A little calmer this week…I didn’t put anymore effort into unpacking cuz I was pooped and needed a break. But I’m continuing to enjoy the way the light spreads in the afternoon…

I tried to look at a used sofa that was reasonably priced and not too far away but the seller never gave me his actual address 🙁  so that was a disappointment. I’m only looking at used sofas as I can afford a better quality that way. But I’m very particular and my sofa has a list of must-haves:

  • in the 71-77″ range
  • not “overstuffed”
  • preferably a cushionless back (like the one below)
  • non-notched-out cushions
  • mid-tone color – not too dark or too light – though I’m sort of open on colors – as long as it’s solid
  • substantial legs – nothing too spindly
  • “just the right height” arms
  • not too deep a seat
  • straight lines vs. curves

Uhm, that might be it. Ha ha. For $100. Good luck, Bettye! Anyway, that’s why I was disappointed when this one slipped away.

Ooh, Tuesday was unfortunate weather. It was a snowy, sleety day but the bad weather started too late in the morning for us to get a snow day. That made for a long, slow, stressful drive home from work in the afternoon. And THEN…I couldn’t get up my driveway! It’s quite steep at the bottom, and curved…and you’re coming off a curved incline from the road…which all made for the perfect storm of getting stuck repeatedly about a third of the way up. I get REALLY NERVOUS when driving in slippery conditions, and I always have little, light cars that are prone to slipping…so this was, at the risk of being even more dramatic than usual, quite HARROWING.

In the end, after repeated tries and being CERTAIN someone was going to plow into me as I backed out onto the curved snowy road below, I gave up and managed to get the car onto a side street across from my driveway (you can’t park on my street, it’s too narrow and winding) and I just walked home up the hill. Ugh. Later that evening when Mr. Landlord got home he shoveled and salted but I still was afraid to try again and get stuck on the road…and finally he offered to go get the car for me. I am woman, hear me whimper 🙁

I got a Valentine from my wonderful niece Annabelle. Other than that, Valentine’s Day was a non-issue. I do miss holidays. I miss doing holidays WITH someone. A guy, a friend, a kid, a dog. Yeah, Valentine’s Day was a little sad this year. Moving on.

Many of you that read my blog also know Jodie from Jodie’s Touch of Style, either through her blog itself or from her comments here. She is truly a genuinely NICE person and shares SO much useful information on her blog. She’s applied to be a Sephora influencer and they ask for testimonials from friends, fans, followers – so if you haven’t already, maybe you could take just a couple minutes today and write up something for her?? It’s easy-peasy and right here.

Friday I got my taxes done. I’ve been so worried about this ever since I knew I would be moving, and as it turned out I spent all my meager savings on getting into the new apartment. I’ve owed every year since I sold my house and Katie’s student loans were paid off…so I was really anxious about where the money was going to come from this year. And miracle of miracles…not only did I not OWE this year…I am getting a REFUND!!! Ironically, it helped that I made hardly any additional money from side hustles (blogging, photography, ebay, etc)…and there was a change in some tax credit that helped me a bit. So soon I will have a small $ cushion again, which is a relief. Thank you, Universe 🙂

I finally got to have A Fun Day Out yesterday, it seems like it’s been a Really Long Time since I had FUN. We went into Brooklyn to a single exhibit gallery,  it was really cool and we had fun walking through the maze of light walls, sort of like the Mirror Maze at the amusement park, taking pictures, etc.

Then we walked down the block where there were so many good food options we could barely choose – but we ended up in a cute, WARM place with an excellent menu. One friend and I split an avocado, fried egg, bacon, cheddar, red onion and tomato burger with candied apple and whipped vanilla cream challah bread french toast for dessert. I couldn’t quite identify why, but the french fries were fantastic. A seasoned oil, maybe? Whatever, it was all delicious and charming.

And walking through Brooklyn is always entertaining.

And now, I am officially ON VACATION. It seems like I just HAD vacation, but life has been so chaotic since Christmas that I REALLY need a break again. I don’t know how people do it who only have 1-2 weeks of vacation a year. I feel for you, I really do.

I’ll leave you with a little visit with Miss Jayne, who is finally seeming more settled.

Hope everyone has a good week!