I have a secret to share with you today.
I don’t share this secret with any ol’ Joe because, well, there are certain things that a blogger only shares with her beloved readers. Dirty little secret things.
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TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful
by Patti 30 Comments
by Patti 14 Comments
Long, long ago, and far, far away, when my mom was still living and we lived in the Pacific Northwest we used to host all of the holiday dinners in our home. It was a chore I gladly took over from my mom when my dad passed, in order to allow my children to experience being in their own home for the holidays, just as I was as a child.
In those days we had a full dining room table with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (as many as could make the trip) all coming together to celebrate. Over time the children grew up, family became scattered, and things changed. The gatherings grew smaller and the grandparents older. We sometimes laughed over the amusing antics of “the old folks,” the name fondly given those whose memories were not quite as sharp and bodies not quite as strong as they once were. As the gathering diminished in size we talked, my husband and I, about the time when we would be the “old folks” ourselves. And now we are . . . NOT! As sixty somethings, we are indeed older, but we have not yet declared ourselves OLD.
Mother’s Day falls this Sunday and I no longer have a mom to shop for, nor do I have daughters who are mothers themselves, so I guess Mother’s Day is pretty much all about ME. At least for now. Since I am The Mom, I thought I’d share with you what I’d like to receive as a mom on Mother’s Day. Maybe this will help you out a bit with your own Mom’s Day shopping 😉
TOP TEN Countdown (or countup?) of Things I Want for Mother’s Day:
Note: By clicking on the pictures you will be linked to the products. I do receive a small commission for anything purchased from Amazon, although you don’t pay any more than you normally would by going to Amazon directly yourself.
10.I actually have this in cobalt blue but everyone who cooks needs a good Dutch Oven or two, and this color! This one holds 6-quarts and is perfect for simmering soups on rainy days. It’s not Summer yet!
9.Is this wood-grained essential oil diffuser beautiful or what? It makes me relax just looking at it.
8.Fur throws are hugely popular right now and sheepskin pelts are the most beautiful. They can be thrown at the end of a bed, layered over other rugs, or placed at the foot of your favorite chair. Sigh . . .
7.This is the season when I’m really into gardening, and this soil meter would be amazing for helping me decide what additives my red clay needs. Maybe it would help answer the question of the yellow leaves on my gardenias.
6.I do have one of these lightweight hoses for my deck plants but a second one out front would be nice.
5.A complete new set of garden tools. Mine are looking pretty shabby 🙁
4.White towels are my favorite and big fluffy bamboo towels are the best. They are wonderfully absorbent and this set comes wrapped with a bow for gift giving.
3.Though I use a Keurig for convenience there is nothing quite like the taste of coffee from a French Press, and this beautiful one in copper is the best.
2.We do have this Echo in our den, and a smaller Echo dot in our bedroom. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve grown to love Alexa. That’s the name of the gal inside the Echo that you tell what you need and she delivers. You can ask her the time, the weather, to wake you with an alarm. I can also listen to my favorite Seattle radio stations or ask her to play selections from any artist I like and she does it. Hubby is looking into purchasing some special lights that we can tell Alexa to dim or change colors for mood. Really, the things this little personal maid can do for you are endless. Well worth the cost and she just so happens to be on sale, as are many of the items I’ve listed above. I like sales.
And now, for the big NUMBER 1!
I DO NOT receive any compensation for this recommendation but that’s okay because I’m pretty excited about Norwex and want to tell you about their products (I want them all). So far I have a window cleaning cloth, and some counter and stove top cloths and they are amazing. No cleaning products are needed with them, only water, and they not only clean to perfection but they also disinfect your surfaces!
Norwex cleaning products are SAFE for your family – no chemicals; they save TIME; they save MONEY – up to 90% of what most spend on cleaning supplies; and they are SAFE for the environment.
I just ordered the Norwex mop system which not only cleans your floors with water alone but also removes bacteria. This is especially important to me with a new puppy in the house.
Below are some Norwex gifts for mom or dad (dad’s day is coming too). If you follow this LINK you’ll be directed to my daughter’s Norwex Facebook party and can order through Mother’s Day under her name – Joy. Again, I don’t receive anything for this referral but my daughter might score some free products if she has enough orders 😉
Finally . . . keep scrolling down . . .
. . . here is a short video showing the science behind Norwex and how, when put to the test, it showed that it really delivers over and above other similar products.
