compare and contrast

Second up in the compare and contrast series is a look at our entry ways.  These spaces literally share a wall - but little else!

First, a look at CAC and JC's take on the entry way.  CAC recently painted this table shiny, cherry red (I love it!).  They founds an old, empty frame and painted the wall behind with chalkboard paint.  Soccer shoes and slippers below the table.  Mail and an electrical controller (?!) on top.

Now a look at LLH and EG's place...These bookcase cubes have served us well.  They remain unfinished but made it through school and across the country.  They are great for books as well as storage baskets with hats, baseball mitts, and bike parts.  As always, more stuff than on the other side of the wall.  The basket on the floor barely contains our slippers.  The photo is by Robert Lyons.

revising the harv list

 In honor of his recent retirement (go pops!), we're updating The Harv List.  Items that have already been accomplished are coming off (crossed off below).  Items that are being added are in italics.  I'm looking forward to a fall work weekend soon.  I've been saving the new meatloaf sandwich at Sacred Wheel for the occasion.

The Harv List

• Paint an accent wall in llh's middle room
• Paint the bonus room
• A shelf above the molding in the bonus room
• A Install a second pop-up breakfast table on the back porch
• Shelves above llh's desk
• Refinish llh's dresser
• Transform the garage into a workshop
• Vegetable planters
• Around-the-building landscaping

compare and contrast

Here's the first of a series I hope to continue comparing and contrasting the interiors of our two apartments.  You, dear readers, may know that our apartments are essentially mirror images of each others.  Despite having the same bones and basic finishes, they've grown into quite different environments. 

While there's general agreement that the middle section of the built in is the "bar" area, that means different things on each side of the wall.  Like much of their apartment, CAC and JC take a streamlined approach, balance with books and cool stationary:

LLH and EG are a bit more serious about the bar (and like much of their apartment, have way more stuff):

Happy New Year!

Fort Ruby celebrated Rosh Hashanah with delicious apple challah made by JC, apples, honey, and some good ol'fashioned shofar blowing:

Cream and Sugar Succulents

At some point in time, I apparently thought I'd regularly need to serve coffee formally and thus needed cute cream and sugar containers.  After years of not using this vintage set, I decided to turn them into succulent pots.  Now there's coffee service (of a kind) on the porch everyday!

The Big Week

Birders have big years, in which they compete to see who sees the most species of birds in a single year.  This was our Big Week.  Over the weekend we had a hawk in the median, a hummingbird in the driveway, and our regular visitors of doves, finches, and sparrows that enjoy the seed our neighbor Ben has put out (thanks, Ben!).  Below are photos of the hawk.  He (she) was relatively small, but beautiful and regal, and eating a pigeon!

Ruby Street Bounty

Oh the joys of late summer and early fall....

cherry tomatoes, peppers, and green beans from the yardway

Peppers fried up and salted.  Delish!

The Moody Blues

Hard to believe that we've been at Fort Ruby for over two years....and that there are still some rooms that remain white (or off-white) boxes.  Well, we're getting ready to do something about that.  After a few paint runs, and some frightening false starts (see upper color in photo below)...

We think we have a winner (it's blue, I swear).  

And we love this idea to add a pop of color on the doors (idea and photo from Aunt Peaches).

Stay tuned for more soon.