Motivational Monday....

My work hubby (who I will talk about in a later post) has one of those little desk calendars with a thought or quote everyday.

You know the kind?

 With a page that can be torn off and tossed once the date passes?

This generous pal ALWAYS sends them my way after he tears them off.

Why???

Because it is a motivational calendar,

all with quotes by, or thoughts on John Wooden.

Do you know who he is????? I knew of him just from osmosis cuz I am NOT a big basketball fan.

But John Wooden's name seemed to come up often with me raising a basketball loving son.

John Wooden was a great basketball player that went on to be a GREAT basketball coach.

Please visit this website to learn more about his illustrious career.

This work hubby knows how I love motivational quotes, stories, books and videos, so it is a blessing everytime he shares one of John Wooden's words or wisdom.

So what does that have to do with my blog????

Well, I have saved a few of my favorites and will share some of them over the next few weeks.

1st up!!!!!

"It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts." John Wooden

How true it is Mr. Wooden, how true it is.

I remember being a teenager who KNEW it all.

NO REALLY, I DID!

Didn't you?

And then I learned that I needed to learn just a LITTLE more which would help me become a better adult, a better wife.

And then I KNEW IT ALL again!!!!

Don't you believe me????

HMMMMM

Then along came 2 little ones that I was responsible for!!!

WOW did I realized I had a lot to learn about being a good mom.

Then my kids grew up and I realized I never DID know it all........

Wanna know why????

Because my KIDS were the ones who knew it all!!!!!

What a shocker!!!!

So at this point in my life......

 I know that each and everyday brings new challenges, new opportunities to learn.

So dear friends..... remember that we NEVER stop learning, so......

Embrace each challenge...

Embrace each learning opportunity.....

Embrace today.....and bask in the new knowledge.

Until next time......

Sunday Morning.....

Almost a week with mom back home and we are surviving...

Surviving.....not thriving.....

But that will come.

She gets stronger everyday it seems, so that is my blessing for the week.......

The song.......

....has been chosen....

....the dress has been bought....

....now all that is left is the Mother and Son dance....

My son and I have been going back and forth with what song to dance to at his wedding on June 25th.

We have a fun and funky, and scarcastic and silly relationship and we always have.

So what do we do???

Dance to a nice, slow, so made for a wedding song??????

Or do something crazy like dance to an Elvis song, or the Twist or something equally as silly.

But last night I got the text from my son.....

Like My Mother Does Lauren Alaina

That is all it said.

I have not been watching American Idol too closely this year, but my son and his fiance have been......

....and my dear son is in AI love with Lauren.

I did not hear the song but am hoping she sings it again tonight as the internet is saying that it will be her first single if she wins.

But I wanted to share it before it comes out..... so take a listen in Kristy Lee Cook's version out on You Tube.

LIKE MY MOTHER DOES - Kristy Lee Cook

My son said he almost cried when he heard this and I am sure it will cause LOADS of tears come June 25th.

Enjoy!!!!

HGTV Green Home 2011....ONE LAST VISIT

The giveaway for the 2011 HGTV Green Home ends soon so hop on over to enter before it it too late......

One last stop at the Green Home to take a quick look at the outdoor spaces.

I just LOVE the term Outdoor Spaces......just sounds inviting doesn't it????

First, lets take a look at the Front Patio...

 

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 LOVE the colors, love the furniture...... love love love it.....

but my favorite feature is the free standing fireplace.....Isn't it cool.

Unfortunately there is  no room for that on MY tiny patio..... :o(

And now on to the deck......It is kinda on the side of the house....

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Is it just me???? Or is this space a little underwhelming?????

No color, no lush green area..... I just don't get it....

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I guess I just expected more... I mean this looks like just ANYONE could throw it together....

I want great ideas, the newest of what is offered out there in the design and decorating world.

But these are just MY thoughts...........

Let's peek in the Garage.....

I usually don't get too excited about garages but this one has a really fun feature.

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A dog washing station.

Is that not the COOLEST thing....

I have small dogs and one that can even be bathed in the sink, but I would LOVE this pet washing station....

SERIOUSLY....

And take a look at this shower head...

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The four legged winner of this Green Home will be one lucky pup......

I mean I don't even have a shower head like this one..... GEESH......

If I won this home, I would just have dog washing parties..... It would be a blast for all the neighborhood doggies......

So there you have it...

The 2011 HGTV Green Home.

I liked the home but not enough to enter the drawing, so maybe next year..........

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the 2011 Pantone Color Forecast....

Ideas for indoor spaces....

Ideas for outdoor spaces.....

I plan to continue to live vicariously through the other designers out there while I still enjoy my retirement from the design world.......

Until next time....

I have a question for you!!!!!!

Linky's here.....Linky's there.....

.............Linky's Linky's everywhere.........

Linky's......Blog Hops.....Blog parties

Whatever you call them, they are a great tool in the blog world for meeting new people, finding more blogs that have JUST the type of information you are looking for.

Finding new followers for your own blog.

Growing your home business by introducing yourself to others who may be looking for what you have to offer!!!

Do you like cooking??? Recipes???

How about baking??? Cake decorating???

Do you like crafting??? Scrapbooking??? Jewelry making???? Card Making????

Are you into interior design and decorating???

Flea market finds from trash to treasure???

Great new uses for re-purposed items???

The lastest fabrics,  colors,  styles???

ALL of it is out there in Blogland, but not always right out there in the open and calling your name and saying <<<<<>>>>> <<<<<>>>

Sometimes it takes an angle, another way to find what you are looking for.

So what do you think of these Blog Hops???

Like them????

Hate them????

Participate in them?????

Avoid them like the plague???

I would love to know as I am thinking of starting one up, and  I wanna know your thoughts before I do........

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Leave me a comment with your thoughts on this.....

Would love to hear from you.

Until next time......

Playing and Winning.....

Don't those two things usually go hand in hand? Why would we play a game if we were not 'in it to win it'?

Well with a not so competitive person like me, I can see playing for the fun of playing.....

......for the joy of the exercise (if it is a sport we are talking about).....

......for the companionship of friends (if we are talking cards or board games)!!!!!

Now that is what I call winning!!!!

One of my fave newsletters I get in my inbox is written by Mark Henson who is the owner of Sparkspace, a Columbus, Ohio conference center. I have mentioned Mark's newsletter in the past on here because it often resonates with me. It often hits me right where I am at that very moment.

Read this excerpt from the most recent posting called Don't Play to Win.....

I'd just like to challenge you to think about what winning means to you. Does it mean making more money than the next guy? Does it mean having a bigger title? Corner office? Putting your competition out of business?

Or does it mean you went to work today and completely threw yourself into your work, collaborated with people you enjoy working with, overcame obstacles, and created the best (insert your product here) that you could create?

I believe if that's what winning looks like to you, it really doesn't matter if anyone else is behind you or in front of you in the race. You're not out to beat them. You're out to win YOUR race. To do the best you can do. To express YOUR talent fully in the talent show.

What's great about business is that, while sometimes there is a clear market leader, there's always room for multiple winners. Sometimes hundreds or thousands of winners. There's always room for more greatness.

Don't play to win. Play to be the best you can be. When you do, you won't always come in first place, but you will win every time.

As you can tell by reading this posting by Mark, it had to do with work and how you view winning at work? But what about winning in your everyday life?

HMMMMMM

I want to be the best ME I can be, the person God meant me to be....not the best whatever that someone expects me to be.

I want to do what I know is right....

to be kind, to be caring, to be loving to others and for others.......

but not at the expense of losing ME.

Do you ever feel like someone is expecting more of you than you can be?????

More than you can give?????

More than you can afford????

I am working on thinking more about what winning is to ME......making the most perfect me I can, the perfect creation that God wants me to be......

...............and trying REALLY hard

 not to conform to what someone else's idea of perfection is.

Do you sometimes work to please others over and over until you are no longer pleasing yourself?

Does it make you a bad person, friend, parent??????

