical  shape. Don't laugh but here is the picture of it....(this is very embarassing!)LOL

It does look kinda bad right now. We do have all the sides of it, they just need to be put back on and probably stained or painted. Hmmm.....I can do that. It took six men to load it on a truck and be put in our backyard! The inside shell of the Jacuzzi is in perfect condition. We, also, need to get a space leveled with pavers or cement .Hopefully in the end it will look like this....

I picture many nights of enjoyment once it is all put together and set up. Wish us luck and I will be sure to post the end results when done! I am joining Jenny Matlock for her Alphabe~Thursday. You can find more letter "J"  particpants at her blog Jenny Matlock...off my tangent. If you have any advice or ideas on this, I would  appreciate that too! .....Michelle

Spring Table & More!

Ahhhh... Spring.....

This is my table with a little spring decorating. Its a mix match of things I've had and couple of new items. It all started with these...

I was out thrift store shopping and came across them. The placemats were .75 each and the napkins were .49 a piece. They are a neutral color of green and I thought they could be used often. So for a total of $5.00 a got them. Then I was at Ross and spotted this....

It's the tablecloth, actually its vinyl, but I loved the print. Sorry the picture is blurry, but you can see it was only $4.99. Good deal and just right for a spring table setting!

Then, the plate shown above, I bought at the Dollar Tree several years ago. Love the colors!  I, also, bought this one....

The picture came out fuzzy, but you still get a pretty good idea of what it looks like.

Aren't they cute? These bird statues were a gift from my mother~in~law.  I was with her and she knew how much I loved birds, especially Blue birds. She bought them on clearance for $4.00 each at Ross. Great find, Mom!

This is a shot of the morning sun shining on one my rooster pitchers from Sicily. I did a post previously about them...check it out for the history and to see my collection. Oh, the tulips were a birthday present. Love the color of them! See the pie safe in the background?....I hope to give it a paint treatment soon. So many of you bloggers have such great inspiration pieces. :)

O.K.,  I couldn't help myself, but it was so fitting.  This is one of little birds I bought at the Dollar Tree. They have several varieties to choose from..who can resist?

Ah, this has been my favorite recent purchase! Would you like a cup of pink lemonade? I love this pitcher and the wine glasses. I bought it at Wal~Mart. The pitcher was $6.00 (not bad since a small carafe was $3.oo). The wine glasses were $2.oo a piece. I bought a set of six of them. They are really plastic! Can you believe it? So, for $16.00 I got the whole set.  I love the new print from the Better Homes and Gardens collection that Wal~Mart is selling, from the bedding to housewares.

Here's another view of my Spring table. I am joining Linda at her blog Coastal Charm for her Nifty Thrifty Tuesday party. What fun, take a look at other thrifty finds! I am, also, joining up with Marty at her blog A Stroll Thu Life for her Tabletop Tuesday party. At this party you will see lots of beautiful table settings full of ideas! Thank you to both of these ladies for having these parties!.....Michelle

Enjoy Life!

Great philosophy......

Oh my, its been awhile since visiting here in blogland. I took a little break, as it happens to be mine, my husband's, and two of my childrens birthdays all in the same week! Who planned that one? LOL!  

See the flag above, (life's philosophy) I used my gift card I got for my birthday and went to Kirkland's. I wanted to start springifying (not a word, oh well) around the yard but everytime I do it starts raining. I did manage to get a couple of things started....

I thought this wreath screamed spring and summer.  It was my other Kirkland's purchase. I love all the colors in it!

This is the only bloom on my geraniums, so far. In Sicily geraniums could be seen in overflowing planters all over, I started to enjoy them and their distinct smell from being over there.

For me, I always have to have marigolds. This little pot of them is by my front entry.... I plant them in yard every year, too, because they are so easy grow all summer.

This is my front entry so far. It was so blah out yesterday, no sun and drizzling rain. I thought I was in Florida...?....I know pretty soon we'll be complaining it's soooo hot! LOL

Here is a mosiac with the touches of spring from my front entry....I am joining Mary for Mosaic Monday. You can see more creative mosaics at her blog Little Red House. I am, also, joining up with Mellow Yellow Monday. Thank you to both of these for their great parties. Wish me luck in getting this yard work started, it suppose to be better weather today!....Michelle

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I did a post previously on my Gerber daisy that started to sprout outside. While taking pictures of it, I found some hidden surprises.....

Look close....You don't see them....Here let me get a better view of what I'm talking about......

Do you see them now?.....These little guys popped up, as well. I didn't have the heart to pull them out, they too were cute! I thought they were fitting for today's Outdoor Wednesday. Here's an even closer shot of the clover.....

