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!!!

HGTV Dream Home at Sea Palms

As soon as I made reservations for vacation this year(way back in February) I knew that the HGTV Dream Home that was on SSI would be a must see!  I knew Sea Palms pretty well and had an idea as to where the Dream Home was so, Honey and I set out for a drive.

As luck would have it, these darling children had a lemonade stand that we "had" to stop at.  When I gave them the money, I asked  where the Dream Home was and the Mom told me to look to my right.  Ya'll I had seen the waterfront view so much I really never paid any attention to the street view.  I had parked right in front of it.  We asked a multitude of questions to the neighbors and they assured me many had parked in their drive way and walked around the home.
So we did too!  After all I've been wanting a house at Sea Palms for some 27 years...why not take a walk around and see if this would be the one?!

Now I do realize that you all have seen the home on HGTV but, maybe I snapped a view you haven't seen before.  The front of the home is lovely and the lot it sits on might be the best part of it all!  As pretty as the front is the lagoon view is the show stopper.

Honey's only remark was this is where the party is!  There were so many things I never noticed on their reveal show, even as many times as I watched it.  Sea Palms as a whole is a gorgeous resort.  The entire island is very lush and Sea Palms is no exception.  That is one of the many things that draws me back to SSI and Sea Palms.

Never before had I noticed the firepit.

The pool area is just incredible.  The photos simply don't do the property justice at all.

I've wanted a pergola for sometime and seeing this one makes me want to get in touch with a contractor STAT!

The lagoon for some reason was pretty murky that afternoon, might be due to the rain.

In case you guys are in the market for a lovely home on St. Simons Island, this one is for sale!    Only 1.3 million will move you right in.

Vacation Condo at St. Simons Island

For the first time in ages we did something new for vacation.  As I've shared many times on the blog we always spend sometime over on the Georgia coast in the summer and this year was no different.  What was different is where we stayed.  This year the boys asked to bring friends so this meant we needed a 3 bedroom.  We found a delightful condo via Homeaway this year that totally fit our needs.

For all of you that adore ship lap...this kitchen has it done right, they've even done the ceilings.  That  seems to be a great option to cover up those pesky pop corn ceilings.

The unit came completely stocked with everything I could have possibly needed.  But let's talk about those cabinets.  Perfection!!!  The color is flows so well with the ship lap as well as the rest of the unit.

Not seen in this photo is the large sliding glass door that leads to a private patio.  Ya'll the other side of the room along with the dining area that I KNOW I took pics of are no where on my card or phone but both are delightful.

The downstairs half bath mirrors the both upstairs baths.  Loved the bead board.

This guest room boasts a queen size bed, great wicker furniture and a large closet.

John along with his pal, Garrison enjoyed this room.

The master was more than spacious, the master bath is opposite the bed side of the room.  This room has a king size bed, 2 closets, and a tv cabinet.

The homeowners were a delight to work with, they've gone the extra mile to give this condo a great coastal feel.  The complex is Ocean Walk, it has 2 pools, a pond, ping pong table, grills and ducks!  Should you be interested in this property I'll be glad to share their info with you!  For all of you that "have" to know the paint color...cause I loved it and had to know it is Copen Blue by Sherwin Williams.
Stay tuned this week as I share more details of our vacation...here is a teaser...I totally walked all around the HGTV Dream House camera in hand!

Our Previous Homes #2

Have you ever bought a home for the sole purpose of making money on it?  I had never even given it a thought.  When we were moved from Savannah the first time, Honey had taken a job in the Chesapeake/Suffolk/Virginia Beach Virginia area.  Houses in the area we were focused on were plentiful, so much that we looked for 2 solid days at homes in one neighborhood.  This neighborhood was unique in that within the subdivision there were mini subdivisions.  The house we settled on had been a model home and was only lived in less than a year prior to our moving in.  Everything was really new...mostly! Pardon the poor quality of these photos as they are scanned copies and they don't turn out very well.

It was pretty and I liked it okay so, we signed on the dotted line.  She was right about it being an incredible investment.  We paid $160K for it in 2000.  Don't ask me what we sold it for in 2002 but, last year it sold for well over 300K.

The layout was terrific, we did tons of entertaining in this home.  Lots of work parties since he was at the corporate headquarters for the company he worked for then.

It was a great house.  I was sad to move away and leave it and the many neighbors I made that have turned out to be life long friends...shout out to Bestie J!!!

It sold in 31 days on the market, we were fortunate on such a quick sale!  Then it was on to the next house and state!

House #3
House #4

A French Dining Table

For as long as I've been friends with my antique buddy she has talked about finding a dining table.  A few weeks ago she sent me a text with the most magnificent dining table I've ever seen. As quick as I saw it I phoned her to get all the details.  Where was it, how are we gonna get it to Auburn and on and on.   As luck would have it it was in Fairhope, Alabama.  I immediately committed myself to doing anything I could to help bring it to Auburn!  We quickly realized that the table wouldn't fit into her SUV.  We decided to see if it would fit into my minivan, ya'll should have seen us inside the back of my van with measuring tapes in hand.  It would fit!

The table came from a French Monastery and dates back to the mid 1800's.  I can only imagine the conversations held around this table.

To say it is a good thing her dining room has french doors would be an understatement, the top didn't have to be removed for transport or putting it into place in her room.

The details on this table are exquisite, from the legs to the top!   Without a doubt it is the most amazing piece of furniture I've personally ever laid my eyes on.

I do realize this last photo shows only a small part of her dining room but isn't it gorgeous?!  The table is for sure the piece de resistance.