curtains and a new rug

Hello, friends!

In my last post I showed you how I was getting the guest bedroom put back together. But before I forget, a couple of people had asked me the name of this paint color that we used. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember! All I remember is that it was Behr paint that has primer in it. I looked on the paint can and the name is not on there. We used this color in our kitchen and in Brian's office, too, so you'd think I'd remember. If I eventually find out, I promise I will let you all know.

I finally got the curtains hung in this room. I still need to have Brian hang the iron "chandelier" in the corner above the dresser and we might possibly hang a heavy mirror on the other side of the room. And I found some pretty contact paper on Amazon for the closet shelf which came in the mail today, so that will be another small project to work on. Slowly, but surely.

I wanted some kind of tie backs for the curtains to hold them together in the middle. Previously, I used pieces of ribbon I had lying around. I wanted something nicer-looking this time. I went looking on Amazon and found these magnetic curtain clips.

 Aren't they pretty? They were easy to use and look much nicer than a piece of ribbon.

Here's the other window in the room where I have my desk.

I liked these magnetic curtain clips so much that I ordered another style for our bedroom curtains. I always had the gray curtains pulled to the side (closed at night ~ they're blackout curtains) and just the sheers hanging down over the blinds, but I like this new look. I would've taken a photo of the entire window ~ the curtains look the same on the other side ~ but I have a standing fan in front of the window and a pile of clean, folded on Brian's nightstand, so I left that reality out of the photo. 😉 The two framed photographs on the wall are our son's work.

I finally found a new rug for Brian's office! I've been looking for about six months. I've looked online and in stores. I've even purchased various rugs and ended up returning them because they didn't look good. This is a small room and we didn't want a rug taking up the entire space. We also didn't want a thick rug, as Brian's desk chair needs room to roll back without getting caught on a rug. His desk and desk chair are to the immediate left as you look into this room. You can see a peek of his desk chair wheel in the photo, if you look closely.

 I was at TJ Maxx the other other day and was not even looking for rugs. I happened to walk by a display stand with folded rugs on it and this cotton one caught my eye. I unfolded it and thought it might work. Brought it home, laid it on the floor and thought, "I think this is it." Brian got home from work, took one look at it and said, "Yes!" So it's a keeper.

As always, thank you for visiting and for your kind comments. They are much appreciated. 

Be well and safe.
💓

choosing lamps for the bedroom

Hello, friends! It's been way too long. I think this seemingly never-ending winter has gotten to me. I've had no desire to write a blog post. I've noticed on Blogland in general, new postings have been way down since January. Perhaps everyone feels the same way...just kind of blah and waiting for spring. On top of it, the past few weeks I've had really bad back pain. I'm prone to it. I have three herniated disks and if I don't keep active with walking and yoga, my back hurts. This time, it's been my left hip, along with spasms in my buttock. I guess I'm my own pain-in-the-a**. Anyway, my wonderful yoga instructor is also a massage and bodywork therapist, plus she's in school for physiology. I saw her last week for bodywork and she worked on me for two hours! I'm doing better since then and following instructions of self-care. And doing more walking. Walking feels good. Since it's still so darn cold here, when I run errands, I walk the entire store instead of just going straight to what I need. I've also been back on my treadmill - boring, but necessary. My worst time is sleeping when I try to roll over to the other side. My hip doesn't like that. And when I get out of bed in the morning, I get the spasms. It could be some arthritis in my hip. It's so fun getting old. (Insert random photo of blissed-out cat because no one wants to see photos of hips or treadmills.)

On to better stuff. As I've said before, I take forever to get a room put together the way I really like it. We've needed new lamps for our bedroom for years and it was just something I never got around to. I finally got tired of looking at mismatched lamps that were also the wrong size. I wasn't sure exactly what size lamps to buy for our bedside tables, so I turned to my best friend, Google. Several professional interior design sites said to measure your nightstands - mine are 27" tall - and that your lamps should be 2-3" higher than your nightstand. That would mean I would need lamps that were 29 - 30" tall. So I headed to HomeGoods and found 29" lamps that I thought would look good in our bedroom.

Wrong. Too overwhelming. Too much white. I felt like when I walked into our small bedroom, all I noticed were the lamps. Back they went.

Then I tried Target. I like that you can buy the base and shade separately. They also have frequent 15-20% off sales on lighting, so that was a bonus. Lamps are expensive! This time I chose a beige base with a gray shade. Wrong again. I felt the lamps were simply too big and overwhelming; that the base looked like pineapples; and the gray shades clashed with the wall color. Back they go to Target.

Third time's a charm! For starters, I went with a medium-sized lamp instead of a large. I liked the clear base, so I got those again. And when looking at shades, I found these white ones with a silver swirl. They're not as stark as plain white and the silver goes well with the wall color. You're not going to believe where I got these lamps: Meijer grocery store, of all places! Just like withTarget, you can pick your base and shade separately. And luck would have it, they were having a buy one, get the second one 1/2 off sale. 

 The only thing that's driving me nuts is the stickers on the base. Why do stores have to do this? I started picking at the sticker with my thumb nail and it barely chips away. I mean, these are stuck on good. I turned to Google once again and I see there's ways of getting stickers off acrylic, so I'll have to try some of the ideas and see what works.

 

Where have you had luck finding lamps?

all in due time

Hello there! Happy New Year!  My first post of 2019...I'm behind. I'm having problems getting the photos from my phone to automatically upload to my laptop (through OneDrive) again. Some upload and others don't. So aggravating.

There's been a few small decorating changes at Comfy House. You might remember this fall canvas art that I hung in my bedroom last September. While the colors went well in this room, once winter came I didn't feel it was appropriate anymore. Too fall-ish looking. So what to put above the headboard instead? I like those sunburst mirrors, but I didn't want anything too heavy on this wall. I get paranoid at the thought of something that heavy possibly falling on us while we're sleeping. 

While shopping at HomeGoods recently for rugs (which we didn't buy), I saw this artwork and thought it might work above our bed. I'm trying to keep the bedroom serene-looking. These prints aren't too heavy either - and are hanging on double hooks. So I'm not worried about them falling on our heads while we're sleeping. Ignore the price stickers still on the glass. I wasn't sure at the time if we'd be keeping them. And thank goodness for Brian who knows how to measure and hang things evenly. I can eyeball where I want to hang things and I'm usually spot on, but when it comes to hanging two things together like this and getting it just right, I'm hopeless.

I think this artwork will look great year-round. Now to find matching lamps for our side tables. Why are lamps so freaking expensive?!

Since Tim moved out a couple of months ago, we haven't done much with his room. We want to make this room into a guest room, but yet with space for Brian to have his own desk and some space for his personal stuff. We found this gorgeous art deco desk on Facebook Marketplace. Brian was smitten when he saw it. The lady we bought it from was so nice. When we were at her house checking out the desk in person, we mentioned that we had to go to Home Depot to rent a truck to haul the desk home. She said that was ridiculous and that she had a big truck and would be happy to help us load it up and deliver it to our house. So here it is in all its glory in what-was-Tim's-room. That framed photo is a vintage map of the Chicago Rapid Transit Line. Brian grew up in Chicago and is a huge fan of anything Chicago, especially if its vintage (like him). We just need to find a frame for it so we can hang it on the wall. And we also need to find a desk chair. Brian wants that would be fitting with this desk. So I'm keeping my eyes open on FB Marketplace and OfferUp and of course we'll look in vintage shops when we make our treks. Eventually the right one will come along.

In regard to making Tim's room a guest room, we're really limited on space. This is a tiny room - around 10x12. We're looking for some kind of twin bed...maybe a daybed or even a futon if it's comfortable. And since Tim took the curtains that were in this room, we need those, too.

The one thing I wouldn't let Tim take were the black and white framed photos on his wall. He actually only wanted two of them, but I told him that'd ruin the entire display. All of these photos are his except for the one of the bottom right - that's mine.

Lastly, this room will need a rug. That's why we were looking at HomeGoods. Even though we didn't find what we were looking for, at least we found the framed photos for our bedroom.

It'll eventually all come together.

Now to work on the computer and photo problems...

looking back on 2015

The end of the year and the beginning of a new one is always time for reflection, isn't it? I like to go back over the year's blog posts and my planner to ponder on not just the big things, but all the little moments that make up a life well-lived. 

Unfortunately, it's typical that my new year usually begins with me being sick. I think it's from all the busyness and stress of Christmas and being around so many people that time of year. I get sick a few days after Christmas and it carries into the new year. 2015 started out with me having the creeping crud, and guess what - I have some kind of virus going on right now that looks like it'll carry into 2016. Nothing major - just a sore throat, headache, and feeling foggy-tired. I'm keeping the symptoms at bay with extra vitamin C and D, the herbal supplement Allibiotic, hot herbal tea with fresh lemon and raw honey, lots of water with fresh lemon and raw, organic apple cider vinegar, and essential oils (custom blended oils to make your own Thieves Oil found here) in the diffuser.

January also started out with us having well problems and having to replace some major parts ($$) and being without water for a few days. Not a good start to 2015!

Things perked up in February when I won a giveaway from Connie at Crafty Home Cottage. Connie is so talented and artistic...I don't think there's anything this woman can't make! She sent me a beautiful banner and embroidered dishtowel and pot holder.

In March, I took a class on making your own sourdough starter, from which we made English muffins. Fun!

April brought an awards ceremony where my hard-working hubby was presented and honored with the Employee of the Year award; and in May, my beautiful niece graduated from high school.

"Miss Begonia" came to live with me in May. She was another blog win from Judy at 20 North Ora. Judy adorned her in a lovely lace dress; I adorned her with necklaces.

June was a month of summer fun with a two outdoor art fairs, a ghost tour, and a couple of outdoor concerts. It was also the month that we finally painted our bedroom walls. They had been a light blue and we chose a soft gray. In July, we also got a new mattress. My back feels so much better!

I celebrated another year of life in August, and in September, Brian and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary.

More work was done in the master bedroom - this time, old carpet was ripped out and hardwood floors installed. Found the area rug at IKEA. Still need new bedding, curtains, lamps and a nightstand, but at least the major work is done.

September is also a cruel month for me and my family, as it brings the anniversary date of Phil's passing. See the painting of the woman hugging the shadowy figure? I recently bought that from a local artist (teresacashart) that I met a few years ago at the Midwest Blogging Conference. She calls this piece, "If Only". I thought it was perfect for Phil's memory shelf. 

October was a happy month with an extended family get-together downstate, the birth of a beautiful, healthy baby girl to the young woman in my life who is like my niece...

and the wedding of my best friend's son.

Good things come in threes...I won my third blog giveaway - a gift card from Target - from Jemma at At Home With Jemma in November. Who doesn't love Target? I'm ordering new bedroom curtains from the Target web site, so this gift card is much appreciated.

On a beautiful, sunny day in November, my dad's side of the family had a mini reunion at a golf club. That's me and Brian on the right side in the green jacket and maroon striped shirt. My mom is the redhead in front of me (my hand is on her shoulder), my youngest niece is to the left of me, and my sister is next to my niece/her daughter in the Blackhawks jacket. The rest of the crew are some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, some of who came in from out-of-state. I think my dad would be mighty proud of his beautiful family. He's been gone 17 years now. 

In December, I finally got a new laptop. My old one had been slowly giving up the ghost all year. I chose an Asus Zenbook, which I'm really enjoying. It has a Solid State Drive, meaning no moving parts, no noise, is more reliable, and consumes less power.

(image from Microsoft)

So, here we are on the brink of 2016. What are you doing for New Year's Eve...will you go out and celebrate or are you staying at home? We'll spend a quiet evening at home with takeout pizza and Netflix. I might get dangerous and make us Moscow Mules. We'll most likely be asleep at midnight. ;-) 

Thank you, dear friends for reading my blog. I treasure each one of you and wish you good health, lots of love, and peace in your hearts for 2016.

hardwood floors ~ one room at a time

We've lived in our house 25 years and naturally, a lot has changed during that time. Except for the master bedroom. It's always been last on our priority list. Sure, it's been painted a couple of times, but that's it. Guess that's what happens when you're busy raising a family and time and money are both scarce. 

Well, it's finally time to start making our bedroom the way we truly want it. I'm not going to do a complete "before" with this post ~ that will come at a later time when I do a total "before and after". Hubby painted the walls a soft, light gray - Sherwin Williams Lattice. It's a cooler gray (but not sterile) with a bluish undertone. The next step was to rip out the 27-year old carpet. You heard me correctly. The carpet in our bedroom was the original of the house!

