The Love of My Life

11 years ago today I met the love of my life, my Honey, my Hardrock (a nickname his friends gave him).  He has been  my rock, my everything and has been there unselfishly for me through all of my health struggles. We spent our first 5 years happily working away on our home together but that soon gave way to my illness. It has not been easy for him as he  stayed in with me weekend after weekend for the past long 5 years while we searched for what was wrong with me and wondered if it would ever end.  Even something as simple and non-exerting like going to a movie was too difficult for me (exhausted from my work week) and  my honey loves the movies but he never made me feel bad that we weren't  even doing that.

with our girl Haven 

I remember 2 years ago going to our friend Jason's 40th birthday party and clinging to my sweetheart, too weak to embark on any conversation with anyone on my own. His warmth and strength again carried me through the night and I was so grateful to have enjoyed a semi normal night out with friends.

On those occasions when I felt so badly both physically and mentally, I would muster up the strength to ask him why he is still with me and being a man of sometimes few words he would simply say "Because I Love You", and my cares and worries would melt away.

As I slowly recover from severe hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue and multiple food sensitivities (it will not happen over night) I have such high hopes that we will be able to enjoy all the things that we have missed out on so much and once again start to create memories of our life together of  good times spent with friends and family.


Happy anniversary honey,  here's to the next 11 years being the very best ever!

A little more mud and laid up!

Well we all know that real life reno's aren't complete as quickly as they are on TV, don't we? We started this little overhaul (second time around) in the beginning of the summer  because our  6 year old  front loader's inner drum bracket arm broke and repairing it was an unbelievable  500 smacks!  There were vibration issues with the brand new one and we got it replaced with an upgrade (no charge) and now it has even more issues. So until that is all sorted out we won't finish up with the counter that is going to be built around the machines.  I'm very frustrated and in no shape right now to argue with them so it will have to wait.

Instead I thought I'd show  a few pics I snapped on the weekend  minus the cabinet. I must have beginners blog excitement, I can't seem to not show the mudroom even though it is not completely done yet.  I am such a white lover and am very pleased to say that my honey thinks it looks great out there, soooo just maybe I will get to slap  some more white paint in other rooms, fingers crossed!

But before that I thought I'd show you a simple cheap transformation.

I found 4 of these neat raised shell pictures at Value Village for 12 dollars each  years ago and they were in nasty gold frames with the matte the same colour as the colour surrounding the shell. I cut off the old matte and popped them into an inexpensive white frame and white  matte from Walmart  that is the perfect size to let some of the darker outline of the stepped matte still show and think they just sing now. Because there are four of them and not enough room I won't put them in the mudroom but I like how they one of them looks here for now until I get some other pics.  Now why didn't I do this sooner?

and now the mud/laundry/porch

The counter is an old top we made for a desk a while ago out of mdf and painted grey with a pearl glaze and just happens to be the perfect size and thickness. It will get a new laminate sheet added so it will match the sink counter.   I know everyone has Ball jars but I have one with a special little something for my laundry room. Just look what the vintage cloth sticker says.

Water for steam iron, perfect to me!

For fun  I moved our two kitchen chairs and table out there and added a couple of new cushions I bought last weekend from Home Sense for our bedroom.    My honey wants me to leave it but I told him that I don't look forward to my butt hitting the table every time I do a load of laundry. I want a rustic bench to go there eventually. For now while the weather is good we'll keep the chairs and table there  to sit and  enjoy the last days of fall.

I already had the serendipity sign and thought the colour went well with the back door. All I did was painted the dark brown frame white. The mirror came from an old dresser we bought last year and I kept the old glass in it with it's patina spots and also painted the frame white.

tea anyone?

The Boca Raton Blue door has grown on me. I think I will keep it.

I was going to post on the weekend but had a little detour. When I took my mom downtown (and might I add sadly could not make it to her previous two  because I was not well enough yet) for her specialist appointment I ended up with severe abdominal pain around noon. As we tried to make our way back home, what is normally a 45 minute drive home, became hours as the Don Valley (parking lot we call it because you are parked on it instead of moving most times)  was closed. I was in unbearable pain and ended up in emergency and  found  out it was my appendix. I had it removed yesterday and am now home and resting for the next week or two.

I have to say if I had not been doing as well as I have been lately since taking myself of synthetic thyroid hormone, namely levothyroxine and got on natural thyroid hormone with adrenal support then I would not have come out of this surgery as well as I did. I am so very very thankful for the change in my life that is slowly occurring because of natural thyroid hormone and the help I have received from the selfless ladies on the yahoo groups message boards. I hope this surgery  healing continues as good as it has started.

Well I look forward to lots of blog reading and posting again soon since I'm off with nothing to do but rest.  I'd love to hear what you think!

Sandra

Mudroom in progress

We haven't yet finished the mud/laundry room as the small outdoor jobs like a little painting here and there, raking leaves etc. get done while it is still nice out but since I picked up some lilies for 3.99 last night I just could not resist snapping a photo with them.

I'm off to Ikea today with my friend Tracey who has never ever ever been so it should be a blast and then down to my folks for some yummy turkey.

Have a great day!

Sandra

So Thankful

Just a few things that I am so very thankful for. 

To see a beautiful sunrise from my window

From our front porch
 looking at the sun coming up over
 the farmers fields just to the east of our home

We have been so blessed with the most amazing fall weather so far and also for our thanksgiving weekend. I'm not an early riser like some (whom I envy, I really do) as I need 8-10 hours sleep every night but on those mornings when I do catch the first glimpse of the suns rays, it's crazy but I get a little giddy seeing it  start to dance it's beautiful golden rays on everything.

What the sun does (no photo editing) to the colours of
our front garden

To drive through God's country to work each day

On the way home one day last week
on one side of the road

and such beauty on the other side too is
sometimes too much to handle, takes my
breath away

 Every day I drive to and from work, my eyes drinking in the surrounding hills, trees, farm fields that I am so very  lucky to view 5 days a week.  I drive 40 minutes east from my small town through God's country and when I tell the my customers how far I come to work in their small town  they ask with surprise, why? I tell them how I love their little town on the lake where everyone is exceptionally friendly and that driving in the country beats driving to the city any day.

For  fresh, healthy and 
abundant food

Gluten free turkey burgers, asparagus
 and mixed greens salad

I use a big bowl for maxing out
on salad

It is an incredibly fortunate thing that I can go chose from 3 different farmers markets on my way home from work for the freshest food and meat possible and just 15 minutes the other way is the largest holistic food market in York Region.  A diet free of gluten, dairy, sugar would not be easy at all if it were not for this mega size health store. I feel so blessed to sit down every night to a healthy homemade meal and do not take it for granted ever.


I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend.