I've been getting weekly E-mails at work mentioning an upcoming 5k walk/run, but they would never mention the location.
My Coworker friend Robin said she thought it was going to be at Bay Care because they
always hold such events.
However, today, as I was doing my usual lunch lap around the interior of the building (because of the rain), I noticed flyers posted in the Cancer Center advertising the 5K. And it's right here in our home town, starting right at the doors of my workplace!
Robin is always trying to get the rest of our group to do one of these, and I've always promised her that if it was a worth-while one, and not just self-serving, that I would definitely sign up.
Well, this walk/run is a benefit for the patients of the cancer center. I've personally seen some of the bills inflicted on these wonderful people, and this is really an opportunity to make a difference.
What's more, this 5K falls on the weekend right after the second anniversary of my Dad's passing.
I was pondering the idea of calling my siblings tonight and asking if they would like to do this 5K as a group in honour of our parents when my phone rang. It was an ordinary patient calling for an ordinary appointment, but when I asked the patient for their date of birth so that I could find them in our system, their birth date was the same as Dad's. Well, that settled it!
I went home from work and called my siblings and explained that it is June 13, and there would be a fee, but I think it would be a really beautiful tribute to our parents if we could do this.
And guess what? THEY ALL SAID YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so stoked for this! If it weren't raining tonight, I would have gotten outside and started training right away!
The Child also wants to join in on the fun! I hope he'll train with me as well in the evenings so that we can do this!
I know a 5K is only 4 miles. When I was at the top of my game, I could do that in an hour and 15 minutes. I haven't been at the top of my game for a few years, but I still have the heart to try!
I'll keep you all posted on this as we progress. This is so exciting!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Yippee! A Holiday!
It's been another long week here in Kuhrsville.
My #1 Son turned 25 on Monday. 25!!!!!
I just don't understand how that can be whilst I am but a mere....32????
And today, my sis is also celebrating a birthday. She's um... 33?
I've been making headway on the Cocktail Table in my garage this week and that
makes me very happy.
The deterrent was sawing down the legs.
You see, it began life as a small dining table. But if it is to live in my living room,
I needed to trim 4 inches off of the legs, and who knows where hubby's Japanese saw has wandered off to. I grew tired of searching, and simply grabbed the miter saw and started
cutting free-hand. And I did a pretty darned good job at it. I'll be putting pads under all of the feet anyway, so if it isn't perfectly square, the pads will even it out.
Then, I put 3 coats of poly on the body of the table. The top remains ugly for the moment.
Tonight, I put an edging around the top. A lesson learned from the very first mosaic table I ever made, which lives in my dining room. That one didn't have an edge around the top. The
lesson being, when I moved it from the kitchen to the dining room, I had to lay it on its side to get through the doorway. In doing so, I heard a "Foomph" sound and cringed. And my fears were founded. The whole mosaic top slid right off of the table! Eek!
Actually, I learned two lessons from that. One was that I need an edge of wood to secure it. Two was to use tile adhesive instead of mortar when adhering the mosaic tile to the table. Mortar lets loose. Adhesive holds tight - and weighs much less!
The cool thing about that first table was that I was able to pick up the entire mosaic top and just lay it on top of the table to be as it was before. But it's taking a beating. Edges are chipping, and it is beginning to look a bit unloved. I may have to just chuck the original mosaic and re-do the whole thing correctly one day soon. In the mean time, I'm just enjoying creating the latest project. It's going to take me most of the weekend and maybe longer to finish it. But it's going to be fun.
Monday, Memorial Day, I hope to catch the parade, and then we'll be off to Menominee Park for the 4th Annual Herrrmanfest. (You must roll your R's when saying Herrrmanfest.).
And just WHAT is Herrrmanfest, you may ask? Well, it begins with a guy named Herrrman.
He gets up way early and goes to the park and reserves the most prime spot in the park - in the shade, near the restrooms, with lots of good picnic tables. And then he waits. At around noon, his friends begin to arrive, with lawn chairs, meat and a dish to pass, and we all hang out and talk silly and listen to fun music, and maybe play a round of Frizbee Golf while the kids run around and have a great time riding the train, visiting the zoo, swimming at the beach and eating too much food. It's lovely! It's relaxing! It's Herrrmanfest!
I hope you all have a spectacular Holiday Weekend as well!
My #1 Son turned 25 on Monday. 25!!!!!
I just don't understand how that can be whilst I am but a mere....32????
And today, my sis is also celebrating a birthday. She's um... 33?
I've been making headway on the Cocktail Table in my garage this week and that
makes me very happy.
The deterrent was sawing down the legs.
You see, it began life as a small dining table. But if it is to live in my living room,
I needed to trim 4 inches off of the legs, and who knows where hubby's Japanese saw has wandered off to. I grew tired of searching, and simply grabbed the miter saw and started
cutting free-hand. And I did a pretty darned good job at it. I'll be putting pads under all of the feet anyway, so if it isn't perfectly square, the pads will even it out.
