FURNITURE...FINALLY

Part of our furniture has arrived! The COUCHES for the den came today and they look even better than I thought they would. These pictures do not capture the true color and richness of the fabric. When you see just a swatch of fabric, it is sometimes hard to imagine it all over the piece...at least it is for me. But, I am very happy with the way it blends with this...


MY CHAIR! I love my chair! Our architect and designer found this and said it would be perfect for the room. We went to see it, and he was right! At least I thought so. Don...not so much. To be fair though, it really didn't fit him as well. But, I looked divine sitting in it and it fit me to a 'T'! The back and sides are horse hair!!! Can you believe it? But, no animal was sacrificed for MY chair. This horse lived out his days quietly munching apples from a tree in the pasture, with an occasional lump of sugar from the adorable kids who lived nearby. A kind and gentle woman would rub his coat down at night and cover him with a lovely hand stitched blanket. Then she gave him loads of fresh hay and sang him to sleep. She ever so kindly left a tiny night light on in his stall for comfort. He 'jumped the fence' to that great pasture in the sky quietly and without distress. At least that's what I think the lady at the furniture store said.

Our bed has also arrived. But, still waiting for the rest...and still looking for chairs for my beautiful table!

TODAY WAS GROSS

Late last evening as I was getting ready to take Scooter out for a 'stroll', I discovered that he had thrown up...sometime earlier. I was sure of this because I had to scrub the floor to clean it up. But, clean it up, I did.

This morning, soon after I woke up, I realized that I was not going to be leaving my house any time soon. Let it suffice to say that the reason I was spending so much time in the bathroom had nothing to do with decorating! Oh, the agony! You've been there.

A little while later, Alex calls to me, saying he needs help, "NOW!". I go to his room to find him holding towels saying, "Scooter just threw up again. Here, I cleaned it up." And, I took the towels straight to the washer.

Meanwhile, I was alternating between trips to the bathroom, and stopping by the kitchen to take another Imm*dium. After about 4 (Imm*dium, not bathroom trips), I began to feel a little better. A little.

Moms can not rest, though. No matter how bad they feel. Time for Scooter to take another trip to the 'great outdoors'. Now, I do not want to be graphic here, but, it was obvious. as I waited on the other end of the leash...that Scooter and I were experiencing something in common. Only...his had progressed to a dangerous stage. I came in and called the vet and they said they would see him right away. So, saying a quick prayer for the good Lord to put a stop to 'things' for me, I took off to the vet. Seems he ate something that did not 'agree' with him or it could just be a virus. Oh, he was a sick dog. Two shots, some internal meds, and 2 more prescriptions for the next few days. He has spent the afternoon laying around on the floor or in his bed.

I have spent the afternoon laying around on the couch or in my bed. Today was not a day fit for 'man nor beast' (or woman nor dog, either)!
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FYI:
THESE FOODS CAN BE FATAL TO DOGS...
Alcohol...Coffee...Onions...Garlic...Grapes...Chocolate...Macadamia Nuts...Yeast

I'M FINISHED !

Several months ago, when I first realized we would actually be building a house, I began looking for storage solutions to make my life...AND MOVE...easier. This is a Rubbermaid box I found at K-Mart or Wal-Mart. It is called a Keepsake Photo and Media Box. It helped me get all my music organized and confined to one place. The boxes hold 27 DVD's or 32 CD's or 15 VHS tapes. I used mine to hold my CD's. I bought 12 boxes and labelled them according to type: Christian Men, Christian Women, Christian Group, Oldies, Pop Men, Pop Women, Pop Group, Instrumental, Christmas, Children, etc. Then I sorted and loaded.

