Bigger than a breadbox...and more tiny tweaks

Hi Blog Buds!

Here is my ‘bigger than a breadbox’ treat from my mom – a fifty year old wing- back chair. There’s a story behind it. First of all, it belonged to my beloved late aunt, who died over 20 years ago. When she moved from Philly to Florida, she decided to buy new furniture, and gave me the chair and some other goodies (like my bedroom deco desk, her silver, etc). My aunt and I obviously came from the gene pool – she loved to redecorate constantly (today we call it tweaking!) and I adored her. So, I had the chair for a long time, and like a real stooge, I got bored with it and gave it to my mom, ohhhh, about 5 years ago. I happened to open up this month’s CS, and what did I see? A wing-back chair VERY similar to my aunt’s chair – and for $250 dollars. Back I went to my mom’s and told her I WANT IT BACK!!! LOL!!! She wasn’t using it so she had no problem with giving it back to me for the second time!

Of course, it is well over 50 years old, and has become discolored from age, and wear and tear. I will eventually recover it and repaint the legs. But for now, I think it works just fine! it has great bones, as does most furniture made years ago. I should be able to find a slipcover on line, but it will be hard to find one that fits because of the wings. I'm open to any suggestions you may have. I thought the upholstery was removable and I could wash it, but alas, it is tacked.
I did a few other smaller tweaks. I changed the lampshade on my Stiffel lamp and it immediately primmed it up. (So why had I never thought of it before??) It's red checks, but the pattern didn't photograph well.

And I repainted the little redo shelf I had used in my kitchen for my soap. Just a small change by moving it to another room.

And what do you think my coonie was doing while all of this tweaking was going on?? Gee, this should be no surprise!! LOL.

Well, it’s bedtime already… my tweaking and a long work day tired me out! Hope you all have a great rest of the week. Thanks for stopping by to visit!

This was me yesterday. LOL!

I had an itch to finally learn how to change my background and re-design my blog – gee, if I was bored with it, then I know my fellow-bloggies must be bored with it also. So I read a bunch of articles, and found myself at Daisy Grey's website and realized that she made it really easy to do. So thank you, Daisy, for making blog design so easy!!! I must have sat with this laptop for hours trying to figure it out, but it was fun.

Then I had this idea about my header, so I changed that one, too. I’m nowhere when it comes to HTML, but all of the little tricks that come with all the downloaded programs really helped me to do this today. I was in a bit of a creative mood yesterday, so I really enjoyed playing, surfing, clicking, and hoping I didn’t delete the whole blog!! I have to do the blog for work, too – so I thought I need a counter for it. Can you believe I just learned how to upload a counter?? After all this time? LOL. Do you like it better this way?

We had a wonderful cool, rainy Sunday here in the big city, so I was in tweaky mind-set. Nothing big, just a few things. I had a very busy week, getting home late from work, helping out my mom a few evenings this week, so a quiet rainy weekend was just what the doctor (or nurse, in this case!) ordered. Had a chance to catch up on some reading (Ted Kennedy’s autobiography) and take a nap and just chill. My apt smelled yummy thanks to Debbie at 1803 candles – what delicious candle melts she has. I have controlled my spending urges, except for my melts – and she has wonderful scents and great customer service. What can be better than a good book, a rainy day, and delicious Fall scents in every room? My friends were busy or out of town – so it was a perfect time to just relax.

Nothing better than a comfy nap on a lazy Sunday...

The best candle melts! Yummy scents!

I saw a basket like this in a prim shop for $12. So I decided to make one myself from a basket I had. Much better cost -- Free!

I have something really good coming from my mom’s later this week -- it’s bigger than a breadbox, because it wouldn’t fit in my Honda! Till then, have a great week!

Fall goodies and something for Gina!

Just a quick post to say hello and show you what our gardener did – you know, apt/city living doesn’t always allow for nice outside Fall gatherings, but we must have a very Fall-loving crew here! I came home to this in front of my door yesterday – nice, eh?

Just a reminder to click here for my redo’s in my little home – all dressed up for Fall. We’re having a mini-heat wave (oh my!!! a/c is back on!) but hopefully won’t last long.

I think they did a cute job on the pumkins!

BTW, has anyone else on Blogger lost their peeps list?? I noticed that no matter what I do, they have disappeared!? Pics and all! I've noticed that some of the blogs I've visited don't have them either. Can't tell if it's me, Google, or what!

