Awwwww...

This is my foster dog Dave. He has been with us since May 20th. He had been doing so good about not even looking at the furniture. Well, once the cold hit southern Indiana, he decided to do what the other greys do here, snuggle up on the couch. Now I know I am not supposed to let foster dogs on the furniture, but doesn't he look so comfy?
This week has been a bit overwhelming to say the least. An event at work, that I cannot even begin to talk about, has left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth. It has also left me doing a lot of soul searching. We also have a temporary foster, Stranger, at my house for a couple of weeks. He is such a sweetie. He came to us late one Sunday evening, not getting a chance to see the pond. Yes, keep that in mind, while I tell the rest of the story. Monday morning he went out to potty, no biggie. When I got home that evening, it was already dark, and temperatures here were quite chilly. There was ice on the pond and I guess he thought it was the ground, because he tried to walk on it. Well, he fell through and got soaking wet. I didn't give it a second thought. Dried him off and went about my business. Well, Wednesday morning, my Dixie girl kept looking toward the pond. Curiosity got the best of me and I went to investigate. What I saw next still haunts me. My pond EMPTY!!! The plants all clinging to the bottom of the liner in a frozen heap. But the sadest part, my fish were frozen in all the mess. Not a drop of water left. I guess Dixie heard the pump sucking air and couldn't figure it out. I know it wasn't Stranger's fault, he didn't know any better. Dang it though, such a sad loss.

Sorry to ramble my friends. On a brighter note, I weighed in this morning and lost another 2.8 pounds. For a grand total of 22.8 pounds. I am still in shock. My clothes aren't really fitting any differently. Even more of a shocker, is that I have managed to do this during 2 major holidays!

A few of My Christmas Favorites

Here are some photos of some of favorite Christmas decorations. Enjoy!

I added this clock to my Christmas decorations this year. I wanted it last year and missed out, but I got it this time.

I did this cross stitch sampler several years ago. These 2 Santas from Ragon House Collection, I also added this year.

These Santa mugs were my grandma's. Another one of my favorites!

These Santas are paper mache. We used to make these where I work. They are made from antique chocolate molds.

Some salt glazed pieces. Most from Rowe Pottery, a few from Beaumont Brothers Pottery. I really need to paint that piece of plywood in the background.

This Week's Weight Loss

Hey! I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth, yet anyway. I was totally bummed after last week's loss of .2 of a pound. This week I have had 3 parties and someone made me these wonderful Thumbprint cookies and brought them into work to me. Yes, I did eat them. All 6 of them. I have been so busy that I didn't make it to weigh in until this morning. I was afraid that if I didn't go today, I would just quit going all together. So totally expecting a gain, when she you are down 2.6 pounds, I about fell over. My total so far, drumroll please, 20.2 pounds. I am still in shock. Got some decorating pictures to get off of my camera to show you all! TGIF!!!

Something To Smile About

One day while browsing Facebook, I saw this ad for Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS. So I decided this would be a wonderful reason for me to get back into my sewing room. I have a plastic storage tub full of homespun remnants. I cut them into 6" squares and made this lap quilt.

I have enough squares cut to make another one, but for now, I am sending this one. My little way of giving back this time of year. Plus I got rid of a bunch of fabric and a couple of pieces of batting too!

Kodak Moment

We had a temporary foster for about 12 days. His name was Rowdy. This is Rowdy, aka Roony, in his new home. This little Siamese kitten is his new best friend.

Also, on the weight loss homefront, I lost 3 pounds this week. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I even managed to be a good girl during Thanksgiving! That's a total of 17 pounds. It sure doesn't really feel like it though. When am I ever going to start noticing a difference?

I Need to Vent!

