Springy state of mind

As spring begins to slowly unearth itself, I find myself wanting to deep clean-- to delve into closets, take out the garbage, and scrub the bathtub and windows until they sparkle. Unfortunately for me, twenty year's worth of  filmy, gray residue has permeated the porcelain of our bathroom, rendering  the work  not only back-breaking, but also extremely unsatisfying. However, there are a few bright spots in my home that can still usher in the spring.
First, this fabulous dish towel from Anthropologie, that I since have converted into a pillow cover.

It is simply too pretty to dry dishes with.

Another spark of brightness comes from these adorable tuxedo ruffle pillows that are now adorning the couch.

There isn't much room to sit, but it's the softest spot in the house.

On the subject of dishtowels, I've also fallen in love with this sweet little cake design slung over the door of my china cabinet.



I have always adored mint green, and so I am also deeply obsessed with this white vintage-style lamp coupled with a mint green shade.

Meanwhile, I am also embarking on a failing quest to grow my own lavender.

So far, nothing.

Anyone else itching for spring?

What do you do to get your home ready for the changing seasons?





Wednesday Winston: Sleeping in weird positions/ Date-confusion syndrome.

About once every year I have a severe memory lapse and experience spurts of great confusion concerning the days of the week. Last year I begged Jason to take me to Taco Tuesday, took all the wrong pills, and nearly overslept my Wednesday classes. I was convinced-- absolutely certain-- that it was Tuesday.
Wednesdays always somehow manage to allude me.
For instance, yesterday.
As the alarm went off I rolled over in bed thinking, Boy, am I glad it's Thursday! Because Thursday is the day I get to sleep in. Unfortunately for me, the chaos only worsened. After learning that his almost-finished essay was due on Friday I told the student I was tutoring, "Oh wow! So you only have one day to work on it?" and I bestowed on the undeserving boy my most stony and disapproving frown. At the hospital, too, I seemed to be all out of sorts, cheerily confirming all of Friday's appointments and calling out to a woman who had scheduled her appointment on Saturday morning, "See you tomorrow!"
The worst part about date-confusion is that no one seems to understand. With my pronouncement that I was relieved Friday was the next day, my fellow-student looked at me with a mixture of pity and disgust. I checked the mirror to see if I had food in my teeth or anything, and realized later that she had reacted rather negatively to my date-confusion syndrome. I don't know if anyone else experiences these temporary bouts of madness, but today Wednesday Winston has a new twist: it's appearing for the first time on a Thursday.
Cheers. Here's to the end of another week!

Wednesday Winston: One of these things is not like the others.

Winston is unfailingly curious at all times.

Even for a cat.

He does stupid things, and then we take pictures of him.

Like this.

 

Wednesday Winston: Biting to Survive

Winston fell asleep biting my finger.

 

Here's to never going down without a fight!

Petticoats for Chairs

Recently I've been looking for slipcovers. I hadn't found anything that was substantial for my distinctly girly taste until I stumbled across this Texas interior designer's home.

All I can say is this: I wish I could sew. Really sew. It's probably a good thing I can't-- I would put ruffles on EVERYTHING.
Sorry, Jason.

I've always loved slipcovers, but these pictures have opened up a whole new world in my heart and mind. Why should furniture not have the right to be dressed up? Why can't the bed, the chairs and the sofa sport tufted flounces and layers of petticoat?
Furniture need not be naked anymore! Don't get me wrong-- I like clean lines. But there's nothing that tugs at my heart strings like a well-crafted ruffle.
Sigh.

Let there be light...

...In the form of this fabulous $25 chandelier I bought at the local Hobby Lobby.

I have always loved--adored--chandeliers, and so I was delighted to find one so enchantingly cheap. The ceiling in our living room is a little too high in proportion to this little light, so I decided to hang it in what can easily be seen as the least glamorous room in the house-- the kitchen.
At the same time as this, I was getting a little tired of my yellow slipcover, so I fashioned this one out of curtains.

I mean, you can probably tell it's a curtain. But the pattern is cute.

 

And so, here is to illumination, creativity, and conference weekend!

Wednesday Winston: A close-up of cuteness