Happy Birthday, Jessica!

Cleaning Old Treasures

With many of the old pieces Mike and I have been handed down from our mothers, we have had to do a bit of cleaning and scrubbing.  One such item that needed a bit of cleaning was an old number three crock Mom gave me.

 It had been sitting outside and had loads of dust and bugs and crud inside it.  It was also pretty dirty on the outside and had something that looked like dried rust on it.  So, I started researching to see what the best method for cleaning it without harming the glaze might be.

I first washed it with dish soap and hot water.  Then, I tried a mixture of vinegar and dish soap.  Finally, I made a paste of baking soda and water and gave it a little scrub.  Then, I added a bit of peroxide to the paste and scrubbed with a plastic scrubbing pad.  Voila!

I had no idea what I was going to do with this crock but now that it is clean, I didn't want to hide it away.  So, for now, it is sitting on the kitchen counter holding a collection of rolling pins. 

The one on the left was one of Mike's grandmother's.  The center one was made by a neighbor and given to me in 1981.  The neighbor's wife brought it to me when it was still warm off the lathe and smelled of lemon oil.  The center one is a modern one that I got when I graduated high school and left home.  The old square Atlas canning jar was filled with trail mix but a couple of little mice must have nibbled at it!

Hanging on the wall behind the bread basket and these other items are the milk permits that came out of our old milk barn where I was raised.  They are a bit brittle and one crumbled quite a bit but I smile every time I look at them and I think my Daddy would be pleased that they are in matching frames and hanging on my kitchen wall.

Heirloom Silver

One of the things Mom gave me recently was a pile of silver pieces that we had won as awards back in the days when we were exhibiting cattle at fairs and shows.  I think all of it is silver-plate and all of it was badly tarnished.  I hated to see it go to Goodwill or somewhere like that but I also hated the thought of polishing all of it and had no idea where I would store it especially since we were consolidating or getting rid of all the things in the basement to make room for Mike's mother to move in.

For a while it sat in a stack on an extra chair and I simply ignored it.  Then, I set it down inside the flour/corn meal bin to get it out of sight.  Then, one day back in the summer I ran across a post by Ann Drake at the blog On Sutton Place.  She made cleaning silver seem more approachable than it had been years ago when Mom would have us use an old T-shirt, stinky silver polish, and lots of rubbing and scrubbing so that the pieces could be used for a friend's bridal shower or wedding reception.  So, I decided to give her How to Clean Silver Naturally method a try.

I am a believer in Ann's method!  Oh, there was still a good bit of rubbing and polishing required but I think maybe that was because the pieces were so tarnished.  All of them had so much tarnish that they had a black look to them like the bowls stacked above.  I know that tarnished silver as decoration is quite trendy right now, but, like Ann, I really like the shine of the silver when it is cleaned up.  In the center of each tray and on the side of each bowl is engraved something like Champion and the year - most of them are from the 1980s.

As you can see, they all cleaned up pretty well!  I took just a couple of pieces at a time and placed them in the hot water, baking soda, salt, aluminum foil solution and let them soak for about ten minutes.  Some pieces got soaked twice.  Then, I took a little toothpaste and worked on the places where tarnish was still clinging.  A quick rinse with hot water, dry with a soft towel, and I set them on the table to dry - and easily admire.

 The clean pieces sat on the table for a couple of days while I tried to think of where to store them.  I decided that I wanted to try to put as much of it to use as possible.  I don't mind using the trays to corral things or draw attention to a collection since I think it will be fairly easy to clean now.

One tray went to the guest bath as seen above to corral a wax scent burner/night light, a mug for the grands' toothbrushes, a crock with lavender sugar scrub, lotion, and a candle.  Later, I thought the size of it would be better for another little collection and was replaced by an oval one that can be seen in the corner of this photo.  (You can also see how I added a little bit of fall to the guest bath with that ceramic pumpkin.)

The smaller round one went into the front guest bedroom to corral my childhood blue and white tea set - or what is left of it.

One tray went to the den to corral a trio of items on the ottoman/coffee table.  I did a bit of a switcheroo and used a little larger tray later.

The larger tray fit well on the ottoman/coffee table.  So, I had to do a bit of thinking to decide what to do with the one that was here.  It was a bit older and was awarded for a different reason than having a fine cow.

