Hashtag First World Problems

I've mentioned already that we have some remodeling projects going on here.

Except in scenarios where I am trying to please someone else ("I don't know.  Where do you want to go to lunch?"), I am decisive enough.

In terms of fashion, I know what I like, what I feel comfortable in, and, usually, where to secure these items.

If someone invites me to an outing or party, I know more or less immediately if I feel like participating (though I may say yes to be nice or because it's the right thing to do).

In terms of decorating, I know what I like, what my husband likes, and what he will tolerate.  I'm comfortable with my not-quite-neutral proclivities.  I do a bit of looking around and then I know it when I see it ... until now.  Until now when I have become easily overwhelmed by styles and finishes of door knobs.  Until now when I am googling "name of regular white paint color that everyone uses."  Until now when I am incapacitated when it comes to choosing some tile for my foyer.

I am that person wanting to talk about tile with anyone who will listen.  Marble.  Slate.  Travertine.  Porcelain.  Versailles pattern.  Herringbone.  Bueller?  Bueller? 

Over a decade ago, my hubby and I had dinner with one of his senior colleagues (not at his current job) and his wife.  Over dinner, she bemoaned the fact that her cleaning person did not change the sheets the way she liked so that, grand sigh, she had to redo those beds after the cleaning person left.  I thought to myself, "Will this be me someday?  Dear Lord, do not let this be me.  Who gives a flip how the beds are made?  The sheets are clean." 

Dear Lord, I'm not asking for real problems, just for perspective.  Thank you for my life, exactly as it is. 

The plan for tomorrow is to pick a flipping tile and move on with my life.    




 

Put a Frame On It

When you are posting every day of the month, they can't all be gems.

I've been a framing fool the past few days.  Here's just a sampling.

No.1 -- Two favorite illustrations (from the vintage Big New School book purchased at the Batavia Library Book Sale) arranged side by side in a frame purchased from Kohl's (for free/almost free with discounts, rewards, etc.)

No.2 -- Some clever gal before me had framed a calendar page.  I bought the frame she left at Goodwill and popped in a beautiful greeting card.

No.3 -- Flamenco Dancing is not a passion of mine (though I do think Sarah Bird's The Flamenco Academy is a fantastic novel), but I liked the frame.  I popped in the Emily McDowell print I bought in California.

You may be wondering, "Where does this woman hang all this random crap?"  Big reveal on this later, but I have a little room we call the "Mom Cave."  It is between the master bathroom and the closet. It is very hot in the summer and quite chilly in the winter, but it's all mine in terms of decor.  I have been slowly collecting and hanging a gallery wall in the mom cave, an endeavor that gives me tons of pleasure and satisfaction.  Cheap thrills, if you will.

If you like it, then you oughta put a frame on it.
Uh oh oh Uh oh oh oh oh oh oh Uh oh oh
Uh oh oh Uh oh oh oh oh oh oh Uh oh oh 

Prayers for Paris

Poetry in the House

Rediscovered this basket of books which includes several poetry collections (and about twenty Penguin miniatures, a former obsession of mine).

A few weeks ago, my son had to write a free verse poem about the first day of school.  His first draft was very strong, and I enjoyed conferencing with him and pushing him (a bit) to choose some even more specific images and stronger words to capture the day.  He seemed to enjoy the process of writing the poem and took great pleasure in reading it aloud and hearing his words strung together.  Poetry is a really good thing.  I had almost forgotten.  Seed planted. 

Yesterday, Modern Mrs. Darcy posted about poetry -- describing a new ritual of reading poetry before bed and sharing some of her favorite poetry collections.  As I read it, I thought about how I needed more poetry in my life and about how I thought my kids would embrace and appreciate more exposure to poetry.  Seed watered.

This evening, my middle guy wanted to snuggle on the couch tonight and watch a show.  Trying to avoid Teen Titans Go, I checked out the HBO Kids OnDemand offerings and found something titled Classical: Poetry.*  The show has celebrities (and a couple of actual poets) reading classic poems aloud as animated images related to the poems cross the screen.  Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Langston Hughes, Gertrude Stein, and more ...

Classical: Poetry also includes segments where children are interviewed about poetry.  There was one boy with a British accent who was very confident and articulate in his discussion of poetry.  My older son said, "That kid is loaded."  I said, "Oh, does his accent make you think he is rich?"  (I was assuming he did not think the kid was drunk.)  "No," he said, "I think he was loaded with all these poetry ideas by the adults making this show."  That made me chuckle, though I assumed he was just a precocious kid.

My middle guy cuddled up and alternated between listening to the poems and asking a million questions about them.  As the show ended, he said, "This show is very pleasant."  And it was.  There is something about just listening to poetry.  Seed growing.

They were both asking about Shakespeare afterwards so I showed them my Norton Shakespeare and my Norton Anthology of Poetry.  I also found a basket of little books (several of which were poetry collections) that I had sort of forgotten about.  We brought them up from the basement.

Maybe seeing these books will remind me to water that poetry seed.  We'll see what grows.

Any tips on sharing poetry with your family?  I'd love to hear them.



*Classical: Poetry might just be the OnDemand title, not the actual name of the show.

Secret S'Mores

I ordered some campfire roasting forks (and these with the gingham bag) last week so that we could use them for a Cub Scout bonfire and s'mores party.  My secret hope is that our family will eventually have a fire pit of our own, around which we can use these adorable and useful sticks.  I was also thinking that campfire roasting sticks would make a cute gift for a housewarming, a family present, or a grab bag -- all packaged up with the s'more fixings.

I don't actually enjoy s'mores, but I do love a nice roasted marshmallow.  Melty on the inside and carbon crusty on the outside.  A burnt marshmallow, if you will.  This culinary delight is easy to produce if you have a roasting stick, a gas stove, and a husband who's out of town (and might give you some grief about this sort of thing were he around).  I'm not sure you could get a golden brown marshmallow with this in-house method.  Even when I thought I was giving my giant marshmallow some clearance, it was igniting.   Ignite.  Extinguish.  Rotate.  Repeat.

One bonus to charring your marshmallow at home:  you can plate it and eat it with a fork.

Do not tell my children about this menu item.


Disclaimer:  The above links go to Amazon, but I don't get a thing if you buy these items because I have no idea how to set up affiliate links and no clarity about whether I'd even want them.

Little Project -- Frame of Feathers

I love a "little project."  It feels good to go from start to finish in one evening (or, in this case, ten minutes) and have an end product that makes you smile.

Though I am a recovering teapot collector, the print on the left was not my cuppa.  However, it was in a decent frame that included a mat and cost $1.99 at Goodwill.*  Yep.

I secured the Paper Source 2015 Art Easel Calendar well into 2015 for 50-75% off.  November's feathers caught my fancy right away. 

So ... Clean the frame.  Exchange the tea cup for the feathers calendar page.  Boom.  

Perfect Little Project.


*I had a tennis victory on Friday and treated myself to a quick peek inside the Glen Ellyn Goodwill on my way home.  Lots of good, inexpensive frames to be found there.

No Target Practice Update

Throughout my blogging "career," I have shared my New Year's Resolutions.  You can read all about 2015's resolutions if you want, but today I just want to focus on one:  Stay out of Target in 2015.  Very simple.  I decided I was not going to go into Target and buy things there.

Readers, I've done it (so far) and, readers, it's easy.  No big deal.

Those I have talked with about this resolution have had various reactions ranging from supportive to amused to annoyed to, I suspect, eye-rolling me in their heads.  I'm not trying to start a movement -- just trying to spend less money and to be less indiscriminate about all the stuff rolling into my life.

Here's what I used to buy at Target and my coping mechanisms for 2015.

