Thursday Text: The World Is Too Much With Us

I recently re-read a Wordsworth poem that I liked. The World Is Too Much With Us:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. --Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on the pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Caldrea - Herbs of Provence

Did you know that Target carries an Essential Collection by Caldrea? I got the Herbs of Provence dish soap, and I really love it.

Charade

Each year for Halloween, we rent an Alfred Hitchcock film. We like suspenseful movies - not scary ones. This year we went with Stanley Donan's Charade. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant are delightful. Walter Matthau and the rest of the cast are stellar, too. And so suspenseful!

Tiffany Yellow Diamonds

I really love the marketing put out by Tiffany & Co. I have an old catalogue that I've kept forever because the pictures are so exquisite. Recently I saw an ad for their fancy yellow diamonds. If you go to their site, you can see a look book with lots of great pictures.

Friday Featured Art: In the Rain

Today's piece is a new oil by Joe. It's called In the Rain, and I thought it was especially appropriate because I found it on Tuesday when we were having a really crazy wind and rain storm. This is a really beautiful painting - as are the other new pieces.

Thursday Text: The Charming Quirks of Others

The Charming Quirks of Others is the latest Isabel Dalhousie novel by Alexander McCall Smith. It came out a couple of weeks ago, and I had one shipped in from the nearest library that had an available copy. It was good - very much along the same lines as the others. I can never remember their titles, but I always learn something as I read them. And, of course, I love to read about Edinburgh.

Lotta Jansdotter Doorstop

Another sewing project I completed recently was a doorstop - using a pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing. The fabric is Joel Dewberry, and it's full of pinto beans. It was a fun little project.

Ebanista

I discovered Ebanista through Architectural Digest. They have incredible pieces. I would really love to have a fabulous gilt mirror someday. The only problem is that they don't list prices, and I would be very afraid to inquire...

Pottery Barn Aviary

Did you see the new Aviary items in Pottery Barn's latest catalog? I love this boot scraper and the door knocker.

Friday Featured Art: Lorado Taft

Last week, we drove up the Rock River to see this huge statue of Chief Blackhawk. It was sculpted by Lorado Taft. As we learned more about this artist, we realized that he created a couple of sculptures that we like at the Garfield Park Conservatory. He also sculpted the Fountain of the Great Lakes that we saw next to the Art Institute when we were there with my parents (see below).