My Red Secretary

I realized today that I never posted about my red secretary (once it was finished).

I think I posted a picture on Facebook, but that's just not the same.

And now that we're moving and I'm not sure I'll have room for it,

I feel the need to make sure it is documented!

Here is what was originally in this spot:

Here is my beauty (from the craigslist pictures):

This piece just spoke to me the minute I saw it on Craigslist.

I didn't buy it though and when it dissappeared, I was so sad.

Then a couple of days later, it reappeared with a slightly lower price!

Bonus!

I took it as a sign and ran right over to check it out.

Once I saw it in person, I saw it's flaws...

It is really really old

It smells like old, dry wood

The moulding on the top is cracked

And it was hand-made by the owner's grandfather which meant that is wasn't necessarily put together perfectly.

There are old nails

holes where they just sawed open a spot for a plug or some such thing

sticky spots

ink spills

tiny holes from push pins 

It was a well used piece of furniture, that much is for sure!

But the woman had absolutely no room for it and had to let it go.

She said she could see that I was going to love it and so she gave me an even bigger discount.

How could I say no?

It has been a lot of work.

The wood needed to be stripped and conditioned first.

It was sooo dried out.

Then I decided to paint it red.

It was kind of a hard decision since it is such an old piece but the fact of the matter is that I will love it more that way, and it is now mine to love.

And its not in perfect shape or a priceless antique.

So I went for it.

I had some issues with the paint not curing and a fair amount of stress.

For awhile there I thought I might have to strip it and start over!

I had to choose new hardware since the original hardware was broken

and I put a lot of thought into it.  

I ended up buying some beautiful pulls and lock covers from a place that makes hardware for fine antique furniture.  They are perfect.

I love it so much.

I has drawers for the various school supplies and such that I kept in the previous desk.

It has the pull down desk (covered in beautiful wood thanks to my woodworking genius friend Bro. Danjou)

It has shelves for my cookbooks, my adorable yellow phone and other decorative items.

I will be sad if I can't fit it into my new house.

But I can sure say that I enjoyed it for the time I had it.

Gingerbread

Our yearly tradition of making gingerbread houses is really one of my favorites. 

This year, however, with the whole moving thing and the fact that the house is a mess...

I just wasn't in the mood at all.

I never got around to inviting all the people I had planned to invite.
I just felt overwhelmed.

As I worked on cooking the pieces for the houses I was very blah.
I kept looking around at my messy house
and thinking that I'd rather be napping.

But I finished up the house pieces and the soup I'd made in the crock pot
and my friends showed up.
and guess what?
It was so much fun!

We laughed and talked and caught up with the college kids.
We decorated the houses
We ate the soup and the homemade rolls brought by my friend.
YAY!

The kids decorated better than they have in years.
and even though I managed to break Carter's roof into 4 pieces while trying to help him,
he still ended up doing a great job on it.

Frank and I shared a house this year,
which was a little hard for me, I will admit.
But it was fun.

Frank put some special decorations on the roof in honor of Austin, who isn't here yet.
A rainbow, a peace sign and some "dancing bears" (a Grateful dead thing if you don't know)
Austin thought it was nice but said, "What is it?"

which I thought was a weird thing to ask.
After I told him it was a peace sign he texted back to say that is was a very nice gesture but we had drawn it incorrectly!

Um, yep.
We knew that...
I have no idea why none of us noticed it wasn't right AT ALL.
Upside down
missing pieces
whatever, we were young during the swinging sixties!
It's the thought that counts, luckily.

A good Christmas memory, again.
Happy.

Long time no talk

I've had so much going on and I've let blogging fall by the wayside.

But I didn't want to let this year end without putting up my 100 Things.

I like that I make this list every year and I think it's good for us to all spend a little time being grateful.

Circumstances of the day affect my list because it varies as to what is on my mind.  Today there was a school shooting, in an elementary school in Connecticut.  It has so many of us reeling...and I can't even imagine what is happening to the families involved.  I pray for their comfort.

I might not get the list done today (Friday 12/14)...It usually takes me a few days.  But I want to remember what I am grateful for at this time.

I'm thankful for:

1 My children

2. My understanding of the Plan Of Salvation

3. My belief in the Savior, Jesus Christ

4. My husband.  That he feels well and is alive today.

5. Doctors and Nurses, especially the ones at Lunder 10 at Mass General Hospital

6. That all of my kids get to come home for Christmas!

7. That our house sold

8. That we found a nice condo to live in

9. That I will live right across the street from friends

10. That Carter will have a friend close by.

11. That Austin is doing well in Vermont

12. That Frank still has his job.

13. That we got out of debt.

14. homemade rolls (though I shouldn't eat so many)

15. Beautiful Christmas trees. Love the sight.

16. The house on Rt 40 that has such fabulous lights on their house.

17. The deer in our yard.  Never get tired of watching them.

18. My awesome parents

19. My brothers and sisters.  I wish I could see them more.  I love them all.

20. Prayer

21. My fake candles with a remote control.

22. That girls can go on missions at 19!  Excited for my young friends.

23. My missionary niece.  What a good example of good attitude.

24. See's

25. My comfy bed

26.  Plungers

27. email

28. Good friends far and near

29. Facebook for helping me keep in touch with what is going on in their lives.

30. A grandbaby on the way

31. ITS A GIRL! Grateful for the opportunity to buy pink. :-)

32.  bagels

33. The fact that we lived in this beautiful house for 7 years and enjoyed it so much

34. soft feather pillows

35. Making new friends

36. Learning empathy

37. garages.  The best thing ever on cold winter days.

38. the soap dispenser on my sink

39. knee pads...has improved the mopping of the floor quite a bit.

40. That I don't have to wear reading glasses yet. 

41. The man who donated his bone marrow to Frank

42. Greyhound buses

43. frequent flyer miles

44. texts from my kids

45. Awesome in-laws

46. Friends at work

47. Caring teachers

48. stars

49. visits from my family (Daren's coming here tonight!)

50. the changing leaves in fall

51. tulips

52. Daisies (this is what I want on my casket.  FYI)

53. soft, warm blankets

54. google

55. snow
56. the snowplow guy :-)
57. my yellow phone
58. cute iphone cases. Seriously.
59. little notebooks that fit in my purse
60. My Bosskut Gazelle and the school project that forced me to figure out how to use it
61. a clean van
62. family pictures
63. groupon
64. Nook
65. Patrick Rothfuss. He has kept me entertained many an hour.  Now if only he'd finish that third book...
66. selfless people
67. lamps
68. ducks
69. wild turkeys
70. cloudless days
71. stars
72. My brother's picture of stars.  Amazing.
73. barely ripe bananas
74. apples and popcorn
75. My mom. Apples and popcorn always make me think of my mom!
76. grown up kids that get along
77. Physical therapy
78. Dave Ramsey
79. craigslist
80. freecycle
81. blogs.  Still love to read them more than facebook
82. Say Yes to the Dress (gets me through a lot of laundry folding)
83. twinkly lights
84. the little riddles that Frank puts on his presents
85. Benjamin Moore Paint
86. Trips back west
87. Awesome in-laws
88. my striped curtains
89. the red fluffy TV blankets
90. wool socks
91. prescription medication
92. Tillamook
93. real butter
94. the little flowers that grow in the grass
95. all the ponds and lakes around here
96. having my kids home!
97. stain remover
98. chapstick
99. eyeliner
100. forgiveness

Sorry if there are repeats.  I did this over a few days (it is now Wednesday night 12/19).

On living with Cancer

Generally I try not to talk about it much

and I try not to be a downer here on my blog

(ok, failing occasionally on that one)

But it is part of my life and I can't/shouldn't/don't want to ignore it.

You already know it...Cancer sucks.

I get a lot of people asking me how Frank is doing.

But what I find is that they really don't want to know

What they want to know is, Is he actively fighting cancer at this moment?

The answer to that is no.

He is in remission.

He is dealing with the aftermath of a bone marrow transplant.

It is a daily thing.

A struggle.

Painful and full of difficulties.

So when they ask me how he is doing I say "fine" or "pretty good"

because if I say anything else...alluding to the difficulties in his life

they, almost to a person, respond with something like

"But overall he's doing good, right?"

So to that I just say yes.

Because that's what they want me to say.

He's going to work as well as he can

He's even going on the occasional business trips

He's at home, not in a hospital.

His bloodwork doesn't show signs of the cancer.

He puts on a brave face as often as he can.

He tries to eat.

He tries to sleep.

He tries to stay warm.

But do not be deceived

Cancer sucks

It has changed his life forever.

and it affects him every single day

And I get tired of pretending that he is doing "good"

What does that mean, anyway?

People don't want to hear bad news.

No one.

Not even the people who don't have the cancer.

Pink

The ultrasound results are in and I am going to be the grandmother of a baby

GIRL

You know, you hear all the time about how great it is to be a grandparent

The "older people" tell you this even when you have little kids

How its the best of both worlds...getting to enjoy the baby without all the responsibility.

But, other than my own children, I have never been a baby person.

They are cute and all but I have no desire to hold them.

I figured it would be different with my grandchildren

(or I hoped)

Now, my granddaughter is not born yet

but I can tell you that from the second I saw this ultrasound picture, 

really from the moment I heard Amber was pregnant,

this was already a different experience.

I can look at someone else's ultrasound and think "oh how exciting for you!"

but I don't feel much else.

This baby...

This baby is already important to me.

I feel love for her

just like I did with my own children...

loved them before they were born.

It's so amazing!

And I can't wait to meet her.

My House

Last night some people came to look at the house

(we put it on the market for-sale-by-owner this week)

And they just seemed like the right people.  It felt like this was their house...it was meant to be.

They liked the house and have plans for it to have a barn and horses

Such a great use for the land.

After they left I felt excited but calm inside.  Like something would happen.

Today they made us an offer on the house and, assuming all goes well, we will be moving.

I have loved this house so much.

I've painted every room

I've decorated

rearranged

celebrated many birthdays, Thanksgivings, and Christmases here.

I'm ready for something smaller

but nervous about it at the same time.

It will be quite a change.

I hope it all works out!

November 6

I haven't posted a single political thing this year.

Not on facebook.

Not here.

and I'm not really going to start now

But today is the day to vote.

And I do believe in the right to vote.

I'm just really not a political person.

I consider it one of my better qualities that I am able to see both sides of an issue or belief.

It does make me less decisive in some ways but I think it makes me a more compassionate and empathetic person.

I'm pretty good at understanding people's feelings and why they feel that way.

This year I have been one of those "undecided voters" that they talk about all the time on the news

I've had people from both sides give me their views (at my request)

I have a staunch Romney supporter and an equally staunch Obama supporter right here in my family.

I'm not going to tell you what I decided because I also believe that a person's vote can be private.

Not everyone likes to put signs in their yard

or try to persuade people to adopt their views on facebook.

Some people do like to have their views known and that is their right.

I'm not one of those.

It's just not how I'm wired.

So, I hope everyone who has a desire and knowledge of who they want for President

(and whatever other officials and issues are on your ballot)

gets out and votes today!