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!