Easily Distracted by Shiny Things

The Meters

2016-11-18T22:27:00.000-06:00

Do you ever hear a song on a commercial that just makes you smile? Perhaps its something you remember from your teens and it makes you feel young again. In my case it was a song I had never heard before but had a great beat.

So I did a little Googling after hearing this song on a Google Pixel Commercial and found this song. You gotta hear it. 70's funk was around when I was in grade school and oblivious to stuff unless it was on TV. (I remember watching my dad watch Soul Train on TV! That's some groovy shit.)

Anyway give it a listen. It's fun.

And you can listen to this one too...it's considered classic funk apparently (at least according to Wikipedia)

And apparently my listening limit is 2 funk songs in a row. Give me a little Adam Ant from the 80's and I can listen to all his albums all day!

ORC Update - Windowsill and Light Fixture

2016-11-15T13:04:00.001-06:00

I'm just checking in with an update on my outstanding One Room Challenge tasks. I want to get the room DONE with no lingering to do tasks, even if they weren't part of my initial One Room Challenge scope of work. This will be the ONLY room in my condo completely done. I'm very excited by that prospect!

If you remember in week 4 I discovered water damage to my windowsill but couldn't get the handyman out to fix it prior to reveal day. As a reminder here is what it looked like once we scraped up the spackle hiding this mess. It was in both corners of the little bay window.

I had the handyman (Pepe) out yesterday and he was able to fix the damage. Apparently the wood isn't rotten but there is water damage to the many layers of paint in that area. He nailed in the one loose board and applied Bondo and smoothed out all the bumps. Boy is that stuff stinky! With quite of bit of sanding it's now ready for primer and paint. I'll take care of that when I'm off of work for Thanksgiving next week. Luckily there was no other issues in the window area!

Pepe also installed my pretty light fixture. He ran into trouble as the do-hicky that you screw to the ceiling that the light then hangs from was too small for the hole in the ceiling. The joys of old house living. A trip to the hardware store and it was fixed. It was a bit of a pain for him to install all the crystals. Look how nice the light looks! Sparkly!!

The light is this one from Overstock for $165. I like it so much I will probably put it in my bedroom when I redo that room (maybe for the Spring One Room Challenge in April!)

ORC Outstanding Items (did you notice that my list is growing longer not shorter?! Sigh.)

~~Fix window sill~~

Wash windows

Caulk around window

Prime / paint window sill

Paint closet doors

~~Install light fixture~~

Hem curtains

Sew ball fringe on curtains

Finish pink globe DIY

Purchase / hang mirror between desk and window

Add Wink clock above mirror

Sand / paint radiator covers

ORC Week 6 - Reveal Day

2016-11-11T18:23:00.000-06:00

Today is the big day! It's week 6 of the One Room Challenge by Calling it Home -- Reveal Day!! The challenge was to make over a room in 6 short weeks and blog about the process. Go here to see the other guest participants rooms!

You can view my initial plan here:

Week 5 I'm Never Going to Finish!

I made over my son's former bedroom into my home office. The before pictures are after a quick refresh right after he moved out. It looked ok but didn't function well. The requirements were storage, a lighter brighter feminine space, display space for rotating art, and easier to access book storage.

Here are the before's:

After several plan changes and a few set backs here are the afters:

I'm very happy with my progress. The room isn't completely done. I still have the rotten windowsill and light fixture to repair/replace. The radiator covers need to be sanded and painted and replaced. The drapes need to be hemmed and the black ball trim attached. I have a 1/2 completed globe diy in process. And I need something between the desk and the window. Whew! Seems like a lot, but a lot was done to this room. I'm a slow decorator so a 6 week challenge was HARD for me. Progress not perfection, right?!

I'll go more into the status and details over the remaining to-do's, a cost breakdown, a resource list and how we made the giant bulletin board in the coming weeks.

I'd like to thank Forrest and Kris for all their help in getting this room done. We all know if it was left up to just me I would be on my 8,384th plan and paint would never get up on the walls. Also thanks to Linda at Calling it Home for organizing this wild ride.

