Happy Halloween From Our New Hometown

Happy Halloween

from

Summit, M I Crooked letter Crooked letter I Crooked letter Crooked letter I Humpback Humpback I 

This display takes the cake, doesn't it!!!

Located outside Rustic Charm Vendors Mall, it is my favorite, hands down.

The Funky Flamingo is another favorite.

Pink feather boas are their trademark!!

They have recently bought an old truck to park outside the store adding to their ambiance.

So Happy Halloween from our new hometown!

Love ya'll,

Shelli

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.

~Erma Bombeck

'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world.
~William Shakespeare, Hamlet [III, 2, Hamlet]

Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted,"

or "forbidden" in the title.

~From Scooby-Doo

Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams,
So I'll propose on Halloween.
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
~ "Spooky," 1968

Sunday Schoolism #14: Immortal

"The servant of the Lord is immortal until his life's work is done."

Kenneth Wuest

Shhhhh! Bedrooms

Shhhh!! Today we are going to quietly tiptoe into the bedrooms of this remodeled house.

Bedroom #1

Before...

(note the air conditioning unit outside the window)

Before....

This bedroom became James' office. Although you can't see it in this photo, when we had the HVAC replaced we moved the outside unit  away from the window. Big improvement!

This built-in entertainment center was removed from the great room. We gave the center section to a friend and moved the two side bookshelves into the office. I turned the old miniblind into a Roman shade. Go here for the turorial http://www.hometalk.com/4053586/shades-window-no-sew-roman

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Bedroom #2

Before....

After.....

In an effort to bring the outdoors in, and to keep with our woodsy setting, this bedroom is filled with nature. I want Olive to be intrigued by this room!

The bedskirt and curtains are made from painter's drop cloths. I bought the drop cloths at Lowe's. They have a nice nubby, woven texture and I like their neutral, oatmeal color. They come in several sizes; I used the 4' x 16' size. Using drop cloths is economical($16) and quick as they are already hemmed and selvaged.  They can be bleached or painted. The possibilities are endless!! Visit http://seekinglavenderlane.com/the-easiest-diy-drop-cloth-curtains/

 Oak leaf and acorn prints,

turtle shell,

pheasant tail

 Green, brown

Turkey tail

 The painting on the right was done by my great Aunt Robbie. The shelf itself was made by my
grandfather.

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Bedroom #3

Before...

After....

 This guest room has a whole different feel. Its pale aqua blue palette gives a tranquil welcome to travelers, while the birds in the pictures make you want to look outside the window for the real thing.
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Bedroom #4

Before....

After.....

This room is a still a work-in-progress. The blush walls are waiting for antique floral paintings yet to be found at flea markets and yard sales. A rug is in this room's future, too. We added the window on the right to lighten things up. The chest at the end of the bed is my great Aunt Hittie's.

 The bedskirt and curtains in this room were made from painter's drop cloths as well.  The left over yardage will become pillow sham covers sometime soon.
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Love ya'll,

Shelli

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.

~Charlotte Brontë

The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fatigue is the best pillow.

~Benjamin Franklin

I count it as a certainty that in paradise, everyone naps.

~Tom Hodgkinson

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.

~Irish Proverb

A Garden in the Sky

An old raised train track located in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC was last used in 1980.  In 1999 Friends of the "High Line" organized in an effort to use the raised track as a public park. A Design the High Line competition began in 2002 and work began in 2005. Between 2009 to 2014, the three sections of this garden in the sky opened to the public.

My niece, Madeline Boudreaux, a New York resident, surprised us with a walk through the High Line during our recent trip to the city.

The abandoned train tracks are visible among the pretty fall asters.

I was impressed with the thoughtful way the hardscape blended into the plant material.

The sections of new concrete evoked an abandoned railway feel as they ran out into the garden and the plants grew into the paving.

The busy streets pass right below the park.

Visitors can sit in a viewing area to experience the juxtaposition of harried traffic and serene garden.

The same viewing area from the street. Fun!

Love ya'll,

Shelli

Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard.

~Standing Bear

In Memoriam

Where were you on 9/11?

There isn't an American who can't answer that question, and yet most of us have no idea what it was like to experience that day, those events, in our own hometown.

During a recent trip to New York City, we visited the National September 11 Memorial Museum and shared insight into that day from a different perspective.  

The memorial and  museum are located in the footprint of the twin towers. The memorial outside the museum was designed to represent the void left when the buildings collapsed and the devastating absence of those who died that day. This water feature is the largest man made waterfall in North America. The names of the deceased are inscribed into panels surrounding the pool.

Inside, you can see the foundations of the buildings themselves....

                                                and the twisted metal from the explosions.

              Ladder 3's firefighters maintained contact up to the 40th floor of the north tower.

Visit this website to read about the firetruck being lowered into the museum.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2017061/Fallen-9-11-Ladder-Company-3-engine-returns-Ground-Zero-years-lowered-new-memorial-home.html

The most poignant area of the museum is the one containing the hundreds of artifacts from that day. Photography is not allowed in that portion of the museum. I was overcome with the scope and impact of the event that I had only witnessed on TV. The dreadful shock and unimaginable grief of the city is palpable in this section of the memorial. Visitors displayed reverence and respect for all those touched that day.

Balancing the horror is the love and support displayed in the city and around the country. A prime example of that is Lady Liberty. Go here to learn more about her. https://www.911memorial.org/images-videos/audio/lady-liberty

But the exhibit that impressed me most was the art work of The New Yorker magazine as it conveyed the emotions of New Yorkers and Americans.

For more information visit https://www.911memorial.org/images-videos/audio/lady-liberty

Love ya'll,

Shelli 

Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.’
– President George W. Bush on Sept. 11, 2001.

Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost.
– New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at a memorial service in New York.

Are they dead that yet speak louder than we can speak,

and a more universal language? 

Are they dead that yet act? 

Are they dead that yet move upon society and

inspire the people with nobler motives and more heroic patriotism? 

~Henry Ward Beecher