Don’t be jealous

I’m using my regular computer today so it won’t get jealous. Since the ipad makes things so easy I’ve been using it for most everything…blogging, photos, email. But it’s nice to be typing again on a keyboard.
   Today was a “catch up” day since our return from Chris’ house last night. We had a super weekend and I’m so glad that we were able to help him get his room done. Don is an excellent painter. I’m the one who advises and hangs pictures.  It looked so nice when we left and completely different. It’s amazing what a little paint and new bedding will do. I love decorating and if I could have had another career it would have been decorating with other people’s money. How much fun would that have been?
    Change is sometimes a really good thing. It keeps you fresh and updated. Are you in the mood for a change?
  Here are a few pictures of the bedroom taken with my camera. The actual colors show up much better in these.

    

New bedroom

These pictures do not do the bedroom justice. It is so much prettier than it looks here. The curtains are a beautiful shade of warm brown against a lovely neutral warm light beige,gray wall. I had a great time arranging the pictures. In one group are all photos that my grandson Dan took. Above the computer table are some vintage car photos and on the other wall are Chris' patents. He is a mechanical engineer working in research and development for Tyco Electronics. He has five patents and his sixth one is processing. I'm very proud of him.

What did you do today?

The bedroom turned out great. The soft beiges gray on the walls and that fresh coat of white on the ceiling really spruced the room up. It's such a sophisticated color and goes so well with the new bedding. Hope I can take a picture tomorrow after the new bedding is on. The nickel rods need to be put up yet and the curtains but it is going to be spectacular. Chris ordered new carpeting in a slate blue. They are coming to measure it tomorrow.
Today Linda and I took a walk around the lake with Sadie and checked out a few stores.

Scott

Scott is playing with Sadie. Tomorrow is the redecorating of my son's bedroom. All new floor to ceiling. First we need to pick out new bedding, then paint, drapes etc. lots of work.

I've gone birdy

I looked around my sunroom and noticed that there is a flock here. I always wanted the sunroom to have a garden theme and it seems it has evolved into an aviary. Here are my little bird touches.

Busy, busy

Yesterday I finished cleaning out all the kitchen cupboards and organizing. Today I went to Warren for a dentist appointment. It was rainy all the way over and all the way back. I'm still involved in watching episodes of the Tutors. Who knew British history and King Henry would be so enthralling? I hardly have time to blog...lol!

Look what happens on a sunny day

There was loads of sun today. I got up already feeling energized for some reason and you know when that hits you it's time to take advantage of ir. after coffee I walked Sadie so she wouldn't bug me later. Then I began a project....spring cleaning my kitchen. I washed the walls and ceiling, took down the curtains, washed and ironed those, washed all the window sills and cleaned off the screens, then dealt with all the decorations. I tried the elimination game...looking at each thing and asking myself what would happen if I let this go? How would I feel? Does this really represent me now? Like the lovely little rooster. Am I a rooster person now? I took a few things down to the cellar and I like the cleaner look. I am thinking of getting some lighter curtains for the summer. I think the motto for the summer is lighten up.

Dreaming of summer

With another cold breath of air blowing today my mind is on warmer times.

Like the fun we had at our summetime fish party.

 And when we still had our hot tub.
And when the summer flowers were blooming.

And fun on the boat.

fun with sisters…

Remember how hot it was last summer?
Isn’t it fun to think back and remember?

I love these quotes:
“When you live with another person for 50 years, all of your memories are invested in that person, like a bank account of shared memories. It’s not that you refer to them constantly. In fact, for people who do not live in the past, you almost never say, “Do you remember that night we...?” But you don’t have to. That is the best of all. You know that the other person does remember. Thus, the past is part of the present as long as the other person lives. It is better than any scrapbook, because you are both living scrapbooks.”
“Good days are to be gathered like grapes, to be trodden and bottled into wine and kept for age to sip at ease beside the fire. If the traveler has vintaged well, he need trouble to wander no longer; the ruby moments glow in his glass at will.”
Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. 
Nothing is more memorable than a smell.  One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town.  Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years.  Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.  A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.  ~Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses
Do you have a smell that evokes a certain memory?  Your mother’s perfume?  Cookies at Christmas?  What are your happy smells?

And finally my very favorite memory quote:

”We do not remember days, we remember moments”

Tongue in Cheek

On of my favorite bloggers is Corey Amaro who lives in France. You can visit her blog Tongue in Cheek on my sidebar, I loved her post today about plates and the questions she asked. So I thought I'd answer the questions with some pictures of my plates.
Do you lick your plate clean? Never. I am one of those people who can only eat a little at a time so I'm always saving some for later. My mom told us a story from her childhood. She grew up on a farm in rural Georgia. In those days they rarely got company but when they did they would stay all day and of course you would invite them for supper. Since they were poor that would mean going to the barnyard and killing a chicken. In her large family they were always taught not to eat the last biscuit or to take the last helping. Her mom would always say....save some for Uncle John down the road. That meant that they needed to have something on hand if they got unexpected company.
When is the last time you ate off a paper plate? I'm not a big paper plate fan unless its one of those fancier plates with matching napkins used at some parties. We do use them for picnics when we take the boat out in the summer.

What do you prefer...white or colorful? The very first plates that I purchased after marriage were white pfaltzcraft heritage dishes. I loved the flat sides and utilitarian aspect. But I love color too! In fact, I love all kinds of plates and really have to restrain myself when I go in the stores.

Did you receive dishes when you got married? My Aunt Dorothy gave me a beautiful full set of white plates with blue flowers and silver. I should get those out and use them more. The cups are very dainty and Don never cared for them.


Here are some pictures of my plates.

Get out of Dodge

Had a great date day with hubby. We got out of Bradford and went to Jamestown, NY to eat lunch at their new Olive Garden. It gets two thumbs up. The decor was lovely, the food delicious and the wait staff friendly. I tried a chicken pasta dish that was yummy and as a bonus I got a ravioli entree to take home.
After lunch we went to the movies to see the new Tom cruise film Oblivion. If you like sci fi you'll like this one.
It was snowing on the daffodils when we started out this morning but cleared up later. I took the picture of the Allegany reservoir on the way home.

Stay safe

All I want is for this to be over. I am so sad that such violence has come to our country. I have confidence that justice will be served. I finally had to turn the tv to another channel because I have been hanging on their every word. I can only imagine how terrified those in the area must be. It has been a quiet day here with rain off and on. A nice roast is cooking in the oven and I'm watching the miniseries The Tutors.

Pets

Don't we love them? Every time that Don sits down and puts his feet up one of the animals crawls up on his lap.