April 27th Southern Storm System

Mother Nature has been in a sour mood Down South.  Thankful for all those who came through the storms safely and prayers to those who suffered damage or are missing loved ones.  The storms that occurred throughout the day on April 27th were the worst in history for our part of the country.  The devastation is widespread and as always seems too much to comprehend the power of a rampaging storm with one neighborhood left untouched while another is ravaged.  Our family, friends and neighbors did not sustain damage, other than the nuisance of some power outages and downed trees.  Others were not as fortunate and I ask that you turn your thoughts and prayers their way.

I took this picture of one of the storms moving into our valley from the West, just after mid-day.  The Weather people referred to this storm as Round 2.   As you can see, it looks like a funnel cloud moving over the gap between the mountains.   I had gone out to run an errand and was returning home, hoping to outrun the storm.  I got home just as the heavy rains hit.

Remember to enjoy each day as the gift it is.  Don't take a single moment for granted.

Walk In, Find It and Catalog It

I enjoy shopping for wonderful jewelry for my home.  After a stressful week, there is nothing better than dropping into Home Goods and browsing through their shelves to find something that fits with my decor.  Some shopping hauls are more fruitful than others, but I can usually find at least one treasure to bring home to live with me.  I asked the sales lady when the best days to find new merchandise would be and she said that the trucks deliver on Monday and Wednesdays, so depending upon timing the new merchandise hits the shelves that day or the following.  I live about 50 minutes from my Home Goods store, so during the week doesn't really work for me, so I suppose I'll have to continue to catch the items that I can on my normal weekend runs. 

I have no method to my madness, other than a general sense of what I like and of course, the colors that I need.  I love the white dishes and serveware and can usually find something that I just must have.  I also love the reds and greens and I even have some blue items, although I don't have the color blue in any of my decor.  If it's gorgeous, if it's the right price and if it speaks to me, then it usually comes home with me.  Is that a shopping plan or what?  How do you shop...is there a method to your madness?

I like to 'catalog' my purchases, so that I know when and where I bought an item and how much I paid for it.  The easiest way that I have found to do this is to line my purchaces up when I get home and take an overall photo of he group, as well as some individual close up shots....I then take a picture of my receipt and sometimes will add handwritten notes to show the item matched up with the appropriate price.  I like to do this because it appeals to my OCD collecting personality. 

Do you catalog your purchases for items, collections etc as you find them? What is your approach?

More Kitchen Renovation

I'm enjoying a beautiful morning here at the Jammi Homestead...the sun is shining and the air is filled with the crispness of early Spring.  That of course, is outside the house, where I am not.  My beautiful morning consists of starting the workday by gazing at my bank of monitors and getting ready for a day of reporting comparisons - which can actually be fun, except that after an hour of peering at the screens, my eyes are begging to be punched out.  Soon, I'll hear my contractor hammering away and the crack of 2x4s falling.  The smell of sheetrock dust will again be in the air.  Sheetrock dust, in case you don't know is like sin, it clings to everything and it goes everywhere, no matter how hard you try to contain it...it is impossible. 

But........

My kitchen is begining to take shape and is becoming the better space that I always knew it could be.  What started out as a mini kitchen remodel, has become a medium kitchen remodel and is consuming more money than having Cousin Eddie in the house.  The decision to knock out the pantry and the hall closets to add some square footage to the 'eat in' area was a good one.  I'll give you a sneak peek.  The area to the mid right of the picture is where the hall closets were.  Notice the beautiful heat/air connections for the upstairs unit....that was one of those additonal hidden and unknown costs that continue to beat my budget to death...I use the term budget very loosely, as it was blown quite some time ago.

A view of the two closet doorways opening from the hall into the kitchen.  Removing these two closets and a smaller pantry area, opens up the kitchen which was one of my major goals.   These two doors will become one opening and as a bonus will lighten up my dark hall. 

Wiring is on agenda for today.