Sneak Peek

Wanna see what we are doing in this Texas Heat?

I'll show my stove area soon and you'll know where this beast is gonna be hung.  It is a vent hood cabinet combo with columns that open for spices and oils.

primed and laying on it's back..

this is the door that goes above the vent hood.  It'll open upwards and store paper goods.  These corbels will be at the bottom of the colums that flank the cabinet. 

Sherwin Williams Dover White is a sweet, soft, creamy white.

It's sooo hot that I have to come in and sit in the air conditioner to cool off every once in a while. :P

Tagging in:

 I heart naptime for Sundae Scoop

xox, DeniseMarie

Cloud 9

Is this not a glorious puffy lil cloud!?

When I got out of the car it was a spectacular grouping of pink, setting sun clouds.  By the time I got to my camera, all that was left was this lil guy.  lol

Let the Heavens declare the Majesty of his works and Creation cry out, Glory, glory, glory!

xox, DeniseMarie

Magic of Santa

Girls, my last post got my wheels a turning!  
You know how hard it is sometimes to get just the perfect gift for your beloved!! 
I got more intrigued about my momma's Christmas dishes.  She has proudly become our hostess on Christmas afternoons.  Ya'll know the drill...she has to blend the 2 families.  She and I got to thinking after this last dinner together that she needed more dishes and they are retired from 1996.  I had NO idea there was an aftermarket for them!  (even though I'm a dishie) So I got creative searching stuff out.           But, check this out... 

For Goodness Sakes...there is fabric in her Magic of Christmas Debbie Mumm pattern.

She and I are always buying fabrics to make napkins so she'll love this surprise.

E-bay 50% off sale going on right now...$4.49/yard!!  Yippee

She has 70 Debbie Mumm listings alone...WOW!

Gravy boat & Utensil Canister for 50% off

She has been serving gravy out of the saucepan...she'll love this lil $12 sweetie!

I had NO idea that there was this.  She can use for flowers or utensils ice bucket or whatever.  Wow, for $5 bucks...I can't go wrong.

   

She really needs more salad/dessert plates to go with the 8 new dinner plates I got to coordinate with this whole set.  I got the $1 red with white snowflakes (Dollar Tree) and have a bid in on 8 (exactly what we need to complete her set) of these.

 

Girls, I'm happy!! 

I'm full of Gratitude for 50% off sales!!

She'd never splurge or research this out like I have.  I get to give her a truly personal gift that she'll love and treasure and use every single year.  She'll be proud that I did this for her.

Should I splurge item...

3 tiered Tid-Bit server for her Dessert bar that she does so well.

$25 plus $15 shipping=$40 she'd be so shocked to see this!

Girls, I'm frugal but you gotta be willing sometimes to splurge for just the right items.  I didn't have to leave my bloggie seat to search all these pieces out and for 50% off...that covers shipping just fine. 

I think this is all gonna be wrapped up in a gorgeous 3 layer presentation for Grandparents day in September from my boys!

I refuse to pay Replacements.com prices right now.  Gotta love E-bay!!

Gonna tag in just in case this post inspires anyone:

Gratitude Wed with Heidi at Heart and Home

Rednesday with Sue at It's a Very Cherry World

Tablescape Thursday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

Show n Tell Friday with Cindy at My Romantic Home

My NEW Christmas Bloggie is:

DeniseMarie-Christmas...I'd love a few followers! :)

xox, DeniseMarie

Christmas in July

I gotta do a Christmas in July post today because it is the 25th and we are more than 1/2 way there peeps.  lol  I see bloggies all over dreaming of Fall already and thinking of Pumpkins and Scarecrows.  I went to my friendly neighborhood Goodwill this week and drug the boys because I had brought them to see Robin Hood they could at least shop with me for 20 minutes while we were out.  Summers for me mean I can at least once or twice bring the boys to the Dollar Cinema and escape the heat a little.  Also, bargains for school clothes and holiday items that NO ONE else is thinking about.

I got the Precious Moment Angel for $5.40 for my Nativity Cabbage Patch Jesus baby.  He'll be watching over the baby this Christmas. I got my mom the red snowman plate with snowflakes to go with her set of dishes.  She has a Debbie Mum set of Santa that we haven't seen again out and about so I have gotten her as much of the Dollar Tree red plates with white snowflakes to make up the kids table and it coordinates well.  This will be perfect with it all. 

