Love At First Sight

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways,

d

Pics To Follow

Smiling to where my cheeks hurt.  Can't wipe that grin off my face.  The Living room is cleared out and rearranged as best we can do for the moment.  Now we wait for NEW living room furniture to appear from Kansas City.  Much thought has gone into where to place the sofas and chairs.

WHEN it arrives, we'll have to rearrange the room to make it like we want it.  Pieces of furniture to shuffle elsewhere.  We moved the Sideboard that was in the entryway  elsewhere so the furniture deliverers would be able to bring the pieces through the front door into the Living room.

After we see first hand the actual furniture then we will select paint that's a coordinating color with the fabrics.  

The last time I picked furniture from Ethan Allen was 17 years ago.  They gave us a computer generated drawing so we could better imagine the fabric on the sofa and chairs.  This go round no drawings.  All in our heads.

I am so hoping we like the results really really really well.  If we don't, I guess we will have to grow to like it.  gulp.

Pics to follow.
Stay tuned.
d

UPDATE:  Furniture arrived in the early morning hours on this rainy, grey Saturday.  Love it!  L O V E it.  Am so pleased with it I could twitch with excitement.  Smiling.
Pics to follow.
life on the prairie is having a very gooooood day.

Small Town America

Small Town America would not be complete without a County Fair in the heat of Summer.  
First place, a Downtown PARADE, then off to see the entries that might win a BLUE ribbon.

We witnessed colorful floats with candy flying through the air. People being people.  Horses mastered by Cowgirls and Cowboys, Cheerleaders celebrating cheers to raise spirits, children waving, music in the air.  Huge vehicles flashing their lights.  Sirens sounding off to make noise.  The Parade is a yearly event announcing the County Fair.  

By the time we got to the Fair Grounds, the line of people waiting to buy their Supper was a City Block long.  They know good food when they see it.  

Small Town once again is slow paced.  
Thankful for that,
d  

August In Flight

AUGUST will fly by before I know it and September will produce cooler nights with the leaves of trees starting to change color.  I'll have to find my artificial pumpkins and harvest garland to add a touch of FALL inside the house.  When the Trick-or-Treaters stop by, it'll seem like a time warp.  So much has transpired since last October.    

Focus on the present.  HAVING high hopes of clearing out the living room boxes this week.  I just might have one day before the new furniture arrives where the living room is completely empty, swept and dusted.

VERY SLOWLY the room is taking shape.  S L O W L Y.  
NEW Furniture is scheduled to be delivered early this month.  Preparations are being made on our end so we have an empty Living room.   Long time in the making.  We have about 12 boxes to go.  Started with about 500 boxes in the living room.  Not exaggerating.  Deep sigh.  IT HAS BEEN A GREAT DEAL OF WORK.  We have made progress.  TODAY, I felt like smiling because the boxes are disappearing.  THINGS are starting to make their way to the places they will remain.  
  

Need to take a very long coffee break sitting in the screened in porch listening to the birds sing.  I await the moment.  I need it.  Three days and one evening went into unloading a storage unit filled with things from the rock house garage.  It was HOT messy work.  Made our deadline on clearing out the unit before AUGUST 1st.

STILL...later I'll be going through the boxes that were in the garage.  Another day, another project to complete.  Truthfully it will be closer to our one year anniversary since our house fire before all of this is done. 

Huge relief,
d 

Cooking In The New Kitchen

As I dig through the many boxes, my Husband is wearing the CHEF hat as he loves cooking.  I love that he loves to cook.  He cooks very well and I enjoy the meals.  I don't hesitate when he offers to prepare a meal.  Truly am pleased that I do not have to cook.  

We're still working at making the rooms be the room it is suppose to be.  Tidying the Kitchen is on the agenda of things to do this month.

ALL IN A GREAT MEAL,
d  

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

WORKING at downsizing.  It's awful.  It's hot, heavy work in July.  This wonderful week, we have plans to finish clearing out a storage unit that we filled last March when emptying the rock house garage to sell the property.  We were blessed to sell the shell of the rock house with detached garage and be free of the obligation of dealing with the burned out mess.  

There wasn't the time to go through all the boxes along with all the things that our garage held before selling the property.  So the quick fix was to move all the garage things into a storage unit.  
The majority of the boxes holds CHRISTMAS decor.  Christmas decor is running out of our ears.  Not to be disrespectful to the season, but going through 43 years worth of CHRISTMAS Decor reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas.  Celebrating and remembering the Lord Jesus's birthday.  I will simplify.  

THROUGH THE YEARS, I have had so much fun decorating that my stash of Christmas decor is like having the inventory of a small Christmas store.  I have to liquidate.  NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT.    
  
CHRISTMAS IN JULY.  NO SNOW today, but the task of getting settled into our new house is snow balling into much to do.  Much.  On day 3 of this huge task.  Have a ways to go yet, so this is on the agenda until completed.  Praying that we wrap this project up and call it a day.  

I have peace about downsizing.  In the next few months I will be working on thinning out the decorations that I have collected over the last 43 years.  43 years.   

We will know exactly what we own in CHRISTMAS decorations.  None of these contents were in the October house fire.  Because they were in the garage on shelves, the storage containers are covered with dirt.  SO much dirt.  Achoo.  When the time comes, glass cleaner and paper towels will clean up the boxes just fine. 

Downsizing Holiday things will take place in a cool, air conditioned house and not out in the garage.  But getting to this point is taking blood, sweat and tears.  Later I will be able to sit as I sort the contents of the boxes to say yah or nay.  

Mercy sakes.  As I look at the contents of the storage unit, I sweat just looking at it.  Not all is CHRISTMAS related.  A few rocking chairs, a claw foot tub, books, craft items, boxes of "DISHES", clothing, etc. etc. etc.  

Another project going on.  Nothing glamorous about this phase in life.  Picking up boxes, carrying them to the cars, driving to cottage, gathering up a load into our arms, walking with armloads to house, climbing a few stairs, unloading boxes, stacking, walking back to the car to get next load...It's HOT, DIRTY WORK.  I'm saying this with the knowledge that we will never do this again.  NEVER.  EVER.  EVER.  NEVER.  After we finish this haul we are RETIRING from this way of life.  Small grin.  It is not going to happen again.  I HOPE.  Small crooked frown on face.

We decided not to rent a moving truck this go round because it is easier to do individual car loads of items a little here and there.  SO to save our backs, we have had to break this task into small windows of time.  We have to frequently rest to cool off.  Sit and close our eyes.  It's a different ballgame at our age, but we are getting the task done.   As I do this, I remind myself that it has to be done and now is the time to do it.  Getting rid of much will lighten the load.  I am getting rid of much and it will be a holiday when it is completed.   

Today, we will be back at loading up boxes to get them out of the storage unit.  So off I go to be a better person.

A 3 ring circus around here.  Still packing up things to take to the new location.  Shuffling inside of the new house and clearing out a storage unit.  Spread too thin, but have to get this done.

Aiming to have less physical belongings to mind.  We will be the proud owners of less to mess with.  More like when we were newly weds.  I know that we will be in better shape not having to store so much, but enjoy what is about us as we live our lives.  Nothing is saying that we won't DOWNSIZE again in a few years.  There will certainly be less to handle.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY is a hot mess around here.  It's a mess.


Cheers and may you have a sweet LIFE,
d

Thoughts

Almighty God helped me raise my children. 

He cheered me on as a stay at home momma and full time wife. 

HOMEMAKER.

Keeper of the Home.

God had my back.

I honored Him by wanting to please Him. 

Not many told me I was doing a good thing, but God held me up.

I am grateful and know that He is the one that truly helped me through thick and thin. 

I was never alone. 

Never.

Sunday THOUGHTS,

d

I've Got The Blues

~BLUE WILLOW DISHES~

IN A BLUE AND WHITE DINING ROOM

Seeing blue.  I've got the blues in my dining room.  

Everything and I mean everything is bubble wrapped and in a cardboard box.  Each piece of china and crystal was bubbled wrapped.  I have no complaints as to how well the cleaners boxed and wrapped each and every item.  Deep breath.  Carry on.

NEXT the China Cabinet will get drinking glasses.  

This is what it is.  Slow.

Surely.

GLASSES unwrapped and placed in cabinet.

Back to the Living room this week-end.  

Our Living room furniture 

will be making her way to our HOME 

earlier than we had anticipated.

AUGUST is the targeted date.

I'm in shock.

THOUGHT I had until September.

It is happening.

~HOME SWEET HOME~

d

She's Old

QUIET MORNING.  Waking with an overcast grey sky this rainy day was made even more enjoyable when the second load of wood furniture that was refinished after the fire was delivered to our new house.  Tomorrow I'll begin the fun task of emptying boxes that hold my collection of drinking glasses that Anchor Hocking made called BOOPIE GLASS, some wine glasses and whatever else is in the boxes waiting to be placed carefully in the China Cabinet that came back looking more beautiful than when my Mom gave it to me 10 years ago when she and Dad moved into their apartment after downsizing.

