Three Dollar Gold Elephant

I love the Dollar Spot at Target.

Who doesn't?

I do get miffed that it is now the $3.00 and $5.00 spot as well. 

But last week I found a cute mounted elephant head for $3.00.

You just screw the two pieces together.

Not our colors so I had to go for the gold. 

At this point you can still see the polka dots.

They do disappear more with each coat but if you think it would bother you then you could sand the back piece first. 

I used our favorite gold spray paint that I've mentioned before 

and used on other elephant heads :)

 

We added it to the gallery wall in Mollie's bathroom which was our "challenge room" for the previous One Room Challenge on Calling It Home.

It's almost time to gear up for the next ORC.

 It's the best way to get a room going and get it finished.

 I think I'm going to get another room puled together this Spring.

Be sure to follow along or join in!

 

My Lucky Day!

I was unexpectedly downtown (Atlanta) this week 

because Mollie had a little dental emergency 

(not the lucky part of this story) 

and I decided to swing by the Salavation Army store

 on my way back to the 'burbs. 

 Did you know the Salvation Army store has sales?

Well, I did not. 

I'm often late to the party, so to speak. 

The parking lot was packed. 

People were double parked. I couldn't get in, then I pulled into a small open space and a guy yelled that I couldn't park there because the big trucks were coming and I had to pull out on a road I didn't know and circle around. 

I almost left but for some reason I did circle back and park on the street and walk back to the store. I figured that all the people already in the know about the sale and jamming the parking lot had gotten all the "good stuff" but right there in the window was a dream piece. 

On sale. 

Discounted from the already awesome Salvation Army great price! 

( Like less than $40.00)

I was giddy!

The size of my car is no deterrent.

 I act like I still drive a Suburban :)

#nobambooleftbehind

I drove straight home, booted the previous coffee table right out the room 

and brought this beauty in.

( Chloe was giddy, too! Haha!) 

 Yes, we are those people who have dogs on the furniture. 

I did not say "let" because we didn't let her. 

She just decided that spot was hers 

and she's been right there ever since. Mollie calls her "Princess"!

It's everything I love in a coffee table. 

Big. Bamboo. And caning!!

 Trifecta!

I know that it would look so much better sitting on a beautiful rug.

But Chloe eats rugs. 

Sisal, bamboo, jute, wool, hand hooked. She loves all flavors of rugs. 

So hardwoods it is.

I had to pull out some accessories I had stashed and start styling it up!

I haven't finished tweaking it but we all love it! 

#thriftingforthewin

Spring Stuff.

Spring stuff from my iPhone.

Spring is O-fficially here and I'm so glad.

People are already complaining about the infamous Atlanta pollen 
but I will happily sneeze my way through the day if only it is warm.

Of course, the first day of Spring brought a freeze warning 
after two weeks of 70 plus degree weather.

I had disobeyed my 91 year old friend, Mr. Buman, who told me not to get excited 
and plant anything until after Good Friday.

Not listening to your elders always gets you in trouble.

That is why I have a huge urn and a 6 foot tall palm in my foyer 
 There are ferns and little leaves all over the dining area of the kitchen.

He tells me every year. 
When will I listen?


( Oh, and the bamboo and rattan bench was a lucky thrifting find.
She needs a little work but I love her.
 The mold is scrubbed off so a coat of clear and some repairs are coming her way!!)


And speaking of ferns..
#ilikebigfernsicannotlie

I bought this fern as a birthday gift for a friend. I didn't want to give it up!

Does this fern make my car look small?
I bought it from Kelli Green Nurseries in Marietta.
If you are local, go by there and treat yo'self.
 They have the best plants!!

