Tuesday, August 27, 2013

A Hijacked Life!!!

Well, I've been a ghostly blogger yet again.....! *Sigh!!*  Our internet has been working fine, it's just that my life has been hijacked from me for now, so I'm hardly on my computer for long enough to write a blog post!!! :-P

I haven't done ONE THING on my list of goals for the week/month/summer!!!  No painting, no canning, no creating of any kind.....just maintenance cleaning (vacuuming, laundry, dishes), and cooking (and more cooking, and more and more cooking)!  My kids have been using my computer to play online together, which is really fun for them, and I've been helping my poor neighbor, Cheryl, again.  She has had some kind of skin reaction to the radiation (that's what they think it is, anyway), which is giving her itchy bumps all over her.  We thought it might be chicken pox, but it's been 2-3 weeks since it started and the bumps keep coming!  In the midst of that, she got a tick bite on her shoulder about 6 weeks ago, and it WILL NOT heal!!  I feel just TERRIBLE for her, even though she has a great attitude about it.  She is supposed to be starting her last round of chemo a week from this Friday, and she wants to get a handle on this skin thing before that.  So we've been searching for ways to help her skin heal, and trying different home remedies -- like oatmeal and honey (that's the one she's trying now, and it seems to help the most), we tried barley and apple cider vinegar, Calamine lotion, Epsom Salts, sprays, herbs --- we've been all over trying everything!!  Her doctors are of NO help with this (of course), they don't know what it is or why, or how to help it. :-P  There should be a whole division of the medical community that studies and helps with the side effects of cancer treatments -- Cheryl actually considers herself lucky to only be dealing with this.....there are some terrible side effects that others have endured! :-(
I always take a moment to thank God for how blessed and EASY my life is, and how much I have to be thankful for.  I can't believe I complain about my arm hurting!

This weekend she is going to stay at a friend's of hers in South Carolina, and Brian is going to fix a hole she has in her kitchen floor!  Someone else was supposed to fix it, but it never got finished, so I asked Brian if he would get it done for her and he said YES!!! :-D  It's just a square area of subfloor that needs to be replaced, and then some sticky vinyl tiles she has in there can be put back.  Then it will look GOOD again!

In the meantime, I DO have pictures I want to post of things, and a really fun idea I have to make a chair (once I can get back to working on projects around here!)......so I'll try to get back on here for that tonight or tomorrow!  I am also sorry to those of you who I haven't emailed back yet.....I'm thinking of you, I just haven't had a chance to respond yet, but I WILL!!!

My son needs my computer again, and I need to do some laundry, so wish me luck - actually, wish me peace and quiet for a day!! LOL  Then maybe I'd post something fun again!!!! ^-^

Monday, August 19, 2013

WHERE Am I.....??!!!! :-D

Well, I'm still here!! :-D

Our internet is still under-performing, and NO ONE has been out here like they were supposed to be last week or the week before that! :-P  But I am so done with complaining about it on my blog!  This is supposed to be my Happy Place, so there really shouldn't be any space wasted with whining about things!!  IF I ever have any GOOD news to report, I will.....otherwise, it's on to discussing other FUN things!!!

All weekend we had low humidity and low temperatures, and it was wonderful!  We have had one of the mildest summers on record, but we've also had dew points in the mid-70s almost every day, so it has still felt oppressive and yucky.  Having three days and nights with the windows open and a cool breeze floating in feels SO MUCH like Fall..... I want Fall to be here NOW!!! :-D

I've been in a little rut with working on the house -- what is it about me that when I get CLOSE to finishing a room/project, I suddenly can't seem to go the last few steps to actual completion??  It's a really aggravating thing to live with about oneself! :-P  I still haven't done a lick of painting!!!!  UGH! 

So I know I was supposed to talk about my weeds and garlands I've got hanging around here, drying, but I've GOT to show you all something else that is SOOOOO EXCITING!!!! :-D

For over two years, I have wanted a High Boy dresser, just like in all my favorite primitive/colonial rooms!  Like SO......
.....or even better......
Oh, I LOVE the distressed paint job on this one!!!!

Anyway, for over two years I've been searching for one of these in my price range -- ahem! $100-150 -- right, now you know why it's been over two years!  Everywhere I would look, the lowest prices I could find were $200, and I almost never found a FLAT top dresser!  The ones for the low $200s were more modern and had huge decorative tops.  It was disappointing!!  I ran into several that were $500+ (and perfect!), but I simply don't have that much money to spend on something right now (unless it's my auto insurance due this month! :-P).

WELL, last week someone pinned my picture above of the painted dresser, and I decided to check Craigslist again, and I FOUND ONE!!!!!  She is moving, and was selling the dresser along with two other pieces lumped into one price, so I emailed and asked if I could just get the dresser and for how much.......AND SHE SAID "YES" and asked for $150 for it!!!!!!  It had to be serendipity!!! :-D

Here it is......
I LOVE IT!!!!  Of course, I'm soooo tempted to sand it all down and PAINT it......but I'm going to leave it for now and just enjoy looking at it and realizing I actually OWN one of these now!!!!! :-D
Between this and our auto insurance at the end of the month, I've emptied our little savings account..... :-( ......that's a little scary for me!  But now we won't touch it and it can slowly build up for Christmas.  That was one of my goals for this year -- to save money for Christmas (and other little "extras")!!!

*Sigh!* Christmas....!!! 

WELL -- I NEED to get my painting projects done by then, for heaven's sake! :-P  I just cannot get myself to MOVE!!  This week I've got to make pickles with the cucumbers from our garden (the ONLY thing that's growing in there!), and I'm going to try a Pinterest recipe for cherry-cheesecake ice cream that doesn't use an ice cream freezer!  Hmmm -- I'm very curious about THAT one!
I'll be sure to post my results!!!! :-D

I will have to show you all my weeds and garlands in my next post, because I need to take current pics of them -- I think they are pretty neat!

And for two months now I've wanted to thank dearest Barb for sending me these two pieces of fabric.....
Aren't they LOVELY!!?!!  I was SO excited when I opened the package - it was so unexpected!!!  And I have lots of ideas for what to do with them, but right now I'm happy just petting them!  THANK YOU SO MUCH, Barb, my very special online friend!!! :-)

Here's hoping I will be able to blog again in a timely manner.....I promise to TRY!!! ^-^