 I am joining Susan for her weekly meme party Outdoor Wednesday. You can see other great outdoor shots from participants at her blog. Hope everyone finds a pot of gold! Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!....Michelle

Shadow Sunday

Here is a iron candle holder out back on my covered patio. This is how it looks in the morning sun. I really liked how shadows play off of it, making it look bigger! I am joining Hey Harriet for her  weekly Shadow Shot Sunday meme party. To view more shadow shots click the button below.






Hopefully everybody remembered to set their clocks ahead!...Michelle

H~is for Horse

                 Horse is my "H" word for this weeks Alphabe~Thursday.


 I am joining Jenny at her blog Jenny Matlock...off my tangent. The picture below is a picture of my horses Buddy and Brownie. I have had them since I was about 10 years old. My sister and I would use these horses  when we played Barbie's. They were better than the ones made for Barbie!

 When I was little I loved horses and collected lots of horse items.  We even lived down the street from a stable and my friend boarded her horse there. We would watch barrel racing  on Friday nights. My friend and her sister would sometimes compete in the racing to see who would have the better finish time!

These horse statues are from the Breyer collection. The one below is an Appaloosa and his name is Buddy. They are my favorite breed! My friend's horse was this breed and she had such a sweet temper! 

This one below is named Brownie. I let my sister name him! He is a stallion of some kind.  I use to study the different breeds and still recognize most of them by name.

Here is the defintion of horse:

The horse (Equus ferus caballus)[3][4] is a hooved (ungulate) mammal, a subspecies of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BCE, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BCE. Although most horses today are domesticated, there are still endangered populations of the Przewalski's Horse, the only remaining true wild horse, as well as more common populations of feral horses which live in the wild but are descended from domesticated ancestors. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior.

I still love seeing this animal. They seem so graceful and majestic at the same time. I really enjoyed reading  the story "Black Beauty" when I was a kid.

And, I loved the movie of  "Black Stallion".



Most everyone recognizes the horse below. It's the Clydesdale breed or the beer horse. I got to see them in person. They are huge!!!! I love the hair around the hooves, too!



Look how cute they are when they are little, all legs!!



Hope you enjoyed all the horsing around!  LOL, I couldn't resist that. :)  Thank you Jenny for hosting this meme party. You can join in and see more "H" words over at her blog Jenny Matlock...off my tangent......Michelle

Outdoor Wednesday

We're just hanging out.......

Isn't that green something?!!  I caught this little tree frog and had to have a picture of him. They love to hang out around the house and the pool in the summer. I can find them nappping under cushions, planters, and iron work, too. Oh, the noise they make at night can drive you mad at times, but I still think they're cute? I'm joining Susan at her blog  A Southern Daydreamer for her Outdoor Wednesday party. Take a look to over at there for some other great outdoor pictures!!....Hope everybody gets outside today!!...Michelle

Mellow Yellow Monday~Blue Monday

I thought I would post a couple of pictures of landscape oil paintings my oldest son did. He has been very artistic since he was little. We have lots of drawings and paintings he has done over the years. I have displayed his artwork to fill the hallway to his bedroom and used black frames to unify them all. His artwork has been displayed for his schools over the years and has won ribbons. He even did murals as background for plays when he was in high school.  He truly enjoys it and we love his creativity, as well!

You can find more items with a splash of yellow over at Mellow Yellow Monday. I am, also, joining in on Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday party. Thank you to both for having these meme parties!!.....Michelle

Pink Saturday~hosted by Beverly at How Sweet The Sound

This is my first post for Pink Saturday! The above picture is of a Verbena flower that has started to bloom  on my back patio. It's in a pot and is in a covered area, I think that's why it does so well, besides being in FL. In a couple of previous post I have a Gerber daisy and the same thing. I have enhanced the photo with elements on my photo editing program I use. I loved the butterflies that look like they are flying around it! I do plant several different kinds of flowers for spring and summer. I try to stay with the ones that the butterflies like and will start digging into my butterfly garden soon. Enjoy!! Think Spring!!! I want to say "Thank You" to Beverly for hosting this party. You can enjoy more pink items at her blog How Sweet The Sound. Enjoy your weekend everyone!.....Michelle

Show and Tell Friday~Fun Foto Friday!!

I am joining Cindy from Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday and Debbie at Debbiedoos for Fun Foto Friday parties today. While my husband was in the military, we had the pleasure of living overseas for three years in Sicily. We were young and fortunate enough to travel around a little while there,too. One of the first gifts I received was the chicken pitcher....

