home talk

I started a big decluttering project this past weekend: cleaning out my bookcases. I easily have 500-600 books in my house, most of them housed in the bookcases in the basement family room. Some of my friends are downsizing now and moving into smaller dwellings. I've seen how much they've purged when moving. Inspiring, for sure! Not that we're planning on moving anytime soon. But sometimes I look around my basement - the family room and the storage area - and feel overwhelmed by all the stuff we've accumulated over the past 30+ years of living here. 

Most of my fiction books came from library book sales. Mind you, these are books I've never even read! (I don't keep fiction books after I read them.) I only keep non-fiction books if they're ones I will refer to again. Here's the piles I'm getting rid of: 135 books, so far! I am going to start by trying to sell them in bulk on Facebook Marketplace. If that doesn't work, I'm going to call a local used bookstore where the profits go to the Environmental Defenders group, and see if they want them. If not, I will donate to the Salvation Army.

These are the main bookshelves in the family room. You can see the cleared out spaces I have now. There are two more small bookcases in the family room - one with my non-fiction books and the other with children's books from my boy's childhood days. I worked on cleaning out the children's books today. I have about 50 of those books to either sell or donate. I'll be working on my non-fiction books and cookbooks next.

Speaking of Facebook Marketplace, I've been looking for a new piece of furniture for my large kitchen wall. I'd like to replace the tall, skinny hutch and vintage cart with a mid-sized hutch. I found a beautiful pine hutch just the other day that had glass double doors on top, a nice ledge space, then two big cupboards on the bottom. And it was only $50. It sold right away. I have emotional ties to this skinny hutch. Brian and I bought it when we were first married. It was our first quality, vintage piece of furniture we purchased in an antique store. But it doesn't serve us well anymore. I need more cupboard space for larger serving dishes, our wedding china, and smaller kitchen appliances such as the blender, food processor and Crockpot. My cookbooks (I have about 40-50, soon to be less!) could go in the upper portion like what I have now. I considered a buffet instead of a hutch, but then I wouldn't have display room for my cookbooks.

The nourishing comfort food continues...this is a soup I made a few days ago. This one started out with your basic onions, celery and garlic and then I added three sweet potatoes, one carrot, a can of tomatoes and broth. Baby spinach was stirred in at the end. You can also stir in a can of drained white beans. A reader in my last post asked if I would share my posole recipe. I don't have a "recipe"! I do sometimes follow recipes I find online or in my cookbooks, but I also make a lot of things just from the top of my head. That's why I like cooking better than baking...I feel more creative with cooking. I make up a lot of my own recipes and just go with the flow as I'm cooking. 

A winter storm is going to hit here anytime now. Depending on how it tracks, we should get 4-8" of snow by tomorrow morning. High winds will also make for blowing and drifting snow across the roadways. Brian's working until 11 PM tonight so of course, I worry about him driving home in this weather. I won't be able to go to bed until he's home safe and sound. In the meantime, I have a pot of chicken and veggie soup simmering on the stove. I added fresh garlic and ginger to the soup, as well as turmeric, rosemary and thyme. Anti-inflammatory, comforting and delicious! I wish you all could smell my house right now. 😃

Have a good week and stay well and safe.

living with books

"You can tell a lot about someone by looking at their bookshelves." (The Millions)

I can't remember where I read about this book, but was thrilled to find it at my local library.

The book offers an interesting peek into personal libraries and bookshelves, including those of Larry McMurtry, Silvia Whitman of Shakespeare and Co., and Emma Straub. I love looking at people's bookshelves in their homes, or even a couple of books casually strewn on a coffee table. 

 Someone is a fan of Philip Roth. He's one American novelist I've never read. How about you?

 I was in awe of the libraries and collections I saw in this book, though I think some people go a little overboard. I mean, I have a lot of books but I certainly don't want to feel like I'm drowning in them.

I have books in every room in my home except for the bathrooms, though the only books in my kitchen are cookbooks. This bookcase is in our guest room. 

 Books on the dresser in the guest room.

Books in the master bedroom. My collection of Madeline L'Engle books are stacked on the bottom shelf.

I keep my poetry books in the living room.

A basket on the coffee table holds my current reads. I rarely read a book twice, but I'm making an exception with The Snow Child. I previously read it in 2013. I donate or pass my books along once I've read them (except for certain non-fiction which I will refer to again), but when I came across The Snow Child at a library book sale for 99 cents, I wanted to read it again since I enjoyed it so much the first time.

 Now if you'll come with my down to the basement, where I have my home library...

 This bookcase contains children's books, most of which belonged to my boys when they were growing up. These aren't all the books they had, of course. These are just the ones I saved. The few Nancy Drew books on the first shelf are mine.

More books on the console-table-turned-bar-cart and a basket of Brian's books underneath the table.

These IKEA bookcases are perfect for our basement! Close to 100% of our books are used. We scout library book sales as well as used book stores. I also buy used books online, either from Amazon or Abe Books. 

