Random Ramblings

Here's where I catch up on my lag in blogging of late.

1. I can't find my camera, which is making me nuts.
2. I think it's time to clean the house. (see #1)
3. The turkeys are back! I've missed them, and was hoping they would return. I actually scared the daylights out of one of them in my back yard the other day. I threw open my bedroom drapes to greet the day, and a turkey who had been minding his own business perked up when he saw me, then turned and ran like the WIND all the way through the woods and over toward the highway. Poor little guy. Happily, he and his crew were back this morning. In retrospect, I'm thinking I should reconsider throwing open the drapes when I'm still in my underwear.
4. I went to IKEA last week with my friend Kelly (she was a first-timer!), and bought under-cabinet lighting for my aweseome new cabinets. BF installed them the minute I got home, practically. When he was done, Kathleen stood at that end of the counter eating some chips and salsa and said "I feel like a rich person." I said "Why's that?" And she said "This lighting--I've only seen it in rich people's houses." LOL. I said "Yep...we're livin' large here in Selkirk, NY." Hee. I love my kid. She appreciates everything. Even $26 worth of puck lights.
5. Kathleen and I took a drive this past Saturday, since the weather was so gorgeous. We ended up at a store in Rhinebeck, NY called Paper Trail. LOVED it! How cute are these?
   
   
   And these?
   
   
   We bought some dog bone paperclips for my friend Jennifer (the veterinarian), and a map of mid-town Manhattan with a frame for Kathleen. She SWEARS she's going to live in NYC some day. I believe her!
   
   We also stopped at one of the anemone flower growers in Rhinebeck and picked up a bouquet for Kelly. Anemones are absolutely gorgeous, and you can't just get them anywhere!
   
6. I bought 16 yards of linen to slipcover my couch. I got it for $9/yd with my coupon at JoAnn Fabrics. Can you say "bargain?!" It came in two pieces, and I have pre-washed it. Now that I've published this for all the world to see, I may be motivated to start the sewing VERY soon. I'll keep you posted. Sally, if you're out there, keep nagging me, will you?
7. BF has raked every single leaf from this one acre property over the last few weeks. I can't get over how great it looks. This also makes me feel happy (well, maybe "happy" is a little strong a word) to wash his endless stream of laundry, endlessly. I mean, it's better than raking, right?
8. I have bought two gardening/yard magazines in the last week. One of them is Southern Living's Backyard Retreats, and I can't find the other one to tell you what it is!! At any rate, I'm getting inspired! My yard is a blank slate, with gobs of potential. I can't wait to get started!
9. My hellebores are blooming. I love my hellebores. Here's a pic, in case you don't know what they are:
   
   
   I drove by my old apartment last week and saw that I had left one big hellebore plant behind (I brought 2 with me). I am SO tempted to go by in the dead of night with my shovel and rescue the poor thing. I left SO many plants behind--I get sick just thinking about it. Oh well. I have the house, right? The new plants will come. :)
10. Kathleen is going to have a birthday party here on Saturday--this time with her FRIENDS. Apparently the family party wasn't enough. It's supposed to be sunny and in the 80's here on Saturday. We couldn't have ordered up better weather. In fact, that's HOT for me! I'm sure they'll be playing outside...anybody have any great ideas for activities? She says they'll figure it out, but I don't want them to be bored! (I nixed her pinata idea...when's the last time you saw a 14-year-old with a pinata party? WTF?)
    
11. I'm addicted to Netflix, and have ordered nothing but Seasons 1,2 and 3 of Nip/Tuck for the last month. I love that show. I also love that I can watch movies streamed to my computer as well as getting them on DVD from Netflix. I watched "The Visitor" the other day upon Diane's recommendation. Great movie. I cried.
12. I have to finish two bed skirts for this year's Vanguard Showhouse. I'm not doing a room myself this year, but I'm sewing for Bolt Fabrics. I'm also doing the web site again, and a bef0re/after DVD for them to run during the tour. The house is really great this year--it's a "green" theme, and the designers (a lot of newcomers) are really making it happen over there. If you're local, you should check it out. It opens Tuesday. Click my link for info.

That's all I've got. Hopefully I'll find my camera soon. I'm sure there are pictures on there that I could be sharing. I hope you all get the sunshine and warm temps that we're finally going to have in NY! All I can say is it's about damn time!!