B is for Bet

Vintage bed linens

I've been on a kick for a while of looking for vintage tablecloths. I've found several at estate sales and local antique shops.

Now I'm looking for vintage BED linens. (and yes, that's another B!)

I've been wanting to mix patterns of sheets and pillow cases on my bed for years. I collect pictures of mixing patterns and think about what colors I want to mix, etc. It has such a cool and cozy look to it.

The softer, thinner feel of vintage bed linens is part of what attracts me. And the patterns--mostly the florals--so pretty, don't you think?

This week I found a pair of white vintage pillow cases with crocheted edging and pretty embroidery. They've been added to my bed already, but I'm still looking for some colorful, flowery sheets to add to the look. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a closeup of the edging:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that I see these photos I can understand why some people iron their sheets! I might have to start that before I take any more pictures of my bed.

Here are some ideas of what I'd like it to look like eventually with lots of patterns going on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I'm off to an estate sale to see if I can find some more!

 

UPDATE: No linens, but I did get a couple of neat items. I'll post about them later.

Blooms: the fuschia!

This is a new bloom for me this year: a fuschia. I have two hanging pots of them out in my backyard on my patio. It's ever-blooming (at least, so far). It has to be watered frequently (daily or every other day). 

According to the information I've found online, it is a  member of the evening-primrose family. It's native to South and Central America and New Zealand, and bears red, purple, or pink bell-shaped flowers that hang downwards. The fuschia was named for the German botanist Leonhard Fuchs.

I had no idea that the color fuschia was named after this flowering plant!

Anyone else have this flower in your collection or know anything more about its blooming habits?

B is for beginning anew

I've been thinking about doing this for a while now.  Blogging again.

At one time back when I started blogging in July 2003 (wow, that's 8 years ago!), I was excited about posting and creating and conversing with my friends who stopped by my old Dappled Things blog. I encouraged lots of other people to start blogging, and many of them are still blogging today.

With a few breaks now and then, I kept up the posting schedule pretty regularly until the last couple of years. Facebook came along, and then Twitter, and then it seemed that all I was doing was communicating in one social medium or another.

The blog took a back seat. And then it got left stranded by the roadside. No posts since last September!

This summer seems like a great time to try to reinvigorate this site--complete with a new name and a new look (hopefully the look will continue to evolve with a new banner soon).

So B is for Bet. And for my miniature schnauzer Barney. And for books.  And for big ideas sometimes. And for blessings all the time. And for a lot more B's to come before I'm done I hope. I plan to blog about all of these.

I hope you'll join me here to find out what's going on in B is for Bet's little corner of the world.

Happy 5th Birthday, Barney!

It's hard to believe that Barney, my miniature schnauzer, is 5 years old today! I actually had to go back and look at some earlier blog entries from when I brought him home to see how many years I've had him.

He's a funny and sweet companion. He likes to curl up on the chair beside me or on the back of the sofa where I'm sitting. He barks at all those strange people who happen to jog by on our street. The nerve of those people! ;-) He loves his ball and his donut (ring toy). Unfortunately, he also likes my shoes. I have to remember not to leave them within reach of his sharp teeth.

Although sometimes he's a frustrating boy, I can't imagine not having this cute furry bundle of fun living with me. Happy Birthday, Barney!

 

The view from my (new) office

For those who don't know, I moved from my office in the Alumni Building to a new office in the Fine Arts Building.

The move is part of the restructuring of several departments, including mine. I'm now part of the Division of Communication, with my department being renamed Journalism & Mass Communication.

One of the nice changes has been the office space. I have windows! Big ones. These two pictures aren't the best--they were taken with my cell phone. But you get the idea. My office looks out on the street that is in front of the women's residence halls.

My friends from the Alumni Bldg have been trekking over to see my view. I don't blame them. The only windows in the Alumni offices are tiny ones near the ceiling. No view at all.

You can see one of the beautiful oak trees that I can see out my window. I'm hoping the view will be conducive to work rather than a distraction. I'm already enjoying the difference in atmosphere just from being in this office!

My roof saga....

If you drove down my street today, you might notice something about the roofs of just about every house. They're all new.

We were hit by two hailstorms in late spring/early summer, and the roofing companies descended and offered free inspections. Soon you could hear the sound of nailguns and new roofs appearing left and right.

I wasn't among the first to get a new roof; in fact, I may be the last in the neighborhood. My insurance company paid about 80% of the cost, and I labored over the choice of color, finally deciding on Colonial Slate. I was excited to see the results.

Maybe the picture above doesn't look too bad to you, but it was the cause of great concern to me when I rounded the corner to my house last Friday. Roofers had been working since 6:30 a.m. and I'd been called home to give them a substantial check for completing the work. But I immediately knew that my new roof was NOT Colonial Slate. Instead it was Cobblestone Gray, a pleasing name but not so pleasing on my house!