The bow front tiger oak China Cabinet is lovely.  She's old.  Not sure how old, just old.  She looks wonderful for her age.  Especially now that she got worked over.  I had thought of putting dolls inside, but changed my mind to keeping this lovely piece in our new Dining room.  The Corner Cabinet looks quite nice in the Dining room.  I am so pleased at how nice these pieces look.  I couldn't be more pleased at how nice all turned out.  Now to continue emptying boxes and arranging the furniture to suit our needs.

It will be two months that we have been here at the end of July.  It will surely take a complete three months to be settled and out of the boxes.  If it takes longer, it will just take longer.  I have my fingers crossed with high hopes that the Living room furniture will be in  place by THANKSGIVING.  

So much to do to get our HOME set back up and running.  By then we will have been married 43 years.  This adventure of getting back on our feet after a house fire has been like cramming 43 years into a few months.  It's doable, but know it's a challenge.

A BIG CHALLENGE.

SO getting out of the boxes is an ongoing DRAMA that continues to take place.  I limp along at the Theatre of our HOME.  ACT II is surely to begin very soon.  I rest a great deal as I sit and think about what is still needing done.  Lots of thinking going on.  LOTS.  Things to do.  If I think of this like I am playing house then maybe it will get done faster.  Maybe, but I don't THINK so.  I am ever so tired.
  

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.  BLESSINGS.

WITH VISIONS IN MY HEAD of our HOME tidy and neat, 

d

 

Life Goes On and So Must I

It's been awhile since I woke up early in the morning and couldn't fall back to sleep.  2:42 AM bathroom visit then back to bed, but couldn't fall back asleep.  Laid in bed an hour and a half when I decided to get up to research on the web.

The daylight slowly entered into the room warming the chair I sat in.  Time for morning coffee.  Shuffled through a few boxes.  Unwrapped dishes and sat.  With every thing that takes place, we make headway.  Every item that is unwrapped is handled and placed in the room that it will stay in.  So many boxes to still go through.  

My DEAR HUBBY made headway by making room for furniture.  The wood Pencil Desk that was relocated in the car last week to the house, stood in the middle of the Living room.  She was moved to the other side of the room against the wall where the Church Pew temporarily was.  Church Pew found her way to the Kitchen Nook after many boxes that were in the nook were carried downstairs.  I smiled when I saw this.  What a nice change to have.

Some old dishes I bought from a friend when I lived in Jenks, Oklahoma were already unwrapped, sitting on the Kitchen counter top waiting to be placed in a storage box that I had bought a few days ago when I ventured out in the Summer heat.  The storage boxes are so handy.  I highly recommend them.

Esther Gene is now 94.  These dishes belonged to her mother.  They are in the neighborhood of a hundred years old.  When researching them on the internet, they can be purchased at a very affordable price.  

Imperial Heinrich & Co China from Selb Bavaria.  

As I go through old dishes and glassware that I've collected through the years, I want to save some of the things for family.  This is a lot of saving.  I'll go ahead and pick out a few smaller pieces and box them up for the future.  This all takes room doesn't it?  Well, that's the thought.  Shall see how all pans out.

I am at the stage where I can turn loose of so many dishes.  This is a good feeling.  From here on I will focus on my Blue Willow and Blue Garland China.  For now.  Of course there are the everyday dishes, but as for having 6 different sets or styles of so much China, I believe I will narrow my collection.  The Dish Lady has spoken.  

An afternoon NAP was heavenly.  Woke refreshed and went to the store for ice.  The temps have been so HOT that it's easy to over do it just walking into the store.  Sweat pours.  

THIS WEEK I have great hopes of going through all of the boxes that remain in the Living room.  Some more WOOD FURNITURE should be returned this week.  My China Cabinet will return and I can fill her up with drinking glasses.  More boxes will disappear from the Dining room.  LAUNDRY will continue as I catch up.  Paperwork worked on.  I'd like to find some oversized tassels to attach to some keys.  So a Town trip will be in order.

Tis busy around here and I know it. 
*I have to go through boxes holding cleaned items returned to us.  
*I have to continue packing items that are still at the Cottage that need to be moved to the new location then actually move them to new location.
*I have to continue to organize the new house.  
*A storage unit must be cleaned out.  
*A garage has to be cleaned out.  
*Then repairs need done on the Cottage.      

