I love old things.....

I was at my mother-in-laws for dinner one night last fall and mentioned that

I would like an old rotary dial phone.

Preferrably a light blue....who knew she would walk out to the back room and hand me this exact phone.

Somebody gave it to my father-in-law and he brought it home. When I asked why he gave it to him she said she didn't know. He is a bit of a hoarder so I guess people just give him random things.

Whatever the reason I am now the proud owner of this phone and here is what I can tell you about it.

It makes me talk less and really focus on the person I am speaking with.

I can't wash dishes. I can't reach the computer. I can't take a bath or take care of other bathroom duties.

I can't take the dog out or drive the car.

It doesn't fit in my pocket.

It makes me slow down.

It makes me listen deeper.

It makes me spend less time on the phone.

You only want to be connected to that cord for so long.

It's good.

Very good.

I think our world is just too much sometimes.

Kids dying because they are reading or typing a text and get in an accident.

There is no reason for this.

Just because we can talk in the car doesn't mean we should.

I am working hard at making my car a no phone zone.

What happened to the days when we did one thing at a time.

I long to create a more simple life.

To eat vegetables I grow.

To make jam with berries I pick.

To just sit and talk on the phone for 15 minutes and really listen to the person on the other end.

How about you?

On another note:

If you wondered where I disappeared to....................

 I happened to leave my laptop in a precarious spot and it happened to take a tumble and then it had to go spend some time with the nice people at Geek Squad. Then I lost the diamond in my wedding ring - a week before our 20th wedding anniversary. Then Scott hit a deer and came about $500 shy of totaling the car. Heidi and Lilly and I were in the car and it was pretty scary. So grateful we are fine. I also found out some disturbing news about somebody that had been a lifelong friend. Then my teenager made some very bad choices. All the while I painted nearly every single day since February 12 at our new house which is getting very close to being ready for us to move in!!!!!! So that is the very short version of the very long story of why I have not shared on the blog in several weeks.

I have not forgotten you.

Not a chance.

Stay tuned for a visual tour of my dream home in progress....

Drink Pepsi

Is it possible to have decorating overload?

Is it possible to to have a newly discovered but very serious disease called decorating ADD?

Is it possible to paint your new living room for the third time?

Is it possible that spring is right around the corner?

Yes, all of this is true. I have not forgotten this little blog
 or my readers.

I have just been 6 foot up on a ladder with a roller in one hand and a cup of chai in the other.

Either that or sound asleep. Those are pretty much my two speeds right now. In between those
 two options you might be able to spot me at Lowe's.

We actually hung up the first thing at the new house yesterday.
 A vintage pepsi sign from an old cafe'/deli that I loved called Sadie D's
.
I use to love this sandwich she served called 'Apple of My Eye'. Multi grain bread, mustard, thinly sliced smoked turkey, Granny Smith apple and cheddar cheese with a little lettuce too.
YUM.

I drooled over this old Pepsi sign many a time.
 One day the cafe' closed. I was sad.
I wondered about the Pepsi sign.
Where did it go?
I wanted it.
In time I moved on and let it go and actually forgot about it.
Until................driving to town one day there was a big yard sale with stuff everywhere.
The kind where you almost get in an accident because you are rubbernecking to
see if you should stop or not.
You know what I'm talking about.
that I spotted it..............................THE PEPSI SIGN.
I screamed so loud that I scared my husband. I stopped so quickly I nearly snapped his neck.
 Good thing he loves me.
And good thing he had $175 dollars tucked away in his wallet and parted with it so I could have this:

That was right before we started building our new house (FOUR years ago!) I had it stored out in the garage thinking it wouldn't be long until we could hang it up in our beautiful new kitchen. After about a year I hauled it into our current house and hung it up in the dining room. Partly because I wanted to look at it and partly because I wanted it to motivate me to dream that the new house really would happen.

Last night we took it off the wall, took it to the new house and

HUNG IT UP IN THE KITCHEN!!!!!!

See the top of that bench below the sign? I purchased that before we even broke ground too.

I fell in love with it at a local antique store and because we had the blueprints I was able to take measurements and see that it would fit just where I had envisioned it,

I bought it and it hung out in the garage with the Pepsi sign too.

When I hauled the Pepsi sign in the bench came with it.

They just go together.

And now they are at the new house just waiting on us to finish the painting.

Install a toilet or two, create a makeshift kitchen, clean the floors and move the beds,

the dishes, the dogs, the cats, the clothes and ourselves.

It won't be long.....2-3 weeks maybe.....

Can you believe it?

It is time. It is the perfect time.

Stay tuned...

LOTS more photos coming soooooooon.

Promise.

xo Kimberly

p.s. The photo is of our old house....wait till you see it in it's new home against a 50's vintage bluish/greenish/tuquoiseish color. A little darker than I usually paint but it works!

Stay tuned....I won't stay away so long this time so check back soon.