Tablescape Thursday Cancelled & Tell Me Your Wedding Tales!

Tablescape Thursday Cancelled:
Announcement:  For the first time in the history of Tablescape Thursday, I need to cancel our party for this week.  If you have a post ready or already posted to your blog, please do link that post next week when we should be back in business.

The reason for the cancellation is due to work that needs to be done tomorrow morning to move BNOTP to its new WordPress home.  My web developer/designer has been hard at work moving over 900+ posts and almost 58,000 comments to the new BNOTP WordPress blog.  She ran into complications due to my hosting company using a different version of PHP, and it wasn't compatible with the import from Blogger.  To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what that means, but the incompatibility has caused the move to take much longer than expected.

For a while it looked like I might lose over 30,000 comments.  Yikes!
Click HERE to continue reading...

A Beautiful Wedding & Celebration

My son Chip, married his beautiful sweetheart, Nancy, on Sunday!  I know I don't often share family pictures on BNOTP but since so many folks emailed or left comments before the wedding requesting to see some, I'm sharing a few today.

Chip and Nancy chose the historic Chapel on the campus of the University of Georgia as the location for their wedding.  They met here at UGA so this place holds lots of beautiful memories for them.

A couple of photos of the Chapel from UGA's website:

I arrived early the day of the rehearsal and snapped a couple of pics inside.

The Chapel was built in 1832 and as you walk across the wonderful old floors, they creak and moan with history.  It's just the neatest sound and it transported me back to my college days at Mercer in Macon.

The 17' x 23' oil painting shown here in the Chapel, depicts the "Interior of St. Peter's Rome" per the UGA website about the painting and restoration.  It was completed in 1847 by George Cooke.  It looks much better in person...looks washed out in my photos.

Here's the bride-to-be discussing some details with her wedding planner.  Nancy made the dress she wore to the rehearsal and it was absolutely gorgeous.  She also made the red sash and all the flowers/decorations adorning it.  That girl can sew!
Click HERE to continue reading...

Just Jump! Welcome to the 174th Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I'm excited today to introduce you to KariAnne who blogs at the beautiful blog, Thistlewood Farms.  A while back KariAnne and her family went through a big metamorphosis and her story is inspiring, as well as beautiful.  Enjoy!

Hello, Between Naps On the Porch readers!  I am so excited to be visiting here today.  My name is KariAnne and I blog over at Thistlewood Farms.

And I want to introduce you to my porch.  And my little hopes and dreams.  Have you ever had a dream?  Something that you thought was unattainable, out-of-reach, pie-in-the-sky.  A dream that you put away on a shelf and took out only when life was at its most overwhelming. A dream that you never thought in your wildest imaginings would ever come true. And when life twists and turns as it must and you are tossed and tumbled….emerging a little rough around the edges….that dream is all you have to sustain you.

Click HERE to continue reading...

A Secret Garden Tablescape: Welcome to the 195th Tablescape Thursday!

Wow, what a week!  This is turning out to be one of the busiest and most exciting weeks I've had in a while.  My son and his sweetheart were here last night.  We're all in wedding mode since the big day is just 4 days away.  After dinner out we came back home and stayed up late into the night talking.  I miss them terribly and love it when they are here visiting.

As if preparing for a wedding in four days isn't enough, BNOTP is also moving to WordPress sometime in the next few days.  With all that's been going on, I didn't get a chance to create a new table setting this week but I do have a sweet garden tablescape to share.  It's one I spotted on a spring home and garden tour this year.

This house below wasn't on the tour but I just had to capture a few pics of it while on the tour. Isn't it wonderfully romantic with the ivy growing up the front?

The garden was in bloom and it was stunning!

Click HERE to continue reading...

Between Naps on the Porch is Moving!

Have you ever looked forward to something and dreaded it at the same time?  Mixed feelings, yep I definitely have mixed feelings today.  Between Naps on the Porch is moving...moving to Word Press.

(Image from Google Images, Pinterest and a bunch more places)

If everything goes as planned, you'll hardly notice a thing.  If you read BNOTP via an RSS feeder or email, you should still receive it without any issues.  If you read online, you'll automatically be routed to BNOTP's new home.  The move should take place sometime in the next few days.

As with any move, there will be some "unpacking" time.  But shortly you'll find a much more organized, better designed BNOTP when you visit.  There will be category headers with drop-down menus which will allow you to quickly find the information or post you seek.

It will take me a little while to get all those posts tagged and in place under the categories and there will be a slight delay due to a special wedding that's scheduled this Sunday :) but hopefully I'll get those categories filled in quickly.  I'm trying to be optimistic about that part.  I see some late nights ahead of me.

Why is Between Naps on the Porch moving?
Well, there are lots of little reasons but the main reasons are:
1. When you blog on the Blogger platform, you're blogging for free.  You're using Blogger's resources.  Some folks say you don't really own your blog, although Blogger says that isn't true.  But what is true is if at some point Blogger's system mistakenly thinks BNOTP is a spam type blog, it can make it disappear.

The thought of losing 3 1/2 years worth of work is unthinkable.  I've heard of it happening and I know many of you know someone who has had it happen to them.  Blogger does have some options for trying to get your blog back if it's deleted in error, or so I've read.  I just don't want to have to worry about possibly having to deal with this one day.

2.  Blogger has made lots and lots of really great improvements in the Blogger platform over the past year or so.  They've added threaded comments and they've improved SEO by letting us title and add alt tags to our photos.  But, Blogger templates are still very limited.

A Word Press blog can be designed however you wish.  There are talented designers out there working every day to create new "plug-ins" for WP blogs.  Plug-ins are sort of like gadgets in Blogger or apps for the iPad.  They let you add cool functionality to your blog.

What are the negatives of moving?  Well, you have to pay hosting fees and as your blog grows, those can really ad up.  If something breaks, you're on your own or you have to find someone who can fix it.   You're also responsible for keeping everything updated so your blog stays protected and functioning.

Another negative (but not really) is the horizontal pictures you see here at BNOTP are going to be a little smaller.  This shouldn't really be a problem, though, because anytime you're reading any blog or site and you want to see bigger pictures, simply hit Ctrl + on your keyboard a couple of times.  Hit the + button as many times as you like while holding down the Ctrl button and you can make those pictures as large as you want.  You can make them fill up your whole screen, if you like.

Once you hit Ctrl +, all the pictures in the post will be equally large.  Once you're done reading a post, hit Ctrl - a few times to take things back to normal.  It will no longer be necessary to scroll from left to right to see the BNOTP sidebar after the move.

Tablescape Thursday:
I hope to have Tablescape Thursday up tomorrow morning, but if it's running behind, I know you'll understand. Timing is a bit rough for this change since my son is getting married on Sunday.  Lots going on around here.  I still need to find a pair of shoes that are comfortable and I need to pick up a few more things to get ready for the big day.

Thanks for being patient during the transition.  You'll have a new and improved BNOTP once all the dust settles!

Shout, A Must-Have for My Laundry Room

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to share how the stain remover Shout® works at removing tough stains.  I've been using Shout® for many years.  It's a staple in my laundry room.  You may remember it was one of the products I mentioned back in early February in a post titled, "20 Things I Can't Live Without."

The good folks at Shout® sent a bottle of Shout® Trigger my way for me to try.  I already had some on hand (mine is on the right) but I'm thrilled to have another bottle since I use it almost every time I wash a load of clothes.

This spring I've been doing a lot of container gardening out on the porch and decks.

Click HERE to continue reading...

IKEA Expedit: Sneaking a Peek Inside

So many wonderful Before and Afters were shared for yesterday's Met Monday!  I haven't made my way through all of them yet, but I the ones I have visited were fabulous!

Yesterday I shared an update in the office...new buffalo check curtains.  Thanks so much for all your wonderful, much appreciated  comments on that post!  You made my day!