I came across an old High School Trophy that I forgot I had.  The cleaning chemicals that were used on it made the black paint peel and the figure on top loose her shine.  I had forgot that I was presented Distributive Education Student Of The Year 1972/73 Award with a trophy.  The first trophy I ever received.  I guess I could have used this honor as info on resumes.  grins.  

It hurts when I come across something that was damaged by the cleaners. 

~WISHES~

I have never been through a fire clean-up 

so I was very ignorant on what to do.  

I wish I had cleaned my old china dishes myself 

and not allowed others to clean the dishes with metallic paint  with harsh chemicals. The gold trim is missing in places.

I have to get over this.  I still have the China.  

I wish I had personally cleaned all my figurines 

and porcelain items myself.  The chemicals caused the intensity of the colors to change.  Some faces on the figurines were rubbed out.

I wish I had kept the upholstered furniture, 

cut the fabric off the framework, had the wood ozoned 

and then found a genius of an upholsterer to recover the nice wood framed furniture that Ethan Allen no longer makes.

It hurts to unwrap an item to find that the cleaners chipped, cracked or broke something that I know wasn't damaged in that way due to the fire but by others.  

I am THANKFUL much was saved.  I am, but I'm not going to kid you, the damaged items are damaged.

LIFE GOES ON and so must I.  Dishes can be replaced, but not items that were given to us as a gift from a person that no longer lives on planet earth.  

I just have to get over it and LIFE GOES ON,
d  

A Pleasure To Use

Can it be FRIDAY already?  This HOT MONTH is clipping right along.  My days have been so full of activity that I am amazed that the month is just about over.  HOT IT IS.  

Last night we did our good deed for the day by taking a mountain of bagged bubble wrap to a Christian thrift shop.  Hubby had asked the week before if they would like some and it was a yes.  SOooooo, we drove in the heat to Topeka to deliver the goods.  Of course I wanted to look around and see what was there.  My dear sweet Husband came walking toward me holding a price tag and said there were some dining room chairs to look at.

AT FIRST I turned my nose up at the old chairs.  My guess was that they were from the 1920s.  That would make them in the neighborhood of close to 100 years old.  We sat on them and they were solid walnut.  The padded seats can be reupholstered to a nicer fabric after the chairs are polished up.  There were 6 of them which would give us a complete set.  We only had two matching chairs for our dining.  After our table came back to us after being refinished, the table is gorgeous.  We had no chairs for the dining room table.  Long story short, we had been using our daughter's dining room set.  The dining room set had emotional attachments to it so it went far, far away.

We were making due as is.  These 6 matching chairs will work fine for now.  I stood there in the THRIFT SHOP and changed my mind about the chairs working.  We'd have chairs!  REAL CHAIRS.  My snotty attitude took a nose dive and I changed my mind.  

SOMETIMES I am not appreciative of things I should be.  Slow to learn.  Please FORGIVE ME.  

For $60 we purchased 6 antique chairs that will clean up so nice they will be a pleasure to use.  We loaded two of the chairs into the back seat of my car.  Our evening plans changed and that's fine.  Really have to be flexible.  We drove back HOME in the heat across the FLINT HILLS, switched cars leaving the two chairs in the auto.  Drove my Husband's car back to the THRIFT SHOP and loaded two chairs in the trunk and two in the backseat.  We just made it back before they closed.  1 minute to spare as we drove away with our chairs.  1 minute.  That was enough.

I'm not sure how many times we have loaded TREASURES into our cars to enlarge our estate.  Wished I had kept a diary.  

TODAY, I returned to Topekaland to finish some shopping that didn't happen the night before because of hauling our TREASURES HOME.  It was so HOT outside, but stayed cool in an air conditioned car.  Went straight to SAMs, bought some storage boxes.  My trunk is still full of fire recovery items so I had to cram the boxes inside the car.  What a sight to behold.  An old woman struggling to get these storage boxes into the car with sweat dripping into her eyes and her thyroid hair bangs blowing into her face to where she could not see.

Managed though.  Was relieved to be sitting behind the car wheel with the air conditioner blowing into my face.  Drove to my daughter's and dropped off some curtains and boxes.  She made me lunch!

Many Moons Ago

Afterwards went to the COTTAGE, did some laundry, washed some dishes, carried and shuffled some more packed boxes closer to the front door making preparations for another big move.  When I sat and stared at the boxes, I sighed because there is still so much more to do.  I am physically tired and needed a nap.  I stretched out onto the floor beside an air vent so the cold air could blow on my face.  NAPPED.  

