May Links

• May Links
• Sculpture
• Chimney bricks
• Secret Scrolls
• Chandeliers
• Mailboxes
• Paper Prayers
• Happy Birthday Jim!
• Woodpecker
• Aluminum Foil
• Kindness
• WFMW - SASE
• Twitter
• Travel plans
• Number 5
• Attic Stairs
• How Many of Me??
• Jupiter Ct.
• Secret Scrolls
• Commenting on Comments
• Zora the big sister
• Walter - updated
• WFMW - Remembering Passwords
• What a day so far
• A new roof
• Survivor!
• Jim Jr. - updated
• Secret scrolls
• It's Summer
• The Kitchen
• Fun Lighting
• Jupiter's main bath
• Planet Earth Video
• WFMW - Water
• IKEA
• New stuff!
• Write Zoom
• Mocha's cat bed
• Master Bedroom
• Crayons
• Buddy & Beverly
• May Day

Sculpture

Tom and I went to Orlando recently to visit IKEA. Just to say Hi, how ya doin' ?

Actually, to purchase much needed items for the Jupiter house, as I have gone on and on about the past few weeks.

After a long day of shopping, my dear husband wanted some BBQ. He discovered this little spot on HWY 1 in Ormond Beach, FL. It is the new home of the Harley Davidson dealership & amusement park. Well, OK, not really an amusement park - but there is a pavilion , a few hotels, lots of little restaurants, and these sculptures of roosters in front of the BBQ place.

I loved these guys. I wanted to have one in my yard.
Today please.
Oh right, I live in a condo.

OK, so I took some pictures.
Aren't they cool?!

The BBQ was incredible, btw. They had diamond tread on the walls. I love diamond tread. Did I mention that the BBQ was incredible? Yes, yes it was.




So were the roosters.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Chimney bricks

Have I shown you all the brick pile from the chimney? These are some really cool bricks. Some are long and skinny and some are pure white without any holes in them.

What do you think of the PVC and screen accents we have given the brick pile - pretty cool huh?

We were planning on building some landscaping interest with these bricks - maybe a path, or as a border for some flower beds.

We aren't going to do that now - as I think we have a buyer for the house and we aren't going to do the landscape - they are. So this pile of bricks, combined with the pile of bricks at the Springfield house are going to be used in some other landscaping event. Not sure when, but I can tell you, I'm going to let you know.

Unfortunately, since the brick thing is my project, I'm pretty sure that I'm the one that's going to have to haul out and find a place to store all of these puppies. So I have any volunteers?

Have a great day!
Kristin

Secret Scrolls

Most people feel powerless to help others, when in fact every single human being has a power within them that, when directed properly, will help beyond anything else. You can direct this power by focusing on people in difficult situations being in joy, by imagining them in joy right now. Hold to the outcome of joy for them. By doing this, you will cause the unfathomable Creative Power to move through you to bring them joy.

The Secret daily calendar inspiration

Chandeliers

I love love love this chandelier that is painted on the wall. I wanted to do this when we staged the Jupiter Court Flip house for sale. Although, I wasn't going to paint it on the wall, I was going to have it painted on a canvas and have it hung above the bed. I don't believe we will be staging the house at this point, as it quite possibly may be sold before we get to that point - so no chandelier over the bed.

When my sister, Hillary and I were out shopping for clothes in December of last year, there was a New Years dress section of the store where there were these beautiful acrylic & mirror chandeliers hanging. I asked one of the employees if those were for sale anywhere in the store and she said that they were just Props. Recently, I found those props in an online store out of the UK. I couldn't find a price for them, but the chance of me ordering one was probably nil anyway. The cool thing though, is that they do exist and a regular joe like me can order one, if the price is met.

Chandeliers are showing up all over as accessories.. printed on fabrics for curtains or pillows and even, as seen above, as wall art. I do fall for trends - but I usually don't buy them - but I fall. I look longingly at the trendy item in the stores or in the store catalogs. I see the items online and drool over them. I imagine where I might put such an item in my home and then I look around and notice that there isn't a chance in heaven that whatever it is I want, will fit into this already crammed to the gills household, the dream ends.

I still want to get a chandelier painted on canvas and hang it over a bed...even if it isn't mine.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Mailboxes

I've been thinking about mailboxes lately. We've got to purchase one for the Jupiter Ct. house.
I thought I'd look through my photos and see if I had any pictures of a mailbox. I found several.
I didn't realize that I was drawn to mailboxes so much. I always knew that I liked them, but not to this extent!
The condo where I live, we have a little kiosk of sorts that houses about a hundred small postal boxes. Everyone has a key to get into their box. There just isn't any fun in that. Remembering the key, fiddling with the lock, opening it up, fighting with the mail to get it out of the small little box.
Maybe I have gathered all these mailbox photos after we moved here, to the land of the unfriendly mailboxes. I have met a lot of neighbors at the mailbox though, so I like that part.
Jupiter Court needs just a single mailbox, out by the roadside. The mailman walks through the neighborhood so we could have a box at the door, but I think the trend is to get them all by the road.
My friend Bob is always on the lookout for a manatee mailbox when she comes to Florida. I included this shot just for you Bob!

Paper Prayers

I've mentioned before about how much I like the idea of writing things down in order to make them come to fruition. In Japan, they've been doing that for a very long time, in a different sort of way.

The picture shows paper prayers, probably tied to some sort of string that has been erected for just this purpose.

I've heard of people writing their prayers and sticking them inbetween rocks in a wall, burning them in fireplaces, or even coming up with their own ritual to get the prayers sent off to the Universe.

Victoria Moran, in her book "Creating a Charmed Life" talks about a New Years Day ritual that she has done with a friend of hers and their daughters - where they write out their wishes for the coming year and tie them to pencils, I think. Then they bury them in the ground...or something like that. I wish I had the book in front of me.

Victoria's idea was to make it fun and interesting but also to do it with purpose. The people who write out their prayers on little slips of paper and tie them to a string with thousands of other prayers are doing it with purpose. I'm sure a little ritual also takes place when they do this as well.

I often write down things I want to do, things I don't want to forget when I go to the grocery store, movies I want to see and little bits of inspiration, but rarely do I write down my prayers. I found one woman who made a prayer bowl out of a glass bowl, a votive holder and candle and some river rocks. She said that she writes out her prayer(s) and tucks them into the river rocks and lights the candle, to send them to the beyond. She keeps the prayers in the bowl until they are finished or she believes that they have been worked enough. It was an interesting thing to do.

I have a large glass vase of sorts where I place all of the inspirations from "The Secret" daily calendar. It is just filled with little bits of paper from the past 5 months. I reach in there every so often and read one or two of them. I have a little jar that has some of the fortunes I've received from fortune cookies. It might be nice to have a little jar or vase that contains some paper prayers. I just may try that.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Happy Birthday Jim!

Happy Birthday Jim!!

Woodpecker

Peckin'

The saddest thing I ever did see
Was a woodpecker peckin' at a plastic tree.
He looks at me, and "Friend," says he,
"Things ain't as sweet as they used to be."

by Shel Silverstein


I just saw this on Miz Booshay's blog which of course I got through the Pioneer Woman's blog. I remember reading Shel Silverstein's books to my sisters. When I was last in Michigan visiting, I think Zora asked to be read something from a Shel Silverstein book. He is timeless, I guess. I even picked out a poem from one of his books and wrote one of them in the Christmas cards I sent out one year.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Aluminum Foil

I just read this blog Because Wendi Said So and she posted something that was totally cool. Something I had never noticed before. I've used this product for years (although I have to admit, not very often) but still, I never noticed.

Wendi wrote it so beautifully, I'm just going to quote it right here...

I have been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember.

I love the product and its many uses.

Sometimes it can drive me nuts.

Like when I am trying to tear off a large sheet of the stuff and the whole darn roll comes out of the box.

Then you have to try and re-roll the foil back on the roll.

Let's face it.... it never goes back on easily.

Or very "prettily".

Pay attention, this is where the sharing comes in.

The email "tip" I received said to read the end of the Aluminum foil box.

Well, of course I did.

Don't tell me you are not already in your kitchen drawer digging out your box.

I know you are.

Right on the end it says, "Press here to lock end."

Are you kidding me?

All these years of fighting the AF roll and I could have just pressed and locked?

How long has this little locking tab been there?

I have some Aldi brand Aluminum Foil and Saran Wrap.

That means it is generic.

Guess what?

Press and lock tabs there too.

If you already knew this... simply close this window and step. away.

Don't make me feel dumber than I already feel.

If I have just shared with you the secret to a happier relationship with your food coverings:

I just looked at my own Reynold Wrap & sure enough, that little locking tab is there -- How Cool!! It doesn't completely lock the roll from turning, but it certainly does slow it down so that you really can't unroll a mile of it quickly.

Thanks Wendi for that awesome tip!

Have a great day!
Kristin

Kindness

As I was looking through the labels that I have set up for the posts I write, I noticed that the Random Acts of Kindness label only had one post. It looked really sad - like I was never kind or something.

Maybe it only had one post because I don't want to toot my own horn about how fabulous I am. Yeah, that must be it.

I do lots of random acts of kindness - I hold doors for people all the time, that is just a given in my life, so hardly random. I clean the elevator in our condo at least once a week. I either take a wet sponge and some paper towels and wipe up the floors and walls or I pick up candy that someone has dropped on the floor (This is a surprising number of times!) We have a service that cleans the elevators but that is just weekly. I have a neighbor who also cleans the elevators, so between the two of us, they are really clean most of the time.

There was a moving company that came into our community one day to unload and that was a day when I happened to have a million things to do and all of them included coming back to my condo to get something I needed and had forgotten. I ended up seeing these moving guys several several times. I really inconvenienced them a few times, as I recall. Seriously, I was a mess that day lol Just a few days later I met those same guys at the gas station. One of the guys was behind me in line and he had an armload of snacks and drinks. I told the cashier to ring it all up on me. The mover man knew exactly who I was when he saw me and he didn't exactly smile - but when I told him I had just paid for all of his snacks he was speechless. He had a huge grin on his face and I told him that I was terribly sorry that I was such a pain the other day. I remember it clearly, he said "Aww shucks ma'am it wasn't a big deal" but we all know it was! It was fun doing that for those guys and totally unexpected.

I often let people into line when I am out on the roads, but I am surprised at how often people aren't paying attention and instead of getting into line, they just wait. I have always wanted to pay someones toll at a toll gate, but there just aren't many of them here in Northern Florida. When I go through the Orlando area and use the toll roads, I have one of those automatic contraptions that you put in your car and you don't have to stop - so I never think of taking the slow route, just so I can pay someone elses toll -- so maybe that isn't practical.

I will try to remember to post more about some random acts of kindnesses, whether I do them or I've seen them.

Have a great day!
Kristin

WFMW - SASE

Welcome to another edition of Works For Me Wednesday! Each week hundreds of people link to Rocks in My Dryer for WFMW and share their tips. Please take a look when you have finished here. Thanks & I'll see you again next week.

I sent my sister a little stack of self addressed stamped envelopes (SASE) a month or so ago, so that she could send me some of my neices artwork whenever she felt like it. Something very cool has happened -- she is sending me stuff every week or two. I got pictures of the new baby a few days ago, I get coloring pages from the 4 year old, I got a card & other assorted notes. All of these things might not have come my way as easily if it wasn't for the envelopes just sitting there at her desk, already addressed and stamped.

Here is how this got started. I had some left over Christmas cards & envelopes. The envelopes were real nice heavy paper with red foil on the inside and they were large. I think they were 4"x6.5" - half of a sheet of paper. I tossed the cards (I was in the tossing mood) and took the envelopes, a bunch of different colored pens and sharpies and a book of stamps and addressed the envelopes in all types of different colors and handwriting styles - this way, when they arrived in my mailbox, they all looked different.

My neice almost always embellishes the envelopes with stickers and drawings - I love that, too.

So that's what works for me. Sending my loved ones Self Adressed Stamped Envelopes so that I get some fun mail & Kid artwork every so often.

I should really do that in reverse, too - Pre address envelopes to family and have them handy.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Twitter

I first started Twitter because of the Thirty Day (30DC). Ed Dale said that I needed to be on it, so I was. I would follow Ed about anywhere, he is just that spectacular. After the 30DC I kept up with it for quite sometime then towards the beginning of this year I read the updates from other people and enjoyed what they posted, but really didn't participate much.

Now I see that there is an easy Twitter widget to add to my blog, so whenever I update my Twitter, it is automatically posted on my blog. Isn't that fun? I think so. So I'm going to start twittering more. The 30DC has just started it's Pre-challenge phase, and I am most certainly going to join in on that again. By the time the 30DC beings in full, we will be done with our Flips.

If you would like to follow me on Twitter, just click the link on the left hand side under the Twitter Updates.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Travel plans

In my list of 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days, I wrote down some vacation destinations that I have been wanting to see. I only picked a few places because this is afterall just 1001 days. I wanted the list to be very realistic in the goals. Here are the places I put down.

47. Travel to...Hawaii

48. ...France

49. ...England, Ireland, Scotland

50. ...Maywood, Nebraska

51. ...Chicago

52. ...Memphis with Bob

53. ...LasVegas

I thought the European destinations were going to be a real stretch, but I put them down because I want to go. I put my belief in the "Write it Down, Make it Happen" theory of the world (I love this book, by the way). It is also a part of the Law of Attraction, too - Ask, Believe, Receive.

About 6 weeks ago my Mother called to tell me that she was going to go to a reunion in Nebraska and would I like to come. Yes! I said jumping up and down, Yes! Her reunion is probably in Curtis, NE or North Platte, NE - both just a stones throw from Maywood. My Dad grew up in Maywood and I visited my grandplarents there for years and years. I still have cousins that live there and I just adore the countryside. I like to see what the houses look like now, from when I was a kid, too. Last time i was in Maywood was for my grandmothers funeral in 1995, so I am anxious to go back with a different attitude. So the Maywood, NE trip - entry #50 will be fulfilled this year... Write it down, make it happen.

About a month ago my Dad called us all and asked if we'd like to take a trip together - the whole family. Our name hails from the Isle of Man and has been a place all of us has wanted to go for many many years. This is the location my Dad wants us to go - The Isle of Man. That sounds an awful lot like Entry #49 - because chances are we will see more than just The Isle of Man. Write it down, make it happen.

Tom has been talking non-stop about going to Vegas. We like Vegas and haven't been in a few years, so this is pretty much a no brainer...but still, it is funny that all of a sudden he has got it into his head that he wants to go.

I keep working on my 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days and I don't even realize it - how cool is that?!!

Have a Great Day!
Kristin

Number 5

I live on the fifth floor of my condo - I see this number every single day on the elevator. It seemed so common and everyday, so I decided to Jazz it up a bit.




This is a drawing of the photo above. (from the photobucket effects department) Doesn't it look so nice and soft? It really looks like it is on a piece of white paper and oh so subtley punctuated with color.





If the number 5 were to be made out of red neon, it would have this effect. It reminds me of the pictures that I've seen of the highway at night and the streaks made by the taillights of the cars.



I really like this effect. I used it with the Burger King photo aq few weeks back and it looks splendid here as well. I really like numbers for some reason.

Have a Great Day!
Kristin

Attic Stairs

This weird looking thing is actually the attic stairs that the boys installed today. I thought for sure I took a picture of it installed, but alas, no. Believe me when I tell you, its installed. Below you will see what was required for installation.

What it doesn't say is "the top of one mans head." Because that's what Dan used to hold the stairs up while he was holding onto a piece of drywall as a measure of how far down from the rafters to screw it in & his other hand was trying to hold the front of the stairs up. Kenny was sitting in the attic on this 90° day, trying to get the screws into the stairs as quickly as possible.

I didn't see these boys use an adjustable wrench, a hand saw or a hack saw. I did see a Sharpie, a carpenters level, a skil saw & some shims.

I think they need a more complete list of alternatives.

The stairs are in!

Thanks Kenny, Thanks Dan!

Kristin

How Many of Me??

I found this little diddy at Musings from Left Field and thought it would be fun. Here's what I found out about me. If you do this, post a comment about what you found out...are you alone out there like me or do you have quite a following?


Here are my results...

Kristin

* There are 150,522 people in the U.S. with the first name Kristin.
* Statistically the 397th most popular first name.
* More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Kristin are female.


Corlett

* There are 2,037 people in the U.S. with the last name Corlett.
* Statistically the 15004th most popular last name.


Kristin Corlett


* There is 1 person in the U.S. named Kristin Corlett.
(However, there is a Kristen Corlett, she's an artist)

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Jupiter Ct.

Have I shown you the front of the house lately? Well, here it is. New roof, new siding, new soffits.

I'm just giddy.

Have a Great Day!
Kristin

Secret Scrolls

Some of the great thinkers of the past referred to the law of attraction as the law of love. And if you think about it, you will understand why. If you think unkind thoughts about someone else, you will experience those unkind thoughts manifested. You cannot harm another with your thoughts, you only harm You. If you think thoughts of love, guess who receives the benefits - you! So if your predominant state is love, the law of attraction or the law of love responds with the mightiest force because you are on the highest frequency possible. The greater the love you feel and emit, the greater the power you are harnessing.

This is a quote from the daily Secret calendar page, May 15th.

I just recently purchased the audiobook of The Secret. I'm sure I have mentioned it before, but I have been just listening to it over and over while I toodle around town. It has a bit more conversation than the DVD. It just seems to explain a little more clearly the little tricky bits of the Law of Attraction.

I have really been focusing a lot of my energy into being calm and thinking good positive thoughts. House flipping can be very very stressful. I've seen it on TV on the house fliping shows and I've watched myself go off the deep end a few times when we were building a house and later when we remodeled our house in Daytona. The positive thinking and remaining calm has really worked. I hardly feel any stress at all about these flips. Sure I've had a few moments where I wasn't pleased but I got it resolved quickly.

One of my rental condos was vacated this past week, so I've needed to find a tenant. I wanted to go pass out fliers, but never found the time. I did however, keep it in my mind that someone would call this week. I just expected someone to call. I got one email and one phone call. Both people want the unit. I am supposed to sign the lease with one of those two people tomorrow. All this without even passing out one flier.

The Law of Love -- I like that. What do you think? Have you watched The Secret yet?

Have a great day!
Kristin

Commenting on Comments

My crazy (loveable, delightful, funny, crazy, crazy, crazy) friend spent an evening last week reading my blog and commenting on most of the posts. She is such a goof-ball. I thought I'd answer her all in one post. Just to be funny that way.


Denise has left a new comment on your post "Planet Earth Video":
Hi, sweetie. The video is great. going to check out the secret website. on your way to orlando, maybe i can catch you?

Catch me if you can! I arrived back home without a Denise sighting, so I guess that means you never made it out of your state.


Denise has left a new comment on your post "Jupiter's main bath":
Oh this is nice. I haven't gotten back to the desc of Jupiter Ct. yet, but my memory is that is is small, 1 story. Are the bath and kitchen next to each other (they usually are--why do they do that? Who wants to take a good u know what when suppers cooking?). What i meant to say is that it will be a great visual!

Oh goodness - you are totally hysterical. Yes, Jupiter is a small one story house - it is three bedrooms, two bathrooms. The bathrooms are right next to the kitchen but you cannot access the bathrooms through the kitchen, so not a problem there lol


Denise has left a new comment on your post "Fun Lighting":
that would be fun! would you let the occupants choose what to put in the lamp? what a kewl idea!

It would have been a cool idea, but I think it would have been too distracting for a staged house. People would be all caught up in the stuff in the light and not focus on the kitchen cabinets! LOL I would love to have this lamp. I would play with it all the time.



Denise has left a new comment on your post "The Kitchen":
You are becoming (or have you always been) the IKEA QUEEN! All is so lovely though, neat, simple, clean lines. I love it. Great job!

I have loved IKEA for many many years. I have just never lived near one. This has been my closest now - just 150 miles. I dream of having an organized, clean lines, no clutter, simple lifestyle and furniture. So maybe IKEA is just a way for me to live out my dream without actually having to go there LOL



Denise has left a new comment on your post "WFMW - Water":
Dang and the two things i had on my list for your for your birthday? A mini fountain, and a big ol' conch shell! Back to the drawing board!

Oh Lordy :0)




Denise has left a new comment on your post "IKEA":
No, Ike's not a good swedish name, is it. Rollin' Rollin, Rollin down the river!
Words like Ikea have a way of finding their path into webster. Maybe one day, we'll all say, see my new floor? IKEA'd!

"Why don't you just google that?" "I googled you."
I can see where IKEA could get into Websters, just like Google!
I just like to say the word though - IKEA! Sort of like Eureka! IKEA!



Denise has left a new comment on your post "New stuff!":
Not having worn a bra regularly since the 70s (yep, big as i am, i eschew them!), i've always wondered....
where do they wear out?
and if it's the front--can't they wait?
i'm so fresh!

I always break the underwire on my bras, that's how they wear out for me. Once the wire starts poking me, it's done.

You are quite fresh!



Denise has left a new comment on your post "Write Zoom":
Oh mi god. Where did THAT come from?
I saw the new bandaid commercial (i am stuck on Bandaid cause bandaid stuck on me) and they've changed it up and i get all discombobulated cause somebody's not singing the right words. It's like being in church, singing the doxology, and their singing different words. A discordance. But hey! that's wayyyy off topic here. (i couldn't figure out what the topic was!) Sorry!

You live in New England and you haven't heard of ZOOM? or were you wondering what got me to post the song (but you have heard it before?) Well, I sing the Zoom song fairly often. Somehow it got into my head about 40 years ago and never left.


Denise has left a new comment on your post "Mocha's cat bed":
Um, Kristin, Mocha still looks pretty flat out to me! She is a cutie, isn't she?

She is!!! Gotta love the Mocha kitty.



Denise has left a new comment on your post "Crayons":
Kirsten, i don't know if this is true, or just the imaginings of my little brain, but crayola came out with a whole LINE of flesh tones for our multicultural world, so flesh and Indian red (imagined color of indian skin) may have gone by the board at that time...just a thought.

To be politically correct, I do believe, they changed the names. Another friend of mine said she thought that Flesh became Peach and Indian Red became Chestnut. That is probably the case.



Denise has left a new comment on your post "Buddy & Beverly":
You are a blessing, Kristen.
I know you were feeling some pain, so know that you are in my thoughts.

Thanks. Thanks so much.



Denise has left a new comment on your post "April links":
you were busy in april. I'm gonna dive in! i can't believe it has been that long since i talked to you!

Thanks for stopping by!


Denise has left a new comment on your post "WFMW - sleeping haven":
Thanks for the tip Kristen. Now my bed is only half full of junk rather than 3 quarters full! Ahhhhh...

How is that bed this week? Is it totally cleared off yet? huh? huh?


Denise has left a new comment on your post "Auctions":
Never did hear about the TV! did you fix it?

TV gone. It had lines through the picture, on every station. Even when it was unplugged from the cable. Not sure what to make of it. I had to buy them a new one. I hauled the broken one up to my condo though and it is in the living room as we speak. I think one of my contractors, Kenny, is going to take it and see if he can fix it or just keep it in his garage LOL




Denise has left a new comment on your post "Rice Salad":
OK i'm hooked, 6wbmo or nO! Thank you. What a great way to begin and end a wedding day, doing something extraordinarily ordinary.

It was. That's an interesting way to think about it - extraordinarily ordinary. I really should write about it one day, but I had a fantastic wedding. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfectly fabulous.


Denise has left a new comment on your post "Happy Birthday Zora!!":
Yaaayyyy! Happy Birthday, Big Sis!

She is such a doll that Zora.


Thanks for joining me on commenting on comments -- well, Denise's comments anyway LOL

Have a great day!
Kristin

Zora the big sister

I wanted to chat with my sister today. Her father in law died the other day and she had a baby a few weeks ago, so I wanted to check in with her. The phone rang many many times & I got the answering machine, so I just started talking. I assumed that Alison was feeding new baby, Stella, so I just wanted her to know that I called to just check in...

Well, as I was just about ready to hang up, I hear this.... "Hello" I thought it was Alison.

Then I am told "This is Zora"

It sure was! So I started asking her questions. I have only talked on the phone with her once before and she didn't want to talk, so this was a totally new experience.

One of the first things Zora said to me was that she really liked the playdough that I sent to her & I told Zora that I had gotten some coloring pages in the mail from her and that they were on my fridge - she said that she was very happy I had them there.

I found out that Stella's eyes are still blue, brown, & black. (She's almost a month old now)

That Zora was making designs at the dining room table. I asked if she was making clothing designs, or designs that just went on paper and she interrupted and said - "I am making designs that will sit on the dining room table." I couldn't argue with that!

I asked if Stella can laugh and Zora said "She's still a newborn, so she doesn't laugh yet"

So I asked if Stella has smiled yet and Zora told me that she was just starting to smile.

I asked if she gets to hold the baby and she said that she got to hold Stella in the hospital! So I guess the answer is yes lol

I asked Zora to give a kiss to her Momma and Daddy and Stella for me and I hung up.

What a fun conversation. I'm so glad I called.

Thanks Zora!! I'm sure we will talk more in the future.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Walter - updated

Walter got called for his Lung transplant. I got the call last night around 7pm that they were on their way to the hospital. This means that he was probably transplanted just a few hours ago.

When I woke up yesterday one of the first things that crossed through my mind was something about Walter receiving a lung. I was not at all surprised when they told me that they had received a call from Mayo. It is so interesting how things like that happen.

I wanted to post this, so that healing thoughts can be sent to Walter through everyone who reads this. Also prayers for the family that has just recently lost a loved one. Thank You so very much for being a part of the Organ Donation process. Thank You.

Kristin

Updated...

Walter went into surgery last night around 1am and was out of surgery at 6:30am. The surgery went real well. He is in ICU at the moment and they have him on a respirator - but that is very very common with Lung transplant patients. The new lung takes many days to many weeks to work on its own. Walters daughter has arrived, along with her boyfriend, so Walter and his wife won't be alone through this.

I say alone, as in family - because Walter and his wife know nearly all of Mayo Clinic and nearly every patient in the place. They have a large group of friends around here, but still, sometimes you really need family. I'm glad that their daughter could come.

I was planning on going up to the hospital today, but have decided against it. The first day is usually really rough. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll go up tomorrow. Day two is usually a much better day.


5/16/08 - Walter took a turn for the worse yesterday evening. His daughter told me this morning that his new lung is totally inflamed and is not working properly. They put Walter back on a ventilator and are probably going to give him a tracheotomy. I have so much confidence in the Mayo Clinic that I am just positive that this whole thing will turn around and Walter will come out of it just fine. This is just a major bump in the road.

I'm still praying for you, Walter.

WFMW - Remembering Passwords

Welcome to another edition of Works For Me Wednesday! Each week hundreds of people from around the world gather at Rocks in My Dryer for WFMW and share their tips. Please take a look when you have finished here. Thanks & I'll see you again next week.

This is one of my favorite "inventions" - I'm sure that someone else thought of it, posted a note on their blog about it and I read about it - but I woke up one morning and I thought --

Self! Why don't you put all of your websites and passwords into a book!! How about you put it into an Address Book! You have several very nice address books that have nothing in them - lets find one and put it to good use!

So I did.

I first made up a little secret code for my passwords. I have to admit, I only have three different passwords. So I named them P1, P2 and P3 -- I know what these mean. You should come up with your own secret code for your passwords so that you can remember it.




















This is how I used my password book.

Under the P tab of the Address book I have

1st line --- www.photobucket.com (I alphabetize by name of the website)
2nd line --- the email address I used when I signed up
3rd line -- the password or the secret code to the password
4th line -- anything else that might be important to that site. secret questions, secret answers, telephone number you used, etc.

I have 4 different accounts with Photobucket, so the address book has come in VERY handy when I can't remember what email went with which account.


