Happy July

Happy July!

Florida is gorgeous in July and we are 8 miles from one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen inside the United States. Anna Maria Island is a jewel and I would highly recommend visiting if you love old beach towns with a family feel.

This past week my husband had a "staycation". We had blocked off 9 days last year in hopes of traveling. That didn't pan out but we had a nice time getting to the beach three times.

We go to a beach with a very short walk from the van to the water which is perfect for me. He sets me up and then goes for a walk. I get to enjoy the peacefulness of the water. And two days I saw dolphins lazily swimming. What a blessing! Our favorite beach is creating new piers and I love seeing the heavy equipment. It is like watching my favorite TV episode of "How It's Made" but in real life. On a beach.

You can see the gulf is different from one day to the next. Some days it is flat & clear, othersit is choppy & darker. But on that choppy day the water was SO warm. Bath water.
We love this bath water Gulf.

Physically I'm about the same. The CRPS is still making my nerves feel like their is gasoline running through them. My hips won't allow me to sit at any angle for more than a few minutes but I have a lot of options at the house for keeping them straight.

Percocet is helping and although I know the long term side effects are pretty bad I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness when it "kicks in" and my body starts to feel like my body again. My muscles have been a good kind of sore from water therapy and inversion yoga. Our community has a pool which is heated and the water is perfect for me. So warm! We ordered this "trapeze" on Amazon and it is now hung in the living room. They didn't make it in blue (sigh) so purple it is! I've also been to a very kind chiropractor 6 times so far and he is trying acupressure as well as adjustments. I haven't seen any improvement from that yet but I love him and his support.

Yesterday I went to see a psychologist. The ketamine treatment back in January flipped a switch in my brain and now I'm struggling mentally. I never use to have to remind myself to breathe. To feel like the pressure in my chest was going to explode. But that is a new reality for me and I'm learning to accept that and not fight it. Some days are better than others. For those of you with anxiousness and panic attacks: I am so very sorry. I had no idea. Please forgive me if I have ever judged someone who has a mental illness. I now know my mind is capable of horrible things that no one would ever want. I have gotten good at finding my "triggers" and distracting as many of my senses as I can. Days seem better than nights and my husband has again been amazing.

A few nights my husband has moved my bed into his bedroom. Yes, we sleep separately. Yes, that usually works best for us. Our villa has two bedrooms and we both snore. And he moves around. And I wake up at 1am, 2am, 3am in pain. You get the idea. If I feel what I'm calling "anxious" at night, it helps to have him close.

Now other happier happenings.

My husband finished the laundry room which was an easier project than most of our rooms have been. Just some paint and hanging a peg board for our cleaning tools.

Before

Yes, he painted blue. We love blue and we had like 4 gallons left. I couldn't see spending money on paint when we had so much leftover blue. We had mixed a bunch of colors to get this blue and so it is a "custom" color. We made about 10 gallons since we didn't want to run out and that is why we have so much left.

Only "my" bathroom (the 2nd bathroom) remains to be painted & updated. I'm in no hurry though since it is primed white and the bath & surround are in excellent shape.

And some free items! I haven't been up to going around the neighborhood looking for free stuff but we do try to stop if I'm out anyway.

A free Crate & Barrel sisal rug which looks new.
This thing would have been $400 new. Our blue striped rug moved
to the lanai under my husband's weight bench. This was a Craigslist free item.

Free shells! Yes, I'm counting these as free. I don't even go looking for them. These were all found by being in the same spot in one day. They go into care packages for children.

Free plate! This is a terrible photo but the sign above the plate was a charity donation purchase on Instagram. It says: "Let me walk upon the waters, wherever you may call." The plate matches so well and reminds me to get out of the boat. This is a Bible reference where Jesus tells Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water.

Free cleaners! Not all of these were free but a lot were. We have some renters in our area that try to clean up before they leave. You can usually spot their garbage by the several mops & buckets by the side of the road. We don't take those but almost full cleaners are a score! I purchased stuff to make my own natural cleaners weeks ago and that hasn't happened yet. There is no need when we keep getting these free.

This is a stair riser that was pulled out of the gulf after a storm. It is about 3 feet long and super interesting (to me). It would make an unique piece of wall art. It will probably be given away but is currently on OfferUp.  I'd love to see a 3 letter word painted on it. Maybe SEA?

My free glass & brass re-purposed wall hangings are up! We found these last year and they are ceiling light covers from the 1960s. I loved the shape and wanted to hang them. The hubby make it a reality. Don't mind the clutter on the floor. We also found a free oar and free oval mirror. The oar will hopefully be turned into a curtain rod and the mirror will be mounted in the closet.


I love crafting and art. I haven't been able to do these lately but here are a few from a month or two ago. We have a walk way up to our front door in our "secret garden" (i.e. the small front yard that our realtor called a secret garden). This is probably one of the hardest things I do since it takes sitting/laying on the ground and a lot of wrist action. Haha. I really hope to get back out there soon.

Now some of my favorite things from the last few months.

