2018 in review

No sugar coating here, this has been a difficult year for me so far. I have been dealing with family issues since the beginning of the year, starting with my mom becoming ill and finally passing in January.

I was devastated but knew that I had to keep moving or I would never find any peace. So back to work and on the face of things, I appeared to be fine. Inside I cry every time someone mentions their momma. Mother’s Day was awful and I felt like a zombie, going through the motions. We went to see my mother in law, giving her the card I had bought last year for my mom. I cried when I signed it, but we didn’t tell her. She would have felt bad and tried to make over me and I really don’t deal with that well.

Next, my dad has been giving a diagnoses of prostate cancer and is being tested to see if it has moved to anywhere else. Despite mourning my mother, he remains in good spirits, always the rock of our family. His attitude is we will deal with it as we cross that bridge…

Things felt like they were maybe going to head in a normal direction again. We bought a new truck for my husband, trading in our Jeep. Made plans to trade in my explorer for a newer suv for me. Hubby went to work on a job in Mississippi. He called me two days after leaving to tell me he was in the hospital for abdominal pain. The doctor had ordered an abdominal cat scan. His diagnosis was cancer!!!

We decided he would not follow through with testing in Mississippi, but return home to see our doctor and follow up with testing. After a month of tests, his final diagnosis is Non-Hodgkin Follicular Lymphoma.

Over the last month we have been up and down, feeling everything from depression to extreme hopefulness. He has been told that if cancer was the lottery prize, he has hit the jackpot….meaning few people die from the type he has. His onocologist has told him he may go years without needing any treatment. We are in an indefinite state of “watchful waiting “, meaning that treatment would have more negative impact at this time to his quality of life. Therefore, we are watching for any symptoms, and trying to move on

This also means we will be making some lifestyle changes to ensure a less cancer friendly lifestyle. Better diet, more exercise, less consumption of alcohol, junk food, and for him, quitting smoking. It also means trying to reduce stress.

Life moves on and so must we… we have been researching and trying to figure out how to bring the hubby home and off the road for his job. Can’t say we have a solution yet….

For me, it means that it is time for me to get back to my crafting and refinishing hustle. Trying to decide between finding a small venue for my items or re-opening an online store… in the meantime, it also means I get to work on my treasures, rebuilding my stock. I will let you know as soon as I make a decision and get some items listed.

We are trying not to dwell on the negative and focus on the positive, placing our troubles in the hands of our Lord above, praying that he guides the doctors that are caring for my husband and trusting in His plans for us.

We have many blessings, each other, our children, their spouses and 4 of the cutest grandkids you ever saw! So here is to an improved rest of the year! We are praying for improved health, less stress, and good news for all. Also looking forward to a wedding in August that will make Miss Mikayla official (about time) !!!

Mom

Thursday, January 25, was the last day of my mom’s life. She passed away in the night and had been ill for a very long time. As difficult as it is to realize she is no longer here, it is a relief to be able to say she is not suffering any longer.

I am thankful to say my mom was very loved and had a very good life.

She had 4 of us kids, my 3 brothers and myself. She also got stuck taking care of a lot of our friends, many who considered her like their second mom. She never turned away our friends, treating them the same as she treated us. Love was abundant but wisdom was never sugar coated…. if we did something stupid, she told us that.

My mom worked as a registered nurse in the OB Department in the local hospital. She helped deliver many babies, including many of her own grandchildren. She even helped deliver babies and then later helped those babies deliver their own babies…

These are just some of the basics of her life. It’s difficult to put into words a truly accurate description of this woman who made me…

She spent her married life with my dad. There were ups and downs in their relationship, things happened I am sure, but us kids did not know or hear about them until we were adults.

She and my dad showed us what loving your spouse truly meant. Loving them through all the good and bad times. Loving them despite their flaws and sometimes because of their flaws. Loving them through sickness and health…and loving their children the same way.

She touched many people during her life…

Her legacy will be one of love, compassion and dedication. One that her children and grandchildren will carry on. She loved us, inspired us and motivated us. I know that will continue for many years, even if just by our memories of her.

Sunday recap

Once again, it’s been a rough week. We started out with bad, icy winter weather last week. Monday ended up being a short day for me, only worked 4 1/2 hours, when I would normally have worked 8 1/2 hours. I didn’t mind too much, but I am sure I will mind when my paycheck comes in…

Wednesday saw me driving 3 hours one way to see my mom. She has been ill in the hospital and is still there. It was a bit upsetting to see her so ill and incapacitated and not be able to stay and take care of her. After a quick stop in to see see my grandchildren, it was another 3 hour drive home.

Work has many changes going on, and as most know, change = stress…. enough said.

To top it all off, hubby is in Mexico working and having a rough time with this job site.

So, in order to relieve some stress, I spent Saturday refinishing a side table I recently purchased from an estate sale. I forgot to take pics before I started so I have in-progress pics…

This table was in excellent shape. It is a Thomasville brand table. Real wood and very sturdy, just a little too orangey brown and boring. So I sanded down the top, stained it a darker hickory color and painted the bottom with Paris gray chalk paint, distressed and sealed with a dark wax.

I am wanting to match the finish on the coffee table I refinished a couple of years ago. I think I need to add more gray, tone down the brown of the wax finish to get it closer to the coffee table so I am sure I will be posting the update soon. But after all the work, it felt good to see the results! Definitely one of my favorite stress relievers!!

Hoping this is a better week!!

Sunday morning 2018

Life has been busy and trying of late…. 2017 was a year of major change and upheaval….some of it was good, some of it not so much.

We moved, had a major change to our income, faced the reality that our parents are aging, and realized that people we always valued and thought we could rely on were not what we thought they were.

It’s been an emotional roller coaster. One that has opened our eyes and forced us to re-evaluate our priorities, our friendships, and goals.

We bought a house, made some wonderful new friends, took a relaxing weekend vacation, spent time with family and friends.

But now 2018 is here and it is time to refocus. We have a lot to look forward to this year and some new goals to set.

Goal #1 find my groove with this blog and continue to improve and grow with it.

Goal #2 pursue my dream of a home decor business.

Goal #3 continue to work on improving my health by continuing with my weight loss plan.

Goal #4 find that balance with work and home life that works for us….

We have spent most of our life being people pleasers…yes people….always trying to measure up to what we thought others expected or wanted from us. This year we will be saying no more, taking care of ourselves and focusing on making our life what we have dreamt it could be.

And mostly, we will be counting our blessings…because despite the trials and setbacks and hurdles that we have faced, we realize how blessed we are. Blessed with wonderful family and friends, blessed with careers that provide financially for us, blessed with a new home that, although is full to overflowing at times, is just right for us….

So starting this year, setting goals and counting our blessings!!!! Happy Sunday friends!

Finding your place…

I am not going to lie to you…blogging is not easy! Finding what clicks with your viewers, finding the time to sit down and write when you are working a full-time job, thinking of what you want to write about for the day, none of this is easy…this was originally supposed to be a blog about the rehab of our lake house. Due to our move, that is not the case necessarily. I wanted to blog 2-3 times a week. It has become more sporadic than I wanted.

To say that we have been busy this summer would be an understatement. With my hubby on the road more than he is home, all of the home management duties fall on me, which means that instead of taking cool pics of the crafts and reno stuff that I wanted to take, I am cleaning house, cutting grass, paying bills, working at my full-time job, all the stuff that is required to run a  household, I must be sure to deal with.

And it’s rather disappointing when you think you have taken good pictures of the reno you did, only to discover that either they are just crap or there are no before pics, blah, blah…

So I think it is time to change it up a little. This blog is not going anywhere, just evolving… hopefully into something better and brighter. Expect to continue to see pics and reno update from our previous house as I finish out that season of our life, expect to see pics and updates from our new house, new craft projects, new Etsy items …. and probably a whole lot of life updates. So stay tuned!! I hope there is something in the works for everyone!!!

Time for an overhaul!!!

I have spent the last several months reviewing my life and am deciding it needs a bit of an overhaul. Now that we have moved and are settling into our new home, I feel like it’s truly time to do some sorting and getting rid of things that aren’t working, work on improving things like my health and finances. This includes this blog. So you may see some changes over the next several months. Hoping it is for the better! I will be setting some goals, working on new posts, working on new items for the Etsy store and clearing out anything and everything that isn’t working for our future! I see the sunshine and want to live there, lol! 

Grand Opening

So I am super excited to announce that I have opened an Etsy Shop! This is something I have been wanting to do for a while now and decided to just take the plunge and go for it.

I love that farmhouse feel, anything cottage-y or old feeling seems to find a way into my heart and I want to share those finds with you!! Sometimes my finds are crafts I made myself, sometimes, they are found items that I have loved and decided to share.

Either way, I believe in finding the cutest stuff at bargain prices and sharing that with everyone that is interested. So if you are looking for something unique or just need that little bit of something to pump up the charm, take a look at my shop!

If I don’t have what you are looking for, let me know and I will help you search!!

SuzeeQsCollectibles!!!

Looking forward to this new adventure and can’t wait to share more of my finds!!

God Bless and I wish you enough….

a new adventure

So excited to announce that I am off on another adventure. I have been following the stories of several ladies on my Instagram page and have to say they are nothing short of inspiring.  As many of you know, my husband’s job changed recently, forcing us to make some changes. It has forced us to rethink, re-evaluate, and readjust the goals we have for the future. And so, I am heading on this new journey with several goals in mind.

1. to make some extra money to pay off debt and put towards savings
2. to continue on my journey to improve my health with any and all means available to me.
3. to help others to do the same
4. and last, but not least, to have fun doing it!!

I am so excited to have joined the ItWorks company. I am sure many of you have heard of that “crazy wrap thing”!! Guess what??? It works!!!!

So I am not on here to try to convince anyone, persuade you to join me or try to sell you anything. I just wanted to share my excitement with you!!

I am also working on a number of projects to open my Etsy store soon. This is something I am really excited for too, as helping others find beautiful items for their home is a passion!!!

Hope you all continue on this journey with us!! God Bless and I wish you enough!!!!

Reflections….

Today I have a long to do list…I need to be at the lake house working on touch up paint and painting a bedroom. I am expecting a delivery of furniture this afternoon. I need to take bedding and decor over to the house (getting it out of my front bedroom.) I also need to give my pups a bath, do some laundry, go grocery shopping, try to spend some quality time with the hubby before he leaves this week for work… the list of to do’s is long and seemingly endless.

Now just in case you didn’t know, I live in Missouri, where it seems that it has been raining for at least 30 out of 30 days! Of course it is pouring down rain today!!! So I will be postponing the puppies bath once again, putting off any outside work that needs done, being extremely careful about maintaining the dryness of the items I need to move from house to house and running the dehumidifier at the lake house at full blast while I am painting. No choice but to get these things done…

My husband said to me the other day “you don’t have time to breath with all you do…” That might have been a bit of a slight exaggeration, might have been in response to me dragging him out to 4 different thrift stores in the pouring rain in search of night stands… but it made me pause for a minute.

We all have busy lives. I am sure everyone I know has a to do list that is just as long as mine, if not longer…but, we need to remember to take a breath sometimes. We spent that afternoon shopping in the rain, but we were together. We laughed, we searched together for the right pieces for the lake house. We talked about different things that are going on in our lives, we even argued a little( we always have a different opinion on things, and we are both stubborn, lol)

My point is even when we are super busy, take the time to spend with those you love.  Include them in the work you are doing, play a little, don’t take for granted the time we have with each other.

Over the last week, we had dinner with my in-laws, and then dinner with friends. It felt so good to spend time not thinking about what needed done at the lake house, what needed done at the new house, what needed done at my job, etc, etc…I have been so busy, I wasn’t taking the time to relax for even a minute…lesson learned.

So today, I will once again be dragging that man along with me. He has work to do there too, (he does electrical work, sound systems, etc…) So we will be together. I cherish the time we spend together because often  he is gone and we spend time together by texting, calling and FaceTime. We will get done what we can off that stupidly long list and call it good for today, then we will come home and spend the evening watching tv and relaxing.( I put those items on the list too!)

I hope you all have a great day and take a little time to spend with those you cherish…God bless and I wish you enough!!

A little bit of paint

I have always heard a little bit of paint goes a long way… anyone who is trying to decorate on a budget has heard that! I have to say that this little lake house proves that saying to be true! I have been painting rooms since we moved in, one at a time, taking my sweet time with each. And the transformation is amazing…

We painted outside early last fall but the transformation started indoors right after we moved in.

We started with painting the bathroom, moved on to the living room/kitchen/ dining area, then the family room, and bedroom.

Now that we have moved out and I am no longer the home owner but the decorator, I continue to be impressed with how true that saying is. I have been painting the last two bedrooms and working on touching up the trim work. ( pics to come)

Every time I check a project off my list, I sit in wonderment at the transformation of the room. I can barely believe how just a little paint changes the whole feel of the room.

It’s true of furniture pieces too. I find it unbelievably satisfying to take a piece of furniture that looks outdated and past it’s day and with a little paint make them feel fresh and new again.

For me, it’s all about the thrill of seeing something old become new again. Every time I finish a room or a piece of furniture, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Just a little peek at what we have been up to lately. I will be posting more on the lake house reno soon!!

God bless and I wish you enough!!