I know, I know. Where in the world have you been. My last post was at the beginning of December and I posted a Wordless Wednesday, which I should do today. Nevertheless, there are things to catch up on in this beginning of a new year. Wordless, schmordless...
This is the view from my bonus room window this morning. For two days it has been intermittently raining and sleeting and freezing. Schools are still in session in this county (go figure) so Jim is "off to the factory".
Since Epiphany has passed and holiday decorations are packed away and hefted into the attic, I have been making my space in the bonus room tolerable again. Actually I am trying to go beyond tolerable to inspirational. I am beginning to see surfaces again!
On the way home from my doctor's appointment in Griffin last week, I stopped by Ikea to pick up this shelf unit to fit beside the pie safe. It matches the other units in the room that we are using for books and for Jim's repair studio.
There were projects, and piles, and leftovers from Christmas everywhere.
I took advantage of the Jo-Ann's 50% off sale to purchase the drawer pulls I have been eying for quite some time. They make the pie safe FUN. Pop refinished this pie safe which belonged to Delia Tice Fisher, Jim's paternal grandfather's sister. It used to sit on her back porch for kitchen items and well, pies. When Pop and Grandmom got it, it had four layers of paint: white, green, cream, and pink. Pop cleaned the tin by hand and stripped the wood with chemical stripper. It was easy to do as the entire cabinet comes apart in order to lay flat in a buggy or cart for traveling. Which you can surmise makes it well over 100 years old. We have used it to store phonograph records or books, in our kitchen, for storing family games, and now I am treasuring it in my creating corner.
The little metal cans are from Target in the after Christmas sale bins. Not only did they start out at $1, they were half price, too! Whoo hoo! I have chalkboard stickers and a chalk ink marker to label them.
I am making use of gorgeous metal plant holders from Willow House, which used to be Southern Living at Home. They are going out of business and I just love these. They were normally $30 and are closing out at $6. I can't get enough of them and use them for all kinds of things.
I have been following the advice of Miss Mustard Seed as I read her book, given to me for Christmas. She recommends shopping your house and using unique containers to hold things, stretching your imagination for "out of the box" purposing. I am fast becoming a Miss Mustard Seed groupee.
So how are you starting out your new year? I know that...Tim has a new hobby, building things with his Arduino (if you don't know what this is, look it up, fascinating); Dan is growing an awesome beard and Meg says is swaying toward Grizzly Adams philosophy; Rebecca is in her final semester for nurse practitioner, need we say more; Seth is pushing through his final semester at UGA with a loaded schedule including microbiology and anatomy I and II, applying for nursing school, and walking in the Spring-Cum Laude; Jim is lowering his blood pressure by going to the YMCA and is excited about his new, awesome, state of the art, ultrasonic band instrument cleaner; Dad just hosted a carving workshop with Vic Hood from all places, Leipers Fork, which is just down the hill from us; Mom has recovered beautifully from her bypass surgery and escaped to my house to visit with me and with Meg and her family for the duration of the carving invasion; Monte and Gabby are busy, busy, busy getting ready for a huge and exciting venture which will bring them closer to us and will offer some amazing opportunities to the teaching environment of Emory University Hospital; Matt and Meg, well they have a 6 and 4 year old who just blow my mind with their energy, humor, and intellect.
Who knows what will be outside my window tomorrow? Inside, it will be warm, my dogs and I will be cozy and happy, and I will be able to see the top of my craft table again. Whoopee! Happy New Year!
