Blog Archives

COURAGE

12/31/2013

I subscribe to several other Blogs. Each day my inbox chimes with posts from friends I haven’t met yet but feel that I am coming to know well. We share a love of different things, and same things, and they are all gracious ladies – and men – who share their knowledge and love of DIY, thoughts and insights on home, faith, and life and occasionally just simply beautiful pictures that feed the soul. Thank you all.

Yesterday, there was a thread running through many of the posts concerning the “word” for 2013. I am relatively new to the Blog world but gather that this is a traditional New Year’s resolution - to choose a word, embracing its meaning and purpose for your life in the coming year. The posts were sweet and heartfelt; the kind of conversation you would share with close friends and family and they made me think about what word I would choose as we look towards 2014. And I have decided that my word choice is, Courage.

Courage is doing what you are afraid to do.
There can be no Courage unless you are Scared.
~ Eddie Rickenbacker

Well, if that’s the requirement boy am I the right girl for the job.

Courage does not always roar.
Sometimes Courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
“I will try again tomorrow”.
~ Mary Ann Radmacker

This is something I struggle with; that it is okay to not be perfect, to fail, that is it okay to “try again tomorrow”.

All you need is 20 seconds of insane Courage
and
I promise you
Something great will come of it.
~ Benjamin Mee / We Bought a Zoo

I find this a crazy, liberating, and perfect thought; especially in light of my word choice. You see, for the past several years I have, like many, been working towards a new vocation. I just had not quite yet figured out what it was. Then several months ago while searching online for chalk paint I stumbled on the Miss Mustard Seed blog site http://missmustardseed.com. It was the first time I’d really read a Blog (it’s okay - gasp/ laugh/ roll your eyes - I get it :} It also quite literally changed my life. Well, more precisely, it gave me a much needed push in the right direction. Within weeks I had launched The Quirky Nest blog with a great deal of help from my Hero, the Technology Specialist in Residence.

Then this past weekend it happened, I finally got a glimpse of where the path was leading, and why I need to find my courage. We stopped by Seneca Cannery Antiques, one of our favorite hunting-gathering spots, and as we were looking around, my Hero said, “You could do this, open a shop here” and the wonderful thing was that he echoed just what I was thinking. Now, he is a man of action where given sufficient time I would have surely talked myself out of the adventure. Therefore, wasting no time, today we met with the manager to find out what it takes to set up business at the Cannery and to add my name to the waiting list for a space. Reference that “20 seconds of courage” quote.

I am a firm believer in stepping out on Faith, as is my Hero. We are in awe of how our lives have evolved over the past decades (a long story to be recited in the not too distance future, promise). So, God, we trust you; lead on and I will do my very best to follow. For now, I’m working on getting that Courage thing going.

And, there is soooo much to do!!!

Happy New Year, dear hearts!

Cindy

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Framed Inspiration

12/30/2013

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I’m a bit of a ditz, in a forgetful out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of way. It makes staying on task with stuff, not to mention keeping up with stuff, a little hard for me. So whenever I can utilize something that will help trigger my memory I’m all over it.

If you watch HGTV you've probably seen a designer use a board covered with pictures, fabric, furniture cutouts, etc. It’s a great work tool but these boards can also simply be a collection of things that inspire you as well as a way to keep track of ideas and project notes.

And, it does not have to be an actual bulletin board. Hey, we are way more creative than that, right? Anything that lets you easily collect, see and interchange the things you gather will work.

I wanted something pretty that was also portable so I could prop it in whatever space I am working in at the time. This old frame found at a local thrift store for about $7.00 was just the jumping off point I was looking for.

The next step was to fit it with something sturdy and thick enough to support objects pinned to it. Foam core makes a great backboard for this type of project and can be purchased at most arts, craft and framing shops fairly inexpensively.

