A Little Thrifting .... a Little Abbey......

Gentle Friends, in addition to my DMV visit and Lowes expedition on Friday I also hit a couple of the thrift stores I would normally get to Saturdays.  I knew I wouldn't be up to running around or have the time Saturday... and thrifting is something I like doing... I found a little something...

... this great small German Volkstedt Porcelain 3-D plaque... I have a couple of these from my grandmothers' estate, they are the blue jasperware, this green jasperware piece is really unusual, in that the cherub is grimacing, I think this is an allegory of Love... the heart pierced with and arrow and the cherub being "Love Stung"... so basically in porcelain form, it says "love hurts."  It's really sweet and for a few dollars how could I pass it up!!

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Sunday afternoon we headed to the Alamo Drafthouse to see the Downton Abbey Movie.  What's so special about this theatre is that it has a full-service menu which they keep serving during the film) and the seats are large lounge chairs and the wait staff was super!!  They make some mean bourbon cocktails!! - and - some killer adult milkshakes!!  It was so fun!  They also have a hard and fast rule that there is no talking, no tweeting no phones at all during the film and that you'll be asked once to stop.  If you don't stop then they'll eject you from the theatre immediately... no refunds.  I love that they enforce the rules and the jibber-jabber and yakkity yakking are nonexistent.  It's these distractions that keep me from going to see movies in theatres more frequently.  The movie was really fun also, we are big DA fans and went with friends who are also big fans so it was great fun wrapping up the weekend.  The ADH is located in the New Mission Theater built-in 1916, renovated in 1932 so there are lots of Art Deco details.  It is a true old fashioned movie palace!!  We're already planning a trip back for another fun evening.

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There you go sports fans, Thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle friends, so... we spent the bulk of the weekend painting our home... as you might remember we are in the throws of sprucing up our lives.  We have been in the same space for 15+ years and we've gotten very used to the same old furniture and same old paint on the walls... but after a while, things get to looking dull... or dare I say shabby... and less chic and more shock than I'd like to admit!  Even though we've talked about getting things changed up... new fabric and new paint... it's been all talk for years.  Finally, this past summer pulling on our big boy pants we dove into the mire and bought some fabric then got the furniture off to the upholsterers for recovering - these are due back in the next few weeks.  We also tossed out the old couch and replaced it with a new couch. It is amazing how nice it is to sit down without all the squeaks and creaks of a broken-down sofa.  It made more sense to replace the sofa than recover it and it was a hand me down a decade ago.

With a few pieces of furniture out of the house, it was time to get amove on with the painting. On Friday I took the day off to spend at the DMV getting my new "Real ID" which went off very efficiently and I was done in under an hour!!  Then I headed over to Lowes for paint.  We had done some research earlier and had decided on the two colours ( light celadon green called "Brown Buzz" for the front hall and living room and a darker green for the dining room)  The trip out to Lowes was really just getting the paint mixed and supplies bought.

Saturday was spent with getting the front hall and living room painted.  Since we live in a townhouse/apartment we really have no place to move everything out in one fell swoop so it was more about moving sections of stuff around, paint that area wait for it to dry then put things back in place and move on to the next area.... it took all day.  

But, we got it all done, everything got put back cleaned and we are so pleased... not only did we get new paint, but a deep clean for Fall... WOO HOO!!  We'll get the dining room done in the next two days so that by Friday we'll be all-new painted and cleaned.  Why Friday you ask... we have massages in the evening and I want to go into the weekend all relaxed and after having nice deep massages by Andrew I'm hoping for a nirvana experience!

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I did do some stitching during the week and finished up the big bird in the Fall section and here's a snap...

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There you go sports fans, just a quickie update on our lives here by the Bay!!  

Thanks for stopping by do stop again.

Good Thoughts! Good Woods!  Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Fall

Gentle Friends, I'm swamped at work, but couldn't let the first day of Fall pass without and a little lovely piece of Vivaldi.......

...Autumn, Allegro-Adagio Molto, from the National Botanical Gardens of Wales, played by the Academy of St Martin in the Feild.  It's my favourite time of year and this is one of my top 5 favourite pieces of music!!  Enjoy!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Thursday Thrifting

Gentle Friends, we were out and about as usual over the weekend and I found a piece of silver that  I am still kind of amazed that was out there to be found... here some snaps...

... I found this in a Salvation Army Thrift Store.  I think because of the odd way it had tarnished and the details that were filled with dried-on silver polish that they thought it was a silver-plated piece.  I even though that for a few minutes, until I started to really look at it and fell its heft.  I've dealt with lots of silver in my life and after a while, you get to know what an older piece feels like and what it should look like underneath.  The marks on the bottom of one of the feet are odd and illegible so that was no real help, but I am sure it's eastern European and probably 800/850 parts silver which is typical of the silver content for the time and area.  English and American are usually the 925 parts of silver.

... a closeup of the decorative masks and garlands...

... and the anthemions on the feet make me believe it dates to the 1870s or so...  when I was checking out I asked if there was another stick somewhere in the store... they said there was only the one that came in, but I'm keeping my eye out for the second one.... as I am sure it was a pair or maybe a set of four or six.... now wouldn't that be wonderful!!

... it's a really big piece of silver and so here's a second shot giving a better idea of the size... the hunt continues!

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There you go sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Fall Decorating

Gentle Friends, here are a couple of shots of our Fallish hallway... 

... looking down the hall towards our front door...

... and the little sign we've been hanging up for years.  It wouldn't be Fall without this !!  Rico made all the wreaths - he's so talented!!  The damn hall light makes everything a bit yellow!!
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Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!
edgar

A Little Stitcin'

Gentle Friends, just a quick update on the BBD Fall stitching...

... still on the bird..... it's a weird snap and makes the fabric look all stripped and odd... 

 I think the lighting was just way off.

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It was a lovely and cool weekend after our 85 and 90 degree days last week.  The fog rolled in Saturday morning and reminded all of us why we live here by the Bay!!  On the way to work this morning, it was even drizzling a bit so I think our rainy season has begun.  Rico decorated a bit for Fall yesterday so I'll get some snaps of what he accomplished up tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, I finished up Summer and have moved on to Autumn on the BBD seasonal stitch...  here's a snap...

... I did make a change to the large flower in the upper left corner.  I changed out the recommended floss for floss that actually showed up against my linen.  I am pretty happy with the result... now it's on to Autumn.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks again for stopping by do stop again!!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Stitchin' During the Long Weekend....

Gentle Friends, thank you so much for the kind words about Peaches passing.  It's been a few hard days, but every day we move forward and it eases a bit... 

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Just getting back into the swing of things after being away for a few days.  

I did do a bit of stitching and hers's a snaperoo...

... not the best snap, but you get the idea.  This is turning out to be a really fun piece to work on.  I always like BBD but am really enjoying this piece.  I do wonder why they decided to make this a three-season piece and not a full four-season piece???  Oh well, it is what it is.

That's about ti for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good deeds!

edgar