Wise Words

When I see a quote from Morgan Freeman, I can hear his deep, gravelly voice.

Just 3 Things | #25

I don't ever want anybody to think I might consider myself an athlete because that is something that I never have aspired to be. As an adult, however, I have always battled carrying too much weight. At my recent check-ins with doctors I made a decision that dropping some pounds and getting healthier is something that I intend to focus upon. The Mister says he is prepared for me to be a bit grumpy until this focus becomes a habit but he will try to be supportive of my efforts. So, I will be spending a bit of time on the stationary bicycle and a few minutes each day working through my exercises and stretches. Look out!

- What I've Been Reading -

Flipping through my James Farmer books a while back inspired me to check out his newest edition. I got my hard copy of Home Again at the middle of last week and have been reading and analyzing each photograph. It makes me wish I had more rooms to decorate. I want to borrow and adapt so many of his ideas. It is one that will join Farmer's other books that roost on our coffee table that I frequently pick up and gaze through for inspiration.

I've especially enjoyed seeing the updates to his own home. It is comforting to know that sometimes even a decorator gets something wrong or has a life that evolves and things need updating to better fit his current needs. I like the concept that our homes are a living, breathing part of our lives that evolve over time and serve us.

I'm trying to work more movement into my days. So, I'm performing a series of stretches and exercises in my daily schedule. I decided to reward myself by listening to an audio book while I'm doing some of this movement. I'm not as good at listening to a book as I am at reading. I catch myself not listening far too often. Then, I need to back up and re-listen to a chapter or two. I'm currently listening to Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. I borrowed it and am listening via my Libby App. Why did I choose this book? Well, it was the first audio book that popped up in Libby that was available. So, I borrowed it and went outside to take a stroll. Years ago, I used to love listening to books as I drove. I was enrolled in graduate school and had thirty-forty minute commutes to class. Later, I had half-hour or hour commutes to different schools where I worked; so, I listened to books on CD. That was back in the day when places like Cracker Barrel allowed you to borrow and swap out recordings. Oh, the good old days!

This week I also started the book that I really wanted to read by Elin Hilderbrand. Remember back in volume #22 of Just 3 Things I decided that I needed to read the first two books in the series before reading the novel that was promoted several places on social media? I'm now reading The Perfect Couple and I have a difficult time putting it down. So, I guess I am like the social media hypers. I'm enjoying it, too! 

- What I've Been Watching -

The Mister and I have been tuning in to The Rookie. What enticed us to watch was the little blurb about the series:

John Nolan, the oldest rooking in the LAPD, uses his life experiences, determination, and sense of humor to keep up with rookies twenty years his junior.

Now that we are seniors, having the opportunity to see others adapting and adjusting to interactions with those younger is truly something with which we can relate and enjoy seeing how others are doing it. There are multiple seasons, so we have gone back to the beginning to see the earlier episodes as well as the current ones. There isn't really anything scary that comes out in this show, so the entertainment factor is good.

The series is a shoot-em-up cop show but it is not so awfully graphic and gory. We have enjoyed getting to know the characters and some of the situations these police officers encounter are purely entertaining while others are hitting a bit too close to home and show the worst side of folks. Generally, it is something we can watch and not worry that we don't follow the story line because most of the episodes are self contained and not a continuation where we are lost if we missed one.

- What I've Been Loving -

One of the things I am most grateful for this week is having leftovers. On Easter Sunday, most of our children and grandchildren came for lunch and the big Easter Egg Hunt. We served a Barbecueterie Board from Witt's Barbecue as our meat. It was an offering of four different meats. In our case, we doubled up on pulled pork and ribs and also had a selection of pulled turkey, smoked bologna, and smoked chicken breasts. We had leftovers as usual. So, all week long the Mister and I have enjoyed different meals because of the different options. One night we had barbeque sandwiches. One night we had ribs and leftover corn, beans, slaw, etc. One night we snacked on bologna, cubed cheese, and a variety of crackers. Tonight it is smoked chicken, mac n cheese, and I will toss a salad. I think everybody left our house with a full belly on Sunday and we have certainly enjoyed the week off from cooking up something new and haven't been wading through the same-old, same-old either. 

Since I had a check-in with my heart doctor and the Mister has been busy with some of his cemetery management duties, it has been kind of nice to be able to take a little time to rest up as well. Again, love having time to call our own. I've taken time to put myself through a bit of exercises and stretches and nursed an ankle with Achilles Tendonitis. 

So, this week, I guess I can say we have been loving leftovers - in a good way!

On the horizon I've got some volunteer work on my agenda and I want to spend a little bit of time on some sewing projects. Hope your weekend is a good one.

Easter Egg Hunt

We hosted our annual Easter Egg Hunt this past Sunday. Eight of the grands came and brought along their parents. We shared a feast and lots of yakking. Then, some of the crew hid eggs and the younger grands hunted them. For the first time, I just sat in the rocker and watched. I didn't snap a ton of photos or point out overlooked plastic eggs. I just sat and enjoyed watching. 

I always love how they all are chomping at the bit to get off the porch and scoop up the brightly colored eggs that are scattered all over the yard. They run right past some to get to others. It was a wonderful afternoon that I think everybody enjoyed. The Mister had the grass manicured and everything outside waved with springiness. 

We always start off the big hunt with a photo on the front porch steps. This year, I posed with the grands instead of standing at the foot of the steps and snapping the photo. 

Some of the adults meander across the yard pointing out overlooked eggs and peeking into baskets. Other adults sit or stand on the porch and look out over the festivities. Tradition sort of requires that when somebody finds a golden egg they shout it out and hold it up in the air. Golden eggs have special prizes of money inside. The colorful eggs have candy, tiny puzzles, stuffed toys, tiny rubber duckies, compasses, dominoes, and such inside. 

After the eggs are harvested from under shrubs, beside fence posts, between the roots of trees, and nestled into the grass, everybody sits down and empties the treasures out of the plastic eggs and into their baskets, buckets, or bags. The empty eggs are stored away for use next year and the treasures are counted and examined. Then, the swapping and bargaining begins.

The photo above shows an intense swapping and bargaining session in progress. I wonder who walked away with the best end of the negotiation...

Today I noticed...The promise of a violet's blooms makes me happy.

This is a violet baby. I separated it from the parent that came in a dish garden that was sent to my Granny's funeral. There were other plants in the basket with it and after a while they needed their own space. The parent violet had beautiful pink blooms - one of my Granny's favorite colors. So, I always refer to it as my Granny violet. 

I separated the baby from the parent a couple of years ago and neither plant has bloomed since. I left the parent plant in front of the same window in our bedroom where the photo above was made. The baby plant came downstairs and is set on the front of my desk. I've watered it religiously and monitored it's growth. Each time I see it and the parent plant, I think of my Granny.

My Granny was a woman with a green thumb. She could grow most anything and her plants generally thrived. When I was a young woman, Granny had loads of African violet plants. She even set up a grow space with fluorescent lights in the basement of their home at one time. She had all sorts with different leaf shapes and bloom colors and styles. Some were frilly and looked like they had ruffled leaves. Some were pale pink, some were lavender, some were so dark purple that they were almost black. I loved seeing all the different kinds. She would tell visitors all about the different plants and often would gift them with one. I remember keeping some in the windows of our basement apartment when I was wrapping up my Bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee. 

Granny died twelve years ago during the month of April and I still miss her twinkling blue eyes, smiles, and southern drawl. So, when I came downstairs today and sat down to do a little work, I was excited to notice that this violet has pushed up several buds that will bloom soon. That makes me so happy! 

Just 3 Things | #24

Spring has sprung and I guess I am springing a bit as well. I've stuffed eggs with candies and treasures for the Easter Egg Hunt, and mapped out our Easter feast, and ordered groceries and, have recipes tagged with sticky notes. I plan to mark my list tonight as I plan what I will stir up and when I will stir it. Then, I'll dive into preparation tomorrow by making some cookies and go from there. We've had a busy week here. The Mister has spent quite a bit of time at his Cemetery Managerial duties. He is anticipating that people will visit the burial sites of their loved ones so having everything look nice there is paramount for him. He's also cut our grass ad manicured things around our house as well in prep for the children and grandchildren coming to our annual family egg hunt and feast. 

- What I've Been Reading -

One of the projects I worked on this past week had not satisfied me completely. I don't like to think of myself as a perfectionist but for some things, I'm pretty picky about how I want my work to turn out. This stool is one of those things that has me dissatisfied.

Oh, I'm pleased with how nicely the fabric covered it and how it looks with the chair and most all the things about it. However, there is one little part that irks me a bit.

Where the leg screws into the solid wooden bottom, the fabric is sort of pushed out and down the leg. So, the raw edge of the fabric underneath the stool looks a bit shaggy around the legs. 

It is readily visible when you zoom in and look where I've added the red circular shape. I know that most people will never notice this. I do, though. I look at this every day. So, I'm pondering a solution. 

Should I put a skirt on the stool? That would hide the shaggy edges next to the legs and would camouflage that the legs/feet on the stool are simple and the ball and claw feet on the chair are more ornate as well. 

Should I add a trim all around the bottom of the stool where it would not be seen? Should I just add trim at the top where the legs are screwed into the bottom of the stool? I'm pondering...and I am looking through decorator books to see what others have done to trim out footstools. So, this week I've been reading and searching through three of the James Farmer books that I keep on our den ottoman. 

 

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I've enjoyed reading different parts of each book and examining each photo. They provide such inspiration for creating a beautiful home but they also inspire me to want to share my home more with others. Plus, I just see such practical and truly southern things in each of them and it makes me appreciate how blessed we are to have the beautiful home where we live. Shouldn't most of the things we read make us feel grateful and bring peace?

- What I've Been Loving -

I've been loving the fact that my time is my own this week. Retirement is worth all the days of rising early and rushing off to work. I strongly encourage everybody to retire as soon as you possibly can! 

On Monday, I got a call at about 11:45 in the morning. The Mister's cousin had sent me a message a few minutes before and I didn't respond, so she gave me a call. A friend's father had passed and she wondered if we knew about it. We did not. She apologized for not contacting us sooner but let me know that the visitation with family was from eleven till one and the funeral was scheduled for one o'clock. The good news was that the services were to be held at a church about two miles from our house. So, I jumped into some more presentable clothes, combed my hair, added a bit of mascara and dashed out the door. I arrived in time to stand in a line that was snaking out the door of the church and down the sidewalk. Yet, I still had the opportunity to acknowledge our respects to our friends. I also had the opportunity to see some folks that I had not seen in years and years and give them a brief hug. If I was still obligated to a school or school system, I would have missed out on that opportunity and had regrets. 

I also scheduled a last-minute doctor appointment this week and glided in to get a diagnosis and treatment the next day just before noon. Again, since I had no rigid schedule, I could rearrange my days suddenly and without inconvenience to myself or anybody else. 

I have been thinking of purchasing a new sewing machine. So, one day this week, I just jumped in the truck and went to a sewing machine shop that is an hour drive from our house. Once again, operating with abandon and no obligation to anybody allowed me to do something I wanted to do and spend as much time as I wanted looking, asking questions, and learning about different sewing machines.

Maybe for the first time in my life I am feeling like my time is my own and I can do what I would like at any moment of it - or not do anything at all - and I can tell you that I am truly loving that!

- What I've Been Working On -

Despite the fact that I have been jaunting off willy-nilly this week, I have spent quite a bit of time working in my office. I've been pulling furniture away from the wall for cleaning. I have been clearing out and throwing things we don't need or things that are outdated away. I have been organizing so many things in there. Each little corner and every little space seems to better serve its purpose. 

I've been making a list of projects that I need to take on and adding notes about how I will best accomplish those tasks. I've also really enjoyed all the spring-like progress that I can see out those double windows of the office. I don't really have many photos to share because I have been focused on progress and getting things done. 

I relocated the file cabinet and the printer to make it more within reach when I am working at my computer. I never thought I would print much at all when I embraced digital technology and my job as an instructional technology coach and then digital designer required almost no printing. However, the rest of the world still seems to like a hard copy. So, in my volunteer post as the Cemetery Association Secretary, I am tasked with printing certificates of ownership and letters. I scan, save, and print old cemetery documents and send them out to folks. Therefore, I use the printer/scanner every now and again and having it right within reach of my desk is nice. 

Hopefully, I will have some more photos to share soon but right now there is still quite a bit of organizing going on and that is sort of the messy in-between. I am still working on getting things streamlined as well as making the room look presentable. So, sometime soon I may have a bit of a reveal.

I hope today is truly a good Friday for you and all your loved ones and I hope you enjoy the weekend and feel the renewal that only this time of year can provide. Thanks for stopping by and come to visit again soon!

Projects - I Tackled Another One

I guess this might be another Domino Effect situation. 

When my Granny passed, she stipulated that her stuff could be given away but not sold. So, as my Mama and Aunt Mary went through Granny's estate, they took some furniture and various items home with them and gave some to relatives. One of the things I was given is a wingback chair. It is super-comfy and in its day was a really fancy chair I guess.

When I got the chair, it was already a bit faded and somewhat dated. The flamestich print in beige, light blue, and a pinky mauve had fit perfectly in Granny's house back in the late 1980s. It didn't clash with anything in our house, it just looked a little dated. I didn't care so much, though. I was just glad to get a comfy chair that had been my Granny's. I scooted it into our primary bedroom and it became a great place to read, watch the seasons change through the bay window, or just sit and relax.

In the twelve years that it has anchored the corner of our primary bedroom, it has been well-loved. I noticed a year or so ago that the piping had become threadbare and the cording was even peeking through in spots on the arm rests. So, when I located a good upholsterer during the Sofa Shuffle  and the domino effect of the ottoman update, I had a yen to also have this chair recovered as well. When the upholstery guy had the sofa, I began to think about what might look good as a new fabric for my Granny chair. I thought about using the remaining checked fabric from where I covered our dining chairs and I know it would have looked good dressed in that fabric. I even went digging through my fabric stash to get the checked fabric out and drape across the chair. That is when I found a piece of linen upholstery fabric that I had picked up years ago at Sirs Fabrics, a wonderful store that sold remnants and flat folds of fabrics at a discounted price. (The store burned in 2018 but was a regional staple for over fifty years.) I think I paid $1-2 per yard for the five-and-a-half yard piece of material. I saved it all these years not knowing what I would do with it but knowing that I love the print and the colors. 

I searched a fabric chart to see how much my Granny chair might need to have a new cover and saw that it would probably require seven yards. After thinking about it for a day or two, I decided that I would look online and see if I could be lucky enough to find a couple more yards. Soon, I was deep in online fabric store inventories searching. Finally, I took a photo and used Google Lens to search. Bingo! Several options popped up. The first one I saw offered a yard of the "vintage paisley" for a cost of $100. I kept scrolling. Finally, I found a two-yard piece for $40 and I quickly added it to my cart. The fabric arrived on the same day that the upholstery guy said the sofa could be picked up. So, I asked him if I could bring the chair and leave it with him. The Mister helped me load it up and off I dashed.

After a while, I got a message from the upholstery guy telling me that he needed another yard of fabric for the bottom of the chair cushion. So, I quickly went to Google Lens and searched again. I found a couple of yards that were listed at $20 per yard. So, I bought them, paid about the same amount to have it shipped to me and took the fabric to the upholstery guy. After a while, I got a message that the chair was ready for me to pick up. 

I trekked across town and picked up my Granny chair and when I got home, our grandson, Levi, helped me scoot it off the truck and into the primary bedroom. Again, the domino effect began...

A photo of my Granny chair made by the upholsterer at his shop

Another photo made by the upholsterer

I love the look of the chair from all angles. The fabric is really beautiful and the design has so much to look at and admire. Plus, the upholsterer did a wonderful job of centering and matching the pattern where it would enhance the chair. I sort of wish I had a place that I could just set it out in the middle of a room so that all the angles can be admired!

My Granny chair 'installed' in her space here at our home.

If you give a gal a newly upholstered chair, she's going to want to cover the stool beside it...

I looked at the scraps of fabric that the upholstery guy gave me and there was not a piece large enough for the footstool. Again, I searched the net for more fabric, found a reasonably priced yard, and ordered it. That piece of fabric came this past week. So, the next day I took it downstairs and pressed the creases and wrinkles away.

Then, I brought it upstairs and began to undress the footstool. The first step is to remove the staples holding the tired, dingy, sad fabric onto the stool. 

I like to use a screwdriver to pry the staples up out of the wood and pull them out with a pair of pliers. It is a bit tedious because there are a lot of staples and I didn't want to damage the wood bottom of the stool.

Once I had all the fabric removed, I laid the fabric out flat, right side down, onto the surface of our kitchen island. Then, I carefully laid the stool upside down onto the fabric lining it up to center it on the design. This is where the photo making stopped because I needed both hands to pull the fabric up around the stool and staple it to the bottom. At the corners, I folded the fabric much like the cover that was still on the foam was done. Then, I trimmed off the excess fabric. I wound up screwing three of the legs off of the stool to get a good close trim of the fabric. 

Now, my Granny chair has a mate that matches her beauty. I've used this stool with the chair for years. It was thrifted and had been a project fourteen years ago! So, to finally have the pair matched up, I feel is really an accomplishment. That corner of the primary bedroom is not only a comfy place to read, gaze out the bay window, or relax, it is also a bit of a jewel with the update. 

I could not be more pleased with the outcome and I think my Granny would like it as well.

The Domino Effect

Why is it that once we make a change in a room, other changes need to take place as well?

Around here we have experienced that sort of domino effect when it comes to furnishings. First, we had The Summer of Chairs where I was on the lookout and replaced almost all of our dining chairs. 

The chairs we had before - nice, serviceable, but not very comfortable.

Some of the new-to-us chairs that are sturdy and comfy.

The season changed but The Chair Project - Continued. Since there was two sets of chairs and they were similar but just enough different, Plus, the cane-backed chairs had two different seat covers and the urn-backed chair seats made there be three different seat covers. I needed there to be some cohesiveness and I guess I needed to put my stamp on the new purchase.

I had long admired chairs with a buffalo checked seat that I saw in blog posts and decorator books. So, I ordered some buffalo checked fabric in a neutral color. Then, spent a little time and a bit of muscle to cover them all.

I still smile when I walk through the house and see all of our new-to-us dining chairs. They are exactly what I have wanted for eons and the checked seats give them that finished, consistent, planned, southern look. I have them scattered all throughout the house and they look wonderful in every single room.

The next domino effect occurred when I picked up our new-to-us sofa from our family friend's estate. It looked a bit dated and didn't really fit in with our other furniture. So, this time, I contacted an upholsterer and had the sofa recovered. 

When I brought it home, we had the Sofa Shuffle.  I knew that new upholstery would really made it look refreshed and fit so much better with our other furniture. Well...except having that bold buffalo check on the sofa sort of conflicted with the ottoman that we use as a coffee table. Plus, the ottoman was sort of looking sad after eighteen years of use. So... the domino effect again.

Eighteen-year-old faded, thread-bare ottoman

I first thought about just making a slipcover for it. I ordered what I thought might be something similar to the striped fabric and the Mister let me know that he didn't think it would be appropriate. I stumbled across a grain sack type fabric and even began measuring and figuring out how I would stitch up the slipcover. Then, one day I was looking through some decorator books that I have here and noticed a different sort of fabric that I thought might let us keep the animal print but be somewhat more subtle and not fight with the checks on the sofa. I began searching online for fabric and found just what I thought would work. So, when I went to pick up the sofa, I dropped off the ottoman and fabric.

The cheetah print is almost exactly the same colors as the checked sofa. Yet, the print is such that it is still somewhat a neutral. Animal print - check. Neutral - check. Enhances the new-to-us sofa - check.

To me it is always surprising how a more modern fabric on an antique piece of furniture makes it look fresh and updated. All of this may have come as a result of the domino effect but every single bit of these updates, changes, and additions were fairly inexpensive. The fabrics for all of these pieces of furniture (chairs, sofa, and ottoman), the cost of upholstery work on the sofa and ottoman, and the cost of the thrifted chairs still totaled less than an new sofa or a new set of chairs. 

All of these pieces are quality pieces of furniture that are sturdy, well-made, and fairly classic styles. So, I think they will hold up well to our wear and tear and last us for many years to come. Sometimes it is like that children's book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, and becomes a circular tale where one thing leads to another thing and you wind up right bac where you started. This time, though, I think the domino effect we have implemented will be something that leads to a longtime and lasting part of our household.