It's Been a Long Time

(This has nothing to do with the post.  I just thought it was funny.  And so very, very true!)

I'm back!

I had forgotten how overwhelming and exhausting a new job can be.  Even though I've only worked 20 hours this week, I feel like I've put in a 60 hour week.  I go home after a 4 hour shift cashiering, and all I do is collapse on the sofa.  And soak my feet in epsom salts.

I had also forgotten how cranky customers can get.  Geez, lighten up, people!  I'm new;  I can either do this quickly, or I can do it correctly, but I cannot yet do both!

Last week was my last week of unemployment, so I did have some time to do a little rearranging in my house. 

I moved a shelf that had china in it to the other side of the fireplace, and put in my milk glass, which is my smallest collection, along with framed black & white family photos.  I love how the color of the white frames & the milk glass just pops against the periwinkle blue & green of the shelf.  Some of the china that was previously displayed in the shelf will be sold in the Etsy shop that I'll be opening sometime this summer.

The other side of the fireplace got a simpler look.  There's so much china on that side of the room, it needed something simple (well, simple for me. A minimalist, I'm not!).  I love Asian parasols; this one isn't old, but I love the green.

I love this photo of my mom.  She (well, her photo, anyway) replaced the roses (in the previous photo above) when they died.

I moved old photos to the mantel, as well as above it.  I'm going to have to find a new mat for my dad's army picture.  I'm surprised that Dad, a man's man, hasn't sent a bolt of lightening to strike me down for pairing his photo with a PINK mat.  I think the green mat with Mom's photo looks so much better.

I also framed a piece of barkcloth that I purchased from Etsy last year.  I didn't want to cut into it, so framing it was a good alternative.  I like how the swirley design frames the mantel clock.

A quiet corner.  I love my Art Deco waterfall chest.  I have my eye on a waterfall sideboard that I saw a couple of months ago at a local antique store.  If it's still there when I get a couple of paychecks ahead, it's going on layaway.  It will replace the dresser that currently holds my TV.  It sags in the middle (the dresser, not the TV).

I love these 1940's/50's airbrush pictures.

This china cabinet, which previously held books, now has china back in it.  All of the china in the cabinet was thrifted.

You will notice that the only rooms I've ever shown you pictures of are my living room and my kitchen.  There's a good reason for that: the rest of my house is a mess!  In my bedroom, the bed is almost always unmade, and there is a large pile of clothing on the floor.  The bedside table has a mish mash of books, magazines, kleenex, hand lotion, aspirin, and other stuff that I just can't live without.  Another bedroom just has books lined up on all the walls until I can afford to have bookshelves built.  The third bedroom is currently a very large walk-in closet, with many, many boxes, that I have yet to unpack, piled high.  My bathrooms and dining room are boring and need more help than I can afford right now.  They're relatively clean & uncluttered, just boring. So, yes, you now know my secret: the public parts of my house are neat; the rooms where I can shut the door are a mess.  I am a closet slob!!

One more photo I had to share.  The rose bush from the house next door:

I LOVE how it's shaped like a heart.  I'm disappointed though; the house sold, so I'm not going to be able to swipe roses anymore : (

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Thanks so much for your visit!