Tuesday, January 14, 2020

REVERSE ANTICIPATION...












A little more than a month ago, 
I posted this quote 
in connection with the anticipation of 
the coming of Christmas.  
That time, all too soon,
 has now come and gone.
  
  With each piece 
of our well planned out decor 
being put away in boxes and 
hidden for another twelve months,
 there comes a sadness 
that is almost beyond words.
 An empty spot 
where a tiny kitchen tree 
sat just days ago
 could be responsible for
 a sinking feeling deep inside, 
if I let it. 

 BUT,
 I have decided to take control and 
let all of that anticipation,
 that was felt before hand, 
come back around 
in reverse.





In the meadow, 
two January snowmen 
are anticipating that 
first snow storm 
hanging over their heads...
 and if the weatherman is correct, 
that might be
 happening soon...






...and Mr. January, himself,
 stands head and shoulders above the rest,
 while inviting you to linger with 
a good book and a hot drink
 in front of 
a blazing fire.





The master bedroom 
has been put to rights and 
the vintage pillows 
seem to coincide 
nicely with the
 new ruffles...





...and the only bit of Christmas 
to remain is the wreath on the dresser.
  When walking by 
there is still a sweet scent of pine, 
so as long as that persists, 
it will stay in place.





If you look closely 
you might still see 
some Christmas decorations 
in the back ground. 
 I am not stressing about 
how long it will take 
to put it all away. 
 The anticipation 
of having it all done, 
having a clean house once again, and 
moving on to other pursuits 
is what is 
fueling this fire.





That Cottage Stew 
might be bubbling on 
the back burner again. 
This time
 just enough in the pot 
to satisfy the parlor. 
(For those of you 
who might be visiting for the first time,
 the colors, blue and white 
are to the Cottage,
 the same as meat and potatoes 
are to a stew.) 
Here we have a small taste test 
on the parlor mantle.




I am not setting any schedule
 as to what room is done first. 
 The empty boxes were stacked 
in no particular order and
 we are bringing them back in 
that same way.  
My only rule is 
that each space (not each room)
 when cleared
 will be polished and put to order
 before moving on.





The kitchen
 is one other room 
returned to normalcy 
so far.





A lot of you 
are choosing the "word of the year"
 or making new year resolutions but, 
normally, 
I don't do those
 because I just can't seem 
to stick to them, but
 maybe I am just making
 a "word of the month", 
or however long it takes. 
 For whatever reason,
 the anticipation of 
how long it will last 
is exciting 
for now.






One thing 
I might be anticipating is 
a bite of a shiny, juicy apple. 
 Too bad these apples are not real. 
I found them at Tuesday Morning and 
they definitely could fool 
a discerning eye.


One thing 
I really am anticipating is 
a project 
that has just come to the forefront. 
 That doesn't mean
 it will be finished tomorrow, 
mostly because it
 hasn't been started yet.

 It wasn't even 
on the horizon two days ago, 
but the Captain uttered...

five little words

 and...





...Come On Now,
you can't dangle that apple carrot 
in front of me 
and not expect that I 
won't grab it and run! 

 Oh, the anticipation!


Have a great week and 
look for my
 "thank you's" to you 
at the end of each post.


...Judy...






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22 comments:

  1. Oh Judy, I love your attitude!! Your adorable snowmen are just too cute for words and your kitchen is so dreamy, once again, I find myself "shopping". 😉 I wish you a week full of anticipation!! xo

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    1. Thanks so much, Kim. I have a few more boxes to pack up and then "onward and upward"! There is so much I want to do, but I have to stop myself every now and then and just breathe!..Happy Tuesday..xxoJudy

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  2. Judy!!
    Loved this sweet post and I have always adored your lovely snowmen!! Everything looks so warm and inviting and of course, you know how much I enjoy seeing your Kitchen!! I chose a Theme instead of One Little Word for the year and my theme is Positivity.....Last year was such a negative year filled with life changing things happening for both myself and other family members that i just need to do an attitude adjustment so that is why I chose Positivity... I am with you though in also choosing a Word of the Month and mine for January is Productivity.....I have a a lot to do this month with packing away Christmas and decorating for Winter and Valentine's so i need to be Productive...And I may keep that for more than a month...it will depend but I like the thought of being able to do that if I want to....Okay, my friend, you have peeked my curiosity as for as what those "five little words" were.....In my house they would be "Well, we might as well...." and then it would start!!
    Looking forward to your next post...
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  3. Thanks so much, Deb. Yes, you did have quite a year and I wish so much better for you in this one. You know, there are a lot of words that will describe how we "should" live, but I love your idea for the day. Taking one day at a time has a lot of advantages and I think I would like to adopt them! No, I don't get those words, that you do, too often. There has to be a lot of talking (and possibly sulking) on my part usually. But the 5 little ones that I got this time, I could not ignore them! Of course, we always hope that it turns out like it does in our heads and sometimes if we move too quickly it doesn't.
    So that is always a possibility..Happy Tuesday..xxoJudy

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  4. Glad you are embracing winter decor now. I love that picture of your kitchen with the sunshine streaming in. Beautiful. I love all your cute snowmen. Just adorable every one of them. I am trying to do a few things to feel that happy that we all feel right before the holidays. I hate the let down feelings after too. So this year I am trying to figure out new things of winter decor to feel good during these cold months. Happy New Week.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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    1. Thank you, Kris. I, too, am trying to put a little bit of warm winter here and there. We did have snow a couple of days ago but it is mostly gone now but still pretty cold. I am still in the midst of putting Christmas away and, so far, not stressing too much. I am down to the dining room and the table is loaded down with stuff I don't know what to do with. I think I had better do a clean out of my junk room..Happy Weekend..xxoJudy

