Homebody

Most days lately Emmie and I are confined indoors, due to the miserable weather we've been having.  We were able to get Bruce's old car running, but he's been driving the newer car to be on the safe side.  It's the one with the car seat, so we have no choice but to stay inside.  The hours go by slowly, one day running into the next.  To top it off, Emmie's had digestive issues this week and has been unpredictably cranky.  There are times when I feel caught in an internal whiteout.

I was telling a dear old friend how much I appreciate having a husband who comes home at 4 o'clock every day.  When her children were little, her husband traveled all week long.  He was mainly home on weekends.  I can't even imagine what that would be like, stuck in the house day after day, shouldering all the responsibilities.

The way I've been managing the winter doldrums is by livening up my enclosure.  I've been adding little touches to our home decor here and there, with what funds and resources I have to work with, predominantly through leftover Christmas presents.  I had a gift card from my parents that I used to get a new burlap lampshade.  The old one on our candlestick floor lamp was outdated and worn.  Inspired by - what else? - Pinterest, I added a touch of ribbon to give it some texture.







Bruce and I also rearranged the living room, and it's now much more open and spacious.  For some reason, the room layout makes us feel content now.

Bruce's aunt gave us a gift card to HomeGoods, and I was able to get a cute little owl shelf for the bathroom, an accent pillow for our bed, and new placemats and cloth napkins to match our kitchen.  Those small details make me cheerful each time I see them.  

I had my family over for dinner and made homemade spring rolls. My brother, noticing I was chopping scallions, told me a fun trick: save the bottom white bulb and place the roots in a shallow amount of water in a jar.  They'll grow back and you'll have green onions forever!  In this picture, the scallions on the left are three days old, and the right bunch are one day.  It's been two weeks and they are about 8 inches tall!  I like watching them grow, and it adds a bit of green life to the house.

Then today I went to our local Goodwill (I am not a total fan of this organization, but that's maybe for another post).  Anyways, I've been looking for an end table, and I found a great one for $12.99!  I'm going to paint it one of these days.  I also found a piece of art, Mediterranean Gold by Michael O'Toole, and its companion Portofino Waterfront.  Bruce and I love art; we get the Art.com catalogs, and he has always expressed a desire to own Mediterranean Waterfront.  I got them both for $4!  What a fantastic find.

Right now, Bruce is putting up the Stafford shelves I got him for Christmas to display his pint glass collection.  We debated where the best place was to hang them in the basement, and decided on the soffit, so that they are out of the way and less likely to get bumped or broken.  He painted them white so the focus would be on the glasses themselves.

Projects aside, in order to not turn into lumpy weak people, I set up our old Wii.  Emmie and I play Just Dance 2014.  Well, I play and she runs around me.  I've also been exercising via YouTube videos and DVDs.

Still, the other day I was climbing the walls, so as soon as Bruce got home from work (after being caught in an actual whiteout on the roads), I left and went to Panera with my laptop.  I worked and ate dinner by myself.  I can honestly say that was the first time I left Bruce and Emmie and didn't feel bad about it.

I'm pretty envious of my friends in California and Florida right now!  Just think, it's only January.  I keep reminding myself that I'm in this together with every other cold climate dweller.

Anyways, soon it'll be Groundhog Day.  Hope that whistle-pig doesn't see his shadow!  I already feel like it's the same day over and over again.