The above image is of a two lane highway winding through a valley lined by tall trees displaying beautiful shades of bright autumn gold amidst dark evergreens. A quote by Alice Walker is printed on it in white text and says "THANK YOU is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility and understanding." The image is borrowed from Success.com.*
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Week 44 - The deadline for linking up my TToT post for the 44th week of this year has long since passed, but that doesn't mean I wasn't grateful, only that I had other priorities. I turned out that the flooring project was more time consuming than we could have imagined and she ended up spending nine days here, returning home last Wednesday. Needless to say, I wasn't going to spend time at the computer on the last day we had together, and we were scrambling to get finished. But wow... the results of our combined efforts (mostly hers) are professional and amazing! She removed all the old vinyl from our front and back hallways, front bathroom and kitchen, and the worn carpeting from the living room, and replaced it with this beautiful commercial grade vinyl plank flooring. By turning the living room/kitchen into one cohesive area it makes the house feel so much bigger than ever before, and we LOVE the heritage oak color/pattern which very closely resembles wood flooring but with all the ease of caring for a vinyl floor. It was hard work, and we still need to do the base trim, laundry room and Master bath at some point. We have plenty of flooring left for it. I am also going to paint the walls a soft gold color to add more warmth. As you can see in the photo below, Sophie our elder cat has claimed the new area rug as her domain. :-)
The above image is a photo of our living room taken from the adjoining kitchen area which shows the new medium oak vinyl plank flooring, our leather reclining loveseat, one of the two large oak rocking chairs, end tables and tall curio cabinets. Sophie is laying contentedly on the multi-colored large shag area rug in earth colors that occupies .the center of the room. Matching runners can be found in both hallways.
Not only are both John and I delighted and so very grateful for this priceless gift of her time, talent and money, but also for the help she gave me in cleaning high places, organizing some of the endless clutter, and getting me jump-started on getting my life back in order. She also bought plants, and kitty furniture and toys, making them think that Christmas came early!
While it wasn't all fun, and some days we were tired, sore, and grouchy, we are both very proud of our efforts and it gives me a new perspective on our little house... I am loving it again, and would now invite you in if you showed up, whereas before I probably would not have! There are still a couple rooms in major need of decluttering/organization, but I have a list of projects and will stick with it until done no matter how long it takes. At long last I feel hope, and I have my daughter to thank for that! <3
Week 45 - Our manufactured house has three bedrooms, and the one at the East end has been collecting storage overflow for some time. It is dubbed "Sophie's room" because she is 14 now, an elder, and often desires time apart from her more rowdy feline siblings. She is allowed in and out of her room at will and runs down the hall to put her paws up on the door when she wants in. :-) I cleaned it up when my daughter came to provide guest room space with an airbed for her, and also had DirecTV reconnected to the flat screen tv. Now that she is gone, I have organized the room into a writing study for me, the first time in a long time I've had my own little corner and writing desk, where I can sit looking out the window and enjoying the cats keeping me company while I write. Currently I can see the horses in the corral next door, and vehicles moving down a corner of the highway in the distance. When we first moved out here seven years ago we didn't have any neighbors, now we do, but we still enjoy a fair amount of privacy and the ability to do what we like on our little piece of land without city regulative interference. We can still enjoy the huge star canopy overhead from our hot tub at night (my daughter really wanted to take that home with her :-)
I haven't had many plants in the house because so many are toxic to cats. You have to be really careful when purchasing them, also cats like to dig in the dirt! My daughter taught me to cover the dirt with medium landscaping rocks that are too heavy for them to rearrange, so they leave the plants alone, and leaves they like to chew on can be sprayed or wiped with diluted lemon juice or vineagar to keep them in tact. Several pretty new plants are now gracing our windows and floor, and both of our Christmas cactuses have gone in to Christmas bloom mode, the first one opening today!! Green things growing in the house is so good for the soul!
Additionally, my daughter did an amazing job of adjusting and insulating our front and back entrance doors so we now have no drafts coming in, and the new furnace is keeping our house wonderfully cozy, major improvements from what we dealt with last winter. Big blessings despite the expense.
As several of you have noted, I have taken a much needed break from blogging and the computer in recent weeks. I needed some time to assess where I wanted to go with my main blog, and how much time I want to devote to it. I will soon be ready to pick it up again, maybe before the end of the year, and maybe at the beginning of next. In the past I was spending more time with my face in the screen than I was in living in the moment, and I am revising that.
I do apologize sincerely for my absence at TToT and your blogs for the past few weeks, I was truly busy, and tired by nightfall, and it just had to be set aside, as much as I hated to do so. I will be commenting on your posts from the current link-up today, and then will gradually work my way back through all the ones I missed, because I love hearing about the positives in your lives! This hasn't been an easy year for many of us, in fact it's been a particularly hard one, but there have also been countless blessings that make life good, and I remain so very very thankful for all that God has given me, and for the friendships that have been formed here. I appreciate you, and I am thankful for your patience and ongoing participation in the TToT!
Duty calls... task of the day is to clean and reorganize the kitchen drawers... and then scoop the kitty boxes. I lead a very glamorous life! :-) I am incredibly blessed at this age to have the freedom to plan my own days, and do things that need doing and things that I enjoy... I will get Papa Bear's afghan finished yet!
Blessings to you in the days ahead... Look for reasons to be thankful in your life, and remember to be a blessing to someone else!
The above photo is a click-button to the TToT link-up. It is photo of one of our beautiful Texas sunsets with blue still peeking through the clouds; yellow, orange and pink bands around the remaining sliver of bright sun, and a wide band of black earth below it on which I've written Ten Things of Thankful.*
Not only are both John and I delighted and so very grateful for this priceless gift of her time, talent and money, but also for the help she gave me in cleaning high places, organizing some of the endless clutter, and getting me jump-started on getting my life back in order. She also bought plants, and kitty furniture and toys, making them think that Christmas came early!
While it wasn't all fun, and some days we were tired, sore, and grouchy, we are both very proud of our efforts and it gives me a new perspective on our little house... I am loving it again, and would now invite you in if you showed up, whereas before I probably would not have! There are still a couple rooms in major need of decluttering/organization, but I have a list of projects and will stick with it until done no matter how long it takes. At long last I feel hope, and I have my daughter to thank for that! <3
Week 45 - Our manufactured house has three bedrooms, and the one at the East end has been collecting storage overflow for some time. It is dubbed "Sophie's room" because she is 14 now, an elder, and often desires time apart from her more rowdy feline siblings. She is allowed in and out of her room at will and runs down the hall to put her paws up on the door when she wants in. :-) I cleaned it up when my daughter came to provide guest room space with an airbed for her, and also had DirecTV reconnected to the flat screen tv. Now that she is gone, I have organized the room into a writing study for me, the first time in a long time I've had my own little corner and writing desk, where I can sit looking out the window and enjoying the cats keeping me company while I write. Currently I can see the horses in the corral next door, and vehicles moving down a corner of the highway in the distance. When we first moved out here seven years ago we didn't have any neighbors, now we do, but we still enjoy a fair amount of privacy and the ability to do what we like on our little piece of land without city regulative interference. We can still enjoy the huge star canopy overhead from our hot tub at night (my daughter really wanted to take that home with her :-)
I haven't had many plants in the house because so many are toxic to cats. You have to be really careful when purchasing them, also cats like to dig in the dirt! My daughter taught me to cover the dirt with medium landscaping rocks that are too heavy for them to rearrange, so they leave the plants alone, and leaves they like to chew on can be sprayed or wiped with diluted lemon juice or vineagar to keep them in tact. Several pretty new plants are now gracing our windows and floor, and both of our Christmas cactuses have gone in to Christmas bloom mode, the first one opening today!! Green things growing in the house is so good for the soul!
Additionally, my daughter did an amazing job of adjusting and insulating our front and back entrance doors so we now have no drafts coming in, and the new furnace is keeping our house wonderfully cozy, major improvements from what we dealt with last winter. Big blessings despite the expense.
As several of you have noted, I have taken a much needed break from blogging and the computer in recent weeks. I needed some time to assess where I wanted to go with my main blog, and how much time I want to devote to it. I will soon be ready to pick it up again, maybe before the end of the year, and maybe at the beginning of next. In the past I was spending more time with my face in the screen than I was in living in the moment, and I am revising that.
I do apologize sincerely for my absence at TToT and your blogs for the past few weeks, I was truly busy, and tired by nightfall, and it just had to be set aside, as much as I hated to do so. I will be commenting on your posts from the current link-up today, and then will gradually work my way back through all the ones I missed, because I love hearing about the positives in your lives! This hasn't been an easy year for many of us, in fact it's been a particularly hard one, but there have also been countless blessings that make life good, and I remain so very very thankful for all that God has given me, and for the friendships that have been formed here. I appreciate you, and I am thankful for your patience and ongoing participation in the TToT!
Duty calls... task of the day is to clean and reorganize the kitchen drawers... and then scoop the kitty boxes. I lead a very glamorous life! :-) I am incredibly blessed at this age to have the freedom to plan my own days, and do things that need doing and things that I enjoy... I will get Papa Bear's afghan finished yet!
Blessings to you in the days ahead... Look for reasons to be thankful in your life, and remember to be a blessing to someone else!
* Descriptions of the included photos are being provided for those who may be unable to view the illustrations.
It's always more important to do the real life things you have to do, and i'm happy dancing for you that you have new flooring and plants and your own special office space!
ReplyDeleteI feel good about what I've accomplished in the past couple weeks and it is motivating me to do more. Our new look feels very good, comfortable and practical!
DeleteThe blogging/real life balance is a real struggle, and one that I think many of us can relate to. No apology is necessary!
ReplyDeleteThe floors look great, and I'm glad the house is toasty and warm!
I could happily write all day long, but there are too many other things I need to do and want to do, so I am learning to create some balance and that feels good!
DeleteI love the new flooring and such easy upkeep! A working furnace is a true blessing too!
I'm glad you took time out for you, Josie. We all need times to step back and re-evaluate. The flooring looks beautiful and I love how your kitty has claimed the rug; cats aren't daft!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Sometimes I get into ruts that don't feel quite right, and I decided I needed a break and a new perspective.
DeleteI was amazed to find vinyl flooring that looks so warm and pretty! It really has changed the way the house feels. You are right about furkids, they will always choose the most comfy spot as their own... unless a lap is available, that's first choice! :-)
That flooring is beautiful. I remember when we finally had carpet and the vinyl flooring put in our unfinished home. It had been unfinished for many years, so it was pure delight to see the new floor covering.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that your daughter could spend time with you and help you out with this huge project. I imagine sitting in that hot tub after a full day or working on the floor must have felt really good.
Some of my Christmas cacti are beginning to bloom too. There are lots of buds this year.
The new flooring makes Papa Bear and I smile on a daily basis, Pat, it makes the house feel so much nicer, such a generous gift from my daughter. The hot tub did indeed provide some much needed relief from the tiredness and soreness of working on the floor for days. It is a luxury item, the only one we have, and it is a real blessing.
DeleteI love Christmas cacti, they remind me of my grandmother's blooming in tall juice cans in her window. The older one we have has been grown from cuttings that have been passed down in John's family for three generations now! I am happy to see them thriving, since my thumb isn't all that green. :-)
I love the new floor, it is beautiful. Your daughter sounds like an amazing woman. Your house sounds nice and the canopy of stars does too, we see some, but not nearly as many as there are up there. I am glad you took the cats into consideration with the plants. I keep all mine in the dining room, but sometimes a cat sneaks in so I am thinking of giving away the false shamrock because it is poisonous.XO
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen, I love the color and wood grain on the new flooring, it blends well with the various shades of oak furniture and cabinets we have in our house.
DeleteThere is nothing more magical than being under the stars on a dark night out in the country, it reminds me of our place in the Universe and how connected we really are.
Two of my kitties though the bromeliad made good salad, so I wiped the leaves with diluted lemon juice. They liked that too!!! Then I wiped them with diluted vinegar and they have since left them alone, apparently that isn't as tasty. While bromeliads are not poisonous to cats, I don't want them chewing off all the leaves. I will have to grow a small container of grass for them to nibble on.