The contrast between the light gray roof color and the white siding was just not enough to make either stand out or look good. Fortunately, my choice was written on the work order, and the owner of the company agreed that it was not my fault that somebody goofed the order. The workers just packed up and said, "See you on Monday!" They tore the new roof off and put on another new roof! A costly mistake for one of the roofing company employees (he later told me, "I actually liked the Cobblestone Gray." I'm sure he did--especially if he was responsible for paying for the mistake!)

Here's the right roof:

Can you tell the difference?

I can! And if you came by in person, I'm sure you could as well.

So I've had two new roofs in the last week! Can't beat that.

 

The uncluttered email inbox: achievable for someone like me?

Occasionally I astound people who happen to glance over my shoulder at my desk and see that I have 2131 emails in my inbox.  That's my school inbox.  My home inbox is worse. Maybe twice as worse.

I am not a deleter of email. I am a hoarder.

Sometimes it occurs to me that other people don't live this way. I've heard of the zero inbox. I've never experienced it. And when someone introduced me to Google mail, I was encouraged to continue in my cluttered inbox ways since you have unlimited storage and everything is searchable. Why delete anything?

Then I get these twinges of wanting to declutter. But I really don't know how to start. Sometimes I'm tempted to just delete everything in the inbox. If I really needed it, wouldn't I have needed it by now?

What are the best strategies for managing the overwhelmed inbox? I'd like to hear from people who are appalled by my bad email habits. Or if you want to throw some comfort my way, just tell me how many emails you have in your inbox (only if it's more than a thousand!)

 

Ups and Downs for the first week of August

Up:  I'm visiting my sister and her family in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Down:  I had to take my mom back with me and she's staying for several months. Wahh. I'll be lonely when I get back home.

Up: We had some delicious homemade peach ice cream last night that my niece made using S.C. peaches that I brought with me.

Up: We went antiquing in the Harrionsonburg, New Market, Luray, Sperryville area yesterday. I found a couple of bargains: a vintage tablecloth and 15 (!) napkins for $12 and a couple of small crockery bowls that I like to collect for $2 and $2.50.

Down: I have to leave tomorrow.

Up: I get to see Barney (a friend has been keeping him while I've been away).

Down: The summer is almost over! I had many more things I wanted to get done.

Up: I have a new office (FA 202) and a new department (Journalism & Mass Comm) and new school (Fine Arts and Communication) to return to. My old department (Professional Writing) is merging with the former RTV department to form a new Journalism and Mass Comm department.  I think it's going to be a great change with lots of new possibilities.

 

Celebrating Granny's birthday

We've spent the last few days celebrating my Mom's 82nd birthday--using birthday coupons, taking some day trips, and on Monday we went to Asheville for the day. Our intention was to have lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe, but without consulting us or letting us know, they decided to have a managers' retreat and the restaurant was closed for the day! We were disappointed.

So we decided instead to go to 12 Bones, another restaurant I'd been wanting to try. 12 Bones is a barbecue place down in the River Arts District. The name 12 Bones refers to the 12 bones of a full rack of ribs. It was more than a down home sort of place--it was more like a shack, but in a good way. Not much attention was paid to decor except not to worry about it. There were lots of signs on the walls, bumper- sticker style, and the tables and chairs were your basic unmatched wooden ones. The parking lot, overflowing, could have used some gravel or a paving job.

But the food was very good. They are known for their ribs, obviously, and the variety of unusual flavors they offer. On Monday blueberry chipotle ribs were on the menu. Mom and I opted for pulled pork sandwiches, with two sides. I got the smoked potato salad and baked beans; Mom got baked beans and mashed sweet potatoes. Everything was good except for the beans. I like mine softer than the way ours were served.

 
 
 

By the time we got our food and found seats, the line was out the door. We'd just squeaked in before noon. Yay for us. On my way out, I checked out their bathroom. Here's the sign that was posted right beside the full-length mirror inside. And the mirror was the kind that actually does make you look skinny. Very funny!

After lunch we browsed through Earth Guild, and artsy/crafty store where I bought yarn and Mom bought some basket-making material. She hopes to get back to her long-time hobby of basket-making.

We took the long route home, turning off U.S. 25 to drive back on the old Highway 25 through the Greenville Watershed area. Very neat!

I'm scared! Do you have any irrational fears?

I've always had an irrational fear of a plane crashing into my house or into the amphitorium during chapel (but wait, it could happen, couldn't it?). I have no idea where this one comes from.

I also have an irrational fear of dropping my keys down an elevator shaft, through a grate in a sidewalk, or into anything where I can't retrieve them. I've actually imagined doing this and can almost see it happening. I did once drop my house keys through the slats of my back deck and never did retrieve them. I guess I shouldn't be telling you that. I must admit it's crossed my mind that someone might find them under there and break into my house. Especially now that you know they're there.

I'm not too fond of bridges either.

These are pretty crazy, but I bet you have me beat. What is your irrational fear?