Does he really think that sign will help sell his house?

Driving down a main road yesterday, I saw three consecutive houses for sale. Must be a whole row of assh*les, right? Would you wonder what was going on there?

Our neighborhood can go for several years with no houses available, and then POW - all of a sudden several go on the market. Four of the largest homes are for sale now and one smaller. Out of an area with only 65 or so homes, that is a lot at one time. I wonder if the recent troubles with the Home Owner's Board had anything to do with the decisions to sell. I know it didn't with one home; it is owned by a widow who needs to downsize, but the other families/duos seem ideally suited to the size of their homes - so it isn't clear why they are leaving. Do you ever get curious about things like that?

)(-)(-)(-)(-)(

Today is my adoptive mother's birthday; she'd be 104. She died when I was about 45, and for the next 14 years, I was "a motherless child". Then I met my birth mother and started the "getting to know you" process all over again. Now she is gone as well, and I am back to being motherless. You never get over losing your mother, do you? My adoptive mom and I didn't have the best of relationships near the end of her life, so what I miss is what it was like many decades ago. I suppose I've been thinking about her since Mother's Day came and went. I miss what could have been...and grieve for that.

No Place Like Home?

My good friend Tiff wrote about some places she has lived, and she got me to thinking about mine. After college and technology school, I moved to VA to work in a hospital lab. My parents drove me there, along with all of my worldly possessions (which fit into their car trunk, with space for their luggage too) and found a room for me to rent in a private home across the street from the hospital. The landlady was a widow - a grandmotherly sort. It was a nice enough room, in an older home with large, sunny windows, quiet tenants, and the commute was easily walkable. BUT.... (there always is one of those, isn't there?) it wasn't much fun for a girl away from home for the first time, with no car and no cooking skills. I didn't have cooking/kitchen privileges anyway, so that didn't matter, but I had to eat all my meals away from home, which got expensive even with the hospital cafeteria discount.

The head of the laboratory was also a single woman, about 2 years older than I. She invited me to move into her apartment, which was the second floor of a private home, with an outside entrance. Since she had a car, we drove to work together and went shopping together - in fact - we went nearly everywhere together, which was nice at first, but got to be difficult later on. After we had lived there about 3 months, we were given reason to leave. Seems the landlords (who lived below us) objected to the fact that we went grocery shopping at 2am on Saturday nights and they didn't like the noise of our footsteps going up and down the outside staircase after 10 pm. (We tried to be quiet.) As twenty-somethings, we found that to be an intolerable rule, so we moved. We took an apartment on Shore Drive, across the road from Chesapeake Bay. It was a six unit apartment, with poor views (the apartment next door), but it was convenient to work and shopping and to the ocean and a beach - which is key - right? The night we moved in, we were exhausted. After tossing and turning for a few hours, my roommate got up to get a drink of water. She turned on the lights in the kitchen, surprising at least 1000 roaches walking all over the walls and counter tops, which then scattered back into the cabinets, baseboards, window moldings and floorboards. We screamed like little girls and didn't sleep another wink that night.

(I'm getting deja vu. I think I've told this story recently; maybe here, maybe not. If I'm repeating myself, please excuse me and move along.)

Suffice it to say that the new landlords got several pieces of our minds the next day, and they agreed to call an exterminator and contract with them for monthly service - otherwise we'd move immediately. When they sprayed our apartment, the roaches went next door and downstairs.....which made the neighbors unhappy, so the landlords had everything sprayed and it was okay from then on. It took us a week to clean everything out of the kitchen and get it sanitized (or so we thought - it still turns my stomach to think about it.)

Then, I met mr. kenju - or the man who became mr. kenju - and the relationship with my roommate went downhill quickly from that point. She was jealous. We tried to set her up with dates, but she was very picky. She was about 5'2" tall and not much to look at, but her dates had to be over 6' and very cute. Semi-cute , intelligent, polite and classy didn't mean much to her if the guy possessing those attributes was under 6' tall. (Sheeesh I say. Short girls ought to leave tall men alone so tall women can attempt to get them!) Anyway, she became increasingly hard to get along with and I finally reached the point where I'd had all I could take. A friend of mine in the laboratory owned rental property with her husband, and they offered me one of their apartments, at reduced rent. I pounced on it and moved in May. Luckily, it was fully furnished, since the only thing I owned was a sewing machine. Mr. k and I married that July, so I didn't live there alone for long.

Maybe it was harder for me to adapt because I lived at home until one year after I graduated from college. I'd never had a roommate until that first young woman in Norfolk, so I really didn't know what to expect. I was raised to be considerate of others, but with that woman - you could be crucified for looking sideways at her - and never know or be told why. (Sort of like my mom.....lol)

What about you? Did you ever have trouble with room mates?

