Visiting Princess Five's Apartment - Count Your Blessings

On our trip to meet Prince Three's family, and to have their wedding shower for Princess Three, Princess Five asked if I wanted to see her apartment. 

I actually found the apartment for her long before she arrived home from her mission during Covid. I had to do a virtual tour and I also called and talked to several people about the apartment and about who may be living in the apartment. 

I talked to Princess Four who lived in the area, and she went and did a tour for me. She was so good to call a few people as well for me. I sent in the deposit so that Princess Five would have a place to live for school this past year. She liked living there so much, that she decided to stay for this upcoming year. 

We were able to go and see her apartment and her room. Her cute roommates decorated the apartment for her birthday. It was wonderful to see her cute place and what made me smile the most was the pillow on her bed! 

During her accident five years ago, a sweet neighbor brought her that pillow to cheer her up. She has it displayed prominently as a reminder to see the positive in even rough situations! 

It is weird that she has been up there a full year now and I hadn't seen her place. I used to go move them every time. Covid sure has changed things! 

Have a blessed day!

My Friend Arrived With Her Treasure - Custom Cake Topper

I posted the other day about my friend and her beautiful cake topper. She arrived tonight right as I was finishing coloring my hair. 

I made her dinner, she showed me pictures of how she made the little flowers for the bouquet and boutonniere on the little couple. She would make little rolls of different color dough and would flatten them together to blend the colors of the variegated green parts of the leaves in the bouquet.  

You can see by the photos how small the flowers are and what tiny pieces of clay she is working with. Each of those little flowers are individual and made with many little pieces.

I can't believe the details she puts into her custom cake toppers. She showed me some other things that she does. She does pets for people whose pets have passed away, makes little ornaments and necklaces that look like little girls, she makes the cutest little nativity sets in Native American style, wall hanging three D art and more. 

I told her I wouldn't post the picture until I was able to show it to my daughter and record her reaction to the topper. It is so beautiful and I am so excited to see their reaction to it! My friend said she would charge $1200 for a topper with this much detail as it took her so many days to make it! 

We had so much fun tonight visiting, looking at her art, and talking about the website I am going to help her with. She is AMAZING! 

Have a blessed day!

I Did A Thing - Hope It Works - Daith Piercing

I have suffered from Sinus Migraines since almost the day I got married 35 years ago. I was in a boating accident with my new in-laws and broke my nose when we hit a stone bridge pylon.

I had surgery on my nose soon after that, and from that time, I can't adjust to pressure changes that happen quickly. If I go up a mountain, or down to sea level quickly, I throw up after getting more and more pain in my head. 

I have had to drink Coke, take a Sudafed, and a Tylenol when I know I am going to be changing pressures quickly. I have learned where I need to take it when driving from city to city and my life revolves around drinking Coke and hitting the bathrooms on the way after drinking so much on my travels. 

If there is a high pressure fast moving storm, I will end up having a headache. Since we have had rain every day for two weeks, I have hand non-stop headaches. I had a headache yesterday and there was a lady in town who was really good at daith piercing which is supposed to help migraines. 

I have asked every person I have ever met with the piercing and asked if it helped their headaches. I have heard some say "not at all." Others said they got one done and it helped at first, then got the other done as they would have a headache on the other side from the piercing. 

I have met several who said it was life changing from the second they got it done. I am not one to draw attention to myself through piercings or tattoos, so for me, it has been a hesitation to actually get it done. 

I wanted to finally get it done as throwing up twice this month with migraines is horrible and my stomach valve gets stuck open and then I get reflux of stomach acid and heartburn etc. It is a spiral. 

I decided to try and contact the lady that everyone suggested when I found out that she was referring people to my niece who is a very talented Tattoo artist and has now started doing body piercing. She hasn't done a tone of daith piercing, but she was willing to do it for cheap and let me see if it would work for me. 

She said we would give it a try so asked which side I should do. I wasn't thinking clearly as I had a headache, so I said my right side. My left side has always been the worse side. It starts in my teeth roots and works its way up so it was really stupid, by picking my right ear. My headache wasn't all that bad yet so as she pinched, I couldn't tell if it was helping or not, so I asked her to take her best guess. 

It was painful as she uses a long hollow tube with a needle in it and then uses the needle to pull the earring through. It wasn't until much later in the night that I noticed I had a HORRIBLE headache and teeth pain and it was only on the left side of my head! So I didn't know if my drinking 2 liters of coke was what had made my head feel better on that side, or if it was actually the piercing. 

I loved that from the front, I can't even see the piercing and that it is tucked back into my ear. My friends has a ring through hers and I don't like the look or want to take a chance of it getting caught on my brush or anything else. 

It didn't hurt so much and I had no problem sleeping or talking on the phone. So, I figured while she is still in town, I should have her do the other side. So today, I had her pierce the left. It was SO much more painful than the right, bled more, and throbbed all day! I kept bumping it and it was tender. 

It is not for the faint in heart to get it pierced this way or in this spot, I think you just have to be to the point where you are in so much pain the rest of the time, that you are willing to go through that type of pain to try and stop the other pain. 

My niece also cut my hair for me. I straightened it later and had her trim it up and thin it so I could color it for the wedding. 

I have a busy few days and am so excited for my daughter to get married to the love of her life. My sister helped me finish several projects for the wedding today, and we are working on packing up all the decor tomorrow as we have anther family obligation before the wedding as well. 

It will be wonderful to see my dear friend who made the cake topper who is arriving tomorrow. What a fun time this is! I hope all the driving for the wedding will feel better with the piercings, but only time will tell!

I hope this works and I can start living instead of surviving. Have a blessed day!

God Blessed Me With Good Friends - House Guest

I have a busy few weeks going on. Being here inthis town for over 25 years now, we have made some beautiful friends. 

Many have moved away through the years, but every once in awhile, I get one to come back for a visit. One of my sweet friends that divorced a few years after I did, has a great talent. She is an artist and makes all sorts of amazing dolls amongst other things. 

She made a wedding cake topper that is identical to the bride and groom for Princess One's wedding. Here is a link to that post. 

Anyway, she is doing a custom topper for Princess Three and frankly, I didn't think Princess Three would want one as she is a minimalist and she isn't having a cake and didn't want a reception, so I figures she would say "no" if I asked her if she wanted one. 

Imagine my surprise when she said she did want it. At that point, what could I do but try and get it for her! So I called my adorable and talented friend, and she said she would be willing to make one for Princess Three. 

Since she no longer has a house here and is delivering the item herself as she didn't want to risk it breaking in the mail. She is only free tomorrow to drop it off. Her ex-husband lives in town with an adult married son.

So, how blessed am I that God sent a friend who is available to stay and watch the house for the wedding and reunion! I have plenty of bedrooms and will enjoy the company between the two events. 

I am blessed with good friends! Have a Blessed Day!

Getting to Know The In-Laws At The Lake

We had a fun day last week where the grooms family invited us to their lake house so we could get to know them. 

They own a duplex that the grandparents bought, and then eventually, the other side of the duplex owners needed to sell so they were able to get both sides of the duplex with a fun in-between deck. 

Of course, with the drought, the water was super low and we had to walk a ways to get to the lake, but in other years, I am sure it is high and right behind the house. 

Their family gets together there regularly and has traditions there. They have boats and fun water toys, a rolling dock, their own boat ramp, a fire pit, swings, and I wasn't feeling well so I didn't explore in the few hours we were there. 

It was a steep canyon drive to the lake and I was fighting a migraine before we even left for the lake so the first seconds in the house were to release the pressure by visiting the white throne. ha ha. Here is a post about my sinus migraines and what I take to help with them.

After that visit, I had to take more medication in hopes I could get feeling better before the return trip over the mountain pass so I wouldn't have that build up of pressure again.   

The girls played games with the new family members and I had a really good visit with one of Princess Three's new sister-in-laws. She is adorable and has a few kids and sadly, since our visit, her mother passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack. It was a shock to the family and I have said a little prayer often as if you remember, my daughter Princess one lost her mother-in-law in the same way just a few months ago. It makes me a bit nervous for my own health as I am not in the best of shape as you all know. We wish the best for their family. 

I thought of all the times we will be seeing the grooms parents in the next many years. Baby births, baptisms, and special milestones that mark passages of time. It was like I was looking many years into the future at each event and how the couple will change as time passes, and what their golden years will be like.

It was fun seeing this little passage of time of their lives going forward. I hope it truly is the vision of happiness I imagined. 

It was nice of his family to open up their family cabin / lake house to let us enjoy a bit of their world and get to know them better. 

Have a blessed day!

What a Day - Blessings Abound and I am EXAHUSTED

I ran into a worker from the local food bank where I am on the board. He said they had large amounts of apples and carrots in 50 lbs bags that they can't give out fast enough. 

I went down after closing as they were busy today, and I filled my car with 15 cases of apples and four, fifty pound bags of carrots to distribute. 

I distributed from just before 5 p.m. until arriving home at 9 p.m. They had 1 pallet taller than me and more on a second pallet. 

While distributing, I had a distinct feeling I should stop at a certain home. I went to the door and asked if she would like some and noticed tears in her eyes. While walking to the car to show her what I had, I noticed a penny in the grass. Because it has "God's" name on it, I always pick them up as if our flag shouldn't be on the ground out of respect, neither should our Lord's name. It is always on HIS errand, or when I am under great amounts of stress that I find money. I feel it is HIS way of reminding me to Trust HIM when I am in the MOST need of HIM.

That friend confided in me she has been struggling for a few weeks with great issues in her life and was at her whits end just before I stopped. She had been praying when I came. I told her about my "stress vitamin therapy" that is on my home page on the left side. Here is a link to that page. I felt that is what she needed as I have been there a few times during my divorce where I was at the bottom feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. I share on several posts in the past how there were a few days where I was just at bottom and my mother called and reminded me to take my vitamins and made me promise to take niacinamide and so I went out and found some to take. I felt great in about an hour. When we are under stress, we need B vitamins. Anyway, I shared that with her and felt God had me go so I could help her. 

I was waiting for someone to come to the door at another home, I looked up and saw a really beautiful cloud formation so I took a picture. I am so grateful for my eyes.

It was so hot and I was dripping sweat and purple in the face and another couple donated a drink and other generous items to my distribution today. I have a couple that are both very ill and I was able to catch up on how they were doing. Another couple lost a child recently, and I was able to ask how they were doing. Another family I hadn't seen at church recently, so I invited him to come and asked them to please sing as since COVID, people aren't singing and I feel like I am singing a solo each time we sing a hymn. He said he would come. 

I kept some apples and carrots to use at the family reunion and feel so blessed that the food bank has been such a source of blessing in my life for 18+ years! 

I haven't had much sleep trying to prepare for the wedding and reunion, but I know they will be good and are both such joyous events, that I hope to be able to get enough sleep to enjoy them without being tired. I feel very blessed. 

Have a blessed day!

Honda Giveth and Honda Taketh - Ha Ha My Brother-in-Law Giveth

Since Princess Two has a new car, I am trying to fix up her old 2007 Honda Pilot for my use. I am still giving Gratitude for my friend Julie and her husband who made her getting the new Pilot possible. 

I paid my daughter $5000 for the car, and in my area which has larger families, it goes for about $1000 more than in other areas of the states. On eBay and other areas, it goes for about $6000. So, it could go for $7000 in the area. It may even go for a bit more, due to low mileage.

However, it needed all new tires, an alignment, the CD player wasn't working, it needed detailing, the doors weren't staying open, the springs in the second seat are bad, and there is a cigarette smell. I have spent the last week, putting in a used stereo, added a Bluetooth, USB, and aux cord component. 

I steamed the entire interior scrubbing every surface, got four new tires, ordered new door checkers to keep the front doors open, got the parts, asked my brother-in-law to help me figure out how to take off the interior door panel so I could install the parts I bought. I was able to install the cd player I got from a junk yard by myself, but I don't have the tools needed to get the door panel off, so I figured if he could get the panels off, I could install the parts. 

When I opened the packaging from a Honda parts place I ordered off of Amazon, one of the bags was open and the part looked scratched, like someone had tried to put it in. My brother in law said it was new even if it was scratched, so we went ahead and tried to put the parts in. 

The good news, is that the drivers side door part is the right one! The bad news is that the passenger door side part, the open and scratched part, didn't fit, wasn't the right part in the parts bag. 

The best part of this entire thing, is that I got to hold my nieces baby while he put the part in! He didn't want me to take a picture, but in the end I got one. 

I laughed when I opened the part and saw that the Tracking number on the package had a 111 on it! I have so much going on currently that I have been a bit stressed. 

It has been comforting to see all the 111's, finding coins to remind me to Trust in God, and seeing rainbows, and hearing songs that are important to me. Yesterday, I was talking to my sister about wedding plans for my daughter on the phone and the song playing on the overhead at the store is one that is specific to my individual family. We all used to sing it while growing up together and sing it often wen camping together. 

I contacted the parts company today and left a message and haven't heard back on the other part, but all I have left to do hopefully, is get the alignment done. 

I also noticed that when looking up the cars online, that Honda Pilot for that year was one of the top 10 rated cars. I hope I can get it to where I can drive it. I may see if I can replace the seats with ones from a newer version since the cloth seats are holding the cigarette smell and car seats have overrun the springs. Maybe if I can replace those, I can drive the car without allergies. 

Any way I look at it, I can still sell the car for what I paid for it! I didn't want Princess Two to have to worry about selling her car and knew it needed some work. I LOVE that I can charge my phone now in it, and that I can now listen to my audio books on the CD player. I enjoy listening to them as they help me stay awake. Here is a link to my love of those.  

I am so grateful to have cars that run and work properly. I am grateful for family who will help me fix broken things! I am grateful for friends that care enough to help my daughters be safe! I am feeling very blessed!  

Have a blessed day!