Tuesday/Bluesday

My camera will. not. work. It is infuriating. Most days it's very difficult, but today seems to be officially on strike to my great disgust. 

How about I tell you a funny story from one of my kids instead? Mary and Theo are only about 15 months apart (because Theo was adopted--two pregnancies that close together would not have been in the cards for me) and didn't get along together well when they were little. He pestered her endlessly. She spelled his name Thoe for years. 

One night when they were around 8 or 9 years old they had an argument. After Mary left the scene  Theo was still venting to me, insisting he was right and his older sister was just stupid not to see it. "She's so stupid" he raged "She's so stupid she probably doesn't know who Joan of Arc was!". I think he was taken aback with my mild reply that indeed, since  Mary didn't like history much, she may well be ignorant of the saint.

At  which point Theo confessed "To tell you the truth, we just heard about her in school yesterday. Before that I always thought she was Noah's wife." Noah = Ark = Joan? Why not? 

What funny things did your children say?

Take it easy,
Michele

Boxing fan?

Hello, everyone,

I hope your Monday  is off to a good start. It's getting warmer here, typical August weather.

Are you a boxing fan? Not of the sporting type, rather the container version. I have always liked wooden boxes. Here are a few of the ones in use right now:

This is a small wooden cigar box without a lid that holds loose photographs.

This one sits on its side to hold the bread tin. On the top it looks like this:

Don't you love the foreign characters? While we're in the kitchen, there are also:

a trio holding spices, sugar, tea and the like.

This was a very battered piece that cost less than $2 at a thrift shop, till it was revived:

It holds a lot of the small items accumulated to make more of those trinket and treasure candlesticks.

On the dresser a wooden cigar box holds my pocket contents and more:

To me, these add a fair amount of texture and charm and are attractive and functional pieces that add character to a space. Do you look out for odd things to re-use in your home?

Take care,

Michele

Friday Felines

Hi, friends,

Today seemed like as good a time as any to update you on some of the kitty population Chez AIT.

First, we see Freckles:

who is always anxious to greet Mr. B when he gets home. She jumps on the table and starts squawking the news like she's a reporter from CNN. Now there is proof that since she spends the whole day snoozing on the back of the sofa, it is all made up.

Bitty is senior cat but doesn't enjoy it much. All her energy goes to being grumpy.

Butterball is a few inches from Bitty. They coexist, but aren't congenial. Butterball has a gorgeous ruff around her neck. She looks like a  purebred, not the feral carport cat that is her true heritage.

You'd never guess Flossie, so small and demure looking sleeping in a chair, is the biggest hell raiser and spitfire of the whole crew. Her brother Freddie ran to hide under the sofa when the camera came out, so he's not represented today.

Giant Junior, he of the smudgy nose and furry toes. It's funny that he is so huge, yet his voice is so teeny he can barely be heard.

Trixie, napping in the kitchen. She needs to rest up so she'll be alert and ready to pester me during the night. No, three o'clock is NOT a fine time to play with a glitter ball. Especially in our bed!

That's a random sample of the furry fiends that rule our lives, caught while mostly being good, hardly the norm. It's still impossible to imagine life without them.

Do you have cat companions who've stolen your heart?

Have a great weekend!
Michele

Blowing the frugal bugle

Hi, folks,

How's your week going so far? I'm delighted to report glorious rain last night and this morning, so no complaints here.

This time of the year with school starting or about to start can be a pain in the pocketbook for many people, especially families. It seems like a good time to talk about saving money again.

1. Try to use what you buy. If you bring home shampoo that doesn't work for your hair, recycle it as bubble bath or to shave your legs. Keep an inventory of what's in your fridge, freezer and pantry and make every effort to not waste food. If there are  several small amounts of vegetables or other leftovers, see about incorporating them into a frittata or other dish. A good friend of mine used to regularly make "refrigerator soup" which was a favorite of her family.

2. Group errands so you go places close to each other on the same trips.

3. Pick up really good deals in multiples. Often there will be loss leader items at certain times of the year. If you can buy several nice art kits (often sold during the holidays) at once  you've got a few birthday gifts ready to go with no need to run out at the last minute and spend more. Conventional wisdom recommends making handmade  presents, but my kids absolutely hated to  give those. They wanted to offer something from a store, so finding great deals made life easier.

