Christmas Came Early!!!

Well, technically Christmas hasn't arrived  but it sure felt like it today!  This morning John & I were planting a few more things & in between the planting he went to the post office & brought me home a great big box!  I didn't want to rip into it with the mowing ahead of me so I put it on the kitchen counter to open this evening.  

I did mow but not the other part of the front yard.  I decided to mow the side & back instead.  Took me 4 hours.  I don't know what the temperature climbed to but I know that at 6 pm it was 99 degrees.  John brought me a bottle of water every hour & at one point told me the heat index was 107.  Thankfully there was a pretty good breeze most of the time so it wasn't as draining to mow as it was yesterday.  Still have that other part of the front yard to do but tomorrow & Wednesday are pretty much shot.  More doctor appointments.  Hopefully the rain will hold off so I can get to it on Thursday.

Before going out to start the planting I put a roast into the crock pot & let that cook all day.  Sure turned out good!  

Okay ... here's the Christmas part   : )   Olde Lady Morgan had a blog sale last week!  She should've called it a blog giveaway actually because her prices were so good!  I decided to treat myself to a few things.  It was like Christmas opening up the box!  Look how nicely she wrapped everything!  I love that primitively decorated tissue paper   : )

             

Here are the goodies that were inside!  First a wool pillow appliqued with wool pumpkins.  

Some Halloween ornaments.  These are not for me (I'm not a Halloween person) but I have someone in mind who is going to get them this fall   : )

A little star-shaped dish, a small purple crock, a green mug (actually a gift ... thank you again OLM!), & 3 primitive scoops.

3 rusty pocket Christmas ornaments handpainted by OLM & a small box of cast iron (I think) hooks & nails.

And as if all that wasn't enough, I've saved the best for last!  Let me preface this by saying that I have never owned an OLM doll.  I actually bought 4 of them thinking I would probably keep one for myself & give the others as gifts.  Well, that's not going to happen ... lol!  Each time I unwrapped one of these dolls my heart melted!  I love them all!  No way am I giving any of these to anyone else ... lol!  

  

That one with the bottle around her neck kind of reminds me of what I looked like before I started my diet   : )   Did I mention that I love these dolls?  Lol!!!

Thank you Olde Lady Morgan!  You made my day   : )

Way Too Busy

Good Monday morning!  It looks like more high temps are in store for us today.  Yesterday I believe it was 94 & sunny as it could be.  I have no idea what the heat index was.  I was outside mowing the right side of the front yard.  Took me 5 hours.  It wasn't pretty.  Today the heat index is predicted to be 100-104.  I'll be mowing the other side of the front yard ... the bigger side ... today.  They are also predicting the possibility of isolated severe thunderstorms but only a 30% chance.  Hopefully that will bring in a few clouds to shade me from time to time.  As I was mowing yesterday I was thinking back to when we bought this place.  The front yard was terribly overgrown.  We found out that the owners left it that way on purpose because the woman's father would come twice a year to cut it for hay.  I was thinking those previous owners probably had a bit more "smarts" than we do   : )

On Saturday we planted 7 bushes.  That might not sound like much but it took quite a bit of time.  We still have a few bushes to plant that we bought last week along with 3 trees.  Our yard is going to look like a "what's what in the plant world" before too long.  Schools will bring bus loads of children here to study the various plant life.

I can see a bit of a breeze blowing outside right now.  It's a bit too early to do any mowing (the grass will be wet with the dew) but perhaps John & I will do some planting.  He's already out there watering some things.  I'd really like to stay inside & sew but I'll have to save that for another day.    

Sunday Evening

"...a human life is nothing but a puff of air."

Psalm 39:6

I'm getting a late start on my Sunday posting today & the quote I am using here may seem rather an odd choice but it came to my mind last week while in my doctor's office.  John & I were standing at the receptionist's desk paying my bill & I noticed her wedding ring set.  I am always noticing the jewelry that people wear.  I love jewelry which is why I'm studying gemology.  Anyway, I told her that I thought her wedding set was beautiful.  She thanked me & said her husband picked it out all by himself.  I smiled & said "He's a keeper!"  She said "We've been married for 5 years now."  I nodded over to John & said "Before you know it, you will have been married for 35 years like us!"  She then said "Oh, that's a long, long time from now."  I just smiled but inside I laughed a little.  I'm guessing that all you ladies who are around my age would've done the same but perhaps my younger followers feel exactly like that receptionist.  It boggles my mind sometimes how quickly life goes by.  It seems like John & I just celebrated our 5th anniversary yesterday & here it is 30 years later.  Every once in a while when the subject of children comes up someone will ask me "how old is your daughter" & I will say "32" & then I will think good grief ... I was just 32!!!  Or someone will ask my age (like my new doctor) & out loud I will say "57" & I almost start to look around the room to see who this 57-year-old woman is answering that question.  I don't feel like I'm 57.  I don't even feel like I'm 32.  I still feel like I did when I was in high school, dating that cute boy named John & dreaming that one day I'd marry him.  Life does go by quickly.  That receptionist will realize that one day   : )       

My Craft Room ... & Other Stuff

Good morning everyone!  I woke up to a rain this morning which is really nice since it's been so dry here but also very "Murphy's Law" since I spent a good hour & a half going around giving everything a good soaking with the hose last night since the forecast was only calling for a slim chance of rain.  I should've known better ... lol!  I swear, sometimes we have 100% chance of rain & don't get a drop & other times a 20% chance & it pours.

Thank you for your comments yesterday about my doctor dilemma.  Sometimes it really helps me when I'm trying to make a decision to write things down ... not a pro & con list (never had any luck with those) but just writing out my thoughts.  Before the day was over I decided that I really did like Dr. Roberts & Dr. Edwards.  They seem genuinely concerned about me & they are both willing to work with each other for my care.  I decided I would work with them for a few months & see where it gets me.  If I'm not happy for some reason then I can always see the doctor in Cincinnati.

Following are a few before photos of my craft room.  Remember, when we moved here we didn't know if we were going to stay.  We still don't know that although we seem to be leaning that way although I can't/won't actually say that we are leaning that way.  It's a mental thing ... lol!  Anyway, I was pretty much using this room to toss things into ... moving boxes yet unpacked, boxes of flea market stuff, & boxes with things I didn't have anywhere else to put.

These are the after photos.  Nothing major ... just a bit less cluttered & a bit neater ... & of course there's my treadmill ruining any chance for me to prim this room up like I planned to do.  Or maybe I can beat it with a chain & rub some stain on it to make it a prim treadmill?

My original intent was to get a wall of cupboards/drawers/shelves from the floor to not quite the ceiling built along that one long wall you can see in the first before & after photos.  I'm still kind of leaning that way but I'm not quite sure if it would overpower the room.  It would be nice for storing all my fabric & craft supplies.

Wait a minute!  Let's go back & look at those after photos again!  Is that an ironing board with some fabric hanging from it?  Could this have anything to do with the "something special" I mentioned the other day?  It just might because look here ... the treadle appears to be open!

And oh my!  Not only is it open, it's threaded!  Sure looks to me like "something special" is going to be happening here   : )

I have to run a few more errands today (sometimes I think I should've called this blog Running Errands!) so I will end here & wish you a very happy & blessed day! 

Something Special This Way Comes!

Yes, something special this way comes ... & that's all I'm saying about that for now   : )

Come join me for a cup of tea this morning before I have to run off to do some errands.  Alas, I used the last of my Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea the other day so will need to order more.  This morning I've made another of my favorites instead ... Holiday.  It's a delicious Christmas tea full of all kinds of lovely spices.  Really makes it feel like Christmas in July   : )

As I mentioned yesterday I went to Lexington to have a followup visit with one doctor (Dr. Edwards) & to have blood testing done at a clinic with another doctor.  Never got the blood testing done.  The patient intake person thought I was already committing myself to their physician's treatment which was not the case at all.  When I explained that I only wanted to get the blood testing done to see what their doctor had to say about it, I was told that the doctor's nurse had already indicated that the doctor would work with me to continue the care my doctor in Tennessee had been giving me & that I really didn't need to have the blood tests done until next month.  She then decided to explain their costs to me.  Turns out I'd need to pay $3000 up front (they don't accept insurance) for a year's worth of care which would only focus on one specific "problem" & basically include 4 visits, 4 blood tests, & 4 procedures.  There's just something here I'm not comfortable with   : (

My other near-by option for this aspect of my care is the doctor I mentioned a while back (Dr. Roberts) who was a very nice Christian man (even asked if he could pray for me before my exam) but he seemed a bit opinionated about my lab results indicating my previous doctor was running certain levels too high or too low.  I had completely trusted my previous doctor & had been feeling fine under her care so felt a bit "offended" that he was wanting to change some things.  I decided to not commit myself until my followup with Dr. Edwards.  This doctor offered total care for everything but my pituitary problem & the cost of care ($2700) again needed to be paid up front, no insurance accepted.  When I told him I was seeing Dr. Edwards for my pituitary problem & maybe wanted her to take over the rest of my care (except for this one aspect which she did not do) he was very complimentary of Dr. Edwards, said how he respected her, & said that if I decided to do that he would be happy to work together with her to keep me well.  Since most of his patients have him take care of everything, I'd be an "odd case" just wanting him to do this one thing & so they had to figure out a cost for that.  The cost is very acceptable to me ... basically 4 visits/procedures per year (including lab work) at $390 each.

Now ... I know most of you have probably stopped reading by now (I know it can be boring hearing about other people's medical issues) but for those of you who haven't, I then went to my followup appointment with Dr. Edwards.  I was told that certain levels from my blood testing were either way too high or way too low.  She said I might be feeling fine now but "believe me, in a few years these things are going to cause you major problems."  I was shocked!  Like I said, I had complete faith in my Tennessee doctor & after Dr. Edwards spent time explaining to me how all these different things could affect me, I had a hard time taking it all in!  She even discovered a genetic abnormality which no other doctor I've ever seen before has bothered to test for but something I said at our first meeting made her decide to do this test!  While talking with her she also confirmed some of the things Dr. Roberts told me so that made me feel better about dealing with him.

It seems my decision has been made for me ... Dr. Roberts & Dr. Edwards.  However, I also have a doctor I could visit in Cincinnati who is supposed to be the top of her field & she would handle all of my care.  I talked with her intake person before I had my followup with Dr. Edwards, explained my problems, & she talked with the doctor who said she'd be happy to see me & discuss my care.

I am nothing if not indecisive ... lol!  Honestly, my husband will tell you ... if I go to a store & find something I like, & then discover they have another one, I will stand there for half an hour looking at them both trying to decide which one to buy.  Lord help us all if there is more than two!  It takes us about an hour to drive to Lexington.  Cincinnati is about 2 hours away.  I should've held off calling the office in Cincinnati until I had my followup here but I can't change that now.

On the one hand, I think I should check out all my options before making any choices.  On the other hand, if I'm happy (& I think I might be) with Dr. Roberts & Dr. Edwards, then I should just commit to them & be done with it.  And of course if I commit to them & tell the intake person in Cincinnati that I'm no longer interested in coming there, then if it turns out that Dr. Roberts & Dr. Edwards aren't as wonderful as I think they might be, then I will have burned my bridges with that doctor!

And such is the way my mind works ... lol!  Any thoughts ... other than I need mental health counseling???

I have to run a few errands this morning & I have no idea what else today might hold.  I'm sorry to have rambled on at such length this morning.  I tend to be a rambler ... not so much in person but definitely "on paper."

I wish you a very blessed day!        

Weight Loss Update #7

Wednesday!  Again!  How quickly it comes around.  I can't believe I've been dieting now for 7 weeks!  This past week I lost 4 pounds which makes a total of 38 pounds lost.  I wish I could go on losing like this until I lose all the weight I need to lose but I just found out a couple days ago that I will have to switch to a different diet for a while.  The reason for this is the diet I'm currently on is very low calorie & very limited in the types of foods you can eat.  It also causes you to lose weight quickly.  You need to come off the diet & slowly introduce a greater variety of foods for 6 weeks to allow your body to adapt to your new weight.  You will hopefully maintain it.  Some people will still lose a pound or two each week.  Then after 6 weeks you start back on this diet again.  I will continue on this diet for 1 more week & then start the maintenance phase.  I'd rather just plow straight through but it's not good for my body or my health so I will do what I know I should do.  I must admit that it will be nice to be able to have a bit more variety.  The first thing I will reintroduce is cheese & the second thing will be eggs ... lol!  It's funny the things you miss when you're on a diet.  I don't miss pies or cakes or candies ... I miss cheese & eggs   : )

This is a short post this morning as John & I are leaving soon for Lexington.  I'm having blood tests done at one clinic & going back to the first doctor I saw for a followup visit.  I'm also going to stop at a fabric store because I need muslin.  I have a few patterns for prim dolls that I want to make.  Does anyone know if it's better to wash or not wash the muslin if you are making prim dolls?  I'm thinking not washing it may be the way to go since I need to grunge the doll & the unwashed fabric will probably take the grunging better.  Anyone know for sure?

Landscaping - Lots of Photos

The landscapers finished up their work on Saturday morning & I thought I would share some before & after photos.  If you're looking to relax with a cup of coffee or tea & look at a bunch of pictures, this is the place for you ... lol!  Of course this is just the start of things & I'm not sure if some of the things were planted where they should be so we may have to do some tweaking with those.  We definitely need to add a bit more here & there. The funny thing is, not even 24 hours had passed & John & I were talking about having them come back next year to enlarge the beds ... lol!  Anyway, here are the photos.  Please forgive any excess "stuff" you might see lying around   : )

Back Porch Area - Before

Back Porch Area - After

Back of House Left Side - Before

Back of House Left Side - After

Side of House - Before

Side of House - After

Side of Front Porch - Before

Side of Front Porch - After

Front Porch Right - Before

Front Porch Right - After

Front Porch Left - Before

Front Porch Left - After

Garage Wall - Before

Garage Wall - After

Driveway Wall - Before

Driveway Wall - After

Front of House - Before

Front of House - After

And although the landscapers didn't have anything to do with making my butterfly garden, I did ask them to mulch it for me so here it is mulched   : )

So there you have it   : )   I know it still needs a lot of work ... & a lot more plants ... lol!  I'm already planning to buy some coneflowers (which I love) to plant on the right side of the back porch.  If anyone has any other thoughts, I am open to suggestions   : )