COLLECTIONS…(OBSESSIONS?)

Today is a holiday, and it seemed appropriate to scroll through photos of some of my collections (obsessions?).

My little hat rack is now in my bedroom, with handbags hanging from it.  It once was in the entry way, however.

 

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When I first moved into this apartment, and before I started adding actual furniture, I had a “tree” for my hats at the front door.  Now I have an actual hall tree, for other hanging things, and the handbag “tree” has taken up residence in my bedroom, as seen in the photos above.

 

See below:

Do you have collections (obsessions) that you enjoy?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: TIDBITS…

Today is Blog Visiting Time.  I’ve been over at Book Date, checking out Monday Reading blog posts, followed by a few on Mailbox Monday.

One blogger wrote that WordPress has made some changes to post writing…so I simply had to come over to check it out!  So far, so good.  Or maybe the changes will hit me later.  LOL

Yesterday I got a package from Amazon with this lovely little RBG Royal Bobbles image, grouped with the mugs:

Last night I watched Oprah interviewing Meghan and Harry, and I must admit to being disappointed.  The questions and answers didn’t come smoothly, and Oprah seemed “off her game.”  What’s up with that?

Today I am enjoying some time in my apartment, sipping coffee and eating Dave’s Bread with cream cheese.  Yum!

What I really want this morning, though…a mimosa!

So…now I will continue reading my two books that I started on the weekend:

At the Edge of the Haight, by Katherine Seligman

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder, by Joanne Fluke

The Fluke book is in hardcover, and I can’t wait to slide it onto my almost full bookshelf!

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How are you spending your Monday?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: A DOLL STORY, ETC.

Yesterday I posted this one on Snow Sparks, and had no visitors…at all!  So I’m trying it here, as I would love to see a comment or two.  LOL.

 

The hippie dolls on the top shelf (above) have been with me for many years.  In this photo, they were decorating a bedroom shelf in my previous residence.

When I moved into this studio apartment, I brought those dolls, as they were a part of my sentimental collection.  At first, they decorated the entry way table.  But then one day, someone bumped into the table and they fell!

After their fall, I moved them onto my dresser.

Sadly, they fell again when I had my phone on the dresser and grabbed it to turn off the alarm!  So today I moved them to a safer spot.  I hope.

On Sundays, the housekeeper comes to clean, and we enjoy chatting while she works.  She came up with the idea of where to place them.  I switched out the calculator that was on that filing cabinet, to open up space for the dolls.  See below.

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I have one closet in this space.  When I first arrived, I created a little cubby with clothes and a cupboard.

Then I decided to move things around and turn the cubby into a proper closet.  I moved the little cupboard into my entry way.With these changes, I have more storage, all hidden behind the lovely curtain; and the Jelly Cupboard that once lived in the closet area is now in the entry way (see left).

The isolation of the lockdown has given me lots of time to play around with my interiors.  I enjoy it, and I’m glad for the opportunity to spend the time in a pleasant way.  I love to read, too, but sometimes I need action:  moving things around and changing things up.

I also enjoy fixing a tray of breakfast things, including the Cranberry Mimosa you see below:

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How do you handle isolation?  What works for you?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: PERUSING MY UPCOMING REVIEW BOOKS…

Happy Monday!  Now that the year is drawing to a close, with the holidays just ahead, I am eager to see what 2020 will bring to us bookworms.

After arranging my NetGalley review ARCs so that they would be grouped just so near the end of the year, with all of them finished in October, I am happily perusing my list for January and forward.

They are perfectly arranged right now, with two books being released in January; one in March; one in May…and today I received one that will come out on June 30.

Five review books so far.  Now I can sit back, relax, and pick and choose what comes next.

