Black is the new Orange....................

I LOVE black furniture

Especially Restoration Hardware style pieces !

They look like they have substance  and like they've been around a hundred years

and just one piece can add sophistication and a little drama to any room
( like every wardrobe needs a little black dress )

So I just knew when I saw this listed on Craig's list

That it was meant to be black .....................

Because as you all know - I love painted furniture - but this " orange " colored finish is what I like to paint most of all - the change is so amazing.
A lot of wood tones are timeless and fit in any decor no matter the era -
But Orange?
Sorry, but the 70's are calling ........................
It's just as dated as a Farrah Fawcett haircut .....................

Let the makeover begin!
A sneak peak because I'm nowhere near finished ( the top half is still in the van - it's huge and it's heavy - even if it's the piece I'm most excited about )

It's for the dining room - which hasn't been touched yet - that and the office are the 2 rooms for Spring 2015
And they're going to be doozies to work on - the thought of transforming them is overwhelming ( since they currently also look like something out of a 70's sitcom )  but once they're done - the majority of the work will be done in this old house, I just have to keep on keepin' on.

Did I just say the majority?
Did I forget that the windows have to be changed
Or that the downstairs bathroom needs to be gutted
Or the mud room off the kitchen is literally falling off the building?
Or that that entire exterior needs to be patched and painted?
Or that the garden shed either has to be ripped out or redone ( whichever way is quickest and cheapest )
Or that every single " finished " room still has finishing touches - some way more than others?

Agggh - it's only details !
And in the meantime I have a cool fireplace that I purchased for 75 dollars !!!  ( which the seller graciously agreed to )
Orange you in agreement that it looks a little better?

Gotta run - there's a piece of sandpaper calling my name !

Or maybe that's John watching the hockey game ?

UPDATE!

Here it is completed

Post HERE
Have a wonderful day everyone
Big hugs,
Me


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I SHOULD BE MOPPING THE FLOOR                BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH
COASTAL CHARM                                               A STROLL THRU LIFE
SAND & SISAL                                              STONE GABLE ( the scoop )
KATHE WITH AN E                                              CUPCAKES & CRINOLINE
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE                                BEYOND THE PICKET FENCE
IVY & ELEPHANTS                                       FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE
MY TURN FOR US                                                MY ROMANTIC HOME
MISS MUSTARD SEED

Second post in one day

Just because......................

Love,
Me

A Friday Chat ( about this and that )

The battery died in the van this week -

John says - oh well - guess I'll have to take Shank's Pony -
Suzan says - pardon me?
John says - SHANK'S PONY - don't tell me you've never heard that

ummm - no - can't say that I have.

Suzan says - Do you mean the Civic?

John says - SHANK'S PONY ISN'T A CAR !!!!!!!!!!!!
John says - You colonists are hopeless
Suzan says - You're not exactly Lord Grantham buddy
_________________________________________________________________________________

Eliminate The Nickel, Launch A $5 Coin: Desjardins..............

I didn't say anything when Canada got rid of the paper dollar bill........it seemed like a good idea to use

a " loonie " instead of all those one's in your wallet.

This was before the DOLLAR STORES became so popular - and there really wasn't much you could buy with a dollar anyway - using a 2 dollar bill just made more sense ( although wallets admittedly got a little heavier ) 

Then they announced the " toonie " - and though I wasn't so big on the idea - it was still ok - after all you could use a 5 for a lot of things and get lots of loonies and toonies back in change - although wallets were starting to split and be held with elastic bands around this time.

NOW THEY WANT TO GET RID OF THE NICKEL???????????

ARE WE REVERTING BACK TO MEDIEVAL TIMES?  ARE CANADIANS ALL GOING TO BE RUNNING AROUND WITH SACKS OF COINS?

Paper money was, after all, invented because it was cheaper to produce - was lighter to carry - and saved space.  All perfectly good reasons - and keep in mind that was back in the day when they
didn't need to carry so many of them - one coin could buy you a herd of cows for crying out loud.

We're going to have to start carrying garbage bags instead of purses
Do you think Parisian Purse designer Lanvin was thinking of us when he designed the " trash bag purse " ?

Very spiffy.( as far as garbage bag purses go anyway ) 

_______________________________________________________________________________

I came across this blog - Things I find in the Garbage - in Montreal.
He's a professional scavenger - and it's fascinating what he finds in the garbage - you'd be amazed at what people throw out !
Take a look - ( you'll be hooked - and maybe find something you want - he sells his items on E-BAY.

