Getting Ready for Choir Retreat

Today is a busy day. In fact this whole week has been crazy. Tuesday, I taught piano lessons as usual. Wednesday, I had to cancel lessons because I was playing piano for a men's quartet that was performing in Charlotte. Last night (Thursday) I had a piano lesson and two choir rehearsals. I also had to practice my music for Sunday's service.

And now....back to today. Our church choir is going on a retreat tonight, and since I'm the accompanist, I'll be going as well. (They can't very well practice without me!) We'll be looking at music for Christmas as well as preparing for upcoming performances in the fall. Since the piano at the retreat center is in bad shape, I'll be taking my keyboard. I'll have to take an amp from the church as well, because I'm not sure if my keyboard will have enough volume to fill up the rehearsal room. So, that's two huge items for travel. With my luggage and knitting bag, I'll be lucky if I fit in my car to drive it! (My car is pretty small.)

In addition to getting ready for the retreat, I have some things to take care of at home as well. Getting the house in order will be my first priority. Then, I'll be paying some bills, taking some things to our storage unit, and stopping by the music store to pick up some sheet music.

I made the mistake of listing the wrong title in the bulletin for this Sunday, so I have to go and purchase the title I listed! I put "Simple Gifts" as the prelude, but it's actually "Ash Grove". I'm always getting those two tunes mixed up in my silly head. The bad part is I don't even HAVE a rendition of "Simple Gifts"! So, after I find a piano or organ version of that tune, I'll be ready to go to church.

We'll only be staying at the retreat center for one night, so I shouldn't miss Marvin too bad. But, it will be difficult to sleep without him. I don't know who my roomie will be, but I hope they can put up with my knitting late at night.

Poor Marvin is working late tonight anyway....it's month-end. He works for Chick-Fil-A as a manager, and he always has tons of work to do at the end of each month. Inventory, reports, etc. So, he'll be getting home late. He is planning on getting his kids this weekend, but I'm not sure if he'll get them tonight or tomorrow. So, that means, I have to do extra work at home to get the house ready for all those sleepers, just in case they come tonight.

I hope he waits until tomorrow to get them. That way, I can be here to help everyone get settled in a place to sleep. I'd hate to see what would happen tonight if I am not here. They'll probably destroy everything in the house looking for blankets and pillows. I have them stacked in a room of the house, but for some reason they can't see them. Strange.

I am looking forward to the choir retreat, though. It should be nice and relaxing. After we practice tonight, we'll stay up and play games and spend time together. Tomorrow, we'll have breakfast, practice some more, have lunch, practice again, then we'll be performing for a Catholic church service in the evening. I've never been to a full Catholic service before, so it should be interesting. I've been to a Catholic funeral, and I've even been the organist for a Catholic wedding. Now, the circle will be complete. : )

Monday is looking better and better. That will be a WONDERFUL day of relaxing. I REFUSE to do anything that day!

I REFUSE TO FELT!

I must be a knitting purist or something, but I have no desire to FELT any of my knitting. I mean, you have to knit a HUGE item, and then it shrinks down to a little tiny thing that doesn't even show any of your stitches. I mean, you can't PROVE you did any of it! And, why would I want to make something that looks like the felt sheets I can buy at a craft store? I just don't get it.

Anyway, enough of my blabbering. I'm still learning new things as I knit each night. I started knitting about 2 years ago, and so far I've accomplished scarves, hats, dishcloths, baby booties, bookmarks, headbands, a baby sweater, and socks. (I'm most proud of the socks - those were so COOL to make!) Here's a photo of my first pair of socks, and another shot that shows my feet snuggling inside of them.















Now, my dream is to learn to make cables and do fair isle designs. I will learn to do those things - it is a definite goal.

God Bless My Craft Room

A couple weeks ago, I finished my "God Bless My Home" crewel project. I just didn't have time to post it, because I was so busy painting and setting up my craft room. Can you believe I finished it? It only took about 20 years. lol

It's nice to have that finished, because it's been hanging over my head forever. I was just always setting it aside, because I was so busy working full-time and being a single mother. Now that I'm doing music full-time instead, I've got lots more time to put into it. Also, my health condition has kept me from getting out of the house as much as I used to. Since I'm home, may as well put myself to good use in my craft room!