This book has come in handy when I travel or when I am using a computer that isn't my own. I rely on my list of "favorites" on my own computer and have trouble remembering my favorite sites if I can't just use my bookmarks.

Even if I don't have to have a password or login name, I still write down websites - like Rocks in my Dryer, for instance, just so I have a record of sites I like.

I hope you found this to be helpful. I look forward to reading your tips!

Have a great day!
Kristin

What a day so far

Sometimes a day just goes in a totally different direction than you had planned when you woke up in the morning. I don't mind those days - not all - well, unless it is a bad day, then of course I don't want that. However today is a good day & a lot of unexpected events and thoughts have raced through already and it isn't even 2pm yet.

I went to our rental condo to finish up the cleaning (it didn't happen) but I got nearly done. The carpet was pretty stained, so I put on a carpet cleaning product and it has to dry before I can vacuum it up again, so that is the delay at this moment. I'll vacuum it tomorrow morning. The rest of the place is tide-clean. It will be ready to rent tomorrow.

While I was there, the neighbors, also my tenants, got a call from the Mayo Clinic. They have him on stand-by for a possible lung transplant. Oh glory. This is his third or fourth call and all have been canceled before he even had a chance to go to the hospital. I do hope that this lung is keeper for him. He and his wife have been with me for 10 months so far. Before it is all over, they will be here for a year. Good tenants, but still, I'd like to see him transplanted and get to go home. That is the goal - Come and stay for a little while and then go home a healthier person. I spent quite a bit of time with them, helping them with a few things in case he did need to go to the hospital today.

Now I'm home, waiting for my phone to charge because it was on it's last second of fuel. I had lunch & read my email. My aunt just emailed to say that when she handwashes her dishes, she thinks of me! I love it. I really love that there are things about me that triggers a "Kristin Memory" in someone and they think of me. What is so cool about that, is that this happens to everyone. There isn't a moment that goes by that someone in this wide world isn't thinking about you. Is that just incredible! Thanks Marg for mentioning the dishwashing event...it is like a big Ah-ha moment.

I go through the people I know sometimes like a Rolodex file. Flipping through Highschool, college, the other college, the final college, events, family, parties, etc. I like to recall the fun stuff, the good conversations and the peoples faces. If I think about people and send out good thoughts to them, then I know that I am getting that from others. Those good vibes crisscrossing the globe. I can see it now. I think the thoughts I send are in a corkscrew pattern though - not a graceful arch. It makes for a fun visual.

Well, I'm off to IKEA again, time to pick up the sink that was out of stock when we went last week. I called and it is being held for me right now. I plan on having a great drive to Orlando & back. Tom is staying in town. He has doors to hang in the Springfield flip, he is picking out tile for the kitchen over there and someone needs to be in town in case our tenant does indeed get the call that the lung is his...and if they need anything one of us will be around for them.

Hope you have a great day!
Kristin

A new roof

This is just a quick slideshow of the roof and some interesting things that sort of go along with the whole roof thing.

Les is standing up on what is left after all of the roofing has been torn off the roof. When I went inside the view is quite clear - straight to the sky! We need a new roof.





The sunlight pouring through was so cool. I wish we could put skylights in that mimicked that -- oh goodness, that would be a VERY expensive roof. The hallway was so bright with all that light streaming through. Unless something drastic is done, this is the most light this hallway will probably ever see.




All of the roofing supplies have been hauled up to the roof - the felt paper is already nailed into place. The shingles are next!



This is the back of the house. Dan, mr. carpenter man, is putting in my skylight. OK, so he's actually just cutting the hole, but I'm so excited. I wanted a tube skylight in the new bathroom because it doesn't have a natural light source...It is smack dab in the center of the house & it needed light. I have always thought these solar tubes were very cool - the one I purchased has a diameter of 10". Small but mighty, I guess haha


This is the finished roof. The boys were just gathering up their tools. It's only 1:30 in the afternoon. These boys were awesome.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Survivor!

Oh goodness I love Survivor. I've watched every season (in reruns) but started watching season three, I think. Tonight was the final episode + the reunion show. I really really enjoyed this season - it was so much fun to see the blind-sides actually work...even when I was absolutely positive that they HAD to see it coming! Oh goodness.

I won't say any more about the final episode.

not a single word.

Have a great week!

Kristin

Jim Jr. - updated

I just got a phone call from my sister. Her husband's father passed away yesterday. He apparently had a heart attack in his backyard, while he was doing some gardening. Jim (my brother-in-law) lost his mother on Thanksgiving day about 10 years ago. I just can't imagine being that young and not having my parents anymore. I cannot imagine.

Look for another post and hopefully a picture of Jim Jr.

I sure did like him.

Kristin








Here is the Obit from the Lansing State Journal...



James Theodore "Jim" Alfredson Jr.

Okemos, MI

Jim died unexpectedly at his home on May 9, 2008 at the age of 67. Born December 6, 1940, He graduated from Perry High School. He served in the U.S. Army before entering a career as a professional guitarist/musician and songwriter. As a young man, he traveled the country extensively playing music, but it was back home in Michigan that he met and married Verna Lou Cogswell. Together they raised seven children and during that time Jim composed the songs of Gabriel's Horn.

Being a father, his schedule as a musician no longer suited him. Jim began an apprenticeship learning how to tune and repair pianos. He quickly learned the trade and created his own business, Calliope Piano Service, which served the greater Lansing area for nearly 30 years. In 1997 Jim's wife of nearly three decades, Verna, died of cancer and he was grief-stricken for several years. It was during this time that Jim composed his dissertation, Under the Sun, which he considers his most important work.

Fortunately, God is great and Jim met another angel on Earth. His second wife, Venecia, loved and cherished him and revived his spirit. Remarried April 24, 2005, Jim spent his remaining years doing what he loved: being a father to his children and Papa to his grandchildren, playing guitar, reading theology and philosophy, writing his journals, managing his website and blog (www.thepilgrimtraveler.com), cooking, tending to his plants, listening to birds, and watching the sky.

His father, James Theodore Alfredson Sr. and his first wife Verna preceded Jim in death. He is survived by his mother, Doris Himebaugh of Mt. Pleasant; his wife, Venecia Burner-Alfredson of Okemos; his eight children: Jennifer Alfredson of Holt, Shelly (Matt) Jones of Owosso, Sarah (Steve) Case of White Lake, James (Alison) Alfredson III of Lansing, Justin Michael Alfredson of Lansing, Julianna (Shawn) Shaltry of East Lansing, Jessica (Eric) Alfredson of Lansing, Natalie Walsh of Lansing; and six grandchildren: Alexander, Kevin, Zora, Sophia, Lucy, and Stella. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91. Jim was a spiritual teacher who believed that simple faith is the foundation of inner peace and security, of the love needed to continue. His words, beliefs and teachings will forever stay with us in his absence. Jim will be deeply missed, and never forgotten, by all who knew and loved him.

There will be a celebration of Jim's life held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, burial will take place in Maple Ridge Cemetery, Holt, Michigan. The family will receive friends 5:00-8:00 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Published in the Lansing State Journal - May 11, 2008



A tribute to James Theordore Alfredson Jr
This is what Jim read at his dads funeral.

