Where Bloggers Create Studio Tour!

I've been soooo looking forward to this event...  Thank you so much Karen for all of  your effort to make this happen.  You won't want to miss the other fabulous spaces either.  Here's a link back to Karen at My Desert Cottage for you....  Just click HERE.

Karen's space is SPECTACULAR!  You'll want to see that, for sure.  But look at mine first please...  It'll look a whole bunch better...  it's gonna be pretty pitiful after seeing Karen's.   :-)

I am CRAZY about Cath Kidston, so that was my inspiration ...  It's so HAPPY isn't it?

I have a teenie, tiny studio space, but have SO much stuff tucked into every, single nook and cranny.

I've tried to get things as organized as possible....  Whew, is that ever a tough task....  If you're an artsy girlie, you'll exactly what I'm talking about.   So many things carry over from one project to another.

Secondly...  I LOVE STUFF...  really love it.  Yep, one of those hoarder kind of girls.  I admit it.  There it is.....  in black and white.      :-)

Here we have my work table ...  I made it... yep, sure did.  It works great.... lots of storage behind that little curtain.  I also made the bigger scalloped shelf and the one with points.  Those little babies hold a lot of goodies.  

Try to ignore the hideous office chair.  The new one  I ordered was really poor quality, so it's going right on back.    I had an old one before that I had made a sweet, 'lil slipcover for, but it was so big and bulky I could hardly move the darn thing.

Making every, single inch count was a priority Chickies...  Just look at all that goodness on crammed onto a six inch wide shelf...   :-)

I've had this odd, old sewing machine table for about a century now... I'd love one of those dandy Koala, fancy ones........... but one would never fit into this beensie space....  And, this one works just fine.

Edward Scissorhands, where are you?  I LOVE the things... probably have at least fifty pair....  

Ugly lamp shade?  Feather boa is the fix!  You can barely see it back behind that stack of books, but that jar with the ribbon?  It's full of precious notes from my daughter.  LOVE it.  And, it was one of my most cherished gifts evah!

No, there are NO diamonds to be found...  but it was easier to write that on the tag than "little, fake, stick on rhinestones"...   :-)  And, more colored pencils.   These are watercolor pencils...  Can't have too many colored pencils.  Seriously.  You can't.  At least that's exactly what I tell the Hubbster.  * I have HUNDREDS of 'em.   :-)   

I bought those two small, fancy 'lil shelves at the thrift store...  just perfect for small stuff...  

Rolling right around to the crammed FULL side of the room.  So happy that you can't see this wall before you're actually IN the room.  But, let me tell 'ya...  I have A TON of stuff stored here.  I just bought the Billys at Ikea knowing how fantastic they would be....  Three of the regular sized ones and one that's skinnier.  Fills the whole wall!  I wish I had been able to buy matching and beautiful containers to use, but that would have been super, duper expensive so I used mostly what I had already.  Yep, PENNY PINCHER...  Tilly Tightwad, for sure.

  

The little child's chair doubles as a footstool and a step stool to reach higher things.  Short.  Yes, I AM.

I bought the little drawer do-hickie at the thrift store for a couple of bucks.  It was part of a vanity, but with some wood filler, paint and knobs it's just great.  

See that adorable red heart up there?  A gift sent to me by Sue at Rue Mouffetard..   I LOVE her.  Thank you SUE!

You still here?  Wow...   :-)   Geeee...  Thanks!

New chair, Ikea.  I swear, I couldn't make the slipcover as inexpensively as they sell them.  And, those shelves!!!  ...  See, I couldn't fit another thing in there!  Packed as full as possible...  Everything is marked, but I want to make a "map" of everything as well.  I'm going to print the pix on regular printer paper and write on each container what's inside.  And, eventually make new and fancy tags.  Right now these will do.

This stool serves as a ............wait for it..........stool...   How clever am I?..... and as an end table when I'm using my chair...  need something more that that little lamp, but where........WHERE ..........would it fit?  

So DEAR Chickies...  there you have it...  TINY... I think my space is about  9 X 10 or so, but it really is my HAPPY PLACE.

So glad you came by.  Now, pop on over to see lots and lots of wonderful places Where Bloggers Create!

Huggies and Lovies...  

Spencer

xoxoxoxo

PS....  Can anybody explain to me how to make my pictures bigger and not run into all that stuff on my right sidebar?  I cannnnnot figure it out.

Well, I guess I could say ....  "it's been a long, long time"...  :-)

Hey Chickies, how have y'all been?  

There have been many things happening here since I posted last JUNE!  Holy cow.  Time does fly.

I finally did finish my little bathroom and will get around to posting pictures of it sometime soon.

And, I did the spring cleaning...  and now it's time to start again.  It always creeps right up on me.

And, then there's the UPDATE:

My husband suffered with trigeminal neuralgia for nearly two years and finally decided to have the surgery to correct it last September.

And here begins the story...

He did really well.  It's BRAIN surgery.

He was home two days when he got really weak and sick.  He'd been doing really well, so I couldn't figure what was wrong.

I took him back to the hospital...  and they found he had a blood clot near the surgery point and meningitis.  YIKES.

He was in the ICU for eight days, came home and finally began to feel better.  He still couldn't drive so that meant I drove over 100 miles round trip to the hospital every day that I didn't actually stay there....then drove him back and forth to work about 100 miles for both trips every day.

Driving, driving, driving.

By December he was feeling good and driving himself.  YIPPPEEEE! 

 Then he called from the hospital to say they had admitted him.  He'd had two strokes.

Tons of tests and rehab.  Back to work.  Me transporting again.

We went to the Stroke Clinic on January 3rd to talk to them about what could possibly have been the cause.  These were not TIA's...  serious strokes.  Fortunately the loss of use of his arm and leg were minimal and they were sure he would recover nearly fully.

He'd been on Coumadin since the brain surgery.  It was a mystery how he could have had two strokes.  The Stroke Clinic added aspirin and ordered some testing.

The following morning he had two more strokes and was transported to a major hospital where he stayed for 26 days.

He's been home now for a month....  and yes, THANK YOU JESUS...  he making great strides in the recovery department.   He's been on IV penicillin for months for the meningitis...  finally off that as of Friday and lots of PT, OT, and Speech Therapy. 

The blessing in all of this?  COUNTLESS!  We have had so many people do wonderful and generous things for us.  I am grateful beyond words.  God has been so faithful, with us every, single step of the way.  He is so good and I trust that He has us in the palm of HIS hand...  What better place could there be?

So, there you have it.  Not a lot of creativity to share....  :-)  And, now you know why..

On another note....  I am a HUGE Pinterest fan.  I was zipping around when I saw a familiar shot....  It was MY house!  I was so surprised....  Never have pinned any of my pictures and don't have the little, red Pinterest gizmo on my blog either...  I gotta say, I feel sort of famous.  Ok, maybe not, but it was a lovely surprise.  

I'm also surprised and delighted that some of you are still out there ... it HAS been a LONG time...

Sending huggies, lovies and LOTS of gratitude...

Spencer

Hawaiian Style.....

Hi Girlies and Happy Monday!

I promised to post these pix several weeks ago, but time got away from me....  yes, again....  ;-D

I've been working away on my bathroom...  why does everything take about 2,079 times longer than you predict?

It's coming along nicely though and I can't wait to show y'all...  

My mother-in-law told me that these little cottages were built by the missionaries from England...  my brother-in-law said they were built by the missionaries from New England...  Hmmm...  Not sure, but they are the sweetest little houses ever, aren't they?

We haven't taken a drive up to Diamond Head in a long time, but took a little detour so I could take some pictures for you...  They're taken with my iTouch so the quality isn't great, but you'll get the idea....

See...........England!    :-D

They're designated historic homes, but I didn't get out to read the little plaques, hence the questionable facts.

Part of our pre-marriage agreement was that I'd never have to move to Hawaii...  I love to visit..  it's just beautiful, but the heat gets to me after awhile and I love the seasons here in beautiful and equally green Washington.  And, besides that, I'd miss my family.

But..........if I could live in one of these little beauties, I might just make the move!

Look at Diamond Head, right behind it and it looks like roses behind the fence, but it's actually hibiscus....  This is the one I'd choose.

Adorable.

So homey...  I think this one looks the most Hawaiian in design....  The shape of the roof... but it has a little red, English post box.  It looks so cozy to me.

I had to get a picture of this adorable thatched roof, even if I couldn't see the house........so quaint, isn't it?

Well, off to get some blood work and home to finish up the bathroom.  So many tiny details have taken up lots of extra time.  

My hubby and I have decided this will be our last undertaking this large (and it really wasn't THAT big)...  we're going to have to have these things done from now on....  We're OLD and TIRED.     :-D

Have a great week Chickies!

Spencer

xoxoxoxo

Ten Years Ago Today....

Yeah, I don't think this is really the sort of anniversary one celebrates, but I couldn't help remembering that day....  OUCH.

Getting ready for a garage sale, I wanted to ask my darling hubby if it was OK if I sold one of the old pictures he brought to Washington from Hawaii....  I was trying so hard not to break the picture as I fell.......

Oh yes.....I did!  I DID save the picture.

Not such a great result for my leg.

Still, ten years later not totally healed....  but so incredibly grateful that I've been on my feet for ten more years.

Thank you Jesus.

If you're so inclined you can read my story here.

And, today's a big day for my sweet hubby.  He'll be baptized in water tonite at our church.  He was baptized as a child...  this time he made the decision to live for Jesus himself.  I can't wait.  I am so happy.

And, as we celebrate Memorial Day, I'll be grateful for my ability to walk, but so VERY grateful to those who fought for our country.  You are heroes.  God bless each and every one of you.  And to your families who have done it all in your absence.....my heart goes out to you........you are heroes as well.

Have a safe weekend my dear friends.

Huggies and Lovies too.....

Spence

Beautiful, Beautiful Hawaii

We're home from a wonderful and restful 10 days in the islands... 

We stay........as usual.........in the very bedroom where my husband stayed as a boy....  his mom has lived in this house for over fifty years....  that's the view everyone has enjoyed for so long.....  Easy to see why she doesn't want to move.

She turns 89 today...  and sadly has Alzheimer's.  We heard many of the same stories over and over but she was so joyful in sharing them that they were new and fresh each time....   She's been very independent since my father-in-law's death over 20 years ago.  And, actually played tennis until about 3 years ago and was involved in a lot of charity work and her church....  much more content to be at home now.

It broke my heart when the end of our trip was nearing and she kept asking us to stay, to come back soon, she had plenty of room, could we move in, and telling us how much she'd miss us.  Bless her heart.  She stood in the driveway watching us leave until we turned the corner.  Boy, that was a tough departure.

Happy Birthday Sweet Maggie...  and yes, we'll be back soon.

The view above is looking left from her home....

This view is looking to the right.......isn't it fabulous?

Soooo beautiful........

This shot is from our first morning....  we always go out to watch the sunrise...  Not too spectacular this morning, but it's a great place to have your morning cuppa!

On our way home from Hawaii Kai...

Diamond Head..........OH MY GOSH........there are some spectacular homes and views up there.  Unbelievable...

Love the courtyards.  So many homes all over Hawaii have them.  They're not allowed in our little community, but oh how I wish they were!

Blue skies and blue, blue ocean....  I wouldn't mind coming down this road to make it home.......

Many homes have gates like these.  I wish I'd taken more pictures.  My darling hubby isn't as patient as I am in the picture taking department.    :-)

Look at that HOUSE!  WOW!  Wonder who lives there.

Lunch at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company...  Ala Moana.  Even that little place has a view.......

My favorite lunch........Kona Brewing Company...  It was FAB.U.LOUS!

A good get-a-way is wonderful, but it's always so great to get home.  I left my bathroom remodel mid-stream so it's good to get home and get back to work on it.  I'm anxious to show you.....  Lots still to do.

And, I have some other pictures of some homes to show you.......they are incredible.  

I'll post them in the next few days.

So, until then...........Aloha....    :-)

Spencer

xox