IKEA Expedit:

Today I thought I'd take you into the office closet and give you a peek into how I'm using the IKEA Expedit I WILLED into that closet a while back.  I say "willed" because I still can't believe I actually got it in there!  I think Houdini would have been impressed. :)

You may remember the closet looked like this prior to its renovation.  Am I really showing you this picture???  Embarrassing!   Magazines and catalogs were on the floor along with, left over paint and painting equipment from when I painted the office.  Miscellaneous camera boxes, trash bags and printer paper were tossed onto the only shelf in this non-functioning, inefficient closet.  I so badly wanted to use an Expedit unit from IKEA in this space but the Expedit was pretty much the exact same size as the closet with only 3/4 of an inch to spare!

But I pulled a Samantha, wiggled my nose Bewitched style and made it work.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Buffalo Check Curtains for the Office: Welcome to 174th Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  Hope your weekend was great!  I'm really excited about a change I made recently here in the office.  Did you guess what it was from the hint I left a few days ago?

Not long after I moved into this house twenty+ years ago, I purchased plantation shutters for all the windows.  In hindsight, that was one of the best purchases I've ever made for my home.  If you're interested in knowing more about plantation shutters and what features are important when shopping for shutters, check out this previous post:  Plantation Shutters.

I've really enjoyed having shutters here in the office, especially during the winter months when the leaves fall from the trees and privacy is more of an issue.   In the evening, I usually just close the lower louvers unless it's really cold outside.  Then I close them all.

It takes me a long time to finish/decorate a room.  I sometimes wonder if this blog should be called "The Accidental Decorator" because it seems like the rooms in my home evolve through lots of happy little accidents.
Click HERE to continue reading...

So, How About Now?

Recently, I asked your advice in choosing which size file organizer to use here in the office.  Thanks so much to everyone who voted in the poll running on that previous post.

You may remember from that post, a day or two after buying this 2-file organizer below, I stopped by another Marshalls...
Click HERE to continue reading...

Dining on the Daylight Train: Welcome to 194th Tablescape Thursday!

Greetings my tablescape loving friends!  For this week's Tablescape Thursday, I'm sharing some of the wonderful settings linked for last's weeks party.  Each time I do this, it is always so hard choosing which ones to feature because they are all so wonderful!  This week was no different.   Here's a small sampling of just some of the beautiful tablescapes I enjoyed viewing last week.

I love trains!  When I'm stuck waiting at a railroad crossing, I always roll down the window to hear the sounds and the power of the train as it passes by...such a thrill!  Have you ever wondered what dining on a train would be like?  In honor of National Train Day, So Many Tables shares some wonderful memories of dining while traveling on a train .

A table in honor of Mother's Day...Home is Where the Boat Is
Click HERE to continue reading...

The Secret to Clean, Shiny Windows: Fish Foam Giveaway

Update:  Winners Announced:
Thanks to all who entered the Fish Foam Giveaway.  Using the InLinkz Random Number Generator, it selected the following winners:

Congrats to Edith, Doreen and Jeanie A.!  Please send your full name/address to me at betweennapsontheporchatgmaildotcom and I'll forward that on to Fish Foam so they can get your product out to you.   Thanks for Fish Foam for a great giveaway!


This past winter Fish Foam sponsored a giveaway here on BNOTP and I shared the stunning Before and After pictures of how Fish Foam worked on my windows.

I didn't think my windows were that dirty but since Fish Foam sent me a can to try, I decided to clean my dining room windows to just see how it worked.   I was in for a big surprise!

Here's how they looked prior to cleaning with Fish Foam.

I noticed a few streaks/smears like the one visible below, but overall I thought the windows looked pretty clean.

I sprayed some Fish Foam on several panes and really liked how it stayed put and didn't run down onto the sash or the window sill like so many window cleaners do.

Next, I just wiped down the panes.  I was shocked at the difference in how they looked. Wow!  I had no idea my windows were so dirty.  I'm not sure what's in Fish Foam, but whatever it is, it works!   You don't have to scrub and there's no stinky ammonia to take your breath away.

