~A WEE LITTLE UPDATE~

Dear Friends...

I've been away for a while nursing a back injury and I've missed posting so much!   Today I want to take just a couple of minutes to update those of you who are interested in my progress.  First and foremost I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who've taken the time to write, send cards, notes and even the precious book from my friend, Miss Lady Bug.   You are all the BEST and you are why I've enjoyed blogging so much over the past four plus years.  You are a blessing to me and I can't thank you enough for kindness.

My back is continuing to heal and I'm getting stronger every day.  I've done a great deal of resting (hard for me!), but I've been able to use the past two and a half weeks to focus on getting better.  My fracture is healing and I ended up not having to wear a brace (for which I'm thankful).  If I stand for too long a period of time I start to ache, but I've noticed my biggest trouble is at night trying to sleep.  Overall I'm doing wonderful...just can't lift anything heavy and I'm moving a bit slower.  I've benefited greatly from my generally great health and strong bones.

My summer will be consumed with focusing on getting stronger.  I've been able to keep up my Booth at Serendipity Market (Edmond, OK) with the help of my guy and my daughter.  I had lots of product finished right before I fell so that has helped a lot!  My A Gathering Place Website continues to suffer with empty shelves, but I hope to change that soon.  I keep saying that, but I really do mean it.

Yesterday my Mr. AGPMan took me up to my Booth and I snapped these pictures for you.  Don't forget that if you are one of my website customers I'm happy to offer anything in my Booth online if you see something you like (and if still available)...

Thank you, again, for you kindness.  You all amaze me.  I hope to visit around more soon!

Happy Fourth of July to you all...and may God continue to Bless America!

Love to you...

~CHALLENGING DAYS AHEAD~

Dear Friends...

Last week I shared with you about the fall I took outside a local shopping center here in my town.  After seeing my doctor I was initially told I had no broken bones and was relieved and felt very blessed by the good news.  After the first couple of days of healing I felt a bit better and expected to have continual improvement with each passing day.   Well, last weekend I was miserable (more than miserable if I'm being honest) and so I knew something was up.

Before I even had a chance to call my doctor he called with some not-so-good news.  A radiologist looked at my x-rays and discovered I have a fairly severe fractured vertebrae in my lower back.  That's what's causing the incredible pain and discomfort I've been feeling over the past several days.

I have weeks of recovery ahead of me and I'm hoping and praying I won't have to wear a brace.

I'm not sure what all I'm going to be able to do (or not do) right now...I just know I'll be doing less.  I'm not a 'sit along the sidelines' kind of person so for certain there will be some challenging days ahead for me and for my Mr. AGPMan.  I'm hoping and praying by summer's end I'll be on my way to a full recovery.

I'm not good at being still...

So, I'm trusting more than ever for God to calm me from the inside out and, if necessary, remind me every single day that Jesus is my anchor and won't allow what I can't bear.

Regardless of how long it takes for me to heal I know in my heart I'm living a blessed life.  So many of you are facing battles much more difficult and challenging than mine.

Still, your prayers mean so much to me.

I'll share more with you as I know more. 

Love to you..

~KITCHEN REMODEL STILL GOING STRONG~

   

 ~PREPARING TO OPEN UP WALL THAT LEADS TO Mr. AGP Man's OFFICE~

Before I say anything about our ongoing IT'S TAKING FOREVER TO DO KITCHEN REMODEL I want to say a huge thank you for the kind notes you left me after my recent fall.  I'm much better today...still can't go out, drive, etc.  But I'm hoping by the middle of next week I'll be better and back on track with my life!

 

 ~FRAMEWORK FOR THE DOOR COMPLETED~

Our kitchen remodel started sooo long ago and we've been living with some sort of rip-out ever since.  Again~when you are do-it-yourselfers and you are saving and paying as you go it can really take a long time to get things done.  Add to it about an 18 month hiatus for my hubby's school and it's easy to see how projects can be left in limbo.

 

 ~OFFICE POCKET DOOR IN - PANTRY DOOR NOW A POCKET DOOR~

Since January we've done a lot.  Moved tons of wiring in the attic to accommodate the repositioning of appliances, etc.  Load bearing walls needed support...all the things that need to be done when a kitchen is literally torn down to the bones.   This isn't a makeover...it's a total remodel...

~OLD FRIDGE REMOVED~WATER LINES SOLDERED CLOSED~

Both the doors you see at the top were actually the corner of our original downstairs bathroom.  The pantry door (the right one) was originally the door that led into the tiny half bath.  We hated it as it was right by the breakfast table...in other words...no privacy (especially for guests!).

~FRIDGE IS GONE and MORE CABINETS, TOO~

This is the opposite side of the kitchen.  The fridge is being moved to the other side of the kitchen which I HOPE I'm going to love.  Originally it was right in the opening of the once galley-style-kitchen and if you were standing there with the door(s) open no one could get by you! 

 ~ANOTHER CABINET GONE!~

 ~UGLY COUNTER-TOP GONE~

~OUT AT LAST~

After much thought and planning we still don't want it right in the doorway...so it's being moved.

 

 ~ORIGINAL WALLPAPER PEEKING THROUGH~

I haven't shown too much of the left side of the kitchen because it was pretty much left in place while the really tough stuff was done first.  Living through a remodel is horrible...but it is what it is.  Can't afford to move out of our home while it's being done and since the main worker also works a full-time-job most of the work is done on the weekends.

Now...see that wallpaper above?  The entire ceiling of our den and breakfast room showcased this lovely avocado/medallion style print.  After moving into the house in 1992 I tried my best to remove it.  Since it was hung directly onto the sheet-rock that stuff was NOT coming off.  Anyway...ended up texturing over it.  This little bit was around a grill we have HAPPILY removed. 

~RIPPED OUT GRILL IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER~

You can see the grill in the upper right corner of this picture.  This photo was taken a long time ago and after we removed the center wall that separated the bathroom and laundry room from the kitchen.

~ORIGINAL KITCHEN BEFORE RIP OUT~

In case you forgot here is a picture of the kitchen before we started the remodel.  Simple galley kitchen that was totally non-functional!

Our target date for completion is December...or at least by January 1st.  I would NEVER have dreamed it would have taken so long to get everything done.  But...I have stood by and watched my hubby work nearly every weekend doing everything from plumbing to electrical and he's a master at what he does.  No slouching here.  Just a one-man-crew working non-stop.  The boys (Brandon and Micah) come over and help when something big needs to be done...but for the most part my beloved has done everything by himself!

 (SOURCE)

I've looked at tons of pictures and I've come across one style I love the most.  You can see it above.  Love everything except the steeple style cabinets.  But that can be changed!!!

I'm hoping that after all the wiring and plumbing, moving of doorways are completed it will look something like the one you see above.  I'm so excited as most of the super-tough-grunt-work is done!

~More Photos of Inspiration Kitchen~

I'm going to say it again.  Total remodels down to the studs are NOT for the faint of heart.  It's back-breaking work and requires tons of life-altering sacrifice.

When I need a big pan to cook with I have to go into the garage and dig one out of the boxes that hold almost all my cookware and bake-ware.

Someday!  Someday! Someday!

Someday it WILL all be done!

If you want to see more pics together you can visit my PINTEREST page that shows more of the progress!

Hope your Saturday is lovely.

Love to you...

 

~FALLING DOWN DOWN DOWN~

Not really sure how I did it...but earlier in the week my backside met up with the concrete walkway just outside of our local Tuesday Morning Store.  I don't remember much about the fall except that it knocked the wind out of me and I felt pretty sick to my stomach while trying to regain my senses...  I knew the fall was serious enough to where I couldn't get up on my own.  The shooting pain up my back was my first clue.

I must have been making some noise (I don't remember) because a precious lady named Kathy A stopped to help me.  She was able to get my Mr. AGP Man on my cell phone and my daughter as well.  Then, without me even asking, she put her hands upon me and prayed.

I will never forget her kindness.  She waited with me until Steve was able to get there (about 20 minutes) to take me to my doctor.  After a round of hip and back x-rays I found out nothing is broken, cracked or fractured.  Just a humongous bruise on my left side and more soreness and pain than I can ever remember having.

For the past two previous weeks my Miss K was with me so I had lots of things to do...errands, shopping, sprucing up of my booth and a house to clean.  So...I was excited about my day and planned to get a lot done only to have everything fall flat (pun intended) at only my second stop of the morning.

After a burning shot in my hip and some pretty heavy duty medication (which I hate taking) I slept only OK.  I feel like I've been in a car wreck or something even though I'm very grateful that my injuries were fairly minor.  Today I'm thanking God for his protection and for KATHY A for getting involved.  I've already hunted her down (thanks to my hubby remembering her last name) and plan to do something special for her as soon as I can.

Your prayers are appreciated.

Love to you...

~SNAPSHOTS and SEPIA DREAMS~

When your only grandchild comes to stay for two whole weeks at her Nana's house you've got to get creative to keep things interesting...  If not the long summer days can go bust in a big fat hurry!  So~what did I do to keep one amazing ten year old from getting totally bored day-in and day-out?

Well...after days of doing the usual...swimming, shopping (lots of shopping!), reading, movie watching, taking walks, working on my booth (yes...she helped me) we had to find something different and out of the norm to do...  And so....

We played DRESS-UP!!!  Or at least my Miss K did!

Together (um...it was more MY idea than HER idea) we decided to pull the clothes off one of my display mannequins and with the trusty aid of a few safety pins my favorite little girl in the whole wide world was dressed to the nines.  We curled up her hair and added just a wee bit of lip-gloss and mascara to her already beautiful face...grabbed an old hat and shoes for some props and away we went to the backyard for some picture-taking-fun!

 

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had and what a trooper my Miss K was during the entire process of photographing her.  Even when it started to get a tiny bit warm outside (imagine all the clothes) she didn't complain one little bit....

I always wanted to do something like this when my daughter, Adrienne, was little.  But...back then we didn't have digital cameras...no Photo Shop, no Paint Shop Pro, and certainly no way to manipulate photographs via the computer like you can today!

Adrienne grew up and I never did get those dress-up pictures taken...  I'd give almost anything if had some photos taken with my old 110 camera or 35mm...

Anyway...by the the time Miss K and I were finished with all the pictures (only took about 10-15 minutes) we came in and snacked on peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches and sipped on sweet tea.  A fabulously FUN MEMORY TO MAKE and a day I will never forget.

  

I told my girl how special she was to me and promised her that one day...hopefully a long, long time from now...the pictures would mean a lot to her as well.  I told her I knew it was hard to picture herself as an older lady, but that one day she would be and she would have grandchildren of her own.  I hope she will look back on this afternoon and the memories we made and will remember it as a special time in her life.

In November Miss K will turn eleven.  Not many more chances to snap photos like this.  Before long she'll be a teenager and moments like this will have passed us by.  So happy we were able to carve some time out of our busy lives to create something lasting...and forever.

Make your day count!

Love to you...

~YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WILL FIND~

 

 I've decided you just never really know what all you'll find while out thrift store and tag sale shopping.  Every time I think I've seen it all I realize there will always be something new offered up for sale at one of our favorite haunts...

I was just getting ready to walk towards the checkout counter when a large cart was wheeled out to the store's floor.  And guess what was on it?  Well if you said three large plastic bags each filled with 42 natural paper gift bags you would be right!  They were manufactured by DMD and it is beyond me how so many ended up in one place...maybe a closed gift store or something???

Anyway...I grabbed all three bags because in the nano-second that passed since I spied them and picked them up I had already decided they would be fabulous in my little booth space stamped with vintage ephemera images, etc., across the front... 

And so...I hauled them all home along with lots of other fabulous things as well.  Just ask my Momma and my Miss K (they were both with me!)  Lots of fun ideas were running inside my head as I drove home!

Now...if you are wondering about the price...and I knew you would be...here it is:

Each plastic bag was $1.99.  That's $1.99 for 42 bags or $5.97 for 126 bags. 

I know.  I know.

I KNOW!

Can't wait to play around with the bags when I have a little more time.  They will be perfect for the holidays...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Hope your day is wonderful.

Love to you...

~WHEN IT'S JUST GOTTA BE PINK~

~SIMPLY FABULOUS VINTAGE DESK/SECRETARY~

Last April I shared with you pictures of the vintage French Desk you see above.  I snagged this little beauty at a local thrift shop and ever since I lugged her home she's been patiently waiting for her turn at a makeover.  Her bones were great from the get-go and that is always a good thing!

~ORIGINAL CONDITION - NOT SO WONDERBAH!~

But...what's up with that paint job????  No offense to the local person who MAY be reading this or anything~but it was kinda nasty....

(I'm just sayin'....!)

The entire thing (inside, too!) was painted a buttery yellow and it had sage green trim with raspberry roses (?).  Doesn't sound too terrible, but in the end the look just didn't work.  Probably why it ended up at the local thrift.  She was a perfect candidate for a transformation in my opinion!  My Mr. had a few minor repairs to do before I could get started...you know, loose drawers, wobbly legs, etc.  Once he was finished I went to work de-glazing her (liquid sand) and then adding two light coats of primer (Zinsser).

~GREAT OLD APPLIQUE~

Now...I truly believe I'm in the WHITE PHASE of my life and I rarely EVAH paint things pink anymore (gasp!).  I still love pink like I told you a couple of days ago...just am liking whites BETTAH for now!

~DAINTY LITTLE DRAWER~

Anyway...the more I looked at this darling little lady she just screamed out

"PAINT ME PINK!"

And so...I did!

~SOOOO ROMANTIC~

I used a very soft pale rosy pink paint on this lovely old find.  I actually took some of my trusty pale pink paint (same pink I've used since I started in this biz!) and added just a wee bit of yellow to it and some glaze.  Ended up being the perfect mixture!  Finished her up with some gentle distressing and some clear wax.  Tahhhh Dahhhhh!  DONE!

Now...if I can find ROOM Miss SecreTERRY is destined for my booth at Serendipity Market in Edmond, OK!

Hope your week is wonderful!

Love to you...