Eight Years

 Eight years married, twelve years together, and sixteen years as friends. 

Happy Anniversary, hon!

Solar Lanterns = Glowy Backyard

We made another addition to our backyard patio area this last week. While we were at Home Depot picking up some odds and ends, we found these solar lanterns in an aisle display. They're metal and glass, and have solar panels on all four sides of the cover, so we thought they were a good deal for the money. (And yes, I was that crazy lady in the recycling aisle holding a lantern inside a garbage can to see how bright it would light up.)

The lanterns went together really easily. I think it took me longer to snap pictures of them then it did to put them together. They have an artificial candle in the middle that looks like it's glowing when the lantern is on.

I included this test picture mostly for the colour of the sky - that just-before-dark time that only lasts a minute.

We have four brackets mounted to our back fence for hanging flower baskets, but we haven't filled them this year. And we really do need the lights more than the flowers. The lanterns we had last year were made of woven wood - you know those ones all of the home decorating stores carried - and they didn't hold up to amount of rain we received.

We've had even more rain this year and these are doing great. I know it's only been a week or so, but I keep checking them and they don't collect water at all. And they've all lit up every night, so even though it isn't the sunniest backyard, they're still getting enough light during the day to charge.

It's a good thing we now have something pretty to distract from that pile of dirt in the corner and the peeling fence stain, isn't it?

Vintage Bedroom Chair

There's someone new keeping us company in the bedroom at night. And during the day. He's short, chubby, and older, but I think I love him.

Meet our new man:

Tom's been making me go trail riding (mountain bikes) with him lately - though really I do like it, so it's not like he's dragging me through the forest. I think he wants me to go with him just so he doesn't feel guilty buying pizza afterwards. This last week, as we drove from the trail to the pizza place, we passed an old antique shop near Sharon, Ontario. (That's for you locals.) It's a tiny little place that used to be a motorcycle repair shop. Sounds bad, right? They had all kinds of solid wood furniture outside though, so I made Tom stop to take a look.

There was nothing that we really wanted - well, there was a dining room set but we don't have room for it. Just as we were about to leave I saw this chair with cardboard boxes piled on top of it. The fabric looked brand new and it didn't sag, plus the grey would match our bedroom, so off I went to find out the price. The guy told me $45 or best offer. Seriously? I was expecting over a hundred dollars. Especially since the manufacturer's tag was still on the bottom. And did I mention that the fabric was brand new? Tom had $35 in his wallet (I conveniently didn't bring mine), so just like that it was ours.

The tag on the bottom says it was made in 1967 and the upholstery was originally tangerine. Can you imagine? Though our bedroom is done in grey and orange, so maybe it would have matched regardless.

The finish on the wood is peeling, but I'd like to stain it a darker shade anyway. I'm thinking espresso or ebony.

The seat is really wide and the arms are low - perfect for slouching in while we talk about our day.

The fabric is a little bluer than the walls, but it seems to match the grey in the pillows exactly. (Not that that pillow would stay there - it's a bit big - but I wanted to add some colour to the shot.)

The room really needed a dose of old-fashioned. Even Tom, who originally didn't want a chair in the bedroom, said, "Hey, this is pretty comfortable to sit in." Better believe it! This guy is staying.