Places and Spaces

Sometimes joy looks like dusting and vacuuming places and spaces in the condo that haven't been touched in a while. We have house guests coming Saturday into Sunday....and I using it as an excuse to do a deep  clean. I didn't do any slow doodling today....but I slow cleaned almost all day long on this rainy day.

This rainbow vessel collection on my mother's antique desk in my dining room is one of my favorite spaces...and now it's all dusted. I did the spectrum cross stitch back in 2012 and it still makes me smile....as does my colorful handmade lampshade on Linda's vintage lamp.

There were also places and spaces in the day where I puttered on a few other things....like my puzzle. I thought I would give this view of my puzzle table from the living with the rainbow display in the background. The puzzle table is smack dab in the middle of our large living space...and that seems just right. When I'm sitting at the table I can see out the patio doors and watch the weather and the birds.

And THIS happened late this afternoon. Emily (my goddaughter) finally opened her Joy Journal while we Facetimed. It was pure JOY! You can get a glimpse inside her crazy joy journal here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2026/04/a-glimpse-inside.html

Just a Touch

I don't know what I was waiting for...but other than the gourds by my front door I've not done a bit of fall decorating. Until today. (Thanks for the nudge Judy.)

Even just a touch brings me joy. 

These little trick or treaters always make me smile. I've tucked a few other things here and there...but these are my favorites.

This fungi caught my attention this morning. My plant identifier called it Schizophyllaceae and I think it's absolutely fascinating!

And I didn't see the little surprise on this leaf until I uploaded the photo. 

If you look closely....there's a tiny little web in the hole in the leaf. 

Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder. 

E.B. White

I spent most of the day in the garage. It's not really photo worthy...but I'm doing projects I've wanted to do for 5+ years. I'm installing hooks...holders and hangers. I'm cleaning...organizing and purging. I want everything to have a place....most importantly the car for the winter. 

I installed this shelf several years ago for my old bottles....and it make me smile everytime I drive or walk in. I've got some other things to hang too.

The idea was inspired by my dear friend Connie who always had just a touch of art in her garage. 

Just The Right Person

Becky and I can talk for hours about paint colors, rugs choices and room design. So just the right person was here when my new furniture arrived this morning. 

Paul and I gave our old couch to Sam when he moved....and have been making it work  in the living room with a bunch of mismatched chairs since the beginning of July.

Last night Becky and I cleared the living room to get ready for an 8:30 delivery this morning. 

Never underestimate the will and strength of two farm girls. She was just the right person for the job.

This is the 3rd navy couch we've owned....so it already feels like an old friend. And there's my old friend....back at the puzzle table! 

As a matter of fact the very first couch Paul and I bought after we were married was navy...and here we are again.

It will take me a while to settle things in...and I have more incentive now than ever to finish my stripes fabric piece. Maybe. Hopefully.

And to top it off....Becky and I had a fabulous happy hour on the patio with Patty. Also...just the right person to add to the friend mix.

PEMDAS

Subtitle: Order of Operations

Do you remember PEMDAS?  Parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division, and addition and subtraction. I may never use it again...but I don't think I'll ever forget the order of operations for mathematics. 

I felt like I had an order of operations strategy for my Christmas undecorating making it less of a chore and more of a puttering project. We're still enjoying some lights and a few decorations...but I wanted to gradually tone it down and get most of the spaces back to ordinary time. So I created an order of operations of sorts.

I started several days ago putting away the Santas....then a few other things that were more Christmasy. The next day I transitioned my window sill and dining room hutch from Christmas to winter with some snowmen and trees.

Yesterday I took the ornaments off the tree leaving just the lights for New Year's Eve. And just today....the tree is down and all put away. It feels good!

Order of operations was the way to go this year! 

I'll enjoy the snowmen and trees for the month of January.

Happy New Year! Bring on 2025!

Little Bits and Parts

"I like to envision the whole world as a jigsaw puzzle...if you look at the whole picture, it is overwhelming and terrifying. But if you work on your little part of the jigsaw and know that people all over the world are working on their little bits, that's what will give you hope." Dr. Jane Goodall

Jane's advice is helpful for the really important work needed in the world and in our own communities....we all should do our little part. But it also works for actual jigsaws...little bits and parts at a time. 

