Knee Update

I went to the knee doctor this morning to find out the results of my 4th MRI. For those that don't know, I had two knee surgeries last year. 

Aren't these colors awesome?
It reminds me of my kindergarten class.

Well...another surgery is scheduled for September 10th. We get back from FL 9/1 and they want to do some pre-testing on 9/4. My blood will be checked to make sure my levels are good.

The doctor isn't exactly sure what is wrong. There is a "clunking" in my knee and I got compared to a car. Ha. My knee is very loose and is shifting oddly. It is moving around way too much and causing quite a bit of pain. Stupid knee.

The surgery will be a scope which allows the doctor to explore and clean things up.

My hubby was keeping me entertained while waiting.

After the surgery in September, there will most likely be a second surgery. This will actually be my 4th surgery on the knee if you are keeping count. This next surgery will be the biggest. It will allow the doctor to cut my bone. Right now I am putting all my weight on the inside of my knee. This is causing "considerable damage". Cutting my bone will allow my weight to be distributed better. The down time is 6 weeks for this surgery.

The doctor did say that going to FL was fine. We leave in 3 1/2 days so that is a relief. I will be bringing my crutches to the beach but that won't stop me from enjoying Anna Maria Island!

Recent Ebay Sales - 8/10/13

1. Oscar de la Renta satin house gown, sold for $35.

2. Schreibe Bogen Wir Bauen Eine Altstat model town. These were brand new and I had never heard of them. They were part of the 'fill a bag for 10 bucks' sale at a thrift about a month ago. They sold for $15.

3. New Talbots light green skirt, sold for $20.

4. Anthropologie's "Odille" brand skirt, sold for $20.

5. Talbots 'garden party' dress, sold for $19. The term 'garden party' is a keyword to use when listing.

6. Vera Bradley "on the go" style bag in Island Blooms. This was my personal bag. I paid around $25 for it and used it for two years. It sold for $28.

7. Another Vera "on the go" style bag in Baroque. This was another personal bag. I think I paid $30 for it and it sold for $23. I lost a few dollars but I used this bag for about 4 years.

8. And yet another Vera "on the go" bag in Deco Daisy. I purchased this one for $20, used it for a few years and sold it for $40.

9. Margaret O'Leary long skirt, sold for $20.

10. Ann Taylor LOFT brown a-line skirt, sold for $25.

11. Nike leopard men's shoes, sold for $44.

12. A. Giannetti cashmere sweater which was missing the belt, sold for $21.50.

13. Ann Taylor skirt suit, sold for $36.

14. Talbots wool skirt, sold for $24.

15. Talbots tan trench-style dress, sold for $21.

16. Jones Collection a-line skirt, sold for $21.

17. The J. Peterman jacket, sold for $27.

18. Chico's twinset, sold for $27.

19. Anthropologie's "Elevenses" brand jacket, sold for $21.50.

20. Diane Von Furstenberg skirt, sold for $31.50.

21. Esther Willams swimsuit. I wore this a few times and then sold it. Sold for $36.

22. Vera Bradley weekender, sold for $45.

23. Carlisle animal print dress, sold for $31.50.

24. New Evan Picone black dress, sold for $24 to RUSSIA!

25. NAOT sandals, sold for $30.

26. Remember how I dropped my cell phone last month and cracked the screen? I sold the broken phone for $50 within a day of listing.

27. Ann Taylor LOFT colorblock skirt, sold for $20.50.

28. St. John Sport white smooth t-shirt, sold for $20.

29. Carole Little rayon skirt, sold for $20.

30.  Coldwater Creek red satin dress, sold for $20

My ABSOLUTE Favorite Thrift Find (and other photos from around the house)

Do you know when you are out shopping and your heart stops? That is exactly what happened to me at the thrift on Monday. I literally said "oooooh" out loud...to no one.

Want to see more photos? Okay :)

Isn't it stunning?!? The designer is Tano and the purse is vintage. I have found items with a higher value but none that I have loved more than this bag. I am planning on keeping it for a few months and then possibly selling it. It should bring about $150. 


And some other photos from around our home: 

In the Wal-Mart clearance aisle yesterday, I found these Revlon foundations. They were just $1! I purchased all they had. Had I remembered my coupon book, they would have been free. Oh well! I plan on selling these on ebay.

My hubby & I were all set to go to the Netherlands and Paris and we were to leave next week. However, our plans have changed. There would be no way I could walk around and enjoy the trip.

Thankfully we purchase trip insurance. Since we have a family staying at our home, we need to go somewhere. We have decided to go down to Anna Maria Island in FL. It is one of our favorite spots in the US and we got a great deal on a condo. We leave in less than a week! We are driving down and my inventory is coming with us. I have it all ready to go! This is about half of it.

