We all need a little lift. If you see someone today who really looks good, speak up and tell them. It can make their day!

too funny!

You know you've had too much winter when.....

"The personality of a house is indefinable, but there never lived a lady of great cultivation and charm whose home, whether a palace, a farm-cottage or a tiny apartment, did not reflect the charm of its owner."- Emily Post (1873-1960), The Well-Appointed House; 1922



In the spirit of being a "perfect" homemaker I submit for your perusal this poem.

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do
If you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake,I upholster,I scrub,and I pray.
I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I play the piano!I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle!My checkbooks all balance!
I read to my children!I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
These things are not hard;It's good if you do them;
You can if you try!Just set goals and pursue them!
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!
It's easy!" she said
and then she dropped dead.

I know Sunday should be a day of rest. But today I feel that I should just houseclean. It couldn't be because of all the dust caused by the sanding of the wall in the bathroom that has permeated all through the house, despite the door being shut. It couldn't be because the kitchen floor shows dried puddles of dirt where the snow melted off our shoes when we trampled in from outside. Or maybe it could be those little piles of miscellaneous papers that somehow never find a home. Or those surfaces that seem at this time of year to be constantly dusty. I've discovered that I am not like my friend Becky who told me that she loved to houseclean. Oh, no. It's not that I mind it so much, it's just that it is so constant. The house can look spiffy, but it doesn't stay that way. We are not the kind of people who pick everything up and put it away after we use it. THEre is not a place for everything and everything in its place. But I've discovered that I like the clutter. I like seeing my books laying around just waiting to be read. I love looking at my displays on the tabletops and changing around my table settings. I hate sterile homes that don't show personality. I like having projects that need done. Everyone does their housework in their own way. I used to turn up the music real loud and light candles all over. I'd sing and dance my way through each room. (I wonder where that energy went?). Now I cope by a hit and miss method. If I see it needs done, I eventually get to it in my own good time. (I guess that's what retirement is for). And I think today it is time.

MR. TOP GUN

Here's a sneak peek at the new bathroom remodel. The tub looks sparkling since it was refinished. Don added the brass drain and overflow yesterday.We are still looking for knobs the brass behind them. Today he is working on the walls. He removed the old surround and is sanding the wallboard smooth. Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate that man of mine. He can do anything...electric, plumbing, carpentry, mechanics...he's a wonder and so skilled!

Hey....it's what I do!

Top Gun is showing signs of cabin fever. Of course he wants out to do his things..catch small animals, chase birds, sharpen his claws. But when we open the door he just sniffs at the cold air and walks away disheartened. Lately he has been acting like a mountain lion..climbing up on everything and jumping to new hights on furniture that he has been trained to avoid. What prompted him to leap to the lower bookcase shelf on my entertainment center and walk around behind the photos? With his catlike agility he didn't tip anything over, but he got scolded anyway. And I found him sleeping in the middle of my kitchen table. He NEVER is allowed there but none-the-less he was just like a baby taking a nap. So when he's not staring out the window hoping to see green grass he's sleeping all day long. I don't know who will be happier to see Spring come..me or him.

A POEM

My Cleaning Poem


I asked the Lord to tell me

Why my house is such a mess.

He asked if I'd been 'computering',

And I had to answer 'yes.'


He told me to get off my fanny

And tidy up the house.

And so I started cleaning up...

The smudges off my mouse.


I wiped and shined the topside.

That really did the trick....

I was just admiring my work...

I didn't mean to 'click.'


But click, I did, and oops I found

A real absorbing site.

That I got SO way into.

I was into it all night. <>


Nothing's changed except my mouse

It's very, very shiny.

I guess my house will stay a mess...

While I sit here on my hiney!!

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY

Today I am joining the 24th Tablescape Thursday. I've been visiting the blog "Between Naps on the Porch" for quite a long time now and admiring the tablescapes that those great bloggers out there share with us each week. You can link to her blog on my sidebar and go to visit yourself. This is the first time for me. Please enjoy your visit

The table is in the sunroom, a new addition to our house put on two years ago. We are happy to have room for a larger table and love to entertain there. I like the cherry top so much I don't want to put a tablecloth on it.

The centerpiece is a gold tray with a swan, moss balls, a nest, two arrangements of white tulips and a large green candle.

The table is set for Valentine's day. I bought the French placemats on my travels.

The wreath for the tea light is from Michael's.

The fleur de lis napkin ring came from Target.

The black and white plates and cups were a dollar store purchase but look like a million dollars. The red and white salad plate are Fitz and Floyd.

The chandelier is a new acquistion. When we were at Lowe's yesterday I spotted it hanging in an outdoor garden room display. I was looking for something to put over my table that was not electrified. I remember visiting in Denmark and my hostess lit a candle chandelier over her table and it cast such a lovely glow. I am so happy with this one.

HOW HIGH CAN IT GO?

I just thought I'd post this picture I took at the mall this morning to show all those who live in the south what they are missing. Aren't you glad you moved? (By the way, I got a new camera back from the company to replace my other one...now I'm back in the photography business. You'll be happy to know that starting next Monday I will be taking a class in digital photography from out local night school.)

Seriously, I don't let the temperature bother me. So what if it was minus 3 when I went out this am. I'm hardy. I went to coffee in the morning and I still went out to lunch with the girls. Me, let a little cold weather stop me...not on your life. (not to say I wouldn't really like to be where it is warm right now.

NEW PICTURES OF THE BABY

Sean in "baby jail."