Just a sample here - for which he made 1000.00 dollars ( some of them are very rare )

Why on earth would someone think these belonged in a dump?  Sinful..............
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Remember my post last week on how warm it was in Montreal - and no snow to be seen - and how it was completely abnormal to look outside and just see grass?
Well - Mother Nature bit me in the A$$ so hard that I can barely sit down.
Last weekend - due to a very quick drop in temperature - and then a very quick rise in one - and another drop - the Island of Montreal was hit with another mini ice storm.
The power went out just as the temperatures were dropping - 10 a.m. Sunday morning - and only returned 6 the next morning.
I was panic stricken -
We had an ice storm in '98 that scarred me for life - no power for 2 solid weeks - in the middle of winter.
The city looked like a war zone - people died - police came knocking on doors constantly to make sure people were ok - emergency shelters were taking in more people then they could handle - horrible - truly it was just horrible.
Again this was due to sudden weather changing - ( it was a very mild winter )  with over 80 hours of freezing rain - it affected Montreal, Ontario and New Brunswick - and was the costliest natural disaster Canada had ever faced.
It also affected Northern U.S. states.
If you've lived through one of them, you never forget................

It's a magnificent site to behold - because your whole world is encased in what looks like white ice - swings - bicycles - houses - cars - toys - anything that's been left outside.
And if we hadn't gone through the " big " one - I would have just appreciated the beauty.

As it was - we sat in front of the fireplace - and I tried desperately to read by flickering candle light - listening to John ranting and raving about Hydro Quebec - and how they had to be accountable - yadda yadda yadda.
A corporation being held accountable?
I was too cold to laugh though.

Candle light for 22 hours gets old.  Fast.

________________________________________________________________________________

I'll save my rant for another time on this next subject - but my heart's in my beloved Paris today, for obvious reasons............
For the city of " amour " to be hit with such atrocity makes me physically ill.
_________________________________________________________________________________

And lastly - for all you Downton Abbey lovers - this is a must see - I promise !!!
I almost fell off my chair - too funny for words
What a great, fun cast this show has

And if you loved it as much as I did - here's part 2 !!!




You all have a wonderful weekend everyone !

Much love,
Me

IT'S WRITTEN IN STONE......................" heart art "

Aren't hearts beautiful?

I soooo want to do this when we redo the downstairs bathroom - isn't it fun?

PINTEREST

I also love the idea of a painted heart right on the wall

PINTEREST

or photos shaped into one

PINTEREST

Anything with heart has got to be good, right?

I had black stones I used to keep in glass vases for decor....................

I also had a board I had created from pallets..............

Neither were being used - so I brought them both together for this project -

After dry brushing the pallet " frame " with white paint - I used " No More Nails " to stick the black stones into a heart shape.

I spread the glue with a paint stir stick and simply placed the stones over it - letting it set for 20 minutes or so

I placed the 2 miniature Christmas trees in galvanized tins from the dollar store ( the trees are from Ikea - 9.99 ) and will keep them up for Winter decor  ( maybe Spring, Summer and Fall too - I love them )

John says - What are you doing exactly ( as I was diligently placing the rocks on the pallet )
Suzan says -  Making art
John says - With Rocks?
Suzan says - Yup
John says - Well if you run out you can use the ones in your head
Suzan says - Is that you trying to be witty again ?

 ( Just in case anyone wants to know - the star is from Target )

So after this post was all written up - I realized I could use this black lantern - with cut outs on it saying
" JOY "  " HOPE " and " LOVE " when a tea light is placed inside.
Well, well, well - love would work perfectly with this, don't you think?

Along with 2 wooden hearts my daughter Ashley made me years ago

And before I even realized what was happening - a Valentine's mantel was born
( I don't " do " Valentine's or Easter mantels - this one did itself lol - I tried it a couple of times in the beginning of my blogging adventure but it's not something I can really get into )

You can see the Valentine's Soda left for me last year HERE - she's one little talented fur baby !

Have a wonderful day y'all
Hugs
Me


Looking for inspiration?
Join me at these fabulous parties!

French Country Cottage                                My Romantic Home
My Turn for Us                                             Classy Clutter
Funky Junk Interiors                                      The 36th Avenue
Pieced Pastimes                                            Life on Lakeshore Drive
I Should be Mopping the Floor                     Between Naps on the Porch
Coastal Charm                                              Sand & Sisal
A Stroll Thru Life                                          Stone Gable ( the Scoop )
Kathe with an E                                            Cupcakes & Crinoline
Savvy Southern Style                                    Beyond the Picket Fence
Ivy & Elephants                                     The Girl Creative

I WANNA live there Wednesday # 108

Good morning everyone !!!

