Saturday, November 29, 2008

General Thoughts

Though Thanksgiving has come and gone, I'm suffering from Holiday Brain. I guess this is where I'm tricked into thinking there's more relevance to the subsequent days than there really is, and it makes me unfocused. And so it's a struggle to get back into blogging.

But! I have an easy one for today.

We spent yesterday decorating our tree and all, but also moving furniture in from the garage and finally starting the process of making our house feel like a home. [Though there's still some finish work yet to be done. *sigh*] You'll not be surprised to hear I spent a lot of time getting my "reading and writing nook" just.right. Though there's more to this space that I'll show you another time, for today I have two pictures.

Here's my desk! At first glance, it just looks like an old table. But the story behind it is that this was my mother-in-law's college desk. She passed away in 2003, and that I can use it as my own is a special thing... Just picture me sitting here, putting that BIC (butt-in-chair) writing technique to use. So exciting! (You may notice the cap on the balcony wall and the beam to the left are still light - they'll be stained to match the redwood.)



And... drum roll please... my reading chair! Remember I told you misterwrites wasn't too fond of the chair? Last night I found him sitting in it. He said, "I like this nice, cozy place you've made here." He'd better not get too comfortable...



Oh! And I did tell a couple of buddies I'd show the living room with its new carpet. So here's a bonus picture of our tree.


Hope you have a great weekend! Our family's going to attempt ice skating tonight. Wish me no broken bones or injured parts. :)

18 comments:

Angie Ledbetter said...

Congrats on all the progress! I won't say "Break a leg," for your adventures tonight. :)

Love the writing area and reading nook. (Maybe you could put up a wall sconce instead of the lamp to give you more desk room?)

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Yay! You must be so excited! I'm excited for you. :) It looks great, and if he insists on using your chair, you can point him in the direction of the store, lol.

Please be careful ice skating. I always seem to hurt my wrists and you need those!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Thanks, Angie! Hmm... I don't know if a wall sconce would work, since it's a pitched ceiling right there over my desk. Plus, I really don't mind the lamp. I still have three times the space I'm currently working with! :)

Melanie - Yay! It was the best day, getting all my stuff set up. -- Though it's my ankles that usually give me trouble, you make an excellent point. Thanks!!

Melissa Amateis said...

I love your little writing nook! So cozy and comfortable, perfect for creating! And beautiful tree, too.

Joanne said...

What a wonderful space you've created for yourself! I know you'll enjoy writing, and contemplating, there. It looks very serene. Oh, and btw, there is a relevance to these days following Thanksgiving ... Leftovers!!!

BiPolar Wife said...

I'm envious of your writing space! My "office" is in a nook between the family room and dining room which was great when the kids were babies and I could keep an eye on them at all times. But now that they are teenagers, I am rethinking my location! It's Grand Central Station here most days! Your tree is beautiful!!!

Anonymous said...

Lovely spot, Janna!!! May it be blessed with lots of creativity!
hugs

Jen said...

Nice tree, Janna, and have fun with the ice skating. :)

I really love your writing/reading spaces. So nice! I need to find a place like that for myself in my own home.

Marian Perera said...

That's a beautiful desk and writing corner! Is that a window beside it? You could use the ledge as a shelf for a bud vase or some books.

I'd like to have a writing-desk too some day, with shelves of reference books above it and lots of little drawers (pigeonholes?) below. I like my computer desk but something old-fashioned would be lovely.

Anonymous said...

I love your desk. It's so nice that it has family history to it. Your Christmas tree also looks lovely. You did a nice job with ribbon.

colbymarshall said...

Hooray for all the coziness of new home and for the Christmas tree! When in doubt on the skates, do the pizza pie feet!

Terri Tiffany said...

I love the desk! I think I had one in college like that in my freshman dorm!!
Your tree is gorgeous too--how did you do that ribbon? I tried and gave up and ripped it off!
Don't worry about holiday brain--we are all having it but be ready Monday!!

Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl said...

I love the story behind your desk, Janna. Pieces like that are ones we can cherish most as we use them and they're the most special and dear to our hearts! And... that reading corner looks SO cozy and inviting! I'm so happy for you!

Pretty Christmas tree, too.

*smiles and holiday hugs*
Michele

P.S. Thanks SO much for your kind words about my Moses or Man story. Your comment really touched my heart!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Melissa - Thanks! I hope lots of creativity happens there. :)

Joanne - Mmm... leftovers...

MichaƩle - Indeed. You should see what you can finagle!

Kimmi - Thanks so much, and hugs back!

Jen - Had a blast! And didn't hurt myself at all!

Marian - Hiya! Glad you've come back. :) No, not a window; it's the balcony ledge that drops down into our living room. If I can ensure my daughters wouldn't knock anything down, I've had the same thought! And I agree, the older desks are, the more character they tend to have.

Fringegirl - Here's where I confess... I started out scrunching the ribbon too close together and ran out of length. Misterwrites went back and fixed it while I was doing other things. ;)

Colby! I can't tell you how many times I consciously thought that as I looked at my feet. So funny!

Terri - See confessions above (misterwrites did the ribbon). ;) And I'll be ready come Monday. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Michele - Thanks for your great comments! And you're so welcome for mine. Hugs!

Anonymous said...

Aww! I love your writing and reading spaces and your tree is gorgeous!

Joshua said...

awesome! nice pics cousin. and yes, that space looks uber cozy.

Spy Scribbler said...

Oh, wonderful! How pretty and cozy and clean! I love writing spaces. I have one I made in my basement, but it gets my asthma going. :-(

I love looking at others' writing spaces. May it bring you many hours of joy and inspiration!

Kelly said...

Your house is beautiful! Just right for that Christmas party for Misterwrites family, hee hee.