Party and Garden or Garden Party

Exactly a week from today our party is happening and I have TONS left to do.  It's funny that I have sent nearly 200 invites out and only a handful have bothered to RSVP.  I am going to have to just plan food on the assumption that all will come!?  That is weird but what do you do.  The family helped to get the tree up but I still have boxes and boxes of stuff to put out.  That is really the easy part but I do have to do it.  Then I can tweek the house and shelves and stuff.  I have to make it perfect as it is an open house.  My plan is to also set "my room" up as a kind of gallery and maybe hang a few of my pieces around the house.  What an opportunity for an art show!  Maybe I can sell some stuff.  That would be AWESOME!

My mind is just swimming with stuff this morning.  I was up at five with Clayton and just could not go back to sleep.  The party, and next weekend is B's Alliday Show at the fairgrounds and I have to set up my booth.  That is kind of blowing my mind right now because I'm not really sure I want to do it but I need too.  Last year I had a lot of prints to sell but I'm not going to do that this year.  I just don't want to get into the PRINT stuff.  I just want to paint and sell paintings.  I don't want it to be a "business", I want to create.  I do have note cards and those are easy and sell nicely.

This month, December, I plan on fulfilling the plan to post everyday, I hope.  I did pretty well for posting everyday of the year until about September then I just gave up.  I think because my body was in so much pain that I couldn't write.  The knee thing is a memory, although I still have the arthritis pain some, I am pain free.  I've gone back to the exercise but I don't overdo it because I am still post-surgery and have another 6-7 weeks of healing time internally.  There are times at the end of the day when it is telling me "STOP and rest!"  This week won't be an option for me in that regard.  It is full steam ahead.

The house renovation is complete, inside and out...well, the out is not quite complete but by Tuesday it will be.  The landscaping is done and the new sod will be laid on Tuesday, then we can call it complete, at least till spring when my new vegetable garden will be set up.  I've adjusted where it is and have plans for some of the flowerbeds along with Sue from The Garden Trug.

When we were planning on getting some more landscaping done the guy who did the front yard was a flake and left us with new flowerbeds overrun with the zoysia grass.  We couldn't get him back to replace plants that were the wrong stuff or to fix our problems.  I had HAD it with him and I told The Hubby that I was going to be in charge of the yard stuff.  I love gardening and when I first went to college at the age of 24 my first class was horticulture because that is what I wanted to be briefly.  I knew what I was doing.  He let me, although he couldn't help himself for trying to horn in.  That's okay because I know he is a micro-manager and he needed to be a part.  Anyway, in our little three street area The Garden Trug truck was everywhere at 3 or 4 different houses and I saw that they were doing everything from fences to new flowerbeds.  I contacted Sue and got things going and I am extremely pleased with them.  They will also come out to clean out my beds in the spring and put more annuals, whatever I need!!!!!  I am in control of the yard!

Life Rolls On

Life seems to be marching on, day by day.  Little Rio is growing like a weed, already gaining nearly a pound in 2 weeks.  Her Momma is finally able to get out and about which will help with the stir crazy feeling.  Isn't this sweet.  It's the mother-in-law with her little great-granddaughter.  Aren't they both beautiful ladies.  

Work is slow for me but in general the guys are busy, busy, busy.  That is finally good.  It has been a weird few years in the industry and very slow to build back up.  I will be ready for the elections to be done and the US can move on, however things turn out.  At this point there is no telling which way it will fall.  

Yesterday we got new android phones, the new Galaxy III so I will be knee deep trying to figure out how it all works.  Should be fun.

The view from the new The Vault

The Hubby and I try to eat out only once a week but sometimes more.  Last week we tried the newly open The Vault in downtown Tulsa.  It's in the old First National Autobank and has a room called the Tom Tom Room  that can be rented out for special groups along with a general restaurant eating area.  The menu consists of pimento mac and cheese,  eggplant moussaka, and pretzel sliders with some old fashioned drinks like Manhattan's, Mai Tai, and Pink Stag.  The  decor is kind of Mad Men'ish and something B&B2 would love.  It's funny that some 36 years ago I was in the autobank when it was an autobank.  I used to work a couple of blocks away and the company I worked for deposited our paychecks automatically into new accounts set up there.  It's great to see the old being saved and re-thought for new.  