I keep thinking I'm going to run out of these homes one day - but every now and then I find one that leaves me completely mesmerized and daydreaming what I could do with them - this is one of those ..............

Again, in Westmount

And if this is your first time here please note that if the prices seem high - this is a beautiful area in Montreal - adjacent to Down Town - most of the homes are turn of the century - and usually filled to the brim with architectural details.  ( and I'm just a little partial to it since we sold our Victorian " flat " in that area last year and I'm still missing it  )
These are not home tours - so if they are not decorated to your taste that's fine - they're homes that are listed for sell.

1,549,000
5 beds
3 baths
1 half bath
Year built - 1914
REALTOR - JOSEPH MONTANARO

See that top balcony?  I LOVE it !

Talk about a grand entrance - isn't this spectacular ?

I almost can't take in the beauty of this room - big gorgeous chandeliers and it's done !

This reminds me of a Manhattan prewar apartment

Oh what I could do to this kitchen - love the stairs !

Maybe add some ceiling beams ?

Sigh....................

Not sure why there's 2 bathrooms off this room - but I'm thinking one is for the toilet - and one for bathing

This next photo?
This is the type of thing that I adore about these houses - makes me crazy with " want "

Extra lottery tickets are in order this week I think !
I'm absolutely in love with this gem - and to be honest with you - for the location - this is positively a steal!

Have a wonderful day everyone !
Big hugs,
Me

Looking for inspiration?
Join me at these fabulous parties !

FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS                    IVY & ELEPHANTS
FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE                                 MY TURN FOR US
MY ROMANTIC HOME                                              LIFE ON LAKESHORE DRIVE
BETWEEN NAPS ON THE PORCH                            A STROLL THRU LIFE
SAND & SISAL                                                     STONE GABLE ( the Scoop )
CUPCAKES & CRINOLINE                                 KATHE WITH AN E
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE                                        BEYOND THE PICKET FENCE

A hole in a tiny heart.....................

Once upon a time there were.......................

2 Brothers.
One was frail - born with a hole in his tiny heart - that took many operations to correct.
He was coddled - over protected - and over compensated for.
His brother was more robust - far healthier - and like is so often the case - overlooked because his brother was a constant source of worry to their parents.

2 Brothers.
One quite spoiled because of circumstances.
One always trying to find the love the parents seemed to mostly show the other.
One constantly praised.
One always in " trouble " for something or other .

2 Brothers.
One very articulate - able to speak his mind in whatever fashion he chose - without any scolding.
The other developing a stutter trying to get his broken words out as quickly as he could - before the attention was inevitably transferred to his little brother.
Mostly being told to " spit it out for God's Sakes ! "

2 Brothers.
The little boy with the hole in his tiny heart, thrived.
He married a girl whom his parents approved of.
The healthier boy married a girl who was Catholic - the wrong religion completely.
He was always doing the wrong thing...............

Until his first child was born - the first grandchild !
A girl !
The first girl born on his Father's side in too many years to count !
He finally did something right.
And the joy that this brought to the parents slowly erased the painful memories of
a boy who was denied the emotional connections he so desperately needed.
His stutter disappeared.
He walked a little taller - the future was bright and there was a whole lifetime ahead of them all.
To make peace - to forgive - to embrace - to erase..................

Except there wasn't.
The little boy with the hole in his heart is a strong healthy man today - 78 years later.
The healthier boy?
Well he was gone not long after his 29th birthday - because what they didn't know - couldn't know -
was that a brain aneurysm beats a hole in a tiny heart.

He left a widow of 24 years old to raise children as a single Mother.

His Father drove into a brick wall the day he lost him - an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
He fell to his knees in the hospital screaming " No God - Please No God - I can't bear it "
He had to be sedated but when he finally stood up people swore he was half the size forever more, the stoop in his back was so pronounced.
His Mother had to be restrained from throwing herself in the grave at his funeral - not being able to bear being separated from her first born.
All that love..................from the core of their being - ( and there is no doubt it was there ) being expressed just a little too late.

They showered his children with more love then they probably showed even the boy with 2 holes in his tiny heart.
They were coddled - over protected - and over compensated for -  of which they had much experience.
They were fiercely protective of them - they spoiled them and loved them unconditionally - perhaps in hopes that their Son could witness it from beyond.

But his passing left a hole in each of their hearts.................that no operation could fix.

