Monday Social #33

Welcome to Monday Social #33. 

Judith at Botanic Bleu  || Instagram || Facebook || Pinterest || Botanic Bleu ||
Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles || Instagram || Facebook || Pinterest || Let's Add Sprinkles ||

Eilis at My Heart Lives Here  || Instagram || Pinterest || My Heart Lives Here || 

Monday Social

is a social gathering of friends where we connect with others by visiting them 

on 

Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or a Blog.  

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The hostess this week is 

Eilis from My Heart Lives Here

This week I shared the centerpieces from a recent party at our house

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Judith at Botanic Bleu shared great sources for the look of French garden chairs.

Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles shared how she used guitar straps for handbags.

Now for this week's features:

Sarah at Hycinth for the Soul shared her lovely glass basket vases on Pinterest. 

My Kentucky Living shared happy memories of her grandfather's farm on Instagram.

Cecilia at My Thriftstore Addiction shared a wonderful birthday celebration for her mom.

Jeanie at The Marmelade Gypsy shared her fun visit to Southern Exposure.  Look at the goodies she got to make and take.

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Party Directions

Come as you are.
In your cocktail dress, boot-scooting boots, or your jammies, but
remember your party manners, and do the following, please.

We would love for you to FOLLOW all your hostesses on their blogs at least one way ... 

Bloglovin', email subscription, URL, Google Friend Connect, Google+, etc...

And FOLLOW each hostess on at least one social medium.
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest

Please read how to be a good guest before linking to the party. 

1] Link a maximum of 5 photos that take party goers to Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or a Blog. 
    Share home decor, DIY, recipes, inspirational thoughts... whatever is going on in your world.   

2] You do NOT have to write a blog to link up photos to Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook.
     Isn't this great? More people can join the gathering. Just grab the web address and link away.

3] Monday Social attendees visit sites linked to the party and socialize ... 
    Suggested ways for mixing and mingling ...

• Instagram - comment on a photo or Regram another person's Instagram ...
• Facebook - comment on a post or share a post on Facebook back to your Facebook site ...
• Pinterest - re-Pin another person's Pin on Pinterest...
• Blog - comment on another person's Blog...
• Make a regular connection with a site that inspired you by following the site.

4] No direct links to linky parties or advertising including Etsy shops.

5] By joining the party, you are agreeing that the photos are yours or that you have permission to use them, that we may use those photos to feature your work on a blog post and/or in social media. The blog post will always have a link back to you. Remember to disable "no reply" to your email so we can reach you.

6] Not required, but we would love for everyone to invite their readers to join the party and to share the Monday Social button on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Blog sites.

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Need help linking to the party? See Monday Social Linky that explains how to link up Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Blog photos.

Please keep in mind that Pinterest and Instagram photos must be your own to be featured.

Link Away! 

An InLinkz Link-up

The Handbag "Guitar" Strap Trend

If you have been around a while, you may remember that I also collect purses or "pocket books" as my mom used to say.  

Except when she said pocket book it always sounded like "pocka book" 

When did that term fall out of fashion?
Better yet, why was it ever in fashion?

I noticed a cute trend on YouTube. 

I also saw it at Nordstrom. 

Because this is a trend, I didn't want to spend very much. 

The ones on eBay were coming from China.
I didn't want to wait for them to get here so I decided to pop into my local handbag importer. 

This company started in Dallas years ago. but they have since expanded. 

My brother worked for them back in the day when they did silk florals. 

Now they have purses, belts, jewelry, clothes and other accessories and even clothes. 

They had the guitar straps right by the front door.
"Well done!"

 I got them home and started trying them on with my different handbags. 

The straps were too long.

I was so overwhelmed with buyer's remorse that I fell asleep in the chair.
It's shocking how quickly I can doze off once I sit down. 

I'm trying to hone my napping skills so I can be like Aunt Louine when I grow up. 

At 98 she had perfected her sleeping in the chair abilities.

After my 40 winks, I knew what to do. 

I would cut up my brand new straps. 

I carefully took off the faux leather tabs with a seam ripper. 

Six inches needed to be cut off. 

My New Home sewing machine is a work horse. It will sew leather with the appropriate needles. 

If it could sew leather, the pleather would be a no problem. 

The warm tone strap looks darling with my black Perlina leather satchel.
This is perfect since this bag was missing the strap when I bought it.
It was a clearance item at Nordstrom Rack. 

This strap also offers a cute contrast with my Louis Vuitton Delightful.

What a cute trend!
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Katie 

Some Recent Pictures

Sometimes I am out of words so I thought I'd share some recent pictures from our 34th anniversary weekend.

Iconic Dallas waterfall billboard

Shopping at Weirs

Cocktail ottomans.

We've ordered this one but in all brown.

Shopping for a media cabinet.

Is it blue or is it black?

We love it.
The cocktail ottoman is being made in Texarkana. It will take about three more weeks.

We finished the weekend with dinner at our favorite place.

Yummy Gold Brick dessert.

It was the best weekend.
For both of us the week felt more like this.

TGIF!
Katie 

Our Grass Woes

I don't mean to brag but I have the cutest garden and flower beds.

Look at my sweet little wren.

The deck is darling.

My green house. Oh my!

I adore my garden ornaments.

I struggle with the perennials but they do put on a good show every now and then.

The grass has been a constant battle.
The grass looked great before we moved in 23 years ago.
It's looked terrible since then.

There were several spots in the front and in the back that were completely dead.
I think it is where the roofers threw shingles off of the roof in November.

It all looked okay by the end of the fall.
I raked five times to make sure leaves weren't sitting on the grass.
I'm still bitter about it. (Kidding - not kidding.)
 Every year it feels like we are starting over.
Things looked very bleak at the start of the spring.

Our lawn guy moved to Houston so I put out an all call for a new one.

Don't be fooled by the green. That is not grass. It's weeds.

The great Crepe Myrtle Massacre.

We have a tendency to rock any area that has refused to grow grass.
If we add anymore stones, it will look like we live in the desert.
I wanted to re-sod again. This would be the 4th or 5th time.
The new lawn guy came to assess the atrocity.
He literally laughed at our back yard. We have hit a new low.
He recommended an aggressive treatment of something to treat a fungus and some weed and feed.
We had been doing all organic. Clearly it was not working so he has fired us from caring for our own lawn.
We cannot be trusted.

After a month, things are starting to regrow.
An area that was St. Augustine is coming in with Bermuda.

It's progress.

I will keep you updated on this riveting saga.
Do you have grass woes?
Katie