It's Been a Year...

Benny left this world a year ago tonight...On December 7, 2013 after the onset of a debilitating neurological disorder and Benny's rapid deterioration throughout the day, less than 12 hours after seeing our Veterinarian, I decided the only thing I could do for him, was let him go.  It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do.  Having three other Pups around helps.  But, I'd be kidding if I said I didn't miss him or think about him or even sometimes cry thinking about him.

I'll love you Forever, Benny!

Do something Extra Special for Your Pup Today...

Light Fixtures

Click to Enlarge

One thing leads to another and then another when you start thinking about how you can make something in your home look more beautiful.  That's exactly what happened to me {again...}!  I've recently rearranged the things I had in my Dining Room...actually, I moved most items OUT of my Dining Room to another room, including the Dining Room table.  You may remember when I got a new chandelier for over that Dining Room table...here.  I also made some adorable Rose Blinged Lampshades for it.  Now, I couldn't move that chandelier to the place I moved the dining room table...

but I decided to keep it in the old Dining Room, right where it was hanging before.  I had a tiered table I put beneath it so no one would hit or run into it...until I decided if it really worked there.  While trying to decide whether the Chandelier worked or not, I came up with another idea.  We'd get rid of the ceiling fan and light over the Kitchen island...and hang the chandelier there.
Oops...I knew right away I didn't like it there...and didn't think I would to begin with...but it was a way to get hubby to take down the ceiling fan and get him thinking...or not.  Next thing I said was...Hmmmm, I guess we need a different type of chandelier!  I'm going to look on-line to see who has what!!  Then I ordered and it was in stock.  Paid for it and when the order was sitting and waiting...hubby was dispatched to drive 2 miles to pick it up.  {he actually found out that he had 3 boxes to pick up, because I had ordered a couple of other things}

Upon arriving back at the castle house, I had him hang the Chandelier first.  Oh yeah...it was gorgeous (photos of it to come when Kitchen re-do is finished)!  Then the light over the Kitchen sink was hung.  Finally, the light pendant {seen at beginning of this post} was hung over the 2 tiered table in the former Dining Room.  Oh baby, was I happy.  Then...hubby got to install a dimmer switch for the Chandelier.  DONE.

Here are the other lights:

Sink Light

Chandelier


Pendant

and now I am going to order the Floor Lamp that matches all of these lights for the Great Room.  Everything is open concept, so it will look beautiful!

All in Dark Oil-Rubbed Bronze
by Allen-Roth
"Eastview"

Party Time - Indiana Glass Company

Princess Carnival Gold Punch Bowl Set
I was fortunate to find this lovely Punch Set, produced by the Indiana Glass Company in the 1970's, at a garage sale.  It was wrapped in newspapers from the 70's and doesn't look used. The deep iridescent color makes a beautiful statement for any occasion.  It came with the bowl, ladle and 36 cups!  Yes, 36.  I paid - get this, only $9 for the entire set!  I ran to my car with it!!  No scratches, no chips, just sheer iridescent beauty.  I've used the bowl
{7 qt} for punch several times...and I've also used it for salads, including potato salad...and always get oooh's and ahhhh's!  I love the saw-tooth edge around the top of the bowl and all the grapes and vines and other prettiness.  Here are a few other photos of this set.

Brief History of Indiana Glass Company

The Indiana Glass Company of Dunkirk, Indiana, came into being around the turn of the century, making a wide range of pressed and blown glass (mainly tableware). Their origins were in the Beatty & Brady Glass Company, founded in 1896 and taken over by the National Glass Company in 1899. The Indiana Glass Company was formed after the National was placed in receivership in 1907.

The company went through various changes of fortune and was merged with the Lancaster Lens Company in 1955. A further merger in 1961 produced the Lancaster Colony Corporation. Indiana Glass Company is a subsidiary of this corporation and they are still in operation today.

What about Indiana's Carnival Glass?

Indiana Glass introduced Carnival to their range in 1971- at this point there were few lines and mostly they were limited in number. "Iridescent Blue" was the first Carnival color they used. By 1974 they had added "Iridescent Gold" (an amber/ marigold shade), "Iridescent Sunset" (an amberina /red color), "Iridescent Green" and "Iridescent Amethyst." The colors are very distinctive, with a slightly purplish iridescence - very attractive and collectible in their own right. None of Indiana's Carnival Glass is trademarked, but their Carnival patterns are very distinctive and none of them are actual reproductions or re-issues of old patterns.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my pretty Carnival Glass Punch Set...maybe next time, you can come for a real party and we'll have punch.

Christmas Decorations

I've been looking at Christmas Decorations on everyone's Blogs and have collected a number of photos.  These are just Some of the ideas that, if I were decorating for Christmas - more than I do, I might use...as inspiration.  Now...just sit back and gaze at the loveliness in the pictures.  You'll see they range in color and style both...and I love them all!  This photo is from the Libbey-Perkins Home, 2008 Scottwood, Toledo Ohio. It's in the Old West End...one of the most
beautiful areas of older homes in Toledo.  This National Historic Landmark home is a Colonial Revival/Shingle style designed by famed Toledo architect David L. Stine for glass industrialist Edward Drummond Libbey and his wife, Florence Scott Libbey. Built in 1895, it features hand-carved woodwork, wide window seats, leaded glass windows, and many fireplaces.

DeVilbiss Mansion - Collingwood Blvd, Toledo Ohio
Click for Tour

{Source for all - Pinterest and Internet, I'll add your info for your photo if you contact me}
Have a Wonderful Day...Jan ♥

Do You Use a To Do List?

It seems I've always used a To Do List.  I hate having to remember things that I need to do.  I've tried that and I always felt like I was forgetting something and I was always thinking about it!  I have too many other things going on in my head to have to think about the things I need to do.   Do you use a To Do List?  If you do, how is that working for you?  If you don't use a To Do List, how do you
get things accomplished?  Checking things off the list, is something I love being able to do!  

I make lists for everything!  Grocery Shopping - Things to Do - Christmas Cookies to Bake - Menu for the Week and just a miscellaneous one - which at the end of the day or the end of the week, gets put on to another list.  I have a pad of paper, with columns so it is quite easy to work from.  I know I will be interuppted when working...that's a given.  So, I try to go with whatever it is - get it taken care of and get back to the list.  

Something that will be on the top of my To Do List next week...is a Massage!!  That's for sure.  And I'll be deciding if I will make a Grooming appointment for the 3 Pups or if I'll be taking care of them this time.  I want to try something different with their cuts and it's easier for me to do it and take photos than to describe what I want done.

I've Got Alot To Pray & Think About...

I appreciate all the love, concern and prayers you have all offered me, since my post late lastnight.   Thank you!  I just wanted to let you all know that I will be leaving BlogLand for a while.  I will be trying to figure things out...and make a plan.  Since Tom blew up my computer a while back and deleted stuff from it, certain aspects have not worked correctly.  And now with my

printer out of commission too, I've just had it.  In a conversation tonite, I asked him to find me a printer tomorrow when he's out and about town.  His response?  Well, you'd better give me the money.  I told him I wasn't paying for another thing around here.  Then he said...well, then it looks like you won't have a working computer or a printer...no food, no clothing, no nothing.  And then he said, since the dogs are YOURS, you can take them up, clean up after them, buy their food and pay their Vet bills.  Nice, huh?  He's been physically abusive, verbally abusive and mentally abusive as well.  

I have to save every single penny I have in order to have anything when things change, as I know they will.  I'm just so sick and tired of all the crap.  I'm so sad it's come to this...but, it has.  Perhaps I'll stop around and update my blog on where and what I'm doing...I don't know.  Thanks for being my friend.

I'm At the End of My Rope...and Feeling Sad

I don't know about you...but I've often wondered if anything were to happen to me and I wasn't able to blog again, how all of my blogging friends would find out.  Maybe you'll say I'm being morbid, but I don't think I am.  It seems all of my friends are on-line.  Once I make friends here and have them over to my home, I never see them again...or they avoid coming over again.  And I

know why.  Some of you know the problems I've been having with Tom and his behavior.  He is either playing games or he's got the beginnings of Alzheimer's or something worse.  The reason I say I think he may be playing games is, he can remember when he wants to...he can do things without asking a million questions about how to do them...go grocery shopping quickly (rather than being a 2-hr excursion) and he can act so nice and friendly when he wants to.  Another reason that I think he may be playing
games is, he's always telling me to leave "his" house.

He tells me it's his house, because the downpayment came from his 401K (but we were married when we bought the house and my name is on the Title).  He does things to irritate me so much that I get upset and yell.  (Yes, I do!  I yell!)  Then he laughs and says you're going to die...you're going to have a heart attack or a stroke.  Then I will be out of his house.

When I moved here from Wisconsin, I came with the money from a Sale of all my furnishings and belongings.  I paid for the new furniture...and accessories.  I've paid for many, many things around the house in nearly 10 years...as well as most of the things we have for the Pups.  But he doesn't count that as anything!  He could walk into a house full of all new furniture and accessories and never even notice.  He bangs his head against a countertop or door frame or with his fist when he gets ticked off.  He never compliments my cooking...unless I ask him...which I don't do anymore.  I could feed him dog food and he'd never even know it.  Now that's sad.

He doesn't take care of things that we've spent good money on.  A brand new Moen kitchen faucet - one that sits up high with the pull down sprayer...and he'll pound on the handle to shut it off, if he's upset about something.  He gets angry that the Pups have to go potty so often.  He slams doors.  He whines and complains about it and makes a big production out of it.  Since they've been sick, going to the bathroom when they bark to be let out is an urgent thing, yet he takes time to go to the bathroom BEFORE they do.

