HAS ANYONE SEEN MY KEYS?

I lost my keys.  I LOST MY KEYS! I CAN’T FIND THEM…I’M ABOUT TO COME UNDONE!  I LOST MY KEYS!

Has this ever happened to you?  It is about to make me lose my religion!  Why is it (other than the obvious reason) that we get so upset when this happens?  I think it’s about more than ‘keys’…it’s about…“I can’t drive my car”…“I can’t go where I want to go”…“I will have to stay in my house forever”…“If I get locked out, I’ll have to live on the patio for the rest of my life.”  All these things and more.  Which, when you continue boiling it down, adds up to a loss of independence.  And, I am independent, if I am anything at all. And, it’s also because I have had the same key chain since I was in high school.  I found this large brass clothespin long,long ago.  And, I bought 2 of them.  I gave Joy one and I kept one.  It is basically the only thing we have ever used.  She, being a pianist, she doesn’t like to play with her rings on.  So, she always hooks her rings on the clothespin to keep them safe.  I, working with children and art and craft projects, have had a safe place to keep my rings.  And, when I was working in nursing, I could keep my jewelry pinned and safe also.  And, it’s perfect to clip your keys onto those little rings they now have in most purses, or onto the straps.  Well, perhaps that’s reading more into the ‘key’ situation than necessary, so, I’ll go on with my story.

My housekeeper was here and Don was here and Levi was here…and me.   Levi was here for the day and we were all having breakfast.  My housekeeper was ironing in the laundry room and she called me.  I went to see what she needed.  My iron had chosen that moment to die.  And, it died a quick and immediate death.  No hanging on long enough to iron my favorite linen shirt or Don’s work pants…nope.  It was over in a second.  So, since Don was still here, I decided to run up to our local T*rget store and get a new one and get right back. ( Well…I wan’t going to ‘run’…I was going to drive! ) Put on some lipstick, put on some shoes, pick up my phone and purse, pick up my keys…NOooooooooooo!  Where are my keys?  Who moved my keys?

Now, friends, when I say I went into search mode…it’s a true story.  My houskeeper helped me, while Don entertained Levi.  At first we blamed Levi.  We looked IN every toy, UNDER every toy, everything that had a place for a set of keys to be…we checked! Every toy was touched and looked at.  I actually asked Levi so many times, “What did you do with my keys?”  He actually began echoing me “Keys?  Keys?”.  Then we checked everywhere he usually runs to when he knows he not suppossed to.  No keys.

Of course, Don had a word of wisdom,  ”Tonja, you cannot keep up with anything.  I’m going to get you one of those beepers that helps you when you lose your keys!”  So he, obviously, was going to be of zero help in this crisis.  Anyway…I did not lose my keys.  See I always put them on the round foyer table when I come in.  It is a habit I made myself get into because…I tend to lose things.  But not my keys!

Next we thought Levi may have thrown them into the garbage can.  He likes to do that.  I have found one of his shoes, a hard backed book, a sippy cup,  unopened cans of food, a few clean diapers…all in the garbage at one time or another.  So, Otelida, my housekeeper, went through the garbage.  Which had already been collected for tomorrow’s pickup.  And was already at the street.  In the big can that holds a weeks worth of garbage.  Bless her heart, she went through every piece.  Twice.  No keys.

Into the closet.  Check the pockets of every pair of pants I’ve worn lately.  Looked all over the floor.  No keys.

So, I decided to sit down and pray.  And think.  Do you have to just sit quietly, sometimes, and let your thoughts have room to run from here to there and back again in hopes of running up on the information you are looking for?  Well, I do. So, I did.  And I prayed.  I prayed for the keys to turn up.  I prayed for us to run across the keys while we were searching.  I prayed Levi would bring them to me.  I prayed they would magically appear in my purse…when I looked in there…for the fourteenth time.   None of those things happened.  But, I did think about the people who had been in the house since I last drove.  The only others…Adam and Suzanne.

