RETRO WREATH

Here is a SNEAK PREVIEW of the wreath I am making for our local library Holiday Wreath competition. I'm starting with an el cheapo straw wreath and wrapping it with yarn. I am using vintage colors of aqua and red. I found some vintage decorations at a local antique shop. I just love the little reindeer. I am also adding a few felt flowers. Oh.....it's going to be SO cute! I'll post a photo when I'm finished.

MY DAUGHTER'S HOME

My family and I traveled to Florida this past weekend for a wedding. We picked up our daughter in Auburn on the way down. It was the first time I had seen her condo so I thought I would post a few photos. Below is a vintage stereo that used to belong to her grandparents. She uses it for storage in her kitchen. The cookie jar also belonged to her grandmother and is from the 70's. Love the wall color!

My daughter's friend restores vintage bicycles. He recently restored one for her. Boondock, Kelly's shelter cat, is enjoying a view from the window.

In her bedroom, she has a collection of polaroid photos that she and friends have taken.

The orange hippo used to belong to me. I think I got it in the 60's. Now Kelly has it displayed in her bedroom. Behind the hippo is one of her acrylic paintings she painted for a friend's new baby.

My daughter's paint palette...........the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, huh?

The chalkboard wall in her kitchen was made by simply painting chalkboard paint on one wall. It's a great way to keep in touch with roommates!

I love to see old pieces being used and appreciated. They give the condo such an eclectic look!

JENNY & ALEJANDRO'S WEDDING

Here are just a few snippets of the beautiful wedding we attended this weekend. I'm still uploading photos but couldn't wait to post them all! So here is a "teaser" with some of the lovely people I photographed this weekend. What a beautiful day for a wedding and merriment by the sea! Below is the groom a few minutes before the wedding............last minute details..................

One of Jenny's Bridesmaids............isn't she beautiful?

........and the lovely Bride and Groom saying their handwritten vows with the afternoon sunlight bathing them and their guests and the tourquoise water behind..........how romantic!!!

The happy couple leaving the ceremony in a vintage Jeep reminiscent of days gone by. It was such a surprise to see the couple running down the beach, then we saw the Jeep driving on the beach, make a U-turn and Jenny & Alejandro jump in. What an exit! They looked so happy and like they were having SO much fun!

Just look at the beautiful colors in this arrangement! The combination is to die for...........not to mention the peacock feathers! These were the flowers placed on each table at the reception.

The guest book..............

Beautiful vintage looking glasses for the Gumbo!

Jenny refashioned her dress from a vintage 1970's wedding dress and used her great grandmother's brooch for "something old".

Jenny and some of her friends and "merriment makers" at the reception. They had such a fabulous time and it was fun watching them dance!

Jacqueline, Jenny's sister on the left and Pam, the mother of the bride on the right. Little Tai, my great niece in the middle dancing and entertaining at the reception. Next to Jenny and Alejandro, I think Tai had the best time of all! She kind of says it all............with arms spread wide and a big grin on her face!

And the lovely bride and groom's first dance.........

Hope you enjoyed this little snippet. More photos coming soon.................

BEACH WEDDING

I'm off this morning to my niece's wedding down by the sea. Jenny and Alejendro wanted to get married in Colombia, the groom's home country, but they decided to compromise and get married near Destin. It will be a small wedding, only close family and the bride's friends. To save money they decided to make their own wedding invitations, etc. Jenny is very talented and is restyling a vintage 70's wedding dress. I can't wait to see it! She also made ALL of the bridesmaid's dresses.....each in a different color.......aqua, gold, fucia, and sage green. My great niece, Tai, who is 3 will also be in the wedding. It will all be very casual and take place on the beach. Casual attire with flipflops required! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

This is Jenny and Alejendro when he proposed to her last winter. Somewhere in downtown Atlanta by a "famous" bridge which is regularly painted with graffiti. Notice the "Jenny, will you marry me?" in Spanish above? You can see it snowing..........Jenny loves snow! Congrats to the happy couple.

CHEESY CHICKEN CHOWDER

What is it about cool Fall weather that makes you want to make homemade soup? I made a huge batch of Cheesy Chicken Chowder the other day even though my hubby is out of town and all the kids are gone and out on their own. It's just me and Daisy, and she'd rather have cheesy dog biscuits! The recipe is from UPTOWN DOWN SOUTH, a Junior League cookbook from Greenville, South Carolina that a friend gave to me in 1994. We had both lived in Nashville and she had just moved to Greenville. My huge dalmatian, Butler, chewed the corner off the cookbook, but I still love it because it has so many great southern recipes! (He also chewed the corner off my sofa. Now he lives with the nice fire department in Nashville!) Here's the recipe:

CHEESY CHICKEN CHOWDER

8 Tablespoons butter

2 cups shredded carrots (I buy packaged)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup flour

3 cups chicken broth

4 cups milk

2 cups diced cooked chicken (about 4 breasts, but I buy rotisserie chicken)

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons white wine, I used tequila because it was all I had!

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a skillet. Add carrots and onions and saute until tender. Blend in flour. Then add broth and milk. Cook and stir until thick and smooth. Ad remaining ingredients and stir until cheese is melted. Serves 8

Enjoy!

BABY PINWHEEL QUILT

This is a baby quilt I made for my friend and fellow bike rider (as in bicycle) Chris who is expecting a baby girl in December. I machine piece and machine quilt my baby quilts so they can be washed over and over and over. Hopefully this little quilt will keep Chris' baby girl warm and snuggly. Notice the "Princess" tissue paper.

IDA, IDA GO AWAY!

Here in Atlanta we are already seeing the outer bands of IDA. The rain and winds have started and we are expecting up to 5" of rain over the next 24 hours.

But you can't get me down! Not with fresh blueberries in the refrigerator. It's a good day to hunker down, do some cleaning, organizing, and start on homemade Christmas presents.

Oh, and I think I'll treat myself to some BLUEBERRY PANCAKES! I hope you enjoy your day!

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY SESAME STREET

Bakerella honored the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street by making these cute pops. Check out her blog to see how to make them yourself! (photo from Bakerella website)

WHAT'LL YA HAVE?

Before the Georgia Tech - Wake Forest game yesterday we HAD to stop off at the Varsity..........along with 3000 of our closest friends. Just walking through those doors, smelling the fried onion rings and fried apple pies, seeing the chili being dumped on the dogs and burgers and hearing the FO machine just made my cholesterol jump a few hundred points! Knowing the ambulances were lined up outside ready to take you to Piedmont Hospital in case of a heart attack reassured me and I ordered my burger, rings and an FO. For those of you who have never been to the Varsity across from the Georgia Tech campus, it is an Atlanta landmark you should not pass up on your next visit! We ordered ours to go, walked through the tunnel under I-75 and parked ourselves on a bench close to the stadium. We ate every last fried crumb. BTW, "FO" stands for Frosted Orange. Our day ended with a victory over Wake 30-27 in overtime!

BARBIE - COMIC RELIEF