Yum Yum Yellow!

I've always wanted adirondack chairs but they are SO expensive around here.  There is a Yard and Garden around the corner that has them in all these yummy colors but they are $600 EACH.  I'm sorry, that is as crazy as a sprayed roach.

When cruising the Home Depot a couple of weeks ago I spied these beauties.  They were kinda boring.  Anyone can have white chairs.  I don't want white chairs.  No sirree Bob! I wanted Yum Yum Yellow.  I want people to KNOW my chairs are yellow.

 And this was the price.  SCORE!!!!

So what's a girl to do?  Spray paint baby!  I used Krylon Fusion for plastic in Sunbeam.  It worked like a charm.  Covered great, dried fast, insto-presto Yum Yum Yellow chairs.  I had the little white table sitting in a box in the garage.  I got it at Lowe's last fall on clearance for $5.  (Can't beat that price with a stick.)  The pillows are Karma Living that I got from Joss & Main last time they had them on sale.  I love the crewel embroidery work on them and I certainly wouldn't do all that work for what they cost.  I love them in the chairs.  The bird house was made by a church in Pascagoula, MS from items salvaged from the church after Hurricane Katrina.  Sorry my coffee is in there.  I was sitting in the chairs when I decided to take some pictures.  This is the morning when they are in direct sun, but after about three in the afternoon they are in total shade and so pleasant to sit in and watch the world go by.

Someone should warn LB that there is a bunny stalking him.  The bunny is named Bob after my Daddy.  It's a long story I'll have to tell you one day.  I recently got Bob at an auction.  Isn't he fabu?

I hope you love my chairs as much as I do.  Spray paint is magic I tell you!

Have you transformed anything with paint recently?

(I wasn't compensated by any company mentioned in this post.  I just like their stuff.)

LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!

SNM

 

And So a New Day Begins

There aren't going to be pretty pictures or fun projects in this post.  It's not that kind of post.  It's a gritty real from the heart kind of post.

Last Monday morning around 4:30 a.m. LB had to take me to the hospital. I was having horrible pain in my upper left back.  I honestly thought it was a heart attack.  It had to be a heart attack to hurt that bad I thought.  Well they talked and poked and decided to do a CT to make certain I didn't have an aortic tear or a pulmonary blood clot.  The good news was I had neither of those but my gallbladder was large and it appeared to have fluid around it.  They then did an ultrasound that confirmed the gallbladder was inflamed and full of stones.  Do not pass go, do not collect $100, go straight to the surgical floor you're having an operation.  We waited all day to see the surgeon and I wasn't allowed anything to drink or eat.  I was about to get hostile in a big way.

The surgeon Dr. P. came by around 6.  Told us what the plan was and what to expect.  The original plan was a little pushed back because they had noticed something on the CT and wanted to do a mammogram before surgery.  For those who don't know I had uterine cancer in the spring of 2007 so I was a little worried at this point.

So Tuesday morning we did the mammogram and that afternoon they removed the offending gallbladder. Nelson told me I looked better after I arrived from recovery than I did when they took me.  I honestly felt 100% better after surgery.  That gallbladder pain is like nothing I have ever experienced and hope to never again.

Wednesday morning Dr. P. came in during rounds and said they needed to ultrasound the spot they saw on CT and possibly biopsy it.  I asked if he thought I should be worried and he honestly answered me.  I knew then IT was back.  I didn't need further test I KNEW.  But you always have to be sure so I went to ultrasound and they did want to biopsy it.  At this point I'm sporting 5 new holes in my body.  Not looking so good.  They did let me go home after that.

LB was heading to war college orientation in PA that night so I pretty much downplayed everything so he would go.  I wanted him to go and not worry and do what he needed to do.  I knew in my heart we would have things to worry about in the future.

Nelson, MAS and MomMcD all came to help out my first couple of days home.  Feeding me whatever I wanted.  It was great.  Then Friday afternoon I received the call.  I knew the call was coming.  I wanted to avoid it.  I knew it wouldn't go away.

Dr. P. was calling to tell me my pathology report was back and it wasn't what we wanted it to be.  It's in my body again.  Two weeks short of my 5 years clean.  Back again to try and break me.

CANCER SUCKS!


It's in my right breast this time.  Stage 1 Grade 2 cancer.  CANCER!!!  Oh, how I hate that word.  I wanted to scream and throw things.  But that's not the way I handle serious stuff.  Instead I sat in silence and contemplated.  Then I told Nelson.  You never want to tell your mother you have cancer.  The second time you tell her you want to throw up.  I'm her only child.  Reason 1001 why cancer sucks.

I then told MAS because she was with me the first time and I'm going to need her the second time.

I waited to tell anyone else because I needed to tell LB and he was so far away.  I decided I would wait until he got home tonight to tell him.  No need for him to be upset and so far away.  It would not change a thing.  I let him greet the dogs so they would settle down and I told him for the second time that I have cancer.  It wasn't the homecoming I wanted him to have.

I've told a couple of other close friends and family now.  It doesn't get any easier.  Not at all.

But this is what I will say here.

I WILL NOT DIE FROM THIS CANCER.

I WILL KICK THIS CANCER'S ASS!

I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST CANCER FREE!

I am not cancer, I have cancer.  I am SNM and I will not let Cancer become who I am.

Tuesday we start the rounds with the DR's to find out where we go from here.  I'm sure I'll share more as time goes on.  If I'm not around a lot please understand.  If you believe in a higher power and prayer please keep me in your prayers.

CANCER SUCKS!!!!!!


LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!
SNM

Still Looking for the Beauty in the Beast

So here is where we are on turning the beast into the beauty.  There was a lot of damage to the wood over the years and LB figured out a way to fix it.  I'll give you more details after we get a little further along.

This stuff sands beautifully and says it will hold nails once dry.  Guess my staples will give it a chance to show if it will.

Here is the backside almost sanded and ready to go.

Sorry this is the boring part of the work but it has to be done.  Moving right along!

LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!

SNM

Found Treasure

I was sitting on the deck yesterday watching the small beastie running around the yard and started really looking around at nature.  It's a really amazing thing nature is.

I first noticed this interesting item in the grass.  We don't actually have any trees in the backyard.  They are on the other side of the fence.  I figure a gust of wind must have blown this into the yard.  I can't believe the two big beasties didn't grind it into dust with their gargantuan paws.

Then I looked around some more and found this little treasure caught in a clump of grass okay weed.

Then sitting on a chair was more treasure.

And on the deck near me even more treasure.

I've never noticed anything like this in our yard before in the 7 years we have lived here.  I think it all was fascinating.  I gathered it all up and I'm keeping it for some something I'll make in the future.  I wonder if treasures like this have been in the yard before and I didn't take the time to be quiet and see them? 

 "Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Maybe it was a message.  I'm glad I was listening.

What found treasure have you found sitting right under your nose recently?

LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!

SNM

Mr. and Mrs. Bug Eater Visit

These are two of our dearest friends.  LB and Mr. Bugeater have been friends more years than we say out loud.   I loved Mrs. Bugeater as soon as we met.  It was a good thing, since Mr. Bugeater told her he would break up with her just seconds before she met me for the first time if I didn't like her.  They are the bugeaters because he is the lowest in rank in our group.  It's actually a joke with us not something serious.  He rejoined the military in his 40's and LB was the one to swear him in.  We are all up in each others lives.  They were going to the NCO convention last night because one of his soldiers was getting NCO of the year so I took some pics.  We don't dress up all that often and get pictures.  Next week is the officers convention so hopefully I'll have pictures of all of us looking all spiffy.

I love this picture because Mr. Bugeater is actually smiling.  No telling what I said to get a picture of him smiling but I'm glad I did.

Mr. and Mrs. Bugeater are family by choice not blood.  I couldn't love them any more if we did have the same blood running in our veins.  

Sadly they left after the party last night and took my children with them.  I'll have to introduce you to the children sometime.  They weren't up for pictures today.  I think they run when they see me coming with the camera which admittedly is all the time.

I have to get back to the Nekkid chair.  What are you doing today?  Something fun I hope!

LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!

SNM

And the Suffering Continues...

Apparently the hives weren't the only results of my little allergic reaction the other night.  After I took the Benadryl to stop the hives I was knocked out.  That children's Benadryl packs quite a punch.  I was late for work the next morning.  The office called at 8:15 when they hadn't heard from me and I was still weaving around like a drunk when I got out of bed.  It didn't wear off until almost noon.  That stuff should come with a warning!

