Sunday, May 23rd

 Somehow I thought I had only missed two weeks of blogging but, alas, an entire month has passed!

A lot of stuff happened, probably. I don't remember.

Dion had a heart attack (!) and worried us all sick! He's going to be ok, thank heaven. I reacted much worse than I would have expected but it took me right back to a bad place mentally, where I lived for some time when Frank was fighting cancer. I had to leave the house because I was feeling so full of anxiety. What I wanted to do was to go buy the biggest dessert I could get my hands on plus a few bags of chips and go eat them alone in my car.  I realized that this might not be the best reaction to a heart attack so instead I bought a diet soda and drove to a nearby park to read and feel the breeze on my face. It helped.  The waiting for news was just awful and I kept thinking of how stressful it must be for Summer and the kids. We were all very relieved to hear the positive results and that he will be just fine.

I had a nice mother's day although it didn't really include any of my kids. Weird. Branden sent flowers and a card. So nice...I'll include a picture. Austin, being in Wales, sent a text. Ryan and Kristal stopped by with flowers and balloons but I was out visiting my mom's grave so I missed them. Sad, but a super nice gesture!  Carter was out of town (running a half marathon with his wife...crazy kids!) but they stopped by later in the week with a cool, illustrated version of the first Harry Potter Book (which I did not take a picture of, sorry. Google it). Frank made me chicken and waffles for dinner and it was amazing.

As I mentioned, I went to my mom's grave (with all of the Utah siblings and families and Daren and Berit were here in Utah too!). It was a really nice time together and I'm so glad we did it. Although I had recently gotten a second chemical peel and my face looked awful. Of course everyone wanted to take a group picture. I looked like I had elmer's glue dried all over my face, seriously. I tried not to smile for the pictures to keep from having too many weird wrinkles.

I planted some flowers both in the front area and rear of the house. I tend to see the ones in the backyard more and they make me quite happy. I always feel like the front of my house looks worse than the neighbors but I do get my gorgeous peonies so that makes up for it. ha!  I planted quite a few flowers out front but most of them seem to be struggling currently. We shall see.

My new favorites and they are perennials!

Yesterday I finally painted our mailbox. I've been meaning to do it for years!  It was very rusted and looked awful. And then sometime within the last year, someone banged into the little handle to open the door and it was all twisted. I forgot to take a before picture though.  I figured that since our mailbox is encased in brick, I better stop the rusting before I end up having to knock the whole thing down. I have no idea how people replace the mailbox in this situation!

Frank used a wire brush to get all of the rust off and I taped it off and spray painted it. Frank also straightened out the handle so I'll reattach that once everything is dry.  It looks much better!  I hope it holds up.  Of course right after painting, the wind picked up and so now I've got a bit of pollen and fluff from the cottonwood trees sticking to it. Sheesh.

Next thing is to add new numbers to it so people can find our house when needed. I am probably also going to add them somewhere on the house itself. Just have to decide where and what style of numbers. That could take another year...

Couches and Carbs

I recently decided to take the big step of hiring an interior designer to help me with my front room. I cannot figure out how to do this room!  I need more seating. I want it to be comfortable. I want to know what to do with my huge empty wall!  I'm over the striped wall and want something new for the entryway. I've hated that light fixture for 7 years. I've been trying to pick a rug for like 3 years and still don't have one for Pete's sake. Anyway, after much hemming and hawing, I hired someone. 

Clearly I have watched too much HGTV because what I wanted and expected was some sort of meeting followed by a drawing or computer sketch of the possible design. That's not exactly what happened. The designer did meet with me here in the house and we talked a bit. I showed him the things I do like in my house. He commented on changes he would make (which all aligned with what I was imagining).  I  told him that I have no idea how this is supposed to work, but what i wanted was a drawing or something so I could gradually make the design come true. I don't have the money to just *poof* redecorate/furnish a room. He said he could do that but first we need to decide on the basics so we made an appointment to meet at a furniture store to look at couch styles.  Ok, moving forward.

