All Things EARTH... part 2

[geocruiser]

5 hours ago, awhfy said:

 

 

i got out yesterday & got Les ribs from Texas Roadhouse for his bday...most interest he’d shown in food!  He is feeling better. That second round of antibiotics knocked it our of him. Melody 

Happy to hear that Les is feeling better.  A very Happy Birthday to him and a slice of Bday cake for him 🍰

[awhfy]

Here’s some demo pictures. Our granddaughter had a blast. She took up the entire floor herself. Can’t wait to see this completed!  Melody 

[purduemom1]

That looks like quite a project!  Hope you will share the “after” pictures too!

[MJC]

Wow Laurie your room turned out so nice! Love the color and all the accessories.

 

I have not tackled any of the several home projects on my list. I am having motivation issues, I guess. One thing on my checklist is to put carpet squares in our bedroom, which I planned to do back when we did our reno in 2017. We left the original floor because of the carpet plan, and every time I walk in there I kick myself that we didn't replace the floor in there too. The reason we didn't is because it's impossible to get our bed out of the room without taking the door frame apart, and at this point even if we were willing to take apart and fix the frame, we also don't want to ruin the hallway floor by sliding the pieces of the bed on it to the other room. It's a two-piece captains bed with drawers under both sides, very bulky. In retrospect we should have gotten rid of the bed, done the reno, and gotten a new bed! Live and learn. Carpet squares will be an easy fix because I can lay them around the bed without moving it, and work out to the edge of the room from there. I've chosen a company called FLOR makes some cool patterns and colors and the squares are 18". We have it in our home office, and it still looks great after at least 10 years now.

[laurspag]

I am having some motivational issues too, though I am happy with the odds and ends of projects I have tackled so far.  Mostly, it is hard for me to get started.  Once I get moving, it isn't so bad.

 

Today was more of an "I'm motivated to furniture shop online" kind of day.  

 

We plan to reupholster some old chairs that belonged to my husband's mother, so we know that has to wait until all this is over.  We have been debating fixing an old cane chair in the basement that we have for the spare room.  I wanted to do this originally, thinking that the chair meant something to my husband, and that it was an ideal thing to have done.  I was on the fence about how it would look in the room.

 

I had gotten a few estimates based on pictures, and I didn't love the cost.  My husband then told me that the chair didn't have sentimental value to him, and that maybe someday it could be redone but he didn't care either way.  So I got to thinking...$400.00 - $800.00 to fix a chair that may or may not look that great in the room of choice, or get something you already have in mind at Pier1?  I think you know what won.  

 

I have a Pier1 chair here in the den, and we love it.  It is very comfortable.  The chair for the spare room will be less expensive, but it is also not going to get a ton of use so we are okay with the price and all.  I ordered that today with a few pillows for the bed, and the fun thing is that I had codes for $100.00 off a $300.00 purchase, plus free shipping.  I paid $220.00 for three pillows and a chair, plus I used Rakuten so I'll get a little more back.  I'm happy.

 

Now I am looking for a solid mission bookcase.  I really want something long lasting, made in a solid way.   I have big plans for our den at some point, and my husband and I are in agreement on the look.    I already have the curtains and chair in here, along with a 2 drawer lateral cabinet and desk.  Now I just need the bookcase.

 

The real work in the den is that we are going for a certain style with the walls.  I don't know if this link will work, but I will give it a try.  I am looking at a similar wall color.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/144748575509480144/

 

I'll post a picture of the chair and curtains shortly, as a reminder of what they look like.

 

The catch with all this is the motivation.  Plus, I need my husband's expertise with the batten and board.  I love to paint walls and trim, so that is good.  (I don't like painting doors, which is why that is going so slow)

 

[laurspag]

I forgot to mention too that since we are in an older home, I have concerns about the walls as well.  The walls have to be really flat and smooth, with good angles.  We all know that homes settle over time, so I am not so sure about this.  

[Sailor_Sally]

I am also having motivation problems . I think it is the stress of the whole thing .I am getting little things done and I am writing a list for when the shutdown is over . It looks like Florida might open soon which is insane because our numbers are still climbing .I like Pier one . I got bar stools from them and they are great . I also buy wine glasses and various other things from them. Could you imagine if we were quarantined without internet ? Scary ! I made chicken parmesan in my air fryer again . I love that gadget . Between that and my kindle this quarantine is bareable .

[purduemom1]

Well it’s a relief to know that lack of motivation seems to be part of dealing with this darn virus. I tried to give myself a pep talk this morning.....it didn’t work! There are certainly several projects that I could work on but so far it just hasn’t happened. 

 

Yes, I see that there are several states that are planning to open up even though it doesn’t look like they all meet the guide lines. I certainly hope it won’t set things back for all of us. I guess that, in some cases, the protesters are winning. It seems as if there are those who just don’t understand that what each of us does impacts others not just ourselves. 

 

Pier 1- hmm, maybe I will have to do a little virtual window shopping😊

[laurspag]

Well, we started the day at 58 and sunny, but now it is in the low 40s and raining.  I knew I should have gone for a ride in the morning!  Next time, I guess.

 

I was checking with my doctor's office to see if I had to do anything different with my bloodwork appointment for tomorrow.  That is when they reminded me it is for my physical.  Wouldn't you know, the "check airbag system" light is on in my car, and I made that appointment for tomorrow also.

 

AND...my husband made an appointment for his car as well.  So we will be doing all sorts of shuffling around to accommodate all of this.

 

I was thinking how I would normally wait for my car, but this seems like something I should address.  Same with my husband, but he needs tires and one of them must have a small leak so he has to put air in it daily.  So, it isn't frivolous stuff.

 

It will make for an interesting morning though.

 

I want to tell you guys a funny story.  Quite a while back, we did remodeling to our house and at the time, my family room was painted a really nice orangey red color, very muted and earthy.  I had gotten a throw that had some great earth colors in it, and it was made with a nice textured yarn.   Over the years, it has become my dogs' blanket.  We are constantly washing it because it....well, smells like the dogs!  It has developed some holes in it as well, and one of my dogs likes to roll in it, getting his tags caught in it.  

 

Needlessly to say, after 13 years, it needs replacing.  My husband instructed me to try and find the same one.  The exact same one.  I told him that no, it wasn't happening.  There is no tag, I got it at JC Penney, and they don't sell it anymore.  He seems to think the dogs will be upset if it is different.  I told him they have no choice, and they will adjust.  I found one on Ebay that kind of reminds me of it, but it is definitely not the same one.  I ordered it, but haven't told my husband yet.

 

What we go through for our pets.

 

Since the Easter ham is a week old, I decided to make a ham and potato soup that I found a recipe for.  I figured that even though ham tends to hang around a bit longer than many meats, a week is long enough.  I used it up for the soup, and it came out really good.  It was so easy, and just simmered in the crockpot all day.

 

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!  Time for me to google how to keep your glasses from fogging while wearing a mask.  🙂  

[laurspag]

Oh, I never posted the picture of the chair and curtains that are in my den to go along with that link for the board and batten style I was looking for.

[purduemom1]

 

Laurie, that is a really nice looking chair. Great choice to go with your den decorating plan.

 

Here is an idea to keep your face mask from causing your glasses to fog up. I tried it this morning and it works. My mask has the loops that go over your ears, not the tie type.  So what I did was twist each loop once before I put them over my ears. Then I adjusted  the bottom of the mask a little to eliminate gaps at the side (cheek area). I have also heard that washing your glasses with shaving cream helps but have not tried this because I don’t want to put anything on the lenses that might cause the coating to wear off (non glare coating etc).

Sharon

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by purduemom1

[awhfy]

It is killing me not being able to be there for this demo!!!  They have taken a tiny kitchen into an open format. Can’t wait to see it done!  Melody 

[awhfy]

Laurie, shaving cream works very well to keep glasses from fogging. 
 

‘’I made a pepper steak in the crockpot today, came out Great (good thing, there’s lots of leftovers!). Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

I finally motivated myself enough to finish cleaning my closet . I gave 4 big bags to good will . It made me sick with all that waste . I got rid of the last of my medium clothes .Hope this is not a mistake but I have been in small clothes for three years .Next I am going to do Gary's closet and our hall closet . Maybe ! 

[MJC]

I have a pedicure question.

 

When I go for a professional pedi I usually have the treatment for dry heels where they put something on saran and wrap it around your heel. Does anyone know what that is so I can do it at home?  My poor feet could use some tlc.

 

Laurie, my trick for glasses not steaming up is to wash them with dish soap, rinse well, and let them air dry. Similar to what I do with my snorkel mask.

Edited April 20, 2020 by MJC

[awhfy]

Margaret the treatment is likely paraffin, hot melted paraffin that can burn you easily. There’s also a callus remover that’s kind of like a serum/gel. That works well & is safer. You can get it on line from Ulta or Sally’s you might even find it in a pharmacy, but I’ve never looked there. Melody

[pacruise804]

On 4/16/2020 at 10:34 AM, Sailor_Sally said:

Margaret , Glad to hear you are keeping busy .  I also dressed nice for my telehealth conference . We go for rides twice a week and usually stop at a park and walk . That has really helped with the boredom. Usually the isolation doesn't bother me but yesterday it got to me . We went for a drive and passed a sports bar . All I wanted was to be able to go in that bar and have a cheese steak and a beer and I am not a big beer fan. This is like living in the movie "Ground hog day " forever .The good news is I am exercising and cleaning out some closets . 

 

I felt that a week or two ago.  There is an episode of Stargate SG-1 that has a similar theme and Richard Dean Anderson's character says at one point he is taking that loop off (when questioned why he wasn't working on the solution).  I did that one day - no extra projects, minimal cleaning and cooking, just took the day off with a puzzle.  I think it helped, but still struggle with getting back the motivation we had the first 2 weeks.  Our monthly recycling pick-up was today and now that the bins are empty again maybe I'll get back on track with decluttering as I fill them up (love our single stream and they take most types of plastic and paper/cardboard).

 

Happy Belated Birthday to Les!

 

Love the butterscotch color and overall look in the mud room 🙂 

[Sailor_Sally]

Margaret , Maybe warming oil and then applying saran wrap would work . When this is all over the government should send all women for a spa day . We have been  cooking , finding food , keeping our partners sane and keeping the household functioning while our roots are growing and our hair looks like crap .I need a cut and color desperately . Yesterday when I cleaned out my closet I visited with my pre shut down clothes . They are lovely. I hope to wear them again someday .

 

[awhfy]

I have a video call with my gastroenterologist tomorrow. I’ve been deciding what to wear for 2 hours!!!  I’m never this indecisive!!!  I really need a haircut & mani/pedi too!!!

[laurspag]

I had my physical on Monday.  I kept thinking beforehand that I should make sure that the appointment was still on, but my doctor is very good about notifying me if something changes, so I knew I would be going.  I took a moment to send a message through their portal to see if there was something different I needed to do. 

 

They told me they have three entrances set up.  One for healthy people, one for sick, and one for things like blood work and allergy shots.  Each entrance has its own waiting room.  I thought that was pretty neat.  Since it was my physical, I got to use the healthy entrance.  They told me to wear my mask, which I did.

 

Now, when you have a hearing loss and everyone is wearing a mask, you can't lip read at all.  They were so good about it.  Both the doctor and nurse were ready with paper and pen, which really made me feel good.  Not being able to communicate gets a bit lonely sometimes, so the fact that they went the extra mile was wonderful for me.

 

It was the quickest physical I have ever, ever had.  They are just as thorough, but they are moving people along quickly because they know they are anxious about being out and about, especially in a setting where sick people may have been before you.  The other reason is that some people are canceling routine visits.

 

Everything went really good.  My blood work was good, EKG, breathing test.  The only thing that changed for me was my bone density.  That is expected, but he is watching it carefully due to the hip issues in the family.  He said I don't need to take anything for it yet.

 

My calcium levels are always good, and I do take vitamin D.  Us pasty people who can't be in the sun long need help, lol.

 

Oh, and I have an ear infection.  I knew that when I went in, I've had it a few weeks.  I know I have to be very careful with those, but since it wasn't getting any worse and I knew I had an appointment coming up, I waited.  We have excellent health insurance, and most of my prescriptions, when needed, are only $5.00.  Except this one.  I seem to have a great deal of difficulty getting rid of ear infections in the ear I wear the hearing aid in, and the prescription that seems to work has a $70.00 copay.  Ouch.

 

A few of you may remember the ear infection I had about three years ago.  I had to go weekly to a specialist for almost two months.  Seriously.  I never want to go through that again.

 

I haven't cleaned through any closets yet, except for the one here in the den.  It can be used as a bedroom if we decide to put the door back on, but it is so tiny.   It would be a cute nursery, but a double bed would barely fit in the room, let alone a dresser or anything.  We took the tiny door off the tiny closet, and we have shelves in it.  It is like a built in bookcase.  We put a curtain up so that we don't have to stare it, since it isn't what I would call decorative.  We have lots of photo albums and other types of books in there.  It is mostly the photo albums though, as my husband's mother kept generations of family photos.  

 

Anyway, I did clean that up, and it allowed me to make some room in other areas to move things around and eliminate some clutter.  I should go through clothing closets, but those aren't too bad because of the weight loss from around 5 years ago.  I have limited space so I tend to look through regularly.

 

One thing I need to do is fine tune.  I really need to find sweaters like the ones I found in Chadwicks before they closed up.  I haven't looked to see if they reopened yet like their website states, but I have a feeling they are closed for good.  I need to find that type of styling in colors other than off white or really light colors.  I could use some basic tops also.  I just remembered that Margaret gave me some ideas of where to look for basic shells about a month ago, but I haven't looked.

 

I am in a mood to try and pay down any bills we have and not spend money at the moment, but there are a few things I want or need to get.  I'll have to slowly start looking.  I know that if I see exactly what I am looking for, it is good to act quickly because I always lose out when I wait.

[awhfy]

This is what I got with my Kohl’s cash from my patio furniture. The containers turned out to be twice the size that I had anticipated (I saw 22”, didn’t realize that was the circumference of the base, oops). At least they’re plastic so easy to drag into place. The rose bushes are specifically grown to be container plants. I wrapped the inside of the planters with pool noodles (for insulation). They’re a yellow rose with red outside can’t wait for flowers, they’re absolutely covered in buds. I also got my first orchid, see how long I can keep it alive!  Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

I made ribs in my air fryer. It took 35 minutes and they were great . They were not fall off the bone but they were very tender . I am getting slightly stir crazy so it seemed like a good thing to do . My wig arrived and it looks good .Between that and a baseball cap  I am okay . 

Laurie, You are the only one of us that is living close to normal. I haven't worn anything but yoga pants for weeks . I look at the new clothes being advertised but who knows when I will wear them again so I don't order . I bet JJill misses me.  .

[pacruise804]

Laurie, I pray your infection heals soon.  Even without a diagnosed hearing loss I find it difficult to communicate at the grocery store in mask - I'm glad they were prepared at the doctor for you.

[awhfy]

Sally, I ordered a couple of things from Chicos this morning. I got an email back from the store manager saying how much she has missed seeing me!  I’m Chicos, you’re JJill. 
 

Laurie, heal quickly from that infection. Les hasn’t left the house/yard since 16 March, I told him about your situation (he also depends on reading lips) & he smiled & said, I’ll never be able to go out...he really likes staying home.  It must be so very frustrating for you. Melody

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , I hope you heal quickly . It must be so frustrating with all the masks.