I got a brand new set of red napkin rings for my mom too for 50cents.  I got 3 Christmas pins.  Someone had their entire collection of jewelry and pins donated.

This Angel pin is my fav!

I still enjoy picking out a diff pin each time I step out during the Christmas season...doesn't everyone?

At my fav quilt shoppe I got these for 75% off recently.

Even the backs have great detail.  They were like 83 cents each.  I always think I'll do the boys a nautical tree up in their bathroom.  Or they'd be cute as tassels for fluffy white towels.

Debbie at Debbie Dabbles just started a A Debbie Dabble Christmas and got me stirred up.  lol

Edited to add that I may have found Mom's pattern on Replacements.com.  I am trying to get her all fixed up so I may have to get some pieces to surprise her. ;o) 

I'm linking in at:

Summer Sundays at The Tablescaper

Thrift Share Monday atApron Thrift Girl

Nifty Thrifty Tue at Coastal Charm

3 or More Tues at The Gypsy's Corner

2nd Time around Tues at A Pic is worth 1K words

Rednesday at Sue Loves Cherries

Thrifty Thurs at Tales from Bloggeritaville

xox, DeniseMarie

Shell-o

I am showing ya'll the making of a potpouri from this past week for my master suite water closet.  I had bought the shell potpouri from my girlfriend's shoppe (on clearance).  I thought it was gonna go
onto my coffee table in a wooden bowl.

Oceanic Edge. 

this is a huge bag of shells. I could use the big scallop for a dessert plate.

It was double bagged and isn't that twine tie cool?  I'll use that for something. 

Shells galore!  And they smell great.

Then, I was in my fav consignment shop (while Nate was at batting cages for All-Star practice) and they had 25% off and I saw this cool container with a shell on it.  How could I resist it? lol

I moved a few pics from around the house in here.  It is fun to see 2 pieces I have that evoke summer memories be added to the cache of shells. 

This watercolor was purchased from Mother-in-laws artistic neighbor because it reminds me of New England summer homes.  My Aunt brought me a few times when we would travel up to G'mas.

..picked up at a resale shop.  I can't pass up stitch work being thrown out.

I painted the matte board to match my walls and never did the frame.

Hope you have a beach~combing kinda week!  I plan to head to Galveston with my boys soon.  With the oil rigs turned off (sad) and the storms that have come thru we are getting word that a day at the beach might be pleasant.  :-)

Join in the block parties:

Sundae Scoop with I heart naptime

Thrift Share Monday with Apron Thrift Girl

Blue Monday with Smiling Sally

Show off your Cottage Mondays with The house in the roses

3 or more Tuesday with The Gypsy's Corner

2nd time around Tuesday with A Pic is worth K words

We're organized Wed with Organize and Decorate Everything

Show us what ur work'n with with Me and My Bucket

Rednesday with Sue Loves Cherries

Thrifty Thursday with Tales from Blogeritaville

Show n Tell Fri with Cindy at My Romantic Home

xox, DeniseMarie

Newest Fav Verse

Girls, my fav bible verse changes often. 

 The Lord showed me a keeper this past month.

It hit close to my heart when I needed encouragment to carry the candle.

I made it my facebook description for now.  I wrote it in the inside cover of my bible where I put my best nuggets.

I think it will be the 2010/2011 Mom's In Touch year long mantra for the 2 prayer groups I'll be leading for both boys schools.

1 Thess 5:16

Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

It sums up everything I'm about in a sweet lil precise package.  I have to say that I hurt for those who do not know the Lord and his beautiful ways and life-giving words.

Linky party at I owe it all to Him with Cindy 

I think it would be cool for 1 of us to collect all the scriptures & make a lil booklet. :0) 

xox, DeniseMarie

Blue and brown ahead

Smiling Sally is the winner of my blog-a-versary celebration door prize!

In honor of her love of blue and her just having her wedding anniversary I'm excited to make her some blue thank you cards.

I also have a gift to put together for Logan.  A dear friend's daughter is having a 2nd child which will be a boy and it looks like blue it is.

Here's what I made today with paper, stickers and embellishements.  Have ya'll ever seen these little albums?  All ya gotta do is add stuff to it and they slap the pics in later.

I probably got it at Hobby Lobby 75-90% off.  I've been saving it for something special and finally got it out today.  I used cardstock and the computer to get his name and then 1 of my fav punches and pop dotted it on.  I used 2 creative memory stickers to embellish and little dots to indicate movement. :0)

2 peeps un-followed me yesterday & I had to accept that I am who I am and can't blog any diff.  Also, I'm challenged to figure out why I can't comment on some fav blogs or tag into some parties??

Please join in at:

Show n Tell Friday at My Romantic Home with Cindy

xox, DeniseMarie

Living Stuart Little

Well, here is what we did yesterday.  I thought I was taking an innocent trip to Petco..

Gerbel, Rat, Mouse, Ferrat, Hampster Land...

this is a Robo Hampster and Nate had his eye on him

xox!

Mom...I have to have him today...I love him!!

But...what is this I hear from the Petco Employee??

Adoption is an option??  2 lonely brother gerbels that got dropped off need a home and they come with nearly $100 worth of stuff?

2 cages, food, bedding, toys?

Sold...for $4/gerbel...grand total of $8 plus tax for a little fella that was ready to spend almost $100 to get all the bells and whistles.  He'd been crying, begging, praying and pleading for a few years now!!  He rushed right across the street to show his buddies that have 2 rats & 2 gerbels what he got.

Happy Day for lil fella

God is sooooo good to his children.  And, then later when I facebooked about it my dear prayer partner friend chimed back with those were our gerbels that we dropped off last week.  So, Nate has his buddy Elena's gerbels and she's happy he has them.  He better clean up after them or I may do the same thing.  lol

xox, DeniseMarie

1 year Blog-a-versary!

I turned the page today on my daily inspirational calendar and bingo..it is my blog-a-versary!!  That means that Ya'll have been watching my life scroll by for an entire year.  lol 

Instead of preparing for this momentus occassion...

I've been watching 2 teams of All-Stars doing their thing!  I'm so grateful that both my boys got to be on a team this season but I'm pooped out.

I've been inspired by a special friend who sent the most personal package ever on her blog-a-versary give-away.  She sent me this:

Serious Loot!  from a fabulous friend.  There was fabric, scrapbooking papers for sports, the cutest little scrapbook ever with a beagle on the front, 2 lil beagle statues and scrapbook embellishements, a home journal ME style and even the notecard was amazingly personal.

I love the ME fabric that has my favorite saying...

Bloom where you're planted.  She doesn't even know that I love fabric and have a stash going.  :0)

I sure hope you've all met Dawn at A Cottage State of Mind, otherwise, you are missing out.

Leave me a comment and I'll have my baseball boys help me figure out which blog gets the give-away and I'll come look around your place and send a xox package that suits you!

 
Blue Monday with Smiling Sally

xox, DeniseMarie

bright and happy

My oldest son got these for me because he thought they were really cool!!

Talk about bright, happy and color saturated!!

Now, we are watching the colors fade back out into the water each time I freshen them.  Color goes up the stem and comes right back down and out.  lol

xox, DeniseMarie

Pattern??

I'm busy...busy...awefully busy...more than an ant.

I'm trying to make cute paper aprons for my swap.  And speaking of ants...we are trying to get rid of sugar ants.

Happy 4th of July!  With all our turrential downpours at least any crazy fireworks kids in the field behind us won't cause any fires.  Any stray firecrackers will just fizzle right out.  lol 

 

xox, DeniseMarie

to move or not to move

Do we move to the highly sought after nicer neighborhood in front of ours and update this?  It is very dated inside but on a gorgeous cul-de-sac street and great curb appeal.  It has the pool and game-room we think we want.

Do we move to the neighborhood behind us that is so popular of an upgrade?  All our boys friends seem to live in this nicer neighborhood.  This one looked good until we saw that the gameroom was really for toddlers.  It backs into an elementary school field like ours does.  We are gonna give up a huge benefit of having a field behind our home to play baseball, golf, walk/job, and play with Jack Beagle.

Do we get a bigger home in our 35 year old neighborhood like this one?

Hubby is really enticed to get the boys a gameroom and us a little more elbow room after 16.5 years at Beagle Run Cottage.  I'm confident that the Lord will be gracious and instruct us what to do.  I love our home!!  We moved in as newly weds and have worked on every square inch of the property...top to bottom...back to front.

?????

Very strange times in Houston folks.  Lots of Space Engineers getting their pink slips and putting their homes on the market.  I'm concerned for highly educated, God-fearing and hard working families that will have NO place to work and contribute to our society. 

xox, DeniseMarie