 We are gearing up for our annual Easter traditions which includes Easter Service 
(3 for me including Sunrise #churchstaff ), 
a huge meal on the porch ( if the forecast for rain on Easter goes away) 
which is themed every year. 
This year it is Hawaiian Breakfast Brunch.
 I hope I remember to take pictures. 
It's going to be yummy. (It would be better in Hawaii.)
And my now famous egg hunt 
guaranteed to get all the young adults and teenagers off their  mobile devices and moving!!
#moneyintheeggs





The shrubs and trees have popped and are in full bloom.
This is the lorapetalum by my front door.
I think another name is Chinese Fringe flower.

It's gorgeous.
All those fringy, pink blooms.

 And more pink flowers because Mollie's part-time job became a full time position!!! 

Yay!!

 Have a good Good Friday and a wonderful Easter weekend with your family and friends.

Crayon Day

Today is all about the color green but when I think about St. Patrick's Day

I  also think about the rainbow that is a major player in the stories of leprechauns.

 

( I think about what I could do with a pot of gold, too.

#notgonnalie )

 

 

And rainbows make me think about boxes of crayons

all lined up in the order of the spectrum.

 

This is the way my brain works... St. Patty's Day to crayons in zero to 60!

 

 

And I never think about crayons that I don't think about this...

 

Several years ago a friend of mine started teaching 3rd grade at a school in a nearby school district. We live in the Atlanta suburbs and sometimes forget that nearby there is actual need for even the basics. My friend told me about her class and the school which was an "at risk" school and almost all families qualified for subsidized lunch. All the parents worked long hours and they were not able to come to school during the day for programs or to be "room moms".

Well, Mollie was away at college at the time and I was missing those cute and fun Room Mom days.

 I volunteered to be her Room Mom and come every month to do a special project, etc.

I was probably more excited than her kiddos!

I went for the first time that October and took a very simple cupcake treat ( that they thought was the most amazing thing ever! They had never seen those little candy pumpkins that I decorated the cupcakes with. Remember that their parents were just trying to put food on the table), a favorite seasonal book that I left with the class and a craft project for them to get creative with. We played a game and it was a great afternoon. I went back in November and followed the same format. They loved everything and thought each treat, project or new to them craft supply was simply amazing and wonderful.

It was a joy to prep and go each month.

I asked my friends from church to donate small gifts for them at Christmas and we played games and chose the gifts as prizes. Several of the children chose things that they could give their moms for Christmas because  she wouldn't get a gift otherwise. So sweet and selfless.

Many of these children had little or no expectations of gifts for themselves either.

 

So what does this have to do with crayons?

I'm getting there!

 

 

 

While the children were playing games and eating their  Christmas  Mid Winter Holiday party treats  my friend and I were talking about the children in her class and how they were doing and her concerns. They would be out of school for over two weeks. The lunch they got at school in addition to a healthy snack of fruit or veggies each day was sometimes the only healthy and hot food they got each day. She was also concerned because they had testing when they came back in January and so many were so far behind.

 And then she said something I could not believe.

She told me that the teachers at this school couldn't send homework home with the students because they didn't have even crayons in their homes to do homework with at night.
A few might but it put so many of them at a disadvantage
 to not be able to keep up with homework.
 

What??? This is America.

 Every child should be able to have a box of crayons.

I could not get this out of my mind

For weeks I thought about this.

Then I asked her how many children were in that school.

I talked to the Mission Committee at the church where I was Children's Director at the time and we started a campaign to get a box of crayons for very child in that school.

And we did.

 They were stacked everywhere.

We counted and recounted. We sorted by number of crayons per box.

One of my awesome volunteers ( never married, no children and always willing to support whatever crazy scheme I cooked up) bought a box of 64 crayons for every 5th grader in that school. I think it was the first time he had ever bought crayons :)

 

People texted and FB posted about where crayons were on sale for the best price.

It was an all out mission.

 

And then the day came when we had enough to tell the school that they were on the way.

 

Almost 800 boxes of crayons were put in boxes and bins in the back of my friends' car and hauled to that school.

 

The next day I had two messages on my answering machine at work.