Leftovers

A pretty, festive bow hung on the chain of a chandelier makes a lovely addition to your Christmas decor. It is especially effective if you have high ceilings and a long chain. I hung a gold one in my dining room about six years ago, and it is still there.

Christmas Past: a swag hung over a mirror behind a love seat. The colors of the ribbon blend with the upholstery and the tassels add a festive touch.

This is the crazy gingerbread house at the Governor's Mansion this year. Made by Donna of Sweet Memories Bakery, it is a real treat to see! Click to enlarge.

One of the few trees in my yard that still has leaves on it; the red really stands out in a forest of gray trunks and branches. We thought it was going to be dusted with snow, but all we got was sleet, which knocked all those pretty red leaves off!

Another tree from Christmas Past; I did this one a few years back. It has about 1800 lights on it and approximately 350 sterling silver and cut crystal ornaments on it, including crystal icicles. The people who hired me to do this tree discovered the morning I was to arrive that their tree stand was broken. The gentleman jury-rigged it and it appeared to be sturdy. Just as I hung the last ornament on the tree, it toppled over on me. No harm was done, nothing broke and not one ornament fell off the tree! I was so very glad I had hung them all using silver chenille stems.

Imagine..... Living Here

Fancy living in a church? This old church in Kyloe, Northumberland, England was purchased by a couple who invested lots of money to keep the inside as it was. They restored instead of renovated - 3 times less money.The couple did their best to recreate the inside like a regular home....

Every time an old church went up for sale around here, I fantasized about buying it and turning it into a home. I would LOVE to live in an old church like this one!


The architecture is so inspiring, and I love the Gothic arches and beautiful woodwork.


Imagine waking up to the sunlight streaming through stained glass quatrefoils!


Or bathing here?

What do you think? Could you live here?

Silk Flowers, but First......

See what we received in the mail yesterday? This wonderful singing bear, from none other than Naomi of Here in the Hills. After she received one during the holidays, I wrote and asked where they were available. I had no idea that Naomi would be so kind as to purchase one for us - but here he is! The best thing about the bear is that when you press on his left paw, he sings - in the most delightful English accent - Put on a Happy Face! I had remarked to her that mr. kenju needed one of them to remind him not to be so dour. When we got it today, Mr. kenju had just opened our December power bill, which was a whopper. If he ever needed a "happy face" that was the time. And it worked! He laughed and laughed. You can't help but be cheered up by the sights and sounds of that cute bear singing in his wonderful accent! Thank you, Naomi, for being so thoughtful; we love you!

Now, on to the silks.....

Click to embiggen, I hope.

Silk flowers used to be more popular than they are now, and until about 4 years ago, I used to get calls for them all the time. My favorite clients were the ones like the woman who owned the painting above, which had been given to her by her brother. She brought me this gorgeous raku pottery container; I had to go to her home to see where it would sit. I was asked to take advantage of the height (over 5 feet from the mantel up) and to design something complimentary in color and style to the painting. I love a good challenge!

This arrangement, done in a beautiful epergne owned by a local decorator, was placed in a foyer niche in a Parade of Homes house a number of years ago. Containers such as this one inspire me, as did the confines of the niche, which was only about 2 feet wide.

The spray above was made for hanging above a frameless mirror in a client's home. It consists mainly of dried flowers, not silks, which was her stipulation. It has dried hydrangeas, gardenias, lemons, amaranthus, various foliages and some silk berries and branches to give it width and bulk. Good quality freeze-dried flowers will last at least a year, and sometimes longer if they are not exposed to bright sunlight.

This client's home was very well appointed and I enjoyed getting to see her decor, and adding to it. She requested pheasant feathers and calla lilies, and I added bells of Ireland , miniature orchids and corkscrew willow branches.

For the one above, I worked with an interior designer. She also requested pheasant feathers and willow. Do you know the word serendipity? That's what I had here. I had not seen the painting hanging over the mantel, and thus did not know about the curves found in it. When I delivered the arrangement, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the curves of my feathers perfectly echoed the curves in the painting! Another good point was that the decorator mentioned to me that she didn't know what to put on the right side of the mantel, but she knew it needed something. I told her I had seen that gold obelisk at a local gift shop, and she bought it for that mantel. Additionally, she had seen in my home the monkey table beside the chair and asked me how to get one - so I ordered it for the decorator and she used it here.

NOTE To the Spiffys (Biff and Tiff); every time I see that leopard spotted ottoman, I think of your neighbor's "porn couch".....LOL

Lastly, a wreath for a client's front door. I need to make a new one similar to this for my front porch - since I still have my Christmas wreath hanging out there. Shame on me!!

Vintage North Carolina

Click to enlarge - I hope. These are a few places I've been privileged to decorate for weddings and other events. Top: The Greystone Inn, Wilmington, NC.

"Oakview" in Raleigh, NC. Sadly, it is no longer available for weddings.

A private home in Wake Forest, NC. In case you can't read the sign, it says:

"Who would turn back 2 Hundred yeare, Let him A-light and Enter here.

This place has some interesting history; Dudley Moore stayed here in the 1980's with his then wife, who was from the Durham area. The original owners told me how Dudley began playing the piano in the parlour one evening, to the delight of all the guests. I wish I'd been there. I loved Dudley Moore!

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Did you see Boston Legal tonight? I am so glad to know that Denny Crane "crossed the aisle"! Seldom does a fictional drama allow its characters to set forth political views in the way that this show does. While it ended in a silly paint-ball spat between Denny and Alan, the actual dialog was masterful. That is also true of their courtroom closing arguments, no matter what topic they are debating. I am sad to know that this is the final year for Boston Legal, and hopeful that re-runs will be shown somewhere forever.

NOTE: at least five of you have told me that you cannot leave a comment on my blog. I just changed back to the older style of comment box - please let me know if you still cannot comment: kenju99@gmail.com

The Beaufort Old Homes Tour

Click to enlarge (I hope). I've been wanting to tell you about the Beaufort Old Homes Tour, but I had to find these photos first. The Mace House was owned (at that time) by a friend of mine named Grady Wheeler. Grady was a florist, and we often worked together in Raleigh, as well as other cities in NC and in his home - Beaufort, NC. He used to show his home on the annual house tour about every 3-4 years, and he always did flowers in every room. In 1998, he asked me to come to Beaufort and help him decorate not only his home, but one of the other houses on the tour. I was thrilled to be asked and went there with bells on. I started decorating the other home, and Grady was going to go and start on his house. When I finished the other home (seven hours later), I went to Grady's to discover that he had fallen ill and I had to do his house too! That was not, unfortunately, the last time I pulled an "all-nighter" with Grady. It seemed he worked best at night - even when he wasn't sick - and I had to follow his lead if I wanted to work with him. It was worth it.

Shortly after that, his home was damaged in two separate hurricanes (Fran was one), suffering water and wind damage. His insurance company sent their appraiser; an architect from the South who worked on historic properties. He fell in love with Beaufort and liked Grady very much. He decided that the company needed to bring Grady's home up to code and up to the standards that a home listed on the Historic Register should have. They packed up all of the furniture and clothing and personal effects and stored all of it for nearly a year. The demolition began, and all that was left were the exterior walls. The house was essentially rebuilt from the walls in; re-plastered, re-wired, re-plumbed; the floors were refinished, the chimney was re-bricked. In short, the house was completely re-done and heat and air conditioning was added where it had never been before. The photos you see here were made the first time I visited Grady after the renovation.

The Mace House.

The living room.

The living room.

The den (that's Grady in the portrait over the mantel)

The den

The dining room

The kitchen

The kitchen

The sleeping porch

The dependency kitchen; the only structure on the property that was not hurt in the storms. This kitchen came from Grady's wife's home place in Georgia (I think). It was taken apart and each board was numbered, so that when it arrived in NC, it was put together by the numbers. He and his wife used it for storage.

Grady was insistent that his home be decorated in the manner in which homes would have been in that era. He had an unfailing eye for quality, but when he couldn't afford the "real thing" he was very adept in placing a modern, inexpensive copy so that unless you were a dealer or an appraiser, you would never have known. He loved blue and white china (as you can see). Some of the pieces shown here were worth hundreds of dollars, and some were "dime store" copies. Almost anyone would have been hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Grady and his wife are both deceased now. Unfortunately, his wife was in a nursing home before the renovation happened, so she never saw it. Grady only lived about 9 months after the renovation, and I always wished he had been able to enjoy his lovely home for a longer time. Oh, and you should know, that after the insurance company spent thousands and thousands putting it all back together for him - they dropped him like a hot potato.

The Beaufort Old Homes Tour is held every year on the last weekend in June. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys period homes and beautiful interior design.

It's for the Birds!

These images are from the lastest local birdhouse construction competition here in our area. People of all ages entered the contest this year; here are some representative winners from each category. ENJOY!

And my very favorite - made from a gourd!

Click to embiggen.

New Homes for the Avian Set

Every spring, our newspaper holds a contest for hand-made bird houses. I thought you'd like to see some of the winners. There are many categories and I have shown a representative sampling of them. My favorite is the top one, the Victorian, and my second choice is the binoculars. The creativity abounds! What are your favorites?

(Click to enlarge!)