Good Bye Ted Kennedy

REST IN PEACE Thanks for all your years of service.

Bathroom Project

Summer, as always , has flown by way too fast. Some projects have been finished and others delayed or forgotten.
Last year our neighbor came by with these great wooden crates.
"Sure, we'll take them", both Notanseladams and I said.
And they sat on the back deck for a year.
I knew I would eventually come up with a great idea for them...eventually...eventually.
We finally did a few 'pick-me-ups' in the bathroom( that's right..THE bathroom, as in the ONLY bathroom in our house.) New visitors are always a little surprised to see that the Powder Room is also the BATH ROOM...literally. Yes , we have raised four children to well-adjusted young-adulthood on ONE bathroom.
Would it shock you to hear that I was raised with SEVEN brothers and sisters in house with...steady now...ONE bathroom!
Anyway....I finally saw that with a little tweaking , the crates would make great storage in the bathroom.


They were so dry they sucked up several coats of primer.


I used Muralo Ultra , the paint we used for the wainscoting , as the finish. It has a hard ,semi-gloss finish and has stood up well for the last few years. I touch up the paint on the wainscoting every now and then..and it always looks like new.


Because they will be in the bathroom, I did a couple coats of the finish , too.


I found casters at Lowes......


And attached them to the four corners.


I drilled thick holes in the front...sprayed brass grommets with a silver finish...


I bought a yard or so of rope at Home Depot. Pushed grommet fronts into the holes I drilled , and inserted the rope. A knot in the back secures the rope as handles.


And.... Voila....I have two wonderful storage bins that fit perfectly under the old piano bench (with sawed off legs) in the bathroom.

The rest of the story.....I have six more of theses crates.
Any ideas?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Plymouth Harbor

Last Saturday night a very dear friend chartered a boat out of Plymouth Harbor to throw a Farewell Party for her son who he is headed to Iraq with the Army. It was a beautiful night..warm breezes , great company and lovely views.

My husband, Notanseladams.

Here is my role model for aging. She is a rare bird. The grandmother of the soon-to-be-deployed, she is 84 years old, almost 85. She's more fun than almost anyone I know (and I do know some fun people!) and never has a complaint about anything. (Except the policemen who try to put a stop to 4th of July festivities...but that's another story) She lost her husband of more than sixty years in early January of this year. They had a wonderful marriage and six children , eighteen grand children and one great-grand child. She has not changed her positive and generous spirit.

This is Duxbury Pier Lighthouse ,better known as Bug Light.

The back side of Plymouth Beach, a wonderful sandy beach.

And the sunset...it was lovely that night. To Michael..and all the troops..I wish you safe return.

I Wish You Could Smell This

We have had the rainiest and coolest (NOT as in Hip) summer I can ever remember here in Southeast Massachusetts. My garden has taken a pummeling with the rainfall. After seeding a new lawn we had torrential rainfall like I have never seen. A large amount of seed was washed away and spread where we don't need it. I had grass growing on my asphalt driveway! Made me think of the men who loose the hair on their heads only to have it cruelly grow on their backs!

We reseeded though, and have been paid back with what appears to be a thriving and healthy lawn. Finally.

An awful lot of seed ended in my flower beds. With all the rain and the busy summer I haven't had the chance to spend any real time weeding. Yesterday I spent the whole day pulling healthy grass out of the beds. I moved a few plants around and thinned my mint.


I love bringing mint in the house in vases.Just walking by it you get that wonderfully fresh whiff of mint.


We listened to rain all night and woke up this morning to another day of pouring rain.


I'm so glad I brought this in yesterday.....

What a Difference a Paint Job Makes

This house on the Vineyard (Martha's , of course) was perfectly lovely ,though a little dark for a beach house, before the paint job.


The wood blinds were the same color as the wood paneling and flooring , making for an all over feel that was cozy but missing something.

And eeeew...I could do without that bedspread and that LAMP !!!

Painted and freshened up with new furnishings and rug it looks like a whole new place.

With the blinds still matching the wall color it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming since the floor now seems warm in color.

Lovely...I love what a good paint job can do !

My Herb Vase How-To

I saw this beautiful vase on Lisa Porter's blog (one of the loveliest blogs out there , by the way) not too long ago. I was so in love with it I had to give it a try.


Here's my first attempt...a little sloppy , I know, but the next one will be better.


Everything you need:
a receptacle ..I just used an old drinking glass
Lamb's Ear , several ( the plant please..not the animal)
Misc. other plants ( the tiny flowers I used are actually weeds)
double stick tape


There really is not much need for instructions....Just tape around the glass....


add leaves.......


add more tape.....


Add leaves and flowers or herbs in a way that is pleasing to you...


And voila !


I think it's pretty as is. I'm going to use this one to keep my cut herbs in water on the windowsill.


But next time I'm going to make some for table decorations for a party.


Her's an even easier idea. I wrapped one row of tape around a votive holder and added hydrangea leaves. Tied a piece of raffia around it to finish it off.


I have a party coming up in August and I will make a bunch of these for my screened porch.

Says it all.....

We were in Brant Rock on Saturday night. Went for a walk on the jetties and around the Marina.
It's a beautiful seaside town, just 20 minutes from where we live . I have many , many childhood and adult memories of time spent here.






I don't know if it was serendipity or design that these two boats were side by side. I just found it too good not to document. Click on the picture to zoom in .




When we were kids we spent endless days walking the jetty .Those days the tidal pools were teeming with life. Starfish , crabs ,and periwinkles everywhere. The most life we saw on Saturday was the seaweed draping itself over the rocks.



Back then , too , most of these houses were slightly shabby cottages. Most now are rehabbed and year-round homes.



I've always felt , as the boat names above say , that being near the ocean is a necessity for survival.