31 December, 2008

thanks, aidan!!


aidan made these snowmen to stand on little feet thingies. i put magnets on the back and added his cheerful face to the front of the fridge.

30 December, 2008

all over but the cryin'

we did have a memorable christmas. it's always a treat to see the kids and we were thankful that everyone made it safely through the snow and cold. this will be remembered as the year iva overnighted in the hospital with a TIA. the year of first tier relatives - i mean cordials and other pleasures to numerous to catalog.

aidan did well, made a haul and was ever hopeful that someone else maight need a hand opening their package. he was polite and excited and a fierce competitor when it comes to crazy 8s and uno.

james carried this back from china for me and i am looking for way to hang it in my office area. naphtali was very creative/generous and did justice to her handmade pledge.

jacob and kate supplied my day
dreaming fix. this book on monet has all sorts of enclosures chronicling (i did run that through spell check) his baptism, art shows, preliminary sketches etc. i'm thoroughly enjoying it.
tim takes the prize for the most unexpected gift - i have a lovely new laptop -many thanks - and of course a new project beyond the use of it. i have to organize and arrange my 'office space' ooh la la!!
so these next few days will be spent undecorating, storing, cleaning, daydeaming, writing thank you notes....

21 December, 2008

change of plans

i had been psyched for a last, relaxed day of preparation and packing on tuesday but it looks as though we will leave for fort dodge that morning so as to help iva around the house. she broke her arm. packages are wrapped and ready to go.
it meant moving a few details forward but we're essentially ready to go. i need to figure out what clothes to pack and make sure that last load of laundry gets done tomorrow night - nothing too major. i might even get in on some of the holiday hustle and bustle with a grocery run in fd beings we'll be there for such a long time. hope you have a merry christmas.

merry christmas

i obviously missed a trend this year, noticing that the majority of cards we received shared a turquoise and/or green palette.
this is my favorite. it says:
to you and those you love.
from tim and me to you and yours - merry christmas

18 December, 2008

photo ops

this is for those among us who like to see pictures included in a post.

i delivered my plates of goodies to the neighbors on tuesday and afterword realized that i had missed yet another photo op. the counter looked so festive laden with colorful plates. did i think to take a picture??







when i had my basket loaded ready to play red riding hood on her way out the door did i think to take a picture??




time doesn't permit much more for this morning's post but i will have more ....

14 December, 2008

whose workshop ??

its beginning to look a lot like christmas.. (hum along)


my favorite embellish
ment- scribbles paint.
a dribble here, a swash there, you never know where it might turn up.
packages are getting wrapped.

cards are ready to be signed and addressed. and if i could get off the computer that just might happen yet tonight. i've updated the garden club website as well as checked in to see who has blogged what, done my emails...
it turned cccccold over night. containers of cookies have been moved to the garage and if it hadn't been so cold and blustery (charlie was actually blown over while in his 3 point stance this morning) i would have assembled and delivered plates to the neighbors today. that will be the plan for after work tomorrow night.
...everywhere you go...(keep humming)

13 December, 2008

you have to wonder

how much of this is genetic? i refer to distractions.
friday being my day off i had been making plans for the day all week. baking, wrapping, cards, plates for the neighbors, squeeze in a walk with charlie if the weather cooperated. it was going to be a wonderful day. thursday while processing the january martha stewart for the shelves at the library i opened to her feature spread on closets. the closets (that's right - not 1 but 2 closets) look great. tim has been drafted to add a shelf in one. and i have a start on another one with a bag ready for the goodwill. i tweaked a couple drawers as well. i did get some baking done late friday afternoon.

11 December, 2008

holiday statistics

we narrowly avoided becoming a holiday statistic today. we've all seen variations on the sad story each year.
tim had a 9pm meeting and so the debate was A: go in at the regular time, come home early, go back (something he hates to do) or B: go in late and stay. thankfully he decided on A.
i left for work just before noon and had barely registered an electrical(?)odor in the basement but had run the dryer earlier and passed it off.
tim called me at work around 4:15 to report that

this closet was full of smoke and


this plug on our heater was glowing red and


this outlet was going melty.


i'll let you all follow the train of events to its natural conclusion. and close by saying we are very thankful to have avoided the front page of the gothenburg times.
i will further add that i sure enjoy my 'van gogh of the day' gadget.

06 December, 2008

3rd annual

this is the library's 3rd annual gingerbread display. i took a call at work the other day from the local tv station and they will be coming on monday to do a spot for their broadcast. the first year i made a horse barn, last year a log cabin and this year it is a lighthouse.
here you have my components,









this is the assembled lighthouse

here it is complete with 'snow' and ready to be delivered to the library

there are swedish red fish frolicking out near the rocks. i have pasta shells, dyed red, for accents along the path and seams of the buildings. if i could have figured out how to make a bird from tootsie rolls there would be a gull perched on a rock somewhere but what i can see in my head and get my fingers to make are sometimes worlds apart.