They've long since joined their boy -
The little boy with the hole in his tiny heart went on to have a very successful career.
The widowed bride remarried.
And that first born grandchild?
She has a blog where she sometimes shares just a little too much............................

He was their Son -
I am his daughter -
At 55 I've been on this earth almost double the time he was granted
I wish I could hug him.
Just hug him.
He left a tiny hole in my heart too.

A tough lesson in the importance of loving unconditionally.
Always.

Have yourselves a wonderful day
I'll fill you in on how Mother Nature bit me after my last chat on how Spring like it was here in Montreal
AND how my new camera died.................( which is why you're left with only words for today's post )
Much love
( unconditional of course ! )
Me

A Friday Chat ( about this and that )

My favorite part of a Turkey dinner is the leftovers - I love everything Turkey Leftover -

Hot Turkey Sandwiches
Cold Turkey Sandwiches
Turkey a la King
Turkey Soup
Club sandwiches
Turkey casserole, anything really.

I decided to chop some up to make us some Turkey Salad Sandwiches.................

Suzan says - I'm going to make Turkey Salad for us
John says - Oh that sounds great !
John says - Don't mix lettuce in mine please
Suzan says - WHAT are you talking about?
John says - Don't chop up lettuce in mine
Suzan says - I don't chop up lettuce and mix it in!
John says - So why's it called Turkey Salad?
Suzan says - It's like an Egg salad sandwich - or Chicken salad - or Tuna salad - except it's with Turkey
John says - What's in it then?
Suzan says - Turkey - onion - celery - ( I don't even mention the mayo because that's a N.O. if he knows about it )
John says - Ok just skip the onion and celery please

Shaking my head I go into the kitchen - what can I put for crunch?
I start chopping up red pepper really quickly before he walks in .................too late

John says - Oh - no red pepper in mine
John says - YOU'RE PUTTING MAYO IN IT ?  NONE IN MINE PLEASE
Suzan says -Why didn't you just say you wanted plain turkey between 2 slices of bread?
John says - Well it doesn't have to be plain - I just don't want the stuff you mentioned in it
Suzan says - THERE'S NOTHING ELSE I CAN PUT IN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Later on in the week I said I was going to make a couple of cheese omelets -
John says - I LOVE THEM !!!
Suzan says - phew finally
John says - Would you mind not putting cheese in mine though?
_________________________________________________________________________________

I'm a bad flyer.......................
Well since 9/11 anyway - I don't recall being scared before that really but since then?  Terrible.
John gets on a plane and promptly falls asleep - almost immediately - he is totally relaxed -
So that leaves it up to me to try to spot out all the bad guys on the plane - you know, the ones that are going to jump up at any moment and scream ALLAH AKBAR in my face?
Just call me Agent 99.
It makes for a horrible experience to be that paranoid ( once I convinced myself that an older woman was a terrorist -when she started screaming at me in Arabic that she wanted the window seat - out of nowhere - SCREAMING - the seat was in fact mine - the stewardess came over immediately and " bumped " me up to business class when I started screaming back in terror - but as I sat in business class very comfortably I fretted - who was going to keep an eye on that lady? )
And it's not just for myself - I'm terrified when anyone I know gets on a plane actually.
So these planes that disappear?
Beyond anything I can stand.....................I replay the scenario over and over in my mind.
Gut wrenching news.
Those poor, poor people waiting in airports for updates - knowing deep down that there just can't be any good coming out of it.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Which reminds me of another time.................we were coming home from St. Martaan in the Carribean.
Not long after 9/11
I  was a nervous wreck - especially since we were in Manhattan the week before it happened - and one of our plans had been to go to THAT restaurant -
As we were walking up the stairs to board the plane ( coming home )  I had a terrible thought - and I stopped halfway up and told John I couldn't get on the plane................
He pushed me and told me to " just stop it " ( he's very compassionate like that )
So I did - and boarded the plane - I couldn't justifiably just stay in the Carribbean indefinitely..................
But I did so very reluctantly.  Each upward step was forced.
It was 3 seats per aisle - and there was a lady beside me who started a conversation.
She explained that she was a Travel Agent - and flew at the very least once a month..............safest way to travel she assured me when I told her I was feeling a little apprehensive.
In the midst of the conversation - mid sentence - there was some turbulence - terrible actually - the worst I'd ever experienced - and all of a sudden she went into a " duck " position ( which was completely alien to me )
I looked at John, terrified and reminded him that I hadn't wanted to get on the plane - while she calmly told me to get in the proper position because the plane WAS going to crash - she knew these things apparently.
She had experience, she told me -
And so I did what I was told........................
When I think back to it I could die of embarrassment because no one else did it - just the two of us - with John angrily telling her to " stop it " that she was terrifying all the passengers.................and her screaming back " to duck "
The two of us - OMG - the two of us crouched over - with our hands over our heads - what the hell was that going to do exactly?
And John angrily staring ahead shaking his head.
Anyway after what seemed like an eternity - she resumed a sitting position and matter of factly, said " false alarm "
I didn't speak to her for the rest of the flight LMHO -
Nut case.
And 2 nut cases should never be placed in the same row - beside each other.
I feed off that type of energy.
If someone's laughing - I laugh
If someone's crying - I cry
If someone's in a duck position on a plane ...............................
_________________________________________________________________________________