I've been busy making Christmas crafts now, getting ready for our church's Christmas Craft Bazaar. My mom is going to come also, so it should be a good way for us to spend some time together. Maybe she'll actually be nice to me, and not criticize me for my weight, my house, my kids, or whatever else comes to her mind. I tell you.....that woman.

My first Christmas craft was a felt stocking with a reindeer on it. Last night, I made a Christmas Bell, and started making a Christmas Hat. I've got a folder full of ideas of things to make for that bazaar. After the bazaar is over, I've got to get to work on Christmas gifts! I guess I'll be making scarves, hats and dishcloths again. They are quick and fun gifts to make.

Rainy Day Tea Party for One!

Today is a rainy day. "Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down", as Karen Carpenter used to sing. : (

But, I'm making the most of it today. Mondays are my day off each week, and I try to relax as much as possible. Today, I truly accomplished it, having slept until 1:30. It was a nice sleep - you know how it is when the weather is bad outside, and you're tucked under the covers. Blissful.

After taking my thyroid medicine, and signing on to eBay, I put on a kettle for tea. Then, I stepped outside to check the mail. Behold, new teabags! I had won a couple sample pack auctions on eBay, and they had arrived! Yippee!

So, needless to say, I decided to try the new teas. I made one cup of each. Osmanthus Exotica Tea and Yamamotoyama Ginger - both from the Stash Tea Company. They were excellent. The Exotica tea is a black tea with a very fresh taste, almost like Taiwan green tea. The Ginger tea is a hot and spicy green tea. Very nice way to start the day.

I took the photo on my computer desk in our bedroom. The first photo I took would not show the color of the teas, so I put one of my new craft room drapes underneath them. Now, you can easily see the black and green tea colors. By the way, the drapes are beautiful hanging in my craft room. I won 3 sets, and I only have 2 windows. So, I am going to use the leftover drape fabric to make seat cushions for my rocking chair and computer seat. It should be nice.

Remembering My Younger Years

I've been thinking about my life a lot lately. I've spent a good portion of my life at the piano or organ, performing all kinds of music. My first paying job was as the pianist at Wilson Grove Baptist Church. I was 15 years old, and was so excited about making $50 a week playing music! It was a great experience for me. The music minister, Bill Mills, was a wonderful man who took me under his wing and taught me so much. I truly respected him and admired his family. His wife, Peg was so sweet. She and Bill would have me over to visit anytime I wanted. I considered them to be my second family. The organist at the church was named Karen Price. She was a jewel. She and I did organ-piano duets for every service - We even did a concert once!

Now, it's 26 years later, and I've worked for many churches as pianist or organist or choir director. My experiences have been as varied as the churches. I've performed for over 200 weddings, played organ for televised services, and sung solos for a crowd of over 4000 people. It's been fun.

Craft Room is Officially Being Used!

I've done a lot over the past few days, getting everything moved in and organized in my new craft room. It is so nice to finally have a place for all of my craft stuff to be kept and used. I'm in heaven. I bought a new pair of reading glasses to help in seeing my close needlework, and also purchased a magnifying glass that clips to my table for really close work.

All of my yarn is stored and organized. Some of my old yarn is ready to leave the house via eBay or Goodwill. Christmas crafts are ready to be worked on, so I started making a felt stocking a couple nights ago. It's almost finished now. I hope to finish 9 felt stockings, along with some other items that I can sell at our church's Christmas Craft Show in the fall.

Sewing fabric and patterns are in boxes, embroidery and needlepoint kits are sorted and ready to go. Fiber is ready to spin, and the spinning wheel is sitting on top of the shelving, ready to come down and whirl. Knitting projects are in separate baskets, ready to be grabbed and worked on. Craft Books are arranged and in good shape. I can sit in my rocking chair and look around at all the projects, deciding which one to make next. It's fantastic!

It sure is nice to have a craft room now. (I can't stop saying that.) I'm so proud of all the work I've done. Sure, it would be nice to have a new sewing machine or serger, but my old stuff is just fine. And it would be nice to have a new floor, but I can live with this old carpet a few more years. I'm still as happy as a frog with his own pond.

Marvin teases me about it now, saying, "Are you gonna go hide in your craft room again?" or "What did you accomplish in the craft world today?"

I can't wait to tease him when I finish getting his hobby room set up. (My next project after Christmas....tee hee!)

Sewing Table and Yarn Storage 

Bookcases and TV in Craft Room 

Wow! My Craft Room is Almost Finished!

