Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that:

• this year has been a good one for you
• that your New Year's Eve will be as elegant/trendy/loud/quiet as you want it to be
• that 2008 will bring health and happiness to you and yours

Best wishes,
Kimberley

A bit of Christmas

Hi, everybody, and merry Christmas! Though Chris and I don't decorate for Christmas the way we do for Halloween, we do like to put out a few things.

Let me show you around!

Here's the table by the front door:




Here's a closeup of the compotes:



I like the old-fashioned look of fresh greenery with herbs and fruits. I was standing in line at Trader Joe's the other day (replacing everything we'd lost when the fridge died, from butter to BBQ sauce) when I noticed the guy in front of me had a lovely little crate of clementines. "Well, Mr. Man", I thought, "you're not the only one who's walking outta here with those citrusy treats!!", and off I dashed to the produce section. Note: I am so thankful that people can't read my mind-- they'd just think I was bizarre.


Here's the top of the entertainment center, with fir boughs (which I pulled out of the free bins at Lowe's) and ivy (which I pulled out of the yard):




Here's a closeup of one of our Jim Shore Santas:




The Christmas tree, which we decorated with friends. That's the way we do thing around here, see: we invite people over for potlucks and then force them to decorate Tallulah House. You'd think they'd have learned their lesson by now ;)





A pine garland from Ace Hardware, with ivy from the yard:




The chandelier, with ivy and rosemary:




The dining room doorway:




The pyramid that my parents brought back from Germany many years ago:





Now for the kitchen. Here's a primitive, folk-arty tree that my friend Lib gave me:





Next is our little nutcracker and some apothecary jars filled with festive M&M's!





Next is the top of the new refrigerator (yes, as much as it set us back, it has to be featured!!). I confess that I keep my gargoyle out year-long, though not usually here. I am very fond of my winged Christmas elf, and of his combat boots :)





Here's a few shots of the vignette in the sitting room (pardon the gap under the pug picture: I have been trying to get Chris's help in hanging things to balance it out, but he hates drilling into plaster as much as I do!):




Here's a closeup of my Dresden angels. My parents also brought these back from Germany and they're one of my favourite things:





Another closeup:





In keeping with the idea of greenery and natural materials, I decided to show off my ginger jar with some huge stalks of rosemary (I noticed today that the rosemary has bloomed, I suppose due to being inside. It's wonderful!):





I kept it simple in the bathroom as well, decorating with a silver tray, a candle, and my favourite Christmas linen: the flying pig towel!





Here's a closeup of my pig. If he doesn't make you smile, then there's nothing I can do for you and I suggest that you seek medical attention quickly!





From all of the denizens of Tallulah House, we wish you a merry Chrismas!

Happy Birthday to Me!

That's right! America's snarkiest girl-next-door turned 34 today :) Woohoooo, I'm still alive!!!

Happy birthday, Chris

"True love is friendship set on fire"

Happy birthday to my best friend and my own true love.

I love you, Grumpy :)

Just a quick hello

Hi, everybody!

I have been really busy at work and, between bikram yoga (I'm REALLY liking this-- more in a later post)-- and World of Warcraft, really busy outside of it as well, hence the lack of posting.

Our refrigerator died last week-- yes, right after we'd heard the news about my sabbatical being approved and resolved to save up money for the trip-- so last Saturday we went out and bought one at Lowe's. Well, long story short, the delivery folks banged our new refrigerator up but good, putting a dent in the bottom and taking some paint off. It was also REALLY LOUD! I called the store manager and complained, explaining how I didn't want to buy it from Lowe's in the first place after the nightmare we went through with our landscaping project last summer, but that we had, against my better judgment.

Well, I have to give this gentleman top marks. He immediately resolved to make it right and, though two ladies ended up handling the actual details, he did: by upgrading us to another refrigerator. Also, I couldn't have been more pleased with the super-nice delivery guys who showed up and took the time to carefully maneuver the fridge through our narrow kitchen doorway. So, hats off to Lowe's. I'm going to write a thank-you letter, but also wanted to share this with my friends in Blogland :)

Tallulah House has gotten a little gussied up for Christmas. We don't go all out the way we do for Halloween, but it is definitely festive around here! In the rush to get out the door when I got the call about the fridge being delivered, I left the camera at work so I have no pictures to share :(
I'll take some photos on Monday, though, and share our modest decorations next week.

