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SOCIAL MEDIA

Sheri @ Red Rose Alley wants me to answer these questions.  Normally I don't do this type of thing, but since Sheri asked, I'm participating!  ;P


Get it?  A Red Rose "tag"  hahahaha


1.   Where were you born?

Birmingham, Alabama


2.   Were you named after someone?

Yes.  My mother's sorority sister, Rickey Harvey.


3.   If you have children, how many?

Yep, two daughters!


4.   How many pets do you have?

One very naughty Westie!


5.   What is the worst injury you've ever had?

Broken toe


6.   Do you have any special talents?

hmmmm....IDK.....I'm more of a Jill of all trades and a master at nothing.....


7.   What is your favorite thing to bake?

Nestle Toll House cookies


8.   What is your favorite fast food?

Hamburger Heaven


9.   What is the first thing you notice about people?

Their skin, and, no....I'm not racist.  I'm weird about skin, especially sun damage (maybe because I live in the South).  Smiles are a close second.


10.   When was the last time you cried?

It takes quite a lot to make me cry.  I usually cry when I'm really mad.  It's been a long time!


11.   Do you have any current worries?

No.  Worrying is bad juju.


12.   Name three drinks you drink regularly.

hot tea, especially Earl Grey;  breve lattes;  almond milk


13.   What is your favorite book?

I *heart* so many books.....
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is way up there.


14.   Would you like to be a pirate?

No, but I'd like to be a fairy!


15.   What are your favorite smells?

coffee,  pumpkin pie,  honeysuckle,  vanilla,  strawberries,  sandalwood, and patchouli


16.   Why do you blog?

I blog now for completely different reasons than when I started.  Now I blog because I enjoy the bloggy friendships!


17.   What is your least favorite thing about yourself?

I'm not telling!


18.   Do you have a favorite hobby?

Reading and painting


19.   What do you look for in a friend?

Kindness, loyalty, and a willingness to tolerate me!


20.   Name something you've done that you never expected to do.

Seriously consider homeschooling my youngest daughter


21.   What are your favorite things to do?

Spending time with my family at Lake Martin;  painting with friends at the Red Dot Gallery;  reading fiction, especially historical fiction


22.   Do you have any pet peeves?

Too many to list here, but mainly inconsiderate, entitled people


23.   What is the last thing that made you laugh?

I was laughing at myself during Pilates class today


Enough about me.  If you want to play along, go for it!  I'll read all your answers  ;P

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Q & A

Thursday, February 28, 2013



I was so happy to receive the most lovely package from my swap partner Cerise @ Craft Cherry.  She really did learn so much about me through my blog, and I truly appreciate her taking the time to put together all these lovely surprises for me!  :D

Look at the pretty box my prezzies came in:


Seriously, you have to admit that it looks just like me!  



I even like the tissue paper she used!



I love the mug.  It exactly matches our new chair cushions!
LOVE the chocolates, too!
The dish towels are definitely my colors.  So cute!



I do take honey in some teas, and I've never had one of these little tea bag holders before!


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These teas look fantastic, and I love the variety!




Another look at all my surprises!  


Thanks so, so much Cerise!
Thank-you, Beth and Miss Angie, for hosting!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Sweethearts Swap


from Southern Living

When I saw this cute little spring centerpiece, I just had to smile and share! You can find the instructions for making the little marshmallow and Milano cookie lambs here.

I like the grass, too!  

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Wit & Whimsy: Spring Centerpiece

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

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{no. 1} Where is your favorite place to go on vacation, and if you could choose any place to go where would you go?



My favorite place to go on vacation is Bachelor Gulch, Colorado.



I want to go to Inverness, Scotland.


{no. 2} What is your favorite hobby?



Painting is my favorite hobby.


{no. 3} When you need to get out of the house, what do you do?



I usually go to the book store or the library!  :D


{no. 4} What is your go to date night idea?

Date night?  What's that?  :/
We usually go to dinner.  The best dates are on Lake Martin.

We actually have a date to go to a concert Saturday night!  :D

We are going to see:


The White Animals



{no. 5} Do you have any tattoos, if so what of and where?  {BONUS} If you have a photo and don't mind showing us, feel free!

LOL Heck-to-the-NO!  If I can't commit to a hair color, I certainly don't need a tattoo....WAY to permanent!  I would get sick of it.


Join Kenzie and Scriptor for We Want to Know Wednesday!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill
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Spring is almost here, and I can't wait!  One reason I love spring is *flowers*  :D

My Happy List

1.   Have any of you tried Drew Barrymore's new make-up line Flower?  It's available at WalMart, and I love the products I've tried so far.  LOVE the lipstick, eye shadow, and blush. Shelley likes the nail polish, too.  The make-up is highly pigmented (which I love) so a little goes a long way!  Gorgeous and affordable make-up makes this mama of two girls very happy!



I tried the blush shown on the right and I *heart* it.



2.   Sweet Emily sent me this pretty Valentine's Day card.  It is *so* me. Thoughtful friends make me so, so happy!!!



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3.   I love it when Mr. Art @ Home reads my blog and follows instructions  ;P Here are my Valentine's Day flowers:



Pinkilicous flowers make me so happy!  ;P



4.   Speaking of pinkilicious, some of you thought I wouldn't do it.  Some of you thought I didn't have it in me, that I wasn't crazy bold enough to do it, but I did it.  Yep!  I painted our kitchen island ballet slipper pink! 


Distressed walnut breakfast bar




Viatera Cortina countertops

Pink makes me happy!


5.   SO HAPPY to almost have the kitchen completely *done*  {more later}




What's making you happy this week?  Link-up and share your *happy*

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

My Happy List: All About *flowers*

Tuesday, February 26, 2013



Congratulations on your Oscar win, Anne Hathaway!



I first recognized Anne's talent while watching Ella Enchanted at the theater with my daughters.  There's a scene in the movie where Ella, cursed to obey all commands, is ordered to sing and dance for a group of giants.  Ella sings Queen's "I Need Somebody to Love."  This isn't an easy song to perform by any means, and Anne Hathaway nailed it.



Anne Hathaway singing "I Need Somebody to Love"
from Ella Enchanted


Did you watch the Oscars?  I didn't because I got so tired of ABC's non-stop promotions....every show had Oscar-themed content for over a week.  Thank goodness that's over!  It was overkill in my opinion, and it truly turned me off!  However, I'm happy for Anne and the other winners. Congratulations!

What have you been listening to lately?

Join Musical Mondays!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Musical Monday: I Need Somebody to Love and Congratulations to Anne Hathaway!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Good Monday Morning!  Or is it a "typical" Monday morning?  :/

Our sink wasn't connected properly, so it needs to be fixed.  I can't really function in the kitchen at all without the use of the sink, so I'm way off schedule getting our kitchen done.  The first item on my agenda today?  Call a plumber!!!

I'm taking a blog break until next Monday, February 25th.  I've disabled comments, but I hope to visit a few of you this week if I get the opportunity.


I can't wait to have full use of our kitchen!
This is from my Kitchen Inspirations board on Pinterest.


Have a great week!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Taking a Blog Break

Monday, February 18, 2013

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity helped me during the planning process of our kitchen counter re-do.  Her white kitchen series was so much fun, and I want to share with you the images that I loved best.  Please refer to Grace's posts for all sources.  Links will be provided at the end of this post :D



I love the open shelving in this kitchen, the windows that almost reach the counters, and the butcher block countertops. 



This limestone floor is almost the color of ours.  I like the white countertops with the limestone floor.



I would love a pink Smeg fridge.  :D



The chartreuse in this white kitchen is fun.



I love this pink island and walnut countertop.  :D  I'm getting some ideas.....  ;P



Why not a curved bar instead of a squared-off one?



More open shelving, aqua paint, robin's egg blue paint, and butcher block countertop....so pretty!