 Clean, shiny and streak free!

If you love clean windows but would rather leave the cleaning to the experts, Fish Window Cleaning will do the job for you.  Visit Fish Window Cleaning and enter your zip code in the box on the left side bar to find the location that's closest to your home.

So, here's the side by side comparison of my window...and to think I thought my windows were clean before!  Amazing how much light is able to come through without that hazy film of grime on the window panes.  I never realized how much dirty window panes block out the light.

Need a little help with your spring cleaning?  To order Fish Foam, just click on the Fish Foam logo below and it will take you to their site where you can order.

Giveaway from Fish Foam:  3 Winners!

Fish Foam is sponsoring another great Giveaway for BNOTP readers!  They are giving away a 3-pack set of Fish Foam to three (3) BNOTP readers.

How to Enter: 

1. Just leave a comment on this post to be entered.  If your comment will show as "anonymous," please be sure to leave your name/email in the comment so you can be reached if you should win.  (As always, you do not have to be a blogger or have a blog to participate.)

2. For a second chance to win, "LIKE" Fish Foam on Facebook, HERE.

3. For a third entry, "Follow" Fish Foam on Twitter,  HERE.

4. For additional entries, share this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.   Feel free to use the share buttons below for an easy way to share this giveaway.

*Important:  Be sure to leave a comment for each entry since I'll be using the Inlinkz Random Number Generator to select the three winners.

Please Note:  Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is limited to residents of the contiguous United States.   Product will ship via UPS.  Giveaway ends Monday,  May 21st at midnight.

Best of luck to everyone!

Seashell Crafts for Your Nautical Beach House Decor

I'm convinced seashells are just about the most fun, least expensive decorating accessory you'll ever find for the summer house.  Recently, I was shopping in Marshalls and came across this glass container for just $5.99.  I loved the natural woven design surrounding it, especially its nice, aged "drift-wood" look.

I had some inexpensive shells from Big Lots ($3) and decided to embellish it just a bit.  I barely used any of the shells...lots left over for another seashell craft some day.

This was a fun little project to do while watching Mapp and Lucia on Netflix.  Have you ever seen that old series?  I got hooked and watched both seasons.  I had to watch to see what ensemble Georgie would wear next.  That man has style!  He dressed better than the women in the show.  Ha!

To add a little seashell embellishment to our container, I snipped off about 4-5 inches of some 3-ply jute yarn purchased from Hobby Lobby for this previous seashell bottle craft.  I separated out the three strands since I wanted my jute thread nice and skinny.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Update on the Historic Tyson-Stedham Home Restoration in Adel, Georgia: Welcome to 173rd Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!   Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Several folks have been asking over the past few months for an update on the restoration process of the historic Tyson-Stedham home in Adel, Georgia.   If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you may remember this old home was in pretty bad shape when Dustin, of Van de Fleet Designs and Restoration, first began work on the 1912 Arts and Crafts bungalow.  (You'll find links to all the pasts posts following this restoration from the start at the end of this post.)

Here's how this home looked before Dustin began the restoration.  It had been sadly neglected over the years and was in rough shape with peeling paint, mis-guided additions, and multiple roof-overs.

I can't take you inside just yet because the home may be featured in some publications in the near future.  Once that takes place, I'll be able to share the interior restoration.  For today, we'll just check out the final exterior views, including the pretty landscaping.

Dustin chose an historic color pallet for the trim, siding and shutters.  The home has a new roof, new paint, and new porch restorations, front and the back.
Click HERE to continue reading...

The New iPad, My Favorite Apps & the Brahmin iPad Bag

Well I did it.  I bought my very first ever, Apple product.  The Apple computer couldn't lure me over.  The iPhone didn't pull me in.  But when we bought our son an iPad for Christmas and the following day helped him shop for a cover, I came down with a serious case of iPad fever.  I did consider some of the  other notebooks/android tablets available on the market, but the cellular plans for those seemed high and I read more Apps have been created for the iPad than for the android systems.  I'm sure that is changing every day, though.

