Anna and I spotted these “Living Lantern” planters walking into Wegmans. Also known as Chinese Lanterns, they absolutely fascinated Anna and I figured they’d look nice on our front step. Something different from the potted mums I usually put out for the fall!
Unlike most people, I find stripping wallpaper to be a form of stress relief. I know I’m weird. But when it’s easy, it’s really quite satisfying…
I put this wallpaper up myself, about ten years ago. And now it’s falling down. I know it was put up properly – well, aside from the falling down bit…at least the walls were prepped correctly before it went up – so I know it won’t be hard to get it off. So, in a fit of nervous energy I started ripping off the printed top layer.
This corner (plus a bit – the bathroom is too tiny to stand in and take pictures) took all of 5 minutes, including the part where I went and got a trash bag after realizing the bathroom trash can was way too tiny.
And then about 15 minutes later this corner looked like this. (Really, spray the adhesive backing with warm water, wait a minute or two, pick up a corner and it comes off in big strips. Easy-peasy.) There are some rough patches on the walls, and I had forgotten about those…taking off the wallpaper that was in here a decade ago was *not* such an easy task, and the walls have some battle scars. (Believe me, it was worth removing that wallpaper. It was beyond ugly. Four shades of tan clouds dotted with black seagulls. I think I took pictures, but it was actually on film (what’s that?) and I’d have to go dig them out of a box somewhere.)
I’m contemplating adding some texture to the paint to hide the imperfections.
(Oh, and Denis, if you’re reading this, I promise the bathroom will still be in working order when you get home! You had to know if you left the country for a whole week and left me in charge of girls and dogs I’d do something crazy like this, right?)
My day started with oversleeping. Then there was no coffee in the house. And then I had to watch our two (expired) carseats being crushed by the garbage truck as I was pulling down our driveway to go get coffee. And I’ve spent the last several hours changing over Anna’s closet and dresser, putting away all of her favorite “lellow” sundresses, which will all be too small next summer. I know in the grand scheme of things that I have nothing to complain about, but I just feel emotional and worn down today.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better!
As today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, here are my “spoils of war” from the Fiber Festival:
Let’s see…clockwise-ish from top left:
* Patterns from various vendors.
* A “headache pillow” made from lavender & flax seed from Cherry Hill Quilters.
* Blue/green fiber is 4 oz. of Polworth from Fuzzy Bunny.
* Two skeins of Panda Sock in “Black Cherry” from Spinning Bunny.
* Cinnamon leaf handmade soap from Maggie’s Farm.
* Orange/purple-ish fiber peeking out from the back is 4 oz. of Falkland in “Autumn Sunset” from Spinning Bunny.
* Cute little floral bag is also from Cherry Hill Quilters.
* White fiber with streaks of brown/orange/pink is 8 oz. of Blue Face Leicester/silk blend from High Bid Farm.
* Adorable little white ceramic sheep is from…I can’t remember!
* Pink/brown fiber is 4 oz. of BFL/silk blend in “Chocolate Boxes” from Fiber Fancy.
* Brown curly sheep is from Cherry Hill Quilters.
* Blue-green lace yarn is alpaca/silk laceweight (plus coordinating beads) from Ellen’s 1/2-pint Farm (a kit to make the Starry Starry Night shawl shown in front pattern.)
* Two natural lip balms, Ginger Peach and Berry Plum from Fuzzy Bunny.
* And last, but not least, Chai soap also from Fuzzy Bunny.
So many new goodies! I can’t wait to finish a few things on the needles & wheel so I can start playing with it all!
I feel like I should be able to write something worth reading about today. But I can’t. I still feel much the same way I felt 10 years ago.
I was surprised to discover that Carolyn learned a bit about what happened 10 years ago today in school this past week. I’ve never brought it up with her, with either girl, because although I know it can’t last forever, I want to protect them from all the evils in the world for as long as I can. I’m glad I didn’t have to start the discussion though, and even more glad that she didn’t feel the need to continue it just now.
So, we watched football. We watched the patriotic commercials. Anna was excited to see the flag at the beginnings of the games. Mostly, today, I just remembered.
It’s always hard to get back in the swing of things after a vacation! Yesterday I took Carolyn to the mall to start back-to-school shopping, and today the girls and I spent the bulk of the day at Strong Museum. So we haven’t yet started our theme for this week (“On the Farm”) or really done any cleaning since getting back (when I vacuumed 5 minutes after walking in the door because the dog hair had accumulated to obscene levels).
But we did have fun at the Museum! (And who really wants to clean, anyway?!?)
So.
It’s 2011.
Time sure does fly when you’re busy with life, doesn’t it? I never really meant to abandon posting, but I fell behind, and then fell further behind, and all of sudden it had been months and months since my last post and I had no idea how to catch it all up, when I don’t even have time to keep up with current events.
So I’ve decided that I will begin once again, here and now, and if I have time someday to go back and piece together the highlights (Anna’s 2nd birthday, and Carolyn’s 6th, the first days of first grade, our summer vacation, a new toddler bed…) from pictures and the few things I’ve jotted down from those times, I will. If only because someday I’ll look back and wonder why on earth I didn’t think those things were worth remembering – they certainly are! I’m a little sad that I’ve already lost so many little moments: hilarious things Anna has said as she’s mastering language, quirky ideas that Carolyn has about life, the moments that get lost in the days that fly by too quickly.
It’s a new year, a big year, one that will take Anna to preschool and will see (I predict, based on two very slightly wiggly bottom front teeth) Carolyn’s first lost tooth. So here’s my clean slate and my fresh start so that those moments, big and small, will not be lost to time.
Happy 2011!
When I woke up this morning and looked out the window, I thought, “gosh, that looks like awfully solid rain…”
So, I am not, after all, a lazy gardener for not cleaning out my beds and putting in annuals yet. I’m just psychic!
To make up for having to take down our trees, Carrie and I planted the beginnings of a garden today. Beans, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, zinnias, marigolds and parsley. Including the sunflower Carrie planted at the PTA’s Earth Day fair last week, we will have a lot of new growing things to take care of soon!
We had to let go of a couple of old friends today. The two giant evergreen trees next to our driveway were not in good shape – one was already completely dead, and the other was in the advanced stages of the same disease. As much as I knew the responsible thing to do was to have them taken down, and I knew that they were coming with the equipment to do it this morning, it was shocking just how fast they were gone. We left to run a few errands, saying goodbye to two tall trees, and a couple of hours later we came home to stumps.
Now there’s a patch of ground with grass seed scattered on it, where in a few weeks nobody will ever know trees existed.
And that makes me sad.