Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Saturday Morning Sunrise...


I had to share this beautiful sunrise with all of you. Enjoy!

(Taken 2-21-09)

Bathroom Remodel...Surprise! Surprise!


I pulled the tacky wood paneling off the wall tonight to reveal several large(quarter size) holes in the wall. Along with some smaller holes, too. We knew the paneling would be covering "something". We were warned of that a few weeks ago when we asked John's dad. Looks like the house originally had tile, pink and green paint on the walls at some point in its life. Gee...what would give that away??? LOL! We won't be putting tile back on the walls. We don't have the time for that. We'll be using another product. You'll have to wait to see the final result later!
Just wanted to reveal what our itty, bitty, teeny, weeny, bathroom looks like. At least part of it. The sink and cupboard will go and will be replaced with a pedestal.

Friday, February 20, 2009

I feel like Heloise...

In the last hour I have successfully completed the following tasks:

1. Put antibiotic ointment on Rizzo's tootsie. He has a cracked/cut foot pad and he's limping
(oh, my poor baby) :(

2. Made a concoction of honey and sugar as a facial scrub while I showered.

3. Did a vinegar rinse for my hair to make it silky and shiny.

4. Put glycerin and lavender oil on my hands to make them soft and supple(Remember it's still
winter in Michigan).

What a week...

Well, since John is finally back to work I am able to do some different stuff now. If you remember my original post about the bathroom paint looking like toothpaste, then you know I wasn't too happy.

So, I went back to the local hardware store to look at more paint colors. This was on Monday. I took my bathroom rug with me so it would help me compare green colors. The lady that was working the paint area suggested a "green" called Moss Grey. I was very sceptical, but I went through with it anyway. She assured me she could make a color correction if I didn't like it. So, I brought it home and tried it on the wall. YUCK! It was way too dark. It really wasn't a bad color, but that's not the color I was going for in the bathroom. John didn't like it either.

On Wednesday I went back up there to see if I could pick a green out without anyone helping me(sometimes I don't want help). I had a specific color in mind!!!! I took a t-shirt with me because it was about the color that I wanted and had them do a color analysis. It didn't work too well. It came out too grey again. Luckily they didn't charge me for that gallon of paint. I finally picked out a color that will work. It's called "Touch of Spring". It's the minty/pistachio color I was hoping for. I think it will brighten up the bathroom just enough without making it look too tacky. We will have white bead board for the bottom half and this color will be on the top half. With a new toilet(which we desperately need) and a new sink I think it will really make the bathroom look nice. Did I mention the toilet looks kind of art deco?? Here's a picture. This wasn't our first choice for a toilet, but we have VERY limited space and had to go with this one. I like it though. I want to paint a few of the ridges on the tank red so I will have red stripes like the vintage Fiesta, LOL (just kidding). It's a Sterling brand(owned by Kohler) and it's called "Riverton".



Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Fiesta Crafts...

I started working on a bird house made from a vintage turquoise water pitcher that will hang in the back bushes of the house. Boy, it was hard to get the drill bit started to drill the hole. Once I got the hole started, it wasn't that hard to drill, though.
John wasn't here to help me. I wanted to do it all by myself. I did get a few holes drilled, but the battery finally died....Darn! I want to get it made before it gets too warm, because all the little birds will be looking for places to make their nests. I have two other bird houses in the bushes...a terracotta one and one made out of an old gas can(a friend made that for me). John had to let that one air out a bit before we put it out for the birds. I've had it out for about 3 yrs now and every year we have a pair of sparrows make a nest. It hangs right outside my bedroom window, so it's nice to see them in the morning. I'm certain a pair of birds will make their nest in the water pitcher, so it will be exciting to watch them make their nest. We usually put some yarn strings and dryer vent fuzzies out for the birds. They like it when making their nests. The Robbins especially like the yarn strings. It's neat to look up in the nest and see the pieces of yarn I put out for them. Put some out for your birds, too!

Monday, February 16, 2009

P-A-R-T-Y...

After being off for 4 weeks, John FINALLY went back to work today. YEY, for me!!!!! Don't get me wrong, I loved having him home, but I found myself not being able to do the stuff I normally do when he's gone to work. Oh and I also had a hard time figuring out what to have for lunch and dinner. Normally, I only have to make lunch and that's it. It just took more planning, I guess!

