Things I like...

Sometimes I get a bit embarrassed about our furniture situation. Like the other day when the neighbor lady stopped by to bring us some welcome-to-the-neighborhood flowers....she commented on how nice the floors looked without carpet, then said something about how great it would be once all our furniture was put back in place.....oops..... I guess she didn't notice our camp chairs in the corner....

I'm excited for the day when everything is decorated, but to be honest, I'm terrified to spend a lot of money when I'm still not sure exactly what to get! I've always wanted a lovely linen sofa and powder blue velvet arm chairs, but when you come right down to it they're just not very practical. Light-colored linen would be impossible to keep clean and velvet does NOT wear well. That's why Ethan Allen's stain resistant fabric in a darker gray seemed like a smart choice...I just am not sure I'd LOVE it. And for someone who's already indecisive, spending a lot of money on something I'm just not sure about is a nearly impossible decision to make. Sigh. So I continue to look at pictures online hoping something will grab my attention and give me an idea. Because I would love to have a really pretty house some day.

Here are a few pictures of rooms I like. I have a whole folder of these on my computer. In some I like the whole room... in others I like just bits and pieces or the color palette. But maybe going through them again will help me whittle down what style I do like.

First of all, I love white.

Me gusta long curtains

I don't know why I like this room. Maybe because it's so bright? I do like the grey sofa in the foreground, though.

I like how subtle color adds interest & keeps a room bright.

Heart this sofa. And the cat.

Birthday Breakfast & Free Books

I finally posted last week for the first time in a while and for some reason blogger ate all three of my posts. So I'm trying again. I haven't been able to post as often because work has actually been busy (and we haven't gotten internet at the house yet)! It's a bit nerve-wracking to be thrown projects for ACTUAL REAL clients, but I guess I'm doing something right - Mike (our friend from church that works there) told me today that Michael (the big boss that owns the place with his brother, Gerald) is planning on letting me do even more design work. Nothing big or important, of course, but I feel great that they trust me enough to keep giving me projects. I'll take what I can get!

Sunday was my birthday and sweet Eric had a lovely weekend all planned for us...but then he had to work. Disappointing, yes, but we still enjoyed the weekend. He made me a wonderful breakfast in bed on Saturday and we went to my favorite place for brunch on Sunday. He's so thoughtful.

 

Saturday morning breakfast

our Sunday evening celebration

On a completely unrelated note, I've developed a new hobby. I've always wished we had more books but, being the tightwad that I am, I refuse to buy them. Fortunately, the local library has a free bin and I stop by periodically and go through the discarded books. I've acquired quite a stack - I pick up old art books and dictionaries, anything with astronauts on the cover (Eric told me once he wished he could be one), and especially antique text books. I love the illustrations and their aged hardback covers.  Today I scored a biography of Martin Luther, a couple books on learning to speak French, and a grammar book published in 1905 that has "Selma Spukler" practicing her name and the date (Sept. 14, 1907) in cursive all over the inside front cover. I think I like the free bin because, once you get past the idea of thousands of germs, I feel like I'm holding a little piece of history. Cheesy, yes, but I like to imagine who owned these old books before me. And I like how they look. Having lots of books makes me feel intellectual.

Today's take

Sitting in a coffee shop with my new old books BLOGGING makes me feel.....artsy....

Bicycle Time

Eric and I recently bought a couple of really cool old bikes. One needed new tires and the other needed tubes, but other than that they're in amazing condition for how old they are! We'll be so cute riding to the farmers' market! :)

Look at this amazing seat and shiny fenders!

Eric had to raise the seat on this one a bit...