The Honey Do List of the Century!

Freddie and I have been in the back yard and building castles or in this case, a new backyard in the air.   We have plans big plans and so little gumption..time to call in the experts!

POOL IS DISGUSTING!!!!!!!

    Remodel the pool, first.

Get the hot tub fixed. NOPE, we are going to remove the hot tub. Give to my sister asap. Check!   Lay the bricks behind the bbq stand, fireproof the grounds around the smoker NOPE not done!

  Plant the nonworking fountain with succulents and cacti  (Tina's job) NOPE!  Dig out a horseshoe pit in the side yard !  NOPE!   Build a cornhole game for the kids out of plywood.  NOPE!   Put up the dart board on the covered porch.  NOPE!  level the ground for a Bocce ball space (we have a lot and a half and have a big side yard) NOPE!  Take down the Jolly Green Giant Swing bench that no one can sit on comfortably.
How much is the doggie in the window?  Sing it with me....Can you find the doggie in the picture?

  

 Remember 'Edith Ann' from Laugh-in in her big rocker with her legs stuck out straight.....well that is our Jolly Green Giant swing....he built the seat so deep, that vertically challenged people like me have their legs sticking straight out....not comfortable.   NOPE. It is still there.  Tina to lay out the container garden with the drip hose. NOPE. And there you have it, the Fred and Tina plan to add some life back into a house that is sorely missing party time.  Liv and her BF are at the beach all the time, playing bocce, darts, cornhole, pool......why not make our home attractive for their friends to come and party.  This house was made for entertaining and we have not done much in 9 years. Well the pool looks good at least.....one step at a time. Five days and Pool Care of Tampa Bay rocked it out. LOL See dog longing for a new swimming hole below!

TURTLE FOR TYLER! LOVE IT! SO PRETTY.

The Bedroom Makeover, serene oasis

Shot of the new flooring going in my bedroom.  We ordered flooring from the Armstrong Rustics Premium collection.  It is a commercial grade long plank laminate in the color Boston Tea.  They are seven foot long planks.  I love it.  It has a matte finish so the dog nails won't be as much as an issue.  (If I keep the dogs running around the outside deck, their nails will get filed naturally.)

The wood look laminate was installed over a concrete sub-floor with a barrier.  We did the living room, dining room, hallway and two bedrooms.  The worst part was the hallway with all the little cuts to finesse the long planks into place.  It is a breeze to clean.  We are extremely happy with the color and look of this flooring.

Back story on bedroom remodel.  I sleep in the smallest room in the house.  I have a cpap machine and oxygen assist for medical issues.  For the last 4 years I was sleeping on my Daddy's old mattress that was already 20 years old.  For an overweight woman with fibromyalgia issues, it was pure torture and provided no comfort.  Fred has the master bedroom and the king size bed that is the perfect firmness for him.  He is very happy.  Anyway, since we were so blessed this year, Fred insisted I get a new bed and mattress for my room to see if I could get better sleep.  Off to American Signature Furniture in Pinellas Park, FL.   We chose a bed that has four drawers of storage underneath and a bookcase headboard in an espresso finish.

We picked a wicked comfortable mattress, extra deep.  Now mind you, I am vertically challenged and this is a TALL bed.  I have to use a footstool to climb in each night.   It is like sleeping on a cloud and it has been wonderful for these old bones.

Tall deep drawers!!!

Art from my Polish relatives, Ludmila and her mother.

We found a chest of drawers, MYA collection on sale at American Signature, four deep huge drawers. We bought the accessory drawers that fit on top, all the storage anyone could need.  The flooring installers broke my mdf Walmart special bookcase, so we upgraded to a better piece from Target  in an espresso finish.  I  have the bookcase in front of the 36 inch slider going to the back porch.  It fits perfectly.  Last purchase for the room was a large modern desk from O.co.  It fits perfectly under my picture wall of the kids and I couldn't be happier with the looks of the room.  My color scheme is creme/black and taupe.  I have my favorite paintings on one wall, all done by various family members.

The four footed family members love the new bed too.  It is a bit of a challenge for the mouth of the south Skippy to scale the mountain, but she does.  And she burrows under the covers to hide.

Charlie Brown likes the bed too! He looks positively ZEN!

missing the curtains and blinds!

New wall arrangement!

I have re-purposed all the angel items and decorative pieces from our demolished main bath and have added them to my wall over my bed.  It makes me happy to see my favorite pieces in the room.  I'm still in love with the color of the walls, it is Porter Paints, cashmere.   I have my favorite Waverly black and white toile valances, taupe crushed voile curtains, bamboo shades all in all, the room gives me an extremely peaceful feeling.  It is serene and I'm surrounded by the photos and pictures that mean so much to me.  It is a refuge in a chaotic world.

Sounds, thoughts, pleasures and pain, the moments and days of your life, the people you love, will all come and go.  Whatever is born will die and whatever is created will at some point disintegrate.  It is important to find a space in your world that will give you comfort and peace, to rejuvenate and refresh.  Constant strife, pressure and worries, will only exacerbate illness and discomfort.  Creating an oasis to practice the fine art of relaxation is indeed a luxury that few gift themselves.  I'm only just learning to appreciate the necessity of clutter-free living.  It certainly frees the mind to focus on emotional and spiritual issues instead of worrying about the mess and clutter.

There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.  ~Bill Watterson,Calvin and Hobbes