I need to take some more photos where I have not turned the camera.  That problem seemed to be solved for a while, but now it is back.  hmmmm 

During the day yesterday I developed a soar throat.... I thought that was interesting since I have not seen anyone since Tuesday night... but then I remembered my dental appointment on Friday.  Hmmmm not only did I get a new filling, but I got a cold.  I searched my house last night for the last bottle of Zicam and could not find it... so at 9:30 last night I drove to CVS and picked up a new container.  These are chews hmmmm.  If you have never tried Zicam for a cold... do it, it makes it half a strong and last half as long...

I did the final coat of paint on my fireplace and ran out of steam to do anymore.  I have pretty much been painting the last two weeks... and am ready for a break for a while.  To finish my living room, I still have to paint the metal doors (front and French) to the outside (these are hard because they show brush marks)... and my columns (columns are in between easy and hard) and the three doors into my office and bedroom (these will be easy because they are textured).  My dining rooms and kitchen are done.  Not too bad at all.  I still have the back hall and my bedroom to finish maybe during Christmas break.  My massage therapist was very happy I am done with my painting of  a while... tee hee

I finished my valances and throw pillows sewing them by hand.  They look pretty good. 

Yesterday I got my comment sheets from the presentation I am making in October.  I was very frustrated, they said I did the format wrong.... The instructions were to write a 250 word abstract.  hmmmmm They wanted me to do a power point one with bullets... that isn't what an abstract is!!!!!  Once I talked that out with my sister Connie... that innate contradiction.... I felt much better.  Today, after I go swimming... I am going to send in my abstract for the proceedings CD and work on my power point. 

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I only repainted the fire place surround and decided to call it a day.  Hmmm  My little engine that could... ran out.  The valances are done I hung them and will put up photos. 

My horoscope for today... I got my creative scholarship back and I am so confused about what they are saying... We were asked for a 250 word abstract and the judges wanted a bullet pointed power point... That is not an abstract.  They want me to fix what I did... our results are asking for a abstract and one photos.  I am frustrated. 

It may be upsetting to you, dear Gemini, but there is something you need to think about. You should try and finally get it through your head that those people you so often call "brilliant" are only reflections of yourself. If this month you decide to have a little faith in yourself, and to assert yourself a little, you could be in for some very nice surprises! You'll see!

Love and kisses, Marilyn

I was listening to Ted K*nnedy's funeral.  His sons were amazing... He really got to me when he told about walking up a snowy hill soon after he had lost his leg to cancer so that they could sled down again... and how his father helped him to conquer that snowy hill with his leg.  And when he said his father taught him how to preserve through loss... to take it and turn it into something positive.... that really got me... I hope that is what I have done in my losses. 

I have my syllabi done!!!!

Love and kisses, Marilyn 

I am sitting at my desk this morning... not on the sofa, but I can see the TV from my desk... and my coffee is just off to the left of my computer. 

It is a beautiful morning, sun shining bright after two days of rain.  Matt has gone to Michigan for break and Connie is busy this weekend, so I am on my own for the weekend.  I am going to continue to work on my house.... mowing, painting trim and doors, sewing valances and pillows (I only have to close the last seam on the forth pillow).  I also have to finish the revisions to my syllabi to get ready for school.   

Yesterday, rather than working on my house I relaxed and finished reading a Dan Br*wn novel.  It was good... he is such an exciting writer.  I also went swimming.

I ordered new ceramic tile for my bathroom.  It is the only vinyl floor left in the house... and is not in good shape.  I probably am going to have to replace my carpet in my bedroom too. The former owners over cleaned it.  It has loosened from the base boards and is matted where I walk to the bathroom.  But that won't happen until I save some pennys.

In the evening I took the brown panels of drapery, I bought earlier in the week... while I watched TV I took out the hems and headder, cut them in half lengthwise and sewed them into a tube by hand.  Then I laced them in with the peachy sheer drapery as a valance for the kitchen.  I don't have them totally done yet, but I think this is going to work.  I have three windows so I will need to do this three times.  Photos will come when I am done. 