That tray is one that I won as a showmanship award the year I graduated high school.  I teased my daughter-in-law that I was going to give it to her for Christmas along with my high school drape portrait.  Instead, the tray got moved to the kitchen.  I put a command hook on the back to loop a burlap ribbon through and hung it on the front of the china cabinet.  The bay leaf wreath that was hanging there had started to look faded and tired because it was so dry.  I liked the look of the greenery hanging there.  So, I moved a preserved boxwood wreath there but it just lacked substance.  Rather than going out and buying a larger preserved boxwood wreath, I think the silver tray added the bulk that was needed.  Plus, it added a bit of sparkle to the front of the cabinet.  I simply wrapped a piece of twine around the boxwood wreath and hung it down in front of the tray.

Some of the other trays are scattered around the house and used to group a few items together and a little narrow one sits on the base of the china cabinet and holds a twig pumpkin right now.  The juxtaposition of the shiny silver and the rustic natural twig pumpkin looks nice.

If you look closely into the china cabinet, you can see that I have four of the smaller trays propped up in the four corners of the cabinet behind a china plate.  The little bowls are stacked inside the cabinet as well because I couldn't think of a purposeful way to use them right now.  At some point, maybe I will, though and knowing that they are pretty easy to clean makes me not be concerned about them just adding a little sparkle to the kitchen.

It makes me smile a little bit that I could come up with a practical use for something like a silver tray award.  So, my 'heirloom silver' that was awarded to us for having outstanding cattle once again has a part in our life.  And maybe when the time comes for the grands to honor their friends with bridal showers or use at wedding receptions, we can easily clean it up and make it purposeful as well as sparkly and pretty!

Adding a Little Fall in the Kitchen

I try to refresh the rooms where we spend the most time by changing out some little pieces that give a nod to the season.  Even though it hasn't felt like fall in Tennessee, yet, I decided to add a little of the season to our kitchen anyway.  The places I always start with are the table centerpiece and the mantel.

The blue jars on the mantel got a good wash and I added a couple that had been hanging out in the basement kitchen.  They both are commemorative jars created to remember America's Bicentennial in 1976.  They were my Granny's and the quart one has a little card inside that tells the story of their origin.  Behind those are the three antiques with zinc tops that have been setting there for years.  The quart one was mine and Mike had the other two when we married.  To the left of the jars, I added some antique school books that were Daddy's and atop them is a coffee grinder that was Mike's maternal grandmother's.  Inside the drawer of it are several matchbooks.  We don't know if they are there because it was her storage place for matches or if she was collecting them.  But, when I give it a seasonal clean, I just return them to the drawer and smile.  I added a ceramic monogrammed pumpkin that Bridgette gave me the first year after Mike and I married.  On the right side is an antique pint Atlas jar with zinc lid that came from Mom, a little antique glass-top jar, an old milk bottle Mike had, and a couple of large Pepsi bottles from the days when Daddy kept one setting at the end of the milk tank for refreshment.  The cream pitcher is a Longaberger one I had and the blue crock pitcher Mike's mother gave us.  She said it was used by Mike's grandmother to keep the milk in.  The blue and white bird planter came from my Granny and the little enamel pot holding a blue and white pot with greenery below it came from Mikes grandmother.  I always seem to notice the yellow tinge in some of the stones of the fireplace more in the fall maybe because I add warm tones to the mantel.  That was the inspiration for my painting the kitchen the warm, buttery yellow. 

Mike's mother gave him this antique dining table and ladderback chairs that were handed down from his paternal grandparents.  The table is a piece he has always loved and was excited to put in our home.  It is a beautiful piece and the grandchildren especially like the lazy susan aspect of it.  We had a rectangular table here.  I have several long table runners that I had used on the old table.  So, when I started adding fall to the kitchen, I went to the closet for one of them.  The ones I made several years ago with orange in them were both long enough to drape across the old table and hang down the sides a bit.  I quickly realized that wasn't a look that would work with this table.  So, I made do.

I just did a little artful scrunching and let it be.  Later, I might spend a little time revamping some of the table runners I made and making them into placemats or shorter runners but for now, a scrunch is OK.  I topped the runner with some Southern Living candle holders that I bought years ago and added a few orange baby boo pumpkins to the pretty blue and white balls Bonnie gave me that had been her mother's.  The pumpkins and balls sit in a dough bowl crafted by my brother-in-law, Dwayne.  The wood for the dough bowl was once a log that served to hold the floor up in the oldest part of the house where I grew up. 

I added a twig pumpkin to the little silver tray which sets on the china cabinet and it gives a rustic feel and some texture to the glitz of the silver and china stored there.

