I’m SO honored and speechless all at the same time! If you haven’t met Layla over at The Lettered Cottage, go over there and have a peek at her wonderful blog, which she just started in May. You will be immediately hooked too. I just found her recently and have read every single post she has put up. She has honored me with a special award she just created called My Blog Inspired Someone Today. That makes me SO happy!
She and her hubby have amazing style and are renovating a small cottage home just south of me in Prattville. They are doing an amazing job with it. I love all the choices they have made. Layla just quit her job and is starting her own business. YAY! I know how hard that is since I’ve been there myself. Starting a new business is daunting and I sure don’t have all the answers myself since I’m so new to it also, but I do know it’s rewarding. So Layla, I wish you the very best with your new business ventures. I just know you’ll be successful and you’ll be doing what you love!
I’m going to pass this on to a brand new blogger (since May) . I’ve just recently found her blog too and it is SO charming. I think you’ll all enjoy it too. Sarah at A Beach Cottage, has some wonderful makeovers and is a thrifter just like me, so Sarah, I pass this award on to you! Thanks for the inspiration.
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Look what happened while I was at the beach house with Mary. I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time to share this. That’s right, a huge oak tree in our backyard decided to fall down! I left on Sunday to go out of town and when I talked to my hubby that night, he told me what had happened that afternoon. We had several dead trees cut down about a month ago and thought we were safe. We did notice that this one was leaning a bit, but since it was still green, we didn’t give it much thought. Apparently, the roots were very shallow and a couple of big storms that came through recently with some great wind gusts just pulled it out of the ground.
What a mess! 
You can see how far across the driveway it went. We were very fortunate that it didn’t hit the house or a car. Our gate is demolished and we’ll have to get part of the fence repaired, but all in all, we were blessed. Hubby was at the gym when it fell, so this is what he came home to that afternoon. I missed it all and it was all cleaned up when I returned from Florida. I’m sorta happy I was gone at the time. We filed an insurance claim and it will pay part of it (removing the tree), but with the deductible, not everything. You know how that goes. I’m bummed our pretty gate got smashed and the new wood won’t look the same. Check your trees for weakness! 
You certainly were lucky there wasn’t more damage, Rhoda. My cousin’s son had this happen a couple of years ago. they have a two story house. A tree uprooted and fell onto the roof, came through the second floor and into the family room where they were sitting. No one was injured but, needless to say, the house sustained major damage. They’ve just recently moved back in, after extensive repair that took over a year to complete.
My daughter Kim’s home has a porch all across the front. A tree fell on the porch roof about three years ago. Again, lots of repair needed but no injuries. I have photos of both of these homes with trees on top!
Have a great weekend…we’re off to the lake again!
Pat
Oh, wow Rhoda, I am so glad no one was hurt. I can’t believe that tree fell while being so alive. I have not ever seen that without a storm provoking it.
Your dresser is beautiful and I can’t wait to see where you put it.
Blessings~~
Rhoda you are so sweet, thank you so much for the award, I am honoured to receive it, I am so glad (oh and amazed) that my posts inspire *you* when I’ve had so much inspiration here
that poor tree, I hate to see it uprooted, so sad like it’s life has been ripped out and of course so lucky no-one was hurt
can’t wait to see the dresser and loved the inspiration on your last post, i am going to tweak some stuff after seeing that
I am just about to switch the laptop and the light off (its bedtime here in Australia) and have a busy day of sport for the kiddos and me tomorrow so will try and blog my award, feel like I’ve got an oscar, too funny
Sarah
Thanks for the links.. they are great blogs to add to my list..
Congrats on the award!!
I’m so glad there wasn’t damage to your house or car!! Not a pretty thing to come home from vacation to, huh?!
God bless,
Sallie
p.s. of course Congratulations on your award!
Congratulations on your award, you deserve it!
That is one scary experience with the tree, good thing no one was hurt!
Have a great weekend, Bella
Isnt Layla a doll… Beautiful girl! Congrats on the award You have us hooked as well… Sorry to hear about your loss(tree). I love my oak’s. They are very huge yet very old. If they fell we would all be in trouble. Enjoy you award and Im going check out that other blog you where taking about… How did I miss that one, smile… Susie H~
Oh, how sad to lose that pretty tree…and to have all the other damage! Thank God, no one was hurt, though, and that nothing was terribly damaged.
When we moved to NC our movers listed a chest of drawers as “Chester Draws”. In my overly tired, muddled mind as I looked over the packing slips I just could not figure out WHO “Chester Draws” was…and why he had signed off on our moving info. LOL!
Rhoda,
Congratulations on your award! You are very deserving of it!
You have certainly inspired me that’s for sure…I am going to yard sales again, and have 2 little tables I will try to paint black! Maybe this weekend.
Glad you didn’t have major damage with the tree and thanks for the new links. It’s always fun to have new blogs to explore especailly ones that inspire!
Diane
I’m so glad no one and nothing was hurt. We had a limb almost the size of that tree fall onto our power line out back…it could have hit our little garage…whew!
I did hear the “chester drawers” and have heard some other cute ones too.
One of my favorites is a childs version of God Bless America where we are guided thru the night with the light from a bulb. 🙂
(())
What a blessing that you had minimal damage. I think I would have been glad to miss that, too.
Are you going to show us more pictures of your new chest? I sure hope so.
LOL, chester drawers. 🙂
I’m sorry about your tree, but thankful you live in a sturdy brick house! I can not wait to see this dresser. I have an old bedroom set (my grandma’s actually) that’s ooolllllddd Drexel. Like, before it became Drexel Heritage. I love stuff like that!
You’ve been busy~ I haven’t been by in a couple of days.
I know the storm you are talking about. I was out trying to get my umbrella’s down before they ended up in Chelsea!
You were very lucky indeed that the tree didn’t do more damage than it did! Poor tree…I’m afraid the global warming is affecting them, too…oaks are normally so long lived! I have an award for you at my place, hope you drop in and pick it up
Sandi
first- the tree was probably from the same cell that came through. We went out and driving in the neighborhood there were 9 trees down- all Bradford pears which limbs fall off of easily.
In 9th grade we had to do a writing project describing our room for writing. I thought it was chester drawers! I was living in Mobile so they all thought it was chester drawers. My teacher was a drama teacher from New York and he was having a cow at us uneducated hicks.
Thank goodness no one was hurt! Gosh, that is a big tree to just fall out of no where! We have a huge oak tree in our front yard that I have been told is over 100 years old. It “seems” strong as do all the other oaks on our property. Will keep my eyes and ears more alert … just in case.
Congratulations on your award! You have such good ideas and your presentation is such, it feels like we are right there!
Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne
Wow, I always worry about our trees. We have monsoons hear in AZ and lots of wind.
Congrats on your award. I’ll check out those blogs.
Also, we always called them chester drawers growing up. lol
Brandee 🙂
I would say that you were very lucky when the tree fell. It could have been much worse. And congrats on the new award you are a deserving person. Hope you can get you fence fixed. Have a great weekend.
Hugs;
Alaura
I love your background blog ‘wallpaper.’
The window treatments in my bedroom are the same pattern!
Your blog is so inspiring!
I had to chuckle at “chester drawers.” 🙂 I also hear people say “rod iron” instead of “wrought iron”; lots of others, too, that make me smile.
So sorry you lost the tree and gate. Glad everyone’s safe, tho. Saw the re-do for your client; fabulous, Rhoda! You make a room feel special and welcoming. So like your own sweet personality.