Time For Reflection

Exactly 2 years ago today, I started my life over. Everything had changed for me. My perspective had been completely altered. I came to realize what's important and what's not.

On this day 2 years ago, I began to heal. It's been an ongoing process ever since. September 8, 2004 the doctors removed me from the ventilator that had breathed for my body for 12 days.

This year, I decided to pay attention during those 12 days. I watched the minutes tick away. I wanted to really feel and comprehend just how long it took for those 12 days to pass.

It took a long time. Even though I was busy.

I worked 2 jobs. I socialized with friends. I did housework. I read a book. I watched TV. I wasted time on this computer. I talked on the phone. I mowed the grass. You get the idea.

Imagine how long those 12 days would be if you were just sitting by the hospital bed of someone you love. Waiting ..... worrying ...... wondering if they would pull through. I can only imagine what that must've felt like. How difficult that was.

I hate that my friends and family had to go through that. I'm grateful for their prayers, faith, hope, time, support and love. I thank them for helping me to get through the most difficult thing that I've ever been handed.

Because WE refused to give up, I am still here. I'll never forget.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, click here for an explanation.

Queen Of The Bargains!

I stopped in Big Lots yesterday searching for treasures. You never know what you might find in this place. My intention was to get a gift for a kid's birthday party this weekend and maybe some cute little things for my June DTC secret pal. Her name is....... ha, gotcha!

Anway, lo and behold, what do I spy across the aisle but an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 deluxe car seat! It goes all the way up to 100lbs! You can use it as a rear-facing seat when the baby is tiny, then forward facing for the toddler stage, then with some adjustments it becomes a big kid booster. It even has a way-cool little cup holder. I haven't done any research on car seats cuz I wasn't planning on buying one any time soon. But could I pass up this bargain? I immediately called my sister, Carla, experienced superhero mother-of-four. She gave it a thumbs up. So I bought it. Yes I know all you real life friends and family who keep telling me to "stop buying stuff cuz there won't be anything left to buy when it comes time for your baby shower" would disapprove, but did you look at the sticker? IT WAS ONLY $100!! I need 2 seats anyway. Yes I am single.... but I have 2 cars. Well, one is a company car that Mia will probably be driven to the sitter's in every morning on my way to work. And no... I'm not wrestling the car seat in and out of each car every friggin' day. I'll have 2! Don't worry guys. I'll register for the multi-million dollar Britax seat. You'll all have to pool your money to afford that one. By the way, I rushed home and got on the internet to see if I got a good deal. At Eddie Bauer dot com it's $219!! Woohoo!! But then I found it somewhere else for $180. But still quite a bargain. I was very proud of myself.

What Every Single Girl Needs.....

So I'm on the computer minding my own business and I see this pop up as an instant message....

"hi ma'am michael here from indiana but travel a lot on business..in the dayton area today...any interest in an older, part time, for real, for free, male house servant/slave? if so message me back and i can explain more...if not sorry to have bothered you and have a great week"

I was tempted and almost responded to ask if he would mow my grass, do the dishes and clean the toilet. Somehow I'm thinking that's not what he had in mind.

I Heart Slumber Parties!

As a kid, I used to love spending the night with my girlfriends. So why is it that the rules change when we become grown-ups? Who says we can't still have slumber parties? Okay. I know some of the obvious reasons. I'm not dense. We have responsibilities. Yikes! Jobs, kids, husbands maybe. But let me tell ya girlfriends.... we should still have sleepovers every now and then. It's so much fun! Yesterday I drove down to Cincy to hang out with Connie. We did a little shopping in the afternoon. But I was very restrained. It helps that there wasn't much to choose from. I mean what kinda mall doesn't have Gymboree, Baby Gap, or an Old Navy? Apparently, the one we chose. There was a stop at Toys-R-Us which resulted in the purchase of this guy, after I caved to the shopping wench's peer pressure. She's brutal man. But seriously....

