everybody's working for the weekend...

last nite i made a birthday cake (paid order) and it nearly killed me. end of story.

hope you have a nice weekend...we have several things planned including:
*volunteering at spca santapaws tonite (pets getting pics taken with santa)
*eating at flying biscuit
*spending all our hard earned cash at trader joes
*cooking a nice birthday meal for my dad (he won't be getting a cake made by me!)

what are YOU doing this weekend?

~k

an uneventful weekend (massive headache not withstanding)

post estate sale we had a low-key weekend last weekend...there are several (well really, a LOT) of pieces of furniture from the great aunt (which we are keeping for various reasons) that need refinishing and/or reupholstering, so the husband and i started on a couple of chairs late last week...i uploaded a picture of his chair (complete with his 'helper' sitting in it) but it disappeared from picassa and i was too lazy to download it again...but here is my chair:

hideous, no? it's a fine, fine, fine chair...made by a well known north carolina furniture maker (you know we are known for our furniture, right?)...anyways, when i spotted this beauty in the formal living room at the great aunt's house i immediately (and i mean in a skinny minute) knew exactly what to do with it...i have that special vision...it's a talent that not many have, especially those in my family who see stuff like this and say 'good grief, get rid of it already'...this chair is destined to be the niece's christmas present from the MIL and me...i've already gotten the upholstery off and will start step 2 this weekend (if the weather is nice...hint, hint)...

as mentioned before there was a birthday party for nephew #3 on sunday...sophie wanted to go to the party and be the official gift unwrapper:

but when i told her all the nephews and the niece would be there she ran and hid...which turned out to be a wise choice...insert headache here...

and finally, i've been cooking a lot on the weekends...friday nite is always pizza and a salad, saturday is whatever is in the freezer and sunday has been crab cakes (from trader joes) and baked potatoes with a salad...but we were out of crab cakes and there was an entire package of chicken in the freezer so i made pretend fried chicken with roasted asparagus (just started eating it...boy, i've been missing out!) & red peppers and crock pot macaroni and cheese:

the mac & cheese was outstanding...if you like homemade 'custard' style mac and cheese...this tasted just like what my mom made and what i make too but took a lot less hands on time...the recipe is here (i followed it as written save for i used 2 eggs instead of 1)...if you like REAL mac and cheese (not the stuff out of the 'blue box') i highly suggest you give this version a try...if you do, let me know how you liked it!

~k

ps: i'm happy to report that my headache is almost gone...i concluded that it is either: a migraine, a tension headache or a sinus infection...i'm treating it by getting lots of rest, drinking vast amounts of hot tea, taking ibuprofen every 4 hours and a zyrtec once per day...i don't wish a 4 day headache on my worst enemy...

every cloud has a silver lining

soooo, i stayed home from work today cause i've got a really bad headache...i've had it pretty much since saturday...on saturday i'd of told you it was induced by the husband's burning of some incense...it was supposed to smell like balsam pine trees but it actually smelled like a forest fire...not in a good way...but that was saturday and the forest fire smell is long gone.

on sunday i'd of told you it was caused by my niece and 3 nephews screaming their heads off at nephew #3s birthday party...but we got out of there as fast as we could as soon as that ruckus started so in reality i cannot blame them.

i took some sort of sinus medication last nite at about 11pm...then i woke up at 2:30am with a splitting headache (really, really painful) so i took some ibuprofen...when the alarm went off at 6am my head was still hurting...i took 2 tylenol and decided to stay home for the day...nothing has seemed to help, it's almost 8pm and my head still hurts...as for other symptoms: i have ever so slight congestion (sinus type) and a dry cough...and i'm achey all over, but i have no fever at all... please feel free to diagnose me as i don't want to have to pay for the doctor to tell me there is nothing she can give me to make me feel better (my insurance now only pays for 'well visits' - boo).

now you may be wondering what is the silver lining to this? today at 2pm i had an appointment at the periodontist to see how the spacing in lower arch was going in order to get 2 dental implants after i get these braces off. i briefly considered cancelling the appointment but really wanted to hear what he thought (i've been waiting since APRIL for the orthodontist to send me back to the periodontist)...today he took an x-ray and proclaimed that there was enough space on both sides (i need 2 implants) AND he thought he could go ahead with the implants while i was still in braces!!!!! originally he said i would have to get the braces off, wait 6 weeks, have the implant surgery, wait 3 months and then get crowns...today he said he could do the implants at any point now, with or without the braces still on! YIPPEE! the only wrench in the plan is that i also want (not need, want) gum surgery on the upper arch to even all my teeth out (lenghwise) and in order to do that, the top braces have to be off. the difference in doing both surgeries at once vs. doing the bottom now and the top whenever i get those off is about $600 (basically the anesthesia)...i go to the orthodontist in 3 weeks and you better believe i'll be begging to get the top braces off so i can proceed with both surgeries and be that much closer to the end of this crazy longer and way more complicated than i ever dreamed in my life braces saga...

if you read all this - you rock!

~k
ps: any and all headache remedies greatly welcomed!

winner, winner, chicken dinner!

wow, utilizing 'price is right' rules sarah with her $1 bid is the winner! our actual take at the estate sale was $2,640.75. sarah, please send me your new address and your prize will be in the mail...it's something FROM margaret's house...who knows, maybe you could sell it and make some $$, lol!

more on the estate sale later, i'm tired and ready to call it an evening...this dreary weather is kicking my butt. if all this rain had been snow instead we'd be buried under something like 40 feet of snow!

have a great weekend!

~k

ps: i saw charlie for about 5 seconds on his birthday...the husband was able to pet him this morning...needless to say there was no cake or a nice brushing of his fur coat.

happy birthday, charlie!

1. today is charlie’s tenth birthday! we were inspired to adopt him after hurricane floyd caused severe flooding in the eastern part of our state ten years ago…hundreds of pets and animals lost their homes and shelters were full. although he wasn’t a floyd victim per se, charlie is afraid of rain and water (along with the tv, people in general, the door bell, etc.)…if he’s up for it i’ll give him a nice brushing tonite for his birthday, it’s one of the very few things he allows me to do to him…

2. oddly enough we are in the midst of a nor’easter/hurricane/tropical moisture ‘event’ right now…it’s been raining for going on 2 days and the winds are kicking up fierce…we may need to build an ark soon as ‘they’ say it’s going to continue for about another 24 hours…

3.i feel like death warmed over today…probably due in part to the weather…but I’ve found that hot ginger tea and ginger snaps make me feel a teensy bit better…

4. anyone want to guess how much $ we made at the great aunt’s estate sale…closest without going over will win a prize…winner to be announced tomorrow evening at 9pm eastern standard time! (helpful hint: the sale was held for 2 days, the second day all items were half price)

~k

remember!

where i've been...

~i've been to williamsburg for bloggy meet 2009 (it was great, fabulous weather, outstanding accommodations, fun new peeps & old peeps too)

~i've been to the mountains (it was COLD, it snowed, the leaves were beautiful, i think i could see tennessee)

~i've been stumbling over my clothes, shoes & jewelry in my closet

~i've been messy

~i've been in a rut

BUT...

now i'm ready (i think) to get out of said rut...i've finished all my crafty orders, cut WAY back on etsy (it's not thrilling me anymore, more like sucking the life out of me), deleted some stuff from my life, learned how to say "no" and not feel guilty, and brought back:

READING!!!
(i've so missed reading)

this weekend is the long awaited estate sale for all the great aunt's *stuff*...we will all be very glad when it's over...this week will consist of long nites at the house pricing, arranging, etc. fingers crossed it all sells (cause then what do we do with it??)

look for me BACK here, for good, on monday....with pictures from bloggy meet, the mountains, book reviews, cooking, and in general things that make me happy!

~k