$25 Home Depot Give-away at 2805!

Be sure to click on the link below for details of the Home Depot $25 give-away, being hosted by 2805! While you're there, enjoy this wonderful, beautiful and engaging blog! Good luck!
Hugs, Leena

http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Bad Mow-Jo

A few weeks ago I was mowing the lawn, when the mower started spitting out a bunch of blue smoke. Indicating that it was burning oil, I checked the oil level and found that it was low. I put some oil in, rechecked the dip stick and thought that it needed more. I poured more in and, as it was getting dark, decided to put the mower away and finish the next day. When I tried to start it then, it wouldn't start. It didn't even make a sputter or cough or wheeze - nothing. Dead. Great. Majorly annoyed sigh. So, I open it up and found that the air filter was completely covered in oil. Seems I was a bit over-zealous and put in too much. OK, on to Home Depot for a new filter, which I replaced and the mower still would not start. Not too big a deal as it had started to rain, so I put the machine away for yet another day.

Another day turned into a couple of weeks and now the lawn looks really hairy! Get out the owner's manual. Nothing worthwhile. Take the machine apart again, wipe off all the oil, prime the engine. Nothing. It was time to give in and call the repair man. He came this morning, so the mower is all fixed and happy - yay!

Bad news, it's going to be 97 today - boo! Good news, I've already mowed the front - yay! Bad news, I still have the ENTIRE back yard to do, which is hilly and has very long alien grass in one large spot (I think it comes from the bird feeder on the deck above). Good news, I'm inside now, taking a water and air conditioner break. Bad news, I'm going to have to go back out there soon. When I come back inside, Jim will be waiting for me:

By the time I'm finished, I will be spending the rest of the afternoon like this:

I think that in the future, I'm going to make the grand babies some of these so they can help:

Or at the least, get myself one of these awesome chopper styles, so I can look cool while I sweat:

I guess that the real good news here is that it's still summery and I'm not outside freezing and wishing I was living in Florida. That will come all too soon!

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for stopping by! Hugs, Leena

"Charming" LittleTrailer

My daughter brought me the sweetest little charm the other day. She works at Fossil, at the outlet mall nearby. They sell watches (I got a beautiful one from her for Christmas) and purses (she gave me a fabulous one of these for Christmas too - thank goodness for employee discounts!) and other accessories, like jewelry. When a shipment came in, she saw this little charm and immediately snatched it up with me in mind!

Sorry about the fuzzy camera phone pic

I love it! It's so cute with its rolling wheels and it has PINK on it! Y'all know that I LOVE pink! I first fell in love with these little "canned ham" trailers a few years ago, when I saw one featured in a magazine. A woman had renovated it and turned it into a little "home away from home" in her backyard. She could use it as a potting shed, tea house, or just a nice quiet, private retreat. I thought that was the most wonderful thing; to have your own little space, away from the hustle and bustle of every day life, a place to get away from it all and from everybody and think. Right now, the only think tank I have is the bathroom and it isn't always private (yikes!). It would make a great place for Jim and I to have romantic candle light dinners or take cuddly naps with cool breezes blowing through the windows. I can just imagine a little pink and silver gem in my backyard, all girly and ruffly on the inside with flowers planted along the outside. Of course, our HOA wouldn't allow such a thing and, while it would be fun to put one on our property and watch their heads explode (I'm not fond of HOA's), 1. there isn't a level piece of land in our entire yard and 2. I don't have the budget for such fun BUT, I can wear my little charm and dream, can't I? I have a necklace that I add charms to when I find ones that mean something to me. This little trailer will be added right up front so I can show it off and hopefully, it will make others smile as much as it makes me!

Thank you for dropping by today! I always love and appreciate that you take the time to read my ramblings and your comments always touch my heart! Have a wonderful day! Hugs, Leena

Linking Up To: From My Front Porch To Yours Treasure Hunt Thursday

Transferware Thrifting Treasures!

While out thrifting the other day, I came upon these incredible, gorgeous Clarice Cliff transferware dishes in perfect condition! I was thrilled and instantly in love with the plum color, which I know is not found as often as some of the other hues transferware from Royal Staffordshire comes in. There were seven large rimmed soup bowls and two sweet little berry/dessert bowls. There were also quite a few saucers, but I resisted those as I was afraid of not finding cups to go with them.

Image from https://www.etsy.com/listing/107628015/set-of-6-clarice-cliff-rimmed

Image from https://www.etsy.com/listing/107630310/set-of-two-clarice-cliff-tonquin-berry

I looked up Clarice Cliff online and discovered that she was quite a pioneer within the ceramics industry. In fact, she was regarded as one of the most influential ceramics artists of the 20th century! What I found intriguing about Clarice was that she came from a large family and was the only child who was interested in art. At the young age of 13, she received a position with a ceramics manufacturer, painting gold rims on china. When the factory had pieces that were unsuitable for sale, Clarice would practice her painting on them and ultimately created several patterns that are still popular today! Her first, titled "Bizarre" was launched in 1927 and in that same year, Clarice gained her own studio with AJ Wilkinson's pottery factory . In 1940, she married her boss, Colley Shorter and they resided at Chetwynd House at Clayton, Staffordshire. Clarice passed away on October 23, 1972.

Image from www.claricecliff.com/about/clarice/index.shtmlCached - Similar

Images from Wikipedia

I find Clarice Cliff's life to be quite inspirational, being a fellow woman with a dream. Women like her give me confidence that yes, I can realize my dream, my vision and my passion! Isn't that knowledge that we all could benefit from now and then?

Have a wonderful day! Hugs, Leena

Linking to French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

New Goodies

I recently had an appointment in the next town over which just so happens to be where Home Goods is. I hadn't been on an outing in quite some time and couldn't remember when the last time was that I explored the store, so decided to take a little break and pop in. It's always a fun excursion. Even if I don't purchase anything, I delight in looking at all Home Goods has to offer.

On this particular day, I was on a bit of a mission. I wanted to find a nice little pitcher for milk. When I take Jim his breakfast (he's still recovering from two surgeries), I leave the milk out of his cereal so that it doesn't get soggy before he gets a chance to eat it. It seems like every little vessel I use is always in the dishwasher and I've run out of ways to transport the milk (trust me, pockets don't work LOL!).

When I first entered the store, I was greeted by several gorgeous chairs by Lane. They were so comfortable looking, somewhat petite in stature, but not so small that you couldn't curl up with a good book. I fell in love with a white on white fabric pattern on one, and a grey on white pattern on the other. Really good prices too - most were $199.00! Still, not what I was looking for and not what I have the budget for right now, so I sighed one of "those" sighs and moved on. Around the corner, a collection of the most adorable little pitchers greeted me! I would have liked a white or black one, but no such luck. There was a yellow one, pretty but not a color I use in my kitchen. There was a red one (I love red) but it had a cute little raised pig on the front and he just didn't speak (or squeal) to me. A nice green one was cheerful-looking, but again not quite the right color. Hmmm...what's this? A gorgeous turquoise pitcher with the perfect shabby distressing to it! Not a color I use but one I adore and it is a color that I am beginning to incorporate into my decorating more and more so into the cart it went! I've always loved the color in clothing and jewelry, so why not home decor?

A couple of aisles over, I spotted the most adorable tea set! It was white on white, which I'm crazy about, with a beautiful raised design on the front. A tiny two-cup pot sat atop of a pretty, rounded cup - perfect! "Jim will be quite surprised when I serve him tea in this", I thought. "It will make his morning a little more special", which is something that I was wanting to accomplish since I know he's a bit bored being in bed most of the time.

I browsed a bit more, admiring the bed linens (I need a new dust ruffle but they didn't have any), shaking my head "no no no" at the price of two Paris-themed pillows (I thought they were a bit high) and then, turning around, there she was! The cutest, most adorable little piggie I'd ever seen! And she has wings! And she's distressed! And she's about a foot tall! I picked her up, approved of her clearance price, and into the cart she went! It's been difficult seeing my husband go through medical issues and I'm all about having positive inspiration around us. This little piggie represents that we will never lose hope, not even when pigs fly! It may sound sappy to some, but we've been through a lot and if something as simple as a little ceramic flying pig can lower the stress level a bit, I'm all for it! I haven't named her yet. "Hope" seemed appropriate but I'm holding out for something a bit more creative. Any suggestions? I think I'll take a wide pink ribbon, add some flowers or an old brooch to it and give her a sweet bow to wear.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful, sappy, stress free day!

Hugs, Leena

Sharing with Faded Charm, White Wednesday
Sharing with From My Front Porch to Yours, Treasure Hunt Thursday

Dreamy Whites Vintage Give-Away

Don't miss the fabulous give-away at http://www.dreamywhites.blogspot.com/2012/08/vintage-french-tolix-chairs-in-shop.html ! Three wonderful prizes to three lucky winners! Ends August 25th so hurry on over and check it out! I feel like a game show announcer - come on down! LOL!
Hugs, Leena

Savvy City Farmer MEGA Give-Away!

The wonderful, gorgeous and talented Joy over at Savvy City Farmer is having a MEGA give-away to celebrate her 7th year of blogging! The prizes promise to be amazing! I am SO excited - she has had almost 1 MILLION visitors to her blog! Can you imagine? I am sure that each and every one of them has fallen in love with her blog just as I have! Make sure to click on the link above and get in on the action! This is the biggest give-away I have ever seen! Yeeehaw baby! Hugs, Leena