Hello Monday

Happy Monday friends. I will tell you this has been the most Mondiest Mondays of them all. I was definitely having a Homer Simpson Day today. If you missed that post you can check it out here to see what the Homer Simpson reference is about. But I will give you a hint, absolutely nothing went right. It seemed like I could do nothing right, after I got to work that is. The computers had a glitch, the WiFi was acting crazy, none of the printers worked and when I finally got one to print it was out of ink. So it was definitely a goofy kind of Homer Simpson day.

The weekend was actually quite nice. Let’s go back to Friday. I took my sister to Knoxville to get her fourth chemo treatment and to see the doctor. She had had scans done earlier in the week to see just how the treatments were doing. We were cautiously optimistic. She has been doing great and had wonderful reports on her bloodwork. We felt that things were going good but we knew the scans would tell the tale.

We waited a little while to see the doctor. He came in and asked how my sister was feeling and she said that she was feeling really good. He said that is really good because the scans show that the splenic lesion is no longer seen. And that was very good. WHAT??? I asked just what that meant and he said the cancer is gone!!! We were blown away and so happy we were giddy. He suggested she finish the round of chemo to ensure a total remission. We walked out of his office in a daze we practically stumbled down the hall. We are so thankful and feel so blessed by everyone’s prayers and concerns. So many people have been there for her during this time. It is very humbling.

Here we are waiting to get called back for the treatment to start. I you have never been to a cancer center and watched all the brave, precious people then you really don’t know how lucky you are to worry about mundane things. Nothing is that problematic. It definitely gives you a new perspective.

So after that kind of news the weekend and every day could only be great!!! Of course a crazy Homer Simpson day is had by everyone every now and then so as I tell myself, DEAL WITH IT!!!!

I took several hats and headbands to donate to the Cancer Center when we were there on Friday. They have a basket at the infusion center where people receiving chemo or other treatments can pick a hat or scarf or anything that has been donated. I think this is a wonderful thing. I am so happy to be able to donate to them. I told the lady at the desk that some of the hats might be too warm for this time of year but she said lots of people loved them because the air conditioning was so cold. I plan to make some lighter weight ones for summer.

Over the weekend I thinned my Irises. They were getting too thick and didn’t bloom much last year at all. I took out quite a few of them and now I have to find places for them. These came from the house where I grew up. My mama loved irises and had one side of the yard full of them. They’re very special because she actually started them many years ago. I have given them to several of my nieces so that we can keep them going. I may decide to take some to work to have them there as well.

Several of my orchids are blooming. This is Ophelia. I have had her for a little more than a year. This is the second time she has bloomed. I am starting an orchid journal to keep up with all of them. I now have seven and see more in my future.

A few weeks ago a friend at work made Reese’s Pie and put them in these containers. I decided to try them for myself. I was very happy with the way they turned out. I bought these small containers to put them in. There are so many uses for these containers. They are great for individual servings. If you were going on a picnic or wanted to give these out as little individual gifts they are great!!! I got all of these from Amazon. You can do cakes also. These make great individual servings for people to take home with them.

Look how cute they are with the lids and the little fork/spoons.

I rescued these two chairs from the dumpster at work. Can you believe they were being thrown away.!!!! I am going to clean them, redo the vinyl and paint them. They are very sturdy and solid. I will give you an after picture as soon as I have them finished.

Sometimes Gus is a big bully to Kitty Kitty. I worry about her but I saw her in action today when she swatted him back and made him run away. I think she can handle herself. HA!!!

How was your weekend?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

A Wild Weather Weekend

Wow what a crazy weekend we had here. It all started on Friday. I took my sister to Knoxville for her chemo treatment. This was her third one so she is halfway through the treatments and doing great!!! The doctor is so happy with all of her bloodwork. While we were still at the hospital we noticed the skies turning dark and the wind really starting to blow. We knew bad weather was predicted for our area, which is about forty miles from the hospital, but we were hoping we could get back home before it started.

At about 1:30 PM I got a notice on my phone that my security camera at home had gone out. That meant the power was out. We were still at the hospital with about another thirty minutes to go before the treatment was finished. I figured the storm was probably hitting close to my house at that time. My husband was at work and of course I was so worried about the kitties. They were all inside but they get nervous. We finally left the hospital around 2:00 PM. I took my sister home. We ran into some torrential rain but we made it home safe. I took off for my house which is about another thirty minute drive.

The power was out all over town. The main road to my house was blocked because of broken power poles. I took another back road and came upon a car slowly backing up because of a downed tree. I turned around and took another back road and finally made it to my driveway. It looked like a war zone, there were lines and trees down everywhere. There was a large tree blocking our driveway. I had to park the car up the driveway and walk down to the house. I still had no electricity. When I have no electricity I also have no cell service except in one spot several hundred yards from the house. I guess that’s better than nothing. I have no water because we are on a well system. The water will run for only a few minutes after we lose power. I do have a generator but I wasn’t sure about starting it without Mark there. It is new and I had never used it.

Lots of Kitty snuggles went on this weekend. I think the kitties were glad to have my attention solely on them. It makes you think about all the things you miss by having your eyes focused on a screen. Thankfully the weather was fairly mild so it didn’t get too cold at night or early morning.

Kitty Kitty sleeping on my lap.

I did a lot of reading this weekend. Because I had no internet I wasn’t on my phone and I finished this entire book in a day and a half. It Starts With Us is the sequel to It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. I know it sounds sort of backwards but you will just have to read it. Both books are great!!!

We did not get power back until Sunday afternoon. Forty eight hours without power. I went into town on Saturday and bought ice and filled a cooler with some of our items from the refrigerator but we lost almost everything. On Saturday night we got the generator going so we could have TV and internet for awhile. Mark had to work all weekend so it was just me and the kitties. It was a very quiet weekend. I am so thankful that no trees fell on our house or on anyone. It could have been so much worse. I feel grateful this is all the damage we sustained.

When I was at the hospital with my sister we were checking out at one of the desks and setting up some appointments. I looked up and spotted this writing by St Therese. I think it is very appropriate and I looked it up after I left and copied it. It’s very fitting for whatever you may have going on in your life. I think if we truly believe we are exactly where we are meant to be then what else could there be? Very freeing!!!!!

Did you have a wild weather weekend?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

Goodbye February

The Bradford Pears and the cherry trees are blooming. The grass is getting greener and small shoots of flowers are starting to emerge from the ground. The weather has been so nice. Spring is definitely on the way. I know that February is a short month but my goodness it passed by so quickly. We had very mild weather and luckily no snow!!!!

I decided over the weekend to put out some Easter decorations. It’s not that I am not a fan of St Patrick’s Day but I just don’t usually decorate for it. I am on to Easter. We had a fairly slow and quiet weekend. I didn’t really cook a lot. I made a cake. I have been wanting a chocolate cake not that I need one but who ever really needs a chocolate cake?

Several years ago I made decoupaged Easter eggs with two ply napkins, plastic eggs and Mod Podge I bring them out every year. Here is the how to on making them if you are interested. Making Decoupaged Easter Eggs.

Another oldie but goodie. I made this wreath several years ago. It has held up pretty well but I may do another one this year and put this on the back door.

Several years ago I bought these huge eggs at Dollar Tree. They were in a wooden crate and I never really knew what to do with them. The crate sort of fell apart so I took them out and put them in this bowl. I love them!!! I don’t know why I never thought of doing this.

I added this picture of me below because I am curious if you are anything like this. I got up on Monday morning and went through my closet thinking to myself, I have nothing to wear. We all know this is not true but I tend to reach for the same old clothes over and over again. I decided NOT TODAY!!!! I pulled this green sweater out, and put it with these pants and added the black shoes, that I have never worn before, and some necklaces and I felt like I had made an effort. It felt great too and that feeling stayed with me all day. Sometimes I forget to make an effort. I think that can be a habit and it is one I want to change. Please excuse my messy bedroom.

I am looking forward to March. I like new beginnings, new weeks, months, years. It always seems like a fresh start.

What are you looking forward to in March?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Hello Monday, Weekend Fun And An Estate Sale

Happy Monday!! How was your weekend? I had a fun weekend. Lots of TV watching which is really unusual for me. And I did a bit of cooking. And I worked on the temperature blanket. I have to get that thing finished!!!!

So on Saturday morning I decided that I was going to go into the grocery store and get my groceries. I usually do an online grocery pickup for most things and then just pick up any extras I need throughout the week. Our Walmart has the tiniest isles and it is so hard to get through it without losing my religion, sanity and no police record. I went into the store at around 10:00 AM . I had just been to an estate sale and spent a little time browsing there so I wasn’t as early getting to the grocery store as I would have liked. It wasn’t too bad except that I usually spend twice as much money when I go into the store. And I did this time too.

