"Instrumenting" change

After all our shopping this weekend, Barb and I dove in and re-worked her music room and her living room. She was really happy with the way both rooms turned out, and I was especially pleased with this front room of her house. She has beautiful instruments and lots of meaningful and lovely family keepsakes.

I turned some of Barb's collection of old books around to face page out, and I like the old look of this whole case. She has a bunch of old, beautiful books and we mixed in some of her dad's things, like his bronzed baby shoe and a pocket watch on a stand. Barb cleaned out everything out of this bookcase (and room) that she didn't love or love to look at, and above the shelves we hung a collage of pictures that Barb said hung above her dad's workbench for years.

She even has the most precious pair of little boots that belonged to her dad when he was a kid. I really wish I had more things like that, old treasures that connect me to people who are important to me. I really love to collect old photos of people I don't even know, and I think Barb is so lucky that all these pictures we rehung in this room are of family members several generations back. My favorite is the one of the girls all dressed in the white ruffles.

Barb's whole family is actually musical, so some of the instruments are older and of sentimental or decorative value, but most of them are actually played. So it was important to Barb for this room to feel cozy and welcoming, to be a place where you could sink in and listen to an impromptu performance.

A last-minute touch we added the next day is this garland stretched across the window made of some hymnal pages I pulled for her straight-pinned to some black tulle. I just can't get enough of old typography and music and that combination of aged paper and black ink.

Barb was so sweet about how much she liked what I helped her do that she treated me to a manicure and pedicure afterwards. Our next project is her dining room...

Our star

Macauley was chosen to be Star Student this week at school, so we had a little homework to do Sunday night (after he'd been on a hiking trip with Cole S. and his family for 9 hours), including answering questions on the stars and filling the "estimation jar" with something to share with his classmates at the end of the week after everyone has made a guess at the number of gumballs in the jar.

He also had to take some photos to hang on the Star Student Board.

And then guess what the Star Student came home with today? A blue note from the nurse with the tick she pulled off his head taped to it! I made him take a shower after our walk last night and checked him over...we've noticed lots of ticks on Booker every time we go out. This little "sucker" got by us, though...I don't know why, but I thought this little note was pretty funny.

Wow, thanks

It's been a long and difficult day (in short--the contract fell through on the other house and I found out Macauley was terrible for Ryan's mom when he stayed with them this past weekend and I am so embarrassed and disheartened) but after dinner we took Booker for a muddy walk on the trail in the woods and I came home to find that Debbie at Talking Trash had left me a message and tagged me for this sweet award. My first ever! I do enjoy keeping up with my blog both as a creative outlet and as a place to remember, and it means something to know others love to blog too and peek in on mine from time to time.

The Rules:

1. List 7 things that you LOVE.

2. Link to the person who has tagged you.

3. Choose 7 more bloggers to give the Kreativ Blogger Award to.

4. Comment on those 7 blogs to let the recipients know you chose them.

This exercise in positivity is so what I need right now, so here goes:

1. Sweet Tea: When I was growing up, we had a pitcher of sweet tea on the table with every meal and I to this day enjoy no beverage more than an ice cold glass of tea, the sweeter the better.

2. Kittens: I am an animal lover in general, but I simply cannot resist the cuteness of a little kitten. A couple of years ago, my husband Ryan surprised me on my birthday by bringing home a skinny little black kitten (just what I had always wanted!) with a pink bow tied around its neck. I never would have thought he would get me another cat--we already had two--and boy was she adorable. I named her Maya Angelou after one of my favorite black writers.

3. Flea Markets: I realize that's an obvious one, but I really do love, love, love junking around in flea markets and finding things that make me happy. Could I flea every day? Perhaps.

4. Summer Vacation: I am a high school teacher and I am counting down to the lazy days of freedom coming up. We go to school until 3 June, but come 4 June, my son and I will be on our own schedule...staying up late and sleeping in, lazy mornings at the house, trying out our new neighborhood pool, going to Rogers to visit my parents at camp, and whatever else we feel like.

5. The Color Purple: My favorite book of all time, one I've read many times. I LOVE that book and always will.

6. Chips and guacamole. Chippy-dippys are for sure my weakness food and a good guacamole is something I can never stop eating.

7. My little boy. Again, a no-brainer, but we've had a rough day and I of course still love him more than anything else. He is an only child and lives a somewhat indulged life, which has manifested in bossiness and sassiness that has us all worn out. He's too smart and won't take no for an answer, and he often leaves me feeling like I am completely unfit to raise another human being. He's grounded for the week (no friends over, no superfluous snacks after school, and I guess no anything else that is fun to him) for being hellacious to his grandmother, something I still cannot fathom. He is so different from his dad and me. I wonder if all parents feel these things or if it is just me...But despite the hard times, there is much about him to LOVE and I will do so no matter what.

I can think of many things I heart: magazines, my sisters, my parents, rainy days, old houses, being crafty, tarnished silver, black and white typography, chippy furniture, reading, Top Chef, Project Runway, Bravo, Moulin Rouge, Jack Johnson, my sweet black DAWG, a clean quiet house, Jeopardy!..., but I'll pass on the fun to some bloggers I enjoy checking in on:

1. twin2trip at Full House
2. April at MickeyMFan
3. Alysia at Just Married!!
4. Christy at BeeandBess
5. Denise at Vintage Gardens
6. Jen at Red Books & Chairs
7. Alicia at A Tale of Two Kiddies

Seedbox Open House

I had been looking forward to The Seedbox Spring Open House at Meloney and Brian's house out in the country for weeks, and as you can see by the myriad pictures I have posted of the event, there was lots to see and lots to love. They had merchandise for sale mostly out in the yard and on the porch, and a few items inside the house.

My trusty sidekick Barb went with me, and we both loved the idea of rakes as a trellis.

I love the country setting...reminds me of my days growing up in Cassville and makes me long for a little farm of my own.

Lots of lovely goodies for sale and inspiration out on the wrap-around porch of the cabin.

Barb took home the oval mirror for her mantel.

I took home (among many things) the white chippy book holder box.

I also got the gear spring candlesticks and one of the metal cattle numbers on ribbon to wrap around some books of my own...

...and the small tray to create a spring centerpiece in my dining room.

If I remember right, Brian makes these terrariums out of windows and salvage. This one was filled with lots of garden collectibles and wasn't for sale.

Meloney and Brian also opened up their home for everyone to see. It was recently featured in Country Sampler Magazine, but the few pictures didn't nearly tell the whole gorgeous story, so I've included many more here.

The little white nightstand between the two beds above will soon hopefully be the vanity in my powder room.

A dictionary-papered vanity...and ceiling.

The living room...

There's Barb in the mirror under the mantel. We both really liked the white bookcase and cabinets in this room.

I don't remember the upstairs being open during the Christmas tour, but this time we got to go up and see the pretty blue master bedroom.

The kitchen is my favorite place in the house. I love the freestanding cabinets, the wire baskets, silver and ironstone.

Barb and I filled my 4Runner with all sorts of finds and made it back to Ozark just in time to have lunch at the Spring Creek Tearoom. We shopped there and Riverview and found so many treasures I had to go back yesterday with Ryan's truck to pick up what we couldn't fit the first time around. A fabulous and inspiring day with a very good friend. I wonder if Meloney and Brian will have an open house in the fall or if I'll have to wait until Christmas...