Boutique Shopping....the smart way~

One of my favorite boutiques is The Royal Standard. I window shop there often and had my eyes on these...

It's a paper mache' trash can. You can buy them for 18.00 with your inital.

Or you can wait till they drop down to 5.00 and only a few letters to pick from. So I changed that "J" into an "H"...

Just because our economy is a bit scary doesnt mean we have to stop shopping in our favorite boutiques...

We just have to shop smart....So go ahead and shop...shop smart!

Birds of a feather....

A very special blogger friend wanted a name sign but didnt want the fluer's. She threw me a few ideas and I jumped on this one.

I love when people leave it up to me and let me go with it.

This is what I came up with... two sweet birds perched on a tiny branch.

If she is reading this.... I hope you love those lil' birdies as much as I do

I love the fluers... Mrs. Spencer's sweet on birds... what would your sign say about you?

I would love to hear your ideas.

Interested in Advertising here?
Here are just a few reasons why my blog may be of help to you...I have a connection with those that visit here. They are not just considered followers and readers. They are my friends and over time become part of my family. What makes this blog such a special place for your ad? I care. I care about what my friends and family read and bring into their homes. They put their trust into me and that's a big deal.
A Little Blog History..
I began blogging January of 2008 and have grown beyond my wildest dreams. I continue to grow daily and as my family and friends increase in numbers your ad will be an important part here. If you have a product that you think my family and friends would enjoy I would love to hear about it. If you have a great blog and want to share. I have a place for you too!

What next?
Ads run on a month by month basis. The fee for one month is $25.00. Once your payment via paypal is made just let me know and I will need your 125x125 button. It's that easy! So what are you waiting for.....come join our family~

About Me

Coming Soon!

Bienvenue! Welcome to my home~

I'm so glad that you want to get to know me and my family a little better. Our motto is you're only company once when you visit, after that you become family~

I have lived in Louisiana all of my life. As a matter of fact I have never lived outside of a five mile radius of where I was born. We built our home on family land and my neighbor is my Dad.

My husband was heaven sent and I could do none of this without his support. He backs me 100% and I adore him.

These three hooligans are the reason I wake everyday and do what I do. It's important to me that they are raised in a home full of love, laughter and freshly painted walls.

My passion is decorating my home on a budget and creating nice things to fill it. What a blessing it is to stay at home, do what I love, and make a few dollars while doing it.

I started painting these signs for gifts and it now has become my home based business.

I dont take decorating too seriously because this is our home. It's where we live and make our memories. I want it to be beautiful yet welcoming.

I hope that you feel right at home in these pages of our life. You never know what you will stumble upon on while visiting. I may just be doing laundry in the tub....oh the stories to share~

Contact

One of the benefits of blogging for me is the connection between friends. I do love to hear your "voice" through comments. If you have something you would like to share with me or just need to chat a bit more please email me. I can be reached at susanh at eatel dot net


I do love to recieve emails and read each and everyone of them.Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to be a part of mine. I do appreciate you and your "voice" . With that being said please understand that I have three kids, one husband, and always a pile of laundry waiting for me so it may take some time to respond. Dont give up on me though because I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Susie~

Friends and Family

My sister Missy....The Southern Queen Bee!

Change...A good thing~

If you stopped by Friday night...

Or into the morning..You saw this blog going through a change.I tried yall. Really I did.

So when is a good time to change your look? Is it when you are heading off to blissdom and your blog looks like blah..


This blissdom has me on my toes..good and bad. I can no longer eat a piece of chicken without looking at my rear. Oh the insanity...I hope when I finally get there I will find that bliss Im looking for! Is there anyone out there like me who wants to look like you know what your doing without having to sell a kid. So this is what I came up with..simple I know. Yes..Im eating chicken as I type this. Darn it. Really I am. So where do you go to get your blog just right? Isnt it funny that we wait till we are close to facing that special someone to get our shine on... Somtimes thats how I feel when Im faced with some of lifes choices. I have time to get my shine on...Right? Today I going to make a promise to myself and work from the inside out. I would rather you see what's on my inside than trying to impress you with my oh so fancy blog(YEAH RIGHT) or my one pound that I thought I lost( but found again). Darn that chicken!

Fluffin' my nest...

***** UPDATE**** After a long night of pulling hair,naming my computer, and almost watching the sun come up ...Here she is. I like it because I did it myself. I'm not sure if the bird will stay but she was easy and it was getting late. I even added a third side. I know you probably know the fancy name for it but roll with me cause Im a bit sleep deprived. 3:30 Am ,I was done....down for the count. Oh the pride in learning something new. Oh the stupidity in being a tightwad~
Your at the right place...Im just fluffin' my nest a bit..in better terms...messing things up. I thought I would go for a new fresh look. Right... As you can see I have no idea what Im doing. Maybe cause it's 1:10am and I have Zero computer skills. So if you need a few good laughs during your day. Just keep checking back to see what deep mess Im getting myself into. Oh for love of mankind..why dont I just pay a few bucks and get some help, ugh!

Got Boys....

You wouldn't find this room showcased on HGTV. Nope. Only in my house would you find such a beauty to behold. If you have an 18 year old son still living in your home you know where Im coming from.

They do this to the window so they can sleep on into the day...

Talk about your window mistreatments...

He's the master of this baby. Check out the fine use of his invention. Guess that's what happens when you have lived with me for 18 years. Gotta give it to him. Bless his heart

Yeah, along with that kid comes his boots. Very ugly boots...Im just sayin'

For the love of everything good in this world... let's keep the peace!

Now that's keeping it real...

Corbels in the kitchen and a winner

What in the world is a corbel! Well if you didnt know by its fancy name Im sure you recognize it. It's a fancy piece of architecture that looks as though its holding up a beam or your cabinet. That's my definition on it anyway. If you remember back when I gave my kitchen a makeover on a budget I added these two at the end of my cabinet.


Dont let them fool you by their fanciness. They are not real wood. They are light and easy to work with. Im not sure what they are made out of but it's like a stucco material.

Here are a few different designs that would make a great addition to your kitchen. I love the sleekness of this black one.

So many to pick from..


You cant have just one

Look at the length on this sweetheart!

Now that I have your heads full of corbels and dreams... Look whats floating around in my head at the momment.

Im so wanting these..

Wouldn't my new dishwasher look so fresh with some added trim..

Yes, that is black paint that dripped on my fresh painted cabinets. Showroom ready?..NOT! We live in this kitchen. I paint in this kitchen. Oh yeah. Want to know the winner of that sign? Is there a Rambling Girl in the house!

Here's your sign....Giveaway!

Guess you may have been wondering what in the world I was going to give away. You guessed it! Here's your sign.. I have always wanted to say that in a post.

So somtime tommorow I will pick a number from my followers list and..

This sign may just end up with your name on it. So if your not a follower join in the on the fun. Just add yourself to the list. Good luck!

A giveaway between friends...

Friends! Dont you just love them. I know I do. They are those special people that lift you up when you are down. They tell you when you have pepper in your teeth and when your grays are showing. They read your blog even when its full of run on chatter with horrible grammer. So this giveaway is just for you my friends! If you are a follower of this poor saps blog....bless you. If you are not dont worry just add yourself to my list of sweet friends located on my sidebar and you are in the hat for an awesome giveaway! Trust me....it's gonna be a good one~
ps...Thanks for helping me out with the prayers for Harper. God is listening... she is holding her own with his help and yours... let's keep praying.

Prayer Needed ....

Our dear blogger friend Kelly from Kelly's Korner had Miss Harper at 7:03 this evening. She is not doing very well and is in need of our prayers. I have followed Kelly through her whole journey with little Miss Harper and have fell in love with all of them. Please remember this dear family tonight. Thank you, Susie~

We gather together....

One of the sweetest ladies I know just happens to be Miss Pat from backporchmusings. She asked me if I could duplicate a sign that she had fell in love with while visiting Historic St. Charles.

So here is my version of that much loved sign.

I say much loved because now I want one for myself.

I hope she loves it as much as I do

I couldnt resist playing with it around my house. I really liked it over my DR door but I think whenever I get around to making one for myself it may just find a home on my mantel. Just in case a few of you like this one too I will add it to my etsy.

While I was at it I thought I would show yall my new addition to my family name sign collection.
A little fluer de lis love shown here.

Wanna know where starfish play?

Everywhere!
In case you were wondering...its the same two ;)

A small space with big ideas...

Laundry rooms can be fun if you show them some love. I was going for a clean crisp feel and this is what I came up with. Soft blue for the walls...

Remember that wire conservatory that I found for just dollars.

This jar was my Grandmothers

I painted this sign just for this spot. My etsy shop has a couple in case you like

A very old basket

I cant stand those plastic laundry baskets. I have had this one for years and I love them~ You can pick them up at Wal mart for a few dollars

For a soft touch..a lamp. I found this jar at WalMart and added my laundry soap. The scoup came from an old ice bucket.

Just by adding a few sticky letters the jar is transformed

So much better than that old box

Do you decorate your laundry room? I would love to see it..

Susie here...

Yes, this is me. This is the first picture I posted of myself when I started my blog a year ago. Just look at that girl...so green..so nonchalant...poor sap!

Im not going to bore yall with all of the previous photos. I mean you have seen me in my pj's so I guess that means we are all friends right~

It just dawned on me that I have been bloggin a few days over a year. You would think I would know what I was doing by now. Look at me almost a year later. Sitting there thinking I know what Im doing in this fast pace blogasphere...poor grammer and all...poor sap

So what have I learned in this year of bloggin'... Be myself. Even if that means using my messy grammer. Showing my messy house sometimes. Learning that this world is a big place. Im finding out that there is so much to learn....So whats in store for me this year. This VERY DEEP SOUTH girl is heading north to Nashville! (You know you are in deep when Nashville is very north)and Im taking yall with me.. thats right!