The last little nod to fall is a little wicker pumpkin that I set inside an antique blue transferware bowl that Mike's mother gave me.  This serves as the simple centerpiece for the little drop-leaf table where Mike and I eat most of our meals.

For now, these little refreshes have perked up our spirits and made us feel like fall at least while we are inside the air-conditioned house.  Outside the temperatures are still in the high eighties and nineties and it sort of takes our breath when we step out the door.  I'm sure I will be wishing for these days when it is freezing this winter but right now, I'd love to have a little bit of fall showing up on the thermometer outside!

Adding a Little Fall (Part 2)

When I went back to add the post for today and looked at the  previous post, I realized that my title was broad but my focus was a bit narrow.  (typical writer's problem!)  The focus was adding a little fall - to the den.  The post seemed a bit long since I was sharing changing and shuffling that has been taking place.  So, today I will continue with where I left off at adding a little fall and sharing the changes and shuffles.

I started with my view when I'm lounging on the couch.  Then, I swept toward the right to the pumpkin, checkerboard, and giant pinecone.

Here is a better look at that area.  The pillow in front is one that my mother made using pieces of my Dad's shirts.  The garden stool is one I was thrilled to get at $25 more than twenty years ago when Hobby Lobby had a half-price sale.  It is topped by a little Longaberger basket that holds chocolates for the grandchildren when they come.  Behind there is a print of a house in a meadow that Mike's mother gave him, a small china cupboard that was one of the few pieces Mike had when we married, a globe I found a few years ago in the storage room in our basement that Mike had no idea he even owned.  The print on the opposite side of the china cupboard is one Mike had that I did a frame makeover on several years ago.

On the opposite side of the fireplace is the matching chair and ottoman.  Beside it is an old Purity Dairies milk can that Mikes mother gave us.  She had it sitting outside her garage doors but I cleaned it up and it makes an ideal place to set a book or a drink  when the TV program gets boring.  Behind this chair is the buffet that has been there for years but above it is the aerial photo of the farm where I grew up.  Sentimental feelings wouldn't let me say no when Mom offered it to me but I had no idea where on earth I would hang it.  My bonus son came in one afternoon when I was shuffling and moving things around to make room for the heirloom gifts and marveled over it.  He went on and on about how it was really neat.  So, I asked him, "Where am I going to hang that?"  He scanned the den and noticed a painting on the wall of a house nestled amongst some trees and suggested, "You could get rid of that picture because we don't know where that place is but we do know about this one."  So, I knew I needed to hang it somewhere and began pondering where in the den.  The prints that came from my Granny that I did a different frame update on, got moved to make space for the aerial farm photo.  That pretty much covers the west side of the den.

Moving to the south wall, I gave away a sofa table that I had picked up at a yard sale and painted to make space for this piece of furniture.  It was used to hold bulk flour and cornmeal in the store that Mike's grandparents ran.  It is a beautiful, simple, old piece that both of us love and appreciate.  I put the cow lamp that was my Daddy's on top of it, added a few books, a piece of blue and white, photos of Mike and me and a basket with a few treasures.

I usually have fresh  flowers in the cobalt glass basket that was a gift to me from my niece, Rebecca's mother-in-law,  (I hosted her bride's maids luncheon and will always treasure the sweet gesture from Mrs. Taylor.) but right now everything has just cooked and I have nothing blooming.   I plopped a small ceramic pumpkin atop the blue and white candle holder and left the wood candle holder, blue and white ginger jar and box and called this area decorated for fall.

On the east side of the den is the sofa where I lounge crash each evening after dinner.  Here is where the prints from my Granny's moved.  They are now flanking the antique painting that was given to Mike by his mother.  It came from relatives on the paternal side of his family and the frame is a beautiful one that I recently did a bit of a touch-up on. The cross-stitch piece is one my Mom did and gave to us.  It may be getting a frame touch up sometime in the future so that the frame fits better with the others on that wall.

To add a touch of fall, I changed out the pillow covers.  A couple of them are a leopard print, a couple have a cream background with a golden brown toile-like print with pheasants.  In the center is one I made from a tapestry piece I got that has a Holstein steer surrounded by pumpkins.  The blue and white quilt/coverlet is one Mom made using pieces from Daddy's blue Oxford-cloth shirts that he favored as dress shirts.  Wrapped in it sort of feels like a big hug from my Daddy.

I love how the fall colors play off and sort of highlight the pretty blues in the artwork.  This room is difficult to photograph because the porch shades it and the natural sunlight that comes in during the morning hours tends to only cause a glare.  It usually feels cozy and comfortable in here no matter the time of day, though.  Just to the right of the couch is another addition to the den. 

This little table is one my Mom gave us.  It was made by my Daddy and Mike has already fallen in love with it.  The funny thing is that I think Daddy would love how he uses it.  Inside is a shelf and it houses Mike's TV snacks - cans of peanuts, chips, etc.  There is often a plethora of snack cake wrappers and such littering the top alongside his TV remote.

On the other end of the couch is another gift from Mike's mother.  This rocker is one that she said Mike's dad used to sit in and wait for the bus.  She said Pop and his brother would get ready for school and then they might start wrestling or messing around and so their mother set up a rule that they had to sit in one of the rockers after they ate breakfast to prevent them from messing up their school clothes.  Aptly, the pillow propped in it is one that is made from a pair of Pop's jeans.  The cane adds a bit of texture to the den and I added a little stool that I wove the cane top on twenty-five years ago or more.  It is a comfy old rocker and the story behind it really makes it a special addition.

There are a few things I'd like to do to this room yet.  While I love my big old couch and it is a great one for napping.  However, it is large and I'd like something a little smaller and I would like to have a sofa table with a lamp on it behind the sofa to make reading easier and the room lighter.  The ottoman/coffee table could use a refresh as the upholstery is starting to look a bit tired and the walls could use a refreshing paint job as well.  For now, adding a bit of fall has made it feel cozier and the additions made causing changes and shuffles have updated it to make it seem fresh.  So, I'm satisfied - for now.  Is a room ever really finished?

Adding a Little Fall

Earlier this year Mike's mother sold her house and moved into our basement.  We had to do a major clean out and get rid of things.  The two-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and den was fully furnished and we had loads of stuff in the storage room as well.  Since she was down-sizing, we were the recipients of a few items that we made room for upstairs as well.

Then, my mother married and moved into a new house and combed through her belongings, giving away items to us as well.  So, all summer I have done some shuffling and moving and redecorating to find space and the just-right place for those items that have joined our household.  So, as I share how I've added a bit of fall, I will also share some of the shuffling and changing that has taken place.

Above is my view as I lounge on the couch.  I shifted the two wingback chairs so that they flank the fireplace.  They were rescued from the dumpster by a friend almost twenty years ago.  My parents had them recovered for me as my Christmas gift in 2007 and Bryan repaired one of them back in the spring.  The ottoman between them is a yard sale purchase that I slip-covered with a companion fabric that I'd bought at the same time I bought the fabric to cover the chairs.  The floor lamp behind the chair on the right is a second-hand project that still makes me smile when I think about how it changed with a little DIY.  The mirror is one I got second-hand for thirty dollars.  I felt like the mantel needed just a little sparkle and I like how it bounces sunlight back into the room in the morning from the windows that are on the opposite wall and at night bounces it back from the can lights in front of the fireplace.

To the hearth, I added a ceramic pumpkin that came from the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby a few years back.  It was set in front of a checkerboard that came from Mike's mother.  I set a giant pinecone that came from my mother's to make a trio of items on that bring the look of fall to the right side of the hearth.

On the left side of the hearth is a blue and white pot full of small pinecones and I just added three natural shed deer antlers found here on the farm to it.

I added three baby boo white pumpkins to the mantel.

I love how the gilding of the mirror and the reflection of the light gives them a little glow!

The first photo showed a glimpse of the ottoman we use as a coffee table.  I added a blue and white pumpkin that I picked up about twenty years ago at a thrift shop.  It joins a thrift store wooden tray that corrals some books and the TV remote that has been on the ottoman for a couple of years.  I used a silver tray that Mom gave me which was a trophy we won exhibiting cows at a fair about thirty years ago.  I use it to corral a blue and white lantern, a box Lillie gave me for Mother's Day when she was about two or three, a blue and white box, and a basket holding cut glass coasters and another baby boo pumpkin.

There are a few other touches of fall added into the den but I will share them in another post later.  Surely mother nature will add a bit of fall soon.  It is still in the low nineties here and we are sweltering!

Fall on the Front Porch

Well, it certainly has not felt like fall here in Tennessee!  We have been in a sweltering heat pattern throughout August and September.  I am confident that October is going to bring us some fall-like weather, though.  A couple of weeks ago I took advantage of a fall sale at our local big-box hardware store and picked up a few mums.  I haven't done a lot of decorating beyond hanging a wreath or adding a few large pumpkins to the front steps in years past because decorations are not noticed so much from the highway.  Now that our driveway comes right up toward the front of the house and curves around the side, I feel like a bit of curb appeal is needed. 