Then, I put 3 coats of poly on the body of the table. The top remains ugly for the moment.
Tonight, I put an edging around the top. A lesson learned from the very first mosaic table I ever made, which lives in my dining room. That one didn't have an edge around the top. The
lesson being, when I moved it from the kitchen to the dining room, I had to lay it on its side to get through the doorway. In doing so, I heard a "Foomph" sound and cringed. And my fears were founded. The whole mosaic top slid right off of the table! Eek!
Actually, I learned two lessons from that. One was that I need an edge of wood to secure it. Two was to use tile adhesive instead of mortar when adhering the mosaic tile to the table. Mortar lets loose. Adhesive holds tight - and weighs much less!
The cool thing about that first table was that I was able to pick up the entire mosaic top and just lay it on top of the table to be as it was before. But it's taking a beating. Edges are chipping, and it is beginning to look a bit unloved. I may have to just chuck the original mosaic and re-do the whole thing correctly one day soon. In the mean time, I'm just enjoying creating the latest project. It's going to take me most of the weekend and maybe longer to finish it. But it's going to be fun.
Monday, Memorial Day, I hope to catch the parade, and then we'll be off to Menominee Park for the 4th Annual Herrrmanfest. (You must roll your R's when saying Herrrmanfest.).
And just WHAT is Herrrmanfest, you may ask? Well, it begins with a guy named Herrrman.
He gets up way early and goes to the park and reserves the most prime spot in the park - in the shade, near the restrooms, with lots of good picnic tables. And then he waits. At around noon, his friends begin to arrive, with lawn chairs, meat and a dish to pass, and we all hang out and talk silly and listen to fun music, and maybe play a round of Frizbee Golf while the kids run around and have a great time riding the train, visiting the zoo, swimming at the beach and eating too much food. It's lovely! It's relaxing! It's Herrrmanfest!
I hope you all have a spectacular Holiday Weekend as well!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
It's a matter of tase, I guess....
It's no secret that I love taking virtual tours of real estate listings.
Sometimes it's a great pick-me-up to see that money can't buy style.
Take this listing for example.
The house is in Centerville Virginia and is listed at $1,399,900(that's no typo!)
So far so good, right? A beautiful estate with a grand foyer. Lovely!
But, wait! There's more!
The kitchen is quite ordinary. Nothing notable about it, really.
The Bathroom is lovely, but the rest of the house looks like the had a check list
of items from a 1980 issue of House Beautiful:
Deer Head - Check
Ugly Floral Furniture - Check
Baby Grand - Check (I'll bet no one plays!)
Ugly Wallpaper boarder - Check
Poofy Curtains from 1990 - Check
Pool Table - Check
A room furnished all in white - check
Mounted Bear - Check! (Is this Sara Palin's Winter home?)
Sun Room - Cleche Wicker Furniture
And Yo-Ho-Ho! Look at the guest room! I remember seeing layouts featuring nautical themes in the 80's. And the Master Bedroom has so much potential. I could die in a room that size!
I suppose I ought to keep in mind that when a prospective buyer is looking for a home, they want to remodel to suit. And there's plenty of potential to do that with this place.
And I suppose I ought to give kudos to this home owner for not hiring an interior decorator and trying to do it themselves. If I could give advice to the next home owners, it would be, if you are going to try to decorate a house of this scale on your own, look for timeless colour schemes and furnishings. Tuscany is never out of date. Soft colours, heavy hard wood furniture, textural fabrics, thick draperies. It makes me cry when I see a house with this much potential in the hands of someone who fears decor.
Sometimes it's a great pick-me-up to see that money can't buy style.
Take this listing for example.
The house is in Centerville Virginia and is listed at $1,399,900(that's no typo!)
So far so good, right? A beautiful estate with a grand foyer. Lovely!But, wait! There's more!
The kitchen is quite ordinary. Nothing notable about it, really.
The Bathroom is lovely, but the rest of the house looks like the had a check list
of items from a 1980 issue of House Beautiful:
Deer Head - Check
Ugly Floral Furniture - Check
Baby Grand - Check (I'll bet no one plays!)
Ugly Wallpaper boarder - Check
Poofy Curtains from 1990 - Check
Pool Table - Check
A room furnished all in white - check
Mounted Bear - Check! (Is this Sara Palin's Winter home?)
Sun Room - Cleche Wicker Furniture
And Yo-Ho-Ho! Look at the guest room! I remember seeing layouts featuring nautical themes in the 80's. And the Master Bedroom has so much potential. I could die in a room that size!
I suppose I ought to keep in mind that when a prospective buyer is looking for a home, they want to remodel to suit. And there's plenty of potential to do that with this place.
And I suppose I ought to give kudos to this home owner for not hiring an interior decorator and trying to do it themselves. If I could give advice to the next home owners, it would be, if you are going to try to decorate a house of this scale on your own, look for timeless colour schemes and furnishings. Tuscany is never out of date. Soft colours, heavy hard wood furniture, textural fabrics, thick draperies. It makes me cry when I see a house with this much potential in the hands of someone who fears decor.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
It's My Day and I'll Surf if I want To
Happy Mother's Day!I found yet another fascinating Blog this past week and there are oh so many drool-worthy items
on it.
The blog is Mid-Century Modernist and I am in love with so many things she has found, such as these furnishings by who else but an Aussie!
The Blogger states: "Melbourne designer Ross Didier took a classic form of modernism — the simple cube on broad steel legs — and tilted it to create something truly original. The armchair and sofa are available in the UK for £889 and £1,189 respectively. Gorgeous design and beautiful product photography. My only concern: how does it feel to put your arms on a slant?"Oh so cool!
And I would so love to have one of these in my livingroom as well:
My Umbrella Plant would be oh so happy growing in one of these planters.
But at $150 a pop, I think I'll just have to keep an eye out at thrift stores for the original variety.
Yeah, I'm a tight-wad when it comes to stuff like this. But right now, I really have to be.
Hubby got news this week that in order to stop this Warm Auto Antibody from taking over his system every few years, they will need to remove his spleen! Eek! Our insurance sucks! So we'll need to get on the stick and see what we can do to gain coverage for this one. Prayers and happy thoughts are more than welcome!
Hugs,
Aunt Bren
Monday, May 4, 2009
Then I get to try and put it back together....
Well, The Child was an absolute Soldier at the dentist the other day!
Because he has a heart murmer (I.E.: a hole the size of a pinhead between the left and right ventricals) the dentist was most concerned with removing any potential infection... and his molar was indeed impacted with infection...so he had to pull the tooth because if the infection continued, there is always a chance that the infection could travel directly to his heart.
Lucky me, I got elected to be the hand holder throughout this adventure. But The Child was amazing. He only cried twice, and rightly so. I warned the dentist that when I have had a tooth pulled, my dentist needs to give me a ton of injections so that I can't feel it. So it is only common sense that The Child would likely have the same issue. It wasn't any less painful for me watching the dentist work on my baby!
Then, on Saturday, it was off to the vet to collect our Evil Kitten. She is doing wonderfully! And it is a completely crazy notion, but, now that she is fixed, she is fascinated with wanting to go outside. But we just keep telling her she can't go outside right now because she is having a bad hair day! She just needs to heal for now.
And Hubby... oh, yes, the train keeps rolling. Hubby ended up at the ER this weekend after his lab results were in. His Hemalitic Anemia is back. Which means he will be on prednesone for at least the next 3 months while it re-sets his immune system. But he went from looking as yellow as Homer Simpson all weekend to finally getting a little colour back in his cheeks this morning, so we know it is doing its job. However, with the prednesone, he'll be having more mood swings then menopausal little me. Yay.
But we'll get through it. At least he didn't end up in the hospital this time. So we're ahead of the game.
On the up side, I am oh so grateful to have that table in the garage to sneak away to and work on. It is like sanctuary amidst the madness. But now, I just need to find the right saw for to trim the legs down on it. After all, it will be a cocktail table in the livingroom. I can't wait to get to the mosaic portion of the task. Hopefully by the weekend I'll be at that stage.
So here's to a week where life can only get better!
Hugs,
Bren
Because he has a heart murmer (I.E.: a hole the size of a pinhead between the left and right ventricals) the dentist was most concerned with removing any potential infection... and his molar was indeed impacted with infection...so he had to pull the tooth because if the infection continued, there is always a chance that the infection could travel directly to his heart.
Lucky me, I got elected to be the hand holder throughout this adventure. But The Child was amazing. He only cried twice, and rightly so. I warned the dentist that when I have had a tooth pulled, my dentist needs to give me a ton of injections so that I can't feel it. So it is only common sense that The Child would likely have the same issue. It wasn't any less painful for me watching the dentist work on my baby!
Then, on Saturday, it was off to the vet to collect our Evil Kitten. She is doing wonderfully! And it is a completely crazy notion, but, now that she is fixed, she is fascinated with wanting to go outside. But we just keep telling her she can't go outside right now because she is having a bad hair day! She just needs to heal for now.
And Hubby... oh, yes, the train keeps rolling. Hubby ended up at the ER this weekend after his lab results were in. His Hemalitic Anemia is back. Which means he will be on prednesone for at least the next 3 months while it re-sets his immune system. But he went from looking as yellow as Homer Simpson all weekend to finally getting a little colour back in his cheeks this morning, so we know it is doing its job. However, with the prednesone, he'll be having more mood swings then menopausal little me. Yay.
But we'll get through it. At least he didn't end up in the hospital this time. So we're ahead of the game.
On the up side, I am oh so grateful to have that table in the garage to sneak away to and work on. It is like sanctuary amidst the madness. But now, I just need to find the right saw for to trim the legs down on it. After all, it will be a cocktail table in the livingroom. I can't wait to get to the mosaic portion of the task. Hopefully by the weekend I'll be at that stage.
So here's to a week where life can only get better!
Hugs,
Bren
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