Be sure to check out the rest of the ORC Guest Participants!

ORC - Week 5 - I'm Never Going to Finish!

2016-11-03T00:22:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to Week 5 of the One Room Challenge where I am making over my home office in 6 weeks and blogging all the details. You can check out all the other guest participants here.

I'm in a mad scramble to finish as much of the room in the next week as possible. Once I get paint on the walls I can move in the furniture waiting in my living room. It looks like the repair work on the rotten windowsill found last week and the installation of the new light fixture I decided to add at the last minute can't be scheduled until after the reveal next week. Whomp whomp!!

All the plaster is patched and the ceiling has 2 coats of paint and the trim is painted. The gray paint goes up today! I know it doesn't really look it, but a lot of work has gone into getting the room to this point!

We cleaned up all the old caulk and damage where the radiator covers were caulked to the walls. The covers are a hot mess...65 years of layers and layers of gloppy, peeling paint. The thought of either sanding or stripping the paint, priming and repainting is daunting. Especially considering that the whole condo needs to be done eventually. It becomes even more of a challenge when you realize my 3rd floor condo doesn't have a backyard or basement or garage where I can easily do projects like this.

I decided to explore replacing the covers. Mine are from the 1950's so an exact replacement is impossible. There are a bunch of replacement companies and products out there. I found an inexpensive option at Home Depot. They have a polymer cover to retrofit my baseboards from Neat Heat. It is $54 for a 6' length. I ordered a sample and a couple of connector pieces and received them yesterday. It fits great! I just removed the existing cover and slide on the new one using the existing hangers nailed to the wall. These are for hot water heat not electric. They will melt with electric heat baseboards. You can see the difference in this picture. The old one is on the left. The new replacement cover is on the right. You can't really see the messy layers of paint but trust me they are there!

The cover doesn't dent, scratch, yellow or off gas. It's paintable but I will leave it white. My small room will cost about $300 but it has either radiators or the return on 3 walls. I think not having to deal with the paint encrusted covers and upgrading my entire room in minutes is worth the expense. I'm placing an order for the remaining pieces needed today. Shipping of the sample was super fast. Fingers crossed the order comes in time for reveal day!

Alrighty...enough gabbing. I've got a bunch of stuff to do! Check back next Thursday for the big reveal!

Fix rotten window sill (scheduled for after the reveal. Bummer)

Replace ceiling fan with sparkly light fixture (scheduled for after the reveal)

Rent a rug cleaner / clean rugs

Scrape caulk / fix plaster by the radiators (completed)

Order replacement radiator covers (today)

Install replacement radiator covers (hopefully I receive them by next Thursday!)

Paint the ceiling (done)

Paint the trim (done)

Paint the room gray (today!)

Change out the desk, add storage (purchased ready to be installed)

Make a giant bulletin board (waiting for the walls to be painted)

Make Rosettes (not sure I'm going to use them)

Sell the futon (sold!)

Purchase Kallax shelves from Ikea (put together, waiting in the living room)

Return shelves for over the desk to Ikea

Hang curtain rod (waiting for the walls to be painted)

Make drapes (waiting for the curtain rod to be hung because math)

Add a surprise design element --brooch mannequin (completed)

Hang large chandelier print (waiting for the walls to be painted)

Zhush up the place!

Check Out all my ORC Posts

Week 1 2 3 4 6

ORC Week 4 -- So much to do!

2016-10-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to week 4 of the One Room Challenge where I'm redoing my office space (formerly my son's bedroom) in 6 weeks. You can read about previous weeks: Week1 - The Before, Week 2 - The Plan, Week 3 - Progress. Check out the rest of the guest participants work here!

Ugh!!! I'm never going to finish!! Or so it seems today. My to do list is growing and my done list is inching along.

