What "Used" To Be On My Walls Wednesday

It's time for Whats on You Wall Wednesday hosted by Barb at Grits & Glamour If you have not participated in this event rush on over and and join in on the fun! If you have never been to Barb's Blog before go visit and link into others who have participated in this fun event. This week instead of showing you what is on my wall (you may already know what is above my fireplace mantel based on my Met Monday blog) I thought I would show you what is NOT on my walls any longer. This will be short and quick! My family room in it's original form below. It has been like most things in my home a work in progress. Recently I replaced the paintinng above the fireplace and pulled down the large iron clock you see on the side wall. I have yet to get the things I have planned for that side wall up. Mr. Whimsy had some surgery on his arm and has not been able too help me. I do need the help with this one so I will have to be patient. I hope to have them up by next Wednesday! If you have paid attention to my blog over the past few weeks you may notice that the side wall now houses different furniture as well. Visit me next Wednesday to see the transformation.

The Top 5 Middle School Must Haves

Last week Little Miss Whimsy had her Middle School Orientation for 6th grade. Besides her taking a shower and having me blow her hair dry and straighten it with a straitening iron and agonizing over what to wear, she took the whole thing in stride. I on the other hand did not take it very well. None the less it came and went without event. Or so I thought. So begins our list of MUST HAVES for 6th grade. After all I am pretty sure the world might just stop revolving on its axis if we don't have these by August 25th. Mind you I am really more worried as to whether I am going to have to labor over that whole hair routine every day. What a pain! She inherited my thick wavy hard to manage hair so I guess I am to blame. Which leads me to another must have which I guess would make it 6 MUST HAVES but since I do not have a picture of said hairstyle I will not count it in. What is this hair style you ask? Or maybe you didn't ask but I will tell you....the "side" bang" . After months of begging She got her hair cut with the side bangs two weeks ago. As far as I can tell the difference between a side bang and regular bangs are that they are cut at a long angle and hang in your face vs a regular bang that actually stays out of your eyes and covers your forehead. Sorry I digress where were we ahhhh yes 5 Must Haves. Number 1 a cell phone with key board. Preferably a phone that flips up. This is a very popular model with the middle schoolers. They don't mention the unlimited texting plan that you will need to pay monthly for if you still want to have money for your mortgage. Number 2 the Abercrombie canvas bag. No back packs for middle school girls anymore? Guess not she insists that she HAS to HAVE a bag.



The Vera Bradley lunch bag. Miss Whimsy's choice is Purple Punch shown below. No sack lunches like her brothers carry for her....no sir!

A pair or two or three of Rainbow Flip Flops. I am relieved to tell you she already has a pair in green. That is one thing off the list. I think.

Ugg Boots. Another relief she got some for Christmas. Tall black ones. Whew and lucky me she will most likely have out grown them by this coming winter so I will be asked to buy her another pair!

Thinking back to my middle school days I remember my top 5 must haves which were as follows

1. A Jan Sport back pack (some things never change)

2. Van slip on shoes

3. Osh Kosh Painters pants in pastel colors (blue, yellow, pink and white)

4. Dittos Saddle back Jeans

5. Feathered Hair

Which brings me to my last thought. What my boys needed for middle school............a #2 pencil.

Meet Miss Pearce

Welcome to another Met Monday! If this is your first time visiting a Met Monday please go visit Susan over at BetweenNapsOnThePorch to see all the wonderful bloggers participating in this fun event! If you read my blog post from Saturday you read that I did pick up something from the Ethan Allen sale. Here she is. Titled Miss Pearce. That name didn't last long as Little Miss Whimsy quickly told me her name should be "Mary". "Really?" said I. "Because I think she looks like a Juliet or Maybe an Anneliese". To which Little Miss Whimsy replied "Maybe an Elizabeth but not a Juliet or Anneliese". Thus concluded the debate on the name of her and now she is known as Mary Elizabeth! She was a find marked down 80% to a shocking $75! She is an oil on canvas. This sea shore painting was picked out for my former house and I love it. It was perfect for our home and its decor out in California. In this home it has been admired by me just the same but once my decor started evolving in our current home the painting started losing its place. Then my friend gave me the lovely topiaries when she moved and it confirmed all the more that the painting was not really right for the area. So I have been keeping my eyes open, looking for something vertical instead of horizontal to balance out the topiaries. I also needed something with more visual weight to counter the black I have in the room.

When I spotted "Mary Elizabeth" I was immediately smitten. I loved the colors of the painting. The green dress would work with the greens in my room. The dark back ground would balance the weight of the topiaries as well as the black in the room. Plus it was vertical!!! But was it too big?

A quick call to Mr Whimsy to measure the space above the fireplace confirmed it would fit. I walked around the sale and contemplated. I thought she was rather formal for my space but in the end I liked her enough to pick her up. I am happy I did. I am pleased with how she looks in the space.

The beach scene looks so washed out in comparison to "Mary Elizabeth".

Mary Elizabeth ended up being just what I was hoping for. Boy am I happy I decided to go to the sale! Thanks for joining me for another fun Met Monday. Come back on Wednesday to see what else is on my walls in this room when I participate Whats on your Walls Wednesday hosted by Barb over at Grits and Glamour.

Let's Do A Little Shopping

A warehouse full with no Air conditioning and a hot day! Whew lets see what we can find!


Once a year or so Ethan Allen has a clearance. The clearance is held at their distribution center. Basically the items are the floor models from their stores, customer returns and damaged items. There is everything there from furniture, to accessories, lighting, artwork, bedding, window coverings, pillows and even rugs. Anything you would find in an Ethan Allen store. All items are on sale from 40-80% off the retail price. My friend Jill and I received the invite in the mail and agreed that we thought it would be worth going. You enter into a sea of sofas and chairs and then realize just how large the warehouse is. Yes we would definitely be there awhile! Here are some overviews and some highlights of items.

Oh how I wish I had a place for this. I said that about a lot of the things I looked at. I loved the sliding library doors on this cabinet.

Look at this stunning Mahogany piece. The sale price in this piece was $800 and change. It was well worth it.

This was another lovely. A gorgeous chinoiserie cabinet. I know Ethan Allen also makes a gorgeous secretary that matches this. It had a sold tag on it by the time I spotted it. Not that I had any place to put it but I may have tried!

Anyone looking for a dining room table? They had plenty. Average price on these were $500. Most every one was in perfect shape.

How about a chair to go with those tables? Many to be had. If you didn't like the cushion that was on them you could rifle through the huge boxes of chair tops they had. There was a plethora to choose from in any fabric imaginable.

Recognize these twin four poster beds? They were in the boys room on the last HGTV dream home. $400 each!

Another lovely four poster. This one was a queen and check out the price!

Need an ottoman? I wanted one there but there was a lady sitting on it the entire time. It was a great hounds tooth tweed in tans and browns rectangular, with wooden legs and tufted top. It would have lent itself well to my bonus room dream. But dang it that lady would not get off it!

This sofa settee would have looked great pulled up to a large farm table. I have a chair in my family room in this same red check/plaid. Plus I am getting ready to do some other items in my home in this fabric as well. But it was too large for my areas.

Sofas? Yes they had em and there were some lovely lovely ones there. Down stuffed and otherwise.

I remember seeing this one on the floor in the store in 06 when I ordered my family room sofa. Now it was selling for $500!

Art work? Oh yea and some of it was a steal. She was only $75!

Cute matting!

This chandelier was truly hard for me to walk away from. I was visualizing it over a large farm table. I would paint it a nice red! Look at that price! Incredible! Originally $449!

I adored these Navy pillows. Probably because the embroidery on them reminded me of a monogram! I eyed them for awhile and even carried them around but the color kept me from buying them. *sigh*

Bedding? Window coverings? Pillows? They had them. All 80% off!

These red striped window panels were marked anywhere from $7 -17. "Will the real price please stand up?" A great deal at any of those prices!

Thanks for joining me on my little shopping spree. There was so much more to see but I had to limit it! I did buy something. It "may" even be in one of these pictures :-) Come back on Met Monday to see what I bought and see what I did with it! Have a great weekend!

My First Foodie Friday

This is my first Foodie Friday. I hope I am following all the rules correctly! This even is hosted by the hostess with the mostess Michael over at Designs by Gollum. Designs by Gollum. If you have not been to her blog yet, I urge you to go take a browse. I guarantee you will want to spend a lot of time there! As many of you know and because I have stated on here a few times I really don't love to cook. I can but if given the choice I won't! However; when something good comes a long that I think warrants a nod and a pass a long I most certainly am the first to do so. In comes this recipe Mr. Whimsy found in a the paper a few weeks back. It is from a NC restaurant out in Greensboro. Evidently this meat loaf is one of their most popular menu items. After making it and eating it, I can see why. It is yummy and my kids could not get enough of it. I like to serve it with some home made mashed potatoes and beans. Enjoy!

Verla’s Meatloaf With a Nod to Jason Smith


1lb lean ground beef
1lb lb ground pork

½ Cup Sour Cream

2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons red wine

1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish, Drained
1 Tablespoon steak sauce

¼ cup flat leaf chopped parsley

½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 -4 ounce package of Knorr onion
Soup mix




Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large mixing bowl whisk the sour cream, water. Red wine, steak sauce, parsley and soup mix together. Using your hands work in the meats until the mixture holds together. Line a baking dish with non stick foil. Place the meat mixture in the dish and form into a log about 11” long but more importantly keep it about 2” thick.

Place the meatloaf in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the horseradish and Worcestershire sauce together and reserve. Baste with any juices and cook for 45 minutes or until and instant read thermometer hits 150 degrees. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Good warm and at room temperature. Serve with the sauce.

To grill leftovers, brush the slices with oil, then place on a hit grill and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until heated through. Serve with the sauce or a spicy relish.