I use books in decor, too ~ not just on bookshelves. 

I'd love to hear how you live with books in your home. Do you have specific bookshelves, do you keep books stacked on your nightstand, do you use them in decor? What are you currently reading?

cleaning out the bookshelves ~ and my current reading pile

You might recall that last month, I mentioned I was working on a big project - cleaning out my bookcases. I'm proud to say that I finished last week...weeding out and donating. What you see below is the second round. I had already donated eight bags of books to a local library when I took this photo. I ended up getting rid of about 500 books!

(Later edit: These were books I hadn't even read! They were all from library book sales and paperbackswap.com.)

Here we are with the finished project. Sorry for the poor photo quality - it's hard to get good photos in a dark basement. Also, my treadmill is in the way. It was too hard for me to move it completely out of the way - that sucker is heavy! If you take a look at the middle section of the bookcase, the last four shelves are now filled with photo albums and scrapbooks. Previously, most of the photo albums were on the shelf in our tiny hallway coat closet. And, amazingly enough, there's actually an empty bookshelf on the bottom right!

Speaking of books, here's my current reading pile. I've included the description of each book from amazon, in case you're interested in any of these.

 A Mindful Evening: At the end of a busy day, sleep can sometimes prove elusive. But that doesn't have to be the case. By integrating meditation into your nighttime routine, you can set the stage for quality rest. A Mindful Evening gives you the tools you need to power down at night. With nearly 200 inspiring quotes and short, easy mindfulness exercises, you'll learn how to end your day with a clear head and calming energy. These simple moments of awareness, healing postures, and meditations can help soothe your soul as you conclude each day and prepare for a tranquil, restful night's sleep.

The Middlepause: On Life After Youth:The Middlepause offers a vision of contentment in middle age, without sentiment or delusion. Marina Benjamin weighs the losses and opportunities of our middle years, taking inspiration from literature, science, philosophy, and her own experience. Spurred by her surgical propulsion into a sudden menopause, she finds ways to move forward while maintaining clear-eyed acknowledgment of the challenges of aging. Attending to complicated elderly parents and a teenaged daughter, experiencing bereavement, her own health woes, and a fresh impetus to give, Benjamin emerges into a new definition of herself as daughter, mother, citizen, and woman.

Self-Compassion: Kristin Neff, Ph.D., says that it’s time to “stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind.” Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind offers expert advice on how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects, enabling you to achieve your highest potential and a more contented, fulfilled life. More and more, psychologists are turning away from an emphasis on self-esteem and moving toward self-compassion in the treatment of their patients—and Dr. Neff’s extraordinary book offers exercises and action plans for dealing with every emotionally debilitating struggle, be it parenting, weight loss, or any of the numerous trials of everyday living.  

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace: In this meditation on cooking and eating, Tamar Adler weaves philosophy and instruction into approachable lessons on feeding ourselves well. An Everlasting Meal demonstrates the implicit frugality in cooking. In essays on forgotten skills such as boiling, suggestions for what to do when cooking seems like a chore, and strategies for preparing, storing, and transforming ingredients for a week’s worth of satisfying, delicious meals, Tamar reminds us of the practical pleasures of eating. She explains what cooks in the world’s great kitchens know: that the best meals rely on the ends of the meals that came before them. With that in mind, she shows how we often throw away the bones, skins, and peels we need to make our food both more affordable and better. She also reminds readers that almost all kitchen mistakes can be remedied. Summoning respectable meals from the humblest ingredients, Tamar breathes life into the belief that we can start cooking from wherever we are, with whatever we have. 

Eat This Poem: Food and poetry are two of life's essential ingredients. In the same way that salt seasons ingredients to bring out their flavors, poetry seasons our lives; when celebrated together, our everyday moments and meals are richer and more meaningful. The twenty-five inspiring poems in this book--from such poets as Marge Piercy, Louise Glück, Mark Strand, Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Jane Hirshfield--are accompanied by seventy-five recipes that bring the richness of words to life in our kitchen, on our plate, and through our palate. Eat This Poem opens us up to fresh ways of accessing poetry and lends new meaning to the foods we cook.

Eli the Good: Bicentennial fireworks burn the sky. Bob Seger growls from a transistor radio. And down by the river, girls line up on lawn chairs in pursuit of the perfect tan. Yet for ten-year-old Eli Book, the summer of 1976 is the one that threatened to tear his family apart. There is his distant mother; his traumatized Vietnam vet dad; his wild sister; his former warprotester aunt; and his tough yet troubled best friend, Edie, the only person with whom he can be himself. As tempers flare and his father’s nightmares rage, Eli watches from the sidelines, but soon even he cannot escape the current of conflict. From Silas House comes a tender look at the complexities of childhood and the realities of war — a quintessentially Southern novel filled with music, nostalgic detail, a deep respect for nature, and a powerful sense of place.

