i'm in love!!!!

.

.......................with the man who invented THIS:

this is THE most fantastic tool ever!!!  (well, maybe not EVER, but it's pretty darn cool!!!!)

i spent the weekend painting my sister in law's kitchen & living room ceilings plus 6 doors.  (for the doors i used one of those little painting pads - those are great too!!!  i forgot to take a picture of it though.  i like them, but not as much as i love this!!!!)

i was all prepared with rollers & brushes, but she mentioned this paint stick she saw advertised on tv.  we picked one up at lowe's & proceeded home with it.  i told her she really didn't need to get it if she didn't want to.  i was going to be the one painting - she's not a fixer-upper & definitely not a painter - so she said she wanted to make it easier for me.

BOY AM I GLAD SHE BOUGHT THIS THING!!!!!!

she has cedar paneling in both her dining room/kitchen, front room & living room.  bare, raw cedar.  that has never been painted.  nor does she want it painted!!!! (ie, "please don't get any paint on my cedar walls" !!!!) 

so i had to be REALLY careful.

well, with this little contraption, i was able to paint it all & not get a drop of paint anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (except for the one little dab that splashed onto the wall when i stepped into the paint tray that was there to catch the drips from the slash guard when i was sucking up more paint into the pole.)

yes, i stepped into the paint tray!!  but at least i had shoes on, so i didn't make a huge mess of getting paint between my toes!!!  i just wiped it off on the drop cloth & continued painting away on that ceiling!!!!

besides, the couch covers it!!!!  she's just going to always have to have her couch in that spot!!!!!   no big deal!!!!   (it would have washed off if i had noticed it sooner, but by the time i was done & noticed it, it was pretty dry.)

i didn't take a ton of blog pictures because it's not my house & i wasn't sure if she wanted her house broadcast all over kingdom come..............but she's getting it ready to sell, so maybe she does want that!!!!!  i'll be going back in the next few months to refinish her kitchen cabinets, so maybe i'll take more pictures then. 

that'll be  more interesting anyways, because these ceilings were just plain old white!!!!

 the previous 2 are the kitchen.

here's the living room:

that's a LOT of cedar!!!!


so, back to the TOOL!   of course i couldn't use a sprayer on these ceilings because that would have meant covering EVERYTHING in plastic.............with this, i didn't have to pour paint into a tray, didn't have to get a roller all soppy with paint, didn't have to drip it all over the place & lose most of the paint before i climbed back up the ladder to paint a few swipes then climb back down the ladder to fill the roller again.........over & over & over & over.

it's long, so i didn't have to climb a ladder at all! (the ceilings are normal 8 foot ceilings - something i don't have in my house! - so i was able to just use a step stool to do the taping & cutting in.)   i didn't spill anything, drip anything, i was able to paint a pretty good sized area with one "suck" of paint - it was GREAT!!!!!!

on the box it says you can paint an 8x8 wall in one minute!!!!!   well, let me tell you, it takes a lot longer to do a 25x25 ceiling!!!!!!!   (and they don't tell you THAT on the box!!!)

(i am not being paid by the manufacturer to endorse this product.  i just had to tell you how much i loved it!!!)

and talk about a workout!!!!!!   i "worked out" all weekend!!!!!!  i hope i can get out of bed tomorrow morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   i think my muscles are in shock right now!!!!!

but it was a terrific weekend --- we had some really good "sister time", got a lot done & she fed me really well---we had mexican saturday, seafood sunday, & shrimp & steak this evening!!!!! 

my stomach is in shock too!!!  it's saying, "what???  this is not salad!!!!  woo hoo!!! we get REAL food!!!!!"


well, no one folded the 2 baskets of laundry i left & no one put clean sheets on my bed while i was gone, so i've got to do that before i can go to bed................tomorrow i've got a funny post about something i found in dana's air vents.....stay tuned!!!!!


and be blessed!!!

just another friday night

it's cold, it's raining............i have tons of stuff i could do, but i think i'll just have me a snuggle marathon on the couch with sam elliott!!