This soap. I have SUPER oily skin and this soap has been drying it out nicely. My husband has very dry skin to the point it flakes off. He has also been using it and he loves it too. We are trying to go more natural (despite the free cleaning products) and this soap is a keeper for us.

This "magic" button on our fridge. We set it up so when it is pressed, Amazon orders toilet paper for us. If you accidentally press it you do have so long to cancel the order. I wish every thing had a button like this. Like a banana button would be helpful.

Black olives are my favorite food right now.

We have a pantry in our kitchen which I love. My space is on the bottom and this photo were taken before we went to the store. Our Publix (our local grocery store) haul included cherries, peaches, strawberries, raw spinach, grapes and bananas. And 4 cans of olives. Hehe. Add some rice, a bit of grilled chicken and cashews and that is my diet right now. I hope to eat more when my mouth feels better but that is a many month process.

My husband always makes the top of the list of my favorites. I had no idea a human could support and love another human in the way he loves.

This was Fred, our dog for a week in 2014. We've been talking about trying another small dog. There is a foster program in place here and we could request a small dog. We are really considering it. I know animals can help with emotional and mental stress. Thinking, thinking, thinking.

To those who have read this blog: thanks. I feel like I've been given an amazing gift with CRPS. I would have never chosen it for myself. I would never want to "gift" this to another person. My perspective on life has changed. I still have a ways to go. But I can see God using these things and I am trying to be appreciative. And I can absolutely say this: Physical pain is preferred over mental pain. So please do what you need to do to survive. Some days it takes getting through the next minute. Take medication if your doctor is prescribing it. Distract yourself through the hard time if you need to. Some days you will want to die but hopefully you also get to appreciate the little things in life and encourage others. Because getting to be kind and support others in this life is the real blessing.

May

Hi again!

Florida has been getting warmer and we love it. It has hit 90 just a few times and it feels like summer.

We've only gotten to the beach twice since Christmas but we hope to get there more now that the weather is warmer.

The hubby has been performing at retirement communities and is booked almost every day. He enjoys it and it allows him to be home during the morning and evenings.

The master bedroom and bathroom are done and my husband has taken a well deserved break from the house for a few weeks. He has off next Tuesday and has hopes of starting the lanai. It has three walls of glass due to three sliding glass doors (one currently is down) so the room will just be painted a fresh coat of white. He will also hang curtains which were purchased from OfferUp (like Craigslist but better in my mind).

One of our favorite things (okay, my favorite thing and the hubby doesn't mind it) is sometimes going out on Sunday evenings and picking up free items that were set by the side of the road. I don't get out much so it is something I really look forward to. We have been able to decorate our home and even sell some things!

Our living room:

-End tables from the 1960s which were repainted - free
-Couch - free
-Coffee table from the 1950's - free
-Lamps - free
-Skim board ("we" need to turn this into a table or mount it to the wall or something) - free
-White piece to the left of the door - $15 at a yard sale
-Indoor/outdoor area rug - QVC (about $70 - a splurge for us but it was perfect)
-Mirror - $20 at a yard sale
-Black ottoman cube - free
-Little table to the right of the door - it came with us from PA
-Our media/TV stand (not shown) - free

Other things we got for free and then resold. These are things that were on the side of the road. My hubby drives slowly and I recline my seat to take the pressure off my hips. He does the loading/unloading and setting up the pieces. I can list them on OfferUp through my phone.

Serpentine dresser, sold for $35

Vintage sideboard, sold for $45 -
I wish I had a dozen more of these. It got SO much interest.

Small dresser, sold for $20

Other things going on in our life: not too much. Ha. We did have neighbors over a few weeks ago. It went pretty well. I have a gravity free chair and I took a good bit of medication. That is one of the issues with being in pain. Pain meds can help if you time them right. I get about an hour of relief (and by relief I mean the pain is lessened) and it doesn't always kick in at the exact time you had hoped. My mouth pain has been causing me to stop talking at times. Probably not a bad thing overall. Ha.

We did get to the dentist. Long story short, I had fillings and crowns done and then got a second opinion because I am still having pain and now need two root canals. So that is scheduled in two weeks. We are truly hoping that the mouth pain I've been having is due to needing all of this work and not because of the CRPS. I now understand why older people eat bananas. I have to say that I don't mind eating soft foods as much as I would have thought. A fancy term would be a "plant based diet" but really it is just a whole lotta oatmeal, bananas, rice and crackers. So not that healthy.

The colors of CRPS in my hand

We don't have any specific next step with the CRPS. Mentally I'm doing better most days. There are still times during the day when I wish I wasn't alive. I understand why people cut themselves. I understand why people want to die. But I also know that God has allowed this for a reason. It could be so much worse. It has been. I am learning what I can and cannot do and trying hard to eat healthier. Acids, some spices and milk seem to add to my pain. I am taking a whole lot more medication due to my mouth and I hope to stop that after my root canals. We just had cacao powder delivered and will make capsules of that to add to my supplements. And that is the update.

I hope everyone is having a great day!

Happy March

We went to the beach at the end of February. The water was still cold but the hubby dove in. He was the only one in the water and that included children.