Lets dive right in. We found significant water damage to the windowsill that the previous owner covered with spackle. The spackle came up in thick sheets while prepping for freshly painted trim revealing this ugly mess. It's in both corners of the little bay window.

I'm waiting for a second estimate to repair the damage. It's a one day-ish job (hopefully there is nothing hidden that gets discovered and also has to be repaired.) The work can be done next week but that means painting that area can't be started yet as there will most likely be plaster damage as the boards are removed/installed.

Also we had a problem with our hot water floor radiator covers falling off the wall in a spot. I swear I took a picture but can't find it. Anyway in addition the covers had been caulked with inch thick caulk to the walls which prohibited any way to clean or service the units.

The new job became scrapping/pulling off a thick layer of old and brittle caulk exposing the full radiator cover, damaged plaster walls and decades of dust, hair and dirt. Oh boy! The good news is that it was an easy repair after that to fix the hanging radiator cover.

We still need to clean everything for the remaining radiators, scrape the residue caulk and paint build up on the wall and cover, repair the plaster damage that was hidden by the caulk, sand and paint the covers, paint the wall, and hope we can reinstall the 70 year old covers without issue.

I also decided that since I need to have a contractor out I'll replace the ceiling fan. The repair work is blowing my budget so I'm using the fixture I had purchased for the dining room. It'll look great in this room and I can always purchase a new one for the dining room later.

There was also some big changes to the design plans, yes again! The plan on Saturday morning was the large set of cubbiess and the bulletin board above the desk. After a trip to Ikea an hour away and some lunch, and a tour of the room, my son thought it would look better and be easier to access if the bulletin board was across the room above a short set of cubbies and shelves above the desk for pretties!

I did a little Pinterest research and found an exact picture of what he said. I had to agree this was a better plan.

On Sunday we took another trip to Ikea and returned the tall cubbies and bought the short cubbies and shelves for above the desk.

Then Monday night I decided to do away with the long shelves above the desk! I think I was swayed by pretty Pinterest pins of feminine office shelves full of pretty black, white, pink and gold items. I'm more of a minimalist -- I don't like clutter and having to dust things. And I didn't really have much stuff that I wanted to put on the shelves. It seemed silly to spend the $$ to shop for things for 2 long shelves that might make me twitchy with so much stuff/clutter!

Instead I decided to purchase a big piece of art. In the long run I didn't save any money, but I love this print. And its nice and big at 45"x30". I had thought about purchasing it for my dining room when I was redoing it earlier this year but went with something lighter instead. I'm glad I found a space to use it. It arrives Friday and I can't wait to see it in person. It really fits with my contemporary glamour design aesthetic.

All the design changing craziness is typical for me. You can see why it takes me forever to get things done. With the purchase of this non returnable art my decisions are pretty locked in now.

There has been some progress! The room is pretty much emptied (I now have a futon sitting in my living room hoping someone purchases it soon). The ceiling has one coat of paint. I think it'll need another. Why does ceiling paint not cover well? Its white over white, you would think one coat would cover. Not!

I should mention that my son's girlfriend Kris is a life saver. She enjoys the prep and painting type of work which I find tedious and am bad at. She has put a lot of time into this room. She also seems to not mind me talking about my 7,000 versions of what this room could look like. My son Forrest is great with many trips to Ikea, some good ideas from a fresh perspective and free labor. This room wouldn't happen without them.

Things to Do:

Fix rotten window sill (waiting for 2nd estimate)
Replace ceiling fan with sparkly light fixture
Rent a rug cleaner /clean rugs (why not with the room almost empty! What's one more thing?)
~~Fix hanging radiator cover (completed!)~~
Fix plaster by radiator covers
Scrape/paint radiator cover
Reassemble radiator covers
Paint the room gray
Paint the ceiling (1 coat done)
Paint the trim
~~Change out the desk, add storage (purchased)~~
Make a giant bulletin board
~~Make rosettes (not sure now if I'm going to use them)~~
Decorate the bulletin board
Sell the futon and get it out of the living room (Listed for sale on Craigslist)
~~Purchase the short Kallax shelves from Ikea~~
Return shelves for over the desk to Ikea
Hang curtain rod (purchased)
Make drapes (I have the supplies)
~~Add a surprise design element (Mannequin completed)~~

Week 1 2 3 5 6

ORC Week 3 -- Progress

2016-10-21T12:41:00.000-05:00

Hi. Welcome back to my office redo. If you are new here I'm participating in the One Room Challenge where I redo a room in 6 short weeks. You can see week 1 here where I show my before pictures. Week 2 is here where I talk about my plan for the space. Go here to check out week 1 of all the other ORC guest participants!

I'm behind schedule!! I was supposed to have the room painted last weekend. Both my son and I were sick and didn't get it done. I'm hopeful that we can paint this weekend so I can catch up. The plan is to paint the walls Mindful Gray by Sherwin Williams. The ceiling will be white out of the can ceiling paint. The trim is Extra White by Sherwin Williams. I can't wait to see the paint on the walls and the trim refreshed!!

I can show you some progress on accessories in the room. I'm going to hang some paper rosettes above the giant bulletin board I'm making. I can't make/hang the bulletin board until the walls are painted. But I did take some time to gather items to decorate it. I made 8 rosettes the other night while watching TV.

The rosettes were super easy to make. I used this tutorial. You need 3 sheets of 12" square scrapbook paper for each rosette. A little folding, scotch tape, hot glue later and voila! I added one step not in the tutorial, I had to add hot glue to the center of the rosette to hold everything together. The tape wasn't holding well enough. And since I had the glue out I added a little center circle to the front and back to stabilize the rosette even more and hid the messy glue job. I'm pleased with the way they turned out.

I also got my secret design project completed! I was going to share this in Week 5 but since I really don't have anything to show you today it's moved up the schedule. For years I've wanted a way to display some antique brooches I have. Finally I had a plan. I found a mannequin on Craigs List for $49 that has a pinnable surface. I gathered my brooches and had fun arranging them. Over time I'll probably purchase a few more pins (now that I have something to do with them!) and completely fill up the bodice.

I made the tulle skirt with 10 yards of glitter tulle and a ribbon. I tied the ribbon around the mannequin's waist loosely. I cut the tulle into approximately 6" wide lengths, tied them around the ribbon and scrunched them all together so the skirt was full. The project cost about $25 for supplies and took only 90 minutes. You could do the same process for a skirt for a child or even you!

I hope this week I can get the room painted, the desk and shelves in place and the curtain rod hung. Yikes!! Lots left to do!

Things to do:

Paint the room gray
Paint the ceiling and trim white
Change out the desk, add storage (purchased)
Make a giant bulletin board (I've got a plan!)
~~Make rosettes~~
Decorate the bulletin board
Sell the futon (listed on Craigslist)
Purchase Kallax shelves from Ikea
Decorate / organize the shelves
Hang curtain rod (purchased rod)
Make drapes
~~Add a surprise design element! (Mannequin completed)~~

Go to Week

1 2 4 5 6

ORC Week 2 - The Plan

2016-10-13T00:38:00.001-05:00

Hi. How's it going? Welcome to week two of the One Room Challenge where I am making over my home office in 6 weeks. (See week 1 here)

Progress has been kinda slow as I keep changing my mind about what I want. I know, like who would have thunk it?! When I left you last week I showed my starting point and talked about my goals for the room. Well those have changed a bit.

The biggest change is that I'm ditching the futon. This used to be my sons room. Since it was so small we chose to have a futon instead of a traditional bed. A full size bed and desk wouldn't have given any room to walk. Fast forward and it is no longer needed as my son is out on his own. I was going to keep the futon in case he came back home. Right now that seems doubtful but we all know life throws curve balls and anything can happen. Anyway if it is needed again in the future we'll figure something out at that time. Also I almost never have overnight guests so it isn't needed for them. I do have a very luxurious air mattress so there is someplace to sleep if necessary. Task 117b=sell the futon.