Or is taking care of yourself, the way to become that BEST????

Until next time.....

More on the 2011 HGTV Green Home......

As you saw here and here there are some really neat spaces in this years Green Home.......

Now, I wanna show you the Loft at the top of the stairs before we move on to the Master Bedroom.

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I am not sure I could live with the railing up the stairs and in the loft. It looks cold and kinda industrial for my taste.

But love that every little bit of the space is being used.... It seriously looks like the sectional was made for this space. 

And the touches of blue and orange in the pillows and artwork makes me smile.

I LOVE the fun spark that the little wood chip chair brings to the space.... Not sure you could actually sit comfortably in the chair, but it is definitely a conversation piece.  

 On the way into the Master Bedroom, is a really cool space called the Niche.....but to see this little area that would be great for storage, or a master sitting room, or a nursery, you will have to check out this short video. I think it is worth a peek.

Now you can sorta kinda see the Niche in this photo, but this shot really just makes it look like a glorified halway. I still wanted to show it to you tho.

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SOOOOOOOO, Now we move on in to the Master......

Ready????

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Ok, I don't wanna be Debbie Downer here.....

.....but I think this is the ONLY room in the house that I just can't see me living with.

What do you think????

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Now, remember, this is just my thoughts and my tastes I am talking about here.... You all may LOVE it but I think it is a little TOO nature-y, TOO rustic....

But again that is just me.....

I feel very different about the Master Bath tho.....

Looky Looky.....

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 HOW DO I LOVE THEE.....

Let me count the ways......

• The vessel style sinks.
• The two COMPLETELY separate personal pampering spaces.
• The fact that there is a little sensor when you walk in thru the cool door that activates some really special pump that makes sure that hot water is available as soon as you turn on any of the faucets. OH MY GOODNESS!!!
• The huge framed mirrors.
• The separate water closet (I still call it toilet) room for privacy. :o)

I could go on and on, but I suggest you follow the links above and check it out.......

That's all for today, but I do wanna show you a couple of other spaces, like the outdoor rooms as well as the garage.

So, until next time.....

 

2011 Green Home....Moving on up........

to the 2nd floor of this spectacular home.

I gave my thoughts on the new, hot color for spring here and here,
and it was a beautiful bright pink color called honeysuckle.....

Well look at how it was used here in the Girl's Room in the HGTV Green Home.....

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Is that pink or is that pink???? Well, in this case they call it Bubblegum.......

O M to the G as my daughter is fond of saying.

Don't get me wrong, pink is one of my favorite colors and my 3 year old granddaughter would feel like the princess she thinks she is in this room......BUT REALLY????

Can you say RESALE?????

Me thinks not.

I realize there are new wonderful paints from Lowe's and Home Depot, and probably others, that have a primer built in to help cover up crazy paint mistakes, but I am not sure it could tackle this room easily......

Other than the walls and the carpet, I really like the touches in the room....

the pink throws with the ball fringe or pom poms I guess they really are....

the khaki colored roman shades that do their best to tone down the pink.....

the natural touches like linen, seagrass and bamboo throughout the room.......

What do YOU think about the room???? Be honest!!!!

Now down the hall to the Boy's Room.......



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Don't let the wide angle shot here fool you.....this room is a lot smaller than the girls room next door......

The interior designer of the home, Linda Woodrum, chose Topaz as the wall color which is much more subdued that the bubble gum girl's room.

Thinking about the girls room, my thoughts are it would mostly be suited to a toddler and MAYBE up through a pre-teen girl, but the boy's room, minus the toys of course, is more suited to a young man, maybe up through the time they head off to college.......

Let's move farther down the hall....

Now I thought about showing you the hall bath, but it didn't really spark me too much...

Again, this is just me..... but the hall bath was a lot of white on white on white...... to get in enough pictures for this space, they actually took a pic of the q-tips and cotton balls. Maybe I am the only one who doesn't get much inspiration from those white fluffies so if you wanna take a look for yourself, check it out here.

