Treasures Found in Fred'burg

This past weekend, St. Wayne and I celebrated our anniversary and my birthday by spending 3 days in Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country. It's about 200 miles from where we live so we feel we've been somewhere without having to drive all day. If you don't know Fredericksburg (from this point on I'll refer to it as "Fred'burg" just because I get tired of typing that long name), do yourself a favor and put it on your list of places to know.

It's simply charming and historic, full of quaint B&B's, fabulous shops, bakeries, good restaurants, and lots of live music. And the men like it because it's right down the road from the legendary Luckenbach. It's about an hour west of San Antonio so it's easy to get to.

Here are a few treasures I picked up while shopping...a big heart made of metal, a fork and a spoon with magnets, a heart-shaped boxwood wreath, 3 bars of soap, and several sets of notecards. I could have loaded up much more had there not been some serious self-constrained going on. I'm on the verge of starting spring cleaning, and I really tried to keep that in mind as I looked.

So, maybe you should put Fred'burg on your list of places to visit in the spring when the bluebonnets start to bloom!

Rewriting Your Life Story

Are you one of those people who feel cheated in life? Can you pinpoint exactly when your rotten attitude started? Maybe you had an unhappy childhood or an unfortunate incident that colored your outlook. Well friends and neighbors, here's how you can change all that.

Rewrite the whole dang story! That's right. I'm about to show you how to change that miserable childhood to a happy one. If I could charge for this, I could retire in Tahiti tomorrow!

Take a photo that depicts that "troubled" time in your life. My sample above is with that pesky brother of mine. This particular picture was taken when I was four and he was seven. It was probably the last time he was ever nice to me. And I'm sure as soon as my Dad laid the camera down he took a sharp turn and sent me flying. But...this picture looks pretty sweet, huh? Enough about him, let's get back to me.

The first thing you need to do is find an old book you no longer want to read and a can of spray paint. I chose white paint and sprayed the book all over and even the pages (you want the pages to stick together....heaven forbid someone wants to open the book to read the sad, sordid story).

Then you make up a title for you new book...something wonderful and flattering. Print it onto plain ole printer paper and then cut it to fit the front of your book and, using Mod Podge, apply it as the cover of the painted book. Allow it to dry and you have just reinvented your life story!

I took it a step further and added some berries and a bird, sat it on a pedestal, covered it with a cloche, and made it a centerpiece for the kitchen table during my birthday month.

You could also apply this fun idea to a birthday gift for a friend or a coffee table book for your dog...rewriting their puppy days, embellishing them...whatever the case may be. Just go with it and you'll think of your own ideas!

Now, I feel compelled to add a footnote here. My mother never played favorites and there were evenutally two more kids born into our family who lightened my load a little because my older brother had others to pick on. My childhood was actually idyllic as not only did I have two loving parents in the house with us, I had two doting grandparents just next door. If you've read earlier posts, you know that already and know they were a huge part of my life. So I actually have no complaints about my life story which really makes me feel bad for people who do. So I'm here to help any way I can, and this just might make you feel a little better. And if it's a brother that gave you trouble, I feel your pain...

Amongst My Favorites

Now that January is here and all the Christms stuff is gone, my house looks a little bare. This is when I like to pull out my favorite things. Here is a plate holder that my friend Dr. Dan made for me several years ago. It's an engineering masterpiece made of thin dowels.

I have the perfect place on my cooktop peninsula (not an island because it's connected to the wall) to keep this. It stores 8 large plates and 8 small plates. I love just reaching for a small plate when I'm making a snack or sandwich and not having to open the cabinet door. Is that the ultimate in laziness?

And it adds a dash of color that I can change out on a whim if I find some different small plates to store on the top row.

Don't you just love this? It's truly one of my favorite things. Thanks Dr. Dan!

I Did It Again!

Last year I didn't post the entire month of December, and by golly, it happened again this year. I won't bore you with whining and tell you I had way too much work to do before I could put my Christmas together or tell you I was flat of my back in bed with a high fever...it just happened. I got caught up with so much stuff that some things went undone. I actually fantasized about things I could post about, but it never happened. But, then again, you were probably too busy with your stuff to even check to see if I had posted, so all is well.

Here are a few pictures of Christmas at my house. A litle late, but nevertheless, a new post, right?

I have always wanted to do a tree with no Christmas color and this year I did it. It all started with my friend Cathie finding mercury glass ornaments half off at Mary Kate's in Dallas at their after Christmas sale. She bought me a dozen of them and then all through the season I added to them. When I started to put it all together I was amazed at the amount of decoration I have sans red and green. It amounted to a whole house full.

Christmas was pretty serene at our house, no red/green screaming at me and overstimulating me and adding to the frenzy I find myself in every year. It was pretty peaceful and my favorite part was turning off all the lights but the twinkles on the tree and enjoying the peace and quiet everynight from the couch as I turned off the day and relaxed before going to bed. Ahhh...