Our Home. My Canvas.
It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it? What with all those mason jar projects I’ve been tackling as my surgered finger heals. It’s been a good run. Well, some of my loyal readers may think otherwise. You don’t fool me. I can hear your sarcasm dripping thick in the comment threads … I thought I had another brilliant mason jar idea up my sleeve: recreating one of my favorite … [Read more...]
There are times when I long for the days when my family was blissfully unaware of the blog … or,if not fully unaware, disinterested. Those were carefree times. When I could tool around the house arranging and rearranging pillows and accessories unnoticed. When I could set up craft projects on the dining room table and they would walk by without a second glance ... or heckling. But now? Now they’re … [Read more...]
Where were all the mason jars when I got married almost 19 years ago? Probably hidden behind pantry doors – or in the dark recesses of basements – being used as they were intended to be used. For canning. When my father walked me down the aisle so I could say my “I Do’s” to my beloved husband, those mason jars were busy working hard to keep those stewed tomatoes stewed … … and those pickled … [Read more...]
To wear pants with a zipper. A noble goal. A shrewd dieting strategy … and a goal and a strategy I wish I’d formulated myself … But, alas, it was the brilliant idea of this brilliant blogger. Now, she has yet to share this goal – or strategy? or combination of both? – on her blog. So, being the good and gracious friend that I am, I opted to beat her to … [Read more...]
What if? I’m not a “what if” person. It’s waste of time. A waste of energy. It’s a path filled with negative feelings and regrets. A path that leads to the land of “the glass is half empty.” And I much prefer to live in the land of the glass is half full … Now, that’s not to say I haven’t had “what if” moments along the way. In the moment. Well, more like immediately … [Read more...]
On the corner of Belmont of Paulina in Chicago you’ll find a neighborhood ice cream shop. Well, technically a frozen custard shop called Scooters. During warm months, families flock there. Pulling kids packed in Radio Flyer wagons. Pushing double-wides while wrangling the leash of the family dog. Leading a pack of neighborhood kids like the Pied Piper. Or, to the great annoyance of the renters who reside atop of Scooters, … [Read more...]
Four minutes. What can I do in four minutes or less? Take a shower? Probably. But not my preference. Brush my teeth? Absolutely. Eat my lunch? Typically. But it would probably be better for my waistline if I slowed things down. Make Minute Rice? Nope. It needs a full minute more cooking time. Run a mile? Hahahahaahhaha ….. When I crossed paths with this blog (and vlog) post telling … [Read more...]
I had this whole post written in my head to go along with today’s mason jar project … Something about camping. And how much I despise camping even though I’ve never been camping. How that whole communing with nature and bugs and wild animals -- and pitch black darkness at night pierced by the hungry cries of those wild animals – is just so utterly unappealing to me. I’m more of a sun and sand … [Read more...]
Can I ask you a question? And I want you to be honest with me. Brutally honest. Because sometimes I think I’m just too close to this stuff … I automatically assume that since I can ~ and will ~ do something like paint and distress a mason jar, that everyone else can … and will. But then again, that can’t always be the case, right? Because if that were true, the whole concept behind … [Read more...]
Note to self: Do not go to the grocery store between 6–7 PM. Not just because it’s crowded. Because it is. But because it’s crowded with the beautiful people … You know those people, right? The young. The successful. The 20- and 30-something career-oriented people. People who just got off the “L” a few blocks away and swarm into the grocery store clad in their hound's-tooth A-line swing coats and … [Read more...]
Contrary to popular belief, I’m not crafty. I’ve been called crafty. My blog has been described as a craft blog. Heck, I’ve even been likened to Martha Stewart. And my-non-crafty-self has never once contradicted those statements. Until now. I’m not sure what pushed me over the edge. Perhaps it was the fact that my very own sister mentioned something about my “crafting” when we last spoke … [Read more...]
I’m no foodie, though I like to think I am when I’m whipping up such exotic dishes as scrambled eggs and pork chops and capellini, though usually not at the same time or at least not in the same pan. But it’s become commonplace for people who think of themselves as foodies to take pictures of their orders when they’re in restaurants. I don’t know why. And it seems to make some restaurateurs angry. Today, food photography … [Read more...]
I got sucked into the “Watchathon” last week. While millions of American families romped in the surf or explored museums or packed up the car for a Spring break road trip, I was glued to the television set. Watching the evil Comcast “Watchathon” … What is a “Watchathon” you non-Comcast-customers may ask? It’s when the cable company stacks their Video On Demand programming will full seasons of shows so … [Read more...]
It’s a rare occasion when the family gets excited about a blog post. Okay, that’s not exactly true. They’ve never gotten excited about a blog post. In fact, it’s typically the exact opposite. My blog posts often involves displacement of their things – or them – as I work on a project or a photo shoot. But this time? This time they were intrigued. It all started when my son spotted the Jell-O lemon … [Read more...]
In the fantasy world in my head, I’m an organizational queen. Everything in my home has a place and everything stays in – or is put back in – its place … Oh, wouldn’t that be lovely … * sigh * But as I type this while sitting on the couch in my family room … a room that I have yet to show you for a reason … I can’t help but notice the pile of stuff in the corner. Okay, more like piles … [Read more...]
Hi there! My name is Linda and I’m a Jersey-born-and-bred Midwestern transplant who lives in Chicago with my husband and two children. We've lived in our home since 1995 and over the years our style has changed and evolved. I wouldn't call my home a work-in-progress -- more like a rework-in-progress as I refresh and remodel things around here ... one room at a time.
