No Soliciting Around Here

No soliciting sign - A polite way to say go away

A polite way to say “GO AWAY”, but is it effective?

A few weeks ago, a scary thing happened.

It was 10pm and Tim was working late.

A man approached my front door, knocked, and ask if I had ordered takeout, while holding up a crumpled bag for me to see, from TACO BELL.

The last time I checked, Taco Bell doesn’t deliver.
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What Weighs 17 Pounds…

and Will Give Your Mailman a Herniated Disk?

This was waiting for me when I arrived home today…

Title Page for the baby that RH birthed

Born: June 2014, Weight at birth: 17 pounds 0 ounces

When I read about it last week on Erin Gate’s blog, Elements of Style, I thought this was a ‘to the trade’ only sort of thing….

However, a mere mortal like me, just about broke my mailman’s back with this special delivery.

2014 Restoration Hardware Product Line

The whole shebang – 2014 Restoration Hardware Product Line

I kinda have mixed feeling about this thing

On one hand

(the logical and politically correct hand)

says why can’t you post this online and leave it at that?

Save some trees and protect our mailman’s back…

And they have the nerve to say they’re being ecologically responsible by shipping it this way…

The reasonable and earth conscious hand wants you to know:
To opt out of receiving this sort of tom foolery again…
call Restoration Hardware at 1-800- 762-1005 with your address and cancel your “subscription”

On the other hand (the kid in the proverbial candy store type hand) went YIPPEE!

Restoration Hardware 2014 Product Lines -I'm loving the small spaces catalog

Restoration Hardware 2014 Product Lines

lots of pretty pictures in fantasy settings …

My favorite catalog, SO FAR, is the Small Spaces.

I can’t make up my mind, which hand is correct…

What do you think?

Which hand gets it right?

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

I like to grill – A LOT.

In fact, grilling IS my favorite way to cook meat.

One of the easiest cuts of meat to grill is Flank Steak.

If marinated properly, this is an amazing, tender and affordable cut of beef that can serve crowds.

I found this recipe at All Recipes website a few years ago, and its become a family favorite.

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Wild HoneySuckle

Since a few WP plugins really messed up my plan to share posts with you over the holiday weekend, here’s a quick update from my walk in the neighborhood with the Grrr Girls after work tonight.

This, I hope, will make up a bit for my slacker status.

What’s Blooming in My ‘Hood?

Last month it was the wild wisteria. I even found some in my own garden,  when I noticed all of them.

gorgeous wisteria

Gorgeous

and it was as beautiful to behold as it was to smell.

This month, right on schedule, is the wild honeysuckle season

It’s rather pleasant to stroll the neighborhood with the Grrrr Girls and come upon a sweet pool of honeysuckle, perfuming the humid evening…

Pretty Honeysuckle, sweet smelling

Pretty Honeysuckle, sweet-smelling

growing here, there…

Honeysuckle at the Middle School

This grows everywhere, right now

hither, thither and yon…

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Contact Me

Contact Me, lets keep in touch

Sometimes, you need to reach out and tell me something that you don’t want in the comments section. That’s okay.

If you’d like to get in touch, simply fill out this form, and hit send.

I’ll reply as soon as possible.

If you don’t like forms, you can always email me at design gumbo AT gmail.com

Thanks for your interest!

Happy Memorial Day

Sorry for the delayed posting, this was scheduled to go out on Friday, but WordPress and a new plugin had other ideas. We’re out and about, perhaps a little further than normal, which explains lack of posts in the previous week. Lots to share coming up this week.

Enjoy!

How will you celebrate Memorial Day?

Vintage Memorial Day Postcard,

Vintage Memorial Day Postcard, Source

Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off to the summer season…

unofficial, as the summer solstice is June 21…

which, according to meteorological types,

is considered the first day of summer.

Patriotic Bunting on a Southern Style Home, Source

Patriotic Bunting on a Southern Style Home, Source

To celebrate this marker of the summer season, folks have any number of ways to celebrate…

Girls on the dock

Girls on the dock, Source

from a picnic or outdoor gathering,

Memorial Day Crafts & Food

Memorial Day Crafts & Food, Source

the first trips to the beach or mountains,

Flags on a cottage to celebrate Memorial Day

Flags on a cottage to celebrate Memorial Day

and others travel to see family and friends.

What are you doing to celebrate?

I hope you and your family have a fun holiday, and I’ll come back next week with new posts, including the recent historic homes tour my neighborhood held recently.

Gorgeous home festooned with patriotic banners and a classic golden retriever - happy Memorial Day!

Gorgeous home festooned with patriotic banners and a classic golden retriever – happy Memorial Day!, Source