So, I texted them both.  Adam texted back “Nope, don’t see them anywhere.”  I texted Suzanne, “Do you, by any chance, have my keys?”  Almost immediately she texted back “No.”  Otelida said, “She didn’t even look…that was too quick!”   But, I knew Suze would look if I asked her to, especially since I never asked her that before and she knew it must be important or I would never have bothered her at work.  So, that was another dead end.

I didn’t have anybody else to ask.  We had looked over and under and around everything in the house.  So, I took my extra key and went on to T*rget and bought an iron and another hundred dollars worth of junk I didn’t need (except the eggs).  I was so bummed about my keys and it is not safe for me to go shopping when I’m bummed about anything.

Levi is in the midst of swimming lessons (post coming about that…amazing)…and they are giving a class for 6 at our pool.  Usually Levi and I go out and sit on the screened porch when the lessons start about 3:00.  He likes to watch the other children while they swim and he can’t reach the door handle to get out of the porch, so I can relax, too.  We wait there for Suzanne to come from school and then she has about 20 minutes to rest and visit and then they get ready for Levi’s lesson at 4:10.

She asked me about my keys…did I ever find them.  I told her I didn’t.  She then said, “Why would you think I had them?”  “I didn’t really think you did, but I was just asking in case you had picked them up by mistake,” I said.  “Well, yeah, I didn’t even bother looking…I knew I didn’t have them, “ she replied.  I laughed and said, “Otelida said you didn’t even bother to look.”   Then she offered, “Well, you sit out here with Levi and I’ll go in and look around and see if I see them.  Maybe a different set of eyes can spot them,” she said.

And she went in the house.

Less than 30 seconds later, I felt her presence next to me at the French door.  I turned to look.

There she stood, with a guilty, impish grin.  She was swinging my keys in her hand!

I jumped up and opened the door and she came outside and said, “I’m not even going to tell you where I found them.  You just really don’t even want to know.”  First,  I thought for sure I had them in some obvious place and that Otelida and I and Don and Levi had all overlooked them.  Then I was afraid that perhaps I had put them in the freezer or something and this was going to be the first clue that I was, in fact, getting senile.  Which my boys accuse me of quite often.  I just knew I was going to feel so dumb if she told me.  But, the mystery got the better of me.  ”You have to tell me.  I can’t stand it”, I begged.  Then she said……

“They were in my purse.  I thought I’d just humor you and look there first.  I must have picked them up by mistake and thought they were mine ’cause they were right where I keep my keys.”

I really didn’t hear much after she said, “They were in my purse.”  I thought of how I had searched all morning and all afternoon.  I thought of how my mind was coming unglued because I was so afraid I had put them in a crazy place.  I thought of how my very soul was at unrest.  I took my phone and looked at it and told Suze  ”I sent you that text at 11:55…it is now 4:00.”  She hung her head…in shame.  She was guilty…and she knew it.  It is only because I am the kind and gracious, loving mother-in-law that I am, that I didn’t heap more guilt on her.  ”Please forgive me,” she said.  And, I did.  Because the only thing that really mattered in the situation was that I was not senile I had my keys back.

Oh, and another good thing that came out of the whole situation…Levi can now say “KEY?”!

Posted by on May 17, 2013 in Family, General, HUMOR | 5 comments

A NEW PATH TO WALK

I talk.  I talk too much.  I sometimes get in trouble for not keeping my mouth shut, but I just love sharing what’s going on with me with those I care about.  (You do know that includes you, my faithful readers.)  I don’t know why I think everyone should be interested in what goes on with me.  And, it’s not that exactly, it’s just that I like to talk.  A lot.

Well, I’m not into making big changes here in the ‘mature’ years of my life.  Today, I wish to continue to share with you the story of my grandson, Levi.  You walked the way with me as we waited for him to be born and have shared my joy as I have spent days with him here at home.  You have shared his birthdays and Christmases with me.  He has been such a joy and continues to delight us day after day with his determination and spunkiness!  He is a wonderful gift to this family.

