A day off

Yesterday, I had it all planned out. Work, clean toilets, mop floor. Then my girlfriend who has just started radiation tx for breast cancer called and said lets take the kids and go to the beach. Well how do you say no to that. I knew she did not feel all that great but it is really important for her to give her kids memories. She talks about it all the time. I need to make sure they have lots of memories.



Sitting in the sand and watching the kids run in and out of the water. I could have watched them all day. I could here my daughter screaming with laughter every time a wave hit her a little higher on the stomach. Man, how I can lose sight of the little moments that make such good memories. It is easy to lose those moments in the ho-hum of every day. Like cleaning toilets and mopping floors. I am not a spontaneous person, I plan my day down to the wire. So it took a friend going through a difficult season of life to remind how important it is to create memories of my own. That the toilets can wait, because you never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball.


All pictures from Coastal Living

Thought I would give you all a tease of what a beautiful day on the coast it was yesterday.

Well on another note, the winner for my flower necklace giveaway was announced here
Congratulations Stephanie from Decorating addiction . I can't wait to see you wear it.

Thank you for letting letting me unwrap a little piece of my heart today.

Linking to: Tuesday's Unwrapped at http://www.chattingatthesky.com/

Nesting

I have been procrastinating once again and decided to nest, literally. Take a look

I changed up the coffee table in the family room and pulled every nest out of my hat that I could find. When I typed hat I totally thought of using a different word (same amount of letters, and we sit on it) but I really don't like foul language, especially coming from a women. I use to have a mouth like a truck driver (no offense to truck drivers, I have a beloved one in my family) but when I gave my life over to the lord I really prayed that he would take that away from me. Funny thing is He did, but now and again those words still come right into my head. I don't say them out loud but this crazy head of mine will say it now and again. Ok, sorry I got off on a tangent. Back to the nest's

And Layla inspired me to work on my sad, sad mantle. Problem with this thing is it is huge and really high of the ground. It makes me afraid of it, I just don't know how to handle it.

Did you notice my little welcome sign walked down from the guest room and onto my mantle

One more nest, this one is behind the sofa. I new you would not want to miss that one.

Let me know what you think on the mantle. And yes I know we still have not announced the giveaway winners I keep checking, really I do.

Transformation Thursday

Today is fabulous spring weather in So Cal and really puts me in the mood to spring clean. So instead I went to Starbucks. What can I say I am a procrastinator.

Here is a project I worked on last week in a mad dash to get our guest room ready for a guest. I found this plate on sale for $3 bucks, yeah, $3 bucks. I just knew I could use my chalkboard paint on it. I mean, really what can't you use chalkboard paint on.



Voila!!!

Linking to: The Shabby Chic Cottage

Update: You can still enter giveaway until midnight tonight! Did you hear me!!!

Winner of giveaway will be announced TOMORROW!

I had a dream

I had a dream last night about spray paint. Yes, you heard me right spray paint. I dreamt about creamy shiny whites and rich semi-gloss blacks. So after I dropped one of the munchkins off at school I stopped my Home Depot and picked up a few cans. I took my husbands desk into the garage and started spraying and spraying and spraying. He will be so surprised when he gets home. I will be so surprised if this turns out the way I have planned in my head. I will really be surprised if I am able to get it back into the house without some backup.



I had a moment to get caught up on one of my favorite blogs and Layla has my mind spinning with mantle mania. I am in desperate need of mantle help. I sort of threw things up there when we moved in and never went back to actually decorating it. But I am overwhelmed, I have not a clue what to do. Actually, I think I will go shop my garage (I have boxes of decor that has not yet been unpacked) and see what I can come up with. Here are a few pretties from Layla's blog








Last three images Better Homes and Gardens

And if you are in great suspense on who won the giveaway of one of my necklaces from The Shabby Chic Cottage I don't know yet either. Your comments on her blog were so sweet and gave me warm and fuzzy feelings inside. I keep checking her blog to see if she has picked winners yet. As soon as I know I will post it here!

Ok, I am off to inhale more paint fumes. Don't you just love that feeling (I am kidding of course)

Giveaway Day

Hee-hee, hee-hee, I love these days and anything for free sounds good to me. I am a sponsor at the totally chic and happening blog The Shabby Chic Cottage. Now let me tell you there is nothing shabby but all things chic happening there. Yes, I sound a bit corny, but honestly I am totally corny. Not to mention I have had three lattes in the last hour and I have started to get the shakes. I love it when I get those. Anyway back to the fun, today or tomorrow you can enter to win one of these pretties

My vintage necklace made of old linen and cottons, buttons and pearls. So don't miss out on the fun to win one of these you must go here! If you don't win and you start to feel sorry for yourself you can always buy one of these lovelies on my etsy shop. Or maybe if you leave a comment I will give away a little something of my own.

Getting ready

I am getting ready for a fun fabulous spring fling party tomorrow with Shabby chic cottage
There will be giveaways that will last two entire days. Did you hear that people!!! I am one of the sponsors offering a fun unique giveaway. It looks a little like something from a post below, and it hangs around your neck. Hint, hint!! Shhhhh, it starts tomorrow.

Set your alarm and check in on this blog to enter. I do not know if I am day one or day two. You will just have to stay in suspense.........

See you tomorrow.