ALL the windows views...and the street scene across the bottom of Margie's advent puzzle are complete and not one piece is missing!!!

It makes me hopeful that all the pieces might actually be here! I have 3 more little puzzles that go across the top to finish...and they are taking a little more time.

So many pieces are completely interchangeable making the dark blue sky a bit of a challenge. I remember Margie commenting on that when she was working on this....and I'm thinking of her every step of the way.

One section is done...and the next three are getting there.

The end is in sight!

And my Christmas kitchen window scene is all set up. 

This is one of my favorite little spaces.

Really Big Bowl

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."  Albert Einstein

It looks like spring out the window....but with the wind it still feels a bit like winter.  This frosty straw caught my eye this morning....

....and these sticks caught Paul's eye. He was quite taken with the sand imprint of the sticks just a few inches away.  How in the world did that happen so perfectly? And how did the sticks get moved...so perfectly?

I'm going with that miracle thing on both!

Jim was back....and our cherished pew table is about a sturdy as it can get.  Just in time for another art class with Sally and Ida tomorrow....which I'm calling Tuesday at the Table.  I'm pretty excited to be teaching again...and sharing my stash!  More on that to come

I couldn't be more pleased with all the things Jim has done for us and I'm scheming up a few more.

Our precious butter bowl from Paul's grandmother is back on the table. I oiled it up today bringing out the the lustre of the wood. 

Back in the day....once the butter was churned it would be transferred to the butter bowl to be salted and pressed before storing.  These bowls were one of the most useful tools in an early American home.

Now it's a cherished addition to our home....  and when I need a really big bowl...I have one!

And I needed a really big ball for Paul's baseballs under the coffee table in Lexington. 

I have a thing for bowls.....all kinds of bowls....even little ones.

Making It Work

Jim the handyman was back today to do a few more things...and I enjoyed hanging around watching him work.  One more visit and our current todo list will be caught up.  

Making our condo feel like a home is pretty important to me....and I spend a lot of time and creative energy on things like arranging shelves and hanging balls. It's all part of my joyful puttering...so I can't help but share it here. So today you're going to get some house stuff.....carry on if it's not your thing!

Paul and I have been pretty lucky finding things for free along the roadside....and then making them work. There are lots of stories of our finds....one of my favorites is about our coffee table.  Consider yourself warned if you link....it's a LONG story: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2021/04/no-1123-12-d.html

We've had one bookshelf in the living room that we picked up for free. It's not very deep so not all that stable...but we've made it work for years.  At the time I just spruced it up with some white paint and it's been just fine....but I always thought it could be improved.  It was just a white box.

So one of the things I had Jim do was cut a top for it...and make a bit of a base so it would be up off the floor...and a little more stable.   

The bookshelf is found...and the boards are old and repurposed and full of character....and it's so much better than building or buying something new.  

 

I love it when there is someone in the condo helping us with house stuff....and making it work!

Jim is also going to help us shore up up our dining table....which is repurposed from an old pew from Paul's first church here in Falmouth.  It's sentimental story and I've written about it many times.  

But if you want to read the story and see why my name is carved in the corner you can read this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-pew-story.html

We have these fabulous hickory chairs from Paul's grandparents and we absolutely love them. Not using them is not an option. Trouble is the arms wouldn't fit under the table because of the skirt so we've had the table up on blocks since we moved in 3 years ago.  Not using the table is not an option either.

We got a few estimates for having a new base built....but in the end decided to just make it work.

I found these little wooden pumpkin boxes (they came with little lids) in an online wood store. 

I painted them to match the table base and Jim installed them (upside down) today.  

And other than the table being a bit higher than is ideal....

I think it looks pretty darn good. No more blocks....and it only took three years!  

 

Jim assessed the underside of the table to see how he can make it more sturdy. It was so interesting to see all the different versions of the wood reminding us how much work Paul had to do to get the top stripped and looking good.  

