Neighborly Day !!!

Today was the annual Block Party for our little subdivision, "Persimmon Hill Plantation". I would estimate there are about 30-40 homes on our culdesac, which also has two smaller culdesacs branching off of it. The picnic was in the driveway of the home of our Homeowner Association President and his wife. We met plenty of neighbors, had grilled burgers and hot dogs and a variety of pot luck foods brought by each family (even yummy Buffalo Chicken Wings). Two of the neighbors invited me to a tour of their homes, which I gladly accepted. That will be two less windows I will have to try and peek in at night to compare layouts and furnishings with ...LOL... *teasing*!!! Even though it was a very hot day, with very little breeze, it was a very nice occasion and the neighbors (who were mostly also from the North) were very friendly and welcoming!

Miraculous Transformation!

I bought a pair of Golden Oak nightstands for cheap ... like $5 each only! They were at a second hand shop in outside storage and looked pretty rough! I decided to make my very first attempt at refinishing them in a Cherry finish to match my other bedroom furniture and the woodwork in the room! This is the "before" picture! The two nightstands match (except for the drawers) so this is the one that is not yet finished.

These are the products I used (found while researching on the internet) and bought at Lowe's. All you do is wipe down the wood with the "Deglosser" (smells very little and is like wiping with water). The wood gets very dried out and loses it's shine and color, like being out in the sun all summer! After drying for about half an hour, brush on the MinWax Polyshades, which has the stain and the varnish all in one! Use a very soft brush, made for staining, to not have brush marks. I did two coats.

Here is the "After" picture of my project (the first nightstand with different drawer, but exact same original finish was Oak). It was amazingly simple and turned out amazingly great! After I finish the other nightstand, I am going to transform my oak file cabinet and any other wood in the house that isn't already Cherry so it will all match!!!

LEAPIN' LIZARDS

I present to you... "Limey the Lizard" whom usually lives outside my door, in the yard, but he occasionally sneaks into the house, somehow! The Anole, as they are called, are very common here in South Carolina. Fortunately, they cause no harm or danger and even earn their keep by eating bugs. I found him loitering on my couch this morning and he was not very anxious to leave this time! We attempted to chase him out the front door, which has been successful in the past. This time, he ran in the opposite direction, into my bedroom, and DISAPPEARED!!! I suppose that means we adopted him as a pet ... or, perhaps, he has adopted us as his new family!!!

NUTS & BOLTS OF ICE CREAM!!!

In google searching for a health food store that might sell nuts and seeds (I keep a constant supply of homemade trail mix for myself and Jacob), I came across a new grocery store which is Lowe's Fresh Food! The name and logo IS the same as Lowe's Hardware Store ... and ... they have one here in Myrtle Beach!
I got the opportunity to shop there, last week, and they had a grand opening with triple coupons! I was thrilled to see they carried "Hola Fruta Sherbert" which I have been carrying a 55 cent coupon on for MONTHS! The quart size was $3.99, but with triple 55 cents off, it only came to $2.34! I chose the Margarita flavor (alcohol free) and it was amazingly good! It was sooooo good, I would pay full price for it!
I returned to that store yesterday and bought the Pomegranite Blueberry flavor and also the Pina Colada flavor (they also have Blueberry flavor and Strawberry flavor too) for the full $3.99 per quart. Both were not nearly as amazing though.
I would recommend you try the Margarita flavor, but if you try it first... no other flavor will ever live up to it! So, if you want to try them all, try the other ones first ...LOL!

HI HO, HI HO, IT'S OFF TO WORK I GO!

I applied, online, to work the tax season at Jackson Hewitt and they called me very quickly! I have to go pick up the book for their online tax course (they require classes EVERY year). It will be good to "brush up" again ... and to go to work in January to meet new people and feel financially productive too!

Life Is A Beach!

OK... two weeks here now and things are looking better! Finally found the beach (about 10 miles away) and plenty of other places too! I have traveled over the Waccamaw River bridge many times and it seems to get smaller and less frightening each time!

Most of the petty, homeowner-type repairs are either done or not getting on my nerves anymore ....LOL!

Finally memorized most of the important TV channels ... like NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC!

Have furnished the house ... almost ... still need a computer desk and chair so I can get my a** off the bed once in a while!

The weather has been fantastic! It hovers in the mid-80's during the day and 70's or less in the evening! No rain for over a week and nice to keep the car's sunroof always cracked open to ventilate the car while parked!

Will be going to DMV soon to make it official with a SC driver's license! Then I get my property taxes a whole lot less than they are!

I have researched and applied for a few jobs in the tax field. I have made phone calls to set up services and work for Jacob too!

I can't believe it is October already ... hopefully things keep getting better as time goes by so that I won't be counting the days down to my return to NY in the spring!