Makeover Monday

Now I have been looking for something I could use as a buffet table in my dinning room. I needed something functional that I could actually put food on to get people out of my kitchen and into another room in the house. Why is it that when you have a party everyone stays wrapped around the kitchen counter. So my sneaky little plan was if I had a buffet table that was in the other room maybe, just maybe it would get people OUT of my kitchen during a party. I have not had the opportunity to actually use this buffet for the purpose stated above. I will keep you posted if my sneaky plan will work.

I found this little beauty on Craigslist. Now for those that drool at all things white and shabby, trust me so do I. However, since almost all my furniture is painted black, I had no choice but to paint this one too.


Take a peek, before....


She really is already just perfect. But for my decor she had to go black.

What do you think?

I am linking this post to: http://southernhospitalityblog.com/,http://www.twiceremembered.blogspot.com/http://www.twiceremembered.blogspot.com/,http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/http://asoftplace.net/

Slowley

Yesterday was a bittersweet day. A day of unwrapping ones heart and revealing emotions. We layed to rest a most precious loved one. A mother, wife, grandmother and great grandmother. A beautiful woman with a beautiful heart. She was a retired Navy officer so we had the honors of a military service that was breathtaking. 90 years of life, 90 years of laughter.


Why is it so hard to let yourself mourn in front of others. I think we all sensed moments of everyone holding back, not wanting to feel vulnerable. I tried really hard to drink up every moment of the days events, to really feel them, to let my heart go just a little. Slowley.....


We are still enjoying company that has traveled from afar to celebrate her life. Trying to appreciate this time with family and not thinking of my lists and lists of things to do. Hard to turn that off in my head. I am learing to do this slowley....



I will be making her famous pot of homemade spaghetti sauce tonight and inviting oodles of friends over to share it with us. To laugh, to let our hearts feel, to let go of ourselves even if it is only a little.

So blessed to know the tender mercies of our Lord and savior, to allow Him to pick us up when our legs are still to shaky to go at it alone.



Sharing a little piece of my heart today.






Linking up with: http://www.chattingatthesky.com/

Real Housewives

A little late in the day to be blogging but I just got back from the OC. Was in the neighborhood of a few "housewives" and was hoping they would pop out to say hello and be a little "real" with me. No such luck, it was a drizzly day and I think maybe they were afraid there hair might frizz like mine did. Anywhoo, got home and had to become a "real housewife" myself and clean up cat vomit on my leather sofa, and then proceed to clean up used tampons that my dog pulled out of the trash can and partially chewed and then left for me all over the hardwood floor. Now that is a real housewife if I have ever seen one. And to those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, be grateful that you have not been sucked into the world of Bravo Tv drama, crap tv is what my husband like to call it. Speaking of crap, birds still having a party on the rooftop any ideas?????


And what is a post with out a picture or too so here is a little eye candy for you

I snagged those from Country living

Any pigeon miracle stories please share, My hubby thinks if he continues to shoot them off the roof with his pellet gun that they will tell all the pigeons in pigeon land that our rooftop is not the place to hang any longer. I am not sure this is a reliable method.

HELP??????

OH CRAP!

Literally, it is raining crap at my house. Pigeon crap that is. Take a look, only if you have a strong stomach

Isn't that disgusting. That is pigeon crap, bird feces falling of my roof. Or should I say being sprayed off my roof. This is what happens when you have a really tall house with eaves, pigeons apparently take up residence. So a power washer and pigeon expert came to save the day and hopefully scare these nasty little poopers off our roof for good.

Look at the BBQ, I think I just had a baby barf in my mouth.

My dining room doors and feces dripping down them. Lovely! Enjoy your day hopefully it is not as "crappy" as mine. LOL!!

Chalkboard addiction

I know two post in one day, but I could not help it. I was peeking at this blog and came across a little Mcklinky party and wanted to play. So here is a peek at my addiction to chalkboard paint. And be warned I still have tons of cans left in the garage just waiting for me.

I know there are pine cones in the dining room still. I am busy people, busy!

This little chalkboard is in the kids homework loft upstairs.

And this is my finished tub for the laundry room. I still need to fill bucket with soap. I love this one and so cheap! I love cheap!! Leave me a comment and maybe I will give away a little something. Hint take a peek at previous post below.

Help me

I can not for the life of me figure out how to add a slide show to this bloggie thing. I have some necklaces that I have thought of selling and would love to have them show up on the sidebar or something like that. Any feedback on how to sell them online without having to go the etsy route? I am new at this thingy. Anyway here are a few pics of the necklaces that I do have for sale at the moment.

This one is made of vintage scarves, buttons and pearls. This will turn any outfit into a showstopper. selling for $65.00

And this beauty is made of torn t-shirts, vintage buttons and pearls. I sold one similar to this right of my neck when I wore it. Selling for $55.00

I also have this one

This baby is not for sale, I will however be giving it away on another blog so stay tuned for updates.

Email me at westcoastnester@yahoo.com if you are interested in the necklace's

Updat: Do to popular demand I have listed them on etsy. See them here

old vintage buttons

What does a jar of these

grandmas old buttons

and some old burlap have in common. Nothing really but wait until you see what happens when you use a little glue to combine the two...... stay tuned

Inspired Home

One of the blogs that I stalk The Lettered Cottage has just published an ebook called Creating an Inspired Home. You must check it out, Layla really has a talent for creating the most soft and cozy spaces. And she and her hubby do it all themselves. Grab a latte or a glass of wine and check it out you wont be disappointed.