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  5. I let go of Christmas pretty quickly this year-knowing I had to start sorting my Christmas out in anticipation of moving. I wa kind of glad to see a fresh slate for the start of the new year this time around.
    Happy January, sweet friend. xo Diana

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    1. Thanks so much, Diana. You certainly had a good excuse for putting things to right so quickly. I am so excited for you and your new home and can't wait to see it all..Good way to start out the new year..Happy Weekend..xxoJudy

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  6. Great pics, but my favorite is all that blue and white on your fireplace. I so love blue and white for January. Janice

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    1. Thanks so much, Janice. I find myself being drawn to blue and white also. I have had some form of blue in most rooms for 30 years so don't think I will tire of it anytime soon..Happy Weekend..xxoJudy

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  7. Oh, your snowman is so cute, I never thought of using them through January, what a great idea. Everything looks lovely but I am completely in love with your black and white checked curtain in the kitchen...wonderful!

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    1. Thanks so much, Adrienne. It is becoming a tradition to put the snowmen out in January. It seems to fill a space that taking down of all Christmas leaves. I didn't put as many out this January, however, don't know why I just didn't. When I first received those valances I thought maybe I should have ordered a smaller check, but I do like them now..Have a wonderful weekend..xxoJudy

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  8. Word of the month is good! Someday my kitchen will be done, the path to the basement open and then Christmas will come down and the snow people will go up. I'm aiming to get this done by Valentine's day (we finally got the stove ordered). I'm getting tired of most of the Christmas, though I might leave the happy tree up for a bit. It doesn't eat a lot of room and -- it makes me happy! I love your apples and the pom poms and your darling snow folk! They are such a favorite!

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    1. Thank you, Jeanie. I am still putting Christmas away but getting near the end. I'm so glad you are coming along with the kitchen, I know how hard it is to want to get it all done. It will be so worth it in the end and if something makes you happy you should keep it until it doesn't..Happy Weekend..xxoJudy

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  9. Oh Judy you have so much energy to do all that boxing up, etc.! All of my Christmas decor (not much) is out still... I do love the tree lights.. but am getting to where I feel the desire to take it down. Our poor little faux tree I think is done as all the lights have gone out on it! It has served us well. I've become pretty attached to it! Loved your positive post and am wondering what those 5 little words were! I'm so in love with your kitchen! I love all the white and all the knick knacks and vintage goodies. And do love the blue lampshades on your mantle.. and those white pom poms are just darling! We have a little snow here and more coming tonight maybe.. hope you get some (a little?) as it's so pretty, but I'm happy with just a skiff now and then. We had our huge share last winter! Take care and stay warm... and yes.. sitting by the fire and reading a book looks very inviting! xoxo Marilyn

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    1. Thanks so much, Marilyn. Hooray, we did get a small amount of snow. It came down pretty good for most of the day and now there is just a small amount left in only the shady spots. I am always so happy when it comes because we have so little of it. If I lived someplace different it probably would be a very different story. I do prefer it to the rain though..I am almost through putting Christmas away and then, hopefully, I'll be able to tell everyone what those 5 little words were..Happy Weekend..xxoJudy

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  10. Love your post. My grand daughter would have grabbed one of those apples right away. They looks so real!
    I am not rushing putting a thing away either. It's taking time and I want to go through things and get rid of stuff I don't use anymore. My husband says "it's a process". I hear that word from him all of the time. Maybe that should be my word of the year "process". Seems like I have been processing this stuff forever though. Love your snowmen. I wanted to get some of those pom pom swags and never did it. I like those so much. Mom used to make pom poms out of yard and hang them around.
    Well it's 2:41 in the morning and I am still up! I can't sleep for some reason. I will get in there soon though, at my age, everything is more of a 'process' lately.

    Betsy

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  11. Thanks so much, Betsy. That word "process" is a very important word. It is becoming quite a process to put one foot in front of the other these days it seems like. I am not a fan of "old age". I didn't put out as many snowmen this year, trying to go with less if you can believe that! I made those pom pom strings and I have made many over the years, so instead of winding the yarn over a piece of cardboard, I splurged and bought one of those contraptions that make pom poms. Very easy and fun to use. But, how many can you have? That is always my problem...I get up a lot of nights and have a cup of tea and that seems to help, but it is hard to turn your mind off but I guess we are lucky that our mind is still working!..Happy Weekend my friend..xxoJudy

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  12. Hi Judy, I love your laid back attitude about putting Christmas away and those nostalgic feelings when it's over really do make it difficult, but then it clears the way for some new ideas and treasures! I really enjoy peeking into your home and seeing all the sweetness. I am swooning over your wallpapered walls and beautiful things...I would be one of those 'nosy' guests who has to look at everything while you impatiently stamp your foot. Haha! It looks positively cozy despite all that winter wants to bring to your doorstep (hopefully just a dusting of snow now and again to make things pretty). Hope all the packing goes smoothly and you get some nice sunshine this week. Sending hugs xo Karen

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    1. Thank you so much, Karen. We did have a pretty good covering of snow but it only lasted the one day. I would like it a little longer than that but we take what we can get. I would love to have you as a "nosy" guest or any other kind. It is very cold out now and a little sprinkling of rain. Truthfully, I would rather have the snow..xxoJudy

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy