Proverbs 31:22

We sold Kimberly and Dewayne our dining room table for their new place. Kimberly liked the style of it. I no longer did and it was way bigger than what our needs are now. Michael and I shopped today and we found one we are considering. We knew we wanted the leather cushioned chairs and were leaning toward a counter height style. The only thing I'm not sure about is the top of this one. It is made of marble and while I really was drawn to it in the store, I'm not sure if it is something that I can be free with in terms of wall paint colors. Here's a pic of the top. Would I be safe painting a wine color with this? That's the current color of our dining room here. I may change that when we move. But I want OPTIONS. I mean, I know I could do a pretty green or other earth tones, but what if I want to go another direction? Here's a shot of the table itself. We'll be pairing it with the leather chair to the right in the pic. I'm also a little hesitant because of t...

After months and months of periodically looking for a new bed covering to replace the too small one that was about 10+ years old, I finally found THE ONE today at TJ Maxx. I truly don't know why I don't visit that store more often because I love all the housewares. Even the back is pretty. I took this pic with my cell phone just to send to my daughters and thought I would do a post here with it. I absolutely love this quilt. I realized after I put it on the bed that I have several other items in our room with this same color scheme--robin's egg blue, pink, and lavender. I had to take down the burgundy curtains, of course, so I'll have to replace those. I'm thinking something lacy and white. This quilt goes good in our current room, which has lavender walls but it will also enable us to use different colors in our next house. Yes, we are still in the process of trying to sell our home and buy a smaller one in town. After 6 months with one Realtor, when our contract ...

We're STILL trying to sell our house and move back into town. I'm having a hard time being patient. We did the work that needed to be done in our crawl space so hopefully we'll get a bite soon. Last week, we viewed a For-Sale-By-Owner house and it's "the one!" We just hope it stays on the market until we have a buyer and hope they'll except our offer, which will be lower than what they are asking. The house is in a perfect location -- right in the middle of our jobs, 2 minutes from a supermarket, the bank, and (most importantly) the quilt shop :-), 5 minutes from the YMCA. It is the perfect size for us -- around 1,900 to 2,000 square feet -- not too large; not too small. The kitchen was redone about 3 years ago and it has the double wall oven I've always wanted to have. The cabinet color is a little light for me and I would prefer a gas cooktop instead of electric but at least it's a smooth cooktop, which is what we have now and prefered over the c...

I started making tatted bookmarks during the Christmas holidays to give to family and friends while we were visiting in Louisiana. I ordered some hand-dyed thread and have been using it to make bookmarks for co-workers' birthdays. Here are two I made recently for my SIL Mary who gave hers away to a friend. I made an extra one for her other friend, too. The pattern is from a needle tatting book I bought at Hobby Lobby. I can do some shuttle tatting, too (at least I *think* I still know how), but I MUCH prefer needle tatting. I haven't tried any big projects yet. I'm loving these bookmarks that go together super fast. (You can click the photo for a more close-up detail look at the thread).

After looking at my Valentine's theme table runner for a while, I decided yesterday I needed to make a table runner for springtime. I used stuff I already had in my stash and a pattern at Clothilde. If you want the pattern, click on the link ASAP. They are only up for a limited time, so print it while you can. I left the tassels off and I switched up the colors a little as well as some of the instructions. Anyway, this is the finished project: I like the color combination a lot. Laikyn helped me choose which green to use for the blocks and which to use for the binding. I was torn between the two. I'm glad she liked the lighter green because I think it's lovely with the pink and the floral fabric.

Yesterday was a beautiful, spring-like day. The temperature was perfect and the sky was oh-so blue. Kimberly and Nathan came over for the afternoon and after Kimberly dyed Laikyn's hair, we loaded everything up in the Vitara and went to Tuscumbia's Spring Park. I am so eager for the day when we can bring Nathan here to feed the ducks and geese. For now, though, we had fun pushing him in a swing for the first time. He didn't laugh or giggle, but he did crack a smile. The kid is really serious most of the time. While, I can't post a picture of his face on here (per his parents' request), I *can* post this cute photo of his feet.

