Missing in Action....

Whew... I havent been here in ages. I know I've been missing in action, but my life has been crazy. My once perfect house has turned evil on me. Actually it's my landlord who is evil, but I digress.

My air was basically out all summer. My landlord kept sending his "friends" to fix it and it never got fixed. Finally he called someone else and he fixed it the first time.... at the end of August.. Wow thanks! Because of this my house ran between 78 and 88 degrees and my power bills ran close to $350 a month. This is very bad news for someone on Unemployment.

THEN just as the air got fixed, the roof started leaking... on my bed. YAY! Its October, and for the record, it's STILL LEAKING! They are supposed to put a new roof on but Ive yet to see these phantom roofers.

While I was searching for more leaks I discovered that everything in both my hall closets was molded.. everything.. bedding, suitcase, leather jacket, every piece of winter clothing I own.. all my dressy coats... gone.. Because my landlord forgot to tell me there were water pipes and AC ducts behind the walls and I shouldnt use those closets.. Well he neglected to tell me this.. Plus what good is a closet you cant use right?

And during all of this I am beating the pavement trying to get a job. No such luck. Every interview Ive been called for has been in Tennessee, not even in Georgia.. Plus ive gone through several interviews just to be not hired in the end. Im very frustrated. Ive done everything right. My resume is good, Ive taken the Georgia Work Keys exam and made two Platinums and a Gold, Ive got more resumes out there than a picnic has ants.. I just dont know what else to do. I even signed up for the Georgia Works training program, but dont have anyone training me yet. Apparantly you have to have experience to get the jobs. I guess they dont know the meaning of a training program.. So yeah! VERY frustrated..

Add into this that I'm bi-polar and didnt have any of my meds because I lost my insurance (Who can afford $700 a month for one pill?) and you've got the makings of a VERY crazy few months..

I need to move because my perfect house has turned out to be falling apart and my landlord wont fix it.. But who can move without a job? Just call me "Out of Luck"..

I finished my Diningroom Chairs! A Peek into the Dining Room

I searched and searched for months (since January) for the perfect dining chairs to go with my table. I had no luck for months, then one day I found them! I talked the owner, David, of the Calhoun Antique Mall into selling them to me instead of putting them into the auction.. They are perfect.. Antique and in GREAT shape, very sturdy, have GREAT legs, AND have fleur de lis on them!!! Given my fleur de lis obsession I dont think they could be more perfect, all I had to do was cover them.. I got 6 chairs from the early 1900's for $125! (this before my lovely layoff).. I found some awesome fabric at Hobby Lobby to cover them with. It's a super thick, tone on tone, black woven fabric with a sort of damask pattern stitched on.. It was about $17 a yard I think but I had a 40% off coupon so I got a deal! I got two yards and headed home.... and did nothing... for weeks... The fabric was so thick that I knew it would be tough to do alone, so when my friend Kay volunteered to help I said "Heck yeah!".. It took 3 installments but we finished them this morning! I love how they turned out and how they look with the table. Here's a before and after:

BEFORE:


AFTER:


LIGHTENED BOTTOM VIEW TO SHOW PATTERN:


SIDE BY SIDE: BEFORE AND AFTER


And here's how they look with the table.. I just wanted to give you a peek. I will post better diningroom pics once I have everything done and where I want it :) I put 4 of the chairs with the table and put the other two by the window in the corners with pillows in them..

Goodwill Chaos..

They opened a new Goodwill near me, in Cartersville,GA. My friend Kay and I went down there for the opening. We got there at about 9am and it was so crowded that we could barely find a place to park! It got worse once we got inside the store..

It was complete MADNESS in there! People were everywhere! There were so many people that you could not walk..Everyone pushing, shoving.. It was terrible.. And they had no room to put all the furniture. They were bringing out pieces, waiting til they had sold, then replacing them from their stores in the back.

The first thing I picked up I broke! It was a beautiful jar. My favorite thing in the entire store. But just as I picked it up a lady knocked into me and it went flying. It broke all over my foot and it cut my hand. Goodwill workers converged on me immediately to make sure I was ok.. Blood everywhere from a tiny, tiny cut.. LOL it was horrible..

Then I finally made my way to the book section.. There was this man and woman with two FULL carts blocking the entire row. They were taking some sort of scanner and scanning the books to see what they were worth online! Well, they must have thought they OWNED that row, because the woman in the duo literally SHOVED me into an elderly woman.. intentionally.. Now my temper has cooled a lot but I got mad.. I rammed her with my shoulder lol She went flying back and needless to say, when she looked up and saw the look on MY face, she went the other way.. What is WRONG with people nowadays?

I did end up finding one good thing. I love it.. When I was carrying it around, people kept commenting on how pretty it was. I got a silver plated cake stand!!!! Not sure exactly what Im going to do with it yet, but isnt it great?



I am in the process of working on my dining chairs right now-covering them. Only two done so far, but me and Kay are working on them again in the morning. The fabric is horrible to work with, but gorgeous. I'm almost finished with my dining room. It has really come together. Once I get it all fixed ill post pics.. Dining chair pics to come soon!

I'm Back!

Well, I'm back.. Very anti-climactic, I know. I have been MIA because I got laid off.. They had said it would be several weeks before we got laid off, but then called that same week on Wednesday and said "OK well, tomorrow is your last day.. you're going to be laid off." That's right.. One days notice. Nice huh? Anyway, I didnt have the net at home but I'm back up and running now.. My old trusty laptop hadnt been fired up in a year but it's working just fine. So yes, I'm back..

In the time I was gone a lot has happened. I found the perfect dining chairs for my set.. I had a yard sale and sold everything but about 3 things.. go me! lol And now I am moping around my house because I am bored and I have no money and no job.. Ahhhh, Isnt life grand? Anywayyyyyy, I've got resumes and applications in everywhere. I am trying to stay positive, though when I get bored that is not easy to do.

So here's my goals for myself while I have no job:

1. Clean and arrange my house (this is easier said than done since I have two bad hands and cant move things well.. I HAVE, however, discovered that putting something on a rug and sliding it works halfway well lol

2. Finish un-done craft projects.. this is including covering aforementioned dining chairs and paining everything that's ben left unpainted.

3. Do not wallow in self-pity.. Maybe this should be #1.. Admittedly, Ive been wallowing.. No job, no money, no friends in town.. No! Must not wallow...

4. Think about what I want to be when I grow up.. This one has eluded me for years.

5. Catch up on reading.. I havent read a book in ages.. I need to sit my bum down and read something good.. My friend April brought me the "Olympians" series.

6. Remember these goals and actually DO them..

7. Have another yard sale to clear out more clutter.

Does anyone else have anymore suggestions for anti-boredom? Because I'm open! lol

I missed everyone and I'm sure I missed lots of good blogs.. Maybe I should make that #8..

8. Catch up on blogs that I missed while away and post pics of my projects when I finish.

Some of my New (to me) Furniture....

I have been extremely behind about posting.. And today at work it's been relatively slow SO I'm going to catch up a bit.. Recently I've picked up some new, yet well-worn-in, furniture pieces.. Because of this my house is filled almost to capacity. I MUST have a yard sale soon! Some of the pieces I've gotten are a roll-top desk, antique buffet, clawfoot side tables, and a new coffee table.. Now the coffee table isnt really supposed to BE a coffee table.. It's too tall.. BUT I love it.. It was literally Love at First Sight.. I did not hesitate to get it at all.. It was $29, and it is absolutely one of my favorite pieces EVER!

I dont have pics of the clawfoot tables yet. Im going to re-do those so Im waiting on that.. But Ive got pics of the rest :)

Dont pay attention to the mess.im moving everything around! :)

I love the buffet and all it's old scratches.. The one thing I do NOT love is the smoke smell.. it's awful. I had to wipe it down with pure white vinegar.. But inside the drawers.. well.. there are no words.. I have wiped them out with vinegar... it helped a bit.. then I sprayed them down with vinegar and lemon juice.. it helped a bit.. but the smell is still there.. it's driving me insane because I want to use it!!! I think Im going to have to just rip the velvet lining out of the one drawer and spray them all again with vinegar and lemon juice.. Maybe that will help.. I assure you that candleabra has all red candles now lol







The desk rolls really well and i love the little cubbies inside it.. It will work great with my laptop!



And finally.. My awesome, fabulous, new coffee table.. *sigh* Yes, it's true love.. I love the curves and the legs and unique details.. Pay no attention to the rug or the mess lol






I'm going to that yard sale next weekend and I cannot wait! Im hoping to find bargains galore.. Ive got a whole LIST of things Im looking for lol.. it's sad really.. But topping the list is dining chairs, a rug for my livingroom, mirrors, anything with peacocks, and a cool looking chest of drawers for my bedroom. Wish me luck and few trips in my car lol!

90 Mile Dixie Highway Yard Sale (Georgia)

I got a second to pop on at work and figured I would send out a note about an upcoming,glorious event here in Georgia-the 90 Mile Dixie highway yard sale.. It's June 4-6 this year and follows highway 41 (Dixie Highway) here in Georgia.. It's always been great fun.. If you live near Georgia you should come on out!! My friend Kim is flying down this year from Seattle and she will be here for the Yard Sale!!!! (she hasnt been here since 2001)..YAY..

An Update. Not Around As Much...

Hey there. I havent been around as much lately.. They moved me from night shft to day shift. They finally did away with night shift. I am not sure how long day shift will even last. Maybe two weeks, maybe two months..

I applied for a customer Service job at my company and Ive already had my working assessment and my interview. I should know whether or not I get the job by next week.. But if I do get it, there wont be a lot of extra time.. I will work 12 noon til 9 pm and I will have a 45 minute commute each way.

I am hoping that I can find a better job somewhere else, even if it means leaving a company where I have ten years seniority. The company I work for has really just stopped valuing people and is basically cutthroat these days.. Wish me luck!