What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~Spring Cleaning ~Room by Room: Living Room #Flatten the Curve #Stop the Spread #COVID-19 #Stay Home

When I returned home from staying with family,

I made a commitment to self isolate for 14 days.

Since I had traveled from out of state,

I did not want to take the chance of

spreading this virus, just in case I was a carrier.

This photo illustrates what is most important.

Notice the words...

Home and Families.

Staying at home is a perfect time to tackle Spring Cleaning.

With our foyer complete, I moved on to the Living Room.

It had been a while since I cleaned all the way to the edges.

Remember, last spring I was occupied with

a temporary part-time job,

a trip to stay with family in Okinawa,

a trip to visit family in NH & MA,

and a fractured fibula.

So, it is good to feel like I have some

purpose and direction while here at home.

The Living Room is where I like to “show off”

some of my favorite things...

Great Aunt Birdie’s Sewing Machine,

gifted to me by Aunt Mona.

I also used this opportunity to change the centerpiece

and pillows from Winter to a Spring theme.

We are all set for April Showers and May Flowers here.

When I’m not Spring Cleaning,

I have spent some time in my Sewing Studio.

This Face Mask pattern was posted

on the Avera St. Lukes Hospital Website.

It goes together pretty quickly.

Let’s all do what we can to stop the spread

of COVID-19 so we can return to our lives and enjoy

familiar spring and summer activities.

Stay in your homes.

Wash your hands.

Don’t touch your face.

As of yesterday, my 14 day self-isolation expired.

Thankfully, I feel fine.

Stay safe and well.

Take care,

~Natalie

What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~Spring Cleaning ~Room by Room: the Foyer ~Social Distancing ~COVID-19 ~Flatten the Curve ~Stop the Spread

I have been home for a week and a day.

Since I had traveled home from a high risk area,

in two planes, through three airports, 

I committed to self-quarantine for 2 weeks.

If  I am carrying the Virus, I don’t want

to pass it on to anyone else.

As you know symptoms don’t always show up right away,

 and the recommended time to self-isolate is 14 days.

So far, I feel perfectly fine.

When I returned home I first cleaned

everything with Lysol Spray...

my luggage,

the doorknobs,

the light switches,

the remotes,

and all the handles in the house.

Since most of you are stuck at home, there is

no better time to start your Room by Room Spring Cleaning.

As you can see, I stripped the room

and cleaned everything from top to bottom.

  I have displayed some of my grandmother’s hats.

Remember, a lady did not leave her house

without covering her head.

This is my Grandma, Hilda,

with her mother’s headstone in 1964.

He mother, Caroline,

would have been 100 years old that year.

 

On the back if that vintage frame, my mother’s handwriting...

From over eight decades ago.

These are the names of the girls

that she lived with in that Girls Dormitory.

Other keepsakes in our foyer include this

Vintage Chair from the Normania Country Schoolhouse,

which was just a mile from our farmhouse.

I purchased that shopping bag at the World Market

when our daughters and I traveled to Hawaii, years ago.

This doll greets everyone who visits our home.

Notice those little scissors?

They belonged to my mother’s great aunt, Birdie.

She always carried them in her purse.

Your foyer is the introduction to your home.

While it may be the smallest room in your house,

it is also important to feature the style and colors

that visitors will see when they visit the rest of your home.

It feels so good to have the foyer clean from top to bottom,

that I have moved on to tackle the next room.

And most of all, stay in touch with your

family and friends

during this time of self-isolation.

Stay safe and well.

Take care,

~Natalie

My Home Away From Home ~Where I’ve Been Sleeping ~The Mother in Law Suite ~My Suite Mate ~Visits from Jack

The house where Jack lives has a private guest area

up on the third floor. Jack’s Daddy might refer to it

as the Mother in Law Suite?

The guest bedroom has these charming little windows...

...and a very comfy bed and reading lamp.

Dressers with empty drawer space allowed 

me to unpack my big suitcase.

I have my own private bathroom...

...all to myself. Except, there’s a little hint

on that previous photo, as to the identity of my suite mate.

There’s another room with a play area,

for the occasional visits from Jack.

Here’s Bella, my suite mate.

She eats, drinks, and sleeps here. You can see

her bed is over there by that sunny window.

Here’s my visitor yesterday.

He has mastered the art of stacking six blocks.

Along with this puzzle to practice

the names of colors and shapes.

I have a fabulous view of this quaint 

New England neighborhood.

 Hey, Papa, we’re all looking forward to

having you come to stay!

Take care,

~Natalie

Was Santa Good to You? My Family and Friends, They Spoil Me

It is time to pack away the last of our Christmas Decor

and find the perfect spot for our Gifts.

I so appreciate that my family and friends

spent time and effort to select something just for me.

This new Santa came all the way from a

Bedford Fields Boutique in New Hampshire to join the

Santa Smoker that traveled from the Christmas Markets in Germany,

and the Santa that traveled from Okinawa.

They do make a good looking trio.

The first package that arrived at our door was a box,

with two pots of soil, covered with the Spanish Moss.

With water, sunshine, and some tender loving care,

Amaryllis leaves and buds started to appear.

Now a month later, there are three buds

with the tallest being 20 inches!

I’ll for sure show you when the Amaryllis starts to bloom.

For the Kitchen, these items are a great addition.

You all know how much I love to cook.

In that fancyflours package...this adorable gnome cookie cutter.

This box of rubs and spices was under the tree for hubby,

but I know I’ll also enjoy some delicious dinners

when hubby can get out to the grill.

More favorites...the coffee flavored candies from Okinawa,

and a coffee scented candle.

The Soy Candle is in a coffee mug...cute idea, right?

And I love this pillow to lighten up the couch in the living room.

Also for our home, a welcome mat,

with interchangeable inserts for different seasons.

It will be great to catch the sawdust when

hubby comes into the house from the wood shop.

And now for a little pampering...

a gift certificate to treat myself to a spring pedicure. 

A cozy sweater to get me through

the remaining chilly months of winter.

And this sweet top...comfy cotton adorned with such pretty lace.

To complete the ensemble, this bracelet ties the look all together.

You can see I am a very lucky woman.

However, the best gift of all was being able to spend time

with our family and friends during the holiday season.

Thank you, everyone, for making me feel so special.

Take care,

~Natalie

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ~Christmas 2019 ~Countdown...Two Weeks ~Where the Weekend Went

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Remember I have the stained glass window from our farmhouse...

hubby hung it over our fireplace mantle.

This weekend I brought out the Winter Garland.

Of course we need a tree

downstairs in our family room.

On Christmas morning we will gather here

to see what Santa put in our stockings.

I love this Santa...

we purchased it when our girls were

coming home for the holidays the last time.

And remember Hubby’s Vintage pickup truck

that I found in his childhood toy box last year?

I loaded it up with Christmas trees.

I strung lights on our third tree.

This will be Jack’s tree.

He can help us decorate it with

all of our special children’s ornaments.

This Santa is at the top, watching over us...

...adorned with a snowflake.

Quite appropriate for our current weather.

These ornaments are waiting for Jack to get here.

Hubby hung lights and garland outside

to welcome our family home.

The Weekend Highlights

Besides holiday preparations, here’s what else happened.

The Jazz group played at the historic Ward Hotel on Friday night.

On Saturday, we cheered our Bison on to another win.

The Buffalo Chicken Dip is easy to make

and such delicious Football Food.

This makes me chuckle.

Our Lizzie is not intimidated by Roomba.

It bumps into her and then proceeds to go around.

Lizzie is not giving up her spot in front of the heat register!

This came across my Facebook newsfeed.

I thought I’d share it with you...

After all, it is what the holidays are all about.

Be Kind to One Another.

Take care,

~Natalie