Change and Inspiration ...

I  have been away for some time due to business with my day job. The only thing constant in business is CHANGE and boy am I getting a whiff of it now.  I am extremely grateful to have a job in these trying times and am not complaining in the least, rather expressing some challenges that are coming by way.

I  work for a very large company and have been at my current job for 17 years. Yes I have been through my ups and downs with this company, but few people stay at a job for 17 years unless they love the job and the company.  I love both.

The company is going in a new direction where almost everyone in my division will be re-training.  This will enable us to better service our clients.  The first problem is, the training consisted of two and a half days of one product and two and a half days of the second product. The second problem is, we go live with this new service model on June 1, 2010 and we just got back from training. Can you say STRESS.  We are all chasing our tails, learning as we go along and not letting on to our clients that we haven't been trained. STRESS.

So.. needed some relaxing pictures to distract me tonight and came across these....

I think I found these images on Cote de Texas.

Sorry I haven't been visiting you all lately but I promise to catch up this weekend.  Oh and I have some good stuff coming up so stayed tuned.

 

WINNER

Chosen by Random Number Generator, the Winner of the $40 CSN Giveaway is:

Sherry at Country Wings in Phoenix



True Random Number Generator

Result:
21

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations Sherry !!!! I will be emailing you shortly or feel free to contact me.

Happy Mother's Day

Sweet and simple like most Moms I know.

Don't forget to check out my giveaway Here

$40 CSN Giveaway !!!!!

CSN Giveaway

I was approached by CSN Stores to select to review an item for myself or have the opportunity to giveaway a $40 gift certificate to one of my followers. I chose the gift certificate for one of you.

CSN sells merchandise from the top manufacturers in the world. They have over 200 stores where you can shop for furniture, lighting, shoes, housewares, kids and baby, health and fitness and much more. Check it out for yourself by visiting CSN for yourself.

I am Chandelier obsesed and stumbled onto these beauties at CSN Lighting:

To enter this giveaway:

1. Visit CSN Lighting and leave a comment telling me what you would pick if you won.

2. If you are a follower you will get an extra entry.

3. Blog about this giveaway and it will get you another entry (leave me a link to your blog post).

Please leave me a separate comment for each entry you complete above including with each, your e-mail address so that you can be contacted if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end May 18, 2010 and is open to the US and Canada!

*There may be shipping charges or in the case of Canadian readers, international fees, for certain products.*

**The gift certificate for this giveaway was provided at no cost by CSN Stores. No product was received and this was not a paid post. My honest opinions have been given, however others experiences and opinions may differ from my own**



Good luck everyone !!!!!!!

Yard Art

Next to front door.

A silver basket hanging from copper wiring and beads  and a copper sprinkler.

My absolute favorite piece - He hangs under the overhang as you enter the front porch of our home, always keeping watch over our home and those who enter. LOVE HIM !!!!!

Back porch = Some of the bird houses I painted over 15 years ago (are they considered antiques now?). Will be putting them in the yard this year. The stained glass piece I bought at an art show (Moon and the Stars).

Have got to clean up my back porch as you can see the blue tarp and another sculpture (fish) behind the stained glass piece.

A cherub plaque hangs on the wall on our back porch and the rooster weather vane that needs some TLC don't you think?

Rusty mini watering can wreath that welcomes you to Home Tweet Home aviary.

Bird bath sitting atop an old column (the birds are using it for a nest at the moment) and another cherub, are you sensing I love cherubs?

And lastly (for now, don't want to bore you anymore) a lovely lily yard sculpture.

Check out this awesome GIVEAWAY.



 
Linking up to :
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Costal Charm
Outdoor Wednesdays at A Southern Daydreamer
Strut Your Stuff Thursdays at Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Thrifty Thursdays at Tales from Bloggeritaville.
Frugalicious Fridays at Finding Fabulous
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest.
New Friend Fridays at The Girl Creative
Show and Tell Fridays at My Romantic Home
Fertilizer Fridays at Tootsie Time
SNS at Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Wrap up at Tatertots and Jello

"Time" for an Update....

Today I received a package from a giveaway I won from Melaine at  My Sweet Savannah.  I couldn't open it fast enough.  It's a blue shabby clock hands from Wisteria.

Isn't she WONDERFULL ??????

Here's a closer look.

I hung her in my Family Room which is decorated in a modern dark version of French Country and she fits in perfectly with the browns, blues and yellow.  PERFECTLY.

Stop over and visit My Sweet Savannah and check out her beautiful blog you will not be disappointed.

UPDATES:

This is what I woke up to this morning

Remember the lettuce, cucumbers and squash I planted two weeks ago?

And look how the chair I planted two weeks ago has already filled itself out.

Bundt Pan Planter

You saw this picture last week as a tease:

It's a bundt pan and I HATE it, ok hate is a strong word, I STRONGLY dislike it !!! You see everything sticks to it. No matter how much it is seasoned, or oiled and floured, this stubborn pan sticks, sticks, sticks.  The final straw was two weeks ago, friends were coming over for coffee and  I baked a lemon pound cake in it. You guessed it, a quarter of the cake stuck to the pan and would not come out.  I threw it away in disgust.  Pulled it out of the garbage (yep, sure did), cleaned her up and decided to make her earn her keep.

So I took a drill to her and drilled holes in the bottom.

Close up of the holes.

Added some succulents  - will fill it in a little more later.

Now she is usefull at last.

 Linking to House of Grace, Twice Owned Tuesdays,  Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality, Second Time Around at A Picture is Worth a 1,000 words, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land., Outdoor Wednesdays at a Southern Daydreamer, Fertilizer Fridays at Tootsie Time, Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello.