just another day

Yes, just another snowy day in Juneau.... Let's see, my last post on Friday said "more snow." Then it rained over the weekend and our driveway was flooded. We've had so much snow and it's made an effective wall of compact snow and ice. The snow melt and rain just didn't have any place to go but been linger in our driveway where it was probably 6" deep in the lowest spots...

Then, more snow. We woke up to another 7" this morning and another 9" is expected by tonight. Will it never end????

During our rainy spell, it gave me time to read this book: Worthy's Town, a novel by Sharon Rolens. Beneath the quiet surface of life in Old Kane, Illinois, love, cruelty, murder and friendship drive the destinies of Worthy and Willa Giberson and their boy Cappy in this best-seller spanning 1925 to 1950. The novel is the story of a small town and its vanishing way of life as well as the story of the Gibersons. As they and their neighbors deal with an approaching world war that they naively believe will not touch them, they deal with more subtle wars already in their midst.

Anyway, it was pretty good. I'm cleaning out my bookcase and trying to read all the books that have been sitting there, just waiting for their turn. I love books. All kinds of books. But the time has come to downsize some, so I'm getting rid of probably half of them.... cookbooks, gardening books, novels, history books, series. I'll keep my favorites; those I seem to read over and over again. It wasn't an easy decision to make as I truly do find great comfort in my books. I suppose it takes me back to my grandma's place as she, too, had an extensive library. Her stairwell to the second floor was lined with shelves just filled with books. I'd spend hours sitting on the ledge, thumbing through them, and felt even more joy when we were allowed to "check" them out. So my goal this year is to read those books that are still waiting in the wings and to not buy any more until I have! Wish me luck!

Decisions decisions

Is there such a thing as intervention for buying plates? If so, my husband would be inviting you all over to perform such an act! You see, I love dishes.... And it drives my husband crazy. He keeps telling me we're going to have to buy a bigger house, just to store all of them. Okay.... If that's what he wants.... Anything to make him happy.... See? That's the type of relationship we have. It's a good marriage. I buy and he lets me! :)

Okay, so all I usually buy is four cocktail plates. That way I can get enough to satisfy my love and need to have them, plus I can use them for salads, lunch plates, or desserts. Christmas plates are my favorite. Okay, let me re-phrase that. Christmas plates are my favorite.... at this time of year! We could have a Holiday party for at least 32 people and everyone would get their own dessert plate. Here's some of my favorites:

Charlie Brown Christmas trees are my tree of choice, so it's only natural I was attracted to this tree plate.

These bright and cheery red and white snowflake plates can be used all winter long and make a great plate for even Valentine's Day.

My daughter, Tracy, gave these to me a few years ago. Each plate has a different design and are so very cute.

This was the beginning for me.... I love these cup and saucers. They're Pfaltzgraff and were bought so many years ago. They're discontinued now otherwise I'd have a whole set of them.

I love these Holiday plates but especially because they can be used all winter. I start using them in mid-November for desserts.

These are probably my favorite because of their versatility. They truly could be used all year long, if I needed them to. In fact, I loved them so much, I bought probably 12 of them!

So do you see my husband's dillemma....? All he has to do is grab a plate when he wants to make a sandwich. I have to decide which ones to bring home!

Which is your favorite?

a room with a view

I have this one room, I'll call "the den." The name changes over the years because it's really not any single kind of room and when I have to talk about it, I stumble over the term I use. I usually end up saying, "the room with the sliding glass door." It's a terribly awkward room. Not large enough for much. Plus it's the pathway to put the dogs outside and often becomes a mud room by the time we're done wiping them down when they come back in. There's book cases and an old chair so I guess it could qualify for a den or library. But it's a little room at the back of our house that leads to the back deck. We've lived in this house for five years now and this room has been nothing more than a passway to the outside.

Yesterday I decided to do something about it. When we bought the house, I envisioned a sitting area where I could sit, peacefully sipping my coffee or tea, watching the birds and squirrels in the nearby trees. Not any couch was going to do. I wanted one from Pottery Barn. A cranberry red couch! But it turned out to be too big so I had to go with Plan B. Only problem is, I didn't know how to pull Plan B off. I never gave up the vision of a cozy sitting area; a place where I could escape. A place where I could listen to my music, read, or do crossword puzzles. A place where I could have a cozy conversation with my daughter or a friend. This was a place I could be surrounded by the things I love. My books. My birds. And my squirrels. Just a tiny place to call my own. A place where I could become one with the outside. A room with a view.

This is what I came up with. Keep in mind it's still in the planning stages but by relocating different pieces of furniture and lighting, I was able to improve the room by 150 percent! It's still not quite the room I envision, but I'm getting there. I need to find a small round table and a couple of chairs (maybe wicker?) to take the place of the greenish dresser and the wooden chair.

But I love the screen and it's a good place to display my quilts and hang my aprons. And the blue rocker is so much happier here than in my bedroom. Mostly I love the soft glow of the accent lights at night. It looks so cozy and inviting. The dresser is so handy for storage; I have my CDs and other important stuff tucked inside, but it might not work in the overall scheme.

And did you notice, this room also works well as a Baby Boutique! I've had so much fun shopping for two little babies recently and decided to display my latest purchases over the door.

Today I'm on a search for the elusive round table and cozy seating. Maybe some new lace doilies to soften the bookcase shelves. Maybe I'll swap out the black framed artwork for roses and peonies. This room has so much potential and I'm glad that, finally, I'm making some progress.

favorite arrangements

There's this blog -- Things Look Like Things -- that has the most incredible series of photos, connecting one photo to the next. If you read the profile, it looks like they're all taken off flickr. Check it out.


Here's some of my favorite arrangements around the house.


This is just my messy bookcase but it's MY messy bookcase! I love books. I love to read. I mostly love just looking at all my books. I have them categorized by subject: gardening; nature; Alaskana; westerns; classics; romance; series; biography type; travel; miscellaneous. When we go South, Barnes and Noble is usually our first stop where we will buy a dozen or more books. I love light reading; nothing that requires deep thought. The best part about reading is just that, reading. Finding a good book to curl up with and letting everything else go to the wayside until that book gets done.

This is one of my favorite photos. I love the connection of the colors from the plate to the little photos and then back to the marbles. My sister gave me this collection edition of the plate many many many years ago; the picture in the little black frame is me and my best friend, Karin, that was taken at my daughter's wedding; the little white framed photo was given to me by my best friend; and the marbles are just a collection of marbles.

I also love this collection of white and black. Some of the bottles were found in the hills of

Juneau where mining used to take place. Some garage sale finds. The two door plates were also found in the hills of Juneau amid old mining shacks.

This display changes with the seasons but one thing is always consistent: single, seasonal flowers in the bottles turn these bottles into a prettier display. These are from my garden. Soon there will be fall colored mums and then..... red carnations for Christmas!

Have a great day! Nancy