listening pleasure

My recreational foray to my favorite thrift store this morning

yielded me several vinyl albums.

I was particularly thrilled to find several of ones

I had in my collection in the late 60's.

I can't wait to listen to them.

At 50 cents a pop, I'm set for hours of listening pleasure.

easy alteration

Recently, I told my coffee friends about my failure to find a navy and white striped top,

I was rewarded with this shirt, found by one of the friends at an estate sale!

Unfortunately, it was a size too large.

I had to roll up the sleeves, and it stretched down to cover my hips.

And it had a turtleneck collar.

I wore it once.  It has since lain - forlorn and unworn. -

draped over the back of a chair...
awaiting its fate.

This morning, I took pinking shears to it!

I'm very pleased with this quick and easy alteration.

It's certain to get many wears in the future.

recreational thrifting

 Wow!

 It's been a long time since I've had such good luck at a thrift store!

 Yesterday, squeezed in between reading sessions (see more HERE)

  my husband and I stopped in to a thrift store that is TRULY a thrift store.

 $8.25 bought us a beautiful pillow, a jigsaw puzzle, four tops and a skirt and a jacket for me, and a     pair  of jeans for him!

A recent purge of several pieces of clothing I no longer wear

left space in my drawers and closet. 
I am thrilled to have these "new" items that will perk up my spring/summer wardrobe.

And the pillow!!!!  A real beauty.

things turquoise

 Some time ago, we spray painted our chandelier a metallic blue color.

It really wasn't quite the color I'd thought it would be,

but I did nothing about changing it.

 Then I found these shades on the internet

 and things began to come together!

I hung a vintage curtain panel that had been folded up on a shelf

and things turquoise began to come out of the woodwork!

 Paintings,

pillows,

and who knows WHAT next?

passing the hour

 As you probably have observed,

I never tire of getting away to Barnes and Noble!

 I select a stack of magazines

(as does my partner),

 we find a table,

 and contentedly (and carefully) turn the pages...

 dreaming and gathering as we pass the hour.

(THIS time, as I passed through the store,

it seemed to me there were more aisles of toys.

I wonder if this is coincidence or somehow related

to the recent closing of Toys-R-Us.)

which came first...

Our mantel has been slightly altered for the season...

chickens

and eggs.

(The few that survived the decluttering frenzy of February!)

goodbye VB

Within a few hours of posting these four Vera Bradley bags

on a Facebook page,

they were spoken for!

Four more items bite the dust!

much better

This piece of furniture is now about 4" shorter

since my husband cut it down.  

It had been an awkward height for the places I have tried to use it.

Now polished and restocked,

it sits in front of my recliner (that's my husband's black recliner in the background).

I employed a pair of idle brass shell bookeneds

to hold a few of the smaller books on top of the stand.

MUCH better!

bonus items

This was the scene from the backseat of our moving car last night

as we returned home via the scenic route

from emptying the trunk of its contents in the deposit box

of a thrift store.

My husband and I completed a challenge TODAY--

each of us gathering and ridding the house of the number of items

to match the number of every day in February.

Today, the 28th, we totaled it all up...

812

Buoyed by the success, I proceeded to gather ten bonus items this morning...

primarily jeans and other denim items that (realistically) I will never wear.

It's been a great exercise.

We plan to continue on a smaller scale.

simplicity and purpose

You may well argue that my taste in decor doesn't lean toward simplicity...

 but given my attraction to these photos in magazines that caught my eye yesterday

 I am convinced that my purpose in creating a comfortable home is achieved

best for us by a simple combination

of old wood, books, warm colors and one-of-a-kind objects.
Not a lot has changed over the years when it comes to my purpose--
or the way I go about achieving it!

off my mind

I don't know why I thought about this this morinng

as I filled in the last page of my journal

(starting a new one tomorrow),

but I noted that the two things - besides toilet paper -

that I don't want to run out of are

ink cartridges for our printer and

salt for the water softener.

Of course, this morning we ran out of ink!

I also recorded on the last journal page

my two most dreaded of frequent household chores.

They are emptying the silverware compartment of the dishwasher

and folding men's undershirts.

There!

I got that off my mind.

four plus three

Tomorrow these four books will join three items yet-to-be-determined

to be the seven items I will dispose of

(matching the numerical day of the month - 7).

The exercise has been challenging in a surprising way--

that is, LIMITING myself to the actual number prescribed by the date!

By the way, these are DUPLICATE books.

I could not bear to part with any of them if they were my only copies.

Have you read any of them?

Such classics...

goodbye buttons

I have tins.  MANY tins.

Some are empty.  Some are full.

This one is empty now.

Yesterday it contained buttons.

I'm on a new adventure in simplifying this month

Today, that involves buttons...

If you're interested, read about it HERE.

And HERE.