Apples & Hydrangeas

Fresh Fallen Snow

We have had a "dud" of a winter here in southeastern Michigan. Only a couple of snows and fairly warm temperatures. What I would call a "dud". For those who like to master snow angels and make real snow cones with real snow...well you may have to wait a bit to practice your crafts. But glory be! I awoke today to a breathtaking snow.... big, fat, clumpy flakes that were in no rush to hit the ground. They floated and danced in the air like dandelian seeds in a spring breeze. Just gorgeous......

As much as this time of year is my most solemn, I have made a promise to myself to live my life. So, I bundled up with tripod and camera in hand and snapped these lovely pictures. Untouched snow on the yard is so beautiful in it's simplicity. I breathed the air, the snap of the cold making my nose run. I embraced it all, the dormant hydrangeas, the frozen sled on the neighbor's house and even the  crab apple tree in the driveway..... all covered with the most delicious freshly fallen snow. What a gift!

Till next time.....xoxox Marnie      

DIY - Fabric Shelf Liners

As part of my home restoration, I am letting my imagination run wild and filling the little place with love. I am a great lover of French Country, Farmhouse Chic and the New England rustic look. My custom cabinets are devine, I love every inch of them. From the old chicken wire to the dovetailed corners, they are truly a sight to behold! And what better way to enhance the feel of my kitchen than by using fabric to line the cabinet shelves! So I donned my apron, gathered my supplies and crafted up my shelves!

Here are my plain lonely ole shelves, just waitin for a lil lovin.

 

I gathered up my supplies, my cutting mat and rotary cutter, fabric glue, ruler, pretty french country rooster fabric, my favorite scissors and a measuring tape.

 

I measured my shelves, height and width... being sure to add the height of the shelf.

 

I added up my measurements. The length of the top, the length of the bottom plus the edge. 

 

I used my trusty rotary cutter to cut my pieces of fabric. 

 

I covered the base of the shelf with fabric glue. Be mindful that the edges of the shelf need extra glue!

 

 

This part is a bit tricky, I placed the fabric on the shelf, butting the edges right up to the corners of the cabinets. I had to cut around the edge of the shelf, like so.

 

I  flattened out any creases or bubbles in the fabric, making sure all the edges of my fabric fit nicely into the corners of my cabinets. I smoothed, smoothed and smoothed some more, until my fabric piece looked like it had always belonged on the shelf. 

Voila! Here is the after picture. The project took me about an hour to complete and I am just tickled with the results. 

 

My shelves have a bit of character and savoir faire! Just darling. Someone pat me on the back........ :)

Till next time.... xoxoxox Marnie 

 

    

 

 

 

Comfortable in My Own Skin

Note to self: Be as you are. 

This is the new mantra, the manifesto, the holy grail of resolutions, the quintessential intention. Sammy Davis Jr sang it out loud way back (quite suavely I may add) in the 60's "I Gotta Be Me"! 

So this is it, I am finally growing into myself at age 49..... and I gotta be me. Be as I am. Be comfortable in my own skin. So far...it feels good. For me , it is a process. I have to remind myself I am who I am. It is OK. I am OK.  For all my experiences good and bad, I am the person I am meant to be. I focus on the internal and not the external. It is ok that I am here, when I want to be there. It is ok that it is now and not then..... It is all ok and I am ok with it! Anchor myself in the here and now. Here feels good, now feels good. I feel good! I will live it, love it and be with it all!

Till next time, xoxo Marnie

 

Where have I been?

Nearly a month has passed since I last blogged. I have been super busy and not making time for my writing. So, I thought I would blog about why I am not blogging!The Ferndale House - ahhhh such a sweet sounding name. Ahhhh - the Ferndale House. What a time suck....whose bright idea was it to buy an abandoned, rundown, money pit in Ferndale? Isn't there more to life than walking around with spider eggs and webs hanging from the heel of my sock? What about the temporary bathroom? (a bucket!!) What about the mismatched window moulding and door trim? The clogged pipes in 2/3's  of the house? Ummmmm, whose idea was that anyway?

Well, it was mine and not only am I in love with my little Ferndale House, I have been spending much of my not so spare time dolling out TLC, elbow grease and of course my hard earned cashola! The minute I saw her sitting there, alone, cold, stinky, and with holes in the walls and floors, I knew we were destined to be together. A match made in heaven - my bright ideas from reading a bazillion home decorating magazines coupled with my ability to see the best in the worst led to this hot steamy love affair.

So in between the time I spent looking for a screwdriver, the plug to my electric saw and the thing I had in my hand just the second before I decided to take these lovely pictures of my to die for kitchen backsplash! Notice the one of a kind Detroit Pewabic Pottery tiles. Notice the custom kitchen countertop formally a piece of pine plywood. Notice the tools and the nuts and bolts and (oh my gosh!) the cold bottle of beer.  A girls gotta have some vices, right?

 

Till next time XOXO Marnie 
 

 

Where oh where is my Christmas Spirit?

Every year, I go through the same thing. I watch in awe as my friends, family and neighbors share their Christmas spirit with those around them. Lights, a decorated tree, baking, shopping, planning, partying.... where do they get their spirit??? Here I am stuck, still reeling from Thanksgiving with not an ounce of holiday sparkle to be found! I try to plan and get into the holiday groove..... I listen to carols, I admire the lights, I talk to my kids about their Christmas lists. I even look for new recipes of yummy treats and sweets to bake. It seems I always come up short on enthusiasm..... I lack a holiday joie de vivre. And dang it, I can't figure out why. How do you feel about these few weeks before the Christmas holiday? What helps you get in the liveliness of the season? Am I a hopeless scrooge?

Till next time....ho ho ho XO, Marnie 
 

more thoughts on 28 joyful ways Day 7

Taking Myself Out to Lunch

Wow! I had the wonderful experience last week of taking myself out to lunch. It was a fabulously uplifting and freeing thing to do! The icing on the cupcake was that I dined in the North End of Boston! If you have never been there, please add it to your places to see. You will love it. There are narrow, cobblestone and brick streets, the heavy smell of garlic lingering in the air and old Italian men walking around in old Italian suits..... Bakeries, coffee shops, little grocery stores that sell Cappicola, Prosciutto and olives. It is just a small slice of heaven.

I had lunch at Mother Anna's, an old family owned restaurant that has been around for generations. I had a lovely homemade minestrone soup, fresh crunchy crusted bread with loads of soft butter and a glass of Pinot Grigio.... Then, for dessert, I was off down the street to Mike's Bakery. I bought a Mini Ricotta pie, ate the whole dang thing and savored every second of it! Yummmmmbola. I people watched and pondered life and simply enjoyed being me. I had no time constraints, no agenda, no pressures.... And it was one of the best times I've had by myself in years. It was one of my happiest afternoons.

Till next time XOXO, Marnie

28 Joyful Ways for 28 Glorious Days - Day Six

My Flowered Doc Martens

My flowered Doc Martens make me soooooo happy. Being somewhat of a TomBoy (although I dislike that term), I sometimes struggle with the feeling that I am lacking a feminine persona. But these boots are the best of both worlds...... boy and girl. Black chunky ankle boots coupled with a pretty, girlie floral pattern..... wow, I love them!

I wear them once in a while and they make me feel good; like I am just a tad bit different than other middle aged women and moms. They help me assert my personality and never fail to elicit a double take or a comment from a stranger. Last week, while I was sitting on a bench in the North End of Boston eating a piece of ricotta pie (with my fingers, no less) a darling young woman walked by with her dog. As she passed, she turned around, smiled and said in a strong but indistinguishable accent, "I like your boots"! That made me so happy! 

Till next time, XOXO, Marnie 

28 Joyful Ways for 28 Glorious Days - Day Five

Friends Like Sisters

If you are lucky, you have a girlfriend that is like a sister to you. I have my Anna. Anna and I go waaaaaay back. I was 5 and she was 3. Who would have known a little oopsie off the swing set would shape our destiny? Well, shape it - it did. Our lives have been interwoven and interconnected throughout the years, some times farther from each other than other times. But as you know, when friends are like sisters, it does not take much to jump right in right where you left off. Even if you left off 10-15 years earlier.......

I had the pleasure and the priviledge to spend this past weekend with my Anna. We chatted, we sipped tea and nibbled toast, gulped red wine and belly laughed. We love each other and we love those that the other loves. I love her girls, she loves my girls, we laugh, cry and talk about the future and the challenges each of us must face to move ahead. Such a gift it is to have a girlfriend that is like a sister. If you do not have a girlfriend like a sister in your own life, I hightly recommend it. It will make you happy!

Till next time, XO Marnie
 
 
 
 

28 Joyful Ways for 28 Glorious Days - Day Four

 

Roses

Need I say more?

The Rose Family

by Robert Frost

The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only know
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose--
But were always a rose

 

Till next time......XO Marnie 

 

28 Joyful Ways for 28 Glorious Days - Day Three

Day Three.

Thrift stores!!! I love them. They make me so happy. There is something about wandering the aisles, flipping through the clothes... seeking the little gems that are surely tucked in there. This is me to myself in the jeans aisle...." yuck, yuck, yuck, maybe, yuck, yuck, yuck, Oh my God"! And there it is! A awesome pair of Lucky jeans or Ann Taylor; and in my size! I spend hours in the Salvation Army, Value World and Council Thrift, it amazes me what some folks give away. I have found absolute treasures cast in with the pilly sweaters, the sewing patterns from 1973, the used socks, the Cowboy hats and the endless supply of coffee mugs. I love seeing my fellow shoppers, each with their own stories to tell. My purchases usually make me feel so good. I am recycling, perpetuating important social supports and programs, meeting folks I probably never would have met and getting a bargain! What more could I ask for? Yesterday, I was at my favorite Value World and a man came up to me and asked me for some change...so I gave him a dollar. Then he asked for another dollar, so I gave him another dollar. He did not ask for more, and we smiled at each other and he said "thank you and God Bless you". Chances are slim that I could have had as wonderful a human exchange at Saks or Nordstrom! Yup, I loved it. Feel good stuff. Plus, I found a new pair of flannel pajamas for the cold nights ahead. For only $4.90! Yup, I love it!