As most of my followers know, I am involved in Greyhound adoption. Well this DOES NOT pertain to greyhounds, just an observation I made today. Well...there is a lady that lived across the street from where I work. Keyword, lived. Today she announced to us that she had moved out. Found homes for all of her animals, except for the bull dog and bird that she took with her. Then she proceeded to tell us that she was waiting for the Great Dane Rescue group to come and pick up the last 2 dogs. This is what really pisses me off. She was almost proud of this. I would have been hysterical!!! These 2 dogs are older. One has cancer and the other is deaf. So, these poor dogs, are just cast off because she isn't in the mood for them anymore. She took the bull dog puppy with her. Now I know that someone will give these dogs a good home. They will most likely be fostered by someone who will love them like their own. But damn it! Climbing down off of my soapbox...

This Week's Weight Loss

Well friends, I lost 3.2 pounds this week. Total so far, 14.2 pounds. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

A Couple of Finds

Whenever we go to Atlanta to the Gift Mart, we always do a little antiquing along the way. My boss had picked up these 2 firkins at an antique mall. I don't think they were really old, but I have had my eye on them for a while now. Day after day, I would watch them, just sitting in the workshop gathering dust. One day I couldn't take it anymore, so I finally decided to give them a home. I painted the bottom one Sandstone and the top one Cinnamon. Both Delta Ceramcoat paints. Then I put on a coat of Briwax. I love that stuff. I want to use it on everything now! Someday, I would love to have a big stack of these...

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Since I started Weight Watchers, I am searching for some really good recipes. This one came from the Weight Watchers website. I was skeptical at first, but this is really good. So I thought I would share this with my friends.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup(s) red onion(s), chopped
1 1/4 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 large egg(s)2 large egg white(s)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or more to taste
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan or a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate until ready to use.To make filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl and add ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving. One serving is 5 points.

Weight Watcher Update

I just wanted to drop in quickly and give you all an update on my progress at Weight Watchers. I am down 11 pounds since October 21. Man, is it going slow. I have to keep telling myself that I didn't gain this weight overnight, and it certainly won't come off overnight either. I reached my first goal of 5% weight loss. I will try to post more later. I have actually worked on some of my thrift store finds this past week!

Just Some Random Things

Well, here it has been so long since I posted, again. Things have been crazy here. Sadie's toe is continuing to improve. Thank God, finally. We have been going to the vet everyday for bandage change. Tuesday started everyother day. Hopefully when we go Saturday, we can get the darn thing off. It has been two weeks today that she had her surgery, so hopefully the stitches are ready to come out. This whole ordeal has been exhausting. We live on a hill, to get to the backyard, you have to go downstairs to our walkout basement. No stairs for Sadie. So we have to stay upstairs. I have been sleeping on the floor now for 2 weeks. Anybody else that crazy about their dog that they would do that? Please please say yes. So we also can't get the thing wet. The vet took an IV bag and made me a cover. Those IV bags are durable. We have been walking on that thing for 2 weeks now and it is still intact. Anyway, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

To add to the exhaustion, we are having open house at The Heart of Newburgh this weekend. I was so excited that Halloween was on a Saturday this year. But then when the boss said open house was November 5, 6 & 7, it hit me. YIKES, we have less than a week to take the shop from Halloween to full out Christmas. Oh talk about crazy. Yesterday was the first day of open house and so far so good. We have so much Christmas, I hope we sell it all!

Then, crazy me, decided to have a party for the workers from our Greytfest. We are always working, so we never get to bring out dogs. Hey, we have a big yard, lots of room for parking, let's have a picnic here! Everyone bring your dogs and a covered dish and we will have a blast! Well, fun times were had by all. We had 22 greyhounds (nobody has just one), one afghan hound and one irish wolfhound!

Someone was trying to get out of the gate. They all kept trying to follow whenever someone wanted to go out by the fire!

This fellow here, Bluto, was staying with us while his family went on a trip. He is one sweet boy! Ahh, he loves me! Anyway, a greyt time was had by all. It always fun to see the hounds playing together. And you would think with all those hounds, there would be lots of noise. Nope, there was hardly a peep from anyone!

On the weight-loss, I was down a little over 2 pounds this week. Kind of disappointed, but I have to be realistic and remember I didn't gain this weight in a year, this has been coming on for about 20 years now. Oh yeah, and I totally passed up decorated sugar cookies, spiced cider and pumpkin bread at the open house. Man that was hard.