...into the swing of things. After a few months of adjusting to working outside the home (after a 2-decade hiatus from that lifestyle), I'm trying to add back some of my old routine. Just trying to take it slowly so I don't get overwhelmed. I was sick last weekend, but this weekend I felt well so I spent some time Saturday morning in the kitchen. I baked a loaf of freshly-milled whole wheat bread, some rolls, and a pizza crust. I made some biscuits to have for breakfast during the week. I made a batch of pancake batter to put in the fridge for use during the week. Pancakes hot off the griddle are so much better tasting than ones reheated in the microwave. I finally got up the nerve to ask for permission to swap out one 1/2-day Friday each month for a 1/2-day Monday so I can attend my quilt guild meetings. I knew that it would be something I *might* have to give up and I, of course, was willing to do that in order to keep my job. ;-) BUT I really was hoping it would be somethin...

When we woke up Thursday morning, the appraisal on our house was scheduled to happen that afternoon. Before lunch, Michael called me at work and said that the buyers had rescinded their offer. When we bought this house, there was foundation work that had to be done at the seller's expense. It was damaged by waterborne fungus. The workers removed all the water-saturated insulation from in between the floor joists; they installed a drying fan; and they repaired (or replaced) rotten joists and put some supports in. End of story, so we thought. On inspection for this sale, they found standing water and more damage under the house. When the buyers set up the appointment Thursday morning to come back with the foundation specialist, we thought they might ask us to pay for repairs, installation of a sump pump, etc. We never dreamed they would withdraw their offer, but they did. They are first-time home buyers and the damage scared them. Needless to say, Thursday was a depressing day. I ha...

Well, except for the long process of actually purchasing and moving. We had an offer on our house this past week that was satisfactory to us (after a little negotiating). So, we had to make a decision on the ones we have seen up to this point. Remember the one I posted a kitchen photo of last time ? That's the one we made an offer on. I snapped some photos when we were there taking a second look at it. The power is off so some of them are on the darker side. Also, the present owner still has a lot of junk (and some really beautiful antiques) in the house (even though he's not currently living there). All the bedrooms are a good size. There are 2 larger rooms on one end of the house away from the living area. This will be what we will use as the master bedroom. This is the master closet. Not the biggest, but we'll have to add organizational things to it because it's really just an empty box (except for the shelving unit the current owner has in it). We've looked at h...

I am so disappointed (and appalled, actually) that the house we made an offer on earlier this year in Lakeside Highlands is now owned by a family who could so totally trash a home and yard!! We finally got to see the house they have put on the market. It was so bad, our Realtor said, "I won't let you buy this house!" It was disgusting and had so much junk still in it and it was in horrible shape on the inside as well as the backyard. One of the four we were scheduled to look at yesterday had to cancel. We will reschedule because it looks really nice (even the kitchen). Here's a photo of that kitchen taken from the MLS listing . So, we looked at three yesterday. The one is Lakeside is definitely off the list! There was one in our 2nd neighborhood choice, but it also didn't make the cut. The remaining one made the cut, even though it is on the small side. The house has been beautifully redone, with awesome moldings and a pretty (but small) kitchen. I snapped some ...

We are looking at 4 more houses today. The one in Lakeside Highlands finally came on the market. It's not a great sign that there are NO photos of the interior of the house. But, we'll see. It does have an in-ground pool. That's a plus. It's in Lakeside Highlands. Another plus. It's small, though. A negative (perhaps). Several of the ones we are looking at today actually have nice kitchens (very unusual in our price range; of course, they are at the upper end of our range). One of the new ones we looked at last weekend had a nice kitchen, too. It was a nice house, but when we went into the back yard (with no fence) the dogs in the yard next door barked ferociously at us. We would have had to park one car on the street. Michael really liked it, so it may still be on the list even though it was priced a little higher than what we really want. It's only been on the market about a week, so negotiating power might not be so great at this point. We have scratched the ...

This past week was my first FULL week of working outside the home. It is definitely the adjustment that I knew it would be. I come home pretty exhausted. I don't feel like doing anything much. Hopefully, my body will adjust soon and I will be able to add some fun stuff back to my schedule. I like the work environment -- except that we (the transcriptionists) aren't in our normal office space. About 6 weeks ago, the medical offices above our normal office space had a sprinkler malfunction which poured water on our offices. The carpet was changed on Monday this past week and that is all they did to fix the spaces. The area we are in temporarily is off a rather noisy hallway. There is a delivery entrance into the hallway and we are right there with no doors or walls separating us from the hallway. Not the most ideal spot for transcribing audios. Everyone in the office is really nice. I hope they decide to keep me. The terminology is getting more familiar every day. I have bought a...

