Bedroom Part 3, or 4, or Whatever....

We finally got new  carpet in our bedroom! It's the first time in my life I've had new carpet...

that's kind of sad, huh?

Gone is the old wallpaper, orange carpet, broken closet door, a doorway to another bedroom, and orangey oak.

Replacing it- white walls and ceiling, black wainscoting and baseboards, white trim, gray carpet, and new bedding.

No more second doorway on the left.

The side tables are not our choice, but they work. Any ideas for what color to paint them? The walls are bright white, the carpet is gray, as are the curtains and lamps. I don't want too much gray, but maybe a really dark gray? The bedding is lavender.

I have pewter colored curtains on the wall, and am adding art. I scored to large wood-cut block prints at the thrift store for $12! The frames have gold on them, so I'm going to tape them off and spray paint with high gloss black paint today.

Enjoy your weekend!

Putting Your Nose Out There

I haven't been posting too much lately, mostly because I am in full throttle "fix this house" mode! I have been spackling, sanding, and painting. There is a small bedroom adjacent to ours that I painted Valspar Autumn Fog. Originally, I bought it for the dining room, but it looked gun metal gray- like institutional gray. UGH.So, why would I use it in that room? Well, because our room is black and white, and this room was cream- banged up, dingy, too-yellow cream. I needed something that I could paint this room and the adjacent bathroom with and to tie the two together, as well as look good with the color of the bedroom. That way, a buyer will see that with a little renovation, the two rooms could be turned into a large bath and walk in closet... hehehe, clever huh?

Anyway, I painted the trim white, then the walls this gray. Imagine my surprise when after getting it on the walls, it took on a distinct blue-lavender tone! It looks clean and sharp and SO much better. Why oh why did I wait almost 2.5 years to do this?? Because we're moving, of course! That being said, I will post pictures later, because it is dark here at 0430 and I can't get good photos. (Why am I up so early? That's a whole story in itself).

So, I know you are waiting with baited breath- about the sticking the nose out part. OK, here ya go:

Yes, this really is my pony with a (tender) nose full of porcupine quills, but it is also a metaphor for taking risks. Lately, I find myself waning philosophical about things, and wanting to post about them. But, sticking your nose out means you might get thorns (or quills). I have to tell you, I am getting some weird vibes lately.

Well, let me just put this out there.
1. This is my blog, I'll say what I want.  I post about art, my kids, farm life, and the like.
2. You don't live my life. You don't know how hard these past two years have been. You don't know because you aren't me. The bottom line is- I'm not happy here. I don't want to be here, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that.
3. See previous post about A. Reserve judgement and be kind.
 4. I do the best I can. I am often alone, in a place I'd rather not be. I am juggling daycare, and school, and kids, and farm, and animals, and work, And somewhere in there, I am trying to keep myself sane.
 5. I get perspective every day at work, trust me. I know I am luckier than a lot of people. But it doesn't mean that I don't hurt, that I'm not lonely, that I am not tired of all of this. Sometimes the caretaker needs TLC too.

What you may not realize is that I say gratitude prayers every day. I notice lots of little things in my life, and am grateful for them. I keep a list of htem. I am not all complaining, I just need vent at times. I am human, with a heart that could use some love and friendship too.

So, be brave, and stick your nose out! I am.

Being A Friend, or At Least a Ride Home

I've talked about patient A here before. She comes in every Wednesday to have a procedure. I take care of her every week. We have a sort of relationship. She knows to expect me when she comes in. A familiar face can make a big difference when you are sick and tired.

She was supposed to be in at 10 and didn't show. People grumbled. I didn't care, I do not live her life and I refuse to give into the temptation to bitch. (Because that's what it is my friends, temptation to think I am better, that I would never do such a thing.)

"She should have been here." Yes, but maybe she didn't have a ride. "She should have called to say she wasn't coming." Yes, but maybe she was tired and was asleep. Maybe there was no one there to remind her. Maybe she was alone.

She called in the afternoon, in tears, could we fit her in? Of course we would.

When she arrived, I went to get her and she burst into tears as soon as she saw me. My heart cracked a little. I hugged her, right there in the waiting room. "Who is your ride home?" I asked her, not seeing her partner or son. She hesistated. "Well, I don't have a ride home right now." Oh. OH.

I took her back and got her settled. Part of me thought "I can't do this every week." It hurts me to see her like that- alone, in pain, lonely. I turned my face so she wouldn't see my tears. She has become a part of me, even though she doesn't know it. She has taught me important lessons. I realized that I will take care of her every week until there are no more weeks. It is my duty as a nurse, and my obligation as a human being. I will care for her- care in the loving sense not the clinical sense- for her and for me. I don't think she will get well. I don't think she will beat her illness. But she will live in me forever in the most important lessons one can learn- reserve judgement and be kind.

Turns out she was having two procedures. The second was at 1615. Perfect, I leave at 1700. "Don't worry, I'll give you a ride home." Just like that, it popped out of my mouth. She looked surprised. "Really?" Yeah, really.

So, that's what I did. I gave someone a lift home, and hopefully in spirits too.

Hugs, Lee

D E and F

I am still in the Artistic Alphas group over at Paper Digital Arts.
This month's challenge is letters D E and F.

The D's are done.

OK, is it me, or is it a little weird that I picked flames for this one- before the fire??

I did this after finding a picture of a boy leaping, which I printed on cardstock and cut it out and used it as a template. I painted it with black acrylic paint, and although you can's really see it, it gave the figure some texture. Although this is just paint, my Sharpie tended to smear, which I wasn't happy about. Maybe I should use patterned paper for the background instead, but it adds an exptra step to the tag, rather than just being able to paint and bunch and use them when I'm ready. I used a gel pen on the lettters, and again, wasn't very happy with it, so I went over it with white paint. Still not super satisfied with the result.

I wanted to do more stitching on Adam's, but the thread I tried to use was cheap and kept breaking. I find I have to tighten my bobbin a lot, or the bottom thread gets all tangled. This may be adding to the tension, I'm not sure. I may go back and add to this... I wanted to circle the dimple and add a big arrow with a heart, but the reality is I was very frustrated by the time I finished this, so I just left it. The tags are also relatively small, so there isn't a lot of space to work on.

The Es- not so much. I am stuck on E.

The Fs- well, do I have to tell you what Jason's will be?  Adam's- not sure. I know the words will present themselves when ready. Each boy will have a tag book Love A to Z.

Any suggestions?

Family Time

My parents just left today, after coming up Saturday, two nephews in tow.

We had a great time, and I am ever so thankful they had the time and energy to drive up. My sister stayed home and ran the farm while they were here.

My kids were beyond excited, and made signs and things for the arrival.

We spent time together.

We had an early Easter dinner.

We made ham and bean soup (no one does it better than my Dad!!).

We hit up Toys R Us.

Went to an inside amusement-type place, where Joey worked on conquering his fear of heights!

We ate Chinese.

They boys had Nerf wars and built forts (no matches!).

We had a blast! Thanks Mom and Guy! Now, I have to go do a mountain of laundry. And take a nap.