tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77764139916902884412024-03-18T16:18:27.943-06:00White Spray PaintA home decor, gardening, and lifestyle blog all created with great flea market finds and a love of the simple things in life.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.comBlogger1008125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-42723718635896603762020-09-03T19:11:00.005-06:002020-09-03T19:14:33.189-06:00I Do Love A House Dress I think when I was deciding how to best be comfortable in the house, I may have time traveled. As in BACK in time. For household lounging,working, or slinging, I am not a fan of girded up athletic wear, tight jeans and a tucked in top, pajamas or coordinated around the house outfits. I am a fan of the house dress.This is something about me that is widely known.When my Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-2055803134920283092020-08-23T16:50:00.000-06:002020-08-23T16:50:47.566-06:00Things That Are Making a Difference Here are a few things that are making a difference in my day to day living.They make perfect sense to me in context.This is not a lofty list of daily goals.I wouldn't like them if they were, and besides...nobody's got time for that. If not for the current state of affairs, I don't know that I would have discovered/rediscovered these things, but I am sure glad I did. I am Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-68144007504546279422020-08-10T18:46:00.001-06:002020-08-11T04:59:24.994-06:00Dear Daughters: August 2020
Dear Daughters:
First, may I say that you are the kind of people/thinkers I would want on a sinking ship. You inherently know what I was taught as a child growing up on a ranch in South Texas which is:
watch for snakes.
Due to our current health crisis, you are all facing work and career challenges.
You do not need my advice .
Our world seems to have Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-78926133238624650712018-11-16T16:00:00.001-07:002021-11-21T08:44:45.572-07:00A Turkey Tale
Source
Does anyone else have turkey cooking memories from years past?
I do.
At this point you may be thinking 'of course you do Laura'.
I began my early marriage cooking history thinking that someone else older and turkey wiser than I would always take care of the turkey.
I helped in the kitchen of course, and I contributed some sort of side or dessert, but I was not in charge , and itLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-16696695678421755562018-11-12T12:30:00.001-07:002018-11-12T12:30:20.654-07:00Finding Delight in Simple Things
The motto at Saint Mary's Hall- the girls' boarding school in San Antonio I attended for four years and graduated from was
Teach Us to Delight in Simple Things.
That was and never has been a hard concept for me to grasp.
I think it was in my DNA when I was born.
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-72479260237994967102018-10-11T04:30:00.000-06:002018-11-08T06:36:55.007-07:00Fall at Casa Golondrina
Welcome to the Fall in Love With Texas Blog Tour and welcome to our home Casa Golondrina.
Fall has arrived here in El Paso.
This is our second fall season in our home after living here almost 15 months.
What is this second fall season teaching us?
That fall has and always will be about family, friends near and far, good food and good football, and comfort.
This is a comfortable Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-32550146596799385422018-10-10T05:00:00.000-06:002018-11-06T18:58:13.128-07:00Blue and White Fall Tablescape and Ten on the Tenth
Welcome to October's Ten on the Tenth, where our theme this month is all about fall.
Fall is that perfect time of year to use what you have and to keep things simple.
There is nothing I enjoy more than opening up my cabinets (where I store my dishes and other treasures) and putting together a special tablescape or vignette.
I rarely have a plan.
It is almost like looking through family Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-47509954366041589282018-10-05T10:29:00.000-06:002018-11-06T18:59:15.703-07:00Fall Kitchen Favorites
This past summer I added some new kitchen items to my everyday cooking routine, and I think you will enjoy them too.
We are about to hit the holiday cooking season, and these simple, inexpensive solutions can truly make life easier.
-One-
Dollar Tree Place Mats
I now use plastic Dollar Tree place mats to line my kitchen drawers, and to protect the glass shelves in our new Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-16096813886614148552018-10-01T20:10:00.000-06:002018-10-01T20:10:09.861-06:00Things About Reading I Never Thought I Would Admit
(My newly collected Mexican cookbooks)
First of all, I can't write a post about reading without saying how we as bloggers/readers are all blessed by Katie's book and movie reviews on her wonderful blog,Preppy Empty Nester.
Aside from the fact that I am usually laughing and have a grin on my face throughout her posts, her comments are always spot on.
Katie's reviews combine 3 of Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-5194397134837129202018-09-17T20:35:00.000-06:002018-11-06T18:55:11.770-07:00Dear Daughters: Do You Have An Aretha In Your Life?
Dear Daughters,
Do you have an Aretha in your life?
Oh my goodness, I hope so.
You
cannot travel through life without a voice, a song, or a beat that
grabs you so fiercely whenever you hear it (regardless of your age), you have to move.
It is that soundtrack playing in the background, while growing up, that will play in your heart forever.
Somehow that sound connects us to ourLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-71563080407740071412018-09-10T04:00:00.000-06:002018-11-07T12:21:35.077-07:00Kindness From My Garden
I am blessed to say that I have been on the receiving end of acts of kindness too numerous to count.
That blessing, that forever humbles me, and the theme for September's Ten on the Tenth, Random Acts of Kindness, has caused me to really think about what this means.
More importantly, what does it look like when I am the giver and not the receiver of such acts?
Here is what I think:)
I Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-26656495512181844042018-05-10T03:50:00.000-06:002018-05-13T06:13:59.130-06:00Flea Market Fashion
One of my greatest joys at the flea market is when I find jewelry and accessories.
It is important to say at this point that I am never looking for anything specific.
For me, it is about the thrill of the hunt, the fresh air, the low prices, the smiling people, and a really cold diet coke.
It is about pulling my cantankerous cart, wearing one of my favorite hats, and wearing my flip flops.
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-5879368617606564392018-05-01T18:32:00.001-06:002018-05-10T09:29:17.141-06:00Twenty Years In
Today I coined a garden expression that describes how I have recently felt.