Yesterday, I made a whole Turkey Breast for dinner. Yummy! It tasted excellent. I wanted to make a nice meal, but it didn't happen. Oh well...I made a nice meal today with the left over turkey and now John has plenty of turkey for his sandwiches this week. At about 10 o'clock tonight I decided I should probably make a meatloaf for tomorrow. I like to cook ahead as much as possible. It's alot easier for our schedule if I cook at night. Anyway, I made two small meat loaves(about a pound each). They will be perfect to reheat tomorrow. Look at me now...I'm Little Miss Suzy Homemaker!!! NOT!

We got the bedroom window done..did I mention this before? The curtains arrived today and I'm so happy. They look very nice. Although, I haven't put them up yet. John will help me this week. I need a tall person to help!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day...


I hope everyone had a wonderful V-Day. We didn't do squat today :( Unless of course, you call detailing a Honda Minibike a date! LOL

John is getting rid of a few motorcycles to someone, so we wanted to get them spiffed up before their journey to another home. I, for one, can't wait to wave goodbye to them!

I did manage to finish the bedroom window. It looks great! I can't believe how nice it looks. The new curtains should be here any day and hopefully after the other household projects(I.E. Kitchen and Bathroom), we can start to paint the bedroom.

We went to pick up our new pedestal sink for the bathroom the other day. The guy brought it out and it had scratches on the top and it wasn't even the right faucet configuration. UGH! I was NOT happy. So, we will have to wait another 10 days or so for a new one to come. The paint we got for the bathroom is NOT exactly the color I was hoping for. I painted a swatch on the wall to see what it looks like and it looks like I smeared a tube of wintergreen toothpaste on the wall. I was trying to go for more of a subdued green or a pistachio color??? I think??? Well, it won't be happening with this color. John thinks it's fine, but it's going back to the paint store for more modifications. LOL

I would love, love, love to have new tile floors and a new bathtub, but that won't happen this year. This is kind of a mini-makeover for the bathroom. Plus, this summer we will have to replace the window in the bathroom so we didn't want to get too crazy with the shower area. The window sits directly in the shower. That kind of sucks, too! Oh well, we can't do anything about it so we are making do with what we have.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Weather...

It's going to be a totally crappy weather day. We are under a Dense Fog Advisory, Flood Watch, and a Wind Advisory. Good news is that the Dense Fog shouldn't last too much longer. The warm air is mixing with the last of the snow on the ground and it's suppose to get colder tomorrow. We could get around an inch of rain today. That doesn't seem like alot, but when you still have frozen ground, the rain can't go anywhere except up. That's where the Flood Watch comes into effect. We're pretty much safe here...no major rivers or creeks around, but some of the bigger rivers are going to be full. There is also a chance for Thunderstorms today with wind gusts of 50 mph. Not anything severe, thank goodness. I feel bad for those individuals in Oklahoma that had the tornados.

Spring is almost here even if it's still February. I can feel it!!! We'll have our own thunderstorms then....

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Spring is in the air...

Wow, what a beautiful day here. It was around 58° this afternoon and sunny skies. It felt so good to be outside. John and I had to do some running around today. We had my last follow-up appointment for my ankle at 10 a.m. That went well. Everything seems to be returning back to normal. We then ran by Menards to look at what they had for bathroom accessories. We didn't buy anything except some caulk and a bottle of H2O. We then went to another city to go to Lowe's. They had what we were looking for. YEY!! Our next mission was to JcPenney. We needed some new curtains for our bedroom. John finally finished trimming around the new bedroom window, so we can finally add curtains!

We didn't sleep good last night so it has been a very long day for us. We did manage to stop at one of the antique malls on the way home. Saw some things, but didn't buy anything. I did get some beauties at an auction last week. I will try to get some pics up soon.

P.S. I got new glasses yesterday, too! I can see again! :)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Lore and Legends...

I was reading my subscription to Martha Stewart Living and read this cute little ditty.

Clear moon, frost soon.
Halo around the moon, rain soon.

No killing frost will arrive
after the Martin comes to stay.

Leaves of three, let them be.*

Plant your seeds in a row.
One for the pheasant, one for the crow.
One to rot and one to grow.

When swallows fly low, rain is on the way.**

If you see the underside
of the leaves in the gentle breeze,
It will rain before you sneeze.

*This maxim holds true across the country; it applies to poison ivy and poison oak.

**This old saying has some scientific basis: When the air pressure falls rapidly, many airborne insects descend toward the ground, hotly persued by swallows and swifts eager to consume them.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

43 Odd Things About Me

1. Do you like bleu cheese? No

2. Have you ever smoked? Never

3. Do you own a gun? Yes, a .22 and a BB gun.

4. What flavour of Kool-Aid was your favorite? Cherry

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes...extremely!

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I just ate one last night. Does that answer your question?

7. Favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th St.

8. Favorite thing to drink in the morning? Coffee

9. Can you do push ups? Yes

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My Wedding Rings

11. Favorite hobby? Antiquing, traveling

12. Do you have A.D.D.? No

13. What's one trait you dislike about yourself? I can be somewhat impatient

14. Middle name? Jo

15. Name 3 thoughts at this moment: I wonder when John will be back in from outside so we can go uptown, the dog is driving me crazy, and I need to get an anniversary card for mom and dad.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Coffee, Water, Cranberry Juice

17. Current worry? Getting the kitchen and bathroom done

18. Current dislike right now? THE TOILET! I told you I am impatient!

19. Favorite place to be? At home or shopping for household stuff

20. How did you bring in the new year? At home by myself. John got called into work because of the storm we had.

21. Where would you like to go? Somewhere warm

22. Name three people who might complete this? Kelly or Papa...all the rest have completed it already!

23. Do you own slippers? YES, I wear them 24-7 at home.

24. What shirt are you wearing? A pink sweatshirt

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No

26. Can you whistle? Yes, I'm quite good too!

27. Favorite color? Red or Titty Pink! LOL

28. Would you be a pirate? No, I would be horrible at it! I don't look convincing enough to take over an oil tanker! LOL

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Lately, it's been odd songs like, Down Under by Men at Work(don't ask me why) or whatever I last heard on the radio.

30. Favorite Girl's Name: Alexis or Elizabeth

31. Favorite boy's name: Michael

32. What's in your pocket right now? I don't have pockets in my sweatpants

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Reading Craig and Val's blog on 43 Odd things about me.

34. What vehicle do you drive? Do I really have to get into this again..LOL! I did drive a VW Jetta Wagon until John hit a deer with it in October and decided to fix it himself. (It's still sitting in the shed because it's too cold to work on it). Hopefully when it warms up he will finish it. So now I'm driving the 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee which I absolutely hate. I can't wait to get a new car soon. Did I mention I was impatient??

35. What is the worst injury you have had? Torn ligaments in my ankle and surgery for it. Snowmobile accident when I was around 10 yrs old and breaking my bottom tooth half off. I was wearing a helmet though!

36. Do you love where you live? Sometimes

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2

38. Who is your loudest friend? Rizzo

39. Does someone have a crush on you? Well, I would hope that John still has a crush on me!

40. Your favorite book(s): To Kill a Mockingbird

41. Do you collect anything? HLC dishes, my town's ephemera

42. Favorite Sports Team? I don't really have one! I'm not going to say the Lions, because they suck!

43. What songs do you want played at your funeral? I don't want to even think about that.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Keeping HLC in Business...

About a month ago, my SIL called to let me know that she was switching over to Fiesta. She got rid of her plain white Chinese-made dishes and finally went with something American made. Plus, Macy's was having a great sale the day she was there.

Well, she just called tonight and said she was shopping for more Fiesta(I taught her well). She went to the HLC website to pick out more stuff. I shopped with her..by phone of course. 15 minutes later, she bought about $700 dollars worth of dishes. Yes, you read it right...$700! As an added bonus for being her shopping partner, she bought me a few items too. Including an oval platter and large disk pitcher in Chocolate, and a 2 cup teapot in Ivory.

I have to get a few things for her now. Some items in Chartreuse(since it's retired), rectangle/square baking dishes, bread trays, sauce boat, and some HLC orange tree bowls(she saw mine and loved them).

It's people like us that keep HLC in business. They're gonna love her when they see that order!!



 

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