Thrifting and Junking Today

You all know by now that nothing is simple around this household, right????? Okay, then let's recount today's adventures or MISadventures and I swear to you this was not planned.

First of all, I showered and did my hair without frying my hair dryer today. Yep, I got my "DO" done fine as evidenced by the "striking one hot chick" photo below. Okay, okay, so I ain't a movie star; get used to it.

I then got in the car to go to Goodwill and show off s*xy hairdo. (I said forget it!) Anyhow, as I pull the Sequoia out of the garage (we all KNOW hubs parks waaaaay too close to the edge of the door anyway, don't we?) I hear the right side mirror scraping along the door. Okay, so today it wasn't the hair dryer, it was hubs' car mirror. Toast! Mirror was hanging out of the surround of the mirror. He took the Camry today because it's cheaper on gas, which prices are rising as I type! So I drive over and did the shopping at Goodwill and on the way back I stop at our mechanic's shop and after 3 men look at the mirror, the manager said it couldn't be fixed and that we'd have to get a new one. I wanted it fixed before Love Bunny got home tonight. They wrapped masking tape around it as IF hubs wouldn't see it. So the new one was ordered to the tune of $330.00 and lucky meeeeeee I wouldn't have to paint it blue so that would save me money. Riiiiiight.

Now, let me say here that our mechanic has taken care of our cars superbly since we moved her 4 years ago and is truly reliable but $330.00 for a side mirror?!?! I got home and thought about the expenditure and decided to call them back and tell them to hold off on ordering it as that much money demanded that I confess to hubs and counsel with him on the matter.

Then I thought of the auto body shop that has also taken care of 3 accidents that hubs was involved in while living here. (Not all his fault however.) You know you're in trouble when they recognize your name at auto body shop and come running out when the receptionist tells them it's YOU. I've never been inside of it but hubs has. The man asked if we sold the Montero and I explained we had indeed sold it and now have the Sequoia.

He looked at my "s*xy" hairdo and lush mascara-ed eyelashes and said he'd look at it. (I'm sure that's it, chicks! Don't burst my bubble.) After looking at it he said he thought it could be glued at the one point and the other "contact" points looked fine. He took the car around back, glued it with Q-glue or something like that (told me that tiny little bottle runs about $100.00 a bottle!), rubbed compound into the surround and then came in and handed me the keys and said words that were music to my ears: "No charge"!!! I swooned and insisted I pay him something but I definitely got the feeling that he thought we'd be back soon as our track record has given him the clue. But here it looks as good as new instead of hanging out the little covering.

Just a tad bit of white to give me away but I'll definitely tell hubs about this tonight—especially since it didn't cost me a penny. I'm baking them a cake or cookies to take over soon though.

Now, let's get on with the shopping. Brand new set of 10 lantern string lights for $3.99!! Score!!!!!!!!

A little tin catch-all for doo-dads for 29¢ that I'm painting pink. Double score!!!

A little candy apple red 3 tiered shelf for $1.99. Triple score!

And lastly, this darling candy apple red ladder that I'm also painting pink for $3.99. It's about 40" high. Quadruple score!!!!

Since I had no traumatic events this evening I went ahead and painted these 2 pieces while waiting for hubs to get home to grill our burgers. Quite different if I do say so. Now to tackle the ladder tomorrow if it isn't windy as our back yard has PINK on some of the blades of grass now. *Wink*

Crafting Patio Lights for Pink Saturday 5/9/09

I was crafting today after getting a MUCH needed massage. But first let me show you what I bought. Squeeeeeeeeeeal..........

I ordered these beautiful roses file folders from Polly and received them the other day. Aren't they gorgeous? I also received several yards of vintage pink ribbon and I intend to embellish some t-shirts with some of it. I'm so excited.

This is a close up and I thought I'd put it on here in case someone wanted some ephemera for a project. Just enlarge it and then snag it for anything you might like to use it for. Gorgeous rose!

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I saw a canning jar made into some patio lights on another blogger's post and cannot for the life of me remember who. Sheeesh, I can't believe it. If I see it when I'm surfing my favs I'll let you and her know.

Anyway, I did this first one and didn't have any tea lights to put in it—I actually do, but they're up in the garage attic and can't find them at the moment(!)—so I broke a red taper candle and lit the bottom part and tried to melt it down to drip into the jar—okay, okay, so I started a fire but can we NOT let Love Bunny know this?— and stupidly let it drip onto a paper towel (I said I was intelligent, not that I didn't do dumb things every once in a while!) The paper caught fire and in blowing it out I sent little pieces of flaming paper towels around the kitchen. I need to work on the smell before Love Bunny gets home.

Isn't it adorable? And it can be hung on a porch or patio and is protected from the wind. That's especially important out here in the Idaho desert! I plan on making several more out of some of the tall olive jars hubs gives to me after he finishes witht he olives. Try them yourself. Easy. Wire around the top of the jar. Wire over the top for hanging. A scrap of fabric or ribbon. Candle. Embellish with roses if you want. I did on this one. Just be careful and only use tea lights OR fatter, shorter candles.

I did this one also in green and net lace ruffles. Ummmmm, I didn't put a candle in this one yet. I think I'll wait until I can find the tea lights or some short fat candles.

Night Lights and Liver......Yuck

Update on son.

Keith is really struggling with forgiveness for these men along with the physical aspects. He has no idea when he might even be able to return to work as an RN. The ringing has continued so loudly he can barely hear anything else. The headache persists. The vision is still cloudy. The doctors have not been able to tell him if these issues will even ever clean up. That's the frustrating thing for him. He called the hospital to set up some kind of counseling and is going to call his bishop for spiritual counseling with him on forgiveness. I think his spirit is wounded even more than his physical body at the moment. I think that any and all of you mothers out there can sort of understand what I'm going through at the moment. I lay awake at night praying. I also get weepy during the day when I think of how valiant he was and why this had to happen to him. But I truly do have faith this will get better.
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Then last friday morning Love Bunny told me he was experiencing vision problems since the day before—bright flashes of light in his left eye. I told him to get into QuickCare asap and he was over there by 8 am. They set him up with an ophthalmologist at 3 pm that afternoon and at 4 pm he walked into the house and told me he had to be back at the eye doctor in 25 minutes for emergency surgery. He said I had to go and drive him there and back as if I wouldn't have anyway. *Sigh*........ I take things in stride usually but I thought he was joking. He wasn't! So they lasered a tear in his left retina that afternoon. I could tell after about half of the laser shots that he was hurting badly because he motioned for me to be silent. This man doesn't "hurt" very often, I tell ya!

I then treated him to liver and onions (one of his favorites and I refuse to even be in the same state as liver if I can avoid it, much less COOK the stuff!) at this "restaurant" (using the term loosely as you all can admit being in one of these places at some time in your life! You know the kind of place I mean—where the dust balls hang from the ceiling and the waitresses call you "honey" and do everything but burp ya and you're afraid they might even try that!) for being so brave having his eye beeped with 183 laser "shots." He was grateful because I absolutely hate going into this cheap greasy place to eat. But I thought he deserved it! Men tend to want their mummies and wives with them at times like this and we mummies and wives certainly want to BE there at times like this.

Is life ever going to get back to an even keel around this house?!!?! Hmmmmm??
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I put the sheers back out on the patio. (Will I ever get this backyard like I want it?!?!?) Then I decided to put some strings of lights I have around the poles and light it up back there for a more romantic feel. And we alllllll know how I feel about romantic feel! Yes, it turned out quite well I think. Oh, it's not like those fancy homes that have gobs of money to have it done professionally but it does serve the purpose I wanted.

I think the azalea survived the winter in the family room but not so sure about the hibiscus and bougainvillea in the front yard that Love Bunny had under some of those styrofoam things you get at WM or Home Depot. We'll see, but they look a bit pathetic when he uncovered them yesterday.

Squeeeeeeeeal!!! With the lights on last night. I love the feel they give the patio.