NOTE:  Still have not heard from the doctor office about the MRI.  It's been 2 weeks and I called yet again yesterday to have the girl say that was not right.  She took my number and said they would call me when they were back from lunch.  Do you see anywhere here where they called back...NO!  So today I will call yet again and see what is up.  I don't have time to play around here as life rolls on.  Next Tuesday they will start the tear out of the very old landscaping in the backyard and I need to concentrate on that.  I don't have time to play phone tag when I'm the only one phone tagging!  Can you tell I'm pissed!  Oh well.  On to my Friday as I wait around for the outdoor drapes to be delivered sometime today.  Tonight The Hubby and I go to see the 5th Dimension and The Spinners.  

LIFE ROLLS ON!

Backyard Update

Things are progressing on the new patio and outdoor kitchen.

Before...

Before...

The beginning... 

Clayton and The Hubby inspecting... 

Lots and lots of dirt moving...

then the gravel went in to prevent a washout when it rained...as if...

We now have steel beams that will be covered with brick and a new roof... 

I can already feel the cool in the kitchen... 

Eye Candy

It's Tuesday and a hot Tuesday here in Okieland!  I'm trying to come up with something to write about to top yesterdays Fifty Shades of Grey-like of sex in the shower and getting knocked in the head.  I'm not sure I can top that today.  You know I forgot my brother reads this blog.  "Sorry Bro for the imagery!"

Life in my household lately is one of having a ton of shirtless guys hanging around in my backyard.  How lucky can a girl get!  They are young, in fairly good shape, lifting beams and climbing scaffolding.  You would think I would like the eye candy but wait, what is that I see.  I see a few teeth missing, caps on sideways, tattoos everywhere and cigarette's hanging askew out of their mouths.  Not really an appealing vista in my view but they are getting the job done.  Yesterday it took four of them to set steel poles for the brick pillars, all day long.  They measured and moved and measured and moved, ALL DAY LONG...all four of them.  That is all they got done yesterday, oh wait, they did manage to set up some saw horses and move the huge beams from the front yard to the backyard.  Today the scaffolding is set up and they are cutting something on the house, into the roof line.  Speaking of roof line, the patio covering/roof is now gone.  It was cut off last Friday so the wonderful west sun of June, the 105 degree wonderful west sun of June is now beating into my very large kitchen window.  By afternoon I am baking in that room and in the mornings as I am preparing my colon cleanse shake they have a front row seat to watch me whirr away.  Really, I'm not complaining much, as I know the end is all well worth the frustration and agony of having tons of men in my backyard while I shower and try to paint.  Hopefully in a few weeks we will have this wonderful back patio, outdoor kitchen, fire pit area and then get the landscapers in to finish cleaning up the mess they are making and tear out old bushes.  This should be the end of doing any kind of work on this house.  We've done it all, inside and out to make it our own and we LOVE it!

Wordy Wednesday

I had planned on this being a Wordless Wednesday but it turned into a Wordy Wednesday for me and it is not even 9 am.  

And the tale goes like this:

I groggily climbed out of bed a five this morning after spending the evening trying to finish a book on my Kindle that I just couldn't put down, all the while watching (sound off) the OKC Thunder lose yet another game.  Finally, the eyes were getting bleary and and overworked so I shut the Kindle off, rolled over to drift off to sleep to Two and a Half Men at the late hour of 11:30 or so.  Let me tell you I could hardly open my eyes and they did not want to focus but off to workout I went.  

I told Wade I had to get home about 15 minutes early to pick up the house a bit before the cleaning ladies came and have my shower.  While loading the dishwasher and putting pot holders in the drawer I spied this little lady at the bottom of the drawer, peeking her little bonneted head out.  Wow, I haven't seen her in a while...Holly Hobby.  Remember her?  This potholder was part of one of our wedding gifts, 37 years ago.  I thought it would be a great Wordless Wednesday, but I was so wrong.

Yesterday the demolition crew was supposed to show up and start the tear out of the old back porch but the only crew that showed up was a guy to deliver a dumpster in front of the house to go along with the orange port-a-potty that has not seen a worker open its door in two weeks.  

They started today though and the first thing that happened was as I stepped out of the shower I heard lots of clanging and banging and power tools and then a huge CRASH of something falling and glass banging around in the living room/kitchen.  I hurriedly threw clothes and shoes on, in case of broken glass, all the while remembering the fiasco of the bathroom demo when the nails broke through the guest bedroom ruining a wall.  What I found was the picture in the kitchen that was over the sink had fallen and knocked over a small glass, unbroken vase. 

Then I thought of the shelf in the living room that has some of The Hubby's collectibles.  I rushed to find my step ladder and started taking down some of his stuff.  See it over the doorway there.  Let me tell you I almost needed another shower.  WHEW.  

Finally, I was able to go back to finish the dressing part of my day.  Make up on, hair blow dried, and ready to make my nutrition shake for the morning.  (Oh, I had to look a bit better than usual because I was to have lunch with my bestie and later dinner with my other bestie.)  I found on one of the new blogs I follow called Veronika's Kandy Koated Dreams, a fabulous green smootie for weight loss that included spinach.  I started my smootie and it took forever to get it whirred up.  All ready and very green I tried to pour it in my glass and look what happened.  The darned bottom broke out. 

What a mess...

Luckily I had another blender under the cabinet, a hundred years old, but another blender.  It did the job the second time around but the motor was a bit smelly.  Today I'm on the hunt for either a blender or juicer.  

Oh, and on the garden note...danged critter, not sure whether it is a rabbit or squirrel ATE one of my red tomatoes!

Marble & Wood

Life around here is busy, very busy.  The cabinets and molding stuff is here and being installed!  A few little kinks here and there but it is moving along.  I think the painter should be here next week which means wallpaper too. 

My closet, one side...those are pull down hanging bars...

cubbies,  I like cubbies... 

...the laundry area and the door that is opened will house The Hubby's folding ironing board.  I was not too pleased that this cabinet monstrosity was so large and was the first thing you laid eyes on when you walked through the door but it is here and I'm not paying to have it remade.

Clayton doing a bit of inspection...

That shiny stuff by the red wall is the marble for the shower that is being installed as I tap-tap-tap. 

More pictures will surely follow as we near the end finally.

To Be Inspired or To Not Be Inspired

With all that is going on in my life I'm feeling very uninspired.  I love, LOVE to paint but lately I'm not feeling it.  My mind is in such a drag that can't do it.  I still do class work but that is just about it.  I want to sit in my chair and do absolutely nothing.  It could also be the heat that is keeping us all indoors too.  I won't complain about the heat because I like summer and besides I'm saving my complaining for winter, which I so hate.  I've decided to try and find some inspiration.  Not real sure how I'm going to do it but I will dammit! 

The next few weeks I'm going to have some time at home.  My room has become a pit and over run with paintings, books, shoes and piles and piles of papers, mostly Daddy stuff.  The first task will to be to clean it up a bit, get organized.  I need room.  Soon, very soon, the new bathroom will also be done and we can finally move back into that area.  Probably because my guest room is my closet that has me bummed too.  Can't seem to get my house together either with all the chaos that is remodel hell. 

Maybe the chaos that is my home will help the chaos that has become my life. 

Construction Continues and Continues and Continues...

The new fence! 

Also they grouted the shower floor and I was SO excited.  I was jumping up and down at how pretty it was.  I LOVE IT!  The marble on the walls will go in probably in a couple of weeks, until then we are at a standstill.  CRAP!  Probably what will happen is that it will all come together all at once, which I would not mind at all.

Shower and Dr. Hippy

Here it is, our new shower floor.  They have yet to grout it but this the shower floor.  I'm so excited to finally see something happening. 

The floor has started to be laid but has been halted till the shower is done.   We had to wait for the floor part of the shower because it is a no edge shower and floats into the floor.  Whatever.  I'm just ready to get it done at this point.  One good thing is that the fence has been fixed as of this evening.  I took a picture with my phone but it has yet to arrive in my email box so I will just tell you it is AWESOME!  Clayton has his automatic door back and we won't be screaming at him as he escapes to the neighborhood. 

Daddy update:  I visited him on Sunday and planned on going there this afternoon but got a call from the nursing home saying that his wound was oozing too much and they made him an appointment at Dr. Hippy, could I be there.  Well, sure I could.  Of course I was edgy but it was all good.  They took a x-ray and the hip looks great and Dr. Hippy was smiling, smiling very big.  He said that is to be expected in a revision hip replacement but that he was pleased.  Whew!  I feel better.  Heal please, heal!

Marble Saga

With yet another day of walking overheated concrete warehouses of marble and granite slabs, I find that I'm back to the my original pick of marble, Opera Fantastico.  BIL and I pounded those slab yards and only came up with one other option ...

This one is called Green Onyx.  I don't love it as much as the Fantastico but it is nice.  Didn't think I would do green but it is really pretty.