1.  Beautifully-labeled and great-smelling cleaning products from Mrs. Meyers, Method, and J.R. Watkins.  I signed up for epantry.com and receive every-other-month shipments of Mrs. Meyers and Method products for minimal shipping costs.  Have I missed out on some Target-exclusive scents?  Yes, and I feel sad/anxious thinking about it but not anxious enough to break my resolution.  Bonus:  the Method Wood for Good spray that I adore and use a ton is much cheaper at epantry.

2.  C9 workout clothes.  I have coped with not purchasing C9 workout clothes from Target by wearing the C9 workout clothes that I already purchased from Target in years past. 

3.  Laundry detergent and fabric softener.  Two different people have asked, "If you're not shopping at Target, where do you buy your laundry stuff and cleaning products?"  I buy these items at the grocery store in the long aisle where they sell laundry stuff and cleaning products and sometimes at Costco.  

4.  Stationary, party favors, and other assorted novelty items with orange clearance stickers.  I haven't evolved into that ideal person who writes lots of notes and hosts lots of parties so I am still sitting pretty without need of further spending on these items.

5.  Kids' essentials like white undershirts, socks, jeans, and girls' leggings that will get a hole in them between the seventh and tenth time they are worn.  I used to buy some of these items at Kohl's and some at Target and now I buy them all at Kohl's, usually with multiple discounts.

6.  Fancy pens and sharpies.  It's not a problem yet, but I have been rediscovering OfficeMax. 

7.  Random grocery items.  The random food items I purchased at Target are purchased at Jewel, Costco, and Sam's Club, just as they've always been.  I never did do my "full grocery shop" at Target.

8.  Toys and birthday gifts.  Plenty of other options:  local toy store, Amazon, movie theater for gift cards.  Plus, I have been buying more clothes as birthday gifts, especially for boys.  I have found performance tees and athletic shorts at Kohl's, Costco, and Sam's that I think make good birthday gifts for boys.  Who can't use more comfortable play clothes?  Plus, Kohl's has lots of choices for local team gear like Blackhawks or White Sox stuff.

9.  The DVDs you see near the store entrance at the Villa Park Target.  I think I bought one DVD at Costco earlier this year.  Mostly, I am not buying DVDs.  No one has cried and said, "But, mom, where are those new DVDs you used to buy us?  We'd like to fight about who wants to watch it, lose the case, drop it on the floor of the van, and complain on a road trip that it is too scratched to watch."

10.  KIND bars.  My go-to spots for Kind Bars are Mariano's (12-pack for $14), Amazon.com (12-pack for $14.68), or Costco (18-pack for about $18, but half of them are Vanilla Bourbon Madgascar which are edible but so lame compared to the Chocolate Sea Salt).

11.  Lamp shades.  There is not an un-shaded lamp in this entire house and there are several lampshades on reserve. 

12.  Melamine plates that are on clearance.  We continue to eat many meals and snacks upon melamine plates purchased on clearance at Target in years past.

13.  Holiday decor.  I don't need any more Christmas decor.  I really don't give two figs about decorating for Halloween or Harvest time or Easter, and I'm not pretending otherwise.

14.  Beauty products and hair stuff.  Jewel and Walgreens are my spots.

15.  Fountain Diet Coke and possibly an ICEE for any kid who had to come along.  Minus the ICEES, these needs are being met.

I can't say that my days of impulse purchases are over.  I have probably channeled some of my spendthrift energies into Kohl's, OfficeMax, and Costco.  However, these stores have far fewer temptations than Target so I think I am still winning at this resolution.

Will I return in 2016?  I think so.  Sometimes it is convenient to stop in Target to buy things I need.  My plan is to put some parameters on my return:  once a month, with a list, and with an awareness that I can live without many of the things within the Target box.

What do my kids think?  They miss Target.  They went with my husband a couple of months ago, and my older son came home and said, "It was great to smell that Target air."  That line convinced me that I was doing the right thing by staying away for a year.

Will I crack in December in the holiday rush?  I told myself when I made the resolution that it would be okay to use target.com if necessary.  So far, I have not done so, but I guess I might if a much-desired Christmas item needs to be secured there.

What's your Target Practice?  Any insights?