Hero Kitty

I can't say today is a particularly good day.  But it would have been a much, MUCH worse day if it weren't for Mari the cat.

We call her "the fiend" because she is our certifiably psycho kitty (in her early years a vet suggested we put her on kitty Prozac!).  She jumped on my husband and woke us up around 3:30 am. Then she just sat and stared out the bedroom door. When he went downstairs to investigate, he found water coming through the ceiling in the foyer.  Turns out the upstairs bathroom was flooded--the toilet was leaking! 

He turned the water off and went to get a bucket; I grabbed towels to sop up the water on the bathroom floor, and then every pot, pan and mixing bowl we had to catch the drips.  Luckily, she woke us before the downstairs ceiling caved in! Since I had been up until around 1 am. working, we knew it hadn't been leaking for more than a couple of hours.

So today has been spent calling the insurance company, setting up appointments with the plumber and contractor, washing towels, etc. (Plus a short nap!)  Not exactly productive, but then again, it could have been a nightmare.

Mari gets some tuna tonight as a special treat.  And the wonder dogs?  The ones with the acute hearing, keen sense of smell, and instinctual protectiveness?  They pretty much slept through the whole thing. Oh, they got up to see what all the fuss was about. But once they saw it didn't involve treats or a walk, they all yawned and went back to bed. 

Turkey Anxiety

Am I the only one who is getting a bit anxious because Thanksgiving is less than a week away?

Thanksgiving is fast approaching!

Maybe it's because I have a dining room with no furniture in it.  It could be because a deadline will require me to work late all next week. Or maybe it's because I have no idea how many people we'll have since I told my son the Marine to invite anyone he knew who may not have family close by for the holiday.  I may have no extra people ... I may have 10.  I asked him to let me know this week, but odds are he won't think about it until he's in the car with them on his way up here from North Carolina (perhaps not even then, knowing him!).

In any case, I'm freaking out!

So this weekend will be all about getting everything back into the dining room, deep cleaning the house (you know -- the type of cleaning you only do when you have company coming), menu planning, and grocery shopping.  Not to mention getting caught up on laundry and all the regular stuff I have to do on the weekend.

If you're in the same boat, take a deep breath and just take it one step at a time. 

Because ....

At least I hope I can!

Closet Envy

The great shoe migration has begun at my house.   Do any of  you do this, or am I the only shoe hoarder out there? Maybe you all have tons of closet space, or can easily get by on four pairs of shoes, (I know there are people of this alien species out there, including some of my friends, but I have no idea how they do it!). If so, lucky you. But I've never lived in a house with enough closet space.  The listing for the house we live in now advertised "his and her walk-in closets."  Ha! I guess technically they're walk-in, because you can step inside them, but there is barely enough room to turn around.

So I have to store and change-out my clothes and shoes seasonally. In the spring, out come my sandals, flip-flops, and open-toed shoes, and in the fall they're replaced with boots and closed-toe versions.  There are some flats, etc. that are seasonless and get to live in the closet full-time.  Those are the shoe elite!

I organize my shoe collection in boxes with either photos or a description written on them, placed by style, color, and amount of use. (This may sound OCD, but on an average day you'll find a bunch piled on the floor because I haven't bothered to put them away, so my inner messy self does come through!)  But no matter how organized they are, at the end of the season I always find a pair or two I forgot I had. I've even been known to buy a new pair, only to bring them home and find out I have the exact same pair already!

The shoe and clothes migration are actually a lot of work, and this is the time of year when my closet envy reaches its peak.  My closet is about as organized as its size lets it be, so a new closet organization system isn't going to do much for it.  I suppose I could paint it and make it prettier, but really, what's the point?

So I fantasize about beautiful closets with chandeliers, a place to sit down, and a spot for every pair of shoes I own.  Want to dream with me?  Here's some eye candy:

 via Pinterest

CountryLiving

PosePoise

Ahhhhh.  Well a girl can dream can't she?

Now, Jessica Alba is a girl after my own heart when it comes to shoes:

Remember Carrie's closet on Sex in the City?

Here are a couple more; a bit more subdued -- no chandelier, but I'd still take them!

via Pinterest

 BHG.com

Elle Decor

(Check out all that LV luggage!)

Oh well ... back to the reality of pulling out the storage bins in the basement, taking out shoes, putting in shoes, and putting the bins back in the basement.  Maybe one of these days I'll get my perfect closet ... or decide I don't need so many shoes. Dream on!

Getting Well With The Women

I've been an absentee blogger for a week.  Last week I was busy finishing up a (non-furniture) project, then on Thursday I was off for a long "Women's Wellness Weekend" sponsored by Virginia State Parks.  These weekends are designed for women to take some time for themselves, enjoy nature, and destress.  I've been to one of the WWW programs before, and to be truthful this one wasn't the best.  The food was terrible (mainly fried, processed or canned -- and this was a "wellness" weekend!), and the events weren't very well organized.  But I still had a great time.  That's because I went with a group of 11 fabulously diverse women ranging in age from early forties to soon-to-be seventy. We shared a lodge, late nights sharing stories, ideas, feelings, advice, and -- of course -- wine!  

Studies have shown that when women gather with friends they release more ocytocin, which counters stress and produces a calming effect.  Add the beautiful Virginia countryside with the trees just starting to show their fall color, and you've got a winning combination!  So now I'm back, rejuvenated and ready to get back to work on some furniture and decorating projects. I'll share some soon, but in the meantime here are some photos of some of the weekend's sights.

Have a great week!

There's More on Craigslist than Furniture ...

It’s amazing what you can find on Craigslist.  Want some chickens?  Check out the Farm & Garden section.  Need snow shoveled this winter?  Check General Labor.  Looking for a handyman?  Someone to write your memoirs?  A caterer?  They’re all on Craigslist.  Apparently you can also find people with names like Aphrodite or Stone who want to show you a good time, but I’ve never checked out that section.

A section I have used with good results is the Job listings.  I’ve hired people through ads there, and also found freelance and full-time positions myself.  In fact, my last three jobs were found through Craigslist!  So that is how I came to be sitting in front of three people last week interviewing for a communications consultant position.

Now, over the course of my career I’ve done a lot of interviewing.  I’ve been the interviewer and the interviewee.  Between career advancement and moving to different states for my husband’s job, I’ve been the interviewee numerous times.  But I still get nervous, and the panel interviews are the worst as far as I’m concerned.  You know that while you’re answering one person’s question and looking at them, the others are scrutinizing your every move and detail. 

It’s not that I don’t have perfect confidence in my ability to do the job, I do.  I get nervous about other things.  For instance, I talk with my hands so I have to be careful I don’t knock over the glass of water they’ve so thoughtfully provided me.  Yes, I’ve done that.  Actually, more than once.  I’m basically a klutz.  One time the full glass went across the table into my interviewer’s lap. (Amazingly I still got that job!)  Or the time I was just getting over a cold and had a coughing fit that wouldn’t stop.  I could see the interviewers surreptitiously move their chairs a little farther away from me.  (Got that one too!)  There was the time I pulled out my portfolio and it was covered with dog hair, as it turned out, was my hem of my skirt.  Luckily they were pet owners. Perhaps the worst interview was the one where I was suddenly overwhelmed by what I later described to friends as a premenopausal glow, but which they thoughtfully informed me was “flop sweat.”  I couldn’t help myself; I stopped in the middle of answering a question and tore off my jacket while they all stared at me. (Didn’t get that one.)

For the one last week I was perfectly groomed and had double-checked all presentation materials the night before -- not a dog hair in sight.  I moved the glass of water carefully to the side.  I was healthy. I was prepared.  I provided thoughtful answers to their questions.  I made them laugh. In fact, nothing went wrong. 

At least I don’t think so. But the HR person told me she would try to get back to me yesterday, and I still haven’t heard from her.

So please send me some positive vibes!  In the meantime I’m going to go back on Craigslist to see if any interesting new jobs have been posted …