Yesterday when I got on the elevator in my building to go run my errands I noticed a new sign that quickly caught my attention.


This was my immediate response. Well it was my response after I ran back to my apartment and bolted the door.


I mean seriously, do I look like someone who is going to approach any snake?

Thursday I needed to go to the grocery to pick up something I forgot the day before, and since I was right next door I decided to just take a brief peak into my favorite plant shop. 

I personally think they need to move that store because it is seriously affecting my wallet.

Look what I found. 

Isn't she pretty with her pink tinged leaves?


It's an Aglaonema Etta Rose. I love that it will thrive in low to medium light. As someone who lives in a apartment with only two windows, although they are floor to ceiling, there is not enough direct sunlight for very many bright light plants. 

While I was there I realized I didn't have a pot for it so I spent another 20 minutes finding just the right one. So much for the brief peak.


When I went down to collect my mail yesterday I decided to work on pulling the plants out of my garden. 

I decided to leave the last tomato plant for a few days to let the last couple of tomatoes ripen.


In a few days I will clean it up and decide if I want to plant any fall veggies. It is really still too hot to think about it now.

Good bye summer. You have been a good one. 

I'm kind of on a roll here with my houseplant addiction, so I thought I would keep it going.

A few days ago I went to my favorite plant place to just look around. Of course I came home with two new plants, which I showed you here.


Since I haven't been able to find a twelve step program for said addiction, I'm thinking it must be okay for me to continue adding on to my collection.


I love this large peace lily. I splurged on it because I had to leave the one I had in Kentucky when I moved. 

It isn't flowering at the moment, but it seems to love where it is. The beautiful pot belonged to my mom. I had wanted it for awhile, but even though she didn't have a plant in it she wouldn't let me have it before she died. I think of her when I look at it. 


I think this parlor palm adds some great texture to my living room, and of course it has a succulent friend in the small terrarium. 

I've since added some more plants to the top of this chest of drawers,


giving it more of a cottage feel. 

There are just so many places to tuck plants in,



and on top of.


I think they help to draw the eye upwards, making the room appear taller.


Just a few of my 23 houseplants. It definitely has the makings of an urban jungle.

Where do plants go when they become too ill to survive, or just die? Do you think there is a plant heaven?

My houseplants are my pets. I coddle them and worry when they aren't doing well. but sometimes no matter what I do they just fail to thrive. 

That is what happened with these two.



The one on the right I have had for a couple of years. Not sure what it is. It was pretty when I first got it, but gradually it has been losing all of its leaves. I'm tired of looking at it so it is going to that mythical heaven.

The plant on the left, a dieffenbachia (dumb cane), is one of two that I purchased in July. For some reason no matter what I have done it just isn't happy. I have decided to give its pot to another plant, and I have potted it in a smaller pot, cut off all of its dying leaves, and placed it closer to a window. Fingers are crossed. 



I bought two new plants last week.



The schefflera plant has taken up residence in the pot that the dieffenenbachia was in. I like the fact that scheffleras grow pretty quickly and are easy to care for. 



I also bought a basil plant. The basil plant that I had in my garden did not do well. The woman who has the garden patch next to mine and has several herb plants said her basil died as well. I do like having one inside during the colder months. It smells good and I love it on my pasta. 



I said a sad farewell to one of my plants, but there are plenty more to keep me busy in my little home.

As promised I am going to show you my plate rack redo, but first I got a surprise in my garden.

If you have been reading my blog this summer you know that I have been unable to get any tomatoes from the two tomato plants that I planted in May. 



Between a human tomato pilferer and the pesky squirrels all of my tomatoes were taken.

This went on all summer, but I think the squirrels are busy collecting nuts for winter now and the pilferer was sternly warned off by management.

Now on to the plate rack.

I love my blue and white transferware, and originally this is how the plate rack looked from my chair in the living room. 

This was actually the only photo I could find of how it was done, and it was definitely not staged. You can see my market cart in the background and my glass and napkin on the table.


I enjoyed looking at it, but I have been changing things around and I wanted more of a farmhouse look for fall and winter. 

I also wanted to use some of my antique white ironstone china.



