One, Two, Three

After finally getting our house on the market, we have collectively given a BIG sigh of relief...

I have begun to work on my Soul Book. Problem is... I packed about 95% of my supplies. So, I'm working with a very limited supply of stuff. However, I must say that it has forced me to be creative and work with the things I have at hand. Here are the first three pages:

Before and After

The left hand page has layers of paint- I had to re-do it a few times. First I shaded the rose with a burnt umber- yech..... wrong color. Then I tried a black Stabilio pencil, too dark... Then I washed over with creamy white Glimmerz watercolor- not impressed with that stuff and it is expensive... Then, a color of plain ol' white paint- prefect!

Before and after

 The is raw carboard, with a little paint on the right. I probably should have put some matte medium on it, but I liked the raw feel.

However, you can see how the green Sharpie marker bled on the cardboard...

Before and After

 I really disliked the right hand border of rose fabric. I liked the idea- but not the end result! The background paper is vintage wallpaper, which made it possible for me to use an exacto knife and carefully cut through the fabric and cut if off. Voila!

My shirt in this photo did not match the overall color scheme. So, I sprayed the photo with matte fixative, and then painted over it. That, and my arm is missing... so I painted a pretend one! The butterflies are cut our of wallpaper. I would LOVE a butterfly punch this size- so let me know if you have one or know of one!

Enjoy.

Grace Under Fire

I took care of a wonderful lady yesterday, Mrs. P. She is 72, sick, with a broken bone. She came to us from a sister facility to have a PICC line inserted. This is a special IV that lasts for weeks and is good for long term antibiotics, etc.

It's also good for patients who are "hard sticks." If you're a nurse, you know what I mean. If you're a patient like this, you know who you are.

According to her, before coming to us she'd been stuck 30 times. 30! With an IV needle.

Her voice cracked when she told me the story. She swallowed over and over, trying not to cry. I felt like crying for her. My heart broke a little with each detail she gave.

"I try not to complain" she said. "Usually I don't say anything, but it hurt." Then she quoted the policy of most institutions- "And I know," she said, "You are only allowed to stick 2 times on each side." Why so many sticks- I don't know, I really don't, but it's not something I would do.

Picture it. Your grandmother, being brave, because she knows she needs the IV. Over and over. Thirty sticks.

Normally this makes me mad. Nurses are patient advocates, and it is our JOB to protect you and be your voice when you are hospitalized. This time, beside wanting to cry and having to step away for a minute, I marvelled at how brave and strong she was! This woman was one. tough. cookie.

During the procedure, I spoke with her. I rubbed her shoulder. I brushed her hair back from her face. I whispered in her ear. I asked about her "old duffer" of 55 years, her family, her pets. I tried to take her mind off of things. In the end, we were successful. It tooks was a long procedure. She was a trooper.

When we moved her to the stretcher, she thanked us. She was teary-eyed, tired, hungry. She said "I love you girls." In that moment, she loved us for the care we gave her. For the attention, for the thoughfulness, and for the comfort.  I loved her spirit and fortitude. I loved her big heart. I loved her grace.

Thank you Mrs. P, for another life lesson. It's an honor to know you.

Hugs, Lee

Destashing- Check out my eBay stuff and help a girl out!

Oh MY!! I am a packrat! I have stuff I forgot I even had...

Like some of you out there, I'm sure, I have found that my artistic interests have changed over time- but the stash just grows larger!! I've listed some stuff on eBay. Go bid if you're interested, and if you win, let me know and I'll pack you more goodies to go along with the item!!

Woman's Portrait Stamp

 Stampin' Up! Simple Seasons

 Stampin' Up- All Around Alphabet

 Stampin' Up!- Elegant Beginnings

Stampin' Up!- Take Shape

 Hearts and Circles

 K&Company Designer Expressions

LOT of 3 scrapbook guides

Thanks for looking!!

It's Official

The house is on the market. After lots of blood, sweat and tears- and some awesome help from my sister, mom, and husband- the house is now on Realtor.com! We're still waiting for the sign for the lawn.

The last week of June, my mom and sister came up. We had one bedroom that was in really rough shape that I didn't have the energy to do. So, hubby patched the plaster, Christine put up textured wallpaper, and I painted. Then we moved furniture. All in all, we knocked it out in about 2 days! Talk about exhausting!

BEFORE

AFTER

My family left Sunday, and Chris and I cleaned for two days. Like baseboards, windowsills etc. nitty gritty cleaning, due to the fact the photographer was coming on Tuesday. Of course I went overboard, I mean, it's not like you'll see dust in the photos, but part of me felt like it had to be all DONE. The photographer spent about 2 hours here, and the listing went live yesterday.

The new bathroom

There are a few errors in the listing, and I'm sure we can get that straightened out. I'm not overly exctied about the description- are more details better? Or is there a method to saying less? There were also duplicate photos listed, which is a pet peeve of mine. But, the ball is rolling...

Our bedroom

this is a small bedroom off our room, which we have turned into a dressing room.

So, please say a prayer for the house to sell quickly! I'd like toget down to Pa. before school starts.

Hugs, Lee

UPDATE- we booked our first showing after just one day on the market, and not even a sign out yet. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come!!