Love and kisses, Marilyn

I survived the dentist.  I was scared to death.  Last time, I was in the chair for two hours and had five numbing shots and I still had sharp pain where my root was.  They filled the hole they had made with a desensitizing stuff.  And it worked!!!!  I had no pain today.  It only took about an hour and a half total and it is done!  In addition, if we got rid of the shooting pain when I drink something cold (that I had for over 15 years)... I will be extra happy.  

Now I need to decide what to do for my weekend.  I probably will swim today and work on my last two syllabi.  Our school has a new format for the syllabi.  It takes about two hours to re-produce.  We had to have our syllibi done by mid May, so it is just copy and pasting, but each day has to be done separatly.  Hmmm

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn  

I am not looking forward to it.  Actually I am dreading going to the dentist.  

I decided to not go to Virginia this weekend.  Luke and Ellen are busy.  I will try to go when I can see them as well as Nancy, Elizabeth and her family.  I have not made it up to Virginia this summer.  It seems that schedules are not co-ordinated with mine.  Oh well. 

Yesterday I painted five door ways... I now have seven frames done out of fourteen.... so that feels much better to be half way in that job.  As I said before doorways are hard because you have to do them three times...  front frame, casing and stop and frame on the other side.  You need to continue once you start because you don't want the paint to dry and show your stopping and starting spot... and you have to hurry so that you don't get drying side to side as you come around the frame. 

I also painted two doors.  I was worried about them because I have been using and brush, but brushes show brush streaks on flat surfaces... so I bough a small foam roller, but then you have to remove the knob and protect the hinges... it just seems like a huge amount of work for (actually) 18 doors (I have three sets of French doors)... But the doors have a fake wood grain (all but the exterior doors) and they paint up great with the brush, so that is a worry I don't have anymore. 

So I hope that your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn  

I am so boring... still painting.

Well part of it anyway.  I have done two doorways out of 15.  hmmmmm  The doorways are hard.... You go up and then over and then down... on three sides... hmmmm but it really looks good with the consistent white woodwork.  The old was pretty splotchy.  I can't decide if it needs two coats or not.  I think it might be okay with one.  Not perfect, but much better than it was.  hmmmmm

Today I am heading to the pool and dropping off my sewing machine at the repair place to be serviced.  It was so dusty when I removed it from its case I felt badly for it.  It you can feel sorry for an inanimate object.  I got it for my 16 birthday in 1966.  I made all my prom dresses, my wedding dress, ten dresses for my mother, skirt uniform for my swimming team, and most of my clothes in the 1960s, 1970s and half way into the 1980s on this machine.  I made drapery and bedspreads for my clients when I could not explain what I wanted to someone else to make them or when they did not get it right.... I hope that they can refurbish it as good as new. 

When I get back I will continue my painting of the trim... Finish the kitchen and move into the dining room I think...

The white goo on my roof is beginning to turn clear... Shinny clear, but clear.  When the sun glints off of it you can tell there is a patch up there.  But if it doesn't leak I am happy.  Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

The former owner of my house must have had a basketball hoop above the garage and removed it when they moved.  Because we have been having a lot of rain this summer and my roof has been leaking into my garage.  I just noticed it about two weeks ago... and have been trying to figure out what to do about it.  I need a handy man to come and do a few things for me, but I don't want him right now.  But with all the rain I had to do something about my roof.  So yesterday I bought patching compound, new mat knife blades, and the gun to insert the goo... Last night after dinner when it was cooler, I hauled out my ladder,  rubber gloves, and a putty knife... and with Matt holding the bottom of the ladder... I went up the ladder ... and there was a half an inch hole in my roof!  Greeehhhhh!!!!!  Two of them actually one was patched the other "not so much".  So I patched it!!!! In about ten minutes I was done.  I hope the white goo turns clear like the container promised... because the patches really stand out on my gray roof right now...

Yesterday, I went swimming and then Kathy emailed me that she had a building for us to work with for our students in Studio.  She set up a tour at 3:00.  It was an amazing space that our students should really be able to fly with.... But Matt came to dinner and an movie at 5:30, so that two hour bite out of the middle of the day meant I did not get any painting done.  Last night my hand was too sore to sew.  So it was not a very productive day for someone on vacation.

