Sunday, August 15, 2021

Buttons !

Corona do Tucson

August 15, 2021


The past week has mostly been a week of healing.  Joe had the stitches taken out of his hand, I had the stitches taken out of my temple and Joe had the bandage...it's big and white...on his nose changed.  He has one more week to wear the bandage if we venture outside the house.  The stitches are dissolvable so we won't return to the dermatologist for a month.  He still has two more places that need surgery (his forehead and neck), but at least we have a break !  

Also, this past week, the kitchen countertops, sink and disposal were installed.  I am over the top happy with the results and to be be able to check the "kitchen is finished" box off the list.  In addition to new floors and paint, the kitchen has evolved the past few months.  Keith added a light over the kitchen sink, Joe replaced the two existing ceiling lights, added under-the-counter lighting, added cabinet door knobs and drawer pulls (there were not any), we purchased all new appliances (Joe installed the microwave), and today we installed pull-out shelving in the cabinets.  

It has all come together nicely. 


The appliances were delivered March 13...two weeks earlier than promised.  






Out with the old...





  

...in with the new !


















We spent the morning finishing one last thing that was on the list...  






 

...sliding shelves.  Yippee !   









Yesterday, we woke up to a steady downpour and flash flood warnings.  We waited for a break in the rain to run a couple of errands.  The washes were flowing...




and the roads were covered with thick sand and rocks.





More rain was in the forecast for the afternoon so I decided to work on a project I have been wanting to do for sometime.  It involved sewing...not something I particularly enjoy or feel very competent doing.  This is a button quilt my maternal great grandmother made.  It is on the guest bed and was in need of some tender loving care.




 


I lost count of how many buttons needed reattaching.  The whole time imagining all the clothes sewn with all the different pieces of cloth and who wore them.  






This was the only button that was made with this material and the only button that made me think that perhaps the material was for clothing made specifically for a child.







There was one really bad spot that had a couple of torn buttons.




I did the best I could to mend them. 















Speaking of buttons, there is a very old Atlas mason jar on the fern stand by the bed in this room.  This jar of buttons belonged to Joe's maternal grandmother.  





All the buttons in the jar along with a thimble were put in the jar by her.  I have emptied the jar a couple of times over the years...not to take any buttons, but rather just to look at them.  


That wraps up another week around our house.  I'll close with a few photos from the week.











The barrel cacti are blooming...absolutely beautiful !





























I would love to see this crown when this barrel cactus blooms.


The Countertop Factory did an awesome job custom cutting and installing the countertops. 














This hawk says, "Dinner time !".


This is tedious and slow for me. 


My favorite dinner this week...smoked salmon with homemade honey dijon vinaigrette.














Oh happy day !













So until next time, 












HAPPY TRAILS !

8 comments:

  1. I love how your kitchen (and the whole house really) is evolving into your place. The button quilt and the button jar are such lovely ways to keep memories alive.

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    1. Thank you Sue! We are nearing 6 months in our new home. We can’t think of anywhere else we would rather be.

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  2. How wonderful to have a button room filled with so much loving nostalgia! The quilt is beautiful and your repairs look flawless. I'm pretty good at mending, but my seams pucker if I just walk past a sewing machine! Glad to see our desert getting that much needed wet and wish some would make its way up here!

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    1. Thank you Jodee!
      I’ve always thought the desert to be beautiful…it wears green really well!

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  3. My mom had a child-size button quilt. Thanks for bringing up those fond memories. I have no idea whatever happened to it, I'm sure none of us boys wanted it then ... but now?
    The kitchen looks great! and so does your yard after the rains.

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    1. Thank you Jeff! I’m sure happy I had the good sense to keep the quilt. It was packed away for so many years as all our bedrooms were full with children. I’m thrilled it has a place in our home and I can walk by that room and enjoy it!

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  4. Your kitchen is lovely! Great color for the new countertop. What fun to have a whole new kitchen to cook in. I have a cupboard just like the one that you put the pull out shelve into. I have my pots and pans down there and it is a pain!. I can see your sauce pans and lids, but where are your sauce pans?

    Your button quilt is beautiful! I can't even begin to imagine how much work went into making each button. Great job repairing it. Looks lovely on the bed. Aren't old buttons, real buttons, such fun to go through!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Pam.
      I’ll send you a picture of all the pots and pans. We added a slide out shelf for Tupperware containers and lids too. We had slide outs in the GA house…so much easier.

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