Tales of a Golf Gal

I'm addicted to Home Goods

2012-01-20T09:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's find... this Drexel Hertitage chest from their Shelter and Shore Collection in antique white. Once I opened the drawer and saw the name plaque on the inside I knew I had to have it. It's good quality finished real wood furniture at a steal of a price!

I put it in my Keeping Room. I love it and I loooove HG!

2 days at the Ritz followed by 2 nights in the hospital

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's never dull around my house. I like to be always doing something, but somethings you just don't plan for. We got home from the Ritz at Lake Oconee on Thursday evening. Friday I had made plans but had to cancel them when I started suffering from intense stomach pain. I ended up throwing up and feeling better, but then that only added to my "acid esophagus" I still have from the chest radiation. Saturday I went shopping with Alex for a bit, but never quite felt like eating anything, so by dinnertime I was hungry. I made chicken and dumplings and it was sooo good. Sunday morning we had pancakes, no coffee though, and by mid morning I was in pain again. Bad #10 pain. It lasted all day with no reprieve, so by the evening I emailed my Oncologist to ask what to do. The chemo drug I had taken for the past month can cause severe stomach pain so I thought it could be a side effect. He said to be safe and head to the hospital for a scan. So off we went... checked in, drank the contrast, had a CT scan, got the results: partial small bowel obstruction from adhesion's. Adhesion's is a side effect of the abdominal radiation I had in August to September. They had already started me on IV fluids and now wanted to admit me to stay on the IV and see if that would relieve the blockage without having to do surgery. I stayed there, on IV fluids for ~ 36 hours, adding a liquid only diet the 2nd day. I wasn't in pain anymore and it seemed to be working. Thank goodness! I did not want to go through another abdominal surgery! I'm being a good patient and eating only soft foods and liquids for this whole next week. I want to make sure it doesn't happen again. Cancer has so many negative effects on your body, little by little the treatments wear you down. I'm still feeling the effects of my recent chest radiation and have heartburn daily. I'm just not feeling good right now. But I will! I need to build myself back up! Protein drinks are my new best friend. Working my way back to health.

two winter days at the Ritz Lake Oconee

2012-01-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

We arrived home from Florida on Monday, and on Tuesday afternoon I was on my way to the Ritz Carlton Lake Oconee with Drew for a business trip. I was tagging along for a little R&R. The weather was mild and a little rainy, but still couldn't take away from the beauty of this place.

the cozy fireplace on a winter's night

We had dinner the first night in the dining room and were the only ones there. Our own very private dining room! The food was scrumptious. I had Sole with fingerling potatoes and peaches, and it was perfect!

The next morning started out rainy, so after my room service breakfast of blueberry pancakes, yummmmy! I decided to take the car out and see the area. I hadn't been out to the lake in a long tome. The few shops that are still in business were having some great sales, I got a cute top for 50% off and 2 pairs of designer shoes for 75% off!

Drew and I hit a local restaurant for dinner that night, The Silver Moon. When we're out at the lake we tend to stay home and cook since it's a long drive to any restaurant. The place we frequent the most is Gaby's at the Ritz because we can go by boat. When we got back from the SM, we walked the grounds and roasted a few marshmallows by the fire outside. They have everything right there to make s'mores.

The next morning was a beautiful day so after breakfast, I walked around and took some pics.

Chiminea dinner for two, 3 course meal only $125 pp!

The view from our room

It was a great two day break for a bit of rest and reading, and eating their delicious food. I'm so glad I tagged along!

a busy first two weeks in January

2012-01-17T16:09:00.002-05:00

The day after Christmas, we all bundled up for a walk to the tennis courts to watch the guys play. There were 4 dogs on our walk, they enjoyed getting out of the house too!

Nathan was the only adventurous one to ride in the wagon. He seems to be a bit more of a "daredevil" than Carter, who refused to ride. Nathan likes to swing too as Carter does not!

The spectators

All of our company left the next day so Drew and I relaxed for the next few days

until New Years Eve. In truth, we crashed after a very demanding Christmas holiday!
We managed to get up some energy and had a night out on the town at the Club to ring in 2012!

Then it was on to Winter Park Florida with the entire family for Nathan's Christening. We were there from January 6 until the 9th with beautiful 70 degree plus weather!

Nathan also tuned 8 months old that weekend

Lunching out in Winter Park

The handmade Christening outfit I made for Nathan. It was white pique with button trim and buttons down the back and fit him perfectly!

Ready for Church!

"you want me to have water put on my head and parade around the church?!"

Nathan did wonderfully and was a little charmer.

God Bless you Nathan!

the blessed Morgan family

Kelly and Lincoln are Nathan's Godparents

the Hamilton, Morgan and Nathan families

the Hamiltons

our beautiful girls! We are so proud of all three of them!

and that's been our very busy first 2 weeks of January,
the next just as busy week to follow...

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Look what Santa brought!

Beef tenderloin stuffed with spinach, red pepper and goat cheese

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

We serve beef tenderloin every year for Christmas dinner. I've made it stuffed different ways, with mustard and peppercorns and wrapped in bacon, but this year we tried a different stuffing. With my nephew Steve as my assistant chef, we sauteed several tablespoons of chopped "jarlic" in olive oil, added a chopped red pepper and ~ 6 chopped green onions, then seasoned with sea salt and pepper. Then we added a bag of fresh spinach, a little at a time. When wilted we removed it from the heat. I butterflied the meat, a 7.5 lb beef tenderloin, and spread 4 oz of goat cheese on each side, then we covered the lower side with the spinach mixture and tied the beef together with kitchen twine. I preheated the oven to 425 degrees and roasted the beef for 45 minutes. We took it out and let it set for another 15 minutes uncovered, and it came out medium rare and perfect!
Here's a link to a similar recipe with a few more ingredients Beef Tenderloin Stuffed with Peppers, Spinach, and Goat Cheese.
We also had a wonderful wilted spinach salad, fresh grilled asparagus and twice baked potatoes. Thinking about it makes me hungry!

You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wilted-Spinach-Salad-with-Warm-Apple-Cider-and-Bacon-Dressing-10731?mbid=ipapp

Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Apple Cider and Bacon Dressing
5 slices of lean bacon, chopped fine
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1/2 cup finely chopped apple
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups unpasteurized apple cider
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound fresh spinach, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and spun dry

In a large skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning it, until it is crisp, transfer it to paper towels to drain, and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. In the fat remaining in the skillet cook the shallot and the apple over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute, add the vinegar, the cider, and salt and pepper to taste, and boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Whisk in the mustard, the oil, and salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl toss the spinach with the warm dressing until it is just wilted and sprinkle the salad with the bacon.

It complimented the beef and was delicious!!!

'twas the night before Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T15:56:00.003-05:00

my favorite photos from this Christmas Eve's celebration...

playing with "Bobis" the train

Nathan's first Christmas!

Carter and Nathan all dressed up in their Christmas best!

Cooking the traditional Christmas Eve Shrimp and Pesto pasta

posing for family pics

playing and reading before bed

lights and bows

and gifts as tall as you can reach!

It was so wonderful to all be together! We went to 5:00 Church services at JCUMC. As I looked down the row, I felt such pride for my beautiful family. The boys were so well behaved in Church, Carter even took a little nap. We came home and cooked a delicious meal and exchanged a few gifts before heading off to bed. Next post... Christmas day!

cards from Christmas's past

2011-12-15T23:15:00.004-05:00

2009

photos taken at my niece's Halloween wedding

2010

photos taken on the beach in Hilton Head

an alternative version of 2010 that I didn't order

2011

This is the version I didn't send out,
I chose one that was a bit more simple, but I love this one too!

You'll be getting our 2011 card any day now in the mail...

Day 1 of chemo... wham!

2011-12-12T08:41:00.001-05:00

Wow, didn't know a drug could work so fast. I took my first dose of Temodar last night before bed at 10:30 and by 2:00 was up sick. Now I know, so tonight I'll take the anti nausea med first and hopefully fight off the nausea and sickness. It's making for a rather yucky morning. I think I'll be off coffee until this drug is all done with. One of my indulgences I'll have to do without. Oh, and no wine either. Besides not needing or wanting the acid taste, you're supposed to stay away from alcohol. It will be easy. Somehow you lose your appetite and taste for the things that are bad for you. So I had a bottle of "Ensure Immune Health" instead this morning, creamy milk chocolate shake, yum!
Today will be day 3 of radiation to the chest. There's an X on my chest, right above my cleavage (or lack there of) and slightly to the right side where they are targeting. So far so good. Everyday at 10:30am I'll be there.
I'm hoping to run one last bit of Christmas errands today afterward. I think this may turn out to be a long week with the start of chemo... so I better get it done!

I admit it... I tweak

2011-12-05T23:51:00.003-05:00

At times I'm just not 100% satisfied with something I've done, and if so... I have to tweak it. I think I inherited this trait from my Father. It's a bit like being a perfectionist, which can sometimes drive you crazy, but... back to Christmas. I changed out the green snowflakes on the wreath for white, because really, are snowflakes green? I also moved the white trees to inside of the green ones, more balanced and more pleasing to my eye.

I made more bows and added them to the banister.

The banister lit up. I love these metal snowflakes!

I found the purple hydrangeas and stuck them in the tree,
I knew we had more than just 2! I'm done tweaking now and content with my work!
Bring on the holiday company!

And the best for last! We have the Playmobil train from when the girls were little. I ran-sacked our storage unit until I found it, and tonight we set it up around the tree.

Choo choo... the Christmas Express is now ready for grandbabies to come visit!

all decked out!

2011-12-04T23:48:00.006-05:00

I wanted a change this year for my mantle... I found the 2 shabby chic iron trees and stands at Home Goods early in the season, and that became my inspiration. I found the "Believe" blocks at Target and the green and red ribbon at Hobby Lobby. It all came together and I love it!

It's good to believe!

Here's my new ribbon on a boxwood wreath on the upper railing.

Moving outside to my Flexible Flyer from when I was a young girl and used to sleigh ride, an antique for sure! It's part of our front porch decoration.

The porch at night

the front lights

the keeping room banister strung with snowflake lights

This year we added a new stocking to our family collection... one for little Nathan Morgan. A light blue snowman stocking, perfect for my sweet grandson!

His parents both have snowman stockings too!

My talented Mother-in-law started the girls off with these handmade needle-worked stockings when they were each born.

Kelly and Kristin's are embroidered crewel and Alex's is counted cross stitch.

We added needlepoint to the mix when the guys joined the family.

My Beyer Caroler collection

Our white porcelain Nativity that my Mother gave us when we were first married.

My hand painted ceramic tree that my college roommate made for me, thanks Pat! We still put it out every year!

so... the house is all decked out! Complete with skinny tree and 9 stockings!

to see the skinny tree tweaked with a few more hydrangeas look here

I Admit It... I Tweak!

oh, and our special handmade Santa Claus's

The house is festive and ready for company. Merry Christmas to all! It's been a busy weekend and now it's time to say good night...

Linking to The Inspired Room Christmas Home Tours

the decorating has begun!

2011-12-02T23:47:00.012-05:00

My, my our family is growing, we almost take up the entire mantle!
We added Nathan's stocking this year.
I bought him a needlepoint snowman themed stocking to keep in the tradition of his Mom and Dad's stockings... a whole family of snowmen!

Here's our "skinny tree" again. We've decided to decorate it with unbreakable items this year since Carter is 21 months old and loves to throw balls, glass ornaments count as balls, so we're taking precautions and leaving those off.

The rest of the house is in complete disarray at the moment. I'm hoping to finish up tomorrow and get some semblance of normalcy back around here!

golfgal

looking back to a year ago...

2011-11-29T10:11:00.002-05:00

I was curious about my blog posts from last year at this time. I wanted to see what I was up to then since I've been so bad about keeping up with blogging lately. Here's my November 30th post "My Christmas wish". My wish is the same for this year... "to be cancer free and healthy". I've been sick with a sore throat, head cold and cough for the past week so I am really looking forward to feeling healthy and good again! My last few illnesses have hit me hard. I feel like I have no immune system to fight even a common cold. And, I'm still fighting that same cancer. On Wednesday I go to the Thoracic Surgeon, Thursday the Radiologist and Friday the Oncologist to discuss my latest treatment options since finding out about 3 new lung nodules and growing lymph nodes. All too similar to the past two Christmas seasons, my holiday preparations are overshadowed by my health. My year has been overshadowed by my health.
But starting today I'm pulling out the decorations and getting started on this holiday! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Inner Artwork

2011-11-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

This is my Oncologist's interpretation of my recent CT Scan. Unfortunately it's not good news, not at all what I wanted to see. My most recent surgery was back in June, they removed the tumor from my abdomen and radiated that area for 6 weeks, that area is clean. Nothing going on, Hooray! Worth the recovery and side effects for this good news.
My chest and lungs are very busy though. The two larger criss-crossed circles measuring 2+ cm are lymph nodes. Increased in size from 3 months ago, probably because they are fighting off the disease that has decided to reside in my lungs. I have 3 nodules, measuring from 2mm to 11mm. With all this activity, comes a decision of what to do this time? I've had VATS twice, a year apart, to get out 1 nodule at a time. I'm not opposed to VATS again, if.... my surgeon thinks he can get all this out and clean me up. My Oncologist is thinking chemo. I'm not opposed to that either, I just want to make sure we use the most efficient drug. The problem with fighting Sarcoma is the chemo's have not been that well researched. Some chemo's they know do not work, so why bother? Others work for other "similar" cancers so maybe it could work for Sarcoma. Then there are clinical trials going on with drugs that are hopeful to work.
This is another time in my treatment of confusion... making me feel unstable and vulnerable. My Oncologist is talking to all my other Docs to get there opinions. I would like to see my Thoracic Surgeon this week to see what he can do.

A third holiday season coming upon us, or I should say "my third" worrying about cancer and lung nodules. Kinda takes the spirit out of it all a bit.

a new design plan

2011-10-09T10:27:00.003-04:00

If it all gets approved and comes together, GradGirl will be moving to a new place.

Here's the living room space...

We'll have some painting to do, a few minor fix-ups, and a few new light fixtures to install, but we love a good project! The fun part will be changing up her living room. She's buying a new sofa, instead of using our 33 year old sofa from our first home back in the day. It's this one below, from Macy's, but in a darker shade of gray. Very chic don't you think?!

And to add to the grouping... she'll have 2 of these chairs but with a slightly different arm and a pillow back

A wall unit like this would be great to display her aqua glass collection!

We were thinking it would all look great with an exposed brick wall on one side...

The brick wall is hopeful, maybe later as a future project.

We're waiting for final condo approval from the bank and for the repair items on the inspection list to be completed. But... the fun part is to plan the decorating!

We love that part.

got all the red out just in time for the holidays! How's that for timing?!

2011-10-04T10:10:00.004-04:00

Sometimes projects get put on the "back burner". I know you all know what I mean! We finished renovating our kitchen last March, and in doing so changed the colors in the keeping room. My sofa went from red to green, the corner chair and ottoman went from red to blue. I've had fabric all this time to redo the chairs in the breakfast nook and my desk chair. So... six months or so later I finally got around to doing them!

Here's the keeping room decked out for fall

I got to play with a gun for this project.

An ordinary electric staple gun is no match for an air compressor!

Using it was just like on the DIY shows... all that power and simplicity!

I decided not to go with the Ralph Lauren floral fabric I had purchased for the dining chairs, but had enough Annie Selke in two different patterns to do 2 chairs in each.
I'm really not a "floral" kind of gal.

Makes it more fun and modern don't you think?!

Here they are all together, with our Scrabble game on the table of course!

I did the desk chair in a blue and green bee pattern that ties in great with all the fabrics.

So, just in time for the winter holidays when we typically decorate in reds and greens,
this part of my house is all blues and green.
I'll just have to change my holiday decor up a bit too!

why am I crying when I should be celebrating?

2011-09-29T00:07:00.001-04:00

Crying... is it a stress relief? You've put in your time, suffered the harsh side effects, hoping they will fade away and eventually you can get back to normal. Or, is it the fear returning that although you're done with this part of the battle, you really don't know the outcome. Did you win? You don't know if you've beaten the enemy or he's just hiding and biding his time before showing up again.... months or years down the road. The worry is still there.
It feels like a recuperation is in order... a restful trip, a time away to rebuild my body and soul. Give me strength emotionally and physically, make me happy and whole.
I pray this for all my comrades fighting cancer, for all the people I met at radiation, and for all the friends I know that are battling a lingering disease. Find your strength. Find the little things that bring you joy. It's okay to cry... it releases yourself to be able to rebuild.

it's been too long...

2011-09-27T12:18:00.000-04:00

three weeks have come and gone since my last post. So what have I been up to? I've had radiation treatment everyday at 4:00. I've been "radiation sick" as my Onc calls it, just tired and nauseous all the time, mixed with bouts of upset digestive tract. As of today though... I only have 4 days left! I'll be so glad when it's over and my body can heal and I can begin to feel better and eat normally again.
I told myself that through the treatment , I would do as much as I could as long as I could, so it hasn't slowed me down too much. I've played a little golf and tennis, lunched w/ the Gal Pals, met with a friend to advise her on her wedding plans, showed property to my youngest daughter as her Real Estate agent, babysat Carter and visited with baby Nathan just this past week. I love my grandboys! Their little smiles light up my life!

music class with Carter and Nathan

just being the cutest baby ever! love his sweet smile

playing at the park

our new yard guy

We had so much fun visiting with Kristin and Nathan

and babysitting Carter while his parents were in Vegas.

what's been going on...

2011-09-05T23:00:00.004-04:00

After the first 2 days of radiation, I flew to Orlando for the weekend to visit K&R and little Nathan. I've been able to see him every month so far and wanted to go if even for just a short visit. I got to see the house they'll be moving to, eat out at some great restaurants, and play with Nathan for 2 days.

A quick visit because I had to be back on Monday for treatment.

Fall tennis has started up again and I played for the first time since my surgery in June. It all came back to me and I felt great but it was only 1 hour of practice, we'll see how my stamina is in a match!

I've also played golf with the Gal Pals 3 times and once with Drew. It was so much fun to be back out there again. I'm a bit rusty and not as strong as I had been. It takes a few more stokes to get down the fairway, but I'll get back to where I was shooting eventually.

Kelly and I are finally working on her master bedroom re-do (her birthday gift from March!). We painted the top of the wall Glidden "Navy blue" and wallpapered the lower 2/3's with beadboard wallpaper from Lowe's. It's been quite awhile since I've wallpapered, but it came out great! Today we cut the chair-rail trim for between the 2 sections. We still have to paint the wallpaper "trim white" and nail up the chair-rail and then we're ready to accessorize the room!
We started the Labor Day weekend out at the Lake house, but came back early on Sunday afternoon because the rains from Tropical storm Lee were on the way. We packed a lot into the short time we were there. We went out on the boat and Carter swam in the lake with us and even went tubing on our old Big Bertha with Kelly. We blew bubbles all weekend and just played and had fun. Auntie Alex held out giving Carter pretzels until he said her name, guess what? he did!

Tomorrow it's back to my daily schedule of going to treatment every afternoon. 12 down 19 more to go. I've felt a few side effects... I have a low grade nausea that comes and goes, and I've had to watch what I eat so I don't have to take too many Immodium. I really have to do better with that. I learned that pizza is a big NO, and salads are not good either, or any vegetables for that matter, while on radiation! Tomorrow I start my bland only diet!

I feel like I still have a good amount of energy, but they keep telling me that will dwindle. I'm just trying to get as much done as I can before that hits me.

So tomorrow... we work on the bedroom again! I can't wait to show you the finished room.

cousin love

2011-08-27T14:31:00.005-04:00

These two little guys, my grandsons, were born 14 months apart. You can see that Carter loves his baby cousin! In a year or two they will be running around together, best buds for sure!

staring at the ceiling...

2011-08-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

I started my Radiation treatment today. I went in for "staging" last week and earlier this week, so today they were ready to add the beam. Once the machine started, I became a bit anxious laying on the flat table, my legs securely held in their form-fit foam mold, my hands above my head holding onto two pegs. The head of the machine rotates around your body, giving off what sounds like a horn noise when the beam is shot. You think about lying perfectly still, breathing evenly so the beam is "shooting" only it's intended target and nothing else. I realized after awhile that their is someone in control back there, like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, who could stop the beam if I freaked out and moved. To take away the anxiety and keep myself calm I sang hymns in my head as I stared at the cross on the ceiling. Seems they had to cut a cross out of the ceiling tile directly above to let these two red beams shine through. I think they're for lining-up purposes. But it's a perfect cross, and a symbol to me that I should pray. So I sang hymns, prayed and chanted "kill cancer" for the however many minutes the machine moved around my perfectly still body. You can't feel anything, but I imagine the cancer cells inside of me are getting whacked off, dissolved by the fog-horn zap of the beam. Let's hope so.

93rd PGA Championship in my home town!

2011-08-15T16:15:00.001-04:00

The Atlanta Athletic Club borders my neighborhood on our "Nature Trail" path and is ~ 1.8 miles away by car. We had our choice of days to go, but we were very lucky to get corporate tickets to go to the tournament on Thursday. We had "Presidents Club" passes that got us free parking across the street, entrance into the Clubhouse to mingle among the players, and admittance to the Pro Shop for free buffet lunch and open bar. Not to mention the best perks of all Air Conditioning and the Clubhouse rest rooms!

We got there ~ 8:15 am and walked the course a bit, and then settled in for awhile on the Par 3 4th hole where there were grandstands in the shade. It was actually nice in the shade with a welcome breeze, despite the 90 degree temps. After a few threesomes played through, Keegan Bradley hit his drive only to land in the sand bunker next to the green. It was what you call a "fried egg" and a tough lie. I was a bit surprised though when he choose to hit the ball out backwards toward the fairway and away from the green. The lie and the water on the other side must have been quite intimidating! Who knew on that first day of play that he would end up to be the tournament Champion!

We headed out to the Lakehouse later that afternoon and watched the rest of the 3 days of coverage on television. We had an enjoyable weekend with Alex and her pup Greyson, eating, boating, swimming and watching golf.

Watching the golf tournament renewed my desire to play! I am 8 weeks post surgery today and starting radiation on Wednesday. I signed up to play GalPal golf this Wednesday morning and Friday too! I haven't played since June 4th. My plan is to try the driving range tomorrow morning to see how I feel swinging a club. I figured if I could walk 5 miles at the tournament I was ready to give it a try! Gotta get as much in before any possible symptoms from the radiation kick in.

Oh... and here are the new shoes I bought back in the Spring that I haven't worn yet.

I may just have to break those babies in!

Golf course... here I come!

true confessions of a cancer patient

2011-08-09T08:50:00.002-04:00

I didn't think of myself as a "patient" until recently. I thought I was a survivor, hoping I was done with the worst of it. But then in June, the recurrence came and took me by surprise. I really have to say, I never once thought "cancer" when I went to the Emergency Room with symptoms. Naive maybe?
So, I had my second abdominal cancer surgery. This one was tougher to heal from, probably because of the vertical incision and also because they took out 8" of my colon. I'm 7 weeks post-op today and still feel the tenderness of the incision, and the effects on my bladder and bowel. For the most part I feel good, but I haven't really done anything too physical yet. It's been a hot, hot, hot summer and not conducive to getting outside and exercising. The most I've done is walked.
This time has been tougher emotionally too. My cancer is back, at the primary site, which means they didn't get it all. My doctors have told me that fighting this cancer will be a chronic problem. Sarcoma is a %#*! awful disease. Invasive and fast growing. I've done my research. I get all my reports and CT scans and pathology reports to keep, and I've read all of it. It's difficult to read that the pathologist has written "this patient has a poor prognosis" or the surgeon writing " This patient is at a high risk for a recurrence".
So when the doctors started talking radiation, I knew I didn't have a choice but to do it. I admitted that I haven't been afraid of any of my surgeries, I've gone into them with confidence, but this is different. I'm scared. I went for my treatment staging today. The nurse was going over a few things and wanted me to sign some paperwork. She read it over with me... the possible short term and long term side effects... I couldn't sign it. I lost it and started tearing up... she said she'd have the Doctor come in and go over things again with me. I admit, I was a bit embarrassed, but my Radiation Oncologist has such a good "bedside manner" that he explained it all and calmed me down, and I signed the paperwork.
After that I met with the CT Tech who set me up on the table and built a hard foam cushion for my legs so that I would be in the same exact position every time. He tattooed my hips and abdomen with 3 small dots so they could align the beam to be the same every time also. (It didn't really hurt, the tattoo needle, if I weren't already so marked with scars, I may think about getting one. Not really!) Next week, we'll have a run through before they hit me with the actual beam. There's a lot of calculations and measuring that will go on between now and then.
I'll go every weekday for the next 6 weeks, the same time each day, for a 7-12 minute blast. I'll take an anti-nausea med before each treatment, since that's a common side effect. The hope is to rid my pelvis of any remaining cancer cells, and never have to have another surgery down there.
Hoping and praying this works.

should children be guests at a wedding?

2011-07-31T23:51:00.007-04:00

When they are this cute and well behaved... I say Yes! We went to a family friend's wedding this past weekend and there must have been 7 children under the age of 7 in attendance. I never heard one peep out of any of them during the ceremony. And then at the reception, they made it all that much more fun!

Here is my grandson Carter and I walking over to the gift table. Doesn't he look dapper in his seersucker suit?!

new best buds

the little flower girl was too shy to perform her duties so C thought he'd give it a go

Makes you wonder what's in that cup...

my three beautiful girls and handsome Carter

my married daughters and their families

all the gals and little Nathan. He was so good he slept almost the entire time

posing with Hattie and Poppy

giving my little man a squish!

It was such a great weekend with all my kids and grandbabies together! We had so much fun hanging out all weekend and then also at the wedding itself. All the children at the wedding were so well behaved and fun to be with... and cute to boot! I was saying good bye to one little girl who was 3 and a half, and she asked me for a hug... what's more precious and heartwarming that that?!

how to host a wine tasting

2011-07-24T22:31:00.007-04:00

Have everyone bring a bottle from their home state. Wrap the bottles in brown paper bags and number them to remain secret. We had 14 different wines from... New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Cape Cod Ma., Rhode Island, South Carolina and Georgia.

It was a family reunion "hoedown wine tasting throw-down" to find the home state winner.

We rated the wines on color, aroma, taste and finish.

It was serious business as you can see!

Some aromas were better than others!

We tasted and tallied until we came up with the winners...

Pennsylvania came in first, New Jersey came in second, and New York came in third.
(if I'm remembering correctly?!)
Looks like the north beat the south once again!
My wine from Georgia came in 6th out of 14, not too bad for never having tasted it before!

We had a great time and we're so glad we could make the trip.
I got to see cousins I haven't seen in years. Thanks to my brother and sil for hosting us all!
Family fun is the best fun of all!

Patio reveal

2011-07-13T11:58:00.002-04:00

The weather here in ATL has been so.stinkin'.hot. you sweat doing nothing. But determined and feeling better, I managed to get outside early one morning and wash my slate patio. I used a product called Eco-Wash from HD. With a bit of scrubbing and rinsing, it took the mildew off and didn't harm the surrounding grass or plants.
Hooray it's finally clean!

Remember my reversible outdoor rugs? Well, I had to try out both sides with my current cushions just to see,
so I'll ask you to vote again on your favorite side up. I can't decide!

Unfortunately, it's way too hot to enjoy sitting out there right now. Maybe September?! I hope so!

