It's a Bad Back Kind Of Day

Short post today....on Wednesday at work I was working on my archive room project...moving lots and lots of boxes. Well, on Thursday my back felt a bit tight....then yesterday I was having a hard time getting around. Today it is just slightly better, but it's a mess. I have a very weak low back with some very sensitive discs. They obviously did not like what I was doing and are just letting me know.

I tried to work on some pillows today and I did get some done. My daughter-in-law saw one of them and said it looks just like something from Pottery Barn....I will take that compliment any day. I haven't photographed them yet, but as soon as I do I will share. I'm pretty excited about them. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but I can't sit for long or stand for long so it was a day of constant moving from here to there.

I also had coasters in the garage where I was spraying them with sealer, and got them all done...so I guess all in all, it was a fairly productive day considering.

Today is Irv's birthday. We celebrated last weekend, but Michael and Bernadette stopped by this afternoon with Dairy Queen for all of us. The dogs played outside and we had a nice visit.

Well, that is going to be it for today. I think I am going to take a shower, get in my jammies , curl up on the couch and watch the movie, "Milk". I watched "Slumdog Millionaire" last night and it was awesome!

I'm thinking spring!! The picture is Michael and Bernadette when we went to visit them in Virginia where they were living last spring. The cherry blossoms in D.C. are amazing! Have a good one and I'll chat with you soon.

Dinner, Waterbottles and A New Canopy

Happy Weekend!

Irv just left to go pick up our carry-out for tonight! I'm getting a delicious Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad from Outback. Of course that comes with a loaf of their awesome bread and then I got a piece of carrot cake for dessert! Oh....and I always get fries from the little burger joint where Irv gets his usual Italian Beef. So much for any kind of calorie control again this evening!

We also got our two stainless steel water bottles from Powderfin today. We can't drink our tap water...it's well water and full of rust...so we have to buy bottled water. We always get a couple of the 2 gallon "tapper" size and then usually buy a case of the individual bottles to use for to and from work. I hate buying all of the water in plastic even though we recycle it all, so at the suggestion of fellow blogger "So Sherry" we decided to try this company. I've been filling mine all day from the 2 gallon tapper and the water has tasted great from the new stainless bottle. Mine is so cute with it's little dragonfly on it. Irv got a bigger size with fish on it! So no more little plastic bottles!

Well, I took the plunge and I ordered a 10 by 10 white canopy for the craft show. The rental place wanted $60 for one day. If I even do three shows this summer, that would cost more than what I paid for the canopy. We went to a few stores this morning and couldn't find one that didn't look like it would fall apart the first day, so I ended up ordering one online that had free shipping. I have no idea what the quality will be, but it can't be any worse than what we saw in the stores. Here is the one I ordered. We saw one by this company this morning and it looked much nicer than the others, it was just too big and didn't come in white. So, wish me luck...I figured even if I get a couple of seasons out of it, it was still cheaper than renting.

If I love doing the shows and do well at them, down the road maybe I'll invest in a really nice tent! Do you have a tent for craft shows? If so, what brand do you have?

Well, dinner will be here in a few minutes. Better get some plates and silverware out! Have an awesome evening!

My Life Altering Experience

"It looks like we have a melanoma," the voice on the phone said.

That was 1998 and the voice was my doctor at that time. What I had feared most, was a reality...I had skin cancer. Actually, I didn't just have skin cancer, I had melanoma...the most deadly form of skin cancer.

I can't even begin to tell you how my life changed that day. I went from a very confident happy woman that loved being outside, to a terrified shell of a person that feared even having the sun shine on her skin while riding in the car.

I look back now and actually feel bad for my family and even for myself. I loved life so much and the very thought of losing it consumed me...and I was one of the lucky ones. Further biopsy showed my melanoma in it's very earliest stage. I did not require any additional treatment.

My skin cancer was most likely caused from the many, many, many sunburns I received as a child and even as an adult. I am very light complected. I use to burn, blister and peel over and over and over again...never knowing that what I thought was funny at the time....could actually be shortening my life.

My diagnosis turned me into a bit of a hermit. I didn't venture outside if I wasn't covered from head to toe in sunscreen, sunscreen clothing, hats, shoes and socks. In the past few years, I have slowly come to understand that the sun can still be my friend, but I have to respect the sun. I know that it can make me smile and warm my heart and soul, but it can also do great harm.

These days, you will find me outside on sunny days. I love walking out onto the deck and turning my face to the sun to feel the warmth. I will stretch out my arms and let them take in the the suns rays....but only for a few minutes.

I have a large scar on my upper left arm. My doctor told me I could have surgery to improve it's appearance, but I said no thank you. That scar is there to remind me to respect the sun.

My melanoma looked NOTHING like what you see pictures of. It was small and perfectly round and "normal" looking. Last fall I found a tiny little spot that looked like a dry, bumpy rash. I had it removed and it was a basal cell carcinoma...another form of skin cancer. I thought it was dry skin!

I recommend everyone wear sunscreen and a hat when out in the sun, and see a dermatologist for a skin check once a year.

If you would like more information on skin cancer, please click here. If you would like information on a great sunscreen clothing company, click here.

Tell Me Why....

