To twitter or not to twitter

Just uploaded a new lovely iris background to my twitter account - here's the original picture I used.  Don't you just love irises?  They're the most gorgeous flowers.

I'm still trying to figure out the fascination with twitter.  First of all, I can't say anything in the amount of space you have there.  I hate hash tags - and I particularly hate seeing twitter posts on facebook - you can't read them - what do they mean.  They're speaking a foreign language with lots of number symbols in little them :-)

I've been there for a long time, just haven't used it.  So, I'm giving it a shot.  Kinda like my blog - trying to get back to it.  Someone tell me why it's so wonderful though????

Today's plans were changed as I had to pick up granddaughter at school this am and take her to dr.  School nurse thought she might have the flu.  Thank God it wasn't - sinus infection.  She's been sleeping most of the day.

So, since I'm at home, I'm able to listen to my oldest grandson, Matt Thompson play baseball.  He's playing with the California Winter League and I can listen online (when their audio feed works - which is very sporadic).  Games just started on Saturday so hopefully I'll get to hear most of them.  Go Matt!!

Refinishing furniture

Found a great idea online to create a cute dog bed from an old end table.  FINALLY found the old table - really ratty and beat up, but that's okay.  Actually found a second (very different) table about the same time and decided to use both of them - after all, my love seat does have two ends.

Here's the original idea - I love it.

I still have to choose the fabric for the inside.  Looks like I'd better get busy with that.

Anyway, thought I'd have to wait a bit to start work on them but yesterday turned out to be a pretty, and relatively warm day - so I dashed out to Lowe's, got my supplies and got started.

Sanding was first.  Well, no that's not actually correct.  FINDING the sander was first.  Son finally found it in hubby's shop.  (The shop is such a mess it's difficult to find anything - we've GOT to clean it up - but that's another story.)  My patience level is zip and I'd probably have given up and bought another on... so I'm especially thankful that he found it.  Of course, there was sandpaper galore - hubby always had plenty of everything.

Took the entire project outside as I didn't want fine powdery dust over everything in the garage (the shop is in too big a mess to work in there - oh yeah, think I mentioned that).  So, got the sanding done.  (Yes, I wore a dust mask.)  I hate sanding! 

This is the table as I bought it - you can't really tell, but it's REALLY rough and beat up. Found it on Craigslist for next to nothing.

After sanding - but before cleaning.

This is the second one - has a little drawer in the top and then a file drawer in the bottom.  One can never have too many drawers to put "stuff" in - right?  Got this one at an antique mall - also really cheap.  This picture is before any sanding or anything.

Cleaned all the fine dust off both tables and moved everything back inside (well, son moved everything back inside).  Got the original idea table up on saw horses and applied primer.  Now, this table doesn't look very big, but there's LOTS of wood surface so that took awhile.

It's been drying overnight and now son has switch the tables and I've just finished putting prime on the second one this afternoon. Then they need to cure for 7 days before first coat of paint is applied.

When I was younger, I loved doing this sort of thing... (except the sanding - I always hated that part) but my back is still bothering me from yesterday, and I have body parts that hurt that I'd forgotten I have.  And you know - it's not like I really needed any more furniture in my house.  But, I've been slowly morphing my living room into something different for a couple of years now and I think I'm gonna like these little tables.

It's a good thing I didn't have room to work on both of them at the same time though or I probably wouldn't be able to walk. 

More on this project later... 

Meet Max

I have a friend who has an adorable dog - Max.

Max was a stray someone apparently dumped and my friend (Jacki) and her husband adopted him last year and, of course, fell madly in love with him.  Who wouldn't - look at this adorable baby.  The vet estimates he's about 1-1/2 years old.

Max is a terrier cross found abandoned last august.  He had bladder stones and now he needs liver surgery.

This is expensive surgery and without it Max's life span is only months from now.

I know many of my friends are animal lovers and I'm appealing to you for help.  Even a little means a lot.  A fundraiser has been established and if you can help AT ALL it would be appreciated.  Here's the Give Forward link.

Please keep Max in your prayers and if you can give at all I thank you, Max thanks you and Jacki thanks you.  And no, she didn't ask me to post this - or know that I was going to - but she still thanks you :-)

It's COLD in Alabama

WOW - two posts in two days.  That must be a record for me.

Yesterday was snow.  I don't like snow and cold. I'm definitely ready for spring/summer!

School out early so family all at home.  Son insisted we play a card game - what he and his brothers and Dad used to do on snow days in Missouri.  So, pinochle it was.  I'm not really a game kind of person and hadn't played it in years, but it pretty much came back to me - and I rather enjoyed it after we got into it (please, do not tell my family I said that :-)

I lived in Missouri for many years and endured way too much snow and cold.  Alabama is in the deep south - we're supposed to have warmer weather... and usually we do.  But yesterday was snow and ice.  And this morning, there's still snow & ice.  Not a lot of snow left, but the ice is still there.  The sun is shining today (thank you God).  Now if the temps will just go above freezing!

Those pictures probably don't look that bad if you live in an area that has snow - but remember, this is Alabama.  Not only do people not know how to drive on it - there's no means of getting it off roads.  We don't have ice trucks and snow plows here.

School closed today - too much ice on the county/back roads and parking lots.

