Moose Head and Moose Antlers… What’s HOT now!!

On April 12, 2012December 9, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

White Lacquer Moose Head – Image: Z Gallerie

Have you noticed how hot MOOSE HEADS are becoming? I thought about this for above the fireplace… dark brown walls with a white lacquer moose head, how sharp would that be…? If we didn’t have so much wonderful art I would truly consider it! How about for your home? Is there somewhere a moose head could make a major statement??

Moose Antlers by Restoration Hardware (Image)

Restoration Hardware has some fabulous moose antlers in cast resin. They use antlers that were naturally shed to cast in resin. Great in a library, hmmmm??

Image: Diggs

Carved Wood Moose Head from Diggs… it’s a little pricier, but should be… it’s hand carved wood…

Image: Here

Oooh, and this one takes “night light” to a new level… The “Moo light” Moo Wall Lamp by Trond Svendgard & Ove Rogne

Iron Stag, Restoration Hardware

And one more by Restoration Hardware… this Iron Stag makes quite the statement doesn’t it?

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Downton Abbey… addictive!

On April 10, 2012April 1, 2012 By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

Downton Abbey – Series 1

Well, we’re finally getting with it… we started watching Downton Abbey – Series 1 last night. I wasn’t sure about this… I had reservations… IT. WAS. AWESOME. To see how the very wealthy live is quite interesting… can you imagine having such a large staff just for you and your family? The trials and tribulations, the way the workers treat each other (poor Bates!), the way the family treats each other AND the workers… it’s encapsulating… you just can’t stop watching! Rent it, borrow it from the library, get it from Netflix, just watch it! You don’t want to miss out! Here’s a little blip from the PBS website:

The Downton Abbey estate stands a splendid example of confidence and mettle, its family enduring for generations and its staff a well-oiled machine of propriety. But change is afoot at Downton — change far surpassing the new electric lights and telephone. A crisis of inheritance threatens to displace the resident Crawley family, in spite of the best efforts of the noble and compassionate Earl, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville, Miss Austen Regrets); his American heiress wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his comically implacable, opinionated mother, Violet (Maggie Smith, David Copperfield); and his beautiful, eldest daughter, Mary, intent on charting her own course. Reluctantly, the family is forced to welcome its heir apparent, the self-made and proudly modern Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), himself none too happy about the new arrangements. As Matthew’s bristly relationship with Mary begins to crackle with electricity, hope for the future of Downton’s dynasty takes shape. But when petty jealousies and ambitions grow among the family and the staff, scheming and secrets — both delicious and dangerous — threaten to derail the scramble to preserve Downton Abbey. Created and written by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), Downton Abbey offers a spot-on portrait of a vanishing way of life.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Photo: Charleston Farmers Market – Starts TODAY!

On April 7, 2012April 3, 2012 By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

In case you missed my post yesterday… THE CHARLESTON (SC) FARMERS MARKET STARTS TODAY in Marion Square! WOOT WOOT! Open from 8AM until 2PM… head on down and load up! It’s going to be a big time!

Hope to see you there! Catch you back here tomorrow!

The Charleston Farmers Market starts TOMORROW! Saturday, April 7, 2012!

On April 6, 2012April 3, 2012 By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HOMELeave a comment

Yippee! Tomorrow (Saturday) starts the Charleston Farmers Market. Located in Marion Square each Saturday from 8AM – 2PM. (Image from last year). I am thrilled! The market will go on through December. There is NOTHING like fresh fruits and vegetables, gorgeous flowers, tasty treats, and all kinds of artistic finds… we are so fortunate to have such a fabulous farmers market!

Last year we were listed as having the fifth best farmers market in the NATION! Whoa! Here’s a blip from the Charleston Arts website:

Charleston Farmers Market

April 7 – December 23, 2012
Marion Square, Downtown Charleston

The Charleston Farmers Market is available each Saturday from 8am-2pm in the beautiful Marion Square, between King and Meeting Streets at the edge of Calhoun Street in the Upper King Street Design District. The park at Marion Square has long been the center of festive activities and is the perfect tranquil setting for the Farmers Market. Nestled beneath beautiful trees with plenty of room for families to gather and children to play, the Farmers Market comes to life each Saturday morning and offers an abundance of the freshest local produce, shrimp, plants, herbs and cut flowers. While strolling the Charleston Farmers Market, a delicious breakfast, brunch or lunches are available while listening to a variety of live entertainment. The Farmers Market also offers an amazing assortment of juried arts and crafts, providing the best selection and most talented local artisans.

Catch you back here tomorrow! Maybe I’ll see you at the Farmers Market?

See… it IS possible… it CAN be good!

