What Happened Here?

How did this?

Turn into this?!

Yes, those are cobwebs covered with dust above the door!  I hadn't even noticed that until I took this photo!

Sigh....

A Great Idea!

My goal this weekend is to organize my workroom and find a place to display my dollhouses. I found a perfect solution at A Home for Dolly.

Image from Rick's blog

New Dollhouse Display

Rick used Ikea shelving in his dining room as a place to display his wonderful collection of houses. I love this idea!

I currently have four HUGE houses that are "works in progress." They are scattered around my house and taking up valuable work space. 

My largest house is the Adelaide Beachy beach house. It is 30" tall, 36" wide and 18" deep. Right now it is on the buffet in the kitchen. 

Grandpa's garage is on a small table in my workroom. Still unfinished. I have made lots of accessories for this project.

Grandma will have a sewing room in the loft area. That part is almost complete.

Then there is this house. 

I've bashed it since this photo was taken. It will be a very modern house someday...

My current project is the Mini Town Loft that I am using to build a garden center. Maybe this one will get finished?  :D

If I could just concentrate on one thing at a time! Today I will be moving things around and trying to find space to work!  

I think finding some shelving for the dining room will be a good thing. Thanks Rick, for sharing your great idea!

I found some adjustable shelving online at Home Depot. Basic black. If I spray painted it my favorite color and painted the shelves grass green?  Might work?

Hope you have a great day!

More Bathroom Ideas

Here is another idea I'm trying for the garden center bathroom. Adding wainscoting to the wall breaks up the clash between the wallpaper and floor. 

I may start over and make a more modern commercial style bathroom. I can always use these fixtures in another house. This IS a business. Not a Victorian house. We'll see? 

I tried a different layout with a stall for the toilet. This will require a slightly larger bathroom. Not a problem since I am still in the planning stage.  :D

The vanity is a dollar store table with some plates to mark where the sinks may go. I'm going to look at this for a while before I decide what to do?  I found some glass bowls at Beautifully Handmade on Ebay. I like the blue ones. They might make great sinks?

I LOVE this sink found at Family Home Plans! If you need inspiration, this is a great site to visit!

Hope you have a good day!

Back in the Bathroom

My miniatures have been so neglected this month! January is almost ending and I have little to show you. I finished the garden center bathroom floor. I'm not sure it agrees with the palm tree wallpaper I used?

Now I'm working on the glass block window for the side wall. This is a real challenge but I think I'm going to like it.

This coming weekend I plan to clear off my work table and dry fit the building. I still need to finish the supports for the roof and complete my lighting plan.

Dylan is doing well. My arm is healing. Thinks are looking UP! Thanks for continuing to follow along! There WILL be progress. I promise!

Hope you have a beautiful day!

Warning - Not For The Squeamish

I am VERY mad at what happened just now!  I was trying to get something out of my dryer and didn't realize that it was still spinning. Well, maybe I did know that, but reached in there anyway. Bad dryer. BAD move!

The tumbler inside caught the edge of my arm and ripped a big tear in my skin! OUCH.

Of course this means I cannot go swimming at the gym today, or tomorrow or maybe even Tuesday! I'll have to wait for this nasty wound to heal first. I am very mad at this! I really wanted to go swimming this afternoon!!

Maybe I will go shopping for a new swimsuit and work out clothes instead? First I'll need to shower and put something over this wound. A Telfa pad should work. Wish I still had my home health wound care stash!

Oh, and some lady at the gym yesterday scraped the side of my car with her new Prius. Her loss was worse than mine but now I have a big scratch to take care of. She said she would pay for it. I just may take her up on that?  Especially now that I'm MAD.

Hope you are having a good day? Mine will get better, I hope!

Maybe I should re-name this blog - No So Beautiful Mini Blessings?"  :D

Just Keep Swimming

The past eight days here have been cold and dark and rainy. We even had tons of snow on Thursday! All I've wanted to do was stay in bed under my warm electric blanket with my three furry friends. I didn't want to go to work. I didn't want to make minis. I didn't want to eat, but I did, because that's what I needed to do. SAD.

Something HAD to be done about this! So, on Wednesday after work I went down the street to the Trinity Wellness Center. A nice lady showed me around, encouraged me and gave me information on joining.

Today it is warmer outside and most importantly the SUN is shining!  After my morning nap, I got up and got dressed and went to the Wellness Center! I signed up for six months. Hopefully, summer will be here by then!?

