Summer So Far

swimming

swimming

and more swimming

janey's day spa

sparklers

picnic lunches

radishes from the garden. mysteriously planted, but enjoyed none the less.

crabs. I like them steamed. stella prefers live.

red, white, blue, and peace on earth

baby horses and the beach

so far so good!

Hindsight

Better Late than Never

It has been a full year since we remodeled out bathroom upstairs. It was old. Outdated. Bad, bad, bad. It didn't even have an electrical outlet. Not a single one! What kind of person puts in a bathroom without an electrical outlet?!?

It was well worth the hassle of 6 people sharing one bathroom.

Well...Teddy might disagree as it his his bathroom of choice ;)

It was also well worth every penny, although I could have bought a fairly nice brand new car with what it cost. Who the hell knew that plumbers were so damn expensive?? Who the hell knew faucets were so expensive??

This cabinet was ALOT bigger on the picture, and once I got it put together I was too lazy to return it. I could really use this to be about 5 times bigger.

Without meaning to, the bathroom evolved into a beach theme. All with things I had, and that mean something to me.

Stuff from trips to the beach, my garden, days fishing on the boat, and from my grandmother.

Shells from many beach visits. An intact sand dollar from Ocean City on the day Teddy and I visited what would be his new home away from home. A tiny baby horseshoe crab from the same day, and a sand dollar from my Nana.

A teeny tiny seagull painting my grandmother painted. I love seagulls, and know I am in the minority there! A conch Teddy found clamming, and a stained glass sailboat that was in my grandfather's office until he retired.

Julian picked out the tile in the shower. My head started spinning at all the choices, and I went into a decorating coma. Kudos to her for not only picking out something that looked great, but, believe it or not, this was the lowest priced tile and mosaic.

And now a year later, after buying, trying, and rejecting many curtains, I finally made some to finish the bathroom. My sewing skills are limited, but I can make a mean curtain! All I know I learned in middle school home ec class. In case you may think I'm a little too big for my britches, I will show you what I *really have to work with!

My fancy sewing machine (that I swipe from Julian) as well as my very helpful (NOT!) helpers!

So...finally it is done. Until i decide what I want to hang on the walls. Maybe by next year :)

Waiting on the corner

You hear it all the time. "She is doing great. Really turned the corner." or "I felt horrible, but finally turned the corner".

Well. I am trying to find the damn corner. I think I am close, but so far all my 'corners' have really been side streets leading to the main road.

I continue to hobble along on my walker like a little old lady. Wilbur and Stella are two pain in the but speed bumps, and no longer have any fear of being run over.

I do my exercises at the kitchen sink, and have watched Dawn's amaryllis bloom in the past few weeks. Stalkerish I know, but helps keep me focused one something besides the ball of fire formerly known as my knee!

Until I get to that corner I will just keep on keeping on.

Greetings from my new digs

Almost two weeks since I had my knee replaced. I thought to post sooner, but thinking about something and actually doing it are two different things these days!

I spend my days in my hospital cave, and have pretty much taken over the tv room. I have the tv (duh. It *is the tv room), laptop, a cooler for my ice packs and drinks, clothes, toiletries, and best of all, my new Nook. A birthday gift from Steve and the kids.
I also have the "help" of Wilbur and Stella. The like to take cat naps in my makeshift bed. Wilbur loves to lay on the ice packs, Kooky Kitty that he is. They think that all of the visitors are here to see them!
20 staples, a ton of swelling and bruising, and a shit ton of pain. Yet even with all of that my new knee feels more stable already. Stronger.
I have been taking it easy. Doing my exercises, being a good physical therapy patient. Napping and taking my medicine as prescribed.

There are some rewards to being couch bound and in pain. I am now sporting a pretty fancy pedicure!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A holiday (well...not even a real holiday) that I have avoided for years.

Any day, holiday or not, with my *name AND a word pronounced *'bra' (braugh) is not even a bit welcome. Even after years of being a grown up, Erin-Go-Braugh, and Erin-Go-Braless are phrases I hate.

This year, however, thanks to numerous crafty blogs, the girls and I spit out years of repressed St. Patty's Day goodies.
Shamrock Rice Krispie treats, rainbow cupcakes and rainbow jello. My house looked a bit like Happy Gay Pride Day!
And...if St. Patrick can manage to drive all the snakes out of Ireland, well I guess I can manage to get my peas planted on time!

With the help of my own little Leprechaun!

The view from here.

I made great time on the trip to pick Teddy up from school last week.

Such great time that I had enough to spare to visit one of my favorite places on earth; Assateague Island.

Driving up the Verzanno bridge is a little daunting.

You feel like you could be on a road just destined to plunge you into the great unknown.

Each time I crest the bridge it never fails to take my breath away.

The bay, the ocean the marshes,and untouched forever vegetation.

Furry winter coated ponies waited this time on the opposite side of the bridge.

Escaping the wind no doubt, but one can always imagine they were there as greeters.

For the past few days my view on everyday things has been altered.

Walking up to the beach was supposed to be the mind eraser that I needed, but only served to act as a reminder.

It was hard getting up to the beach. Hard walking in the sand (especially with shoes on!), and I would like to fool myself into thinking that a speedy retreat to the car was from cold, and chilly ocean wind.

It won't always be cold. it won't always be windy. It won't always be winter. But without a knee replacement, sooner rather than later, it *will always hurt to get there.

It should make me feel a bit better that the doc was just as surprised as I was to have the xrays show significant arthritic damage in both my knees. It should, but it doesn't.

Do not pass go, do not get a brace, put the ice away, and thank the genetic factors that not only gave me a fat ass, but a "bad set of knees" as well.

So I will start my 40's with a new "Lieutenant Dan" knee. And a morphine pump. Hoping that I will soon be back to running my ass of chasing after these kids of mine :)

I am thankful that what ails me *CAN be fixed. So thankful. I just need a few minutes to have a bit of a temper tantrum. Without any kicking, of course.