If I was born in 1959

Does that mean I'm turning 55 this year?

I used to be so good with numbers - I could whip up what anything was going to cost including taxes - in a heart beat.  AND problem solving was fun for me - I actually enjoyed it ( my brother sent me a test once that my nephew had passed - making him almost a Savant - he declared - and I solved it in under 2 minutes )  So you see when I tell you I'm a genius it's not just empty bragging LMHO.................
(I sent him a text back saying he'd better check the source of that test btw.)

So WHY am I having such a difficult time with THIS equation?

2014
-
1959
=
___________

IT CAN'T BE 55 - can it?

No - it absolutely can't be.

I can't be turning 55 in 3 short weeks?

I'm the Mom of these little guys after all

and it doesn't matter if they've gotten a little itsy bitsy bit taller - this is how I still see them deep in my heart - and if that's how they are to me - and I had them in my early 20's then you can see how the numbers don't add up, right?

I want to pull them out of those photos - and read them Narnia all over again
I want to chase them around the house playing hide and seek
I want to make trees in the mud ( brocolli and gravy ) and Teddies on a cloud ( teddy cookies on vanilla ice cream )
I want to dance with them - and sing with them - and I want to see those eyes open as wide as possible when they discover that Rudolph left poop on the front lawn ( oreo cookies broken up )
I want to see them fresh out of their baths in their jammies watching Care Bears.
I want to hoist them up on my back at bed time and jump up and down neighing or snorting or doing whatever animal they require me to be
I want it back - because it was only yesterday after all.................

And if it was yesterday - then I'm only 29 years old -

Forget Math - I'll take History any day ( or my version of it anyway )

Ashley - Lindsay - Gordie -
No creation I can ever come up with in this life time can ever compare.......................

And the next time I complain about my body - I have to remember that this is the body that created them and I will be eternally grateful to it.

They are the three hearts on the watermarks on all my photos

p.s. most of you know I have twin girls ( ladies now I suppose - even though I'm only 29 )  - want to see a photo of twin boys that'll melt your heart away?

Oh Megan - I could stare at this photo forever !!!
OUR PINTERESTING FAMILY

Enjoy every single moment - because before you know it they'll be grown - and you'll be as confused as I am now

Have a wonderful day everyone.
Don't let it go by too fast!

Much love,

Sometimes I feel like a Mule Skinner - sideboard makeover

JOHN SAYS MY POSTS ARE FILLED WITH A LOT OF NONSENSE - WARNING -
THIS ONE IS IN PARTICULAR - SO YOU CAN SKIP DOWN TO THE LAST 2 PHOTOS IF
YOU JUST WANT A MAKEOVER

Music inspires me - ALL music - Jazz - Rock 'n Roll - Rock - Folk - Gospel - Reggae and Country - I love it all - which is why I try desperately to infuse you with lyrics that get stuck in your head all day.
( you're welcome )

I woke up yesterday morning - and belted out Good Mornin' Captain !!!

John says - WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SCREECHING FOR?  as he buries his head under the blankets

Suzan says - I'm yodelling

John says - That's NOT yodeling - who do you think you are Julie Andrews?

Suzan says - Julie Andrews yodelled?

John says - Yeah - when she was escaping the mountains with all those kids

Suzan says - Oh - that's not the type of yodelling I'm doing..................

John says - Well it's horrid - can you stop please?  Because you're NO Julie Andrews!

Suzan says - Well you're no MERLE HAGGARD - as I scream out Hee Hee Ha Ha Hey Hey .....

Suzan says - I feel like an old Mule Skinner - so no I don't think I will stop

John says - What in God's name is a Mule Skinner?

Suzan says - Someone who keeps Mules in line - so it's very appropriate

John grew up on classical hymns - I grew up with Mule Skinner Blues -

And if I can appreciate and love " Were you there when they crucified my Lord "

Well .....................then he should learn to appreciate a little Hee Hee Hee ha ha HEY HEY -

don't you think?

You should see how quickly I can paint a piece of furniture listening to this kind of music blasting.

John says - When you're finished - could you make me a tea please...............

Suzan says - dancing out of the room - Sure - I'll bring the buck buck bucket down - whah whah whah

John says - NOW YOU SOUND LIKE A DUCK

John says - Just one morning - I'd give anything for just ONE NORMAL MORNING...................

John yells - You ARE NOT playing that music outside in the summer !!!!!!!

( I had an Uncle that sang this to absolute perfection -

Bonus points if any of you knew which song I was talking about

And this is what I painted ( mostly to this type of music ) You can hate it but you can't deny it's energy
Man can this song get me going - seriously !  If you're at work DON'T blast this - if you're at home, go for it - this songs needs to be LOUD

Another treasure found on CL -
Solid?  Yes
Functional? Yes
Boring ?  Yes



I decided this needed to be lightened up - too dark and foreboding - it came from a Church and it looks like it's about to give a sermon on Fire and Brimstone - and it smells of incense like you wouldn't believe...............A good dose of shallac can take care of the odor ( or 2 ) and a good painting can take care of the rest :)

I painted it with Annie Sloan's Old White - and added a little detail to the doors -

Then I distressed - using a sander and by hand until it was just the way I wanted it

I painted the handles in place ( pulling an Annie Sloan here )

Then I decided to add a little to the inside!

I did the stripes in different directions for even more of a little surprise

I like the little bit of wood showing in them - because that's the only place any wood is left on her!

Here's one I did a couple of years ago - aren't they fun?

ok - back to the buffet

I painted the interior cupboards with a pale yellow I had on hand ( just latex paint, shhhh, so I'll have to seal it with some polyurethane )

and while that was drying - I attacked the doors

She wants to show you her backside ( something she could NEVER do in Church )

( that's why the lady is a tramp  ♪♫♪♪  )

how many songs can I fit into one post?  ohhh probably just about as much as the nonsense I can fill it with.

Well...................♪ she never picked cotton  like her Mama did - and her Brother did and her Sister did and her Daddy died young  ( working in the coal mine ) ♪

OK - FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SKIPPED THE NONSENSE - HERE'S THE MAKEOVER -

BEFORE




AFTER

John says - Oh look, there's a line outside
Suzan says - Huh?
Suzan says - Don't tell me - An electric wire's down?
John says - No - A LINE - For your performance

LMHO - really - he keeps me in stitches!

I just put it on full blast as I'm getting ready to sign off - John immediately got up from his desk and left the office - mumbling something about living in a madhouse.............
Soda promptly followed him.
The two of them need to lighten up.

Cha cha cha !

P.S. - I'm giggling here by myself picturing some of your horrified reactions to Mule Skinner Blues -
really - LMHO -
This is the type of thing that keeps me blogging LOL
Have a great day :)

P.S.S. and if you want to see the controversy that painting furniture can stir up - check out my post on Hometalk HERE - whoa there's some angry people out there !

I'll be at these Fab Parties!

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Wanna play checkers? ( On my Checkerboard floor? )

Morning all !

I thought it was time to show you - even though the baseboards aren't finished and the quarter rounds are just a distant thought - it was time!

I know a few of you have mentioned the sneak peaks you've seen when I've been busy showing you other areas - so last night I got down on my hands and knees and cleaned it
( foot prints of dust from sanding dry wall - glue residue - dog hair - you name it - it was on it - a mere mopping would have never sufficed )

And Voila - here you go

the other side - the sink area

Now I'll let you in on a little something - something

I ordered these tiles from Wayfair - and I'm afraid I can't give them a very good review.

1) They arrived with one box damaged - all the corners had cracks in them - I was going to return them -but in the end we used them for the perimeter of the room where only 1/2 tile was used
( I just didn't want the headache to be honest with you. )

2) Though these were stick on tiles - the glue was in no way, shape or form strong enough to adhere to the plywood underneath.............we had to buy a tub of tile glue and spread it on the floor as we went

3)  What should have been a cinch turned out to be an extremely messy job - with that tar/glue ending up all over the place.

4)  The tiles are very thin - thinner than any I ever seen.

5 ) THIS has happened to one of them ( actually 2 of them - but the first one was in the box like that so we just threw it out )  Now it's on an edge - and no transition piece has been installed yet so there's a lot of rubbing up against it - but still there was one in the box like it so.......................

That white part you see curling up is the top layer of the tile.

As most of you know this was a temporary fix - because of the disaster of the first floor we laid down
I'm not even putting a link to it - it made me that sick lol

I chose stick-ons because the plan was to see if I liked the look or not - God Forbid I would have had ceramic tiles installed and decided I couldn't live with them either - SO for me they'll last as long as they'll last - and I'll have the ceramic laid - because I do in fact LOVE the look -
But if anyone is thinking of doing this - I'd recommend not getting them from Wayfair - ( and I have to tell you I love Wayfair - just not their tiles )

They were exceptionally priced - and in the end you always get what you pay for - always !