Today I need to get my drawings of the patterns in the stained concrete floor and stair to Cindy.  Hopefully I can do it by email... if I can get my printer to work with my old computer.  Then I will paint... or swim or something physical.

Love and kisses, Marilyn 

So yesterday I painted the trim in my kitchen.  I painted it white.  I think the new colors make the kitchen look richer and I am still working on the drapery.  I am not sure the fabric I bought works.  It is pretty sheer.  So if I get the fullness I want you  can see through to the wall.  If I get the density I want it isn't large enough to balance the space. 

I am letting the window sill dry well before I put my herbs back.  Then I will take a photo.  My plans are to work my way around the living room painting the wood work for the rest of the week.  Slow but steady progress.  I am not looking forward to painting the doors or the columns. 

In addition, I  finished two of the four throw pillows.  I am hand stitching them, because my sewing machine needs to be serviced.  They look good and really tie the living room kitchen together.  So my mini re-decorating project is coming together.

Off to the pool in a few minutes.  Hope your day is wonderful.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

 

Six more hits and I have had 78,000 visits to my blog.... Although Bing has multiple hits when someone searched for April, February... etc. Love and kisses, Marilyn

Friday I weeded the garden, with my right hand.  Then I finished painting the walls in the kitchen, with my right hand... Then I played solitaire, with my right hand.  And I started fiddling with the window treatment in the kitchen, with my right hand.  And I sewed one of my throw pillow by hand, with my right hand.  See a theme here.  For some strange reason when I got into bed my right hand was aching, so much so that I had to get up to take some ibeprophin...  I really don't understand why...

This morning, the sun is streaming into my living room through the trees, casting tree shadows across my fireplace.  It is beautiful.  Yesterday I went for a walk with Connie and then we had sushi for lunch.  We then went down town to shop for bike shorts for Connie.  It was so nice to spend time with her.  When we came back I fiddled with my drapery in the kitchen and bedroom... could not figure out how I want them to look.  Matt came over for dinner and we watched "The Way We Were".  All in all it was a great day... Although I made a concerted effort to rest my right hand. 

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn
 

I continue to work on my house. I went shopping yesterday and the day before for fabric to make valances in my kitchen to tie together the peach and brown.  Well I love fabrics... I used to sew a lot!!!  I bought fabric for valances in my kitchen... then I bought new fabric for my cushions on the sofas.  They are navy blue, medium blue (like my sofas) brown and gold... a really beautiful geometric.  I also bought new valance fabric for my bedroom.  It ties the green of the bedroom and the green of the bath and the mauve of the bedspread together.  And... I found some fabric to make a new cafe curtain (curtains that go half way up... the window) for my bathroom so that I can leave the blinds more.... and still have privacy. 

I also could not resist some dark blue fabric with white delicate embroidery for a new skirt... Crazy. I had to go to four fabric stores to find the kitchen fabric and came two of them with something I hadn't planned on buying... I need to get my sewing machine serviced so I can start sewing again. 

This morning I had to talk myself into going out and weeding the flower beds on the south side of my house. I got about 2/3 of the way done... It was in the sun and I was dripping with sweat when I got done... but it looks much better.  I am going to try on the mornings I don't swim to continue to work on the outside of my house. 

I have discovered something about living in the south during the summer.  You just have to get used to knowing that if you go outside to walk, weed, mow the grass or even paint inside, you are going to end up sweating like a pig.  You will need to take a shower and change your clothes when you are done... get used to it.  I sweat so much that it flows into my eyes and drips off my nose... I continually have to wipe my brow.  My tee shirt is so wet right now that I could wring some water out of it.... Amen for being able to come into air conditioning to cool off. 

Thats all for now... Love and kisses, Marilyn

So this morning I finally felt good in the pool.  I have been swimming regularly for six weeks and finally I don't feel like poo in th water.  I did 1200 yards and went shopping for fabrics for window treatments in my kitchen.  To tie the brown and peach together... I found some fabric for a skirt, for window treatments in the bathroom, some new fabric to re-do my throw pillows... and finally in the forth store some fabric for the kitchen.... We will see what it looks like. 

Now I have to finish the drawing for Cindy's stained concrete.  Then I can paint later, if I am a good girl who gets her work done.