This was my first week at the new job as a medical transcriptionist in a cardiovascular clinic. My brain and body are SO tired! I came home each evening just exhausted. Even so, I am surprised to say that I really like the job. Everyone in the office is nice. The lady training me has been there for more than a decade. She is retiring in October 2009. On my first day, she really surprised me by saying, "You're the first one they've tried that I've been hopeful about." I don't have any training in medical transcription. I did do one file for a doctor while working for Internet Transcribers. It was a conference call for parents of children with ADHD. After that one file, I said, "I don't want any more medical stuff!" Really, that one was a piece of cake because it was mostly meds that I had to Google to find spellings on. This job is definitely a lot more than meds. The most difficult part is actually being able to distinguish what the docs are sayi...

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Day! We are headed out to Kimberly's in-laws' house for the day. I'm about to go downstairs and make some chocolate creme pies, fruit salad, and bake a ham glazed with honey and brown sugar. My baby brother comes in tomorrow for the weekend. I can't wait to see him. He hasn't visited us since Kimber graduated 2.5 years ago. Laikyn and I spent a few hours with him in Atlanta last December on our way to visit my nephew in South Carolina. Oh, and tonight, Kimberly and the baby will spend the night here with us!! :-)

I cannot believe the tape measure today! :-( Even though I lost a pound since last month's weigh-in, I've GAINED 6.5" !!! That is just downright discouraging. Since 6/18/08, I've lost 5# and 10".

Lots going around here lately. I haven't had time to blog much. As I wrote before , I took a seasonal, part-time job at Sears because it was the only offer I had. I started a few weeks ago. I don't hate it, but I don't really like it either. Does that make sense? After 3 times of working with someone, they had me scheduled to work alone this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. First thing Tuesday morning, I started making mistakes and having to call for supervisors. When my immediate supervisor finally came around at lunch time, I told her that I really wasn't comfortable being on my own. She graciously understood and sent someone over to work with me the rest of the day. Jessica was awesome and she taught me a lot. On Tuesday, I had a call from one of the staffing agencies I applied with. They had a position for a medical transcriptionist open. I told her that I didn't have experience or training in medical transcription. She relayed that to the administrator...

As I said before , we went to Huntsville for my birthday yesterday. We fixed some of our favorite gourmet-style chicken salad, packed the picnic basket and ice chest, and started loading up the car. While we were running around loading things, Michael stopped me and said, "Do you want to bring this?" "Bring what?" I asked. He grabbed a blue shopping bag off the chair and put it down on the floor at my feet. It held my birthday present/anniversary present/Christmas present -- for the next two years! I was TOTALLY floored to find that the bag held a Nikon D60 Digital SLR camera!!! A few months ago -- before the recent cutbacks at work -- I had told him, "I want a Digital SLR camera for Christmas; make it happen." Of course, after recent events, I was no longer holding him to that request. I was a little suspicious during the week when he pulled the Best Buy circular out of the garbage can and looked through it, but with all the activity this past week, I hon...

I had job offers from two places yesterday: Sears and K Mart. Since I didn't have any other offers on the table, I took the job at Sears, even though it is only seasonal. Of course, there is the possibility of it turning into a permanent job after the holidays. I'm still looking, though, since retail isn't my first choice. I'd much prefer something in an office, but for now, I'm taking it! It's only part-time, but it offered the possibility of more hours than the job at K Mart. I should start next week. When I first got the offer from K Mart (in the morning), I called one other place that I had applied at because I knew they were conducting interviews this week and I wanted to know the status of things before I accepted K Mart. This was for a part-time office assistant job at a saddle company. I was totally floored when the guy told me that they had received well over 100 applications (!!) and they were only choosing 5-10 to call for interviews. Yikes! How is a ...

I was on the phone earlier with our Realtor and had a call come in. I didn't answer it, because Deidre and I were discussing things about the house sale/search. When I hung up, I checked my missed calls and it was from Waste Management. The interviewer left a voice mail saying that they had filled the positions. Even though I really knew that was the case, I'm still so disappointed. :-( I don't even have the heart to call back and ask her to critique me. Yesterday while in town shopping, I dropped off about a half dozen applications at different places that I had picked up from before. This is so discouraging. ALL this stuff -- house sale/search; job cutbacks for hubby; financial pressures -- is weighing on me heavily today.

13 years ago today, my mother, my best friend, passed from this world into the next and left a huge hole in my life and the lives of my children and all who knew her. Love and miss you, Mom.