Harrington House

(Mis)Treating My Windows

These are my favorite window treatments...(mis)treatments, rather.  I have had them up now since what seems like the dawn of time, and I still absolutely adore them.  They are fashioned after The Nester's notorious no-sew method.  If I could be a cheerleader for mistreatments, I would buy some pom poms and practice my herkies.  I have some variation in just about every room in my home, but these are the original ones for me that started it all.  They are literally cut and clipped.  No hemming, no glue, no hand stitches, no trim.  Silk fabric, cut and clipped.  And poofed.  And loved by me.

It's A Just World

(Seasonally inappropriate picture has nothing to do with post ... just pretty!)

Trust me on this, y'all.  For every one clean corner in my home, there are a handful of others that go undocumented on this blog.  I should have mentioned that on my polished shower post.  I should have also made it clearer that my intention for waxing my shower was simply an attempt to stay ahead of soap scum.  It sure is a pretty sight to behold at the moment...I will let you know how future soap scum fares against it.  

While I am admiring the one clean corner of my home (shower), Amelia Kate retrieves me and pulls me down the hall towards the playroom, where she is wanting me to look at the "beautiful day" at the window. 

Oh, now that's the way I like my windows.  With lotion.  

And alphabet stickers, just for good measure.

I am certain I could run around my house and take pictures of "blog messes" (the kinds of messes that I would allow to be seen on here), but please rest assured that there are real messes that do exist and that I would never show.  Out of the goodness of my heart ... for y'all's sake.  But mostly for my own sense of dignity.  ;o) 

Besides lotion on the windows, Amelia is always keeping me on my toes.  We have been exploring outside lately and have been collecting pretty fall leaves and pinecones we can't live without.  Yesterday, she came up to the truck with an armload of treasure (that she truly just bent over and scooped without discretion) and laid it on my floorboards.  

In the spirit of the holidays, we have this scene in the fridge at night...

If only he was enough to scare me out of there during late night cravings.  

He has been named Punk-Punk.  He comes out for a couple hours in the evening to sit on the counter so we can light him.  We keep things very light around the Halloween holiday.  We celebrate the fall season, the pumpkins & Jacks, full moons and trees dropping leaves, and the rest (the scary, bloody, gory, and dark) is just not our thing.  I was raised to know everything is all in what you make it.  And we have good fun.  :o)  

 

Well, I'm off to get ready to pick Mike up at the airport.  He's been to GERMANY, of all places!  He always makes me envious by sending me pictures of the places where he is staying or the food he is eating.  This was a piece of jealousy this trip....

However, he told me that his views from the hotel were disrupted by the fog coming up from the Rhine river which runs beside the hotel.  Seriously?  I felt so sorry for him.  I wonder if looking through that fog is anything like looking through lotion-covered windows?  I highly doubt it has the same romanticism.  

Either way about it, I have decided that I will indeed pick him up from the airport this afternoon, despite the fact that I'm a little green with jealousy.  ;o)  Amelia insisted she give me a mustache with a yellow highlighter earlier, so I am sure he will be amused when he hops in the car. 

Just Another Manic Monday

I'm not quite sure why, but come Mondays I always seem to be more ambitious and energetic than any other day of the week.  So I waxed my shower.

Hahaha!  Yes!  I waxed my shower tiles with good ol' Turtle Wax.

(I had help, as you can see.)

 

A few years ago, when we remodeled our bathrooms, there was never a question in my mind as to what I wanted in my shower.  Pretty white tiles.  Simple.  Subway.  Oyster gray grout.  I love its versatility.  I love that it is easy to clean and always shines up to look new.  

I always clean my shower with castille soap and water.  Occasionally, I'll wipe it down with vinegar afterwards.  And now I am adding wax to the regiment!  I had so much fun polishing my tiles that I am considering asking Santa for a small buffer.  HA!

{Sigh} ... it's the little things in life.

 

It's the big things in life, too, though ... like my big, wild babies that I love to no end.

Random side note:  I bought a group of great old feedsacks from a local lady that I'm going to use in the playroom on this denim couch.   

 

Silver Service

I get a lot of questions about the silver I use.  Just after we got married in 2003, I started collecting random pieces of silver, but it wasn't until about 3 years ago that I completely got rid of my regular everyday silverware and replaced it with my silver collection.  This is what we use everyday for everything.  I love it!

Somehow, eating baked beans on any given evening in the summertime becomes as special as eating Christmas prime rib when you have a pretty, old piece of silver in your hand.  ;o)  That is the truth.  

 

   

When I first started collecting silver, I only knew two things:  that I love silver, and that I know what I like.  The latter applies to anything I collect.  I mean that I know what I like, and it does not matter if it has value beyond that.  I adore the mismatched look of my silver.  I am especially drawn to pieces that are engraved.

Once in a while, I get lucky and land on pieces with monograms that actually applies to us....  

 

Momma gave me a set of six pastry forks for my birthday.  So pretty!

 

I also use silver for the babies.  Shrimp forks and demitasse spoons are perfect for little mouths!

Now there are all sorts of rules with silver that I don't always follow.  I'm such a rebel.  ;o)  I am never really that careful with acidic foods, and I have put mine in the dishwasher.  Handwashing is recommended.  I try to handwash mine, but if I do, it's at the end of the day when I do the entire day's worth.  

Polishing seems to be what everyone is most concerned about with silver.  Yes, it tarnishes.  Yes, it needs polished.  The more it is used, the less often it needs polished.  But, honestly, polishing silverware is reasonably quick.  It has just become part of my routine.  My favorite polish is Wright's Silver Cream.  

 

How do I buy my silver?  This is the question I am asked most often.

I typically only pay $1 for each piece.  They are usually in the bottom of some box and black with tarnish.  Of the hundreds of pieces I have collected, there are only a handful I have not been able to polish.  It has been very few that I have relegated to yard work (digging holes in the flower beds for new plants).  ;o)   

Like I mentioned before, the value of a piece means very little to me.  I am not a silver snob.  The difference between the real silver pieces and silver-plated pieces are noticeable by weight, texture, and sometimes appearance, but not enough for me to mind.  There are some compositions I prefer, but I like all of it.  On the back of the neck of a piece is where you will find markings that tell you the composition and maker.  

  

There are several large online databases that will tell you all about your piece, including the age of your piece and the name of the pattern....my favorite parts.  

I also wanted to mention one of my favorite sites for finding old silver with monograms and engravings...  I found a Christmas gift here last year that was absolutely perfect! 

 
 

"You might be a Southern mother if you took the initiative to pick your daughter's silver pattern at birth." 
- Gayden Metcalf and Charlotte Hays

Monday Morning

Yesterday evening I started painting my armoire downstairs.  I'm using Martha Stewart's Milk Pail....it's a beautiful blue.  (I had a hard time getting a good picture of it's true color...this looks much lighter and very icy....it doesn't like that at all.)

 

As you can see, I've had help with the painting... 

 

We've been spending a lot of time outside lately.  Mike is waging an all-out war on weeds and actually aerated and re-seeded the backyard.  I love seeing green!  :o) 

 

Even if it's green immature hydrangea blooms that Amelia picks for me.  ;o)  

   
One other thing...remember that pink and cream striped wingback??  Well, I found an old matelasse coverlet that I'm actually going to use on it.  It's gorgeous!  I have it draped across the chair now and am trying to map out which parts of the coverlet are going on which piece of the chair.  

Up close pic of the dots on the coverlet...it's so gorgeous, y'all.  

 

Low Boy Revived

When I got married, Momma and Daddy were sweet to let me take the old low boy from my bedroom.  Now it sits here....in my master bathroom beneath a big window.  I love that I have a piece of furniture that has been with me for years.  The drawer on the top left has held my socks for as long as I can remember.  

 

Now, I adore the look of Southern coastal, but I do not adore when my furniture starts to resemble driftwood.

 

 

So much better now!

 

I love the contrast now between the revived wood and the crisp white linen and all-white toiletries in glass...kinda like having a beautiful tan and really white teeth.  HAHA!  ;o)

 

I have two other pieces of furniture, a tall 2 over 5 dresser and an armoire, in this bathroom to get all polished up.  But I didn't have time to do those today.  I only managed to get this one done today after I put both the babies in a crib and tossed in a popsicle.  ;o)

Kumpnee

We've got company (kumpnee) coming this weekend!  We are having Jack's baby blessing on Sunday morning, and I cannot begin express how utterly excited I am.  :o)  Both of our families are coming, and I am planning a special dinner in honor of Baby Jack...as well as getting everything ready for the service.  

Meanwhile, my house is nothing shy of a tee-total sin right now.  I have got a blue million things to do.  Like, some new window (mis)treatments that I have to get busy (not) sewing for our bedroom.  

Thankfully, Amelia Kate is my BIG helper.  She is learning when things are a MESS and what it really means to clean up.  Hallelujah!!  

 

 

 

 

Her little sweeper actually works...see...best toy that child ever got, I'm telling you. 

Now, Jack Jack prefers to play "superintendent" from the luxury of an armchair (typical) and chew on some sock monkeys...

 

Just Something Different...

Who posts pictures of their toilet paper holder?  Well...I guess I do.

I have had this black hook for ages, knowing I wanted to use it in our bathroom once the renovations were done.  Here is the hook's new use (as opposed to its old occupation of junking up the cabinet):

The twill ribbon is fastened by a set of jewelry clasps I hand-stitched to each end.  They reside inside the tube, of course.

Just something different...

Curtain Panel Storage Tip

If you have straight curtain panels that need to be stored away, you can wrap them around a cardboard tube.  (The one I am using to store the former dining room curtains still has a small amount of drapery liner on it.)  Did you know that folding fabric for storage can cause unnecessary stretching, fading, and wear to occur at the folded edges?

...I strategically stuck my foot in there so you can check out my new house shoes from Vera...