Brave People Make Things

A few months back my sister in-law put this challenge, that you see below, out on her facebook page. I was one of the first five people to respond. The photo above is what I received in the mail yesterday. Isn't it beautiful? I absolutely love it. Thank you Diane for challenging me! Why not start your own challenge. The offer below has expired, but perhaps it will inspire you.

Brave People Make Things
The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It'll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your note.

7. Send your mailing address if you don't live close to me!

I still have a few people to whom I owe something homemade. I'm working on it. Those of you that joined this challenge with me know who you are. I have not forgotten you!

Sunday Favorites-A Passion for Ping Pong

I decided to repost this because I wrote it when I first started blogging and I had very few readers back then. I love ping pong and over the winter months my ping pong table really took a beating and Mr. Honey promises to restore it for me. Is there anyone else out there that enjoys a game of ping pong?

A few months ago I had a garage sale to clear out the clutter and rekindle a childhood passion. With the money I earned from my garage sale, I convinced my husband that we had both room and time for ping pong. It was a hard sell, believe you me, as my dear husband has no tolerance for anything other than his Jeep paraphernalia stored in his revered garage space. If there is one thing that I am, it's convincing. I just pulled the "don't dash my dreams" card.

Every marriage should come with a ping pong table. Let's say you have difficult issues to talk about. If you play ping pong while communicating, any hostility that arises can be easily deflected to the ball. Ping pong is also a wonderful way to stay in shape, and, let's face it, staying in shape can't hurt a marriage. No matter how bad you are at the game, the grandkids will always be ready to play with you. Passion, laughter and balls, it's a winning combination! L.O.L.

Be sure and visit Chari at Happy to Design to see more Sunday Favorite posts. Chari is our lovely hostess and if you've never visited her before now is the time to join in the fun. Just click here to learn more.

Saturday Outing

Saturday, a couple of friends from work accompanied me to L.A. for some shopping fun and girl talk. At first we were going to go to the Pottery Barn Outlet to see if we could find some bargains, but after reconsidering we decided not to go so far and ended up driving about an hour and fifteen minutes from home to the nearest Pottery Barn Store. I needed to meet up with a friend of Mr. Honey's anyway, to collect the money Mr. Honey made selling his Jeep to his friend, so we met up at Starbucks where Mr. Honey's friend was waiting with the money. You have no idea how tempted I was to take that money and spend it all, but Mr. Honey would be proud of me, the money remained in a sealed envelope ready to go into the bank.

Our second stop was the Pottery Barn store. Oh girls, it was a tactile experience. We got to touch many of the items that we sell on the phone everyday. We ooohed and ahhed and walked away with a few bargains that we purchased with our generous discounts.

Of course everything was beautifully displayed and we not only purchased a few things we came away inspired. I bought a new lunch bag for work and a glass dispenser to make sun tea in. I'll save lots of money making my own iced tea, instead of spending going through the drive through on the way to work.

Margaret likes to say she went to Pottery Barn to buy dirt, but really she bought the most lovely sand and a bag of sea shells to recreate the beachy feel of this display inside a latern she already owns.

Still hungry for some more bargains we headed to the local Home Store where Margaret found this darling chicken and Suzie found some great towels and other necessities.

I bought a book for $3.99 on how to keep your heart healthy and a stack of notes to use at work for messages. The notes were only $5 and had the same little Paris scene on the side of the stack that this cute box, below, has on it.

Unfortunately the pretty shiney cannisters below didn't photograph as beautifully as they appeared in the store.

Margaret controlled herself and didn't purchase this lovely chicken tureen, but we had to, at the very least, get a picture of her holding it.

The time shopping at the first two stores passed so quickly we didn't realize how hungry we were, so off to Wood Ranch for lunch we went. I must have been too hungry to think about taking a picture of us at the restaurant, and I forgot to ask the waiter to take our picture. We all three had the most delicious steak salad and sweet potato fries and enjoyed every morsel, but we didn't need a nap, no, we were fueled up and ready to shop some more.

We left Valencia and headed for the Grove in Hollywood. I thought it would be fun to stop at a place called The Farm for desert and what better desert than S'mores. We lit those marshmellows on fire and laughed and laughed. It was like being back in the Girl Scouts without the little green uniforms.

After satisfying our sweet teeth we headed to Pottery Barn Kids, where summer was in full swing. Pretty little adorondike chairs greeted us as we entered the front door.

Suzie was checking everything out, just like any normal little kid would, L.O.L.