Reversible... so which side up?

2011-07-07T20:29:00.003-04:00

My outdoor rugs from Overstock.com came today! I ordered two 5x7's to go on my patio since that was the largest they had. But... I've not washed the slate yet, so I'm not really ready to put them out there. I think they are going to be great though, as they are woven of soft plastic and feel comfy and yet very water friendly to stand up to the weather.

They are totally reversible... so which side do I face up? Navy or White?

Here are the rugs with the chair cushions I already own. The chaise cushion is a solid spa blue/green that's in the stripe too. I figure the navy and white rugs will be very versatile and I can change up the cushions and put red with it for a nautical look or even yellow for a crisp look.

The navy is dark but I think outside in the sunshine it will lighten up a bit.

I want to get out there and scrub that patio! But I have to be patient... I'm still healing, still very sore in fact. I tried cutting back on the pain pills today but my pain told me it's too soon. At least it's almost the weekend and I can get some help from my sweet hubby!

So tell me.... what side up?

my recovery buddy...

2011-07-03T08:07:00.000-04:00

...our seven week old grandson Nathan. When my daughter heard I had to have surgery, she was here asap. Although I haven't been able to hold the sweet little bub, it's been great having them here for the week keeping me company. A baby is always a great distraction! All my girls have been very attentive and I greatly appreciate it. xoxo
I went to the doctors twice this week, first to get my staples out (ouch) and second to get the pathology report. It came back that this was a metastasis of my original cancer 4 years ago. The same that's hit my right lung twice already. They took out 2 lymph nodes that also had the cancer. We'll be going for a consultation to Dana Farber, to talk about radiation. While the surgeon was in there he marked where the beam should go. Worth a go I think, to hopefully rid it from my body for good. Praying for that.

designing my outdoor room

2011-07-01T21:44:00.003-04:00

We have a patio out the back door... it's an okay space, a decent size with a good view...
but it could be so much more.

I've always wanted the coziness of an "outdoor room".

Hangin' out recovering all week has left me with lots of time to browse the blog world and shop online. I've recently been inspired by Centsational Girl's Patio Cabana post.

For our space, we are thinking to add a pergola type roof or maybe even a completely covered roof over the patio. Even though we currently have an awning, I really want to install a fan or two for comfort, so a more sturdy roof is in order. The pergola we can do ourselves, the roof would be a hire out project and cost more, so I'm leaning DIY.

This is the inspiration piece to start my outdoor room design, an environmentally friendly rug to anchor my space. It's made out of recycled plastic bottles... what could stand up to the elements more than that?!

I've already got cushions for the chairs and the chaise that will coordinate with this rug. I ordered it today from O.com. So now while I wait for it to arrive... the first chore is to clean the slate patio and seal it.

so many titles for this post...

2011-06-27T09:26:00.001-04:00

It's me cancer, I'm back! How your life can change in an instant. 1 week post surgery. Never trust cancer...
all of these work, but especially the last one. I was supposed to be "clean", so said my April scan. But the cancer was most likely there, masquerading as a part of my colon. I didn't feel symptoms until it became large enough. I'd say 1/2 a grapefruit pushing between my vagina and colon would do it.
I went to the emergency room last Friday with symptoms, and after a CT scan, they admitted me. I stayed the weekend on pain meds, drinking bowel prep and eating nothing. Nothing. After 3 days of eating light anyway. Monday morning they wheeled me into surgery. My daughter recounts me saying "keep your fingers crossed", and the nurse responding with "that will only cramp your fingers, praying works much better". I have to agree! Six hours later they wheeled me out. Minus one 10 x 6 cm tumor, 2 lymph nodes and a shorter colon, but no bag needed, thank you Lord and Dr. J both.
I am so grateful for my exemplary doctors and nurses. You are totally in their care. Half the time, at least the time under or coming out of anesthesia, you don't really have a clue whats going on. Ask my family about that. There's that crazy time when you're inbetween anesthesia and pain meds and not in the real world. I had some scary narcotic dreams then... so vivid and zany. I was almost afraid to go back to sleep for where I'd go.

As for the nurses, they are deserving of their own post, I've got a lot to recount about them.
And my family... my support system, my rock, my strength. Thank you. I love you all more than life itself. Thank you for being by my side through all of it. I went to the emergency room that Friday thinking I would have some sort of procedure and be out by late afternoon, so I didn't even tell anyone I went in. I knew when I called my husband I wouldn't be able to get the words out w/o tears. "I have a mass" I repeated since I'm quite sure my first high pitched attempt was inaudible. He was there with me w/in 30 minutes and has been by my side ever since. He is a wonderful caregiver, the best nurse you could ever ask for. I am so grateful to be surrounded by family love. All my daughters, my sils and my grandsons are here. That's why I heal so fast... it's the love from all of them, it's the best medicine! xoxo

from up to down in this crazy ride we call life

2011-06-20T11:22:00.004-04:00

I'm laying here in the hospital, waiting to go in for surgery this morning. It all started when I had symptoms that I thought were constipation turned blockage and was told to get to the emergency room. They ordered a CT scan. That was the big reveal.... no blockage, but a "mass", similar in size to my original sarcoma 4 years ago. Where did that come from??? In April I was clean , so in less than 2 months I grew a 10 cm x 6 cm tumor that's invading my pelvic space... It's coming out today.... I'll keep you posted

life off the golf course...

2011-06-16T15:30:00.003-04:00

because... a. it's been stinking hot here in the south, and b. because I've been traveling. Last week we headed up to Cape Cod to spend a few relaxing days with my BIL & SIL. The weather was lovely and cool, and felt soooo good. We left there for Boston for a memorial service for my SIL's mom who had passed away from Alzheimers. A beautiful ceremony with beautiful music, and a rainy day, but perfect for a funeral... the skies were crying for her also.
We left the northeast and headed south to Florida to visit with the new baby, while my husband was busy at a convention. All my daughters and both my grandsons in one visit! It was the best! The little one is growing and becoming more alert, and the toddler is everywhere, constantly on-the-go. He was great traveling though and slept both ways on the flight to and from Atlanta.
We're all back home now and it's been a quiet day for me. I've done some unpacking and I've been reading " Organized Simplicity" by Tsh Oxenreider. Following her advice that stuff takes up valuable space, I've taken everything out of every drawer and cabinet in my master bathroom... the little bottles of this and that, the freebie "bonuses", sorted through it all by what I use and what I never will. The sealed products will be donated and the rest tossed. I can't believe how much space I've created! Now, onto cleaning. What could be better when it's 90+ degrees outside? Okay... I can think of a few other things to do, but organizing makes me feel good!

Happy 5 years Kelly and Lincoln!

2011-06-02T00:08:00.001-04:00

I have wonderful memories of the entire week, with this beautiful day at the end, or should I say the beginning...Happy first 5 years of your wonderful life together!

click to see the slideshow of the big day

home improvements at the lake

2011-05-29T20:47:00.001-04:00

While I was away in Florida with the new baby and family, we had help with a few things around the lake house.
We had the yard graded, sodded and an irrigation system installed.

Voila... our new lawn!

We also had the house painted, "Summerhouse Beige" by Sherwin Williams with semi-gloss white trim.

And... the "dog park" got a new layer of mulch, which the pups are loving! Comfy enough for Sharkey to lay around and hang out, and keep an eye on the neighbor dog.

It's lookin' good at the lake house!

the "other grandboy"

2011-05-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

We're babysitting this weekend... not 14 month old Carter, not newborn Nathan, but Greyson... the "other grandboy", the min-pin chihuahua pup. He loves coming to our house, running around the space that is so much larger than his 1 bedroom condo, hiding his toys upstairs like he's doing right now.

Greyson and Carter waiting for the bath when we were all in HHI. Only Carter got to enjoy the warm bath btw.

Tomorrow we're headed to the lake so he can enjoy vacationing at the other house too. Maybe... we'll even take him out on the boat. I hear he's a great swimmer!

two weeks in May

2011-05-25T08:50:00.006-04:00

Since this blog is like a diary or journal for me, I wanted to account for the past 16 days, so I can remember all that went on...

We got the call that my daughter's water had broken at ~ 1:30am Sunday morning, May 8. It was Mother's day. We had had a dinner party with friends that Saturday night and I had just gone to bed at 12:30. We, my daughter Kelly and I, thought about getting in the car and driving down to Florida when we got the call, but I knew we would already be too late, and I was very tired and needed sleep. We packed to go that Sunday morning and Drew and I, Lincoln, Kelly and Carter, made the 7 hour drive and got to the hospital at 6 pm for visiting hours. Auntie Alex stayed behind for work and also took care of my 3 pups, thank you Alex! We got to see the new baby and my daughter and sil that Sunday evening. Little Nathan was perfect and so small at 6 lbs 11 ounces. We stayed for a while and then we headed back to their house to spend the night. We all stayed in Orlando and visited with them until Tuesday and then the others left to drive back to Atlanta and I stayed to help the new family out. Since this was an emergency C-section, they weren't completely prepared with everything they had wanted to do before the baby came home. So I vacuumed and cleaned, did laundry and changed sheets, went food shopping, and got the house ready for the baby's homecoming.

