What is this?

Dear People of the Web,
What is this object?

I thought it was pretty so I bought it but I really don't know what it is. I was thinking maybe I would use it as a magazine rack.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Hannita

Mojo

1.5 weeks at the new place. It's time for some DIY. So I have this back door off of my kitchen and there used to be a nice big gray plank covering the window but it was taken off before I moved in and I like it better. But that means that I have a door that other folks can see into and no drapes. I had to keep reminding myself of that as I wandered about when I woke up in the morning in various stages of dress. So, something had to be done quick. Melissa at All Buttoned Up mentioned a project she did to cover a window in one of her rooms and I was entranced by the idea. Essentially, you use spray starch as a temporary adhesive for fabric.

So...I measured my windows that needed to be covered.
Sprayed a small bit of starch on the window.Sprayed a lot of starch on the fabric.
Applied the fabric to the window.It dried overnight.
I need to cut the excess fabric off still but it's so much better!I sometimes have a hard time choosing the right fabric for curtains. Shortly before I found out about the bugs I had sewn a curtain for my bedroom that was cute but ineffective. It was way too light of a fabric and I was hoping to keep the sunlight off of my face in the morning. I need to figure out if this fabric is too dark. I might need to find a bleached muslin that will let in more light. This fabric was about $2 a yard off the clearance rack so it's not a huge investment.

You can also use spray starch and fabric on walls and I will probably do something with that idea in other parts of the new apartment.

Flying

How is it fall already? Yesterday, as I drove an hour to the final class, I was truly enjoying the changing leaves. I haven't pulled out the camera yet as I normally do every fall. I know it's to do with the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad summer and wondering how it could be fall because I didn't get much of a summer. But, it is well and truly fall. Also, the sunset was amazing yesterday and I was a wee bit sad that I was stuck inside.

I survived teaching my first class! How amazing is that? Well, I've still got lots of paper grading to do. I was grading papers Monday night in the office until 11 (I know!) and started getting annoyed. Want some advice on how to not do well in the class? Completely ignore the assignment or write as though you are above the assignment and put little thought or effort into it. So I walked home, read a bit of a fun book, and resumed paper grading. It didn't make the papers any better but I was a happier grader.

I'll be teaching again the first half of the spring semester and the first half of the summer semester. I think I get paid extra for the summer class. Which will be nice.

A few weeks ago a new baby arrived. His middle name is Aslan. His mom was one of my college roommates. They put up with me visiting the days that I had class because she lives in that area. He is such a sweet boy. His parents prayed for a baby that didn't cry much and he is a chill little dude.
My friend was teaching her two year old the Greek letters to her name the morning before one of my visits and her daughter was able to tell us what they were four hours later. Clearly, she is brilliant. I love this picture of the 'Poose. I'm not quite sure that I believe she is two already.

Movement

It took two long days but the move is done(ish). I still have some things I need to move from my car. Probably tonight. And I think there are things I want to move into storage. I only started to cry a few times.

I have amazing friends who came and carried and did flight of stair after flight of stair. And, after putting up a little flyer at work looking for a few folks to help with moving the heavy stuff to the dumpster on Sunday, God sent me the exact right person who, almost non-stop for four hours, hauled my life out to the trash bins. He was paid handsomely.

A friend from work gave me a "you're moving and taking nothing with you" care package with trashcan and t.p. and foil and paper plates and plastic cups and other things. I didn't open the card until Sat. night and found an enormously generous Target gift card included. I needed a pump for my air mattress (the built-in one no longer worked) so I promptly went to Target and spent some of it.

I found a pub table and stools on clearance sometime last week and some friends who were too late to help unload did the assembly. It's perfect because it fits really well in my kitchen and adds some badly needed counter/prep area in addition to being table and seating.

I moved Leo before anything else and he was pretty upset at me for much of the day but by evening decided that he would sit with me and that was good. When you see your abuelita's rocking chair hauled out to the dumpster sometimes all you want at the end of the day is your cat to sit with you. By Sunday morning he seemed to have forgiven me. We're both still adjusting to this huge new space that is so empty.

This morning I walked to work. And that was totally awesome.