"Big Fish"

Once again, I have to brag a little about my youngest son's latest "1st Place" win along with his "Big Fish" win! This is his second year in the Payette River Bassmasters fishing club and he is doing really well and so enjoying it. Next year he will be able to participate in the "adult" category and have the opportunity to win money....which he is really excited about. Last year was his first year of fishing and he was able to place twice ...1st and then championship.

So far this year he has placed 3rd and now 1st and Big Fish.

A wonderful past time that he really enjoys and seems to have a knack for. I hope to be able to go to some of his tournaments this year. My obligations to my ex MIL and her care have prevented me from being able to attend his tournaments.

Look at how handsome he is. Yup...that's my boy :)

Until Later,

♥ Toni

Look what I received......

I received an award the other day from the very talented Suzanne at Meridian Road. Thank you Suzanne....you are too sweet.......since you are so close (only a 3 hour drive) we really need to get together, have lunch & maybe I can get some of your amazing talent to rub off on me ;) You have got to check out her wonderful blog! She is a very talented lady. When she finds something she likes she just re-creates it! Like her Laundry Rack or the Tin Ceiling for her master bath or my favorite the DIY Art she did. Seriously, this gal is amazing!

Ok, so this is how it works.......I have to share 7 things about myself and then pick some of my favorite blogs to share the award with. Seven things.............this might be hard ;) I don't know if it is supposed to be all good things or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Here goes........

1. I started driving when I was 7 years old. My dad bought my sister, who was 10 at the time, and I an old 50's Dodge car. We lived on a 200+ acre ranch and our dad was usually in the fields repairing equipment, fence and whatnot and he thought it would be handy for us girls to fetch tools, etc for him. I don't remember helping dad much, but I do remember driving all over the ranch!

2. I am deathly afraid of snakes!! Don't really know why, can't even look at them on TV. I shared an experience I had with the slithery beast here.

3. My children are the world to me. I had suffered many years with infertility issues, caused by endometriosis, several surgeries which gave me a 10% chance of having children. I thank God every day for his blessings and the miracle of my sons.

4. I was born and raised in California. I'm a sunshine gal. I lived in Cali all my life until October of 2008, when I moved to Idaho to take care of my ex-MIL who is suffering memory loss.

5. I'm the baby of my family and the tallest, standing 5'10". I have 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters.

6. I loved horses at an early age. I started riding around 4 years old, a mean and onnery shetland pony. I bought my first horse when I was 10. Paid for him with money I had earned and saved.

7. My absolutley favorite movie in the world is Gone With the Wind. On a stormy day, when you just want to stay in and watch a good movie......that's the movie I'll choose. My favorite TV program when I was younger was, hands down, the "I Love Lucy Show". My mom actually looked like Lucille Ball, just not as funny :)


Well, that's my list of seven.........now here are the wonderful blogs I want to share the award with. I'm sure you know these talented ladies, but just in case you don't, stop by their lovely blogs for a visit.

Mamie Jane's

Blondie.n.sc

Miss Gracies

From My Home to Yours

Orchard View Cottage

Holly's Haven

Raised in Cotton

My Tattered Elegance

Until Later,

♥ Toni

Don't Ya Just Love it?

Don't you just love it when an idea strikes you??? I do, and I will tell you that when one strikes me it's all I can do to contain my happiness. Remember this sweet little piece I picked up a short while ago?? I wrote about it here. I loved her at first sight. Her rusty, sweet, perfection!





I had a couple of ideas for this vintage washstand.......maybe an enamel bowl filled with towels for the bathroom or planted with some pretty flowers for my enclosed front porch........




As you probably have already guessed....I haven't done a thing with her! She was just sitting in a corner on the front porch waiting and waiting and wondering what her new life was going to be in her new home.

Well, like I said when an idea hits me.......it really hits me..........It was like a big light bulb went off. Seriously, I was looking at her, thinking, "What am I going to do with you?" And then, BAM.....I had an idea.........drum roll, please........here she is, ready to party at our next BBQ, birthday party, holiday event, family gatherings, anytime we need an extra helping hand............Miss Daisy, the hostess with the mostest ........

Ok..........so I am a little off my rocker ;) but can't you just see her next to the food table, stacked with dishes (see how she can hold plates and bowls) add a couple vintage jars filled with flatware........

What do you think???

Until Later,

♥ ♥ Toni

It's Like Riding a Bike

Once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget it. Nor, do you forget that wonderful feeling when you have found a treasure that you had been wanting , waiting and searching for ....for.ever! And the icing on the cake is that I got it at a FANTASTIC price!

This little treasure is in great condition. My son will be painting it for me (teal & white) and her new home will be by my front door with a basket planted with some flowers.

I'm joining with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today's Thrifty Treasures

.

Until Later,

♥ Toni

Home Sweet Home

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!! While I'm still working on decorating the inside of my home, I thought I would share with you some photos of the outside of the house we call Home Sweet Home. I can't tell you how much I love the charm of this house and the little country details.....like this darling fence and gate!

The stepping stones leading to our front door.

Our country kitty "Baby" who greets you on the front porch. He is quite the mouser too!


We have a horseshoe driveway and this is to the left of the front of the house. Love the metal roof when it rains.

