A touch of sugar...

Ahhh...Tranquility in a can...

Source: Met home

Hurricanes

My friend just moved to Houston so tonight Ike is on my mind. I just called to check on her and she said the city is in a frenzy but they have provisions and are prepared for the coming storm. It was interesting to learn that gas prices jumped from $3.50 to over $4 today. It just so happens that this girlfriend grew up in Orlando so dealing with tornadoes and hurricanes have been part of her growing up but for me I am still worried. When I called to check on her I had to confess that I have always wished that I could hunker down and experience one of these storms. The part of the country where I live we do get plenty of rain from storms and sometimes tornadoes but not the hurricane.

One of my childhood friends emailed me yesterday from coastal South Carolina. She too has seen plenty of these storms but her viewpoint of the storm is more focused on maintaining shoreline and protecting the coastline.

While I am not sure what your weekend weather might be, I hope that you have time to enjoy some candlelight and time together with your loved ones whether it is rain or shine.

baring my soul on a wednesday afternoon...

I collect old gasoline numbers.

why? Dunno

I don't fix bookcases in Library/office to look nice...we generally use the shove 'em in method.

Why? Dunno.

This pillow scares me and makes me laugh...all in the same moment.

Why? Dunno. {Boo}

Now... I just love these little guys...Ex-Votos.
They always make me smile.

And... that above? I dunno.

Have any of your own peculiarities you care to share???

My Ex Voto

Just a few weeks ago I purchased a beautiful antique Italian ex voto to mark the entrance of my house. I thought it would be the perfect thing to remind me of answered prayers and life's many blessings. Many times you might have noticed these items on blogs, in decorative magazines and in other places. They are often pictured as hearts sometimes with small religious markings, adornments in silver, gold, enamel or sometimes even jeweled. I have seen some that were made into lockets for holding a prayer inside. Some of the ex votos were designed with a small flame attached to illustrate the Sacred Heart, such as the one that I purchased. Here is a picture of the one that I bought and hung in my entrance hall. To me the Sacred Heart ex votos are some of the most beautiful.

For those of you not familiar with an ex voto, Wikipedia says: An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. Ex-votos are placed in a church or chapel where the worshipper seeks grace or wishes to give thanks. The destinations of pilgrimages often include shrines decorated with ex-votos. Ex-votos can take a wide variety of forms. They are not only intended for the helping figure, but also as a testimony to later visitors of the receieved help.

Not quite harvest...but orange...

I know, I know...most of you are hunkering down

with fall colors, and visions of pumpkins and harvest...

Fall isn't as cozy here, yet...it's warm and sun kissed

wet and humid.

but, I give you a tad of Orange ...

Hacienda Puerta Campeche

...in, you guessed it, Campeche, Mexico.

Surrounded by the clear sun warmed Gulf and Carribean waters.

It is a beautiful 17th century Colonial estate, made up of several buildings...
and 15 suites... should you want to visit
Look at this bathroom... with streaming sun, and a chaise...

Above photos: Architectural digest

It's the pool that looks most amazing to me...built upon and in the ruins

of the hundreds of year old structure. Like swimming amongst the

Mayan history...through doors of time.

Hacienda Puerta Campeche....

opening the door to another time and place.

..Back to your regularly scheduled fall activities.

Carry on.

The Visitor

It doesn't happen often anymore, but this week we had quite a nice surprise. My husband is Lebanese and most of his family lives in many other parts of the world. Just in case you aren't familiar with families from this part of the globe, the families can be large. Not because there are so many siblings but because extended family is just as important as your immediate family. In fact it can sometimes be a little overwhelming when marrying into the family but you eventually get used to it and for me and my kids it has been exciting to be a part of such an extended clan. Back in the '80s and '90s, because of the civil war, many of the younger cousins came to the states to go to boarding schools so our kids had the opportunity to "grow up" with their overseas family over school holidays and breaks. During that time aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws would come to visit regularly and would stay with us for weeks and sometimes months at at time. It was wonderful - most of the time. But in recent years as family has gotten older and young cousins have started families of their own, the visits have been less frequent. We have taken advantage of Skype and Facebook and Google Talk but it just isn't the same.

Now back to the surprise. On Tuesday when I got home from work my husband said he had just gotten an email from a cousin and that he would be arriving at the airport at 8:45. This family member now lives with his wife and family in Geneva but he had an unexpected work assignment in Atlanta. It was so exciting to have him here even if only for two days. We took advantage of the evening hours so I have to admit we stayed up much later than we normally do while he was here but it was worth every minute. As we said our goodbyes it made me realize just how much we miss our family.

The aesthetic of highly authentic function over form...

Images American Furnishings

Vintage Indusrial Chic....

Essentially the well worn stools, tables, office furniture, lighting and other goodies from factories and schools, medical facilities, churches, farms and shops.

I love the ingenuity and the re-use of the whole style.

While it certainly is not everyone's

thang...

Their main characteristic is that they were designed to do a job

~Typically with little attention given to their appearance~

And they did it well, surviving all sorts of abuse in the process...And therein lies the charm...

image courtesy Decorology

Who doesn't love THAT work ethic?!