In the end - the kitchen floor will have been laid 3 times ....................there's a joke in there that John muttered under his breath -  but this is a family friendly blog so forget it - I'm NOT going there.

And there you have it - my checkerboard floor - and a full review - all in one post lol

For some reason I feel guilty writing it up - but I wouldn't want anyone to buy them because of seeing them here - and not know what they would be getting.

Here's another before ( am I going to show the seller's before photos with every single thing I do in this house?  Yah, probably - it gives me hope lol )

I'm trying to frost out the fact that there's dishes in the sink - and no trim around the new window
( did it work? ) But you can see where we installed wheels on the table ( I'll do a post about that one of these days too, promise )

I still have a lot of finishing touches to do in this room - like paint that back door - I'm not liking it black at all - I'm thinking white - with a big boxwood wreath on it - I'm also looking for pendants for over the island/table - and and and and and.......................

But it looks clean doesn't it?  I'm at the stage of reno's where clean is almost good enough.

Have a good day all!
And if I don't see you this weekend - well, have a great one of those as well :)

Much love,



I'll be playing checkers at these great parties !

Remodelaholic                                The Charm of HOme                         It all started with paint
Be Different Act Normal                  Uncommon Designs                         Between naps on the porch  Under the table and dreaming           Savvy Southern Style                        Adorned from Above
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I should be mopping the floor          My 1929 Charmer
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Another coffee table makeover

Hello !  ( is it me you're looking for ? )

Ok before I type up this post - I have to tell you this -

I had this piece of hair ( bangs? ) that kept getting in my eyes all day - and I kept blowing it out of the way - finally I tried to clip it all back - but this hair kept falling into my eye - it was just a strand - just one single piece of hair - but it wasn't growing out of the top of my head.
IT WAS GROWING OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF MY FOREHEAD - WTH???????????
It's happening - I'm becoming a witch - just waiting for a wart to sprout out on my nose..............

Here we go -
which wicked witch made a coffee table switch

This table is huge - think dining room table with short legs ...............seating for 8 easily

Perfect spot for a cauldron actually ( but alas it's not mine )

After cleaning it with TPS - this lady took 3 coats of paint

after 3 coats and finito !

a little sanding here

and there

 LOVE the " pitting " that was already on the table top

It now looks like the paint has worn off after many many decades of cleaning - updated but keeping the look of an older piece ( which it is NOT by the way  - this is clearly a reproduction piece )

Annie Sloan chalk paint - old white - 3 coats
Annie Sloan clear wax

And not only is it hard to get rid of things that I do - it's now getting hard to give things back things that don't even belong to me !!!!!!!!
It's far too big for this place and yet ...................
I want it LOL

Have a good day my pretties -
I've got some serious plucking to do

Much love

p.s.

If I have to become a witch - I want to be her

not the one below ( sorry - most of you won't know this particular witch - but she's the premier of my province AND I don't like her OR her politics - which are so divisive that she has neighbors hating neighbors - family members arguing with family members - communities distancing themselves with communities.
People screaming at people on the streets to PARLE FRANCAIS - people screaming back - THIS IS CANADA - I'LL SPEAK ENGLISH IF I WANT - awful - really just an awful time in this province's history and very very heartbreaking to be a witness to it all.  Civic unrest is in the air.  People that once switched back and forth from either language now stubbornly refuse to speak the other.  It's like a modern day West Side Story - except without the choreography.
I know you have your problems in the States - but really - I'd take yours any day of the week over what's happening here right now.  We have an election in a couple of weeks - and though she's trying to make this a secular state ( no religious symbols allowed to be worn by government employees AND hoping employers will ban it in the private sectors too ) I can guarantee you there will be a LOT OF PRAYING going on for the next week or so - one big fat hell of a lot - that she's voted out of power.
She's the head of a Separatist party - hell bent on removing Quebec from Canada.
If people can't speak French it's their problem.
If people can't speak English it's their problem.
If people want to wear a cross - or a scarf - or a kippah it shouldn't be any of the governments
business.
Other then the garb that covers the complete body and face - for safety purposes - I could care less what people wear or believe.
It's a different world now - something a lot of people have a very difficult time with - but until we learn to embrace the new way - we are hell bent to live one miserable existance.
I don't see such a difference in a government that MAKES people wear religious symbols - and a government that MAKES them take it off.
You can't - you simply cannot - leglislate RESPECT - you have to earn it Madame -
Ask Putin .........................