First, let me speak for the family and extend our thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from everyone. I would especially like to thank those in attendance today. It would please Dad immensely to know how much he was admired and loved. For a man who proudly had an air of solitude around him, he had many people who loved him and he never failed to make a lasting impact on the people he met.

Just this past December, I attended the funeral of the patriarch of my wife’s family, her grandfather, Mr. LeRoy Henry. It was at this very funeral home, in this very room, in fact. As I sat in the audience watching the tears stream from the faces of LeRoy’s children, listening to them speak so proudly of their father, and sharing memories of his life and work, I could not help but contemplate my own father’s passing. I thought about how I would cope with his death, what I would say about the man and his life, and how large his presence loomed in my life and the life of our family.

I did not think I would have to face his death so soon.

My Dad was a good father. Above all else he loved his family and held a special, unconditional love in his heart for all his children. He guided us with a firm, but gentle hand. He did not burden us with expectations, other than that we love each other and be honest at all times. He did not force us into careers or shove us into churches or demand we attend higher education or use guilt to make us fulfill some dream of his that he never achieved. He instead let us become who we are, on our own terms and at our own pace, and he reveled in our differences. I remember him telling me over and over when I was a little boy that there was no one in the world like me, there would never be another person like me, that my mind was my own, and that I was unique. He let us think for ourselves and learn for ourselves and make mistakes for ourselves, always ready to answer any questions or help at any time us if we lost our step.

He was a strong-willed man. He was an extremely stubborn man. He lived his life on his own terms. He loathed poor workmanship and respected quality craftsmanship. He did not value money. He worked very hard and considered hard work a blessing. He loved to work with his hands. He liked boxes. He was a voracious reader and considered himself a philosopher. He loved nature and birds. He never did anything half-way. I remember back at the farm when he suddenly got into wind chimes. He brought home one set and the next thing we knew the entire porch was blocked by hundreds of hanging wind chimes, creating a wild, wind-powered chorus of atonal anarchy… which he thought was fantastic!

He loved writing words and writing music. He loved playing the guitar, but he always told me he was a frustrated organist. He was thrilled when I found the instrument on my own and he always supported my music. I owe my music to him.

I will be honest and admit we had some dark times. He had demons with which he fought, usually using the wrong means to combat them. He could be irritable, cranky, and sometimes downright mean, especially in the mornings. But I understand now that he was fighting with alcoholism, a disease which can turn a man against those he loves. He was not always himself, for a long time.

When Mom died, his grief was so great we all feared he would not make it. His demons seemed to be winning the battle a bit more everyday. He lost himself in the bottle. The pain of her death hit him so forcefully that it seemed impossible for us to console him, especially since we were all dealing with the sudden loss ourselves. For awhile, the family seemed irreparably fragmented.

But the strength of the family prevailed. The past few years of his life saw him happier and more peaceful than ever. I told my wife many times that he was like a changed man, but really I think he had uncovered and returned to his real self. That kind, gentle, funny, charismatic and handsome self that my mother fell in love with all those years ago. I place the credit for his transformation solely on Venecia and her immense love for him. Without her, he would never have lived to see his grandchildren. He would never have reconciled with his mother. He would never have achieved a life so happy and so content. With Venecia’s help, he finally faced his demons and he won. I thank you, Venecia, from the very bottom of my heart for what you gave to my father and to the family through your love and commitment. You gave us all a real second chance. You are and will always be an integral part of this family.



Now that he is gone, we siblings must trust in the knowledge that he gave us to guide us through the rest of our lives. We can’t pick up the phone and call him for advice. We can’t come over and sit with him in the office or on the back porch. He won’t be there, smiling as he answers the door. He won’t show up, unannounced, to have lunch and see the kids. He will no longer be at the table for Easter or Thanksgiving or Christmas.

But I believe that he will always be with us and within us, if we take heed of his legacy:


Practice the simple faith.

Don’t worry about the small stuff.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Belief creates; doubt destroys.

Love overcomes all.

And all is as it should be.



I’d like to end with a few short quotes from Dad’s blog.

“I have always appreciated those of us who dare to take a chance, to follow their dreams, even though the rest of the world thought them crazy. I am such an individual, not nearly as successful as [others], in a worldly sense, but, in my own way, I am. My life has been full and varied, interesting, rewarding, and of great value to me. I enjoy being here, now. I take time to smell the roses, as it were, and love my life to the fullest. I hope you also take time to listen to the birds, smell the sweet breezes, feel the rain on you face: all is good and as it should be. Don’t waste your short life listening to the bummers: they are all on an elevator that is forever going down. Push the ‘up’ button and find ultimate beauty and meaning in what, who, and where you are.”

“Follow your dream and don’t let anyone relieve you of it: it’s yours and yours only. Never follow anybody else, don’t take what they offer, don’t believe their lies. Trust your inner being: you know more about yourself than anyone else in the universe.”

“Life is now and that’s all it is. Better get with it before it’s gone.”



May you rest in peace, Dad. We will always love you.



James Theordore Alfredson III
May 13, 2008



This is what Alison wrote....

I thought I should share a thought or two about my father-in-law. He was an amazing man and I clearly remember the first day I met him. At that time he was still in a state of recovery after Jim's mom's death. Within the last 7 years he proved himself as an exceptionally attentive man to his entire family and friends. He always gave advice, and the kind one wants to get. I was so blessed to have him in my life and in Zora's life. I am very saddened that she won't even remember how much she loved him and their time together.

Jim and his dad are very similar. Beyond their musical interests and physical attributes, they both have a kindness and selflessness that I rarely see (to that extent) in others. I will miss him terribly. I understand the days, months, and years will be rough...to say the least. No one can prepare themselves for this loss. I pray Jim will be able to find comfort in his family and friends.

Thank you all for the kind words. This community means so much to Jim and will help him get through this time.

Alison

Secret scrolls

I have two calendar pages from "The Secret" that I'd like to share.

Think about what you have asked for, and make sure that your actions are mirroring what you expect to receive, and that they're not contradiciting what you've asked for. Act as if you are receiving it. Do exactly what you would do if you were receiving it today, and take actions in your life to reflect that powerful expectation. Make room to receive your desires, and as you do, you are sending out that powerful signal of expectation.

I like this... This means that if you ask for a safe journey on your daily travels, you must be an part of it. You may not drive 90 mph in a 35 mph zone and expect to have the blessings. You are contradicting what you have asked for... This also means if you want to be at your perfect weight, you must start with what you put in your grocery cart and bring home. A cart full of sugar is a contradiction to the request you have made.

The second calendar page is about feelings.

As you become more and more aware of how you are feeling, you will become more aware of your words and thoughts. It gets easier and easier. And so when you hear yourself say something you don't want, just restate what it is you do want. For example, a common thing that people say is, "I am tired." If you say that with the whole day ahead of you, you are ordering up from the Universe a tough day full of fatigue. So I would change those words to something like, "I am now drawing in unlimited energy. I am feeling more energized with each second. I feel amazing." All of your power with the law of attraction is now, and by intensely feeling what you want, you can change anything.

