Big Project Finished

For the past few weeks, I've been on an organizing/decluttering rampage.  One project that has been hanging over my head for over a year is transferring the music on my CDs to my iPod.  I'm happy to report that the task is finally finished!  I have an iPod nano, which I adore.  It's slim and light and fits into any of my handbags so it can go everywhere I do.  It's like a little miracle to me as I can have my entire music library with me at all times, as well as a variety of podcasts that I download for free from iTunes.  What's even better, is the iPod is eco-friendly - no more plastic discs or jewel cases.  Now when I want music, I can just download it to my computer.  No plastic, no packaging, just an electronic transfer of music and monies.  How green is that?

My Dual Life

Yesterday evening I had to laugh at myself for leading such a dual life.  A friend said I must sometimes feel schizophrenic!  Here's what I'm talking about:


I was in the big city of Greensboro for a good part of yesterday.  I had a lot of errands to run and purchases to make.  Our closest *city,* Danville, leaves a lot to be desired as far as shopping is concerned.  (We don't even have a bookstore!)  Since some of my furniture has gotten a bit shabby, I went to a decorator fabric store called Printer's Alley where I browsed the isles for a while, trying to find just the right fabric.  Another thing I needed was new drinking glasses and, after an internet search, decided that Williams Sonoma carried just the right ones.  (By the way, that store makes me want to be a better cook.)  So, I headed over to Friendly Center, an upscale shopping area in Greensboro.  While there, I also stopped by Sheree's Natural Cosmetics to pick up a couple of items.  They ended up giving me a makeover!  One of my last stops was Earth Fare, where I did a bit of natural/organic grocery shopping before heading home. 


Now for the flip side of my life:  After having dinner, my son and I headed out to the barn pasture to do some goat wrangling.  One of our more skittish goats, Suzie,  gave birth to twins on Wednesday and I needed to get them all into a stall in the barn.  After much maneuvering and use of goat psychology, we got them all into the stall.  Another task was to make sure the babies were nursing properly as Suzie's milk bag is lopsided.  That involved milking her to decrease the size of one side.  It took a bit more goat psychology to catch her.  Then, while my son was holding her head, I was busy milking her down.  All the while, her babies were corralled in a large bucket, calling for their mama.


So, this is what a city girl does when she lives in the country.

Decorating Idea

As I work on my room, I'm trying to think of how I'll use the space and how to get the most bang for my buck.  I'm trying to think through the layout and use of the room before I make any purchases or major decisions.  This project table from Potter Barn (or similar) is a piece of furniture I've had my eye on for quite some time:

It's very versatile as it has a large work area and two bookshelves with removable dividers.  I can see pairing this with a desk for my computer and/or sewing machine.  It would give me room to cut fabric or work on other projects and has plenty of space for my crafting and other creative books and magazines and some of my tools.  


I'll keep this on the back burner for the time being and focus on getting fabric to reupholster the sofa and chair.  Once I have that taken care of, I'll be ready to move to the next step of acquiring just the right work area.

Quote for the Day

"To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive."


~Robert Lewis Stevenson

The Transformation Begins

Today I begin the process of turning the room previously known as "The Bonus Room" and used as my kids' recreation area into a room of my own.  Here are a few before photos:

I've cleaned it up a bit since taking the photos.  It has been a multi-purpose room lately and a lot of odds and ends have accumulated.  As you can see, there's a mattress and box springs temporarily housed in the room, but they will soon find a home in my son's room.  At 6'1" he has outgrown his twin beds.  


It's a very nice room - big, spacious, has two dormer windows with seats, cheery yellow walls, and beige berber carpet.  The upholstered furniture is old and has seen better days, so I'm going to have it recovered.  I'm thinking a cranberry and cream toile for the sofa 

and cranberry and cream mini-checks for the chair and ottoman,

along with some coordinating pillows on the furniture and in the window seats.   I'm working on putting together a nice work area, with a desk for working on the computer and studying, and a work area for crafts and sewing.  I'm also gathering my favorite craft, homemaking, and personal books to put on a bookshelf.  I also have some exercise equipment and DVDs that are scattered throughout the house.  I'm looking forward to having one room for all of my things and a place where projects don't need to be put away each day.  


I'll try to post photos as I make progress.  Please feel free to offer any suggestions!

Tanning

A recent study revealed that those who think they're avoiding the dangers of suntanning by using tanning beds are actually increasing their odds of getting cancer.  I've lived in sunshine states most of my life but, for the most part, avoided the typical sun worshiping that goes on in those areas thanks to a mother who insisted her children wear sunscreen way before it was popular.  For those of you who still think it's a good idea to get a summer tan, read  Style on a String's expose on suntanning myths.  Some of the photos alone are enough to make one swear off sun bathing FOREVER.  

Something to Think About

As strange as it may seem,  visiting Asheville made me realize how the Christian Church (I mean the entire church, not just a particular denomination) is failing a large group of Americans. During my visit, I noticed the abundance of new age books and shops.  Bookstores had large sections devoted to wiccan and eastern religions and many shops had crystals and other new age paraphernalia.  There was a dearth of books on Christianity.  Obviously, the presence of the new age materials means many people in the community are seekers, looking to connect with God.  However, they seem to have dismissed the possibility of finding God in Christianity.  And I don't blame them.


I took the above photo in a community not far from Asheville.  There's a lot wrong with what seems to be going on in this particular church and highlights why I believe people in Asheville (and other communities) dismiss Christianity.  I enlarged the photo to show that it says "using only the King James Bible."  Obviously, the members of this church believe that the King James version is the one authorized by God himself.  Any other translation is wrong, wrong, wrong.  Further, the bible verse chosen for the sign is only part of the story.   Roman 6:22-23 says:  "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Oops, I didn't use the King James version.)   Again, these people want to emphasize sin rather than the love, mercy, and forgiveness found within the Church.  


Asheville is a very progressive community and the area is home to a number of colleges.  An academic community means there are lots of thoughtful, intelligent people in the area.  Being a Christian doesn't mean checking your brains at the church door, but lots of churches seem to encourage that.  Intelligent, educated people know when they're being deceived or lied to.  They know that science has proven the earth is more than 6,000 years old and that any reading of the Bible is subject to personal interpretation.   Further, those who care for the environment and understand the science behind global climate change are turned off by the conservative Christians who seem to think it's okay to damage the earth.  It is the stubbornness of many churches that is keeping a large number of people away.  Those churches need to be reminded of Galileo and the Church's insistence that he was wrong when he pointed out that the earth is not the center of the universe.  Why so insistent on ideas that have nothing to do with faith?


As someone who was not raised in the Church but became a Christian as an adult, I understand those who are turned off by Christianity, or at least the way many churches "package" it.  By dumbing down the faith and twisting it to suit a particular agenda, the Church is failing large numbers of people.   It's no wonder so many in areas like Asheville have outright rejected Christianity.