Next time I will take you in for a quick peek at the Loft and the Master Bedroom and Bath. There is a really cool 'niche' going into the master bedroom but I can only find videos of that space...no pics.... Dang.... cuz it is kinda cute. 

I am not giving up tho..... I will keep trying so that I can include it in the master tour.

Until next time.....

>

Sunday Morning

Wishing all of you a wonderful Sunday.....

full of blessings,

and a day of doing what makes you smile!!!!

The HGTV Green Home 2011!!!!!

I just love drooling over looking at all the wonderful ideas presented each year by the designers of the HGTV Dream Home and HGTV Green Home.

Take a look here for last years Green Home post.

I have made it kind of a habit to give all of you a quick look at these homes from my perspective. Keep in mind it is MY thoughts and perspective, not anyone elses.

You may agree with my ramblings or you may think I'm crazy. Either way, I would LOVE to hear how you feel, either way. I miss those days as a designer when my colleagues and I would sit around bouncing ideas off of each other on completed projects as well as current and future ones.

So....... I would love for all of you to join me, leave comments and be my virtual design partners.

So lets get started.....

  

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 I LOVE the front of this home...... I love the straight lines.... all the rectangles created by the wonderful lines of the architecture and windows.

 

I am usually ALL about curvy, fun and flirty lines (yes even in architecture)... Now don't think crazy contemporary with different angles going this way and that..... think turrets and gazebo's and queen anne legs on beautiful furniture... but this I LOVE......

Now check out the living room.....



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OK, I am not sure I could handle all of the straight lines in THIS room..... I just don't see those chairs being the "come sit in me and stay awhile" kinda chairs. Maybe bigger chairs with more cush.... and room to curl up in front of the fire??? HMMMMM maybe that is just me, but I wanna be comfy, not feel like I gotta go to my bed to get lost in comfort and chill out from a crazy day.

Otherwise I love the colors in the room - is golden yellow the new neutral? I may not think the chairs invite me to hang out, but the subtle yellow mixed with the grey and black create a relaxed atmosphere that is sorta calling me in.

On to the Kitchen.....

Now, the main cabinets are a little dark for my tastes but I really like the way the frosted glass on some of the upper ones lighten up the look. I do love the size and layout of this cooking space tho.... Not too big, not too small.....just right for someone like me who LOVES to cook but doesn't want to have to wear roller skates to move from station to station. 



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At first I didn't like the little clear acrylic bar stools, but then I realized that visually they don't take up much space and they ALSO don't take away from the wonderfully LARGE island. Can you say......... "cut out Christmas cookies here I come"?????

This tile backsplash (gee do they still call it that???) is wonderful too.

I usually love, love, love color. Lots of it in big or small doses....but this neutral treatment with a variety of greys and yellows in the glass tile???..... really makes me smile.....

Now to finish up the main level......

The DO room????

The what?????

You heard me, the Do Room.......

And if you take a look at all that you could DO in this room, the name makes sense!!! 



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 OK, OK, it doesn't look like much in the pic above, but take a look at this view.....



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Some things you CAN see in the pic:  

• The wonderful compact laundry center... 
• A pair of desks....perfect for a couple of kids or a space to create wonderful items for your 'home-based' business... 
• A quiet reading area....but again I would LOVE the chairs to be bigger and smooshier.....

Some things you CAN'T see in the pic:

• A wrapping station, great for a one stop shop for gussie-ing up all those birthday, wedding, anniversary etc. presents..... 
• A small sink area for cleaning up those little (or big) messes created when DO-ing crafts, and painting and gluing, and, and, and.....

This is definitely a room you need to take a closer look at.....

OK, so that's enough for today, but stay tuned for a trip up the stairs to see the rest of the Green Home.

Until next time....

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!!!!

I can't believe I started all this fun a year ago. I started it all off with a little about me.....

Short and sweet....

Then just 16 short days later my life took a big detour off the path I had planned for life....... You can read a little more about it here.

This last year has definitely been a year of ups and downs but through it all, you (my online pals) have been there for me.... Listening to me ramble, whine, and fight through the tears, but all the while offering words of sympathy, inspiration and love along the way.