See those three windows??? That's where my built in window seat is!!!

Beautiful mature trees.....well, minus the stick Tyler removed :)

Lot's of shade for this summer.

Look at the beautiful view out our front door!!

Love all the country accents........

We even have a tire swing......

Tyler trying it out......

Is it going to hold up is what I'm asking......who knows how long it's been hanging there!

The little red barn that I absolutely LOVE!!

The seven Angus cows that reside in the pasture next to us. They belong to our landlord.

And their seven sweet babies that were born here. While their mommas are eating they are watching Tyler. Sometimes in the early evening, Tyler and I will come outside and watch the calves as they run and play. Lately they have been butting heads with each other, which have Ty and I in stitches!! They are too stinkin' cute!!

And this is our view out our back door!! Breathtaking!

Yeah, it's Home Sweet Home.

Until Later,

♥ Toni

Trust Me I Can Do It

Hi lovely Blogerettes!! Today was such a beautiful day!! We just couldn't stay inside. I cleaned out my SUV, which needed it desperately and then worked on a couple of projects. While I was busy doing my thing...my son Tyler decided he was going to do a project on his own. He decided to take down a dead tree that was in our yard. Not a big tree, but a dead tree that was looking like a big ol' stick in the ground. If you look real close in the first picture, you can see it on the left. (Sorry, but once again I forgot to get a before picture). Can you see it? Yes......that thing that looks like a stick.



Ty loves to work, loves the physical aspect of it. Which is good for me, cause I can always find things for him to do ;) But this little project he volunteered for. This photo is of him putting the lawn back together :) Sorry this photo is a little out of sync.

He's working on the roots in this photo. You can see the "tree" in the background.

Adding some filler dirt to the hole.



Of course, I'm telling him to make sure to get the grass back on top and don't forget to water it so we're not left with a brown spot. He says...Trust Me Mom I Can Do It. I have to ask, when did you go from my little boy to a young man????? He smiles.

My strong son with the "tree" he just took out.

Gotta love this kid! I asked him if I could take his picture while he removed the tree, his reply "Are you going to put it on your blog?"

Yes.

Yeah, it's okay..he tells me.

Until Later,

♥ Toni

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

to all you wonderful moms in Blogland.

Wishing you a day filled with pampering, laughter, love and family and of course chocolate ;)

♥Toni

Treasure Found

I forgot to share with you one of the treasures I found this weekend.....I know...I'm bad like that.


First thing that drew me was the color.......I'm starting to like green.....Can you tell?

Then of course it had the perfect amount of chippyness with more green underneath.......gotta love it

And it is functional........you can use it as a cabinet if you want (it's missing the shelves, but that is an easy fix)

Another attraction....it's old and in perfect condition, the gal I bought it from said it was her great grandfather's......from the war.......WWII that is. I took it to a friend of mine who is an antiques dealer and he confirmed that it was indeed WWII military. Happy Dance!

She had two, one was blue, which was a military foot locker that had been her dad's...I bought that one too. Both at a steal....really I could be arrested :) I'm selling the blue one. But this little green darlin' I think will make a great end table! What do you think?

Until Later,

♥Toni

One Room at a Time

We are still trying to get settled in the new house. Now that my son Chris, is completely done with his surgery, I can focus on putting everything away and decorating. I decided that I am going to tackle one room at a time. That way......hopefully....I can stay focused and on track. (fingers crossed). So, the kitchen was the first room. I first re-vamped my hutch, then on to a painting project.

I purchased this vintage dresser a while ago and hadn't decided what I was going to do with it. A couple of weeks ago I realized that I could use extra storage and more work space in my kitchen. Idea!!! I can use this dresser as a kitchen island and storage for extra linens/dishes/utensils/etc.



But she needed a little update. I have been wanting to add a little color into my decor and found this great shade of green. It was actually a piece of paper I found that had the exact color I was imagining and Home Depot color matched it for me. It's actually a little deeper than the color of a Granny Smith apple. A new coat of paint, some white porcelain knobs and I couldn't be happier with her new look.




Here she is center stage. And yes, I have a leopard print rug in my kitchen. It's the wild side of me coming out.....RAWR. The photo doesn't do her justice, but she looks great! and she is the perfect POP of color.

I've had this sign for a while and could never find the perfect spot for it.....Now I have :)

I've added a few more treasures to my hutch......more cookbooks I just picked up, an ivy plant, and some flower frogs. I'm really liking the look of my hutch now.

I had to show you this piece I just picked up from a thrift store for 25 cents. I have no clue what it was off of or it's purpose........but it has two elements I love......metal and a heart. (The smallest things can make me so happy). I love my mini frogs too :)

And here is my latest vintage treasure........I'm probably going to paint her......not sure what color. She was a steal at $5 and she is in excellent condition and very sturdy.

Until Later,

~Toni~

Giveaway at Laurie Anna's

Just take a look at what you could win over at Laurie Anna's Vintage Home.
Couldn't you just die!!!! I have been looking for one of these for a couple of years now. I can't believe she is having a giveaway for this, but I'm doing the Happy Dance in hopes that I might win this!!!!

Until Later,

~Toni~