Me in a Nutshell

I hope this works--we all know I'm not very computer literate. Here's my mosaic:
1. What is your first name? Beverly
2. Favorite food? Hawaiian Pizza
3. Where'd you attend school? Clarksville High School
4. Favorite color? Red!
5. Who's your celebrity crush? If I had one, it'd be Trace Adkins
6. Favorite drink? Diet Mt. Dew
7. Dream vacation spot? Venice, Italy
8. Favorite dessert? Banana pudding
9. What did you want to be when you grew up? Psychologist (this says "I used to have super human powers, but my therapists took them away.")
10. What do you love most in the world? Darrell, of course
11. Describe yourself in one word. Perfectionist
12. Nickname? Legs (when I was younger and had long, skinny ones)

Who Knew??

I'm going to borrow Nicole's idea and post a couple of things I've just found out and let you in on some things I've known for a while, but am still awed by.

1. ...that there is a wonderful over the counter nausea medicine that works in less than 5 minutes? It's called Nauzene and is available at Walmart and Walgreens for under $10. A little pricey, but it's worked every time I've used it. I keep it in my purse and bedside table. I plan on never being without it. As Earl is my witness, I'll never holler for him again!

2. ...that Vaseline will strengthen your eyelashes? I have short little stubby lashes that fall out easily. I was looking for something to help them grow and discovered that there are many expensive products out there, but Vaseline does the trick. Take an old mascara wand, clean it well, and use it to apply the Vaseline before bed. I've already seen a difference. You can also put Vaseline on your feet, then put on socks, and go to bed. In the morning, your tootsies will be softer.

3. ...that Milk of Magnesia is a wonderful facial mask for oily skin? My skin has always been oily and I read that MoM would help since it has a clay base. I've used it for years now and it works. After cleansing my face each morning, I apply a thin coat and let it dry a few minutes, then rinse off. I can tell a difference when I don't use it.

4. ...that baking soda has a million uses? Read the box or go to the website. It's a cleanser, deodorizer, antacid, etc. I use it as an exfoliant. On days when I've worn makeup all day, I cleanse my face, then gently scrub with the baking soda. Feels so smooth and clean!

5. ...that a lemon can smooth and soften your elbows? Cut a lemon in half then plop an elbow in each half. Sit a few minutes and voila! Your elbows will be clean and smooth.

6. ...that I apparently have too much time on my hands and invest too much effort in my appearance? Oh, wait, most of you have known me a while, so this one isn't really news.

Updates

Just in case you were wondering.....

1. The kitchen is almost done! Walls are painted, cabinets cleaned, floor layed, buffet will be finished as soon as we clean off the grout, window treatments will be done this week (I've decided to dye the curtains I already had). I have the light fixtures picked out, but not purchased yet. Pictures to follow shortly.

2. Pain in the neck is almost gone! Hooray!! I found out our insurance (actually a discount plan) includes a nearby chiropractor who only charges $25 a visit (my cost $17.50). I've seen him four times and feel lots better. Can I just say that I've now seen 5 different chiropractors over the past 20 or so years and each has been vastly different from the others. This one is no exception, but it's working, so I won't complain.

3. Lauren is having her tonsils out on Aug 28th, so Darrell and I are keeping Cassidy and Grant. They'll be here at least two weeks. We are enjoying having them here, but now I know why you have kids when you're young. I have some friends who are my age with children the ages of my grandchildren. More power to them, cause I couldn't do it.

4. Lest anyone think I'm complaining in #3, I'm not. Just stating facts. I'm old. I admit it. Don't judge me.

An End in Sight?

Thought I'd share a few photos of our progress so far on the kitchen. Poor Darrell--he works all day, then comes home to work on my projects. I wish I was stronger and handier with power tools. I'm just physically unable to lift and carry the underflooring.

This is where my fridge has been since Saturday. The kitchen table was in the living room till we moved it back in on Sunday for dinner and then never moved it back out. The fan is to dry the floor where the ice maker tubing leaked.

Today's goal: finish laying the underflooring and whole tiles. We'll be
Scarlett O'Hara on the edge tiles.
"Tomorrow is another day."

What a Pain in the Neck!

Yesterday morning, I woke up with either a pinched nerve or a crick in my neck. And it's only slightly better today. I've tried all kinds of home remedies--hot tub, massage setting on the showerhead, Bengay, Lortab. Not much has helped. About 9 last night, Darrell remembered he had some Tylenol 3 left over from some dental work he'd had done. I took one and went to bed. Slept pretty good considering. I've continued the Tylenol 3 and am sitting here now with a bath towel rolled length wise and wrapped around my neck and held together with a shoelace. I never realized how heavy my head is till the support system was compromised.

I'm happy to try just about anything you might have found useful in the past for a similar problem. Short of actually seeing a doctor, of course. Wouldn't want to do anything rash! (Though I will admit a chiropractor is sounding pretty good about now.)

The Latest

Here is the sideboard Darrell and I purchased for the kitchen. Don't you love it? We got it at a local Habitat for Humanity store that recycles items from remodels and other construction. Just in case you're wondering, we're not leaving it like this. After sanding it down, I'm going to paint it black and we're going to put ceramic tile on top. I'm hoping to find baskets to put in the cubbies. Will post pictures once it's done.

Off topic: Anyone know how to hang grapevine?

How It's Going

My ambitions exceeded my abilities in regards to the kitchen redo. We wound up not being able to take out the bar area, but were able to remove the upper cabinets, so the kitchen is brighter. It took longer than I thought to actually get to the store and buy the paint. I couldn't decide on colors. Finally found what I was looking for at Home Depot. Then, when I got the paint home, I was nervous about starting the Frottage process. I have these 'great' ideas, but they don't always turn out like I want. Last week, I bit the bullet and got the base coat of 'Cracked Wheat' on the walls. Then the next day I mixed the top coat of 'Applesauce Cake' with the glaze and went to work. (Pictures will follow as soon as I can pick Lauren's brain about how to get them from the camera to here. I am technilogically challenged. Badly.)

First, let me just say that if you try this process, use plastic trash bags. Cut them up so they're flat and they'll work great. The instructions I followed said to use newspaper, which I did, but they didn't say to immediately pull the paper off. I left it on too long and the paper stuck to the wall! I scraped off what I could, then just painted over the rest. Luckily, I started on a wall where the desk will be, so it won't be too noticeable. Hopefully.

The rest of the walls went pretty good, though a little slow. Another tip: if you've taped off areas where you didn't want the paint to get, use caution in removing the tape. Again, pictures will show what happens when you go too fast. Again, repainting and reglazing fixed things.

I had wanted to use shutters as window treatments and found 5 sets of louvered doors at a yard sale. I got all 5 sets for $5!! What a steal! We weren't able to put them up like originally planned, but they still look good. I have plans for above the windows, but I'll keep that for a surprise (just in case it doesn't work out).

Lastly, we had planned on painting the cabinets with the same base color of 'Cracked Wheat', which is sort of a soft buttery yellow. Then I was going to antique them using glaze or stain. The old wooden cabinets were so beat up and dull that anything would help. After getting the walls done, though, the wooden cabinets looked better. I cleaned them well with a degreaser and they looked even better. Hmmm, what to do? Since I was going to paint the cabinets, I hadn't been careful about painting near them and Darrell had even painted the end of one row to see what it looked like. Now how to get that paint off without removing the finish?

Enter Darrell with a sander. After working diligently for about half an hour and stirring up quite a bit of dust, he'd only managed to sand a small section and had taken the cabinet down to bare wood. We quit for the day. Or night I should say. Yesterday I got froggy and used some stripper and was able to get all the paint off in a short time. Last night we removed and cleaned all the handles and put a thin coat of stain on all the cabinets and doors. This morning they look fresh and shiny. I am so excited!

Left to do: purchase a sideboard, put up new light fixtures, and lay a new floor.