Creating A Beautiful Life

Welcome to Starfish Cottage

2011-05-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Making this sign was one of the last things I did for the cottage.

Looking back at the front door

Looking from the front door

Bay Window

Seashell mirror over the cupboard in dining area

Closeup of the mirror I made from shells and sea glass

Kitchen

2011-05-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

The beautiful flowers outside the window.

My cream ware on the shelf above the sink.

Sorry for some of the dark pictures

More starfish touches

Laundry & Bathroom

2011-05-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

The laundry area is between the bathroom and the guest bedroom right off of the kitchen.

The refurbished tub turned out wonderful. The tub is original to the house.

I glued sea shell on the robe rack.

My little shelves over the toilet. The little bottles of sand are from beaches I've visited around the world.

The Costco shelf - probably one of the best things I've ever purchased from there.

More starfish touches

Bedrooms

2011-05-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

The larger bedroom or "Master Bedroom" as we liked to call it. You can see the rich wood flooring we put through out the house. I loved laying in bed and listening to the soft sound of the horn coming from the harbor for the boats.

You can see in this picture the beautiful doors that were used for the bedrooms and bathroom.

An original built in from when the house was built in 1938. I had added little starfish touches all over the house. I wish I had a picture to show you - the little hook on the side of the built in is a starfish hook.

We had taken the closet out of this room in order to make the second bedroom. I had to add a wardrobe. I had always pictured adding an antique one that I had of course painted white. I'm sure the new owner added something bigger than this.

Guest Room

The Guest room. You will remember some of this furniture from previous post.

My little white dresser.

Another starfish touch on this robe hook.

Another view from by the bed.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

It has been a while.

2011-05-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Entering Old Town Bandon and Bandon Harbor below. I do miss the Oregon Coast Sometimes.

It has been a while since I've posted on this site. I stopped posting because my personal life had taken a strange turn. After many twist and turns, I'm now living back in the San Francisco bay area as a single woman. I've sold the Bandon House and I'm sure it is a wonderful home for the woman who purchased it. She knew the neighborhood well and had kept her eye on the renovations over the years.

I promised a few friends that I would finish what I had started here and post the final pictures of the house as it looked when we put it on the market.

I've also started a couple of other blogs which I will share with you later. If you have any questions the email account associated with this blog is still active so you can reach me through this site at any time.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Small Ottoman for "Star Fish Cottage"

2009-07-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a small ottoman I refinished for "Star Fish Cottage" - sorry for the fussy picture - I'll make note that I need a new camera. Can't figure out how to do close up shots that well - and this from the girl who was photo editor of the year book two years in a row. As you can see I used the same fabric as the folding chair.

I got the ottoman at the Goodwill Store for $4.95. The top lid hinges back to hide little things. Not very big so it won't hide much. I can't decide if I should add fringe or not.

Well, it has been extremely stressful lately for me at work and somewhat at home. The stress has been causing health issues that I will not go into as I do believe in the law of attraction and I'd rather focus on something positive. I'd love to hear about the things happening in your life. I would also like to think all of my followers and for anyone who stops by.

Until Next Time. . . .
Kathleen

Head Board Make Over for "Star Fish Cottage" Guest Room

2009-07-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

This head board was given to me by a friend in Bandon. It was stained dark so of course I had to paint it white. My usual Swiss Mocha ICI paint white that is.

I got the netting at a thrift store about 4 or 5 years ago (for $5.00.) I've been saving it just for this purpose. One of my husband's co-workers stayed out their earlier this week and she said it looked "romantic." Paris (that is her name) stayed at "Star Fish Cottage" when we had a whole in the kitchen ceiling and the bathroom was the old yucky lavender one. You remember the photo. This was her third trip out there since we started. The second time we had changed the outside so much she drove around looking for it until she realized which house it was. She couldn't believe the transformation then. This time she got to see the wood floors installed and well the house is mostly together now. I just need to finish painting the trim inside, put the crown molding in the kitchen and well spiffy it up for guest. With new linens, a few new furnishings and how could I forget get rid of all the tools we are storing inside the house. Doesn't everyone have a table saw just inside their front door?

This is the before photo. It was pretty dark but now with the white paint it looks like it belongs inside the house.

Until Next Time. . . . . . .

Kathleen

Make Over For a Folding Chair

2009-07-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

I got this folding chair so long ago I don't remember when it was purchased. I do remember that I purchased it at Costco. I decided to give it a make over for the Bandon house. I spray painted it white and recovered the cushions with this light pink rose fabric. Unfortunately Joann Fabrics did not carry the other floral print I recovered my foot stool and the other chair in out at the coast. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

This is what the chair looked like before. To me it is a big change. While refinishing the chair I had to do something different. Instead of using a staple gun - I used a hot glue gun. I couldn't get the staples to work and I was desperately trying anything I thought might work. It worked great. Now I think I will pick up a few more chairs for "Star Fish Cottage" and maybe even a few for the Ashland house.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Grief and Daily Life

2009-07-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

Grief is not an emotion I really like to dwell in for a long period of time. It has been one I have spent a fair amount of time in though. For myself it is a place which brings a lot of reflection of past, present and future. I feel the blue print of big changes unfolding before me these days. The catalyst of change had already begun with the passing of family members within these past several months. Also, my 30th high school reunion is upon me and my 48th birthday is just around the corner. I feel as if there are things about myself I am just discovering and things about myself I'm coming face-to-face with realizing that I don't like so much. It is a time to decide what surroundings, memories, and habits to hold onto and cherish and what ones are no longer serving the best interest of myself and the others around me.

One tool I've used over the years to work through rough patches in my life is the writing of poetry. In fact most of the poems I've written have been for this purpose. Below is one such poem I wrote years ago.

The Visitor Called Loneliness

The visitor called loneliness comes standing at my door
Sometimes he barges in and takes over my house filling every nook and cranny with his clutter of emptiness
He stays long after his welcome

Sometimes he comes disguised as someone
We sit and have tea. We chat about trifle matters
At times jabbing words fall from his mouth
I’m caught off guard and think I must have heard him wrong
After all he still has a smile on his face and is poised so handsomely on the edge of the chair

It is only after he leaves that the scent of his cologne seeps up my nose and fills up my lungs
Then I have a sense of something missing
And no matter how hard I try I can’t get rid of the smell, which lingers in the air

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

It is a bugs life. . . . .

2009-07-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

So here is the interesting insect which showed up outside my house after I took a freshly painted end table from the garage. It is a Rosalia Funebris and it turns out it likes fresh paint. I found this article on line while researching the guy (at least I'm calling it a guy) http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/97/6.19.97/beetle.html So check it out.

I've been doing yard work. Laying a few pavers, putting down bark, planting, weeding, and all that good type stuff. I have a ways to go. We have some old redwood yard furniture in need of sprucing up so I'm painting them black - as it seems to be easier to purchase new yard furniture in black.

What about you? What are you up to?

Until Next Time. . . . . .

Kathleen

Nautical Photographs for the Coast House

2009-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

I've been looking at black and white photograph posters to purchase for the walls at Star Fish Cottage. I found these at http://www.allposters.com/ The price and size vary. This one above is "Pix Creac'h sur Ouessant" 38x13 $29.99 or 59x20 $49.99. I think this one would look good above the door inside the bathroom.

I don't know the name of this one. It is 22x28 for $24.99

"J-Class Start" 32x24 $22.99

"Nautical Dream II" 16x12 $12.99. I love this one. I'm thinking of this one in the living room.

"Sailing V" 13x13 $17.99

"Valkyrie" 22x28 $24.99. Another good one I think for the living room.

"Velsheda Versus Endeavour" 24x32 $27.99. This one right above the bathtub.

So what do you think would be good ones? Do you have a source for other black and white sail boat pictures? I'd love to hear about it.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Prince Eugen

2009-06-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

These are also photos by Andy. This is Prince Eugen (pronounced Oi-Gun) who really belongs to one of Andy's neighbors. Prince Eugen likes it better at Andy's house though so he is pretty much Andy's cat. One weekend Andy called me asking for the name of my cats vet. Prince Eugen's extra toes were all messed up. Turns out he wasn't able to dull down the nails on his own and they had curled around and was growing back into the paw. Ouch! The vet of course fixed him right up and now I believe Andy has to trim the nails every so often and remember the cat isn't even really his (yeah right!)

Okay time for a nap

If you must

I love a good cat tale so I couldn't resist the photos.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Lighthouse Pictures by Andy

2009-06-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Some more great shots from Andy. This one is my favorite.

Look at the clouds.

Another great one.

Fourth of July weekend will be my weekend for seeing the Lighthouse for myself. As I have mentioned before I haven't actually been to the lighthouse in the four years I've owned the little cottage. I will be watching the fireworks from the harbor area just like last time. I can't wait. I have new items to take to the cottage and of course more projects to work on while out there.

Thanks Andy for some more great pictures!

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Good-Bye Farrah

2009-06-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

I was one of those girls who wanted to have the Farrah Fawcett hair do in high school. I thought and still do think she was absolutely beautiful. So Farrah's passing is rather sad for me.

This is my all time favorite of Farrah. Yes - the "All American Girl" look.

I so admire her courage through her living and dying. I hope her family finds comfort with her memories. I know I will never forget her and the impact she had on my life.

This is a photo of me from high school taken in 1978-79. I hope you can see even a small amount of Farrah in me.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Pictures taken by Andy

2009-06-24T20:21:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures a co-worker took out at our Bandon "Star Fish Cottage." Come on inside!

This one is looking back from across the Living/Dining room towards the front door. Well - yes we still have some working tools inside the house since we are not done yet. I just love the little rustic bench under the coat rack. I got it at the thrift store for a couple of bucks.

Looking inside from near the front door.

Another great shot from inside the door.

I need to find some good furniture for the front room. I actually refinished the cream rocker and sworn off doing large pieces ever again. I do have another ottoman to work on right now to take out there.

Just inside the kitchen door.

Next time I go out I will finish up the little shelf. I will put molding across the front and put all my pretty white stoneware pieces. You'll see I'll take a picture.

Looking into the bathroom right around the corner from the stove.

There is a picture of Andy in the mirror. It is great he has the nice wide angle lens for taking these shots.

I plan to hang a small chandelier above the tub along with putting a very large black and white sail boat print on the wall.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour courtesy of Andy. We have been working long hours at work so he took a little time off. I offered the house for him to stay at. I think the poor guy was half shocked that I did because he often pushes my buttons at work trying to get me to order things or get one of his orders into the computer system. I'm often telling him to go away and leave me alone. He also teases me when he catches me singing a little too loudly my Chinese Pop/Hip Hop tunes to my ipod. I'm sure it happens more often then I get teased though. I think everyone is use to it by now. Damian and I sure enjoyed the photos. Thanks Andy!

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

A Bowl of Ramen

2009-06-21T21:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day! My niece moved back to California on Friday which has made me sad so I don't want to talk about Father's Day. Let me just say I miss my Father and leave it at that.

I'd like to tell you about the ramen noodle nights this movie inspired at my house over this last week. I got this movie last weekend and watched it on Saturday morning and then again Saturday night with Damian, Brittnee and Kelsey. I liked the movie so much that I had purchased ramen noodles at the Asian market in Medford during my Saturday grocery shopping. My family liked the movie too and was real excited about having ramen noodles for dinner.

Here is my bowl of noodles. I used chicken for the meat and spinach for a vegetable. I made a hard boiled egg and shaped it into a rabbit with one of my bento egg molds. I wish the photo had come out a bit better. I guess it is time for a new camera. This bowl was actually from my Wednesday dinner. Damian has French classes on Wednesdays so the girls and I had ramen noodles again for dinner Wednesday night. My niece Kelsey loves all things Japanese. Sort of like me with China - although I do like Japan a lot too. After all bentos are Japanese and lets not forget ramen!

This is what the package of noodles looks like. The noodles are soft not dried as they are in a cup-of-noodles. In fact I'm not sure I could ever eat a cup-of-noodles ever again after tasting ramen this way.

So if you want to watch a cute little movie - I recommend "The Ramen Girl." It is of course a Chick Flick but hey my husband thought it was cute.

Until Next Time. . . . . . .

Kathleen

Well - I sort of did it again!

2009-06-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

It is a long story - well sort of a long story. When we were in Los Angeles area for my father-in-laws funeral well I sort of fell again. This time it didn't break. The family was getting the house ready for the reception after the service and well my husband sort of passed out and hit his head smack on the concrete. My sister-in-law Greer came in to tell me to call 9-1-1. Well, the phone wasn't on the hook and then I remembered to I had a cell phone. I called 9-1-1 but couldn't remember the house number I had to give the phone to one of my brother-in-laws. I was trying to get to my husband (down a flight of stairs) and I fell off the last two. I calmed down then and road to the hospital with Damian in the ambulance. Once there the nurses convinced me to get my leg looked at - I guess the softball looking knot on the side of my leg looked bad. Anyway, once Damian was squared away I let them take xrays and I'm fine just a bad sprain.

Damian is fine. They kept him in the hospital for two days. He got out just before the service. They ran tons of test on him and didn't find anything wrong. I think he was just stressed out along with the weather being hot.

I should had my niece Brittnee take another picture from the other side because it was completely black and blue. Not sure how I did such a good job of this.

Funny - when I broke my right leg last Summer I stayed so calm. After the initial hurt and crying on the side walk. I picked myself up and went back into the house (not sure really how I managed that but I did.) I then sat on a big chair and waited another 15 minutes until my husband's normal time to get out of bed. I then called and said that he would have to take me to the hospital because I was pretty sure I had broken my leg. I then had him get me a pair of sweats, my purse, and the phone. He got dress and I called my work, the insurance company and had him get me into the sweats and a different pair of shoes (I was only able to wear socks.) So my brother-in-laws kept asking me what happened - as to why I freaked out. I think because it was Damian and not me hurt.

When I broke my leg it didn't even look as bad as this (you can see old photo on the blog somewhere.) I am mending really well now. My leg still hurts and swells up but most of the bruising is gone. The leg really hurts by the end of the day but I'm okay and most importantly Damian is fine.

Well Until Next Time. . . .
Kathleen

Cuthbert Carson Mann - Aug 2, 1928 to May 15, 2009

2009-06-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Cuthbert Carson Mann, a journalist and philosopher who was known as the quick-witted Irishman, died May 15 at his Glendora home surrounded by his family. He was 80. A reporter and editor at the Los Angeles Times for more than 20 years, Mr. Mann dedicated his life to writing and literature, publishing numerous articles on subjects ranging from current affairs to history and religion. He spent many years researching and writing “Hitler’s Three Struggles: the Neo-pagan Revenge,” a book that contained many of the themes that interested him through his life.

The study where he spent much of his time contains not only the hundreds of books that he read, but photos of his four sons, two daughters, four grandchildren and the wife he has loved for more than 60 years, Veronica.

Born in Belfast, Ireland on Aug. 2, 1928, Mr. Mann spent time in England before he immigrated to Canada, working as a crane operator in the uranium mines. Within a short time and with only a high-school education, he began his career as a journalist on the Sault Star in Ontario, Canada.

After moving to Michigan, then to Los Angeles, he started his life over again, mowing lawns in Beverly Hills before finding his way back into newspapers. He worked at both the San Gabriel Valley Tribune then at the Times, where he spent much of his career running the one-man bureau in Pasadena.

In his fifties, he went back to school, receiving first a B.A. then an M.A. in English literature.

Mr. Mann is survived by his sons, Jeffrey, Damian, Kieran and Bradford, and his two daughters, Greer and Hilary. One grandson and three grand-daughters.

Veronica, Mr. Mann’s wife, plans to cast his ashes along the shores of Portrush, the seaside town on the Atlantic Ocean where they first fell in love.

Working as a newspaper reporter

Taken in Portrush, Northern Ireland

Cuthbert in his study

Veronica and Cuthbert

Veronica and Cuthbert at their daughter Greer's Wedding

Cuthbert and Veronica looking out over Portrush harbor

Hiliary, Jeff, Damian, Veronica, Cutherbert, Kieran and Brad Mann

Cuthbert with daughter Greer

Shoko, Kelsey, Cuthbert, Lauren and Thomas taken December 2008

Cuthbert with Grand
-daughter Brittnee when she was little

Wording in this post was written by Damian Mann for his father.

An eventful year so far -

2009-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Blogging Friends -

It has been an eventful year so far. My father-in-law passed away on June 15th and needless to say we have been rather caught up with the saying good-bye of a loved one through out this first half of the year. I have lost family members on my side of the family as well these last several weeks.

This week I will be taking the time to update my blog. Each time I experience a loss of a loved one in my life I find myself examining my own life - past, present and future. I will make an effort to share these reflections and revelations with you as well.

I hope all is well with you and your loved ones.

Until Next Time. . . . .
Kathleen

The Snoopy Museum

2009-05-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

These are photos I took in Santa Rosa (California) when I was down visiting in February. If you have followed my blog for anytime you know that I am a big fan of Snoopy and Charles Schulz. Good O'l Charlie Brown has a couple of tickets to get into the Museum.

I had intended to visit the Charles M. Schulz museum while down there but I waited until my last day to go. It was closed and I had plans lined up for the day and wasn't able to get into the building. Santa Rosa has various status around town in honor of Charles M. Schulz just like these two outside of the museum. I have been inside the museum before and next time I will make it a priority and go early in the trip so I have another chance to view all the wonderful things inside.

Even though I had a chance to talk to Charles Schulz, or Sparky as he was known by people who knew him, I always wanted to talk to him about drawing. The little conversation I had with him outside of a bookstore for twenty minutes one time mostly consisted of me telling him that he was my hero. His response was "Me? I've never done anything." So I listed off all the things he had done for me in my life. That was certainly a highlight memory in my book of life and I thank God often for providing me the opportunity. The museum offers cartoon workshop. Now that would be another dream come true for me.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

My Bento Shopping Loot

2009-05-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

So I never shared my bento shopping loot with you guys. I have made changes to the my bento supplies since then but I'd like to share all the things I purchased in San Francisco in February.

The pink and black boxes I've actually given to my nieces since I took this picture. The little green box I liked so well I purchased another green one and two pink and tan boxes as well. I'll share all that with you in another post. I'm discovering what I like in the bento world and shopping at Ichiban Kan (see the side bar for a link to their online store) made it affordable to try different size boxes.

The chop sticks were suppose to fit into the black bento box (under the lid) but for some reason they didn't. I gave them along with the black bento box to my niece Kelsey (who turned 14 yesterday btw.) The another utensil set I liked so well I ordered a tan and pink set. Again, I share all that later on another post.

On the left we have rice shapers which I use to make rice balls with. The items on the right are egg molds which are turn your hard boiled eggs (you have to purchase the small ones) into wonderful little shapes. Even my husband likes these and takes them to work. I've since added to the my egg molds and now I have a bunny, bear, car and fish.

The fish and car egg molds.

Food picks. The animals ones went over so well with my nieces Brittnee and Kelsey that I purchased them their own sets.

Silicon food cups for keeping the food separated in colorful reusable ways.

Sauce and spice containers. The little penguin and the monkey are also favorites of my nieces.

More little sauce containers. I use most of them for soy sauce but I've also used two of the flying pigs and two of the tomato head containers to store salt & pepper.

Seaweed punch to make a smilie face and also two bento bands to hold the boxes together.

Inside one of the malls in Japan Town close to the Ichiban Kan store.

Another shot inside the mall.

Well, I can't believe it has been almost two months since my trip. I really had such a good time. Often think of how much I miss living so close to San Francisco and of course I'm already planning my next trip in July.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

My $2.00 Sail Boat

2009-05-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

I went out to Bandon over the weekend and took my $2.00 sail boat I found at a garage sail. The weekend before the development I live in (Ashland) had a neighborhood garage sale. I sold a few items and made a bit of money myself and then I went walking around with my niece and her boyfriend to check out what the neighbors were selling. I scored this sail boat for $2.00. I'm been dreaming of adding one of these to the Bandon cottage. It was actually too big to fit where I imagined it would be on display. I'm going to add a shelf for this so it can be on display without hiding in the window.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and Mother's Day. I know I thought of many special women in my life today. I sure miss my Mom.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Ottoman and I can't believe it has been so long!

2009-04-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I've made a post. I've been busy... very busy with work but I'll get to more of that a little later in this post.

I recovered this ottoman recently for the Bandon cottage (Star Fish Cottage as I call it.) I haven't been to Bandon in months. I'm going this weekend as we will celebrate Damian's birthday out there. I can't wait. Lots to do but I plan to have a little fun too. I would like to either go to the animal park or go to Lighthouse. You know I haven't actually been up to the Lighthouse. I think it is time.

A before shot. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. It was down right awful looking but as you may remember those are my favorite things to work on. Lucy was a little upset because she was lying on top of the ottoman before I started working on it.

Why I've been away....

I've not made a post since returning from California for many reasons. I decided to take a break from the internet as I've been working long hours. As most companies around the US (World) we did a bit of downsizing and I've been taking on extra work and working very long hours. I can tend to be a bit of a workaholic so I need to watch that I don't over do it.

I've also been..well... a little down in the dumps (like many people.) I miss California. I came back to Oregon and have been dealing with allergies. It is like this every time I come back because I don't have allergies in Sonoma County. I have to take two medications everyday just to function here in Oregon. Sometimes I have to go up to four when they get real bad. There are all sorts of side effects from the medication but I don't even want to go there. I also miss family and friends from California. My niece and her boyfriend are moving back to California. It has been nice having family around. With my constant battle with allergies and family and friends being so far way - I've been thinking a lot about California.

Until Next Time. . . . .
Kathleen

Shopping in San Francisco

2009-02-17T12:58:00.001-08:00

A picture of San Francisco Chinatown between the rain drops. The background photo on my desktop is a photo similar to this one.

I'm in California for a little trip and so I went shopping in San Francisco. San Francisco is one of my favorite places. It was a beautiful rainy day on President's Day (Monday, February 16th) in San Francisco. My friend April and I got a little wet. It didn't bother me one bit. April was such a sport. We walked all over Chinatown. I was looking for a clock with the Chinese numbers on the face. I couldn't find one so I will probably make my own.

I was also looking for a movie I haven't been able to get on Netfilx or Blockbuster. The movie is "Unforgettable Regret." It has my favorite Hong Kong actress Sammi Cheng http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammi_Cheng (she is also a big pop star.) My usual DVD/CD store had closed down in Chinatown so I had to find a new one. The girls working in the new shop hadn't heard of the movie. I tried explaining as much as I could about the movie. Times like this I wish I knew how to speak Chinese. Of course they probably speak Cantonese and I'm learning Mandarin. Anyway, after 30 minutes of looking for the movie with some pop music blaring that I wasn't that fond of I told April we should probably go....and then there it was... one little copy of the movie hidden behind some other movies. Of course the girls were "Oh, that movie!" The girls were great though and after I found the movie they were so chatty but of course I could only understand half of what they said. I'll probably watch the movie sometime this week. Sammi is known as the Lucille Ball of Hong Kong cinema. This is not one of her comedies but I'm sure I will love it. There are many actors I really like in the movie.

Poster of the Cherry Blossom Festival. I wish I could get the poster for my friend Kris. She loves Hello Kitty.

One of the biggest highlights of yesterday was bento shopping in Japan town of San Francisco. I went nuts inside of Ichiban Kan store. I found all the information about shopping on the Lunch-in-box website http://lunchinabox.net/. This was posted on the website as the $1.50 type store of Japan town and indeed most everything was around $1.50. I got a shopping bag filled with accessories for bento boxes and a few bento boxes. It was so much fun. I can't wait to go shopping there again. I must have been in the store at least an hour. I'll share my shopping loot with you on another post.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Flowers in the Guest Bedroom

2009-02-10T06:24:00.000-08:00

This is my flower wall in the guest bedroom. Pictures I've collected at various garage sales or thrift stores and one I painted myself - well sort of...

This picture was a paint by number that I painted a couple of years ago. I really liked doing it and I'm not sure why I haven't painted another one. I drew all the time as a kid. That is why I love Charles Schulz so much. I drew mostly animals. I got this picture to ease me back into art. So I guess that means it is time for another picture.

This picture I picked up at a garage sale somewhere. I think it is painted in acrylics.

This is a print I found at a thrift store. I repainted the frame as I didn't like the dark frame it was set into.

The top picture is a painting I found at a thrift store. I took an old frame and painted it white. I really like the green color on the back ground. The bottom picture is a card which I placed on top of a piece of lace.

Just a few pictures to remind myself that our surroundings can make a difference in our outlook sometimes but more about that later. . . . .

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

A French Look for the Laundry Room

2009-02-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

I use to have the laundry room decorated with beach items but I've taken all that stuff to Bandon. I decided to put a bit of France in there instead. The pictures at the top are from photos I took while in Paris. The ticket stubs are from the Metro, Eiffel Tower etc. I took scrabble tiles and hot glued them to thumb tacks to spell out the words. The rhinestone Eiffel Tower I found at a thrift store for $1.99 and the other little pin I got in Paris at one of those cheap little tourist places. It has the word Paris written above the hanging little Eiffel Tower.

A small collection of Eiffel Towers hangs above the utility sink. The star fish is a left over element from the beach theme. It will eventually make its way to the coast. Well not much yet but it is a start.

The month of February I have chosen to focus on the "Physical" things in my life. For me this not only means to start thinking of my physical body but to look at my physical surroundings as well. I would like to create surroundings which give me great joy.