Wednesday through Saturday morning... I cooked and cleaned up, helped with the baby, and tried to stay out of their way enough for them to also have some private time. Thursday was my birthday and we had a special visit from Tricia and Greg, all the way from Puerto Rico, for a yummy pizza dinner. So good to see them! They may just have caught a bit of "baby fever" while they were here.

Saturday morning I hopped in the car and headed over to Vero Beach... as our original plan was to fly into Vero, spend the weekend there at the Vero Beach Hotel and drive to Orlando on Monday for the baby's scheduled arrival. My flight plans had changed, but my husband still flew in as planned and we had a wonderful weekend at the beach, celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary. We drove back to Orlando together on Monday morning, Drew flew back to work on Tuesday morning at o'dark thirty, and I stayed.

Tuesday through Friday I was back to food shopping and cooking, cleaning up the dishes, helping with the baby and taking him for the morning shift so my daughter could get a couple more hours of sleep. My sil came home Monday evening from work, all excited about putting the house on the market so they could move to a bigger house. That was all the inspiration I needed to help them "stage" the house. I rearranged furniture, built shelves, cleared the clutter, and put the house in show ready shape.

By Friday we all needed a bit of relaxation so we got out of the house and went to Winter Park for a nice outdoor lunch. It was May 20th, my daughter's 30th birthday and my 33rd anniversary! After lunch, we food shopped for a special birthday dinner meal, and cooked up a storm when we got back home. Beef tenderloin on the grill, Crab Cakes with remoulade sauce, Boursin cheese scalloped potatoes, grilled asparagus and zucchini and triple chocolate cake with whipped cream icing for dessert, yum! Dinner was shared with friends of theirs, Lindsay, Mike and baby Parker, 2 months older than Nathan. The day wore Krisitin out and off to bed she went. Saturday everyone slept late and we had a lazy day. I ran a few errands and bought some more food to cook some dishes to freeze and leave behind, Tortellini soup and Chicken tetrazini. Sunday, we all got out of the house, went to the park to take family pictures and then had Ryan's Mom and Brother over for dinner. That night I took care of the baby from 9 pm until 12:40, in between feedings, so they could get some sleep.

Monday I flew back home to Atlanta. It was a long time to be gone, 16 days, but I loved being there with the new baby and I was happy to help them out. My daughter and I said a tearful goodbye at the airport, but I know I'll be back soon and often.

I'm home after 2 weeks with the new grandbaby

2011-05-23T17:38:00.000-04:00

It was such a special visit! I'm so glad I could be there to help my daughter settle in from her C-section delivery. She is doing great! It's heartwarming to see her with her new son. I loved being there for the first 2 weeks of his life, and I'm grateful to be able to experience it all with her and her husband.

Of course I have to share a few more photos with you... isn't he the cutest thing?!

the proud parents

my beautiful oldest daughter

it looks like we found him on this park bench, doesn't it?

so sweet

30 candles

2011-05-20T23:05:00.001-04:00

The new dining room location

A delicious dinner of barbecued beef tenderloin, crab cakes with remoulade sauce, boursin cheese scalloped potatoes, grilled asparagus and zucchini

followed by triple chocolate cake with whipped cream icing and strawberries

30 candles and birthday wishes come true!

Happy Birthday Kris, hope it was as special as you are!

our attempt at professional photography...

2011-05-19T09:14:00.001-04:00

...with a newborn as the subject. My new grandbaby is so sweet, both sleeping and awake. My daughter is deciding whether to hire a professional photographer to capture this special time. She and I both have good cameras and a 50mm lens, so yesterday we tried our own "professional" shoot. He's 10 days old, here are the results:

We had him naked for these photos. We switched to the brown blanket for a few shots to change it up a bit . It was just in time for him to pee on it. The photo shoot ended with bath time for Baby and a bit of laundry!

my first born and her first born

2011-05-14T08:00:00.002-04:00

just precious!

What could be a better Mother's Day gift...

2011-05-09T23:14:00.000-04:00

than a baby born that day to a first time mother! That's right, my new grandson decided he could not wait until his scheduled C-section delivery date of May 16. He arrived early in the morning on Mother's Day this past Sunday. What a surprise and a blessing! Momma, Daddy and baby are all doing quite well.

Grandson #2, Nathan Brooks Morgan is perfect! We're all in love...

Being born is exhausting!

Welcome to the family sweet baby boy!

our summer house

2011-05-04T08:00:00.002-04:00

I always wanted a "summer house". A simple house with a screen door that slams with a smack as you go in and out. The kind where life is casual, slow and relaxing. Where you can hang out at the water in your bathing suit all day long, snack on watermelon all afternoon and throw supper on the grill at night. Where you sit outside while the sun sets, watching the water glisten pink as the sun goes down.

Growing up on Long Island, my girlhood "summer house" was out east, at the beach. But as an adult, living in Georgia, my summer house is at Lake Oconee.

sunset view from the porch

the great room

my flea finds... the hand painted fish benches and dresser

the kitchen

gutted the original and installed new cabinets, appliances and the red oak floor

loft and hall to laundry room and bath
all the beadboard and trim was stained dark, slooowly, 4 coats later, we've been painting it all white

powder room
we changed out the sink, added beadboard and wallpaper

back door to lake
we added the pergo floor, another DIY

master bedroom
love this paint color!

2nd bedroom
beds for 4

downstairs bath
also a gut and redo

the deck

It's been a labor of love.
I don't think there's an inch we haven't touched with paint or elbow grease over the past 12 summers. Whoever originally painted that deck railing white, I'd like to have a word with them... yes it looks quaint and crisp, but the upkeep you can keep!

back to laboring... :-)

Clean at Last!

2011-04-29T10:10:00.002-04:00

After 4 long "roller-coaster" years of battling cancer, tracking and treating a sarcoma that had metastasized from my pelvis to my right lung, twice, my scan is Clean! I cried from relief this morning after getting the news.
Thank you all for your prayers, it worked! God is good!

hippity hoppity, my Easter terrarium

2011-04-18T15:42:00.005-04:00

Three moss filled glass canisters, some colored eggs,
a few small ceramic bunnies and a sprig of flowers,

voila...

my Easter terrarium.

linking to Wow us Wednesdays

third time's a charm?

2011-04-09T22:25:00.009-04:00

Redecorating has it's ups and downs sometimes... I just wasn't crazy about the stripe I used for this valence at the Lake House. After shopping til' I dropped, I had settled for the right colors in this stripe when what I really wanted was a geometric pattern. So... last week when coming across a geometric fabric in the right green that I did like, I bought it. This weekend, I actually cut the tabs off the curtain and changed out the stripe for the geo. I like it so much better!

And... I'm almost ashamed to say, we re-painted (for the 3rd time, yikes) the great room at the lake. The Calabash was a bit too limey for me afterall. So to sum it up, I went from Behr Dried Palm (too neon) to Martha Stewart Calabash (too limey) to Sherwin Williams Hearts of Palm (just right) I feel like the 3 bears. At least we only did 1 coat of each color! We.are.done.now. Who knew green could be so tough?! I wanted a change from the yellow it had been for 10 years and green seemed the next best choice to go with my furniture. Having finished late in the day, the jury is still out on the "love it" factor, but yes, that's it, the final green SW "Hearts of Palm", it is what it is.

It's hard to tell from the photos with the light changing, some of the pics makes it look too yellowish, but it really does go well with the fabrics in the room. I love all the fabrics! It's a warm cozy green and it brings the outdoors in...

well... okay, I guess I do love it!

I've never seen the sky so blue... have you?

2011-04-06T23:09:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful calm day after the storms passed through Tuesday night,

not a cloud in the sky.

The trees bursting in bloom...

which made them all very happy!

untouched photos showing the glorious blue skies over Lake Oconee today

easy decoupaged Easter Eggs

2011-04-05T23:35:00.005-04:00

I made these eggs last year from paper craft eggs and paper napkins

and have them on display now for Easter

I bought the paper eggs at Michaels, and first painted them white...

the next step is to cut out designs from some beautiful paper napkins,

and then...

lay the cutout on the egg and paint decoupage over them...

voila! so easy!

bea-u-ti-ful decorated eggs!

so easy and so pretty, you have to give it a try!

Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

tomorrow is my 4 year cancerversary

2011-04-02T09:30:00.002-04:00

I saw someone on Thursday that I haven't seen in a long while. She genuinely asked me how I was doing... Tomorrow, on April 3rd it will be four years since I found out I had cancer, the anniversary of my 1st cancer surgery, four years of living with Sarcoma. Thank you Lord for these four years. I feel lucky and blessed to be here and to be healthy. Four months ago on December 2nd, I had my 3rd surgery to rid my body of cancer. Since then I've been able to recover quickly and pretty much forget about it. I feel good. But an anniversary date always makes you reflect and remember. Last night I clicked on my sidebar, on the word Cancer, and read all the posts I've written about it. My blog is generally a feel good place for me, where I write about my crafts and sewing projects, home improvements, what I've been up to, golf outings, fun with friends, posts about my family, especially my grandson, so there really aren't that many about my cancer. I don't like to live with those thoughts, worrying about cancer. I like to forget about it and live my blessed life. I feel good so therefore I should be cancer free, right? I sure hope so! I don't feel any cancer inside of me, so maybe, just maybe it's not there anymore, please. April brings all the memories back. At the end of the month I'll have a scan to see what's going on in there. Every year since my original diagnosis we've had to "watch" something. I'm hoping and praying that this time there's nothing to watch, that my lungs are totally clean and cancer free, not even a teeny tiny little speck of a spot to watch.
And I can continue to live every day of my blessed life with all the joys that surround me.

ready to sew, my closet is complete

2011-03-31T09:10:00.001-04:00

Rainy weather calls for indoor projects, and I have plenty of them! I caulked and painted the desk we made for my sewing closet, and then put all my stuff away. Here's the space...

Yes, I have 2 sewing machines, the one on the desk top is my Brother embroidery sewing machine. I love it!

There's storage for my patterns, and all the little "stuff" that comes with a sewing machine.

This side is for trims, elastic, velcro, etc... and a couple empty bins for what comes along.

I added cork board (from Hobby Lobby) to the back wall to pin my patterns to. The seam where the two boards meet was staring back at me, so I decided to trim it out. Looking for a piece of trim, I found a yardstick so I chopped that to fit. Pretty and useful!

Here's the fabrics from my current project... the bumpers and another minky sheet.

All organized and ready to go! I love organization... don't you?!

baby boy board and batten (say that 3 times fast!)

2011-03-29T23:26:00.009-04:00

A nursery is such a fun room to decorate! With endless color and fabric possibilities...

how do you decide on a palette? Well, my daughter decided on bright yellow, gray and navy blue for her baby boy's room. She also wanted the walls to be board and batten. This was our first time doing that wall treatment and I have to say, the result looks great!

The first order was to choose a gray paint

We marked around the room with my trusty laser level (great for this)

and painted the top 1/3 of the walls Sabre Gray by Benjamin Moore,

and the bottom Brilliant White semi-gloss by Behr.

We primed all the boards with 2 coats, and painted them with one coat before putting them up. We started by applying the top 3 1/2 inch trim board using a nail gun. Next we measured around the room and added the 2" battens every 13" or so, because that's what came out evenly on the walls. We leveled each board to make sure they were straight. The last step was adding the 2 1/2 " top trim piece.

We caulked around the entire room and then painted all the boards one final time.

Then we got to "dress" the room and put the furniture in place.

Here's the baby bedding I made... stripe dust ruffle, gray minky sheet

and one bumper section (still finishing the bumpers)

This fabulous bookcase in the perfect shade of yellow was a shower gift from

my Golf Gal Pals, don't they have great taste!

Changing table dresser and navy blue rocker/recliner with a handmade lumbar pillow.

I couldn't decide so I made one side giraffe print and one side stripe. The yellow blanket was hand knit by Nathan's Great-Grammy.

And our last project of the weekend... cornice boxes for the two windows. I made the boxes out of 8" wide pine, having them come out 4" from the wall. I added batting around the entire thing and covered them in the gray graphic fabric that's on the outside of the bumpers. Simple and tailored for a boy!

So that's the baby boy board and batten bedroom!
All ready and waiting for my grandson due in May.

sharing at Wow us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

sewing room in a closet!

2011-03-27T21:48:00.011-04:00

I don't have a designated craft or sewing room. I usually set-up on the dining room table, but that's not the greatest for keeping the house neat and clean, especially since it's the first room off the front door.

Since my youngest daughter now lives in her own condo, I decided to turn her closet into my new sewing space.
I love the idea of leaving the machine set up and just closing the door on the mess.

Here's the empty closet with a new light installed above the doors

We had these cubes from something else (?) that were the perfect height.
We decided to use them as end supports. We added a board across the back,
one on each side and one across the front of the doors to support the table top.

Here it is, all level and perfect!

I still need to trim out the top with some 1/4 round and paint it all with semi-gloss white...

but, the sewing machine fits!

And here's the best part... the doors close on any mess I leave behind for the day... hooray!
The other best part... my dining room is perfectly neat and clean.

linking to:

DIY Showoff Project Parade

Metamorphosis Monday

Just Something I Whipped up
Centsational Girl linky party

it's never too early to start...

2011-03-25T23:28:00.004-04:00

Tennis is a big game in our family, everybody plays. Carter loves to play with balls and was having a tough time with his Momma's large tennis racquet, so today I bought him his very own kid sized racquet.

Still a bit oversized for a 1 year old, who's not quite walking yet, but he loves it just the same!

"okay Hattie... your serve"

Just wait until he can stand on his own.... T2 here comes Carter!

baby bumpers!

2011-03-17T22:00:00.002-04:00

This is a first for me! I bought the Nu-foam bumper foam from Joann's, with the 50% off coupon of course, and it comes with instructions. I added a small navy blue cording at the top for contrast. One end section is done, with one more and the two sides to go. I thought it turned out great and wanted to share it with you!

One side is the yellow giraffes and the other the gray graphic.

Which side do you think Baby Nathan wants to look at?

yellow and gray

2011-03-16T23:25:00.009-04:00

I'm taking a break from my own home projects to sew my new grandbaby's nursery bedding.
The colors are yellow and gray with navy blue as trim. Here are the fabrics:

This stripe is for the dust ruffle

This geometric will be on one side of the bumpers and...

this cute giraffe print on the other side.

The gray minky is for the sheet, so soft and cozy!

The dust ruffle is almost done... next I'll sew the the sheet.
In the meantime we'll be painting the nursery this weekend. So much to do!

sharing at Somewhat Simple

Big Reveal: a month of home improvements!

2011-03-09T20:11:00.020-05:00

Our month of renovations started with a bang, a chisel and a lot of dust!

We ripped up the original marble foyer tile...

and replaced it with granite and travertine limestone.

Our 21 year old white kitchen was replaced with...

stained cabinets and granite counter tops,

black appliances turned to stainless steel,

we added new knobs and handles,

and a porcelain tile back splash.

Our 9 year old red sofa got a face lift...

and turned a soft sage green.

Our faded red striped chair and ottoman...

was reupholstered to a bright blue stripe.

The "new" keeping room!

I've got fabric to re-do my red kitchen chairs and desk chair too.

The white spindles and carpet were removed...

oak treads were installed and stained...

and wrought iron balusters added.

My desk alcove became...

an empty space, and then...

our new wine bar!

We also had the entire downstairs painted

"Tobacco Leaf" by Martha Stewart.

There were days I had 4 crews working at the same time. It was crowded, chaotic and dusty. Five weeks of contractors and mess... and we're finally done!

I love everything and feel like I'm living in a new house!

So yes... it was worth it!

linking to:

Metamorphosis Monday

Amaze me Monday

SavvySouthernStyle

TheGirlCreative

and Remodelaholics Anonymous

A Baby Shower! the details...

2011-03-07T18:45:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday we showered my daughter and grandson #2 with love!

We made diaper cake centerpieces for the tables...

and also made a onesie and mitten flower pot!

It was a luncheon shower. The appetizer was a vegetable spring roll and a crabmeat wonton, yum! We served a Vietnamese lettuce roll for lunch that was as pretty as it was delicious. I'm so bummed I didn't get a shot of that too.

We served onesie cookies and scrumptious homemade cake balls for dessert. By the time I got my camera out, all the cake balls were gone.

The thank you favors were packaged in cello and yellow ribbon.

They were packages of 4 wine charms each that I made. I ordered the charms and rings online, and then added a few beads and assembled all 200 of them! Thankfully my sister and sis-in-law were here to help me package them up!

They were golf and tennis themed of course!

It was a lovely day that we all enjoyed. I enjoyed it all so much that I didn't take nearly as many photographs as I would have liked. Hopefully my daughters and friends will download theirs for me to add, so you can see all the fun!

Happy 27th Birthday Kelly and Happy 1st Birthday Carter

2011-03-05T00:00:00.004-05:00

A year ago...

It's been a wonderful year!

Carter's first birthday party is today! I'll post pictures after the big celebration.

I want to wish my daughter Kelly a very happy birthday... a day she'll forever now share with her son. Kel- we're celebrating you today too, and wish you a wonderful day and a year of all your dreams coming true! We love you xoxo

The house is ready for a busy weekend ahead!

2011-03-02T22:53:00.008-05:00

Company is coming tomorrow...

The new wine bar is stocked! I love how it turned out!!!

The stairs are finished.

My dishes, pots and pans and everything else is back in the new kitchen.

It's 99% done, but we're still waiting on the trim for the toe kick. It will be here on Tuesday, but a week too late for my house guests to see it all complete. Oh well...

I filled the empty wall with my blue and white plates.

It's a nice transition to my keeping room...

Two new upholstered pieces along with the rug I bought a couple months back, and my color scheme has changed up a bit. Sage green replaced the red and ties it all in with the new granite and tile. And... it still all goes with my blue and white collection.

We're ready for the fun to begin!

our staircase, finished!

2011-02-28T23:29:00.005-05:00

I've been so busy cleaning and putting my house back together I haven't had time to really take pictures or to blog. Most everything was finished last Wednesday... the painting, stairway and tile work in the kitchen, they were all here working until 7pm. The carpenter has been waiting for a few pieces of cabinetry trim to come in to completely finish the kitchen that is 98% done. Hopefully that will be tomorrow! In the meantime, I'm getting ready for company that are arriving on Thursday.

Nothing like cutting it close!

Here's the newly finished oak stairway and wrought iron balusters

view from the living room

view from the foyer

Pics of the kitchen are coming... soon, I promise!

get the red out

2011-02-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

To go along with my new kitchen and paint color, I needed to reupholster a few pieces of furniture. I had an arm chair re-done a few months back in the stripe below, and I just sent my small red sofa out to be done and to get it out of the dusty mess. I'm doing the sofa in a solid sage green and I've been shopping for fabric to do the seat cushions for my kitchen chairs. I wasn't coming across anything combining my two colors of sage green and Wedgwood blue. At long last at Calico Corners I came across a Ralph Lauren fabric that would work.

It's called Cottage Rose in Prairie Blue. I also found a second fabric to do the desk chair in, not sure of the name but it's the one with the bee's, and the colors are great together. The floral will be in the breakfast area adjacent to the keeping room. I'm a bit matchy/matchy when it comes to color and wanted all the colors in the open area to flow.

Both fabrics will be here in a few days, then I'll get to work.

There's no more red in my kitchen or keeping room anymore. All blues, greens and browns now. I'll have to show you the end result next week when it's all back together.

from carpet and pickled to stained white oak

2011-02-18T08:11:00.003-05:00

Our house was built in 1990. For that very brief period of time, 1989-1990, pickled wood was being used. I can't even claim it was "in" because there really wasn't that much of it done. But... if you were one of the unlucky homeowners to inherit it, I'm sure by now you're ready to get rid of it. I know I was! The quote I got to re-do the posts and railings was more expensive than replacing them. So we opted to start fresh with all new wood.

Here's the carpeted before:

Fresh new white oak steps and railings:

Stained with first coat of polyurethane:

They're here this morning sanding, painting the risers my trim color, and putting a second coat of poly on. The house is still a complete mess on the entire main level. The only project that's completely finished at this point is the foyer floor. The painters are making progress, and the carpenter will be back on Monday to do the crown in the kitchen and finish up his work. Tuesday is the start of the back-splash, and the install of the balusters.

The days are growing longer as I'm held up in my bedroom, to stay out of the way. I give it all through next Friday, and then I should have my house back! Please!!! :-)

home renovation projects update: week 3

2011-02-16T10:15:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday the granite was installed. They put my stove-top in and the new sink. The plumbing isn't done though, nor is the electrical hooked up for the stove-top. My oven works though, and I heated up pizza in it last night, woo-hoo!

Everything is so dusty, I can't wait to clean!

Here's the backsplash tile we chose for the wine bar, Pantheon Random Nova Roma. We went a bit crazy here since it's such a small area. The colors in the granite are also in the different tiles, so it should coordinate very well.

Here's the calmer backsplash tile for the rest of the kitchen, Crema Nova 1x2 Brick Polished. It's a mini subway tile that goes well in color to both the granite and my limestone floor.

That should be in and done early next week, carrying into our fourth week of renovations.

I've also had someone working on the stairway since last Thursday.

We had already cut the balusters out.

Here's the before with our pickled posts and railing and the carpet edges showing a bit dirty.

Thursday he ripped up the carpet and installed white oak steps. Friday, Monday and Tuesday he installed the new posts and railings. It dragged on a day longer because he had made a few mis-cuts and needed more wood.

Remember... always measure 3 times and cut once!

Today, the railings and steps are being stained, a mixed color of 1/3 Minwax English Chestnut and 2/3 Special Walnut.

At the same time my painter Danny has been here since Monday working around everyone else, caulking, trimming out, painting ceilings, God bless him!

There have been a few days I've felt a bit crazy/anxious with no place to go in my own house. Friday was one, when there were 4 crews all working at the same time. Today is another, I'm in my bedroom with all the stuff from the shelves and walls laying all around me, with the 3 dogs barking every so often at the noises. I breathe in wood and spackle dust and it occasionally burns my eyes. But... so far I love everything we're doing. I love the finished foyer floor and the paint color we've chosen, Martha Stewart Tobacco Leaf. I love the granite, the cabinets and the wood steps.

So I guess it will all be worth it in the end when it's clean and organized and we can get back to living in our house! I can't wait for that day!

I love you stinky face...

2011-02-14T11:44:00.005-05:00

That's our nickname for Carter's scrunched up face,

but most of the time he's got a smile on.

I love that little face smiling and scrunched!

Happy 1st Valentine's Day to my sweet grand boy!

before and after: I'm in love with my new foyer floor

2011-02-13T19:14:00.007-05:00

The "before" foyer was builder marble surrounded by a metal strip separating it from the rest of the main floor tile. We inherited it with the house. I.hated.it.

So when the time came to do some demo work in the kitchen and make the house a mess, I decided it was a good time to add to it. And boy did it add to it! Tile demo creates the biggest mess! The broken pieces flew everywhere and dust settled on everything.

But the mess and clean up was all worth it with this result...

I.love.it!

We did a natural granite tile with a border of our limestone and a 4x4 brown tile accent.

It looks like it was always there and a planned part of the original main floor.

That was my hope and vision and I'm so happy with the way it turned out. Yeah!

cheers to progress!

2011-02-08T19:33:00.005-05:00

I've been living without a kitchen and in a mess for over 8 days now, but... we're getting there! Most of the cabinetry has been installed, here's an update:

The microwave shelf is new, we used to have it on the counter in the corner so this will be a nice change. There will be an appliance garage below it for my coffee maker and grinder. The space to the far left is for the dishwasher. We do have a dead corner to the left, but I've added so much other space to make up for it. Besides, it was impossible to reach back in there anyway when I had use of that corner, so I don't think I'll miss it!

From left to right... a divided tray cabinet, a lazy Susan corner cabinet and a double trash bin pull out cabinet, yeah! Trash and recycling, oh boy!

See, still a mess with tools everywhere, but they're in! That's my double oven over there in the dining area. Granite measure is tomorrow.

The best for last... my new wine bar. I.love.it! It's such a useful addition to that space. Drawers and wine fridge to come soon! Cheers!

ready for a baby sleepover!

2011-02-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we put the crib together that we bought to have for our grandbabies. I must say it is sturdy, can't shake that thing! It is a Babyletto from Million Dollar Baby.

We decided it would be best in the office vs. our 2 guest rooms so that the baby would have his own room when visiting. I wanted a crib that was not too babyish, if that makes sense. I'm trying to keep the office more "manly" than baby for my husband. So no babyish fabrics either... just colors that coordinate with the room.

Here it is... all ready for you Carter and Baby Nathan!

Now, use your imagination...

2011-02-03T17:45:00.011-05:00

Our recent home improvement renovations include re-tiling the foyer. I think it's a must have project since I already had them rip out the old tile!

I like this type of pattern

Ours won't be quite as busy though. We're doing a border of 6x18 granite rectangles and then a 2nd border out of my limestone tiles , cut to 4x18 rectangles. We're incorporating 8 4x4 squares into our pattern, keeping it more in the middle.

In the picture below, imagine the wood area as my limestone tile, with a double border like this (the inner border the limestone tile again), with the brown accent tiles and that's what we're planning.

I'm so glad I found this picture!

Here are the tiles I've chosen:

I'm trying to keep it natural to go with our existing limestone so we're incorporating similar colors and a brown porcelain tile to accent the brown flecks in the granite.

You do need imagination and vision... can you see it?

kitchen progress, day 2

2011-02-02T09:15:00.005-05:00

They finished taking everything, appliances, cabinets and countertops,

out of the kitchen on Day 1 and here is how it looked:

The previous owners put in the new limestone floor over the existing floor and up to but not under the cabinets, as you can see. That's why we had to keep the same footprint.

Day 2 they put up this "knee wall" as a support for the breakfast bar. It will be covered in cabinet veneerer and look like part of the cabinetry.

And now for the messy part...

I've disliked my foyer tiles since day one 9 years ago. When tiling the rest of the house, they left the original marble tiles in the foyer. I hated the color and I hated the metal strip where the two tiles met. So... be gone ugly tile!

This little job left a fine layer of dust over everything. I had covered all the upholstered furniture and closed all the bedroom doors, so those rooms are okay. But the living room, dining room, kitchen and keeping room all got snowed on. I vacuumed the floors, and maybe I'll dust today just to keep up with it, but I'm sure tomorrow will bring another "dust storm".

We have 12 tiles from the existing limestone to incorporate into the foyer, not enough, so I found this granite tile to coordinate:

We're working on a design. I was working on it with graph paper and little squares I cut out when it dawned on me my designer must have a computer program to do it! That's a bit easier, right?! I want to incorporate the limestone so the foyer looks like we did it on purpose, and not an afterthought. I'll keep you posted!

it's Demo Day!

2011-01-31T13:10:00.003-05:00

The cabinets are all cleaned out and ready to come down. The kitchen actually looks good in these photos, and you might be thinking "why are they getting rid of those?" Well, the paint is tired and chipping here and there, especially on the trimmed edge. The openings of the cabinets are 12" wide between the slats, so it's very difficult to get things in and out. The shelves are not adjustable, anywhere. The granite tile countertop is okay, a few areas of grout need repair, but there's no salvaging it when you're taking out the cabinets!

From afar it does look rather clean and neat in these photos. See how good no clutter can look! The upper cabinets are being salvaged to be used elsewhere, but the lower cabinets are coming out in pieces. Bye bye white kitchen...

And look what they found underneath! Who knew? The original countertop and backsplash was 4x4 white tiles, with a navy blue diamond accent. Surprise! Double the demo here.

White tile, that's what they were using in 2000.

