Late-night blather.

I have been all atwitter with home decorating ideas--it seems this bathroom re-do has jump-started my mind and reminded me of all the things I'm still meaning to do to this house.

I went and picked up a few magazines the other day for a treat, and I missed seeing Mary Englebreit's Home Companion and Country Home on the shelves, since, of course, they have both gone under.

I liked MEHC more back in the beginning when she seemed to have more home ideas and eye candy photos of vintage stuff. In the later years, it seemed to become more about artists and their studios and the things they sell, and I found that much less interesting.

Many people have huge collections of MEHC...most of my copies ended up in the recycling bin after I'd torn out what I wanted to add to my idea binder. I tore out lots of stuff, though! There are a few homes that were featured years and years ago that still bump around in my daydreams of a perfect home. Maybe when I'm a little less exhausted I'll scan a few of my favorite pictures and share them, if anyone would like to see them.

Country Home was another magazine I liked better about ten years ago. In recent years, the style changed to a more modern, contemporary look, which I know is hot, but which really does nothing for me. (HGTV has moved in the same direction, with some very modern-looking, youthful home re-dos that totally leave me cold.)

My mom subbed to Country Home for years, so every now and then I'd just go home, bring a stack of her old issues back with me, and again, tear 'em up for the idea binder. I guess that may have contributed in a tiny way to their demise, huh?

There are still a couple of home dec magazines that are hanging on (for now) that I like to pick up from time to time: Do It Yourself and Creative Home, both published by Better Homes and Gardens, which I know is in financial straits right now along with everyone else. They have also moved to a more youthful vibe, compared with some of my saved issues from six or seven years ago, but there are still a lot of really creative and more importantly, do-able, ideas in them. I like to look at a magazine picture and think, "I could DO that!" instead of "Who would DO that?!"

I found an interesting magazine that I'd never seen before, called Mary Jane's Farm. It's sort of got a bit of everything--recipes, projects, stories from readers, but all under an organic umbrella. What caught my eye about the Feb-Mar issue on the stand was that the cover featured one of Jessie Wilcox Smith's paintings of children--I love, love, love Jessie Wilcox Smith. I haven't had a chance to go through it in detail yet, but it's worth looking for and paging through. It reminded me a tiny bit of MEHC.

Boy, am I pooped. My mind is buzzing, though! Night!

Happy Heart Day.

I guess it was good that I took Todd his kayak paddle when he forgot it last night, because he caught the biggest fish he's ever caught: a 44" striped bass!

Pretty exciting! Too bad it's not striper season, because that we could have gotten four or five dinners out of that bad boy! But he's happily back swimming around Wormley Creek now.

We've spent the day in home improvement centers, tracking down a sink top for the bathroom vanity and getting various other odds and ends. It's been a fun day. Not exactly romantic, but fun! Now I'm cracking the whip and making Todd finish the bathroom painting and getting ready to start some V Day supper. (Steak, scalloped potatoes, fresh green beans, strawberries dipped in chocolate. Yum!)

I got an e-mail today from the Clumsy Lovers, who are a fantastic Canadian bluegrass/celtic/rock fusion band that we've liked for a long time...their new album "Make Yourself Known" is out and you can listen to it and buy it on their site. The player's up in the right-hand corner of the home page, just click play. We just love this band. Their albums "After the Flood" and "Smart Kid" are also fantastic.

Hope everybody's having a love-y day!