Yoo hoo!

Life feels as if it has speeded up lately -- I know you know what I mean.

I have been so busy but also really wanting to get over here to my blog to say hello and catch up a little bit!

Work is going well! While still underemployed, I am so happy there -- it is such a big improvement over my last job that I am walking on air.  You should have seen me doing the happy dance just the other day when I had my benefits orientation.  I was able to purchase BETTER health insurance for my family at less than HALF THE COST than what was offered at my last job, or by my husband's employer.  We are breathing a sigh of relief over here.

There are so many things I like about my new job, and here's just one: in the evenings, after I've done all the training and other work in between phone calls during the first several hours of my shift, things will generally slow down a bit and we are allowed to bring in quiet work, or reading.  Some of the younger people who are in school do homework.  I sew.

I whipped up these white pumpkins at work last week and I am in love with them.

I'm thinking of glittering them up but am a little afraid to try.  I might have to make a smaller version and experiment with that.

It's so nice to have time in the mornings to spend homemaking. Above, I replaced Halloween decor with some of my Georges Briard collection. I'm enjoying the look and thought it fit in well in-between holidays -- soon to be replaced by vintage Christmas.

 An enamel chicken pot that used to be in my Etsy shop; I am thinking about keeping it.  So iconic.

On the left, a green pear and apple design on a clear serving plate, and on the right, a milk glass plate with strawberry design gifted to me by Kathy.

The lid only of a decorated glass casserole dish, with doves, leaves and thistles.  I just love it.

And, filed under keeping it real: I thought I'd show you a solution I picked up at a recent estate sale. My son has gotten in the habit of piling/dumping his stuff next to the sofa after school which is fine because, hey, we live here.  But it was becoming problematic because the junk pile can grow to block the basement door.  So I bought this rolling cart for $10. Now he has 3 shelves to pile his stuff in, and when we need basement access, we just roll it out of the way.

Also under the heading "keeping it real" -- I was in such a cranky mood the other day when I was out running errands (other people's unkind online behavior -- enough said) that I had to grab this calendar.  Anne Taintor is the original mixed media artist and queen of snark, and now I have a whole year of her sarcasm to enjoy!

Last but not least: take a look at these window panes I got at another estate sale a few months back.  I paid just $10 for the four of them, and here I have photographed them as is -- unwashed and all. They are antique and show it -- at least one of them is losing its metal and has loose glass, so they will need to be reinforced (or framed.)

For now they are living in my garage, and I have NOT had any epiphanies about how to use them. Any suggestions, my artistic and designer friends?