Tween Dreamin

I am planning a new look for Little Miss Whimsy's room. Her current room which she has been living with for around two and half years, above, still incorporates a lot of her favorite things. She loves the Tiffany blue walls and still loves the bedding. For some time we have been listening to her mention over and over and yes over again that she wants a day bed. Her room is large but due to some factors (doors 3 and windows 3) arranging the room is limited. So the one place the bed can be placed uses up most of the floor space. She loved this inspiration photo. I love the cornice above the bed and well of course the monograms LOL! The rub is she is completely in love with the color purple. This is a new thing for her. Although I refuse to completely re-do her entire room new I am willing to incorporate changes to her existing room. With that in mind.....we have been browsing some "purple Possibilities"

She loves the Pom Pom quilt from PB Teen. The color is really a violet purple which will work with her Tiffany blue. Hmmmm......

Then mom (that be me) came across this fabulous wallpaper online the other night. I love the traditional Jacobean print. Even better the young colors in it keep it fresh and a bit modern. She has an attached bath and we are thinking of putting this wall paper in the bath. I wish they made fabric in it but I think I may have found a way around not having fabric. I could make a lamp shade out of the wallpaper AND I could make the cornice for over the bed using wall paper!!! The wheels are turning........

I do love the contrast of this wall paper with the black furniture they have. But Miss Whimsy's furniture is off white. I still think that off white will work well. The original day bed Miss Whimsy picked out was a gorgeous Stanley piece. I agreed it was a lovely bed but the $1700. price tag is not!!! We found this day bed below online at Penney's for only $349! This is a possibility.

I bring all this up today because my 10 year old is starting middle school in August. She will start two weeks after her 11Th birthday. Tonight we attend the middle schools 6Th grade orientation. I really thought it would be no big deal. After all I already have a middle schooler and one that just started high school this year. But for some reason I just felt the boys were "older". Maybe because my boys are big guys and they have always seemed older just because they are so tall? Little Miss just seems so small and is such a little girl to me still. Whatever the reason all of this is making me a bit melancholy!

So sometimes in the next month or so I will sadly list her lovely French Provencial bed on Craig's List. Buy her a day bed and work on creating her new TWEEN ROOM. This will be part of her birthday present for her August birthday.

Whats on Your Wall Wednesday

When Barb over at Grits & Glamour brought back Whats On Your Wall Wednesday I was very excited. Until about an hour ago when I started looking around my house and then looking through my USB Card and realized I didn't have much to share this week. (hint hint Barb when are you coming to help me hang all the art work?) Then I read Barb's blog again and she mentioned "tile". Oh good a light bulb moment! I have tiles. Lots of subway tiles in my kitchen! Let me share with you what I have on my kitchen walls! Here is an "after" picture of how it is now. The one feature of my kitchen that I did love were the soft butter colored subway tiles the builder had put in the kitchen. We bought this home in four days and did not get to make any choices in its construction as it was a finished spec home from a custom builder. I digress; the subway tiles, these I liked! As you will see in the before picture below though the area over the cook top was a large expanse of those subway tiles. A little too large with no detail for my tastes!
One day I was browsing a local store and saw the lovely large green tile. Surprise it isn't a tile but a stamped tin! Nice and light weight. The wheels were turning! Light enough I thought that I could hang it up using 3M Command hooks and not have to drill into the tiles. After all a girl can change her mind and this one does quite frequently and holes in tile would be a mess! Once I had the tin up, there was no going back! I loved how it totally transformed the area! Everyone thinks it is a custom back splash but only I (and y'all) know better!

These pictures were taken the day I first looked at the house. DH was driving across the country with the 3 kiddos. He booted me out in Phoenix and told me to fly ahead and find us a house so we could get the kids enrolled in school. We had another home in the works and the sellers pulled out. It was a very stressful time! The guy at the sink is Patrick. He was the one of the finish carpenters for our builder and one of the nicest peoples I have met since our move to NC. I stood in the kitchen while he put all the hardware on the cabinets and talked to him for almost two hours. He has lived here all his life and was full of wonderful information. I had already been here for 3 days alone and it was nice to have a kind person to converse with! His wife and him have 4 kids so he knew all about the schools too! What an added bonus!

As you pan around the kitchen you can see I really don't have a ton of wall space in it. The wall space over the pantry was screaming for something though. I found the Cafe sign at one of my favorite haunts "HomeGoods". I had the pear print from my previous home and it fit. I had planned on finding something else for that space but here we are 2 1/2 years later and it is still hanging there. Isn't it funny how that happens?

When we bought the home the entire home save for the dining room was painted Sherwin Williams Ivoire. It is a nice color but really showed as a bit washed out once we started moving all our stuff in. I had the painters come out one night and paint the family room and kitchen Sherwin Williams Blonde. That warmed the space right up.

I also changed out the chandelier and of course as you can see added window treatments in the form of plantation shutters and plaid panels.

I have plans for that eating area still. Those of you who may visit HGTV's decorating board may have even read my discussion about this area and my growing family. No not pregnant. Growing as in my children in the 2 1/2 years since we moved here have decided they needed to physically grown about a foot each! Space around that table is becoming limited. I won't share my plans now but look for them to appear on here sometime in the year. I have a few other ideas up my sleeve for this space too. Hope you enjoyed the quick tour of my kitchen walls. Take a trip over to Grits and Glamour to see other Wall Treats!