it's soiree time!

so tomorrow is my little gathering at my house.

i'm proud of myself for FINALLY coming out of hermitville a little bit.

and at the same time, terrified :)

ha.

mostly, i am trying to focus on how much i love all the people i invited. that is all that really counts, right?

:) happy day!

happy sunday - lots going on over here in the 'let's decorate' department. it's officially time to start the best season (except for planting season, growing season, and harvesting season)! ha.

i am grateful for this time around, my 50th christmas to celebrate. i have everything i could ever want, it seems, and much more than i deserve...

i hope you all had a great holiday! take time to slow down and soak in the peace and love and joy during these next few weeks....much love to you all!

where in the world did she go?

i feel like i owe you guys this post.

and no, not because i am feeling guilty, but because i remember the days when i used to WANT to post almost every day.

unfortunately, life has taken a dramatic turn over here.

no, i have not fallen and cannot get up.

i have become one of THOSE people. a digital designer. like, somebody who designs stuff for facebook, and email, and dratted 'social' media. in OTHER words, spam. i've become a spammer.

i did not go into this willingly.

i fought it for as long as i could. but truth be told, if i don't switch over, in a couple of years i will not have employment. which may or may not be a detriment.

so, i am online most days, reading tutorials and making practice emails that i test 477 times before i send out. and then have the client call to say i made a typo.

it leaves precious little time for blogging, folks, and that is sad.

i also am making invitations to my party via email and facebook.

just for fun, i will put it here. you know, in case you don't do that other newfangled stuff :)

next week, i will try to come back at least ONCE!

and then it was over.

whew. yesterday was quite the day, eh?

i wish i could say i was happy about all the love and kumbayah, but BOY am i ever glad the election is over.

for the record, i did not have a favorite candidate in the presidential race. politics make me cry...

however, as one friend posted on facebook 'i feel safer this morning' - the VERY first thought that came into my head was 'yeah, it's that whole chariots and horses thing' - my mercy church family will totally understand that thought. the rest of you will probably think i am nuts :)



anyway.



it was a good day.



the sun was out.


i had 3 meetings with my bff and we got some new projects.

i baked banana bread with applesauce replacing some of the oil, and it is yummy.



i had communion at church.



i went to bed early and got up early - FINALLY back on track because of daylight savings time...




and today is wednesday! wednesdays make me smile ;)

that extra hour

happy Monday!

i'm here at a 'normal' time now, it seems the extra hour we gained has helped me to not sleep in soooooooooo late in the morning. yay.

i am in awe of how much i do NOT plan things. or, shall we say, how much i dislike planning things. sometimes, it seems like my whole life just slips through my fingers, because i do not have a plan.

gold and green pine trees, and pink pagodas. the stuff dreams are made of.

my lack of plans often become meandering house projects. this weekend, it started when i found a wonderful pair of vintage barkcloth curtains at an estate sale on friday. they seriously delighted me, and even though they were a bit spendy for my normal garage sale budget, i thought they would make great pillows....and i'm sure they would have.

unfortunately, after peering at them endlessly, i also got the notion that they would make great CURTAINS, which my poor living room does not posess.

so, after several shopping trips to get the correct rods, i ended up with this:

finally, curtains. i'm sure the neighbors are thrilled.

which i loved. they were very hard to photograph, esp. since the weekend was mostly grey and dreary. but you get the idea, right? the thing that i did not really think thru was that black curtains with pink pagodas on them MIGHT change the landscape around them. a. lot.



so, off i went to paint my accent wall....again.

white and black walls - who knew?!

i know. a black wall. telling people you painted your wall black is akin to telling them you decided to amputate your foot, just for fun. i can only say this: you have to be here. it really does bring a visual balance to the room.

last christmas. grey and sort-of-grey walls. not my favorite.

i'm going to write a book and call it 'the stuff-filled room.'

i sometimes forget all the progressions a room goes thru in my home. so i looked back and found the above shot from last christmas. i actually really love that shot, mostly because of the mantle, i think.

since then, i have changed a few things in my meandering style: chair, rug, another chair, wall color and dresser color (foreground left).

hmmmmm. wait for it.

those eyes!! they captivate me.

not quite finished... i have also decided that the NEW old chair is not quite right. so, this week i will be recovering chair cushions and making a pillow. my chair cushion tester thinks this is a fine idea.




long story short, i did not exactly have a budget-friendly weekend. however, i PLAN to get back on the horse this week, with NO plans to change anything, at least until decorating for christmas begins. which is at LEAST 3 weeks off.


doh. i suck ;)

good golly.

it's been called to my attention that i use the following euphemisms a lot. i'm not exactly sure where Jesus stands on this matter, but at any rate, i'm trying to cut down.

i hereby give you permission to dock me a quarter if you hear me say:

good golly!

good grief!

holy cow!

holy hotdogs!

dagnabbit!

fer cryin' out loud!

good gravy!


wow. i'm kind of into euphemisms, aren't i?

holy cats - am i ever ready for a weekend.

good grief. i have not posted for 10 days, and this is all i can come up with?

sheesh.*

happy friday.

* please add to list.