Then my hands started peeling.  I mean peeling like a lizard peels.  BAD, bad peeling.  I've put Bag Balm on them a gajillion times a day and still peeling.  I've trimmed the skin off as it peels and they are still a wreck as you can see.  This is how they look now that it's almost stopped.

LB went to Lowe's for me today and returned home with these.  Wasn't that sweet?  Guess he doesn't like the amazing lizard wife.  He even got pink, my favorite color.  Who knew they had work gloves in pink?  (Don't tell LB but they really helped with the work I did today.)

So here are the tools all assembled now that I have my gloves all ready to protect my hands.  Those small tacks in the pictures came out of the chair.  LB inspected them and thinks they are original to the piece.  Hard to believe these are 120 or so year old tacks.  I guess they did make things to last back in the day.

After working all day I had this lovely pile.  This is the second round and the cleaning fairy already cleaned up the first pile.  I swear I don't know why old chairs have so many staples.  It really doesn't take that many to hold fabric.

That's my big helper's feet next to all the trash from today's work.  It's not easy to work around a 100 pound Chesapeake but I got it done.

And here she is all nekkid.  That's the original burlap around the bottom.  I'm going to leave it.  It was good enough for the last 100 years so let's hope it'll be good enough for the next.  I'm also going to re-use the original cotton batting and horse hair.  It's really clean, and let's face it, I certainly couldn't replace those items with anything better.  Horsehair is considered the finest you can still buy.  I am going to cover it with a layer of cotton quilt batting so it's all contained.

We are a little concerned with the edges around the chair where the arrow is pointing.  It looks this way in several places.  It apparently has been recovered several times in it's long life and the wood around the edge is really showing the damage.  It seems those old tacks were really hard on the wood in old chairs.  Unlike modern tacks the old ones actually split the wood when they entered it.  You can really tell in the edges.  LB is going to help me reinforce the really bad areas.  He and BugEater discussed it tonight and I think he has a plan.  I hope so...  Need something to put all those new staples in.

So what fun things are you up to this weekend?

LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!

SNM

Willing to suffer for beauty...

This is one of my recent auction finds.  I have only seen three of these ever and with this one I now own two of three.  My first looks just like it did the day I got it.  It was in MUCH better shape and cost a lot more.  I thought it was a great deal for $125.  I only got this one because it was so pretty cheap I couldn't leave it behind.  It is a unique piece for $35.  Even though the Annie Sloan chalk paint is in the picture I don't plan to paint this piece.  The wood is the only thing in good shape.

 Here's another view where you can see the fabulous carving on the sides.  As you can see the fabric has seen many better days.

 Here it is tonight when I quit.  I got everything off the back and started here on the sides and the front.  Why in the world do old chairs have so many staples???  I swear I've already bled to the chair gods and pulled out a million and I have at least a million more to go.

I stopped tonight because of what's going on in the next picture.  I guess the fine fuzz on the chair is actually cat hair.  Holy crap Batman!  I'm seriously allergic to cats.  I realized after leaning on it I was getting hives all over.  They started on my arms near my elbows.  That's what this is a picture of.  They now cover my arms.  Yippy!   I went and took a shower and lots of Benadryl.  Tomorrow when I work on it I'll be wearing long sleeves for certain.

I will continue.  A girl has to suffer for beauty.  Or so I keep telling myself so I don't scratch.  I REALLY WANT TO SCRATCH!!!  Please let me scratch my arm, my leg, SOMEWHERE.

The following is the fabric I'm going to use.  It's by Premier Fabrics which is made right here in good ole Mississippi.  I really like doing business with local companies.  They have a store right around the corner from the house which puts WAY too much fabulous fabric dangerously close to the house.  I had picked out other fabric that was a cool France print with French writing and the Tour de Eiffel.  It's out of stock and they didn't know when it will be back in stock and I was impatient.  So I decided to go with this.  I know it's ultra modern but I like the juxtaposition of a victorian chair with ultra modern fabric.  Let's hope it looks like I want.  I'm using the Greek Key on the back, the grey for the welting and the zig zag everywhere else.  I think it's going to be groovy.

So have you ever suffered to complete a project?  I may actually take a little Benadryl before I start tomorrow.  My skin will thank me.

LOVE, LOVE, KISS, KISS!

SNM