The furniture store meeting was fine but in the end I was picking out couches and chairs for my room and getting quotes for cost. And the cost was A LOT. (To me. Don't go crazy, it's normal people furniture) These are good pieces of furniture, which I like. But also, this is the least used room in my house. Is this where I should be spending big bucks? I left telling them I'd ponder it.  I worry a bit that I'm going to end up with something that ends up looking like a showroom living room, rather than the eclectic vibe I like.  Though, to be honest, this could all be in my head because all we did was look at couches. I've been known to overthink.

Fast forward a week or so and I'm figuring out how I can pay for the couches but perhaps put off any other designing until I save up some more. I still don't have an idea of what the end goal is. I need a picture! I'm panicking a bit also because I DO NOT want to get into any debt.  I make very little money and at this rate, the room will take me years to fund.  I mean, it's been years already I guess, so what's the big deal?

So, the day that I was supposed to order the couches, I whined to my friend in AZ and worried that I was rushing into something I'd regret. She had some of my same concerns. And so...I just called off the whole thing. Quit the designer and asked for a refund of my deposit. Told the couch folks that I wasn't going to order right now.  And ate some carbs. Because that's how I deal with emotions.

Now it's been another week.

I've commiserated with said friend who is good at this stuff. I've looked at lot of pinterest pictures. And I've eaten more carbs.  And I've decided to try an online designer.  This way they HAVE to give you a picture because you are never actually talking to them!  It's way cheaper than a real life designer so I figure it's not much to lose if it doesn't work out.  I submitted my info and pictures and now I wait for results. 

All this for a room that I use for reading and talking to plants.

Sunday, April 25th

First matter of business: I worked out several times this week. Not as much as I should have, but it was a start. Now to do even better next week!

Tuesday I got a haircut from Harley. She always does a great job and I like my hair so much more these days. Stopping coloring it was a good choice for me, it turns out. I made the mistake of petting the kitties and not washing my hands though. Of course I ended up rubbing my eye and it was all downhill from there. haha! I was so itchy! I'm usually super careful about that. I hate being itchy.

I took Friday afternoon off for a family activity. We went with Dion's family, Doneen's family, Jared, Heather and Jansen and Sara and Kaleo to the Tulip festival as part of a celebration for Heather's graduation from BYU. It was a lovely afternoon and the gardens were, of course, beautiful. I was glad to be there. When Dion originally told me about it I just said, "sorry, I'll be at work" but he texted later and said that life is short and I should just take time off to be at this family thing. So I turned to my coworker and asked if she would cover for me and she said yes!  It was definitely the right choice.  We then went to Dinner and ice cream after where Kari and her fiancé also joined us . It was totally fun.

I got my first ever chemical peel on Thursday. It's supposed to help with age spots, which I am getting lots of, and keep your face looking nice. My coworker, Lori, gets them and so I was intrigued. The rules are: no picking at flaking skin, wear sunscreen and stay out of the sun. So, going to the Tulip festival the next day might not have been the best choice. I did wear sunscreen but I was definitely IN THE SUN. Anyway, it just started peeling today. I was hoping to be done peeling by today so I don't look freaky at work. Alas, that is not to be apparently. Guess I won't mind wearing that mask as much as I usually do!

Now some complaining: Saturday I felt very down and very lonely. I cleaned house and did stuff that I needed to do but just kept thinking about how freaking ALONE I am here. I really missed my family when I lived back East and I am so glad to be near them now. But I think back East, people knew they needed other people. Most people didn't have a lot of family around and so they looked for friends and made close friends. Here, it seems like everyone has all their family around and so they don't need anyone else. I used to have friends. And I've complained about this before I'm sure, but if I don't reach out to others to do stuff or play games or whatever, no one reaches out to me. I constantly reach out to others but get no reciprocation. Why is that? Am I annoying and I don't know it?  Well, I realize that I'm annoying at this moment but I'm not always like this!  Anyway, I'm lonely and I don't know how to fix it.  So I ate junk food.  That's still going on today actually.  Back on the wagon tomorrow...

