Tiles, Pavers, and Paint

For the last month, we've been mulling over what to do with the concrete floor that will be under the gazebo.

And mulling.

And mulling.

We started thinking about tiling it.  (Can't make a decision on what tiles to use, too much work, would we crack them when we drilled to set the posts of the gazebo...the negatives just go on and on.)

So, tiling is out.

Then we thought about pavers.  Ugh...too heavy to carry all those pavers back to the cement platform.  That was out.

Then we saw in a Lowe's circular that there was something called rubber pavers that only weighed about 6 lbs each and were supposed to look just like real pavers when you put them down.

So we trekked out to Lowe's last weekend and alas...I wasn't impressed.  They looked like rubber, not stone to me.

This weekend, I got to thinking about painting it and then stenciling something cool on it.  We traveled around looking for cool stencils.  Lowe's didn't have any.  They sent us to Sherwin Williams.  SW didn't have any and told us to go to Lowe's...is that funny or what?  SW did also suggest Walmart so we went there and I found some but they were really small and this is 144 sq feet of stenciling to do...I wanted something a bit bigger.

This morning I got to thinking about the fact that I can hardly bend my right knee (pain from cancer meds I'm on...it does something evil and arthritic to the joints and it is particularly zooming in on this joint) so how am I going to get down there and stencil the floor?  So, I have chosen a nice 'Teddy Bear' brown color of a solid concrete stain/sealer that should go nicely with the ivory color of the gazebo.  Tom is gonna go get it today and we'll probably spray it on this afternoon.  We have a paint sprayer that should make the job really easy.  8-)

The gazebo should get here next week.  Yeah!!

Alrighty then...time for some Max for today:

"True Humility

By Max Lucado

The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God is plenty and honor and a satisfying life. Proverbs 22:4, The Message

True humility is not thinking lowly of yourself but thinking accurately of yourself. The humble heart does not say, “I can’t do anything.” But rather, “I can’t do everything.”

I know my part and am happy to do it!"

By Grace Alone -

Teresa

The Circle of Life (Not a Disney Story)

I am big on multi-tasking...those who have been following this blog understand this.

So, the ritual of brushing teeth is extremely boring to me.  There isn't a lot else you can do while you brush your teeth.  Tom and I like to brush our teeth at night together.  We start with flossing, then move to the first toothbrush which gets the gums and between the teeth and then we move to the second toothbrush which gets all the teeth surfaces that can be reached.

So, last night, we were going through the 'boring' ritual of tooth brushing.  I'm looking around and look at Tom, I turn around and see Shadow waiting to play behind the TV, give a sigh and look down in the sink.  Oh my Goodness...what in the world is that in my sink?  I look closer.  It's a HAIR.  One single hair...laying there, dead...never to be attached to my head again.  I hadn't really lost any head hairs since I started growing them back.  I had forgotten that hair loss was normal and that pit of the stomach nausea rolled over me before I got that thought into my head.  I went through the internal calming process, deep breath in and relaxed breath out.  It was all good.  This is normal.

So, the circle of life is back in motion.  This is more of the normalcy that I crave in life.  Yeah!

I went to the dentist two days ago for a new crown (got rid of an old filling and replaced it with a temporary crown...new crown will arrive in about 3 weeks)  and an old filling was replaced in another tooth.  We are trying to figure out what the pain is that I have had for many years on the back right side.  Today I go to an Endodontist to have a better look at an old root canal that was done on the very back tooth probably 12 years ago.  I don't think my dentist in Florida got all of the roots out but this guy has the equipment to figure it out.  I don't think I've ever been to an Endodontist before. 

Well, work calls to me so I'd better go answer.

Here is some Max for today:

"Blessed are the Merciful

By Max Lucado

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Matthew 5:7, NIV

The merciful, says Jesus, are shown mercy.  They witness grace.  They are blessed because they are testimonies to a greater goodness.  Forgiving others allows us to see how God has forgiven us.  The dynamic of giving grace is the key to understanding grace, for it is when we forgive others that we begin to feel what God feels."

By Grace Alone -

Teresa

Differences

What makes us tick?

What motivates us?

What makes us different from one another?

I watch the different members of my family from afar (sometimes, this is the best way to watch) and I always wonder what makes them so different than me?  Why am I so anti-social and my whole family is outgoing and love getting together with other people? 

It isn't that I don't like people...I really love people but not large quantities of them for long periods of time.  (Although, sometimes large groups means that you can sit on the sidelines and not have to interract so much.)  I mean, I like to say hi and catch up on their lives and then I like to receed back into my safe zone.  It isn't that I think they will do me harm by talking to me...it just isn't my comfort zone.  This is probably why I started this blog.  I  know my family...if I didn't have some way of constantly communicating with them about what was going on with my cancer, then they would require more face time than I had to give.

All I can say is that God made me just a little different than the rest of the world.  I excel at what I do at work but I probably suck as a family member.  (Ah well.)

Here is a little Max for today:

"What Love Doesn’t

By Max Lucado

“Love . . .  does not boast, it is not proud.”  I Corinthians 13:4 NIV

Jesus blasts the top birds of the church, those who roost at the top of the spiritual ladder and spread their plumes of robes, titles, jewelry, and choice seats. Jesus won’t stand for it. It’s easy to see why. How can I love others if my eyes are only on me? How can I point to God if I’m pointing at me? And, worse still, how can someone see God if I keep fanning my own tail feathers?

Jesus has no room for pecking orders."

By Grace Alone -

Teresa

Holidays are Just Around the Corner

This weekend was very relaxing...

Friday we got off at 3:00 (as usual on the Friday that we work...we have every other Friday off...absolutely love the 9/80 schedule.) and went over to Lowe's and Home Depot to try to figure out what we are going to do with the concrete slab when we get the gazebo up.  It should come in this week.

We've set up our holiday schedule so we can venture to Texas to visit my Mom and Sister and her family for Christmas.  We plan on taking two days to get there instead of killing ourselves by traveling it in one day.  We still need to figure out what to do with Shadow (this is always the problem with us traveling).  I am hoping that our  neighbor isn't going anywhere while we are going and his son can make sure she has food and water again.  That worked out really well in July when we went up to Kentucky.

I keep dreaming that my cancer has returned.  One night I dreamed that all the people I love came to say goodbye to me.  We actually had a really good time laughing about stuff in the dream and I was ok with the dying thing.  (An interesting twist was that one night, all the family that I have that are already dead came to a party that I was having and we were all laughing about stuff too.  Even people that are still alive were at the party...very strange dreams...)  I am just guessing that there is some subliminal worry going on in my head because on the surface, I am not worried at all but the dreams tell me that I must still be stressing over it.  This is probably very natural. It's probably some side affect of the medication I am taking....HA!

Here is some Max for today:

"Remember Jesus

By Max Lucado

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.” Isaiah 25:9, NKJV

When people don’t listen, remember Jesus. When tears come, remember Jesus. When disappointment is your bed partner, remember Jesus. When fear pitches his tent in your front yard. When death looms, when anger simmers, when shame weighs heavily. Remember Jesus.

Remember the dead called from the grave with a Galilean accent. Remember the eyes of God that wept human tears."

By Grace Alone -

Teresa