March 16, 2008

  • Sometimes I'm a poet...

    Oh, vinegar, vinegar, my sour little friend

    I love the way you clean for me; for the chores you gently tend!

    I poured you in my teapot last night and turned the heat on high

    As you toiled and boiled in my copper pot, I gave a thankful sigh.

    "Mom, what's that smell?!" *cough* *gag* "My eyes are starting to water!"

    (Our little guys do not realize that any drama will become my blog fodder!)

    And then, dear vinegar, you soon dwindled and my teapot was bright and clean

    I happily rinsed my pot and prepared a spot of tea~ named for Catherine the Queen!

     

     

     

     

     

     

March 13, 2008

  • I caved in...

    and really learned to crochet.  I have tried several times before, but I just could not get past my own perfectionism.  I had finally decided that I would treat myself to knitting and crocheting as a special *new* skill when I approach the end of my days--you know, when I start going to bed at 6 p.m. and waking up at 4 a.m.--when I will spend a lot of my day in my rocker/glider, or as an alternative to gardening.  Something to look forward to. 

    But I keep coming across the prettiest blankets and things on the internet!  And, thinking frugally [or trying to], it only makes sense!  So, a couple of weeks ago, I asked my sweet MIL to show me how to crochet.  She has been crocheting since she was twelve--she's an expert!  Here is my first attempt:

    Logan's pics 181

    Logan's pics 191

    Ugh, the blurry or too-bright photos!  (Disclaimer--I used Lamb's camera--I should read the camera manual!  Note the wrong date/time/etc.).  I don't know if you can tell, but this is some tight weave!  I decided to make it into a washcloth.  I think it's very granny chic!  When I saw my MIL this past weekend, she showed me how to make the scalloped edge, so I added one to my washcloth, hoping it would help camoflauge the uneven sides, LOL.

    I also made this yellow baby blanket:

    Logan's pics 187

    Logan's pics 192 Logan's pics 243

    Can you see my mistakes?  I am hoping that they are not too noticeable...I finished it last night and will wash it before I package it up and mail it away for a sweet baby.  Nobody y'all would know...

     

  • Making Progress...

    I have (slowly) been organizing my house to be put on the market.  Last week, I managed to clear out our living room–I had packed/taped boxes and boxes from Christmas filling one-third of our living room!  I also took a few pieces of furniture to storage.  The room looks so bare to me now–I keep my walls pretty full, but have removed almost everything to “de-personalize” the room:

    As you can see from the picture, there are a few things I need to do to this room:  remove the curtain rod over the window, replace mini-blinds with white wooden blinds, and I might also put the glider in storage.

    The above picture was taken from our entryway–the buffet is on the right, and as you enter the room, the couch in the forefront is against a set of windows parallel to the windows on the back wall.

    The bar is perpendicular to the big couch.  I had kept the piano under the bar for years, simply because I could not figure out a better arrangement with our furniture.  You might not be able to see from the pictures, but our living room does not have a single *blank* wall–every wall has either a doorway or windows.  That makes furniture arrangement a challenge!  When I took our broken rocker/recliner to storage last week, it made the perfect space for the piano, and I was able to buy a couple of bar stools for the bar.

    A few years ago, I created a faux mantle above the bar (and I hope to have an “after” picture later of a dusted, re-arranged mantle and straightened tapers, LOL!).  I bought the shelf in Cuero, then found the mirror for $10 at an antique store, sconces 2/$5 at another shop, and crystal bobeches (placed at base of taper candles to catch wax) for $1 each at a market.

    Our piano bench needs help (well, the entire piano could use refurbishing, but it will have to wait until after the move), so I moved it to storage and bought this bench from Big Lots for $50.  I love how it looks with the piano and the toile runner~black/white/rattan.  I do need to take the plate rack off the wall and the two containers of plates on the top right of the piano to storage…I am also considering centering the oval mirror above the piano.

    I think, besides the few odds and ends in this room, that the finishing touch to this room would be paint–but we are unable to paint for a few reasons.  One thing we are considering is offering a paint allowance upon the sale of the house…

    We will be working on the last details of this room this weekend and I hope to have pictures to post next week!

    ;) Kat

March 7, 2008

  • I am still working on a few details and I will have a picture post early next week.  Y'all have a great weekend!

    Kat

March 6, 2008

  • The master bedroom is next...

    I am so excited and  feel such a weight lifted!  My living room is box-free!  We took two loads of boxes to storage yesterday and my oldest and I were able to fit our broken rocker/recliner in my minivan and put it in storage, too.  My plan is to have the repairman pick it up and drop it off at storage.  I have had my piano underneath our bar for years and was able to move it to the wall where the recliner stood--and now I am going to buy a couple of bar stools for the bar.  I know I've read or seen on decorating shows that the areas in a house should be "defined", so I am happy to *define* the bar, LOL. 

    The room looks so bare to me in this new arrangement.  I had previously removed almost everything from the walls (I like a lot of eye candy on my walls!).  I will post pictures this evening!  Right now, I am off to buy bar stools and maybe wooden blinds to replace the old mini-blinds (totally depends on the prices!) while my dh fixes the garbage disposal!

March 4, 2008

  • Contradiction?

    Obama on 60 Minutes (italics mine):

    "You know, this has been a systematic e-mail smear campaign that's been going on since actually very early in this campaign," Obama said. "I have never been a Muslim, am not a Muslim.... It plays into, obviously, a certain fear-mongering there."

    Obama, as quoted from his writing:

    "In our household the Bible, the Koran [sic], and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology.  On Easter or Christmas day my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese new year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and ancient Hawaiian burial sites."

     

March 3, 2008

March 1, 2008

February 28, 2008

  • I'm a slacker...

    ...and a flake.  I make plans and don't follow through.  I have no motivation to pack this house and take things to storage.  I make plans and lists, then walk into my living room and feel overwhelmed.  I suddenly need a nap!  LOL  I need to find someone~my in-laws, or a pre-teen/teenage girl~to come and play with my little ones while I work!  I have to wait on the in-laws, and of the homeschoolers I know, I cannot think of any who would let their daughter come here during the day (they are busy with school).  I remember that a local church has a message board in their lobby where teenager girls offer baby-sitter services--I might drive over there and see what I find.  Another thought is the local college--surely there are college students who would like to make a little extra money?  This is one of the *negatives* of not having family nearby...

February 22, 2008

  • Shocked and appalled

    After watching this video (there are several parts to it), I think that I will avoid Shreveport, Louisiana!  This woman walks into a police station and leaves on a gurney? 

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=97mytik3-Jo&feature=related

    (I first saw this on GordonBOPS' site).

    Quote from police union:

    "He followed training and standard procedures, but this suspect was out of control and repeatedly tried to leave the testing area, which forced him to have to restrain her. After her refusal to take the breath test, Officer Willis turned off and saved the videotape, in accordance with normal practice. The suspect again tried to leave the room. In the process of stopping her, she fell and injured herself," the statement continued.

    The inconsistency that stands out the most for me in this statement is that the police officer says that he turned off the camera because the woman had refused the breathalyzer test and they would be leaving the room.  He then contradicts himself by also saying that after he turned off the camera, she tried to leave the room.  ??  They both wanted the same thing--to leave the room--so why was there a conflict? 

    Also, if, as the police chief states, it is their department's policy to turn off the camera while a "prisoner" is still in the room, then why was the camera on before this lady comes into the room?  It seems that if that is their policy, we would have seen the woman in the room with the officer when he turned the camera on.  There are just too many contradictions.  It is obvious to me what happened...