Not one more minute please

6:00 am at the emergency room with partner...recurrence of stomach pain...

Woman across the hall coughing incessantly. ...nurse puts her on oxygen for ten
More coughing. ..

7:15 am Gentleman coughing up a lung kitty corner to our vestibule. ..not sure if its from smoking or a cold...

Woman complains to nurse that she forgot about her...not so

8:45 am Gentleman arrives by ambulance...bleeding...distressed, on oxygen and is, to be blunt. ..obese...i look over and catch a glimpse of his feet. They are engorged. ..and quite frankly. .blue.

More coughing,  and vomiting

Another ambulance. ...hernia issues. ..he is  lethargic, not well.

Woman on oxygen is coughing...Gentleman continues to cough up a lung. ..

900 am ...Partners blood work back...amalyase count elevated. ..ultrasound scheduled for 930.

Coughing from three or more v estibules...where are the face masks?

1015 am back from ultrasound. ...waiting... More moaning,  coughing,  and distress from surrounding cells.

Bells and alarms sounding....
There are many nurses...a Dr. or two...a resident.  And they are all busy.

Partner sleeping. ..morphine is quite effective apparently.

More coughing,  hacking, and moaning.

The obese blue footed gentlemen  is whisked away...somewhere down the hall, through the ominous doors. .. wishing him well.

More coughing. ...

4 technicians are obsessively cleaning room 13 (where the blue footed gentlemen was) good to know

The only good thing about this is that all the "inmates" seem to be here for a reason. ..and i know that i dont want to be here for one more minute.

Take care of yourself people.

The Things You Find on Kijiji #2

Glancing around for a couch for a friend and I came across this ad.

Seriously? Are you selling the kids and toys? or the furniture!?
Cute kids, but I'm not in the market. Interested in the couch and chairs? Go to Kijiji and look for Ad ID 1003106384

Some people need lessons in Marketing...

Makes Scents

Love this idea to sprinkle a scent

Elbow Grease is FREE!

Here is a sad little kitchen that was thrown together with not much thought. There is cluttter on the counter and on the fridge (oh those dratted fridge magnets!), coloured tea lights on the dividing wall and "spice bottles" on the stove hood! The dining table is squished up against the wall to make more room for a freezer.


Now, keeping in mind this is a rental unit, most people don't want to put much into decorating; totally understandable. Also this is a lower level apartment that is a bit dated (white appliances, brassy hardware, tulip shade light fixture) but the size is good and the appliances are quite decent. Sometimes if you speak to your landlord and ask him if you can make some changes, they are quite keen! Especially if you are DIYing it. You are not doing any harm, in fact you are increasing the value of his property and at the same time increasing the satisfaction value to you! Which is important to your well being and comfort. Go ahead and ask them - the worse thing that can happen is they say "no". In which case, make changes that you can "take with you".

Making it cozy!
Change up the hardware, tidy up the counters, bring in your nice dining set a coat of paint and a few shelves with some nice simple pieces and voila; a warm friendly kitchen that makes you want to sit and have a good chin wag over coffee!
Another dark shelf was added over the sink to hold a small pot and painting. The light fixture was also updated.
Total cost? About $160.00 ($75.00 for hardware, $35.00 for shelves, $30.00 for paint, $20.00 for light fixture) and no charge for elbow grease to clean and shine everything spotless! (well, we did have a bottle or two of wine during the fluffing!)
Don't forget to colour coordinate when possible... red gives the space a bit of a pop, as well as warmth and harmony to an otherwise dreary space.

All the World is a Stage

Yes, the world is a stage, however for some of us our homes are our worlds!
Our homes are where we laugh, we entertain, we cry, where we live our lives.

We want to feel comfortable in our homes; why not bring out some of your personality into your space.

We dont have to be Candice Olsen, Eric McClelland or Brian Gluckstein with pods of money to throw into your space... you can design on a dollar or two with amazing results... use and re use your lovely things you already own!

Just move them around, paint, reconfigure - "change the set" and put your home "on stage"!

I'm combining my "On Stage" blog with this one for ease of use - I hope to give you some creative ideas that will only cost a few dollars to transform your space into something unique and enjoyable that will be within your budget.

We will try and focus on helping those that are selling their homes and want it looking "just so" for potential buyers.

Follow me; and send me your comments, ideas and suggestions

Too White? or Just Right?

What do you think of this living room?  Is it just right? or is it too white?

Photo: Ron Royals; Designer: Lisa Sherry