The pollen has been terrible for weeks now, I’m not complaining loudly because the foliage and flowers are beautiful this spring! But…we have been trying for months to get some ‘curb appeal’ done, including exterior painting. I hate to say this, but we have a grumpy painter. He’s always grumpy because he’s a perfectionist, and particularly grumpy when he is trying to paint outside. A few weeks ago, he threw up his hands, slapped his paintbrush down and said ‘I’ll be back when the blackberries start blooming !’ What? Yes, he assured me that old timers say- when the blackberries start blooming the pollen stops. I looked skeptical, so he challenged me- ‘If you don’t believe me, just joggle it’… again- What? ‘You know, on that computer of yours, look it up, joggle it’…oh right. Googled it. Never found it. Old wives’ tale I guess. We had some rain, a cold snap, then Blackberry Winter happened. I went outside and to my surprise, I found this blackberry blossom on Sunday. Monday the grumpy painter called and said he was coming to paint. He wasn’t as grumpy, and he never stays grouchy very long because I cook lunch for him! Anyway, I am going to give you a sneak peak at the finish he’s been putting on our front door. I wanted a high gloss finish, the first round of painting wasn’t glossy enough. I ‘joggled it’ and found a clear polyurethane paint to add as a final coat. The painter says we still have one more coat to go, but very soon we will show you the finished front door. 
The paint is dry, and after that one last coat- the gloss will look clean and shiny. I think we’re going to love it. Another upgrade that was badly needed- painting the urns which stand on either side of the door. Again I ‘joggled it’… I was going to paint them and I knew exactly what I wanted to use-blackboard paint. That’s right, there is no risk using blackboard paint- it will cover everything, including exterior urns, planters and even statuary- regardless of the material- metal, wrought iron, concrete or synthetic like these urns. Blackboard paint has a matte finish that looks wonderful and the best thing is- it is so durable even in exterior applications. Well, let me show you what condition the urns were in before, and now that they’re painted.
You’ll have to wait until we get them planted up to get the full effect. This is just a sneak peak. Now, I can’t let you go without showing you what we used…
Go ‘joggle’ it for yourself, um I mean ‘google it’ -Rustoleum Chalkboard paint. We love black- but you will be surprised at the array of colors that chalkboards can be this day and time. Meanwhile, I wish those blackberries would hurry up! Makes me hungry for a blackberry cobbler!
Love y’all, Camellia
Rust-oleum Blackboard Paint http://amzn.to/1NAtuv1
Old Wives’ Tales http://amzn.to/1NAtuv1
Exterior urns and statuary projects http://amzn.to/1SSiVET
Blackberries http://amzn.to/1NAtQSd
Exterior Painting http://amzn.to/20VOXWV
Alabama Public Television has been offering up some wonderful programming for many years. I was late findin’ out about Downton Abbey but truly loved the seasons I did watch. In the meantime, I began watching other programming such as ‘Mr. Selfridge’, ‘Home Fires’, and ‘Call the Midwife’ . They have become such a breath of fresh air in television programming, such anticipated Sunday night favorites, that I researched ‘Mr. Selfridge’, bought the book ‘Jambusters’ which inspired the series- ‘Home Fires’ and loved author Jennifer Worth’s ‘Call the Midwife’ so much I ordered the series of 3 memoirs and they are page turners! The setting is in England for all of these dramas but ‘Call the Midwife’ is set in the late ’50s, early ’60s and I can remember many of the medical discoveries, the fears of infectious diseases and for sure can recall that in rural Alabama there was a lack of adequate medical care. I’ve known people who were delivered at home and heard of the high infant mortality rates . The music and clothes, the makeup and hairstyles are amazingly accurate in ‘Call the Midwife ‘ as well. You won’t read many television reviews here but these are worth checking out. We are long time supporters of public television and radio, with programming that just gets better all the time. ‘Call the Midwife’ does have mature subject matter simply because it’s about ‘birthin’ babies but even that is expertly filmed in a discreet manner. And if you’re looking for a few good reads I can highly recommend Jennifer Worth’s memoirs . Also the DVDs for the others are highly popular. Support public broadcasting, a national treasure! tell me what PBS programming y’all like!
This is my grandmother, Betty Jo Sparks Holmes, standing by a fence in Alabama with her small son and her young brother. This photograph was taken in the late 1920’s. She was a working woman beginning in the late 50’s – because her husband and her son were disabled. For almost 20 years she rode a bus to downtown Birmingham to work as a florist. She could squeeze a dollar harder than anyone I have ever known and get more out of it too! She was passionate about her work, her home and her family; always making sure her home was clean and beautiful and that there was something on the table that was fit to eat. To this day some of the best food I have ever eaten, the best meals I make, came from MiMi. I still use her recipes and methods to make good food for my family or for pretty tea sandwiches –
I even grocery shop with her advice filling my head! No one ever left her home hungry; she was immensely talented and seriously funny. She believed in the old ways of putting out fresh tea towels, using the good silver often and being grateful enough to write a thank you note or compassionate enough to write a sympathy card. And she continued to do these things whether her pocketbook was full or not. This week, in her honor and in honor of other amazing women I know- I hand painted a ‘spring collection’ of notecards with cute little handbags.
Camellia's Cottage 