Too many choices can sometimes be a bear and Apple gives you 6 choices with the iPad, 7 if you count color.  After deciding on white, and the storage size (32 GB) I still had to decide whether I wanted it to have just WiFi capabilitly or WiFi + Cellular.

I totally didn't think I needed cellular service on an iPad since I figured I'd just use it here in the house where I have wireless Internet service.  But since it didn't cost that terribly much more for the Wifi + Cellular iPad, I went with that model for the rare times I travel or go on vacation.  Little did I know how much I would be using that feature.
Click HERE to continue reading...

A Mother's Day Celebration: Welcome to the 193rd Tablescape Thursday!

This Sunday is Mother's Day.  In honor of this special occasion, I've put together a table setting using  very special table "linens."  My Mom crocheted this luncheon set back in 1956 while she awaited my arrival.

Here's a photo of my Mom (and me) around the time she would have completed this set. Unfortunately, I never really got to know my Mom very well since she became ill when I was still small.  She never really recovered and passed away when I was a senior in college.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Springtime Means Porch Time: Answers to Your Most FAQs

Now that spring has arrived and I'm using and posting more about the porch and decks, I've been getting a good many questions about the porch lately regarding its construction and furniture, so today I'm posting some of the most frequently asked questions along with three new pics of the porch during construction.

Hope you find this information helpful...here goes.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Kimberly Queen: The Shed-free Fern

Thanks so much for all your input yesterday!  So far, the tall file organizer seems to be leading in the voting.  You all made so many great points about the pros/cons for both the short and the tall.   It is tempting to keep them both as so many folks suggested.

This week I've been working on spiffying up the porch a bit more for spring and summer.  I just discovered a plant I didn't know about before and I immediately knew I had to share it with you in case you were looking for a non-messy fern, too.

Every summer I like to place a big fern on the plant stand that lives behind the chair over there in the corner of the porch.  In this photo from a few summers ago, I filled the corner with a big, bushy Boston fern.  I loved how it looked but man, what a mess it did make.  I kept it watered and periodically placed it in a semi-shady spot on the deck for some sun, but it still dropped leaves all summer and in general made a big mess.  After a while it just didn't look so hot, either.

This year while shopping in a local nursery, I asked for a plant or fern that would work better for this corner.  They recommended a Kimberly Queen fern.  Have you heard of it?   I was told they don't shed and make a mess like Boston ferns do.  Apparently, they hold onto their leaves.  (It's raining here today so these pics are a bit dark.)  Come check Queen Kimberly out.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Short or Tall...Please Help Me Choose! Welcome to 172nd Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings this fine springtime day!  Hope your Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby weekend was fabulous!  Last week for Metamorphosis Monday, I shared a wee Before and After in my office/craft room.  I removed the TV I never watched from behind the lamp and added a great little file organizer.

Here's a close up of the organizer.  You know how sometimes you buy something to better organize your life, but then you find you don't use it?  Well, this isn't one of those things.  I'm using it daily and it has really helped keep paper clutter off of my desk.  If I make a phone call and I'm on hold, I grab the "to file" folder and file while I wait.
Click HERE to continue reading...

Dining on the Balcony, Table Setting with Lomonosov Porcelain: Welcome to the 192nd Tablescape Thursday!

For this Tablescape Thursday, we'll be dining on my friend, Cornelia's beautiful balcony in Switzerland.

The view is wonderful from here!

Cornelia, please tell us all about the china you've chosen for this beautiful table setting here on the balcony.  Cornelia shared, "The theme is mainly based on the predominating porcelain, the Russian Lomonosov Porcelain.  Lomonosov Porcelain Factory was founded in 1744 and changed its name to Imperial Porcelain Factory after the Cold War."
Click HERE to continue reading...

The Summer House

A little beach themed vignette...

It's time to celebrate summer!
Click HERE to continue reading...