I hear the hammers and crow bars knocking,

more pics to come later...

because no project can ever be too easy...

2011-01-26T23:16:00.011-05:00

I was so excited to find that great bathroom vanity at Home Goods, I failed to notice that the opening in the back isn't centered. The door on the left has the opening for the plumbing, and then there are drawers on the right. Here lies the problem. The plumbing is centered on the wall, and the vanity needs to be centered on that small wall, but the drawers are in the way. I so wanted this to work and had to figure out how. So... we took the back off of the vanity and hooray, there was enough leeway that we didn't have to cut into the drawers themselves, but we did have to cut into the dividing panel.

A quick cut with the jig saw. Not too much harm done, and nothing visible. We were now able to connect the cold water and push the vanity up against the wall, centered. Problem averted!

Here's the new brushed nickel light fixture,

and toilet paper holder in the mirror!

I painted the old mirror that I had in there black. I'm not loving it, at all. So today I bought some silver craft paint to brush on it. But seeing it all together tonight, I've decided it's just too small for the vanity. I have an old cherry wood oval one that I'm going to try.

What I do love is the new faucet! The brushed nickel goes so well with the granite!

Now it needs the finishing touches. I have to hang the towel ring, some pictures on the walls, and find a new small rug. But not a "bathroom rug", more formal than that... because after all, it is a powder room.

Something else to shop for!

we painted the powder room today, it was inevitable...

2011-01-23T21:29:00.012-05:00

I needed to spackle and paint to cover up the old towel bar holes, so decision time... we could paint the powder room the same green it was or try a new color. I love to update and change, so we just had to try a new color of course! I went with "Pavestone" by Sherwin Williams, a medium base gray. I wanted to try gray because the granite on top has gray speckles in it and it also seems to be the "it" color right now. At first, trimming it in, I was worried it was looking purple. I was afraid to go gray for that reason, I even asked the paint guy at HD what the colors were in the mix before ordering the paint to be sure. I wanted to get the first coat on before panicking...

ta da, here it is... "Pavestone" gray

No purple undertone after all, phew!

Here it is with the speckled granite

Next step... installing the new brushed nickel fixtures. I decided to go with BN versus ORB because of the gray in the granite. All the ORB I found had copper coming through it and I didn't care for that. So, new BN faucet, light fixture, TP holder, towel holder and outlet covers to be installed... soon.

How can you pass up a good buy at Home Goods?

2011-01-22T20:48:00.006-05:00

You gotta get it! You know if you don't buy it, it will be gone and you won't have the option any longer. Okay... I admit it... I'm a home remodelaholic. Many of you out there are too, admit it. We buy our houses mostly because of timing. Most of the wishlist is there, but there is always work to do to make it yours, because no home is perfect. It's a work in progress. There are things you change right away and things you learn to live with.

Today I found something I wasn't looking for, but I always have my eye on when I see one. I found a bathroom vanity for our powder room, one to replace our pedestal sink with the shiny brass faucet.

I saw two other women looking at it, but then they walked away. I wheeled my cart over to look closely... nice dark finish, real wood, nice oil rubbed bronze hardware, nice neutral granite top, very nice price. I thought quickly, hesitated for a moment and then ripped the tag off to claim it! It's now sitting in my foyer.

Even my husband said it was a good find! I wanted to start the install right when we unloaded it, but no, it's patiently waiting. It has a good home now.

Of course I will have to find an ORB light fixture, faucet, towel and toilet paper holder, and paint the mirror frame in there ORB too. Maybe even paint the walls a different color... but it was a good find, and I am very pleased!

When you give a mouse a cookie you know it never stops there... especially if she's a remodelaholic!

deciding on a neutral wall color for the next decade

2011-01-20T22:38:00.007-05:00

I've lived with Duron Plantation Beige for the last decade and now it's time for a change. February 1st we're renovating the kitchen with new cabinets and granite and tearing up the place a bit. Since all that will be new, we feel we need to paint the trim and walls on the main level and make it all new too. My house is open enough that the main level walls also go up the stairway, and those walls go down the upstairs hallway. That means that 70% of the house will be this new color I choose. Pressure right?!

I have 6 different color samples on the wall at the moment. As you go from wall to wall the lighting changes so therefore the color changes. I may like one color on one wall, but then on another wall it looks too dark or too green or too taupe. I know grays and browns are very popular at the moment but I can't go too gray or too brown because that doesn't really go with my furnishings.

I want to stay with a warm neutral color.

These two below are Behr colors, Bone on the left and Parachute Silk on the right. You probably can't tell from this photo I took at night, but Bone actually has a bit more green undertone than Parachute Silk. They're only one color away from each other, but I have found that the slightest undertone makes a big difference, especially when it's covering 70% of your house.

Today I stopped at Sherwin Williams and picked up their new mini fan deck. Quite a few colors that I may want to try... like Wool Skein, Rice Grain or Ramie.

It's a big decision and I want to get it right so I don't mind spending money on samples.

My house will soon look like a patchwork quilt!

winter red

2011-01-15T11:04:00.003-05:00

Amaryllis in full bloom

They were just bulbs a month ago

Bringing a little color to your white winter!

Thanks E&R for the Christmas gift, it's beautiful!

when you're iced in and can't drive...

2011-01-11T19:22:00.003-05:00

...what do you do? You walk! It's Day 2 of the Atlanta Ice-in.

We got ~6 inches here where I live. They don't plow or de-ice or salt the streets around here. It just has to melt and dry up. We haven't even had mail service for the past 2 days. So much for "through sleet and hail the US Post Office delivers the mail"... not!

Today we decided to get out and walk to Home Depot and Whole foods. It was a short 1.5 mile round trip walk through the slush and ice, and nice to be out in the fresh air. We needed garlic for this yummy turkey vegetable chili recipe I had made yesterday.

Since we were already out we bought a few other things too... lettuce, butter to make cookies, and coffee beans and half n' half because that's something I have to have in the morning!

Some people I know are already complaining of "cabin fever". Something I don't quite get, and by "get" I mean understand. I have no problem finding things to do at home. I've cooked and cleaned, played scrabble and read, and done 4 loads of laundry over the past 2 days with 2 more to come tomorrow. Do these complainers live in perfectly clean houses with nothing to do? Do they not like being home? Do they have no hobbies? That is sad!
I'm always doing something at home.
We are getting ready to paint the main floor, so while we were out we got a couple of paint samples. So far I like the one on the right.

Of course I usually need ~ six samples before I can commit. Another walk to HD tomorrow? Maybe.

we have accumulation!

2011-01-10T00:14:00.004-05:00

It's a winter wonderland...

so rare an occurrence here in Atlanta.

We've been getting ~an inch per hour so far,

I hope it's still here in the morning.

Where's my turtle with the frog on top?

For once the media hype happened... we actually have accumulation!

naked post-holiday bookshelves

2011-01-06T22:33:00.008-05:00

When you go from all the Christmas decorations being on display

to January post-holiday back-to-normal living,

doesn't everything look a bit "naked" for awhile?

I wanted that cleaner, uncluttered look to my bookshelves

but also wanted to reuse what I have. We have a few collectible things I felt I needed to keep, like my Limoge demi tasse cups from Paris, 2 Hummel figures from the 1970's, and 2 pieces of Belleek porcelain. I actually put quite a bit away of what I used to have out. I also have a lot of picture frames I want to spray from gold/brass to either ORB or black.
I'm not sure I'm in love with these bookshelves just yet, but for now, that's all I got.

I did make use of some of the Hydrangea blooms I had added to my "HGTV tree" this year too, and kept them out in a vase or two.
I do love Hydrangeas, they feel like spring!

recovery and new beginnings

2011-01-03T14:21:00.004-05:00

It's a beautiful sunny day. A new year with new goals to accomplish. I could make a list, I should make a list, just to stick to it and actually start something!

We have some intense home improvements coming up in a few weeks. My kitchen cabinets and countertops will be ripped out and replaced. After, before or during all that I want the entire main floor painted, trim too. And at the same time, the wood banisters will either be sanded and re-stained or replaced and stained, and we'll finally add those iron balusters I have sitting in the garage. I have the mess and chaos to deal with first, but then I get to enjoy the clean newness of it all. I'm looking forward to all of it, except for dealing with my dogs barking for 2-3 weeks! Hmm, they may have to go on a vacation.

My daughters and I have a baby shower to plan for my new grandbaby due in May. Invitations, a fun theme, colors to use... all fun and creative. I better start brainstorming!
Sewing to be done for that same new grandbaby. I'll make his nursery bedding and curtains like I did for Carter.

Exercise. Getting back to it. I've done absolutely nadda for the past month. Recovering from lung surgery and also this evil upper respiratory virus has left me with almost zero energy. Still. I have 4 more days on antibiotic and then I hope it's all a distant memory, and I can get back to feeling normal again. My VATS recovery this time has certainly been rough. I still feel the soreness, inside, where the incisions are. My post appointment is this Wednesday, so we'll see what the Doc says.
And then, I don't go for another scan until the end of April. That will be 5 months of not seeing what if anything is going on. That's a long time. I'm hoping once these "reminding pains" go away, I'll be able to enjoy those months without thinking about my health. No thinking, just enjoying. Playing tennis and golf again and being outside in the beautiful fresh air. Feeling good.

New beginnings!