Bentley's Spa Day

It's never easy giving Bentley a bath.  One would think by the look

on his face that he was being punished.  He hates it.  So in effort

to make the experience more pleasurable for him, I created a spa

retreat.  He's still not buying it :-(

Of course, once the lathering and rinsing is complete and he is

bundled up in a fluffy towel he will be happy once more. Then he

 runs all over the house while I clap my hands and call him a

 "clean baby".  This is followed by a treat.  I think someone is just

a little bit spoiled don't you?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Bring on Spring

While it has been a typical winter here in south Texas, for many of you

living in the midwest and the east, this winter has been brutal.  Having

grown up in a northern Chicago suburb right along Lake Michigan,

I can remember how long and tiring winter can be.  

I remember the huge snowdrifts left behind after the streets were

plowed.  Heavy jackets, tights, sweaters and boots.  The static 

electricity my long hair gathered.  Learning that if I dampened my

comb those long and errant strays would fall into place.  Yet then

again, only to return after the wearing of a knit cap.  The dreaded

hat hair.  

Despite these inconveniences, there are the treasured memories of 

winter too.  Ice skating with friends every weekend on the village ice 

rink.  Hot chocolate in the field house afterwards.  The two fireplaces

in our house always aglow with a fire.  Watching the burning embers

with the lamps turned off.  My Daddy capturing the glistening

branches covered in ice and highlighted by the moon as he worked

his magic with his camera.  

Once when there was a particularly bad ice storm, all the power went 

out for several hours on a Saturday.  My parents were supposed to 

attend a party that night.  Being typical hearty midwesterners, the ice

did not deter their party going spirit and they braved the elements.  

Meanwhile my next door neighbor Madeleine came over to spend the

night with me.  We camped out in sleeping bags with extra down filled

comforters in front of the fireplace in the recreation room.  Armed with

pizza, cokes, chips and an array of "junk food" we giggled away

the evening.  My parents eventually made it back home safely after

having a very memorable and joyful evening.  And for me, it that 

evening is also very memorable.  My dear childhood friend Madeleine

passed away several years ago.  Taken away from us far too soon by 

colon cancer.  Whenever I think of her, I remember that evening.

The giggling, the sharing of young hopes and dreams.

So here we are at the end of February.  We have all been down this

path before.  March can and will probably continue to be an

unpredictable month.  There will be days that will tease us into

believing spring is here at long last, and then convince us otherwise.

Yet we remain hopeful.  I for one say ~ bring on spring!

We are all ready now.

Tablescape Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell

Pink Saturday

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Let's Decorate a Beach Cottage

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Let's pretend we have a beach cottage to decorate.  We can just whisk 

ourselves away in our minds for a mini vacation somewhere warm and

sunny because winter is getting old and we are by now all longing

to feel the warm rays of the sun on our skin.  

So let's get started ….

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I love the look of all white with pops of color.  Love the ceiling too.  So
much texture and interest.

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I have always loved this room.  So cottage.  So cozy.

This room just screams FUN!  I can just see myself walking into a
room like this while I am wearing white shorts, a hot pink tunic top and
wearing flip flops with sand between my toes :-)

I love those vintage lamps and shades.  So kitschy.

Such a happy spot to wash dishes.

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This kitchen is so cute I want to hug it!

Let's not forget to decorate the bath.

After a fun filled day at the beach, a girl is going to need a cozy place to
rest her head.  This room is so serene and charming.

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Still one of my favorite beach cottage bedrooms.

Screened in porch so we don't have to worry about bugs :-)

I am beginning to think a Mojito would be really good right about now.

I hope that this mini vacation chased away the winter doldrums.
Spring and summer are looming on the horizon.  Hooray!

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Cheerful and Bright

As many of you know, this was my Mom's bedroom and now it is a

guest bedroom.  No matter how gray and cold and dreary the day may be,

it's always cheerful in this room.  

There are four sets of floor to nearly ceiling windows with vintage 

shutters that provide lots of light and the best view in the house of

our gigantic magnolia tree.

I am going to make a change in this room.  I am replacing the twin bed
with a queen so things will be rearranged a bit in the future.  But that's
always fun don't you think?

If I can't find Bentley anywhere, I will often find him curled up on the

little love seat.   He loves to snuggle in that fake fur throw.

 This pillow is encouragement of canine repose ;-)

Bentley is happily demonstrating for you.

The wing chair is a nice spot to sit and enjoy a magazine and a cup of

tea while looking out the French doors to the back garden.

No matter how gloomy the day, it's always cheerful in here.

That's it for today.  I am working on recovering some pillows.

Y'all know how much I love pillows!

Wow Us Wednesday

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Let's Talk Granny Chic

It's cold outside today!  Over the weekend it was so warm that we had

the air-conditioning on.  Then last evening the winds kicked up and 

we had a touch of the arctic.  Gone are the flip flops and back on are

the cozy socks and slippers.  