We began to notice, when he was 10-14 months old, that he was not verbally where we thought he should be.  He was not saying those first words that we were all waiting to hear…”MaMa…DaDa…ByeBye…Go…Ball…you remember.  When it was first mentioned to a pediatrician (not his regular one), he said “no problem…he’s just a boy.  He’ll talk soon.”  His parents and we grandparents noticed how he was often frustrated when trying to communicate with us.  He would go to the refrigerator and make sounds…loudly…but there was never any “BaBa”.  I began teaching him some very simple sign language.  He quickly learned “please, thank you, cookie, more, eat, drink, all done, help. ”  He picked these up and soon it was easier for  him to communicate with us.  This seemed to make him less frustrated.  However…it was always obvious to us all that he fully understood all that was said to him.  We slowly began to hear Ma and then Da…finally he began to wave bye bye…but not say it. Still, he was not making the sounds that seemed to lead into recognizable speech.  He surely tried…always making lots of sounds…but they weren’t the right sounds.

I suppose since I have worked with young children all my life, I noticed it first.  And, also, having the history we do with our 3 boys, we know the importance of watching carefully and picking up things early.  Early intervention and early diagnosis is what saved Adam’s life.  And Ian came into this world fighting to eat and suck.  And, we knew if there was a problem with Levi, it needed to be discovered early.  Adam and Suzanne are such good parents and have been closely watching Levi.  They read with him every night and he knows many words…when they say them, he will point to them.  We have all worked with him to get him to speak.  And, he has recently rewarded us all with ‘tact-tor’.  His Papa rides on one to cut his yard.  He’s has his own version of ‘turtle’ also, but I couldn’t express it to you how he says it.  It is obvious to us how badly he wants to speak.

When he went to his two year check up, Suzanne and Adam talked to his regular pediatrician about this and fully conveyed their concern, and he suggested that the first step was a hearing evaluation.  Levi seems to hear well, but there are times when he doesn’t acknowledge us at all.  It’s as if he’s turned his hearing off.  But, the evaluation showed his hearing was normal.  It was then suggested that he go to a speech pathologist for a full evaluation.  And, that was where we found ourselves on Friday.

Because Ian was born with a cleft lip and palatte, he spent much time in speech therapy.  But, both my other boys did, too for short times.  We were so fortunate to have the therapist that we did.  And, even more fortunately, she was willing to take on Levi.  We know what a blessing this is and are so excited to have her guiding our sweet Levi.

So, does he have just a problem with pronunciation or a lisp or stuttering?  No, none of those and we knew it wasn’t that before we went.  He has a disorder called Childhood Apraxia of Speech.  Bet you never heard of it.  Well, we know lots about it now.

“Developmental apraxia of speech is also known as childhood apraxia of speech. This condition is present from birth, and it affects a child’s ability to form sounds and words. Children with speech apraxia often have far greater abilities to understand speech than to express themselves with spoken words.”

“Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words”.  From the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association

“With apraxia of speech a person finds it difficult or impossible to move his or her mouth and tongue to speak. This happens, even though the person has the desire to speak and the mouth and tongue muscles are physically able to form words.”

So, this is where we find ourselves now.  We have a diagnosis which is always the best first step.  And, so we begin to tackle Levi’s speech.  He will require extensive speech therapy for years.  Another thing that is a concern is the speech in CAS often aquires a monotone sound with no inflection.  So, as we work on the proper pronounciation, we also have to work on the inflection he uses.  Inflection to me is like the ‘music of speech’.  It is almost like a melody line as we speak normally.  The highs and lows we use in our speech (such as in “UH! OH! or BYE-BYE) is like the melody line in a written piece of music.  (This is a Tonja explanation.  If it doesn’t make sense…consider the source!}

Some children may require sign language on a permenant basis or a word pad that says the words as you type them or touch pictures.  We, however, are believing that God is going to help  Levi  have the best outcome possible!    This is not on the autism spectrum or a form of Asperger’s.  Levi is very intelligent and quite strong willed.  He has a determined spirit and loves to figure out ways to do what he wants.  (This sometimes gets him in trouble.)  We are, at this point, teaching Levi how to listen to speech.  He has to learn that what he hears can be spoken. This seems to be his greatest need at the present…to learn how to listen.  Funny thing… I can hear myself saying “You need to listen”…or “Why don’t you try listening?” to my own boys through the years.  But, in this case, Levi actually has to be taught how to listen.

