Trick-or-Treating Cowboy

We finally got to see our sweet boy tonight. He has been fever free for 2 days now, and seems to be feeling a lot better. Praise the Lord. He and his Mommy were going stir-crazy at home so they all came over to trick-or-treat us. This picture is through the glass of the front door.

He was so cute in his cowboy costume. Would you just look at the nose (dog) smears and hand (boy) prints on the glass. Oh well, who's looking at the glass anyway. Just keepin' it real.
Here he is digging in to his pumpkin I had for him.
Doesn't that face look much better than Monday?
Thank you all for your prayers, and your encouragement this past week. Hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Swine Flu go away

When I came home from work Monday morning, Jackson was at my house. My younger daughter, Shawn, keeps him on Mondays until I get home. He wasn't feeling well, and she took his temperature. It was 100.7 under his arm. We called his Mommy and she made an appointment to get him to the doctor. He was so pitiful. He just laid on the couch with a cool rag on his head. Shawn took this picture of him with her phone to text to Shannon. Well, his regular pediatrician couldn't see him, so he had to see Dr. D. He didn't think it was H1N1, and he called it a fever virus. I wasn't so sure, but he's the doctor. Later that night his fever ran 103, and he was feeling terrible. I talked her into seeing regular pediatrician yesterday, and they got him right in. The swab confirmed what I expected...swine flu. They started him on the Tamiflu, and started Shannon since she is 8 months pregnant, to hopefully prevent her from getting it, too. I hope that waste of a 24 hour period didn't hurt anything. Please pray for them, and that no one else gets it. My elderly parents certainly don't need it, and we were all exposed. I just don't understand why the first doctor didn't swab him to make sure, especially since Shannon is pregnant. They are quarrantined at home for the rest of the week. I miss my sweet boy.

Bottle Collection

As I have mentioned before, we moved my parents in with us at the beginning of 2009. I am so glad they are here, because Mother is now temporarily bedridden with some sacral fractures. The doctor says 2-3 months to heal. She is 8 weeks into it, and still in excruciating pain. I don't know what we would have done if they still lived across town. Daddy is limited in his mobility due to severe arthritis . They are going stir crazy, because they usually like to go out to eat lunch several times a week. I hope they can be back out and about soon.

When we built this house we built them a wing with a bedroom and sitting room, bathroom, and snack bar. They have been collectors all their lives, so we tried to incorporate their loves into the home, since it would be their home, too. Their 2 main collections were bottles and cookbooks. We built several built-ins to house these collections. We added extra depth to the transoms over the windows. Take a look at the beautiful color we enjoy daily as the sun streams in through these antique bottles.

These are the built-in cabinets in their bedroom, with their favorite bottles. These are mostly historical flasks, and pepper sauce bottles.

On the second row, you may notice two bottles made into trophies. They were members of the Memphis Bottle Collector's Club for many years. Every year they would enter a display, and several times they won best of show.

There are bitters bottles, barber's bottles, ink bottles...

whiskey bottles...

beer bottles, more barber's bottles, ...

old jars, fire extinguishers, ...

fish bottle, pretty , colorful bottles, ...

shampoo bottle, ...

cathedral bottles, lady's leg bottle, log cabin, ...

poison bottle, pineapple shaped, red globe, pickle jar, ...

etc...

etc...

etc...

In the kitchen a couple fish, and oil and vinegar bottle. Notice the stained glass rose made by my Daddy, another hobby he had.

I hope you enjoyed my show and tell tour of bottles.

You must check out The Tassel House for some beautiful tassels. Click here to view some great ones:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6126969 . Susan, at

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ is giving away a great Thanksgiving tassel. You can get up to 3 chances to win if you comment on her blog, and post about it on your blog. Now y'all don't enter, so I can win it. But do check out all the cute tassels.

