WINDOW MISTREATMENT

I am a big fan of Nester and if you don't know her you should run over and check her out. She is so much fun and even though she is certainly young enough to be my daughter she is totally OK. She has posts on a couple of window "mistreatments" and I would like to add mine. I made this at least 10 years ago and yes the wallpaper is vintage 70s and I have yet to remove it, after all, it goes great with the harvest gold tile , toilet and floor. Back to the window.

I have always admired the cornice type/ pelmet treatments made on a shaped board , padded and upholstered often found in older or English homes. Being lazy, I set about to do this the easy way. 1) Measure the width of the window, plus the returns of the classic cheap, white rod. 2) Determine the length that would look best and add 2 inches for the casing. 3) I bought iron-on interfacing ( called Pellon back in my Home Ec days). 4) Cut the Pellon the same size as the fabric and follow directions to fuse together. 5) Fold in half to find center and mark with a pin or mark on the back with a pen, whatever is easiest or handiest. 6) Take a round plate or cake pan and starting in the middle, center the pan and draw the curve, move pan and draw the next curve. Continue on each side of center until you come to the end. See where I am going with this?? I fear I am not explaining well :( 7) Now for the casing. Fold 1/2 " and iron, fold 1 1/2 inches and iron. Hand stitch to make the casing. 8) Now just hot glue gimp or fringe around the curve. This really takes less time to do it than it does to explain it. My friend Martha will vouch for me because I made these for her cute French doors on either side of her adorable fireplace in her bungalow before we put it on the market. I think the "mistreatments" were the reason her house sold sooo very quickly, right Martha??

The only problem is that you can't really wash it. I have put it in the dryer to get the dust out, but then you have to reglue the fringe. I am sure there is another kind of glue to use and you crafty people could just use that. I just vacuum it when the mood strikes.

On another note, the owners of the ModVic ( see Monday's post) have offered to give me a private tour when the house is ready. You know how much I love old houses; remember the ones I sold that I showed you here?

Later,
Janet

PS. The "d" and "f" on my keyboard are malfunctioning, so if you see a spot where I missed one, just add it in, OK??

MODVIC

Here is a restoration project that is going on near me. Check it out at modvic.com
Unfortunately I am not going to be around for either of their Open Houses and it is even more unfortunate that I do not have a buyer for the house :(

Later,
Janet

THIS AND THAT

How interesting that I can't seem to post a picture tonight, so you will just have to use your imagination.

1) This is where the pic was to be. We have been dragged, kicking, screaming and clutching Visa card into the 21st century. Our 15 year old TV has had a problem with the vertical hold for a while now. I "watched" the Academy awards with no picture for at least 10 minutes at a time. So we went out to "look" at TVs. Our old RCA was 20" and our boys always laughed that it was too small to watch. Easy for them to say, they have manly TVs. We "looked" at a couple of stores and then just caved. We now have a 19" LCD flatscreen. Yes, it's small, but it is so clear. Just amazing!

2) We have had over 4" of rain here today and now the wind is howling! Luckily it is rain or it would translate to 40"of snow, something I do not want.

3) Lastly, do not forget to set your clocks ahead tonight. This means it will be light enuf to cook dinner outside now, even though it is still in the 30's. Can't keep a girl away from her grill for too long.

Later,
Janet

ROASTED VEGGIES

Have you ever roasted vegetables?? It is one of my favorite ways to cook many vegetables. Simply cut veggies into uniform sizes, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a hot oven (425-450 degrees) until nicely carmelized. Tonight's selection was russet and sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips( my personal favorite), broccoli( the tops get crispy) and asparagus. Served with boneless chicken breasts marinated in lemon zest, olive oil and thyme. How much healthier can you get??

Beets are especially delicious roasted, but be aware that they take longer than anything else because they are so dense, so roast them separately and start them first.


Later,
Janet

BANK DEPOSITS

This is from an e-mail that my 80+ year old aunt sent me today. I do NOT believe that this is a "true" story, but a parable that is worth passing on. The last two weeks have seen my FIL in the hospital twice ( once in Boston for 8 days and two days later in the local hospital for 4 days. My MIL was in the local hospital for 2 days last week) so this struck a chord with me.

  This is something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old,  well-poised and proud man, who is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and
shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home
today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move
necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the
nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheers that had been
hung on his window.

'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old
having just been presented with a new puppy.

'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I
like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged . it's
how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I
make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in
bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no
longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.'

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on
the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time
in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've
put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in
the bank account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
Remember the five simple rules to be
happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

SIX WORD MEMOIR

I have been tagged by Susie Q of Rabbit Run Cottage and Nan of On My Porch to participate in the six word memoir meme. Here are the meme rules: 1. Write your own six word memoir 2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like 3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere

4. Tag five more blogs with links 5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!


The definition of "memoir" per Dictionary.com is :

a.	an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography.

Hmmm...how do I fit 57 years of living and loving into six words?? I struggled with just posting my personal words to live by which I define as: Eat, Drink, Laugh and Be Kind, but that does not really tell the whole story. So here is my six word memoir which I will perhaps elucidate upon in another post . Joy, Hurt, Growth, Enlightenment, Love and Wisdom. Mysterious, huh?? Bet you never thought I was this deep :)

I am not going to tag anyone at this time because it just requires too much thought and I just ate pasta...too many carbs, but I will leave the option open.

Later,
Janet

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT

This is what I awoke to this morning. Pretty, if and only if, it were Christmas morning. I seem to be really over winter this year and I have been pondering why I seem so anxious for spring. I grew up in Northern New England where we never uncovered perennials until Memorial Day weekend, so certainly winter is not a new concept. Is is because I am just getting older and no longer have the patience for winter or perhaps because I am now in daily "contact" with women from all over the world, many of whom live in more temperate climes and are touting the signs of spring? *Sigh* I don't know, but I do know that I will continue my daily contact with my new friends because, well, because I like you. You bring so much joy into my life with your fun posts and your comments, I just don't know what I did before I knew you.

Later,
Janet