Elizabeth is busy this weekend getting ready for school to start, so I am coming to VA next weekend.  Last one in August.  I have not been to Virginia since before I went to Peru.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

I went out and bought a new paint for my kitchen walls.  I didn't have enough to finish.  This is a lighter peach than what I had and so I re-painted the walls for a third or forth time (depending on the wall).  It looks great now... Although Matt didn't like the peach and Alicia called it pink... They both like the brown around the cabinets.  I still need to find a drapery fabric to tie it all together.  Because I repainted four walls in the kitchen, (I have a bay window) I did not get to the third coat of brown.  Hopefully today, but I had my massage yesterday and a visit to chiropractor this morning... so maybe I should rest my back... I am so impatient to get this done, but it is stupid to undo what I pay good money for... because of my impatience to finish the painting.  I have been limiting my painting to mostly 2 hours a day... my massage therapist laughed at that...

Hope your day is grand.  Love and kisses, Marilyn 

I am going to start the day mowing the lawn. 

Then I think I will finish painting my kitchen today.  The brown looks great with the peach and makes the cabinets and beige speckled counter top stand out. I will take pictures soon.  It is taking three coats of paint to cover with the brown and actually with the peach.  The man who mixed the paint added a little too much red in trying to match my paint color in the living room... and the walls in the kitchen came off even pinker than before.  I went back to get it remixed and am putting a third coat on.  Hmmmmm  I did two rounds of painting yesterday.  Brown and then the peach, so my shoulders, arms and bad are sore.  Had to take some ibrpophen to get to sleep. 

Hope your day is wonderful... Love and kisses, Marilyn

I started the day by buying some paint.   Brown for the kitchen around the cabinets and peach for the family dining area to match the living room.  He had to adjust the peach...  added some red and black... I think it matches the living room... but now my kitchen area looks very pink.... maybe it is the gold floor.... I don't know... hmmmmmm  Still works with the on going joke... peach or pink.  I think my aging eye is making it look more peachy than it is.  I love the "peachy" color though even though half of my younger friends say pink.  Again the cherry floor reflects up on the walls and makes the walls look pinker.  That is my excuse anyway.

I swam for the first time all week.  My arms felt as if they were three inches long when I started.  I lengthened out and felt better by the time I finished.  Then I came home and ate and started painting.  I only painted for about two hours... and then I relaxed on the computer.  Connie came over for dinner.  It was nice to see her.  I did not see her for the last two weeks.  Cause she was sick last weekend.  After she left I went for a three mile walk... played some solitare and tottered off for a shower and bed.  I slept well, but I woke up sore... hmmmm wonder why?  I will work on the brown paint today. 

Hope your day is great.  Love and kisses, Marilyn

So day I am going to buy some paint to finish painting my kitchen and then I am going swimming.  I haven't swum all week and my body feels it.  Cindy and I did walk on the each each evening for about an hour (4 miles), but I need to get to the the pool to swim. I did paddle around in her pool a couple of times, but no real swimming.

When I get back from the pool, I will start painting my kitchen again.  It was calling to me while I was in Florida.  Marilyn... Marilyn... come and paint me... I have the first coat half done and it is looking good.  Thanks Carole and Fabiola for the vote of confidence in the peachy blush color. I am charging up my batteries to tackle the white wood work next  That is really going to be a lot of work.  The house is filled with woodwork that is painted white, but the quality of the paint job is not well done, at all.   

The drive back from the Tampa area was not bad yesterday.  The sky looked threatening all day, but it only rained when I was in Jacksonville.  I stopped at a Mall to check out the sales and missed the worst of it.  I got home around 6:00 and made my self pancakes for dinner.  I have been craving maple syrup for about a week now. 

While I was in Treasure Island, I played on-line scrabble with Cindy, my client, instead of watching TV.  It was fun to sit there talking and throwing words back and forth across her living room by the internet.  We also watched Australia and went to the movies to see Juli* & Julia.  They were both amazing movies.

Connie is coming over for dinner tonight.  Hope your week was good!  Love and Kisses, Marilyn

Home safe.  Marilyn

We have finished up here.  So I am waiting for the rain to move through and then I will head home.  Cindy fed me a goat cheese, fresh herb frittata for breakfast.  It was really yummy.