If any one out there is a doubter of climate change - please book a trip to Canada this winter................YOU NEED to see this with your own eyes.
I can remember a time when once January arrived you started the count down - winter was almost half over at that point - although the most vicious part of it was still to come - it at least felt like you could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Now?
It really hasn't started.
We had a glorious dump of snow a couple of weeks ago - and there's not a trace of it left -
Apparently 85% of Canada is still green - unbelievable - it truly is !
Montreal was so famous for their snow that they had the largest snow removal system on the continent of North America - often lending it out to our American neighbors.
It's unheard of to look out and see tidy lawns at this time of year.
I think I saw our ground hog come out the other day - he's confused the poor thing - he thought he'd slept in till Spring - missing Ground Hog day entirely.

Take a second to watch this - it's hilarious !  ( and scary at the same time because it's happening )
I think I've posted it before - but it makes me laugh



AND here's Montreal ( a couple of days ago ) it's snowing lightly as I type - but again it's supposed to be warm on Sunday with rain so it won't stay

I can't recall a winter like this in.............................ever .
Although it could all change over night really.
_________________________________________________________________________________

I'm thinking of starting a linky party this month - so get all of your projects ready !
ANYTHING goes -

Suzan says - I think I'm going to start a linky party!
John says - What in God's name is a stinky party?
Suzan says - A. L.I.N.K.Y PARTY !!!
Suzan says - That's where people come and link up their projects - or anything - they can link up anything really
John says - You'd better be careful you know
Suzan says - Why?
John says - Well you don't want people linking from Porn Sites
Suzan says - WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM - REALLY ?

But maybe I do have to point it out?
No porn links allowed....................
_________________________________________________________________________________

It's 2015 -
2000 and freaking 15
It sounds like something out of a sci fi movie to me - even George Orwell couldn't see into the future further than 1984.................
If you were born in 59 - 2015 was the year that we were supposed to be using flying cars - like the Jetson's ( since that was our only point of reference )
Not a Honda civic OR a van that won't start when it's too cold outside.
I was supposed to have a Rosy taking care of all my household chores....................so I could paint furniture
undisturbed
Bonus points if you remember Rosy the sassy Robot
_________________________________________________________________________________

There was nothing on the other night - so I resorted to watching a show on a morbidly obese man awaiting an operation.
It was very sad actually - not good television - but sad none the less.
John came in and watched it for 5 minutes.
John says - Do you think we could watch a House or a Murder instead?
John says - This is sickening to watch - garbage.
Suzan says - We've already seen both the House Hunters AND the murder story...............
John says - I'm going to play poker...............

Later on that night I walked into the bedroom and saw him totally absorbed in something on t.v.
I sat down beside him to see a woman with breasts the size of basketballs .................( and that's not me joking - they were literally the size of basketballs )
Suzan says - What are you watching?
John says - My Strange Addiction ....................she's searching for a doctor to give her larger implants.
John says - She's addicted to breast implants
John says - The other one is addicted to eating dryer sheets apparently.
John says - Where are you going?
Suzan says - I think I'm going to start playing on line poker too..................
_________________________________________________________________________________

A police chief in Georgia is on leave while they investigate.
He shot his wife by accident.

Twice.

Bang - OMG Honey - I'm so sorry................
Whoa - Are you still standing?
Bang - OMG Honey - I'm so sorry................

He lost me with the second shot.
______________________________________________________________________________

If I have to have a " word " for 2015 - I'm going to pick " procrastinate " since every time I pick a word I do the exact opposite it seems.
_________________________________________________________________________________

I have to go pack up Christmas now - and pick up some paint for that Dining room set tomorrow -
Have a wonderful weekend one and all !
Much love,
Me