Gratitude

Gratitude - one of two resolutions for 2013 - to find something to be grateful for in every day. 

Lightening in a Jar



Enjoy!

In The Middle of a Wind Storm

For a long while I’ve felt like my life is in the middle of a wind storm, ready to just pick me up and swirl me away.  Sometimes I’ve wished it would – some place where it’s calm and serene – where no one needs anything from me – where my mind can just not think instead of wondering and worrying and never stopping.

My step-father Frank, of Frank’s Fractured Fairytales, is finally in assisted living .  I no longer have to wonder if he has fallen and is laying on the floor hurt, or is confused and afraid, or is angry and doesn’t know why, or needs something and there is no one to get it for him.  No matter that it took nearly a year of pleading, arguing, and finally going to court to gain guardianship.  All of that doesn’t matter because I can finally breathe again.

I have learned more about North Carolina laws than I ever wanted to.  I have had to prove myself over and over again.  And never will be able to prove myself to his neighbors who think I’m just after his money (he has none) and his house (which will pay for the assisted living).  You have to develop a very hard shell when you’re going through these things and sometimes it just cracks wide open.  But then you have to plaster that crack back up and know that what you are doing is the right thing – or hope it is.  When Frank asks me the same questions over and over again within minutes, or I can see that he really doesn’t understand fully what is being said – I know I haven’t made a mistake.  And no matter what he’s said to me along the journey and perhaps that someday he won’t know who I am exactly, that’s OK because I know who he is in his heart.

The whirling storm is slowing and I know the calm is coming soon.

The Blue Bath Re-do

Well this is very overdue but I finally took some pictures today of my blue bathroom re-do.  Nevermind that I had three stripes of color on the wall behind the door for six months.  A friend (thank you Michelle) helped me paint a month or so ago or I'd probably still have those stripes LOL  The color is Olypmic's Misty Surf and is really more of a robin's egg blue than baby blue as it looks in the pictures.

I can't remember where I picked up the little chicken and cart but have used it to hold paper cups for years - maybe it was World Market.  Sadly we no longer have one near us but I loved that store.   The mirror is courtesy of Hobby Lobby and the mirror actually comes out if you'd rather frame a picture.  And the crosses are new as of today and also from Hobby Lobby.  As a matter of fact all of their glassware, metal, and wood ready-mades are 50% off - wonderful prices - I could have gone crazy in there today!

 

 The cute little ceramic hooks under the picture are courtesy of Anthropologie (where I have to carry a drool rag because I love love love almost everything in their store).  The picture is a poster I picked up on Ebay several years back. 

 

The small picture also came from Hobby Lobby several years ago and the shelf probably from there or maybe Target.

 

 The shower curtain is fabulous and is courtesy of Target - I just love their housewares.

 

 

 

Oh and the rug - the rug is what started the whole thing and if it wasn't full of dog hair I'd have taken a close-up LOL.  It's a beautiful shade of blue with cut pile and bumps in it that looks like a tufted headboard.  Just love it and it came from Lowes.

 

Well here is to makeovers!  May you have a blessed week.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted - well, yes I can - my life isn't my own lately.  But I did make a really great soup this week and want to share the recipe with you since autumn and soup weather are almost here.

Ingredients:  head of cauliflower, large onion, few stalks celery, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, feta cheese, vegetable broth, chicken broth, half and half, navy beans.

Cut a head of cauliflower in thick slices and place on cookie sheet.  Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes - check to see if fork tender before removing.  When slightly cooled cut in small pieces with a fork.

Using a fairly large pot, chop and saute one large onion, about two tablespoons garlic, a couple stalks of celery, and a green pepper.  If you like carrots, you can also grate a large carrot into the pot.  When onions are slightly translucent, add 8 oz. vegetable broth and 16 oz. chicken broth and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Drain a can of navy beans and add to the pot (this adds some protein and also thickens the soup).  Add the roasted cauliflower.  Add about 4 large tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese.  Also add 2 cups fat-free half and half (or regular or heavy cream - whatever you like).  Using a hand-held emulsifier, puree until fairly smooth with just a few small chunks of cauliflower.  Let heat through about 10 minutes.  This is soooooooooo good - let's just say after Jack and I had dinner and I put some in a freezer container for my step-father - the pot was empty!

Welcome All

I finally finished my new WELCOME garland after a few trials and errors – but then that is me – never doing the same thing twice and always reinventing LOL 

I found an old piano roll at the flea market and thought it would make a fabulous garland in some manner or other.  After experimenting with copy paper to get the right size and shape, I traced and cut the garland shapes from the piano roll.  Because it was vintage and had been rolled up for so long, it was a little tricky to cut.  I cut the same shapes out of card stock that was near the same color.  Glued and trimmed each.  Then came the search for just the right paper.  At first I thought to use pages from an old book but they were too close to the same color as the piano roll paper.  I found a dark patterned paper at the craft store and a fabulous, free script on the internet and went to work.  Once those were glued on, punched two holes at the top of each garland piece, used some Tim Holtz safety pins, fastened each piece to a length of cotton cording, and I was all set.  Now I had something in mind besides cotton cording and was just trying it out, but Mr. J. liked the cording – said it looked “rustic” LOL, so I just kept it up as it was.

The whole purpose of this garland against the fake slate stones of my fireplace was so that the three wonderful obsidian wind chimes I had hanging from the bottom of the mantel would show up better in front of the light colored garland.  Once I had the garland up though, it just wasn’t working for me so I moved the wind chimes to a perfect and much better spot in the dining room.  The wind chimes are fabulous – I found them at an art show in Atlanta.  You can see them at ObsidianWindchimes.  They are all made of things found in nature and each has chimes made of obsidian.  This husband and wife artist team does wonderful work!

Hope you are all staying cool and having a wonderful summer!

Summering Up the Living Room

The hotter it gets in Georgia, the more I want to summer up and lighten up the living room!  It's a naturally dark room except for in the afternoon when the west sun comes in through the windows next to the front door.  The red ticking curtains came down along with the dark brown valance panels (the panel pops out of my tobacco stick frame and I can re-cover it easily and pop it back in).  Here is the old mantel

And here it is summered up

You can barely see the three obsidian windchimes hanging from the mantel but I'm in the process of making a banner to go behind them so they will show up better.  I fell in love with these windchimes at an art show in Atlanta - the creators are from Oregon and all of the chimes are obsidian (which is lava - they look like primitive glass and have a very light and tinkly sound) and all parts of the windchimes are pods, seeds, wood, etc. found in nature.  You can see them online at Obsidian Windchimes



White pitchers with papier mache bee and bird, pear candle, clerical collars, and a beautiful framed papercut fern frond

A really cool clay birdhouse, mercury glass, an old French basket containing the last of my vintage homespun ticking (I hoard it and only use it for very special projects), and a blue cloth owl

It feels a little brighter anyway!

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk one week ago

The Beanstalk tonight

The Beanstalk's Sister

Aren't they amazing?