Some Random Things I've Seen and Done in the Last Week

I bought myself a lovely big bouquet at Costco for my Thanksgiving holiday dinner this Saturday.  It was on sale and I haven't treated myself to flowers in months!  It also brightens up my new living room redecoration (which has barely begun).

This is my brand spanking new couch.  I love it! It's made in Canada which makes it top in my books.  In fact, it's made in Toronto...just a couple of hours drive from here.  Lucy quite likes it herself.  The pillows on the left are ones I just bought.  The French script ones on the right came with the couch.  They are beautiful and I love them but they don't fit the decor so I'm going to sell them.  I want this room to be pretty.  The walls are lilac and I'm mixing in lots of white and some pink and blue and purple and green. Very fresh and pretty.

I am going to try to reupholster a couple of chairs for the living room too.  It was pretty hard to get the old upholstery removed. This older one in the front is going to be painted white.  I'm experimenting with Miss Mustard Seed milk paint right now.  Hopefully everything works out.

This is what you see out my living room window.  I'm really happy with my decision to move the living room to the front of the house and the dining room to the back.  I'm not ready for summer to be over.  It went so quickly this year but you can't deny the signs when you have a huge maple tree in your front yard. Lucy is at her usual post in the front window.  She is the nosiest cat I've ever seen.  Maybe I should have called her Mrs. Kravitz.

What a confusing collage picture that is above!  This is my new old buffet that I bought for the kitchen.  My brother helped me flip it over as it was too tall and needed 3 inches cut of the legs.  Oh I wish I owned power tools but I got it accomplished in the end.  This is little Eilish.  She just loves to help around the house and can be found in the middle of every project (usually covered in paint).

Last night I went to knitting night at Linda's with Cindi and Cathy dropped by for a visit.  Monday afternoon, Cindy, Sandy and I had lunch at Anne's and played Rummi-Cube. Tomorrow I'm going out to lunch with Cindy, Sandy, Anne, Nancy and maybe Marietta.  I'm still off sick and will be going on medical retirement soon but I can keep my days as full or as quiet as I need.

This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week and today specifically is bipolar disorder awareness day.  This is the illness I suffer from and why I can no longer work.  My wish this year is two-fold...firstly, I want the general public to become more aware of mental illness, the numbers of people it afflicts and touches and help to remove the stigma attached to it through their own actions and responses and secondly, I want younger people in their teens and twenties to get more information through school and other educational programs about mental illness.  If everyone was aware of the signs and knew where to turn for help, it could prevent a lot of pain for patients and their families and friends.

My friends, Linda and Cathy's wonderful nephew, Mitchell committed suicide this summer and it is something that is happening all too frequently in our stressful society.  Mitchell was a kid who had it all.  A lovely fiancee and gorgeous baby boy.  He was very handsome, smart, talented, popular and supported by huge networks of very loving family and friends. If someone like that has trouble navigating the turbulent waters of life, what hope is there for the badly bullied geek, hiding out in the washroom at school.

His family believe the only solution is education.  We need to bring mental illness out of the dark and talk to kids about suicide.  We need to make sure they know the warnings signs so they can watch out for friends, family and themselves.  They need to know where to go for help and there has to be help at the end of that phone or behind that door.  These things cost money and so Mitchell's family have become activists in his name.  It makes his life even more valuable to know he will be helping others to avoid his fate.  To this end, they have set up a new local charity which can be found at Team 55 Tackles Suicide Awareness on Facebook.  Please feel free to lend any support you can...make a donation or just like the Facebook page so they know their message is getting through.

On a final and sweeter note, I've been eating a lot of pie this week and I mean a lot.  I may even have set a record.  Hahahaha....have a nice night, Jules.