Sunday, February 26, 2012

For the Love of Aprons!!


A few of my aprons are displayed in my laundry room.

I am a big fan of aprons!  I love them!  I don’t know if I just like to channel my inner Betty Crocker, Julia Child, or maybe Paula Deen, but I seriously have this thing for aprons!  It makes me feel like I have stepped back in time and I am a 1950's housewife (think June Cleaver).  I would add to my apron collection all the time if I had the money and more room to display them.   And if I wore them more than just once in a blue moon!  Actually, I do wear them occasionally when I am feeling very “Julia Child-ish”!  LOL Something about putting on an apron makes me feel like a chef!  To me food tastes better when I've cooked while wearing an apron :-)

Here are a few of my favorites:


This is my latest apron - it was a Christmas gift from my sister.  
I love the retro feel of it! 
Another gift from Nini - this one is from Anthropology.

Every Southern girl needs a monogrammed apron!

I found this vintage cutie at an antique store recently.  
I loved the ric-rac and dotted Swiss! 

What about you?  Do you agree with me that aprons are the perfect accessory to wear in the kitchen??? Do they make you feel like you are ready for "Chopped" or "Cupcake Wars"? 

This week I am joining the following: 





Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Vintage Copper in the Kitchen



When we moved in our new house in July, I was so excited about the kitchen.  It was totally different than any kitchen I had ever had in the past.  I loved the rustic look of the cabinets and many other special elements, one being the light fixture/pot hanger.  I must admit though that I am not a fan of hanging every day pots and pans above my head.  To me, everyday cooking would be a inconvenience if the pots were on display.  I much prefer my pots and pans in a cabinet.  I did, however, want to utilize the pot hanger in some way, at some point.  Then one day a few months ago, I received my new issue of Delta magazine.  The most beautiful kitchen was featured in this month's edition. It seemed to be my kitchen on steroids..... it is amazing!!! Much more glamorous and worthy of a magazine spread than my much more "homey" kitchen, but you can still see similarities (one being the beautiful cypress cabinets). I noticed immediately the pots in the pictures and I knew that I wanted to start a collection of copper pieces for my kitchen.  I thought they would be the perfect finishing touch for my kitchen. 


Inspiration picture from Delta magazine


A few weeks ago, my friends Lynda and Diane and I went antique shopping.  Lucky for me, we found a booth in a local shop that had lots of wonderful, old copper pieces.  Lynda and I both bought a few pieces.  I was so excited about them!!!  Unfortunately for me, the pieces that I bought were too long for the pot rack.  The good news though is that my husband and I went back the next day and exchanged them for smaller pieces.  I was off to a great start!  The next week Jon and Seth and I were out running errands and Jon suggested we stop by the antique store again.  Woo Hoo!!  We found two more pieces that were perfect.  Now my pot rack is filled!  I love the finished product!!!  What do you think? 

The afternoon sun made taking pictures a little difficult.  


I really love these pieces - they are so old and really have character!  

Thanks for visiting Buttercup Bliss! 

This week I am joining the following:








Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Girls Day Plus One!



Lisa, Diane and Lynda

This past Saturday Seth and I had the best day!  My dear friends Lynda and Diane and I had a girls’ day….. well, we had a girls’ day that included Seth!  Jon works every Saturday so any plans I have for Saturday always include my little guy. We don’t have a babysitter even though everyone says I need to find a teenager so Jon and I can have date nights, and I can have the occasional day with my friends.  I am just used to taking Seth with me though, so off we went on our girls’ day of lunch and antiquing!  Lucky for me, both Diane and Lynda have two boys each so they are used to having rough and tumble boys around!  Alas, their boys are much older though, so they didn’t want to tag along with us for the day!

We started out by having lunch at Big Time Diner, a local Mobile favorite!   It is so yummy!  We did not count calories at lunch and we sat at the counter/bar so everyone was happy!!!  We were glad to indulge ourselves with onion rings, mac and cheese and other delicious goodies, while Seth was happy that he could sit at the old fashioned counter and see all the action!  He was also pleased with his chocolate sundae!

We then hit our favorite antique stores and consignment shops.  We even stumbled upon a few new places that turned out to be filled with goodies.  We all found things we couldn’t live without!  Diane found a set of 12 Ruby glasses that were just gorgeous!  Lynda found a wonderful old scale, and a huge blue plate just perfect for the spot above her great room bookcases.  Diane stumbled upon a German “thermometer house” that was similar to one she remembered from her childhood.  Seth thought it was just too cool!!!

What a great booth! 

Lynda and I both fell in love with a display of old copper pots and bowls.  Lynda opted for some larger pieces that she can display on top of her kitchen cabinets.  I was thrilled to find several smaller pans and two other pieces that look perfect hanging from the pot rack above my kitchen island.  I had been wanting to purchase some since we moved into our new home in July.   I knew it would be the perfect thing for our kitchen!  (Hmmm…. I should probably confess that the three that I bought Saturday with the girls did not work because they were too long!  Obviously, I have issues with measurement!  Jon was not wild about eating with a pot in his face!! LOL! I tried!  We took another trip to the antique store on Sunday afternoon and the sweet ladies were kind enough to let me try again and get several that would work perfectly in our kitchen!)


I love old silver! (Please ignore the fact that I am in the picture.)

Just before we left our last store I found a set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls – the blue Amish pattern, but I thought $48 was a little high.  I do plan on watching them though because they are having a store-wide sale the week between Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras.  Maybe they will be mine after all.  Besides, sometimes the hunt and the wait for the perfect item is the most fun of all!! There were so many gorgeous items that I fell in love with day, many that were just calling my name!! It is a challenge to frugal sometimes, isn’t it???
So pretty! 

Even Seth found a treat - a vintage umpire's mask!!  

We are already looking forward to our next outing!  We hope to go to Daphne and Fairhope, AL. Please come back tomorrow when I will be sharing “Copper in the Kitchen”. 
Monday, February 13, 2012

The Best Valentine's Day EVER!!!



With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching I thought I would tell you about my best Valentine’s Day EVER!  Let me start by telling you that I haven’t always been a big fan of Valentine’s Day.  I may have shared this with you last year, but in case you missed it, I didn’t meet my Mr. Right and get married until I was 37! Valentine’s Day is just not a true joy for an “old-maid” school teacher!!!   I spent many years dreading that one day in February when everyone wants to feel loved.  I knew my parents and my sister loved me.  I knew my niece and nephew just loved me to pieces, and I think my sweet, little second graders thought I was pretty awesome, but let’s face it, that is not the same as having your special someone love you!  


When Jon entered the picture, my views on Valentine’s Day changed.  Our first Valentine’s Day arrived and I got a dozen roses.  One rose was white because it was our first Valentine’s Day.  How romantic!! He sent roses for the next five years or so and then one year he just outdid himself!!!   This particular year I had been begging, pleading asking Jon what he thought about us getting another dog.  I reasoned with him that I really needed a “baby” and also, Bentley, our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, needed a playmate.  I won’t go into my infertility issues here, but I just knew that a puppy would make me feel better.  He kept citing the many reasons why we didn’t need another dog.  I listened, but I continued to tell him I needed a “daughter”.  I REALLY wanted a little female Cavalier!!  The weeks went on and I asked Jon if we could contact the breeder who had worked with us to get Bentley, but to no avail.  I didn’t give up, I just figured the time wasn’t right. 
 
The night before Valentine’s Day, Jon and Seth and I went to dinner.  Before our dinner arrived, Jon handed me a package.  Seth was grinning like crazy!!!!  The beautifully wrapped box appeared to be a bracelet box.  I remember thinking that he had gotten me a new Brighton bracelet. Boy was I wrong!  Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and a tiny, pink rhinestone collar was in the box!  It had a little pink heart dog tag on it that was engraved with the name “Clarabel”. I looked at Jon and Seth in astonishment and asked Jon if he had talked to the breeder – were we getting a puppy from her next litter?  He replied, “No, I GOT you a puppy.  She is waiting on you at home.  We picked her up at the airport today!” I was so shocked and surprised!  As we ate dinner, he proceeded to tell me how he had saved a portion of his monthly bonuses for quite a while and had worked with a breeder in Oklahoma to find my sweet Clarabel!  (You will notice, I had named her even before I knew I was getting her!)  I, of course, knew none of this!  He had been corresponding with this lady for several months  He had received pictures of Clarabel, all of her papers, along with emails saying how precious she was, etc.  All of this he placed in a folder and gave to me while we enjoyed our dinner.  I remember thinking, “I don’t know how he did it.”  He had arranged to have her flown in on the day when he was off work and could pick Seth up at school so he could be with him when they went to pick our newest addition up at the airport.  I worked late and met them at the restaurant so I didn’t know that Clarabel was already waiting on me at home.  It was the most amazing present I had ever received!!!  We joke all the time that Jon doesn’t even need to try to top that Valentine’s Day.  It was just perfect!!  We all fell in love with our sweet Clarabel!  She is a constant reminder of that sweet, sweet day!!!

I love all these puppy pictures of her that Jon got from the breeder - isn't she the sweetest baby?

What is the sweetest, most special Valentine's present you have ever received? I would love to hear your story :-)






Sunday, February 12, 2012

A Happy Boy!


Did I mention we also love Peyton and Eli??? 
Wow!  Things have been so busy lately.... I look up and two weeks have gone by and no post!  I truly want to blog each day, but a full time job, a daily commute and just the day to day things that go along with being a wife and mom keep me pretty busy!  I do have several posts lined up for the next several days, but today I want to share with you a picture of Seth.  He is a happy boy today because yesterday he participated in the spring baseball draft!  He is always excited, well, actually BEYOND excited when baseball season starts, but since he was diagnosed with mono three weeks ago, he hasn't been able to play much and that has been difficult for him!  He knows that he is that much closer to being able to play again!  The doctor said no sports for a month so let's pray we hang in there!


Also, this week, my friend and co-worker attended an event at one of our local universities where his son is playing baseball this year.  He was able to get Seth a personalized signed picture of David Freese, who plays with the St. Louis Cardinals! Actually he was very instrumental in helping the Cardinals win the World Series this year!  He played his college years at University of South Alabama - pretty cool, huh?? Seth was so pumped!!  I can't think of anything that would have made him more excited... well, except for seeing the Red Sox play or actually meeting Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, or Kevin Youkilis!  I have to tell you that it still cracks me up that I now know the names of the Boston Red Sox!!!  What we "girly girls" will do for our boys!!!




When he is not playing baseball, or quizzing me about the names of the Red Sox, he is drawing baseball players!!  LOL  
Anyway, I will be back tomorrow to share with you about our new copper pieces for the kitchen and reminisce about my best Valentine's Day ever.  Hope to see you soon!

Lisa