When we started building the Creek House, Don wanted a nice sound system in the house. That was fine with me, but waaaay over my level of understanding. I have just loved my old CD player that I could load 5 CD's into at once. I could carry it around anywhere I wanted to go. Then I learned how to load CD's onto my laptop and listen from there. That's worked well for me, also. Now, I don't know what all is involved in this sound system that runs through this house...but, it must be a cool thing. I have seen too many folk's eyes light up when they see all the guts of the thing. I know where it is...and I know it has many parts...and I know there are many lights on it and words scrolling by. And, the sound can come out in any room I want it to...if I knew how to make that happen...which I don't. Which is why I love my old 'boom box'. I know just how it works and just where to whack it when it jams up. We have an understanding.

The young man who has been working in our house on this system for the last few months told me it was possible to load all the CD's that I have into this system. Then, when I want to listen to one of them, I can just pull it up on the keypad wherever I am in the house. They would also be listed by artist or album title, or genre. "Excellent," I said. He promised that he would give me all the lessons I needed until I learned to work it. I did not realize that I would be investing so much time in getting to the 'listening' part!

It turns out that before we could load them into the music system...they first had to be loaded onto the computer...then transferred to an external hard drive...then into the system. That, my friends, is about 3 steps too many for me. Anyway, for the last month I have been ripping CD's onto my laptop...everytime I opened the computer. Every. single. time. And, I have finally finished! That would be 12 boxes full. That would be 12 boxes X 32 CD's in each box! That would be approximately 384 CD's! But, I am finished. Done!

Now, Alex takes my computer, and he puts them onto the external hard drive. (I went to the store with a note in my hand saying what to buy...I really have no idea what an external hard drive is.) Next they will be loaded onto the system and forever more I will have my music at my fingertips...or at least at my keypad. And, I will listen to beautiful music through the speakers that dot every ceiling in my house.

I remember the first transistor radio that I had. I thought it was the grandest thing that I could listen to all the cool music on the radio from this little box I held in my hand. I discovered that I could even turn the volume down very low and put it under my pillow and listen to it all night...or until the battery died. That was a rude awakening for me when I discovered that to be able to listen to the music...you had to buy the batteries. And to buy the batteries...you had to have money. And, if you were not wise enough to save some of your allowance...you were doomed to a life without the glorious sounds of 60's and 70's pop music. Bummer! My parents were very good about teaching us and showing us these hard life lessons. And, my little sister would NOT let you listen to her radio...even if she was not listening to it!

I remember 8 track tapes and how excited I was to have a tape player installed in my car. 8 track tapes cost more than batteries. Funny how the older you get, the more your toys cost, huh? Then the cassette tapes made the 8 tracks obsolete. And it was oh, so much easier to carry around the little cassettes. Then, there were the Walkmans, and the CD's and the ipod...and on it goes.

Today, I asked some of the kindergarten students what they got for Christmas. Several of them got ipods! I told them I had one, too. I did not, however, tell them that I did not know how to work it! It baffles this aging brain of mine to think of how they will get their music when they are 50...plus. What will be the next big thing to make our music available to us? If we knew, we probably could not even fathom it.

Oh how far music has come since someone long, long ago first noticed the sound the wind made as it blew across the top of a reed growing by a stream. Music...we gotta have it...one way or another.

JOY OF MOVING....Part 5...

This 'moving' thing is getting expensive! Things you don't think about before you move in. Light bulbs, certain type of picture hangers, bathroom supplies. Then there are door mats.

Let's see...let me count...10!...there are 10 doors in and out of here that need mats. Well, I bought 1 real nice mat for the front door and 4 more for the other doors.
I thought that would be enough. That was before I counted the the doors. Not too bright...I know. However, the 4 mats that I bought won't work because they slip when you walk on them. So, I guess it IS a good thing I did not buy 9 of them!

Yesterday, I picked up a new mat for the outside of Alex's apt. because when Scooter and I come in from our nightly strolls through the forest...sometimes, our feet are wet. I checked to be sure this mat was rubber on the bottom...so it would not slip. Adam was here when I got home and was helping me with my packages. "I hope you got a better mat than those others," he said...as he was removing it from the car. Next words..."Mom, you bought the same mat!!!". Yes, I felt very, very dumb. And, I'll admit I did not check to see what I had bought before I left. But, I did check to be sure I was buying one that would not slip...so I thought. At least I only bought 1...which makes a total of 5 slippy, unusable mats at my house.