Some days I want a garden here in El Paso that is
‘20 years in’.
You know what I mean, right?
How simple it would be if this garden had roses established just waiting for me, blooming riotously just to prove their place in our new domain- as if to say,
“Hey Lady, what are you going to do about it?”
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-1598025622774379242018-04-10T04:00:00.000-06:002018-05-10T09:29:47.718-06:00Container Gardening
Would it surprise you to learn that container gardening has a different meaning for me?
For me it is all about finding a unique container I already have, and the story that goes with it.
For the stone retablo in our front courtyard, I pulled purple verbena which was growing wildly in our back yard and 'planted' its roots in a small opening at the retablo base.
Why? Because on an El Paso Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-84720337492545360992018-04-06T09:16:00.001-06:002018-11-10T16:40:45.874-07:00Dear Daughters: Embracing Your Inner Off Trend Decor Self :)
Dear Daughters,
It takes a certain creative courage to embrace and design what you love in a home when it is not the trend of the day.
(Hang in there with me and please stop rolling your eyes. We have NOT talked about this before.)
Maybe it is because I have had more experience doing this, or because Nonnie did it everyday in her home, or because I know you have this inclination too.
WeLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-24773260454245530192018-02-27T14:00:00.001-07:002018-05-10T09:30:16.982-06:00Rose Panic
Roses From My Garden
There is so much to learn about rose gardening.
I feel so often that I am making it up as I go along, and I have so many questions, even though my roses previously grew and bloomed in spite of me.
I wish I could talk to my Grandmother Mills.
She grew all of her plants from cuttings and in coffee cans, and everything grew.
I went Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-2473279568995915482018-02-10T04:00:00.000-07:002018-02-27T14:51:26.158-07:00Zinnias and Ten on the Tenth
I have written often here at White Spray Paint about my love of zinnias and the connection they create to my farming heritage and my father,
my wonderful friends and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds, and to who I am.
If I may be so bold, I want that for YOU.
To that end, below is a simple, direct invitation in honor of our (Ten on the Tenth celebration today) printed here Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-50112408299108293732018-02-04T11:08:00.001-07:002018-02-04T15:57:44.690-07:00Daybook Side by Side: Super Bowl Sunday 2013 and Super Bowl Sunday 2018
(Join me in looking at two Super Bowl Sundays.)
Outside My Window : Super Bowl Sunday 2013…
Mercy. I have so much to do to get the yard ready for spring, and I am running late.
Note: This is the point where I like to act like the farmer’s daughter that I am and I act like- feel like there is a sense of urgency. As in I need to get my crop in the Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-90860986045372052202018-01-10T03:30:00.000-07:002018-01-10T18:07:18.174-07:00Be Bold
Welcome to Ten on the Tenth!
In honor of Valentine’s Day 2018, which is right around the corner, a group of bloggers have come together, as we do each month, to offer inspiration.
With that in mind,
let’s talk about
Being Bold!
**********
I have very distinct memories of various Valentine’s Days from years past.
I will always treasure one in particular,
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-80755797506285982842018-01-04T08:44:00.001-07:002018-01-04T08:44:20.376-07:00If We Were Having Coffee: My Word For The Year and Blogging Casa Gondrina at Christmas 2017 If we were having coffee, and after we discussed whether or not our Christmas decorations were boxed away, I would tell you about something I learned recently, how it impacts my ‘word’ for the year, and a few thoughts on blogging. For a few months, I have been following the Blogging Over Breakfast Facebook live posts of Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-570129678199529072018-01-01T07:19:00.001-07:002018-01-01T07:47:36.812-07:00Starting 2018 Differently
Photos from my 2017 Instagram feed
Happy New Year Friends!
I know we are all catching our breath from
our holiday celebrations, but before you fully move into 2018, I would like to
suggest an idea.
The turning of our yearly calendar usually
inspires us to look ahead at what we need to do or change in 2018.
What if instead, we did things
differently?
I have, and here is whyLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-89193170906655852652017-12-14T04:38:00.001-07:002017-12-14T04:38:53.976-07:00Zinnias in the Snow This story begins with a conversation that took place in early September of this year, when I called the El Paso County Extension office. I needed to talk to a master gardener. You see I was in a bit of a panic. I couldn’t imagine making my gardening way through 2017 without having zinnias. It may seem hard to understand, but it was the last bridge too far in a year of monumental Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-4870339401444480862017-12-07T04:00:00.000-07:002018-04-06T09:21:12.465-06:00Christmas at Casa Golondrina
It's beginning to look like Christmas at Casa Golondrina-
our new home in El Paso.
Earlier this month, as I emptied crates of Christmas treasures from their home in the garage, I rediscovered old and new friends , as I do each year.
They each have a history and tell a story of sorts creating their own Christmas tour.
Here are their stories:)
Each of the three gold tin Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-68120644130247962692017-11-10T04:30:00.000-07:002017-11-14T18:46:35.480-07:00Special Christmas Gift Giving
For many years, I have used a method of gathering together a few select Christmas gifts to share with friends old and new.
There is nothing comparable to giving something to a friend that was part of my life.
I have been a thrifter and explorer for a very long time- as was my mother and now my girls- and so these treasures from my special collections are perfect to share with a Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7776413991690288441.post-61892572630271501252017-10-10T04:00:00.000-06:002018-11-10T16:42:16.755-07:00Simple Fall Decorating Tips
Fall for me is that easier, no strings attached time of year that is simply about cooler weather, college football, and setting out some of my favorite fall treasures.
It is about family and comfort and food and enjoying the appeal these treasures bring to our home.
To create that appeal, here are a few of my tried and true seasonal decorating tips that have always served me Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11497969475360535424noreply@blogger.com16