Oh my goodness, after marching up and down those aisles of slab on the concrete my heel spurs are KILLING me.  I put my feet on the floor this morning and could hardly walk.  I can't go barefoot at all for a bit till I get the inflammation calmed down.  This is going to be a process on this bathroom but I think we've got it narrowed down pretty good.  We were told that the Fantastico might not be available anymore but if you google the name there it is, lots of it.  There was even a website called SlabMarket where you could buy it.  It is cheaper but then you have to tack on the shipping which probably makes the price shoot up.  Drat.  At least we might be able to get it.  May take a bit but I'm willing to wait for what I want. 

Tile, Marble, Granite...EGAD

Yesterday, I met the Bro-In-Law (he's a designer) at one of the first tile stores to help with the massive search for flooring, shower, and counter top stuff.  EGAD...We were sure that after only one stop that the choices were going to be easy and I was so very happy with it.  We found this long glass tile stuff for some pop of color, for the top of the back splash.  I am IN LOVE with it. 

The paint color we have chosen is a couple shades lighter than the master bedroom of Richmond Gold (a gold brown shade).  We found a floor I just love and the peeble look for the floor of the shower.  The shower walls we were not too sure since one tile guy said no way for honed granite or travertine because of upkeep.  Crap. 

The wood sample is the wood floors throughout the house.

Then The Hubby decided he just had to be a part of the looking, not purchasing.  Well, that put a bunch of kinks in our decisions and then he suggested we go to another place he knew of for the marble/granite/travertine selections.  Oh my gosh, so many choices and I was at a loss for what I wanted and to match what I already loved.  Then there was "it can't be too thick, it can't be too slick, it can't be...".  MAN! 

Then, I ran across this little jewel.  It is called Opera Fantastico(?), is marble and I fell in love with it.  I was even willing to change some of my previous choses...

I LOVE this, BUT there may not be enough and it has been in their storage for 4 years and probably can't get more...DRAT!  We may have to make it work anyway. 

Today we go again to check out a couple more places, that is all, and a decision will be made! 

We have GOT to find a carpenter to build our cabinets ASAP! 

Construction Update

The brick layer is almost done.  A little taller on that wall please.  The hot tub goes on the other side.

Sheet rockers came and boy did they leave a mess.  The Hubby and I cleaned it up and are ready for round two, mud and tape. 

Nothing

What is wrong with me.  I just don't understand what the problem is here.  I get absolutely NOTHING out of my brain to put down here lately.  I pull up the screen and stare blankly.  There is so much going on in my life right now that you would think I could write about something but NOTHING!   So I'm just going to add a few pictures while I think of something to share here. 

Pretty clouds.  I'm so glad spring is finally here.  I love looking all around and seeing the trees so lush and green.  Truly makes me happy. 

Our huge tree in the back yard.  The next big project, when we recoup from the room addition, is to tear out this old patio and create an outdoor living space and outdoor kitchen.

News on the painting.  This is the 5x5 and it was sold!  Yeah, it will now reside in someones house.  I am happy.  Now I have to think of next years project, maybe cherry tomatoes.

Sweet A.  I just adore this picture even though it is a few years old.  She drove from California all by herself last Sunday and we had a wonderful visit.  She then climbed back into her cute little white car and drove herself back.  I was relieved to get the phone call that she was back to her "other" home.  Unfortunately she has had some bumps in her life lately and hopefully she won't be mad if I share them.  She and her guy of 4 years have split, a friendly split, somewhat.  Now she has to find new digs and get the career into full swing.  On her way back home she got some terrible news, while on the road.  One of her dear friends in high school Sean was killed in ta head on collision in Arkansas this past weekend and she was just devastated.  So very sad and he was such a fun loving great guy.  Sad things but you know these are some of the bumps and horrible ruts in the road of life.  I am so proud of her striking out like she is and I have all the confidence in her that she will succeed. 

Daddy, House and Clayton

Daddy, on the left had a great day with his friend Jay at the Pioneer Dinner today.  He stayed the whole day, from 10-2, which was quite an outing for someone who has been housed in a hospital setting since March 17.  Check out the new shirt he's sporting.  He loved it when I bought it.  He had a haircut, new shirt and new shoes.

Construction is still on going, mainly the brick mason.  My goodness he is slow but it should be done next week and then they pour the patio.  The insulation has been done inside and the sheet rock should begin!  The notches in the brick columns are for the brick wall that should attach here.  

Oh Clayton has got to check out the progress. 

What?

Ahhhh, stretch....

....stretch...

wait I forgot to sniff here.