My Latest Fav Cleaning Product

We interrupt this normally scheduled blog post about rearranging things in my home to bring you something incredible!  When we were on vacation this past summer the condo that we rented had been recently renovated.  The new owners have done an exceptional job with everything in their property, right down to the cleaning products.  I had never seen a a spray mop like this one.

Where has this mop been all my life?!  It is ideal!  It doesn't need batteries, the mop head is washable and I can use my own cleaner in the refillable bottle.  There are no products that I have to keep buying or running out of.  I promptly text the owners and ask what solution they had put in their Rubbermaid Reveal and she was more than happy to respond.  Mostly, I think she was shocked that I was literally losing my mind over this spray mop.  The ingredients were simple, cleaning vinegar, water and Mr. Clean .  EASY!!!!  Smells incredible and it cleans so well!

On our way home I found one at our local big box hardware store and bought it online.  Heaven forbid someone else beat me to it, it was waiting for me when I popped in the store.
I must admit that I probably use the mop at least once a day on our hot spots, think kitchen and laundry room.  After going on and on to Bestie K, she also went and picked one up.  We both can't say enough good things about this product.

The trigger is a pump trigger that is easy to press.

I would like to mention this, I have no plans to ever fill the bottle more than half way full for fear that it could possibly leak.  With my former spray mop, I removed the cleaning bottle solution everytime after I mopped for concern that it could leak.  In addition to not filling it all the way up, I have no plans to ever put a liquid that could damage any of my floors as in bleach.  Keep that in mind should you ever pick one of these up.  To say that I am EXTREMELY pleased with the Rubbermaid Reveal would be a complete understatement.  No more of the milky residue from my previous spray mop.  The frequency by which I mop my floors has absolutely been changed by this amazing product.
I'd like to add this is not a paid or sponsored post by Rubbermaid, but if they'd like to reach out to me I'm waiting! Ha!  My goal is to always share with you guys products that I love...be it antiques, furniture and yes even cleaning products!!

With that I I'm off to mop my floors!!!

The Perfect Tole Lamp

If you've followed this blog for any amount of time you know I have a thing for lamps.  Often times when I'm out antique shopping it takes great restraint to not bring home lamps.  Last week at Scott's I showed no signs of restraint when I saw this beauty.  It was lamp love at first sight!

This vendor had the most incredible pieces, her entire space was filled with items from an estate sale in Florida.

Most antique shoppers will say "just buy it you will find a place for it."  Ya'll I can't do that anymore...where lamps are concerned.  I have 27 sitting in the attic and I haven't even counted how many are out through our home.  My rule is I have to know where I'm going to put something before I buy it.  When I saw this lamp I had no idea where it was going...maybe the new secretary... maybe the bedroom I just knew I had to bring her home!  After walking all over the house with her she landed in a spot I hadn't previously thought of, the gate leg table in the family room.

Ya'll the lamp is gorgeous and fits right in with the other pieces that were already on the table.  With the change of the seasons coming no doubt the composition of the table will  change.

I often wonder why I'm so obsessed  attracted to lamps ,what is that one thing you can't say no to?

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My New/Old Secretary

For as long as I can recall I've adored secretaries...as in the furniture secretaries.There isn't a time in my adult life that I haven't wanted a secretary.  I even bought this one when we lived in Oklahoma, only, only thing is that it was missing the upper part.....the pretty part!

Then it happened, I became the owner of a beautiful secretary.  After much thought I decided the best spot for it was in the living room.

 After much time on Pinterest searching secretaries, the styling began.  I started with pieces I already have and adore.  Staffordshire, leather bound books, trophies and Blue Willow are just a couple of things I shopped the house for.   The only things to pick up were a couple more leather books and  a lamp.  Just so you all know, leather books are always an easy find at Scott's Antiques.  Typically you can pick those up for around $7-15 each.  The  Blue Willow lamp was originally intended for the kitchen, she fits right in here in the living room!  I found her at a darling antique store,  I plan on sharing that store soon as it is one of my new fav places to shop!

The girandoles that I've had for well over a year, fit perfectly atop the secretary along with my Blue Willow platter.

The secretary is an older piece, not necessarily an antique though.  Her claw feet are magnificent and certainly adds to the character.  I'm over the moon to finally have one, she was definitely worth the wait!  Do you have something that you have been searching for?  I'd love to hear what it might be!

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Disguising The Thermostat

Ages ago I share with  you all how I camouflaged the thermostat and the return vent that is in our family room.  It has been a while since I posted so if you are new to the blog you can check it out here.

