My Garden's Running Wild!

Alison @ The Polohouse is having her Favorites on the First party, and she's invited everyone to show our gardens.


Hubby and I are trying to make our yard/garden more low maintenance...since we're getting older...and lazier, but it doesn't seem to be working...things are running wild!
Here are some photos I took when I came back from thrifting this morning:

No, it's not a whale...it's just one of the boulders by the driveway. Only about 2/3rds of it is showing; the rest is under the wild muscadine vine, running over from our neighbor's yard.. :(

Speaking of my neighbor, why is his Hydrangea bush so HUGE? 
He never feeds or waters it and, it's about to take over his house...and his Dish.  
I'm not going to show you my Hydrangeas...they're pitiful!

Our fig tree has gone wild this year.  They usually aren't ripe till August. Can you believe I picked a bowl full after I finished taking the photos?

Speaking of wild...we have wild stuff growing everywhere...

...wild black berries all over the yard.,,we've been battling them for years...

...little "berries" on the wild Sassafras...

...here's one more wild thing, a Rose of Sharon... they just pop up all over the garden, and we pull them like weeds. This one is tree size now. If you look closely, you can see a little honey bee on it. I was really surprised, because we don't see many honey bees any more.

Just beneath the Rose of Sharon, the Oak Leaf Hydrangea is turning pink...

...Day lilies... I don't remember the name of this one.

Heading back to the house, you can see my Hens and Chicks are multiplying like crazy. I probably should divide them, but I like the lushness of them packed together...chick by chick...

...back up on the deck, I'm going lower maintenance here, by "mulching" the smaller pots with wine corks. 

I hope this mixed pot will last the summer. I love the purple petunias, with the creeping jenny, and the little white...whatcha-ma-call-its.

I'm glad you stopped by. Are you ready for a glass of tea?


Please, stop by Alison's party, and see all the wonderful gardens and then to Jennifer Rizzo for her garden linky party.
Hugs,
Babs

Tiny Guest Bedroom

This post should really be titled, Teeny Tiny Guest Bedroom, and Can Somebody Help Me, Please?


For a long time, I've wanted to do something different in this room.
Since we don't often have guests, I'm really bad to use it as a catch-all for projects I'm working on, and most of the time, I leave the ironing board up in there.
But, I thought I'd show you anyway, and maybe it'll motivate me to do something different with it.

The room is a tiny 10 x10, and the furniture has to stay...for now.

The bed and tables are "family pieces"...also known as "odds and ends"... 
...so, gotta work with what I have. 
Forget about painting the furniture; Hubby would have a fit.


For some reason, the room looks larger in the photo, than in "person". It could be that I'm standing in the hall to photograph it. The walls look white, but they're actually cream. 
Do you think I should paint them darker?

I like the bird picture, however, I've been shopping around for something larger, to put over the headboard. 

The bed is part of the set my mom and dad bought when they got married. 
Oh gosh, don't look at the wrinkly throw on the bed, and the stuff on the floor.

The drum table is another "family piece", and so's the little stool  holding the magazines.  
Tell me, would you use a round tablecloth on the drum table, and get rid of the stool? 

This wall just has this picture, and then, the door is to the right. 
I've had the picture for years, and I'm ready for it to go.

I put a lantern with a faux candle, on this side, to use for a night light...just a little something different than the lamp on the other side. 

For fun I used a chamber pot to hold gardenias and ivy. The "bedside table" is actually my mom's old sewing machine. 
Here's a closer look at it...

Yikes!...the reality of it all is this...I moved everything from the bed to the floor, so I could take the photos. 
We're getting ready for a yard sale in a couple of weeks, and this is just a tiny bit of stuff I'm thinking of putting out. 


What I didn't show you is the other side of the room, but in a 10 x10 room, what can I put on the other side of the room...
...besides the ironing board?  
  
I'd love it if y'all would give some suggestions for how to make this room better...I know...first thing...clean up all the junk on the floor and take down the ironing board. :)


I'm joining: 
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays.


Thanks for visiting. I'm looking forward to your suggestions.
Hugs,
Babs

Fruit Salad with Limoncello

Memorial Day weekend is here! Are y'all stocked up with charcoal for the grill, sodas, and a few adult beverages?
If you're are having the usual...hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, potato salad, and want something light for dessert, here's just the thing...

...Ina Garten's recipe for Fruit Salad with Limoncello. 
Click HERE for the recipe.

It's so hot out here. I'm trying to stay in the shade...it isn't even noon, and it's already 85 degrees.
Whew! After all this, I need a BIG glass of iced tea...or maybe an adult beverage?

Hope y'all have a great Memorial Day weekend...don't forget to fly your flags.
Hugs,
Babs


Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.

Tuscan Tuna Salad

I thought I'd hit the ground running when I got back from NJ, and have lots of posts to show you. 
Instead, I'm pigging out.

Today, I started working on a tablescape, using my newly found PB rooster plates, and ended up making a Tuscan tuna salad instead. 

