End of February Wrap Up

Two blog posts in two days is a new record for me, but it is so good to have nothing else to do but think about doing something a bit creative for a change.  If you are interested in seeing how I do little vignettes in my house, click here. 

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BIG BOY, JACKSON!

Love you to the moon and back!

1.  February is coming to a close.  Give us a two-word phrase that tell us something about how yours went.

February came in with a lot of pain and closed with the elimination of said pain.  Thank you God for sending your angels of healing.

2.  If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on?  Explain.

The carousel seems to fit what's going on with me right now.  It was one week ago as I'm writing this that I had my left hip replaced.  My surgeon has a regime to accomplish maximum healing but it isn't overnight.

My daily schedule is going round and round and getting up and down doing 5 - 10 minutes of walking every hour; icing the incision; increasing the reps of exercises every day and then simply resting in bed.  So round and round and up and down about describes my month of March.

3.  What's something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past?

Since my lap is my desk right now, my view is this large beautiful piece of furniture that holds a TV I rarely watch, a glass vase I enjoy seeing and all the printed copies of my yearly blog posts.  On top are two favorite pieces that were purchased in Greece many years ago.  There also is a tiny picture from my dad's last driver's license.  Normally, those doors would be closed, but I enjoy the view.

4.  Are you a salad eater?  How many salads do you typically eat in a week?  Your favorite kind of salad?

Yes, we are salad eaters and typically eat one a few times a week.  My go-to salad is a Cobb with black beans, corn, chicken and all the fixins'.

5.  Without telling us the category give us your top five ---

1. Sitting in my sunroom on a bright sunshiny morning
2. Walking outside on a brisk cool morning
3. Doing Facetime with a great grandson
4. A good nights sleep
5. Waking up alongside my beloved

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I know you are more than ready to get caught up on our great grands since it's been a while since an update.

Landon, who will be 2 in April entertained me on the foot of my bed the other day with his "happy face" and sweet antics. He is such a little ham and so full of life.

Jax is so fascinated by all the new house building going on in his neighborhood and loves to watch for the dump trucks and excavators.  We love our FT visits with this Indiana baby boy who will be 2 in July.

Jasper Rex lives in Fayetteville, AR and is not quite 1.  Isn't he an absolute doll?

Four months ago I was adopted as grandmother to this precious little girl, Piper.  She has stolen our heart as did her mother a few years ago.

And that about wraps up the Hodgepodge for this week.  Come back next Wednesday because I'm not going anywhere.

Creating Interesting Vignettes in Your House

With not much to do other than walk every hour, exercise three times a day, change out ice pack and lie in bed, I have had time to think about the blog again.  There really isn't much to think about other than how quickly bored could I make a reader.

This is the view from my bed perch and one I may eventually get tired of before the month of March expires; however, right now I am not complaining.

Several weeks ago, I went around my little house enjoying a few of the vignettes I've created.  I love groupings of favorite things that have something in common and are repeated somewhere else in the room or house.  I find this creates continuity. Since we have such an open living space, it is important to have a flow.  I also want to have items I like where I can see them.

Our mantel is situated at an angle in our living room and is part of the focal point seen upon entry into our house.  It is heavy white stone that requires anchoring.  I have chosen to do that with a large gold framed picture above and a wrought iron fireplace screen below.

To further create balance, I layered a black wrought iron framed mirror in front of the painting along with a matching candlestand to the side.  I love the idea of layering and the depth and interest it creates.  Because I am using deep teal pillows on my sofa, I added a lovely decorative plate in front of the mirror.

The colors of the plate also repeat the colors of the vase to the left and other gold touches throughout.

 

The grouping below is part of a focus wall that includes some of my original paintings and the TV.  I love the two antique English pieces on this corner and how they play off the colors in each of the paintings.  Again, you will see gold being used.  On the opposite end is a single large abstract gold sculpture that anchors the weight of the console.

Behind the dining table is this vintage pie safe that holds china and special crystal bowls.  Above it are two more of my paintings that continue the color scheme.  I love the large red vase.  A smaller matching piece is also located in another part of the room.  The painting to the left has gold highlights that reflect and further repeat that theme.

This final grouping is in a corner between my sofa and the sunroom.  

The red velvet patchwork cloth, with sprinkles of tiny sequins, really anchors the overall color scheme of my house and fills this otherwise empty space.  The large gold framed mirror is an interesting piece upon entry in the room.  Again, I have used gold accessories.

Once I am able to be up and moving around in April, I will bring in some spring accessories and who knows, may even paint something new.

I hope you have been inspired to see how you can create groupings using something unexpected already found in your home in unusual ways.

Happy Valentine's Day Hodgepodge

Happy Valentine's Day

1.  What does love mean to you?

This is a complex question with a simple yet complex answer.  To love things is to enjoy and take pleasure in them, such as a few of my heirlooms and collected pieces.  To love others is a command that is not always so easily carried out.  Perhaps it can be most easily answered by paraphrasing  this command:  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and others as Christ has loved you."

To be loved is perhaps the greatest of life's joys and to love in return is the greatest joy and life's fulfillment.  It is the small things, the giving of one's self to someone else.  It is seeing the unconditional love in a child's eyes; hearing them call your name with a great big squeeze.  It is having your husband bring in a bird feather he found; handing you a bouquet of flowers along with bags of groceries just because; or picking up his dirty clothes off the floor without being reminded.  It is a hand squeeze and a final "I love you" at the end of the day.

Love means a lot of things that simply make life worth living.

2.  Is love blind?

No, love is not blind because we are not ignorant of the flaws and shortcomings of others and we don't always 'love' these things; but loving someone does mean we love inspite of. Love is forgiving; love is patient; love is kind.  But not blind.

3.  How do you remember Valentine's Day as a kid?  Do you have any special plans for the day this year?

It meant decorating a Valentine box that would carry my often homemade valentines to be given to classmates, then to carry home all the treasured special cards shared with me.  I would sit and look at and re-read the messages for days.

No, we do not have special plans for this day.  It will be a regular Wednesday for us.

4.  Are you a fan of the movie genre known as 'rom-com'?  What's your favorite (or one of your favorites)?

I actually had to look this up.  No, I am not a big fan of romantic-comedy movies favoring more mysteries, thrillers, and historical documentaries.  I do however have a few favorite romantic movies such as Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and The Notebook.  Do these count?

5.  What's something you recently put your heart into?

Reading the Bible through chronologically.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I will be having a total hip replacement on the 20th, a week from the day I'm writing this.  It will entail five weeks of doing nothing other than walking a few steps every hour on the hour with a walker, sitting a few minutes each hour, wearing leg pumps and lying in bed.  No leaving the house, no rocking, no bending, no lifting, and lots of healing.  This might be a good time to fall in love with rom-coms. It will definitely put Dick's love to the test, but he is up to the challenge because he loves me unconditionally as "Christ loves."