Home Decorating

I've had this clock for a while and love it - Home Goods special!  But it looked a little naked on the wall here.  Then I bought this old secretary desk which I had thought I might use for a kitchen island (and totally forgot to take a before picture).  But after I got it painted, decided this was the perfect spot for it.  This corner now looks finished!

This corner is still a tad bare but this iron piece is something I've had for more than 20 years.  I bought it from Sundance a long time ago and have loved it ever since.  I had it at the old house and had left it there until Scott found something else to replace it with on the wall.  Last week he said I could take it again.  My happy piece is back!!

Slip Sliding Away

Apparently the tiny slope to my driveway is enough for my truck to slide down it when it's icy!

I got up to go to work one morning and found my truck sitting halfway out in the road!  (The edge of the road is actually about under the middle of the truck - the plow had done around it).  Madison had drove it home the night before and if I hadn't known better, it looked like a drunk parking job!  I thought maybe she had left it in neutral or something.  So I moved it back into the driveway.  And realized it wasn't in neutral...hmmmmm.

A while later, I get a call that it's back out in the road!  The neighborhood maintenance guy has the same truck so he moved it back up for me after dropping a BUNCH of salt on the drive!!

Barn Visit

When I drove up the road to the barn to ride, it was a regular blizzard going on with dark skies and dismal conditions.  By the time I walked out to Mata Bari's pasture, the snow had stopped but the skies were still dark.  You can see her covered in snow below!

Across the pasture, her friend had been napping in his hay.  Not sure why he isn't covered in snow - maybe he had rolled and it shook off.  It also doesn't look like there is as much snow in this pasture which is weird now that I'm looking at it!

Another minute later I had Mata Hari hooked to a lead rope and turned around to this beautiful scene.  First bit of sun we had seen in a long time!

I turned the phone to get a vertical shot and Mata Hari decided she needed to help me frame it up a little better!

A little later, as the sun was setting, I peaked out from the barn to snap this quick picture.  Just an idyllic setting it is out there. Peace.  Tranquility.  Love it.

Henrik

I've never had a cat.  I have spent plenty of time with barn cats over the years but never much with a house cat.  Henrik is rather amusing!  Maybe all cats are.

Sitting in a sunny window was to be expected.  This didn't surprise me.

Turning around to find him trying to drink out of the toilet sure did!!

I also didn't know cats could create nests.

But in the end, he does love us and takes every opportunity to snuggle up with us - even when the human is passing out on the floor with a bad headache.

New Car

After getting his first new used car last spring, Austin rear ended someone just after Christmas and the insurance company totaled his little blue Fusion.  We looked high and low to find him another car and we finally came across this Mercury Milan that fit the bill.  He's the proud owner now!

Kitty Kitty

A few weeks ago this little black cat showed up at the barn where we have Vince.  He was friendly and being declawed (a horrible thing to do to a cat) he was certainly an indoor cat in his past life.  The barn owner looked high and low for his owner to no avail.  She already had one indoor cat and really didn't want another.  We said we would take him if she couldn't find his owner in another few days.  In the mean time, he moved up to the barn next door where we keep Mata Hari.  This pic is in the observation room in the barn the day we took him home.

He explored the house a bit and then settled in quite nicely finding all the good window ledges and sunny spots (not that we've had much sun in a month or more...).

He also found my pajama clad lap to be quite comfortable!  His name is Henrik.

Little Projects

I forgot to take a before picture of this basket but it was a dirty white, kinda ugly thing with this weird flower decal on the top.  But it had potential.

A couple coats of chalk paint, some pearl wax and a ribbon and it makes a nice TP holder in the bathroom to fill this awkward space between the toilet and tub.

I bought this medium size footstool at the Salvation Army for $5. Much to my surprise, it had already been recovered three times over the original upholstery!

The base had also been repainted a light blue.

Now it's a dark navy blue and the fabric is a fun geometric!

Beautiful Inside and Out

Hard to believe this beautiful creature can turn around and get down and dirty with horses and manure in the barn...

This picture is terrible but it's from when we both dressed up and went to see Carol King's "Beautiful" in Lansing.  It was awesome.  I had no idea how many songs she wrote that were then recorded by other famous people.

Yogurt

Who knew that something so simple as homemade yogurt could be so awesome!  I've been making my own in the Instant Pot for about 6 weeks now and oh my.  Besides knowing exactly what ingredients are in it, it's inexpensive (cost of half a gallon of milk) and you don't end up with tons of plastic waste.

This first pic isn't a full 1/2 gallon's worth but you can see how thick it is.  I add a little Stevia or vanilla and some frozen fruit or granola.  Yum.

This is a better depiction of how much 1/2 a gallon makes.  The big bowl is for later in the week, the little bowl is for tomorrow and the tiny one is what I save to make the next batch since you need live yogurt cultures to make it.