I haven't posted in several days. Life has just been crazy. I can't ever seem to get a tablescape put together, but I love looking at everyone else's. Y'all have some cute dishes and some very creative ideas. If you don't mind, I'd like to share the closest I can come to a tablescape this week for Susan's party, http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/. My grandson, Jackson, and I were enjoying a morning on the screened porch this week. In fact , he was eating a Pop-Tart out there. Nutritious, I know. He pulled out an old plastic picnic basket of dishes, cups, and utensils I let him play with. He is setting the table.

and cooking...

We'll have to practice a bit on the tablesetting...

We had a nice breakfast picnic on the porch. Grandchildren are the best! I will try to think ahead for a real tablescape soon. Thanks for letting me share.

I am so excited to share a new (to me) product with you. I found these chalkboard markers at Michael's. You can get more colors at their website http://www.chalkinkworldstore.com/category_s/75.htm .

I bought 2 sets, earthy colors and basic primary colors. I still need an orange and a brighter green, so I will get them online. These are the markers used by Starbuck's for their great colorful chalkboards. They don't smear like chalk, and there is no dust to contend with. They wipe right off with a little water on a paper towel.
They are fun to use. It brings out the child in you. The colors are nice and bright.

Here is my first contribution to Fall decorating.

I am in no way an artist, but I'm telling you this was fun to do. I know you all have chalkboards, I've seen them. You will want to try these. I can't wait to see what all you artists out there will do with them. Maybe a chalkboard party?

Well, Happy Fall Y'all...

Rooster Overload

WARNING!! ROOSTER OVERLOAD!!!


I didn't realize I had so many roosters. When I heard about the rooster party, I was excited to join in and share my roosters and see all the great ones you all have. I know I don't need any more, but my heart just skips a beat when I see one. It's a sickness, I'm telling you.

First, this stained glass rooster sits above my cabinets. He belongs to my parents, who recently came to live with us.

Here is a bookshelf in my kitchen that houses cookbooks. I have a small rooster oil painting and a yellow ceramic rooster sitting on top. They are next to a tall carnival glass vase that belongs to my parents, and a few more vases.

Over the vent hood mantel, is a collection of odd bottles, an old jar, and 2 roosters. The one in the middle is my favorite rooster. I got him on a trip to Mountain Home, Arkansas.He is made of old wood and metal.

My paper towel holder is, of course, a rooster...

A porcelain couple with a hen and rooster sit on my buffet.

Some rooster dessert plates and little ceramic rooster boxes on the plate rack...

Rooster salt and pepper shakers...

A larger plate and a cookie jar on top of the plate rack...

Two rooster prints ...I painted the frames black and distressed them.

A ceramic rooster perched atop a post going into the den...

If you look closely, you will see a couple rooster magnets on my pantry chalkboard door.

A canister that holds coffee beans...

A tiled tray...

Arthur Court salt and pepper shakers by the stove.

A planter in the yard...nothing growing in it right now.

Little Lucy loves this pillow .

A hooked mat I use on a green stool by the back door...

A soup tureen and Southern Living At Home metal candleholder with raffia tied to it. I won the candleholder at a SLAH party.

Rusty metal hook in the laundry room.

Copper wind vane.I recently found him at Old Time Pottery.

Ceramic candle light...

Tassel hung on a red cabinet in the laundry room that houses more cookbooks.

Over my desk area, a rooster peeps out from a cubbyhole.

Cute little lamp at my desk.

Another favorite rooster over the kitchen window. I bought him at a garage sale several years ago. He is handcarved. The lady who sold him to me said she bought it on her honeymoon in Jamaica. I can't believe she was selling it.

More cookbooks...and a little clay rooster...

Buffet and plate rack display...

This pic shows more of the plate rack. My husband made it for me several years ago. I just love it. The buffet came from a local thrift store.

Three rooster plates...

A cast iron rooster doorstop...

Ceramic rooster...again from a thrift store...

This big guy sits on top of my cabinets. He came from Hobby Lobby.

I hope you enjoyed my rooster tour. I am posting early...the party really starts Friday. Click over to http://barbsgoodlife.blogspot.com/ to see all the others...