My mom still speaks up

So.

If you don't believe in spirits, rather than scoffing at what I'm saying here, just move along.

Close it up.  This particular post is not for you.

IF, however, you do believe, then let me assure you my outspoken mom is still speaking out.

As I've mention about a hundred beezillion times, we're living in a wee bit of chaos here.

I know there's an end in sight, so for now, I'm going with the flow.  (Funny how as I've aged, I find that going with the flow/rolling with the punches thing easier than i once did).

During all this, Donald left for about a week to spend time with his folks in Birmingham.

And because they're preparing to move from their home to a smaller place, they sent him home with a few things including some furniture.

One of those pieces is a desk we have both loved for many years.  

It used to belong to Donald's much loved and adored Great Aunt Gladys.  

The timing for receiving things - ALL things we love and feel quite blessed in receiving - including this sweet little desk isn't ideal, but so what.

The house is going to be in disarray for awhile anyway, so what the heck.

We love it all and it all falls very firmly in the category of cherished treasures.

We knew exactly where we wanted the little desk to live, but that meant moving another Aunt Gladys treasure that we've had for a number of years.

The place where this the desk now is used to be the spot where this magical rocker was.

The space where the rocker will go . . .  well, as you can tell by this photo, is in a bit of a mess right now due to that closet redo, which was put on hold due to insulation installation, put on hold due to broken pipes and another set-back i'll tell you about another time.  Enough is enough.  Right? 

(going with the flow here . . . ).

Back to the subject at hand.

(insert my old and very dear and much missed friend, Michael Dean, saying, "Kaye Alan, can we have the abridged version of this story, please?").

So.

See this piece?

 

It's my mom's jewelry chest.

She LOVED this piece.

It's no longer filled to the brim like it once was, but suffice to say there's still a lot in there.

Well, last night while Donald and I were moving furniture around finding a place for Mom's prized jewelry chest became a challenge.

At about 2 a.m. we called it a night.

Left things in disarray (insert maniacal laughter) and went to bed.

And sometime during the night I woke up to the very distinct smell of cigarette smoke.

And not for the first time.

I knew exactly who was in our bedroom.

My mom, very nicely, but very firmly, assured me that we would find an appropriate spot for that jewelry chest.

And i agreed.

And so does Donald.

Savoring the words

There are a few authors whose books I'm going to read the minute I'm able.

Lucky for me, I was able to get advance copies of these novels written by these outstanding writers through NetGalley even though I have each of them pre-ordered.

I know some people think re-reading is silly and a waste of time.  

I don't feel that way.

Yes, i know - there are exciting new books being published every day.

"Too many books, too little time." 

I get that.

I am, however, a re-reader from way back.

When an author is able to find a way to use words to create a phrase or a thought that feels magical enough to cause me to stop reading long enough to think about, savor, and feel a connection, that's a book I know I'll come back to.

These are the most recent books delivering that magic.

Maybe you'll love them too.

 

Is it just stuff, or is it treasure more precious than gold?

 We opened our booth at Antiques on Howard three years ago today.  

We didn't plan on being open this long.  

Our only goal was to get rid of stuff that had been packed up and stored in our storage building for years and years. 

But stuff grew.  

It grew and we were challenged by deciding what things from my Mom's apartment did we want to keep.

As much as we both loved my mother, keeping every single thing she left behind made no sense.  We did, of course, choose items that had special meaning to us, and to her.  Her sisters, along with several nieces and friends received some things, and we put some things in our booth.

But stuff grows.

And continues to grow as Don Barley's mom and dad downsize to move into a smaller place.  

As happens, priorities regarding "keeping vs. not keeping" keep changing.  

Material things are just things.  

Until they aren't.    

To Donald and I, many family items, along with some personal treasures, have sentiments and memories attached that make those things meaningful.

Those things stay.

So while the great purge continues, the fact remains that we will never be a minimalist household.

And that's fine, fine, fine.

Treasures more precious than gold - - -

Not because of their existence.

But the memories that live within each piece.

❤  ❤  ❤

Sorting and Organizing

After having Bettina and Riley from Clean Mountain Escapes here to do some major deep cleaning, the house looked so nice, and felt so good that we were inspired to do some much needed sorting, purging, and organizing.

I started with my dresser.

Sweaters were sorted, and many found their way to Goodwill.

Underwear and Tees and socks and leggings and tights.

Dumped out of the drawers onto the bed for sorting.

And i ended up with a trash bag full of stuff to toss.

What stays got nicely sorted into drawer organizers I ordered from Amazon.  What took me so long to find and use these wonderful items??  I love them!

One of the things i found appealing about this little house when we bought it back in 1996 was that it had cute little built in features that initially charmed me.

It didn't take long for me to realize that charm was superficial, and their actual capacity as useful space was . . . minimal.

I cannot even express how much i hate my closets.

For those interested and curious, Donald has his own closet.  Bigger.  Better.

AND his own bathroom.

Take those two statements as part if our testimony about what helps make a good marriage.

So.

The great sort, purge, and organizing efforts continue.

Bags and totes.  TOO MANY!

One thing for sure.  These favorite well-loved bags are going nowhere.  ❤

Charming, useless, wasted space is going to be converted to something much more efficient.

Don Barley is on it.  

In the meantime, the sunroom is going to be a wreck.  ( sigh)

Oh, well.

You do what ya gotta do to get things done.

 

And VOILÀ!  

Some semblance of a decent and efficient use of space!

Hooray!

But wait.

Maybe not.

Let's study this  little more . . .

And start over.

And while we're at it, we should add some insulation up here in the attic . . .

And since things in our bedroom are in such disarray, how 'bout i empty out this little space that is also in need of sorting, purging and organizing.

This is how things stand today.

And will stand for the near future.

A small new dresser will be moving in (along with some more of those marvie little organizers from Amazon).

Insulation and all the tools that will accompany that job will be moving in.

Things will, eventually, be back to normal and better than it was.

In the meantime, the sunroom is a room to be ignored and forgotten.

But.

You know what?

Life is good.  ❤❤❤

I would not trade places with anyone.