I walked around the track four times, then on a treadmill for 20 minutes. I did five minutes on a bike and realized how out of shape I am! I lifted on two weight machines with no weights. I found out I can't lift two pounds with just my arms!  Here I've been lifting and carrying Dylan all around but couldn't lift a 2 pound weight on a machine!

The very best part of my visit was putting on my swimsuit and walking into the pool area. They have two huge heated pools. One of them is a 95 degree spa with bubbling jets! There was no one else there! Just me. I can't remember the last time I went swimming? WAY too long ago that's for sure!



I got right into that warm water and started swimming! As I swam I felt myself smiling again.





I did 1/2 laps; the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke and back stroke. I wasn't sure I would remember how to do them? It was like "riding a bike" only easier! I really didn't want to stop, even after an hour, but knew I might not be able to walk tomorrow if I kept going. :D

I think the Wellness Center will see me a lot. I'm surely going to get my money's worth! After just one visit I feel so much better. I can't wait to go swimming again! Now I feel like singing THIS song!



Hope you do something today that makes YOU smile! I went swimming. What will you do?

Floor Number Four

This is my fourth attempt at making the floor for the garden center bathroom. 

This time I took four of the little 1/2 tiles and glued them on a piece of card stock to make a one inch tile. I scanned that tile, then copied and pasted it to Word until I had enough to fill an 8 1/2 inch x 11 inch piece of paper. My floor is 5 x 6 inches so I have extra tiles.

When I printed them out there was a small white border that I cut off. If you look closely you can see that some of the tiles have black edges. They are not consistent around each tile. Does that matter? To me, it does.

I think I will try once again. This time I will use a fine black marker to make sure each edge is black.

I thought I would be finished with this project by now! The sad part is that when the floor is installed in the bathroom and the door is closed no one will be able to see it!

Just call me crazy!

Back To "Normal"

Now that Toby is gone, Henry Cat has taken his place next to Dylan. Dylan loves his kitty.

I'm working on the bathroom floor for the garden center. It is not as easy as I thought it would be. This is my second attempt. Will there be three?

Now that things are getting back to normal around here, I have some time for minis. :D

Hope you have a beautiful day!

Split Level Floor Plan

I found a floor plan that is very similar to my daughter's house. Her entry stairs are on the outside. There is a foyer is where you see the stairs here. There are four steps up to the bedrooms. She has two small bathrooms. If Greenleaf doesn't design a split level dollhouse, I could use this plan for a scratch build?

We are talking FUTURE project here. I'm way too busy right now to even consider starting another house!

Dylan is doing well. I bought him a couple of 12 month baby t-shirts at Walmart. They fit him well and cover his incision so he can't get to it. Such a clever mommy I am! :D

I'm working on the Garden Center bathroom floor this morning. The little 1/2 inch tiles look great. More on that later...

Hope you have a wonderful Friday!

Ask Greenleaf

My daughter and son-in-law live in a house like this here in Birmingham. They have done just a little upgrading. For the most part it is still in its original condition.

I have been collecting remodeling ideas for them. Money is tight, so they are enjoying their home as it is.

Today I sent an email to Greenleaf Dollhouses. I asked if they would possibly design a tri-level dollhouse kit? The only houses I have seen that are similar are the vintage 1950s Marx tin dollhouses. I think it's time someone made a wooden house like this!

I would LOVE to build and decorate a tri-level dollhouse. I wonder if anyone else would be interested in a kit like this?

Hope you have a good day! Dylan says "thank you" for your comforting comments!

Dylan's pathology report came back today. It is a "subcutaneous liposarcoma with necrosis and hemorrhages. There are also a few areas of suspicious vascular invasion. It is an intermediate grade of malignancy. Tumor cells are seen in the borders of the sections examined. Prognosis for these tumors is usually guarded. Wide surgical excision is the best approach."

Dylan has had his "wide surgical excision." He has survived a post-op hemorrhage. He has improved day by day. He is comfortable and at home where he needs to be.

Dr. Weber said his wound looks as expected after the radical surgery he had. I can cleanse his wound with antibacterial soap, rinse it and apply antibiotic ointment. I can feed Dylan whatever he wants. I can hold him and hug him and tell him what a wonderful little dog he is. I will continue his pain medication and antibiotics. Right now he is happy and comfortable. I plan to try to keep him that way as long as possible.

