Update!

I just wanted to post a little update. Above is the pic I posted yesterday. I asked for help as to what could be done to make this look a little less lonely and you wonderful ladies suggested adding greenery and/or festive statues. Well below are pictures of the outcomes. You ladies are AWESOME!!

The Den is my room that's all about Santa!

Lonely little Canisters - Before

Now a little festive greenery makes all the difference! Thanks Ladies! I've finished my Den and now I'm headed to the Kitchen it will be all about Snowmen! Deb

~ Decisions ~ Decisions ~ Decisions ~

See this? I ordered it from Through The Country Door. It was ordered before it was decided that we weren't going to be home for Thanksgiving. So, then I thought should I keep it, I won't need it. Then I tried to cancel the order but the day I called to cancel it, was the day that they shipped it out. So I guess it will be next year for this guy. I thought I would send it back but I really like it. What I like about it is that it can be used in two ways.

This way

or this way, isn't that neat? It has a hook so that it can be hung.

Remember my trip to Kirkland's when I got the Cloches for 4.97 each? I thought about painting the bases gold to go festive for Christmas but we'll see.

At that same time, I bought this, I'd not even opened the box, so today I did! I have so many things that I want to use for Christmas decorations but, I'm running out of places to put them or I don't have just what I want to go with them. I wanted to use this on the Den coffee table. I want to really pretty up the den because this is where my husband and I spend most of our time.

Here are the canisters, I could use these here and maybe add a little something else because it seems to be missing something. I could look in some of my Christmas magazines for ideas. If you ladies have any ideas please share them. I thought maybe candy dishes.

But, I tried these little candles and rings but, I'm just not satisfied with them. It really looks like less is more may win here.

Then I have this jar. The table would really be empty with just this.

Then I thought about using the jar here to replace this for the holidays, but I don't know what to put with it here either.

See, very empty! I guess I'll just have to play around with it to see what fits. So this is what I'm up against today. Could be worse, huh? I thank God its not! LOL!!! Have a great day ladies what's got you stumped today? Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

Before I go, here's a little sneak preview of what I've done so far, this is the mantle in the Den. I'm copying this from Pat of Back Porch Musings. She did a sneak peek of her lovely blue Dining Room but it's done now and so very beautiful. Go take a look, I posted the link. Deb

Tablescape Tuesday On A Serious Budget

I've seen a lot of beautiful table settings in Blogland, so beautiful at times I've been green with envy. But not green enough to go out and spend a small fortune on table settings, especially since I always try to invite at least thirty guest when I host a party. The more the merrier I say! Well Susan, of Between Naps On The Porch is the hostess of Tablescape Tuesday. I've really enjoyed looking at the different Tablescapes so I would like to share one of my own. (Cheap)

I'll start with a charger from Hobby Lobby for 1.87, paper and plastic plates, plastic cups, napkins, all from Party City, and cutlery from The Dollar Tree. Which are all good for a quick clean up.

Centerpiece - a candle holder, candle, glass beads, and pine sprigs from the Dollar Tree, and a candle ring from Big Lots.

Put together make for a table setting that's easy clean up, unbreakable, and quite pretty too.

So next time you want a no fuss, inexpensive, throw away, beautiful, table setting. Hop on down to the nearest Dollar Store and take your pick.

Very easy way to host a large party, and you never have to use the same settings. I can't wait to show you my settings and decorations for the Christmas party that the Savings Club I'm in will be having here in December. I used this table setting for a Fall atmosphere, when I had my club meeting early this month. I only set the large table and we really enjoyed ourselves.


I served Chili, with all the fixins, shredded Mexican cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, tortilla chips, Mexican cornbread, sour cream, buttermilk ranch dressing, and for desert Pat @ Back Porch Musing's recipe for Pumpkin casserole. Everything was so good!


Thanksgiving we're going to my husbands niece's house but, we will celebrate Christmas here at our house. Christmas is also my husbands birthday. Deb

AND THE LUCKY WINNERS ARE!!!

PRIM PACKAGE WINNER IS! - Kady! Life On Bonnie Lane

COTTAGE PACKAGE WINNER IS! - Sweetie! of Sweetie's World

Congratulations Ladies! Just send your information to Debscountrykisses@charter.net and your packages will arrive to you soon! Thanks for entering! Deb

~GIVEAWAY~

I'd planned to do this for my 100th post but that was several post ago, so here goes.

Well as you know I no longer have my Country Den, so I have a few things tucked away not being used. So I said to myself, "Self, why are you holding onto these things that someone else might love having? So, although I love these candle sticks with heart and soul lol!!!, I want to give someone else a chance to love them too!