Sleepy time.

Sean eating like a big boy. Check out the red hair.

Sean and daddy making pancakes. The bar is so he can't open the cupboards.

This was busy day. Don and I went to Buffalo to find a new tub surround since the one we got at Lowe's wouldn't fit. We took that one back to Lowe's and the only other ones we could find were so flimsy and cheap looking that we couldn't bring ourselves to buying one. So while Don was contemplating what to do next I asked for a phone book and got the names and addresses of four bath decor shops near Buffalo. In the first one we went to we found one we liked. It was fiberglass vs. plastic and even though it was over twice the price, it is sturdy and will serve us well. I also bought a small dispenser to hold shampoo, conditioner, shower gel so there won't be a lot of bottles sitting around the tub. I will take pictures when it gets finished. (since I got a brand new camera back today) This is my third Polaroid, keep your fingers crossed that this one won't go bad too.

GOOD LOOKING TUB!

Oh, yes, Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow today (of course) and you know what that means. Six more weeks! That is all the more reason that I need to get to Florida in March and go to Tennessee for Sean's first birthday. I love living here in Bradford (most of the time) but I feel the strong need to get where there is sunshine and warm weather. I think I'm starting to get Seasonal Affective Disorder. (that's when you look out the window in the morning and say, "Oh, s**t, more snow?"

My house is rather noisy at the moment. (It's the compressor for the spray gun). Today the "tub man" came. Yeah! Don had done a lot of the prep work for him by taking out the fixtures. In fact, the man couldn't get the drain out because he didn't have a tool for that. Don, in only the way Don could , went out in the garage and improvised a tool that twisted the drain right off. The man was really impressed and had never thought of that. He learned something new. He said to Don, "You work with your hands." Right now he is putting on the final coat after cleaning and priming. It is going to look just like brand new when he is done. Now we will have to find the right surround and I'll have a new bathroom. Isn't progress wonderful! I have wanted this done for years and finally found the right person to do it. (That isn't easy up here. We don't have a lot of resources.)
Tiger and his girlfriend are getting a new puppy and it's a white and brown cocker spaniel. I am soooo jealous!! Even though I know that this is not the right time to be getting a dog (way too cold to take it out for walks) when I saw the picture of it my heart melted! I think I see a dog in our near future.
The karaoke was fun on Saturday night. Tiger didn't win, but we had a good time. We haven't been out till one in many a year.
Yeah! Steelers won in a very, very close game.

It is Saturday..how fast these weeks are passing. Tonight we are going to see Don's brother sing in a Karaoke contest. He is one of the six finalists. He really has a good voice reminiscent of Elvis'. In fact he's singing, "Loving You". The contest will be at the Alleghany Fire Hall. Wish him luck!
We are in the midst of remodeling our bathroom. Since the tub is original to the house (put in in 1953) it is time for a change. Someone is coming on Monday to refinish the tub. That means that we need to put in a new tub surround when he is done. It sounds easy, but you'd be surprised how difficult it is to find what you need. We took a trip to Lowe's (the closest one is an hour away) and found a beautiful surround. After getting it home we realized that it was not adjustable and won't work in there. So we'll have to look elsewhere. Also it's a problem to make new fixtures work with the old plumbing. And we couldn't even find brass knobs. It will get done, but it is a challenge. Of course, once you start changing things it lead to something else. So I cleaned under the vanity and organized the linen closet. I need some new containers. I have found the secret to being organized..get the right container. So I think today I'll go out and look.

HOW DEEP CAN IT GET?

The snow just keeps on coming (and coming and coming). This is a pic from last year of the tree in the back yard. But it looked just the same on Wednesday when the big storm hit. It is getting so deep that a crew needed to go out at two in the morning and plow it to the center Main street and take it away. The parking meters are so deep in snow you can't even get to them to put money in. The roads have crushed snow all over them and make driving tricky. Does this stop the hardy Bradfordians....oh, no! We are used to it.

Today was Literary Club and a former teacher, Becky Ryan, did a program on Jane Austen. She told a lot of facts about Jane's life that were new to me and gave interesting synopsis of Jane's six novels. It is always nice to listen to Becky.

I think this weekend I will just burrow in and read.

TABLESCAPE

My Amaryllis is exceptionally tall and beautiful with deep crimson flowers. The graceful swan is a gift from my friend and looks so elegant and right in place. (Thanks, Joan).

SEAN AND THE WAGON

Sean love to go for rides in the Radio Flyer wagon that I got him for Christmas. In the last picture you can see their new house in the background.

THE BIRD FEEDER

SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW!

We walked beneath the rose arches at Giverney.

Monet's pink house with green trim was so lovely.

We walked across this Japanese bridge which was made so famous in Monet's oil paintings.

Monet's most famous works were paintings of water lilies from his pond.

Like everyone else here in town I'm sick of all this cold weather and snow. This winter has been particularly bad with constant cold weather. So I'm changing the subject. Look at the Monet watercolor of the lilies above. When I see that painting I remember being in Paris and going to a small museum that had rooms full of Monet's paintings. The lilies took up a whole wall mural. Close up it was just dabs of paint but from a distance took you into a dream world. We made it a point to go to Monet's Gardens which were about an hour from Paris. It was delightful to walk through the rose arches and see the plethora of colors from all the various flower varieties. I couldn't take enough pictures. So if I would have to name a time in the past I would like to go back to I would say that summer day in Giverney. Just thinking about it warms me up.