June 24, 2024 Monday--5am

Good morning!

I'm starting the weekend before last.  Got some pics from Leah to scatter in here chronologically.  So much going on!

Saturday the boys were at the Home Depot kids crafting session.  Looks like they made little outdoor barbeques--lol!

Sunday was Ian's early birthday party.  (His actual birthday is today.)  Ian about to blow out the ten candles on his birthday cake.  Dagan's stepmother--Grandma Barb.

Brother Liam, Leah's brother Uncle Aaron, Daddy Dagan, and Dagan's dad--Grandpa Jerry.

Not sure which day, but they went bowling with Uncle Aaron.

Liam won!  (He uses a ramp to bowl so he does have an advantage--LOL!)

At a very pretty miniature golf course.

And even over his birthday party they were working on the other colorful puzzle for my studio wall.

Sunday evening--a quick visit where Leah clipped up a sheet over the broken shade on my studio window.

Monday Dagan and Leah painted the accent wall in my bathroom.  Since the room is so narrow they figured it would be easier to paint that before the cabinets were installed.  Love it!  It's a golden mustard yellow.

Tuesday they started installing the cabinets!  My kitchenette!

The bathroom cabinets.

Hard to get them all in--narrow room--and it's dark in there, but I have a cabinet in the corner above the sink cabinet and a cabinet above where the toilet will go.

While they were doing that on Tuesday Leah brought me to the new dentist.  I had dreaded going and absolutely, positively expected really bad news.  My entire mouth has hurt all over ever since I got chemo.  I still have mucositis issues and some bleeding.   I even had to confess to her I was in such terrible shape for at least six months that I couldn't stand at the sink or even have the energy to sit on the toilet to brush my teeth more than maybe once or twice a week.  Hadn't been to the dentist for going on four years!  (They told me not to come until I was done with cancer treatments--and I hadn't felt well enough to even make the trip until recently.)  Going to the dentist is an emotional drain for me in the first place.  (Several bad experiences.)  Talk about high stress.  Worse than seeing the poke n' peek guy, for sure (but he's right up there).  I'll take bloodwork or scans or infusions any day.

Anyways, I got the usual x-rays and then the every-five-year-one where you stand and it goes around your head.  I was bracing myself for the bad news...and for the pain of the cleaning (my whole mouth is sensitive and painful to begin with).  Well, to say I was shocked is an understatement.  I didn't have one cavity or any abscessed teeth...none!  My gums have receded a lot (too much), but the dentist thinks it is due to the fact that they are totally inflamed.  Not a surprise at all.  I already had inflammation for a couple of decades due to fibro and the cancer treatment set that off so very badly for me from head to toe...well, I am still not back to my old level.  At all.  Dr. Baker thought if I keep doing what I have been doing that it should gradually improve and be better when I see her in six months.  As the inflammation subsides all over my body...my gums should also not be so inflamed and swollen and painful.  They already aren't as sharply painful as they were even 6-8 months ago.  Whoohoo!  I was so happy!!

Then the girl cleaned my teeth--and was so sweet.  She was gentle and it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.  I was thrilled to just be able to come home and keep doing the saltwater rinses and different mouthwashes and brushing a couple times a day.  And go back in six months!  I am so lucky!  I feel blessed-blessed-blessed! :)

Wednesday McFamily and Uncle Aaron went to see "Inside Out 2" at the plush movie theater with the lounger chairs.

I can't get over these fancy chairs being at a movie theater!  Times have really changed, eh?

I can't remember the exact day a guy finally showed up to mow the lawn.  They never did do the trimming with the weed whacker, though.

Thursday Dagan and the boys picked me up so I could watch them while he went to that luncheon. 

I got to see the cabinets for myself!  In the rooms with a window there is quite a bit of light.  I was excited to see they had cut the holes for the sinks and just set them in.  I am sooo happy with my black sinks!  Or gunmetal or whatever they call them--lol!

You can see how dark it is in the bathroom.  I was complaining to myself I couldn't even get a picture of the sink in there.  Ian asked me if I had it on the night vision setting.  Huh?  Gramma knows very little about technology and doesn't use most of the "smart" stuff on her smart phone or smart TV--ROFL!

Look what it did to turn it to Night Sight!  Goodness!  I need a ten-year-old to teach me about my cell phone--ROFL!

Ian was "in my refrigerator"--lol!

Ian discovered a nest of baby birds in one of the bushes in the front yard because they were cheeping to be fed.  They look like baby robins to me.  Got a little video.

The boys finished the other colorful puzzle and it had all the pieces!  These bright puzzles will jazz up the studio for sure. :)  I do love color!

Leah took better pictures than I did after they were done...well, basically done.  There's always something, right?  Anyways, kitchen sink...

...bathroom sink...

...bathroom cabinets lower view...

...bathroom cabinets upper view.

Then--the problem.  The crown molding (is that what it is called?) on the cabinet over the refrigerator.

You can see the line drawn right across the middle of the hole for a ceiling light.  That's where the molding needs to go.

So they couldn't finish the molding up there.  Need to talk to the electrician to see if they need to do anything special to the wiring before we have the drywall people close off that light hole.  I think that would be the easiest rather than to try to move the light fixture.  I think I'll have plenty of light.

If you're interested...Leah made a video tour of the cabinets for me.  The neighbor boy was over so it got really noisy for a short while.  

How fancy, eh!  Soft close drawers and cabinets.  All except for the slanted cubbies under the sinks, that is.  The dishwasher will go in at the left.  Refrigerator to the right.  Microwave up over the sink.  It is all becoming more and more real!  :)

Well, being out and about twice last week I didn't have as much "extra" to put into ICADs.  And I was getting quite frustrated with the prompts.  I found the color prompts especially frustrating, but the other list of prompts was sometimes awful, too.  Like terrazzo?  Potpourri?  Crystal?  Awk!  I was struggling this past week.  

For example--terrazzo tile?  I had no clue what to do with that prompt.  I finally printed off a close up of some colorful version and glued it down as a background.  But then what?  I couldn't think of anything to actually do with it and with the color guacamole!  Set it aside and went to the next one.

I decided to ignore the color prompt and just do the ivy prompt.  Used the Maimeri Blue paint palette for this one and the next one.  (I really AM enjoying playing with these old tiny handmade palettes, though.)

Next day--navy dress was the color?  Ignored that one.  Ranunculus was the other prompt.  Never heard of it.

Looked it up.  Turns out it's this thickly layered (and beautiful) flower...but really difficult for me to draw...could tell that right away.  I was several days behind by this time...so I found a drawing online, printed it off, drew the rest...but fussy cut out the actual flowers and glued them on--lol!  Just too tired and sore to deal with anything more than that.

By the end of the week...feeling overwhelmed by the vagueness of many of the prompts and the crazy color suggestions...I tossed out the color prompts and the other weekly list of prompts and decided to go rogue. ;)

But I knew I did like something to go by, so I searched online Sunday and found several prompt lists for drawing and painting and mixed media.  I printed those off.  Now I will randomly pick whatever strikes my fancy...and try to catch up.  Give it a good shot anyways.  Do not plan to go back to terrazzo, though--ROFL!

This week is going to be a tough one for me, too...just health-wise.  I am doing much better, obviously, but when I am out and about it still knocks me back, you know?  I never did expect to keep up with the ICADs.  I expected to do more on good days and catch up some then...and I still will.  Just had less good days for extra stuff.  Used up my spoons being gone, cooking, baking, and doing laundry...the usual stuff.  The only thing I am behind on are the ICADs.  So that is really saying something. Whoohoo!

Today I am going over to watch the boys again so Dagan can go get blood drawn.  Tuesday Keanna comes to clean.  Friday is the poke n' peek doctor I hate going to.  Hoping this time I don't end up with a bladder infection or bleeding.  About time I just can make one of his visits without aftereffects, right?  Maybe I'll be surprised and it will go as smoothly as the dentist did.  One can hope.

I need some more studio time.  I can't even express how wonderful it is to be able to finally have some days with an extra spoon or two where I can just play with paint, stencils, pens, scissors, glue, pencils, markers...all of the studio goodies!!  Ahhh!  I am delighted to have a day or two a week.  As I slowly improve I may get even more play time.  

Knock on wood.  I shouldn't push my luck.  Nope.  I am really happy with how things are right now...this day...this minute.  Six months ago I often couldn't even sit up at my kitchen table for 10 minutes.  I am so grateful...brings tears to my eyes.  Life is good, my friends.  Life is good.  I shall see you next week.  Hopefully maybe even have some rogue ICADs to share--LOL!  Blessings to you all. :)