Summer Afternoon

During the dullest days of winter the phrase “summer afternoon” makes me think of the front porch, a gentle breeze and lemonade. Today was a moment of that.

As I sat there listening to the breeze which ironically sounds very similar to the sea air that blows back home, I day dreamed of happy things.

Like a green Old Towne canoe. I want one.

Truth be told—even though we have a good sized pond I can’t set a foot or boat in it as I read a horrid account on Lonesome Dove that included a young boy getting caught in a nest of water moccasin snakes (This wasn’t one of the happy thought daydreams, by the way.)

Fenwick in Old Saybrook, CT on the other hand is a very happy daydream. This is where Katherine Hepburn lived and it is so very beautiful. It juts out on the ocean so stately and yet though there is sand and water abounding there is lush grass for an impromptu game of croquet.

From the time I got my drivers license I have driven by this property on lazy country drives. On those days when you don’t really want to go anywhere but you don’t want to go home either. What’s your favorite place? Do you have a favorite country drive?

magnificent, cluttery, home

Someday there will be no cars on my windowsills.

Or jump ropes on the entry counter.

Grown up shoes will be lined up neatly in the closet.

The art on the walls won’t be held up by tape.

Baseballs won’t find their way under the lawn mower.

The older girls have already taken those tender first steps away from home. But it is still home..where mountains of laundry gets done on a Saturday afternoon.

Having the oldest finish her first year of college has really affected me (can you tell?!). Everyone told me “it goes by so fast” . They were right.

For today I welcome the clutter, the fingerprints, the messy house that holds it all in and makes us a family.

Friday’s Corner

This is among my favorite corners in the house. It’s quiet and I think the people who live in this house kind of forget about this room. You musn’t remind them about it or tell them it is my favorite place to read.

Because then my quiet corner will soon be littered with markers and sheets of whatnot paper scraps. There will be stuffed animals munched behind the pillows and pile of metal cars behind the chair. Not that my children are reckless and leave piles of stuff everywhere, nor do they use half a bottle of pancake syrup on one pancake and use sticky hands to open the fridge door.

I am almost done with “Abigail Adams” by Janet Whitney (1947).

This was a great book to read after reading and watching “John Adams” by David McCullough.

Abigail was strong and humble and smart and was pretty aware of the impact of her husband on the history of our country. One can’t help but admire her. There are many direct quotes from letters to and from her husband as they spent large quantities of time apart. These quotes are my favorite part of the book, I think I would rather spend a week reading their letters on microfiche than on a tropical beach.

This is from a letter Abigail wrote to John that kept me awake. It makes me reflect on the “want of life” and traveling and my children. Also of my childhood and the seemingly lost focus on how I felt growing up…

“I have learned to know the world and its value. I have seen high life. I have witnessed the luxury and pomp of state, the power of riches and the influence of titles. Not withstanding this I feel that I can return to my little cottage and be happier than here; and if we have not wealth, we have what is better-integrity.”

I am still learning and growing and cannot yet return to “my little cottage” in Connecticut. Someday I will and I am certain it will be happy times indeed.

Quiet corners are great for stimulating one’s thoughts, eh? Are you a thinker, too?

The quiet corner looks out on the hens. Their hen pecking and egg laying squawks make me happy.

This concludes today’s episode of

Friday’s Corner

Thank you and Goodnight!

kitchens from yesterday

Thank you very much for the quilting advice, I really appreciate all the help. You'll be happy to hear I will bind my quilt. I will be in FT Worth next week and can stop in to the quilt shop to buy enough fabric to make the binding...hopefully from the same dye lot as I already purchased. Last week I bundled up the boy and went across town to the only quilt shop around these here cowboy parts to ask her advice--even getting past my guilt that I didn't buy my fabric from her but sadly her shop was closed and a tattoo parlor occupies her once cute little store. Thanks for coming to my rescue.

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On to kitchens. I have always been intrigued by the evolution of kitchens. It is the kitchens of times past that are my favorite. Last year I came across a few old magazine clippings of kitchens my Gram had clipped out. What she dreamed of and what I dream of are not all that different. I spent nearly every summer of my young life eating at her table, watching her make meals on her sea foam green counter tops. How I loved that kitchen! It was always bright even on the cloudiest days, it took up enough of the house to face the road and hear cars crunch up the driveway and also to have a back door to welcome casual guests. My seat at the table was a spindle bench I shared with my left handed brother who was always jabbing me with his elbow. When the food wasn't to our liking we would procrastinate eating by poking Suzie the calico cat, who would sleep on the radiator right behind us. I suppose it is this kitchen that fuels my kitchen dreams, though my visions are less sea foam green and more white and pine.

Like Ol' Salty and Cap'n Pepper I have lived with many kitchens through the years. The kitchen is the heart of the home, it's amazing what a coat of paint, or a roll of red gingham contact paper can do to transform even the most outdated kitchens. You can put on a spectacular meal with the barest necessities. Primp yourself and wear an apron, eat on pretty dishes....even if they are nonmatching thrift store finds.

When we were house shopping here in Texas, I fell in love with our kitchen. It immediately reminded me of Leave it to Beaver .

Not that I have watched every episode of Beaver enough to have their kitchen in my permanent memory or anything.

Not that I knew exactly which episode to put on and take a picture of. It's hard to be this way. Sigh.

While we are chatting in the kitchen I thought I'd share a quick tip that makes my life easier. I am often clipping recipes or printing them from the internet. After they have been tried and true I clip and tape them to regular size recipe cards and file them. It's quick and easy and beats writing them out. I had a huge bin full of clipped recipes and was always digging through them.

Thanks for hanging out in the kitchen with me. Do you have kitchen wisdom? Are you happy with yours? What kind of kitchen do you dream of?

PS I made the filigree hearts last week...they are good and very easy.

another Fisher Price re-enactment

This is me and my husband. Welcome to our home.

We talked over having his squadron over for a Christmas Party. It kind of looks like we are about to kiss. We probably did.

We sent out invitations and I kind of sat around for a bit not thinking too much about it. Then people started responding and my heart started palpitating. I realized I had to clean the house and cook food. Then more people responded and I realized I would have to cook much more food and haul the dusty old chairs up from the barn. I became kind of jittery with nervousness. I have never prided myself on my cooking skills, haven't I mentioned to you when I met my husband I served his mother banana bread from a box mix?

The guests began to show up and hover in corners until there were too many and they were invading each others personal space. They are a fun crowd...all in all it was a good time. It's fun to see the young airman cocky and festive around the old guys. Little do they know it's only a matter of time before they, too will sport Santa-like bellies and talk too loud about "the good ol days".

There were many people in our house.

It got really warm as we had the woodstove going. I was wearing a thick cable knit sweater. Why am I so dumb to do that? We live in Texas! I couldn't take it off because I most likely had sweat rings the size of dinner plates in my pits.

The younger children didn't go to bed. They ate many helpings of cake and cookies and candy. Molly was shy hiding her face. Henry was loudly singing Wii Rock Band while shaking his butt to anyone who would look at him.

Someone brought a dog. I saw it in the kitchen as I was refilling a cheese plate.

THE END

paper trail

A while ago I gave my six year old a marble sized amount of poster putty. This was the green light for intense redecorating in her tiny little room. I slowly became aware of this as I tucked her in at night and would have to duck from the paper chains and whatnot hanging from the ceiling. Who knew just a tiny bit of putty could hold so much?

Yesterday was the day when my energy level matched the couple hours I had in the afternoon...don't you love those days? It's hard to clean out her things... there are countless little papers decorated with crooked crayon hearts that say "I love Mom and Dad". And even one that said "I am happy".

Her room has potential for something unique. Perhaps floor to ceiling floral wall paper? Maybe something with an Anne of Green Gables feel to it. Or maybe a buttery yellow with lots of white and pinks and greens? Anything is better than these peach colored walls and rose colored carpet!

vanity and an invite

Before


After

The vanity was part of a four piece furniture deal. Do you like it when I tell you how much I pay for stuff? I like it when you tell me how much you pay for stuff. There are many deals to be found. Often people are so overburdened with generational hand-me-downs that they just want to get rid of it. It makes it even better when you can load it on the spot and drive away. Truthfully though I always look naive. I think this is my natural expression. Staying quiet and making a ridiculously low offer puts the ball in their court and more often than not it works out. That is how I paid $20 for all four pieces. All I really wanted was the vanity. I unattached the mirror and though it is pretty I will be using the vanity to sew on and didn't want to be staring at myself all the time.

I usually don't mind grime but won't ever buy something that smells (like cigs or like they had 50 cats). This had lots of what I am guessing is hairspray coated on. I actually used a straight edge razor blade to scrape through it all. Then sanded, stained and varnished and used Brasso on the handles.

Since you're here I might as well invite you in. My sewing corner is in my bedroom. This is what happens when your house is full of children. It is a large room which at first was wonderful having had many tiny rooms over the years. But lately it has slowly been overtaking the bedroom, in a really bad way. With Ken away it is more like a craft room with a bed tucked in. On any given afternoon this room can turn into a wreck with riding toys and kids doing cartwheels while I try and finish something. Makes the old-librarian-lady-who-likes-quiet-and-organization in me go wheely cwazy.

So come on in and do a few cartwheels and Henry will drag in the bean bag chairs so you can jump from one to the other. Apparently this is very fun.

Just don't sit on the bed. That makes Mom wheely mad. Can't I have just one place that stays neat and tidy????

Thanks for coming by.
It's October 1st--that means it's Blogtoberfest. There is a list here of people participating. I'm too busy this month to participate but it will be nice to read through the list.

Crafting Cupboard

I bought this cupboard last week for a couple dollars--yeah I know you are thinking I paid too much for it. But you have to look past the 60+ years of grunge and see the utility in what was once a well made cupboard.

It just took a couple cans of spray paint, handles and a yard of fabric to bring it to life.

Tune in tomorrow when I share the vanity encased in three generations of hair products:

Kind of makes you want to go wash your hands, eh?