Toes...continued

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. Well my Sadie has gone backwards. We had to have the infection removed and stitched up. Thought that took care of it, but at Thursday's bandage change, the stitches had pulled out. So we were referred to Metropolitan Vet Specialists in Louisville. Sadie has been there before. She goes there for her heart issues.

After begging, I got an appointment on Friday. First, we had to check the heart. But I was totally expecting her to lose the toe. After tests on the heart, she couldn't tolerate being under anesthesia for very long. Plan B. They went in and cleaned out the wound and stitched it up again. But this time, a splint was placed on the leg, so the toes can't move. I am very thankful she didn't lose the toe. Her heart, however, isn't as good as it was in January. We are waiting on bloodwork to check her digoxin levels and see about changing her meds. Meanwhile, I am at the vet everyday again for bandage changes. A couple of weeks ago, they offered me a uniform. I may have to take them up on it!

On a personal note. I decided last week to join Weight Watchers. I have been thinking about it for a while now. My mood has been kind of foul these days, so I thought maybe if I lost some weight, I might feel better about things. I am debating about doing a follow along with my weight loss. I just don't know how I feel about putting my weight out there. I have done well this week as far as writing down what I eat and being truthful about it. Hope it pays off. Weigh in is Wednesday.

Toe Woes

It seems the toes around here are just not safe. Two weeks ago Tuesday, hubs came home at lunch to clean out the gutter (we had a major leak in the kitchen) and Sadie severly dislocated her toe while on his watch. The toe had completely folded over and was stuck in the next toe. So we were at the vet every day for bandage changes. One day she used orange vet wrap, so I decided to get festive and make a pumpkin face. So at the next bandage change, they tried to out do mine. Here is my sweet girl Sadie being a good sport.

Well, the bandage came off last Monday and we thought we were out of the woods. But Friday proved differently. She started licking the foot and upon examination, there was an infection in there. Now during all this she had been on anti-biotic, but after a day and half, she got violently ill. So we had to discontinue that treatment. After an anti-biotic injection, and keeping the bandage changed daily and keeing it dry, we thought we were out of the woods. So now we are trying a different anti-biotic and cleaning the wound 3 times a day. Keep your paws crossed that this takes care of it.

To my loyal followers, I must apologize for my lack of posting. It just seems that I am really lacking motivation to do anything these days. My dogs seem to be my only interest right now. Most of you know how much I love Halloweeen, but I just can't get into it this year. I don't have my decorating done and can't get any inspiration to do it. Things are just out of whack right now.

What a Day!

Today was GPA Tri-State's 5th Annual Greytfest. We had lots of great items for the auction and U-pick Raffle. Wonderful Memorial Baskets. Great Food. Lots of beautiful greyhounds and lots of money raised to help our group save more hounds.

This year we had a Greytfest Prince and Princess. But to my surprise, there was a Gretyfest King and Queen and my Tom (KD Tom Sawyer) was named the Gretyfest King. The King and Queen were the first and second dogs that our group adopted out. Lucky me, I own the number one dog!

I had some professional pictures taken of Tom today, but this was after we got home. Poor baby, he was exhausted. The collar says "King Gretyfest 2009".

Homemade Soup for A Fall Night!

The weather turned cool here, so I thought soup sounded good for dinner. Man, did it hit the spot! Here is my recipe.

Broccoli Potato Soup

Peel potatoes and cut into cubes. Cook until done. Clean one head fresh broccoli and cook. Put to the side. Then mix together: 8 Ounces margarine and 1 Cup Flour in saucepan to make a roux (aka paste). Slowly add to this mixture 1 Quart Chicken Broth and 1 Quart Milk. Cook till thickened to your liking. Then add the potatoes and broccoli. I like to add a big hunk of cheese and some sour cream. Scoop in a bowl and top with some grated cheese and bacon bits. Yum, yum.

You can also use the recipe for just potatoes or broccoli, but I like the together. Enjoy!

Funny

I just love doing goofy things to my pups! This is my girl Dixie. I put my reading glasses on her for fun one evening. If you look real close, you can see her tongue sticking out!

My First Maui Sunset

It was kind of cloudy in Maui for this sunset. We were just sitting there saying "maybe the sunset will be better tomorrow". All of the sudden, the sky just turned these incredible colors.

Dinner Dave

This picture was taken while I was preparing the pups dinner. Dave (foster dog), Mr. Big Ears, always lays his head on Sadie while I am making their meals. Aren't they cute?

ALOHA!

Friends, I am still breathing. Just not much in the spirit of posting these days. I will be leaving on Saturday for Hawaii. Working on getting my bags packed. Most importantly is my carry on bag chocked full of small sewing projects that I can work on, books and snacks. I hope to come home totally rejuvenated and ready to decorate for fall!

Two Week Headache

Has anyone ever had a headache that lasted for two weeks? I have had a headache for two weeks and two days now. First, I thought I got overheated. No amount of nap or over the counter meds have helped. So, with less than two weeks until my vacation to Maui, I broke down and went to the doctor. Every morning I woke up thinking "if my headache is still here I need to go to the doctor". Finally I guess I listened to myself. I got a good old shot in the butt (they always give the good stuff in the butt) and some medicine samples. I am still waiting for relief. Hopefully I will get some soon. Until then my friends...

Twins Again

Some of you may have seen my post last year about the twin fawns. Well, momma did it again this year. I was within about 10 feet of these babies when I snapped this picture. They were not crazy about me being that close though. They kept stomping their feet. Finally I got a little too close and they took off. But within 5 minutes they were back again. They are so adorable.

Gotta Love A Give Away!

So...I just found out that Ryan over at I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts is having a give away! I love a give away. So click on the picture and get in the drawing for this really neat calendar. I already have!

A New Purse

Late last night I was rummaging through my halloween fabric. I have a pretty good stash accumulated. I have always wanted a halloween purse. Several women have come in the shop during the past couple of years carrying halloween purses, but I could never find one.


Here is my purse. It is perfect. The strap is just the right length for me, it has one inside pocket and not too big. The pattern I used is the Samantha from Indygo Junction. I made the small one. It was really easy and went together so fast. I might just have to make another one!

My First Halloweeen Project

While rooting around in my sewing closet yesterday, I came across a kit I had purchased in February. I figured I better get it done up or I would probably not find it again until next Halloween.

It turned out really cute and it only took me about 20 minutes. I am going to hang it on the island in my kitchen. I am ready to start decorating, but it is way too early.

Western Beans

Sorry, haven't been bloggin' much lately. It has been so hot and humid here. Besides, I am just feeling kind of blue lately. We had a birthday dinner for my mom yesterday. I have this recipe for Western Beans that I thought I would share with you. It is almost a meal in itself. Enjoy!



1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 t. pepper

Brown and drain above, then add:

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. ketchup

1/4 c. barbecue sauce

15 oz. red kidney beans, drained

15 oz. pork & beans

15 oz. chili beans

15 oz. butter beans, drained

2 T. yellow mustard

2 T. honey

1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. salt



Mix well, pour in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Day Out With A Friend

Today was a great Monday. I got the day off and a friend of mine and I headed East towards Louisville. Our first stop was Hollyhock Quilt Shop in Corydon, Indiana. I picked up a few fat quarters for my stash. Second stop was Among Friends in Louisville, Kentucky. I picked up these patterns:

That store is really awesome. They had so much fabric. I couldn't decide. So I just got the patterns. Our third stop was a little shop called Forget Me Not. They had some nice fabrics, but I managed to get out of there with just a few fat quarters. It amazes that no matter how many quilt stores you go in, they all have such a variety of fabrics. No two are alike. I am looking for a pattern to make a Halloween quilt. Of course, something fast and easy would be great.

The trip wouldn't have been complete without a great meal. We stopped at Joe's Crab Shack. The cool thing about this particular restaurant is that is right on the Ohio River. We sat there and watched the storm come through. Of course, that made for a crummy drive home, it was a downpour most of the time. But a good time was had by all!

Attention Deficit Disorder

Do any of my blogging buddies feel like they have Attention Deficit Disorder? I know I do. I got started on some of my framing projects. I should say that I started by purchasing some frames. Then I got sidetracked. To scrapbooking. I don't even know how that happened.



This picture is of my newest foster dog Dave. It is dinner time and he always lays his head on Sadie. I think he is making me feel bad with those eyes.

Anyway, I have been diligently working on a wedding scrapbook. My daughter that got married in February 2007 and since divorced will probably not be so happy, but oh well. A friend of mine had made a scrapbook with all the pages done and I hated to see that go to waste. After all, it is history and part of our family. I did a pretty good job of leaving the ex-husband out of the pictures. Although I did put him in there a few times. Mostly a lot of good pictures of friends and family having a good time. Lots of pictures of my late father. He had so much fun.

We shall see what tomorrow brings to this attention deficit disorder...

Clothes Shopping (YUCK!)

Please tell me that I am not the only one who has trouble finding clothing to FIT. Since I found out we are going MAUI, I have been obsessed with clothes. I have no decent clothes. I hate to shop, always opting for my old comfortable worn out outfits.



I was so excited when I went to Macy's last night and found, not one, but two pair of shorts. Well, they are the longer shorts, which on my short fat legs are more like capris. I am wearing them today and they are soooo comfortable, I think I might go back and buy some more. The best part, they were only $8.60. Can you believe it?



Shirts are a whole different story. I am a little busty and don't want the "girls" hanging out. Too old and fat for that one. It is ridiculous trying to find any shirts. I really want a white cotton shirt. Sounds perfect for those Hawaiian breezes, huh? Well, I find one to fit the bust, too tight in the arms. Fits in the arms, too tight at the hips. YIKES!!!



Shoes are another issue. My feet match the rest of my body, short and fat. Went to an actual shoe store. You know the ones where the clerk actually waits on you. No luck there. They had not one thing to fit the piggies. I finally found a pair of Keenes at a local sporting goods store. Depending on the shoe, I can sometimes get a pair in the kids department. They aren't exactly cute, but hey at this point, I am looking for comfort.

Visitors

These two families of turkeys pass through our yard a couple of times a day.

There is one chick tucked behind the turkey on the left, but all in all, there are 8 babies. A couple of weeks ago, there were about 12. I don't want to think about what happened to them. Not that turkeys are cute, but I guess they are cuter when they are babies.

County Fair Ribbons

It is so hard to believe that the county fair has already come and gone. I always think I am going to have so much to exhibit, and then never really do. This year I entered what I call my Christmas Sheep quilt. This is one of the few that I have actually hand quilted myself. I just took a couple of close up shots, this is a pretty big quilt. I received a blue ribbon for this quilt.

This little tote bag was something I started last summer. Of course, true to the 4-H way, I finished it up the night before I had to turn it into the fair. I am not so crazy about how it turned out. But I got a blue ribbon on this bag and it also won the grand champion in this particular category.

Next up is a Santa that I painted on a pelt board. Trappers used these boards to nail their pelts on to dry. He is a fisherman Santa. I had to take the picture outside, the flash kept putting bright spots on it. The little whale is jumping through a green wreath. I got a blue ribbon on this as well.

And last but not least. My absolute favorite exhibit. My finger.

I mean, my finger spreader! I think this looks so real. I used flesh colored Sculpey clay, with an artificial fingernail. I think this will be so much fun for Halloween! I got a blue ribbon on this too. I hope the judge remembers this for a long time.

P.S. 17 posts left until my give away!

My Trip to Waverly Hills Sanitarium

I have lots of blogging to catch up on now that I finally have my internet back. The first thing I wanted to start with is my trip to Waverly Hills Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky. All I can say is WOW. This was quite an experience. I have believed most of my life in the "paranormal", and this trip just helped validate it.

The history in this place is unbelievable. More importantly, how many people lost their lives here. Some estimates are as hight as 64,000 deaths. Waverly Hills was a tuberculosis hospital. In its prime, it could hold between 400-500 patients. It has a body chute that was used to transport bodies downhill to waiting hearses and train cars. They say at its peak, one death occurred every hour. So they made this covered tunnel, to try to keep up patient moral.

The picture of the gargoyle was taken from one of the balconies. It was so hard to get pictures because it was so dark there. Our tour started at midnight and went until 4:00 a.m. So when you tried to take pictures, you just had a view of black in your viewfinder. So it was just take a picture and see what you got.

Ghosthunters fans may have seen an episode about this place. Like Timmy playing with the ball that was left in the hallway. We had this experience. We found a ball and rolled it down the hall. It went into a room and then came back out on its own. Honest! We took our flashlights and went in there to see if there was a slope in the floor and there wasn't. We also took the ball back out in the hall and laid it in an indention in the floor. It moved several times. Like someone had their hand on top of it and was just moving it back and forth. The picture below is of one of the rooms that faced out toward the sun porch. Notice the ball in the upper left corner of the room? This is one of the many balls that are left for "spirits" to entertain themselves with.

This was my first visit, but my stepsister and her friend had been there twice before. So they knew a lot of the history and had some pretty good stories to tell of past experiences they had there. I am definitely going back, just not sure when.

P.S. I THINK I WILL BE DOING A GIVE AWAY FOR MY 200TH POST! ONLY 18 MORE TO GO!!!

I'm Still Alive!

Folks, almost two weeks later, I still have no internet. No one at AT&T can seem to solve my problems. I guess it would help if their employees could READ! I hope none of my bloggin' friends work for AT&T. I really hope this gets resolved. I am in total withdrawal and I have so many blogs to catch up on.

My big news! On July 4th my husband gave me our 30th anniversary gift early. A trip to MAUI. I was totally shocked. How can this be? I never imagined I would ever get to see Hawaii. Much less spend 7 days there. We leave on September 11th, plus he talked some friends of ours into going along! I can't wait. Well, that's all for now. I have so much to catch up on. Hope to be blogging regularly again soon!

Still No Internet

Almost a week later, and still no internet. Sorry friends. I am currently at the hospital, mom had back surgery this morning. So I have a little time to catch up. Hope to post soon...

Happy Independence Day

My friends I thought I would wish you a happy 4th of July a bit early. It seems good old AT&T has done it again. I am without internet. I have only been with them since February and I have had nothing but problems. They now tell me that I have never had internet service with them. Um, hello, have I not been blogging? By the end of the day, I was so angry, I hung up on them. I never do that. And how about we hire some of the unemployed Americans to work the customer service telephones. I am really getting annoyed by these people who you can't even understand. I understand they need jobs in their countries too, but so do a lot of people here. Okay, I am climbing down from the soap box now. Have a good weekend!

P.S. I am going on a ghost hunting expedition in Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow night. The Waverly Hills Sanitarium. I'm sure I will have lots to write about, well, if I have internet service!

What's This Bird???

Does anyone know what type of bird this is? It was visiting my feeder one day. It has a yellow chest. This is the best picture I could get.

Lucky "Mail" Day

Do you like the mail? I mean snail mail. I normally hate the mail. I always let it pile up. It seems that nothing ever comes but bills. But today...was my luck mail day.

I got a rebate check for $25.00 from this expensive prescription dog food that I have to feed Tom. Then there was this envelope from the mortgage company. YUCK! Open it up, SURPRISE. We had an overage on our escrow account. Now that never happens. We were over $336.00 and we got a check for that amount. Cha-Ching!!!

Dragonfly

Sorry, I haven't been posting much. It has been so hot here. The humidity is killer and we are totally revamping the shop. Darn job, they just get in the way! I took this picture yesterday. I have these rusty iron greyhound silhouettes out by my pond. Every time I take the dogs out, there is a dragonfly on one of their noses!

Worker Bee

Well, I am busy as a bee today. I got the floor painted and put 2 coats of polycrylic on. So now I am ready to "fluff the nest". I am learning to hate stairs. Moving things from the lower level to the first floor involves 13 steps. I want a one story house next time. Of course, since the husband is still gone, I have to take everything apart to get it upstairs. Did I mention I hate stairs...pictures later!