To make it pretty, cover it with whatever fabric you like. In this case I purchased a bird print burlap because of our whole nest thing we have going on, but you could even use whatever you have tucked away. You know, like those pretty curtains (or tablecloth, or throw, or…) that just don’t work anymore but you simply can’t bring yourself to give them away. We all have them, and feel guilty every time we see them buried away unused. So……

NOTE: I did just catch this potential problem in time - before attaching the fabric, wrap the fabric around the foam core and dry fit it in the frame to be sure it’s not too snug to fit.

You can use whatever method appeals to you to attach the fabric to the backboard, but I really like spray adhesive. It dries in minutes, but stays tacky long enough to allow for easy tweaking in the first few moments after applying. After that it virtually disappears and doesn’t leave hard residue or puckering as it dries like other glues. The only drawback is that it’s best used outdoors due to the odor and overspray, but if you have a well-ventilated area and a drop cloth you should be good to go. Just as with any DIY product, be careful to follow that package directions.

And Ta-Da! Now I can pin project notes, fabrics, pictures, whatever inspires (and reminds!) me.

And while talking about creative idea boards, one idea that I’ve used for years is the inside of kitchen cabinet doors. In this case I’ve collected photos of kitchens that I love, plus rough sketches of the layout and cabinet ideas. It’s a little nudge every time I reach for the baking soda ;}

So set your imagination free, and now you have a way to keep up with it!

HUGS!
Cindy

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Surprising Moments

12/29/2013

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If we are lucky, we get a moment or two during the Holidays that are filled with surprise. The ones that stop us in our tracks, fill us with wonder and maybe even elicit a giggle or two. One of those moments arrived in the form of a squirrel. Yep, walking right across my living room carpet. Really, come to think of it, it was more like a stroll. As though visiting humans in their natural habitat was a completely normal everyday occurrence for him. And though I am using the pronoun "him", in truth I didn't actually check so it could have been a girl squirrel. It was kind of hard to tell under the circumstances.

After saying, "Well, hey Cutie", I had the squirrels attention and I guess he figured it was a good time to pick up the pace a bit because he sort of loped into the hallway. I followed, trying to shoo him away from heading upstairs and getting into my Hero's guitars, or maybe worse, waking up any or all of The Kids. Visions of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation loomed in my head. Fortunately, he chose to ignore the stairs and instead did a couple of short kinda slow laps around this odd little section of wall where the living room, dining room, hallway and office all meet before trotting off through the dining room, into the kitchen, and right past the feet of my unsuspecting Hero before disappearing into the laundry-pantry.

My Hero was sitting at the kitchen table (sans his "office") working on his computer and was a bit baffled by my explanation that a squirrel had just walked right past him and was now taking up residence our pantry. Understandably, this is not something that happens to a person every day and it took a moment to sink. But he was quick to take me at my word and jumped into action guarding the doorway in case the little interloper decided to try to make a break for it back into the house.

I went in, feeling that the squirrel and I were now at least introduced and he might be a little less wary of me than the stranger I'd just invited to the party. But the little scamp was nowhere to be found, and this is a tiny room mind you. In the meantime my brilliant Hero constructed a makeshift barricade and propped open the back door creating a lovely inviting pathway to the great outdoors. Still not able to see the little dickens, I waggled a broom handle in behind the washing machine and that was just enough encouragement to get him moving again. I knew this because my Hero said, "It's okay. He just walked out the door.....I mean - he just walked(!) out the door." There is something just a tiny bit unsettling about a squirrel that feels that comfortable being in your home. You know?

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera close at hand, so completely missed this photo op. But then a single picture just wouldn't have quite captured the whole event.

And in case you are wondering, yes we did figure out how he got in. Remember that ancient oil burning furnace that we had removed? Well, the chimney is still in place, covered and closed, packed with a bunch of insulation and duct taped...but if a squirrel is really determined....

Hope all your holidays were merry and bright.

And squirrel free.

HUGS !!!

Cindy

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A Christmas Peek at The Quirky Nest

12/17/2013

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With Christmas just barely a week away, we are still a whirlwind of activity, but that is actually pretty much the norm around here.

In the past few weeks we’ve spent three weekends helping one son build a garage….

Two weekends out on gigs (that’s my Hero on the guitar playing for The New Ramonos)…..