I love the antique tequila bottle.


I found this bottle hidden in my Great Aunt Rose's china cabinet, which was in her bedroom. My grandmother gave me the china cabinet and its contents in the late 1970's when I was making my first home.

Aunt Rose passed away in 1960. She lived with my grandparents and owned half of the house and their business. The funny part is that my grandmother was a member of the temperance league. They didn't exactly get along too well. 

It looks like it says Tequila Laura. Hmmmm!! Maybe that is why I was Aunt Roses's favorite.


A rustic basket, the white ironstone, a brown transferware plate, plants, the bottle, and a whisk broom all add to the farmhouse look. 

I'm liking it's fall look.  

Summer is boldly clinging to its place on the throne, unwilling to cede an inch to Autumn. 

The heat is literally sizzling, hotter than any other time this year. Monday the thermometer read 101 degrees.



There are still many flowers in the garden, but they are fighting now for space with the weeds. No one has the desire or energy to brave the heat to pull those unruly invaders. 

So there is a battle for space. I wonder who will win. My money is on the weeds.


I hate to see summer end. 

Yesterday I met my daughter, Katy, at Home Goods. We didn't have a lot of time together, as we both had errands to run, but it was nice to spend a little time wandering the aisles looking at all of the hard to resist items. 

I bought a bag of autumn filler to add to what I already had for the tiered wire basket I put out for fall on the dining room table. 


I also found the perfect throw for my chair.

You would think with the heat outside I wouldn't need it, but it gets pretty cold in my apartment and I can't seem to get it adjusted. I imagine that I will figure it out just about the time the weather turns cooler and they switch on the heat.


 Katy got a rug and a lampshade she had been wanting, and I took her the last of the eggplants from my garden. I have eggplant casserole and eggplant parmigiana in my freezer, which I will pull out occasionally this fall to remind me of summer. 

Time marches on. The seasons change. There isn't a lot we can do about it other than enjoy the moments.

I'm not sure what I have more of, baskets or plants, but I am definitely heading into basket addiction territory.

I've said it here before that I have rarely seen a basket that I don't love. 


I have been wanting a basket for my narrow coffee table, but had not come across one and wanted to get one at a thrifty price. 

Yesterday was my lucky day. It was of course half off day at the thrift store, and as I roamed the aisles, there it was.


Not only was it the perfect size, it still had its tags on. A brand new Smith and Hawken handwoven basket. This girl's price? $2.50.

I guess it beat my last basket purchase, which I showed you last week, but I'm not averse to showing it again.


And then there was the picnic basket.


I don't think I've shown you this vintage basket.


It's sitting on my newly redecorated plate rack.

Come back next time and I'll show you the redo. 

Trying to find space for everything in a small kitchen can be difficult. I know. I have a small galley kitchen and I have to take advantage of every space. 


I did a lot of perusing Pinterest before I moved into my apartment because I knew I was going to have to take advantage of the one wall that is in my kitchen. 

This kitchen has definitely utilized their vertical space. 

source

 They have turned their small space into a place where everything is within easy reach.

I wish I could hang my baskets from the ceiling, but unfortunately that is a rule breaker here.

Kitchen counters are prized real estate in a small kitchen so moving things up onto a wall is pretty much a necessity.

source I love the narrow shelves that have been added to the walls and the hanging utensils that are within easy reach for the cook. I really like the idea of using cork board. and I considered it for my kitchen, but in the end I decided to go in a different direction                                                                                                                                         source I decided to purchase some hanging bars from Ikea.  One of the maintenance men came up and hung them for me. I love that they hold a few things that I use often, and I can change it up very easily. I was definitely tired off rummaging around in a drawer for my measuring spoons.  One thing I have learned is that taking photos in a small galley kitchen with no windows is definitely not easy. I'm thinking that when my ship comes in I may buy a camera.

The light is changing in the sky. The air is softer. Summer is waning. 

Yes, I know that it is still summer. I know that we have a hot week ahead in Georgia, but there is something about the beginning of September that creates a feeling of restlessness in me. 




Maybe my body has memories of school starting back up after Labor Day. 

Maybe there is a sense of needing to get things accomplished before cooler weather arrives. 



Fall has always been the time of year for me to clean and organize my home. This year feels no different. 

I guess that is what gave me the impetus to move my desk the other day. If you missed that you can read about it here. I want things to be in order when the cooler weather gets here. 



I know it seems like I should have everything in order since I just moved in in April, but I put a lot of things away without really organizing them. Also, I need to finish the work on my mom's estate. It all takes time and I need to get started.



I sold something on Etsy Friday and realized that I had no idea where it was. So many places to hide in such a small apartment. Fortunately I found it pretty quickly.

I think this feeling of restlessness is telling me to get my home in order.

Lot's of news today. Don't you love how clever I am with my play on words. (I can picture my grandchildren rolling their eyes right about now)

Have you noticed the new look of my blog? I love it. So streamlined and the gold is so elegant. You are probably asking yourselves if I did all of this by myself. I could lie and say I did, but I really want to give credit where credit is due. 


Brenda at Cozy Little House spent her weekend helping me. She is such a great friend. We ran into a few glitches along the way, but we got everything fixed and now I can just concentrate on writing my posts. 

Sunday I was starting to get cabin fever and I needed to go to the drugstore so of course I stopped into the booby trap Home Goods, which happens to be next to my drugstore. 


I was absolutely determined I was not going to buy anything so I didn't even get a cart. 

I really just wanted to see if they had a throw for the cool weather ahead. I know it is in the 90's in Atlanta and cool weather is a ways off, but my air conditioner is a bit chilly. Seemed reasonable to me.


As I was strolling down the aisle, trying not to look at anything, which we all know is impossible, I saw "IT". It being this super cute basket. 

Well, we all know how much I love baskets and how hard it is for me to pass one up so I convinced myself that I could always return it, and after all it was only $12.99.


I had no idea where I was going to hang it, so when I got it home I hung it on my kitchen wall and put dish towels in it. It may get moved in the future, but I'm liking it there for now.

As I was heading back up front to pay I happened to walk past the rugs. I've been looking for a rug for my kitchen and although they hadn't had one I liked in the past I was hoping they might have something new. 


They did. Perfect size, perfect colors, it has a non slip back, and it is washable. 

Of course I forget all about looking for that throw. Guess I'll have to go back.

For quite some time now I have been telling myself and anyone else who will listen to me (that would be very few people outside of my grandchildren, and I am beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that even they tune me out) that I am not moving furniture anymore.

It goes something like this. "You are too old to move furniture, Laura. Too old, too old, too old." 



After a fairly sleepless night I finally decided at 6 o'clock Tuesday morning to give up the ghost and just get up. 

I apparently had an epiphany in the night because I woke up with the urge to move my antique desk. I also apparently forgot that I was too old. 

I had already moved my suitcases to this wall. I love them here.

When the movers sat my desk down four months ago I knew that it was a bit too far to the left, but I was too tired at that point to do anything about it. Instead I just filled it up with books, and closed the doors. 

For four months I have looked at that desk with an upside down smile on my face. So I started out my day by emptying everything out of the desk. Hopefully, whoever lives in the apartment below me is deaf because I know I wouldn't want to hear that so early in the morning. 



After making a huge mess in my dining area I knew I was going to have to leave it to go to water aerobics and then on to senior day at a really nice Goodwill I found in Buckhead. 

If you aren't familiar with Atlanta, Buckhead is the old money, high rent, chi chi section of the city. In other words it's where the rich people get rid of their good stuff when they grow tired of it so poor people like me can come in and scoop it up.




By the time I got home and saw the big mess I had left, I reminded myself of the "too old" message and how maybe I shouldn't have ignored it. 

However, after fortifying myself with some lunch, I shoved, scooted, and dragged that thing a good six inches to the right. WHEW!! Really put those new water aerobics muscles to work. I carefully dusted every book and managed to get everything put back before I started looking for the wine. 



I have to say that it was worth it. My smile is no longer upside down. I am able to have the doors open so I can see my beautiful books, and I can actually open the drawers without performing acrobatics.

Now about that chest of drawers in the bedroom, Laura. Hmmmm!!

"too old, too old, too old."