Then today, coming home, I stopped in at Lowe's to get a floor cleaning kit for stone floors. This is a different one than the one for the hardwood floors that I bought last week. Who knew? Thinking smart...I said to myself, "THINK...what else do you need while you are here?" And, I answered, "MATS...that do not slip!" So over to the mats I go and find a very fine selection. I checked this one and that one and then another one and tried to be sure they would not slip. I even put them down and tried to make them slip. They did not. Feeling very pleased with myself, I bought 3 mats and the floor cleaner, and headed home. I have no idea why I only bought 3 mats...it just felt like a good number at the time, I guess. Taking them out of the car, I thought, "These are some very fine mats...those guys will be impressed with my excellent shopping skills." Adam looked at the mats...then he looked at me. The look on his face was not 'GEE! MY MOM IS AN EXCELLENT SHOPPER! SHE BOUGHT SOME VERY FINE MATS!' No. No, that was not the look at all. It was more of a 'WHAT PLANET DOES MY MOM COME FROM? SURELY IT IS NOT THE ONE WHERE GROWN UPS KNOW HOW TO BUY MATS!' kind of look. He took one of the mats...and walked to the garage door. Laying the mat down, he showed me in one quick move just how badly it would slip. I can assume the other 2 will do likewise.

And so, I will take those very fine mats back to Lowe's tomorrow...and I will not...under any circumstances buy another one...of any kind...ever. Unless I can find this one:
Then, I'll have to get it so they can laugh while we're giving them 'the slip'!

BIG THANKS !

...to Adam. Isn't this heading pic fabulous? It is one of my favorites. Adam continually scouts out places that are undergoing renovation or are being demolished...looking for the unusual or interesting. He was so taken with this place which was actually in our deteriorating downtown area, that he and Suzanne contacted a local bride they had shot recently to come and have another pic made there. She was excited and so were they. He went down to check his lighting before she came...and it was already torn down...gone forever...except for this wonderful pic. They were all so disappointed. It is actually the space between 2 old buildings they were taking down.

Thanks, Adam, it looks terrific!

SCHOOL TIME...AGAIN !

Today's the day...I have to get back in the routine of school. Wow, much has transpired since we started Christmas vacation. I sort of wish I had another week..or month!
By the way...it IS warm enough to wear short pants here today!

By the way #2...I WILL get the Christmas header down soon...my computer mastermind of such things has been very busy...watching washing machines! :) Love you, Adam!

IT DOESN"T TAKE MUCH....

Every time we return to the former house, we find dirty clothes! So, my new washer and dryer have been getting a real work out! It is one of these new front loading kinds, and so far, it seems to be working well. I never seem to see any water in the clothes, however...so I'm not sure what it uses!

Today, Adam came by and visited with Alex for a while, then I heard him call me from the other room. "Mom, have you watched this washing machine work?" he said. As a matter of fact, I had not. I just throw my clothes in and leave...believing it will do what it says it will do! But, I got up and went into the laundry room. There, sitting on a step stool right in front of the washing machine, sat my 33 year old son. Head in hands, he was watching the washer as it went through the cycles. I laughed and asked him if he knew how he looked sitting there in front of a washing machine fascinated by its operation. He laughed and said that he had just never seen one like this before. Then he began to tell me the things he had observed sitting there...and I found my self getting pulled into this show in the laundry room. Yes, I pulled me up a stool, too, and together we sat there amazed at how this thing was cleaning with so little water! It turns one way and stops and then turns the other. He discovered that the timer that sets at the beginning of the load, does not just count down. It adds minutes sometimes, too. Why do you suppose it does this? Do you think it senses the clothes are not clean enough? And how does it know this? I suppose it must be like those electric blankets that 'sense' when you are warm enough and then turns itself down. That kind of thing just rattles my chain. I know when I am warm enough and I think I know when my clothes are clean enough. Or maybe I just always thought they were.

Oh, well, this is waaaaay more thought than I ever wanted to be giving laundry today. But, the point of this post is not what the new washer and dryer can do. It cleans and dries clothes...that is enough for me to know. But, this boy of mine...the one who is most like me...has my temperament...and my eye for the unusual. (Yes, there are some 'not so great' qualities he got from me, too...but, let's just not think about that. M'K?) He took the time today to sit and marvel at the intricate working of a machine. Something about that fascinated him. Something about the workings of it intrigued him. And, I am proud as can be to say that he took the time to sit right there and marvel at it for a little while. Don't we all get so caught up in our busy-ness that we have little time left for WONDER? Do we just let it all pass us by, and accept that it is something new...but, forget to marvel at the minds of men and women who continually reinvent the products we use?
Do we think we will seem 'childish' if we express that wonder?

Well, Adam, never, never, NEVER lose the sense of wonder! It will keep your mind alive...it will make your soul sing...and it will bring a smile to your face. Thanks for reminding me of that today.
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EDITED TO ADD: My sweet DIL just told me that this washer 'knows' that the soap is not out of the clothes and that is why it adds more time. Maybe I am using too much detergent. Thanks, Suze!

YEAH FOR YELLOW !

Do you want to repaint your living room or kitchen this new year? According to Pantone, the company that aids designers by predicting future color trends, yellow is to be the big color for 2009. “I think it’s just the most wonderful symbolic color of the future,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It’s invariably connected to warmth, sunshine and cheer — all the good things we’re in dire need of right now.”
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And here I sit...less than 2 weeks in my new home and not a 'yellow thing' in sight! I'm behind before I even get started! :) That's just fine with me though. The home we just moved from, had a bright, yellow kitchen and grandroom. So, I guess that kinda makes me 'ahead of my time', huh?

JOY OF MOVING....Part 4

Here is sit in my studio at 4:22 this morning...Jan 2. It still does not feel comforable to sleep here. Many strange noises and sounds. Also, I find myself waking up and following a path to the bthroom that I would have taken before we moved. I am ending up out in the hall befor I wake up and realize I am quickly becoming senile!

I am very, very happy with my house. It is quickly becoming a home...as I lay in the treasures I have collected through the years. My BFF, Shirley, came over on Sunday fternoon and stayed until Wednesday morning! She lives to have a project! And this was one more project. She can do more that 10 other mere mortals ever thought about doing! She started on my studio shelves soon after arriving, Tina came over, and befor the night was done...so was the studio!! It looks wonderful! It looks fantastic! It looks terrific!








The next morning, Monday, Tina had taken off the whole day, so they had as their mission the Sheep Suite! I have always adored sheep, and have collected some very nice ones through thee years. This guest bedroom is where I decided they would be displayed...thus, the Sheep Suite! The banished me to jobs in other parts of the house such as sorting books in the library, and going through boxex in my closet. They had the fun part! Does this look like a place you could come and spend the night?




Then came Tuesday. Shirley was here alone, cause Tina had to go back to work. I had spent Monday evening separating all the books into categories, and labelling the artifacts to be displayed. But, I was unable to help. I had woke up feeling bad and only got worse as the day continues. So, I hit the couch in the studio. Shirley spent about 5 hours fixing the shelves in the library. They are amazing! Look!






And, in between all the big projects, we worked on the kitchen and dining room, too. Here are some pics of it:










These are NOT the chairs that will go with the table...but some we are using until we get the right ones!
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This is all I have for now...more to follow!

WELCOME 2009 !

Wishing you and yours the very best year ever in 2009! May God bless you!

JOY OF MOVING....Part 3...

We made it into the house before Christmas Day...just as our builder, Mike, promised we would. And as you well know, Christmas does not wait until you get settled and ready. So, a day or two before the final move, I brought all the Christmas gifts over to the Creek House and put them into the guest closet, so I would know exactly where they were on Christmas morning. Never mind that they were all clustered under the TV, instead of a Christmas tree...it was still Christmas!

