cff July 2014 | Simple and Serene Living

Friday, July 25, 2014

so many projects...so little time

I have a board on Pinterest called Yes You Can Projects. You can see that here. It is full of projects I would love to do now or in the future. Currently I have 182 pins on my board. 

There is the how to make your own wool dryer balls. Love these. They are not only cute to look at, but really functional.

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I have been wanting to make a rag rug since the 1970's. (That might tell you how far behind I am on my projects) But, now I have absolutely no excuse not to do it with this wonderful tutorial (This is where the so little time excuse comes in)


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Look at these gorgeous watercolor flowers. I would love to have a vase full of these. (This could be a hint to my artist daughter, Katy who paints fabric flowers so I don't have to do it). 


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Okay, this is something I could actually do. I really can sew, and I can just picture these blowing gently in my open windows.


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Country Living has 46 craft ideas for recycling. We all know how much I love to reuse and recycle.


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This is one that I am definitely going to try. Believe it or not, I actually just made a rag wreath (I know, hard to believe) and want to add roses. When I get that done, I will share it with you. (How long is it until the next millinneum?)


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I seem to be a lot better at picking out cool projects than I am at getting them done, but I know a lot of you actually do them. So you may want to visit my Pinterest board because I'm sure that 182 project number will just keep going up. SIGH!!!


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Friday, July 18, 2014

FRIED CHICKEN MEMORIES

Summer always reminds me of fried chicken. Hot sunny Sunday afternoons out in the backyard with the smell of fried chicken sneaking out the back screened door.



Mama would be standing over what had to be an unbearably hot stove frying up chicken in her two cast iron skillets. Fresh snapped green beans seasoned with country ham bubbled on one burner and potatoes for mashing on another, while fresh homemade biscuits baked in the oven. 


As soon as the chicken frying was done Daddy would step in to make his secret recipe of southern milk gravy. I was twelve before he passed that secret on to me. It was one of the proudest days of my life. Mama's chicken and Daddy's gravy put Colonel Sanders to shame here in Kentucky. 



Every summer Sunday I would sit on my swing lazily swinging back and forth while my bare toes trailed a line in the dust just waiting for that chicken dinner. For Mama to call out that supper was ready. 



I was a child who didn't eat much. A child, who when Daddy came home from work at six o'clock would be sitting at the dining room table, and when he asked why I was at the table before supper was ready I would answer that I was still sitting there from lunch because I refused to eat. But you would never catch me not eating that fried chicken supper.


When I was nine we moved to Canada, away from my little southern home. We moved into a big house and my parents did a lot of entertaining of my father's clients from all over the world. My mother was a gourmet cook and served some amazing dinners, but her fried chicken with Daddy's gravy was a favorite. 

I'll never forget the man from Australia, who at the end of the meal one night asked if anyone else wanted more potatoes and gravy. When the answer came back as no, he took the big serving bowl of potatoes, covered them with gravy, and proceeded to finish them off, wiping the remaining gravy from the bowl with a leftover biscuit.

I have many memories of wonderful meals from over the years, but whenever I catch the smell of chicken frying I am transported back to our first little house and summer Sundays. Of Mama and Daddy in that small hot kitchen cooking up the best meal ever. 


Thursday, July 10, 2014

it takes courage


Transformations
It Takes Courage

This is for all of my beautiful blogging friends.


Be proud of yourself for putting yourself out there every day. It isn't easy hanging yourself out there for the whole world to see. Not everyone has the courage to do what you are doing.  

It is never too late to try something new and you are so far ahead of the pack just for trying. So give yourself a well deserved pat on the back. You deserve it. 

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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

HOME DECOR: FRONT PORCH MEMORIES

Summertime and the living is easy... on the porch

wicker chair on front porch



I would have to say that some of my favorite summertime memories involve sitting on the porch. 

Snapping beans and shucking corn with my grandmother. Swinging on the old porch swing with my grandfather. Playing board games on the screened porch at the beach with my cousins. Playing paper dolls with my sister. 

Laughing. Talking. Crying. Sharing.



front porch


Summer. Porches. Family. What could be better?

farmhouse front porch


In the south porches are an integral part of life. It doesn't matter if the porch is big or small, it is the place to conduct business. 

In days gone by, before air conditioning, it was a place to escape the heat of summer, to read the morning newspaper, to sit and sew, to greet neighbors and share a glass of sweet tea, to kiss a sweetheart goodnight.

Shop Braided Rug




People didn't have to form neighborhood watch groups back in the day. Neighbors sitting on their porches knew what was going on and they monitored it. 

They knew where the children were. They knew if the teenagers were misbehaving. They knew if there was happiness or sadness in their neighbor's family. They knew a sense of community.

front porch

Summer is here. Maybe it's time to bring back those old porch traditions. Come out of our air-conditioned houses. Turn off the TVs. Put down the cell phones. Sit and smell the roses. Talk to our neighbors. Spend time with our families. Enjoy the moment.


Read more home decor posts.

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