Focusing on My French Campaign Style Canopy Bed

Hola darlings!

As you know, after the collapse of my bed the very first night I moved into this version of Maison Newton (my retirement home) which - alas - I took no pictures of the collapsed bed/mattresses - I decided while searching for a new (cheap) bedframe online to go, instead, in an entirely different direction:

I found this beautiful bed at Overstock.com (it is called "Bailey") and, as I discovered during subsequent research online, it is a close knock-off of the "Maison" bed that has (off and on) been offered by Pottery Barn Teen, except for the price:

Progress in the Mistress Bedroom

Hola everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!  I always look forward to this particular holiday because it reminds me to be thankful and grateful for the good things in my life -- far more good than bad, for sure!

Our office is closed the day after Thanksgiving, giving us a fabulous four-day weekend!  There is something so luxurious about having that extra time off!  So, while yesterday was given over to solitary contemplation, watching NFL football games, cooking, and enjoyment of my "alone" time, today I left the house at 7:35 a.m. to go for my monthly blood draw.  I'm on a blood thinner so the degree of "thinness" has to be checked once a month to make sure my blood doesn't get too "thick" or too "thin," either of which could cause complications since I have heart arrhythmia.  Unfortunately, the vein the technician chose and poked with the needle evidently collapsed in the middle of the blood draw and the poor tech became so flustered, something went wrong with the second draw as well (ouch!), and she called in help.  That's the first time that ever happened in the two plus years I've had to go for these monthly blood draws, and I felt so badly for her.  She not only works a full-time job, she also is attending school full time and, until recently, was a live-in "superintendent" at an apartment building, where she got a break in rent in exchange for cleaning and maintenance duties such as shovelling the sidewalks!

Help arrived, the blood was drawn and soon enough (with bandages on both arms - I matched!) I was on the road back home.  This being a weekday, the buses run much more frequently than on Saturdays (which is when I normally go), and so I had good connections to transfer routes.  I only wish it had been a little bit warmer and NOT snowing during the entire time I was travelling.  But, in less than a few minutes, I was transferring to take the bus ride to the Walgreens half a mile from my home to pick up a prescription and check out the Christmas lights on sale (I shall buy some tomorrow) and from there it was a short walk to the Pick 'n Save and grocery shopping, and then the half mile hike back home.  That's how I keep in shape, and it's been a blessing not only in keeping my weight in check, it's good cardio for my old heart. I get extra points for walking on slippery roads and sidewalks for it takes a special kind of "duck" walk and more muscles to do that in order to keep my balance, LOL!  Bonus points for doing it all in 17 degrees F with a "slight" breeze from the west/northwest too, for those kind of conditions jack-up one's metabolism to an extra calorie-burning level to compensate for the cold.

I arrived home at 9:54 a.m.  I am home free for the day, yippee, except I have to shovel yet more snow that has fallen.  Sigh.

View of the patio.  All those lumps and bumps are drifted snow from the last snowfall I
did not shovel plus myriad squirrel and assorted critter paw prints!

Bedroom Inspiration

Hola darlings!

I have been hard at work, continuing to unpack tons of boxes, and Kevin the Handyman has been here on weekends three times during the last six weeks working on lots of different things.

Meanwhile, my mistress bedroom is about 75% finished.  I have two more pairs of sheers to add to each window' "underneath layer" and one pair of "Vivan" curtains to add to each window's outer layer, and then do the final adjustments to the IKEA curtain rods that Kevin the Handyman and his helpers installed a few weeks ago.  I want to get that done this weekend -- we'll see.  I have stalled in putting up the prints on the bedroom walls, need to get that done, too.  The furniture is where it will stay (I think), I need a few new area rugs (future purchases) but will use what I have for now, and that's it!

As you may recall, I splurged and bought myself a new bed when I moved into this smaller ranch house, replacing a bed that was still just fine but somehow the cross-wire supports for the mattress had gone missing in the move.  I priced out replacement bedframes and it was ridiculous how much a basic but good quality bed frame for a full-size bed cost!  In the end, I got a good deal on the new bed at overstock.com that would give me the look I had pined after for years (but was always too cheap frugal, before, to spend money on):

This is MY Bailey bed, woo woo!  Let me tell you, I feel like a Princess sleeping in it, even without it being swathed in organza hangings and flower strands!  I blogged about my long-time desire for a bed along these lines earlier.  I paid $319 for it, with free shipping.  Kevin the Handyman put it together for me - some of the best money I ever spent.