I may or may not be arrested for calling her a witch in English instead of French - so this next sentence is for her

MADAME MAROIS - VOUS ETES UNE SORCIERE  (by law - all French words have to be larger than English words - think I'm joking?  )

I'm counting on all of you guys bailing me out - if and when I'm arrested for this  ( think I'm joking? )

In the meantime - I'm working on a musical - entitled, what else?
QUEBEC - THE MUSICAL..............
I wonder if these guys are still available?

And if I have any Separatists that follow me - and who may be offended by this - well you can simply
SEPARATE from my blog - no referendum required to do so.

Please keep in mind this is not about French People - or English People - this is about a government and the percentage of people who voted them in.  The French and English - for the most part - get along incredibly well - there are many many French people in my world whom I love dearly -
The Government?
Not so much
xoxo

Party Time !!!

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Between Naps on the Porch

I WANNA live there Wednesday # 73 Manhattan

WELCOME TO I WANNA LIVE THERE WEDNESDAY -
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SERIES ON REAL ESTATE FOR SALE - MOSTLY IN MY HOME TOWN OF MONTREAL - WITH LOTS OF VISITS HERE AND THERE TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE - SOMETIMES IN N.Y. OR NEW ORLEANS - OR PARIS - OR............ANYWHERE ACTUALLY!
I CONCENTRATE ( FOR THE MOST PART ) ON HERITAGE HOMES - HISTORICAL BUILDINGS WITH DETAILED ARCHITECTURE.
SINCE THIS IS A SERIES ON THE HOUSE ITSELF - AND NOT THE WAY PEOPLE FURNISH THEM - KINDLY KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN LEAVING COMMENTS -I WOULD NOT WANT A HOME OWNER TO COME ACROSS THEIR HOME ON MY BLOG AND READ UNKIND THINGS ABOUT IT ( I WAS ONCE CONTACTED WITH THANKS FOR SHOWCASING SOMEONE'S HOME - SO IT'S POSSIBLE )  IF YOU'RE INTO HOMES WITH A HISTORY THIS IS A SERIES YOU JUST MAY ENJOY - THANKS SO MUCH FOR VISITING THEM WITH ME
___________________________________________________________________________________

Good morning everyone !!!

Some folks like to get away
,
Take a holiday from the neighborhood.

Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood.

But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line.

I'm in a New York state of mind.

And I figured if we were going to visit Manhattan - we may as well do it in a huge way - all or nothing - 

Soooooooo - the first one up is listed at 

8,250,000
5 floors
5 beds
5.5 baths
4500 sq. feet
Realtors LEIGHTON CANDLER & JENNIFER GARABEDIAN REARDON

( Well we're heading on up - to the East Side - to a deluxe apartment in the sky )

Now you all know I'm not a big wood lover - but OMG - I love every single thing about this mostly wood kitchen - isn't this spectacular?  the wood with the greenery from that amazing window?  

LOVING that nook area off the bedroom - what a perfect place to curl up and contemplate the next movie I'll pick to star in..................

Ok - so now that I know people live like this I completely give up on my bathroom reno - 

I'd have to convert half of the main floor to achieve this look - but living rooms are soooo overrated, don't you think?

Give me this kitchen and this bathroom and I'd very happily sleep in the mudroom

Ok - time to hop in a cab - we're heading out to the Upper West side now...............

7,995,000
Co-op
3 beds
4 baths
2 staff rooms - 1 staff bath
Realtor: BRIAN RICE & DOUGLAS ALBERT

LOVE the built in

Sweet dreams are made of this ( who am I to disagree? ) 

Should we visit one more?
We're in the neighborhood anyway - we might as well don't you think?
C'mon - lets go................ya know you waaant to 

Listing price 7,399,000
5 floors
6 beds
4 baths
6,280 sq feet
Realtor:  KAREN KELLY & STEPHEN LARKIN

AND THE ICING ON THE TOP OF THIS CAKE???

The ROOF DECK

Ok - I have to tear myself away from this now - I have some serious work waiting for me here at the

My daughter posted this on my facebook page - besides being one of my all time favorite comedies - I actually get to live it - how special is that?
Life imitating art and all !

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone -

Much love

Join me at these fun Parties!
Common Ground