man’s search for meaning

One of my earliest memories is of my dad pulling a book off the shelf in our family room and opening up the first page where I saw these words written, “Life is difficult.”  The book is MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl. 

Indeed.

am i here?

I feel like a stranger in my own home. I went to the grocery store last evening after work and then drove home (at least I didn’t drive to the wrong house) and then stared at the grocery sacks because I didn’t know where to put their contents. And then I heated up some spaghetti sauce that my sister had made and I didn’t know where to eat it. Yes, at a table and a chair, but. . . it just felt weird. I felt exposed in my house without window treatments. Were the neighbors looking in at the lady with the cat eating a bowl of spaghetti by herself?

I’m currently obsessed with iammav where the above image (and the one from the previous post) originates.

a little magic

Friends, I’m in! I didn’t get to move in on Halloween as I had anticipated (rain, driveway delays, by-the-books inspector!), but I did manage to spend my first night there on the full moon. A good omen, I hope! It’s truly been a whirlwind. I haven’t yet spent more than 3 consecutive hours there while awake and that has been a big ol’ drag. But if I’ve learned anything from this experience it’s patience.  I also got to celebrate my 35th birthday surrounded by my friends and family and a 4 ft. long party sub. I really know how to quickly class up a place, but listen, when you have a craving for the Kitchen Sink sub sandwich from a place in your hometown that you thought surely must have gone out of business by now and then your BFF and your boyfriend secretly arrange for it to travel a distance of some 80 + miles on a bed of ice. . . whoosh!!!!! It’s likely to take the wind out of you and make you smile so big that you get a weird aching sensation at the base of your head. And then to top it off your wee niece individually gift wraps large marshmallows and faux limes………well, I don’t think I really need to say more. EXCEPT, I do promise to get images of the house to you all soon. Once I plug in my computer and Internet service and find my camera.  I mean, last week I wore the same outfit three times! Also, I’m currently using butcher paper as my window treatment in my bathroom. Again, I sure do know how to class up a place.

I want to send out a special ‘Thank You BIG TIME’ to Melly, Erich, Annie & wee ones, and all my friends for my birthday celebration.

And another HUGE THANK YOU to the best homebuilder in the World: Matt Mozier of Hickory Ridge Construction!

strange

Strange that my first night sleeping at my new home will be on Halloween. Strange that I will be sleeping at my new home. I’m sorry that I haven’t posted any pictures of the progress. I’ve just been up to my eyeballs in the finishing details both big and small.  I’ve also been working on a project at work that has been both inspiring and time-consuming. But I’m not complaining. Projects that inspire and work days that disappear make me a pretty happy camper.

The wood for my front and back porch came from an old Buster Brown factory that made the boots for our soldiers in World War I.

That dog scares the hell out of me.

still perched

 

Pretty things for the head. Red lipstick. Maybe that’s all a lady needs .  

The house is truly coming along. My mom came for a visit in which we had hoped she would help me to unpack and put my things into tidy little places, but, alas, I am still not living there. It was fun, though, to show someone the space who has not seen it once except for the few and random shots that I place here on the blog.  The best part, though, was watching my nieces do pirouettes across my wooden floors. Where I see headaches and decisions yet unmade, they saw dance floors and secret rooms to play detective in. What a delight to watch their imaginations go wild!

perched

Thinking about new looks here and here is such a delightful distraction from the bathroom tile job that is not yet finished; the kitchen countertop that is not yet underway; and the beautiful bathroom sink that arrived DAMAGED! (I said that with a low growl so that hopefully those in the customer service department will feel it in their bellies).  Maybe we all should give up on developing a new look and just invest in a pretty hair piece like the lovely lady above. Maybe my collection of Levis (and not even cool, vintage ones. Just Levis purchased at Kohls and whathaveyou) will look amazingly fresh and sweet when paired with a whimsical flower piece perched up on my head.

when a uniform works

 

A while back Eastside Queenie posted about searching for a new look.  I’ve definitely had moments when I think everything I own is lame-o and tired. And when I look to my little hipster college town’s streets for inspiration I’m typically horrified.  It’s either Ugg boots and Juicy Couture sweatpants that are SO 1990s or ill-fitting thrifted concoctions that leads me to believe that the college youth no longer desires to be picked up at the local watering hole (saying ‘watering hole’ and chastising the kids’ choices probably just means I’m OLD).  Anyway, the Sartorialist had this simple and lovely image on his site today. It’s kind of like a uniform. But with the sexy high heels and the green bag. . . WOW! This is a look I would like to adopt. 

So, what’s YOUR uniform for this fall?

sitting comfortably

Smart. Clean. Martinis.

 

Soft. Feminine. Champagne and bare feet.

I haven’t had a sofa in nearly four years. And before that I don’t think I ever sat on the one that I did have. It was in a rarely used room covered with camping gear, a guitar, and a three foot high Smurf. All a lifetime ago. Anyway, I don’t think it would be too cool to have expended all this energy on building a house with a bona fide living room that is openly connected to the kitchen and dining room only to resort to my usual habit of reading in wire chairs at the dining room table or retiring to my bedroom at, oh, 7:30PM, for lack of anywhere comfy to sit. 

Couches and sofas are so painfully ugly. My search has taken me high and low (though I have not ventured to Nebraska Furniture Mart because I think that would require lots of pills and drinks and who knows where that would lead?) and I have found NOTHING! Except for the two lovlies you see up above. The first is from John Derian. I think it is smart with clean lines. It looks like you could read the paper and discuss politics on it. The second is from ABC Carpet & Home. It’s curvy and soft and might break up the rectangularness of my house. I think you would wear caftans and be surrounded by Jane Austen novels and fashion magazines on this sofa.

Well, regardless, these both exist in my fantasies. Neither one can be picked up by a friend’s pickup truck down the road. Neither one can be purchased without me saving my pennies a little bit harder. So, when you all come over for drinks and a lively discussion, wear squishy pants and know you’ll be sitting at the dining room table.

stable

Look at the dog in the top window. I bet he sees a lot. I love the look of this cafe. It’s dark and moody. Good for reading noir novels and drinking coffee with brandy.

trippy

The hallway.  Long and Lean.

The installation by Matt and Dave. Steve is working on the floor in the kitchen.

Truly, this floor is organic. It is swimmy and wavy and reclaimed.  Dave and I both agree that it would not be wise to partake of any hallucinogenics while hanging around this floor. Very trippy. It is not what I had envisioned. I saw pale, pale, pale uniformed maple. It is not what I envisioned, but I LOVE it. It’s good to be surprised.

The kitchen ceiling. Also reclaimed wood. Unfinished and not fussy. Rustic. I think it balances the modernity and newness of the house. I am thrilled with the end result. It’s strange to decide things and have a vision, but one that is not fully formed, and hope HOPE that it will work. That it will be cohesive and satisfying.  I still keep my fingers crossed.

And finally . . . . .

This is the detour sign that I pass to get to my soon-to-be house. I wonder, am I moving to a different neighborhood or a different time in history? Will I start wearing long cloaks and have a tryst with Merlin?