Weekend in Michigan

I didn't blog yesterday but it wasn't because I forgot!  I was in Michigan for Isabelle's baptism!

We were so grateful that we could go to Michigan for Isabelle's baptism and to visit for a few days. Michigan is having a spike of Covid cases so we were extra grateful that we are both vaccinated. We were also grateful that Delta is still blocking out the middle seat because of Covid. It makes traveling so much nicer!

We stayed in the same airbnb that we had at Thanksgiving. It's a quirky and old place but it has the plus of extra bedrooms so the girls can spend the night, which they love.

Isabelle is all packed up and ready for a sleepover!

We had two sleepovers and played pretend church again. haha. They love that and it's funny to see the little things they do to pretend church. One of them is in charge of wiping down the "microphone" and lectern after each speaker. ha!  Covid. This house just happened to have the perfect little side table for a lectern and a desk lamp that looks exactly like a microphone. I'm impressed that these girls assign talks to each other with real gospel topics and then give a pretty darn good talk at their little microphone with no preparation or help from an adult. I will admit that Frank and I weary of pretend church because it never has an actual ending!  After our first time doing it, he said, "That felt as long as real church!"  He is not wrong.

Isabelle's baptism was very nice and I teared up watching Branden being such a loving and kind Dad to Isabelle as well as watching him use his Priesthood power to baptize his daughter.  Isabelle was pretty nervous and once in the water (which she said was too hot) she was a bit overcome with nerves. He was so sweet and hugged her and told her to look just at him and that he would take care of her. She did that and was baptized with no problems. What a sweet moment that was.

Isabelle isn't actually a fan of getting her picture taken and she was cold so we had trouble getting a good picture! But we tried! ha!

We followed the baptism with a nice afternoon at the Finch house with lunch and treats. The girls love their cousins so much and I'm glad they have all these younger kids to hang out with and bond with on a regular basis. I do worry about becoming the "forgotten grandparent" but it doesn't mean I begrudge them the wonderful relationships they have with Amber's parents and siblings. It's really fun to watch.

The weather was beautiful while we were there. My allergies were nuts but otherwise we really enjoyed the nice weather. We spent a fair bit of time in  Branden and Amber's backyard playing with Riley and the kids. Frank was super good to do a bunch of playing on the trampoline. I don't do trampolines anymore but it was fun to watch them. They really love wrestling grandpa!

Finished Bathroom

 Just realized I never posted the final pictures of the bathroom!

It is basically done now. We are waiting for the cabinet people to come fix a couple of things but haven't heard from them in like 2 weeks so we are just not worrying about it. We were being the squeaky wheel but now we are just too tired. We've only paid half so if they want the rest, they'll come fix it. If not, we got a good deal on cabinets I guess. So odd.

But generally, it is done! Totally functional once again.

Countertop is Corian and I'm really happy with how it looks. 

I also like integrated sinks. So much easier to keep clean!

I searched and searched for mirrors and lights. 

Ended up getting both from Amazon after my friend sent me the links. 

I even bought a new plant to kill. It looks very cute for now though.

I attached all of the hooks and toilet paper holder with 3M tape. I hated the thought of drilling through the new cabinet or the tile!  So far everything is holding up perfectly well!  And this way, I can change things out easily if I get sick of them (or if 3M comes up with cuter command hooks).

The hooks that hold up the hand towels aren't from 3M but they had a flat back so I attached them with the command strips to see how it would work. So far so good!

April 11, 2021

 Like many projects, this one is off to a rocky start!  But I shall not give up, even though I missed two weeks without even THINKING about this blog. sigh.

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Today is Ryan and Kristal's wedding anniversary! Happy one year to them!  

I try to visit them approximately once a week and we have lunch together. Schedules sometimes make it so that we miss a week but we are pretty good about it. I love being able to spend time with them and get to know Kristal better also. She is super talented and crafty which I did not know until the day of their wedding when she showed up with all kinds of beautiful decorations that SHE HAD MADE!  

