September

 

 

I guess the title of this one and only post in September should be September.
 It makes me sad that I haven't posted in awhile. 

 Not that y'all are hanging around waiting

but that I really want to keep up with posting on here

 as it is my memory I'm preserving on this little blog. 

 

 

 



 

I hosted Book Club at my house this month, so I had motivation to rearrange furniture and get the fall decorations out. I even decided to start painting the staircase.

 

Yep.  That's how I roll.

 

Book Club coming up?  Let's take on a major project that includes sanding, oil-based paint and lots of paint thinner. Oh, don't take in to account that Harry breathes in and hairs fly off of him.  Even if Harry is closed off outside while the painting is going on, hairs seem to be flying and landing in the wet paint. And yes, I vacuumed first.  I vacuum a lot these days. 

 

Why did the stairs need painting?  Because in the 13 years we've lived here we adopted 3 or 4 dogs that were in puppy stage when we got them. And puppies like chew toys.  And a puppy thinks stairs are awesome chew toys.  When they got through with one step, they moved on to the next one.  I rarely go upstairs, but when I do I would avoid eye contact with the chewed wood on the stairs.  But repair and repaint was always on the To Do list. 

 

 

 

Anyway.  One coat is on and the second coat is needed.  The chew toy part is on the inside of the staircase, next to where the carpet is attached...on the horizontal piece of the stairs.  So noone would see it unless they were climbing the stairs.  But why not tackle this before Book Club? grrrr.  Even I get on my own nerves.

 

Before I leave the subject of Painting the Staircase...an "only me" story.  I asked Chuck to bring me a rag with some paint thinner on it, as I kept dripping paint on the carpet.  He brought me a paper towel with a dab of paint thinner.  I then asked him to bring me a rag soaked in paint thinner because it was going to take more than a dab.  He brought me a very soaked rag.  I kept it on my lap as I worked my way down the stairs.  Dabbing here and there...and putting the rag back on my lap so I would have it close by.  I knew better than to put it on the carpet but thought nothing of putting it on my lap. 

 

After several steps of painting, I stood up.   My stomach (the skin) was on fire!  It was burning.  I lifted my shirt and I had burned my stomach skin with the rag of paint thinner.  We googled it....it said to soak a burn from paint thinner in soap and water...and only go to the ER if it was blistering.   So I had a "sunburn" type burn on my stomach...raw and burning but no blistering.   And of course, I feel sure the toxins went in to my system....and if it causes cancer, I don't know want to know.  Please don't tell me.  Unless, there's something I can do about it.

 

Book Club came and went...and was a fun night, as always.  We chose Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

It's a really good book. While I don't usually read mysteries, this one was a page turner that kept my interest to the end.  Although, I'm not sure I understand the ending so I look forward to discussing it next month.

 

This past week, I did a little sewing.  One of the things that Magpies Gifts (where I work) offers is monogramming.  So I had some fabric monogrammed and made a pillow for our bed. 

 

 

I used a body pillow that is 20 x 52. I found a piece of linen on sale...so yes, it looks wrinkled even after I ironed and starched it.  I cut the front fabric and pinned off the center then sent it to be monogrammed first. 

 

 

Then I finished the pillow with some quilted fabric in the back...with an envelope opening so I could squeeze the pillow in there.  That should have been videoed...me and the long, fat pillow tackling each other to get it in the small opening.  Like pushing a baby back in to the small opening it came from. (Jordan...don't read this part.)

 

 

I decided to go with Est. 1983 instead of our monogram because it would be longer on the long pillow.  I love the way it turned out. 

 

And here's where I tell you that we never...or rarely make up our bed.  Well, Chuck pulls his side of the covers up nicely in the morning...but my side looks like a tornado went through.

 But if we do make up the bed, it will look like this. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the sewing machine was out, I may have sewed some "happies" for my new grandbaby.  Jordan is respecting Chris' wishes in not finding out the gender of their baby.  So gender neutral it is.  It's going to be a mad dash to Target on the day that baby is born!   I am passing up a lot of pink and blue stuff.  

 

It's funny how things have come full circle.  When we were having our babies, it was a thrill to find out the sex of the baby.  Ultrasounds were so new and most insurance companies wouldn't pay for them unless there was a medical reason.  My ob/gyn sent me for one each time with a wink-wink, "I think you are measuring further along than you really are so let's get an ultrasound."  They would tell you what they thought the sex of the baby was but they weren't always accurate.  In my case, they were...but we all heard the stories of the nurseries being decorated for a girl and out came a boy.  And now that ultrasounds are so common place and the science is so accurate, more and more couples are waiting to be surprised in the delivery room.   

 

 

 (Jordan, if y'all change your mind about finding out, I'm 100% okay with it!)

Even if the days are still scorching hot,

we are starting to have some cooler mornings and evenings. 

So there is hope that Fall is really around the corner.

I have a lot to look forward to in the next few months, but I continually train my thoughts to stay in the moment.   Right now.  This moment.  It's all we really have.  And looking out my back door and seeing this?  This moment made me laugh. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out Jordan's blog if you have time.  She is writing the sweetest letters to the baby...as well as experiencing the roller coaster of emotions and hunger pains also known as "pregnancy."