We have such a wonderful opportunity here to show just how God works.  We had a problem, and at first, we did not know which direction to travel.  After prayer, God impressed upon us the need to talk with the pediatrician and to continue on with the followup.  When it became known to us that we needed a speech therapist, we knew who we wanted to use, but I also knew she did not take many patients anymore.  We all prayed about it and she agreed to see Levi for evaluation and for therapy.  Isn’t God good?  He is meeting every need as it comes up.  I have seen Him do this before.  And, since we know that He never changes, He will continue to help us as problems comes up.  I do not know about you, but this is one of the dearest truths that I hold onto in my life.

 ”And, my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of

His glory in Christ Jesus”  Phillipians 4:19 NIV

This little boy is so fortuate to be surrounded by family and friends who will be constantly helping him.  So we walk this new path with thanks and gratitude for his determined spirit and strong will.  We give thanks for his fine hearing and for his ability to learn.  We give thanks for the ability to pay for his private lessons.  Nothing, nothing, nothing good comes to us by any means other than God.  So, Levi will learn to talk slower than most children…and he will learn to talk a whole new way from most children.  And, we parents, and grandparents and aunts and uncles will all learn how to help him and encourage and all will be well!  We claim that promise!

“Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy

the fruit of their deeds.”       Isaiah 3:10 NIV

 

Posted by on May 8, 2013 in Faith, Family, General | 10 comments

SPRING !

Spring!

Spring! How beautiful is the

Spring! How wonderful is the

 

Spring! How majestic is the

Spring! How fantastic is the

Spring! How tantalizing is the

Spring! How glorious is the

Spring! How melodious is the

Spring! How joyful is the

Spring! How breathtaking is the

Spring! How uplifting is the

Spring! How happy is the

Spring! How magnificent is the

Spring! How colorful is the

Spring! How tasteful is the

Spring! How memorable is the

Spring! How flavorful is the

Spring! How aromatic is the

Spring! How sweet is

Spring! How beautiful is the

Spring!

Poem by Alex Fisher………Fish caught and proudly displayed by John Thomas Bush……….Spring, the world, and everything in it, created by God.

Posted by on Apr 30, 2013 in Faith, Family, General, Photography | 4 comments

LEVI TURNS 2

What a fun weekend we have had!  Levi turned two on the 29th and we had his party on the 30th.  I could tell you all about it, but I’ll just show you a few pictures.  Well….maybe more than a few.  But, hey!  I did whittle them down from 148!  The theme of his party this year was Little Red Wagon…be sure to notice his shirt!

 

 

Oh and one more for his Lulu…

Betcha can’t guess what his favorite gift was?  Took him a little while to realize how to make it go, but he finally got it!  However, he did not want to sit in the wagon for a picture like John Thomas!  Too busy for that!  It was a fun party…Suzanne did a wonderful job decorating and putting it all together!

Two years with this angel…God has blessed us so much, and we are grateful with our whole being!  He has brought such joy and laughter into our lives.  He can make us laugh even on a dreary day.

                               ”God has given us these times of joy.”  Nehemiah 12:43 

 

Posted by on Apr 1, 2013 in Family, Friends, General | 9 comments

EYE CANDY

Isn’t this just the best time of the year?  Here in the deep South the trees are budding out and the ground is getting warmer everyday.  Our thermometer registers a balmy 74* today!  It’s beautiful!  No great and important thoughts come to mind today, just wanted to share some images that made me remember that “YES. SPRING IS COMING!”

Love, love, love the color on this barn!  Now who would ever paint a barn that color?  I WOULD!!!

Aww, sweet family.  Though their faces do look as if they are scowling, don’t they?

Would YOU eat a carrot of a different color?

Posted by on Mar 15, 2013 in General | 3 comments

THE CASE OF THE MISSING SOCK

The deal is…I care for the little boy named Levi and Alex cares for the little dog named Finn.  This is a good and proper way to do things in our house because Alex doesn’t change diapers very well and I don’t like standing around in the cold and wet waiting for a dog to ‘go’.

Today, our well oiled plan became a little turned around.  Alex has been feeling particularly bad since we have entered the monsoon season here in our town!  Really, we are all either floating away, have sandbags at our door or are molding!  Hurry Spring!    And, since there was rain predicted for three days straight…this was going to be one of those “Let’s stay in our pajamas all day and chill out” kinda days.  Levi and I both thought it was a grand idea!

The housekeeper was going in to do Alex’s apartment and since he was moving so slowly, I went in to lend a hand and let Finn out to take care of his business.  It was pouring rain.  So, I intended to just stay in the doorway.  No such luck…I had to step out on the porch.  And, it was wet with standing rain. And, I did not have my shoes on…day in pajamas and chilling, remember?  Well, Finn finally bonded with nature and decided to come back in.  As I stepped back in I took off my socks so as not to wet the floor. And, quick as a wink!  Finn grabbed one of my socks and ran over to the chair.  ”Get my sock,” I shouted,”I don’t want him to put a hole in them!”  Alex tried to get it, the housekeeper tried to get it, and I was on my way to try to get it, when Alex said, “It’s gone.  He ate it.”  ”What do you mean- he ate it?”  I yelled.  Housekeeper said, “He shore did, Ms Tonja.  He swallowed that sock right down.  I never saw anything like that!  He swallowed that sock!  He did!”  ”Y’all are crazy…look under the chair, he probably dropped it,” I said.  Alex and Housekeeper looked at me and said together, “He swallowed the sock!”  ”Well, can he still breathe?” I asked.  They assured me he could.  And, when I looked over at him, he looked quite pleased with himself…had himself a little sock snack here on this rainy day!  And, he wasn’t worried about it a bit!

Well.  I knew this could cause trouble so I went to call the vet.  They said to watch him.  Yeah, well, I did that.  I watched him eat my sock!  But, in a little bit the doctor called back and said for me to bring him in middle of the afternoon to get an x-ray.  OK.  I can do that.  It will cause me to have to go and get dressed though, put one makeup, too…but I can do it.  And, that’s what I did,  Went and got ready, because with my luck, he’d try to pass it and get an intestinal obstruction.  But, no..that sock was in the belly and in the belly it was going to stay.

And, as I dressed, I watched my wonderful day all snug inside…OUT of the rain…go floating past.

After the Vet saw the xray, he said, he was going to try to go down through the throat and try to catch it with an endoscope, but if that didn’t work, it would be surgery.  When he called me later, he told me that there was no way the sock would have ever moved.  And, so, Finn now has a 2 inch incision on his belly where he was sliced open and relieved of the sock in his tummy.

I went to pick him up later.  They said to be there around 5:45.  Around 5:30, here comes one of those downpours that renders windshield wipers useless as well as headlights…because of all the lightning.  If you know me you know I do. NOT. do .lightning.  Unless I have to pick up a poor, hurt dog and bring him home.  So, I prayed all the way to the vet that God would move His little thunderstorm a few miles in the direction of His choosing and give me time to get the dog and put him back in the car.  Obviously, the thunder was too loud for Him to hear me, because when I got out of the car at the vet, all I could hear was a sonic boom as I sprinted to the door…in the pouring rain…and much lightning.

Saw the vet…Finn OK.  Give up mega bucks to the receptionist in order to get my sock back all soggy and wet in a zip lock bag like some kind of prize at a fishing rodeo!  What did I want this nasty sock for?  But, I gingerly put it in my purse, along with what was left of my paycheck, and waited for the ‘dog of the hour’!  And, then I heard him…”whine, whine, yelp, YELP,YELP, whine, whimper, whimper.”  I was a goner.  How dare they hurt my Finn!  No, they were just trying to bring him to me…his mama. The Vet said, that he was going to give him another shot and it would probably knock him out by the time I got home and that we should be careful because he may run into the walls and look at things and not see them.  ”Stoned?”, I said.  ”Stoned”, he said.   And, there came poor Finn…walking slowly…ears down, head down, no smile, no jumping up to slap my thigh.  He was pitiful.  And, they gave me his meds and they gave me his leash.  And all of this drama inside was accompanied by the drama going on OUTSIDE.  Finn and I and the sock got to the door and I knew there was no way we could safely make it to the car amidst the lightning striking in a circle round my car without me carrying the 25 pounds he was…minus the sock.  So, I prayed, again, and bent to pick up the animal that was hurt and in pain.  And, I immediately remembered people’s stories of how the dog turned on them and bit them when they were hurt, and so since I was praying anyway, I asked God to remember what He did for Daniel when he was forced to be in the den with hungry lions and would He please do the same for me with the hurting Finn…especially since I was forced not only to carry the animal, but endure one of His firework shows at the same time.  I pushed opened the door and made it down the steps and carefully shifted the dog to my hip so I could open the door. I got it opened and …”who put those gloves and muzzle on my front car seat?”  Oh, no, it must belong to that lady that just took that 80 pound boxer in and this must not be my car, even though it is the same make and model and color.  I can tell all this because the sky…she is so lit up.  Shift dog back to carry in both arms, round the back of my car to ease, oh so carefully, between her car and mine, and to shift the dog and open the door halfway and try to carefully sit the dog on the front passenger seat.  FYI…there are only 2 cars in the lot.  Only 2 cars in the whole lot!  Plenty of room not to have to squeeze in so close to another car and make life so much the harder…I’m just saying!

Finn goes on the seat and I shut the door and run for my life to get to the driver’s side before certain death from being struck by a dagger of lightning occured.  Opened the door and there is Finn…standing in my seat…whining, ears still down and eyes looking so doggone mournful you could cry.  So I gently picked him up and held him…all 25 pounds, above the steering wheel, until I could slide the ampleness that I am under the steering wheel.  With door still open, I carefully lay him down on the towel I remembered to bring.  Keeping one hand on his head, I straighten my body and slam my car door.  And there we sat…in the thunder and lightning show…hoping all I’d ever heard about the car being the safest place to be and all…but deciding it didn’t matter anymore…I’d just trust the Maker of all the lights and noise.  And we sat for a good 5 minutes.  Me, panting and blowing…Finn…in la la land.  Then I cranked the car and carefully drove home.

I called Alex from the car and told him to meet us in the garage to help.  He did.  We got the dog in.  And got him settled.  And, they he lay…stoned out of his head…probably wondering why his people went all ape on him and freaked out and cut him open.  Or maybe he was just seeing pink elephants.

He lay carefully on Alex’s bed and slowly lay his head down.  Who knows what dreams he dreamt while under the influence.  But, I didn’t stay around to find out.  I put back on my pajamas and got into bed.  Yelling to whomever may care, “I’m hereby OFF DUTY!”