It's dark, gray and windy outside.  I am so thankful I don't have to be

anywhere today.  So here is the plan ….

Chicken cacciatore slowly cooking away.  All the daily chores

are complete.  Now is the time for some serious nesting in our

bedroom.  Under a quilt ( I am the quilt lady), resting on a stack of

fluffy pillows and …

watch some TV ~ there's Chip and Joanna.  I TiVo'd a few episodes of

Flipper Upper.  Next I plan on watching an old movie.   I won't

really be napping because I am not very good at it.  I flunked nap time

in nursery school and still can't do it.  However, resting is supposed

to be beneficial too … right?  Bentley however is a master napper.

About that ceiling fan ….  I know that some of you will say that the room

would look so much better without it.  Well to that I say …. try surviving in

south Texas without one.  In about a month the air conditioning will come

on and won't go off again until next November.  A ceiling fan is crucial if

one wants to get a quality night's rest, despite the air conditioning cranked

up to max.  Trust me, at 3:00 AM I am much more concerned with function

than with form.

Now you may also have noticed that the style of our bedroom is very 

granny chic.  Well, you are correct.  With the exception of our bed which 

was handmade by some Amish folks in Pennsylvania, everything is vintage.

I love it that way and I planned it that way.  Our room reminds me of the

bedrooms in the old movies that starred Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant,

Myra Loy and Greer Garson.  Any of life's problems could be easily 

solved in one of those classic rooms.  Well, at least that's what I 

think.  In fact ….

see what I mean?  In black and white this room could be in a 

Connecticut farmhouse.  "Very homespun, very blueberry pie" to quote

a line from Myrna Loy in Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House.

Now if I could just figure out a way where I could flip a switch and

the whole room would be instantly converted to black and white

nostalgia ;-)  Maybe Brenda  would know.  She is very skilled

at tweaking.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

This and That Sunday

Church this morning followed by brunch.

Hubby is out playing 18 holes of golf.

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Gray skies, warm humid temps.  The quiet stillness of the 

air before the next cold front comes in and lowers the temps

down to 40 degrees tonight.

Bentley and I enjoying a peaceful and contemplative

afternoon at home.  

The biggest decision to be made today is how to spend the

remainder of the day.  Watch a movie, read a book, tweak some

things around the house, or just take a nap?  All of those

options have merit :-)

All the while the eager anticipation of another episode of 

Downton Abbey this evening.  Such is the luxury of a 

Sunday afternoon.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

The Anniversary of Mom's Passing

Last year at 4:30 am my Mom passed away from this world into 

another.  I was with her.  I remember every moment of those wee

hours of the morning.  The darkness, the stillness.  The phone call to the 

hospice nurse who had just been with us a few hours earlier. 

The oxygen being shut off.  The lights in her dimly lit bedroom suddenly

bright.  The soft classical music playing in the background.  The 

stethoscope.  The nurse checking her watch for the exact time.

I was impervious to pain.  I was lost in a haze ~ somewhere ~ nowhere ~ like

a body dropped off a ship and left to float in an unknown sea.  Alone, so

terribly alone now.  

Going through the motions.  Talking with and yet not fully hearing the words of the

nurse sitting by my side.  Waiting for someone from the mortuary to arrive.

Feeling so uncertain in a town where I had only lived for a few short months.

It was nine days since her massive stroke.  I was always hopeful, despite the

dire predictions of the palliative care physician.  He knew the end was coming

although I chose not to accept it.  

Now it was over.  Had I forgotten how to breathe?  I was cold, so cold

I could not warm up.  Get some rest I was told.  Later that day would be

a busy one.  I felt like I had left my body and was looking at myself from

afar.  I was thrust onto a stage and left without a script.  

It was over ….

During these last twelve months I have struggled with my loss.  Some

months were better than others.  I had a very tough set back last fall, yet

somehow and from somewhere I began to feel a renewed strength.  I 

nurtured that tiny bit of strength.  I held on to it tightly.  As I nurtured

it, it began to grow slowly and steadily.  

Time does indeed heal wounds.  I made it through the past year without

completely crumbling.  I know that my Mom and Daddy are together

and that gives me comfort.  If you were to eavesdrop on me when I am

at home alone, you might well catch me talking to them.  I fill them in on

what's going on in my life.  I feel like they are listening and that helps

me cope with the loss.

I am hopeful for the future.  Life goes on and although greatly missed,

 loved ones always live on in our hearts.  I love you mama.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Mini Tour of My Home

It's been a busy week.  I have been gathering pics for our magazine

spread.  Bentley follows me around all day, bless his heart.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour.  We are still taking photos and

I will share more later.  TGIF!

Pink Saturday

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley