God Bless The Child

My experimentation with hairstyles continues.  Quite by accident (or laziness!), I happened upon my latest style.  One night I was a bit too tired to put in my curling flexi-rods.  The next morning, my hair was an absolute mess!  So, I brushed it into an updo.  And made two small rolls in front with my bangs.  Added a flower clip a la Lady Day.  A quick and easy style for work! 

Today would have been Billie Holiday's 96th birthday.  God bless the child!

Spring!

Spring!

Like Red On A Rose

What is your favorite love song?

A Birthday Simple Pleasure - Cafe Blue Cupcakes

Cafe Blue Cupcakes

from Cafe Carolina & Bakery

Think about the most delicious, moist cake from your Grandmother's kitchen.  Topped with sweet (but not too sweet!) buttery, turquoise blue frosting.  THAT is the Cafe Blue!

YUM!

Curls, Curls, Curls

Over the weekend, I decided to try something new with my hair.  I picked up a pack of flexi-rods (flexible curling rods) at Target and did a wet set (rods set on wet hair) Saturday night.  The result...curls....LOTS of curls!  My hair is already short (chin length), but the curls make it look even moreso.  There was a time when I probably would have shrieked in horror and immediately washed them out.  I've always wanted my hair to have some length. 

BUT...I think I like it! 

Even if it does make me look like pictures of my Mom from the 50s.

Who knew we looked so much alike! 

 Dave likes it.  He said it made me look like a 50s pin-up!  Ashleigh wants me to curl her already curly hair.  Reed loves touching the rods when they are in my hair.  And Clayton, well he just wants to know if Christmas is 2 days away.  When I tell him it is not, he then asks if its 3 days away!  My coworkers have also complimented my new, curlier hairstyle.   

So, I think I'll keep the curls for the time being.  Maybe even experiment with different sizes of rods.  After all, three of the coolest people I know have curls!

Your blue might be gray, your less might be more

Your window to the world might be your own
front door

Your shiniest day might come in the middle of the night...

Cool Mint

My poor mint plant has just about succumb to this oppressive Carolina heat!  I clipped off a few unscorched sprigs and leaves, put them ice trays, covered with water and put them in the freezer. 

A COOL, minty treat for these HOT summer days!

I've got nothing better to say than

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

I Heart Cute Shoes

I know some people are turned off by the thought of buying shoes second hand.  I can understand that.  But I've found some of my favorite pairs of shoes at Goodwill or yard sales.  I always look for those with little to no wear (you can tell by looking at the bottom of the shoe).  Like this cute pair of Franco Sarto heels I found Saturday at a yard sale.  Never been worn!  As was most likely the case for the DOZENS and DOZENS of other shoes this lady was selling.  Not only are these heels cute, they're comfortable and were only $2.50!

So what about you - would you/do you buy shoes second hand?    

Container Herb Garden

Remember the free yellow wicker table I picked up from a yard sale a few weeks ago?  As soon as I bought it home, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  It is now the stage for our very colorful container herb garden!

The larger pots, which contain rosemary, basil and mint, were plastic terra cotta colored pots I used last year for my container garden.  I gave them a new look by spray painting them in some of my favorite bright colors.  The small cherub terra cotta pot with lavender, was a trash to treasure find.  I used an ivory/antique white spray paint for that pot.   

Above the herbs, I hung a small white plate I picked up from a thrift shop.  I traced a font from Microsoft Word onto the plate using a yellow highlighter.  Then went back and filled in the letters using a black Sharpie.

We're looking forward to enjoying fresh herbs all Summer long!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing our colorful herb garden with:

A Soft Place To Land - DIY Day The Outdoor Edition

A Southern Daydreamer - Outdoor Wednesday

Happy Friday y'all!

Floral Toile

This weekend's yard sales bought more toile my way!  This time a black & white floral toile pattern.

These plates were originally from Home Goods. The smaller ones were $2.99 each and the larger plates were $3.99 each. But I paid $3 for the set!

Fell in love instantly with these two damask throw pillows - $6 for the pair

The seller also threw in the matching drapes for FREE!

A blue & white floral apron for 50-cents

Two picture frames

50-cents for the smaller one and $1 for the larger one

And five mason jar drinking glasses for $1

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing these yard sale finds with:

Southern Hospitality - Today's Thrifty Treasures

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

House of Grace - Twice Owned Tuesday

Happy Friday y'all!

Strawberry Picking at Vollmer Farm

Hope all the Moms out there had a restful and wonderful Mother's Day!  I definitely enjoyed mine!  We spent Mother's Day afternoon picking strawberries at Vollmer Farm in Bunn, NC. 

Vollmer's strawberries are certified organic!

Dave & the kids getting ready to pick strawberries

Strawberries on the vine

We picked three heaping buckets full of delicious strawberries!

Ashleigh picking dandelions on the side of the field while Reed crosses over the ditch

After we finished picking strawberries, we headed back up to playground for a little fun.

Reed on the swing

Ashleigh swinging too

Goodness grows in NC!

Reed's strawberry face

Cute display of decorative items in Aunt Mary's Market

Support your local farmer!

Of course our day wouldn't have been complete without stopping in the Ice Cream Shop for a bowl of homemade ice cream!  We got the "Wildcat Whopper" - 7 scoops of ice cream, 5 toppings, three bananas, whipped cream, strawberry sauce and sprinkles!

And a little Mother's Day gift for me from the Market!

We're looking forward to going back out to Vollmer again in June to pick blueberries.  And this July, they will have blackberries!

Dinner on the Grill

Dinner hot off the grill - grilled local sweet potato fries, local asparagus and local smoked jalapeno sausage.  Grilled local yumminess from the Midtown Farmers' Market! 

Simple Pleasure - Bluegrass...with a twist!

I heard this string band (Carolina Chocolate Drops) on our local public radio station awhile back, and fell in love with their music instantly!  Hoping to see them live in concert one day.  Happy Friday Everyone - enjoy!

String Band History

Shopping Smart at the Farmers Market

With our favorite farmers market opening this weekend, I'm looking forward to shopping outside of the "box" (grocery stores) and eating more locally.  Here is a great link from Greenopolis with tips for shopping smart at your local farmers markets

10 Tips to Shop Smart at Farmers Markets

I especially like tip #3 letting the season be your meal planning guide.  We tried so many wonderful new-to-us veggies last year thanks to our farmers market.  I do go to our market with somewhat of a list in mind - pastured eggs and local honey are usually weekly buys for me.  But I'm always open to each season's special offerings.  

Would love to hear from you!  What are your tips for shopping at farmers' markets?