We all loved the beachy bedding and getting to feel the quality and fabric was a real treat.

Who could resist Dr. Sues? This bedding was absolutely adorable.

The American Doll Company was also at the Grove, so we had to check it out. Can you believe there is a doll beauty parlor in that place and little girls were lining up to have their dolls hair couiffed.

The next stop was Sur La Table where I found a fleur de lis cookie cutter and a darling $5 tea towel that had an appliqued jar of jam on it that said Homemade. I had to get it for my daughter who loves to make her own jam.

So many pretty kitchen things in one place. I was sure tempted to get that sealed envelope that held the earnings from Mr. Honey's Jeep and buy the place up, but I didn't.

I love the Grove because it's outdoor shopping at it's finest and there is always music and excitement in the air. Margaret and Suzie pose for a picture with all their loot. We are loyal Pottery Barn associates, but we felt a little sad for Crate and Barrel so we picked up a few clearance items.

We all agreed, we need to get out more, this was too much fun!

The entertainment kept us thoroughly entertained! At the last minute, we stopped by the Tommy Bahama store where I picked up a little Father's Day present for my son in-law.

The girls got a final snapshot of me resting my weary feet by the beautiful fountain in the center of the shopping center.

There was no more room in the back of my car for packages, so it was time to say goodbye. It was a lovely day of girl bonding and hey, we got some exercise!

Happy Father's Day!!

Born July 11, 1927 Died August 31,1998

Below is a photo of my Uncle Dick on the left and my Dad on the right, when they were just little tykes. I love this photo because it is one of the only photos that I have of my father when he was just a little boy and it is, also, a photo of two very important men in my life.

My parents divorced when I was only two years old and it was a difficult divorce. I didn't really grow up knowing my Dad at all. My Uncle and my Aunt tried very hard to keep us connected, but I really didn't get to know my Dad until much later in life. I am very grateful that my Dad and I finally got a chance to make our peace with each other.

The photo below is a photo of my sister Nonie, who passed away when she was only 28 years old, and my Dad who reconnected with us shortly after I had my first daughter.

The next photo is of my Dad when he came to visit my husband and I when we were still newlyweds.

The photo below is my Dad with his arm around me when I was probably not even two years old yet.

When my sister passed away my Dad disappeared from my life one more time. She was the oldest and was the one most hurt when my parents divorced. I was a mama's girl and I was just too little to think too much about it. That doesn't mean I was unscathed, I just didn't have to deal with the scars of going without a Dad in my life until I was much older.

I remember visiting my Dad when I was probably only five, laying on the couch with him and telling him I wanted to marry him when I grew up. It was very memorable because he said "you don't want to be married to me , look what you'd have to wake up to every morning!" and then he took his false teeth out and laughed and laughed! I laughed too. Even with my childhood hurt I had memories of my Dad's great sense of humor.

After my sister died we went another twenty something years without seeing each other, until one of his sisters passed away and we saw each other again at her funeral. It was very uncomfortable. I had initiated reunions in the past and I just wasn't planning on trying to make this relationship work one more time. I remember my Uncle (the one in the first photo) coming out in the garden and telling me I needed to get the chip off my shoulder and talk to my Dad. That really upset me, because I didn't think I had a chip on my shoulder, I just wanted a father who wanted to relate to me as much as I wanted it. My Uncle must have gone in the house and told my father to come out and talk to me, because within a few minutes my Dad appreared in the garden and sat down next to me. He was very nervous. He had picked an orange off the tree from where we were sitting and he proceeded to tell me how much he loved my sister and I. He was doing his very best not to blame my mother and just explain his feeling of loss in not having a close relationship with my sister and I. As he spoke, he was so nervous, he squeezed all the juice out of the orange he was clinging to for a feeling of security. It was quite a visual picture for me to have the first time I actually felt loved by my father. We had made our peace.

It wasn't long after that my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Before he parted this world, he was able to get to know his granddaughters, witness his eldest granddaughter's wedding, attend a dance recital of his youngest granddaughter and share some Bailey's Irish coffee with his middle granddaughter. We squeezed alot of life and love into a few short months, months that I will treasure for my entire life!

Wordless Wednesday, Need I say more?

In the world of recycling, doesn't this just say it all!

Blue Monday: Feeling blue without you

Back in March my husband was laid off his job after 15 years of service. During the time he was working, he never got more than one week off at a time for vacation. I don't mean to make him sound deprived, he certainly wasn't. He had, after all, three weeks of vacation time a year (just not all at once). He worked twelve days straight with three day weekends on occasion. No one has ever accused him of being lazy. He has always worked very hard to provide for his family. He has taken his responsibilities very seriously.

That being said, I think it was high time for a rest, and some time to reflect on his life and where he wants to go next. It's like having a chance for a second start, a new beginning. A six week sailing trip ought to more than make up for all the years of only taking a week at a time! L.O.L.

What better place to reflect than on a boat, sailing to the Bahamas? When his brother invited him to fly to the Florida Keys to go sailing he jumped at it. Could anyone blame him? Certainly not me. After all, when I wanted to go to London to visit a girlfriend for a month he gave me his blessing. He knew my trip to London was a long time dream, so turnabout was fair play.

I think my nephew took these pictures and I'm so glad he shared them with me (hope he doesn't mind me sharing them with all of you). It makes me so happy to see Mr. Honey looking so content.

What better blue for Blue Monday than ocean blue? Maybe next year I'll be able to go with him -- that is, if I can find a good sea sickness remedy.

Be sure and visit Smiling Sally to see all the other Blue Monday posts.

A Trip to Beverly Hills - Sunday Favorites

It's time for Sunday Favorites once again. It's a chance to repost our favorite posts over at Chari's Happy to Design. Visit Chari for more Sunday Favorites.

Shown above is the first apartment I lived in with my mother and sister, after moving to Beverly Hills. Behind the window on the left is the living room of the apartment we lived in.

Yesterday I took a trip to Beverly Hills to visit my friend Sybil's mother, Dr. Elfrieda Sever. You see her in the picture above, on the right, with my mother on the left. Elfrieda (I called her Dr. Sever when I was growing up) and Sybil, her only daughter, spent many a Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrating with us.

Sybil and I met when we were just 15 years old. We lived on Young Drive and Sybil and her mother lived on Durant. We met in cooking class. Sybil was new to Beverly Hills, moving from San Francisco. As we all know, moving away from friends and all that is familiar when you are fifteen is no easy transition. I liked Sybil right away, but she had an instant distrust for me, thinking I was much too sweet to be for real. Ah well... she knows the truth now. I really have always thought of Sybil like a sister and I believe she thinks of me that way too.

Our mothers were both from Germany and both single. My mother had worked in San Francisco when she first worked for Elizabeth Arden. They had a lot in common. We introduced them and they became quick friends. They spoke German to each other and so much of the information I was anxious to hear about their adult lives was hidden from me. So, they both remained mysterious and glamorous, with their blonde hair and their distinctly European ways.

It's truly wonderful to still have friends that know my history and share my story.

Sybil lives in London now, and has her very own glamorous life, but her mother still lives in Beverly Hills and is so far away from the daughter she holds so dear. After losing my own mother in May of 2007, I have a new appreciation for my friend Sybil's mother. Most of my mother's friends are gone now, so it was especially meaningful for me to share a little holiday cheer with Elfrieda.

When I first arrived, Elfrieda was just at the end of having a lovely massage, by a masseuse that Sybil hired, to make sure her mother was properly pampered. She told me the masseuse comes once a week. What a luxury! My mother would have definitely approved.

Elfrieda took great pride in showing me the latest, beautiful, hand embroidered tablecloth she was working on. She showed off her beautiful orchids and told me she couldn't live without flowers. She had me look at the beautiful bougainvillea and wonderful Meyer lemon tree she was growing in pots on the balcony. Her lemon tree had twenty lemons ready to pick. I was so glad, because I wanted to bring her lemons off my tree, knowing she loves lemons, but they weren't quite ready to pick. We had tea and strawberry cake together and then she became a little tired. She had, after all, just had a relaxing massage.

Flax and Spindle: June Giveaway ...

Flax and Spindle: June Giveaway ...
You are definitely going to want to visit Flax and Spindle, a very charming blog, indeed.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Every Sunday, for about as long as I can remember, Mr. Honey has made waffles for breakfast.
Whenever he is out of town, however, I am in charge of the family breakfast. I say family breakfast because my daughter, son in-law and grandsons live right next door, and it has been a tradition, since my daughter got married, to have Sunday morning breakfast at our house. When Mr. Honey is out of town, instead of waffles, I whip up blueberry scones, bacon, scrabbled eggs, and this morning, fresh peaches from our peach tree, yum. Then off to church they go.