For that I want to say a BIG thank you....

And invite you to stick with me as I sail into the next year.....

There will still be the elder care struggles I face in taking care of my mom, but I sure hope I can find MORE time to stroke my crafty side. And then blog about it.......

I want to spend more time this next year meeting new people through blog hops, while getting to know my old bloggy friends more.....

I want to hear your ideas, your thoughts, your triumphs, your trials and the little zigs and zags that come along in your life. Those things that make us stronger.....but that we have to get through first  to get to the strength.

Thanks again for joining be on this journey.

Until next time.....

Music Monday......

Blessings by Laura Story

I used some of the lyrics from this song in yesterday's post.

Spend some time enjoying her beautiful words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOFAaUGfRE&feature=related

Sunday Morning.....

What if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if trials of this life are mercies in disguise?

Blessings by Laura Story

Catchin up......

I touched on a little of what has been going on with my mom these past few weeks here,

 

But I thought I would catch you up a little more.

When mom was moved to the rehab center this time, I was convinced that she would not be able to come home again.

I was so conflicted....

Why???

I was happy that she was going to be in a place that she was used to (she had only been home for 2 weeks before going back). I knew she would be taken care of and that the nurses, physical therapists and nursing assistants would encourage her, and help her to get back as much of her abilities as possible. And we would then move on with the inevitability of her remaining there going forward.

I know it is best for her to be home - at least for her mental health, but I also knew I would not be able to care for her at that point.

After 2 weeks of mom receiving heavy duty antibiotics thru the PICC line in her arm, she appears to have turned around COMPLETELY. It is amazing!!!! I am thinking the ESBL and eColi may have been lurking in her system for longer than originally thought and really kicked her butt.

So now I am conflicted again.....

Why?

What if she comes home and it happens again? What if she continues to fall, to have seizures, to have the effects of the bacteria that was causing havoc in her system?

Am I ready for my MENTAL health to be stressed again if she does come home?

I try not to whine about it...

I try not to have a

Pity Party....Party of one.....

but it becomes more difficult all the time.

I never know what each new day will bring.

 

Mom has been approved for one more week at rehab (they have to renew the insurance approval every week).

 

So I have at least another week to deal with my conflicting thoughts and feelings.

 

Until next time.

You should always leave while you’re still having fun!!!!

HHHHHMMMMMMM

Just a few little words that can mean so much!!!!

I read this sentence in a dear Weight Watcher pals blog......

Her thoughts were aimed at the relationship with food......

HMMMMM

Leave while you are still having fun.......

DO NOT stay until you have stuffed your face so full that you cannot move or you have to unbutton your jeans just to breathe.

I was thinking along the lines of other types of relationships though...

Sometimes, a friendship runs its course.....

Sometimes a book group ends up dropping members until a group that has been together for years no longer meets.....

Sometimes a church home no longer feels like HOME.....

Sometimes a hobby that you love is just becoming too expensive.....

All of this got me to thinking.....

YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LEAVE WHILE YOU'RE STILL HAVING FUN!!!

What do you think???

Have you ever been there done that???

Did you walk away????

Or did you stay in the situation, hoping that someday, somehow.....

the situation would change and you would start having fun again?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Sunday Morning......

I have mentioned before that music takes me away...... It is kind of like the old "CALGON take me away" commercial. And I am pretty open to most ANY music, tho Country and Christian music are my ultimate faves.....

When a friend shared this video of Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill singing How Great Thou Art, I knew I would have to add it to my favorites.

Mixing 2 of my favorite country singers with a wonderful hymn I remember singing even as a child.

I am hoping that iTunes has the same version as I need this one in my daily play list.

So I am sharing it with you today.

For those of you who haven't seen this on You Tube (or on the Girl's Night Out special on CBS), take a few minutes out of this Sunday to take a look.

For those of you that HAVE seen it, spend a few minutes taking another look.

It will be a lovely way to spend some time on this Sunday morning.

Until next time............