It's so funny: though I was thrilled to be getting the Saga of the Fridge wrapped up, I was very irritated to have to leave work early (Chris had taken off to see to it the first time so it was only fair that I did so the second time around) with all that I had to do. However, it turned out to be such a blessing to have some time at home. I did some much-needed cleaning, folded some laundry, polished some silver, and did a bit more decorating. Between working and commuting, I know that Tallulah House gets short shrift, and I hate that. So, it was lovely to have some time to take care of things around here. I'm sure that none of you can relate to that, right? ;)

So my quick hello has turned into a lengthy catch-up session!Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you have a great day.
Kimberley

Over the moon

It's no secret to anyone who's known me long: though I've had the excitement and privilege of travelling to England, Scotland, Austria, Italy, Hawaii, Canada, China, India, and Kenya, my heart has always, ALWAYS longed for Ireland.

This being my 5th year at my present job, I became eligible to apply for a "renewal" sabbatical. My proposal didn't have to have anything to do with academia or my discipline, but could be simply for pleasure purposes. I decided to apply, all the while thinking that I probably wouldn't be chosen. I mean, come on, what's 5 years next to the 25 or 30 that many of colleagues have given to the school? I decided to go for it, though, because I didn't have anything to lose.

Well, I met with the president of the school on Wednesday, and he gave me the news: my proposal had been enthusiastically approved and I was going to spend two weeks in Ireland this coming summer, all expenses paid. I was overcome and started to cry (don't tell anybody, ok, I have a reputation to maintain!). To be given such an opportunity is a huge gift, and such a compliment.

I keep looking at pictures of Ireland and thinking, "Wow! I'm going to be seeing that FOR REAL!". It's all a bit overwhelming-- but I'll cope ;)


So, here's a list of what Chris and I want to do (oh, yeah, Chris is coming, too-- did you think I'd leave him here??):

Dublin-- 1916 Uprising Walking Tour; Trinity College Library; the Irish Writers' Museum; the James Joyce Centre; the Guiness Brewery (did you know that they have a 1000 year land lease??)

Meath-- Hill of Tara

The Giant's Causeway

Galway-- The Wild Geese Heritage Museum; walking tour of the countryside

Cork-- Blarney Castle

Sligo-- W.B. Yeats stuff (Thor Ballylee, etc); Sligo Folk Park; Carrowmore and Carrowkeel megalithic sites

The Cliffs of Mohr

The Aran Isles

Shannon/Ennis-- Bunratty Castle and Folk Park; Brian Boru Heritage Centre

I know that Chris and I will discover more things that we want to do over the next few months, but the most important thing is to get our flight, car, and accomodations booked. I've found a few companies that give you the option of paying ahead for a set number of nights for B&B's, but that allow you a lot of flexibility on when/where you stay.

So, Blogland: have any of you been to Ireland? Do you have any advice on travelling, things to see/do? I would love any information that you have to offer.

I'll miss my little Tallulah House and the Friendly Beasts, but console myself with the knowledge that coming home is always sweet. Plus, well... I'M GOING TO IRELAND!! :)

Thanks for stopping by,
Kimberley (who still has yet to take it all in)

Animal Friends' Thanksgiving Feast

Oh Friends of the Forest

and Friends of the Air

I invite you to partake

of this Thanksgiving fare

With the hope that you're guided

safely to Spring

And always remember

the blessings it brings

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to my human friends as well :)

Kimberley

What to do, what to do....

So.

It's hard to know where to begin (yes, it's going to be that kind of post),





but I want to start with my blessings.

• Chris


• a great family-- supportive, loving, fun, and all kinds of other groovy stuff. All the good things that I am come from them.


• truly excellent friends


• good health


• a job that I know some people would kill for-- I'm well-paid for my field, generally appreciated, given the freedom to have ideas and go with them. Heck, in these times, just having ANY job is a blessing, much less one like mine.


• a house with a mortgage that we can afford

And yet...

Sometimes I am swept with this incredibly claustrophic feeling, like I just can't breathe and that spark of what makes me ME is being smothered.

Melodramatic enough for ya?

This feeling mostly has to do with living in Atlanta. There's a great quote from Loreena McKennitt that I have posted on my office door:

"In the same way that I try to lead my life with few expectations,
I try to live it with no regret, and also no wishing that I was some other place".

I've really tried to embrace Loreena's way of thinking, and have tried to build community here and make Atlanta home. Here's a list:

• I got involved with our neighborhood association, even becoming Vice President. Let's just not go into that, shall we?


• Chris and I established our annual Halloween Party, and it's an event to which not only we look forward, but also our friends and colleagues.


• We've (sort of) started a monthly potluck at Tallulah House


• We've worked to make Tallulah House our tiny, little fortress where we feel safe and at peace. Thanks to family and the help they've given us, we've largely succeeded. Sure, there'll always be projects to do, but I'm at the point where I feel that we've made a good start on ensuring that Tallulah will be around for another 60 years.


• I threw myself into the life of my workplace, and got heavily involved in professional organizations, eventually becoming president of a state organization and being asked to join the board of a national organization. I've mentored interns and others in my field. I've presented at conferences and incorporated technology in our daily professional life.
  

But...

Even my little Tallulah House isn't worth what it takes to live in Atlanta anymore. This is my fifth year here, and I am so completely over the traffic, the pollution, the commonly-held belief that God wants you to drive an SUV, the traffic, the rudeness, the expense, etc, etc.

I'm just so tired of it all.

So where do I want to live? Well, it looks something like this:

• closer to family


• in the mountains, or close to

(Okay, these mountains are in China, but you get the idea)

• big enough to be diverse and interesting, small enough to feel like home


• affordable enough that we can have a house with two bathrooms


• a community commited to sustainability


• little traffic

I know, I know. Dream on.

Oh, and of course to go along with all of this angst is a massive load of guilt. I mean, hey, genocide in Rwanda, starvation the world over, honour killings, homelessness down the street from me, child slaves, child soldiers, old people stuck in nursing homes and then happily forgotten by their families-- just thinking about it all leaves me disgusted with myself and my pathetic concerns, and knowing that I'm completely undeserving of all those blessings.

Well, then, glad I could cheer you up! I'm sure you'll stop by again soon for another episode of "Poor, pitiful Kimberley". I have no doubt that I'm going to win the "Most Uplifting Blog" award.

I'll leave you with a quote that I actually DO like ;)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" -- Gandhi

The Big Ol' Medieval Wedding

Having missed work on Monday (driving back from Orlando and across the great Georgia desert), I've been frantically trying to get caught up all week and also had commitments that kept me pretty late the past few nights. So, this is the first chance I've had to tell you all about the wedding at which I officiated this past weekend.

The short version is: it was great! The bride was beautiful, the groom could barely take his eyes off of her during the ceremony (which went very well), and the reception was lovely.


The long version: Chris and I left Atlanta around 7:30am on Saturday and got to the hotel around 3:30. We then proceeded almost immediately to Mead Gardens for the rehearsal, where we met the families and wedding party. Our friends hadn't engaged a wedding planner, so for a while confusion reigned. Though I tried to fight my naturally bossy instincts (I prefer to think of them as "leadership skills" in my more delusional moments), I finally Just Couldn't Stand It, and asked the bride if she minded if I took charge. She seemed happy that I asked, so I called on my loooooong experience with weddings (I've maid of honour-ed, I've bridesmaid-ed, I've sung, I've read, I've officiated-- see? Loooong AND varied experience!) and got us organized. Note: I happened to look around and see that Chris was grinning like a crack monkey. Apparently he'd bet someone that I wouldn't be able to take the standing around and would ask to take charge. Darn spouses!

After the rehearsal, we headed to Antonio's La Fiamma restaurant for an absolutely divine rehearsal dinner. I had the Ravioli Mezza Luna and I won't soon forget it, mmmmm. We finally had a chance to have an actual conversation with the happy couple, and it was so nice to get caught up. After that, Chris and I headed back to the hotel and slept for the next eleven hours (question: why is driving long distances so exhausting??). The next day being Sunday, and Sunday being meant for having brunch,I got on the internet and stumbled upon The Fiddler's Green, a cute Irish pub. We both ordered the Irish Breakfast breakfast (though I had them hold the meat on mine), and I proceeded to drink three large mugs of some amazing, malty Irish tea, the name of which I can't remember. Curses! In any event, it kept me going all day long. After brunch we headed over to the gardens to help decorate the ceremony area and then went back to the hotel to change.

Here's a shot of the dress (the dress of many trials and tribulations!):



Ohhh nooooo! My head got cut off! Ha, ha, just kidding. I actually DESPISE being photographed, mostly because I look so horrible on film. This shot was no exception so I did deliberately, and with malice aforethought, crop off my own head. But, one thing that you can easily see is that I am Very Short. In the first photo, I'm standing by my new friend, Jen. Jen is wearing flats; I am wearing boots with three inch heels. Yes, like I said: I'm short. I hope that we can all still be friends, now that you know my awful secret *sniff* (edit: err, hang on. You CAN'T see that because I got cut out of the first photo, lol, oops!)

One thing I have to mention is the incredibly nice thing that my parents did for us. In addition to keeping our dogs for us, they DROVE ALL THE WAY TO ATLANTA TO GIVE THEM BACK. The original plan had been for us to meet up halfway between our two cities, but my parents knew that we were going to be tired and ventured into Atlanta at 3:30 in the afternoon! Those of you familiar with Atlanta traffic will know that it would only be for love that one would venture anywhere inside the perimeter at that time of day! Thank you, parents!

So, that concludes the tale of the Big Ol' Medieval Wedding. I hope that you enjoyed it :)
Kimberley

Veterans' Day

I just wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our veterans, from the "latest generation, to the greatest generation", as the History Channel says. It is difficult to comprehend the sacrifices that men and women of the armed forces have made, but Veterans' Day is the perfect opportunity to make the effort.

No matter what your political stance, I think that we can all agree that our soliders, whether active duty, retired, and everything in between, deserve our respect. They also deserve the best support that our country can give them. The situation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was appalling, not only for the terrible physical conditions of the buildings and the nightmare of administrative red tape, but for the backlash that followed. Changes have been made, thanks to the huge public outcry that followed the publication in February 2007 of the Washington Post story, but wounded veterans still face immense struggles.

There are many organizations out there that are dedicated to helping recovering veterans and their families; here's one that I think is great: The Wounded Warrior Project. Its mission is to "assist those men and women of our armed forces who have been severely injured during the conflicts in Iraq , Afghanistan , and other locations around the world. Many of the injuries are traumatic amputations, gunshot wounds, burns and blast injuries that will retire these brave warriors from military service." On their website, the WWP offers lots of ways to assist in this mission.
Edit: a friend at work just told me about this program and I think it's awesome! When you're making out your Christmas cards this year (and I know you, blogging community, you LOVE sending Christmas cards!), please send at least one to:

A Recovering American soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue,NW

Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

On a personal note, happy Veterans' Day, Daddy. Thank you for all that you gave in service to your country.



Dad in Korea, 1958

Remember this?

Those of you who are new to Tallulah House (or those who simply have lives and can't remember every single detail about me!) may not know about this dress. I am performing a wedding this weekend and it has a medieval theme. The bride and groom are very into renaissance faires and when I asked the (very UNbridezilla-ish) bride what she wanted me to wear, she said that she didn't expect me to buy anything but if I had anything medievalish (a not very unrealistic expectation, actually) that I could wear that. Well, as it turns out I had nothing that I thought was quite the thing, and found this on Ebay.

Here's where it all went wrong.

I ordered a medium which, according to the measurements, should have been the correct choice. Imagine my befuddlement and horror when I received it and realized that I could fit two of me in it. Grrrr. Because each dress is made upon order, I knew that, even if the seller let me return it, that I wouldn't have time to get a new one before the wedding. So, though it PAINED me to spend even more money, I took it to a tailor. Her reaction when she saw me in it the first time was unrestrained giggling, but also assurances that she could fix it. Well, I picked it up today and, boy howdy, did she ever! It is amazing! She basically had to rebuild the dress, taking the sleeves off of the bodice and running a seam down the front of the bodice, taking in the sides, moving the neckline up, etc. I am so pleased, and I think that the bride will be also :)

Plus, I now have my outfit for Halloween for next year :) (It's all about Halloween, folks, in case you haven't figured it out). Chris really wants to do a Celtic Samhain celebration with traditional elements, and I figure in this dress, with a harvest wreath around my head, that I'll definitely fit the spirit, if not the letter, of such a celebration ;)

Wish me luck! I so want to do a really good job for this couple.
Kimberley

The party's over...

*sniff*
It's time to bid Halloween a fond farewell until next year. It always makes me a little sad to pack these festive things away. It rarely feels like a chore, though, because I've spent years collecting my Halloween goodies and almost every one has a story. So, packing and unpacking them is always done in a feel-good, sentimental haze. I know, I know, this is usually how people describe Christmas ornaments, but for me it's all about Halloween, baby.

(I will confess, though, that I'm looking forward to dressing Tallulah up for Christmas-- the smell of fresh greenery is one of my favourites, and when you throw in mulberry candles, well, it's a pretty good deal all around).

I want to say a HUGE "thank you" to everyone who stopped by for the party and left a comment. Only another writer (of any sort) can truly understand how feedback is as necessary as oxygen. We're sort of like faeries: we only truly exist if you believe in us ;)

Some housekeeping details:
Several guests asked about my sorceress towels; they are from Department 56's "Halloween Krinkles" line, which is designed by Patience Brewster. I found them on Ebay.






Cassie of Mockingbird Hill wanted to know who made "The Bewitching Hour".



I *think* that it was Dee Foust. I really like her stuff, as well as Nicole Sayre's. I'm pretty sure that Nicole Sayre made "The Queen of the Harvest":




Again, thanks to all who stopped and left a comment. I had so much fun visiting all of your blogs and sharing Halloween with you :) Let's do it again next year!
Kimberley

Blog Halloween Party!

Tallulah House is pleased to be a part of the Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun Halloween party. After you've had a look around here, you might want to click on that link and visit some of the other spooky locales :)


Let me show you around! You approach the front porch:





As you get closer, you notice the urns at the bottom of the steps-- no ashes in them, though, only colourful gourds and owls :)







(Never you mind all the dirt on the urns and leaves that need sweeping off of the walk-- this is an old, haunted house!! It's supposed to look that way, I tell ya!)

On the door is some kind of (tacky) wreath (hey, someone gave me those garlands and the door needed a spot of colour!)





Slowly, the door before you creaks open and you see-- EEEEEK!




(Don't worry, though, he's off duty and just here for the party!)


Have a look around the spooky living room... or should I say the UNliving room??? Muwahahahah!








Here are some closeups of this (not very) frightening tableau!













Come on into the dining room... if you dare!





Here's a closeup up of the decaying tablecloth (I had a blast unravelling the cheesecloth!)





My goodness, look at all of those cobwebs!




Come closer. Closer!






That's close enough! I KNEW that I shouldn't have stencilled these in the dark!



Dante has some spooky treats for you:




A view into the kitchen (The spiders must get paid per piece around here. And is that a rodent army??)





Look at this bewitching beauty!





Oooo, a spooky Halloween painting... and another rat!





Look at the teapots! They've been taken over by the rodent army!










They're-- they're everywhere!









Let's go into the kitchen. There are a few things to see in there.


A vintage-ish Halloween banner:




Some sorceresses:









Some lovely fall foliage and a sign:




A closeup, and Tallulah House's wish for you this All Hallow's Eve:



Thanks for coming to the party :)
Kimberley