Autumn Update

A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen!

Uncluttered counters leave room for food prep!

I took the white chair rail off the walls and like the look better. Eventually I'll remove all the wallpaper and paint the walls my favorite pale pink.

TopDad surprised me with a bouquet of gorgeous flowers!

Our first snowfall on October 14.

It began to look a lot like Christmas! And I'm not ready.

The cold, gloomy weather called for a pot of "Cowgirl Stew".

This image of the dining room ceiling is proof of why I can't just quickly paint. There is tons of prep work to do and I'm not sure of how solid the plaster underneath is. In other places the plaster is actually falling down!

The painted over wallpaper is cracking and separating from the wall. I had hoped to paint over it, but in the spots where I tested paint, it looks terrible so it must come off.

More cracks and separation in the dining room.

The living room is even worse!

No way I'm going to paint over this mess. It has to be removed.

More of the living room.

The walls are over nine feet tall, and the middle of the ceiling is almost eleven feet tall. It makes me tired just to look at it! I'm a slow worker so I'm not eager to tear into it and live in a mess for a year or two. I have to "gird up my loins, fresh courage take" and proceed! Anyone want to come over and help?

I love the space of this home. It is what I wanted for our family. Just have to get rid of the soul-sucking decor and paint it the colors that enliven my soul, put up my artwork and pretty plates, and then it will be as close to perfect as I'll get in this life.

Here Comes the Sun

 As I cut a brownie for TopDad in the kitchen I noticed the living room wall was glowing.

I grabbed my camera and headed outside to catch a glimpse of the sun which has not been seen in over a week!

And there it was, just setting in the east casting its golden glow over all creation. Such a treat!!

Life Update

Noble in a new outfit going on a date!

Getting ready for Mother's Day portrait

Didn't the photographer see the BIG GREEN THING!
l-r Mr. Movie, PFCMom, Noble, Dandylion (who thinks his smirk is a smile)

That's a little better.

Never too old to cuddle with Mom

Dad asked us to make an angry face -- I look just like my older brother! Good grief.

I finally got my plates up.

I think it really makes the room complete.

Mr. Movie demolishing the cinder block planter box.

The board is to protect the window from flying debris.

He diligently cleaned it all up and hauled it all away.

Now we can actually see the plants and flowers!

That furry thing is Noble's cat "Calico" doing her balance beam routine.
Still a little bit of clean up to do and adding the mulch to make it complete.
But I really like it a whole lot better.

Tuesday's Treasures

I followed a prompting to go to the thrift store last week even though it wasn't on my list of places to go, and am I glad I did! I hit the jackpot!!

Remember my living room makeover? I hung up some plates and have been looking for more to fill in the space.

Blue transferware plates are not so easy to find. I keep my eye open for them and I managed to find two, a large and a smaller, but didn't want to hang them up until I had enough to make the pattern even of large and small.

Last month I finally found another smaller plate at "Chuck's Bargain Barn" outside of town.

But here is the proverbial piece de resistance:

I like the plate to be meaningful to me, in design or picture. We visited Mt. Rushmore as a family in 2014.

Now I have enough to complete the pattern and fill in the space. Yay for cheap decorating.

Other items from my jackpot haul included:

One tile trivet and two other tiles to make trivets with. I asked TopDad if he'd help me this summer make frames and he said he would.

Beautiful brass candlestick for stay-at-home dinner date nights.

And then there were the linens. Oh be still my heart.

First up is the gorgeous linen cutwork embroidered tablecloth, large enough for my big table.

Detail of embroidery

Assorted dresser scarves, napkin and yellow linen towel.

Flannel sheet set for $6.00!!

Another flannel sheet that will make a great backing for a Christmas quilt.

And, pink sheets, top and bottom, for my pink bedroom.

I also scored some DVD's for $2 each, but as they are gifts, I won't show what they were.

And that is why I like shopping at thrift stores. It is a treasure hunt that never gets old!

One More Step, and Some other stuff I've been doing

I'm really spoiled having a woodshop teacher for a husband. He has all the tools and knowledge to help make my vision come into being. I'm also really glad our sons all took woodshop in high school. Today Mr. Movie drilled additional holes for shelf supports in a bookcase so I could finish putting books up, and for the first time in twenty-seven years I can actually use all six shelves on both bookcases. We purchased these two unfinished bookcases at the beginning of our marriage with a profit sharing bonus I got from a former employer. They've held up surprising well through eight moves.

Now I even have some extra space should I need it. (Watch how fast that will fill up! LOL) See how nice the back corner of my living room looks with bookcases!

As for the other things I've been doing:

TopDad and I spent the week of our anniversary (June 25) in Cedar Falls, Iowa; he attended a post-graduate class at University of Northern Iowa, I stayed in the hotel room and alternated between exercising in the swimming pool, sewing, and reading. It was a wonderful vacation. (See here for the difference between a vacation and a trip. Some of the things I completed:

Five placemats to add to the seven I completed years ago.

A hanging towel and matching dishcloths.

I designed the top part, the towel is made from a linen shirt.

Another set, this towel started life as a cotton dinner napkin. I like to give a small bottle of Joy dishwashing liquid with the gift set so the recipient knows that the knitted things are dishcloths; some have thought they were hotpads.

I love the vintage button on this one.

We attended the local July 4th Parade to see Dandylion's last time participating in the marching band; I love my two veterans: Noble, recently discharged and returned from Korea, and my favorite Retired Marine, TopDad

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Giving respect to the passing colors.

Dandylion is the tall bass drum player in the middle.

                                           

Then just a week and a half later TopDad had his right knee replaced. We tease him about being a cyborg, or the bionic man.

I asked him if he got the license number of the guy who hit him!

He's actually doing much better and the bruising (and pooling blood) is much less today; when he concentrates he can walk almost normally. He gets the dressing off on July 28. The surgeon "super-glued" his incision. I had that done with a very minor surgery and it leaves almost no scaring. I'm eager to see how TopDad's knee does.

I have two more bookcases to move over and put up; then I can hang some plates, and other decorative items. I think then the living room will finally be done. I hope!