So, today I went to the local greenhouse and picked up a few pumpkins to add to the fall look on the front porch.  I spent almost two hours sorting through pumpkins and looking at colors and sizes and shapes in the sweltering heat that felt far more like the middle of summer than the first of October.

I really wanted to use some of those pumpkins that are UT orange.  So, I wound up getting a couple of pale Cinderella pumpkins, a couple of blue-green ones, and a smaller UT orange one to stack and form a topiary atop my clay pots that sit on the front porch.  I put them right on the top step.  Then, shifted the mums that are a yellow-orange color to the second step down.  I finished off the steps with two large orange pumpkins to reinforce the statement of the season. 

I got another large orange pumpkin to set on top of the large milk can that came from my maternal grandfather's house.  I  put a couple of small four-inch pots with more mums on the little table between the two chairs on the porch.  Another mum is nestled into a large basket surrounded by pine cones and sets at the base of the small milk can that came from Mike's grandparents that holds a fern on top.

The lavender and alyssum in the clay pots at the foot of the steps sort of anchors the look and I washed and dried the throw pillows that are on the porch.  Mike and I have even sat out here in the swing and watched the world drive by on a couple of afternoons when the temperature was below ninety degrees.  I smile each day when I'm traveling up the driveway and notice the friendly fall look - even though I've got the air conditioning blasting full force in my truck!

Rain! Lots of Rain!

Earlier this week we finally got a rain. 

A lot of rain. 

Too much rain at one time. 

We got about four inches within a two hour time-span. 

The creek rose and rose and rose.

The water swept across our new driveway.

It washed away load after load after load of rock.

The results were not that great for us.  It turned out to be quite expensive.  Within a couple of days, we had it repaired and were rolling across it again but our wallet certainly is a lot lighter!

Front Porch

I warned Mike when we put in the new driveway that we were going to have to do a little sprucing up on the front side of the house and around the porch since people would be driving right toward it each time they came in the driveway.  So, soon we had a landscaper come in and trim up the shrubbery.  The paint on the railing was flaking off and looking rather worse for the wear.  So, we called in a painter.

Back at Christmas, we noticed that the rail leading up the steps on the left side had pulled away from the post on the porch.  Then, just before the painter came, we noticed that the rail on the right side had pulled away from the post at the bottom of the steps and many of the pickets were just dangling.  So, as one thing leads to another, we decided that the rail had to be torn away.

One afternoon, Mike and I used a short pry bar and the rails easily pulled the rest of the way away from the porch.  Then, he pushed on the posts at the foot of the steps and fairly easily got them loose enough to pull up and load into the back of the ATV.  We debated on leaving it with no railing leading up the steps because we liked the open, clean look.  Then, we talked about how it could be a safety hazard and we are easing toward our sixties.  So, that lead to us knowing that we needed some sort of railing.

Mike talked to a couple of folks and learned that a young man who lived nearby made and installed metal railing.  Soon, we learned that the young man is my first cousin, Michael!  So, Mike called him and asked him to come measure.  We scoured the internet for photos of the look we wanted and sent him a text message showing him what we were wanting.  So, in a couple of weeks we will have new railing leading up the steps!  In the meantime, the painter has come and spiffed up the porch rails and posts and we have a clean new look.

Below are some pictures that we used for inspiration in painting the porch railing.  I liked the idea of having the top rail a dark color.  Mike wasn't so sure about it but trusted me enough to go with it.

The link I'd saved to Pinterest was no longer good but this was called: The Sumter - Allison Ramsey Architects.

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I learned that this look was using a color called Charleston Green.  Southern Living tells more about Charleston Green:

Local legend says that Charleston Green, a green so deep it looks black, came about after the Civil War when Union troops sent buckets of black paint to help rebuild the decimated town. Colorful Charleston residents couldn’t bear the thought of their Holy City being painted government-issued black, so they tinted the paint with yellow and green, creating Charleston’s signature greenish-black accent color.

I've always thought of myself as a rebellious southerner, so Charleston Green became the color I opted for on our top porch rail.  I think it ties in the shutters and roof and really makes the house look polished and southern.

As I was scouring the internet looking for railing for the steps, I saw a few houses which had the top rail painted a dark color.