Now the futon wall will have a set of Kallax shelves from Ikea. Lots of storage space for pretties and room for some books.

I'm doing a little diy and making black pom pom fringe drapes. It should be an easy project with ready made drapes from Ikea. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. There is an internet secret...use fabric glue instead of sewing the trim on!

I have a white desk that is longer and narrower than the wood/black one. It fits the space better. Desk drawers will help keep me organized. The last desk didn't have any drawers!

The shelves above the desk are going away. I don't need display space with the Kallax across the room. I don't have enough stuff to fill both! In its place I'm thinking of a bulletin board. I first thought of a gallery wall. But I like to move things around and the ability to add and switch things out will satisfy my need to continually redecorate and yet keep it in a small controlled environment instead of the entire condo. I will either make a bulletin board or buy a new black one (pricey). There is also an option for sale on Craigslist but I'm not sure it will fit in my car.

During the next week I will paint the room Mindful Gray from Sherwin Williams with the help of my son and his girlfriend. Its a small room, but I'm a messy painter so the help is wonderful. I hope to finalize the type of bulletin board I'll be using and order it if necessary. I also have to track down a curtain rod that doesn't cost an arm and leg for the small bay window.

Paint the room gray
Paint the ceiling and trim white
Change out the desk, add storage
~~Change out the shelves - lighten up the place~~
Remove shelves add a bulletin board
Decorate bulletin board
~~Update the futon - new cover, stain the frame?~~
Sell the futon
Purchase Kallax shelves from Ikea
Decorate / organize Kallax
Add drapes
~~Change out the art above the futon~~
~~Change out the shelf decor~~
Add a surprise design element!

Check back next Thursday to see my progress!

Go To Week

1 3 4 5 6

One Room Challenge 2016 Fall Edition

2016-10-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

I'm late to the party but I'm going to participate in the fall edition of the One Room Challenge. The challenge is the brain child of Linda from Calling It Home. Twice a year 20 Designers are picked to transform one room in 6 weeks. They post their progress on Wednesdays. And folks like me can play along as a guest participant and link up our rooms on Thursdays. There are lots of great looking projects and tons of creativity. Go check everyone out!

Let me introduce myself. I'm Kathleen and I'm in the process of refreshing my condo on Chicago's North Shore. This time around the overall look for my condo is what I like to call contemporary glamour -- sophisticated, feminine and shiny sparkly stuff!

This is my first One Room Challenge. I've decided to tackle my office. It was my son's bedroom. He is now an adult and has moved out to his own place. Its time to make the room mine. I had made a little progress last year on the shelves but I just used stuff I had laying around. Time for a redo. I want to lighten the place up, make it more feminine, add some storage and functionality and basically zhush the place up! (And I'm so tired of the pea green walls!)

Here are some pictures of the room after my son moved out. The main elements are a desk, shelves and a futon.

My plans for the room are

Paint the room gray
Paint the ceiling and trim white
Change out the desk, add storage
Change out the shelves - lighten up the place
Update the futon - new cover, stain the frame?
Add drapes
Change out the art above the futon
Change out the shelf decor
Add a surprise design element!

Check back the next 5 Thursdays and see my progress!

Go To Week

2 3 4 5 6

Pink and Gray bedroom

2016-07-19T13:37:00.001-05:00

Pink and Gray bedroom by kkendt featuring a white duvet

Oval table lamp
overstock.com

NuLOOM non skid area rug
overstock.com

White duvet
target.com

Wall mounted mirror
ikea.com

Heart throw pillow
walmart.com

Pink toss pillow
etsy.com

Zigzag curtain
walmart.com

R.I.P. Sebastian

2016-03-23T14:02:00.001-05:00

It was with a sad heart that I had to say goodbye to my wonderful dog Sebastian the Marvelous after 12 years of loyal companionship. He was sick and it became unfair to keep him with me instead of relieving his pain and suffering.

It has been several weeks now and I still look around for him and get up to take him out before bed and then realize he isn't here. My cat Starbuck has taken his absence very hard also. She walks around calling for him, looking in all his favorite spots.

Living Room Sneak Peek

2016-01-31T14:32:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share a little sneak peek of some of the changes in the living room. Lots left to still accomplish, but I like the direction I'm heading. More to come!

Living Room January 2016

Word for 2016

2016-01-02T20:50:00.001-06:00

I don't do New Year resolutions. I never seem to be able to keep them, no matter how specific, timely, accountable, blah, blah, blah I make them.

The last couple years I've chosen a word or phrase for the year. 2013 was "do", 2014 was "don't die" (leukemia diagnosis -- in remission now!), 2015 was "no projects".

I've got a couple to chose from for 2016. One is "home". I really want to focus on getting my home in order. I've got a bunch of stuff to sell on eBay, I'm painting and redoing most of the condo, I need to focus on cleaning more consistently, and I want to do a major declutter.

"Companionship" is another option. I need more friends in my life. I'd like to be in a loving relationship with a significant other.

"Better today" is the last option. I don't just want to exercise more, or eat healthy, or go to bed at a certain hour. I just want to be better today than I was yesterday. Tiny changes daily.

Do you choose a word or phrase for the year or set resolutions?

I'm obsessed

2016-01-01T17:40:00.000-06:00

My new favorite singer, Stromae. I didn't learn of him in time to attend his September concert in Chicago, darn it. But I've got him playing on Spotify all the time right now.

Master Bedroom Plans - Again

2015-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

So I have another design for my bedroom. This one is all neutrals with a pretty floral for the duvet cover. I've been wanting a quieter room than previous plans. Seriously I just can't get this room right. This is like the 3th or 4th plan. I get half way in and stall because I'm not really in love with the color or it doesn't function well with enough storage or some other reason. I've sold the furniture that I had purchased for my plan from February and have been gathering the furniture needed for this version. It fits into my new cottage / shabby chic design, although its darker/warmer than the look in the rest of the condo. I think its OK for the bedroom to be cozier. I like all the storage I have with this furniture, which is critical in my small condo. Of course I shopped Craigslist instead of stores and saved lots of $$. Guys, that fan is $450! Not sure my budget can take that, but it sure is pretty. The plan is to:

Paint the walls SW Latte
Paint the ceiling white
Paint the trim white
Hang the bed crown with lace drapes
Decoupage the chest of drawers with vintage sheet music
Hand paint the dressing table/chest with a design
Paint the jewelry cabinet cream
Make cross stitch painted bird art for the wall
Purchase a bed skirt, euro shams and decorative pillows
Use my Pottery Barn floral duvet cover
Purchase some type of decorative window covering. I don't need privacy or light control.
In the spring replace the window air conditioner unit
Make a cover out of drop clothes for the file cabinet
Switch out the closet contents and organizers with the sewing room
Change out the current broken ceiling fan
Clean up the vintage trunk at the foot of the bed
Use the hounds tooth rug that used to be in the living room

I'm trying to work smarter not harder by purchasing ready made bed skirt and euro shams. I also plan on using ready made drapes with the bed crown and windows. So I have eliminated a few potential projects to hopefully make the process go faster.

All About the Books

2015-01-08T00:51:00.000-06:00

As usual I'm a little late to the party. Have you seen this from the Nashville Library? Too fun!

Looking Forward to 2015

2015-01-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm not making any resolutions for 2015 or elaborate goals. I've learned this year you just gotta roll with the punches. Sometime what you planned isn't going to happen, despite your best intentions.

But I did like my One Word for 2014, Do, and will continue that. But I think I'll have 2 words for 2015, No Projects.

Because I am capable of DIY-ing, sewing and crafting I sometimes feel like I HAVE to diy it. Like its a requirement or wasteful if I don't. The problem is my time / energy levels don't mesh with my decorate / craft desires and nothing gets done. And the projects pile up and pile up and my anxiety grows and grows. Then I just get pissed off and am unhappy with the general state of things. Time to break the cycle.

