Hello October. It is nice to meet you!
Another month of 2017 has come to an end. Today’s post is the first post of the month, so I thought I would use this as an opportunity to provide you a few updates on what is going on in my life.
What I am Reading:
I just finished The Hive and loved it! This is a book that was written by English writer, Gill Hornby. It took me a little while to get into the story. I think my issue stemmed from the fact that it is written in the tone of English individuals as opposed to Americans. I am not a literary snob that requires books to be read from the point of view of an American. However, there were a number of references that I did not understand. And I was too lazy to go look them up.
This book is about a group of women who are related by the fact that their children all attend the same school, St. Ambrose. While the children are busy in the classroom, their mothers are learning sharper lessons. Lessons in friendship. Lessons in betrayal. Lessons in the laws of the community, the transience of power…and how to get invited to lunch. Once I got into the story, I was hooked. This book is currently in the bargain bin at Barnes and Nobel. You should be able to pick up a copy for about $6.
Movies:
My husband talked me into seeing IT with him. I was apprehensive at first because I don’t typically enjoy scary movies. The issue I tend of have with them is the gore. Gore is gross, and very often, unnecessary.
I didn’t see the original movie when it aired on TV back in the 1980’s. I was a little too young for the genera of scary movies. My husband, who is 7 years older than I, did see it. He was excited to see how much better this theatrical release was going to be.
So off we went to the theater. We made an evening of it. We had dinner and then traveled to a theater with very comfy recliners as seats. I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone that hasn’t seen it yet. However, I will say this: it isn’t so bad. I heard people say that it gave them nightmares. I haven’t had one yet. Some people said that there the entire audience screamed at the same time. That did not happen at all during the showing I went to.
If you like scary movies, this one might disappoint you. It is very beautifully made and a bit funny at times. I recommend waiting until it comes out on Netflix; save your money.
We rented Wonder Woman. I am a fan of Chris Pine. I am an even bigger fan since he sang “I’m not that Chris” to the tune of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl on SNL earlier this year. I am a HUGE Uptown Girl fan.
I really enjoyed Wonder Woman. The plot didn’t linger. There was a mixture of funny and drama. And it has Chris Pine. It was a good one. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend it.
Projects:
I have a few projects on deck for this month. The first is to fill the blank wall behind my sofa. To date, I have had to be careful whenever taking photos of the living room because the wall behind the sofa was empty. It is a pass through space from the dining room to the living room and ultimately leads you to my home office. If this was a normal house, there would be a window in that space, streaming beautiful natural light into my living room. We live in a townhouse, so it is just a wall.
I have gone back and forth on what I wanted to do with that wall. I thought about adding a piece of art. However, that really won’t work because I am going to add a large painting to the dining room…that is on the same exact wall just a few feet to the left.
My husband had a genus idea: add black and white photos of the girls. I love it! We executed phase one this afternoon by hanging three poster size white frames from Ikea. They currently are not filled with photos, but they already enhance the space.
The next phase will include having custom sized mats cut to fit photos of the girls. I will also need to pick out three photos and have them developed. I will keep you posted.
Another project for October includes renovating our downstairs half bath. It is quite an ugly space that needs a face lift. Starting this Thursday, I will be participating in the One Room Challenge as a guest participant. Every week for six weeks I will be sharing the progress of my bathroom transformation. It is so exciting that I get to be a part of this really cool challenge. It is even more exiting that I will have a pretty bathroom in about six weeks!
Design Trick:
I have a number of faux flowers in my house. They are nice because I make one investment and they last forever. Every few months, though, I do have to clean them. Overtime faux flowers collect dust. Lighter colored flowers tend to have to be cleaned more frequently.
Last weekend I went to my yard and clipped some branches. The plant needed pruning so this was perfect. I took the stems off of the lower half of the clipping, placed it in water, and viola! The clippings are still in water in a vase on our dining room table. I have even noticed new growth. If you are thinking of adding a natural element to your decor, but want to save a few bucks, clip from your yard. Or your neighbors yard, as long as you ask first!
