Better Living Through Literature
Words + Projects + Stuff I Like
I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I could:
I finally have chairs to go with that table–and for the first time in my adult life, I can entertain more than a total of two for dinner!
So I’m thankful for furniture, and that I have family and friends that I want to fill the chairs, and for what’s been a really good year, overall.
Meanwhile, Toby remains thankful for his space heater:
Enjoy the long weekend! I’ll be back Monday.
What’s better than an IKEA dining table that gives you the impression of a Saarinen tulip table? Finding that same table on ksl.com for $20, of course!
It needed some Magic Eraser-ing and I still may need to touch up the top, but I am so pleased with this score. Suddenly I understand why people shop at thrift stores.
Now to score some chairs…
Have you ever wondered why I’ve never posted a full shot of my kitchen? It was because I hated the industrial florescent light fixture in it. But now I can show pictures (and only cavil at the cabinets being wood, not white) because look–new lights!
Matching new lights! (Yes, I still need a dining table.)
I made my father come over last weekend and change out lights–but don’t worry, I watched and learned. I could totally do the next one.
Here’s a detail. These are not fancy (I had no idea how much you can spend on lighting!) but they give the look I want (mod!). 
The short answer: gardening and spending money.
On Saturday, I mounted planter boxes to the railings of my tiny deck (all on my own!), visited two nurseries, and then planted lots of pots.
The long view, with some more pots:
(Ignore the fact that I STILL HAVE NO LAWN AFTER FOUR MONTHS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BUILDER.)
There are also pots by the front door:
Sunday I focused on the indoors and went TV and flat-pack furniture shopping. I returned with something resembling the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey:
(I have not had to hit it with a bone. Yet.)
The TV stand is IKEA–not bad for Sweden, right? I have to thank my dad for braving IKEA with me, hauling everything around, and helping me assemble. Thanks, Dad!
And here’s one last picture showing a little more of how the monolith fits in the room:
Homeowners get really, really excited about basement storage. But do you blame me? Look at this shelving unit! 
I was looking at the IKEA wood shelving units because they were cheap and because they had an option for a wine rack, but then my dad offered to make me something. The materials were the same price as IKEA, but I ended up with more storage and exponentially better quality. (I could use those shelves as bunk beds if I had to!)
And I even got a wine rack: 
Dad surprised me with one that holds twenty-five bottles and takes up exactly half of one shelf. I blame exposure to the J. Peterman catalog at a young age, but I’ve always wanted to be the person who has the right wine on hand (including champagne). Now I can be that person–thanks, Dad!
(Somebody else gets excited about basement storage, too.)
I have made some serious purchases for the house lately. I know refrigerators and washers and dryers are serious, but these latest purchases feel more weighty, if only because they’re essentially frivolous. (Bear with me here.)
Remember how I wanted to copy a painting instead of buying real art? Well, the artist has been doing a lot of smaller work lately and I just went for it. Meet “Amber”:
The long view: 
I love “Amber.” I think she needs a frame, but she is gorgeous.
And remember when I wanted to buy a love seat for my old apartment–because a real couch wouldn’t fit–and I found one at Target.com? (That was so long ago that the images got lost when I moved to the new Blogger.) I remember back in 2007 that I worked two jobs to get the $400 to get that foam masterpiece.
Well, things have changed a little, because Monday I ordered this baby:
Made in Virginia to my own specifications, with my own upholstery choice (orange, of course), in six to eight weeks? I kind of can’t believe it. Because I remember working two jobs to get $400. Yes, I was in debt then, but not only am I out of debt now, I bought a house; and lately I just plop down money for non-essentials like real art and real furniture without batting an eye.
Tax returns help with the plopping down of money, of course, but regardless–it just sunk in that I’m not a struggling 20-something anymore. The unbearable adultness, indeed.
It’s all projects, all the time here at Chez Cat Hair lately. (Idle hands are the devil’s playground, after all.) I didn’t think this should get a spot on a Tuesday Project Roundup because the only skill involved was stapling, but there is fabric—specifically, a yard of Schumacher “Chiang Mai” linen stretched over a frame my dad made.
It’s art!
It hangs on the east wall of the main floor, in what will be the dining area if I ever find a kitchen table. 
I barely had the fabric art hung before I moved on the the NEXT project: Drapes for the main floor. Must stay busy!
I got home last night and you know what I did? I went out into my garage and got my car cleaned up from moving. It was great. Toby thought so, too. I think he’s plotting how to drive it so he can do this:
Why? Lowes delivered a new washer and dryer and my dad did a custom installation for them.* Then I did five loads of laundry WITHOUT LEAVING MY HOUSE. 
I used the “Bulky” setting, I used the “Handwash” setting, I used the “Steam Refresh” feature on my dryer, and I felt as if I’d finally arrived in Grown-Up Land.
Not only are they full of features, they are Toby-approved, too:
Yes, yesterday was a great day.
*Dad, I didn’t realize it would be that tricky or that washers were THAT heavy. Thank you!!
Obviously, I’ve been too busy moving to really make anything. But I only have two boxes left ot unpack, so I think I can count this as a project. Want to see how my stuff looks in the new house? (Answer: “sparse.” But it works for now.)
I call this “View Over the Kitchen Counter with Toby Head.”
Just behind that shot is the kitchen. Are you blinded by the glory of this fridge? Oh wait, that might just be the florescent lights. But the fridge IS pretty glorious.
I’m not taking a picture of the empty dining area, so that’s pretty much the main floor. If you go up the stairs, there’s the guest bath at the top of them:
Check out that mirror my dad hung so well. Fabric for the shower curtain is there on the counter.
Turn left from the guest bath and you get to the master bedroom. I’m only showing one end of it because the other end just has a lonely dresser. I need to get some more furniture in there because there’s enough room for a seating area, too. This is the less-lonely end with the bed (and Toby’s bed):
And I have a master bath–I have to share it with Toby, though:
And look at this medicine cabinet that my dad hung! It’s mirrored inside. It, too, is glorious.
Turn right from the top of the stairs and you get to the two other bedrooms. I’m using one as an office:
I’ve discovered it’s the wi-fi “hotspot” in the house.
And the other bedroom is the craft room! The red table needs to become a long white table and I need to make a new ironing board cover in this fabric. I also need to assemble the rolling chair in that box. And you can see I’m trying out fabric for the valance.
Whew! Lots of pictures. Lots of stuff that got moved in. And yet, even more stuff still to buy. But that’s being a homeowner, right?
