Scott is taking us on a new adventure this month in challenging us to explore Abstract Photography. Dictionary.com defines this form of art as follows: “of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc.,especially with reference to their relationship to one another.” I love capturing abstract images. The problem is, I often have difficulty “seeing” them in our everyday surroundings. I “see” them much easier when I have my extension tubes on and am taking macro shots. Somehow, wide angle abstract eludes me. Perhaps this will be my challenge this month…to see the abstract without the macro lens attached.
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Go on over to Scott’s place and check out this month’s challenge if you haven’t already done so! And if you need some inspiration, head on over to Flickr and check out Kozology’s photostream. I have highlighted his photography before, and believe he is a Master. Make sure you have plenty of time on your hands before you click the link. You could get lost in his art for hours. 🙂
So today I tackled the crazy disorganized Tupperware cupboard. I admit to letting this get WAY out of hand. These spaces used to be in much better shape. I can blame it partly on my back…getting down low to take care of these cabinets is a literal pain, so often I just shove things in and close the door which has resulted in a mess of mass proportion. However a bunch can be blamed on sheer laziness and an inability to think up alternative solutions to the madness.
But last night it dawned on me…what if I looked at allllll my lower cupboards? They were all a disaster, stacks tipping over…pots and pans in one, baking pans in another, Tupperware in another. I also read somewhere (I’m sorry I can’t remember where) that you should choose a small space to house your Tupperware because your collection will continue to grow to fill the space unchecked. Sooooooo, again I pulled EVERYTHING out of my lower cabinets, washed them out, and started looking at my collection. I started with a big garbage bag and started chucking into it everything I haven’t used in the past year. Then I matched containers and tops, throwing away any incomplete sets. I swear that right there cut my problem in half. I apologize for my poor iPhone photos, but here’s the embarrassing befores:
Crazy right???
And now the afters:
Pots, pans, and baking pans in the big cabinet, round containers in one, and square and rectangular in another. Ahhh…my nemesis is vanquished at last!!!!!
Dotted line is signed, bathroom fixtures are already chosen, and a few months is all that separates us from major upheaval. Tom Builder projects that he and his crew will begin work sometime in June. They are backed up with work at the moment, so we have a little breathing room before things get torn apart. I thought I would share with you a few interior photos of the space we are having renovated. Let’s head upstairs, shall we? Follow me. Please watch your step and hold the railing…Mister took a nasty head over heels fall down these stairs a few weeks ago, and I would hate to see the same thing happen to you!
Let me direct your attention to these doors.
The door straight ahead is the bathroom door, the one to the left is a closet. (Notice that the bathroom door and moldings are cheapo replacements.) The closet will be opened up and made into a hallway that will lead to the new bedroom space, which right now is a low-ceilinged attic over the kitchen. The plan is to salvage the closet door and moldings and use them on the soon-to-be-renovated bathroom.
Let’s open the door to the bathroom:
I have hated this bathroom since the day we bought the house. Several years ago we painted it and stuck down new floor tiles, changed the hardware, but it was a temporary fix. The floor is changing colors and popping up all over the place…it has all got to go. I will do a happy dance the day they gut this space…maybe they’ll let me use the sledgehammer like they do on HGTV?
We will be stealing about a foot of space from this room to make the new hallway to the extension, so this bathroom will wind up with a corner shower, toilet, and two pedestal sinks.
Now back to the hall.
Let’s take a look in the closet…
This poor old shabby thing will become the new hallway. I will be sad to see this hardwood torn up, but we will be replacing it with new. Enter my room:
See that window on the far right? That window will be gone, since the roof outside of it is going to be raised. We will salvage the trim on that window to use in the renovated bathroom. If you turn around:
See that door? That is our closet. Right now three of us share that closet because it is the only bedroom closet in the house. If you go through the closet you will find a secret little room. 🙂
Cool, huh? This room was unlit when we moved in, rafters exposed, and storing old furniture. We made it into a makeshift playroom. Up until two weeks ago it was loaded with toys, and even though it wasn’t a pretty space, it was still a usable space. This is the room that will become our new bedroom, new bathroom, and new laundry room. Whoo hoo! Here it is now:
Buckets catching leaks, redirected with plastic.
And turning around looking back toward the door:
We will have a new air tub in the new bathroom, along with a shower. But I think I am MOST excited about having my washer and dryer on the second floor, up and out of the basement! Whoohoo!!!
So there you have it….the grand “Before Tour.” Next time I’ll show you some of the things we have picked out for the new space. Hold on, cause It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!
March 1, 2012 was the first morning of the season that we woke up to the sounds of snowblowers and snowplows.
It was a beautiful snowfall, and we enjoyed the view out the window in our jammies, lazing around the house all day long. After dinner, we piled on our snow clothes over our PJ’s and went out to enjoy the first, and possibly last, snow of the season. Great fun, playing in the dark with the snow still falling. Quite beautiful, and with 43 degree temps melting it away today, and rains coming tomorrow, I doubt it will be white here for long, so we enjoyed it while we could.
Little Girl, covered with the white stuff.For a five year old, life doesn't get much better than this.Snowstands!!!IciclesIn a land called Narnia...
A Half Hour a Day 