Woke refreshed.  Stretched, did more laundry, shuffled some more boxes and called it quits.  Time to go HOME to the house across the county line.  Ate supper, rested, unpacked a couple of boxes and decided to BLOG.  Hello!

Our furniture will not be delivered this week-end as there was a delay.  Okay with that as I am not ready for the delivery.  I have about 2 dozen more boxes in the Living room to go through before space is opened up.  The Dining room is about ready for the china cabinet, corner cabinet and Dumb Waiter table that they will return to us.  The Kitchen is still a sight as we have not had the time to tidy it yet.  That will happen soon.  Just don't know when soon.

The plastic storage boxes I bought today will be filled with dishes that will go downstairs on some racks.  I'm telling' ya this has been the hardest relocation I have ever done.  I'm older now, slower now, but we have so much more than ever before even with the house fire destroying and damaging so much.  The boxes that I have to go through are filled with bubble wrapped everything.  The bubble wrap is bubbled wrapped.  HAH.

NOT complaining.  Just telling it like it is.  This week-end we have HOPES of shuffling some pieces of furniture, getting the lawn mowed and some flowers planted.  The outdoor work has to be done in the early morning hours before the temps get into the 90s.  When Husband is ready to cool off and rest then we can shuffle some furniture.  I will continue going through boxes and work on paperwork.

Tis FRIDAY for real.  Just about cannot believe it.  We will have a nice week-end and make great progress.  Life On The Prairie is busy.  I am striving to get settled and take a deeper breath than normal.
  
Wait until I can go ahhhhhhh,
d
    

When It's HOT Outside

Very busy today as I went through Dining room boxes.  Shuffled boxes into a group pile away from the wall where the China Cabinet will go.  Hopefully some more of our wood furniture will be delivered in a few days.  The Dining room has room now for a China cabinet.  In a few days, the drinking glasses will be displayed in the bow front cabinet.

In the meantime,

I will continue to unpacked the boxes in the Living room.

There is space to stack boxes and store them as we do not have our Living room furniture yet.  We sit in some secondhand chairs to watch the tele.  We're comfortable.  

I have hopes of getting settled VERY soon.  Soon and very soon.  Then I will have handled every piece of glass, dish and cooking pan including every thing we have in the house.

EVERYTHING.

Sometimes I squirm

because it's taking longer than I like at getting settled.

When I sit to cool off and rest, my mind races a bit 

as I think about what needs to be done.

Then I remind myself, we're making progress.

It truly is a big task.

EMPTY the boxes.

Get rid of bubble wrap.

Flatten cardboard boxes.

Get rid of them.

Continue packing boxes in the Cottage and transfer to new house.

Empty out storage unit.

Basic house keeping needs to take place all along.

Continue to look at paint samples comparing with the fabric swatches of the material that our Living room furniture will be covered in.

Continue putting everything in its place.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

Paint the Living room walls.

Continue continuing.

I continue to tell myself to DOWNSIZE some more.  WISH I were done.  Oh, how I wish I were done.  This is a time to pray and get after it.  

  I left HOME to go to the Cottage across the county line

 to use my machines to do laundry.  It will be a few months before the washer and dryer are relocated to house.

I want to have the majority of the new house

emptied of all boxes and the clutter organized BEFORE the machines come on over.

THAT's my HOPE.

It seems that my plans change.

STAY THE COURSE.

Stay the course.

I decided to use the 15 Minute speed cycle and LOVED IT.  LOVED IT A LOT.  The drying cycle on speed cycle doesn't seem to be the way to go to dry the laundry as things are not completely dried.  Coming out damp.  

I'll hang shirts on hangers to let them air dry 
while they hang in the room.  

Shuffled more boxes and carried some items to the car in this heat.  HOT at 97 degrees.  Have to move slow.  

Later today I hope to empty 20 boxes and group like items together for an easier task.  It is like a giant took all that we had organized and turned everything upside down mixing every thing up.

Piecing it all back together is tedious.

When a tea lid is in with porcelain figurines and the punch cups mixed in with dishes of a different style...it is a bit of a puzzle.

BEST to have a cheery disposition and whistle while I work.

Still looking for the last of my Blue Garland dishes.  

Where oh where can they be?

I am so very thankful we have so much to put away.

We didn't lose all.

I like how the curio cabinet is turning out with Blue Willow dishes and crystal.  When every piece is wrapped in bubble wrap

there is some labor involved. 

Am ready for a week-end.
A long, long, long week-end.

Am praying for rain.

Praying for energy,

d