And as I reflected on this day before sleep overtook my eyes…I thought how chaotic it had been, but yet…perfectly orchestrated.  My housekeeper was here to care for Levi when I had to leave, both times.  The Vet said, “You’re lucky, most Friday afternoons we are so wrapped up, there would be no way I would have had the time to do this surgery.  Today, we only have 2 doctors and very few patients, and I have all the time I need.”  And, I told him, and he agreed…”No luck involved…ochestrated by the Father.”  See, this dog is more than just a dog to Alex.  It is his companion, his friend, his heart.  As Alex, due to his disease, is homebound 99% of the time, he misses so much.  But, Finn is there, beside him, to love and comfort and share.  Finn watches patiently as Alex suffers, offering a warm body and a lick to the hand.  He waits until Alex feels like it , and then they sing together….howling loud enough to wake the dead!  And, if Alex is up to watching some TV, Finn is watching, too…from his perch in Alex’s lap.  And, though Alex is in pain himmself…he is tenderly and carefully tending to Finn.

I know many of you love your animals like this, as well.  But, to end this story, I just want to say that God sends His love and comfort to us in many ways.  He offers us arms to lean into and He lets us sit in His lap.  He picks us up and carries us when we hurt too much to go on.  He promises to meet our needs.  And no matter how hard our life may be, He knows the best way to be with us.  In Alex’s case…He sent Finn.  Mischievous, impish, yelping, sock eating Finn.  And, we thank Him for His goodness!

Job 12:7-10 – But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (NIV)

Posted by on Feb 23, 2013 in Faith, Family, General, HUMOR | 5 comments

ALONG A STRETCH OF HIGHWAY 98…..part 6

I don’t know what it says about me that it is taking me so long to ‘show and tell’.  I am usually quite a succinct person and can tell you all you need to know in a few sentences…well, sometimes.  But, for some reason, that doesn’t seem to be what is happening in this instance.  Perhaps, I’m just enjoying sharing it so much that I want to relive every. little. detail.  So, when I get wordy, or tend to carry on about some insignificant, trivial piece of info that you have no interest in…kindly ignore, please…and just look at the pretty pictures!

On now to the den…Here I chose to ground the seating area with a dark brown sea grass rug and to build the decor off of a ‘sand’ colored couch.  We purchased a new sleeper sofa and then chose the most marvelous assortment of pillows to bring in pops of color.

From this…

To this…

 

Then, I used those colors in the art and in the 2 chairs.

The bench under the canvas is one of my favorite pieces in the house.  It is worn and distressed with the most lovely shades of blue and green.  It is as smooth as can be and has an unusual placing of the brackets under the seat.  Plus it is a perfect height for Levi to run his cars and trucks on or hide away his favorite flamingo!

 

 

One of the chairs is new, the green one,  it reclines and swivels and rocks.  Then the white rattan barrel chair is one we found at a consignment shop. It needed some touch up painting and reworking the cushions, but is wonderfully comfortable.  And, it rocks and swivels…much to the delight of a certain little boy. Below is one of my favorite pieces of art….I saw it once and went back months later and it was still there…much to my delight.  It says…”Happiness is BAREFOOT on the BEACH.”

 

Next to the rattan chair is an end table that was in the trailer that we bought next door(story coming soon).It matched almosted perfectly and didn’t even need paint!  Serendipitous!  This wonderful lamp is a garage sale find.  It was terra cotta colored.  I worked on it for several days at home, bought a new shade and brought it down with me.  Actually there are 2.  You’ll see the other one later on in our story.  The whole grouping is quite cohesive, don’t you think?

This aqua/green/turquoise table was found a few months ago when I went to a yard sale with Shirley in Moultrie.  We were walking around and I had found a little table that I was going to put beside one of the beds.  But, Shirl saw this table and said, “Tonja, come here!  Buy this table!  It’s perfect for a sofa table at the Sand Castle!”  ”Are you sure?, ” I said, ” I don’t know if it is the right color or size.”  ”Buy it!”, she said, “it’s perfect!  I know it is.”  I looked at Tina and she said, “I’d go with what Shirl says…she just knows these things.”  And, so, I bought it and hauled it around in my car for a month before I went back to the beach.  But, when I took it in..I must say…she was right!  I love it and the color is different from any other color there…but it blends with everything!  Love it!