We will just take each day as it comes. I don't believe that dogs know when they are sick. They just keep on loving you with their unconditional love.

Some dogs make a special imprint on your heart. Dylan is one of those dogs.

Dylan at six weeks. So sweet.

♥

Update on Dylan

I took Dylan's sweater off this evening to examine his surgical wound. It looks infected. There is redness, swelling, some drainage and some separation of his sutures. It does not seem to hurt him.

I plan to take him back to Dr. Weber tomorrow.  I still don't know the pathology results. Hopefully, Dr. Weber will have them by tomorrow?

Dylan is still acting like his normal self. He is taking his medicine and eating well. I don't want him to have to endure more surgery. I know this is not good and I am very concerned. Dr. Weber told me that  he was unable to remove Dylan's tumor completely. He also told me that part of it was necrotic = dead tissue.

While I am not surprised by this complication, I was hoping that Dylan would be strong enough to fight this.
I was hoping that his surgery would help. I was hoping he would have more time.

Has anyone heard of Birkdale K9 Critical Care Supplements? Their website promises miracles. To me, that means they must be too good to be true?

I am sad this evening. I am anxious about tomorrow. Tonight I will cuddle my little friend and pray for the wisdom I need right now concerning him.

I will let you know more after we see the doctor. Wish I had better news. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, once again. Thank you.

Simple Solutions

Yesterday morning Dylan found his sutures and started licking his wound. Not a good thing. The vet did not give me a "cone of shame" for him. I doubt he would have worn it anyway. He is much too proud for that.

My solution was to put his sweater on him. He likes to be warm and now he can't get to his incision. Problem solved.  :D

I am happy to report that Dylan is doing better each day. Last night he walked around the backyard for a few minutes sniffing everything as usual.

My daughter found some Greenies Pill Pockets that Dylan really loves. It is not a problem giving him his medicine now. Even Nugget thinks they are treats so he gets a piece of one too. If you have a dog that doesn't like taking pills these are a great solution!

Lundy from Villa Lagoon Tile emailed me yesterday. She said "of course you can use our tile!"  Thanks Lundy! I'm happily working on my new bathroom floor now. Hope to have it finished soon.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Back to Work, Back to Minis

Dylan is doing well today. He seems comfortable. I have to go back to work today. I can come home at lunchtime to check on him. He will be under the watchful eye of his little brother, Nugget, while I'm gone.

Last night Dylan gave Henry Cat a quick bath. It was so cute to see him doing normal things again. :D

I started working on the Garden Center bathroom floor yesterday. I made one floor with woven paper but wasn't happy with the result. Here I'm trying one of the tile patterns I found at Villa Lagoon Tile.

Sorry for the blurry photo. If you click on the image you can see the details better. The one inch tiles are too large for this room. I think it will be perfect in 1/2 inch size? Each tile has a black border so I will be using black paper for the background. Lots of cutting and pasting to do here!

I haven't asked Lundy for permission to use this tile yet, but she has always been gracious to allow me to copy their wonderful tiles to use for my projects. I will email this photo to her today before I continue, just to be sure it's okay.

Thank you so much for your love and concern over these past few days. I really appreciate your kindness. ♥

A Better Day

Dylan and I want to thank you for your prayers and concern. Today is a better day. ♥

I think Dylan was still sedated from the anesthesia yesterday. He is still very weak but doing much better. We all slept nine hours last night! That is a record for me!

This morning, after a quick trip outside, Dylan drank some water and ate an almost normal size breakfast. I'm feeding him the prescription food that Dr. Weber gave me when Dylan was sick before. He seems to like it. I'm happy to see him eating again. I'm sure that will help him heal and feel stronger.

My dear daughter brought me dinner last night. Dylan wagged his tail for the first time when he saw her coming in. :D  Of course Nugget wanted to be the center of attention. He has been so good with Dylan. I'm trying to spoil him too. Lots of hugs, belly rubs and treats for Dylan's little brother.

I hope you have a good day. Again, thank you so much for your comments and prayers!

I need to try to do some laundry and housework today. I miss working on my miniatures, but right now I have a beautiful little dog to love.

I wish you could see my smile right now! As I was writing this post Dylan somehow walked all the way from the living room here to where I am in my workroom! I didn't even hear him coming! Now he is sleeping in his bed right next to me where he always wants to be. So sweet!!!

A Very Long Day - Long Post

I went to Dr. Weber's office yesterday afternoon about 2:30 to check on Dylan. At the time I was told he was in recovery, but still very sedated. They suggested that I come back around 6 pm to pick him up.

That was NOT going to happen, so I sat down with a room full of other pets and their owners. One thing I like about the South is that perfect strangers will chat with you about anything and everything. That helped pass the time. Sort of...

At about 4 o'clock the front desk announced to everyone that Dr. Weber had an emergency and had to go back into surgery. While my heart sank, some people decided to leave and some decided to wait. I waited. I knew it was Dylan who was in trouble even without being told.

Finally my anxiety got the best of me and I demanded to know what was going on. One of the sweet girls at the desk checked in the back and then told me that Dylan had started bleeding and had to be taken back into surgery. She said he was still under anesthesia but starting to wake up. I told her that I HAD to see him and was NOT going to wait any longer. Some times I can get a bit grumpy when I am upset...

In a few minutes the vet tech came and got me. She took me back to a small room where Dylan was laying on a table wrapped in a big towel. He was still unconscious but his eyes were open. I cuddled him, gave him kisses and told him how much I loved him. I also told him I was NOT going anywhere but would take him home as soon as possible. The tech said, "He is still under anesthesia and can't hear you."  I totally disagreed with her. I know even people in a coma can hear the voices of their loved ones. They can feel your presence and know your touch even though they cannot respond.

I thanked her for allowing me to see Dylan even for those few minutes. Then I went back and sat down. Several folks asked me how he was doing. They seemed to sense my need for support and concern. I appreciated that so much.

At 6 o'clock the tech came out and got me. She took me to another room to see Dr. Weber. Dylan was there too. Still wrapped in his towel but a little bit more awake. He did not seem to be uncomfortable. Dr. Weber explained that he was able to remove most of the tumor and that it was sent off to pathology. He gave me some pain medication and antibiotics. Then he said to bring Dylan back in two weeks to have his sutures removed. Two weeks!??

After such a complicated surgery it seemed to me that he would need to be seen sooner. I asked Dr. Weber what he thought the tumor was? In a nice way he said it was a "necrotic tumor that originated from Dylan's blood supply." He would not know for sure until the pathology report came back.

His explanation sounded like a question on a biology test to me. I guess he was trying to avoid alarming me by saying the word "cancer."  I know Dylan has cancer. I understand that Doc was not able to remove it entirely. I know how serious this is.

I brought him home and settled him in his bed. Nugget sniffed him carefully and then left him alone. He knew Dylan wasn't feeling well.

When I could finally relax and go to bed, I took Dylan and Nugget with me. We all slept under the covers together as usual.

Here is a photo of Dylan this morning. I took him outside for a few minutes earlier. He was able to stand up and even walk a short distance. When we came back in he drank some water. I put him back in his bed to rest.

It is 9:30 am. Dylan is barely breathing right now and won't open his eyes. I want to give him some pain medication but he is not awake enough for that. I don't know what to expect. I feel like he is not going to recover.

I am going to go sit with him, wait and see what happens. I think it is going to be another very long day...

Thank you for your prayers and comforting comments. I really appreciate your friendship and support.

Update on Dylan

Today is the day. I will be taking Dylan to Dr. Weber this morning to have surgery this afternoon. We decided not to do a biopsy procedure first, but go ahead and try to remove this lump on his chest now.

I woke up this morning at 3 am. A little earlier than usual. Of course Dylan and Nugget think it is time for breakfast! No breakfast for Dylan. I did let him have some sips of water but he can't have anything else.

They are both barking at me and begging for food! Dylan seems fine. He is his happy, tail wagging self this morning. He just doesn't understand why I am not feeding him! Last night I grilled a T-bone steak and made a baked sweet potato for dinner. Both of the dogs loved it and so did I. 

The lump doesn't seem to bother Dylan much but it has grown larger over the past week. I am going to ask Dr. Weber if I can observe the surgery. I'm hoping that since I am a nurse he will allow me to stay. I will promise to stand quietly aside and not move or say anything. I just want to be there.

Right now I am going to give Dylan a warm bath with baby shampoo and then try to go back to bed for while. There is nothing I like better than cuddling with my little friend. ♥

I hope Dylan will do well and the lump can be removed completely. Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my last post. Please keep us in your prayers today. I will let you know how things go later.