One week down

November 30, a Monday, was Day 1 of the Great Strawberry Patch Electric Make-Over.  Big Puppy, Garbage Gut, 3 cats, a Hubby, and a Strawberry moved over to the church office for the day.  I decided immediately that the 3 cats would continue living at the church office because quite frankly I didn't want to get mauled each morning trying to crate them!  Cats do not like being shoved into a box.  Imagine!

At the office the dogs barked constantly; I fell asleep on Rev. Hubby's office couch (I tend to do that when I'm sick) and workaholic Hubby worked....all day and pretty much into the night.  For three days we continued this routine until the electrician said "Stop!"  Seems he needed to turn off the electricity so he could get some work done.  Imagine!  

An email was sent to the church officers and it was suggested we move into a motel.  A wonderful church lady offered her empty home (she's on vacation up north) and Boy came home from college!  Life is hectic and I don't think I would want it any other way.

I am so thankful to have a roof over all our heads.  I am especially thankful that I won't be getting electrocuted for Christmas.  We have transformed the lovely Garden Room into my craft room and Boy's computer lab.

Okay, so Garbage Gut claims part of it too!

My Happy Place is paper crafting

Not much has changed at the Strawberry Patch except for massive amounts of holes in the walls and the ceilings.

We have new lighting in some rooms and new ceiling fans in others.

The 1950's dark paneling is gone and the bookshelves are getting a paint job.

Good-bye 1950's

Hello Strawberry Patch Beautiful

Big Puppy wants you to know he has claimed a spot too....the Pastor's Study!

Mine, all mine!!!!

I Can See Clearly

Ahhhh, the fog has lifted out of my head and I'm beginning to feel like myself again.  Hallelujah!

Did I tell you our deep freeze and refrigerator have moved over to the church?  I tell ya, put up a few beds and we could live at the church.... Save the church some money having a house!

When we first moved here, please forgive me if I'm repeating myself, I'm prone to do that...old age and all, I took Boy to the local high school.  We could not prove that we were residents.  The clerk gave me a renter's agreement to sign.  It began "I,______________, am at least 18 years of age, ......"  I said yes, the church is 105 years of age and not a person.

Clerk: "Oh; you mean you LIVE at the church?"

Me: "Never mind."

See how easy it would have been and I could have said "Why yes, I do live at the church!"

Do you remember my fantastic kitchen paint job?  I think I bragged about it and posted pictures here.Kitchen redo

Ta DA::



loverly, isn't it?

All I want is a room somewhere... blah, blah, blah.

The good news is, it will NOT remain this way....I hope!

So, that's what's happening in the Strawberry patch.

Hope your day is full of a lot less holes and is truly Holy.

Toodles, 

Your ever optimistic Strawberry

Smash Up

What would you get if you smashed up Little Rascals and Betty Davis?

Whatever Happened to Baby Alfalfa!!




That's what I looked like this morning trying to rush out of the house before the workers got there.  My curling brush blow dryer was packed in a suitcase at the church and my hair was stuck on a Little Rascal's rerun channel.  Hey Hair!  


If you want to channel something, why not Farrah Fawcett???  

My eyebrow brush is MIA and I didn't notice till I drew a nice arched brown eyebrow on each eye.  I scared myself this morning.  I look like a mess. The dogs ran away from me.   Honestly, how do people live while their house is being "purtied up?"  

I am so thankful to this congregation.  They saw a need and got right to work on it.  We will be homeless (once again....flashbacks to after seminary life) for a week, hopefully not any more than that, and several members have graciously offered their motor homes (it's great living in a retirement city!!!!).  I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

Enjoy your Thursday, Grainiacs.  I'm off to make a shake.  I got off my routine on Monday with all the packing and moving to the church and being sick. Yuck.  Still finding my "happy," I am always your

Baby Jane Alfalfa, Strawberry

P.S.  Pansy, you were right!  It is Alfalfa.  Sorry I doubted.  ;)

Finding Strawberry

Just keep swimming.....just keep swimming...

Where, oh where has Strawberry been?

Packing and packing and (sigh) packing! Renting a storage unit. Hauling the packing over to the storage unit.

First we had to pack up the breakables so the electricians and workers wouldn't be responsible if anything broke.

Then they told us they would work on one side of the house and then the other so we could move stuff from one side and then over to the next.  I stopped packing up because hey, who wouldn't want to shift it from one side of the house to the other versus packing it and hauling it.

Now they say they have to work on both sides of the house at the same time so back to packing.  keep on swimming keep on swimming

All this packing had me a little depressed over the Thanksgiving weekend.  I felt like we were on the move....again.  Now for those who know me well, spontaneity is my middle name....but remember, I don't have to pack up the china when you call and say "meet me at the Island" or "let's go have a margarita!"

Now it's time to pack up the fridge.  

keep on swimming keep on swimming keep on.....

Working on the Happy

Can you believe next week is Thanksgiving?  Where did the month....the YEAR go?

Did you know we are entering the time where more people experience depression than any other time?

During my "happy" challenge negative thoughts kept creeping into my brain.  It was truly a challenge to turn those negatives into a positive.

Human nature bends toward less than positive thinking. Not everybody, but I'd wager the majority.  We are wired that way; let's blame Nature/God/Spouse/Children...or.....

We have a puppy that is full of vim, vigor, and vitality.  Nothing.....and I do mean nothing gets that dog down.  He's reprimanded and turns right around and jumps in your lap....or onto your tummy...or private parts.  Does that second reprimand get him down?  hell, no.  He's chasing the cat or chewing on my shoe or grabbing food off the counter.  I mean to tell you, he's happy as shit and I'm ready to open the front door and sing "be free, Big Puppy, be free!!!"

I guess I could learn from BP and take the knocks with the pats on the back.  I can choose to to sulk and hide under the couch (like the cats) or I can wag my tail and stick out my tongue and chew happily on a sock while ignoring the negatives around me.  I really think BP has the right attitude.  Who cares what others think or who I'm pissing off.  Maybe, just maybe those people will open the front door and sing "be free, Strawberry, be free."  Who needs the negative anyway?

So yeah, my "happy" challenge is still on, but honestly, can I pick a new challenge....like taking a vacation at the Happy Farm???

What Big Teeth and Eyes you have; that's because I'm a BIG puppy!!!!

 

Because I'm Happy

What business does an already scattered Strawberry have in taking on another business???  Not a paying in business, mind you.....NO.....another paying OUT business!!!

I love paper crafting and making cards and stamping.  Pinterest will be the death of my budget.  But now I'm addicted to Instagram.  If you think it is a bunch of holiday and summer vacation pictures, think again.  I found (thanks to a friend's recommendation-- we call each other "enablers") a planner site.  It would be wonderful if it was an actual help site, but alas it is more infomercial than move-your-sorry-ass-up-off-the-couch-and-get-those-plans-in-action ( or if you are an instagram follower: #moveyoursorryassupoffthecouchandgetthoseplansinaction).  I like being helpful that way!

So being the good marketing major I am and succumbing to every commercial or infomercial, I HAD to go out and buy myself a planner.  But not just any planner, no, I had to make from scratch one of my own and a planner to share.

Then I happened across the school supplies at Target and viola....utopia!!! The dollar section carries pens and scissors that match the pens and little post-it notes and....and...and stickers!!! and they are a dollar!

purchased notebook at Target in the notebook section and decorated!

Last night I watched The Walking Dead and went to my happy place with washi tape and stickers and stickers and washi tape.  Love Target's dollar aisle.

I'm addicted to fun!

What makes you happy?  Is there a happy challenge in store (get it...Target??  oh heck) for you?

I'm going to get my second cup of coffee and contemplate on today's happy challenge this morning.

Have a Happy week this week, Grainiacs.  Let's challenge ourselves to look on the bright-side all week long.

it's the great clean-up, charlie brown

did i mention the clean-up at the strawberry patch? the project to make all electricity run right? did i mention how overly stressed this is making me?

do you ever feel like throwing all your crap away and just starting over?

that is me today!

clean slate

clean house

no animal fur

no nothing

i am not depressed

just tired

i am still a happy strawberry

just an overwhelmed one

here's the good news

i have had success with cleaning out one aspect of my life

my insides have been cleaned out and checked out

all is fine

wednesday i had a wonderful meal

chicken broth

yellow jello

sprite

yum  yum

then i sat on the throne most of wednesday

and pretty much all morning thursday

the wonderful cocktail they gave me

put me right to sleep

then i watched a movie

and ate popcorn

and drank the largest water

the end

drugged up strawberry who still could still hold a camera steady but couldn't drive for 24 hours. bleh

oh, and i have colon pictures too but my family said "tmi."  sorry