So I've been gaining some progress on moving in to Mountainview (key word here: "some"). I never realized how much stuff there was in the other house, and how much work it would be to find places for all the things I didn't decide to get rid of. Luckily, I've gone for the keep-most-of-everything-in-boxes-in-the-cellar method, and the house isn't too cluttered as of now. I've got a lot of decorating done in my room, which I figured was the best place to start because it's out of the way of everyone else and there's no painting or wall-papering to be done.

Because the walls and floor are all wood panelling, it's already got a nice warm aura about it, so I kept the color palette toned down and rich. I found a gorgeous coverlet at Moghul Gallery on ebay -- it's a quilt made of vintage Indian saris in shades of bottle green, a burgundy/wine color, and some teal blue, embroidered in gold thread with beadwork. It's very elaborate so I made it the centerpiece of the room and worked around it, bringing in the colors to other areas and complimenting it as best I could. I've got a Chinese painted parasol in the far corner, which ties in the white of the filing cabinet and nightstand, and white muslin curtains to brighten the window area. I haven't brought out all the books I want on the shelves yet, but I did fill in the empty spots with some of my favorite earth-toned pottery pieces, a green carved incense burner, and a collection of 18th-century glass bottles in clear, green, and blue that were found around our old house. To brighten it up I also draped one of the shelves with the yellow dupatta Nadia brought me from Pakistan. There was no lighting other than the lamp I had on my nightstand, so just today I added a string of Chinese lanterns across the ceiling slant.

It's looking better, but there's still a lot to do. I need:

• bulletin board on wall next to filing cabinet, so I can keep writing in plain sight for revisions
• to make prints for French memo board and hang it on the wall
• full-length mirror for the back of my door
• some kind of pictures or flat decorations for my closet doors
• CD rack
• rug
• floor cushions
• backrest in dark green or maroon
• chair for corner by closet and window
• jewelry box for countertop by shower, and
• a more decorative mirror
• shower caddy