Called 911. Men outside shadows darkcominghelpmoreligh
No Light, No Light
I’ve been very busy at work and too exhausted to post here for a while (apart for the nightmare the other night, which I had to get off my chest immediately, and it still gives me the creeps). On a more positive note, the house is slowly starting to look really good and I’ve been living here for a while (here’s a photo of my fireplace).
I got the yard lights, now I only need to get them installed.
To be honest, I’m playing for time here, writing this, not looking forward to going to bed. I was listening to the beautiful & brilliant Florence + the Machine earlier and the song “No Light, No Light” made me think about the nightmare again.
Shoebox Dream 2
I had another dream last night, and when I woke up, a real scare.
In the dream I was visiting the previous owner of my house at the nursing home, only in the dream the owner wasn’t a sweet old lady, he was a man, and he wasn’t old, he was a young man with a dark hair – very good looking in fact. I remember that he was wearing a funny jacket with old-fashioned elbow patches. I was there to find out about the shoebox, but he was very agitated and didn’t listen to me. The place was brightly lit, it was sunny outside, but he was still very anxious and wanted me to turn all the lights on. He kept going on about the place being too dark. I remember being certain that all the lights were on already, but that didn’t calm him down. In the end he was screaming for me to turn the lights on. I was also starting to freak out, starting to think that something horrible was coming to take us away, and that’s when I woke up. I was really thirsty, I got up from bed and went to get a glass of water. In the hallway, coming back, I suddenly saw a dark silhouette of a man outside the window. I must have screamed aloud. My heart stopped for a moment. I dropped the glass (luckily it didn’t break, it’s one of my favorites). I was really frightened. I rushed through the house, turning on all the lights. My first impulse was to dial 911, but after a moment that felt silly. I told myself that I must have imagined the whole thing, seen my own reflection in the window. Of course, with all the lights on inside, I couldn’t see anything outside anymore. I ended up calling a friend of mine, Joss, who lives nearby, waking him up. He was kind enough to come over and check the place. Bless him. Joss’s a real angel. There was no sign of anyone outside.
Today I’m definitely going buy some yard lights, I’ve been meaning to do that for some time already.
Celebrating 1,000 Facebook Fans!
YES! Believe it or not, we are giving away a FREE Candy Bar to celebrate our milestone of 1,000 Facebook Fans!
Do keep the likes coming in please. We'll be picking a lucky winner on 1st June 2012. Simply write in to us on why you deserve that Candy Bar and do include your party's theme as well.
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU!! xx
A Little Giveaway!
Woke up earlier than usual today and started to browse through some of our pictures on the computer....
Came across Kaelyn's first month party pictures (boy, does time fly!!) and then it hit me! We're at 900 likes on Facebook right now, another 100 to go before the Big 1,000! So why not a small little giveaway?
We did little hershey kisses party favors then and thought it would be neat to share her hershey prints with all. You can then create your own customized kisses for your kids! There's 4 to choose from - bunny, chick, flower & sunshine.
Simply email in to hello@littlehouseofdreams.com with the subject 'hershey kisses tags', indicate which 2 designs you would like and we'll send through the file to you!
*Valid till 13 May 2012.
xx Little House of Dreams
Came across Kaelyn's first month party pictures (boy, does time fly!!) and then it hit me! We're at 900 likes on Facebook right now, another 100 to go before the Big 1,000! So why not a small little giveaway?
We did little hershey kisses party favors then and thought it would be neat to share her hershey prints with all. You can then create your own customized kisses for your kids! There's 4 to choose from - bunny, chick, flower & sunshine.
Simply email in to hello@littlehouseofdreams.com with the subject 'hershey kisses tags', indicate which 2 designs you would like and we'll send through the file to you!
*Valid till 13 May 2012.
xx Little House of Dreams
Mommy Dearest
Mother's Day is just around the corner. We've teamed up with La Touche & Love Droplets to offer you some irresistible deals just for Mommy Dearest.
Click on image to view a bigger picture.
For a FAB week ahead!
Woke up feeling a little less chirpy on a Monday morning. But thinking of the week ahead, that made me smile. Decided to do up something for those who may just be feeling the same.
So this is for a great start to a FAB week everyone! xx
Life's Little Celebrations.
Our baby 1st month celebration packs are now available!
Choose between 3 different offerings:
Little Tidings Pack
- 4 petite cupcakes @ $12.00
- 3 petite cupcakes & 2 red eggs @ $11.00
Little Treasures Pack
- 2 regular cupcakes & 4 items from celebration selection list @ $20.00
Celebration Selection List
* Decorated Cookie
* Fancy Chocolate
* Strawberry Fruit Tartlet
* Deluxe Chocolate Tartlet
* Praline Puff
* Brownie Bite
* Macaron
* Chocolate Eclair
* Coffee Eclair
* Donut with Chocolate
* Donut with Custard
* Mini Donut Ring
* Red Eggs (2pc)
Poem 12
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
Kept from sleep again last night
By the sound of chimes
I sway
So far below heaven
So high above hell
Frost creeps up
The trunk of my spine
All is blackness through these holes
Of my eyes
Just the wind in my skull
And the wings of her crows
They perch on the gallows
They have pecked me clean
And made a chime from
My bones
Poem 11
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
In this temple of shadow and mist
There's a window
In the floor and
A door in the ceiling
There is no knowing
Am I standing still
Or running or kneeling
NOTE: the two last lines have been scratched out (can’t make out what it originally said) and the lines of the poem have been written next to them.
Poem 10
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
From bloom to gloom
Our love like fire
Consumed
We burned our bridges
Furniture, clothes
Hair, flesh and bones
All too soon
We ran out of things
To burn
But while it blossomed
Our love
Was like a flower
NOTE: Also written on the page: “B. This is us. T.” and a name “Barbara” (I’m guessing, can’t quite make it out, different handwriting) next to a heart.
Poem 9
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
The shadow falls on this town again
It’s barely evening
But the shadow falls on me again
No one will miss us
Our faces inked black
They’ll sell our things at the flea market
They’ll never call us back
So she left with them
They’ll wine her and dine her
We huddle naked in this alley
Nothing’s for sure
Fir needles tickle
We bathe in rain water
All the way to the ocean
The memory of the slaughter
Until that time comes around again
The shadow falls on this town again
It’s barely evening
But the shadow falls on me again
When I’m awake I’m barely alive
When I sleep I have two hearts
Your heart and mine
Your two hearts and mine
Poem 8
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
I wish it would shatter
Like glass under my heels
Just like a sheet of ice
When I close my eyes
That’s how the mirror feels
Oh mercy
Thousands have gone missing
Beyond the labyrinth of me
When you’re lost
You’re lost in your own company
NOTE: There’s another poem on the page as well: “In this hall of mirrors / built by liars / I’m a pale reflection of myself – Pool.” There are also a couple of drawings, a face of a man, some fir trees by the water (maybe?), and a strange face with a long nose and round black eyes.
Poem 7
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
Mist like death
Mist like a lover’s breath
Rolls so soft and cold and wet
Memories met for the first time
Secrets whispered
To find a long lost doorway home
Or be led to parts unknown
And forever disappear beyond this veil
In her dreams to prevail
Poem 6
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
Your eyes were so cold
When you watched me go under
You were sitting in the boat
I floated down
To the darkness like a cloud
From a shark bite
I breathe out
My life with you
The currents wash me away
I let the currents
Wash me away
Poem 5
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
My mother told me to no avail
If you play with shadows
You grow sickly and pale
And forget all the wonders
The sun can unveil
Beyond the shadow you settle for
there is a miracle
Illuminated
If you play with shadows
You grow sickly and pale
And forget all the wonders
The sun can unveil
Beyond the shadow you settle for
there is a miracle
Illuminated
NOTE: the three last lines have been underlined and there a note saying “E’s favorite line, a long talk with him about the meaning, no changes but keep in mind for another time.”
Poem 4
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
Frightened
Of the shadows of the deep
He challenged me
To a duel
I indulged him
For he did not know
That beyond the lake
He called home
Lies a deeper darker
Ocean green
Where waves are
Both wilder
And more serene
To its ports I have been
To its ports I have been
NOTE: “rewrite?” has been written next to the first stanza.
Poem 3
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
I go underground
Follow me underground
Everyone else has gone there
Down to the ground
I’ll take you underground
They chased a mystery
They are a mystery to me
And you’ll think that of me
When I tell you my tale
Follow me underground
Everyone else has gone there
Down to the ground
I’ll take you underground
They chased a mystery
They are a mystery to me
And you’ll think that of me
When I tell you my tale
What we bring with us
Sorry secrets and awkward lies
Wet matches
A yarning for overcast skies
Everything else down here
Has been stolen so many times
Everyone who walks down these steps dies
I go underground
Follow me underground
Everyone else has gone there
Down to the ground
I’ll take you underground
Everyone who walks down these steps dies
I go underground
Follow me underground
Everyone else has gone there
Down to the ground
I’ll take you underground
Poem 2
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
Divorce me from all that’s sane
Screaming, mute darkness
Descend on this frail frame
I drown in fathomless black space
Light never scratched
The depths of this domain
I see not; yet nothing could be worse
Than the shades
My mind calls herein
Alone at my own wake
The unraveling of reason’s skein
NOTE: It says “THE DARK PLACE” below the poem, and there’s a line from William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence “Some are born to endless night.”
Poem 1
As the photos are a bit blurry, I’ll transcribe the poems:
We pillage and whore
Hauling our loot
We swagger down alleys
We don’t say please
The town is burning
We set it in flame
We are the fire
That’s gone out in your eyes
We are the maggots gnawing your heels
We are the rain trickling down
From the hole in your ceiling
We are the ants inside your walls
And under the boards of your floor
We are eating your house
We are the sharp rocks under your knees
In front of the altar
Where you are kneeling
We have no morals
No guilt, no qualms
We don’t give a damn
The sewers are clogged
Filled with waste
The water is rising
We’ll make a ship out of
Your naïve, broken dreams
And lay siege to your sanctuaries
We are a ravenous horde of rats
We are the fangs and we are the beast
There will be no more admiring gazes
No more courtesies
No more gardens in spring
We are the rising waste
And you will be a drowned king
NOTE: The first stanza has been crossed out, and the sheet had been torn up.
Shoebox Poems
I’ve been really busy and stressed at work lately, but in spite of that the shoebox and its contents are never far from my thoughts. You might say that I’m getting a bit obsessed about them. I’ve been trying to find out who the poet is, or the couple in the photos, but no luck. I asked the daughter of the previous owner about it (her mother is in a nursing home and suffers from advanced Alzheimer’s disease, so she wouldn’t be able to help me). She was certain that no one in her family was a poet, and she doubted that the people in the photos were anyone from her family. She told me that her mom liked to buy stuff from yard sales, and her guess was that the shoebox was something her mom had picked up from one of those.
Under the House
A couple of guys came to do some plumbing work on Friday. They had to get under the house to do that, and I discovered that there was a trapdoor that led to the crawl space underneath. It had been screwed shut, and had to be opened. After they were done, I decided to go down there to explore. Armed with a flashlight and my iPhone for shots, I squeezed myself through the trapdoor. It was cramped and claustrophobic (I’m amazed that the workmen were able to do any work there, I’m tiny compared to them). I was mentally prepared for rats and dead cats or even something worse, but there was nothing out of the ordinary down there. Nothing out of the ordinary in the town of Ordinary (pun intended). Here are the photos:
Shoebox Dream
OK, I’m freaking out just a bit here. I saw a really bizarre nightmare last night. I know this is supposed to be a blog about my new house, but the dream is related to that, and on the other hand, look at the name of the blog. This isn’t what I meant when I came up with the name, but now it feels strangely appropriate, don’t you think?
In the dream, I heard the doorbell ring and went to open the door. There was a man there. He said he was a federal agent. He showed me his badge and all, just like the FBI agents do in the movies. Here comes the scary part: there was something wrong with his face; it was leaking inky smoke so that I couldn’t see what he looked like. When I woke up I realized that this image totally came from the ink-covered faces in the photos, of course (see the previous post). The man asked me about the shoebox. He said that it contains top-secret information and that I need to give it to him. I got scared that he’ll put me in jail and went to get the shoebox, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I searched the whole house but it was nowhere. Then I went to the bathroom to look for it, and saw myself in the mirror: my face was covered with inky smoke as well! And that’s when I woke up. When I think back about the dream, it didn’t say “FBI” on his badge; it said “AWE”.
This is the weirdest thing of all: Now I can’t find the shoebox anywhere. I have looked everywhere I can think of. I’m sure that it will turn up somewhere, there is so much junk lying around in the house at the moment, but kind of creepy in any case. I didn’t get around to scanning the poems yet, but I did take photos of them, luckily.
Shoebox Photos
There were two black and white photographs in the old shoebox I found from the attic. The box was among the things left behind by the previous owner. The photos depict a man getting into and out of a wetsuit, and a woman – I’m guessing his wife or girlfriend – helping him. He could be a diver? I’m not an expert, but I’d say that the photos are from the 60s or 70s. Here comes the weird part: their faces are covered with black ink stains. It must have been done on purpose as only the faces are covered. It’s a delicious mystery, the whole shoebox is. I’m thrilled! I love mysteries like this. In addition to the photos, there are poems, 12 of them! I’ll post them soon.
Here are the scans of the photos:
Toys in the Attic
As I mentioned earlier, the previous owner left all kinds of stuff in the attic. Her daughter told me that they have no use for them; I can do what I want with them!
I’ve always been fascinated by attics. As a child, I used to sneak up to my grandparents’ attic to explore. It always felt like a magical, mysterious place, slightly scary but not too much so, filled with forgotten treasures waiting to be discovered. I’ve felt the same way in the past few weeks, climbing up to my own attic.
Here are some photos:
The most wonderful discovery I’ve made so far is an old shoebox filled with typewritten sheets of poems and black and white photographs. Photos and scans of those soon!
First Night in the House
I spent the night in my future home for the first time. It was almost like camping indoors, I had a sleeping bag. There was a weird flapping noise that kept me awake at night. I found a dead wren in the attic earlier (there is a broken window), and I imagined that there's a bird trapped somewhere inside the walls (not a nice image to think about, sorry).
Tour of the House
I took some photos today of the fun work ahead. As you can see, this will take a while. But I’m up for the challenge (some of my friends think I’m crazy for doing this by myself, yes, I’m talking about you, Andrea and Jen ;))! I’m already browsing through wallpaper catalogs.
Here are the photos:
Oh, and exploring the nooks and crannies of my future home has unearthed some real treasures. The previous owner left all kinds of stuff in the attic. More of that next time!
Introduction
I’ve fulfilled my lifelong dream and bought an old house. This blog will follow the process as I renovate the house into the house of my dreams. It’s going to be an exciting adventure. Welcome aboard!
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