Our Summer Thus Far . . .

Well - it's been somewhat of a lame summer but things seem to be looking up. The most exciting news is not mine but Brad's. He's buying his very own big, red truck. Here you can see just how immensely HUGE it is, especially in comparison to our house and my small car:

AND Brad had the supreme good fortune of hitting a major Roadside Attraction while on his 34 hour (mandatory) Trucker's break! None other than "South of the Border" (aka "Pedroland")! It's on the border of North and South Carolina - an area famous for Bleinheims - the world's most delicious and spicy Ginger Ale.


Brad made memories at Pedroland! He chowed down on a slab of beef, revelling in the atmosphere of Pedro's Steakhouse with it's circa 1974 decor. He took a ride in the glass elevator to the very top of the 200 foot Giant Sombrero Tower.


He was woken up at 7:00 AM by the friendly tap, tap, tap on his door from a local prostitute. I scored with the great souvenirs he brought back! A hand towel with a silk-screened frog saying "I'm so happy here I could just shit" and a plastic "Horny Hillbilly" that I will refrain from describing in more detail.


The next leg of his trip had him swinging through Florida. Being the romantic soul he is, he brought me an alligator head AS WELL as a nifty and practical alligator claw back-scratcher. The alligators did meet an untimely death but I can assure you they were recycled scraps from an Alligator Meat Farm! The Gator Head has been a true inspiration as I've been planning a Ye Olde Vibe for our Parlor / Living Room. I've also been wanting to include Brad's Grandfather's Last Rites Box and our 3-D Saint Rita (with the thorn in her forehead)



Saint Cecelia is our Parlor's current Patron Saint. Music is her gig and she's often portrayed holding (or playing) a pipe organ. When people see our Saint Cecelia sculpture they get confused and think she's holding a bunch of large Cuban cigars. Here's our our little shabby-chic Saint Cecelia collection:

And speaking of the Parlor, Brad spent this past weekend sanding and varnishing it's quirky patchwork floors:


We're planning to cover the makeshift wood flooring with this rug. One of it's fabulous features is that it already looks dirty. Perfect for a household with 2 dogs (one with an unpredictable digestive system).

I LOVE HAY

Well, technically I love round hay bales. This is a hay bale in the park across the street. I really love these round hay bales.

Bathrooms are an Oasis

I LOVE a nice clean bathroom. To me, kitchens and bathrooms are the most important rooms in a house. First I'll show you my bathroom. It was a small bedroom on the second floor that we converted with the money left from our home loan. We got the rounded (1940's?) bathtub for free. Redecorating was a lot of work - thanks Mike, Matt, John and Tile Guy! I have too many "themes" going on in there - candy, crowns, game pieces, chemistry sets and "red cross" pharmaceutical items. The bathroom is where I get to fully enjoy all my LUSH products. If you haven't tried LUSH soaps and bubble bars, etc. it may be a good thing because they're so addictive. "Decadent to the point of Depravity" is how I feel about their products and the transcendental state of sensual bewitchment they draw me into. LUSH products are superlative, VERY eco-friendly and a real inspiration for my soap and perfume making. You can find LUSH here.

Brad's bathroom is downstairs and has a glassed in shower. I can't seem to take a good picture of it since it's so small. It's theme is Mexican "Day of The Dead". It was hard to get the red paint to cover the frightening flower wall paneling. One day we WILL replace the toilet - it's so sluggish.