Since I started working, about a month ago, my whole routine has changed and I wake up alot earlier than I used to. I rather like my new inner body clock. Before the kids arrived this morning I had picked and pealed the peaches, vacuumed the whole house, made the scones, fixed the coffee, set the table, and prepared breakfast all before 8:30 a.m.

My grandsons always arrive earlier than their parents, so before we sit down to eat, they can catch a bit of the Disney channel, since they don't get that channel at their house.

Doesn't the table look pretty? I made a special pot of English breakfast tea for my daughter, since she rarely drinks coffee. I bought a new coffee pot at Target, since our old one died. It's so cool. The coffee basket and place where you pore the water pulls out to the front of the coffee maker, instead of being on top. This is nice because my coffee pot sits directly under a cabinet and I used to have to pull the whole pot out in order to get the water in it. I think a woman must have designed this coffee pot. It's by a company called DeLonghi.

There they go, tummies full, off to church. I'm so lucky to have my grandkids so close! Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday.

Happy Birthday Brookie

I wrote this birthday post a year ago today. My middle daughter turned 33 June 6, 1977, which probably makes me seem old. I can't be old yet, can I???

She came into the world winkin' and blinkin' at the doctors that delivered her. I call her my Brookie shnookie. She was such a happy baby that I was warned by one and all that I'd better be careful or someone would steal her away from me. She just had that personality from the day she was born that could beakon the birds out of a tree.

She was a Mama's girl. She didn't like to be too far away from me and she promised that when she grew up she would bring her husband and children to come and live with me. L.O.L. Her Daddy's genes became apparent as she got older, because now she seems to be the most independent of our children. Of course, that's not saying much, because the entire clan is super independent.

I've always loved the name Brook and it's so appropriate that we named and called her our babbling Brook, because she has always loved to talk. People called me Chatty Kathy when I was little and I hated it, but it did fit. I now understand that a gift of gab is, indeed, a gift. Brookie has a way with words and I never tire of listening to her. She's smart and clever, witty and kind. It's kind of ironic that she was born tongue tied. We had to have that little piece of skin under her tongue clipped when she was a tiny baby. I couldn't be in the room with her. I made my sister hold her while the doctor did it, because it broke my heart that it would be painful for her.

When she was still only two she would climb on top of the vacuum cleaner and go for a ride while I vacuumed. I should have known then how adverturous she'd grow up to be. Brook has always been a risk taker. When she was a toddler she would jump into a pool, confident that she would be able to swim to me, even when her more cautious sister would cling to the side of the pool for dear life. It's not that she doesn't have any fears, we all do. Scary movies have always been a challenge for her. Thrillers are needless to say not her forte, but give her a cliff to jump off of into a pool of water, or a cave to climb through with only inches around her to move and she is sooooo there. Go figure.

Brook has always been a sensitive soul with a flare for drama. In Junior High Brook won best actress in Kern County for her rendition of Juliet in a local production of Romeo and Juliet. If that wasn't enough she played the most beautiful Sleeping Beauty in another local production. Meryll Streep would have been proud of Brook when Brook took the prize for her interpretation of Sophie in Sophie's Choice at the Oral Language Festival. I always thought she might grow up to be an actress, but as she has matured she would rather be behind the camera. Whatever she pursues, she does with gusto, it's part of her charm.

You were a joy to raise Brookie! We love you and hope you have fabulous birthday!

The Rental House

A few months back I posted before pictures on a rental that Mr.Honey and I bought,right before he lost his job. Thankfully, the house is now rented to a lovely young couple who will be newlyweds in August. We scrubbed, painted, hung blinds and did minor repairs and, voila, it was ready to rent.

It's so hard to tell from the pictures how different the place looks, but it really does look 100% better than it did before.

I love the difference painting the cabinets black made. They now look like brand new cabinets.

In the bathroom I painted the mirror frame and the cabinet black as well. I put new old fashioned crystal knobs on the cabinet and painted the center screw black to make it work. I forgot to take a picture of the hotel style white shower curtain we hung. Boo hoo! It looks so fresh and clean. We also hung new towel bars with a black finish.

The bedrooms looked great with a simple coat of white paint and new blinds for privacy. I really got carried away in my head. I wanted to hang pictures and drapes and I simply had to slap myself to keep from going overboard. Can you imagine what I could have done if I had a Pottery Barn credit card to go wild with? L.O.L.

The laundry room had an ugly exposed water heater, so I hung a curtain with a rod in the hem to keep it from blowing anywhere near the pilot light and the fresh coat of white paint made it look so nice.