Our upstairs hall also has a thermostat, return vent and door bell box all on one very small wall.  I've tried to hang pics around it but never with as much charisma as I should have had.

 Last week at Scott's Antiques I picked up 2 small horse prints.  As soon as I saw them I knew they were destined for the wall with the thermostat.

Adding a few more horse prints and a couple of English military plaques gave it a very equestrian feel, which is my theme for this area.

While I do still notice the thermostat along with the other necessary fixtures, having a "collection" of items does seem to give it a better look.

Of course you are all noticing that I need to paint around the thermostat.  We had to replace the former one and this one is a bit smaller, leaving the yellow ring...ya'll the house was almost all painted the bright yellow!  I like yellow but the whole too much of a good thing popped instantly into my head.  We've been here now 10+ years and I'm pondering repainting this area so, I've not gone to the trouble to try to match paint.

Do you have walls like this and if you do what have you done to hide those necessary items?

Summer Styled Bar Cart

I couldn't let the summer slip away without posting a pic of my summer bar cart.  I'm not sure I'll be able to take the Lily tray off come fall.  The fun colors have made me so happy every time I've walked by it!

Having a bar cart is adds a bit of versatility as well as whimsy into my seasonal decor.  Those shell high ball glasses would have never came home with me before the bar cart!

My little blue and white lamp moved to the bar cart it is a perfect fit!  Over the years I've purchased many pieces that I adore, topping the list is the bar cart I picked up this past spring.  If you wanna refresh your memory of my spring cart check it out here.

New Curtains

Ever since I changed out the rug in our dining room I've been on the look out for new curtains.  The colors in the rug are vibrant and I felt as if I should go with a more subdued look for the curtains.  While I would have loved to have been able to get a pair custom made, it was just not in the budget.
That meant I was going to have to try to find curtains that were ready made.  Have you noticed that almost all the curtains have grommets?  Truthfully....that is not the look I'm going for.  This complicated the process of curtain shopping because this was all I could seem to find!

While at work one day(at Pier 1) as I helped a customer shop for curtains, I saw some that I decided might work in the dining room. But darn it they had those grommets. After much debate with my Mother, we decided that if I bought the longer panels she could cut off  the section with grommets. Then she would sew a pleat...yippee!!!  It took her a good while to get the job accomplished but she pulled it off!  I couldn't love them more!

They really are a big improvement in the dining room and I adore how they complete the vision I had for the space.

In case you too like these curtains they are still available at Pier 1.  I'll drop the link for you here.  Be warned though, the curtains are lined and a bit on the thick side.  I'm trying to find a way to add weights to the hem so they will hang a little better.  My hope is the longer they hang they will fall a bit more into a relaxed position.

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A Tantalus for Tamyra

Have you ever heard of a tantalus?  Do you know what they are?  Don't feel bad if you don't, I'd a never heard the word tantalus until a couple years ago when my antique pal was looking for one.  A tantalus, mainly British is a rack or stand that contains decanters, liquors or wines that are secured with a lock.

I've seen them in several antique stores and Scott's Antiques, typically they have a pretty hefty price tag. If the rack contains the entire original decanter set and the key they can range over $1000. While I liked them I knew that they were a bit out of my price range so, I was more than satisfied to just admire them.

While mostly just window shopping earlier this year I literally stumbled upon a tantalus.  I picked up the price tag and it said $40....I looked at the tag again in sheer disbelief and called my much younger shopping companion over to verify the price.  Sure enough it was $40, the set of decanters were missing one of the stoppers and one of the bottles has a crack.  Those 2 factors contributed to the low price of the tantalus.

In spite of the condition of the bottle and missing stopper the set came home with me.  Every now and then you see sets of decanters that aren't in a rack for sale, I actually already own a set of 2, maybe I'll get lucky again and find one that matches either set I have or at the least a matching stopper.

It is a pretty cool piece and I'm delighted to have added this to my collection of English antiques!

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Senior Year 2017-2018

And so it begins, the year that all mother's dread....the last first day of school.  I type this with an enormous lump in my throat, tears fill my eyes, our youngest begins his senior year today.
 

His graduating class of almost 600 will be the first in the brand new Auburn High School.  The community was invited to tour the new school earlier this summer.  It is impressive to say the least.  I have a post coming later about the campus.

The year of last first began earlier this summer at band camp.

As he drove out of the driveway this morning I couldn't help but recall all those times I drove him to school and the conversations we had.  I often think that those were sometimes the best talks that I ever had with either of our sons.

 Back a few years ago I saw a hashtag on Instagram that struck a cord with me.

 #childhoodistemporary

Here is wishing everyone a great first day of school!!!