A decision has been made

I am always pondering what my next project should be

and I have come to the decision that I am going to paint my kitchen cabinets.

I'm a little bit afraid of this project, 

because it's going be awful and long and tedious and hard and I really need it to turn out looking professional, not like a DIY nightmare.

But I'm going to do it anyway.

Someday I hope to remodel this kitchen

but in the meantime I still want to make it more "me" than it is.

I want to fix a few of the things that bug me or are just plain broken.

This will serve as my official "before" pictures.

I'm so proud of myself for remembering to take before pictures.

The room is sort of dark and cave-like most of the time.

Below is the area above the stove.

Why didn't they finish tiling up to the vent hood??

Or at least cut off the piece of tile to match the rest?

The tile isn't hideous but it's just not my style and we have a few broken tiles as well...

my current plan is to tear it out and put up beadboard as a temporary backsplash until I can remodel.

It should last a few years I hope.

I have already picked out the tile I want for my "real" backsplash (assuming I don't change my mind before I can remodel) but I don't want to install new tile now and then possibly damage it or have to redo it when I pull out the cabinets and counter tops.

I plan to replace this window over the sink.

I don't use the garden window as it is meant to be used...plus it just doesn't get enough sun since we have a covered porch out back.

So I will plan to get a regular window that I can open for some fresh air.

The window is also cracked.

I do have a nice wide window sill which I love!

I will put new hardware.

I don't know if you can tell but there used to be different knobs on these cabinets but they didn't fix the holes when they put the new knobs.

So I will have to fill all of those holes before painting.

Quite a few of the drawers and doors have damage...a variety of issues: age, water damage and just wear and tear.

 I'm hoping I can fix this drawer (below).

It is either not on correctly or is the wrong size because there is a gap that is always visible.

I haven't really investigated yet but hopefully it's fixable.

The one part of the kitchen that I most wish to fix but won't be able to at this time is the island.

It's huge.

Bigger than I want (makes it hard to walk by from the laundry room) and a weird shape.

It has attached swivel chairs.

And all of the plugs to the island are on the back side by the chairs which means I have an extension cord always attached for when I run the mixer or crock pot or whatever.

It's lovely.

One of the chairs is broken so no one can sit there.

Here's another view of the island.

Frank is charging his drill from the other outlet that I have available to me.

Currently my plan is to just leave the island as-is...no painting or anything like that.

We will see what happens as we go along though.

I'm not ruling out changing it, it's just not on the list of what's most important right now.

I'm a little unsure if white cabinets will look good with my current countertop, though it has speckles of white, grey and beige in it.

I won't be changing the countertops.

Frank is telling me to paint the cabinets a color if I want to, but  that makes me more nervous than white does.

After all, brightening up the room is the first goal.

So, even though I haven't really planned much

and I'm not even 100% sure what color I will do,

the decision has been made that I will be painting in here.

Wish me luck!

(and tell me if you have color opinions!)

Random weird thing again.

So, lately I've been having lots and lots and lots of migraines.
My head is seriously out of control.
And it's the worst.

But anyway, that's not what this post is about. Not really.

Because I have been having so many migraines, I have had to go to the ER/instacare/headache clinic for emergency treatment when the regular meds don't do anything.
Honestly, the regular meds never seem to do anything but whatever.

So, when I go to the clinic/ER/instacare, they give me a couple of shots in the hip usually.

Turns out depending on where you go, they give the shot in a slightly different place.

butt, hip and even upper thigh have been used.
I know I went to nursing school a long time ago but have they really changed where they give shots?  I mean, I don't think the human anatomy has changed that much in 20 years (or whatever...I didn't do the math ok?)

But one particular time, the nurse gave me a shot in kind of the front of my hip. It was the weirdest shot ever and when she gave me the second shot my leg jumped and it hurt and I was like,"that cannot be good."  But I had a headache so I just went with it and pretended all was fine.

My hip hurt for a long time.
And now, weeks later, that part of my hip and outer leg is freakishly numb.
Numb!
It's actually kind of a mixture of hurting and being numb at the same time.

I sometimes find myself scratching or rubbing that area because it is hurting a bit but when I scratch, it feels numb.

It's super weird.

My headache doctor told me that it would gradually improve and I was not ruined forever.  So I'm hoping that's true.

This has been your random weird Debbie thing of the day.

You are welcome.

Bad luck

After our family party on Sunday, I accidentally left my crock pot and rice cooker at my sister's house.  I just rushed out without thinking and left them on the counter.

It took me a couple of days to get back up to her house to pick up my stuff. But today I finally drove up there with Carter.

As Carter loaded the rice cooker in the car, he tried to wedge it between the back and front seat and he ended up denting it...the side is all crushed in. It happened so easily and we were both surprised.  I harassed Carter a little bit.

We ran some errands with all the stuff still in the car.

As Carter opened the door to place a bag inside the car, the crock pot fell out onto the parking lot and it cracked!

Dented rice cooker.  Cracked crock pot.

I'm thinking I should have left everything at my sister's house after all.

To paint or not to paint

I am almost done with the painting of all the trim in the house. Whew!
I have 2 more doors, 2 more doorways, the crown moulding over the fireplace (very small area), and the baseboard in the front room.
Ok, when I list it out like that it doesn't really sound like I'm almost done...but compared to how much I had when I started, I feel SO CLOSE.
So, of course, I am beginning to wonder what my next project will be.

My long term goals include redoing the kitchen and laundry room cabinets and getting hard wood floors.  But these are very long term goals. Very.  I am saving up but it'll be a while for sure.

I am starting to wonder if I should paint my kitchen cabinets as a temporary fix since I can't get them replaced anytime soon.  A few of them are broken in one way or another but they all function, if imperfectly.  I could do some minor fixes before painting...a little wood glue and a screw here or there will help make things work a bit better.
But the idea of painting a kitchen just sounds so overwhelming!  Plus there's all the cleaning and deglossing that has to take place in advance of painting.  Of course, painting the trim was also overwhelming and it hasn't been that bad really.
It's a lot of cabinets though.

This morning I asked Frank if he would be open to helping paint the kitchen when I finished the trim project.  He said he'd be happy to help by not complaining as I do it. Ha! He also offered Carter as an assistant.  I was already planning on that. :-)

I've always got about 5 projects rolling around in my head and this is just one of them.

I was talking about all the things I've been thinking about doing and Frank said, "I keep hoping you'll finish one project before thinking of a new one."  He is SO RIGHT.  I'm always thinking of new things even though I have tons left to do on projects I've already started.  The good news is, I do always finish my projects when I start them.  Eventually.

Since the painting of the trim requires some drying time, I've been doing numerous other projects at the same time.  Making curtains for the guest room/office, looking for/buying a hide-a-bed couch for the guest room/office, and painting the master bathroom.

Painting projects always feel more doable to me than other kinds of projects because I can do it myself pretty easily.

I've also been looking at light fixtures online (I haven't told Frank that I want to replace some of our lights), looking at rugs online, considering painting my white cabinet again since it's looking a bit raggedy, trying to decide if I should sell a couple of the dressers I have around here and getting new (old) ones to redo.

So, anyway, that's what I've been doing.

What do you think? Paint the kitchen or no?

In honor of Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day (a day we as a couple don't really pay that much attention to), let's talk about Frank and enjoy some pictures that are in no particular order:

How we met: we met in Greek and Roman mythology class at BYU in the fall of 1987.  It was not a class that I would normally take but I arrived to school mid-semester and so my class options were limited. I noticed him in class but we didn't meet until a study session at the library.  We had to memorize a variety of Greek and Roman stories and pictures of various urns and other art.  We had to know the stories behind the art.  I arrived at the study group to find Frank there (the only guy) and a bunch of girls from class looking at the slides of the artwork.  As each piece of art would come up on the projector, we would discuss the story and facts that we needed to know.  A particular urn came up and no one knew the facts about it so Frank went into a long story about the urn and people were taking notes and listening carefully.  At the end, one of the other girls says, "Are you sure?" and proceeds to tell the correct story about this urn which was about 2 sentences long.  And when she said it, we all remembered and realized that her (much shorter) version was the right one.  At this point Frank says, "oh yeah, that's it" and we move on.  He wasn't even the slightest bit flustered that a whole group of us caught him telling a huge lie. He just grinned. I found it quite funny for some reason, probably because I thought he was cute.  Luckily he is not a pathological liar but he can BS when he feels it's needed.

After the study group, I left the library and he came up behind me and asked if we could study together sometime.  I said yes and we were inseparable after that.

Dating: For our first official date, Frank asked me to go play racquetball with him.  I ended up getting a very upsetting phone call right before we were supposed to go out so I canceled our date with no explanation.  I figured I would never see him again.  Instead, he showed up at my apartment and said that I had sounded upset and he wondered if I would just like to go for a walk.  We walked and I told him my problems and it was amazing.
We never did go play racquetball.

Cooking:  I remember Frank cooking me an amazing turkey dinner when we were dating.  This was a fraud.  He hasn't cooked all that much in  our lives, though he does on occasion...but never a big fancy meal.  His meals include breakfast for dinner, pancakes, cheese sandwiches and he also does all the barbecuing.  Luckily he isn't a picky eater because I don't really like to cook either...so he is usually grateful for whatever I make and rarely complains.

There are a couple of times that he will cook whatever I ask him to cook: mother's day and my birthday.  He has made fried chicken numerous times, scratch birthday cake and many other meals for these occasions.  The kitchen is always a disaster but the food is tasty.
And of course, we all know about his wonderful ability to make pie.  He will make me a pie pretty much anytime I ask.

Married life: We will have been married for 29 years this coming May.  I was 21 when we got married and he was 24.  Like everyone, we've had ups and downs but I can say that he is a very thoughtful and kind husband.  He is quick to apologize.  He doesn't hold a grudge or remember my mistakes.

Our first year of marriage was rough for me.  I got pregnant right away and was sick as a dog. I remember yelling at him after I came home from school to find that he had eaten spaghettiOs in the house! How could he be so thoughtless?  The whole house smelled like spaghettiOs and it made me so sick.  His response was to put a blanket on the lawn for me to sit on while he aired the house out. Aw.  Good reaction Frank.

One time I craved corn dogs so badly.  He went after work and school to the store and bought a huge 12 pack of corn dogs for me.  Of course by the time he brought them home I had moved on and thought that corn dogs were perhaps the most disgusting food on the planet.  He took it all in stride.

I remember sometime after our first year of marriage, talking to someone about how hard it had been and he looked a little surprised and said, "I thought it was great".  I felt a bit bad for having a bad attitude but it just shows how frank is...I was the cranky, sick, angry one that first year and yet he just remembered the good stuff.

Quirks:  Frank has blanket issues.  I cannot for the life of me find a nice blanket for our bed that we both like.  They are always too hot or too cold or too heavy or too light.  My aunt made us a quilt for a wedding present and he always ends up using that quilt even though, after 29 years, it is out of style and pretty beat up looking.  If I put a light blanket on the bed, he puts an extra one on top.  If I put a heavy blanket on the bed, he tosses it off and uses something lighter.  I have bought so many quilts, blankets and covers for our bed over the years in an attempt to have a nice looking bedroom that also works for him.  I have not yet succeeded.

Frank is a project guy and always has been.  He keeps busy.  This is not a guy who sits and watches tv on a weekend. When the kids were young I found weekends to be really hard because he always wanted to accomplish a ton of stuff and I just wanted a break from the kids!  And, let's be honest, it's hard to accomplish a lot when you have little kids. At the end of the weekend, he would be in a bad mood because he didn't get as much done as he wanted.  Luckily, he mellowed a bit and the kids grew up.

Romantic side: I don't think of Frank as a "romantic" type of person...he's just too practical for that.  But he has just enough romance in him to pull out some really great gestures over the years.  He built a huge "40" with lights that he put in our yard on my 40th birthday, he has taken me on a lot of vacations, he has thrown me birthday parties, he's written some nice notes and cards and he comes through with See's chocolates, which he knows I love, even when he had to have them shipped across the country to do it.  He's good about paying attention and then surprising me at Christmas or my birthday with something I noticed or liked months before. I love that about him.

I'm glad Frank is my valentine now and for the last 29 years!

More miscellaneous factoids about me

A couple of my ribs tend to come out of "socket" on occasion.  Not sure why, but I think once it happens, it makes it easier for it to happen again later.  It hurts like the dickens when this happens but usually a trip to the chiropractor gets it all back into shape.  Ever since I started all of this painting at my house, I have one rib that keeps going in and out regularly.  It will hurt for awhile, usually while working or doing things that require bending or reaching up for long periods (think: painting a ceiling or crown moulding) and then after awhile it will go back in and be fine.  I haven't bothered to go to the chiropractor because it goes in on its own.  Weird.
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I'm working on loving myself.
As my mom ages and the dementia worsens, she has a few things that she focuses on: her weight, her hair (or lack thereof), and her thinning eyebrows.
All my life I remember her wanting to lose 10 pounds.  She wasn't obsessed with it and it's not like she talked about it all the time but it was just something I knew: Mom wished she was a bit smaller.  Now it has become one of the things that her brain thinks about all the time.  She's somewhat obsessed with wanting to lose weight.  She does not need to lose weight...I think she weighs maybe 105.  But anytime she eats she talks about how she shouldn't eat that thing and how she needs to lose weight.
I really don't want to spend the rest of my life wanting to lose weight.
Yes, I want to take care of myself.  Be my best self.  Be strong enough to move and lift and do all the things I want to do.  But I don't want to focus on my imperfect body and hate on it.
So, I'm working on it.
Hopefully I will reach a point of acceptance while I'm still young enough that my brain remembers no matter what comes in the future.
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Being a parent of adult children is hard.
I still worry about them all the time.
I don't get that much communication now and I definitely don't have much influence.  I take what I am given and I'm grateful for it.
But it's not easy: the letting go and accepting the lack of information.
When we do talk it's great, don't get me wrong, but they've got their own lives and they are busy.
I get it.
I'm just not crazy about it.
_____

I have actually reached the point that I can completely forgo a chocolate treat if it is not good, dark chocolate.  I never thought that was possible.  I have mindlessly and happily eaten all the chocolate forever.  But recently I realized that I consider milk chocolate or "bad" (think Hershey's or nestle) chocolate to just be a waste.  And I can usually just walk away from it.  If that's not progress, I don't know what is.

This strength does not seem to apply when I am at a movie theatre.  I have to have popcorn and either junior mints or milk duds.
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When Frank has a business trip, I stay up way too late.
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That's all for now.

House projects update

I have still been working on a variety of house projects over here.

The fun never ends!

(we hope it does end eventually...but it'll be awhile)

I am continuing the painting of all the trim and doors in the house.  I am currently working on the French doors that have lots of windows.  It took me forever to tape those doors and my back hurt afterwards...so I didn't even paint the first coat that day.  Frank keeps hoping I will speed up but it appears that I am actually slowing down. Once the french doors are done, I have 4 more regular doors and lots and lots and lots of trim to paint. Sometimes when I look around the house at how much is left to do, I feel a little depressed.  But I will soldier on! I have no choice...

The white doors and trim make me even happier than I thought they would though.

This shows the color of the trim and ceilings before when I was just starting to paint the white.

You can see it's a big difference and having things be white has really lightened the house up a lot!

This is kind of a dark house and the beige wasn't helping.

This is the view of the crown moulding in my bedroom. When I lay down in my bed and see the white ceiling, white crown moulding and blue walls it really does make me feel happy.  Kinda weird, right?

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Frank and I built a window seat in the soon to be guest room/office.

I found plans online and Frank did nearly all of the work...I did the painting after it was all together but he did all the carpentry work.  It was amazing!  I was afraid I would have to build the whole thing myself but he really came through.

He kept reminding me that he is not a finish carpenter.  He likes to rough things in but perfection is not his thing. But it came out pretty good in the end. And it looked harder than I originally thought it would be...so it's a good thing I didn't try to do it myself.

Now I just need to make a cushion for the top.

The top opens and we can store extra blankets and pillows inside.

_____

I made curtains for this bedroom as well.  I have the whole room planned out if only things will turn out the way I want. I have been fabric shopping both in stores and online for curtain fabric and also fabric for the cushion for the new window seat.

I had the curtain fabric all picked out until I went to Ikea and saw something very similar for way cheaper and I bought it on a whim.  Then I spent two days lining the new curtains because it's just too easy to hem and hang...I must turn it into a major project!  I don't know why I am like this.

This is the fabric I was leaning towards before going to Ikea.  It was $35 a yard!  Of course I was going to use a coupon...but still.

The Ikea fabric was a total of $24 for enough fabric for all the windows with leftover that I might use to make a pillow or two.  Or a skirt.  Who knows.

Lots of measuring and pinning and ironing.

This is after hanging them the first night.

I am not really happy with them but I do love the fabric so that's a start.

I don't know how to tell Frank that the rod he put together for me really isn't working out.

The rings don't slide.  It makes me sad.

But whenever he comes in the room he rants and raves about how wonderful they look in the hopes that I will believe him. He knows deep down that he's gonna have to figure out a new rod...but I'll let him be in denial a bit longer.

I plan to put a hide-a-bed couch into this room so I'm having trouble picking the fabric for the cushion on the window seat before I have the couch fabric picked out.  I'm also worried that a hide-a-bed couch won't actually fit down the hall and in through the doorway of this room.  That would be a major sticking point.

I have done a little shopping but almost all of the couches that come as sleepers have just one or two options for fabric.  I don't want a beige or brown couch please! ugh. 

Today I did find one couch that had a green fabric option.  I am sorely tempted. Sorely.

The computer screen makes this look a little bit brown/beige but it's not, it's a fun green that makes me want to squeal with delight.

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I've had so many projects going on and the place has been torn up for so long that Frank is now happy with little bits of progress.

For quite awhile we had no doors on anything.

No bedroom door, no bathroom door.

If he stood in front of his closet he could see through the bedroom doorway into the room across the hall (which also had no door) and out the window to the street (I took down the blinds on that window as well).

Not gonna lie, he got a bit tired of having to hide behind a wall so no neighbors saw him getting dressed.

Now we have doors on all the bedrooms, curtains are up and I even put the doorknobs back on!

I am super thoughtful that way.

Something to be thankful for each day January 2017

I'm doing something different this year.  I am writing something I'm thankful for each day this year...month by month.  Here is January.

Jan 1-An amazing talk given by Brother Atkinson in Sacrament meeting about standing up for what is right.  Talked about the vote for Suffrage and also President Monson in the Navy.  Touched my heart. Also a good email from Carter...he is feeling better!  Keep praying with faith.
Jan 2- Beautiful snowfall. Anytime I see something beautiful in nature, I'm reminded of God's love for humankind. He made this beautiful place for us.
Jan 3- An older woman reached out to me to go to lunch together. Our birthdays are close so we celebrated together. We have a lot in common, even though we are 37 years apart in age. Talking to her calmed my troubled heart.
Jan 4- Doneen came to help me finish the painting that has to be done before the carpet comes next week.  She has a lot on her own plate and came to help me.  That was nice :-)
Jan 5- My birthday!  How can I not thank God for one more year of life?  I'm thankful for that.
Jan 6-I worked in the temple today and found out that one of the other ladies there in the cafeteria (Ann) has the same birthday as I do.  It's always a lovely day in the temple.
Jan 7-Today my sweet husband threw me a birthday party.  He went overboard with decorations, planned games, got yummy food.  I'm thankful for his love.
Jan 8-Fasted for Carter today but didn't go quite as long as I should have.  I gave a lesson in Sunday school on the characteristics of God.  I loved an article in the December Ensign and it touched my heart so much.  I shared it today.  President Holland talked about how the characteristics of Christ that we find in the scriptures are the same characteristics of our Heavenly Father.  Simple truth but it struck me because I had really never thought of it that way, though I know Jesus does the will of his father...so it make sense!
Jan 9-Went to work and then to a little crafty wood store with Lori and Laurel.  I often feel sorry for myself that I don't have friends but this little outing helped remind me that I do have friends and they are great.
Jan 10-New carpet today!  I'm so grateful for Frank's good job...that we are able to make improvements to the house. I know we are blessed.
Jan 11-I feel God prompting me to pray for Carter.
Jan 12- Blessed to be able to go to Oregon for the long weekend to help out Frank's parents.  Even though it snowed and was very icy in Portland, we got there safe and sound.
Jan 13- I was able to paint the hallway for Janice while Frank shoveled the walks and did some other work around the house.  It was great to be helpful. Then out for a lovely dinner with Janice, Frank, Diana and Rob.  A nice day!
Jan 14- Fixed some tile problems in the kitchen and gave the tub a good scrub.  Frank shoveled again, fixed peeling paint around the light fixture.
Jan 15- Finished the tiling by grouting where needed.  Had a safe flight home...glad to be back.
Jan 16- Had a day off of work today so I painted doors and the bathroom.  Planned to organize but never quite got that far.  Spent the evening with Diane's family and Mom and Dad, celebrating Darryl's birthday with apple pie and watching the movie Dion made.  I'm so grateful for my family and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jan 17- Dion is in town!  A fun night of dinner and hanging with Doneen's family and Dion. A good night.
Jan 18- Thoroughly enjoyed a night of just being home in the quiet.  Watched some tv, painted doors and the bathroom.  Relaxed.
Jan 19- Frank comes home from his business trip today!
Jan 20- I was able to get medication for my headache at the clinic today.  What a relief. Slept for 6 hours!
Jan 21- Frank and I spent a nice day home just doing projects.  It snowed and was so beautiful outside.  I love beautiful snowfall (especially when I don't have to go anywhere).  We got a lot done and it just felt like a nice day.
Jan 22- It's been rough lately with migraines everyday for over a week.  Today I had another one and spent the day laying around the house.  Frank has been so loving and patient and I am thankful for him!
Jan 23- I am thankful for Frank.  He's a rock. Yes, I'm allowed to be thankful for him two days in a row.
Jan 24- We've had some stress and worry over here and today we went to the temple to seek some peace.  I am so thankful for the temple.  I'm thankful for a husband who recommends going there to seek peace.  I'm thankful for prayer.
Jan 25- I am thankful for the soft pillows on my couch where I can lay and read a book or nap when I'm having a headache (and even when I'm not)
Jan 26- Prayer
Jan 27- I'm thankful for people who have something in common with you and with whom you can relate and commiserate...sometimes you find them in the least expected places.
Jan 28- A kind and understanding husband.  Who is patient with me when I'm stressed. He's doing good this month! ha!
Jan 29- Wonderful church leaders who help you through hard times, listen to you, and give great counsel.
Jan 30- I'm so thankful today that my son arrived home safely from Japan.  I was able to hug him tight and welcome him with love back home.  I'm thankful for his service as a missionary.  I'm thankful for all the people willing to help him transition and help him in any way that they can. I'm thankful for kind friends who brought over a cute banner for him and donuts to welcome him home.  I'm thankful for family who came to the airport to greet him.  It was an unexpected day but a good one. I'm thankful for Carter.
Jan 31- I'm thankful for a nice day spent with my son.