Then I'm adding these letters that spell home. Home seems to be a special place for us all, it shows in the homes of all that I've visited here in blogland.

Last, I'm parting with this cute little game board, and I'll call this and the above my "Prim Package".

Below

though not a good picture, this little ensemble, pitcher, vase, and doo-dad. I don't know what its called. LOL!!! I hope you can see the colors clearly, I used my old camera while my battery charges on the other. The colors are black, white, pale blue, and the flowers are pink, and sort of peach. I'm not sure of the style but, I'm going to call it my "Cottage Package".

Please specify which package you want to draw for, one or the other so participants are sure to get the package they wanted. Those who don't want either, soon I'll have something that could go with any style. LOL!!!! Drawing will be one week from today, which will be next Monday! Deb

"I Didn't Vote For Obama" by Kentucky Scott

Posted by Ladilovely on Sandrarose.com

Which I borrowed from Attorneymom @ Character Corner

This article spoke to my heart and I want to share it also, with anyone who stops in to see me, and it reads...

"I’m a middle-class white guy living in Jacksonville , Florida . I’ve got a wife and two kids. Because the kids had no school today, I took a vacation day from work, and took the kids downtown to vote early. Fifty-nine minutes later, two smiling children and I proudly sported ‘I Voted’ stickers.But I didn’t vote for Obama.

I voted for my ancestors, who believed in the promise of this country and came with nothing as immigrants. I voted for my parents, who taught in the public schools for decades. I voted for Steve, an acquaintance of mine from Kentucky . (Killed by an IED two years ago in Iraq ). I voted for Shawn, another who’s been to Iraq twice, and Afghanistan once, and who’ll be going back to Afghanistan again soon — and whose family earned eleven bucks a month too much to qualify for food stamps when the war started.

I voted for April, the only African-American girl in my high school — it was years before it occurred to me how different her experience of our school must have been. I voted for my college friends who are Christian, Jewish, Mormon, and yes — Muslim. I voted for my grandfathers, who worked hard in factories and died too young. I voted for the plumber who worked on my house, because I want him to get a REAL tax break. I voted for four little angels from Birmingham . I voted for a bunch of dead white men who, although personally flawed, were willing to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, and used a time of great crisis to expand freedom rather than suspend it.

I voted for all those people and more, and I voted for all of you, too. But mostly, I voted selfishly: I voted for two little kids, one who has ballet in an hour, and one who has baseball practice at the same time. I voted for a world where they can be confident that their government will represent the best that is in this country, and that will in turn demand the best of them.I voted for a government that will be respected in the world. I voted for an economy that will reward work above guile. I voted for everything I believe in. Sure, I filled in the circle next to the name Obama, but it wasn’t him I was voting for — it was every single one of us, and those I love most of all."

Oh how I love this man!

Deb

Dont Laugh This Is Only A Test!

Don't laugh this is only a test to see if my new camera will load a video onto blogger and it probably won't be a post long as I plan to delete it.

Sorry I had to delete the video of myself speaking with my lovely Southern Accent, and I'm sorry a lot of you missed it. I'm going to read my manual to see if changing the pixel settings will keep the video from slowing down my computer. I'm going to try again soon!

~The Kitchens Done~

Okay here it is all done, well I'll have to admit not much changed other than the wallpaper being removed and I took out some of the colorful items and went with a more garden decor to match my dining room. I took the large picture from my foyer I've always loved it, so now I get to see more of it as I'm always in this kitchen. LOL! You'll see it better in the picture below.

I took that little plant stand from downstairs and if you notice I also swapped the out the chairs with some I had down stairs to give a more out of doors feel. Remember the cream bowl that I found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, that's it sitting on top of the plant stand. I pulled the birdhouse from a box in the garage. And I have embellished the candle holders that I got from Dot with lush greenery. LOL!!!!

I love these little signs, I bought two from a local store for 3.99 each, the other is above the sink area.

This is a view from over by the stove. I thought about doing a mosaic on top of my little make shift island, maybe that will be a project for the future. (Yeah right!) But it's a thought, I also thought about doing one on top of the kitchen table.

Remember I'd said I was going to leave everything the same over here, but after I was done it looked as if I had this dark hole over here so I painted here as well. I have lights under the counter but the bulbs have burned out and I have to get some. I went the other day but forgot to take the bulb with me and didn't know what size to get, they are very small and flat. My husband has some recess lights that he's going to put in the ceiling over by the stove. Let's hope all that is done by the holidays. All white appliances are in here but, I don't think I will be changing them anytime soon the way the economy is now. The only way would be if the stores put on some Mega Blowout sale because they are hurting also.