Paul took the pew apart and built it himself over 20 years ago....but he's glad we've got a professional helping now to shore it up.  

It's made from three wide pine boards that were the three parts of the pew: the seat, back, and kickboard. Just the boards on the underside of the seat were raw...the rest had been painted many many times over the years.  The pews were original to the church which was built in 1811....so we estimate that the tree originated at least 300 years ago.

And we're making it work today!

Time to Put the Balls Up!

One of the very first posts on this blog over 9 years ago was called "Time to Take the Balls Down."  

Inspired by my friend Laura...I used to hang my glass ball collection from my dining room chandelier every Christmas....and enjoyed them for months.

I reinvented the arrangement every year...and never minded putting them up and down.

But when I chose the dining room fixture in our current condo....I didn't think about the balls...and the drum shade doesn't accommodate them.  So they've been tucked away....waiting for the vision in my head to come to reality.

But it was time to put the balls up!  I finally got the ladder Jim built installed against the ceiling in in my dining room window....and the balls are up!

It took me a good chunk of the day...and it was trickier than I thought. If they need a tweak...it's going to have to wait because my arms are tired. I think they all could be an inch or two higher. 😳

The ladder was inspired by the one my sister Angie had hanging in her bay window in Missouri.  She had all kinds of interesting and colorful things hanging from it and I always admired it.

I couldn't believe I didn't have a better photo of her window...this is the only one I could find....and you can just barely see the ladder there in the back.

It will be interesting to live with it a few days and see it in different light.  And it's not lost on me that the window valance has polka dots....so the balls are a perfect compliment.  All the colors are represented.

I'm pretty tickled that my vision is finally realized....and I'm pretty happy with it.

I think I'll be on the lookout for a few colorful vases and bottles at thrift stores and trade out a few of the blues and greens.

Late afternoon light.....I'm going to enjoy the shadows and reflections!

Just before sunset.....they had a whole different feel.

The balls are up!

The Other Corner

On the other corner of my puzzle table is Christmas Moment #5.....a precious pair of young angels. I adore their look of wonder and innocence.

Paul and I raised two boys....so these angels remind me of those magical days of Christmases past. 

I love the way their faces light up in the evening light. To this day there is nothing I want more in life than to see my grownup children's faces light up. 

I finished up the last decorating tweaks at Margie's this morning.....and I'm tickled that she had a spot for this little family village I made back in 1990 when the boys were little.  I haven't displayed it in a while...but she had the perfect spot in front of her window.  

MaryAnn's Gift Shop is on the left....next to that is St. Paul's Church...Sam's Books and Nate's Toy Store there on the right.  

I made them out of cardboard covered in crepe paper. You can see some close-ups here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-shupe-village.html  

Margie may not be be happy with me sharing this one....

but doesn't she look comfy and cozy!  Her little tree is all decorated....and she is up to date on her Advent puzzle windows.  

The daily puzzles don't come in any particular order.....

she'll arrange them at the end.  The little window scenes are delightful....and so far she seems to be enjoying it.  

Tree Day!

The tree has been up for a few days....but today is technically Tree Day at the Shupe house.  On December 2nd, 1978 Paul and I had our first date....and on that first date we decorated a small tree in his dorm room.  So in honor of Tree Day.....today I decorated the tree.

(I just put two and two together....and the photo I shared recently of Paul's birthday at my parent's home had to be 1979. I know no one is keeping track....but I just needed to set the record straight.  I like to get things right.)

I love unpacking my collection of felt garland. Some I made....some I purchased. 

I think I write about them every year...but this post gives the best description: 
https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/12/felt-garland.html

We still have two trees from when we had two places. One is larger than the other and I chose the smaller one with white lights this year. 

I may still do some tweaking.....but here's the before....and the after with my feet up on the coffee table.

The tree could be my Christmas Moment for today ....but it's more of an event. So my Christmas Moment #2 features two very special felt ornaments made by my Aunt Beverly.  They are vintage...incredibly detailed...and two of my absolute favorites!