 This was what we lived with for 25 years: multi-toned beige, sculpted carpet. Stuff that's not even pretty when it's new! And don't be too impressed with the condition it was in after all that time. This was the part that was under the bed. ;-)

The flooring guys will be here bright and early tomorrow morning to install Bruce hardwood floors in the bedroom. This is the flooring we have throughout the rest of the house - it's engineered hardwood. We started 15 years ago with the kitchen, then had the living room and hallway done five years after that. Phil's old bedroom (now my office) was done four years ago, and then Tim's room had the hardwood floors installed last year. We live in a ranch-style house, so all the flooring (except for the two bathrooms) will be uniform now. I highly recommend Bruce hardwood flooring, by the way. It wears very well. After 15 years, our kitchen floor is still beautiful and shiny. The only downside is that it does nick and scratch easily, so I'm assuming it's not the best choice if you have dogs, because of their nails.

Here's a photo of the living room floor so you can see what will be put in the bedroom...

 

If you're curious as to what engineered flooring is all about and if it's right for you - check out this article from Mike Holmes. And for a good article on when to use engineered hardwood floors, click here for a great article with beautiful photos from Houzz. Not being compensated from any of these companies in any way. Just a homeowner who's a fan of these hardwood floors.

well, hello

 Sorry I've been MIA for a week. No big deal ~ just busy with life. Nothing news-worthy. So, just a random post for now. :-)

 I can't believe it's the last day of August already. I love summer and wish it lasted longer. I know a lot of you out there are excited that it's almost fall and are already decorating for that season. Not me! I'm hanging on to summer as long as possible.

We had fall-like weather last week with the temperatures mostly in the 60's. Leaves are already starting to turn red. The skies were gloomy, the air smelled like that wet blanket of fall, and the neighborhood was eerily quiet during the day with all the kids in school. It was just too soon. Which is perhaps why it's going to be 90 again here all week and the AC is back on.

 I take a walk around my neighborhood most evenings and wanted to share this house with you all. Isn't it cool? I call it the Hansel and Gretel house. Even though I prefer light-filled houses, this one does look like it'd be cozy inside, especially in the winter.

 Master bedroom re-do update...the hardwood flooring is being installed September 11th. I've been touching up the tiny blotches of gray wall paint that got on the ceiling when hubby painted. He used painter's tape, but it didn't work well. And he's not expert enough at painting to do the cutting-in technique. (Not dissing him - I can't do it either!) This trying-to-touch-up is a huge pain. Not as easy as it looks and doesn't work well either. And my neck gets sore from constantly looking up. Let's put it this way: Now I know why we've hired professional painters in the past.

Clementine wanted to help, but I declined her offer.

 

Speaking of kitties, Zippo (on the right) had a senior check-up at the vet last week. He turned 16 in May. He had an exam and blood tests. The blood tests showed slightly elevated BUN and amylase levels which can indicate kidney trouble in cats. A fairly common problem, especially as cats get older, but one you don't want your fur baby to have. He eats a healthy diet, so for now we are trying a digestive enzyme powder in his food. Zippo also has a sinus problem...some fluid in his ear and a tender jaw, so a 1/4 crushed baby aspirin every three days is also going in his food. The vet said this should also help with the arthritis in his back legs. It breaks my heart that he's having these problems. He's been with us since he was about three months old and he is the sweetest, loving, personable cat. I want him to have the longest life possible, but a healthy one, of course. We will do whatever it takes ~ unless he's suffering. Otherwise, he is doing fantastic. He still runs around and plays a bit and has no problems with using the cat box. Now that naughty Monkey on the left...he looks so sweet and innocent snuggled up next to Zippo, doesn't he?

Don't let his cuteness fool you. He's been a naughty boy since day one! He's currently on a waking-mom-up-very-early-in-the-morning kick. And he's very persistent about it. He walks all over me, claws at my covers, rubs his head all over whatever body part is exposed (and if my hand, arm or head isn't exposed, he claws continually at the covers), meows, walks all over the top part of my pillow, jumps on my nightstand and paws at things...and repeat. If I try to push him off the bed, he digs his claws in and won't budge. We can't close the bedroom door - he scratches on it. I even tried squirting him with water from a spray bottle. I hate to say it, but he's umm...rather dumb. He comes right back after I spray him! And then he's all wet and I feel guilty. Sigh. I may have to resort to locking him in the basement at night, but that makes me feel guilty, too because he hates it. He scratches at the door and howls. He's actually destroyed the door from all his scratching. Any other ideas out there from you cat people? Oh - I've done the ignoring thing, too and that hasn't worked either. He's very persistent. 

