peaceful diversions

Taking the time to notice how the soft sunlight filters through the trees this time of year.

Serene walks in the State Park.

A pretty, sunny room in which to practice yoga.

A good book to escape into. (Loving this one!)

Creating a new vignette on the buffet.

Zippo. Clementine. Monkey. My fur babies.

Please share some of the things that you bring you peace and calmness.

procrastination central

 I didn't sleep well last night. I went to bed late because I wanted to finish reading

a book. And then I was wide awake at 5:30. I think it's the slant of the light coming

in through my blinds this time of year. I need total darkness to sleep. I think I'm

going to look into getting some room darkening shades. Then I went and looked

out the front door and saw this. Another few inches of snow. Really, Mother Nature?

Look how high the snow is now in my front yard. Two feet, at least. The drifts

are even higher.

 I had an acupuncture appointment at 10:00 a.m. but I rescheduled it for later this

afternoon. I usually don't mind driving in a little bit of snow, but this place is a 1/2

hour drive in normal traffic and I heard the roads were terrible. There are so many

important things I could've been getting done at home today, but I just feel so blah

and tired. I guess it's the combination of a lack of sleep and being tired of this

yucky weather. So in-between doing the usual cleaning and laundry, I did what

I do best: I puttered and rearranged. I took all the plants out of Tim's room, since

he'll be home next week and I need to get that room cleared out. At first it was hard

to find room for more plants in the rest of the house, but I figured it out.

 I moved this print from the bathroom into the living room...

Took the brown basket off the bottom shelf...

And put a cheery, springy splash of yellow there instead.

Added monogrammed vintage hankies to the top of the secretary desk

in my bedroom and made a new vignette...

I really must go shovel the porch and front sidewalk before I leave for

my appointment. The snow is not going to go away by itself. And it's not fair
 for Brian to have to do all the shoveling when he gets home from work. I can

at least help out a bit with that. I promised a friend a phone call too, so off

I go. Please tell me you sometimes have "off" days, too. Do you give in

to them or do you fight it?

new vignettes in the living room ~ and other "fun" stuff

 Do you ever take a good look at some arrangement you've done and think

maybe it looks too cluttered? Maybe it was also because I was looking through

a decorating magazine and saw a feature on a home focusing on minimalism

(that would never be me with decorating, that's for sure). I sometimes have to

remind myself that "less is more". I also wanted to lighten things up a bit for spring.

Even though spring seems like a long way off around here. We're going down

to below zero temps again tonight. Can't even talk about it.

Anyway, first I decided to tackle this area of the living room.

This is the before.

And here's the after. I took out most of the heavy, gold accessories and 

added a couple of white ones. I also removed the brown birds and brown 

candle that was in the narrow basket.

 Made a new vignette on the buffet with clear bottles. There had also been

a wooden bowl filled with books and pine cones on the right, and I changed

that out for a stack of books with a framed mirror and my grandma's clock.

 I added some white accessories to the table in the entryway.

The fun stuff is over. Now I'm off to make a call to an endodontist (need

a root canal), fold laundry, clean cat puke out of the vent (Clementine has

great aim), and research natural ways to get rid of ants (tried the cinnamon

thing I found online earlier - doesn't work). And then tonight, we get to go out

in the bitter cold to a car dealer and look at a couple of used cars for Tim!

Still haven't found one and we are sick and tired of dealing with people we've

found on Craigslist. We've been looking for six weeks and Tim needs a car

ASAP as it looks like he might be getting a new job and needs transportation.

Happy Tuesday.

Sharing with Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday

lighten up ~ changes in the living room

 I know it's still 36 days until spring (yes, I'm counting) but I was getting kind of

tired of the heavy tabletop look in my entryway. I wanted to change out the dark

tray and bird and the thick, gold candlesticks.

I used the new thrifted basket and a couple of white candle holders

to lighten up the space. Sorry for the grainy photo - it's cloudy today.

 I decided to change the vignette on the buffet in the living room, too, especially

after being inspired by Penny's miniature book cloche...

Here's my buffet before...you will notice I had pine cones and brown decorative

balls under the cloche.

 And here's the buffet now with mini books under the cloche. I also traded the
gold clock for a gold and blue bowl, but I think I like the clock better.

Thanks for stopping by ~ it makes my day when you leave such lovely comments!

Linking up to Green Willow Pond What We Accomplished Wednesday

the zen of puttering

There's just something about puttering around the house that's both relaxing

 and rejuvenating all at the same time. I find myself losing track of time, rearranging

 things and creating new displays and vignettes. I move from one project and room 

to another, like a moving meditation. Maybe this is why I was never really good at 

crafts. It's very hard for me to sit still and concentrate on one thing. 

So here's a few things I did today. I saw this easy, clever idea on Pinterest.

Take a metal baking rack and hang it behind the stove or on the backsplash,

add some small s-hooks, and use to hang cooking utensils.

There were just a few summer clearance items (75 - 80% off!) left at Michaels.

I found this polka dot planter that ended up costing $1.50. I love how it looks

in the kitchen with the succulents in it.

 

Remember the watercolor of the Golden Gate Bridge that I found at Secret

Treasures last week? I was saving it for when we re-do Tim's room after he

moves out, but I love it so much that I wanted to use it now. I played around

with staging it in different places, and finally settled on the ladder bookcase in

the living room. The vivid blue in the painting goes perfectly with all the other

pops of blue in this room. The glass and silver bowl in front of the painting is

filled with rocks, shells, and little pieces of wood that we found on the beaches

when we took our trip to San Francisco and the surrounding area back in 2009.

I found this old wax sealer last month when thrifting at Goodwill. It's obviously

painted over, but I did like the red. I love how it goes with the red wall at the

end of the hallway. PS - see the top book, The Riley Reader? Found this at

an antique shop years ago and couldn't resist since our last name is Riley.

Since then, I've found Riley Farm Rhymes and Riley Love Lyrics, both beneath

The Riley Reader.

Moving on to the main bath, I changed out the bottom shelf with a framed print

that used to be in the living room (where the Golden Gate Bridge painting now is),

a pink hydrangea, and stacked green and pink candles.

On to "my" room/office/quiet space/TV room - we still call it "Phil's room" - 

I made a new vignette on top of the dresser. I used an old letter sorter that belongs

to my hubby...he had it on his desk as a kid. I filled it with some note cards, an old

children's Bible (Brian's), some little dishes...and a Goebel bird sits on top with 

Brian's childhood rosary hanging from it. Stacked some books, a plant from the living

 room, a couple of small, colorful picture frames - and voila.

I'm still working on a couple of vignettes in the living room...the top of the buffet and

the top of the console table when you walk in the door. For some reason, these two

spots are a challenge for me. They either look too sparse or too cluttered. Oh well,

that means I get to keep on puttering ~ which is good for the soul!

 

feeling at home

I haven't ventured out of my house in two days except for going to

yoga class, and that's just fine with me. As much as I like going out and

doing fun things and being with friends or certain family members, I also like

days at home, with nothing planned except for what I feel like doing at the time.

I take pleasure in creating a home that's welcoming, beautiful and relaxing

for not only myself and my family, but for those who visit, as well. 

 I don't think puttering is a waste of time and energy; I think it's soothing and relaxing

but yet energizing at the same time. Whether it's creating a new vignette, placing

fresh flowers in a vase, fluffing the pillows on the couch, putting clean sheets on

the bed, setting a beautiful table, or even sweeping the front porch of all the storm

debris from the previous night, it's all like a moving meditation.

Don't you find that creating a home is a form of self-expression? Or, dare I say,

even an art form? 

 

There is a saying that eyes are the window to the soul, and perhaps that's true.

But I also think that our home is a window to our soul. You are the one who

made your home what it is; what it tells other people. If your home is constantly 

cluttered and messy, perhaps your mind is cluttered and bogged down. 

If you appreciate art and things of beauty, your house will show that, too.

 

 It doesn't matter if your home is a tiny cottage, a look-alike house in the suburbs,

a modern loft, or a mansion by the sea. If you nourish your home with loving energy,

you will feel it. You will walk in your front door and feel at peace. 

 You should have objects of beauty and interest in your home; things that make

you smile. They don't have to cost much money; for example, everything you

see in the vignette below was from a thrift store ~ except for the "beautiful" picture, 

which I made ~ and the bottles of perfume.

 Even something as simple as a little plant by a sunny window can add

interest and cheer to your home.

 So, tell me...what does your home say about you?

 I hope that your home is your safe haven. I am praying for those who have

tragically lost their home in the Oklahoma tornadoes. 

Linking up to Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday

lots of tweaking going on

 What a beautiful day we finally had here. The sun was shining brightly

and temps were in the high 40's. May not seem like a big deal to a lot of you,

but these were the warmest temperatures we've seen here in a long time.

The snow pile in my tiny front yard is finally diminishing.

 When I walked into the back yard and looked at my lilac bush, I was so

surprised - and excited - to see new buds forming already!

I had windows open to let in fresh air and started on my spring cleaning.

I also played with some new vignettes, including this little centerpiece 

on the kitchen table.

 My gallery wall is finally complete! 

I added these two trays to another wall in my kitchen, but I'm not digging it. You know

how you put something together - a wall hanging or vignette and you just know when

it's right? Well, if you have to stand there and stare at it and think, "Does this look

good?" And you keep going back to look at it because you're not sure,

then then the logical answer is that it's not working.

 

Yep, I think there's too much going on here.

Trays will be coming down tomorrow!

 

 I found this cute, spring-colored pillow at Target the other day.

I realized when I got home and put the pillow on my bed, that the colors were

almost the same as the quilt I had in the office. So I folded the quilt and

put it at the end of the bed. And I'm keeping it real here ~ you can see in

this picture that I need new blue pillowcases. Those faded marks are from

one night when I borrowed my son's prescription acne gel to put on a couple

of i'm-too-old-for-this-crap pimples that had sprung up. Little did I know that

this product would rub off my face onto the pillowcase and "bleach" it.

This shelf in its former life was cream-colored with a pink flower.

It got a new paint job today, though I think I may distress it a little with

sandpaper. I have this hanging on my bathroom wall.

 

I did some tweaking in the living room too, but I'll wait until next week

to show you that room, as I'm waiting until the new curtains that I got

at IKEA are back from the tailor. They're being hemmed and I can pick

them up on Saturday. I can't wait - I think they'll really add a lot of needed

softness and warmth to the living room.