What a day!

Hello, everyone,

I hope you all have power and are warm with the chilly winter weather we're having now. It was sufficiently discouraging to keep me home all day, deeply involved in that horrible experience known as c-c-c-c-c-cleaning. Really more organizing but still bad enough that I'm tired. I spent most of the day working to straighten up and streamline the large closet in our living room all the seasonal and holiday decoration is kept in before stuffing the Christmas stuff out of sight. It was quite a challenge, but is better now, if not perfect. Around midday after stopping for lunch I took a break long enough to fix a display on the dining room buffet. It is an experiment in having live plants in the house. That's never worked out before, because the cats eat them, but this time they're in the terrarium, so perhaps there is a better chance of them escaping the terrible moggie munchers. What do you think? 

Here it is empty. I lined the bottom with broken terra cotta tiles left on the street near our house when a box fell off a truck. Then three succulents from the front area came inside, so now we have:

The one in the blue pot is too tall to shut the top. 

You can see the tiles in this picture.

A little touch of green in the midst of winter is never a bad thing, after all. 

Farewell, Christmas; hello, January. Time will tell if these plants will survive indoors. It's doubtful, but hey, it's a new year; let's embrace new possibilities, right? 

Have a great weekend,

Michele

Thursday, partly Wednesday

Hello, Friends,

My computer decided to be more cooperative today, so here's a tail end from Wednesday:

My favorite piece is still the tiny little miniature cookie cutter in the shape of a cat, less than 1/2 inch tall.

Meanwhile, today at the Sand Dollar I found one of those portable, over the sink shelves. We had one already, but it wouldn't fit over the fixtures here. This is much taller and does. Here it is:

Since there is no window by the sink, it's nice to not have to stare at the bare wall anymore. That left space on the windowsill, so some of my beloved plaid and other thermos bottles were relocated there. 

The blue swirled striped one is a recent $2 find at the Assistance League. They are probably better over there. On top of the fridge Mr. B tended to knock them down regularly. That's all that's been accomplished around here lately. Good luck with your January projects.

Take it easy!

Michele

The Blog Slog

Hello, Friends,

I  try to write every weekday, but sometimes it's not easy and it's not just because of imagination failure or that sort of operator error. Sometimes our mechanical tools let us down. Like today, when several pictures were taken but the computer is stubbornly determined to not let them out again to share, for some unknown reason. Sigh. My efforts have been focused on the living room the past few days, although you might not guess to see it now. Trust me, there is a plan. Meanwhile, I moved the cat shrine from the top of the washstand to the shelf on the wall above it. Here is the result:

It works okay, don't you think? There are a couple more details to switch out and others that have been done--thanks a bunch, missing pictures--so stay tuned. 

And stay warm! The Arctic blast is headed even as far south as we are, so it's one heck of a storm.

Michele

This and that

Hello,

How's Tuesday treating you? This is a quickie, because my phone has been ringing off the hook all day.

First, here's the picture of the desk from yesterday:

There are small photographs in that open wooden box that looks like a stack of books. The marble base with a baby shoe and pen is from my grandparents. The shoe belonged to my mother's older brother, born around 1920.

Next, the effort to get pictures on the walls instead of leaning against them is ongoing. In our bedroom, over Mr. B's side:

These two pretty prints were in the dining room of the other house, but this dr doesn't have as much wall space available with all the doors, so it seemed like a good place to put them, since he is the big bird lover in our house. The soft tones they're done in are pretty neutral and able to coordinate with most color schemes. 

Our weather is nice now, but we're gearing up for an arctic front that will dip all the way down here, so my advice is stay in and warm if you possibly can.

Michele

Starting the new year

Hello, all,

I hope if this was your first day back to work or school the return to reality wasn't too traumatic. My efforts ended up being concentrated mainly in the library today. Here is what's been done now the room has the holiday decorations gone.

The Christmas house poster is gone and now both of the antique books and shelves are hung side by side.

Above the peg rack by the front door is this oval portrait of my grandmother, my mother's mother. Her name was Dillie May Mayberry Harris. She was born in 1895. My guess is the picture was taken around 1913-1915. It has that wonderful bowed glass covering it.

The top picture was reframed and moved from the other side of the room. 

Here is the top of the folding bookcase sans the decorations of December.

And here is the desk, ditto. I'm still pleased with the mirror in that space. I did more on the desk itself but the picture was too blurry, so that will have to wait for another day. My main project now is to reorganize the big closet where all the decorations are stored, but that will be no quick fix. It felt important to have the first room people enter spiffed up as first, so that's what today was all about. 

Have a good week.

Michele

A Shelfie for the New Year

Hi, folks,

I hope you're enjoying the tail end of the holidays and start of 2015. It is cool and dreary here, typical Texas winter weather. Mr. B reluctantly went back to work this morning. While he  was home, I got him to do a grand total of one real project. In the early part of December I picked up a piece at the Junior Forum, the same day as the major cat tree score. It was plain painted wood that was left as it was when bought, aside from having the dust wiped off. It found a home in our bedroom and here is the picture, a shelfie rather than a selfie:

It is on the wall facing our bed, over the good night sign.

It seems a little high to me, but he made it clear he's not doing the installation a second time, so will have to do.

As you see, right now it has the wreath that was already on that wall, some of my little chair collection and a couple of fake succulents. The little canvas was a thrift shop find that is like an envelope with old stamps and writing.No doubt the display will change at times during the year. The medium dark green seems sufficiently neutral to go with most other linens and decorative pieces used, so I'm pleased with this score. Even though it's pretty darn high.

Have a good one!

Michele

What?

Happy New Year, everyone! Can anyone explain how we can possibly be saying that about 2015 already? Didn't 2014 just start a little while ago? How is this possible? 

Meanwhile, I made a little vignette to celebrate the turning of the last page of the calendar:

The big clock was a half-price purchase at Value Village Monday. It looks really cool and has small dials for humidity and temperature, which both seem to work. Alas, the time doesn't appear to work right, even with a new battery. It does fine for a while, then loses a couple of hours.

Time flies is surely the truth, or maybe time runs would be more accurate, like a cheetah! One last look:

I wish all the best for you and your loved ones in the coming months, health, joy and the pleasure of being satisfied with your efforts on behalf of family, work or the community. How wonderful to have a clean slate!

Enjoy the journey,

Michele