04 December, 2008

over the river....

we had a good time up north with the kahls. naphtali took me along to northfield to drop off more of her bags and i can see why she likes carla's shop so much. it is a delightful place. i added a row to the world's longest scarf that customers can knit as they drowse in the very comfy rocker by the front door.
tim did a project for her. charlie had more than his fair share of attention. the food was great, conversation as you wanted it.aidan and i built a gingerbread house complete with mouse doors in the back. home again sunday to get a start on a busy week. we had snow from the cities to des moines but most of the traffic was going either north or east so it went about as fast/well as a 9 1/2 hour drive on a snowy winter day can go...
linden court is celebrating their 10th anniversary in north platte. tim was the dogsbody for those first couple days running several errands, picking up garland, wrapping packages, repotting plants. jack vetter, the owner, will be in town thursday to cap off a week of festivities and food. the mayor is coming out, the local tv station will be on hand. quite the shindig.
garden club met tuesday. i was puttering around the house thinking that i could get plenty done before the 2:00 meeting. i was ready to start a new project around 11:30 thinking that i had just over an hour before i'd have to clean up and get ready to leave when i realized that we were scheduled for 12:30 that day!! i made it. barely. it was so mild that day i did hang my bows on the shutters outside when i came home. my interior decorating has been done in fits and bursts but it is done.
the library is having their annual gingerbread house display and will be the starting place for the tour of homes this sunday. i've got my panels baked, my base is ready, i covered rocks this morning. assembly will start tomorrow for delivery on saturday. pictures will happen in a few days.
here we are, still relatively clean, at work on the ginger
bread house. the kit was actually easy to work with
this is iris and andy, foreign exchange students from the college.

and here you have aidan showing off his tree and a special ornament on the tree upstairs.

27 November, 2008

thanksgiving greetings

where ever you are, i hope good things for you and those with whom you are sharing the day.

23 November, 2008

i know, i know

there is a tolerance that people without children and or pets are called upon to exercise from time to time. i actually don't consider myself a "dog person" in the the most liberal use of that term - i simply have a dog - and so i really don't have reason to share charlie stories on a regular basis. tonight, my friends, is the exception that you've all been waiting for....
we actually had a good weekend with several privately amusing incidents that in another universe would be blog material. (aidan should collect royalties on the family use of actually). tim fixed a delicious shrimp and pasta dish for supper. dishes were done. tim was watching tv, i'm busy with a project back in my workroom and i hear this quiet "ilona, ilona, you have to come out here." this is what i found:

after a few minutes charlie came over and sat at my feet but he watched that movie for close to an hour.

so there you have it. thank you for your tolerant attention.

18 November, 2008

do you remember??

i was in north platte today for a mamogram and some christmas shopping - nothing needful or household related. it was actually a productive trip. on my way home i passed a semi loaded with christmas trees. remember the year grandpops brought home several that had fallen off a truck??!!

16 November, 2008

work day

again, did i think to take pictures - of tim on the roof?? the big piles of leaves and other garden debris?? how about the back of the jeep loaded for disposal?? we had a glorious day and decided to finish some outside work. we were both quite productive and it is good to have this off the list. and the nap that followed was all the better for our fresh air and exertion. i could open this later (i'm on the laptop) and add a few pictures of my flower gardens to show you all what i cleaned up today. we'll see. in the meantime i have laundry to finish, ironing do to, a project for aidan to work on and the new by pd james to finish.



so here you have our smallest and last leaf pile. for about 3 weeks in november, city crews prowl the streets with loaders and dumptrucks, picking up leaves that the good citizens of gothenburg have piled in the street in front of their houses. normally our linden tree doesn't drop until after the pickup has ended. this year it's already done. i hope that's not significant....these piles can easily grow to 5-6 feet high, and run the length of the block. we are not anal about leaves in our yard - there are always those last few (or the first of the season)left where they fell. some peolpe are. they chase every leaf. their lawns are immaculate. i have come to hate the whine of leaf blowers. in fairness, though, i will say that they allow older neighbors to stay busy outside at a time when age related situations might have otherwise forced them to hire their raking done. and at our house i'll further say that i rake. tim uses his leaf blower.
this picture was taken monday morning. charlie needed a half bath so we've been up and at 'em already this morning!!
ps - the pd james was a good read.

14 November, 2008

thanks, aidan

aidan gave me this turkey dish last year so i thought i'd show him that i have it out and am using and enjoying it!! thanks, sweetie!!

10 November, 2008

new 'fridge

this is an inside shot of the new 'fridge.
the door is deep enough to hold gallon jugs, all the baskets are adjustable.

the platform across the bottom is the only fixed shelf. everything else adjusts. the one shelf pulls out which is a nice option.

more ct history


this was taken at the florence griswold museum in old lyme. what a fun stop!! we needed more time to do this justice.
florence was an impoverished gentlewoman trying to hold the family home so she opened a boarding house. a thriving art colony was established there by a man taken with the hospitality and atmosphere of the place. a friendly rivalry between tonalists and impressionists resulted in a unique creative setting. these people painted on door panels and the walls of the dining room. incredible work. i loved it. florence held exhibits using the main hallway as her gallery and sold paintings right off the wall.

09 November, 2008

catching up

this has been a long/short week. we had such a good time with jacob and kate in connecticut - thanks for everything guys.

we had lovely weather in connecticut needing only a sweater for the most part. working around kate's schedule we visited fort griswold in new london, the site of a revolutionary war battle lead by benedict arnold against his former command.
we enjoyed dawdling with jacob, kate and some friends at a downtown coffee shop before they had to leave so jacob's band could play their set at a local club on friday night.

we also visited galilee. a working port on the narragansett bay.


wandered along the beach (one of our favorite ways to spend time)at scarbourough point state park. we saw this old stone building and had fun speculating about it's origin and purpose.


we left from lincoln on thursday morning, planning to return monday. tim had a meeting in des moines on tuesday so we each drove and upon arrival back in lincoln i went west and he headed east to spend the night at his mom's and then on to des moines the next day. by this time i'm working on a cold and even though i have garden club at my house the next day i took it pretty easy monday night. tuesday morning i'm up early to get my dessert made and do the last minute floor/bathroom cleaning that i needed to do to have things ready for company at 2:00. and i find that my refrigerator has died. or it will shortly. things were still cool and mostly frozen though the ice cube trays were full of water.
you would wonder just how many things can be going on any given day in our little town but that day as i tried to track down the appliance person (there are actually 2 appliance stores in gothenburg)i found that they were both scheduled to their eyeballs!! i finally talked them into bring a refrigerator to my garage and dealing with the actual switch the next day. i wrote the check and went home to mix my cream cheese layer. i also took the time to vote then rather than make a another run after the meeting ended. i figured that time would be better spent napping. tim made his meeting and got home. wednesday the appliance lady came and made the switch. thursday she came back to try to quiet the dinging noise that was driving tim crazy. it took her over an hour to shim, secure and settle the fan but it's done.
i worked and napped those couple days because the cold had fully blossomed by that time and i hoped to avoid getting realllllly sick. tim went to omaha thursday night/friday. saturday was pretty lowkey for both of us. tim has talked to jacob, leslie and iva. i've heard form naphtali and my mom. tim cleaned up all the leaves from the yard. today we brought hoses and flowerpots in. covered the window wells. laundry is caught up. we've actually started some christmas shopping. the week ahead holds plenty to keep us both busy.

29 October, 2008

follow-up

random thoughts are always welcome. the scale of the walls in the living room has thus far kept them blank. which i don't mind.
i don't want a series of fillers ...patience doesn't cost me anything. i have thought about painting the window frame to match the wall.these i put up this summer in my hallway. i took a piece of scrapbook paper, rotated and copied it 4 times to frame and hang.

27 October, 2008

busy weekend

it was a very busy weekend. i had projects. tim had projects. we had unexpected mutual projects. did i think to take pictures?? noooo. we had a branch down from the snow/wind storm the other day. in order to get to it tim had to cut quite a few branches from the maple tree and several of the walnut. did i get a picture of the damage?? nope. did i record the bundles piled all over the yard?? no way. was the work in the basement recorded for posterity?? not a chance. my sewing? the plants? my spraypainting?? you get the idea. sunday night rolled around and i realized my only hope was in the furniture being moved around in the living room so here you are...


it was a productive couple of days. kind of compensated for all the reading time i've logged lately.


had a call from jacob. we leave for connecticut on thursday. i've got piles of this, that and a few other things started in the spare bedroom. we're looking forward to the trip.

20 October, 2008

movie material??

i generally don't read sets/series back to back but made an exception with appaloosa and resolution. someone at work had commented on the scarcity of dialogue in appaloosa, wondering how it could be made into a movie. so i decided to read it. if you happen to like your cowboy (pictures) long, lean and taciturn this could work just fine. it will be interesting to see what they've done with it.

12 October, 2008

but who's counting??

daniel silva is finished. tana french's the likeness is done. i'm on my way upstairs for a break (i have a sink of dishes to do) before starting the new john lecarre. i do have to work tomorrow so this can't be an all-nighter but i do want to get started

11 October, 2008

and did i mention

that tonight's reading pleasure will be maximized by the use of











the fireplace??!!

this old fiberglass unit (complete with blower fan and a revolving multicolored plastic sleeve behind the molded logs)was in the basement when we bought the house and due to the layout of the room i used it for hanging christmas stockings etc but never as a heat source. since tim divided the space down here both the room and the fireplace are more usable. today has been cold and damp - just the kind of fall day that calls for a fire, a blankie and a good book. mmmmm and a fresh-from-the-oven slice of bread with butter. mmmmm

a busy day


the bread is rising, errands have been run,


projects accomplished (actually i have one left)


flannel sheets on the bed, laundry washed, dried and put away,


charlie has spent the day pouting (with prodigious disneyesque sighs)and thinking (in my best disneyesque interpretation) that i could just have well gone to work today for all the benefit he's had from my being home all day....it really is all about him.
we'll have supper, put our feet up (or mine at least) and read.