4. Think long term. If water is an issue in your area, go for xeriscaping or other methods that minimize the need to use a sprinkler. Native plants and perennials will thrive with less effort or $$ to maintain.

5. Use whatever aps or social media there is in your town to keep up with free or inexpensive events and activities. Do museums and zoos have certain free days where  you live? Take advantage of these opportunities.

6.  If you are short of time, as well as money, can you combine activities to make the most of both? Go with a friend you don't see often to grocery or thrift shop? Again, if you miss seeing other busy women, maybe you can set up a clothing swap one evening. Everyone can bring items they don't wear anymore and see if your trash is someone elses treasure. If a couple of people bring nibbles, the hostess provides tea and coffee and someone has an Ipod you've got a fun time for little effort and can clean out a closet or two as well.

7. When you shop and there is a problem, make a point to keep your receipt and return the item to get your money back. Don't just let it sit there, taking up space when you don't need or want it after all.

8. Of course, one tip that can bear repeating multiple times is to shop your house before buying anything new. It is amazing to me how often the perfect solution is already at hand.

9. If you're full up with sentimental handmedowns to the point that your house is cluttered, consider passing them on to the next generation. Maybe your grown offspring or those of your siblings would enjoy Grandma's ________ fill in the blank.
This is included because so many people have stuffed full storage units nowadays. If you don't have space to enjoy things that have family or nostalgic value still, that may mean it's time to pass them along.

10. The ultimate aid for saving money is honestly answering the question "Do I really love this?" because if it's just one more rooster or knickknack or string of beads it might be wise to leave it in the store. If you think "WOW! This is the coolest ____ I've ever seen!" and know you'll forever regret leaving it, you should probably go for it.

I hope these thoughts are of use to some of you.

Take care,
Michele

Playing around

Hello, folks,

Today I decided to play around with a small shadow box case that's been around for a while, but never really used yet. It was an under $3.00 purchase from a thrift shop a while back. Be warned in advance, the pictures are  bad, but when I tried to take more the camera obstinately quit working entirely, so we are stuck with these:

The curved shape of the top was my downfall, love the arched effect. It does have a glass shelf that can  fit in it, but since the idea was a nature theme, it had to go to allow for the height of the antler and feathers. Otherwise, there are a couple of acorns, small pine cone and a little china bird hanging down. Again, my apology for the glare.

I've thought about painting the exterior but never could decide on a color, so for now it's still gold. I want to try a variety of displays in it as the seasons change and we at some point get away from summer. It might have been designed for thimbles or some other small collectible originally, but it seems pretty versatile to me.

Have a good one!

Michele

First effort

Hi, friends,

Here is my first extremely modest attempt towards re-creating a replacement candlestick after the recent R. I. P. post.

Please take note this is not the final result, nor is it easy (at  least for me) to photograph mainly glass elements. There will be more ambitious efforts to follow, so stay tuned!

Have a great evening,
Michele

A few small finds

Hello, everyone,

Can you believe we are nearly to the middle of August? Who authorized the time to  speed up like a bullet train, because I for one am not amused.

I haven't bought a whole lot lately. Perhaps I'm getting more discriminating or accepting of the limitations of our space, but there hasn't been much it wasn't possible to live without.

I found that large bird dish lately, which will coordinate with the other bird decor come spring. There is an old metal spatula with chippy red and white painted wooden handle, and four knives with old looking handles; their origins remain a mystery  so far. They look like bone or bakelite to me but that could be totally off base. One small German china cream pitcher, one larger folk-painted one by Clare Burkes. A stack of books, mostly mysteries, and my favorite score, a cast iron medium-size skillet with enamel insides. It doesn't have a name anywhere on it, but is sturdy. The outside has some smudges and wear but the interior is in great shape.

This shows the other items, a pretty Italian scarf and a bag that has all kinds of birds on it.

Here is a Dansk Sonoma pitcher found at a yard sale  for $1.00 in perfect condition.

How has your thrift luck been lately? Are you doing well, or hoping for better times after school starts?

Stay cool!
Michele