And now we are snuggling in for Christmas….

Barley telling Santa what he wants for Christmas….

Willow looking pretty…..

And not to leave Finn out....
Honest, he wasn’t hitting the eggnog. I had just finished giving him a tummy rub and he was toooootally relaxed and a bit goofy…..

A little Partridge….

In a Pear Tree…..

My Hero’s favorite holiday character is the Grinch. Mortimer (the big guy) and Baaabette are trying to figure out how THAT happened…..

I collect primitive Santa’s and sleighs….

But could not pass up this adorable snowman….

And let’s face it, who on earth has a tidy kitchen this time of year!?!

I hope you all have time to slow down and enjoy family, friends and much joy,

Cindy

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Hi! I'm Back

12/15/2013

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So sorry to have been gone for so long. As it turns out, newer versions of Word won’t run if you are still using an old version of Windows Vista. I know, antique and not in a good way.

This all started with a simple automatic update, after which one little thing didn’t work quite right, then something else didn’t work at all…. Ugh. Anyway, my Hero has now fully backed up my sweet old 2006 laptop onto an external hard drive (highly recommended, as it turns out) and then installed Windows 7. (We opted not to be overly optimistic and go for Windows 8.) A new Word Office Professional Plus 2013 is still sitting patiently in its box until we know that this Windows update is working well, and this post is sort of its trial run.

In the spirit of full transparency - I am not a Geek, though I do like to think of myself as a Fringe-Geek. I like Geeks, many in my family are Geeks running the gamut from entry level Geek to majorly high-tech Geek. When they are all together it’s fun to sit and watch their conversations. I watch because the truth is I may as well be sitting in the middle of the UN during a highly energized discussion; the language barrier is about equal.

So, though I am very optimistic about being able to jump in and create new posts to The Quirky Nest without delay, if I do drop out of sight again be assured that it’s simply another technical delay and I will return as quickly as possible. I missed being able to post about what we were up to, and share holiday tidbits as all my fellow Bloggers were doing (Soooooo many wonderful Blogs and so little time to enjoy all of them. Please check out the ones I have listed, and each one will list others you will find fun and informative – like I said sooooooo many wonderful Blogs.)

Moving forward, please cross your fingers for us and send positive Geekified thoughts our way that we are back up and running for good.

HUGS to ALL,

Cindy

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Welcome!

I’m Cindy, thank you so much for visiting The Quirky Nest.

The Quirky Nest derives its name from our Realtor's query, "What are you looking for in a home?" to which my Hero responded, "Something quirky, no cookie cutter houses." And so this little house became ours. The fact that it came with no less than five birdhouses plus one vine-wrapped bird condo kinda underscores the whole nest thing

We share our home with one large Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Willow, and two kitty boys named Finneus and Barley. AKA, the kids.

I'm a recently transplanted Southerner. We're not really all that far north of the Mason Dixon Line, but there are moments when I feel a strong kindred spirit with Dorothy.

I'm the mom of three grown sons and the grand-momma of two beautiful granddaughters. Two fabulous daughters-in-law are an added bonus.

I qualify for most, but not quite all, senior discounts. It’s sort of a blessing with a curse.

I'm a hunter-gatherer. Antique shops, flea markets, dusty old junk shops and architectural salvage yards are my perfect playgrounds. Finding that unexpected something that I didn't know I was looking for makes me absolutely giddy.

But mostly, I find my greatest joy in helping others, nurturing my family, creating a warm inviting home, and adding a little of my history to the things I touch.

My Hero and I have a very long list of projects that we are undertaking around our home. Old houses, with their lath and plaster walls and less than level or straight anything, bring a whole different set of issues to the table and I can’t wait to share our challenges and solutions with you.

In 2020 our little house will be a century old. We, my Hero and I, are working hard to make sure she is ready for the next 100 years and would love for you to join us on the adventure.

Joy to all!

Cindy

COURAGE

Framed Inspiration

Surprising Moments

A Christmas Peek at The Quirky Nest

Hi! I'm Back

Welcome!

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