But back to the estate sale it was fantastic. I didn’t buy anything but I had a great time looking around let me show you some of the things that were there. This estate sale is run by the same group that I used to go to last year. They buy estates or conduct estate sales for people. They have moved to a larger building that holds all of the stuff. The first day on Thursday everything is full price and then on Friday it is 25% off and then on Saturday some or most of the items are 50% off and on Sunday 50-75% off. I went on Saturday. So everything was 50% off except the furniture it was still at 25% off.

Look at this bed frame. I overheard the main guy who runs the estate sale tell another man that many people would have these figures on their bed frames to help ward off evil spirits and bad dreams. I think if this thing were on my bed I would have nightmares.

This is an interesting shelf it would definitely take up a lot of room.

This couch is very interesting but I can’t imagine that it would be comfortable to sit on.

This couch was beautiful. Look how white it is!! There was a sign asking people to please not sit on it but how did it stay so pristine to start with???

O.K. this piece almost went home with me. A darling little bowl with a beautiful design and only $15.00 after the 50% off discount. But I did not buy it. I kept thinking about all the things in my house that I have no room for. However if I go back one day and it is still there it will probably come home with me. Just saying.

This oil painting was so beautiful. Such talent.

I could just imagine serving lemonade or mint juleps from these little glasses. Again I wanted them but I know I have nowhere to put them.

Be still my heart, look at this tea set. Again I can imagine serving tea or coffee from this instead of my random chipped mugs. But alas I am comfortable with my mugs that’s just how I roll.

Another couch that people were going crazy over. I know someone will find a home for this. I can just imagine what it would look like after the kitties have had a run at it.

Again, isn’t this little serving set gorgeous. I think it is a dessert bowl and smaller serving bowls. I seriously almost bought this but I was afraid that if I served anything from it the gold etching could come off off the side. But it was still beautiful. What else could I have used it for???

Look at this table!!!! I am sure it would fit in someone’s home.

This little dresser set was very nice but a bit pricey.

I am not sure what this thing is. It looks like a clock without the inside. Definitely an interesting piece.

A few books that were really old.

A beautiful vintage wedding dress.

Some other vintage dresses. I love vintage clothing but have never been able to fit in the tiny sizes. Well maybe when I was in the fifth or sixth grade.

The next two pictures are from the same artist. They are two out of a set of three. I didn’t get a picture of the third one it was turned at a really strange angle.

After I got home from grocery shopping and the estate sale I worked on the temperature blanket. Ya’ll I am really over this blanket. I have to finish because I am so close. I know it will be beautiful. I got behind at the end of last year and still have all of December to do. It is a different row of crochet corresponding with the temperature that particular day. Yes I recorded the temperature every day last year. After I finish the blanket I then have to add a border around it. It is huge!!!! Gus loves it and as soon as I put it on the bed to measure it he jumped right on it.

As I mentioned I watched four movies this weekend. That is a lot for me. Especially since my attention span has been nothing lately. The weather was bad Saturday night and Sunday and it was a good day to cozy in and watch movies.

This first movie had one of my favorite actors, Lou, starring Allison Janney. Oh my goodness this is a thriller. If you are like me you will be screaming and yelling throughout the movie. Several times Mark yelled up the stairs to see if I was ok.

A precious romcom starring Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon. Your Place or Mine, It is sweet and was good to watch after the screaming and shouting that went with watching Lou.

Meryl Streep is one of my all time favorite actors. She did an amazing job in this movie, August: Osage County. The movie also starts Julia Roberts and Juliette Lewis and a host of other actors. If you have ever thought your family might be dysfunctional watch this movie and you will see they probably are not. Still a great movie with incredible acting.

Another sweet and great movie again about a somewhat estranged crazy family. But as most movies do it all worked out in the end. The People We Hate At The Wedding starred Allison Janney, she is so amazing. Also starring Kristen Bell and a wonderful group of actors. You have to watch it. It is hysterical.

So my weekend was fun and full of things I love to do. I also did some cooking. I made lasagna for Saturday night and baby back ribs on Sunday. I don’t get to cook a lot for my husband so when I have a chance I like to cook for us.

So how was your weekend?? Did you do something fun?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!