"Kathy, I have a big project for you," said my boss this morning.

"What kind of project?" I asked.
"One you will love!" she replied.
"Why? Is it tedious, boring and repetitious?" I ask excitedly.
"It's lots of little things that need to be done perfectly," was her reply.

Man, I could hardly wait to find out what it was! I finished up the rest of my work and went into her office. "Can you show me the project now?" I asked....hardly able to hold back my excitement.

You think I'm kidding.....but I'm really not. I LOVE projects like that. I once had a job where I had to put stickers on brochures. They had to be put on in the exact place and at the correct angle. You had to work fast because you were paid by the piece. It was awesome.

I always thought I would like working in a factory. Just sitting on my butt all day putting things together.....

This project is making labels with the kid's names on them, sticking one on a name tag, adding a little colored dot and putting another label on a colored folder. There will more to it, but that's all I know right now.

Why on earth would I like doing things like that? It makes me wonder about myself. If any of you would like to practice your psychology skills on me....take a stab at it! Tell me why I like to do things like this that no one in their right mind would want to do? Oh, maybe I just answered my own question!

Who's Your Favorite?

Are you a fan of American Idol? I am. I love music. I am in awe of the sounds that come out of the mouths of some of these young people. I don't have a nice voice, but let me tell you...I will sing my little heart of whenever the urge strikes!

Tresa and Chris and Michael and Bernadette watch Idol too. It's fun "comparing notes" to see if we are in agreement after certain performances. Sometimes we are and sometimes we aren't. Last year, Michael loved Brooke White. I thought she was pathetic. Simon could say, "Brooke you look disgusting tonight and you sounded like crap," and she would smile so sweetly and say, "Oh thank you Simon. I appreciate your constructive criticism. It means so much to me. Thank you, thank you." Give me a break!

This year my whole family likes Scott. He isn't their favorite, but they all think he's really good...especially Irv. It's a great story and I have great respect for what he has done with his life, but I find his voice extremely irritating and his stage presence is awful. He is just plain old boring. My family rips on me saying, "OMG you don't like the blind guy. That's terrible!" It isn't that I don't like Scott as a person, I just can't stand his voice.

Who am I rooting for this season...Adam of course. I think he is a very talented musician. I love what he does with the songs he performs.. and yes, I even loved "Ring of Fire!" He's very creative. I also prefer his dark look to his slick look.

Danny is another of my favorites. He has a very touching story, but that isn't why I like him. He has that true enthusiasm when he's on stage. He doesn't have to remind himself to be enthusiastic...he just naturally is and it shows.

I also like Kris. He has a great voice and he is nice to look at as well. My concern for him is that there isn't anything that really makes him stand out personality-wise and that could be a problem for him in the next few weeks.

Allison has an amazing gift for a kid that age. She has the voice and can really wow the crowd. I'm a little surprised that she keeps popping up in the bottom three, but I think the young girls are voting for the cool guys. I love her gritty voice, but then I love Janis Joplin too.

So, those are my picks. How about you? Will you be watching tonight? If so, who gets your vote?

Happy "First Date" Anniversary!

Well 41 years ago today, I was getting ready to go on my first date with Irv! My best friend was dating his best friend, and they decided that Irv and I should accompany them on a date. I knew who Irv was, but I had never met him. I don't remember a lot about our first date, I just remember that I was not at home when we set it up and I called my little sister Kay and asked her to get some clothes together for me because I was going to be in a hurry.

Love the floral swimsuit. We both look like stick people...what the heck happened??

I know we drove around, because that seemed to be the thing to do back then. Then we went to Irv's house to play pool in his basement. They had an awesome house on the river. I do remember sitting on the couch while the guys were playing pool and having a pool ball get launched off the table and go zooming past my head as it hit the wall....beyond that...I don't remember a lot. No, not because it hit me in the head....it didn't.

What on earth was I wearing in this picture? I think it was a jumper and a blouse. UGH! That's my little sister Kay next to me. As you can tell, I didn't like my picture taken then...just like now!

Irv was a really nice guy back then...very polite and thoughtful, just like he is now. We continued to date, even though our friends broke up. That first week of dating was spring break, but neither of could drive, so he came down to my subdivision in his little motor boat! I lived about a block from the river.

Four years later we were married at the sweet age of 20! It will be 37 years for us this summer and that is hard to believe.

So, Happy "First Date" Anniversary Irv.....I love you!

Business Cards that Mean Business

I am in the process of putting together new business cards and I am stuck! I have two etsy shops and I really do not want two separate business cards. How do I have one card that includes information about both FourDogDay and MyOtherShop? The shops are nothing alike. Is that even possible to do? Can I do a two-sided card that looks like a business card on both sides? I don't have time today to do all of the research, but I guess I will need to do that this week.

What do you do if you have two or more shops? How do you make your business card work for you? This is the one I did through Vista when I first started.


It's cute, but it was just one of their templates and that isn't what I want this time around. I want this next one to look like my banners. I did convo Kittylili that does my banners and things for me since I am so computer illiterate, and asked her if she designs business cards. She is really easy to work with and her prices have always been very good. We'll see what she says.

So, what would you do? I'm open to any and all suggestions....