Now, the only gift I expected from Don was...nothing. I mean, this house is all the gift I could want. And, as much as I love presents...I knew he would not get me anything else. And, that was as it should be. However, I got him a few little things, so that he would have something to do on Christmas morning as the family gathered to exchange presents.

(I must assure you...honestly...I did not expect there to be a gift...nor did I need anything else! I am not joking about this.) However...to be honest, I think this exemption should only be good for 1 year from date of First Sleep...so I should be OK for next Christmas!

Well, after we finished oohing and ahhing and looking over all our treasures...Don mumbled something about not being able to find 'my gift'. I did not believe him, and just thought he maybe felt a little guilty since I had gotten him something. I just let it slide and no more mention has been made of it till tonight.

My Partners in Crime and All Things Fun and Frivolous, Tina and Shirley, descended on the Creek House and commenced to putting it into order! All boxes were to be opened, all 'stuff' to be gone through, and what was deemed 'fitting' would be given a place to live. Don was so happy to see them, he practically kissed their feet. And, he fixed them a pizza. And, he told me to do everything they said.

My friend, Shirl, is a decorating dervish...actually, just give her a project, and she can be a dervish of any kind. It is as if she has blinders on...there is a goal, and she will see it through. PERIOD. Only stopping for occasional coffee and Diet Coke breaks. Even though Tina and I THOUGHT we had sorted through and 'let go' of lots of my stuff...Shirl thought we had only begun. Friends, I 'let go' of much, much more. Much more than I thought I would. And of things that I thought I would never let go of. Shirl has been watching Clean House...24 hours a day...preparing for this task. She kept asking me, "Do you love it?" Love is very close to LIKE in my mind...but not hers. Like was not good enough. "In the box," she would order...and I grudgingly complied. Talk about culling out! We quickly whittled down my pillow stash from 5 boxes to 1. But, I can't talk too much about that...it still hurts. I did manage to hide a few treasures back before she took them outside. But, she was as right as can be! Those are things that do not fit in the Creek House. They are things I have outgrown (decorating wise)...and I need to let go and move on. It made it much easier on Shirl as Don cheered her on from the sidelines, saying, "Go, Shirley, get rid of all of it...she doesn't need it...get it outta here." His eyes were glazed over...he was a happy man seeing all that 'stuff' going out of our house.

Now, I must be fair. Shirley knows I am a sentimental fool...and she knew there were things from family and friends I could not bear to part with. And, she was cool with that. But, she even threw away some of the things that even SHE had given to me. I tell you...she's a dervish!

Meanwhile, Don poked his head around the corner in the midst of all this glee, and said," If you see a box labeled Don's Underwear, let me know. I can't find it. Well, friends, we opened all the remaining boxes in my garage, about 10 or 12...and no underwear was ever found. He began to get desperate. "Where is my underwear? I know I packed it. And, TONJA'S CHRISTMAS GIFTS ARE WITH THEM!" Important news that caused my ears to perk right up. "We MUST find the underwear, girls!" I said. But, we didn't. And Don even went back to the other house to see if he left them there. He didn't. I am also missing a few boxes of things I can not find. But, nothing as important as the underwear.

Today, we are on a mission...my Partners in Crime and All Things Fun and Frivolous...find the underwear...and whatever else may be lurking close by! :)

JOY OF MOVING...Part 2...

THE SCENE: 4:00 AM on the first night spent in the Creek House. Tonja and Scooter are walking through the backyard...taking care of business.
THE TEMPERATURE: 38 degrees...a blizzard by South Alabama standards...
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Because I have empathy for helpless creatures, I pulled myself out of a deep sleep so that I could take Scooter out for a comfort break.