This post is really for my blog bud Gina, who has reminded me that my big fat hairball has not been getting his share of blog time, due to my obsession with the new season! So, Gina, and any of my other bloggies who love Coonies, here’s a few shots of Ozzy doing what he always does, which is relax and take it easy. Especially when I work from home, the fat boy just sits near me and naps. What a love! That’s when he’s not eating or slobbering on me!!!)

"uh,oh -- she's back with the camera again!"

"...and she keeps making fun of my big feet!! Like she's petite, yeah, right!"
"I hear the treat bag! Well, I have to perform, I guess. Love those treats."

This is waaaaayyyy too much work!!! It's time for another...... NAP!!!"

Ahhhhh, that's better.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Fall has Arrived!! Yipeeeee!

Hi Blog Buds,
Happy First Day of Fall! We had a glorious Fall weekend here in SE Pennsylvania! (Everything comes to he who waits, right??) Cool breezy nights, warm (but not hot) days, leaves starting to change. Good weather to get lots done. And I was a busy bee this weekend!
Because I live so close to the river, I am inundated with spiders this time of year (outside, not in!) So I cleaned up my balcony, got rid of a ton of webs, washed the windows. Pulled out more Fall ‘stuff’ – business clothes, especially.
Sunday, I took some new photos for my updated Fall picture trail so click the Philly street to your right and check out some out some new photos of my teeny-tiny prim apt.
I’m at work, so I can’t write a newsy post, but I did want to mark the first day of Fall! Hope everyone is having a great day – thought I’d give you some local natural eye candy to mark Fall arriving. I know so many of you live in more rural areas, so I thought I’d share what the big city looks like adorned in autumnal splendor! There is something very special about the way the sunlight hits the buildings in the city – just love it, and hope you enjoy, too!

There's nothing like a college campus in the Fall, esp an old one like the University of Pennsylvania!
Fairmount Park is the Fall -- delicious!

The Philadelphia Art Museum in the Fall -- where's Rocky??
More Univ of PA -- what a beautiful campus, right in the heart of West Philly. Makes me want to head back to my teaching career. There is nothing like a college campus in the Fall.

New Hope, PA -- not too far from me in Bucks County. Very artsy -- very expensive, but very pretty.

The city at dusk on a Fall night. Perfection!

Thanks for stopping by!

Aunt Daisy's and more....

Sorry I have been MIA for a few days. Had some problems with Blogger freezing up, and I’ve been trying to play with the camera settings to soften the lighting, but no luck. No matter what I do, or what setting I use, I either have a harsh light or a blur. Oh, well! And, I’ve been getting home from work later than usual, now that the summer is over, and we’re back to the insane Big City traffic again. There are some benefits to living in the Big City, but driving around is not one of them – it took me over an hour to get home last night and I was just beat.

So. I know my bud Linda is just waiting with baited breath to hear about my trip to Aunt Daisy’s. The day was a little less than I had hoped, because we had a major storm here on Friday. Stacy had taken the day off to go, and we did, but she wasn’t feeling well, and I hate driving in the rain. The good news is that we figured out how to get there and back quicker from Philly, so it wasn’t too too bad, but we couldn’t enjoy the ‘beautiful Fall day” I was hoping for. That being said, Aunt Daisy’s is always a treat, regardless of the weather.
I had to be very conservative this time around, but, trust me, I could have had a ‘one of these, one of those’ days. Their shop is just too fabulous, and we spent quite a while just walking around and taking it all in. I did get this, which was very reasonably priced, and what I have been looking for for ages with no luck. And we slobbered over their 2 big adorable dogs who are just like people and greet you at the door.

I also bought this textile, just because I love the warm colors and the texture.

We also stopped in to see Judy Doyle at Cinnamon Sticks (of course!!) – she is such a doll and the shop looks adorable with all of her Halloween goodies out. Bought a few small things, like a new seed bag and a few battery grunge candles.
We had a late lunch and came home because the weather was so bad, but it was sure worth it, and now looking forward to taking another trip up there around the holidays.
I mentioned that I had a wild Labor Day week decluttering and moving around the living room (again!). I think that this time, I found the right combo. The living room is much bigger and roomier this way, and feels much more welcoming. And I mentioned that I had totally decluttered the office/den, and while I don’t use it too much because of my laptop (living room more comfortable) it is finished and I love how it turned out. And I added some fall goodies, so I’m finished the big stuff for a while. It was a huge job.

(The little red sock is a cat toy!)

We are enjoying some great Fall temps here most days, so what a delight to turn off the a/c and open the windows! Rainy again today, but the weekend should be beautiful.
I’ve been enjoying your blogs and all of your great Fall arrangements – I read them all even if I don’t always comment! And, of course, thanks to all of my peeps for joining my blog and checking out what I do with my little apartment!
Have a great day, all! I’m off to work!

Never Forget

Remember, logo design by David Paranteau
The interpretation:
The black signifies the grief and loss of our nation (The Pentagon, the date, and the WTC towers in place of the number 11 in the date).
The white background represents hope of freedom, peace, and healing.
REMEMBER that freedom is worth preserving and also that it has never been won without loss. We remember our friends, our co-workers, spouses, rescuers, children, business partners, military and government officials, visitors to New York and our nation. We will never forget our fallen heroes.
The flag is our national emblem and represents the highest ideals of individual liberty, justice and equal opportunity for all. These ideals will help our nation cope with this tragedy.

FALL REDO (pt.1)

Hi Blogbuds~
Before I get to the good stuff, I wanted to let you all know that my biopsies were fine and any and all 'suspicious' cells have been removed! So, I have a new incision to show off (!!) but all is well, Thank God, and I thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers. It was a little scary, and a reminder that we need to always be vigilant.


And then there was....another redo.....

Labor Day, huh? Well, yes indeedy, I certainly 'labored.' In fact, I've been 'off' all week and used the time to declutter-- sure, I would have rather spent the week in the Caribbean or something nice like that, but that will need to wait until I'm back to earning my full salary! Sometimes I need a few days to just do the fall cleaning, declutter all of the junk that accumulates, and get organized. So that's what I did. I repainted my home office (FINALLY!!!) and (I'm embarrassed to say) filled up 2 trash dumpsters with junk, PLUS took 6 boxes to the TS to donate!!! And that doesn't include the furniture and book cartons that I dumped in my mom's garage!!!! So, after, yes, count them...5 days of cleaning, painting, hauling boxes and furniture, redoing and rearranging, I'm done!!! Tomorrow is my trip to see Judy at Cinnamon Stick as well as my long-awaited trip to Aunt Daisy's!!!! So, once I bring home some new goodies, I'll post "part 2" of my rearranged living room as well as my new goodies!!! We are expecting a rainy day here tomorrow, but who cares?? We're off to Hereford!

So, first, after I removed an indescribable amount of junk, I emptied the room and repainted. I used a color this time -- a warm chestnut.

(hmm, need to do something with the electric cords, huh??Not sure what, tho!) Any ideas?

The room is small (as you might remember from past efforts!) -- this is the other side, and under the window. It's FALL!!! I need to get a better pic of this display!!

Here's the dining room display, with the furrball checking it out.

And I did this little pumpkin with some paint and candles. It was an old cutting board that came out of the 'junk' -- except that this had potential!

Isn't it great that Fall has finally arrived (more or less!) and that we can take all of our Fall goodies out of storage? I love this time of year!!!

I'll be back soon with Part 2 (a MUCH roomier living room) and all of my goodies from our trip tomorrow! Like my redo of my bench in front of my sofa!! I like it so much I'm using it as my blog pic!

It's Fall, You All!!!

I can't believe it! We made it!! I actually can sleep with the windows open and the a/c OFF!!!! Yipeeeee!!! So how do I know it's Fall?? Here's my list:

~ There is a special golden color to the sun that makes the sky seem bluer and everything seem clearer.

~My 'coonie is shedding his summer coat and there are clumps of maine coon fur hanging off him and all over the floor. (coonies shed in clumps of hair)

~ There's a delicious smell in the air of cinnamon, spices, and earth.

~ The early mornings are cool and crisp and clear -- lovely!

~ I have energy to tweak and redecorate.

~I can go to Aunt Daisy'shttp://auntdaisys.com/ Harvest Celebration next week!!!!! If you live anywhere near Emmaus, PA -- don't miss this! Gee, I've been looking forward to this all summer long!

Speaking of tweaking, I did do some major stuff this past weekend. I was glued to the Ted Kennedy funeral all day Saturday, so while I was watching TV, I gt int a major blue paint fit. I also moved my sofa, which changes the living room around (more pics to follow after I vacuum up the hair clumps). So, here's what I did....

Remember my red paint chair (the one I said I would never paint? I lied.) Redid it to a blue, moved it from the bedroom to a corner of the living room.

I love how the old red paint peeps through the blue, don't you?

I'm not sure why I am losing my passion for black, but I even redid my make-do hutch. And -- I moved the book-keep to the top of it and converted it to a bowl holder. Here's the bottom shelves...

moved my sofa and made an sofa table.... with nice fresh yellow daisies in a jar.


SOOOOO, I have lots more to share, but I need to get to a meeting in the city, so I must be off. More tweaks soon!!

Enjoy early Autumn!