Is Anybody Out There?

I started this blog after moving 7 years ago from an area I'd lived in for almost 30 years.  It was a way for me to stay connected with friends as I struggled through what was, for me, a huge change and a trying time. The advent of Facebook coupled with settling in here in West Lafayette saw me posting less & less.

Recently I've been feeling inspired to morph it into a sewing/quilting blog but before I put my energy and time into it, I'd like to know if anyone still visits from time to time.  

So, if you're out there, write a quick comment to let me know!

Hugs, Leslie

Listerine Foot Soak

Are you on Pinterest?  Have you seen the myriad of pins about soaking your feet in Listerine for smooth, soft feet?  Me too!

Last night I decided to try it out and gathered together my store-brand Listerine wanna-be, white vinegar and warm water.  Of course Dr. Love and Miss B were laughing at me the whole time but I bravely soldiered on.

After a nice, tingly, warm soak I pulled out my feet to find....they had turned blue!!  I was able to scrub it all off except for my nails.  But my feet are nice & smooth :).  I think I see a pedicure in my future...

BzzAgent freebie

I've explained in the past about the company BzzAgent, a word of mouth marketing company that, once I signed up as a agent & filled out a few surveys to determine preferences & "fits," gives me opportunities to try, free of charge!, new products and services in exchange for my commitment to tell others about the products and report back to BzzAgent.

Well, last night we tried a free Kroger (or Payless, etc...) Private Selection Upside Down Cake for our dessert.  The flavor we tried is Amber Honey Apple Spice and it was delicious!  I am pretty picky about ready-to-eat products from the store and usually I think that my own, homemade, version is much better.  Well, I've got to tell you that this cake is as good as, if not better, than what I make myself!  And--so easy!  Just warm it up in the oven for 15 minutes, take it out & let it set for a minute or two and run a knife around the edge before dumping it upside down on a cake plate (or any plate!). YUM!!

Have you tried this product yet?  Do you shop at Kroger or its' subsidiaries?  What do you think of the Private Selection brand?

http://www.privateselection.com/artisan-products/artisan-bakery/cakes/amber-honey-apple-spice-upside-down-cake/

Bloglovin

I know I posted about this awhile back but seriously, have you checked out Bloglovin yet?  I have been using it for a couple of months and I really, really, REALLY like it!

Here's how I use it:  when I find a blog I like, I copy & paste the URL into the little box on my Bloglovin home page that says "search for blogs."  Then, when the blog is found, I click on it, then click on the "follow this blog" button.  That's it!

I have Bloglovin bookmarked on my bookmarks bar at the top of my page (I use Google Chrome).  Whenever I want to see what's new, I click on my link and voila!  There's my feed!  One of the best features is that  once I click on a blog to read it, it "dims" a bit so I can see at a glance what I've read.  AND, just like on Pinterest, there's a "scroll to top" button so that I don't have to grab the side bar and drag it up.

Are you using Bloglovin?  What do you think?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Family Room Redecoration

Well, I can't remember now just how long it's been but the family room redecoration process is complete! Following, in no particular order are pictures:

This first set is the floor installation by Dr. Love, a random picture of chairs & ottoman, the console table and the chandelier that Dr. Love installed against the ceiling.  I decided to go a swatch darker on the ceiling than the walls and I am very happy with the results!  

This next set is random pictures that don't match up with any of my "befores." FYI-the blank from is waiting for Andrew's senior picture this fall and there will be another 8x10 under the current one then also.

And now we have "before & afters"

Thank you especially to my old friend Yvonne (living in FL now!) who received and replied to countless text messages asking for her opinions on how this or that looks.  She seemed almost as eager as I was to try this or that and just helped me tremendously!

Details:  

All paint is Benjamin Moore--walls are Palladian Blue, Ceiling is Wythe Blue and fireplace and trim are Alpine White.  I went through many different colors of paint swatches on the walls before finally seeing one of my considerations in House Beautiful.  That clinched the decision for me!

I didn't follow any patterns in sewing up the ottoman cover, window treatments & throw pillows.  I used Rowley's Clip & Wave tape on the tops of the window treatments.  It worked beautifully!  I purchased new feather & down pillow inserts and I am so glad I did--they are much more comfortable than all the different polyester fiberfill forms I had.

The round red ottoman was a Goodwill find after I started the project.  It is just so sweet and perfect that I paid a little more than I like to pay at Goodwill but I'm glad I brought it home.

The black chandelier, red pendant lights and white furniture covers are all from Overstock.com  The table lamps are all from Target.

Nothing else was purchased new but I did pick up a couple of other things from Goodwill and I moved in things from storage that I was saving or from other rooms.  Also, I used paint to change the color of the tv table and the yellow tray on the fireplace.  Dr. Love built the tv stand to raise it up and get the cable boxes under it.  Those things cost over $50 on Amazon!

Any questions?  Just ask and I will respond by return comment :)

Whew!  

Bloglovin

There has been some buzz around blog-land the last week or so about Google's Reader being discontinued.  Now I have to confess that I don't begin to understand or use all the features available when I blog but I'm pretty sure that what they're talking about is my reading list that comes up down the left side of my Blogger Dashboard.  The list that I bring up every morning to check out the latest posts from the blogs that I don't want to miss (like yours!)

So yesterday I somehow came across Bloglovin.  When I joined, it asked me if I wanted to import my reading list from Google Blogger.  I said YES!  And this morning when I opened my email -- there was an email from Bloglovin with all the new posts on the blogs I follow.  SUCCESS!

Progress

As you can see in the picture, I've covered the couches ($150 total/both from Overstock.com), painted the ceiling & beams, primed the walls and Dr. Love is almost finished installing the chandelier (also from Overstock.com).  There's still a lot to do:  sewing window treatments & throw pillows, painting the walls.  And the floor.  Dr. Love will be working on the floor next week.  I'm planning on changing out the table lamps too and I have several possibilities but I'm waiting until everything else is done to see what speaks to me.