We have no fence yet. This is a source of extreme irritation to me. Why do we not have a fence when we have been building this house since February and every one involved knew we must have a fence? The builder was not responsible...and the architect was not responsible. I was not responsible...and Alex was not responsible. That leaves one other adult who was responsible. Or irresponsible, as the case may be. The logistics and other preparations for the hot tub, which this person was also responsible for, were all seen to with much haste. The fence fell by the wayside. But, I'm not bitter...much. Because, without a fence, Scooter, who was born to run, will. And, he won't stop until he's exhausted. And he may be 14 years old, but he has not slowed much. So...he has to be taken out on a leash for the time being. He has to be taken out on a leash into the deep, dark woods that is our backyard. And, especially in the middle of the night, and most all other times, actually...if Alex is not able...I am the designated leash holder.

OK, back to our story. This was the first night, and Scooter was already freaked out about being in a new place. Nothing smelled familiar to him. By the time, he and Alex were able to come over...it was already dark. So he couldn't even see where he was. I went to get him, and out we went. Of course, if you are a dog, you must be sure every inch of a new place has been sniffed before you feel comfortable enough to 'let go'. So, every inch was sniffed, with me following behind...going round and round the trees because he kept getting tangled up and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get him to go back around. And it was cold. And, I am not sure there are not bears back there yet myself. Finally, he was reassured,nature took over, and we could go back in. However, instead of following in a straight line close behind me, as any smart dog would do...he veered off to the left. I turned around just in time to see him walk right into the POOL!

OH! MY! GOODNESS! His little eyes about bugged out of his head, and his little paws were paddling for all he was worth. I was not about to jump in and get him. It was COLD...and it was the deep end! So I pulled on the leash, to aid his paddling. When he got to the edge, I had to lean down and haul him out of the pool...causing much water to adhere itself to my body...and it was COLD! Of course, what is a dog going to do when he is wet? Right...shake...and shake...and shake...all over me...because I was still holding on to the leash.

We got inside and I called Alex to get up! "Bring towels," I yelled. "Why?" he asked. Not the best time for him to go questioning his mother. "Just get towels...lots!" I yelled again. "Where are the towels?" he asked. And, I realized right then that I had no idea where the towels were. Only that they were in a box and the box was in the house...somewhere. Luckily, we found Alex's new set of towels for his bathroom. New...never been washed...not very absorbent.

Once Alex woke up well, he saw the water on the floor. "Mamma, get that water off the floor! Daddy said water will ruin them! Get it up! Wipe it up!" he cried. And, that posed a dilemma, my friends...the dog or the floor. The wet, old, smelly, cold dog...or the brand new, gleaming hardwood floors. The dog won. Quickly throwing towels over the wet floor, I started rubbing Scooter to dry him off and warm him up. Alex could still be heard, yelling, "Get the water off the floor...Don't let Daddy know they got wet. They are going to be ruined!" This is where I yelled back, "Just get yourself out of bed and come help me." And he did. He took over the dog drying duty while I went to work on the floor. I knew there was not enough water to ruin them, but Alex was about to have a coronary!

And we spent the next 30 minutes or so, furiously rubbing the dog. Bless his heart, he was still just a shivering. Finally, he crawled over to the rug and lay down and drifted off to sleep...still shivering occasionally. Alex and I sat for a few minutes on the couch, then he went back to bed. I went to the couch, and spent the next hour gazing at the trees, watching the sky turn from black to grey and finally to a cloudy white. I never did see the sun that day, and it stayed cold and damp all day.

But, it was in those moments alone, in the studio, everyone safe and sleeping, dry and warm, that I realized there will be as many memories to be made here as there were in our previous home. The place is not important...it really isn't...it's the people who we surround ourselves with that cause a place to feel homey. It is the everyday accidents and regular living that takes place, that causes a building to become a holder of memories. It is the love and care and concern for each other (and the dog), that causes a place to become warm and cozy and safe and welcoming. It is the living that turns a house into a home.

THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING...#50

 

First turkey cooked at the Creek House! It was yummy! And thanks to Strong Arms (Ian) for taking it out for me...and then carving it! What a son!