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Reality Shot Thursday

September 28, 2011 at 8:02 pm by Claudia

Welcome to the first Reality Shot Thursday!

I think all the gorgeous photos out there in the blogiverse are wonderful. I love seeing them and I’m continually impressed by how beautifully they are staged. That being said, it’s easy to think that bloggers actually live that way every day. And maybe some do. But most of us don’t. We move aside piles of stuff to create a pretty vignette to photograph. So I thought: why not post what I call a Reality Shot once a week? My first Reality Shot was last Thursday and this is the first week of the weekly meme. I’m so glad you’re here.

My shot this week needs some background.

This is the bench in my kitchen. We keep various tools and other essentials inside the bench. I added some cushions with different patterns and textures that tied in with the colors in the kitchen. I used to post some of my photos on Houzz and this one has the most hits, which continually surprises me. Over 270 people have added it to their ideabooks. I just checked and it’s still being added on a daily basis. Go figure.

Here is the way it looks on a normal day (if only we had a mud room!):

Cushions not perfectly aligned
Shoes under the bench
damp, muddy towels used to wipe the dogs’ paws in the wet, rainy weather
a staple gun
the cardboard holder for a saw – we’d lost it and then I found it on the floor under the bench
Scout’s dog leash
more towels under the bench

Also: the photo quality isn’t as good as the first photo – it was a gray day.

That’s real life in our house.

If you’re taking part in Reality Shot Thursday:
Publish your post.
Click on the title for your post and copy that post’s URL from the top of your browser.
Use the link tool at the bottom of this post and paste the URL into the appropriate box – just follow the directions.

Dad and Mom

September 28, 2011 at 6:00 am by Claudia

Mom and Dad – photo taken 17 years ago in San Diego

Today is my Dad’s 88th birthday. My mother had been scheduled to go home today, on his birthday. Yesterday he got the news that Mom has declined in the last few days (which we all knew) and that she isn’t strong enough to go home. She is being moved to the nursing home side of the facility.

Dad was inconsolable and it broke my heart to hear the despair in his voice. I think the prospect of Mom coming home was the only thing keeping him going. Most of yesterday was spent on the phone with my Dad and my sister.

In a perfect world, my parents would age with dignity and then quietly fade away at a grand old age.

But we all know this is not a perfect world.

I’ll be back later this evening with a post for Reality Shot – be sure to link up if you’re interested. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

The Unseasonal Decorator

September 27, 2011 at 10:31 am by Claudia

I know this might be a form of blasphemy in this nesting, decorating blog world….but I’m not much of a seasonal decorator. There, I’ve said it.

First of all, I don’t have much room to store that kind of thing. Furthermore, all I have to do is look out my window or, better yet, go outside, to see seasonal decorating in all its glory. Why compete? I know I’m blessed (or cursed, depending on the season) because I live in the northeast, where each season is distinct and beautiful. I’ve been trying to remember if I did more seasonal decorating when I lived in San Diego where the seasons are two: gorgeous or rainy. I don’t think I did.

I decorate the living room area for Christmas, never the rest of the house. No red, white and blue on those patriotic holidays. Maybe a fabric egg or two at Easter. I don’t change out pillows or slipcovers for the seasons, either. It’s just not my thing and besides, our little cottage is only 1200 square feet. Where would I keep all that stuff?

At this time of year, I usually buy a pumpkin or two. That’s about it. Last year, I searched high and low for white mini pumpkins. Tracie took pity on me and sent me some. This year, I was pleasantly surprised when I found some at my local market.

These and maybe a pumpkin on the porch will be the extent of my fall decorating.

I do love white mini pumpkins.

The wicker rocker is now in the bedroom. No, it hasn’t been fixed yet. Don commented more than once about how much he liked the more spacious feeling in the living room in the rocker’s absence. So I tweaked a few things in the bedroom and there you have it. The room is definitely closer to something-like-charming with the addition of the rocker. Next up: painting all the darker pieces of furniture. Maybe with chalk paint?

I found another piece of miniature pottery the other day.

A little creamer, most likely a souvenir, from Barbados. I fell in love with the colors and the design. Isn’t it sweet?

A reminder about Thursday:

I hope this will become a weekly meme. We’ll see. Share a photo from your home or yard that isn’t staged….you know, the mess that is just to the right of your staged, pretty photo. Just a quick slice of real life. I’ll put up my post on Wednesday evening and will figure out Mr. Linky before then. I know there are a lot of memes out there and it can be hard to take part because of life’s daily demands. If you feel like joining, great. If not, I’ll merrily keep on posting my reality shot every Thursday.

The button and code are on my sidebar.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Reality Shot Thursday

Dad and Mom

The Unseasonal Decorator

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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