he is cute. And very soft and huggable. I rationalized that Mia will be able to use him as a big pillow while she watches TV or something. Check out my cool ass gift from Connie to celebrate my LID. (I swear that woman just looks for any reason to shop.) Okay, so maybe you noticed a theme here? Yes I collect penguins. How cute is this?! A penguin romper and matching little hat for Mia, her first bathtub toy, and a collection of Chilly Willy cartoons. I love it! So after our shopping excursion, we hung out, grilled some steaks and drank margaritas. (Mmmm... my fave.) We were joined by another single-mom-friend, Kim, who is adopting a little boy from Guatemala. We ate crappy junk food and watched Shawshank. It's one of Connie's faves and since I'd never seen it, she insisted. I agree... it's a great movie. We stayed up talking 'til the wee hours of the morning. I'm a little sleepy today but it was well worth it. Take a peek here for some more slumber party fun. Thanks for hosting Connie. I had a blast! (After seeing my half-shnockered pic on your blog, I now really regret not snapping a pic of you at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, still in your pj's with a bed head hair-do! But someday... payback my friend.)

So after I got home and had a refreshing nap, I asked Griffey if he would mind modeling Mia's new little penguin outfit. Hey, I needed a distraction so I could procrastinate mowing the grass for one more day.
As you can tell, he was less than pleased with my request. But being my loyal companion and all... well, he went along with it. I could hear him mumbling under his breath as he hung his head in shame "Oh man. I'm so humiliated! I hope none of my doggie buds see this. Please CCAA, hurry up and give this ridiculous woman a baby already. I can't put up with this crap for a whole friggin' year!"

Blogger Parade Of Homes: Bathrooms ~Part One

Blogger is being difficult and wouldn't let me put all the bathroom pics in one post so here is Part One~ the upstairs bathroom. Not much to it. I live in an older home with the basic bathroom layout. This is one of the first rooms I painted and decorated when I moved in. The walls are two different textures... smooth on the bottom and grainy at the top... so they required some creativity. Here's what I came up with. The bottom of the wall is wallpaper. The middle is a paintable border. The upper walls are sponge painted but I don't think you can really tell in the pics. Haven't done anything in here except paint. Still has all the old fixtures. Not sure that there will ever be a bathroom re-model in my future now that I've spent my home equity loan on Mia. But she's worth it and much more important than a fancy bathroom!
Here's another of my red threads to Mia. I bought the print above the medicine cabinet years ago. It's the Chinese symbol for happiness. I put it there to look at every morning as I start my day to remind me that this is the most important thing in life.... to be happy! Otherwise what's the point really? Check out Part Two of the BPOH Bathroom Edition for pics of the downstairs bath.

BPOH: Bathrooms ~Part Two

This is my downstairs half bath. It used to be the breakfast nook of the kitchen but the previous owners made it into a bathroom. Thank goodness! It's rare for these older homes to have more than one bathroom. And I love that I don't have to run upstairs everytime I have to... uh, well you know. The former owners, however, had a big, giant, ugly shower right where you're looking. It blocked the window. I couldn't see myself actually running downstairs to take a shower so I ditched it. They also had not built up the wall. It was still a huge breakfast-nook-size opening with one of those horrendous accordian doors that you'd pull across. It was awful. So I had the wall built, the door installed, and a wonderful carpenter who replicated the trim to match the original trim in the kitchen.
My bathroom is the ultimate ode to feminine style. Very girly. Kind of a shabby chic look. And, of course, my favorite colors ... pink and green. I got this old bookcase from an antique store. It was the perfect fit for the room and already painted in these colors. I painted the floor mat myself on a big made-to-be-a-floor-mat canvas. Then added about 50 coats of varnish!The mirror came from the same antique store. I didn't do anything to it except hang it on the wall. My mom made the sink skirt and curtains. Did you see my cute little ladybug towels? When I found these, I just had to have them!
The walls are faux finished with several beautiful shades of pink. And yes... there've been men that have used this bathroom. Maybe they just close their eyes to preserve their masculinity. Here is my masterpiece! This room was my most ambitious project. With the faux finish and the word border it took me over a month to complete. I still can't believe this myself but... I didn't measure for the words. I just stood back, eyeballed it and started where I thought it should go. Somehow it ended up as a perfect fit! The letters were individual stencils that I used for the basic shape of the letter. Then I added my own personal touches with the swirlys. After I finished the poem, it looked like it needed something more so I added the vining flowers. It was hard to photograph cuz the room is so small but here it is...... The pics don't even really do it justice for how beautiful it turned out. It's a line from a poem by Veronica A. Shoffstall. This sentence is my mantra to women everywhere, especially us single gals. "Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers." I love my frou-frou girly bathroom!