 

 

Aren’t these ‘real sized’ girls the cutest things?  I had to have them!  The one in front is drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper.  Remind you of anyone? :-)

Below is a papier mache box I bought at Michaels.  Then, I covered the top with the most beautiful shells!  I saw one like it when I was in Maui for $170.00~  I think I have about $20.00 in this one!

 

The little pail on the floor next to the etegere says Flip-Flops.  And, the wonderful throw and pillow on the green chair, are specials gifts to myself that I bought in Maui!  This green chair is where I do all my computer and FB and such when I am here.   It is shorter to the ground and my legs touch the floor!!!

So, on to the bathroom.  There was a fiberglass tub and shower surround.  We took that out and had a ceramic tile shower built.  The vanity was rebuilt, though we copied the original and added a new sink and granite top, and a new toilet was added.  The bathroom has a nice sized linen closet and also holds the new washer and dryer.  And surprisingly, it is very roomy.  Also, the shower now has lovely tinted glass doors.

So, from this…

 

To this…

 

So, here come the bed rooms….First, the one we call Alex’s room…BEFORE…

 

AFTER…

 

We haven’t gotten the hardware to hang the dresser mirror yet, but it is as wide as the dresser.

 

The second bedroom…AKA Levi’s room…

 

 

 

 

On top bunk…eventually the playground of Levi…

But, right now we put up a Pack-N-Play.  Below, a resist painting I did of Levi’s feet…cute in the room!

 

Books for the little man…some were his Dad’s when he was a wee one…

Doesn’t this painting have the most wonderful use of color?  Just looking at it makes me happy.

 

On to the Master Bedroom…..This room has a softer, more pastel feeling…by accident.  I had bought a quilt for this bed, but after we got the art and accessories in…it was too harsh.  So, we went to a Linen Outlet and found this soft yellow quilt and we added  khaki sheets, and bed skirt.  Wasn’t it the man on A-Team, waaaaay back in the 70′s who said, “I love it when a plan comes together.”?  (Yes. It was).  But, it was all so amazing how the pillows, bought to go with the other quilt, and the art we bought on the first day…just because we liked it, and the tag sign I bought on a previous trip, and the green lamp on the table from an outlet store and the bedside night stand bought at a used furniture store… all came together and made a room that is cozy and comforting and a joy to stay in.  The only problem here is the closet space.  Some previous owner took out the walk in closet and made it into a 1/2 bath.  It really is nice to have, but it leaves the room with only a very small closet.  Which is why we had to buy the little chest.  There is also a little table and lamp on the other side of the bed now too.

Again, this mirror needs to be hung.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The house has wonderful closet space for its size.  Alex’s bedroom has 1 large closet and Levi’s room has 2 large closets.  There are also 2 nice closets in the hallway and a pantry.  So no complaints in that area.

There is still work to do.  Window coverings, more rugs, outdoor shower, Landscaping and fencing.  But, it will come.

OK…That’s it.  That’s my little cottage near the sea…The Sand Castle.  And, though it is very small…it’s is quite large enough to hold all the joy and laughter and good times we intend to have there.  I want these walls to hold the remnants of children playing, and girl friends laughing, and Don and I speaking softly.  I want the air to hold the contented sighs of folks walking in and crashing on the sofa, of a tired friend sitting around the table sipping on a cool iced tea, of someone curling up on the sofa with a good book.  I want to smell the sweet coconut oil of sun tan lotion, the yummy aroma of hamburgers on the grill outside, and the wonderful scent of shrimp boiling.  I want to see friends and family sitting around the table waiting to share our time and love together.  I want this to be our second home…not just a beach house.  I want to instill in the children the majesty of our God who made the mighty ocean, the mysterious world beneath, the glorious sky above, and the crunchy sand we walk on…all for us!  Made for us to enjoy, because He loves us.  It is He who allowed us to have The Sand Castle and to Him we will always be grateful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by on Feb 21, 2013 in General | 6 comments