Our kitchen island is configured just like this one: breakfast bar is bumped-up, and our cooktop is down below.  This bar is curved, also.


Grace's kitchen is pretty inspiring, too.  She painted her base cabinets and installed a beadboard backsplash.  


I love the slate blue of the base cabinets.  It reminds me of Alabama bluestone, and folks use that quite a bit here along with slate in their kitchens.  If I had that type of flooring, I'd paint my island and/or base cabinets this shade of blue.


Since Grace's kitchen is u-shaped, she doesn't have an island.  I really like her open shelving at the end of her peninsula and above her counter.  Our installers measured to see if shelving would fit at either end of our island, but there wasn't enough room.  


LOVE these shelves.  I also think it's smart to have access to the cabinets from the kitchen and the dining room.  Very convenient!



Grace's open-concept dining room is to the left of these shelves.
I love the back of her shelves, and she posted a tutorial on how to make it.



Here, Grace decorated her shelves for Christmas.  She accessorizes for every season.  I love that!



Dining room and kitchen decorated for autumn

Grace's home is very personal, and her posts are as unique as she is.  I've learned so much from reading her blog!  You can tour Grace's home here.

Her white kitchen posts can be read here, here, and here.

I'll be spending the next week working on our kitchen.  There is dust everywhere, and I have to wash everything in it.  *but*  It's so worth it to have our counters repaired.

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Grace's Fantastic Kitchen Posts

Sunday, February 17, 2013

For the next week or so, I'll be posting about kitchens.  One of my favorite kitchens in blogland is Donna's adorable cottage kitchen @ An Anglo in Quebec.  If I could plan a kitchen from scratch it would look very similar to Donna's.

Donna has an open concept cottage, and her kitchen is directly open to the living room and dining room.  What I love about her kitchen is that it's organized into zones: There's a work island, a cleaning zone with the sink and dishwasher, a cooking zone, and a pantry/laundry area.

Let's take a look-see:


I love the Edison lights!  :D



The pantry area
Don't you just love the skirt?  It hides the washer and dryer.  I think every laundry room should have a window.
Her floors are pretty, too.



The prep island



The clean-up area
Two elements I love in this kitchen: the subway tiles and the ceiling!



I like the countertops, too!
That funky little hood just keeps growing on me.  



Another view of the pantry



The powder room is located opposite the yellow-striped skirt in the pantry.




The barn-style door slides for privacy.


Tomorrow I'll feature another Canadian blogger's kitchen.  I seem to really like the kitchens in Canada for some reason!  :/

Please visit Donna here and tell her "Hi!"

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Donna's Cute Cottage Kitchen

Saturday, February 16, 2013


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I confess.....

I confess that I have a new addiction:  Angry Birds Star Wars.  *sighs*  I played that game the whole way to New Orleans.  I'm hooked.  I admit it.  


I confess.....

I confess that I am a recovering magazine addict.  Yep!  But I'm doing *much* better now.  For one thing, I don't have as much time to read them like I used to, and the costs have gone way up.  So now I only have three subscriptions, and one was a gift, so I'm only actually paying for two.  :D  One magazine I subscribed to for over twenty years I know longer take because it just isn't as good as it used to be.  This one's my favorite:



I confess.....

I confess that I have my work cut out for me the next several days. Everything in my kitchen must be washed.  everything.  There is a fine coat of dust all.  Over.  Everything.  But I confess that although I haven't had the best attitude about it, I'm trying hard to focus on the positive: Our countertops are *fixed*  SQUEE!!!  :D



We chose the distressed black walnut countertop for our breakfast bar from Heirloom Countertops in Atlanta via The Home depot.

I confess.....

I confess that I must stay away from the Heirloom Book Co. sale @ One King's Lane! Seriously, I could get into so much trouble!  :/


Now this is a great library!  Love how light and bright it is!


The workers were here past dinner time, so I'm late to the party.  :/
What do you have to confess?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Friday Confessional for 2~15~13

Friday, February 15, 2013


Hello!

I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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