Over by the sink area, I think it looks so much better that the color of the walls has a continuous flow. Before I started to leave the Formica wall panel that matched the counters but I am so glad I didn't. The plate rack use to be in my country den, so I thought I'd use it here and I searched and searched around different stores trying to find decorative plates to go on it but just couldn't find what I had in mind. Then it dawned on me just this morning to use my everyday plates.

Here is the other sign placed above the shelf over the sink area. The cherub Joy what-nots I've had forever. I bought them for Christmas decorations and never took them down. The Lord wants us to have Joy always, right? Added a little lush greenery and I was good to go. lol!

Closeup of the plate rack and a few decorations in this corner.

View from the dining room, I kept my same curtains, I couldn't find any that I liked better or maybe I will think about adding bamboo shades later. Got to make do besides, the curtains are in perfect condition and I always say: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

Last, this is what I chose to do with the cloches, I just love this cow and although you don't find cows in the garden you do find them in kitchens. This cow and a little basket with the milk bottles used to sit on a shelf in the old kitchen but, I think this turned out to be a great spot for them now. I'm sure during Christmas time I will use the cloches for Christmas decorations to make it festive in here. Well I'm done now, I know it's nothing to scream about but with the green counters I'm limited on what I can do, plus I didn't want to have to change my dishes and all my accessories because they would so not go with any other colors other than green or something neutral. And if I ever have to sell the house, the color would already be what they're looking for, at least in the kitchen.

Updates!

Hi everybody! I know I haven't been around a lot lately and I've had a lot of questions about the paint color of my kitchen, no it's not green. It's what I chose early on which is a creamy beige. When I was done painting it, it for some reason looked to be a light gold. But when I put the paint card against it, it looks the same so I guess it just my eyes but the color is slowly growing on me. I had decided to leave the area by the stove the way it was but I don't like it so today I'm going to paint there also. Then of course I plan to paint my base boards and door trims and the ceiling so I'm not done yet! Then I chose not to put all the decorations I had before and I'm going for the garden look that I like and garden decor is pretty much out of season now. Maybe next week Ill be done. Then I've been out a lot this pass week shopping around, didn't find anything for the kitchen but I found some things for my bedroom which is next on my to do list. I'm posting some pictures of one of my shopping trips, this one I met up with my cousin who lives in Pelham and we both love Kirkland's so these are pictures from that trip.

I fell absolutely in love with this Fleur-De-Lis Canister Set, it has a antique gold finish and swirl glass. Or course I bought it they are nice sizes and I thought it would be beautiful filled with ornaments for the Christmas holidays. So I bought a set, it was 29.00 but I loved it so much.

I loved picture frame, it looks as if the tin was cut and bent back and I just love the colors but it
was 29.00 and I was not on a 29.00 roll.


This was a canister set to match. The colors look slightly different in this picture it must be the lighting. It was 29.00 too, so it's there waiting for someone else.

This was cute little fall centerpiece it's sitting on a cute little accent table that they had.

My cousin Marie, fell in love with this vase and the great fall colored flowers that was in it but...

She bought this chair, isn't it beautiful, and it really fits perfectly in her living room. It really added to it's beauty.

Then I spotted this Cloche, I noticed a lot of you have them and I thought it would be nice to have one for myself because there are so many things you can use to decorate them but get this! There was one in the box and one on the shelf. I looked at the price tag and it said 9.97. I thought I would like to have the other one too, and I thought about painting the bottom to dress it up and I thought it too would be great at Christmas. So when I got the one in the box it had two price tags one for 9.97 and one for 4.97. So I ran to the counter and asked the young lady to check the price for me and she said they were 4.97! Hallelujah! I got them both for 10.00 and they're a really nice size. I'm using them in my kitchen now and I'll show you how when I post pictures.

Then they had they're Christmas decorations out. I loved the little old timed trucks and cars.

Look at this big fat snowman, he's cute. 59.00 cute I also waved so long to him.

Cute Santa pictures were 59.00. I wonder why? My goodness! Seems like 29.00 would have been a great price for these.

Beautiful! nativity scene

Cute little lamps! 9.99

Nice Vanity with mirror 399.00

Beautiful little jewelry holder, 24.99

Here's another still in the box. Very beautiful! Would have been nice to picture for a fashion Friday post but, really! LOL!!! 24.99 I don't think so!

I will be visiting soon maybe later this evening to catch up on what's been going on in your worlds I hope all has been well. Deb