Now, don't let the tuna salad part make you turn up your nose. It's not the tuna and mayonnaise  tuna salad.


Most of the time I make it without pasta, and serve it with a few crackers.  But this time, I had a pasta craving.

Here's what's in it...


1 can albacore tuna, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
Sometimes I use leftover cooked green beans instead of the cannellini...less calories. :)
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered, drained and rinsed
1/2 can of pitted ripe olives, drained of course
1/2 box of cooked pasta...sometimes I omit this if I'm watching my carbs.
Oh.. I forgot to show you the other things...

1 chopped tomato, or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved, if you have those.
1 sliced green onion
and a couple of leaves of basil cut into little strips.


Mix everything together, and add a dressing made of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning and sea salt, in the amounts that you like.
Refrigerate for a little while, or serve right away if you're hungry.

 I finally gave up on the tablescape and grabbed a fork...

...move over rooster plate...

I need a BIG plate! 
Oh, what the heck!  I'll start watching my carbs tomorrow.


Hope y'all had a great Monday.
Hugs,
Babs


Joining A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday 

Do You Hypertufa?

Hope y'all are having a great weekend. 
This morning, I was looking for ideas for new pots for the deck, and saw these hypertufa pots online.
Although I've seen hypertufa pots for years, I've never made any. 
These are some of the great looking ones I found...with instructions.



I really like these using a wicker basket for the form...  




                      
... these square-ish faux bois pots are great, but are more involved, requiring  wood grained rubber mats and wooden boxes...





...milk cartons were used for these. Love the little succulents in them.


You can find these three styles on Marthastewart.com.

My Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine arrived yesterday, but I hadn't had a chance to look at it. When I looked at it this morning...guess what?  Hypertufa pots with instructions! 
If you don't get Lowe's free publication, you can find all the ideas and instructions at Lowe's website here.
There's even a video to show how to get started.

I'm loving all these styles, and thinking of making some. 


Have any of y'all ever made hypertufa pots?


I'd love to know how they turned out, and considering 


all the mess...would you make them again?


Babs


I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

I Won!

I'm so excited!! Look what arrived at my house today.

Ron @ The Uptown Acorn had a wonderful May giveaway with Debi from Chic Chateau, who generously donated  a copy of Coastal Style by Sally Hayden and Alice Whatley.
I can't believe it, but I'm actually the lucky winner!

Below are some of the gorgeous photographs and decorating ideas in the book...

...things to display...

...colors of the sea...

...collections of shells and photographs...

...hats and fishing lures.

I'm inspired!


Thanks so much, Ron and Debi...


Please visit Ron's awesome blog, The Uptown Acorn, where he celebrates all things Southern, 
and stop by Chic Chateau Interiors and Gifts, on Facebook.


Hugs,
Babs

Revel...Preview

New Jersey road trip...Part 3

Preview of Revel...Atlantic City's newest $2.4 billion resort...yes, I said billion!

The Revel is 47 stories high, the 2nd tallest building in New Jersey, smoke free and very modern. 
It has 10 pools, 14 restaurants and 3 live entertainment venues.
The resort also features a 2-acre landscaped rooftop deck with pools, cabanas, fire pits and the Sky Garden containing over 30,000 trees and plants.

It was foggy, and not a good day for photos.

There were a lot of the outdoor areas still under construction, and they were working on the beach, which had been damaged from storms in recent years.
You can see how the Army Corps of Engineers is replenishing and repairing the beach HERE.

Now, to see a little of the interior decor.

This is in one of the meeting areas...

...the largest lamp I've ever seen. The lamp shade looked like it was  made of fabric.

Red leather sofas and doors leading to other meeting rooms. This was just one of many areas for meetings.

I think the designer(s) had a thing for fabric covered lighting fixtures...

...this one is stunning. I wish I could have gotten it all in the photo. All the petals were covered in fabric.

The resort is huge...6.3 million square feet.
This is a rather playful seating area that's near the pool entrance...I think. 
The rugs reminded me of the pizza we had just enjoyed at Tony Boloney's.
The round glass table in the foreground has a clear ball in the center, with a cactus growing out of rocks.
This area reminded me of something from The Jetsons.

Poolside, the seating was neat. You can see the cranes below, still working on the beach.

Sleek, modern chaises for sun bathing...

...and lots of reflective glass.

                                  Revel Resorts.com   Sky Garden


This photo is from their website. The blue areas running between the plants are small tiles, that water will be flowing over like a river. I'd love to see this at night.


We wandered around like a bunch of tourists, and even though there were a lot of workers putting final touches on things for the opening, we still had a fun time looking at everything. 
Oh, and Beyonce' will be opening in the 5,050 seat theater on Memorial Day weekend. Whoo! Hoo!


Rooms start at just under $400 on week nights, and up to $800 on the weekend. High roller suites?? Well, since I'm not a "high roller", I guess I'll never know. 


Hope y'all have a great week,
Babs


Joining A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday,
and Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday.