My little Cub Scouts!!!

Here are my little Tiger Cubs! They joined last month, but this was their first meeting with their uniforms on and BOY were they excited! I love when they are happy like this. They went on a nature hike and then collected leaves. They were so excited to tell me all about it when they got home. It's so hard to describe how I feel when I know my boys are happy. It's just pure joy :)

Goodbye Diane

On Sept 4th my sister in law passed away, 15 hours after giving birth to her beautiful baby girl. We still don't know exactly why she died, but we are praying those facts will come to light in helping us with closure on this awful ordeal. My nephew, who is 6 yrs old, has lost his mother. He was so close to her and this has been so heartbreaking to watch. He seems to be dealing with it well, considering he never left her side. Here are a few pictures of my beautiful sister in law, my brother in law and their beautiful children. Rest in peace Diane, we will all be together again someday.

A fun place

Do you have a fun place in your kitchen or home where you like to merchandise? I don't have a whole lot of "display" space in my kitchen. But I have this little ledge on the end of my island in my kitchen and it's alot of fun to switch up and play with. I tend to overload it, lol. No simple clean lines for me. It's all about my goodies and how happy I get when I see them. Little odds and ends I find on my travels. Some are old and some are new! Just alot of fun! I love all things french country and cottage. Roosters, kitchen utencils topiaries and etc, etc etc! I could go on for days! :)
I would love to hear about your favorite little display places! Where is it? And what do you like to collect and/or display? Hope you have a great day!

New kitchen color!

Well, it's finally done. Or should I say, I'm finally taking a PICTURE of it! I decided to strip the border and paint in the kitchen. I first picked out a green and it was AWFUL. I have gone through many "painting jitters" but this color was just WRONG! It looked like pea soup puke! So safe I went! I decided on Sherwin Williams Blonde, which I really love. The foyer, kitchen and upstairs hallway is this color now and I really think it's a great color for these open spaces. Anywhere, here is a little before and after makeover! ;)

Summertime is almost over!

I can't believe that it's the end of August already! Where does the time go? We had a VERY fun and busy summer. We had family staying with us, a big fourth of July party, vacation and alot of FUN! It's winding down and slowing down. Getting ready for the new school year to start. I think I might be the only mom who loves NOT having the morning routine of school and wish summer was a bit longer.

We went to Saratoga racetrack last week and our boys had alot of fun. I didn't think they would like it there but they had alot of fun! Here is a picture of them in the "walking circle" where we went to watch one of my uncle's race horses walk into the race. And also another picture of them with Aunt Dana and their cousin Jeana they adore :)

Patio projects

Here is one of the urns I bought for our back patio. It's iron and only $39.99 at BJ's! Of course I had to snap up two of them! I have 3 other pairs all around the house and garden. It's becoming an addiction, lol! Could be worse right? I have two different kinds of verbena, lobelia and white allysum in it. I'll take a pic later in the season when it's grown a bit! The other two pictures are Weigala's that I bought last year to replace the poorly planned rhodo's I had there. It was just too much sun for them and they were suffering. So I relocated them and these weigala's ,which were TINY last year, are loving this area and got so big this year! The stone is finally done back here. After I took these 3 pictures my battery died, so hopefully I'll have more pictures today!

Where does the time go?

When I look at my beautiful boys, I ask myself this question. I remember being pregnant like it was yesterday. The first few months of their life was a little fuzzy, lol, but having twins does that to you! They are 6 yrs old now and but they still (and always will be) my babies. I'm cherishing every moment the best I can. Six years seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye. Here is my "first" born (by a minute) playing with the hose. They are just precious to me. And I'm honored to be their mother. :)

Almost June......

I can't believe it's almost June! I have been scarce (as usual) lately, but getting alot done outside! I love spring and summer for the simple fact that I can play in the dirt all season long. My irises have just bloomed, along with one of my early blooming lilacs. The peonies are going to open any day now. I have a few pics to share of my pride and joy. It is like therapy being outside, watching it all grow and thrive. I have filled my pots and urns. And today I'm planting my vegtables. There will be more pics to come!

The Gala

This past Saturday night was the annual Autism Society Gala. This is the 4th annual gala our local chapter has held. It's a great night of dinner, dancing and most of all raising money for awareness and funds for autism. They had 3 pro-football players there this year signing autographs, it was very exciting! I have to ask John who they were, lol. At the moment I can't remember. They had a wonderful silent auction and a live auction.

My father gets a corporate table every year. Of course I remembered I brought my camera at the end of the night! Here are a few pics! The first one is my sister Dana, my husband John and me. And the second is my childhood friend (after all these years!) Anna and I! It was a great night! :)

Easter Greetings!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter! I have been absent lately, just super busy and hope to be around more. Here are my pride and joy! This was at my mothers on Easter Sunday. We all went to Church together. Then it was off to Mema's and Papa's for the Egg hunt and Easter dinner! My neices and nephews were there and had a wonderful time. They always play so well together. Here are a few pics of the Easter Egg Hunt and having so much fun going through what they found! These truly are the most special times to have with my family that I love so much. I am blessed.

My new goodie!

Hello! I went out for a little shopping therapy yesterday and boy am I GLAD I did! I found a Mary Kay Crowley litho for $29.99 which is a STEAL! It's 27x36 and so pretty! I can't decide whether to hang it in the kitchen or the living room.... I collect her art and just love it all. Decisions, decisions!

Hi all! I'm sorry I haven't posted in weeks! I am in the middle of a painting extravaganza here! You wouldn't believe it but I am USUALLY good at this and so far, there has been two colors in the kitchen. The second one is MUCH better than the first PEA green one (YUCKOLA) which was Sherwin Williams sassy green. The SECOND color in the kitchen is Sherwin Williams blonde and VERY nice. Now the foyer will be changed, yes I know I'm NUTS! It's yellow currently and a little TOO yellow. It's just not growing on me. :( So I think I'm either going to go with the SW blonde like the kitchen, or one shade lighter on the same paint card, Ivorie...... What would you do? Please help, LOL! Oh and pictures of the kitchen are coming soon!!!!

Losing a loved one

Hello, I'm sorry I have been absent. A few days after my last post, tragedy hit our family. My cousins husband was killed in a snowmobile accident. It has really been hard on all of us. Especially my cousin who is now a widow at the tender young age of 27 and her son is only 20 months old. This whole ordeal has made me really appreciate life and also see just how short it is. It has made me hug my own husband more and cuddle with my boys every chance I get. Dave was a wonderful man and husband. He had a laugh that warmed your heart and made you smile. Above is a picture of Dave with my BIL at the Kentucky Derby last year and the other is a pic of Dave with his son visiting a horse farm during Derby week. We loved him and he will be missed dearly. So please, go give your loved ones a big hug and kiss.

To strip or Not to strip.......

that is the question! I remember first seeing this border in Ballard catalog. I even bought the hooked rug to match! I loved the little roosters sitting on the ornate french chairs. So fun! But now, 4 1/2 yrs later with window treatments up I wonder if this makes my kitchen look "busy". I still love the pattern, but I also have ALOT going on in my kitchen (which isn't seen in these pics). I know I will probably have to repaint IF I strip it because of the paint fading from the sunlight on the walls. But I just wonder if I should take on this project today? Or leave well enough alone! But I have been going back and forth with this for some time now. And hopefully we'll be putting the house on the market in the next year or so. So what do you think?

Thrill of the Hunt

Wow, double post today! I went to my favorite consignment shop this weekend! I hadn't been there since a few weeks before Christmas. When I pull into the parking lot, it's a feeling of sheer delight! This particular shop has housewares, furniture, linens and clothing! It has a variety of everything and the two women that own it do a wonderful job. As I walk around looking at all the treasures to be had I repeatedly tell my sister, ohhhh you should buy this! Or I really want this but (the reduntant answer, lol) I have NO more room! But, it's the little things that make me so happy! The little glass pedestal bowl was on the $2 table outside the shop. The little needlepoint was hiding underneath something and NEEDED to come home with me! The little daisy placecards and birdies were together and spotted immediately. And my love for vintage kitchen utencils and tools is becoming an obsession! It's a nice retreat to the stresses of everyday that make me, oh so happy! :)

First snow fall!

It's very unusual here in NY not to have snow before January. I'm one of those people that needs to have four seasons. And I think I'm almost blue when we don't have snow on Christmas. But I'm glad to see the pretty snow here, even if it's just for a day or two. I had to take a picture of it adorning my bird bath that attracts all kinds of birds in the spring and summer. I love the snow, but I hope it doesn't push spring back when her time comes!

My new friend

Every January I go into organization and clean out mode. I vow to make my life easier. Well, last year when my crock pot died, I never replaced it. Honestly, I never cooked in it that much. But there has to be a reason people love them so much right? I love to cook. But one thing I don't love is scrambling at 4pm on what we are going to have for dinner, besides take-out. Well, this January I'm vowing to make my life easier. Maybe even do meal planning that I always SAY I'm going to do and never do. Last night I did my very first meal in my "new friend". I made bbq pulled pork and served it on fresh italian soft rolls. YUM! And yes, it was VERY easy. :)

Well, I did it!

I'm amazed at how long it took me to name this blog. Actually, maybe embarrassed is a better word. I decided that it was truly taking so long that I should shower and think about it. There were a few contenders. The French Nest, Wildflowers, Chickadee, Something Old and Something New and La Maison to name a few. Then in mid lather, The Thrifty Gypsy came to me! Anyone who knows me, whether it be in person or online, knows how fitting this name is. My quest for treasures and bargains seems to be never-ending. It's a hunger that goes hungry, a thirst that goes unquenched. Hey, it could be worse things right? Anyway, welcome to my blog. :)