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I am in the middle of repainting our night stands. They've been black for over 20 years now and I'm painting them white. Our house is SO DUSTY. I admit that I hate to dust and probably put it off too long but this house gets dusty within hours of a thorough dusting. And the black night stands always looked atrocious. So hopefully white will look better, longer.

Still need to put the legs back on but they are taking forever to paint

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I had a bunch of junk from our bathroom stored in the various bedrooms while we redid it and then when we went to put it all back, one of the items had fallen over and leaked all over my window seat cushion. I had the brilliant idea to put it in the washer. Shoulda thought that through.  

The stain didn't come out and the inside cushion is now a twisted mess. 

Alas.

Doneen says she'll help me fix it.

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I did a mini makeover of the guest bath also. 

Bought a new shower curtain at Target. I had two that I was deciding between but went with the one that had colors I hadn't used in awhile. When I got home I realized that my blue hooks would not look so great with the curtain so I had to pain the hooks. That's no big deal but I didn't want glossy paint, which was all I had. So I went to the paint store and looked at their mistake paint. Found a nice black paint that said it was eggshell for only $2 for a quart.  I painted the hooks and put up the new shower curtain and it looks really nice.  Now my towels don't match either. HA!

Luckily I had a couple of reddish/orangeish towels in the cupboard.

I discovered after painting that the paint I bought is, indeed, glossy. And, it turns out, dark brown not black!  I shoulda just used the paint I had in my cupboard. 

They mostly look black except in a certain light so I'm leaving it.

I also ordered black hardware for the vanity. I had an extra from our bathroom makeover and put it on to see how I liked it and I like it much better. I've never cared for the hardware that came with this vanity. I can't wait to be rid of the rectangle pulls because they are always crooked and I am way to OCD for that jazz.

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Amber and the girls have been visiting Utah. We got to see them  few times and it's been fun. They leave today.

We took Isabelle and Kaylee shopping to buy their birthday presents and let them each pick what they wanted. It was fun! We had dinner together and hung out at the house for awhile too. Kaylee wanted a full tour because she was too little when they moved away and didn't remember the house.

I didn't take one single picture. 

Oops.

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I've been having a couple of bad mental health days this weekend. That's what I call it when I explain it to Frank. No idea why but I'm very down and out. Luckily all I have to do is tell Frank and he's good to give me space when I'm like this. It's almost like PMS on steroids or something. Being a girl is fun.

That's it for this week! I'm off to eat some chocolate to soothe my feelings.

Sunday March 21

Ok, the "get inspired and write more in 2021" thing is not going well.

So the new plan is-write something, anything, every Sunday.  

Here are some things going on:

I went off sugar and gluten about 2 months ago.  We have allowed ourselves a couple of cheat days (when we went out of town) but have been pretty much keto for that long. I feel remarkably better when I eat keto. I miss sugar and cake and things but, physically, MUCH improved.

I have lost about 10 lbs but have been stuck there for several weeks now and I'm getting annoyed. I need to lose AT LEAST 10 more.

The bathroom remodel is still not done. Mirrors and lights should arrive this week. There were several problems with cabinets but in theory those will be fixed this week. New closet doors were installed yesterday by Frank and they are janky as heck and don't want to move properly...so that's gotta change. Frank successfully installed faucets and drains yesterday so we do have water!

Amber and the girls are coming to visit in early April and I'm super excited to see them!

We are flying to Michigan for the weekend in April for Isabelle's baptism. Yay!

Got the indoor bike trainer thing for Christmas and have not used it once. It took until March to get it set up but now it's all ready to go in the basement just waiting for me to be more energetic.

Because of the bathroom situation, the other two bedrooms are complete disaster zones. My closet and all of the crap from the bathroom are in both of those rooms. I can't wait to organize them again soon!

Well, we are headed to Dion's for dinner and games. I invited myself because I need some social interaction. I made a new meatball casserole recipe that I've never tried. I hope it's good!

So long til next Sunday when I will thrill you with exciting info like I did today. ha!