Claudia — Page 1283

Making A Reading Journal

March 31, 2014 at 8:16 am by Claudia

In the not so distant past, I mentioned here on this blog that I regretted not keeping a record of all the books I’ve read. It would be such fun to look back at my records and track my reading patterns and what I liked and didn’t like. I have a friend from back home who is a voracious reader and has kept a notebook with detailed descriptions of his reading journey for years. Imagine how many notebooks he has filled!

So, this year I’m keeping a little reading journal.

It’s a quick project. I started by looking for an attractive notebook of some kind. I didn’t want anything big – just a small journal I could keep on the table next to my blogging chair. (There are actual Book Journals that you can buy, but I didn’t like the ones I saw. They included too much extra information to fill in and I felt restricted by all of that.)

bookjournal

I picked up this smallish notebook at Target for $1.99.

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Then I added a label (also from Target and found in the dollar bin) with my not-very-inspired name for the journal.

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I do not like my writing. May I just say that? After years of taking hurried notes on actors’ performances in rehearsals and in the dark of a theater, my handwriting has devolved.

Anyway, it’s a simple list. Just the title, author and a quick mini-review. It could be much more detailed, of course. You could add things like how long it took you to read the book, how many pages, publisher, some sort of rating system, plot, etc.

Since I started this at the end of March, I had to try to remember everything I’ve read since January. It’s pretty accurate, though I may have missed a book or two. (There’s more on the next page.)

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I’m sure some of you already do this. But I’m a late bloomer, remember? Better late than never!

Maybe you’d like to keep a reading journal? We could compare notes at the end of the year. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Yesterday, I mentioned watching His Girl Friday on TCM the other night, starring Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy. Every time I see Ralph Bellamy, I think of Don. Don had a recurring role on L.A. Law years ago. He played a district attorney named Russell Spitzer. On one of the episodes, he represented a character played by…you guessed it…Ralph Bellamy. So Don, lucky duck that he is, got to spend several days on the set sitting next to Ralph Bellamy, who regaled him with stories of making movies and old Hollywood and all of the actors he had worked with during his amazing career. He was an awfully nice man.

On a side note: Not long after I met Don, Ralph Bellamy came up in a conversation and Don told me about that experience. And I remembered seeing that episode when it first aired. Little did I know that the guy who played the district attorney would one day end up being my husband!

Happy Monday.

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Collecting: Two More Finds

March 30, 2014 at 8:24 am by Claudia

The sump pump has been on overdrive here at the cottage. Rain, rain and more rain was the theme for Saturday and into the early morning hours of Sunday. Since the rain was to begin around noon on Saturday, Scout and I took our walk together in the morning. She went a little further than the last time – yay, Scout!

Right after that, I took off for my favorite little antique shop. I decided to treat myself as I hadn’t been there in weeks. Everyone around here is emerging from their winter prisons and getting out again.

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I brought these little treasures home.

The little mini pitcher will make an nice addition to my miniature pottery collection. And the red transferware egg cup? How could I resist?

Collecting smaller things like the miniature pottery or egg cups is something that all of you who are dealing with small space restrictions might want consider. They don’t take up much space, and in the case of my collections, are pretty reasonably priced. You can amass a collection without it taking over your house, yet the display of your collection can pack a pretty powerful punch.

Back to my finds:

minipitcher

This pitcher is absolutely lovely, with a glaze that reminds me of Arts and Crafts pottery, something I researched when we were living in our little Craftsman cottage in San Diego. Depending on the light, this little pitcher looks green or aqua. That’s a little bird and a flower in the design. On the reverse side there is another bird sitting on a branch. The pottery mark on the bottom of the pitcher is a thistle. Jean had another piece there with the same mark. She hasn’t been able to find out anything about that particular mark, and my efforts so far haven’t yielded any information.

It’s probably worth more than what I paid for it, but since Jean couldn’t determine the maker, I got a good deal. I really love it.

transferwareeggcup

And do I need to say anything about this pretty double egg cup? I love transferware. I love red. There you go.

shadowbox

I couldn’t seem to get a straight-on picture of the shadowbox (it’s in a corner,) but here is the new addition. I think I’m going to have to search for another shadowbox. I’ll soon be running out of room in this one.

Isn’t the hunt for a piece the best? I like getting things on eBay and Etsy, but far more fun is the ongoing search where you have a little list tucked away in a corner of your mind and each time you open the door to a shop, the possibility of a hidden treasure awaits. And when you find something, that little surge of adrenalin hits and you quickly grab it. It’s yours.

This shop has been a great discovery. I almost always find something there.

Maybe that’s why I mustn’t go there very often.

The winner of a copy of The Moon Sisters is Claudia! (Not me! Another Claudia.) I’ve just sent you an email, Claudia. Congratulations!

Oh, and to top yesterday off, I watched His Girl Friday on TCM last night – perhaps the quintessential screwball comedy. Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy and a cast of wonderful character actors, a witty and smart script with dialogue that is so well-written it takes your breath away and directed by the great Howard Hawks. Heaven.

Happy Sunday.

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A Corner of the Cottage

March 29, 2014 at 9:06 am by Claudia

Of course, not every corner is worth highlighting, but I’m starting a little series that will aim a spotlight on a smaller areas and niches in the cottage. Who knows? It may end up being a very short series! Here goes.

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First up: this little corner in the den.

What’s that piece of furniture? The cherry spinet desk was a local find. It used to be by the stairs and my little white freebie-street-find desk was in here. They’ve recently changed places. Because this corner has a lot going on already, we decided to close the desk up and use it as a table.

What’s on/in it? A hand-painted tole letter holder (it holds bills that need to be paid,) a vintage cigarette box that I got in Edinburgh, a framed print that I’m using as a tray and which holds my lenses and a stack of already made felt critters, a pot of impatiens that will eventually return to its original home on the porch, a bird nest I found on the property that is under a glass dome.

What’s on the wall? The Lost Lamb print in a beautiful vintage frame that I purchased from my blogging friend, Debra, is at the top. Underneath it is a vintage shadow-box type shelf that had a dark finish and mirrored back. I painted it and covered the mirror with scrapbook paper and now it holds my miniature pottery collection.

corners-den-basket

What else? On the floor is a stack of vintage books, books that we have read and truly love. Next to the books is a vintage wicker piece that could hold logs or magazines or a host of other things. Here at the cottage it holds some reading material and my tin of hand quilting supplies.

Any challenges? Yes. This little space is nestled between a window and a closet. So whatever we put there has to be able to exist in that space and also be fairly easy to move. The window cannot be blocked because it is the home of a window air conditioner in the summer months.

And there you are. I hope you like this little series!

Happy Saturday.

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Making A Reading Journal

Collecting: Two More Finds

A Corner of the Cottage

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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