So No Projects. I can't go out shopping, find a cute cheese board under a glass cloche and think what a cute vignette this would make. Just a little paint, distressing, some do-dads, hot gluing, maybe some glitter and a bow and voila a little thing for the coffee table. It only took 10 hours and 4 trips to the craft store, $35 in supplies, some of which were never used and now I have to store. If I want an item for a vignette it has to be entirely done when I purchase it. Taking the tag off is as much work as I should spend on it.

I've already started with this new plan. Some examples: I bought a fabric valance for my kitchen window. I COULD have made it easily and cheaper than what I spent on it. But I ordered it from etsy. It came in 4 days. I installed it with a tension rod so no nails or project there. And then it was DONE. Painless.

I purchased burlap Christmas stockings. It kinda pained me a little to pay for something made out of such inexpensive material. Again, I was totally capable of making them. I just knew that I wouldn't drag out my sewing machine, clear off a spot on the dining room table, make a trip to the fabric store for supplies, cut out and then sew them and have it all done so I could enjoy them for a few days this Christmas season. So I paid $6 each when they were 50% off the first and only time I went to the craft store this fall/winter and hung them up.

Now I don't have the money to have all my projects completed by someone else. I would love to have someone paint my condo. But at $1500-$2500 it isn't going to happen. So of course I will DIY this project.

I guess I never realized that I didn't HAVE to ALWAYS do EVERYTHING myself. If I enjoyed doing all these projects I would continue doing them. But it turns out I enjoy having them completed far more than I enjoy actually doing them (most of the time).

So the plan for 2015 is to try to purchase it already done or pay to have someone else to do it.

2014 in Review

2014-12-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

Well I wouldn't be much of a blogger if I didn't do a 2014 wrap up post. So for the 10 of you who read my blog lets take a look back at 2014. **

Leukemia: well this one really sucked. But almost a year later the good news is my numbers look good and the disease is under control. I was also approved for another $15,000 grant for 2015 for my medicine which costs $350 a day (!!!!). Thank God I have health care and they pay for a good portion of it with the grant picking up the rest of the cost. Up until September I was still suffering with the brutal daily side effects of my leukemia medicine. Getting though a day was an accomplishment. But I finally found an equilibrium this fall and was once again interested in life, decorating and crafting. Unfortunately my interest in cooking, cleaning and laundry still remain gravely diminished. :)

I found some wonderful pink Murano lamps and decided to change up the entire house (again). With the thought that life is too short to not do exactly what you want, I'm redecorating in a cottage / shabby chic style using pinks, greens and blues with lots of neutrals and whites. I'm happy to use vintage pieces and quilts to finally (hopefully) express my personality and vision for a calm, soothing, feminine environment.

At the end of May my Son graduated from SCAD with a Bachelor in Fine Arts and I started enjoying my bonus days with him. In September he received multiple job offers and decided to stay in the Chicago area much to my delight. In October he moved out on his own to his first apartment and I tried desperately not to take over and decorate the place. I will admit to gifting him items I think he needs (like pillows for the couch) and suggesting he decide on a color scheme and overall look he wanted but refrained from making him mood boards and shopping lists, ha ha.

I started a new job working with a family with a 10 and 6 year old girl. The kids are nice, the hours are what I need. It seems to be working out.

I am still blessed with a loving family and caring friends and neighbors who really stepped up and helped out when I was at my sickest. And thank you, dear blog readers, for stopping by for my sporadic postings and not complaining when I talk about depressing things like leukemia.

2014 was a challenging year. But I'm hopeful that 2015 will much improved!

** This post went live some places accidentally on 12/24. If you saw it already I'm sorry!

OMG So much is Happening

2014-12-07T21:36:00.000-06:00

Hi there. Sorry about the silence lately. Things have been happening!

First of all I stopped (again) in the middle of the 30 days of blogging. The funny thing is that I had everything written in a word document and just had to create blog posts. But I didn't get it done. I might do a quick post with all the rest of the blessings just to finish it off.

My son Forrest has moved out on his own into his first apartment. Such an exciting time for him. I've used this as an excuse to gift him my Crate and Barrel dishes and flatware and purchase new for myself. I'll do a post coming up with what I bought. I'm so happy with it.

My job as nanny for twin 7 year old boys has ended. The family wanted more household help during the day and has decided to hire a full time housekeeper who will also pick the boys up from school in the afternoons. I've been scrambling to find a replacement job. It's a horrible time of year to lose your job with all the holiday expenses. I've got something lined up to start Monday taking care of a 10 and 6 year old girl after school, take them to after school activities, help with homework and get them dinner. I'm nervous about starting a new job, but excited to have employment! It's not as close to home nor are the benefits as nice as my previous job. But I'm happy to have a job doing what I like.

I've been taking steps to turn my son's bedroom into my sewing room. I need my son to clean out the rest of the stuff he has left behind and either take it, donate it or store it long term in the basement. He's been busy settling into his new job and apartment and life as an adult, but has promised that around Christmas he will help get it done so I can proceed with my sewing room plans. I'm anxious to get my machine set up and get a few projects done. But I haven't forgotten about finishing my bedroom!

I still have Thanksgiving decorations up! I need to get some paperwork done Monday and Tuesday in my free time and then I'll be free to get decorating. I'm just not feeling it again this year. It seems like such high pressure to make things "perfect" when it will only be decorated for 25 days (well only 18 days now). It's only me in the condo. I'm not having any parties or people over. So much work and expense. I think I overwhelm my self with Pinterest and all the possibilities. And you can't read a blog without a Christmas tour of their home and gift guides. Gah!

As my blog is really a diary for me of changes to my home and things happening in my life, etc I think I'm going to take a few pictures of each room to document where they stand at the beginning of the year. I've made some drastic changes in all rooms but I have a long way to still go. Nothing is close to being finished so I hesitate to post progress pictures. I can *see* what they are going to look like. Just not sure anyone else will be able to.

So that's whats been up with me. How are you? Are you done decorating for Christmas? Do you feel overwhelmed?

Blessings Day 20 - Craigslist

2014-10-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Another weird one I’m sure. However, almost all of my condo furnishings have come from Craigslist. With a small budget available for decorating it’s my go to source. I eventually find what I’m looking for, for little $$. It might take a while, but the hunt is half the fun.

Blessing Day 19 - Home

2014-10-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

My condo is safe and cozy. It’s big enough to meet my needs but small enough to be easy to take care of. It’s got wonderful trees outside. It really fits my simple lifestyle.

Blessing Day 18 - My Dr's.

2014-10-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have a great care team. They are knowledgeable and caring. They answer all my questions and put me at ease. I’m blessed to have healthcare.

Blessing Day 17 - Music

2014-10-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

I played music growing up, the accordion, flute, piccolo, violin. I had lessons for all of them at various time and mastered them. I’m trying to teach myself guitar but am not motivated enough to practice enough to matter. Any way I have a deep appreciation for music. It can lift me up, bring a smile to my face, get me dancing, bring back memories and generally makes me feel good.

Blessings Day 16 - Financial Stability

2014-10-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have enough money to meet my needs with a little left over for fun. I live a very simple life by choice. This allows me a lot of free time to pursue things I find interesting.

Blessing Day 15 - Food

2014-10-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

OK this might be a little weird, but I volunteer at a Food Pantry and see people who don’t have enough food to eat each week. I’m thankful that I’m able to purchase enough food for myself and my family.

Blessing Day 14 - Neighbors

2014-10-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

When the leukemia medicine was making me so sick my neighbors were such a help. One came every morning and walked my dog. For 5 months. Another brought me homemade food many times. I know if I have an issue I can call them for help and they will do whatever they can to help me.