What are you reading right now?

new pillow and blankie ~ and an exciting day tomorrow

 I'm at a standstill with the bookcases in the basement. I was right there. Down to my

last couple of shelves. And we discovered that with the last shelf, the plastic had been

torn open on the edge and the shelf hooks taken out. People can be so rude! Of course,

Brian didn't notice when he was at IKEA and taking the shelves down to purchase them.

So now we have to go back (and it's a 45 minute drive) and exchange one stinkin' shelf.

But it's looking good down there in the family room! More photos of that area later

in the week. In the meantime...

My living room sofa needed some pizazz. There was just way too much beige and

brown going on. I love and need color. So I made a trip to HomeGoods yesterday

and found this great mustard color pillow (with an owl - bonus!). This isn't normally

a color I gravitate towards, but I like a little bit of it for fall.

 This mustard color happens to coordinate perfectly with bright blue - my main

accent color in the living room. How pretty is this throw? I think it adds just the

right punch of color to all this "blah" going on. All I had on the couch before

was an old off-white, holey fleece blanket that the cats slept on. It had definitely

 seen better days. I kept it for the cats though. They need their blankies, too!

 I must now go iron some dress pants for tomorrow ~ we're auditioning for the

Family Feud! We have to get up bright and early (OK, dark and early) to drive

into downtown Chicago. The team will be me, Brian, my sister, brother-in-law,

and my BIL's cousin. Wish us luck! They're looking for fun, upbeat people and

my husband and sister tend to be more serious and low-key, but my sister said

she's great at pretending. ;-) Brian and I have been watching the Family Feud

on the game show network to see how the people act, and I've been coaching

Brian how to act enthusiastic and excited over word suggestions and correct 

answers. Let the high-fiving, hugging, and jumping up and down begin!

Goodnight. Sweet dreams. 

(Photo taken last night on our evening walk at the lake near our house.)

books to the ceiling

 The Billy bookcases were delivered last Thursday and Brian finished putting

them together last night. He then dragged out the 10 or so tote containers

full of books from the unfinished part of the basement. I worked for several

hours last night unpacking the books, semi-organizing them, and starting

to put them in one of the cases.

I'm really glad that I chose the white ones, now that I see them down here

in the family room. Thanks again to all who offered their opinion!

 Now here's my dilemma.

I am freaking out a little that I won't have enough room for all

my books! I took three of the shelves from the bookcase on the right

and put them in the bookcase on the left to make more room. You can

buy extra shelves from IKEA, so that's no problem. However, I have a 

ton of books. There are books piled everywhere!

We did also buy a smaller bookcase for this wall.

 But, there's still more books piled on the bottom of this end table...

And in this basket...

 I have at least 100 more books upstairs, but those are happily

organized in the living room and my office.

Maybe I need a bigger house. Or more bookcases.

Or...less books. Ha! Not an option for this book lover.

bookcase decision

 Our basement - which serves as our family room flooded back in April and ruined

 all my bookcases. I had to load most of my books (hundreds!) in plastic storage

 bins and store them in the basement. Granted, I have a lot of other books upstairs

in every room but the bathroom...and you will notice books piled on just about

 every available surface in the following photos, but still. I miss my library!

The blank wall space to the left is where the new bookcases will go.

I've been wanting the Billy bookcases from IKEA. But even bookcases from

IKEA add up, money-wise. We just haven't been able to swing it. Until now.

We got a VISA gift card in the mail from AT&T. Long story, but it had to do with

cable issues. And since we were long-time customers with good credit, they

sent us a present - which is going to help buy my bookcases!

Now here's where I need your help. As you'll notice, the basement has white

wainscoting, an off-white couch, rug, and coffee table top, but all the accessories,

chairs, and tables are black. So what do you think would look best - black

bookcases or white? Brian thinks black - but I think with all the other black

furniture, that it might look Halloween-ish with the orange walls! On the other hand,

there's no white furniture down here. So would the white bookcases "go"?

 Black? Or white?

 (Source: Billy bookcases)

library nook

 Last month, I showed you the library area in my basement.

It merely consisted of overflowing bookcases and a rug.

I mentioned that I needed a small table and a couple of chairs in that rug space.

 No money spent - I went shopping in my own house! I remembered we had our "old"

 kitchen table and chairs stored away in the unfinished part of the basement,

 so I had Brian dig them out. 

I dusted them off - and voila! I think this looks much better.

I also added a lamp on top of one of the bookcases to cozy the space up and provide

more lighting if we want to play games down here or look at books.

The chairs still need cushions though; will look around for those.

 

See the white wainscoting on the left where there's a space blocked by a drawing?

That space is actually a built-in fish tank. When we moved into this house 22 years ago,

the previous owner had saltwater fish in the tank. We had no idea how to take care of them

and he left no instructions, so the fish died. We've never used the tank for anything since then!

I suppose I should put on my creative thinking cap and maybe come up with something

like an artificial terrarium or something. 

Any ideas?