Im leaving this precious family behind for days!!! Can I get an AMEN! So if any of you are poor saps like me and have some questions just ask. Leave me a comment with your question and I will add it to my list. Oh! I think I forgot to mention that I was going to Blissdom...see..poor sap! Whats Blissdom some of you sweet things are asking? Its a confrence where poor things like me go to get some answers on some tuff blogging questions. Dont worry your little heads too much about me doing all of the work. Its ok. Im going in..taking this misson for all the poor saps out there. Its ok really. I dont mind meeting all of those girls. Having to buy a new outfit. Making sure my grays are all covered. Losing a few pounds..wearing pjs with em and staying up till the wee hours of the morning working on your questions. Whewww! Im tired already but someones gotta do it. Dont worry girls I got your back. Just send me the questions~

Wanting some Bliss..dom...

I know you must have heard about this Blissdom conference by now. I know I have sat back and dreamed about going. They really have some awesome girls that will be there. Some girls I would love to meet and have lunch with. It would be so much fun to hang out with them and take in all of their greatness. Kinda like a big slumer party. I want to go so stinkin' bad. Whats holding me back... a ten hour drive and a few pennies. Im going to pull a few strings and paint my heart out and if maybe ...just maybe it was meant for me to go I will be able to go. Im so not charging this trip (even though Im so tempted). Lord give me strengh!!! If you are going I would love to hear about. It will make me work harder at getting there. Thats half the fun ~ Wish me luck

A little car.A little cat.A little Sun! Yehaw!

Remember that kitchen we were working torwards? Well this stepped in its way. My daughter turned sweet sixteen in September. She was thinking a new car with a big red bow on top waiting outside for her. Didnt we all have that same dream. I know I did. Mine went more like the sweet sixteen movie.. my mom forgot. Oh yes she did! I did cut her some slack because my PawPaw had just passed away. I still feel a bit sad because I wont ever get that special day back. You girls know what Im talking about,right. Anyway ..because we are one of "those" familes Kaylee didnt get her dream car she had dreamed about. We were all busy saving for this.

Its not the car of her dreams but she is so exicited. We payed cash thankyouLord~ The money that I made from my signs was to go towards my microwave. Well taxes saw to that so I have to start all over again. Thats life right.

I know you are soooo looking past that car and thinking....Whaaaa~ Yes thats a swimming pool ladder in my front yard. And yes that is a basketball goal on the ground. We are so backwoods its not funny. You just have to laugh cause you just might be a redneck.

We did adopt a new kitty that Miss Darlene was asking about. Dont let him fool you with his cuteness. This cat is a furball gone bad!

Last but not least we have sun today. That means I was able to stain these little darlings some of you have been waiting on. They will be in the mail soon as they dry. I have something new Im working on too~

I married a 12 year old!

Do people really think about gifts they give? Do they think about how this gift would be a gift that would KEEP ON GIVING....

My precious was given this beautiful pillow case by his Mother. His mother that is very into decorating and house could be seen in Southern Living.

He sleeps on it every night now. I had Holly Hobby and Ragedy Ann and pink and green plaid (yes I did) but you dont see me sleeping on them. I knew she had it out for me but this has gone a bit too far. What am I going to do about this little issue you may wonder....Smile! It's great to have a heart like a child. I want to be more like him and HIM !!!

I must confess... I bought this rug for his office. He liked it so much and it matched his pillow so its staying here for a while. The heart of this small story. Your home is YOURS... it doesnt have to be showroom ready. It just has to make you smile~

Abundant Blessings and Appreciation~

Im not turning my back on yall but Im a bit overwhelmed by all of the orders. How GREAT is that! My son took this picture because he says thats all he sees me doing ..painting and talking~

Thats not true..I have been busy getting these together



Painted...and ready for your name

How do you like how professional I am...

This is just the beginning of the orders so if you dont see your name dont panic.

Its coming...

So I may be busy painting for a bit but Im still checking in on all of yall. Sorry if I slack on returning comments. I will get to them I promise. I did want to tell yall about our big stainless steel (looking) addition. Trust me its not what you may be thinking....

Happy New Year and a Winner!!!

First of all I would love to wish each and everyone of you a Happy New Year. Where has the year gone? I was blown away by how many people commented for the giveaway. Yall sure know how to make a girl feel loved and all...even if its because Im giving away stuff, Ha! Guess yall are interested in who the lucky lady is. Well its Miss Jennifer from my life with four kids. Now that lady deserves some free stuff with taking care of four little ones. So Miss Jennifer congrats to you my dear friend! I will be getting in touch with you as soon as I can feed my child some oatmeal.
For all of you that went to the Etsy store, Thank you! I cut the boards this morning so I will start painting soon. (Child still waiting on that oatmeal). Thanks again and heres to another great year in bloggin'....ps..if you didnt win dont worry. Im doing another soon. Stayed tuned~