Back in My Own Bed

It's been so lovely to sleep in my own bed these past two nights.

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One of the best things about our return is that we had deep-cleaned the entire house during the weeks before our departure, so we came home to a very clean (if a little dusty) house.

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Except the bathrooms. We haven't even begun their deep-cleaning, but let's not talk about that...

On the subject of a clean bedroom, I took pictures of my room after deep-cleaning it, but never got to share them in the last-minute rush to prepare for our trip.

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This is a view of my bedroom as you enter from the hall.
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The tall dresser straight ahead used to be Mark's. Now I keep all my family history stuff in the drawers, safe from future leaks!

None of our furniture matches. Mostly hand-me-downs or yard sales or pieces bought one at a time to save money.

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Then one year when we got really good income tax returns and I was tired of continual leaks in our waterbed, I splurged and bought this bedroom set.

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I've never regretted it.

On top of the tall dresser is a set of 3 Harry Potter collectibles that Mark and the kids gave me for Christmas the year the first Harry Potter movie came out.

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Last night we went to see the latest flick, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. The film-makers did a great job capturing the conflict and tragedy of the book.
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After living in Arizona for a while, I fell in love with Southwestern decor. I dreamed of having a den decorated in the sky-blues and earth tones of the Southwest, with the paintings and sculptures of Native Americans and cowboys.

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I never did get my den, but I did buy this adorable papoose that hangs on my bedroom wall.

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From time to time, we do actually see young Apache families shopping at WalMart with their babies wrapped in a cradleboard.

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During the course of cleaning, I finally hung Sarah's senior pictures on my wall, after they sat on my dresser for more than a year!

Below Sarah's pictures is a rain stick, a cactus skeleton with dried needles inside. When you turn the stick upside down, the needles fall, producing a soothing sound of rainfall.

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I painted my prayer rock when I was the Activity Days leader (for girls ages 8-11) long ago. Fun!

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And that clock/radio/alarm clock was a gift from my parents on my 16th birthday. The radio plays in stereo, a big deal back then. Can you even find an analog alarm clock anymore, or are they all digital?

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Who would have believed that alarm would still be in use almost 39 years later? It's true, they don't make things like they used to!

This is the view of the bedroom from the office...

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...and the little corner near the bedroom and master bathroom doors.
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This painting is a favorite of mine.

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Back in the 1970s, when we lived in Yorba Linda, California, my brother LeRoy got his first real job. That Christmas he bought nice gifts for all of us. Not just nice in value, but nice in that he put some thought into what we would each enjoy.

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At that time I was collecting ceramic cats. I had many dozens of them. And I just thought this was the most beautiful painting I'd ever seen.

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It's 9pm and that big, comfy bed is calling my name (I think I'm still on Missouri time!), so I'm going to call it a night.

Sweet dreams!