Home – Page 3 – Jennifer Michie

May 18, 2014 / 0 Comments

Re-Organizing

We have spent the weekend doing a spot of spring cleaning. The cottage isn’t quite finished, but we have made a big dent. There is something so satisfying about cleaning up, cleaning out and getting rid of things. However, I always feel the same way, once I work on truly cleaning a space, I almost can’t bring myself to use that area or make a mess in it where it has just been thoroughly gutted and cleaned. I’m not quite to the point of plastic couch covers, a house is supposed to be enjoyed after all, but it is nice to see the space you worked so hard to clean and organize stay that way, at least for five minutes.

We made three runs to the charity shop yesterday and will have more to make next weekend as we have gotten rid of more books, cds, dvds and other odds and ends. Some corners of the cottage look a bit bare now and I actually like it. We are just working on sections; one at a time. We picked what we wanted to focus on and then worked through that. That way the task isn’t as daunting and we stay on course. Streamlining is a good thing, every now and then!

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March 22, 2014 / 1 Comment

Tulips

These were a treat to myself this week. A bunch of tulips that I picked up at Whole Foods on my way home. The are filling the cottage with Springtime happiness!

February 19, 2014 / 2 Comments

Cleaning

I love this image. I wish I could throw open my windows, stick my head out, purse my lips into a whistle and have a herd of animals come and clean for me! We seem to spend half of every school break really attacking the cottage. Yesterday we cleaned all of upstairs. Dusting everything in sight, going through all of the closets and reorganizing clothes, gathering a collection to take the the charity shop and putting up a few of our heavier sweaters, because in this weather we don’t seem to really need them.

We scrubbed, mopped and polished our way out of the bathroom as well. We did all of this while also tackling “Mount Laundry”. We have almost defeated it! Now, don’t ask me why, but as we move closer to a school holiday, you would think that things would become a little less chaotic. In fact it is the exact opposite. The closer we get the busier, crazier, more late nights we have than ever before, so everything in the house just seems to pile up.

The upstairs of the cottage is entirely clean, now the downstairs needs a good once over. So, I suppose that is my day laid out for me already as I did attempt to whistle out the window this morning with no luck! I guess the woodland cleaning company is on holiday as well!

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February 17, 2014 / 0 Comments

Orchids

I love orchids. I have the perfect windowsill for them in the cottage and they are incredibly happy there. I have a gorgeous snow white one and a deep purple velvet one. My snow white orchid has just finished blooming. We had big snowflake colored blooms all through Christmas.

Mr. Michie gave me another orchid for Valentine’s Day. It is a sunny yellow with a sprinkle and speckle of deep aubergine inside. It is definitely the sunshine on my windowsill with all the rainy days we have been having.

January 18, 2014 / 0 Comments

The Washing Machine Blues

I’ve got the blues, the washing machine blues that is! Our machine stopped working last weekend, and a repairman came this week and he “thought” he fixed it. However, after my first load of laundry in 6 days was done yesterday we realized he didn’t fix it, so unlike the lady above, I am not really smiling.

We had wet clothes hanging in every available doorway and on every available space. Looks like a trip to the old laundromat for us this weekend! Because “Mount Laundry” is getting bigger by the day!

October 23, 2013 / 0 Comments

Is It Dancing?

Last night, I sat on the couch, thumbing through my October issue of Martha Stewart, while Mr. Michie graded papers. All of the sudden there was a resounding rumble of thunder and the heavens opened.

Mr. Michie went to grab the matches, so we could light a few candles in case the power went out and I opened the door to peer outside.

Mr. Michie came up behind me and asked me, “If the rain was dancing? I love it when it dances on the pavement!”. I love him even more for saying that! And, indeed it was dancing. The air had turned icy and clean smelling and the rain was dancing by the glow of the street lamps.

October 14, 2013 / 1 Comment

Munchkins and Other Things

Mr. Michie bought me my first munchkin of the season this weekend. It looks so cheery tucked in around my Halloween and Fall decor.

It was a very wet weekend, so we stayed in and bundled up, drank copious amounts of tea and had all our little candles flickering away. I caught up on our mountain of laundry and worked on an art project for school. So my afternoon was spent listening to the Capital Cities album and cutting and pasting and sketching and doodling. And now, I can’t get this song out of my head:

Mr. Michie took me out to dinner on Saturday night, it was a great date! We braved the rain on Sunday to run to the grocery store, my green polka dot wellies kept my feet nice and dry! All in all, it was relaxing and everything a quiet weekend pottering around should be!

September 29, 2013 / 0 Comments

Movie Snacks

Last night we got caught up on the shows we missed during the week. We sat down on the couch, and watched the new Sleepy Hollow show. Two episodes in, we are really loving it!

It was a cold rainy evening, which created the right Sleepy Hollow atmosphere, candles were lit and we feasted on popcorn and hot apple cider. What could be better for a cozy date night in?

September 21, 2013 / 0 Comments

A Bluesy Kinda Day

The weather forecast originally said that it would be a partly sunny and a little bit of a warmer weekend. That is not the case, Summer might be fighting to throw in a couple more days before Fall takes over for good, but for today, she has not succeeded, the sky is a powder steel grey, the air has a bite to it, the tree branches are swaying to the rhythm of the wind.

Mr. Michie has a lot of work to do this weekend, so he is staying tucked away, busily editing his thesis, I am staying cozy in sweatpants, sweaters, slippers and drinking copious amounts of tea. It is a day for soulful, bluesy, jazz and my music of choice at present is the Home for the Holidays soundtrack.

I love the organ keyboard shelling out those sweet notes. It always makes me think of this great little restaurant in my hometown, it started out in a much smaller venue when it first opened before moving to a bigger place across the street. I liked the new place, but there was something about that older joint, it had character.

On Friday nights they would have a guy come in to play music, he was a bit eccentric for sure. He was normally half lit, he would sit at his keyboard, cigarette in his mouth, eyes half closed and his upper body was bathed in a smoky haze from his cigarette, forming plumes of billowy white vapor around him. You could ask this guy to play just about anything, and he would know the notes.

I could see him playing parts of this soundtrack, bobbing his head and shoulders to the music as his fingers tickled the keys of his keyboard. It’s music for a staying in kinda day, for baking pies, for contemplating, for reading, for stirring the turkey potpie filling, I have simmering away on the stove, a day just for being. So, that is what my Saturday will be, a day just to be.

September 19, 2013 / 0 Comments

An Orange Mum

Mums say “Fall” to me. I got my first mum of the season last weekend and it has just started to bloom.

It has been rainy the past two days here and coming home tonight and seeing that golden orange sunset burst of color from the mum’s blossoms on our front stoop, made me smile.