Saturday, March 28, 2015

A Quick Project



Hi Friends,

This morning I was working on the mural 
In my backyard
But the temperature reaching 95 today
Caused me to put my brushes away
And choose a more simple project
For the afternoon

Many of you know that I am 
On the Nutrisystem program
So I always have piles of food stashed in crazy places

I found this 5 drawer rack at Hobby Lobby yesterday
But it was black so it needed a quick coat of spray paint


I worked out in the front driveway
Where there was a bit of shade
And turned the above into the below
 

I didn't really care if there were a few drips
As I sanded it when it was dry
I just knew I wanted white and not black in my kitchen
 

It came with red wire baskets
So they slid right back in
 It only took about 20 minutes
And Viola
 

I know have a cute little place to keep my food
I'm sure that once I reach my weight loss goal
I will be able to use this little pretty
In my craft room/office

So, there you have it
A super quick project Complete

Here's a sneak peek of my mural


Yep, that is just a tiny peek
Hoping to have it complete next weekend :)
 
Today's JOY
Found in little projects

Where are you finding your JOY today?

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Glorious of Vacation


Hi Friends,

And now I get to share about the Glorious
Part of my road trip to Waco, TX

I went to visit my friend Susan
We met in 1990 when she and her husband 
Came to Coleville, CA 
He was a Naval Chaplin and lead the little
Church that our family attended at that time

We became fast friends and the rest is history
 

Here, we were sitting on a street corner
Enjoying a few Feta Fries at a vendor truck
Oh My Goodness, they were delicious!
And I Still lost 2 pounds on vacay!!!!

Now, my friend has been personal friends with
Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper for about 13 years
We had hoped to get together with them while I was in town
But filming schedules and life did not allow
However,
We did visit Magnolia The Store
And YES, I did make a small purchase
 

Such a cute little store and friendly staff
 

Bill, Susan, Nora and Matthew
 

We were in a really cool vintage shop
And ... Don't even ask :)

I've always wanted to take a few shots
Walking down a railroad track
 

Hanging out on the Waco suspension bridge
 

Just having fun
 

A fun selfie in the Very Windy New Mexico Desert
Oh My Goodness, the wind was crazy strong
 

Couldn't pass up trying on hats
At another great vintage shop
What are friends for anyway, but to have fun
 

Hanging from a Longhorn Horn
He had too much fun
 

Another selfie
Sitting and relaxing on the patio
 

Sunset in far eastern Arizona
On the drive home

Truly had an amazingly wonderful time visiting my bestie
25 years of friendship is definitely a blessing

Praying you all are enjoying a wonderful week
I'm back to work and feeling so much better
Will do repeat labs in the next few days
Praying they give me some better news this time

Find JOY in something Today

Saturday, March 21, 2015

3 Grueling ... 4 Glorious


Hi Friends,

I've been MIA from blogville for over a week
I took a little vacation with my son
(Much Needed)
And we are home now
So it will be a week of catching up


Very early Saturday morning 3/14
We packed up my car and headed south/west
For a 2 day grueling drive to Texas
 

We made good time the first day
Making it, not only to, but through New Mexico
 

And made it to Texas as well
It was 11 long hours of driving 
But made the next day about 7 hours
So it was worth the push

Coming home I got the idea to power through
And drive the entire 1058 miles in one day
We left Waco at 5:05 am and arrived in my driveway at 10:05 pm
Exactly 17 hours
YES - I'm still tired!!
But my feet aren't swollen today :)
 

They say everything is bigger in Texas
Well, I don't know about everything
But they surely do fly some LARGE Flags
I loved seeing them flying so boldly above many businesses
 

Over the next week I will share more about Why we went to Texas
But today I'll just share a few treasures I returned home with
The barn wood sign above was gifted to me
I LOVE IT!!!!
Purchased from Spice Village
Oh my goodness, if you ever make it to Waco
You must find Spice ... You will Love it!!!
 

When I saw this gorgeous christening gown with bonnet
For only $10, I just Had to purchase it
I think I will display it in my bedroom
I absolutely Love the beautiful lace and islet work
 

Found myself a vintage rolling pin with red handles
And, these bamboo utensils that I really needed
 

Found this cute little candle holder/birdhouse
In a vintage mall in New Mexico
 

Had a beautiful dinner sitting by the river
Absolutely wonderful evening

If you follow me on Instagram
You can see some of the fun photos I shared during our trip

Health Update

Before I left on my trip
I got a call about my lab work
We finally have a diagnosis regarding all of my pain and inflammation
I have Viral Hepatitis

I was permitted to go on trip
Although the gruelingly long 17 hour drive home
Was probably Not the smartest thing I've ever done

Anyway, some life long changes need to be made
In the weeks ahead
I'll have lab work done again this coming week

I actually did rather well on my trip
Regarding my eating
I did NOT gain any weight at all
So Excited about that!!!

So today, I'm back on program
And hoping to continue my weight loss journey
As well as taking better care of myself

Thank you for stopping by
I'll share more over the next week
About The Glorious part of my Trip to Waco, Texas

Blessings to all!!!



Thursday, March 12, 2015

Joys and Thank You's



Hi Friends,

Just stopping by with a few Joys
And a couple Thank You's

My JOYS
Seem to almost always involve my 3 K's
Since it is spring break
I got to enjoy all 3 of them
I think this little red mustang
Has gotten more use this spring
Than it has in the 9 years I've owned it

j

Today
The girls decided Mr. Sam
Needed to take a ride with them
 

 I believe they all had a great time
Going round and round and round the yard


And My little Miss K-Bel
Just Adores him 

Another Joy this week
Has been a bit of fun and painting
 

No, I haven't been working on my mural this week
I was working on a 16x24 canvas instead

My BFF sent me a great poem for my birthday
It has an ocean theme and was a sheet of vinyl words
I had no idea at first how I was going to incorporate it in my office
But I got an idea and went to work
 

The above is the finished product
I painted an subtle ocean theme as a back ground
Then I carefully placed all of the words on the dry canvas
I am in Love with my own work

There is a hysterical back story to this poem
And maybe someday I'll share it


Now for a couple of Thank You's

First
Thank you to those who have been praying for me
I have been quite ill for two weeks
We still aren't sure what has been going on with me
No lab results as of this hour but
Lots of joint pain, fever, edema in my hands and feet,
As well as a petechiae rash
I'm getting better day by day
At this point we are thinking 3 options
Viral Process
Medication Reaction
Kidney Disease

So, I'm waiting for results 
And believing to be completely well very soon

And
Another thank you goes out to
She had a giveaway a few weeks ago
And I Won
 

She sent me the sweetest Easter table runner
And a darling little burlap chick
 

As well as a cute bunny banner


And this great Chick Tea Towel

Because I love her work so much
I stopped by her Etsy Shop
And picked up these 2 absolutely adorable
Burlap Pillows


I just love them
Thank you Judy for all the the wonderful goodies
You are a gifted Lady

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to blog
Over the next week
So I'm sending Blessings to All

Go out and Find JOY in something today
It will make you Smile 
 
 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Play Days



Happy Saturday Friends

Today I'm SO thankful to be feeling Great

I had the JOY of playing with 
My 3 K's for several hours today


My little K-Bel
Wanted to help in the yard
She got the rake and actually got up a lot of the weeds
 

She would drag the rake around the yard
And then put all the grass and weeds in the trash
She seemed to be having so much fun
 

All of the girls enjoyed time in the play house
And since they wanted to stay outside
 

I made them lunch
 

And they had a mini picnic 
 

Putting this playhouse together last year
Was definitely a HIT
And I'm so glad I did it
 

After the girls went home
I completed some yard work in the front of the house
Then I decided I wanted to continue playing
I got out a canvas that I purchased for a specific project
Got a few paint colors ready
And played

I'll share the finished project in the days ahead

Did you play today?
Do share...because...

I hope you never grow too old to have
Play Days

 

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Meanwhile...Between Naps


Hi Friends,

Although I've been in bed for
Most of the past 3 days
Today, I have been feeling stir crazy

With spring just around the corner
I thought I'd do a quick 20 minute project between naps


I took this plain white bird house
And decided to add my favorite number to it
 

I'm sure you all guessed it would be 3
Always for My 3 K's
 

I just stenciled on the number
Waited for it to dry
Then quickly sanded it so it wasn't so stark
 

I added a tiny bee and a ladybug
Just for spring
And voila - A bit of personality

Now,
I'm off for another nap

Hoping to go to work tomorrow :)


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Let The Craziness Be Over ... Please!



Hi Friends,

It has been a crazy few days
And I, for one, am ready for life
To return to 'normal' - Whatever that is

Update 1
My brother will have surgery on the 19th
Fortunately it is gallbladder and they didn't have 
To remove it urgently
He's been able to prepare for surgery
Which is better than having to do it immediately
It is SO painful to have an attack though
Glad he is feeling better
And that will soon be taken care of for good


Update 2
My health
I wish I knew what was going on
But I started having terrible body aches on Monday night
I didn't sleep much but went to work Tuesday
Only to turn around and go home after 2 hours
I slept most of Tuesday and have been home 
All day today as well

My body is still achy, just not as bad
I don't have influenza
And no other symptoms
Oops...I do have a fever now
I'm hoping to feel better very soon
And be back to having a better attitude
I've been a bit grumpy :(

I had gotten up for a couple hours last night
Just to eat and get out of bed for a bit
As I was getting ready to head back to bed
I heard this::


Circling above my house
When I peeked out my front window
I saw someone in my front yard
Dressed kind of like this:

And several of these:

I immediately made sure all the doors and windows were locked
And kept looking out front
At least 6 police officers were in between my house
And the house next door

The helicopter circled for at least an hour
The police left after about 1 1/2 hours

Through phone calls and social media
I found out that a neighbor was having his motorcycle repossessed
And evidently that didn't sit to well with him
So, he allegedly threatened with a gun
Not sure of the details but...

In the end nobody was hurt
And all ended well

That is, except for those of us who lost sleep
Oh my achy body :)

And,
Because I want to end with something HAPPY


I get to see this precious woman
In Just 10 days

Sending Blessings To All