#HamOn: "The Morans"

It's always humbling to come across former classmates turned indie-hipster superstars (could there be such a thing?).

Meet the Joe and John Moran. Or, as I have affectionately blog-titled them, "The Morans."


 

In Which I Have a Reading Nook and Wish for a Teapot

The last eight months have been good. They were not what I was expecting going into this year. I was moving into a strange city, knowing few others than the girls I was moving in with. I can now say, with absolute certainty, that it was a good decision.

The first four were the toughest; I was working a job I despised going to, hadn't adjusted to life in a new city, and didn't have many close friends. Growing and moving through those times of solitude led to the undertaking of a variety of tv shows: BBC's Doctor Who and Sherlock, Stargate, and 21 Jump Street (the tv show from the 80s, not the movie remake with Channing Tatum that failed to capture the spirit of it's syndicated counterpart) are only a few of the pop cultural realities floating around in my brain as of late.

The latter four months have flown. I have been blessed with some great friends as part of my church family - many of which I have just recently said goodbye to as they head back to their respective cities (and provinces). I began working a new job, and although it is not glamourous, I love it. I have also been busy with the church's College and Careers pre-service worship. It's been rewarding to be involved in an aspect of the church ministry.

Friends out dining post-Sunday morning service to say goodbye to
those headed home for the summer months.

All of that was necessary build up to the project I undertook this weekend upon the relocation of two housemates back to Muskoka Bible Centre for the spring/summer months. Since one happened to live in the same room as me, her habitational shift meant that the [master] bedroom which we were sharing is now solely my own, and that meant cleaning, and reorganizing the room to my own whimsical desire. 

Although it is a little empty, I have managed to turn one side of the room into my own personal haven, bringing my vintage gold 1960s church garagesale chair from the main level to create my reading nook. 

The "Reading Nook": Complete with pillow, sewing kit and wool for
my creative endeavours. 

I am reading several of the books on that shelf, however it mostly consists of my favourite novels. One addition I would like to make for the summer months when I can read by the breeze from that window, is a teapot, kettle and various teas that I can just keep in my bedroom for convenience. Indulging in a good pot of tea while reading a book is becoming a favourite part of my evening.

Vintage teacup and saucer with a homemade
chocolate chip cookie!

And really, with a teacup as cute as that, how can I resist! The trick is really to find a teapot that matches. I am definitely going to be scouting thrift stores for the perfect one. 

Back to the bedroom. 

Before I started my redecoration, the room had these really awful purple curtains. I am sure they worked for the decor of the room when our landlord lived here, but for the past year I have been slowly planning the demise of those curtains. So, as soon as the housemates were gone, I made a beeline for curtains from one of the other rooms; a deep red to match the red of my bedspread and the red in my granny square crochet blanket. Changing to a red curtain solved the problem of my wood furnature as well. It made the cherry coloured wood warm to see. Instead of walking into a room where everything clashed just a little too profoundly, I think I have successfully transformed it into a comfortable and open space for the summer months left here. 

A happy window.

DIY window candles. Twine and tealights.

Finished product. Clean, comfortable. Functional. 

I'm very pleased with the result. It literally cost me nothing since all items were stealthly borrowed from other places in the house. There is enough carpet space for yoga in the summer. There is enough shelving space to keep all my reading off the floor. And although I don't plan on investing in artwork for the walls, I feel relaxed and calm in my space. It suits me perfectly. Except for the absence of a teapot and kettle.

Come to think of it, if anyone would like to buy my affections, it can be done so with the Sherlock Holmes novels and a teapot. 

Insta-life

Once upon a time, there was a blogger named Brittany who completely disappeared from the blogosphere world. Now, while she had been well intentioned in her 2013 blogging ambitions, life and hobbies seemed to prevent this particular blogger from updating anything worthwhile onto her corner of the universe. 

Her blog was outraged by its neglect, and, at the urging of the evil cyber-gods, threatened to leave her forever unless she became active in her pursuits of cyber-greatness once more. Her solution was a quick photo blast. And while it seemed to satisfy the cyber-gods for the immediate future, there was much left wanting. For instance, Brittany and the blog both knew that her wit would need to return in order for there to be an active stream of readers. This wit seemed to have been lost in the previous months as life changed and didn't provide much material to embellish, recount, or otherwise exploit for entertainment purposes. 

And so, hoping her readers would be satisfied with some Insta-Life photos (#instalife, in case anyone cares; BrittanyKnapper on Instagram. And yes, you may follow me), she embarked to her next adventure. Cooking bacon.

top to bottom: 
(1) Salman Rushdie's Imaginary Homelands. Out of print in Canada. 
(2) Revlon's 'Devil's Lure' nailpolish. 
(3) Coffee Culture Vanilla Latte. Yum.
(4) I may live in the city, but I still appreciate a good country-folk license plate.
(5) Coffee and Crochetting on the front porch of my parents' house over Easter.
(6) Creative afternoons.