Hello world! I'm having a better day and I'm so thankful. 

Thanks for the prayer blanket Annie!

We had a friend come down in February and it was so nice to see her. Hi Dar! (waving). She introduced us to Plant City strawberries which are a big thing down here.

 And our bathroom was finished at the beginning of March. It looks amazing. Amazing.

This was before the hubby touched up the ceiling paint.

See? This is the master bathroom which makes it the bathroom for anyone that comes to visit. Plus my hubby gets to enjoy it in the meantime.

 The rest of the bathroom is kind of in the hallway between the master and the toilet & shower. We gave the old vanity away and my husband is painting it right now. This dresser, which he also painted, and vessel sink came from Craigslist and OfferUp. We love discounted items! 

The master and bathroom hallway thing will go a pale silver/gray. I get to mix it which is my contribution to the project. 

Prism rainbows! These were accidental from a piece that was set up in the office while the master was being painted. These little things make me smile.

And here is "our" pool! Isn't it wonderful? They fixed the heater and it is warm. Today my husband was able to stay in for awhile. And we are almost to the point where I can try a few water therapy exercises.

And happening elsewhere in the house...

My bedroom (the second and last bedroom in our villa) has vertical blinds. They do a good job at keeping out the light and were in great shape. I couldn't see spending $50+ on curtains and hope to eventually find pure white curtains at a yard sale. In the meanwhile, I got the idea to paint the vertical blinds.

Some were painted with metallic acrylic, others latex. A few others got glitter shaken into the paint. Glitter is now everywhere. Which doesn't bother me one bit.

 It took a few weeks of doing a bit at a time but here is the (almost) finished project. I realized that after I thought I finished, there were still two more to do. Oops. I will get those next week maybe. It was so nice to have a project I could do when I felt good enough.

Free!

The other day my husband came home from jogging and asked if I was good enough to ride around the corner to look at a few things. I was. People around here put decent stuff by the curb. Like it happens a lot. We have gotten in the habit of looking for it and have found a few things here & there to resell or keep. I now have my husband doing it.

In one of those piles was this 1950's marked coffee table. Don't mind the shiny streaks from my "cleaning" it. I'm an awful wiper and I leave everything streaky. I just usually let the hubby do it because I cannot press hard enough to get it clean.

Ignore the mess in the lanai behind the living room. It is paint central right now.

We needed a coffee table since we have been using empty Rubbermaid totes for like 5 months. I'm not sure we will keep this one but it is great until we find something else. This one feels a bit too nice for us honestly. I'd love a rolling ottoman that would double as a place for guests to sit. In my mind we have guests. In reality, not so much. The best part is that these sell for $100-$150! So I'm sure it will eventually be sold. I love that we are furnishing our home for almost nothing. It doesn't bother me one bit that it is taking awhile to do it.

Also free and in the same pile were this little stand/table thing and this vintage rocking horse toy. They are both on OfferUp now.

And, I was finally up to going yard saling. Now, there are a gazillion yard sales within a mile of us. It is crazy. So we mostly drove past a few and only stopped on the ones that looked like they had something. I made it to three I believe so it was a great day.

My husband found some closet shelving for $5 which will save us about $50 in the linen room. He also found a ton of paint supplies for $5. I found this vintage metal tray from England for 25 cents (!!!) and...

A globe! I saw it from the car and told my husband that I think I loved it. As we approached it I saw that it was marked $5. Ummm...what? I MUST make it mine. That is what I said to myself. No one else was at this yard sale but I made the husband carry it to the front immediately.

 And then he offered her $4 for it. Haha. I would have paid several times that. Thankfully she accepted and didn't get mad and throw us out without the globe. 

Isn't it beautiful? It is currently sitting in the corner of my bedroom. It literally serves no purpose other than to be pretty. I remember in elementary school spinning a globe during recess. You would put your finger on a spot and that is where you would live.

I'm sure I will sell it eventually since I normally don't love things sitting around without a purpose. I did a bit of research and this globe is still being sold and it is $210 anywhere you look. What a deal!


And to catch me/you up on my health: 

-We went to the dentist and both have cavities. They were super nice and numbed my gums for the cleaning and let me stop & rest my jaw when I needed to. The other day we were in Publix and my jaw was hurting so badly that I couldn't speak. It is more of a painful pressure so I'm hoping this is due to the cavities and not the CRPS. 

-I visited a physical therapist on recommendation from my family doctor. After evaluating me, the therapist decided that it was not a good idea to do psychical therapy there. Well that was unexpected. He did suggest water therapy and I will start water therapy as soon as I can get into the water and not be cold. I do stretches a few times a week at home. I will see him again in 6 weeks though I'm not honestly sure why.
 
And that is about all. The weather is starting to get nice & humid here. The hotter the better in my book. I love that my body moves just a bit easier in the intense heat and most days I let the house get as warm as it can. This is when the hubby is working, which is almost every day. Last week it was up to 83 in the house and I was under a down comforter wearing sweats.

Thanks for reading!