Here are my upcoming ARCs so far:

 

Big Lies in a Small Town, by Diane Chamberlain – 1/14/20 (read and reviewed)

 

Upcoming Reads:

The Look-Alike, by Erica Spindler – Release Date: 1/28/20

 

 

You Are Not Alone, by Greer Hendricks/Sarah Pekkanen (3/3/20)

 

 

The New Girl, by Harriet Walker – (5/19/20)

 

 

 

The Dilemma, by B. A. Paris (6/30/20)

 

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I like the reading landscape so far.  What review books are you anticipating in the New Year?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: WHIMSICAL MOMENTS…

Welcome to Monday!  For the past two days, I’ve been playing around with whimsical things, like this blog.  Not only did I create a new header, but I also chose a new theme:  Toujours.

Then today I spent time rereading some of my pages and actually deleted a few. 

My previous blog header was one I also enjoyed, as it spotlighted my current bedspread (comforter) too…and my Hippie Dolls.  I may reuse it eventually.  I still have the dolls, but I no longer have the “red hat” mementos on that bookshelf.

Now that I’ve recreated this space, I may start using this blog for memes and reviews.  Especially if they are whimsical things.

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately, probably because I’ve moved from my previous residence and I’m now adjusting to many lifestyle changes.  Some of them are good, as I realize that cooking, cleaning, and laundry are no longer required of me.  LOL.  I do have a fridge and microwave in my little apartment…and a coffee pot and toaster, of course.  I spend time here, too, reading and watching movies, including old shows from the 70s:  Mary Tyler Moore!

Reading from some of my pages reminded me of books and movies I want to watch again, so I added Sleeping with the Enemy to my Amazon Prime Video Watch List.

Here is a peek at my new space:

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How do you bring out your inner whimsy?  What are your Monday plans?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: FINDING MY ROUTINES AGAIN…

Welcome to Monday Potpourri…an unusual post for me.  I either write on Sunday…or Tuesday.

But today I’m feeling energized…finally.  After DNFing one of my books yesterday, I finally settled into Me For You, by Lolly Winston.  A slow start that has finally sped up for me.

Then I played around with PicMonkey and created a new look at my An Interior Journey site.

I am hoping to find a new bank card in my mailbox…so I can start buying on Amazon again.  LOL.

On the weekend, I started watching Season One of The Widow, with Kate Beckinsale. (Included in Prime, so no bank card needed.  LOL).

Now I’m off to check out my Monday daytime lineup…until time to go for the mail.

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What does your Monday look like?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: ANNIVERSARY MEMORIES…

The other day, someone (Elizabeth @Silvers Reviews) posted a reminder on FB:  25 years ago, on the Martin Luther King holiday, the Northridge Earthquake hit the LA area.  The question:  where were you on that date?

Last week, I had just been thinking about the townhouse where I lived from 1988-1994…and that’s where I was.  It was a work holiday, so I slept late.  When I turned on the TV, the news was on, and I was suddenly frantic.  My No. 2 son was living near the epicenter!  It would be many hours later before we could communicate with him and find out that he and his family were okay.  Shaken, they had awakened to items falling off shelves and walls.

Meanwhile, I was cozy in my townhouse, but worried. 

Memorable moments in our lives are forever connected to who we were and what we were doing.  Like the question years before:  What were you doing when you heard that JFK was assassinated.  I was watching As the World Turns with my mom, when Walter Cronkite interrupted the show.

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What defining moments forever link you to certain, catastrophic events? 

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: CELEBRATIONS…

Today is my daughter’s birthday, and we tend to celebrate more than once.  We had our lunch of Mexican food on Friday…and then we had a Sunday brunch yesterday…in her new home with her husband and son (above, outside view).

Mimosas accompany most brunches…and here is Heather, relaxing on one of her sofas.

Later, she and friend Jessica, whom I count as one of my honorary daughters (there are two of them), are having a little chat.  After they moved in, they realized they can now have a bigger table…and return this little one to me.  Yay!

Here, you can see a glimpse of the kitchen…I love that island.  More bar stools to come.

The new house smell reminds me of the new home I had in the 60s, when my two oldest sons were toddlers.

