I LOVE Better Homes & Gardens

I have gotten hooked on bhg.com. I have loved the magazine for years, but I have recently gotten hooked on the website as well. They send emails with great ideas every day. I totally love their garden plans. I was playing around on the sight, getting decorating ideas when I stumbled upon the photo above. I love this room. Like really love it. Like, love it so much that I am going to make it happen in my new house. The window placement matches my house's layout. Of course, I will put my own personal touch to it, but I love the window treatments and use of color. I love red, so this is totally the room for me. I have so much work ahead, but it will totally be a labor of love. I can't wait to get started. This is going to be so much fun!

This has been kind of an emotionally hard day. Today was my dear friend's memorial service. It was beautiful. My friend had been a POW so there was a beautiful letter from former President Bush and Laura Bush, honoring him. Our Congressman was also there and other dignitaries. There was even a flyover of two F-14 jets. I was able to see a lot of old friends that I have not seen in years, too. The service was so beautiful, but I was teary eyed, and trying not to break out into a noisy cry. I truly feel that I am a better person for having had such an amazing example of integrity, compassion and friendship. My friend was a true blue, stick by you in thick and thin, loyal friend. I know that our paths will cross again, but I still can not process that he is not of this world anymore. I truly miss him, and know that I must honor his memory by helping to support his wife, who I dearly love, in the hard days ahead. I cried my eyes out when I got home and had one of those ugly headaches from holding it in for so long.

I spent the afternoon trying to pull it together and could not seem to do anything that felt right. I decided one way to feel calm and feel better would be to treat myself to a pedicure, so I trotted off to the mall in the late afternoon. I have not had a pedi in a few months, so it was a nice treat. I picked out the deepest red with sparklies in it. It made me feel a bit better. That and a really super healthy salmon dinner. Liesl got to have the salmon skin so she was super happy and gave her momma extra kisses tonight. (But she did have fish breath...)

I knew that today was going to be rough, so I had planned for a nice quiet evening at home. I have stitched this evening, and reflected on the wonderful years that I have gotten to spend with all of my friends. I am also glad that I have friends who understand how precious and fragile life is. We all tell each other that we love each other, and always share how important the friendship we share is. I am really blessed.