(that's me when i had blond hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  LOL!!!)








see y'all later!!!   i won't be back til late monday!!!!!

sam............

my post on the circular saw sure caused a lot of hoopla!!! and my "man list" caused just as much!!!! several people emailed me wanting to know who sam elliott was!!!  

he's an actor who played in such movies as: 
tombstone
rough riders
the sacketts
conagher
the quick & the dead
hi lo country
gettysburg
butch cassidy & the sundance kid
we were soldiers
you know my name
prancer

he was in the tv shows mission impossible, GUNSMOKE

he's the voice in the dodge commercials & the american beef council commercials & coors beer commercials (not that i'm condoning beer.....)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL8CewpXe3I&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlRbSMywTQg&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DMXbU4eNWlI


THAT VOICE MAKES ME MELT!!!


he's my man!!


i had a lovely valentine's day dinner with some friends & came home to this tied to my basketball goal in the driveway!

thank you, secret admirer!!!!! 
(p.s.  i think i know who you are!!!!! --- "the balloon bandit"!!!!)

prayer meeting was so inspiring & so much fun tonight!!  if you're not coming to it, you should!!!!
be blessed!!

just thinkin'......

i've always been open & honest on my blog, & i'm gonna be that here again.

a few posts back i made the statement that i had another project in mind & i "needed a circular saw.  or a man with a circular saw!"

yesterday i posted that i was going to be able to start that project next week because i "found a man with a circular saw!"

after i get the project done, i WILL post pictures here on my blog.

someone posted an anonymous comment saying:  "is THAT all you want in a man?  i have a circular saw.  AND a tape measure."

"anonymous's" comment got me to thinkin' last night...........  i've been praying for someone for a long time (about a year and a 1/2).  i'm ready.  i was  alone for a long time.  for a long time i wanted to be alone.  partly because i was used to being alone.  (you can be married & still be alone.)  last january i thought i had "found" someone, but as it turned out, God was just using him to prepare me, to teach me some more things.  i don't regret any of it & have no hard feelings toward this person.  in fact, i feel he "wasn't a stumbling block, he was a stepping stone!!"   so for months & months now i've been praying for the special person God has in mind for me.  because i don't want to live the rest of my life alone.  i read something somewhere a while back that said "put your heart in God's hands so He can put it in the hands of the one He has chosen for you."

well, that's exactly what i've done.  i've also told God He can hold my heart for as long as He needs til He has exactly the right one.  i can wait.  i can be patient.  (see, there's that big lesson in being patient that God's been working on in me!!!!!)  i've also been praying that God will make a place in someone's heart just for me.

but i really got to thinkin'------>

what DO i want in a man?

(in no particular order of importance, except for #'s 1,2,3,4,5, 6...!)

• he must be the man God wants for me
• he must love the Lord more than anything
• he must be a born again, church going, active christian
• he must love me
• he must be faithful - to God & to me
• he must read his Bible regularly
• he must be mature - physically, emotionally, spiritually
• dark hair with some grey is nice (i don't care for blonds, sorry)
• he has to like to do things, like projects & stuff around the house --- with me, cuz i like to do projects & stuff around the house
• therefore, he would have to have tools! (to complement my tools!!)
• he has to be easy going & like simple stuff
• a country-boy is good--real good!!
• he has to be frugal - i don't like spending lots of money (mostly cuz i don't have lots!!!) - but not a cheapskate
• has to like to get a tan (pastey white bodies are no good!)
• he has to like old stuff cuz i'm old i like old stuff!!!
• he must be strong - physically, emotionally, spiritually
• he has to be a gentleman--i want someone who opens the doors for me & is kind & sweet & caring
• he has to want to spend time together
• he has to like to snuggle on the couch while watching a movie
• has to like to snuggle in bed (AFTER marriage, of course!  just being honest!)
• he has to want to be the spiritual leader of the family
• he has to be a good pray-er (& that comes with practice)
• he has to want to pray WITH me & FOR me
• he has to want to be loved & taken care of
• he has to want to love me & take care of me
• he would rather go for a walk out in the country or just sit in the back yard looking at the sky than go to the mall
• he has to like to hold & be held
• he has to like to give & get back scratches & back rubs
• he would have to have his own hobbies & interests because i have my hobbies & interests
• he would have to understand that we'd want to be together all the time but we need our own space too
• he would have to love his mother but not more than he loves me
• he must treat me like a lady
• he would have to like going antiquing in rinky dink small texas towns
• he would have to be a good hugger & kisser
• he would have to accept me for the person that God made me
• he would have to realize the sign in my kitchen is TRUE (i kiss better than i cook)
• family would be important to him
• he has to be cute - like sam elliott/george clooney cute! (or just have sam elliott's voice!)
• (& if he likes sam elliott/george clooney movies, all the better!)
• but looks aren't the only "cute" - his personality can make him cute
• he has to have hair - no baldies!!!
• he has to like to be outside
• he must be honest & trustworthy
• he must be confident
• he must have a firm handshake---i hate wimpy handshakers!   be a man!
• he must respect me for who i am, what i can do
• but he still must be the leader & must still treat me like a lady even when i'm using power tools & building something!
• he must be able to talk, carry on a conversation, communicate as equals, on an equal level, not never talk or always be the only one talking & never let me get a word in
• he must be a good listener--hear what i have to say, consider what i have to say & then make a decision about what to do
• he would make me feel like the most important person in the world because he would be the most important person in the world to me
• he must realize that i would do each & every one of these things for him
• he has to like mexican food, chinese, & BBQ

i'm sure that if i thought more, i could come up with a bunch of other things, but this is a good start!!!

know anyone who fits the qualifications??!!!


i also realize that some of these qualifications i just threw in for fun (he doesn't REALLY have to look like george clooney -----sam elliott, yes, but george, no!!!!!!!!!!)


but he REALLY REALLY DOES have to be the man God wants for me.

happy valentine's day everyone & thanks for reading my blog --- & commenting.  but PLEASE, if you must post "anonymous," write your name in the post!!!!!

and you with the tape measure, call me!!!!!

be blessed!!!!

happy valentine's day everyone!!!

(disregard the typo!!  i didn't make this sign, i copied it from somewhere!!)

well, in that case,

my heart

is right where

i want it to be!!!!!!!!!!!

and next week i'll be starting another PROJECT!!!!!
cuz i found a man with a circular saw!!!!!!!!!

stay tuned!!!

have a blessed valentine's day!!!!!

now this is more like it!!!!!

blue sky!!!

sun, shining through the oleander bushes!!



the sun has shined 2 days in a row now!!!!  (but friday did start off VERY rainy & gloomy!)


BUT BOY IS IT COLD. 


F.R.E.E.Z.I.N.G C.O.L.D.!!!


i finally broke down & turned the heater on for a little bit.  60 inside & 42 outside is just WAY. TOO. COLD. FOR. ME!!!!!    goodness!!  42 degrees is about 70+ degrees colder than what i'm used to in the virgin islands!!!!   i'll take 112 over 42 any day!!!

it's supposed to get about 10 or more degrees colder over the night.......the wind is whipping the windchimes like crazy out there.

i'm so thankful i have a home to (try to stay)  be warm in.

speaking of thankful, THIS normally would have driven me crazy:

i haven't washed the dishes all week!
i can't stand messes - gets on my nerves.  things on my nerves is not a good thing!

but the other day i looked at the dishes in the sink & instead of going beserk, i thought,
"i'm really blessed - i've eaten all week!"


i washed the dishes tonight - by hand, in really hot water, just to get warm!!!!


i hope you're blessed too!!!  and that you're warm!!!

i need sunshine

it's been so grey & cloudy & rainy & gloomy & cold.  i'm depressed.   i NEEEED sunshine & blue skies & hot!!!  i NEEED to be outside!!!!     i NEEEEEEEEED it to be summer!!!!!!!

in the meantime, here are pictures of the pastor's office remodel.  unfortunately, i don't have pictures of BEFORE because i was out of town when the office got gutted & they forgot to take pictures.   i can assure you though that it went from "another century, long long ago" to "present day"!!!!!!

here are the "under construction" shots:

the ugly brown beams were taken down from all around the room.  made the room appear larger & taller.  that's dust on the carpet from removing the beams, not paint!

the old texture of the walls -- there were about 4 different textures on the walls!!!

there used to be bookshelves on this wall. those baby blue stripes are the old paint where the shelving rails used to be.

this beam is structural, so it had to stay, but it got painted.

i retextured the walls & initially "painting the ceiling" was not in the original plan, but i found out that the ceiling hadn't ever been painted (or at least it was a crappy job) & it was very dingy so plans changed & i painted the ceiling.  paint sprayers are wonderful inventions!!!!!!

ceiling's all done, beam is primed

beautiful white ceiling, new light fixtures, walls & beam getting painted!

originally "they" wanted to leave the carpet so i was VERY careful, but the longer i worked on this room the more i hated the worn ratty carpet, so i convinced "them" that we needed to replace the floor.  my friend joyce was in 100% agreement!!!  i think SHE may have been the one to actually convince "them"!!!!   so up came the carpet (that was worn all the way bare to the floor under the pastor's old desk area!!!) & down went beautiful laminate flooring!!!!

8 of us worked on this floor (plus a few kids doing "quality control")

ben & bruce doing what they do best-----nothing, but holding up the wall!!!!!!

there was a reason for these 2 pictures at the time, but i've slept since then & now for the life of me, i can't think of what that reason was!!!!!

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh--- it could be we have 12 feet done, 9 feet left to go................?????!!!!!

we got all but this much done in one morning!!!   it was fun learning how to lay flooring!!  (now i want to put it in my bedroom & craftroom!!!!  $$$$$$$$!!!)

and HERE

is the finished product!!!!!  (except i have some touch up to do this weekend since the AV guys re-wired the place for phone & internet!!)(and they did a fantastic job!!!  so professional!!!!!!)  (sorry for the glare in some of the pictures - the glass & wood is just so shiny without any books or anything!!!)

TA DA!!!!!!!!  :

 there will be 2 "comfy" upholstered chairs in this corner by the table

 pastor's desk area used to be over by the window, but now it's across the room in this corner---- all new furniture, desk, credenza, bookshelves, file cabinet.....   oops!  that ugly trash can should be UNDER the desk!!!!

 that white thing for cords & cables in the corner & center of the wall will be painted to match the wall this weekend.

that beam doesn't even look like a beam anymore!!!

 new conference table, old chairs; we'll be putting some plants/trees in the corners, etc. & doing other "pretty-ing up" & "fluffing"!!!  gotta make it perty too & not just masculine!!!!!

 i love LOVE the texture on the walls!!!!  it's like i've done in my house & i LOVE IT!!!!

 with the flash, you can see the truer color of the walls (& the glare off the glass!!!)   the color is lyndhurst stone from lowe's

 doesn't the desk look so much nicer with the trashcan hidden??!!!

 MUCH nicer bookshelves!!!  (and they're not black!!!  how about that??!!)

welcome to the 21st century!!!!

 i love the crown moulding!!!   this wall with the window looks soooooo much taller without that ancient beam!! 

the floor is gorgeous & the whole room looks sooooooooooooooooo much bigger!!!!   it's so beautiful!!!!   joyce & i are going to let the new pastor pick his own artwork for the walls (but it has to be approved by the 2 of us 1st!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


now i'm expecting some really good sermons to be written in this beautiful office!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
ha ha ha!!!



who would have thought that 6 months before, i almost died!!!!!  
God is sooooooooooo good!!!!!



i am for hire if anyone wants walls textured or painted    or wall paper removed    or cabinets refinished, or.................................!!!!!!


be blessed!!!!