  

Happy Monday!

a little bit of everything

 In my last post, I was telling you about how my friend introduced me to a vintage shop...that was the place where I showed you all the outdoor succulents. Well, I also found a couple of lovely treasures there. I came across this stack of Fire King dishes and thought that by the tag, they were either $6 each or perhaps that rather large period after the 6 was a 0, so that the stack of plates (11 of them) was $60. Wrong on both counts. This entire stack of beautiful dishes was only $6!! The owner of the shop told me that this consignee was an elderly woman who simply wanted to get rid of some of her things; she wasn't looking to make money. This is the Primrose pattern which was made from 1960-1962.

I'm keeping them stacked in my kitchen china cabinet ~ so easy to grab a plate at mealtime. I haven't used paper plates in many years. I try to be environmentally friendly, plus it's a cost savings. Not to mention, even just a salad or sandwich looks more inviting on a pretty plate.

 I also found this small vintage print for $3. I was drawn to the little girl with her braid sticking out of her scarf, the bird in the tree, and the worn frame. This print is now part of my gallery wall that I've been working on in the hallway.

Isn't it fun to receive packages in the mail? This pretty rose tureen recently arrived for me from Cathy at My 1929 Charmer. I won it in her blog anniversary giveaway. Thank you, Cathy! If you're not familiar with her blog, go pay Cathy a visit. She has the most beautiful gardens and has a ton of talent with her decorating and vignettes. You will see why her house is called "The Charmer". :-)

 After a very rainy and cool June, the sun finally came out yesterday afternoon and it warmed up a bit, so I was out in the yard for a few hours pulling weeds, trimming neighbor's overhanging trees, sweeping the porch and patio, and watering and moving potted plants. I found this forgotten chair in the garage and decided to use it as garden art.

 Nothing new here. Just thought this area by the patio was looking so pretty with the tiger lilies in full bloom. I sure wish they'd stay that way the entire summer.

 Brought more houseplants outside and put them on the table on my front porch...

 I normally have a bouquet of fresh flowers on my kitchen table and if they don't come from my yard or the roadside, they're from Trader Joes. I usually stick with alstroemeria since they're only $3.99 per bunch. I keep my table simple since it's small and right there in the kitchen. I don't have a formal dining room.

 I moved the bouquet of flowers to the living room for a change of pace...

 and then added this basket with bottles and blooms instead to the kitchen table. The hydrangea and lamb's ear are from my yard.

 I played switcheroo with the vintage utility cart and the red chair. This is the "after" photo. I like this arrangement much better than the "before". Looks more balanced.

 This was the "before"...

 And since I was playing in the kitchen, I also whipped up a batch of my homemade granola:

MEL'S GRANOLA

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1-1/2 cups mixed nuts & seeds (your choice...cashews, almonds, pecans,

 walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas)

1/8 cup each chia seeds, flaxseed meal, & hemp hearts

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1 tsp each salt and cinnamon

1/3 cup olive or coconut oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (don't even think of using the fake crap!)

Mix oats - cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk together the olive or coconut oil and maple syrup, then pour over oat mixture. Stir until oats are thoroughly coated. Bake in 300F oven for 1/2 hour, stirring halfway through. Let cool on cooling rack and then store in an airtight container. You can add any kind of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, apples, figs, dates, bananas) to the mixture when it's cool, if you'd like. I prefer it as is in the summer...I like it on top of plain Greek yogurt and then topped with fresh blueberries or strawberries.

Brian's had a few vacation days and the lucky guy has been painting our bedroom. After a lot of deliberation, we decided on this light gray - Lattice by Sherwin Williams. So much better than the baby blue it once was! Here's a sneak peek. The room is getting a complete makeover: hardwood flooring, new mattress and headboard, blinds, curtains, furniture, lamps. Will probably take awhile knowing us, but stay tuned.

For those of you in the US, please have a safe and fun Fourth of July weekend!