My Bathroom

When we moved into our present home several years ago, I struggled with what to do with the main floor bath.

White cabinets.........

black sink.........

black shower walls..........

black floor..........

Very nice, but not what I would have chosen.

I kept thinking I had to go with the black and white theme,

 the granite made me think stone, architecture, columns, etc.

Everything seemed too hard and stark.

Then,

 I happened upon this pretty little tissue cover,

and I knew in an instant

 this

was what I was looking for.

 I loved the purple roses.....

the center is such a deep purple it looks black,

perfect for my bathroom......

Love the gold scrolly details too......

......and there was a matching soap dispenser,

toilet brush holder, waste basket,

and,

wallpaper border.

So I set to work with a rag roll paint technique on the walls,

and added lots of gold marble-like vaining.

I put on a couple coats of polyurethane so the walls would be scrubbable.

For the upper part of the wall

I chose a coordinating wallpaper in the rich purple color,
a nice balance to all the black in the room ........

Positioning the scrolly vine and roses border

between the wallpaper and the painted wall,

ties everything all together..........

So, this is how the bathroom looks as you enter.

 Storage cabinetry and vanity/sink on the right,

with the glass shower and commode on the left.

Did you notice?

I was able to fit a "roman column" (pedestal plant stand?)

laying down on top of the cabinetry on the right, with a sheer curtain panel draped over it.

Stepping further inside to the left of the room........

.

(sorry, the coloring in some of these photos is wrong....too yellow here)

......a larger cherub reclines on top of the cabinet above the commode.

Smaller cherubs somersault across the lower shelf.

Opposite the shower, again, is the vanity with sink.

I found this black cherub

in the garden section of our supercenter.

She was one of the first pieces of decor I bought for this bath.

She's taken a few tumbles over the years with the kids in the bathroom.......

But I still love her,

 and her "Love Nics" as my husband's aunt would say.

Today I'm joining Modern Country Style here for the Paint Please Link party, stop on over and take a look around.

Hugs,

What Would You Do???...

 online photo

Over the past few days we have been under a severe heat advisory.  When I left work yesterday afternoon I went to our local supercenter to pick up some things for dinner. While driving I noted the outside temperature reading was 99 degrees. As I was placing my bags in the car I kept hearing what, at first, I thought was a bird in a nearby tree, yet it didn't really sound like any birds I had heard before. As I hurried to switch on the air conditioning about to back out of my parking space I was shocked to see the face of a tiny puppy as it stood up to the window in the car next to mine. The windows of the vehicle were open several inches, but this did nothing to cool the car's black interior. The puppy's coat was black as well absorbing the sweltering heat and she was panting heavily. I stopped and looked around and said to another passerby that someone had left their dog in the car. He and I stood there wondering what action, if any, we should take, wondering just how long this little puppy had been there and how much longer it would be left waiting. We tried to give it some water from a water bottle I had in my car. We anxiously watched and hoped for the puppy's owner each time a customer leaving the store walked in our direction. After what must have been 15 minutes or longer, another man came along talking on his cell phone saying he knew the owner and was calling her to come out and get her dog. As the puppy was small enough to fit through the open window, he took the dog into the store's entryway so that it could cool in the air conditioning.  The above photo is Not the puppy left in the car. This is a very similar looking puppy as I remember. I don't know that the little puppy would have survived if left there......how much shopping did this owner have to do?how long would it have taken? I have never understood why people take their pets places where their pets can't go.  Hope you're keeping cool where you are.

Hugs,

Lunch at the Marina

Today, we had lunch at a marina restaurant on the Mississippi River.

As it was a hot day, 95 degrees with humidity in the mid 50s,
we ate inside.

Afterwards we went to the shaded patio below.

There was a light breeze. 

 A pleasant spot to "boat watch" for a short while.

It's always exciting to watch the tug boats push their barges past ........

and the railroad bridge, farther down river, swing open to allow the barge to go through.

On the drive home we passed the most charming flower shop 

with lots of gorgeous flowers........

 I don't even know if it was Open.... we were too hot to think about getting out of the car to shop outdoors. 

 I'm saving that for a day when I can take my time and enjoy exploring every little crook and corner. 

Wishing you a Blessed Sunday,

          Hugs,

Serve Cookie Balls at your Next Tea Party

More like a truffle than a cookie in my opinion. Made with cream cheese and a package of sandwich cookies they are just too rich to eat more than a couple bites at a once. But, yes, you will be left craving another soon after. 



I don't have an exact recipe but use one 8 ounce brick of cream cheese to a half package of Oreo sandwich cookies. Just crush the cookie very finely and smoosh in the softened cream cheese. Roll into bitesize balls and dip in melted almond bark.  You may wish to reserve a little crushed cookie to sprinkle on top. Refrigerate to set coating, then keep refrigerated until serving.

Who says you have to stop at Oreo?  There are other sandwich type cookies out there......Nutter Butter..........Lemon is a favorite at our house, although we found the flavor of the Lemon Cookie to be very mild so added a few drops of lemon extract. 

What will your favorite be?

Hope You Had a Happy Fourth!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a look at a parade performance by the  South Shore Drill Team of Chicago......

bagpipers,  another favorite.......

........and the parade theme this year centered around Ronald Reagan

he claimed Dixon as his "place to come home to" as quoted in his film International Squadron, after asking permission of the director to change the line to Dixon.

Hugs,