That’s the Top 10 Things I Want for Mother’s Day. Maybe your mom would like something from my list too.
Note to daughters: These are not hints as to what to get me for Mother’s Day. Just call home!
Happy Mom’s Day and blessings to y’all,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, SmallWonder, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, I Choose Joy, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
by Patti 18 Comments
As 2016 was winding down I felt like I was one of the only bloggers without a “Word for the Year,” Then, in the final hours, it came to me in the shower – only THE single-most inspiring space in my house. My word for 2017 is really two words: Open Doors. Ever since these words popped into my head and I claimed them as my own, it seems that doors have been flying open all over the place. Either that or I have more awareness of the opportunities before me.
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by Patti 54 Comments
This is my favorite time of year here in the South. The greens are greener, the flowers are brilliant(er), and the weather is perfect for morning coffee out on the deck.
Last year we didn’t do anything with our deck space. We hadn’t yet been here a year and we were still tackling a lot of indoor projects as well as adding several plantings to the front yard.
In talking about what we would do in the backyard we thought about creating a courtyard with pavers, a retaining wall for seating, a water feature, and the addition of a fire pit or fireplace.
We even paid a designer to draw up a plan. It was AH-mazing!
As it turned out, if we were to implement the plan it would cost thousands of dollars and, though a nice feature it wouldn’t pay for itself in resale. So for now, we decided to work at adding favorite plantings to the yard a little bit at a time and foregoing the fancy fire pit. To be honest, with the amount of time we spend on our screened porch (our favorite room) I’m not sure how much we would even use it.
Here is how the idea of creating the feeling of a French Courtyard on our deck began. A couple of weeks ago we had breakfast with our friends Mark and Leslie and afterwards we wandered through a few stores. While we were shopping Leslie picked up the crocheted tablecloth you see here. The round one. She decided she really didn’t need it so I quickly grabbed it myself and told her it would be perfect for the little table on the deck and that we would have coffee there together.
Mr. OTN laughed and said it would never happen and that is when I set out to prove him wrong.
Since then I’ve spray painted the patio set, sewed chair covers and pillows, stenciled the pillows, pulled pots onto the deck, some new and some from different areas of the yard, planted shrubs and flowers, washed the deck, and finally, set about arranging and rearranging everything to get just the look I was going for.
Getting one’s hands in the dirt is such a joy when the temperatures are in the 70’s,
and with the warmer weather it seems like within just a matter of days my new plantings have begun to spread and grow. 🙂
My little boxwoods already need a haircut.
We bought a conical variegated boxwood and a couple of regular boxwoods, and tucked smaller plants into the pots around them.
I also added a couple of hanging baskets.
Last week the little patio fountain that hubby purchased locally was delivered. You see, once I started working my plan he got into the idea himself. 😉
The dogs think our new fountain is the best water bowl ever!
This shows the yard beyond the deck, which is an area of grass bordered by trees. The next step of our backyard plan will involve plantings along the edge of the woods to add more color there as well. Shade lovers such as azaleas and hydrangeas.
Finally, what would a French Courtyard be without a bit of lavender? I have a secret for you. It’s from Hobby Lobby! Since lavender likes a lot more sun than my yard provides I put several faux lavender sprigs into a cement planter and tucked some moss around the stems. Even close up people think that it’s real.
Hubby and I have been spending a lot of time in our little “courtyard” and one day soon Leslie and I will have our coffee here and laugh over what she started by showing me the pretty tablecloth!
Morning quiet time here among the songbirds is a time to be treasured. It is cozy and peaceful, and just what we need to make ourselves slow down from our very busy lives.
So that’s my French Courtyard. We shall see how it fares through the hot humid summer. It will certainly be a test of which plants work best in this location. Trial and error. That’s my motto. Or one of them. I have a lot of mottos. LOL!
Oh how I wish I could invite y’all over to share this sweet space with me. I know that our time together would be simply marvelous!
Blessings to you dear friends,
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
by Patti 15 Comments
When it comes to eating dinner my man is kind of a manly man. He likes “real food” like you’d see on the box of a Hungry Man dinner (Ewwww)! He likes to feel full and satisfied after one of his 12 hour work days and believe it or not, this pretty Spring salad with high protein ingredients like chicken, avocados, cheese and pecans is one that satisfies.
We love eating lighter during the Spring and Summer months and hope that you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Blessings,
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace