Aqua & Red - swappy goodness

A while back, I signed up for the Aqua and Red swap hosted by Apron Thrift Girl. I was paired up with Melissa at Kumalata Kumalata.

Here is what I sent her:


I <3 this vase and all it's kitschy splendor:


And this is what she sent me:

• a GORGEOUS aqua colored linen table cloth
• two napkins/hankies which are just too cute for words
• an awesome tin leaf that can be used as either a table decoration or hung on the wall
• two red leaf-plates
  

It just so happens that I have been looking for some decorations for the cottage's bathroom (we're trying to get it ready to be a vacation rental next summer). We've got a white washed dresser in the bathroom that serves as our linen closet. The red plates will look fantastic on top of it - especially when it's filled with the red, green, and orange glycerin soap leaves I'm planning on making. Here's a pic of it with the white, lavender scented soap* I made last week:

Thanks, Melissa, for all the wonderful goodies!

*Pretty good for my first time!

Yesterday

Yesterday I saw a squirrel fall out of a tree.

The thud he made when he landed froze me in place.

I stared at the little furry thing laying there.

Willing him to Get Up.

Then he did.

And with a pissed-off bark at the squirrel who pushed him out of the tree...

they were fighting, you see...

the non-victor shook himself off and hightailed it for a different tree.

Choppers

Had a dental appointment this morning. I usually have a moment or two of stress over my dental appointments because I'm not a flosser. My back teeth are so close together I have a hard time getting floss between them. And I usually end up gagging myself which is not something I enjoy. So I don't generally floss. (I do have one of those Reach flosser thingymajigs which helps some, but I still end up having to bite the thing to get the floss between my back teeth.) Luckily the gaps between my front teeth are big enough for brush bristles.

That said, the hygienist said, "there's hardly any tarter." And what was there was way in the back where I have a hard time reaching with ANY toothbrush because -- hello! -- my jaw gets in the way. Every six months I go and have that bit of ick scraped off.

So, thank you to my Sonic Care toothbrush. Without you, dear vibrating toothbrush, I'd have to sit in that darned dentist's chair for way longer than the 20 minutes I do now.

Turn the Page

I got nothing for you today, people. So here... have a song:




Bob does it best but Metallica's version isn't anything to sneeze at.

Pastries

One of the ladies I work with is involved with a chef of a Great Lakes cargo ship. You can take the chef off the boat but you can't take the chef out of the man.

Look at the pastries he made us this morning!


APPLE TURNOVERS. Hot out of the oven.

I dare Fraü Mueller to produce something as delicious as this.

Life is, indeed, good.

First snow.

So.

It snowed here last night. Not enough to accumulate, but it left a dusting on all the surfaces with a northern exposure. Like the roof outside my office window.

Now don't get me wrong. I love snow. And cold weather. And warm coats and wool sweaters and boots that keep your toes toasty. I love snow glare and the way the air smells when the temperature drops. I pride myself on never saying in a disdainful way, "It's cold outside! I'm cold!" Bring it on, I say.

But for some reason, the sight of the snow on the roof outside my window this morning dampened my spirits in a way it never has before. In a moment of self pity, I regretted the months of cold weather and snow ahead of us. In that moment, I longed for a hot summer day. And then I felt guilt for it because Any Season But Summer has ALWAYS been my favorite season.

On a happier note, S and I are going to be going away the first weekend of December. We're having a weekend retreat to Cleveland with C and C - our Pittsburgh Pals.

Am thinking we should hit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And some vintage shops (because it's been FOREVER since my last Thrifty Thursday post). Is there anything else that is a 'must do' when in Cleveland?

Aside from THIS, that is.

Because, honestly, I'd rather see the A Christmas Story house than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Holiday Nights with F & E

Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI, has an event every year called Holiday Nights. Every weekend during the month of December the Village is turned into Christmases Past.

For the past couple of years, S and I have gotten together with F & E (who, by the way, are fantastic people whom we don't spend nearly enough time with - and I'm not just saying that because F found my blog. Seriously, we love you guys!) and visited the Village for an evening of Old Fashioned Family Fun.

They have players who dress up in period costumes and carolers and stores and hot chocolate and chimney sweeps who walk around and try to solicit business "Sweep your chimney sir?" and "Sweeps are good luck!" (if you shake their hand or they blow you a kiss). They've got an outdoor ice rink and you can borrow skates. They've got Santa and reindeer and gorgeous decorations. The whole place smells of wood smoke and pine boughs.

Cotswold Cottage is set up as a WWI (F it is WWI isn't it?) military vignette. Men in British uniforms say "Happy Christmas!" to you. You tour through the two-room Cottage and learn a bit about life during war. This is one of my favorite stops - there is ALWAYS a line for this one.

If you happen to be in southeast Michigan over a weekend in December, you should really try to go. Tickets do sell out so buy them in advance.

----------

It's warm and sunny here today. Unseasonably warm. The tree outside my office window is slowly shedding its leaves - they're gold today and some are turning to that wonderful rust color. But if I look really closely, towards the trunk of the tree, I can still see some green leaves.

The show continues outside my window...

Ain't it lovely?

----------

On a totally different note: I am thrilled to my marrow that Obama is to be our next President. I'm glad we made it VERY clear that we were fed up with the recent status quo.

It's going to be a banner day in this country when the election of a black man or woman to the Presidency will cause not one utterance of "black" or "race". A banner day, indeed. I wonder if I'll see it in my lifetime? Hell, it's possible. Come on, America, WE CAN!

My voice has been heard.

Oh, people.

I voted just about an hour ago and I've not stopped grinning since.  I could've voted a straight Democratic ticket. But I NEEDED to fill in the circle beside Obama's name. NEEDED to make it clear that my vote was for him. NEEDED it like the air I breathe. And I'm so very glad I took the time to do it the long way. (Holy cow, lots of folks to vote for this election!)

After my vote was cast, I called my mom. "Mom, your little Democrat just cast her vote!" I said. "Nooooo!" she said. (Just to be clear here: she loves that I get out there and vote. She just wishes that I took after her and my dad and voted Republican.)

Despite its flaws, the democratic process makes me very happy. And right now I'm buoyed up by hope that the change I feel we need will actually happen.

A better representation of the view from my office window.

The view out my office window.