Rainy Day Things

Not much time for dilly-dallying lately....

especially with an international trip * coming up... 

....but I did manage to finally finish painting that living room....of my dollhouse....it's a buff color now, as opposed to that dreadful pink! Couldn't wait to see that go...

Next, it'll be either 'paneling' (with a new paint color!) or papering it...haven't decide yet. :)

I do know that I want to call it the "Rabbit Room" 

and it's going to be celery green...cream..&..brick red....

Like so!

Also, besides frantic check-listing for Romania, I've been working on some art.

I did this one (below) this afternoon....but please don't scrutinize it too carefully~! 

It's only marker, you see..... 

I think life is immensely more color-FULL than noticed. 

Happy Weekend, everyone!

* {Which got all paid for by the way!! Thanks, friends & family!}

Getting New 'Eyes' & Wisdom Whilst Reading...

I have been reading The Book of Lost Things... there are some great quotes and beautiful wordings to be found in there.
Although, I must say, John Connolly's sense of creativity makes me wonder about him a little much! If you like Lewis Carroll, and Grimm's grim fairy tales, then this is definitely the book for you... it's odd. Amusing? Yes. Gripping? Sure. But also quite oddly done...

As for me, not sure if I'll finish it. (Pro'l'y will.) But still not sure, as I'm only a couple chapters in so far and it's getting more & more interesting (yes) but also weirder & weirder (!) Kind of reminds me of Sylvie & Bruno crossed with The Hobbit crossed with The Smithsonian Book of Books.
All that being said, there were several good quotes to be found & noted in the first pages. I thought the following one was the best, and good enough to share:

"I think the act of reading imbues the reader with a sensitivity toward the outside world that people who don’t read can sometimes lack. I know it seems like a contradiction in terms; after all reading is such a solitary, internalizing act that it appears to represent a disengagement from day-to-day life. But reading, and particularly the reading of fiction, encourages us to view the world in new and challenging ways…It allows us to inhabit the consciousness of another which is a precursor to empathy, and empathy is, for me, one of the marks of a decent human being."

– John Connolly (The Book of Lost Things)

That quote was the best part of the book so far....for me anyway.
Well, besides the fact that books talk in this story! Just imagine what it'd be like to hear books talking! It boggles the mind to think of all the widely different things they'd be clamoring to say to us!
Fun to think of. :)

So, what do you think? Have you read this book (or any of Connolly's other popular fiction works)?
The quote I shared has several little holes in it's 'fabric', I know. Not everything in the world can be solved by sitting down and delving into a fictional book to make 'extracts' from it! In fact, many, many  things can't be accomplished to any success that way. Book-worming is fun, but it should be used as a tool for learning &  the ''getting of wisdom'' (Proverbs 4:5).

P.S.~ Thanks everybody for sharing your top book choices with me!
I received quite a few wonderful recommendations. Many of which I hope to read & review very soon. :]

     We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa

   Though my dollhouse does not have a name yet (that'll come later I believe) he does have quite a presence in my room! The story behind it goes like this:

Mom was driving through our nearest small town, and while taking one of the short-cut back ways, she spotted a huge dollhouse! There he was, just sitting out in the elements, right on the side of the road ready for the next garbage pick-up! Well, yikes! we can't have that happening, said Mom. And she promptly picked the thing up & deposited it in the car (which I would imagine involved a whole lot more effort than I'm taking time to mentioned right now, because honestly that thing weighs more that I do!) 

So we acquired this thing actually almost 4 (or 5?) years ago now, back when Lizzie & I were still girls I guess you could say. :) And weren't we thrilled with what Mom brought home!   You better believe it. :) 

Many happy hours were spent painting, carpeting, rearranging furniture, hanging 'pictures', and playing in our dollhouse. (Ah, good memories!)

So.....several years later, and much time, dust, and cobwebs brushed off....The Dollhouse makes an entrance into my life once again. This time, he's going to stay in my very own room (as opposed to the storeroom) and he's going to keep me company on rainy days & give my plenty of opportunity for industriousness on many an afternoon.

I mentioned in this post that I have a dollhouse and that I was starting to work on it, remember? And showed a photo of some of the 'renovations' taking place inside it (viz. stripping of wallpaper, etc.) Well, I've been busy!

Here, take a peek at what I've been up to lately...

under construction!

( I was trying to build a ladder for the painting to be done ''on''...but it'll have to wait. ;)

the room, almost cleared, ready for painting!

here is my paint set up!

Yes, I made that roller. :) Isn't it dandy?

.....paint paint paint.....

The paint is called "Buff"...

can't forget the drop cloth! and open the windows please!

roll roll roll

The roller worked just fine, even if it is slow going...

Now the question is: do I paint the whole room this way, or go the easy route and use a bigger roller & brush?  Hmmm hmmm..... decisions. ;)