It seems the older I get the less I am able to accomplish. I no longer have the drive to get only 3 hours of sleep to complete a craft or art project. I have to be honest with myself and realize even though I do not have TV - I watch far too many movies which gets in the way of many of my projects. When I lived in California I watched TV only 3 nights a week. We got Direct TV when we moved to Oregon and I discovered HGTV and BBC America and well - I was a hooked. Even though I unplugged from the main stream TV -I have replaced that time with watching at least 1 DVD most nights. "Hello, my name is Kathleen and I'm addicted to Chinese movies." Seriously it just isn't Chinese movies that I watch. I just watch too many movies. I've told myself that I'm doing research (remember I started the Sonoma County Film Society - I want to be a screenwriter.) So here is the deal - I've got to get myself down to 3 nights a week again. This will give me time to exercise, do a yoga session, meditate, complete my many unfinished decorating projects, write poetry or complete one of those 6 screenplays I have rotting away in the closet. So here I go focusing on the month of "Physical" aspects.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Oscar Snuggling with Damian's Foot

2009-02-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

This is my "little" 19-1/2 lb baby Oscar snuggling with Damian's foot. I can't believe the little guy has gotten so big. When the shelter found him they told me he was just a little kitty that barely weighed 1 lb. He must eat all day while we are at work because he doesn't seem to eat as much as Lucy does. Lucy is always concerned about how much food is in the food dish. She does seem to be a little pickier than Oscar is though about food. She will rarely eat any table scraps and she isn't crazy about canned cat food. Who ever heard of a cat that doesn't like canned cat food. Oscar doesn't eat much but he does get a little bit each night with some medication he has to take.

Until Next Time. . . .
Kathleen

Short Bread

2009-02-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

I always get many request for my version of Scottish short bread. I make it at Christmas time and give it out as gifts along with home made marshmallows and hot chocolate. One reason I like to make short bread is because of my molds. I usually make it in the winter time.

This is the first mold I ever purchased and I got it from a thrift store years ago. I think I paid $3.99 for it.

Then came this mold and I also purchased this one from the thrift store but I think I paid $4.99 for this one.

This little heart mold I found at Christmas time. I also have a small Santa Clause mold and two Snowmen molds. They are packed away now with all the Christmas stuff.

Kathleen's Scottish Short Bread

2 cubes of butter soften

1/4 cup of sugar

2 cups of flour

Cream sugar and butter with mixer in a medium size bowl. Add flour one cup at a time. Mix until cookie dough texture. Shouldn't take long. I put dough into the mold and smooth out until even. You could form dough into a balls and slightly flatten onto a cookie sheet if you don't have a mold. With this much butter there is no need to grease the pan. Bake at 350 degrees in oven - the mold bakes for 25 minutes but the individual cookies would need to cook until golden around 15 minutes. When I bake in a cookie mold I turn the mold upside down on a plate immediately after cooking. It should release from the mold easily. The first couple of times I left the cookie in the mold and had a difficult time getting it out.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Shepard's Pie

2009-02-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

I couldn't manage to get onto my site last week. The early part of the week was spent nursing a massive headache that kept me home from work for two days. I wanted to finish up some postings regarding my month of getting my meals down. So I'm going to add postings now to round out the month and come back to this later in February for an update.

This was dinner from last Sunday (how sad that I waited so long to post.) My niece Brittnee and her boyfriend Angelo. My Shepard's and Chicken Pot Pie are their favorites. I think it is really the Herbs de Provence that I put in the mix that is the secret ingredient they really love.

My plate which really doesn't look that great but it was really good. You will just have to take my word for it. I baked bread in my bread machine. I use my bread machine at least once a week for the pizza dough for "Friday Night Pizza." I just love the smell of the bread baking but then I don't know many people who don't like that smell.

The small pie on the left I made with ground chicken and the larger pie on the right has hamburger meat in it. For winter I like to make this every other week.

This this the ground beef pie.

The Chicken Shepard's Pie before the mash potatoes.

After I topped with the potatoes but before I put it into the oven. The recipe below goes into a 13"x9" pan like this one. I find the icing spatula works best for spreading the mash potatoes.

Kathleen's take on Shepard's Pie

1 lb of ground beef

1/2 large onion

1 cup of frozen green peas

1 cup of chopped fresh carrots

2 small cans of cream of mushroom soup

4 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence

Salt & Pepper to your taste

Mash potatoes to cover

Brown ground beef with the onion. Drain off any fat after browning. Add 2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence and salt and pepper to taste. Put mixture into a 13"x9" pan. Meanwhile - put carrots into pot of water and boil until slightly tender but not soft - then turn off heat under pot and add peas to the pot and let it stand for 5-10 mins. Drain carrots and peas and put into your 13" x 9" pan. Add the remaining Herbs de Provence and the two cans of soup making sure that it is well mixed. Top with mash potatoes and bake in oven on 350 degrees for about 45 mins. I often use left over mash potatoes to cover my pies. I think it would be about 4 or 5 large potatoes.

Enjoy - okay so I sort of suck at writing down recipes because although I have a zillion cookbooks I usually cook by smell and sight. I use the cookbook to get the basic recipe and then I always seem to change it.

Until Next Time . . . . .

Kathleen

Happy Birthday Robert Burns

2009-01-25T23:52:00.001-08:00

25th of January is celebrated as Robert Burns day as it was the beloved poet of Scotland's birthday. Born 25 January 1759 to 21 July 1796.

I've never actually gone to a "Burn's Night" here in the states eating the traditional dish Haggis. When I visited Scotland in 1981 I wouldn't go near the stuff. I do from time to time celebrate in my own way his birthday. Tonight I made Shepard's Pie and Scottish Shortbread. We watched Braveheart - which William Wallace according to my brother's is a relative from long ago.

This is a picture of the Robert Burns statue in Dumfries Scotland. I took this picture in 1981.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

A Note of Thanks!

2009-01-25T18:28:00.001-08:00

I want to thank everyone who has visited my site, all who have posted comments and those who are brave enough to follow my blog - Thank You! Thank You from the bottom of my heart!

I'm amazed at how many people from the Oregon Coast find my site.

Elegant Marie - I want to say I had tea at the "Tea Cozy" many times. I loved that place! I was so sad when you closed down. I kept waiting and praying that you would open back up. You may have noticed from a couple of my pictures that I too have the Rose Chintz dishes. It would be lovely if you could come to my little cottage sometime when I'm in Bandon and I could make you tea. Of course, it won't be as fancy as your but I do have PG Tips!

Bandon Home - I don't even know your name but thank you so much for following my blog. It would also be great to meet you in person sometime.

Cousin Rick - I hate to break it to you but you may have to wait a long time before those adorable girls wait on you all the time - but I'm sure it will happen. I promise that I will get around to facebook. I've told Suzy we have to join. It is good to keep connected.

And for the older and wiser sister Suzy - please don't stop writing all your funny comments. They make me laugh so hard which is a real important part of life. I would never be upset at any comment you make so let it rip sister!

Thank you all for your comments - it really makes my day when I read them. If you like please leave your email address and I will write you back.

This picture is from a card I received from my great niece Katalynn back in 2000. It was a thank you card she wrote for a Christmas present. A Hallmark Storybook Friends presented by Crayola. I often keep old cards and hang them on bulletin boards to make me happy.

Until Next Time. . . .
Kathleen

Happy Chinese New Year 2009 - Kong Hsi Fa Chai

2009-01-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year 2009. For the next two weeks there will be lots of celebrating around the world for the year of the ox. I found the above photograph on many websites so I don't know who to give credit for the beautiful picture. This is Hong Kong harbour for a Chinese New Year celebration. I can't even tell you what year.

I've found a few websites you might want to check out if you are interested in learning more about the celebrations.

http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/festival/newyear/newyear.html This is a great over all site to give information.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html This is another fun site which has links to stories about the fortune cookie and chopsticks.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kiddyhouse.com/CNY/cnyclips/cnyboy.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.gigglepotz.com/chinese_newyear.htm&usg=__0bvr4wb3D8S5KVj_tfrxoojJKZc=&h=648&w=468&sz=10&hl=en&start=100&sig2=TALTiHYc3Dx9F4GPM_MapQ&tbnid=6AVh8ZeLDxAQbM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=99&ei=FBJ9SbP2PJWstQOirLwm&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchinese%2Bnew%2Byear%26start%3D90%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN yeah - this one has a long link line but worth a look at as you can make your own Chinese New Year cards on this one.

http://www.jackiechankids.com/ And a site I visit from time to time - Jackie Chan Kids. He has a coloring contest every year for Chinese New Year.

This photo is from Jacksonville Oregon's newspaper of an old celebration (maybe 2008.) The little town of Jacksonville decorates and celebrates Chinese New Year every year to honor the Chinese men who helped build this old mining town. I use to work on the committee for years until I moved to Ashland. This year I plan to watch the parade in Jacksonville and celebrate with friends on February 7th. I plan to do lots of celebrating with foods etc... in the next two weeks so I will keep you updated on the festivities. You can check out their scheduled events here http://www.jacksonvilleoregon.org/calendar.html

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Update on Breakfast Goals

2009-01-25T16:55:00.001-08:00

Here is a little update of breakfast. . . . this is my morning shake I make during the week. I finally figured out how many Weight Watchers points it has and I was happy to discovered it wasn't loaded like I thought. Keeping track of Weight Watcher points seems to be easier for me then counting calories etc.

Kathleen's Morning Shake

1 cup of Frozen Cherries
1/4 cup of lite firm tofu
1 large tablespoon of vanilla Activa yogurt
1 packet of tangerine Emergen-C
1 teaspoon of mostly barley green powder
1 cup of orange juice

Put all ingredients in the blender in the order listed and blend until a smooth liquid. This added up to 4 points.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Friday Night is Pizza Night!!

2009-01-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

On Friday night my niece and her boyfriend come over to our house and we make home made pizza. We think it is much better than buying it some where. These are two types one with pesto sauce (mine and Damian's favorite) or the regular tomato version.

Here Brittnee is shaping her dough. I make the dough in my bread machine. I just follow a recipe from the booklet that came with the machine. It takes about 50 minutes with the machine set on the Pizza Dough cycle.

We use my marble top island in the kitchen. I put down a little flour and corn meal.

Here Brittnee is dressing up her pizza. I just purchase all different types of toppings and sauce. I would like to get a good pizza sauce recipe - so if you have one please share it with me.

We put the pizzas on parchment paper and bake in the over for 20 minutes on 425 degrees.

I have been focusing on dinners this week. I will make many post this weekend to catch up like I did last weekend. Doesn't seem to be enough time during the week. I admire everyone who can do a post every day.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Reflections on What A Beautiful Life is For Me

2009-01-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

These last several weeks have stirred up lots of things for me. These thoughts have been sparked by many things some of which are: the reading of "Schulz and Peanuts;" the state of the economy; and my father-in-law's life threatening illness.

"Schulz and Peanuts"

It is no secret to people who know me that I'm a big Peanuts fan. I have been crazy about Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the Peanuts Gang since I was a little girl. I've just finished reading "Schulz and Peanuts" by David Michaelis and for a fan like me it was an incredible insight on Charles M. Schulz. Peanuts represents to me a time from my childhood when everything felt secure. I was a young budding artist when I first discovered Peanuts and I wanted to be just like Charles Schulz. To this day, I still think of developing my own comic strip. The book also brought up my time living in Santa Rosa (some twenty years) and the two times I got to met my hero Charles Schulz. The book spans his whole life so it ends upon his death in 2000. The year 2000 was a very pivotal year in my own life. I lost my own father in March 1999, my Uncle Marvin in January 2000 and my childhood hero (Charles Schulz) in 2000. These were three men I lost in less than one year who were big influences on my life. It marked a beginning of me thinking about how I wanted to live out the rest of my own life.

The Economy

The state of the economy weighs heavy on my mind and heart. I'm doing fine compared to many and I count my blessings every day that my husband and I have jobs. Everyday the newspaper has another big story about a company closing its doors or laying off workers. I read about foreclosures on homes, people feeling depressed and desperate. It makes me think that I need to examine my own future more closely. I'm not sure where this will lead . . . but I feel a need for change in some way.

My Family

My father-in-law has been diagnosed with two life threatening illness. My family is discussing how we will deal with the days to come. I am mostly in the role of support. I want to protect and nurture my husband but I know that at times like this everyone has their own way of dealing with the daily horror of the situation as well as the grieving process.

As horrible as it is in the loss of a loved one - I feel fortunate in the lessons I have learned with each one of my losses. The lessons I learned while sitting on my own father's death bed I consider to be true gifts from God. Most people described my father as a difficult man. He had a hot temper. He yelled a lot. He had many other difficult qualities too but I learned that there was a good side. He was very gifted and talented with making things and he was very generous with material possessions. If family was in trouble he would give you his last nickle to help. I learned that even with all his faults he was a lovable man. This in turn taught me that I too could be loved even with all my faults. This wasn't just a lesson I learned on my father's death bed but it was on his death bed that I reflected upon memories that made me realize this truth.

The second lesson I learned on my father's death bed was when it came down to it - it didn't matter where you lived, what job you had or what car you drove that made you happy. It was the connections you made with living things that determined how you felt about living. It was the memories of times together which made the heart glow with happiness. This isn't to say that I don't believe we don't get some form of happiness for our home, our clothing, our car or our favorite possessions. What I believe to be true is that the objects we love in our lives connect us with good memories which can bring moments of happiness.

One of the happiest times I ever saw my father was one of his last days in the hospital. He had a stroke which had made it rather impossible to understand his speech. My father's face lite up when I walked into his hospital room. When my oldest brother arrived a short time later he stood on one side of my father's bed and I on the other holding my father's hand. My mother and my father's oldest sister Ora were standing towards the bottom of his bed. I will never forget the way my father looked first at my brother and then at me. He had this beautiful look that nothing else in the world mattered to him. He had one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on his face and he looked peaceful. I remember he closed his eyes and kept the same peaceful happy look on his face. We stayed like this for a while with no words being exchanged. That was the moment that I understood that his happiness was determined at that moment by the connections he had made with his loved ones. I too felt it was one of the happiest moments I have experienced in my life. It was the experience of feeling loved and knowing that no matter how much money I had in the bank, how many toys I owned or what I looked like determined my happiness. It was rather my sense of connecting with others and appreciating the interaction with something larger than myself.

So Where Does This Leave Me . . .

So this has me thinking about my current situation and future. Since moving to Oregon I have felt a little lost. I use to blame this on my allergies but in reality I've just checked out of life. I've done a better job of keeping up with my old friends in California then I have with establishing and maintaining a beautiful life here in Oregon. Yes, I have two beautiful homes and I do have some friends here in Oregon. But let me tell you about the life I had built in California. I was involved with many organizations and I was a strong business woman. I had a sense of purpose to my life and that purpose revolved around relationships. I was always getting people together for dinner, for a movie, for a vacation, spending the day together. If I felt a need in my life for an organization and I couldn't find one to join I would start my own. I did this with the Sonoma County Film Society and it was fun. It was work but it was so much fun. I use to always remember peoples birthdays, the things they told me about their daily lives. I was interested in the interactions of people. Sometimes weekends here in Oregon I can stay inside the house all day and not venture out except to get the newspaper. I miss the connection. I've always wanted my house to be the one people could drop by any time and visit. I want to have large gatherings at holidays and I like doing large dinners at my house once a month. I actually tried all this when I first moved here but it seemed hard maintaining the connections with my new friends. I gave up too easily.

So here is a poem that I wrote a couple of years ago about my feeling of being lost.

I Try To Find Her

I try to find her.
I remember her child like imagination and playful spirit.
Her contagious self-assurance that makes herself and anyone around her believe that anything is possible.
I miss her strength, which has helped so many.
I miss her intuitive soul, which brings magic into the world.
I wonder why has she left when I need her this time.
I look through all the different corridors and rooms wondering where I can find her?
Where has she gone?
When will she come home?

It is time to find home.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Lucy and Oscar

2009-01-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share some updated pictures of my cats. Lucy and Oscar.

This is Lucy laying of the futon in my office. She is my little shadow and follows me around the house all day. She also likes to sit in my lap while I'm on the computer. She will also bite the back of my arm (just lightly) if she thinks I'm not giving her enough attention.

Look at those eyes. She is so beautiful.

I think she was getting a little annoyed with me by the look on her face.

Here is Oscar. Not sure what he has on his face. Oscar is more Damian's cat. Rather because Damian lets Oscar do things he is not suppose to - and Oscar thinks all of the bad stuff is fun so he tends to hang out with Damian more. Every night Damian will put him up on our linen closet in the master bath - just like here. He also lets Oscar on the high bookshelf in the hall way, and the most annoying to me he lets him outside. My cats are inside cats. We won't mention how Damian lost my old cat Vincent for more than 24 hours by letting him outside - no we won't mention that incident. Damian has even put Oscar on a leash and has taken him for a walk. That would be okay but now Oscar no longer fits into his harness. My little baby now weighs 18-1/2 pounds. I always tell him he has big bones.

Oscar has this habit of putting his paws in front of his eyes when he sleeps.

Here he is sleeping on his cat tree.

And another one of him sleeping on the ottoman in the living room. Oscar loves the bath water and every time I take a bath he is right there along the side of the tub. He will either drink from it like a large water dish but mostly he will lean over and lick as much water as he can off of my skin. I will keep dipping my hand into the water and lay it along side of the tub for him to lick.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

The American Bento Box

2009-01-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a new bento bag that I got for Christmas. Well, really my husband purchased me some perfume for Christmas that I was allergic to and I took it back and got this bag. Technically it is still a Christmas present though.

I had actually noticed these bags when I was purchasing my husbands Christmas present at Paddington Station in Ashland. I wanted one then but you know - I was shopping for him so I put it out of my mind even though I went back 4 or 5 times to look at it. I liked this one out of all of them as it seemed like it would hold everything I wanted. It is a Mario Batali bag and this one cost $20.00. Part of the money from the bags helps fight against world hunger. You can find out more at http://www.thelunchboxauction.org/ They had other great ones. One of them looked like a smart black purse. It was $29.00. Even though that was the exact price of the perfume that I had credit for I wasn't sure it would hold as much so - the green bag it was. Maybe I will purchase the black bag when I get my eating down to bird size - Ha! That will never happen.

The green bag accommodates what I like to call my American Bento box. This is a Fit and Trim lunch box that I purchased at a local grocery store. I've also seen them for sale at Target. I think I paid around $7.98 for it. So here is a lunch from last week with my star molded rice. One of the small containers has a lentil Indian sauce and then I put my hummus and carrots in the other small container.

This little ice block keeps the small container away from the rice and keeps the food chilled.

It fits nicely in the bag and I have room for my silverware and napkin.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Bento Supply Shopping At Sunrise Asian Food Market

2009-01-17T23:52:00.000-08:00

Just the thought of Sunrise Asian Food Market in Eugene Oregon is enough to make me want to move there. There are many things I like about Eugene and Sunrise is one of the top things on the list. I've been known to take the 2-1/2 hour trip north just for shopping at Sunrise and Trader Joe's.

Being true to their name, Sunrise carries food items from all over Asia. Some of the aisles are dominated by foods from a particular region in Asia. Thailand, India, Japan, China and Korea are the ones which readily come to mind.

They also have lots of bento making accessories from food jars, rice makers, dishes and just about anything you could want. My favorite pair of chop sticks in a case were purchased at Sunrise years ago. On my last trip I purchased various rice molds (remember my heart and star rice molds.) Years ago I purchase a mold to make my own California rolls. Which do on occasion usually in the cooler months of the year.

Here are many varieties of the seasoned soybean pockets I stuff with rice for breakfast. They have an impressive produce area. Their deli area has the largest rice cooker I have ever seen in my life. Next time I will make sure to get a picture of that.

Many soybean cakes and various varieties of moochie (not sure if I spelled that right.) The owners of the store are very friendly and helpful. So if you are in the area stop by and tell them I suggested it.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Bandon's Beach Loop

2009-01-17T23:45:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give you a view of the beach at Coquille Point in Bandon.

Breath taking. The rocks look like various objects such as a seal and there is also Face Rock over here somewhere. I think I'm at the wrong angle for you to see that one though.

The steps going down to the beach. I will say Oregon maintains their beaches well.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Port of Bandon and the Boardwalk

2009-01-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here is some pictures I took on Sunday of the Bandon Harbor Boardwalk. Beautiful weather and very little people in sight.

The little outdoor theatre. I sat right on these steps on the Fourth of July and watch an awesome fire cracker display.

There are lots of Oregon myrtle wood benches around to sit on. The little building in the back is a sheltered area you can bring food into or it is great place to sit while you people or nature watch.

The sign on the shelter.

Inside the shelter - more myrtle wood.

more views from inside the shelter.

Look you can play chess or checkers but you need to bring your own pieces.

These two chairs are my favorite places to sit. That is the crabbing dock across from the shelter. Sometimes there will be a seal down in the water.

This is one of views from inside by the two chairs.

A view from the boardwalk near the shelter.

The story about the fishes decorating the boardwalk.

And some of the fishes. Once again that is the crabbing dock across from the boardwalk.

One of the fish huts you can purchase some fish and chips.

The front side of the fish hut.

And across the street is Cranberry Sweets which the famous Rachel featured on one of her shows.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour.

Until Next Time . . . . . .

Kathleen

Bento Lunch

2009-01-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to work out breakfast but this week I am focusing on lunch. Since I'm trying to save a little money and watch what I eat - I've decided to work on Bento Boxes.

This bento box is going to be for salads. I keep the greens on the bottom under the ice ring and my salad dressing in the little container. I put canned Salmon in the little container to the left. The top of the box is where I put my mid-morning snack.

I used a hair band I got from the dollar store to attach my small container of salmon. Then I have Mandarin orange slices and another small container of almonds.

I put the whole thing in this cute bag. My bentos are not that exciting yet. I do want to get into the fancy ones with Eiffel Tower shapes and all but for a start here we go. So please leave me a comment telling me what is your favorite packed lunch. I'm listening as I need lots of ideas to get up to fifteen lunch ideas.

Thank you sister Suzy (she is my sister and not a nun) for signing up to follow my blog. As I suspected my blog must be very dull as I only have one follower. Not that I don't appreciate you Suzy as I do believe me - I really do. You don't have to be a blogger to follow my blog. My sister Suzy doesn't have a blog - not yet anyway.

Until Next Time . . . . .

Kathleen

I bought a Rice Cooker

2009-01-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

I've been doing soup and rice for breakfast so I purchased this rice cooker. I can't believe how much better the rice is - it is so fluffy and the grains are so long. Didn't know what I was missing. I got this rice cooker from Costco for $29.99. You can get smaller ones from Walmart or Target but this one had a delay timer which I like. The rice cookers will keep your rice warm after cooking.

This is a bento of some rice pockets I took one day to lunch but I've since started eating about three pockets with rice with my soup for breakfast. This bento has hummus which I got from costco in these cute little packages. I usually eat the hummus with a small bag of carrots for a snack. There is also a little soy bean filled rice cake -a small sweet. The small bottle on top of the rice pockets is filled with more of the sprinkles which are already on top of the pockets. I'll tell you more about that next week when I do bentos for lunch. I'll also take a picture of how I've been doing the pockets for breakfast sometimes with a little shrimp and a spicy sauce. I use to purchase those type of pockets from a market for breakfast but now I do my own. The little blue ring in the back is an ice ring.

Here is my little bento box all put together. I got this one at the thrift store for .99 - I guess it is missing a few items such as a little container which fits in the middle and the utensil on top. But for 99 cents I can live without that.

The missing container would go in the middle of the ring.

This is what the pockets look like when I purchase them from the Asian market.

These are also some rice presses I got as the Asian market in Eugene (will have a post on that next week.) It is fun to press the rice into shapes to give the food a different look.

I've been eating Progresso Soups for breakfast. I've purchased some miso stock so I will branch out next week to making miso soup.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Breakfast The Meal of Champions

2009-01-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Sunday breakfast from a couple of weeks ago. I like to make a big deal out of Sunday breakfast and use my Rose Chintz China. I usually listen to opera but on this day it was Easy Listening Chinese Pop music. After breakfast I settle in reading the Sunday Newspaper.

So my goal for the month of January is to get a handle on meals in my house. I don't like feeling lost about what to make for meals. I want to get 15 good lunch and dinner recipes that I can use to plan tasty, healthy meals. With the economy the way it is and with a slight reduction in my pay checks (medical insurance went up at work) I want to be able to make sure I am getting the most all around for my money.

I thought this week I would concentrate on breakfast. I'm not one to eat cold cereal and I don't seem to be able to tolerate oatmeal. I love it - it just doesn't seem to love me. I've been making shakes every morning with frozen fruit, tofu, yogurt, orange juice and vitamins. I want to actually do the math and count the calories etc. just to make sure I'm not over doing it.

I've been exploring other options. I've been reading about what the Japanese eat as they have the longest life span. That is until the start eating like Americans. From what I've read they tend to have miso soup, rice and some meat usually fish. That actually sounds good to me. My sister Suzy and I use to love eating soup for breakfast when we were kids. So my plan for breakfast is to get 3 or 4 things I can alternate with during the week. If any one has suggestions I'm all ears as I would love some input.

So Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Goals for the New Year

2009-01-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I've been inspired by Melissa at her "The Inspired Room" to start New Year Goals by the month. You can see Melissa's goals at this link http://theinspiredroom.net/2008/12/31/a-beautiful-life-12-months-of-goals/

As Melissa has done I've created goals for the year focusing each month on something specific. Here is my list.

January - Meals
February - Physical
March - Expanding Horizons
April - Solitude/Spiritual
May - Family
June - Environment
July - Financial Freedom
August - Contentment/Happiness
September - Routines/Daily Rituals
October - Hospitality
November - Gratitude
December - Giving

You may notice that many of my goals are the same as Melissa's. If you haven't checked out Melissa's site you should as the site indicates it is very inspiring. http://theinspiredroom.net/ She is a very recent ex-Oregonian who has just moved to Washington. I wish her all the best in her brand new home.

I'd love to hear about your goals so please leave a comment with your thoughts for the new year!

Until Next Time. . . .
Kathleen

Lovejoy's Tea Room in Florence Oregon

2008-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

So this is an overdue post. I went to Florence in November and intended to share this with you in early December. Lets just say I will get better at blogging in 2009. This tea room is everything you hope for in an English Tea Room. Fabulous food, atmosphere is great and the people are wonderful!

Here are some view of the inside. Many locals as well as tourist eat here. Now that is a good sign.

This is a scan of their business card and menu

A few views of the harbor. I didn't get a picture of the famous Gothic bridge which alone is worth the trip to Florence.

If you have a chance to go to Florence on the Oregon coast you should take it. The views, restaurants and people will be forever in my memories as one of the top on my list.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Brittnee's Chairs

2008-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

Just a little post to show you some chairs I did for my niece Brittnee. Brittnee moved to Ashland with her boyfriend Angleo to go to college. She is fond of white and black so I took this old ugly (sorry I don't have a before picture) directors chair and covered the seat and back with black and white fabric. The chair had been a very ugly (stained) brown color. I purchased it at the thrift store for $4.99

I started out on this chair painting it white for myself with a sponge brush. Never again will I use a sponge brush as I ended up with lots of drips. I had to sand the drips down to the wood and start over with black paint. Once again I used the black and white fabric. Looks much better.

Here is a before shot although you can't really see the awful drips on the chair. Before I tried painting it white it was a very ugly brown. I have nothing against brown but these two chairs were not the best of browns.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Snowflake Lights and A Little Snow

2008-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

I kept saying I wasn't going to do snowflake lites this year because they always seem to break on me and I have to replace them each year. Well - I found four sets of them at the Goodwill Store in White City for $2.99 each and I couldn't resist. I'm really fond of Snowflake Lights and have had them for the past three years.

We also got a little dusting of snow this weekend. Since Friday we have had snow each day. I've heard it is suppose to snow all week but we will see. I had to call my niece and let her know that it snowed the day after she went home (L.A. for a weeks visit.) She was so bummed about missing the the snow but I'm sure she will get to see lots more before the winter is over.

So how is the weather at your place???

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Happy Birthday Joe

2008-12-02T12:26:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Joe - you would have been 35 years old today. My nephew Joe passed away November 29, 1986 it was three days before his 13th birthday. Sometimes I still really miss him. I like to remember good things though. I think it was his fourth birthday that fell on a Saturday. The city of Victorville (California) had a Christmas parade and we took Joe to see the parade. I remember he watched the whole parade go by with a big smile on his face. One of the last floats had a big birthday cake with the words "Happy Birthday Jesus" written on it. Joe turned to my mother and said, "Look Grandma they made me a cake!" That was when we realised he thought the whole parade was for his birthday.

Joe's first fish. He wanted it cleaned but he didn't want anyone to kill it.

Joe spent hours riding this old tricycle around my parents carport. My mom tied a waggon onto the back so he could pull his brother Quaid around in the waggon. I have a tape of Joe and I singing Donny and Marie's song "I'm a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock and roll." I of course sang Marie's part and Joe would sing Donny's part and he would really get into it. He told me once he wanted to be an actor.

Joe on the left and another nephew Denny (Dennis) on the right. Joe was my brother Kenneth and his wife Virginia's child. Denny (he goes by Dennis now) is my brother Dennis and his wife Linda's child. Joe and Denny were very close.

Quaid on the left with his big brother Joe.

One of my favorite poems that I have written is dedicated to Joe. And here it goes....

4:00 in the morning

Sometimes the horror will wake me at 4:00 in the morning

Or it can hit while standing in the grocery line

Memories pulled from the mind of a sweet, blond curly headed boy with pale eyes

Grasping at threads of the past which slip like sand from a clutched hand

Leaving a tortured heart in the midst of sadness

I've struggled for a while wondering if I should share any of my poetry on this site. I decided I would share back ground about my poems. Though traditionally poetics don't share I always want to know the back ground and not just guess for myself. Since this is my favorite poem I decided this would be the time for sharing.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

The Shamrock Flowers & Gifts - Eugene Oregon

2008-12-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving for those celebrating here in the states. This time my delay in posting is due to mechanical problems with my new computer and my camera communicating. I finally just downloaded to my old computer and copied the photos onto a memory stick. I'll get it figured out eventually.

I've been wanting to share pictures from trip to Eugene and Florence the weekend before Thanksgiving so finally here a few. Below is The Shamrock Flowers & Gifts located at 1520 Coburg Road in Eugene, Oregon. Their toll free number is 866.807.4983 and their website is http://www.shamrockflowersandgifts.com/ I'm crazy about Eiffel towers and boy did I hit the mother load when someone told me about this place. I've already started planning another trip back.

Here was their beautiful Thanksgiving display right in the front door.

This place is huge and had lots of vignettes setup through out the store. Just breath taking!

Here we go with the Eiffel towers. I've never seen so many different kinds in one spot. I bought the little guy on the right. It is a clip.

More Paris stuff.

And more Paris stuff...

And a whole tree decorated with a Paris theme.

Another view of the Paris tree.

And another view - I purchased one of the silver glitter 3-D Eiffel Towers.

And a tree which is a Ocean theme. I think I'm going to do something similar to this on a much smaller scale though.

And yet another tree. As I said I was completely enchanted by this place. I recommend checking out their website and if you happen to be in Eugene Oregon drop by you will love it!

I also have other things to share from my trip - An incredible restaurant in Eugene; a trip for Bento shopping supplies; more shopping; and a small look at the Oregon coastal town of Florence where you can get a great cup of tea. So stay tuned and . . .

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Claw Foot Tub

2008-11-18T22:11:00.000-08:00

Here is the long awaited shots of the Bandon Claw Foot Tub.

I think it is the soooo beautiful! It was a happy, happy day to take a bath in this tub on my last visit to the coast. My husband likes to say I bought the house for the tub. I'm very fond of old tubs. Don't you like the Kiwi paint by Devine Paints. The first time I went to purchase the paint the guy at the paint store told me he wasn't going to sell it to me because "I wouldn't be happy with it." Well, he was wrong - because I love it and have two walls painted this color in the bathroom. The other two are the Ash by Devine paints (the color behind the tub.) Just love it! Love it!!

I was surprised to get the fancy faucet.

Look at those beautiful new pipes. He did a good job don't you think?

The bathroom before shot. It was so small that if you sneezed while sitting on the toilet you would hit your head on the sink. And yes folks the bathroom really was Lavender.

The tub in the prep stage. Damian did so much work on the tub. Actually, it was a group effort. I painted the outside and the feet. I also did the masking for the painting and lets don't forget I gave up my parking space in the garage for over a year. Yes, well we won't talk about how long it took to finish the tub okay.

Lovely masking job don't you think?

And here you have it - lots of elbow grease later.

One of the feet after I had already painted them silver and had the silver go weird on me when I put a clear top coat on them. The test one was fine but then the others got strange blotches so I stripped them down and painted them white.

This is the epoxy paint we purchased at Lowe's to do the job. For around $45.00 we got two cans, steel wool, rubber gloves and some cleaning solution. The trick was letting the tub cure for one month after painting. The guy I spoke with at the bath shop who came and repaired some other stuff long, long time ago told me that was the trick.

So there you have it.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Lithia Park - Ashland, Oregon

2008-11-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

Lithia Park is considered one of the most beautiful areas of Ashland. Many people fall in love with Ashland while walking through Lithia Park. The park is a wonderful way to experience each season in Ashland. My recent walk through the park was a wonderful way to get into the Fall spirit.

The duck pond. You can also see a small part of the Oregon Shakespeare Theatre poking up behind the trees. I use to travel to Ashland when I lived in California just to see plays at the Theatre.

It was wonderful listening to classical music while enjoying the beautiful landscape.

A little peak at the creek.

The bridge.

More Fall colors.

The play ground. I hope you enjoyed the little walk through Lithia Park.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

For The Love of Snoopy

2008-11-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little post to show you the Fall napkins I made. I'm a big Snoopy (Peanuts Gang) fan. I was so happy when I found this material at the local JoAnn Fabrics store. I figure I can get away with using them the month of October and November since they are all about Fall. Anyway, they make me smile. I really like Snoopy but I also like Lucy and Linus. In fact I met the real Linus once as he was the political cartoonist for the Sonoma (California) newspaper that my husband worked for. After Charles Schulz passed away my husband found out what Linus' connection was to Peanuts. One day I got to meet with Linus and you could completely see Linus the cartoon in this old man (Linus Maurer.) He had the same eyes, mouth, shape of head and nose. He was a nice sweet man and it was certainly a moment I will never forget.

Another sign of Fall in my house my little centerpiece for the table.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Go Ahead and Vote!

2008-11-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

I've found myself caught up in the voting frenzy. This is the first time ever I have felt my emotions so high over the candidates. I'm not going to tell you who I voted for - I just want to encourage everyone to vote. Here in Oregon all voting is done by mail - no voting booths. I must say it is a wonderful way to vote. So whether you are going to the polls or dropping a ballot off - Go ahead and vote - It really does make a difference.

Until Next Time.....

Kathleen

Free Bandon Chair

2008-10-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

I completed this chair over the weekend for the Bandon Cottage. I got the Fabric at JoAnn's in Medford. It seems most of the fabric stores have gone out of business in my area. I sure miss Brytex in San Francisco (Union Square area.) It took me forever to make up my mind. I kept looking for something that looked real beachy but I wasn't happy with what I found. I do like this floral print though. I've decided to cover another chair for the coast in the same fabric. That will probably be next month though as I've already started on a rocking chair (pictures will be on a later post.)

Here is the before shot. The chair was on the side of the road with a big "Free" sign next to it. I actually left the chair and drove past the first time and then started thinking about it later. I just into the car at 10 pm and headed back to see if it was still there. It was so I brought it home. Once again everyone thought I was nuts for taking the chair. I had to replace most of the padding. Damian did some gluing to make it stronger. So what do you think? Did it turn out alright?

Until Next Time...

Kathleen

Got a Clogged Sink well....Just Zip-It

2008-10-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

I just have to tell you about this handy-dandy tool I got at Lowe's. One of the Ashland master bathroom sinks had a little clog which was driving me crazy. I had been intending to get out the tools and crawl under the sink to unleash the nasty little build up of hair etc. My husband saw this little tool advertised in Lowe's flyer for unclogging drains. The cost was less than $3.00 so I thought I would give it a try before I went through all the other trouble. The package says good for only one use so I purchased two of them (one to take to Bandon of course.) I really didn't have much faith going into this but I put the bendable tool down the drain and when I pulled it out- out came all kinds of hair and stuff (yuck and I haven't even had breakfast yet this morning) - well folks the drain is clear! I did put the tool down the drain several time and it didn't seem to effect the tool that much. Instead of throwing the Zip-It away I'm going to save it for another clogged drain. The tool is made from a bendable plastic and the little teeth which alternative on either side of the long strip will wear down with use. Here is a link for you to take a better look at the product. http://www.preparedness.com/zipitdrcltoi.html

Until Next Time...
Kathleen

Mom said not to play with your food but. . .

2008-09-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine at work sent me this link about Bento boxes http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/bento I just think this is the coolest thing. All of the pictures below are from this link. I've been thinking a lot about Bento boxes because....I've got a few pounds to lose (could that be cousin Keith why there are no new pictures of me on this site.) I was thinking how it could help with portion control and make eating fun. Well, now I'm hooked so sorry Mom but I think it is time to play with my food.

I collect Eiffel Towers so this is one of my favorite. This was done by a true artist Sakurako Kitsa check out her site http://sakurakokitsa.blogspot.com/

Green Eggs & Ham - I'm not so sure I would want to eat this but how cute is that!

Snoopy - On our instant message at work I usually have a Snoopy or an Anime Character from Gintama for my picture. I'll tell you a story about meeting Charles Schulz one day. He was my Hero!

This one is for Jeanine - she loves Halloween.

Wouldn't your Star Wars fan love to have this for lunch??

Now this is art people - too beautiful to eat

Look at the bananas - this is actually a container to hold sauces. The little monkey also holds sauces. And look at the tiny Monkey head that is a food pick (in case you were wondering.)

And this one is for my friend Kris - who loves Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty and a Panda

Now wouldn't that make you smile getting this for your Birthday lunch?

Now the bunny on the left is a boiled egg which has been put into a mold (we will get to that later.)

Breakfast Bento Boxes

Yes you can even take breakfast all packed up - I know I do sometimes.

This looks like one my husband would have made.

This little monkey is a sauce pots - isn't it cute. I bet it holds syrup.

Regular Lunch Bentos for the Regular folks like us

So I know what your thinking that all that stuff is cute but lets get real. Well here are some everyday type bento boxes for us regular folks.

Now this doesn't look that difficult to make but think of how it would bring a smile to the face of who ever opened their lunch box to this.

Little bear is also a sauce pot. I could see giving this one to my husband.

Or even this one.

These little hot dogs are great!

Look at the little bottles these are sauces bottles. Yes, I know that you are thinking that I know way too much about this stuff.

Cheetos - see you can put anything in there.

Websites of Knowledge

The website http://lunchinabox.net/ has lots of great information about Bento building such as shaping rice into shapes.

They also have information about how to freeze the rice shapes for faster Bento building.

Tools of the Trade

Lunch in a box has great links for purchasing your tools for the trade. I really enjoyed J-List which I will be purchasing supplies from soon. http://www.jbox.com/

Now this is one box I would love to own.

Food picks.

Sauce containers.

Plastic food cups - to keep foods separated.

Not very green but disposable food cups.

Egg & Food Molds

More sauce containers.

And look at all these tools for Bento

Now this is my sort of organization. I want a box full of stuff like this!

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Bandon Fence

2008-09-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show the fence Damian built out at Bandon Eventually the carport and garage will be torn down and the fence will go all the way back to the alley way. We have a vacant lot on this side of the house. There use to be an old abandoned house but the city made the owner tear it down. The fence is a nice block of the vacant lot and the street.

Another view of how it looks next to the house.

I've got lots to do this weekend with painting projects. Which will give me more pictures to post. I can't wait to have the chair complete to take to Bandon next weekend.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Living Room

2008-09-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures in the Bandon Living Room.

I believe this Star Fish garland was my first Star Fish purchase for the cottage. I'd made the wreath years ago and had it in my bathroom in California. For some reason the way I took the photo makes it look off center but I know I measured just right and it is centered on the wall. Anyway, I hoped the garland would be a nice touch for under the wreath. It is one of my favorite pieces in the cottage.

This is on the opposite side of the living room wall from the Star Fish Garland. This little shelf I intend to fill it with jars of sea shells. I always wanted to get a big sail boat to put there but I haven't found one yet I can afford. I'm sure I'll come across one in my shopping at some point (one that I can afford.)

Another view this time you can see that the doorway goes into the kitchen.

This is a picture of the ceiling after it was covered with the knotty pine. We actually have lights installed where the yellow wires are now. They point straight up so it makes the ceiling glow at night.

A picture of the ceiling before the knotty pine went up. I weathered a very big storm one weekend during this stage. I knew if the roof blew off there would be nothing to buffer the wind and rain from outside. Of course, the roof held and I'm left with the memory of that stormy night. You could hear all kinds of things blowing around in the storm. One of my neighbors storm windows blew pass the house.

Another view. The front door is right behind Damian. I'll get more pictures to show you what it looks like today.

This is a picture of the front door area before we changed doors and took down the ceiling (you can see a bit up in the left hand corner of the picture.) Also, you can see part of the old floor. It was beautiful wood but we were not able to save enough of it to keep it all in tact.

These windows are were the bay window is now. You can see a bit more of the old ceiling. I'm trying to get a picture of what it looked like even before this. Damian had already replaced the dry wall here and then decided to rip it all out after seeing a neighbors house where they went all the way to the rafters. I thought he was nuts after all the worked he had already done. This ceiling had many water marks from leaks when we purchased this house. Well, I'm glad Damian replaced it because the knotty pine just really opens up the room.

I'm working on furniture now. I'm hoping to have it done by my next trip to the coast. Some chairs which I'm redoing the upholstery and painting some of the wood work. I should have some photos for you soon.

Until Next Time. . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Kitchen

2008-09-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the Bandon Kitchen This photo was taken after the new. . .well everything. New floor, new cabinets, new appliances etc.... This photo even shows my silver tray above the stove. A Feng Shui piece. When the stove and the sink are right across from each other you are suppose to use something reflective. This prevents accidents etc. Well, I use to burn myself on the stove all the time and I don't now so maybe there is something to the Feng Shui thing.

This is where my new shelf hangs. The door way goes into the living room.

The bank of cabinets by the sink

The old cabinets. The only photo I have of the old kitchen from its original state when we purchased the house. My dear old beloved cat Vincent wet all over a stack of photographs (he was 18 years old and just loosing it.) I really wanted to keep these old cabinets but we had five plumbing leaks so we had to replace a large piece of the flooring and everything. My drawers turned out to be old veggie and fruit crates. I saved them. I'm not sure what to do with them but I'll figure out something.

Here is with the cabinets and counter tops in but the old floor and old stove are still there.

The Laundry room how it looks today. I still have a few odds and ends to fix before I'm done with it.

A sort of before shot. Well the tile hasn't been laid etc. But this area wasn't really here in the "old" house. Damian moved a few things around to create this space.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the "little" tour. I've got living room photos to show this week. Also, progress on the old claw foot tub, the fence and outside and other bits and pieces.

Until Next Time. . . . .

Kathleen

Bandon Projects

2008-09-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of Bandon Projects I completed recently. This little TV cabinet I got at the Goodwill for $19.95. I wanted something small that would hold the tv, dvd player and some movies. I really like the way this turned out. Of course it is painted with the ICI Swiss Mocha paint. Our old tv blew up one weekend and my friend Kris was kind enough to give us this tv. It doesn't look like much but the picture is really good. It sure does the trick for now. We plan to get a little flat screen sometime soon.

Here is the cabinet before I started painting on it. It is solid wood and yes I know I painted over a pretty finish but I like the finished results.

This little shelf unit I also found at the Goodwill for $4.99. It also got the ICI Swiss Mocha treatment. I decided to add the little star fish to give it that beach look. I really like the result and decided that I'm going to name the cottage "Star Fish Cottage" because I noticed once I did this I have lots of star fish all over the cottage (more of that later.)

Here is the little shelf prior to painting. I was also a real nice solid wood piece. I really liked the finish on this one and was a little sad to paint it. It goes so much better out at the coast with the white paint though.

Well, I know I've been absent from this blog for a while. For those of you who check it regularly I apologize. I've been caught up with my niece and her boyfriend moving to Ashland and then just dealing with my leg etc. I do have the cast off now and it is wonderful. A few aches and pains still but I am so thankful to be able to walk.

I hope all of you are well. I would like to hear from you so please leave a message and tell me how you are doing. I have lots more to share this week so. . . . .

Until next time

Kathleen

Bandon Harbor

2008-08-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

The Bandon Lighthouse in the mist of evening fog.

The harbor boats. I love the harbor at Christmas time the boats string lights up. Actually, I love the harbor all year round.

The crabbing dock. You can see the lighthouse off at the top right corner.

A closer view of the crabbing dock.

This is a little sheltered building. The furniture inside is all Oregon myrtle wood. It is nice to purchase your lunch from one of the many fish shacks along the board walk and eat it inside the sheltered building. It looks out over the crabbing dock. A must see when you are walking around the harbor.

I haven't been to Bandon in a while. I will be getting my boot off of my leg on the 25th. I plan to go to Bandon over Labor Day Holiday Weekend. I'll be working this weekend on lots of painting projects to take out to the cottage. Update of my projects coming soon.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Anniversary and Birthday

2008-08-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Suzy and Marty

Today is my Sister Suzy (Sue) and her husband Marty's 34th wedding anniversary. They were married on my 13th birthday. Here is a picture of them taken a couple of years ago at their daughter Maria's wedding.

Today is my 47th birthday

This is the first photo ever taken of me. My mom told me that everyone kept asking her what was wrong with my nose. Does it look big to you? I guess for a little one it does look pretty big. It turns out it might've been broken during birth (although I don't see a black eye.) I also looked very much like a boy when I was real little because my hair didn't grow in much until I was older. I certainly made up for that years later.

Me on my 7th birthday when we were living in Odessa Texas. I really loved this doll and still have her.

This is the only other birthday photo I could find of me. There must be more but I couldn't find any. I had this done for my 30th birthday. One of those glamour photos.

Anyway, hope you are having a great day. My leg is healing real well. I'm able to hobble around much faster now. I'm getting use to the boot. I should get it off on the 25th.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Sister, Sisters..thank God for my sisters??

2008-07-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Not long after my trip from California my sister Suzy called to ask me if everything was alright? I told her things were fine and she said she had been worried because I hadn't been updating my blog. So here I am slacking off again (although this time I do have a broken leg.) I called Suzy today (her and Becky live in Minnesota) and told her that I was updating my blog with pictures of us girls. This picture was taken of me (left) and Suzy (on the right) at my Aunt Ora and Uncle Mike's farm in Hobbs, New Mexico. I know the picture was taken before we moved from Texas which means it was before I turned eight. We dressed up some of the puppies and were playing with them.

This is a photo of me at five months and my older sister Becky.

This is one of my favorites. Suzy, me and Becky under the Christmas tree in 1965. I would have been four. Suzy is four years older than me and Becky is eight years older than me.

This was also taken when I was four. I don't know what the occasion is. but I just love the expressions on our faces.

Me, Becky in the back and Suzy holding my mother's dog Tina. I think I was around 6 when this one was taken. Everytime I see this picture of me it reminds me so much of my nephew Denny.

We look tired in this one. I think we were on vacation but I can't be sure. Again, I may be around 4 or 5. Even though I don't think it is a great one of me I really like how it turned out of Suzy (middle) and Becky(on the right.)

This was the most recent one I could find of all three of us together. I'm sure there were some taken at my Dad's funeral but I couldn't find any. Anyway, from Left to Right it is Becky, Suzy and me. I was around 24 and we had all come home for some surgery my Dad had on his heart. I was going to school at the time for Electronics. I had already moved to Santa Rosa, California. Boy, time sure passing along quickly.

Since both of my sister's live in Minnesota I don't get to see them often. We do talk on the phone but it would be fun to see them at least once a year. Hmmm, I suppose I should make that happen.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Moving Around Better & Bandon Furniture

2008-07-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

I'm certainly moving around better. This week has been exhausting. I went to the doctor today and he gave me a walking boot to wear. I now can walk without crutches. He said I was lucky, and that the bone I broke would eventually heal on its own but it will heal faster with the boot. Also, he said there is a chance the bone could separate if I didn't wear the boot which would mean surgery. Don't want that. Anyway, I am feeling extremely lucky. The boot is heavy and I'm going to continue sleeping in the guest room as I'm afraid I'll clobber my husband with the boot. I need to get use to it. But hey, I can walk now without crutches!!!!

I've discovered that I'm am very independent and don't like having to depend on others. It is nice to know I can though. My husband was just as happy as I was about the boot. He wanted to go to Bandon this weekend. I've decided to stay behind as I'm not sure I want to try navigating those stairs into the house yet. Also, Damian's father turns 80 next month and he wanted to go down to L.A. to visit him. My friend Kris was willing to stay with me (Bless your Heart) so he could go. Having lost both of my parents I really wouldn't want to stand in the way of that.

Anyway, leg is still sore, but I can walk!!!! How great is that!!!! I couldn't believe the bruises on my leg and foot when they took off the splint.

And now on Bandon

This little telephone table is another item I painted over the 4th of July. My friend Kris gave it to me. I think it is so perfect. I used my usual white paint and painted the inside with Laura Ashley, Pale Apple 2 (The kitchen is painted this color.) The throw I found at the thrift store. It has sea shells all over it. I'm going to be replacing the love seat that I threw a white table cloth over with two chairs. Years ago I gave my friend Deanne a little chair I had refinished the wood on (small platform rocker) but hadn't gotten around to the upholstery part. I even had the material but I was moving at the time waiting for the Ashland house to be built and had to put my stuff in storage. Deanne is giving the chair back to me as she is cleaning out her garage and hadn't gotten around to it either.

This is the before on the telephone table.

This is in my little guest room. The dresser I had purchased at a garage sale in Bandon. I think I paid $15.00 for it but I really can't remember. I wish I had a before shot of it because it was very ugly. Lots of different color paint. I used the ICI Swiss Coffee paint and put clear glass knobs on it. The mirror is what I painted over the holiday weekend. I found the mirror at the Goodwill Store (can't remember which one though) for $5.99. I knew it was the right size for the room and the little dresser. The ceiling slopes here so there isn't much room.

This is the before shot of the mirror. The chair off to the right I will be refinishing soon. No bum ankle is going to stop me.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Update on Under the Weather & Bandon Furniture

2008-07-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still hobbling around with the broken foot. I can't wait to get the cast on this Thursday. I'm going to take the day off as my foot seems to swell when I start walking on it during the day. I think I'm having an allergic reaction to the plastic on the splint. I've always been allergic to some plastics and don't usually think about it but something is going on inside there. Anyway, Thank you Dave for the comment. You didn't leave me your email address so I don't know how to get in touch with you. I'd like to compare notes on getting through this little bump in life so please leave me your email address.

On Bandon Furniture

Remember this little stool. Well, I finished it and used the material I was going to use for the curtains in the bathroom. I've decided that I may keep the old pillow case curtains. I'll just finish them off correctly and use lace for the shower stall. When I held the material up in the bathroom it seemed like too many different colors. I think the stool will be just the right amount to give it a splash of color. After all, I have some much color on the walls in there.

Remember this is how the stool looked when I picked it up at the Goodwill Store. I must say it was a big improvement with the paint and all.

This is the one dining room chair I have for the table. I'm going to look for other chairs to paint white. I was pleased with the way it turned out. I used an old mint green pillow sham for the seat cover. The picture showed up on the pale side and doesn't really give the true color.

This is what the chair looked like before. Cute lines and a comfortable chair but not much else to get excited about.

I'm not sure how much else I will be able to do for the Bandon house until I get my foot fully recovered. Leave it to me though, I'm not one to set around for long without a project to do. It seems even shopping isn't that easy as I get tired fast. Working all day yesterday wiped me out. Oh, well . . . Onward we go.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Ouch That Hurts

2008-07-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well I have gone and broke my right ankle bone and it hurts. Friday I was just about to leave for work and decided to check out the back yard for the yard work I was going to be doing over the weekend. I stepped off of the back step and down I went. I only recall my right foot sliding under and I heard a snap sound. I lay there and cried and of course no one heard anything. I finally pulled myself up and crawled into the house. My little Lucy looking through the window in the door the whole time with this little worried look on her face. I waited until the time my husband normally gets up and I called him down stairs. We called the insurance company and where I work at and I had to crawl to the car. My knees and hand were already pretty banged up from the fall but you do what you have to do. Anyway, I broke the outer bone right by the ankle and I can't put any weight on it. I don't get a cast until this Thursday (I guess they wait for the swelling to go down first.) I've been trying to learn how to walk with crutches. Which with my vertigo problem isn't the easiest thing in the world. Actually, I don't think it would be that easy even without vertigo.

My husband is playing nurse maid so he brought me breakfast in bed this morning. I've taken over the guest bedroom as the bed is a little easier to get in and out of.

Yumm that was good. The dishes we call the weekend dishes as we will use them from Friday night on. The first piece I ever purchased of this Rose Chintz was a small platter in England and I brought it back in my backpack on the plane.

A nice cup of tea to finish it off. I do have lots of Bandon pictures to share with you this coming week. I'm still going to try and make it into work as I have some important things to take care of this week. I'm not sure how I'm going to do all this until I get the regular cast on. This could be tricky. If any of you have some tricks on how to deal with a broken leg - please share them. I'm not going any where.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Smokey Ashland

2008-07-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

The smoke from some of the 800+ California fires has billowed over into the Rogue Valley. Here is the view from the second story deck in Ashland. It looks like what I remember of Los Angeles.

I apologize for the long delay between postings. The smoke has flared up my allergies going at full force. I literally am surviving on coffee and Red Bull. Well, I'm trying to give up the Red Bull because it is suppose to be so bad for you. Even with all the caffeine I'm still sleeping most of the time I'm not at work. The meds and the side effects from the allergies make me feel foggy and sleepy.

I'm heading to the coast this Friday. I promise to have new photos next week of progress inside the Bandon house. I can't wait to get over there. Hopefully, to clean air!!

Until Next Time
Kathleen

Sonoma County California

2008-06-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm going South tomorrow morning to Santa Rosa California to visit my friends and family. I haven't been back for 2-1/2 years and it is a vacation long over due. I'm going to stay with my friend April and hang out with her two daughters. I've got many other people I'm planning to see and lots of shopping - and I mean lots of shopping.

This is my favorite place along River Road heading towards the coast. The mustard grass grows in every year in Spring. This is a scan I did off of a card I bought years ago. The photographer is is Robert Janover taken in 1993. He calls it "Before the Vines."

This is a view from the house I use to live in before moving to Oregon. The fog rolls in every night and cools things off in the Summer. This is a picture of the fog in the morning before it burned off. This is a Western view looking towards Guerneville and Jenner.

This is a picture after the fog burned off. You are looking at the Korbel valley. Their vineyards are below all through the valley.

Another view looking further to the South West. Lots of Douglas Fir, some Oaks, Redwoods and many other varieties of trees. I do miss the smell of the trees but I don't miss the poison oak I had for 9 months out of the year.

I'm not sure if I will be able to post until I get back on Monday. I'll take my camera with me and who knows maybe I will be able to share the adventure with you.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Bandon Wild Game Park

2008-06-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Bandon Wild Game Park http://www.gameparksafari.com/ is certainly a highlight to any visit to Bandon. I've been there a couple of times. I feel like a little kid when I walk through the gift shop into the park outside. You are greeted with varying sizes of goats, deer and a donkey that my friend Kris calls Shrek. You can purchase food for the animals inside the gift shop but you should be careful with giving little kids or anyone scared of animals one of the cones filled with food. When you walk in the park the little wandering animals smell the food and sometimes they are a little pushy trying to get their share. Don't let that deter you from coming though. It is an experience you will cherish for the rest of your life. I'm always trying to fit in a visit. You can check out the website to see what small animals they will have for petting such as Salton below.

The first time Kris and I saw Salton he was so little. About the size of a spaniel dog. They allowed us into a pen with him and one of us kept his mouth busy with a toy while the other one got to pet him. We traded off in order to experience what touching a small white Bengal tiger was like. In this photo Salton was too big to touch anymore but they would bring him into the pen and allow you get close to take pictures.

Another one of Salton. He has such a sweet disposition. He will always hold a special place in my heart since I touched him when he was little. You can go to the park website (see link above) and see photos of Salton when he was little. They always have little ones to touch. You can find out from the website what animals will be available for petting. I've also touched a small black bear once. The fur on the bear was real coarse - nothing like I thought it would be.

Another one of Salton.

And another one. This one he is playing with a log. He was about the size of a Lab in this photo.

This is a mountain lion cub that we were able to pet. These animals are amazing to see up close. I actually had a mountain lion growl at me when I lived in the country here in Oregon several years back. That was the last straw of country life for me and I begged Damian to move into the city area. We compromised and we are on the edge of the city where the country begins here in Ashland.

Another one of the mountain lion cub.

You can hear this big guy sometimes making this loud sort of huffing/baying noise all the way from the parking lot. The thought of hearing that in the wild is enough to stand your hair on ends. He mostly just lays around though.

The female. She kept looking at the little goat who was scratching his head on the chain link fencing. I'm sure she was thinking, "Come on deary just a little closer and you will be lunch." You can see the electric wiring which is in two layers around the inside of each chain link fence cage.

The female tiger was a little restless when we were there and she kept pacing up and down her cage. They walk so close to you. It is something to be that close. Of course, as you can tell from other postings - I am a cat person.

This black panther shot shows more of the chain link fencing which they call home. Sad I know but no matter how much I like cats I wouldn't want to be there without the fence.

And I saved this shot for last because Kris is going to kill me when she finds out I posted this. My friend Kris is holding a little baby wallaby. It was so cute. They have various animals that they will let you hold. On this particular visit one of them was a wallaby. They had the little fellow in a baby pen with a little pouch for him to sleep in. His mother either died or abandoned him I can't remember which. So when you are in Bandon, Oregon you must consider the Wild Game Park as a must see!

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Little Bandon Bathroom Project

2008-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

This little shelf had gold accents where it is now painted white. I wanted it to be white to match the other white accents in the bathroom such as the handles on the faucet. I wasn't sure how it would work as the accents were metal. I took the whole shelf holder apart and sanded the metal pieces then I used a Krylon Spray paint primer for metal. Then I spray painted the pieces with Krylon White Spray paint for metal. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

This is what the shelf looked like before I painted the gold pieces white. I really couldn't beat the price of the shelf. It was $5.00 at the Goodwill store in Phoenix Oregon. It still had the original price tag of $45.99. I don't have anything in the bathroom which is gold but I couldn't pass us the shelf as I had been pricing them. With the pedestal sink there is no storage so we needed something to hold you know your bathroom stuff like the toothbrush etc.

Take a look at the window curtain to the right of the sink. This is actually an old embroidered pillow case. I've got some new fabric to use for the shower & window curtains. It turned out so well though that I may use them in the kitchen.

This is what the shelf looks like with the sink. I had too much in the bathroom to get a full shot to include the mirror. I will do that soon though.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

For the Love of Hankies - For the Love of My Father

2008-06-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Dad - I Miss You!

A picture of me and my Dad outside of our house in Odessa, Texas in 1961. I was four years old.

As a child one of my chores was ironing my Dad's hankies. It was a chore I really enjoyed. I would take a freshly washed hankie and spray it with a bottle of water and iron each one out flat, fold it in- half, iron it again and fold it in-half again. I'd run the iron over both sides of the now eighth size hankie and ta da a freshly ironed hankie. I'd make a big pile and stack them on top of my Dad's side of the dresser. Sometimes there would be an initial of a J for my father's first name of John or C for his last name of Crawford. I remember a couple of subdued plaid border hankies and the occasional bandanna (which I believe he used when he wore his overalls) but mostly they were white. Of course my favorite Father's Day gift to give my dad as a child was more hankies.

My parents and I often would go to flea markets, garage sales and antique stores. I have fond memories of roaming around for hours looking for treasures. I remember I was at a flea market when I purchased my first hankie. It was a "Goldie Locks and the Three Bears" print and I paid 25 cents for it (a quarter could buy you a lot back then.) My second one was a Pinocchio print with a yellow border. I would put the hankies in the little purse I'd sometimes carry around. It wasn't until I got to be in my teens that I really expanded my collection though. I favored flower prints and again I would carry them in my purse or pocket. I never actually used them for blowing my nose. They were useful wiping mascara off the corner of my eye. As an adult my collection grew quite large and I began tying them onto the strap of my purses. I have actually lost many hankies this way as they tend to work their way free if I don't keep an eye on them.

Not long after my Father died I asked my Mother if I could have one of my Dad's hankies. She told me that she had already gotten rid of them and wondered why I would want an old hankie any way. Not long after she gave me three hankies she had crocheted lace around the edge. When my Aunt Ora heard the story about me wanting one of my Dad's hankies she gave me two of my Uncle Mike's white hankies. She told me she knew they could not replace the memories and comfort my Father's hankies could give me but she wanted me to have some which had a deep family connection. A couple of years later I found a hankie in an antique store which had the word "Father" embroidered on it. I purchased it because it looked like one my Father would have owned.

When I had my antique booth I sold many of the hankies I had purchased over the years. I kept 10 which I considered very special. That didn't last long though and I now have a small collection of 25 hankies. I'm still partial to flower prints and I still enjoy ironing them. Every time I look at the one tied onto my purse strap or the ones hanging in the window of the guest room, they remind me of a small connection I have with my Father and a reminder that I was loved by a very adventurous soul - My Father.

Father hankie I found in an antique store with a photo of my Dad aboard one of the ships he was stationed on during WWII. He served on the USS Pennsylvania and the USS North Carolina.

The hankies my mother gave me.

Some of my printed hankies.

Another flower print hankie.

One of my favorites.

White hankies. The one with my initial was given to me as a gift.

The white hankies in the window of my guest room in Ashland.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Oh Boy - I've been Tagged!!!

2008-06-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Laura at Laura Bruen photography blog http://www.shoot-scoop.com/ I couldn't be more thrilled! This is my first tagging and for me it is a rite of passage into the blogging world. Thank you Laura!!

So here it goes:

1) Where were you 10 years ago? I was living in Forestville, California in Sonoma County. My husband and I owned and operated a photocopy shop called Advanced Reproduction Center (ARC) in Santa Rosa, California. Damian wanted to be first in the phonebook so that is how he came up with the name. We were both getting burned out so we were already thinking of selling the business. The business is still around. We sold it to one of our employees and he has done a great job in expanding it. Ten years ago both of my parents were still alive. Boy it is hard to believe so much has happened in th last ten years.

2) Five items on your to-do list today.

Update Blog
Meet with Kris
Start packing for trip to Sonoma County (trip next weekend)
Call April
Laundry

3) Snacks I enjoy - Fresh Fruit, Dill Pickles - those are the good healthy things but I also enjoy cookies and plain m&m's. I also like toast and tea.

4) What would you do if you were a billionaire?

I'd go back to school and become a professional student. I'd get a degree in Asian studies, screen writing, some kind of art degree, and take many foreign language courses.
I'd purchase houses/condo's in London, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco, Santa Rosa (I still like the place), Hong Kong, New York City and rent some of them out for vacation rentals and visit whenever I like. I'd still keep my Bandon house and I would purchase at least one other house there.
I'd purchase a house for my sister Becky.
I'd purchase an old VW beetle for my sister Suzy.
I'd take my sisters on a vacation.
I'd help out various family members.

5) Places I would live: I suppose you could get the answer to this in question 4. Out of all the places I listed above Hong Kong is the only one I haven't visited. If I had to narrow it down though I suppose San Francisco would be top on my list. Even though I was born in Texas and my family says, "Once a Texsan always a Texsan," we moved to California when I was eight. I lived most of my young life in Southern California and moved to Northern California when I was 21. I'm really a Northern California girl at heart no matter where I live. Sonoma County was a nice place to live and close to San Francisco. So we were able to visit often. I worked for a time in San Francisco and loved the energy there.

6) 5 Bloggers I'm passing the challenge onto:

Lisa http://coastalnest.blogspot.com/
Connie http://namesconnie.blogspot.com/
http://www.novembersbreeze.blogspot.com/
Angel who is a new blogger and could use some encouragement from us http://www.themanylivesofangel.blogspot.com/
Okay I'm one short but maybe I'll find someone else to add later.

I Saw Red Day Four

2008-06-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone leaving comments. I can't believe how much fun I'm having meeting so many new people. I'll have more time to get back to everyone at the weekend - so please leave me your site or email address. If I've been on your site I'll know how to find you. There are some incredible sites out there and I enjoy visiting them.

Flowers outside my house in Ashland.

Okay, yes this is a different Eiffel Tower Soap Dispenser which is in the master bathroom. This one I got at TJ Maxx in Eugene, Oregon. I have a small collection and many pictures of the Eiffel Tower in my home. I've only hiked to the top once and it was an experience I will never forgot.

My little pepper mill

I also have a small collection of flower pins made of china. I see my last two pictures are a bit fuzzy. Anyone, have suggest on getting good pictures. I'm not sure if it is because I don't have enough light or if I just need a better camera or what.

Until Tomorrow when . . . .

"I Saw Red"

Kathleen

I Saw Red Day Three

2008-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

And the Red continues. . . . This is the picture that is on my desktop. I wish I could take credit for it but I can't. I don't even know who took it (sooo bad.) I downloaded it off of google images. This is San Francisco Chinatown at night. I love it because it makes me feel like I'm there.

My mouse pad which has a bit of red in it.

On my bulletin board above my laptop at home is this little ornament of my family crest. I've got some Scottish on both my mother and father's side. Crawford is my maiden name. Sometime I will share more of my Scottish history and recipes. I apologize for the fuzzy picture. The little tag is from a fortune cookie held on by the red flower push pin it reads "The key to success is making dreams come true." Oh how I believe that. I hope you are having lots of success in your life.

My friend Patty gave this to me. She was always saying, "Oh bless their heart," or "Oh bless your heart etc." I always laughed when she said it so when she found this little Raggedy Ann doll she couldn't resist getting it for me.

Until Tomorrow with more. . . .

"I Saw Red"

Kathleen

I Saw Red Day Two

2008-06-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

"I Saw Red" day two - yes this is another red step stool. This one I keep in the master closet to reach those high up places. This stool was in my mother's kitchen for years. It was painted green then and I use to sit on it when I talked on the telephone (for what probably seemed like hours to my parents). On top is my new work bag that I got at a garage sale on Saturday.

Up close of the new work bag. You got to just love this power red color. One of my neighbors is moving out of state and had this bag in her garage sale for $5.00. I'd actually been looking for a new bag just that day at the Goodwill store. I attached a little red rose hankie to one of the straps. I actually have lost many hankies doing this but I can't resist the way they looked tied onto the strap of a purse or work bag.

If you haven't guessed by now I love almost anything to do with Paris. I found this years ago at a thrift store in Santa Rosa. I can't even remember which one it has been that long ago. It looks like a receipt book (I really don't know what the real name of it is) that a restaurant would present you with your bill inside. I always like to think it came from the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a movie fanatic. I haven't been set up with cable or satellite for about four years. I watch movies about 4 times a week. It use to be more like 5 or 6 nights a week but I'm cutting down. We watch many foreign movies. My husbands favorites are . . . well yes French ones. I like all kinds of movies. I do tend to watch a lot of Chinese movies. Not necessarily the fighting ones although I like some of those too. The ones which are my favorites are comedies. My favorite Chinese actors are Sammi Cheng, Andy Lau, Daniel Wu, and Jay Chou to name a few. At work I listen to music by Sammi Cheng and the soundtrack to "Initial D." I wish you could learn Chinese that way. I have picked up some Chinese but not enough to be worth much.

Until Tomorrow with another day of

"I Saw Red"

Kathleen

I Saw Red In The Kitchen

2008-06-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

I hope you are playing Sara's "I saw red." You can view all the detail of the game by clicking on the link on my side bar. This is so much fun. I love the color red. As a wee child it was my favorite color. My mother gave each child a color when I was growing up. I don't remember what the boys colors were but I remember Becky was lavender, Suzy was blue and I was red. It was my mother's way of keeping six kids organized. I had a red towel, red toothbrush, lots of red clothes my mother sewed etc. Anyway, here are some red things I found in the kitchen.

My Eiffel tower bottle which I keep the red dish soap in. I like to keep it on this cake plate I found at the thrift store years ago. The crochet dish cloths my mother made me years ago.

The red and yellow tea cozy my mother-in-law Veronica crocheted for me. This is my favorite mug for drinking my tea in. It is a Chagall art mug. Also there is a PG Tips tea tin in the back.

The red scoop in the sugar container.

My red stool in the pantry. You won't believe I got this great stool at the Ashland Goodwill years ago for $2.00. I couldn't believe my luck. I still can't believe it.

Until Tomorrow with More ... "I Saw Red"

Kathleen

Here is the Bandon Table & The Blanket (Toy) Chest

2008-06-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

I got many comments on painting an oak table white. It seems everyone thought I was making a mistake. You see I have longed for those white tables in many of the decorating magazines. I'm really happy with the way the table turned out. It is nice having a nice solid table to eat on out at the coast. I hope you will all agree it turned out great.

Remember this is what it use to look like. It had some chew marks along the base so that would had made refinishing it to the wood finish a bit more difficult. As it is I just did lots of sanding and now you can't tell where some dog chewed on the base.

The blanket (toy) chest turned out amazing. See I love to get pieces that make a drastic change when you redo them. I painted the chest inside and out with the ICI Swiss Mocha (as I did with the table). I was able to store many blankets and pillows inside. The cottage doesn't have much storage space so this was a major piece to add. I lucked out too because it fit perfectly where I wanted it to go. I added new silver hinges which look better than the original black ones. I'm going to make a cushion and some little pillows for it now.

Can you believe it use to look like this? I have this in the little guest room at the cottage. It will make a good spot for guest to put their suit case or using as a little seat once I get those pillows and cushion made.

A picture of the table during the process. See the old door in the back ground that use to be the front door to the cottage. I'm trying to think of ways to reuse it. Any suggestions?

Another picture during the process. The base has just the primer on it. The tub in the back ground will be going back into the cottage once I'm done with the refinishing (should be done during June). The outside of the tub and the feet use to be painted purple.

Tools of the trade. The first step in refinishing was to wiped down the table and the toy chest with this gloss remover. I had forgotten how much easier it makes the paint stick. I also sanded a bit to rough up the surface.

I had a can of this in my stash of goodies so I decided to use it for my primer as I was running low on white flat paint. I actually liked the way this went on and it seemed to cover really well. I used two coats of this on the table and chest before applying the ICI Swiss Mocha paint. I think I may use this stuff on all my new projects as well.

Okay now this was my original inspiration for the white table. Wouldn't it be great to find chairs like this. This is a page from a recent Pottery Barn catalog I received in the mail.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Today is my 20th Wedding Anniversary

2008-05-20T23:20:00.001-07:00

May 21st is mine and Damian's 20th Wedding Anniversary and I can't believe it has been that long.

This is us right after we got married. We got married in Mendocino California. At the Mendocino Hotel. I just love it there. Mendocino reminds me of Port Rush Ireland where Damian's parents grew up. We had a small wedding just the two of us and two friends John and Katie. And yes - I did get married in a black dress that I sewed myself. I got married in black because of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura got married in a black dress. I have long admired Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane.

I had two wedding cakes. This first one I had on my wedding day. It was a strawberry chocolate mousse cake. I remember it was very good. I was so excited and tired that day that I didn't eat much of it.

We had a wedding reception at our house a couple of weekends after our wedding. This is the cake I had for that party. It was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Damian's favorite cake is carrot cake. My favorite color is purple or rather it was when I was young. I really like many colors but I am really drawn to dark purple.

This is the Mendocino Headlands covered in yellow wild flowers. It is so beautiful there. I hope to return for a visit someday soon.

This is a view of Mendocino looking back from the headlands. It is such an incredible place. I'll show you more pictures of Mendocino later. It is no wonder I fell in love with Bandon because of my love for Mendocino. I use to visit there so often that many of the locals knew me by name. Wow - it makes me miss Bandon. I haven't been in so long.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Living The Beautiful Life

2008-05-15T20:17:00.001-07:00

In case you are wondering how I came up with the name for my site it has to do with Alexandra Stoddard's book "Living a Beautiful Life." This book opened up such an incredible world for me. It taught me how to make everyday into a beautiful life. It has been close to fifteen years since I read it for the first time and I've reread this book at least once a year.

I still have my first well read, a little tattered copy of this book. Every time I run across a copy of it in my travels (mostly thrift shopping) I purchase it. I give away all of my extra copies. I have a copy of it beside my bed in Ashland and Bandon.

Lucky me! I ran across a copy of this one yesterday at the Goodwill Store in Medford and it was only 99 cents. I'm already a third of the way through the book and I just love it. It expands the first books message - About how we can create wonderful beauty everyday in our lives. I hope you will pickup a copy of both books and read them.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Up Coming Projects for Bandon

2008-05-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some up coming projects for the Bandon Cottage. I've already started painting them with white flat paint as a primer. I cleaned each piece off with a wet cloth and sand slightly before painting. I love getting a hold of pieces like this. They are very solid pieces of wood. They look horrible and that is why I love them so much. Once I'm done people usually can't believe it is the same pieces of furniture.

I got this toy box at the Ashland Goodwill store for $10.00. I could use more storage at the Bandon Cottage so I will use this for a blanket chest to store extra linens. I am painting it inside and out with the ICI Swiss Coffee paint. I will probably make a cushion for it as well so it can be used and a sitting bench too.

I got this table at the Medford Goodwill store for $49.99. This table is solid oak and weighs a ton. It is really well made. Damian thinks I'm committing a hugh mistake by painting it white. I just love the look of white round tables in all the magazines. As with the other piece it will get my ICI Swiss Coffee paint treatment. Now I need to find chairs.

This little beauty set me back $2.00 from the Ashland Goodwill Store. Yes the old paint job and the cushion are terrible but look at the lovely curved lines.

I won't be making it to the coast until Memorial Day weekend. By then I should have these pieces ready for the trip. I need to get these pieces out of my Ashland garage as I need to work on painting the inside of the clawfoot tub. Also on the way home last week I passed a pile of junk in front of a house not far from my place. There was a sign that said free. I stopped and looked at a cool chair. I decided not to get it and drove away. Later that night I kept thinking about the chair. At 9 pm I decided to drive down the street and see if it was still there and it was!!!! I hauled it home and now my garage is really full of furniture. Before pictures of the chair will be coming soon.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:33:00.001-07:00

My mother passed away two years ago in March. It doesn't take Mother's Day for me to know how lucky I am to have had her as my mother. Once I moved to Oregon I wasn't able to visit her much (she lived in Southern California) but we spoke on the phone often. I remember during her last few months I would call her to ask her silly questions and to thank her for various things. "Mom thanks for not letting me stay in the sun too long." She just laughed at me and said, "You're welcome."

She was talented. She sewed all of my clothes. I only remember buying one prom dress from the time I was in junior high through my senior year. She could make anything. One time I drew a purse and my mother made it for me. I'm sure my mother saw it as a necessity as I was the youngest of six children. To me it made me feel special as all my clothes were one of kind pieces of art. I have two sisters and we all sew. Mom made my eldest sister Becky's wedding dress and I'm sure that is why I succeeded in making my own wedding dress.

Mom thank you for everything - I sure miss you!

My mom, her dog Tina and me. I was in first grade when this was taken.

My mother and my oldest brother Kenneth. Mom was sixteen when he was born so she was probably barely seventeen when this photo was taken somewhere in North Dakota.

This is mom and my brother Dennis. My mother was probably around nineteen or twenty years old. This is such a typical picture of her as she was always trying to make you feel better. I'm not sure why Dennis was unhappy but leave it to her to try and cheer him up.

This is mom with my husband Damian. This was taken in the 1990's before my father passed away. My mother actually got very thin towards the end of her life. She suffered from diabetes which eventually took her life. After my father passed away she took good care of herself and lasted much longer with the diease then anyone ever thought she would. She always kepted herself busy sewing and crocheting. I credit my mother to the fact that I am a very methodical, organized person. She was very organized way beyond her time. She was also artist and could draw really well. My three brothers and I all draw.

This is the way I remember my mother the most. We always had lots of friends hanging out at our house. My mother was a great cook. I think she thought I would never learn how to cook when I was young. I only showed a desire to make brownies. When I would visit she would always make my favorite chicken pot pie.

This is a mother's day card I made for her in first grade. This is the front and back of the card. She saved it all those years.

This is the inside of the card. We copied this off of the board: Butterfly hover near my Mother tell her that I dearly love her Love Kathleen

Many called her Sue but to me she will always be Mom.

Until Next Time

Thank you Cindy and Lisa!

2008-04-20T23:16:00.001-07:00

This is a very big Thank You to Cindy and Lisa!

I want to thank Cindy from My Romantic Home blogsite http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/ and Lisa at Coastal Nest blogsite http://coastalnest.blogspot.com/ for giving me words of wisdom and encouragement. If you haven't checked out their sites please do. They are both two of my favorite spots to visit.

Until Next Time

Kathleen

Happy Birthday April

2008-04-19T07:23:00.001-07:00

This myself (on the left) and my dearest friend April. This weekend is April's birthday and I wanted to wish her a very special one. April lives in Santa Rosa California so I don't see her as much as I would like. This picture was taken about 15 years ago at a birthday party for myself. April has two adorable girls now and I can't wait to spend some time with the three of them.

Until Next Time

Kathleen