"Wear the old coat and buy the new book."

Austin Phelps, American Educator and Clergyman (1820-1890)

"A room without books, is like a body without a soul."
.....attributed to Cicero

Our Thanksgiving was quiet (well, as quiet as 2 boys and a dog can be), and filled with projects. Extended weekends seem to be the only time to complete unfinished projects in the house. We were finally able to paint the bookcase my husband made a few weeks ago, and after the staining and the waxing.....stacks of boxes of books were "freed" from the garage (that's another L-o-n-g weekend project!). My husband is a collector of hymn books some dating back to 1637....those revered books were given a place of comfort long before...but, the poor "family/livingroom" books,(as written in my hand on the box) have lived in the garage since we moved in about 2 years ago. It was like Christmas opening each box! And I'm sure the books are happy to breathe again too.

"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1875

All but one box of books found a place on the shelves, and in other nooks of the house. I guess "the man with the tools" will have another bookcase to build, because I didn't have enough room to decorate!
Here are a few photos ....it's been cloudy and cold with snow flurries here, so I used the flash. In our previous home, I painted the first 2 quotes about books on our family room walls.

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1811