Cleaning copper the natural way

Once again it's time to give my copper pots a good cleaning.  Over time copper gets dull and tarnished and just doesn't look very pretty.  This morning I gathered all my pieces together and lined them up on the kitchen counter ready for cleaning.  Wow, I didn't realize I had so much.  

Instead of using harsh chemical products I decided to use all natural ingredients.  Lemon, salt, and baking soda.  Mix all three using equal amounts.  I used a soft cloth and then rinsed each piece with cold water.  

It works great.  

  It takes time and a lot of rubbing, but well worth it.  

What a beautiful shine!  

Being domestic today

After breakfast this morning I felt like cleaning the house.  Sometimes it just feels good to clean...clears the mind, don't you think?  

It's overcast and a gray day ~ seems the perfect day for cleaning....dusting the furniture and vacuuming the floors.  Of course if you can write your name on your end tables, it's obviously time to clean.  The pollen has been terrible this year, but with all the rain we've had recently, I think the yellow dust is over.  

I find that cleaning not only clears my head but also lifts my spirits.  It's been a rough week to get through with the passing of Riley.  

Gardening does the same thing for me.  I can get lost in thought as I dig in the dirt.  

I baked a cake today, too.  Probably shouldn't have, but Galen was glad I did.  

So it's been a very domesticated day.  Clean house, laundry done, and cake for dessert tonight.  And Otis watches it all from the back of the sofa.  

I want to say thank you for all your thoughts and kind words for the loss of Riley.  It means a lot, and we're doing ok.   I planted a white Bleeding Heart over his grave.  

Moving furniture and redecorating

 January seems to bring on the "need for change" here at Mourning Dove Cottage and every year around this time I find myself cleaning, organizing, and redecorating the house.

One simple change I made was add a tablecloth to the breakfast nook which now makes it feel more cozy. 

The bookcase that was once in the dining room was moved to the living room and is now by the front window with a lamp that I like to keep turned on low all day long.  A pretty antique lamp should be enjoyed, don't you think, and I like the warm glow it brings to the room.  The bookcase fits perfectly under the window and is filled with books along side the breakfront that is also filled with books.  So many books.....

The sideboard server now replaces the bookcase in the dining room corner. 

 I brought an old pine trunk from the bedroom and put it behind the sofa where the sideboard once was.    I'm not sure this will stay here, but for now that's where it is.

 So the moving of furniture might or might not continue, but I must thank hubby for all his help the past few days, and for putting up with my great ideas.  Change is good, I tell him. 

More "tweaking" to do and the decorating continues.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Good morning everyone

Hope you had a great weekend. As you can see the house needs some straightening up and I'm doing several loads of wash this morning, but I thought I'd take a quick break to say hello. I see it's almost noon time....where did my morning go?

My sister and her hubby are coming tomorrow and the four of us are going to see The Help. I'm excited to see the movie ~ I read the book last year and couldn't put it down. I know alot of you have already seen the movie and it's been getting good reviews.

Well, enjoy your day! I'm going to get some lunch now and make a nice big cup of coffee.

Fluffing and the things we love

I thought today would be a good day to clean and fluff my nest. It has been so very hot outside and last night we had a soaking downpour so it's wet, hot and humid. We've been having 90 degree temps for over a month now. It makes it quite uncomfortable being outside especially trying to do any kind of gardening.


Days like today I enjoy being inside. I like moving things around and redecorating while I'm cleaning. Do you? It's interesting how many things I have bought over the years at flea makets and thrift shops. The dove candy dish above was only a few dollars and the candelabra I found for 25 cents at a yard sale. Even the baskets were bought at thrift stores.

My pretty Italian dish, a thrift find.

Of course, all these pretty things make for more dusting, but do you think I mind? Not at all. These are the things that make a house a home, a place for all the things we love.


And speaking of love, I'm being watched today......yesterday I took Otis and Riley to the Vet to get their rabies shots. They are not feeling very rambunktious today, just taking it easy on the back of the sofa and watching me dust. They like watching me.

So I will continue dustings all my lovely things, fluffing the pillows and sweeping the floor.

A day well spent inside.

And tomorrow, I'm hoping, will be cooler outside because the weeds are getting taller and the grass needs mowing.

The back porch

Spring has sprung, it's the most wonderful time of year, but, unfortunately with it comes the dreaded......POLLEN. It filters through the air and covers everything with a yellowish green layer of dust for weeks. Oh yes.


But now the pollen is almost over and there is a lot of cleaning to be done on the back porch at Mourning Dove Cottage. Sweeping, scrubbing, and washing pillows and cushions.

You see......we tend to live on the back porch all summer long.

Otis and Riley have already found their comfortable spots.

We've had some early morning rain today and it's overcast, but by tomorrow, hopefully we can enjoy a warm sunny day on the back porch.....a very clean back porch.

Happy Spring!

Cleaning, fluffing, and moving things around

After my morning cup of coffee (and paging through some decorating magazines and books), I found myself doing just that...cleaning, fluffing and moving things around.

A trip to the attic to find a few things that were put away at one time for some reason or another, gave me more inspiration and more to decorate with.

Nothing new, just things that I've had for years and keep moving around.

Moving pillows around too, and fluffing....

Hope you're enjoying your day, whatever it is you're doing!

Placement

If you're anything like me I have "a place for everything and everything in it's place." I think it plays a big part in decorating, whether it's a room, a bookshelf, or just a small vignette. You normally put something somewhere for a reason. It could be for color, pattern, function, architectural detail, seasonal.....whatever it might be.




Well......


The other morning over coffee I told dearest hubby I have to dust and get some cleaning done. And his reply was, "I can help if you like."


Ok. (I think...) That would be fine, you can dust.


In the meantime, I went outside to water some plants and ended up trimming some dead branches out of one of the holly bushes out front (taking longer than I expected), and when I came back in he had the ladder in the living room with a bucket of soapy water and was cleaning above the cornices and some of the high shelves. He moved things off shelves, trying to put things back the way they were.

He also cleaned the high shelves in the kitchen.

You're thinking....Good Husband, Good Job!

The only problem is......

I forgot how I had the shelves arranged since I normally don't take everything off all at once but clean as I go along. It took quite a while until I had everything placed just right.

Same goes for the living room and the bedroom. So while he was busy vacuuming, I was moving things around trying to get some order back in the house and get things placed the way they were, or the way I like it.

By the end of the day I was exhausted. (I think he was too).

But he got a big Thank You and a big kiss from me for....just "trying to help".

Some days......

are made for catching up,


cleaning, laundry, bills.

That's what I'm doing today.

Hope you're having a good day whatever it is you're doing.

Stay cool too, if you're having these hot temperatures that we're having, it's a good day to be inside.

Hugs,

Donna