My Floor Progress

Okay, here are a few pictures. I am about dead. Kneeling and using the paint brush have about did me in. I got all the outside border done and I am not even half way done with the center part of the floor. The room is about 9X14. So I will be back at it tomorrow. Hope to get it done and at least one coat of polyurethane on. I can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday.

Things to Do!

Do you ever have those days where you think, "why did I even get out of bed?". I have had a couple of those lately. I think I have come to the conclusion that it is time to do things for ME. For almost 48 years now, I have done everything for everybody else. When I was younger, I did it for my parents. When I got married, I did everything for my spouse. And then when I had kids, well lets just say I have spent the last 27 years doing everything for them. Do they stop their life and consider all the stuff I have done for them? NO WAY. Sorry, I don't mean to sound like I am having a pitty party (perhaps I am though), just some realizations that I have made lately.

Of course, I don't have a camera today, but I got my floor painted the base coat and I am going to stencil today. Hubs is out of town until Saturday and I am going to get this project done while he is gone. Went to Lowes Sunday and got my quart of black paint. Put a fresh coat of paint on the walls while I was at it too. Now I have to go to the garage and see if there is any polyurethane left. If not I will pick some up when I go to pick up Dixie at the vet. I will get pictures tonight of the floor!

Dreamin'

My newest wish is to move my sewing room to my daughter's old room. I had posted about this earlier. I did manage to get a picture. The day bed is going down stairs in the old sewing room.

I have tried to no avail to talk my husband into letting me paint the floor. This floor is nothing special. The top layer is particle board. Underneath is 1x12 sub-flooring. They used this for the entire house. All I can say is the price of wood must have been cheap back in the 70's. The boards aren't in that great of shape. They will have nail holes in them for sure after the sub-floor is taken up. BUT, this is the best part, I found this really cool floor stencil. We have a company that we order from called MB Historic Decor. They have all kinds of "period" stencils. They have done extensive research to come up with their collection. Very interesting stuff!

This is what I really want to do to the floor. I wouldn't have to worry about pins getting stuck in the carpet. My husband says I'm crazy. But I love it! Soooo, he is going out of town next week, and I just might do it while he is gone. Does anyone else do sneaky things like that?

Laptop Sleeve

For quite some time now, I have been looking for something to put my laptop in for protection. I keep my laptop in a Longaberger Magazine Basket by my chair. Sew Mama Sew had this really nice tutorial for a Laptop Sleeve. Click here for instructions. It is pretty simple to make, I even ad all the supplies on hand to make it.

A Little Project

Since I got early yesterday morning, I did manage to get a little project finished. I purchased this fabric at Joann's last week. It was on sale half price. I got 3 1/2 yards for under $6.00. I bought the remainder of the roll. I wish they had more, I love this fabric.

The cover and pillows on the bench on the porch downstairs were really faded. I whipped up a new cover for the cushion and the two pillows. I ran out of fabric for the third pillow, so I need to find something that will go with the fabric to make that third pillow. I know the fabric kind of blends in with the paint on the bench, but I just love this material.

Check out this critter!

Looking for something to blog about, I came across this picture. My daughter's parsley plant from a couple of years ago. See the caterpillar? I am not sure what type it is. We did catch it and kept it in a jar, watched it spin it's cocoon. Then let the butterfly go. Although I am not sure what kind of butterfly it was. It was pretty interesting stuff.

A Couple of Bargains

Here are a couple of thrift store finds from the past couple of weeks.

This cute little firkin is actually an ice bucket. It has a plastic insert for ice. I practically stole this for $1.99. I never find bargains like that. The Thrift Store Gods must have been watching over me that day!

This wooden scoop cost me fifty cents. It is pretty good sized if you look at it placed on my cutting mat. Eventually I want a dough bowl or wooden tote to put cutting boards and rollings pins and such in. Other than a few more pieces of wool, I haven't really found any other bargains for a while.