musical bookshelves

i went to ikea and picked up some new bookshelves while i still had dads truck to haul them home in. two went to the roommate and one was for me. i ended up playing musical bookcases trying to find a home for this new shelf. bookcase 1 didnt fit in spot 1. bookcase 1 fit great in spot 2, but bookcase 2 still did not fit in spot 1. bookcase 3 fit in spot 1, so bookcase 2 ended up in spot 3. i seriously unloaded and reloaded 3 bookcases and hauled them all around trying to make this work.

the new bookcase i got from ikea in its new home, the second place i tried for it at the other end of the living room. it didnt fit next to the tv where i planned to put it, but it fit exactly *perfectly* here between the thermostat on the wall and the cold air return down near the floor.
this is my 'coming and going' bookcase. my purse resides here. my bag for swimming stuff has its place here. library books coming in, and another pile for going back. a pile for stuff heading to my parents. a stack of books borrowed from my mom that will go back to her when i finish reading them. puzzles that when i finish, i'll pass on to my dad, and puzzles that came from my dad that i can send elsewhere when i finish. this is a very busy and ever changing bookcase. but its very helpful to have places for all these things.


the second bookcase that USED to reside where the new bookcase ended up, was also too wide to fit next to the tv. so it ended up in the tortoise/computer room, where the third bookcase used to reside. this is my main 'book' bookcase, and most everything here has already been read.


i had wanted to put the new bookcase next to the tv, but it was too wide, it completely blocked off the outlet for the tv and thats a rather essential outlet. this is the third bookcase from the tortoise room, a smaller skinnier unit. cookbooks on top, then dvds, then cds. still figuring out what to use the rest of it for. my busy curio cabinet is next to it.


heres a look into the tortoise/computer room.
my desktop computer and its associated mess. i can never keep this space clean no matter how i try. and my monkey blanket on the computer chair. (and bookcase 2 in spot 3)


the tortoise enclosure. (and the vacuum, and the greenhouse heater, and other stuff that ought to have a home but doesnt). this room has two doors, from the kitchen and into the hallway.


my wonderful solid-wood desk that i bought as a teenager, and stained and varnished myself. love this desk, but it doesnt work well as a desktop-computer desk. and more bookshelves i need to get sorted. i'm trying to get stuff neatened up for the new year, rather than stashed and forgotten.

another xmas ornament

cute ornament i saw in the store that i didnt buy (but wish i had)


the grocery store was selling xmas wreaths and had this cute sign next to them

xmas legos and olive dog

at xmas, mom asked my brothers about their childhood legos still stored upstairs.

they've been working at trying to clear out old or unnecessary stuff, after having to deal with cleaning out grammas house and packed up closets and junk... when she moved to the nursing home.

needless to say we had to play with legos when they were brought out, hehehe.


legos are irresistible.


they were mostly space legos


although apparently there had been some pirate legos at some point. the sharks heads opened and closed!


the legs on this elephant/thing could walk back and forth


this is olive, my brother and his wifes brussels griffon. such a tiny thing compared to puppy and molly. i wonder if my tortoise weighs more than olive does.


olive got real comfy laying on my SIL's lap and fell asleep. even started snoring. her snoring sounded like an old fashioned percolating coffee pot! it was hilarious!

puppy and molly and sweetpea

puppy is a notorious spot thief. i was working on my laptop. but then i got up for a drink and came back and he stole my spot! and seemed to be enjoying my laptop too.


molly is sometimes a spot thief, but not very often. she'd rather wait until i sit down and squash herself into my lap.


and if puppy doesnt outright steal my spot, he'll come lay behind me on the couch.






when i stood up, you can see how little room he left me. he's also laying on my sweater that i took off during a hot flash, and then couldnt put on when i cooled off because it was under him.


a tray of radish tops for sweetpea




sweetpea

cookiepalooza 2015

here are all the cookies and goodies i made for xmas

russian tea cake cookies - fresh out of the oven, before sugaring


russian tea cakes - first rolling in powdered sugar


russian tea cakes - second rolling in sugar


rice crispy bars


pinwheel candy cane cookies

recipe and more pictures here http://yesididit2.livejournal.com/64437.html

andes mint chocolate chip cookies


baklava


russian tea cakes


molasses cookies


oatmeal blueberry cookies


chocolate cake cookies


peanut butter blossom cookies


oatmeal raisin cookies


i filled a grocery bag of cookies for the roommate for xmas. he was happy.


peanut butter apple dog treats

recipe and more pictures here http://yesididit2.livejournal.com/20824.html

i had an audience, of course


molly


puppy

back in december i broke the card table my parents had let me borrow for doing puzzles on. it was one of their wedding presents and is around 44 years old. the leg of the table broke off.


you can see where the weld broke


another leg, still attached


the broken weld


i temporarily supported the table, which had a puzzle spread out half finished on it, with a chair and some old phone books.


it worked long enough for me to finish the puzzle.


my dad says my uncle can try to weld it back on, so it will be going back to them until the next time they visit south dakota. its really a very well built folding table, and the top separates from the metal frame to allow welding.


another puzzle done before the table broke


puzzle done on the new card table