My left knee has been giving me a lot of trouble. Thankfully my hubby had these (vintage) crutches which are helping me get around when the pain is bad. I will find out what the MRI said on Monday.

Since most items I purchase from thrifts need washed, my sink usually has something soaking. This morning it was a jacket from St. John.

This closet is usually FULL of thrift finds. However, almost all my inventory is listed. This is what is left to list this week.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Wednesday's Hodgepodge

Visit Joyce and join the fun!

1. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week...what's one thing you could do this week to qualify as a participant?
I just finished putting every single piece of my ebay inventory into individual zip-lock type bags and labeling them. In just 9 days we are driving down to Florida and I'm bringing my inventory with me. Putting everything neatly in bags makes it easier to ship and will simplify my life while on vacation.

2. It's also National Peach Month...peach pie, peach cobbler, or please pour me a Bellini?  What's your peach pleasure?
I love fresh peaches but I'm not too keen on anything peach flavored. 

3. Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, "Do one thing every day that scares you." Agree or disagree...explain.
I don't agree or disagree. I am happiest when I have a set schedule or plan. Things that scare me include going on crazy amusement park rides, extreme heights... and talking to people. I can live without the first two but I constantly have to work on the third. This past Sunday was my church's annual outdoor picnic. I made myself approach two new families and introduce myself. I am getting better at this but it is still out of my comfort zone.

4. What's your favorite household chore?  Yes-you have to name one.
I really like vacuuming. We recently upgraded to a Dyson and it is amazing the amount of dust & dirt that is in my house. Ha. I also like organizing just about anything. In fact, the only two chores I hate are washing the dishes and switching the laundry from the washer to the dryer.

5. Fodors recently listed (what they've dubbed) the ten most beautiful sunset spots in America. Click here to read more and see the pretty pictures, but this is their list:

Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara CA, Mount Haleakala in Maui HI, Old Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe NM, Laguna Beach CA, Hopi Point in Grand Canyon AZ, Four Seasons in Miami FL, Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica CA, Gay Head in Martha's Vineyard MA, Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City UT, and Mallory Square in Key West Florida.

Have you seen the sun set from any of these spots?  If you could choose to watch the sun set this weekend from one spot on the Fodors List, which would you choose?  Where was the prettiest sunset you've ever seen?
I have seen the sunset at the Grand Canyon but that is the only one off of the list. The prettiest sunset I have ever seen was in Moldova on a mission's trip. Gorgeous! 
6. What's your favorite or most used app?  If you don't use apps how about your favorite or most visited website?
Right now it is Pocket Auctions for Ebay. It allows me to look up items while thrifting. Another favorite is the Period Tracker.
7. We've recently passed the halfway mark for 2013...write a seven word sentence that sums up your year thus far. 




These were the best 6 months so far! I am so blessed.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.  

I had my fourth MRI on my left knee last night and it started at 11pm! We didn't get home until after midnight. I should know the results by the end of the week. 

The Perfect Gift

My husband & I swapped homes with a couple in FL for the month of July. 

As a thank you, I asked my super talented sister to create an unique gift for the couple. I explained they had a quilt on their bed that had shades of red in it.

And she went to work. 

Within a week (!!!), she had finished these gorgeous pillow cases.

The couple was thrilled with the surprise 'thank you' gift. 

Would you like your own HAND EMBROIDERED pillow case? My sister sells them on etsy! 

HERE is the link for the store. The personalized name pillow cases start at just $20! What a wonderful gift for Mother's Day, birthdays, bridal showers, secret sister gifts and so much more! 

Each is lovingly hand embroidered and takes hours to create. You pick the color and font style.

She has embroidered dozens & dozens of pillow cases. Here are some she has done over the years:

Quick Knee Update

I went to a new doctor this morning. He replaced 3 knees for my father-in-law and came highly recommended. I may be in love with my new doctor. He is about 80 years old and is awesome. Well...except when he pressed on my knee and made my eyes tear up. Ha. 

I will need another MRI. This will be my fourth (yup...fourth!). We are waiting on my insurance company to give an authorization code and since it is Friday, my MRI will be scheduled for next week (probably Tuesday). 

The doctor told me that he doesn't know what is wrong and he is not sure he can fix it. Don't you love honesty? 

A photo taken just before my second surgery.

The hubby & I talked about it and we are cancelling our trip to the Netherlands/Germany, Paris. We were to leave in less than 2 weeks. There is just no way I can enjoy walking through the streets of Europe when I can't walk. 

Since we have the Netherlands family staying in our home for two weeks, we are talking about an alternative trip. We could stay with my father-in-law but we would have to have internet installed and there is only one bathroom. 

We are throwing around the idea of going back down to Florida. There isn't too much walking needed when you just sit on a beach all day, right? :)