On April 5, 2012December 9, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS6 Comments

Look at this happy couple… this is Fred’s parents, Bobbie and Carlisle Stroud. Today my friends… is their 55th wedding anniversary. So you see, it IS possible to be married for a lot of years and still be happy! IT IS possible that life can be good when married to the same person for a number of years. We wish them the happiest anniversary day ever!

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

~Marcel Proust

Catch you back here tomorrow!

It’s here… the Restoration catalog, NOW with one devoted to small spaces!

On April 4, 2012December 23, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn HOME2 Comments

Last year when the massive Restoration Hardware catalog was delivered I slowly devoured it. Dreaming of each and every piece… but W A I T ! Your home is your castle, right? BUT if you’re home isn’t LITERALLY a castle most of these pieces simply will not fit! This year I’m happy to report there is the big Restoration catalog that is such a pleasure to browse through, as well as a catalog devoted to the Outdoors… and now… one for small spaces, WOHOO Restoration Hardware! Each and every piece is classy without a doubt. These catalogs can easily double as coffee table books!

What?! You didn’t receive a catalog?? If interested, simply click HERE to be directed to Restoration Hardware’s catalog request page!

Here are a few pieces from their “Small Spaces” catalog… just a few… if I added every one that I truly adored you would be scrolling for hours! Here is the LINK to the Small Spaces catalog on their website…

Here’s a blip from their catalog… it’s gorgeous!

I like these pieces and I really like the French Partner’s Desk (top left)… gorgeous! Great job Restoration!

This bed looks too comfy, makes you want to jump right in… I would use a great piece of art instead, but that’s me… lovely!

Ok, check them out and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Get your ticket for Family Circle Cup Tennis… March 31 through April 8, 2012!

On April 3, 2012January 8, 2014 By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

Family Circle Cup Tennis… [Image 2011]

Well… if you haven’t made your way out to a Family Circle Cup Tennis match yet, now’s your chance… I was on the Family Circle Cup website today and I see that Serena Williams will be playing tonight! Here’s a blip from FamilyCircleCup.com

Session begins at 7:00pm.
Get your tickets today – great seats are going fast! Ticketmaster.com

Serena Williams, 2008 Cup Champion, with highligh the Tuesday, April 2nd evening session, beginning at 7:00pm
*Serena will face the winner of the Elena Vesnina / Stephanie Dubois match to be played tomorrow.

We went last year and had a great time, so if you’re looking for something to do, get your tickets now, it’s fun! There is a great tent full of merchandise to purchase as well as vendors set up all over the place. It’s a lot of fun even if you don’t know a lot about tennis!

Visit their website for further details!

Here’s the history on Family Circle Cup tennis… check it out (info from FamilyCircleCup.com) – catch you back here tomorrow!

History – A Shining Star in Women’s Tennis
The early 70’s were a period of uncertainty for women’s tennis but at the same time it was also a time of hope for young women who had dreams of playing professional sports. They wanted their sport to grow and earn the recognition, equality and respect that their male counterparts were enjoying. The sport needed a company who believed in the future of women’s tennis and was willing to take a chance on what many people at the time thought was a long shot. Family Circle magazine stepped up to the challenge and the rest as they say is history, and history in the making it was.

From a historical perspective, few tournaments can compare to the Family Circle Cup. Initially signing on to sponsor the event in 1973, Family Circle magazine holds the record in all of professional tennis as the longest running event sponsored by the same company. Family Circle was the first women’s magazine to fully underwrite a professional women’s sporting event. Since 1973, the Family Circle Cup has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports creating milestones that over the years have directly influenced the popularity of women’s professional tennis. It is a tournament rich in tradition that has been highlighted over the past 39 years with a number of outstanding accomplishments.

In 1973, it was the first women’s tennis event to offer a $100,000 dollars in prize money. As the first Family Circle Cup champion, Rosie Casals received a check for $30,000, which was the largest prize money payout awarded to a woman that year. Even more remarkably, the Family Circle Cup was the first women’s event to be broadcast on network television in 1973. Players who participated in that first tournament still have fond memories of the significance of this occasion. Billie Jean King remarked that the final between Rosie Casals and Nancy Richey was not the best played match due to the nervousness of both players, but every player there that day knew that it was a historic day in women’s sports. Millions of viewers became instant fans, and women’s tennis was well on its way to the heights that the game has reached in present times. Today, the tournament receives four days of coverage on ESPN2, and is also broadcast on Eurosport to over 95 million homes in Europe.

In 2001, the Family Circle Cup made a bold move to secure its success for the future. After 28 years in Hilton Head, the tournament moved to a new home in Charleston, South Carolina. This partnership between the City of Charleston and Family Circle magazine is the first of its kind in women’s tennis. Family Circle magazine is the first title sponsor to partner with city and county municipalities to build a tennis facility of this stature. This state-of-the-art facility not only serves as the home for one of the Premier Events in the WTA, but also provides residents of greater Charleston access to one of the finest tennis facilities in the southeast.

Every spring, the City of Charleston and Daniel Island serves as a backdrop to one of the richest and most traditional events in women’s professional tennis. The Family Circle Cup, a WTA Premier Event, has a roster of past champions that include some of the biggest names in the history of women’s tennis including Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki.

As one of the hottest tickets in professional sports, the Family Circle Cup is more than just a tennis tournament, it’s a festival with some world-class tennis thrown in. During the week, fans are entertained with a variety of activities aimed at making their week on Daniel Island a memorable one. It’s an action packed nine days filled with high-level tennis and a host of other activities that have been created for all age groups from children to senior citizens.

The Family Circle Cup, one of the most traditional events in women’s tennis, will continue to cement itself as an annual institution in Charleston, a city that is truly one of America’s most historic treasures.

The Family Circle Cup boasts a prize money purse of $749,160. Over ninety players compete for a piece of that purse each year and battle for one of the most coveted trophies in women’s tennis – when that is at stake, it is all business on the court.

Where most sporting events settle for status quo, the Cup continues to strive for excellence. The future of women’s professional tennis is as bright as ever, and the Family Circle Cup will continue to be its shining star.

Photo: Palms on Sunday…

On April 1, 2012January 8, 2014 By Barbara StroudIn HOME1 Comment

I happen to love these palms that pop up in our backyard, they’re very tropical… and a perfect photo for Palm Sunday…

Enjoy your day! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Dogwoods blooming in Charleston, SC…

On March 31, 2012December 13, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn HOME3 Comments

I’ve heard this story and I think it’s so interesting! {Source info here}

Many Christians consider the flowering dogwood’s showy cross-like inflorescences (“flowers”) to be religious symbols, due to their four white petal-like bracts bearing red dots on their tips; these trees are often in flower during the springtime Easter season in the Northern Hemisphere. Christian tradition claims the dogwood as the tree used to make the cross on which Jesus was crucified, and further, that dogwoods grew taller and broader until the 1st Century AD, making them suitable for use as crosses. In response to Jesus’s death on one, God permanently stunted the growth of the dogwood species to prevent them ever again being used for the same purpose. Today, very few dogwood specimens would provide sufficient wood to manufacture a cross by the primitive means of the 1st Century AD.

Ok, so I couldn’t decide which photo to use, so here’s another one… from our tree in the front yard… and the last one… love the Spanish moss! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Kingsley Bate teak furniture… ahhh lovely!

On March 29, 2012March 26, 2012 By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

Years ago my husband surprised me for my birthday with Kingsley Bate teak furniture for the backyard. It’s gorgeous, comfortable and will most likely outlast us! It’s so comfortable that we’ve moved two of the chairs into our sunroom and had slipcovers made. Depending how much time we spend outside, we may move them back outside… I love the above photo (Images: Kingsley Bate website). The comfy chairs I’m telling you about are in the Nantucket Deep Seating section… we also have the sofa, which is perfect for taking an afternoon siesta outside:

Another piece that is so beautiful is the Lutyens bench, it’s gorgeous at the end of the pool (it’s where ours is as well). If you get a chance, check it out, they have a great website!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Cooper River Bridge Run… March 31, 2012. Inspiration and Registration… (& Bridge Run RESULTS!)

On March 27, 2012April 1, 2012 By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Bridge Run 2011 {Image}

Hello again… Here’s an update to this post… the bridge run is over… click HERE to get the results. It’s a searchable site, so you don’t have to scroll through 43,00+++++++ names! Just click whether you want to see the wheelchair results or the Searchable site to check results… Great job everyone!

Yes. The March 31, 2012 Bridge Run in Charleston, SC IS. SOLD. OUT. Well… almost… you still have a chance for a ticket, but it’ll cost you! The flip side of that is that it’s for a good cause… the money goes to charity. This year they capped the regular registration at 43,000 people (good grief that’s a lot of people!), it sold out 23 days before the race (according to an article in the Post and Courier). I went to the Bridge Run’s website and indeed they have sold out, BUT for $150 (that you can raise for a charity) you can buy a Charity Connection Registration (mail/fax or in person only). There is a cap on the number of Charity Connection Registrations, it’s set at 1200! So it’s still possible to participate! From the BridgeRun.com website… this is the info on the Charity Connection Registration:

Charity Connection

Along with registration, the Bridge Run offers participants the opportunity to help raise money for 12 charities. It can be scary choosing a charity to donate to. In this economy, every dollar counts. You want to be sure your hard earned donations are going to the cause described, and not squandered. The bridge run has done the research for you. We’ve found, among many, 12 well deserving charities. Along with the larger, more reputable non-profits, we’ve found other smaller less exposed ones, that also, need and deserve your help. Just one dollar can make a difference! What do you get with your donation, large or small? Each participant who donates to one of our charities receives an additional, specialized bib, showing your support, of a good cause. Here’s how… click HERE for a list of charities, visit the Bridge Run website for details…

Now, you can leverage your run to raise money via crowdrise. It’s super easy to join and all the money you raise will contribute the charity.
Choose your donation amount with regular registration. Register online or via paper registration, for $30 (before 2/01/12) and donate any amount from $1 up. You may also donate separate amounts to multiple charities. For example, you may choose to donate $1 to charity x, and $20 to charity y.
Register through a specific charity, for $150, set fee. When donating $150 or more to the Charity of your choice you will not only get the delight of making an impact, but you will also receive a specialized Cooper River Bridge Run Charity Bib, free entry into the Race, and free packet mailing before 2/23/12.

There was another article in the Post and Courier (newspaper) that told an inspirational story of two men who lost weight the hard way. Exercise and healthy eating. It’s a must read, if that won’t get you off your duff nothing will! These two guys are doing the bridge run… Clinton Terrill who started at 500 pounds and is now down to 238 (and still dropping) and Bryan Ganey who started at 577 pounds and is at 287 and still dropping… KUDOS TO YOU GUYS! If nothing else the bridge and the bridge run inspires people to M O V E! You’ve got to admire hard work!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Photos: Time to act crazy with the sprinkler!

On March 24, 2012March 19, 2012 By Barbara StroudIn HOME8 Comments

Well, it’s that time of year A L R E A D Y ! Time to play in the sprinkler… Time to get hosed off after your morning walk because it’s so warm… Crazy weather. Am hoping it doesn’t get any warmer (yeah, right!). It seems that everyone has weird weather right now. For most of us we simply cannot complain. It’s beautiful!

Ahhh, show those teeth Charlie! The beast gets a little crazy when he gets wet!

Ok, it’s time to calm down… time to go run laps I N S I D E the house… ahhhh… happy weekend!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Photo: Azalea’s in Charleston… Happy Spring!

On March 20, 2012December 9, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

H A P P Y S P R I N G ! Can you believe it’s SPRING already?? Time flies… I mean it’s whizzing by at such a pace I can barely believe it… Maybe because it’s been like spring in Charleston most of the winter. It still comes as a shock that today is the first day of spring, or should I say… one season closer to summer, ahhh! Like those of you in cool climates dread winter, I dread summer… here’s hoping that this will be an unusually cool summer (woohoo! That hasn’t happened since 1989 when I moved here, but winter has never been so mild either, so… there’s hope)!

It’s a beautiful time here in Charleston, everything is blooming. It seems that everyone has azaleas, and the street is lined in pink blooms. Very pretty indeed!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A gas lantern… like eye candy for your house!

On March 13, 2012December 9, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn HOME2 Comments

Shortly after Christmas Fred received his gift… a Charleston gas lantern… and let me tell you. This lantern is gorgeous. We absolutely love it. This has been on our list for years, but the installation kept us from actually buying the lantern. Probably 5-7 years ago we seriously contemplated this, but the guy who came out to give us a quote for installation was a) expensive, very expensive b) didn’t seem too trustworthy c) didn’t seem like he would try his best to make it right. We went back to Carolina Lanterns in December and got the name of an installation guy (if you’re in the Charleston area, call Tony Burke with Myers Heating and Air, he’s the “gas guy”… phone 843-364-3379, cannot recommend him highly enough!). Tony came out, explained how he was going to install the gas line, and he did the best job possible. Nice guy, reliable, can’t say enough… and the lantern. Whoa! It really makes the house look nice! We bought “the Charleston” lantern, we had our eyes on a smaller one, but Tony recommended the larger one, he said it would really make a statement. He seemed as excited as we were which was really cool. He took before and after pictures. A very exciting day!

Sometimes your house just needs the smallest thing to give it more curb appeal… sometimes just sweeping, and maybe a pretty potted plant or two? The trend now seems to be a different color front door which I really like, I’ve seen some in the neighborhood that I love, the interesting greens, etc… and the brighter wilder colors not so much… but that’s a little thing that makes a big difference! What do YOU do to brighten up your house?? It’s that time of year (well, in Charleston it’s been “that time of year” most of the winter). Catch you back here tomorrow!