New couches

We ordered new couches in December 2023. They were delivered in early March 2024.

Our living room is set up movie theater style, so both couches are on the same wall, opposite the TV and fireplace. 

I bought a king size white quilt and made seat covers so I do not have to worry about dog nails on the leather. 

I simply cut the quilt in half, folded the halves in half again and bound the raw edges in wide bias tape I had on hand. 

The skinny table was a vintage find on Facebook Marketplace. I had a piece of glass cut for the top so I can set my Kleen Kanteen thermos there without a moisture or heat worry. The white cord is my phone charger. 

The table lamp is from Target. The floor lamp is a vintage family piece. 

The white circle on the floor is an easy access outlet. I never use it. The kids all use it when they are home (gaming systems, laptops).

Apples

 

First, thank you to casting for being diverse. I could tell all the players apart easily. Sometimes I really struggle with this. 

We recognized Annette Benning and Sam Neill immediately. That was the hook for starting this seven episode limited series. 

I like that length. It is much more time than a movie would provide, but it is limited. Win. Win. 

We liked the writing, directing, acting. We enjoyed this series. 

I did not know one thing about the story line before I started. We did not know where it was going. And I am not spoiling it. 

I would encourage you not to look up anything, there are spoilers out there. 

I will say, one has to watch the screen. “Then” and “now” are used to define time jumps. As someone who usually plays Wordle or Candy Crush when I watch TV, I had to watch more closely than my usual. 

I subscribed to Peacock in order to watch the current season of The Voice and Law and Order. Any additional items I find/found to watch are/were a great bonus. 

The jonquils and grape hyacinths are in bloom

 

Milk glass

Note - if the term Milk Glass is foreign to you -

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_glass

https://www.marthastewart.com/8118499/collecting-milk-glass

Did you wonder about the shelves at the foot of our bed in last week’s post? 

There was a hint of white in the photos. 

Here is a better angle -

Here is a close up -

That is a vintage Milk Glass Collection. (There is also a modern egg plate.)

What to do with these shelves was an issue. 

Working on the pantry, a lone/large piece of milk glass put this idea in my head. 

I collected the rest, very purposely, on Facebook Marketplace for very little money. 

These are beautiful vintage pieces. 

Here is each milk glass in detail -

This is my original/inspirational piece from the pantry - 

This is a modern deviled egg plate from Target. It blends. It is a good way to store this oversized piece. 

Originally this larger space held a box TV. I am having a shelf added to make this space disappear. I will add two pieces of milk glass to the new shelves. 

I find the vintage Milk Glass very restful. 

I love small collections, groupings like this are art to me. 

The milk glass is the perfect use of this space. The white pops nicely. It is easy to dust. 

The white Milk Glass is also the reason I did not chose white quilts when I redid the bed linen. Gray linen works so much better. 

Long ago this space was a clutter/mess (below). It was not restful. It was a terrible dust problem. 

Our bedroom linen, simplified

I forgot to take a before photo. I laid the old quilts on the bed and used the drawing function to reinstate the glare of the white plastic covers on the box springs. 

Changing bed linen one day, I realized how unifying and simple all gray bedding looked. I have a gray weighted blanket and a gray Beddy on my bed. 

I was not about to waste time, money and my thumbs making two all gray quilts. 

I ordered four sets of gray bedding from Target. 

I ordered two gray quilts from Kohls. 

Everything was returnable if the grays clashed. 

Why four sheet sets? Two fitted sheets to cover the box springs, one set for my husband’s bed, one extra set for my husband’s bed. My bed utilizes a Beddy. I made extra pillow cases with one of the extra flat sheets. 

Luckily the quilts were not available in xl twin. So I was forced to order full/queen which then gave me the width to tuck in these quilts. Since both beds are propped on cement blocks, the wider width works well for us. 

It might seem odd for a quilter to purchase solid gray quilts. 

First, it is hard on quilts to tuck them under a mattress. It causes threads to break. I have no concerns about tucking an inexpensive store bought quilt. 

Second, tucking the bottom of the quilts keeps the beds tidy. Vacuuming is easy, there is nothing on the floor.

Third, the all gray is very restful and unifying. I crave simpler these days.