new hallway lighting ~ happy earth day

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Earth Day - April 22, 2018 - is 48 years old. It was started in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who hoped to make the environment a political issue. It's interesting to learn how this day came about. You can read here for a short history.

We can all do our part in simple ways to take care of our planet. Recycle, use cloth napkins instead of paper ones, use real dishes instead of paper or plastic, don't let water run while we brush our teeth, bring your own grocery bags into the store, use a reusable water bottle (I have a Hydro Flask) instead of plastic water bottles, use earth-friendly cleaning products, turn off appliances and lights when not in use, and use energy-efficient appliances and lighting. 

As a member of the Wayfair Homemaker program, I have been compensated for this post. All ideas and opinions are completely my own.

Most of the lighting in our home is up-to-date and we do use compact fluorescent bulbs...except for the old hallway light.

Yes, indeed ~ we were living with a "boob light" in the hallway.

Not only was it old-fashioned and not exactly pretty, but it wasn't energy efficient either.

It was definitely time for an update and with Earth Day making an appearance, there was no better time to choose an energy-efficient, modern light for our hallway. Wayfair has a fantastic selection of flush mounts to choose from. 

I ultimately chose the Triangulum 2-Light Flush Mount in Venetian Bronze for our hallway.

Good thing I have a built-in handyman because I'm not exactly Mrs. Fix-it! Taking down the "boob light" and installing the new one was a smooth process and took about 45 minutes.

The new, updated look is so much better, don't you think?

It's amazing how one simple change can transform a room.

We used two compact fluorescent lightbulbs in this light fixture, which do not even use half the energy of just one 60-watt incandescent bulb. 

What are some of the things that you do to leave a smaller ecological footprint?

a little something for the kitchen wall

I think that spring is finally on its way! It did snow a bit overnight, but the sun is finally shining once again this morning. And looking at the extended forecast, I see temperatures in the 50's and low 60's. No more 30's or threats of snow - hooray!

(Sun on pachysandra this morning)

You might remember that back in January 2017, we had a pass-thru cut out in the wall between our living room and kitchen. To this day, on the kitchen side of the pass-thru, the wall has remained blank. I didn't want to hang just anything; I was waiting until I found exactly what I wanted. I tried various art work and even played with some plate arrangements (having Brian hold things up on the wall so I could stand back and see how it looked), but nothing ever looked "just right". I'm always amazed at those who can put together a room immediately.

I saw this wooden sign at Hobby Lobby and was immediately drawn to it. I thought this might finally be The One. I've also been wanting to incorporate this vintage iron shelf into the wall decor, so when I put the two of them together...

I think we have a winner!

You can see how this wall needs more though. And with the severe angles of the cut-out plus the rectangular wooden sign, it needs some softening up. So, my next step is going to put putting some plates - probably only three - above the cut-out.

Oh, hello Miss Clementine on the heat vent. By next week, she won't be doing that anymore. 🐱

~ Happy Thursday ~

spring has been cancelled

Someone needs to tell Susan Branch that there is no sun, nor lovely grass in April. At least not in my neck of the woods.

 

This is what it looked like here yesterday.

Today isn't much better. Woke up to a couple of inches of snow, with high winds that were blowing gusts of that nasty white stuff past my windows. Looked like something straight out of a Christmas scene. I know my friends further north are rolling their eyeballs and saying, "Big deal!" They are buried. But still...ice, snow, cold gloomy skies, and temps in the 30's in mid-April is just ridiculous. Forget the song that never ends. This is the winter that never ends. 

At least the inside of my house looks like spring, so I can pretend it's more like 60 degrees, which is the average temperature for this time of year.

Has spring truly arrived yet where you live?

for today ~ april edition

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window ~
It doesn't look much different than March. It was only 28 degrees this morning, and you can't see it in this photo, but my butterfly garden is to the left and covered in a thin layer of icy snow. More snow is on the way tonight - not much, thank goodness - but just enough to remind us that winter-like weather isn't over yet. In fact, as I'm writing this evening, I can see fat, fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky.

I am thinking ~
that I'm hungry for a bowl of the navy bean soup I made this evening. It's cooling down right now.

I am thankful ~

for friends that message me and ask if I want to go out for coffee.

One of my favorite things ~

Cookbooks. Love Soup is my newest acquisition. I bought it used on amazon.

I am creating ~

an art journal. Nothing fancy - I can't draw or paint, but I do some collages and journal prompts.

I am wearing ~

A long-sleeved black shirt, a purple hoodie, and gray yoga pants.

I am reading ~
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. It's just "ok"; nothing exceptional. Next I will be reading Kristin Hannah's latest book. I'm grateful for my local libraries.

I am listening to ~

The Man Who Saved the World by Nirvana, though the song was actually written by David Bowie.

I am hoping ~

for warmer weather.

I am learning ~

to practice guided meditations. Two of my favorite apps are Insight Timer and Stop, Breathe & Think.

In my kitchen ~

I soaked the dried navy beans for the Navy Bean Soup overnight, started the soup in the late afternoon, and now it's cooling down. The house smells so good! I used the ham bone from our Easter ham. This weekend, I'll be making Trisha Yearwood's Linguine with Braised Red Wine Short Rib Sauce. I saw her making it on TV this past week and it looked so good, I just had to try it for myself. 

Post Script ~
(Add a favorite link that you would like to pass along. It can be someone else's website, etsy shop, Instagram feed, Facebook link, OR it can be your own.)
I've been thinking about putting a hanging plant in the living room-kitchen pass-thru. I thought a macrame plant hanger with a wooden shelf would be cool - macrame is back in style (what's old is new again) and I think the texture of the macrame, wood, and greenery would be perfect for this empty space. There's a lot to choose from on etsy

Shared quote ~

Let the beauty we love be what we do. (Rumi)

A moment from my day ~

This morning, walking around my yard and filling the bird feeders. It was only 28 degrees, but with the sun shining and the sky so clear and blue, it was actually quite beautiful.

I'm going to dig into that delicious soup now. 
Until next time, be well, be happy, be peaceful.

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