before & after

A few weeks back, I dragged this kind of ugly trunk home from a thrift store.

Then I set #1 Son on to the task of making it beautiful.
"Have fun," said I, "-only please make this into an amazing cabinet for under the flat screen TV."

His main partner was Best Boy #2, Zach. An additional accomplice showed up on the scene, for which I also give my thanks.

Thanks for making the boys focus, Matthew.
That IS what you were doing, right?

RIGHT?
At one point when I sent my Saturday Friend (Olive) down to the garage to check on their progress, she reported:

"They are listening to NOT Jesus music and dancing all over the garage."

She not only stated this sincerely, but in a sing-songy little sister tone -which highly entertained me but for it's certain truth.

In between their frolicking, they decided to saw a gaping hole into the front of the trunk. Then they decided that this trunk needed secret drawers.

The secret drawers are for treasure maps and hidden pirate booty.

Today I requested that the unfinished trunk be hauled into my family room for the girly-touches
that would bring it home.

I googled my favorite site, Design Sponge, for the tutorial on Dry Brush Painting.

My Saturday Friend and I had all sorts of fun doing the EASY PEASY beauty treatment!


It only took approximately ONE HOUR to make this old trunk sing the song I have wanted it to sing.
Thank you, Anthropologie, for making so many porcelain knobs that mounds of them end up in the clearance bin.

Oh Thank you ever so $2.95 much.

TA-DAH! Here is my new beautiful thing up close.

-and here is my new beautiful thing in its natural environment.

Somebody bring me some popcorn. Stat.

whining on the couch

The couch is quite snuggly; the blankets she has tucked round me so warm. Why then is my entire body (including hair follicles & eye lids) aching so? I also have a large glass of cold ginger ale at my shaky arm's reach.

They call it the flu.

I am quite spoiled here in broad, flat, chilly, gray Texas; the biggest state of the Lower 48. I think Texans love their Biggest State title so much, that they refuse to acknowledge the even larger other thing (Alaska). They sniff & call it a "territory". So I've heard.

I would find the digital proof of this hearsay & link to it, if only my tired fingers (which hurt when they tap keys) and my tired eyes (oh the raging glow of this screen!) could manage it.

Wahh. Please allow me to whine & cry just this little bit? After all, I'm in Texas & everything is so big here, surely one 49-year old lady shivering on a couch isn't going to tip the balance.

Thanks for your generosity.

airwaves

My love & admiration for this family just grows & grows. So grateful to be in their circle!

Here are a few pics of my visit to their home a few days ago, where I was fed, pampered, serenaded, entertained, loved on, and prayed for:

the lunch prep, handled deftly & expertly by Theresa, aka Friend #88b.

bistro lunch for Julia & myself.

original songs shared at the table, courtesy of Friend #88a.

the cheerful clearing of the plates.


post-meal instruction of how to receive forgiveness for breaking a toy: an indispensable tutorial for grown-ups, too.

Regrettably, NPR was not there to record it for national broadcast.

winter love

Our lovely deep window sills make a perfect frame for a whirling snowfall.

The snow fell on & off throughout the afternoon, laying new soft sheets of white on the roads & on the river. Last week's thaw had melted December's bounteous snows, but the new year reminds us that we still have a long season ahead of us.

Stepping out onto the back porch to fetch some wood for the fire, I breathed in the fresh, snowy air, and took in the view across the river.

(Have I mentioned that I LOVE living here?)

frigid

A frigid morning in January, yes. But I have a bowl of fruit to admire, so it's all good.

photo fun

In emptying out my camera card, I came across some fun times.
Here, in absolutely no particular order, are a few of them.

Two young friends from Crane ( where I work) came over for dinner & cookie-making. They took the decorating quite seriously. One is a vocalist who also plays flute. The other is a pianist who is a gifted choral conductor.

This is my neighbor's son. He made this contraption out of spare parts. It has an engine which runs on gas. I am unclear about exactly what it does. He was pretty excited about it, though.

The Buchanan/McCarthy family joined us for dinner. I love these people. A good time was had by all.

Here are two ladies-in-waiting. While waiting, one of them sported some attitude. How ladylike!

This is my thrifted leather chair. Well, some of it is well-worn leather and some of it is perfectly-matched vinyl. But whatever. It cost me forty bucks & I love it.

This is my partner in crime. We totally own this corner of Little Italy restaurant in Saranac, NY. Not really. But it feels that way whenever we eat there -which has been twice now.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, I gave my niece kitchen chores. She complied cheerfully. In this pic, she is mixing the dressing. I would call it "stuffing", but we baked it this year.

(Do you know how much fat there is in real stuffing? It's a food crime to eat that stuff.)

-not that we have anything against caloric intake. Take these doughnuts made from scratch, for instance. I think I ate four of them while they were still warm.

More food? Well, yes. Caramelized Onion & Asparagus Tart was quite the hit. I wish I had some right this minute.
On one of my last forays onto the river I snapped this shot. That's our house & garage up on the bank. For the remainder of the winter I can only see the reverse of this view -out my kitchen window. It's not a bad view, but still I would rather be out on the water looking homeward.

Lastly, I share this interior shot of the Little Yellow House around the corner, where these breathtaking floors lingered under swaths of linoleum, subflooring, and/or carpeting for many a year gone by. Isn't it 'bout time they were uncovered? I rather think so.

Now that it is a new year, I will wash my camera card clean ( or unload it into the memory of my computer) & start afresh!