I live in the country - on a mountain - and getting up and down it when there's ice is really tricky - so I'm home again today too.

Did I mention I hate cold and snow????

Oh my goodness - has it really been over a year since I've posted here?  apparently so.  I had such good intentions when I started this (and you know where that leads), but life just seems to get in the way.  I know, I know, whatever you make a priority gets done - obviously this wasn't high on my list.  Or maybe I just didn't have anything much to say.

I don't write nearly as entertainingly as some of my friends do, consequently, I'm not nearly as interesting to read..

A tiny recap of my year - had three grandkids graduate from high school this year - in three different states.  Thankfully on three different dates so I could make all of them.  One of my dreams when I was diagnosed with breast cancer was to see all of my grandchildren graduate from high school.  Two to go.

Oldest grandson graduated from college too.  Would have loved to be there, but just couldn't manage two trips to Texas within such a short time.

Left the church I'd attended for twenty two years to attend Resonate Church 9.22.  A new church started by my son.  It's still small and meeting in my house, but such a major blessing in my life having my son as my Pastor.  I'm still in contact with my previous church on a regular basis and they are doing well.

One son & grandson ripped up the carpet and put down new laminate flooring in my living/dining room while I was gone to one of the graduations.  I'm LOVIN it!  Looks so much better and much easier to clean (especially with the cats).

Finished Arimidex (cancer drug) in August... WOO HOO!!!  So, I'm officially off any prescription meds.    At my age may not always be able to say that, but I think that's a major blessing at my age.

Had to have Belle put to sleep - that was really difficult.  She had been Chuck's dog, but definitely became mine after he died.  It's never easy to lose a furkid, but their lifespan just isn't as long as ours.  She always thought Frosty's bed was there just for her - size apparently didn't matter.  She was 12 years old and had gotten so gray.  RIP sweet girl!

Started working on some weight loss towards the end of the year.  Only want to drop about 10 pounds, but that may be more difficult than a lot.  Managed 5 - but then the holidays came...  If I ate more food on a regular basis I could cut back more, but never been a big eater, so that doesn't work.  Trying to cut the carbs - but you know, the very best things to eat are full of carbs :-(

I'm sure there were other earth shaking events this past year, but since my memory is short, I can't think of them at the moment.

I am going to try and post more here this year.... we'll see how that goes.

Elephants and bags

I've just finished my latest "Lazy Girl" bag - this one is a Candace and made large enough to hold my new Kindle Fire. Time will tell if I like it as well as the others I've made.

I received a tote bag for Christmas that I really liked the fabric and style, but it wasn't quite big enough, so I took it all apart, used the Lazy Girl pattern and made modifications to suit me. I even used the handles from the tote. I think I'm going to really like it.

The little wonder wallet and checkbook cover are made with fabric from the lining of the purse. I love the wonder wallets and that's all I use anymore. I can change wallets and still know where everything is.

Inside of the bag. Note the pocket in the back will hold my new Kindle fire, while other pockets hold other items, keeping everything organized.

I love organization - and this fits my needs nicely. I've looked for a Kindle cover and couldn't find one I liked that I was willing to pay for. Ordered one from Amazon.com but it was too small for my Kindle Fire. SOOO, made one myself. Not elegant and just kind of figured out what I wanted as I went along, but at least it matches my new purse!

Halloween crossed the Rainbow Bridge

...yesterday. It's never easy to lose a pet and to have to make the decision to let them go, but this one seemed especially difficult. She was so tied to Chuck as she had been his cat when he was alive.

Halloween was my old (17 years) barn cat.

Her mother had come to our barn and had a litter of kittens - then got out in the road and got killed. Chuck raised the kittens and over the years they all disappeared except Halloween.

She had a gazillion kittens over the years - with only a couple of survivors. One we gave to a friend and one became our house cat - Fluffy.

When Halloween was a few years old she began to venture into our fenced back yard (by coming over the gate). She would show up every day at feeding time and 'escort' Chuck to the barn. He would sit with her, pet her and talk to her.

When he got sick the feeding chore fell to me, but she wasn't nearly as impressed with me as she was with Chuck. She moved to the lean-too next to the goat barn (which was closer to the house than the big barn). Then when Chuck died she moved to the deck. When she moved to the deck (at 11 years old) it was time for a vet visit. I did not need more kittens.

She became "my" cat and was quite tame. She thought the dogs were just there for her to rub on. When Boots (the front porch kitty) arrived she even shared her deck with him occasionally. She had a nice house and a comfty bed on the deck. I brought her in a few nights when it was extremely cold, but she wasn't particularly impressed. Her domain was the deck and the back yard. She thought the chaise lounge was just there for her benefit. Occasionally she would lay on the deck rail so she'd have a better view of her world. I don't think she ventured out of the fenced back yard at all in the last 5 years.

I fed her on top of a table on the deck and she jumped up there every morning - including yesterday.

I went outside with Frosty a little after 11AM and found her laying in the monkey grass (in the rain) crying pitifully. She couldn't stand and I discovered once I got her to the vet that she couldn't see. She did respond to my voice and petting on her head, but she was basically paralyzed otherwise. I held her and said sweet nothings to her as she crossed the bridge. Now she's rubbing on Chuck's legs again, but it's surely been difficult here.