The first one from my friend who teaches there telling me that they ended classes early that day in the entire school and the support staff helped to pass out the boxes of crayons  to every classroom. My friend said that there were children who cried because people they didn't know cared enough to give them a box of crayons. Many couldn't believe they could take them home.

The second message came from a very choked up and appreciative principal saying that "Crayon Day" had been the most amazing day at their school.

 

So, if you can't imagine that there are children who don't even have a box of crayons somewhere near you, I challenge you to look around and see if you can drop off a rainbow of crayons somewhere nearby and change the day for a child.

 

 

And if you find that pot of gold this St. Patrick's Day maybe you can drop off a lot of crayons!

St. Patrick's Day is a lot of fun but maybe Crayon Day should be the new holiday.

 

 

#crayonday

#itshouldbeathing

 

*This post was not supported or solicited by Crayola Crayons.

Neither was Crayon Day.

It's a true story.

 

Friday is Fabulous!

 

These are my 3 favorite images from the past week.

Friday Favorites!!

 

 

You can read all about this backyard shed  artist's retreat at Country Living.

I  might just move in!

 

 

I know this picture of Emily Henderson's nursery has been on every blog

 but I am in love with the bamboo daybed.

#bambooisbest

If you ever see a bamboo daybed for sale please message me pronto!

 You can see more of this room in the latest House Beautiful and on most shelter blogs :)

 

 

 

 

 

I have Spring fever in a major way.

#porchgoals

I saw this beachy/springy/relaxing pic on Jamie Meare's blog, I Suwanee, which I love!

 

OK, I know this makes four but this elephant bookend from Pottery Barn Kids is too fun!

 

 

Have a great weekend.

We have ambitious outdoor workday plans that includes more time pondering.

 

Pondering...

I've been thinking about ponds lately.

I guess I've been pondering.

#apologiesforthepun
#thiscouldgoonforever

 #wereapunnyfamily

We have two small water feature/ponds in our backyard.

I have these ponds because little goldfish ponds are a part of my 
childhood Lowcountry South Carolina memories. 

I love to be near water.

 

They basically flank each end of our screened porch.

 The idea was the soothing sound of trickling water wherever we sat.

 

Fifty weeks out of the year they are fabulous.

Relatively care free, soothing sounds 
and a flash of a bright orange fish from time to time.
But in the Spring the dreaded "pond cleaning" weeks 
cause me to think crazy" get rid of the ponds" thoughts.

Luckily I get past that.

This year however one must be moved for a variety of reasons and the other sprung a leak last year that could not be repaired from the top side and without removing all the rocks and some plants to lift up the liner and assess the situation. Oy!

Soooo, there is no soothing trickle of water while as we begin 
to venture out into our backyard for Spring.

 I am in my rainboots knee deep in mud in our ponds.

I'm beginning to think those crazy 
"get rid of the ponds or one pond is more than enough" thoughts.

But to keep my eye on the ball, so to speak, I have been pinning some pond inspiration.

This is the Charleston garden of the late Emily Whaley.
If you love down-to-earth Southern women and hearing their thoughts on everything including gardening, then read her delightful book.

 

So while my pond situation looks like this I'll keep my eye on the inspiration photos :

All of the  pretty images in this post are from my 
Garden and Yard Pinterest Board.

You can find the original sources there.

Globally Inspired

I love globes.

It's probably related to my desire to travel anywhere.
Really. Anywhere.

I've mentioned my wanderlust before.

I'm not picky.

Let's just go!

The picture below makes me feel like I need to
kick my globe display up a notch.
Ya think?

Want to see more?
Well, it will take a bit of the adventurer/wanderlust spirit to follow this path.

I start every.single.Saturday morning with Emily A. Clarks' "The Saturday Six."

This past Saturday "Number 6" sent me to this article about a beautiful home in Atlanta.
The article is amazing as is the homeowner,
who is a bit of a "hometown hero" in the design world.
You can check the article out on this fabulous blog, Cote de Texas.
From that blog you can probably track down the original source for all the pictures.