I have noticed that as we go through the process of flipping these houses, I am finding that I am not stressing out, not getting angry about the progress or lack of it, or of the requests people are making of me, or the unlimited amount of questions that I get asked some days. I decided when we started this project that it wasn't something to stress over. I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a challenge & that it was OK. I have gotten frustrated some days, but those days have been very few. I decided to make this fun and it really has been fun. Going into this with a certain attitude has, in my opinion, made all the difference in the world.

Have a great day!
Kristin

It's Summer

It has arrived!

90˚ days

Humidity

Sunshine beating through the curtains

What month is it?

Oh, It's May...in Florida

How quickly I forget how hot it can get.



Have a nice day!

Kristin

The Kitchen

This is a kitchen display in IKEA - but this is the kitchen we picked out for Jupiter Ct. The upper cabinets in our kitchen will be all closed, except for one on the very end, which will have glass doors.

Tom fell head over heels in love with the sink pictured here. I didn't think he liked the apron front, but apparantly he does! In real life, that sink is massive. It extends out from the front of the cabinets about an inch. The space on either side of the faucet is wide and lovely. We have not picked out a faucet that I love yet. Hopefully the best faucet for the job will show itself to me in the next couple of days. (It must be reasonably priced)

We purchased butcher block for the counter top - so pretty much, this is our kitchen!

Fun Lighting

This is such a cool light fixture from IKEA. There is a space between the light and outside wall of the fixture where you are encouraged to put things in that space. These happen to be straws, but you can put anythign lightweight in there. The message on the side says not to fill with water. I can see why someone would think it would be OK, but water is heavy for one and doesn't get along well with electricity for another.

This would be delightful if you wanted to fill the void with christmas ornaments or pine cones (Ones that have no sap remaining) or tissue paper or maybe a those large thumb tacks...have you seen those? They are two inches long or more. Kind of unusual.

This might be fun to put in Jupiter Court over the dining room table area... I hadn't thought of it until right now - I just took a picture of it because I thought it was fun.

I'll be posting more IKEA pictures in the next week. Enjoy!
Kristin

Jupiter's main bath

This is the bathroom vanity that we found for the main bathroom for Jupiter Court. This is an IKEA vanity and sink. We are getting the sink, the cabinet under the sink and the three drawer unit next to the sink.

This picture is just half of the display, which had two three drawer units and two sinks -- we don't have that much room.

We also got the butcher block top, too. The kitchen will have a butcher block counter top and a white porcelain sink - so this will flow quite nicely with the updates we have in mind. The tub is white, the toilet is going to be white, too. We will probably put beadboard around the entire room, subway tiles in white surrounding the tub and I think we may put those small white octogon tiles on the floor - but that is still up in the air.

We picked up the cabinets and the countertop when we were at IKEA the other day, however the sink was not in stock. It should be in stock tomorrow & I'll have to run down to Orlando to pick it up.

So that's the main bathroom for the house. I think it is going to be lovely.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Planet Earth Video

This is a beautiful little video from The Secret. It is 3 minutes long and has a lovely soundtrack - although speakers are not absolutely necessary.




I adore The Secret. I have the video, two books now (I have used a highlighter in one & marked up nearly every page) and I just recently purchased the unabridged audio set to play in my car. I will be driving to Michigan in a few weeks and I am going to enjoy having the audio playing during my drive.

Enjoy the video & look around The Secret website if you get a chance.

Have a great day!
Kristin

WFMW - Water

This week Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer is doing a themed version - What Doesn't Work for Me (and others.)

I have to tell you, I have struggled with this. I have complaints about things, but I forget what they are until someone brings it up and then I say -- Oh ya - I forgot about that!

Last night I finally came up with something that does not work for me.

The sound of running, babbling, crashing, or otherwise noisy water. In our previous home we had pool with a little hot tub(ish) area off to the side and water spilled from the hot tub area into the pool. The sound drove me crazy. When I could get away with it, I would turn off the pool pump. My favorite time of day outside by the pool was after dark when the pool pump retired for the evening.

We spent a week in Vieques in a lovely lovely home on the "rough" side of the island. (My In-Laws invited us to stay with them - What a treat!!!) The ocean crashed against the cliffs. Day in and day out. Crash Crash. I thought I was going to lose my mind. I was never so happy to go home.

Last night I spent the night in a hotel room - the faucet dripped. All Night. (Hence the inspiration for this topic!) I finally figured out how to silence it and reported it to the front desk in the morning.

I love a good shower, a nice bath, doing dishes (honest - I love to do dishes) - but the noise of water drives me batty.

Please go to Shannon's blog and read what others have posted and leave me a message so I can come visit you!

Have a great day!

Kristin

IKEA

I just knew I'd be awake in the middle of the night tonight. We are just a few miles from one of my favorite places, IKEA, and my head is just bursting with ideas. Most people come to Orlando, FL to see the mouse and all of his friends - I come because of Swedish furniture. The Grand Opening of this IKEA was Nov. 14th, 2007. I ha a post-it on my computer desk for months with that date on it. I wanted to come down here for the Grand Opening, but as the day approached, I decided to wait until I really had something to purchase.

Tom designed an IKEA kitchen for the Jupiter Ct. house, so we came down here hauling a trailer, to pick up the kitchen cabinets and find two nice bathroom vanities as well. The kitchen is going to have white cabinets with beadboard door inserts & butcherblock counter tops. The appliances will all be stainless steel and Tom found this cool modern looking hood of stainless steel and glass, that I think will look real good with everything else.

So, I'm awake at 4am. My husband is sound asleep and snoring up a storm. I keep mentally wandering through the IKEA stores that I have been to, looking at all of the fun kitchen stuff, lighting and furniture. My house needs nothing. I have more than enough. The flips on the other hand, are so lacking that it is hard to not furnish them. We aren't selling them furnished, but we are staging, so I want a few things...but in a store like IKEA it is hard to just buy a few things.

Mr. Ingvar Kamprad (& family) that owns IKEA is the 7th wealthiest person in the world, according to the latest Forbes list. So the fact that I have a hard time buying just a few things is not something that is unique - Lots of people purchase IKEA products.

I just looked this up on Wikipedia "The acronym IKEA is made up of the initials of his name (Ingvar Kamprad) plus those of Elmtaryd, the family farm where he was born; and the nearby village Agunnaryd." I did not know this. I'm not sure how the nearby village got figured into the name, maybe it was just because Mr. Kamprad didn't want his store to be called IKE. I figured IKEA was a swedish word for "put it together yourself" or "flat pack" or possibly "No words, just pictures."

I am going to head back to bed. I'm starting to yawn, so that is a great sign. Night all.

Have a great day!
Kristin

New stuff!

Now that we have started working on these flip houses, I see other things in my life that need to be spruced up. I have done something about a few of those things this past week. I bought new shoes and socks, that I mentioned recently but the other day I bought something even more exciting...

Bra's and underwear!

Ooooh the joys of new underthings.

The underwear, was in a smaller size, too. Gotta love that.

Oprah once had on a guest who said that bras should only be worn one day, then handwashed. So in order to go a full week, you'd need to have more than just two bras - smart huh? Well, I loved that suggestion and followed it for quite some time, until fairly recently.

OK, OK... I didn't handwash my bras, but I did buy a little bra holder for the washer. It is round and had a zipper and it holds two bras. I toss it into the regular cycle and then hang the bras up to dry. The reason why I had not been doing this as of late is because my bra supply had dwindled. I was down to just two bras. I don't do laundry that often anymore.

Now I have one bra for each day of the week, they all fit and I can do laundry once a week and have a nice clean bra to wear each day. It seems like such a little thing, but it wasn't. I'm so happy to have nice undergarments.

It is so much fun to get some new stuff every so often.

Have a great day!
Kristin

Write Zoom

Sometimes a song gets stuck in my brain - it can last a day or so...Most of the time, it's just a few minutes. Sometimes things get stuck in my brain for years and years.

Write Zoom
Zeee double O M
Box 35 0hhh
Boston Mass
Ohhh 2134
Send it to Zoom, yaaa

Now they have Zmail and other assorted ways to send stuff to Zoom, but I can still hear the jingle in my head...

Write Zoom
Zeee double O M
Box 35 0hhh
Boston Mass
Ohhh 2134
Send it to Zoom, yaaa

Mocha's cat bed

This is Mocha.

This is Mocha's cat bed.

Mocha's cat bed sits next to my computer chair.

Mocha likes it when I rest my hand on her back as I sit in the computer chair.

It is difficult to type with my hand on her back.

Normally Mocha is not sitting up, but rather laying flat out - but when I turned on the camera she hopped right up.

If Mocha is not in her cat bed, but still wants me to pay some attention to her, she will get behind my chair and poke me in the rear end. I think she could do that for hours - but I don't let her!

This cat bed was a gift from my sister, Hillary. Mocha loves Hillary.

Kristin

Master Bedroom

It's a Window! A window to the world - you can open the window and get fresh air, you can close the window. But unless you take off the screen, going through the window is not really an option.
It's a Door! In a few weeks there will be a patio outside that door. It is going to make that Master Bedroom feel just huge! Morning coffee can be had outside on the private patio, maybe even a late evening sunset watching or even just enjoying a cold glass of iced tea on a Sunday afternoon.

Crayons

I found this site, while I was Stumbling along the internet. Color + Design Blog It gives a brief little history of Crayola crayons and has some stunning pictures of crayons. I do love a nice new box of Crayola crayons! I'm over 40 years old and crayons are still such a joy.

I post on a website where you can insert color numbers into the HTML and the website above had a really cool chart of all of the Crayola colors with their HTML numbers - so I printed off a sheet - but the colors didn't print - only the names. So I took a captured the screen shot of the colors and made them into graphics. How fun!

Here they are folks - all 120 color names, colors and HTML numbers for those colors. (actually I don't think it is ALL of the color names because I don't see Indian Red or Flesh and I used to color with both of those)

Enjoy!!

Buddy & Beverly

Buddy and Beverly called me last year in March, I do believe, to ask if I had a place to rent. Buddy was going on the Lung transplant list in a few weeks and they were going to move from Okeechobee, FL for the few months it would take for him to get a Lung transplant. I showed them Avanti (my larger one bedroom unit) and chatted up a storm with them. I adored them. Buddy was quite tall and thin, but had a scruffy voice and a great laugh. Beverly was just sweet. She was my height (5'2" or so) and had a voice that was just like silk. They talked about Okeechobee and their grandkids and using the computer and movies they liked and about the transplant and how I got through it all.

I left town for a few days and that was the weekend that Buddy and Beverly needed to move in, of course, so Tom went and signed the lease with them and gave them the keys. Tom nicknamed them "The Puppies" because he thought Buddy and Beverly sounded like puppy names. So from then on we affectionately called them "The Puppies"

The Puppies called today. I dropped mail off at the puppies place today.

Before Buddy was even officially listed on the Mayo Transplant list, he was called. They had a lung for him. Oh goodness, that was great news. Buddy was so tall that it really had to be a certain size lung to suit his frame. He received the lung and his recovery began.

He was the perfect patient. He healed well, he recovered well, he did his exercises, took his medication, and had the highest spirit. The grandkids came to visit, they sent cards and letters and pictures when they weren't there. It was my idea of a really great transplant experience.

About a month ago I got a phone call that Buddy was in the hospital and did I have place for them to stay. The lung had become fragile and Buddy wasn't doing so well. He had been in the hospital now for a month already. I didn't have a place for them, but I would put them at the very top of my list. Tom had a doctors appointment at Mayo last week, so we both made a point to go up and see them. I arrived first and I didn't even recognize Buddy. He seemed small and Beverly just lit up when she saw me, that was so nice. She looked remarkably well. I don't know if I could have looked so good after spending over a month in the hospital with a sick husband. Buddy knew who I was immediately and the three of us chatted for about an hour before Tom arrived. Buddy said that the 6 months post transplant was just the greatest time. It was his first time in a long time that he was active and healthy, he got to play golf and run after his grandkids, he didn't have to worry about getting a breath. He said that no matter what happened it was worth every second of the waiting, the testing, the transplant and the recovery. He was so grateful to have been able to be a normal person again. Beverly even said that Buddy lived every one of those days to the fullest and that it was so exciting to see.

A few days ago I got a call from one of my other renters that they were going to be leaving in two weeks. Great News! I love it when my transplant patients are well enough to go home. I called Beverly to tell her that I had a condo for her. It was my smaller unit, but it was available and it wasn't a hotel room. She called back to say that Buddy was in a downhill fall and that the next 72 hours would determine his fate. She didn't sound hopeful.

Oh dear.

I got an email last night that Buddy died on April 30th. I don't know any other details at the moment.

I am so glad I got a chance to meet these wonderful people. I'm so glad that Buddy got 6 months of a fairly care-free life. I am so grateful for the Mayo Clinic.

Thanks Buddy and Beverly for allowing me to be a part of your lives. My prayers go out to you and your family.

Kristin

***Update. Beverly said that her kids were with her when Buddy died and that they made sure that she got home alright. I am so grateful that someone was with her and Buddy.

May Day

Today is May Day. I remember a few times when I was a kid I picked flowers and left them at the front door of my neighbors houses in little paper bags. The first day of May in Michigan is never constant and the flowers that are blooming May first is always an unknown. If we have an early spring, I can pick daffodils on my sisters birthday April 7th. That hasn't happened many times.

The past few years I've lived in Florida on May Day and the day comes and goes without much notice on my part. Spring is almost over by that time and I am not looking forward to the day as much as I did in Michigan.

Today however, I made a special trip to the store and I purchased two small "flower bowls" and gave them to Virginia & Sharon - two of my neighbors. The flower bowls were planted with several different plants but could sit on a table rather than being a hanging plant. The flower bowls will look nice on their patios.

I had fun - I placed the flowers in front of their doors. I put a little card in the foliage that just said Happy May Day - Love, Kristin

They both loved the flowers and enjoyed the thoughtfulness. I liked that just a little thing can connect you with your neighbors.

I hope you had a happy May Day.
Kristin