After one week of concentrated effort, I am beginning to see my craft room come together. Yes! All the paint fumes have affected me in a bad way. Now I have a very bad cold, or a sinus infection. I'm constantly sneezing and blowing my nose, my eyes are always tearing, and the roof of my mouth is itching. I also have a sore throat. Bummer.

But, one good thing is MY CRAFT ROOM IS ALMOST DONE! I'm ecstatic. I feel like a little girl on Christmas morning. I spent most of yesterday moving furniture into place. Marvin decided to make the new room his abode for the afternoon and watched a football game in MY Craft Room. (lol) I didn't mind really - it was nice to have him in there with me. He kept saying, "You did a great job in here. It's hard to believe that just a week ago, it looked completely different. You should put this makeover on HGTV." He's so sweet. I really love him. The photos above are from yesterday's progress.

Today, after church, I came home and collapsed in bed until 4:00. My respiratory ailment took me down for a while. After my nap and dinner with Marvin, we finished moving in the rest of the craft room furniture and I started searching all over the house for all my craft stuff. Magazines, books, bags of yarn, knitting projects, embroidery projects, sewing projects, sewing patterns, fabric, embroidery floss, needlework stands and hoops, spinning wheel, fiber for spinning, and various other craft items all began to pile up in the middle of the room. At the end of the night, Marvin looked in the room and said, "Where are you gonna put all this stuff?" (I think he was disappointed to see a mess in there already.) I said, "Don't worry. I have a plan in my head. I just have to get my hands and arms and legs to make it happen."

I haven't taken pictures of the chaos in there right now. I don't want to remember it. :P I'll take another picture when it's all done! Oh! By the way, I won the auction for the pretty floral swags on eBay. Yippee! I think I'll make shades to go under them myself - that can be my first new project in the craft room.

Painting is Done! Yee Ha!

Incredible! After 5 days of intensive labor (most of the time, except for teaching days), my paint job for the craft room is COMPLETE. I can't believe it.

There is only one small painting task left - touching up the ceiling with flat white paint. I'll have to look for that in the closet in the blue room. UGH! That is the room which is PACKED with junk right now. Luckily, the closet is near the entry door.

Also, I think I might want to buy some new covers for the light switches and power outlets. The silver chrome covers just don't look "crafty" enough for my taste. Hey - time for a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot! I always go to both of them to compare the prices and selection. That way, I know I'm getting the best choice. I need to buy new doorknobs anyway - the old ones were beat up, so I just kept them on while I painted. Now they have cream paint all over them. lol.

This has been an exhausting week for me. I got so hot and sweaty working in that room. I had closed the air conditioning duct and opened the windows to keep it well-ventilated. (Even then, my allergies acted up. But, I am beginning to understand now that my allergies will ALWAYS act up, regardless of the precautions I take.) Every time I had to go anywhere, I had to take another shower. I think I had more showers in this one week than I did so far this year! I'm due for another one right now. Whew! : P

The peach and pink look good together, and the cream trim looks nice with it. Once the curtains have been purchased and hung, the room should be a dream. I wanted to vacuum tonight, but the vacuum cleaner is on the blink. Will ONE MORE THING break in my house - PLEASE?! Maybe I can borrow my Mom's. She'll jump at the chance to get my house clean. lol

After the vacuuming is done, I'll be able to move the furniture out from the center of the room, then get everything set up the way I want. Hopefully, the room will be ready for full-force crafting by tomorrow! I think I'm gonna cry......tears of JOY!

Yesterday was PIANO Day!

I never posted anything yesterday, because I was so busy. After waking up and looking at the craft room (I couldn't paint the night before because I didn't want to be sneezing all day), I took my thyroid medicine, made a cup of Tazo Chai Spice tea, and tried to relax a little.

A lady at church had asked me to perform special music for the senior citizens luncheon at church this day. I decided that I would not be singing for the event, because I'm not in top condition with all these paint fumes in the house. So, I perused my piano music and made some selections that would work well. I chose the following pieces:

About Strange Lands and People
(from “Scenes from Childhood”)............... Robert Schumann

Ashokan Farewell
(from the movie “Civil War”)............... Jay Ungar

New Orleans Blues
and Bourbon Street Saturday Night
............... William Gillock

Waltz Opus 64, Number 2............... Frederic Chopin

Waltz in A Flat............... Johannes Brahms

The Lord’s Prayer............... Albert Hay Malotte

I decided to have the concert in the church's sanctuary so I could do the pieces justice on the grand piano. Good thing, too. The piano in the room where the seniors were meeting was in bad shape!

The concert went very well. They applauded after each piece, and offered their praise and thanks when it was over. I enjoyed performing those pieces - it was a perfect break from all that painting at home - good for my soul.

After the concert, I had to go back home. Marvin needs clean clothes, and I don't see anyone else here that can do our laundry.....so, back to our humble abode I drove. When I got home, I had to search our room for his dirty clothes - MARVIN! I hate it when he doesn't put all his dirty clothes in the pile where they belong. Socks were under the bed and under his chair in our room. Shirts and pants were in strange places. Eventually, all the clothes were in the laundry room where they belong, sorted and ready to wash. I threw in the darks, and went to the computer to crash from all that chaos.

What a contrast: Performing classical piano for an appreciative audience, then scrounging around under the bed at home to gather dirty laundry. :P I need a maid!

When the darks were finished, I put them in a laundry basket, then put the whites in to wash. Our dryer is dead right now, so we have to take them to the laundromat or hang them on the line until the dryer is repaired. Since I'm having a busy day, I decide to have Marvin take them to the laundromat tonight when he gets home. I write him a note and put a stack of quarters with it. I can call him to tell him about his evening "appointment" when I drive back to church.

Since the darks are washed, and the whites are in the washer, I decide to take a short nap before I have to leave. I have a piano lesson at 4:00, practice with a men's quartet at 6:00, and choir practice from 7:00 until 8:30. It's gonna be a long night.....I definitely need a nap.

The sleep is short, but sweet, and I wake up feeling a little better. I throw on the outfit I wore for the concert, and drive to church, remembering to call Marvin on the way. He's not mad about having to go to the laundromat, because he knows our crazy situation right now. He also knows how tired I am this week with all the painting and the concert and teaching and church music stuff. Whew!

My piano student does a good job - he always practices well. When he leaves, I go to the sanctuary and look over my selections for the organ for Sunday:

Prelude: "Aria for Organ" - Dennis R. Johnson
Offertory: "Deep River" - Robert W. Thygerson
Postlude: "God of Grace & Glory" - Anna Laura Page

I practiced them this past Sunday, so I decide to let it go until the service this week. Taking a look at my bench beside the organ, I resolve to straighten things up a bit. There is still music there from this past week. But I am so tired! And the sanctuary is so hot, because they don't keep it air conditioned during the week. So, I grab the music I need for the men's quartet and take it over to the cooler choir room. I call one of the men and tell him that we will be practicing in the room beside the choir room because the sanctuary is unbearable. He agrees.

I go over to the choir room, and sit down for a rest at the choir director's desk.

I make some calls:
To the organ technician - "Please come by soon and work on the Great manual. Several of the notes are not sounding at all." I tell him that during a hymn last Sunday, the congregation had trouble singing because some of my notes would not sound. I gave him an example like this: "A Mighty ------tress Is --- ----" He agrees to come next week to correct the "oxidation problem".

To my eye doctor - "Are my reading glasses ready yet?". They ask for my name - three times. They say they can't find my order. Perfect. They will check on it and get back to me. They take down my number.

To Marvin - "Hey Honey! How was your day? I love you...smooch...smooch" : )

To the owner of the music studio where I teach on Tuesdays - we go over the fall schedule.

When I'm finished making calls, I go to the piano in the choir room and practice some choral anthems. They are interesting. It's nice to have a director who chooses pieces that are challenging to me. I get so bored with simple anthems.

Soon, the choir director walks in the door, and we chat a little while as he sets up handbell tables. Then one of the men from the quartet arrives. Some of the handbell choir members are arriving, so I leave the piano and go to the room where the quartet will be practicing. I have my knitting bag with me, so I knit a few rows of a baby hat. (The Lion Brand Microspun Preemie Hat) When the quartet arrives, we practice until 7, then I have to go back to the choir room.

Choir rehearsal goes well, and now I can finally go home again! Yippee! A busy day of music, music, music!

Think Pink

ACHOO! Bless Me! Once again, I'm sneezing up a storm from the paint fumes. I knocked out the pink painting last night, and it went pretty fast! I was in bed by 1:30 - I must be getting good at this painting thing.

The photo above of the pink paint doesn't really show the actual color. I took it while the room was still dark this morning at 6 a.m. (The overhead light must have a lot of yellow in it!) The other photos show the disaster in the rest of the house. The picture of the "packed" room is where I've had to store all the stuff from the craft room while painting. The overflow and painting supplies are in the second room - our living room, which ain't really "livable" right now. You can see my spinning wheel there by the door!

It will make a HUGE difference when the craft room is ready for furniture and all those crafts. Our entire house will be transformed. I'm ready for the transformation!

Today, after the pink paint completely dries, I'll be painting the windows, doors, and trim. I don't like to paint doors, but they were painted already, so I have to change the color now. I'm using a nice creamy white called "Cookies and Cream". It should look great when it's done. Maybe I'll take a photo with a better camera for the end result. (I should be able to find it when all that stuff is put away. lol)

Choosing Curtains for my Craft Room

Since I'm taking a break from painting today, I decided to look for some curtains on eBay for my craft room. The peach and pink paint already lends itself to femininity, so I'm going to go romantic all the way. I want to have frilly flowered curtains.

Right away, I found a couple auctions that I wanted to win. I bid on one of them, but I've already been outbid. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4404168905&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT Those curtains are so pretty, and the colors are perfect for the craft room. (Second picture at the top of the blog) Too bad I got bid out - maybe I'll decide to pay more than I originally planned. The other set I like is here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4405519441&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT (First picture at top of blog). I'm still winning that auction, so time will tell which curtains will be mine.

Depending on which set of curtains I win, I'll need to get sheers or shades to go under them. I really like shades, but they are such a pain to install. Maybe I can get my step-dad to do it for me.

It's nice to have a day to relax today. I started off the day (when I woke up at NOON!) by taking my thyroid medicine, and making a nice cup of hot tea (Tazo Chai). Now, I'm on my second cup, and am thoroughly relaxed. My breakfast was a very unhealthy piece of red velvet cake. (I made it a couple days ago to use as emergency snack food during my painting extravaganza.) It was yummy.

I have a couple hours left now before I teach piano and voice lessons at 4:30, so I think I'll play Sims 2 on the computer. That would be nice. Hey - I know! I can make a house on the Sims and use one room as a model for my craft room! Cool! Maybe I'll put a screenshot here to show you what I make. Fun, fun!

Blue Painter's Tape Addiction

My body has staged a revolt. Every bone and muscle is creaking and aching - even in spots that I didn't know I had muscles! My right side has also developed a sharp pain that concerns me. It hurts most when I'm in the bathroom. My husband said that I probably pulled something, but I don't think it's a muscular pain. It feels like deep internal pain. With my luck, I'll end up in the hospital getting my appendix removed! Hopefully, it's just trapped gas. : )

I haven't painted the pink in the craft room yet. After I finished teaching piano lessons last night, I came straight home and was ready to go to bed. But, I wanted to heat up Marvin's dinner first. So, I pried my eyes open and splashed water on my face, then grabbed the plate out of the fridge. (I brought home leftovers from the Spanish dinner, because I knew I wouldn't feel like cooking.)

I heated up the pork chop, onions, rice and black beans on the stove top. Then I grabbed a muffin pan, and put the yucca and plantain in those little muffin spots. I put them in the oven to warm. I made myself stay awake by playing Literati on yahoo! (I love to play that - it's just like Scrabble.) Then, when Marvin got home, I kissed his cheek, gave him his dinner, then walked my body to the bed to crash.

Incredibly, I couldn't sleep. I just tossed and turned. I think I was too tired and sore to be able to relax. So, I got back up, took one of the "nighttime" arthritis pills my doctor prescribed, along with the vitamins I forgot to take today, grabbed a large glass of water, and sat on the sofa with Marvin. We watched a little of the INXS Rock Star show. (I think the blond guy is gonna win. I told Marvin about a month ago that I pick him. I think that INXS is just keeping the others around for entertainment. lol)

When that was over, Marvin wanted to watch some "girlie" shows. (I hate watching those stupid things.) They're not x-rated, they're just reality shows that come on network tv. I call them "girlie" shows, because most of the time you see girls walking around with uber-revealing outfits, acting like idiots. I prefer PBS, HGTV, Court TV, History Channel, Discovery, or A&E. I know - BORING - but I would rather watch something that's good for my brain. That other mindless dribble just makes me sit there and shake my head. I will watch some prime time sitcoms with Marvin, because we relate to most of them. We'll laugh together and point fingers at each other as we watch.

So, as Marvin flipped through the "girlie" shows, I went down the hall to get ready for bed AGAIN. When I got to the craft room, I just HAD to open it and dream again. All the peach paint is finished, you know. I looked at it and imagined how it will look with pink paint at the bottom, and smiled. The neighbors probably think I'm a crazy woman - there are no blinds or curtains on the windows right now. Without further hesitation, I went down the hall and grabbed the blue painter's tape so I could mark the no-paint zones. (I know....I'm sore and tired...but this one little thing won't kill me.) I grabbed my long yardstick (it's actually longer than a yard - lol) and measured 40.25 inches up from the floor at strategic points around the room. Then, I yelled "Marvin! Can you help me a minute?" He whined, "What?!" He always hates it when I ask him to do ANYTHING.

With Marvin grudgingly holding one end of blue tape on the wall, I stretched it out tight and attached it to the wall very straight. He moaned and complained the whole time, while I said, "It will only take a couple minutes!" He is such a big baby sometimes. He said, "You always start these projects when I'm ready to go to bed." He has a point there.....

4 minutes later, the blue tape was on all four walls, and Marvin was in bed. (See, I said it wouldn't take long!) 1 minute later, He was reading the second Harry Potter book through his closed eyelids, so I gently pried the book from his hands and turned out the lamp. (I have to do that every night.) I turned on the ceiling fan, and went to the computer. Checked my ebay, my email, and my yahoo groups. Then, I played one game of Literati - I'm addicted to that game.

The magnetic pull of the craft room was in full force, so I went in there again. I decided to go ahead and put tape on all the trim so my pink painting would be easy. It took about an hour to get it all done, and I'm glad I did it. Now, all that's left is actually applying the pink paint! Yes, I was tempted to go ahead and paint, but I made myself go to bed. It was about 12:30 a.m., which is early for me!

Apparently, my body needed LOTS of rest, because I woke up at 12 noon today! I slept over 11 hours straight!

A Woman's Perogative (Did I Spell That Right?)

So, here I am, sneezing up a storm. There's no question now - I'm allergic to paint. (Good thing I'm not an artist!) I was up until 4:45 last night painting my craft room. I made an executive decision, since I'm the only one involved in this project. I decided to paint the top half of the room peach, and the bottom half pink. If it looks crappy, I can always add a wallpaper border or a chair rail. It's a woman's perogative to change her mind. : P

I did all the peach painting last night. The paint first went on the wall with a long handled roller. Some parts of the room were too narrow for me to use the long handle, so I had to take the roller off the handle about 8 times. (Inevitably, I made a couple marks on the ceiling that I'll have to correct later.) I had to put on 2 coats to get it thick enough to look right. When that was all done, I still needed to paint the top edge all around the room. Once again, I climbed the ladder over and over again as I dragged it by 2 foot increments.

I'm so relieved that it's done. Another good thing is that I don't have to paint the ceiling. It looks allright as it is....ugly popcorn texture and all. That stuff is a real pain to paint, so I'm glad it's usable. There are just a few spots that need to be touched up, thanks to my errant peach paint, so that won't be too bad.

Today, the church staff is having a Spanish lunch, hosted by the Latino mission's pastor. So, I'll be leaving in about 10 minutes to go to that. It will be a nice break. When that's over, I'll come back home and crash for a little while before I have to teach piano lessons. I only have 3 students tonight, so it won't be too exhausting.

I may or may not paint the pink on tonight. It depends on how I feel...... ACHOO!!

Choosing Paint Colors for My Craft Room

Another day, another idea...... I spent most of last night prepping my walls for painting in my future craft room. Scraping and sanding imperfections on the walls took about an hour. When that was done, I cleaned off all the dust with a dust mop. Then, I got out the drywall spackle and filled in the holes, which took another hour. The hardest part of the process was climbing up and down that dadblasted ladder. My feet were killing me when I was done. (Maybe next time, I'll wear shoes! lol)

About 8 months ago, I purchased paint for this room, then bought a different color about 4 months after that. (I'm a woman all right - can't make up my mind!) One can is pink (Arizona Sunrise), and the other is peach (Peaches N' Cream). I opened them up, did my best to mix the separated contents with a stick, then slathered some of each of them on the wall.

Then, I began the painstaking ordeal of choosing which color to use. At 3 a.m., Marvin was taking a nocturnal stroll to the toilet, so I grabbed him on the way back to bed and showed him the colors to get his opinion. Peering through half-open eyes, he said, "They both look like feminine colors to me", then walked away. Big help.

What a dilemma. I HAD to pick a color for that room! Before Marvin could get back to sleep, I snuck into our bedroom, and looked for my Big Box of Crayola crayons. (Yes, I have a secret stash....lol) I compared them to the paint samples on the wall and chose two that were a close match. Then I picked crayons to match the red chest of drawers, the beige desk, and the dark brown tower cabinets. I got a piece of paper, and made blocks with the red, beige and dark brown to represent my craft room furniture. Then I colored around them with pink, then with peach. They both looked good, so I still didn't know which color to choose. I decided to sleep on it....after all, it was 4 a.m.

About 7:45 this morning, after "power-napping", I walked into the room and had a revelation. I'll use BOTH colors! If I paint the short walls pink and the long walls peach, it will look very feminine, fresh, and pretty. I mean, I could do the "Debbie Travis" thing and make blocks or diamonds on the wall, but let's be reasonable. If I did that, I would be discussing the completion of this project in 2007. Also, with no "off-camera help", my arthritic frame would wind up lying in a hospital bed!

I guess I could manage one single stripe around the room to look a bit like a chair rail. That doesn't sound too intimidating. I could use the alternate color on each wall. A pink stripe on the peach wall and a peach stripe on the pink wall. That would be neat.

So, now I have a plan. Yippee!

Before Shot # 2 of my Craft Room in process 

Marvin playing Gamecube before it gets disconnected! 

Marvin sitting in my rocker! 

Before Shot #1 of Craft Room in Process 

I'm Making A Craft Room! Yippee!

Well, I'm finally starting to make my craft room. FINALLY! I've been wanting a room just for crafting ever since I was a young girl, I think. I have SO many craft projects scattered all over my house right now, that it has become a necessary thing. My husband is so sweet and supportive. He wants me to have a space for all my stuff, and I just love him for it!

I've been scouring the internet for the past 5 months or so to get ideas on setting up my craft room. I've seen lots of great pictures and ideas for sewing rooms, knitting rooms, and craft rooms. My room will be for all those things. Knitting, Sewing, Spinning, Embroidery, Needlepoint, and just relaxing. About 2 or 3 times a year, one of our kids might need to visit with us. So, if that happens, we can put a mattress on the floor and let them sleep in that room. But, for most of the time, it will be Sandy's Craft Room! I'm so excited.

Right now, I'm painting the walls and planning the layout of the room. I decided what pieces of furniture I want to include, and measured the dimensions for each item, then measured the floor space of the room (10 feet x 14 feet). After that, I made cut-outs of each item and moved them around on a piece of cardboard (appropriately sized) to make my final layout design. I'm very pleased with the way it is planned so far. I'll have my computer and tv, a cutting table for sewing, rocking chair, spinning wheel, sewing table, shelving unit, ironing board, bookshelves (3 of them!) and yarn storage cabinets. It all fits perfectly on the plan sheet. Alert the media!

The room has been used as a bedroom in the past, but now is just a big mess. I've taken out most of the junk and placed the large furniture in the middle of the room. I spent most of the day today taking down the old wallpaper border at the top of the wall. (What a pain!) There was so much dust flying everywhere that I thought I was going to sneeze my head off. Now I have a headache from all the congestion and sneezing. (I'm allergic to dust mites)

I took some pictures today of the BEFORE room. My hubby, Marvin was playing the Gamecube before I disconnected it, so I included him in some of the shots. As you can see, the room has a LONG way to go. I'm still trying to decide if I'll paint the walls pink or peach.

Tomorrow, I plan on doing my best to get rid of some of the dust and plastering the imperfections in the walls. I'll have to let that dry overnight, and then I'll be sanding the walls and cleaning them with TSP. That prep work takes forever, but the walls look spotless when you're done. So, that means I should be painting on color by Tuesday or Wednesday. I can't wait to get the walls done so I can start setting everything up. I've got Christmas crafts to make!