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Today I’m enjoying The Perfect Couple, by Elin Hilderbrand.  It is slow-going, at 480 pages, but I’m always eager to pick it up again…after setting it aside for other things, like movies. 

The Affair is a show that is winding down Season 4 in an intriguing fashion.  Can’t wait to see what happens next!

This morning I discovered an upcoming release that resonates with me…it is coming on September 4.   The Golden State, by Lydia Kiesling.

A gorgeous, raw debut novel about a young woman braving the ups and downs of motherhood in a fractured America…

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What are you pondering on your Monday?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: BINGE-WATCHING & ONLINE SHOPPING…

Mondays are days to ponder the week ahead, especially the books on my list.   But I’ve been reading a paperback review book all weekend, on and off between binge-watching shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime.  This weekend I finished Season 6 of Orange is the New Black…and The Slap.

It’s not that the book isn’t enjoyable.  I am actually loving the story, and revisiting characters from previous books in the series.  But I’ve discovered something unfortunate.  I like e-books better than print volumes!  Mostly because my eyes get tired with the print versions…and I can’t adjust the print or the lighting!

I may have to increase the light in the room.  That can happen.  So, I’m actually 2/3 of the way through The Season of Silver Linings, by Christine Nolfi…and I’m curious about the hidden agenda of one of the characters…and what will happen between Jada and Philip.  I hope to finish this one today.

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I am also a little restless, which sometimes happens, especially after a weekend of binge-watching.  A kind of hangover descends.  Since I finished Orange is the New Black’s sixth season, I am now sad.  I want to know what will happen next, but a new season won’t appear for probably another year.

Luckily other shows will capture me and hold me hostage for a week…or a weekend.  Like Ozark’s Season II.  Then, on AMC, another season of Better Call Saul will be available next week.

Meanwhile, I’ve done some online shopping.  I went to Macy’s to try to find a little shrug, a lightweight jacket kind of thing to go over one of my nearly sleeveless dresses.  Nothing available there!  The big mall might have it, I was told.  When I thought about driving there, parking, and walking through that mall…I said no way!  Instead, I found it on Amazon…and it will arrive on Thursday.

That’s the kind of shopping I enjoy!

What brought special moments to you this weekend?

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MONDAY POTPOURRI: A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER…

Sunday nights are my favorite times when I can watch shows like Sharp Objects.  I am a fan of Amy Adams, and her portrayal of Camille Preaker is spot on.  And so is Patricia Clarkson’s creepy, chilling version of the mother none of us want.

I read the book in 2012, and as I checked out my Goodreads review, I recalled a few things that explain the little niggle I feel whenever I see these characters. 

I liked this passage that describes Camille’s mother:

“Glowing pale skin, with long blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She was like a girl’s best doll, the kind you don’t play with.”

An excerpt that chills me even as it reveals so much. Another five star read from this author.

Because I avoided spoilers in my review, I am only slowly recalling the tidbits I need to know.  But that’s okay.  I’ll be glued to the screen until the very end.  And like I did with the miniseries Big Little Lies, I will be saving what I’ve recorded…for times when I want to watch again.

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I also love the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries movies...and saw Morning Show Mystery last  night.  Next week, we’ll get to see Aurora Teagarden (I love Candace Cameron Bure).

So I’ll be setting my DVR for all the upcoming movies in August, including some Garage Sale Murders & Mysteries.

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Yesterday was fun, since I went to see Mama Mia:  Here We Go Again.  I enjoyed the music (yes, I love ABBA), and it was fun to see how they wove together moments from the past and brought us up to date with the characters.

Those who were hoping to see Meryl Streep again…her role is a minor one.  But she comes in at just the right moment.

Before the movie, I enjoyed this repast at a bistro nearby: a Blushing Geisha and vegetable eggrolls.

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What did you enjoy this weekend?  What are you anticipating in the week ahead?

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