Changes

As I sit at my desk in the studio, I can spy a maple tree that has somehow manage to dip a few of its leaves in orange and red paint.  How can that be?  Summer is almost gone?  These past few months have been non-stop friends and family, which is exactly what we had hoped would happen once we moved here and added on.  For the most part, the weather has been perfect for Northern Wisconsin.  Lots of lake time, patio time, a few good fires.  The leaves remind me, though, that changes are happening.  School is starting, vacations are mostly over.  Fewer visitors, smaller food budget.  I had a bit of a feeling come over me that I get when I put away the Christmas decorations: a calmer time is coming.  Along with that change, our living room/dining room has changed.  We had planned for many years to expand out toward the lake, off the kitchen, for a bigger dining room or living room.  After talking with some experts, and really looking at the restrictions we would need to work with, we came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to happen.  So, we looked around at what we had to work with.  Maybe our space wasn't too small - maybe our furniture was too big!  The dining room table was made for our space at the condo, big and square with big chairs.  The couch was an over-sized sleeper sofa that wasn't getting slept in with all the new bedrooms.  Add in a big trunk/coffee table, two big Lazy-boys (not pretty, but really comfy!).  Presto, change-o!  Gone! Now we have a smaller couch (red!), and a beautiful wood table that is just the right size, Goldilocks.  The trunk is perfect in one of the bedrooms to store bedding and be a good perch for a suitcase.  The big table?  It is the right size for the studio!  Little changes added up to a much bigger space.  It was there all along, right under our noses.  The quilt blocks in the picture?  Soon to be changed into a quilt!  I will show you the result soon.  Jerilynn  P.S.  I told Carl that my plan all along was to get new furniture.  I just had to figure out a way to make him think that it was the best idea ever!