Archive January 31, 2014

It’s the last day of January, my birthday month. I actually did my blog for a whole month faithfully. I committed to it and just did it. Carole, who was my teachers aide for 20 years, part time, usually for an hour here and there because there is no assistants for teachers in Milwaukee Public Schools, in a school as small as mine was with no budget. Anyway the two of us go on resaling adventures. Today it was West Bend and Slinger. It’s always fun to go find new trash to treasures, especially when I find a good chair to refurbish into fun furniture.

The snowflake chair!

My cousins Wilma made this quilt for me, it came a s a surprise a few years ago. I decided to do the whole room around it. My bedroom, to be exact. Two walls are pale blue, two are dark orchid and I put violet wallpaper border up that brings the two colors together. I then added Wilma’s quilt to the wall. We lost Wilma the day before Thanksgiving. I have nice memories of her and my Great Aunt Mamie, Wilma’s mother. They lived in California and I got to meet them twice in California and a few times at family gatherings in Arkansas, where my family is from. This quilt will always be special.

I have decided to do something I have never done before, used color blocking and do the whole apartment in different shades of beige/ mocha color added with burgundy. I was watching Martha Stewart and she said , “Paint is wonderful, if you hate it just paint over it.. ” so I will proceed and see how it goes. My hallways will be different shades of chololate ice cream with white. The living room will ivory and burgundy and the kitchen mocha and burgundy. We will see if it will all come together. I found a great winterberry matted painting at a resale store so I am using the winterberry theme in the living room and kitchen.

My color blocked hallway. I am looking for a new rug to replace the old one. But the walls are good

Momma you’ve been gone 20 years. I miss you like it was yesterday.

I have had a hard time this week. I have been sad because a relative was not nice to me and it was all over a mistake. I just feel bad because of it.

This is the second time in the last few months that misunderstandings caused rifts in my liFe. Everyone deserves to be heard and to explain the situation before drastic actions are taken or bad words said, that you can never take back.

WHEN SOMEONE IS NASTY AND TREATS YOU POORLY, DONT TAKE IT PERSONALLY. IT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT YOU BUT A LOT ABOUT THEM.

facebook post

I love how my Halloween jack o lantern table and chair set turned out.

I have been working on the house slowly. My main colors are burgendy and beige. The hallway is beige and white. I really like how it turned out. Now I need to get rid of the clutter. I think all teachers have clutter and piles of they they have to do and piles of projects to be put together for thing they want to do for their students.

I love to do up-cycled furniture for fun…..especially chairs. Life on a budget means my excursions are scoping out resale shops and getting old chairs to make fun. I now have a storage Unit full of decorated chairs. I am always looking for places to donate them.

My sister’s friend Linda wanted a chair for her granddaughter to use when they cook. This is her stepping chair with hooks for her apron.front

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Have you ever seen Boo the world cutest dog? I love him and his friend Buddy. But I have my babies whome I miss more than words can say. THEY WERE THE BEST FRIEND THROUGH THE HARDEST OF TIMES. they were there when I needed them. They lived long happy lives but I miss them so much. We could have given Boo a run for his money.

CUPCAKE, COOKIE AND CHOCOLATE CHIP
By Glamour shots photos

I love this sign. I took a photo of it in the store. It’s wonderful. I have always been the safe person with my life and did what my family wanted me to do. I was more adventurous as a teacher. I have been privileged to do so much more than what most teachers got to do. 88 awards in excellence of teaching and science teaching. Local, stat, and national. I just wish my life had more then teaching. Hind sight 20/20.

I am trying acupuncture on my headaches. Hopefully I will see some improvements. It’s been a bad week for a lot of reasons. This was on the wall and I loved it.

WE MUST BE WILLING TO LET GO OF THE LIFE WE HAVE PLANNED, SO AS TO HAVE THE LIFE THAT IS WAITING FOR US.

I loved this. I grew up on a dairy farm in Port Wahington Wisconsin. I thought I would always be a on a farm with cows, pigs, horses and land. Instead I spent 30 years of my life teaching inner city children from low socioeconomic, high poverty families. Then my schools population changed and while I still had many African American students, I learned about newcomers. Children from war, poverty, camps……many survivors that were new to the USA. I was privileged to learn about many cultures, many countries and many different ways of life. Some of it Hmong but Congo, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Chinese, Sudan, Russia, Iran, and Lebanon just to name some of them. Each child and family added something special to my life, not just as a teacher but as a person.

So, No we don’t always go to what we have planned but we must grab on and enjoy and learn from the life we do live.

My rainbow, swavorski crystal chair