I was told they were for good luck here is the history on them:

The origin of the chicken pitcher dates back to early Renaissance period in the Republic of Florence. The leading family in the republic was the Medici family. Its patriarch was the famous Lorenzo the Magnificent who had one brother, Giuliano. The Medicis were the wealthiest and most powerful family in the republic. Their only serious rival for power was the Pazzis family.The Pazzis were trying to take power by the normal method used at that time..assassination.

The Medicis' wealth was partly based upon their large land holdings, which their peasants in the nearby villiage worked on. Occasionally, the Medicis would throw large festivals in these villages for the peasants. Giuliano, especially, liked to this and would do so on the slightest suggestion.

Knowing this, the Pazzis had someone suggest to Giualiano that he throw a festival in the small village of Gallina, where one had never been held before. Giuliano agreed, and the Pazzis plotted to kill him and his guards the night after the festival when they would be most vlunerable. (Due to the amounts of wine drunk.)

In the fall of 1478, Giuliano and his enourage including guards, cooks and craftsmen went to Gallina(which no longer exist today) to throw the festival. The Pazzis hired assasins to sneak into town late at night after the festival to kill him. They would have succeeded except they had to cross a yard full of chickens. The chickens started cackling in a great frenzy and woke Giuliano and his guards. The assassins were so startled they froze. They were caught and executed.

Giuliano was so thrilled that the chickens had warned him, that he threw another festival the following night. He ordered his artisans to create ceramic copies of chickens to be used as wine pitchers. These he gave to the peasants and their friends for good luck in warding off assassins. It is now an Italian tradition to give a chicken pitcher to friends and family to protect them from trespassers and danger.

There you have it,  the history of the Italian chicken pitcher. Included with the chicken is always a history print out tucked inside them.

The above picture is the family of them that I have. Another friend of mine, while there, gave me the rest of the chicken pitchers,saying we needed to have one represent each one of our family members. What a nice friend! A lucky chicken pitcher for each one of us! I love the little baby one!!

You know, its funny, maybe they ARE really lucky, none of them have chipped or broke in all our military moves...hhmmmmmm. Thank you to Cindy at Romantic Home for having her Show and Tell party. This is my first time for this party!!  Thank you to Debbie for hosting her Fun Foto Friday at Debbiedoos!! Find your fun photos and join the party!!.....Michelle

Alphabe-Thursday~hosted by Jenny Matlock

Boy, I hope I'm not tardy! Please excuse me, as I run for my seat. This not good for me to be late to my first day of class... I mean my first time participating! Just thought of this one. Today Jenny Matlock is having her Alphabe-Thursday. Todays letter is the letter G. My G word is Gerber daisy. I have been taking pictures over the last couple weeks of this Gerber daisy that is blooming in a pot on my covered back patio.  I got lucky it is just starting to open up and should get a little fuller in a few days. Here is the definition:

Gerbera (pronounced /ˈɡɜrbərə/)[1] L. is a genus of ornamental plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae). It was named in honor of the German naturalist Traugott Gerber, a friend of Carolus Linnaeus.It has approximately 30 species in the wild, extending to South America, Africa and tropical Asia. The first scientific description of a Gerbera was made by J.D. Hooker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1889 when he described Gerbera jamesonii, a South African species also known as Transvaal daisy or Barberton Daisy.
Gerbera species bear a large capitulum with striking, two-lipped ray florets in yellow, orange, white, pink or red colors. The capitulum, which has the appearance of a single flower, is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers. The morphology of the flowers varies depending on their position in the capitulum. The flower heads can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera mini 'Harley') in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’).
Gerbera is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers. 

I have bought this type of flower in several colors over the years. Here is a couple of  vases full of them. Gorgeous!!!



The picture below is a mosaic I did featuring the flower  in diferent stages as it was opening up.


 Thank you to to Jenny for having this meme party. You can see more things beginning with the letter G at her her blog Jenny Matlock...off my tangent... and join in on the fun for Alphabe-Thursday! Hope you enjoy the beauty like I did.....Michelle

My Nifty Thrifty Find

Linda over at Coastal Charm is having her first meme party!! I'm so excited to participate!!  Here is my Nifty Thrifty find.....

I love these plates! About 15 years ago, a friend and I were out thrift store shopping, while in Goodwill we both spotted these plates at the same time! Being the good friends that we are, (both of us not going to give them up, can you say stubborn!) LOL, we decided to split them up. They were priced at .25 a piece, yep a quarter!! I have since used them for decorating purposes. Here is a picture of them being displayed over a picture in my bedroom.

I recently did a tablescape with them for Valentine's day. The vintage tablecloth  is another find from an antiques market. I like the romantic look of it all.

Thank you again to Linda over at Coastal Charm for this new meme party. If you would like to see more thirfty treasures please visit her blog.  This new party is held on Tuesday's, so join in on the fun!...Michelle