The 30-Day Blog Post.

I found this post that I started a month ago.  I can't believe it's been that long, but yes, I got this great idea for a stem dyeing project a month ago.  It was for two reasons:  I love baby's breath, but wish it came in colors and I found a second 4-way decanter and felt like the "twins" needed something to do.  These decanters are amazing to me, and although I use them as vases, I keep the glass stoppers on hand in case I ever actually want to "decant" anything.  

I never finished that post, but I did post a picture on my Facebook page of this blue vase a couple of weeks later, with the flowers turned a light blue.  Baby's breath is a terrible candidate for stem dying for many reasons.  The stems are woody rather than porous.  They branch off in too many directions, forcing the colored water to try and reach too many places.  The flowers are tiny and tight, and don't absorb much water if it does happen to reach them.  I had envisioned a profusion of jewel-toned gems, but what I got was some blue-toned blossoms that took way too long to show themselves.  Back to carnations and daisies I guess...

While uploading some pictures today, I found some more evidence of this experiment gone not wrong, but not right.  Fairly middlin'...

The colored water was pretty...Doing this again, whether the flowers appreciate it or not.

That Chair!

I love vintage furniture...especially chairs.  I always have one or two (okay 10) in my garage, just waiting to be called into action.  I haven't painted anything at all this summer.  June and July whizzed by, and then August just kind of happened.  I froze in the hottest month of the year.  

I've started to "thaw" out and what better to get me back on track than a design challenge!  I'm planning the set for a concert, three dressing rooms and an artists' lounge.  I'm making waaay too much of it, I know, but it feels amazing to be coming out of the fog that follows the death of a loved adored one.  My sister shared my love of thrifting and she would be right beside me, treasure hunting.  I've had to forge ahead without her, but she would probably be shaking her head at me buying another chair.  I have the excuse of a big project to finish within the next two weeks, but after it's over, I will have a couch and 13 chairs that I bought rather than rented because buying  thrifting is cheaper than renting.  I'll have to figure out what to do with them once it's all over, but I'm going to enjoy it in the meantime.  

Being no longer a minivan driver, the hauling is a challenge in itself, but where there's a will...

 It took a bit of maneuvering, but yes, there is room!  My car isn't as small as I thought.  Just lay the seats down and remove a few things.  I'm not saying what those things are.  Sooo not important, because I found space for this beauty:

I know, right?

Just $25---and not the best buy of the day.  Nope that distinction goes to the $6.99 sofa.  Yes, I am that good.  Yes, it needs some cleaning.  Yes, there are stains that I just don't want to know about.  But it's going to be awesome. As for this amazing chair, it needs nothing but a tired bottom to land on it. 

After Midnight.

Heck, I'm up anyway, I may as well write!

I've been staying up into the wee hours of the morning pretty consistently of late.  Sometimes it's just that I can't get to sleep, missing my sister.  Most times, I just keep finding things to do.  In the middle of tending to family business, cleaning out my sister's things, and tying up loose ends, I have also undertaken a huge project.  I'm designing the set and decorating the dressing rooms for an upcoming show.  The dressing rooms can be no-frills, but I'll have none of that.  Frills are necessary.  Frills give me thrills.  I'm a frill-seeker.  I'm going to knock these rooms out of the proverbial ballpark.

This means that I HAVE to go to all of the local thrift stores, hotel furniture stores, Ikea, and Target, as well as online shopping at Amazon and the event rental places.  I HAVE TO.  (Numerous trips to each, of course.)  I have always wanted to shop for a living.  I have most of the "big" stuff handled, now it's floor plans, accessorizing, and one more chair.  Always one more chair.  I love chairs!

So I stay up 'til four, wake up at 10, work until noon, shop until 2, work until 5, break, work until 10p, then plan from 10 to midnite.  Basically. And while I'm up, I may as well clean, shred some papers, put in a load of laundry, check my email accounts a few more times, have a snack, online shop some more and at 4a, I may as well write.  I know this schedule is unhealthy, especially at my age, but I have so much to do.  I could have turned this project down, but it is soooo much fun!  It's at least two blog posts worth of fun.

 I'm going to cut myself some slack and put off the rest of my to-do list until tomorrow.  I've made a lot of headway this week but with no help, I honestly can't see the end of the tunnel.  I'll probably end up with a Craigslist ad that says "come and take what you want" in order to get my sister's house cleaned out.  21 years of stuff...Man do I miss that hoarder!

Love you, Deenie!

It's been about a month now since I've posted anything.  Written anything.  Created anything.  I have to get back into it, but it's been hard.  So much of what I enjoy has been tied into the fact that I shared it with my sister.  She admired my work and has always been my biggest cheerleader.  Single, married, divorced--she has always been totally interested in my success and happiness.  Every time I planted a flower, sewed an apron or tried a new recipe she didn't just feign interest, she LOVED it!  Losing her a little over three weeks ago was a shock and a tragedy.  I know without a doubt that she would be very upset that I'm mourning her so deeply because that means that I'm not focusing on my goals of success and happiness.  I try sometimes.  Other times, I just allow myself to miss her terribly.  

I've had to pack a lot of living into the past three weeks, while dealing with death.  Looking after my 90 year old mom  (she lived with my sister), understanding that her loss is more profound than mine, trying to stay "up" so that my children don't get too far down, planning for what's next (I still don't know) and getting my son off to college at the worst possible time in our lives has made it necessary for me to push through.  With a few moments of collapse mixed in, I've managed to hold it together, make some small decisions and take care of the business that just couldn't wait.  In most cases however, I have a lot of catching up to do.  

I think about my sister constantly, and sleeping has been minimal.  Still, I've had some great moments of living that would only be better if she could enjoy it too.  She deserved to be giddily happy, but found simple joy in taking care of everyone else.  I truly believe that she isn't just at peace, but is finally giddy.  For that, I'm grateful.

My yard is bursting with color.  A few weeks ago it finally took off, and we were sure that August was going to be gorgeous.  We were right!  She would be so proud...of MY yard.  I've never met anyone who could be so unselfishly happy for another's accomplishments.  Looking back, I could see that she was getting tired, but she  never complained.  She wasn't as quick to pull weeds and cut branches, but she was still apt to take a drive past my house just to see how the flowers were coming along:

We took up gardening together, learned what works and what doesn't, and shared more than a flat or two of impatiens.  Over the past 20 years, we got our hands, feet and knees dirty a lot, and when it got really hard for me to kneel, she did it for me.  She didn't do a lot of planting this year (another sign of her failing health that I didn't really pay attention to) but she thoroughly enjoyed what I planted.  I didn't finish until a couple of weeks after she died, just in time for my son's going away party.  I'm still getting used to doing things without her, as my first thought before starting any project is to call my sister and get her advice, tell her what my plans are, or to see if she wants to ride with me to the nursery.  I'm surrounded by people, but I'm still lonely. Who can I call just to say that WalMart has geraniums on sale or that I saw some nice terra cotta pots on the curb a few blocks away?  

I'm slowly trying to reenter my life.  The thrift store trips, the fashion challenges, the decorating, cooking, and reading.  The constant hunt for vintage barware, the singing, the sewing and the estate sales.  So far all I've done however, is get back to gardening.  For my sister, it's the least that I can do. 

My sister, Mardine, with my children.  I could not
have successfully raised them without her!  
Love you Deenie, and thanks for everything!

The Midnight Sun.

This was me all day.  My son's girlfriend saw me and exclaimed "You look really nice!  Where did you go?"  It just goes to show you how often I DON'T wear real clothes or leave my FitFlops at home.  Even in the summer, the yoga pants are never far away.  You know the drill:  Super Sunday, Maybe Saturday, the occasional meeting, and whatever is easy and comfortable the rest of the week which usually means yoga pants and my beloved yet beat up "Floppers".  I made an effort to pair comfort with cuteness today. I succeeded. I was so comfortable in fact, that I just emerged from a four hour nap, still wearing everything but the shoes. 

 My sister finds reasons to wake me.  During said nap, she sat on my bed for about 20 minutes (maybe longer, I was in a melatonin stupor, but I didn't take any) and commented on every random thing she could think of.  I think she thought I was sick, but I was really just sleepy.  She called after she left, waking me up once again, to comment on the clouds.  "Oh yeah.  Cool."  After I said that, she hung up.  I'm pretty sure she heard my lack of interest, but for some reason, I fell asleep again, only to wake suddenly.  I looked out of the window and saw the most amazing clouds!  Sleepy as I was, I got my camera (not my phone) and went outside.  

 Now this is obviously the sun shining through the clouds.  (The bright orange light is a streetlight, btw)  Except that I'm facing EAST and it's 8:30 at night. What the heck?  I eventually decided that it must be the moon.  I looked down the street and saw what was obviously a storm coming:

After five minutes, I went back to the "midnight sun", except it wasn't there.  I am so glad that I have the pictures to prove this oddity:

Just five minutes later the mysterious light was gone, and the storm never came.  

I was actually looking forward to it.  Lord, please don't let me regret that I said that!

My Week Via My Cellphone.

I have so many pictures on my phone.  I hardly ever carry my camera anymore!

Monday sighting: I spotted a family of deer outside the school where my son works.  While they kept an eye on me, they didn't run.  I stayed in the car, out of their way.

 Tuesday brought a nice visit with Albus, the singing dog.  He's so adorable.  He has a great mom too, who is a great cook!

Wednesday--had to get the annual "boob-crusher" done. NEVER miss my mammo!

 I actually went online to search for the smock.  More comfortable than anything else. I am determined to get one for my very own.

Cattails and water lilies at the hospital's beautiful garden.  

 Why is this pasta so pretty?  I had to get one of each.  The matching reuseable bags were planned of course.  I always match my food to my shopping bags :)  I carry bags in my car all the time, but 99% of the time they're still in the car when I get to checkout.  I'm really proud of myself for remembering this time!

Everything's thrifted or free.  (I'm getting lightheaded!)

Deciding what to wear when the weather fluctuates between 80 and 60, sunny and rainy off and on ALL DAY is hard!  I had a meeting at a recording studio at 6:30 and at 4:00 I took out an assortment of skirts, tees, summer sweaters, shoes and bags. I finally made a decision, which had absolutely nothing to do with any of the things I pulled out of the closet. I wore my favorite print skirt and a pair of heeled sandals that I thrifted in St. Louis.  It was sunny when I left home.  That changed:

I'll try again though, because I love the color of these shoes with this skirt. Best $2+$2  I ever spent!  (I know, I say that all the time!)

Everything I didn't wear is still on the bed, along with a plate that I apparently fell asleep with the night before.  PB&J at midnight...

I probably shouldn't be showing you this.

                
                                                      
                 Now they tell me...

Trapped!

Yep, everything for under $20.  I found a $.25 rack (yes, twenty-five cents!) in one of my favorite thrift stores.  I don't know how long it's been there, but it obviously means that I need to go there more often because things change.  I have to stay up on what's new.  I found the pink pencil skirt and knew it was for me.  Not too long, not too short, stretchy vintage polyester, elastic waist, straight but generous.  I used to make skirts like this all the time when I was younger.  It took about 30 minutes and a yard of fabric.  Style on the cheap!  Not much has changed.

The sweater is a thrift find from a year or two ago, and I'm sure that it was less than $4.  The $4 bag is a buttery soft leather Kenneth Cole.  The camisole is part of a two-piecer that I found for $2 a few years back.  Earrings and bracelet, a dollar or so each, and the shoes, appearing for the first time, were an end of last summer find for $3.  I think this actually came in at around $15. I was happy with the way this turned out, and ducked into the bathroom at church for a quick pit stop before taking my seat.  I was ready for my grand entrance when I realized that I wasn't going to make it.  I was stuck.  As in trapped.  In the bathroom.  

This was not an option:

So I texted my son.  Twice.  He didn't respond so I assumed that he was already enjoying the service, but funny thing is he answered when I called.  Who answers their cellphone in church?  I knew that I had pushed the door a little too hard because it actually went past the threshold and I had a feeling that this was going to be a problem.  I don't know why I did that.  I've opened and closed this door dozens of times before.  My son showed up and immediately shoved the door back towards me.  He could have given me some warning, but his disapproval was evident as soon as the door opened.  "Why?  How?  What else are you going to do?  Just warn me now..."  Teenagers.

 I got out and was able to enjoy the rest of the day, but it was touch and go there for a minute!

It got chilly and rainy on Monday and hasn't recovered.  On the bright side, I got a huge free haul of bags, shoes, sweaters and other great stuff this week, but I'll save that for another post.  You'll be amazed--I know I am!