{chocolate dipped strawberries}

Hello everyone!  summer is here

 and i'm as busy as ever with my girl!

keeping her entertained is a full time job around here

but, I love it!  so, until school starts up again....

my post will be here and there!

 have a safe and fun summer!

~~~~~

I turned 40 last week :)

 and for my birthday gathering I decided to

make some chocolate dipped strawberries...

a lil champagne and strawberries = LOVE!

~~~~

and below a lovely surprise from a dear friend!

a divine piece of chocolate cake w/ berries & bottle of champagne!!

missed you all these years Steph!

 

xoxo's nancy

{itching to decorate...}

in this economy we have been super strapped for several months and i feel like i'm going to explode!

i can't take it much longer...i need to shop! heehee

well, it's not like i'm a shopaholic{wink wink} but, i would love to buy new furniture, rugs, lamps...

you know the necessities!{long over due!} 

but,

what can you possibly do if you don't have any bananas in your wallet right?

 well, i decided to find things around my house and

see what i could come up with ....

here is a space right next to our living room, it's a sunroom? not sure but, 

it has always stumped me on what to do w/ it...so, here is my challenge....

this is the space semi- before...

the oak table i bought at my favorite thrift store...i sanded off all the old stain and left it bare,

added some antique bronze drawer pulls from home depot,  a basket i had from a palm tree long dead & the

white ceramic planter i found for $5 bananas!

{love using the word "bananas" like on Rachel Zoe Project}

also, notice the poo poo brown doors...yes, i thought that was a great idea a few months ago...

 not loving anymore...have paint, will paint soon.

close-up of table....

the chair had a white pillow b/f and now added some burlap i had and tied the corners to the chair w/

ribbon...just an experiment...

here's the space now...

in our spare {junk} room, we have a daybed and on it was this twin coverlet w/ pillows ...white on 1 side &

 martha stewart green on the other..

i decided to tuck the white side of the coverlet into the striped empire sofa and make it comfy by

 adding the 3 euro pillows...this sofa is really not meant to lounge in..it's kinda narrow but, let see how it works..

kinda liking, not totally loving but, it'll do for now...

hung a collection of  framed audubon bird prints on each side of the window...

covered a small white pillow insert w/ some more burlap & put it back on the stool
{no sew project} 

that was FREE at my favorite thrift store!

i decided that now that i'll soon turn 40 and my brain is or may be turning into mush...i'm going to

start reading...not just magazines but, real books that adults read...heehee

so, i think this sofa may work for a good reading nook..i'll have to give it a try and see if i don't fall

asleep & trust me i'll have magazines near just incase i get bored!

 

:)

now, if your itching to decorate & banana free like myself...go around your house  & see

what you can  find to help with that urge to splurge

 and go green...oh goodness green...$ always comes up....hee hee

happy sunday ya'll!

xoxo's nancy

{red, white & blue...}

welcome.... 

i'm glad you stopped by....

don't you like  the splashes of the red?

 layering of the red rug, the apples on the coffee table, red side table

and the pillows...sets the mood for 4th of JULY!

go ahead and just put your things here and let's head out.... 

gotta have one of these in my house... a landing pad for totes, backpacks, shoes & jackets.....love these red totes, such a classic style...

 make yourself comfy...i'll bring out some ice tea....

 love the white adirondack chair with the striped pillows and how cute are the decorations....

 plaid, i've heard it's a NEW trend????

thank you for stopping by, i enjoyed your visit :)

i love these striped curtains...{i have a secret...i've always had a crush on navy blue }

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xoxo's nancy

{daddy...Happy Father's Day!}

Any man can be a Father,

but it takes a special person

to be called Dad.

The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City. Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born in memory and gratitude by a daughter who thought that her father and all good fathers should be honored with a special day just like we honor our mothers on Mother's Day.

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Daddy, your #1 in our book!

to all the wonderful  fathers, daddy's, dads, papas etc. wishing you all a beautiful day with your loved ones!

xoxo's nancy

{reminder..."DESIGN STAR starts tonite!!}

Sunday June 13th 10/9c on HGTV!!

i'm glad something good will finally be on HGTV!

you know i use to be glued to that channel but, lately...well, more than lately it's been pretty much in the lame-o department and sadly nothing worth watching! 

what's going on with hgtv?

btw~ speaking of new shows{ok maybe not so new now}... have you heard of 

 "9 by Design"?!?!  gotta tell you ~i heart heart them!

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the entire family is precious and design is SOO fresh and eclectic!  this is 2nd  favorite  show right now...1st was housewife of ny but, now it's over...not really into the jersey housewifes...but,
looking forward to bethany's new show  & the new housewifes of Houston! my hometown! woohoo...i'm a reality JUNKIE!

ok now, back to design star...here are the faces of the designers for this season!

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can't wait!

xoxo's nancy

{it's the joy of being a "mommy" that keeps me going...}

it's been a crazy busy these last few weeks but, ALL WELL worth it!!

 here is what's been going on:

swim team started- go SWORDFISH!

field day- i was the pickle lady...SOO ironic{hubby calls me pickles}...hee hee

memorial weekend getaway- Galveston & it's nice green water...but, a ton of fun :)

teacher gifts {bought cute cute straw beach bags for both teachers in an amazing aqua color at Loehmann's}

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last day of school bash at my house... we had a water slide, water balloon fights, watermelon eating contest, snow cone machine {have i told you i heart snow cones} and loads of fun!

below is the banner my hubby & daughter made for the party...i added my special touch GLITTER...you can't see it but, i outlined each letter it was quite sparkly!

FINALLY, I have a few hours to myself!  summer camp started this morning!!

now, maybe i can get back to my normal routine? :)

happy life is good!

xoxo's nancy

{kitchen inspiration...a few ideas}

i planned a similar window seat in our kitchen...we replaced an old window with new one and kept the size which would be the perfect spot for the window seat...see below

the window with the stain glass panel is where i planned for the window seat....and instead of having doors underneath, i think i may just have open cubbies...this way madeleine and husband can't give me the same old excuses of why shoes & backpacks are left by the front door! 

 

i really like the look of these latches...

 

i really like the look of these butcher block counters for the island...a budget friendly idea for sure {well maybe just the 1st picture}
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image 2- i really like the way the wood counter top is beveled ogee style...{note to self~ keep image just incase maybe one day I win the lottery :}

i especially LOVE the look of thick crown molding...i've used it thru-out the house and this is something i'd like to add to the coffered ceiling in our kitchen...

picture of the ceiling in our kitchen...

so i have mixed taste { i love beachy cottage & french eclectic}...i ADORE this candace olson kitchen! love the clean lines, bulky square legs on the island,  look at the ocean blue back splash & a splash of dark wood for the stools...she's just great!

are you seeing my vision? maybe? maybe not...it'll come together i think???

i'm a visual person and my husband handyman is the opposite...he like everything drafted out with measurements and everything...i suppose this is why it works!

xoxo's nancy 

{if i was a kitty...this is what i would look like ALL summer!}

I heart snow cones!!

xoxo's nancy

{urban market}

this past weekend we attended the urban market...

it was muggy & muddy...

so, the first thing "a must"  grab an ice cold diet drink...which is much needed to get my brain in shopping mode

then, wandered thru the booths and surprisingly i didn't see a whole lot that i just had to have :(

but, this chandelier did catch my eye and the price tag as well! YIKES

hands down my favorite...

and while there i visited my good  friends booth {monique's}...she sells beautiful white night gowns...

then, mini me ms. madeleine had a great idea...

she said "let's have lunch!"... they had some really nice salads, breads & cookies but, being texas girls, we couldn't pass up the good old  chopped beef sandwich & chips!

Hope you have a great week!

xoxo's nancy

{kitchen ~ dreaming of the day.....}

i am itching to start on our kitchen....unfortunately,  our  money tree is not blooming as

 well as i hoped this year...SO, instead of  getting all worked up about it & driving my husband insane :}...

i've  decided to turn that frustration into something positive &  gather some ideas for now.

our kitchen before had white bead board cabinets from ikea...they worked well until the fronts started

peeling....we are still using them & work for the time being but, not secured to the wall

 and most of the legs have

broken due to moving them around{cheap plastic legs not intended to move once in place}

what's crazy is we have replacement wood doors  from ikea

{ i complained & got free replacement doors..they were under warranty for 10 years & lasted 3!} 

that same year they discontinued our style doors
{wonder why?? lol }

and  we had to choose another style...they are still in boxes in the attic...

 3 or 4 years ago we were going to replace the doors but, then decided to extend our lil house
and in turn reconfigure the kitchen

our kitchen before.....

our kitchen now....do you think we need more lights? :)

we took out the travertine flooring we had in the old kitchen and replaced w/ 3/4 inch wood to match the rest of the house...

first thing on the to do list....stain floor!

wondering why we have 2 refrigerator's??? the white is out of order for the moment...waiting on a part to fix

next, i will be searching for inspirational ideas!



P.S....i'm open for any ideas or if you would like to photoshop my kitchen that would be awesome!!  i've seen ladies do this in blogland and it's super neat!
not sure if you ladies get a decorators block when it comes to your own home...it's pretty much what happens to me all the time!

xoxo's nancy 

{20th century angel}

a couple years ago i came across this beautiful hand carved wood angel & she is just an amazing piece of 20th century art!

she is all hand carved and painted in golds, whites, pale pink,burgundy & black.... just truly stunning!

she is substantial in size approx. 27" x 36"

and now i'm ready to part with her

i'm asking $750

The artist is unknown but, has 2 markings on the backside with JB? I've researched and can't find.... {if anyone has any ideas send me a message! i would really be interested to know!!}

as far as shipping i'm not sure how much it will cost but, i will work it out the details once i have someone interested..i'll haul her to the post office and get her weighed & go from there...you will only pay exact shipping fee!

the back

 

please convo me if your interested.... i'm hoping to sell and get started on my kitchen!!

 

xoxox's nancy