Hotter Than All Get Out

Lord have mercy. It is sooooo hot--everywhere!! We're making another record high here in Nashville of 104ºƒ. It's absolutely crazy! We are fortunate though to have no humidity whatsoever. I'm used to the suppressive heat with high humidity coming from the swamps of DC. So, when it's hot and dry, it doesn't bother me as much. I did decide, however, to keep mom inside today and bring lunch in. I swear, she wears turtle necks, I kid-you-not, all year round. I just look at her and melt. Now, when fall comes around, she'll be running around in a tank top! ha.

In the kitchen department, Jack, my floor man came in, and replaced flooring where it was needed (got rid of the mold!) and they have already begun to sand. (I even had them cut out the dry wall that had some mold on it too!! Can't be too safe!!) The sander (the guy, not the machine) went home early, not feeling well (here we go); so the staining will have to be done tomorrow. I just want it done and over with. I am just so glad to have found and destroyed that yucky old mold. How dangerous is that??? Just the thought of it made my skin crawl.

As you can see, my "nook" keeps getting tighter and tighter. Gee, the hub may come home and have to pry me out of here if anything else gets put in the study! Every room in the front of the house is just chock full of stuff from the back of the house. The animals are finding it harder to maneuver in here with me while I'm typing; but they just squeeze in together where there's a spot. Where there's a will, there's a way. We've had to keep all the vents in the floors closed off due to you-know-who. She kept going into the holes, little Miss Trouble. That would have been something to lose her in the duct work. Don't even want to think about it, thank you very much.

As I mentioned yesterday, I had to speed clean all the closets on the main floor. Of course, they were the three worst in the entire house. (Well, actually, I take that back--the kid's and the teenager's are the worst in the world, I think.) Anyway, after being totally disgusted with myself for putting it off so long, I just started pulling it all out. All of this junk came out of this tiny little closet! I tell you, it was stuffed all the way up to the bottom of the coats. What a disgrace! hehe. I was going to just throw it all into a box (as seen in the top photo), but I got the better half of me to organize it. I ran to the store and found some baskets that were half off and organized the hats, the gloves and the scarves in three smaller baskets (now stacked in the guest bathroom) and three wicker boxes for shoes--sandals, boots and shoes. Now, how's that for good? I even pulled the coats that the kid has outgrown and will be sending them North to his cousin soon.

This closet will show you another reason why I needed to redo the kitchen. Yep, I am a china junkie. I am drawn to it like moths to light. I don't know why it touches me so; perhaps because we never had china growing up. But, I do enjoy using it now. And we do. I feel so sentimental with my china. I have only a hand full of my grandmother's Limoges tea cups. I inherited them from my Aunt Ollie (well, I helped my uncle clean out her attic where I found them and he gave them to me). He also gave me a small Haviland luncheon set that was hers. Recently, I started collecting the hub's parents' wedding china after his mom told me she was leaving me her set. The hub bought me a Villeroy & Boch tea set years ago just because. Then I had to have some of Raphael's grandfather's pieces from France that were being auctioned off after his passing. I have a rather large set of Noritake ("Cardinal"--loved that being a Virginian) that I picked up at a yard sale for under $30. I had it in my hope chest before I ever got married. So you see, each set has a wonderful story behind it. Here, you will see miscellaneous pieces from some of my sets thrown into yet another little linen closet. (That's where that Easter basket went with all my eggs!) I would use them and this is where they ended up --easier than putting them away in the armoir and buffet which are absolutely bursting with more. Here you will see it beautifully displayed on my washer and dryer. Lovely.

I almost forgot to show you the "art" closet. It has all been moved upstairs (thanks to the teenager and his friends who just happen to be in the right place at the wrong time!) where I hope to get it set up in the "pit." We'll see how long that will take me to get started on. I also spied some of the kid's artwork that I need to put in some frames and hang. Always something to do. Thank goodness.

Well that's today's update with a little nostalgia thrown in. Guess I better get mom's pots and pans clanking with some supper!