This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom. She looks so awesomely happy here and this is how I want to think of her. She is one tough lady and she's putting up a good fight. I just told her that it's "okay", that Bob and I would be okay and that we loved her. She spoke her first words to me since we have been here in Peoria, she said "I know, I know". Told her she was a great mom and that she needed to go do what she needs to do.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
My Mom
This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom. She looks so awesomely happy here and this is how I want to think of her. She is one tough lady and she's putting up a good fight. I just told her that it's "okay", that Bob and I would be okay and that we loved her. She spoke her first words to me since we have been here in Peoria, she said "I know, I know". Told her she was a great mom and that she needed to go do what she needs to do.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
SERIOUSLY?
So, when I first moved in, I put out a mail box with the handwritten address of 1830, just in case. I don't receive mail at the Church, everything goes to the parish house. Shortly, after I put up the mailbox, my postal carrier "informed" me that my address was not 1830 but instead 1828. I wasn't the least bit concerned as I do not get mail at the Church and I think she's wrong, so who cares. I left the mailbox up and never gave it another thought. A few months ago, I noticed "someone" took a marker and scribbled out the "30" of the "1830". Oh whateva!.....again I ask, who cares.
WELL, two days ago I was leaving the Church to go to work when I noticed that "SOMEONE" took a black marker AND WROTE 1828 ON THE FLIPPIN' WOOD DOOR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously?
I really still cannot believe it. Now, mind you...the door definitely needs to be refinished, so in the big scheme of things...what's the harm? BUT SERIOUSLY? WHO WRITES ON SOMEONE'S DOOR WITH A MARKER? Now, it's not that I'm mad, I certainly am not mad but what gets me is the principle of the act itself. PLUS, I just think she's WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! AND she NEVER, EVER delivers mail to either 1830 OR 1828, so why does she even care?????
Then, I started thinking....there's people out there,
lots of them...
I know quite a few, in fact...
that simply MUST have things just the precise way that they believe they should be. There is just no other way. She must be one of "those" people and I guess her business is addresses, a business she must take very seriously, so perhaps every day she passes that Church door with the "WRONG" address on it, it must drive her
A B S O L U T E L Y C R A Z Y!
Like the door must be calling out to her every day, except Sundays....
"YOU WHO!!!!!! LOOK AT ME, I'M WEARING THE WRONG ADDRESS ON MY DOOR! HA HA HA HA!!!!! TAKE THAT SILLY POSTAL LADY....WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT????"
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Here's a thought at 3:30am...
"Take surprise in each sunrise and comfort in each moon.
Move often, carrying your Home with you.
Climb mountains. Stroll beaches. Drive cars on busy streets
and sail bicycles
down
big
hills.
Love among the Hate, when love is what you truly feel.
Suck strength from your anger, and then let it go.
Scream at the ocean.
Run when the sign says walk.
Question authority and accept Change.
Fill your soul instead of your pockets.
Have lunch on busy sidewalks.
Dance alone in your kitchen.
Talk to everyone you meet, including the soldiers in your head.
Watch closely. Read something. Listen hard.
Smile in every mirror. Grow with each tear.
With a heart and a brain, loneliness is unacceptable.
HAVE FUN! without maps or directions.
Cherish Happiness. Buy it if you have to, but always give it away freely.
Wear short skirts and long dresses.
Wave at the uniformed and the unsavory.
Keep them guessing, and praying and hoping and laughing.
Struggle. Fight, Try, Reach, Build, Learn,
Crawl, Invent, Rally, Fall, Get up again.
And if the heavens should happen to open,
offering transportation to even the smallest of dreams,
Ride the nearest cloud."
I think that's what Mother said, as she floated by in white.
An interesting collection of words I think. Some things to consider. But perhaps, no more thinking tonight, as I have to get up in 3 hours for work.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Living/Dining Room...mostly Dining Room
Here we have the "Sunday School" set up that is now the site of my dining room.
We promptly removed the awkard "mini wall" that is in front of the lecturn. Down came the suspended ceiling and we even removed the arch. Now, personally I like arches. It's much more my style of architecture, but I opted for columns to keep the lines clean. This mish mash mutt of a house really didn't have much of a "period style", that is why I decided to just start from scratch.Here you can see the "transoms" I designed between the kitchen and living room. I didn't feel the arch would flow well with this look. Plus the dining room ceiling was a foot lower than the living room so I decided to use that to play with the design of the columns. As I began to consider the columns, I wondered if I should have given them more "shape". Once they were ready for paint I struggled with how to do them, what color for example. I found this idea in a decorative painting technique book. It was called Faux Venetian Plaster, the process was fun and I loved the look but it just wasn't coming together for me. Something just wasn't clicking. So I walked away from it, as I learned long ago...eventually, the perfect solution would come to me. I was looking through a magazine at work, yeah...because I do that, and I found this picture. There it was...The AH HA moment, the BIG CLICK! This is what the columns need to look like. Of course, I was completely dumbfounded as to how I would make this happen but a fellow rehabber said it would be easy. (For him maybe!) Regardless, I know I can get this done, afterall, I know people.
Allow me to introduce you to my Dining Room. Dining Room...Reader. Reader...Dining Room. Picture this ...a large round table, comfy chairs, good food, good drinks and good company. I know this will be my favorite room, I love how the windows surround you.The ceiling had some issues with taping during the drywall process. So I faux painted it to help disguise the obvious lines. I have some touch up to do but overall I was pleased with the result.
The paint color is Behr's Sahara Shade, it is a vibrant color but with the dark walnut floors and white trim it should be amazing. The unfinished pine flooring is down in this room now and is just waiting to be stained. But first, I need to get the kitchen done so I can get all the kitchen cabinets out of the living room.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Office
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
"Pets" and Projects
This is the only artistic project I have made time for since moving into the Church. I needed a gift for my Book Club's Christmas party. Being somewhat broke, I grabbed a chair out of the basement and painted it. I put a quote on it that said "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house. -Henry Ward Beecher"
It turned out pretty nice, Christine has it at her summer home and still tells me she loves it. I can't wait to be able to "repurpose" the rest of the "junk" in the Church basement.