Do You Know VRBO?

You guys know that we've just been on our summer vacation, and today I wanted to share a handy website that I've used a couple of times in planning our trips. Have you heard of  Vacation Rentals by Owner? It's a site where you can search privately owned properties when looking for a great place to stay. With some of the listings, you deal directly with the owner, but the majority are run by management companies. Sometimes you may be staying in a personal residence that is being rented out, or it may be a company-owned property. We have used  VRBO twice in the last few years, and always check it out when we're headed somewhere new that we're not familiar with. The first time we booked with VRBO was on our 15 th Anniversary trip to New York City. We decided the general area of town we wanted to stay in, and then searched for nearby listings. We were able to stay in a flat in a neighborhood near Times Square. It was a 1 bedroom with bat......

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New Orleans Homes

  We have returned from vacation...through 6 states and back in 8 days! Whew! Longer road trips are getting to be more fun now that the kids are getting older. The dvd and ipods help, too, although we frequently turned everything off and said “Look around, we don't get to see this stuff every day!” And, we discovered that a boogie board makes a great lap desk for playing cards or Farkle in the car! In my  last post I shared some highlights from New Orleans, but I couldn't move on without showing you some of the lovely homes that I saw. We didn't go to any special area in particular, I just photographed wherever we happened to be the homes that caught my eye for one reason or another. I'll just add a few comments here and there and let you enjoy the home tour!      This was one of my favorites.  We really liked the brick,  the fence, and the fabulous big front porch.   I'm not sure what this building was for, but it......

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Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore! {New Orleans Trip Report}

We've been away for our summer vacation.  It's a two in one this year. This week has been the annual nation meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, which has been held in New Orleans this year.  In the past, Ray and I have always attended by ourselves, but now that the kids are older we're using it for an opportunity to travel together to some different cities. Today I'm sharing a few sights around town, as well as some suggestions of places to visit.  We tried to make budget and kid-friendly entertainment choices, as well as experiencing some of the rich history that New Orleans has to offer.   Riverwalk- There is a giant mall that runs beside the river that provides a nice break from the elements outside.  In addition, there is a trail that runs alongside the river for quite a ways that is a great spot for strolling, recreation, restaurants, snack stands, or just pausing to watch the boats coming and going.  Periodically a cruise shi......

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Cane Wingbacks Update

Thank you all for your sweet comments after my last post.  You all are so encouraging and it's nice to know you'll hang around even if I'm slowing down a bit for the summer.  But, I couldn't stay away for long! It's been a few months since I've posted about my chairs for the dining room.  And for good reason...NO progress!  I've still been undecided on the fabric, so I've just waited.  But, things are close to coming together.  My friend Pam at Simple Details and I are in the same boat working on our dining room chairs, and she threw out some fabric options last week which encouraged me to follow suit. Back in January I showed you  several black and white options I was considering, and was planning to paint the frame black.  Well, here are my thoughts now. I'm painting the frame gold, and I can't wait.  I just about abandoned the black and white fabric idea because I feel like I'm getting too much of that combo everywhere else,......

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