He's one of the meanest men I've ever met now.  He ignores me most of the time...doesn't pay attention when I talk to him...and doesn't care.  When I ask why he acts this way, he doesn't answer.  Whenever I ask why he's done something the way he did...he doesn't answer.  When I need him in another room (say for instance, one of the dogs is throwing up)...he doesn't respond...and takes his good natured time in getting there.

When he retired several years ago (he's 71), he insisted that I needed to take my Social Security - something I shouldn't have agreed to do - I was only 62.  You know...there's a difference in the amount of money I got and 62 and what I would have gotten when I turned 65 this year.  But, he said I needed to have my own spending money...and I needed to start paying my share!  Yeah, imagine that!  He wasn't going to pay for the few things I need.  After getting married and him promising to take care of me, this is what I get.

And he constantly says that I couldn't survive without him.  Even if I had all the money in the world!  He has forgotten the things I've been through and the fact that I was single 19 years before I married him.  Hmmmmmm.

I can be sad, upset and crying...I'm feeling so stressed...and he doesn't care.  It's been about 6-7 years that he's been this way.  There is nothing to our relationship...nothing.  

I've prayed...and prayed...and prayed.  And yet...nothing changes.  I've continued to do things around the house, even though I've had a hard time doing those things with Bell's Palsy.  I've been sick over 2 1/2 years now.  I have sole responsibility of taking care of the Pups...he may occasionally comb them...or get them water.  Since they've been sick (and are back on the medication again, as of today), he doesn't know when or how much meds they need.  He has no idea when they get the Sentinel Heartworm protection...or anything else about them.  He doesn't know birthdates, problems they've had, shots, nothing.  Oh, he knows the dry dog food they eat.

I've continued making great meals and taking care of myself.  I've mentioned going places, doing things and it's always met with a brick wall.  No interest.  Argues against doing it.

He does mundane things around here like vacuuming, shoveling, cutting the grass and that's it.  When it comes to painting, taking care of maintenance things on the cars or in the house...it's like pulling teeth to get him to do them.  He has a rant.  He'd rather sit or stand at his computer playing games.  He'd rather sit in a chair and sleep - or stare into space for hours. 

He goes off about things...he's taken swings at me, he's shoved me and he even slammed my hand in the house door.  It looked and felt really bad - all bleeding and full of gouges.  I couldn't move my fingers for weeks...and had to explain to my Massage Therapist what had happened.  If one of the pups is going into the wrong bowl to eat, he'll pop them in the side of the head.  I've often wondered to myself, if he did anything to Benny - to hurt him - before he died.  He wasn't upset when we had to put Benny to sleep last year.

I know...this sounds terrible...but I've been living with this for years.  We don't pray together, much less do anything else together.  Our vacation last week was a disaster.  He was constantly argumentative.  He threatened to leave our house when we got back home and leave me with all the bills.  He threatened to clear out our small and meager savings account.  He was worse on vacation...than at home.  I've gotten to the point where I don't ever want to take another vacation with him.  

I would love to finally be able to breathe again...and lower my stress level.  I would love to not live like this anymore.  But, here's the rub.  

I JUST WANT SOME PEACE & QUIET AND A SOFT PLACE TO LAND.  I don't want to go through this every day.  My Bell's Palsy and the problems the Pups have been experiencing is exaserbated by the turmoil and stress in our home. 

I'm sure you're wondering about ME...and what part I may play in all of this.  I'm no angel after putting up with this all these years.  I swear and yell, I say things I shouldn't (I do it for their SHOCK value - to get him to say something - to have a response - anything!).  All he does is MOCK me.  He repeats most of what I say...like an echo.

Thanks for listening...or reading...Please include us in your prayers.

Pups' Update & Our Vacation

Last time I posted, I told you all of my Pups were sick. Well, they've made a dramatic recovery. It happened right after they got their anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea shot at the Vet!  They were given a 14 day antibiotic prescription, which they just completed lastnight.  All is GREAT with them!  I ended up cancelling their Grooming Appointment for a week ago, because they were sick...and you can see now how they are over due for a cut!  But we did go on our 7-day vacation, returning
earlier this week.

Nothing big...  Nothing far away.  Just 3 hours away - to Hickory House in Baroda Michigan...near the shores of Lake Michigan.  The Pups always love exploring a new home!

The weather was not the best for a vacation - even one the beginning of November!  It was terribly windy...outside and in...making it feel much more chilly than it really was.  It also rained 3 days while we were there.  And the couple of sunny days we had, were cold days!  But it was good to get away.

Something else that made it chillier than it should have been was there were no window coverings on the windows of the first floor.  The 2 sets of patio doors, both facing west, had pleated shades on them.  No where else.

This is not our favorite place we've ever vacationed...that I can tell you.

Now...I'm off to do some shopping.  I've got to get a PRINTER, since mine still isn't working.  I've done everything I can think of to get paper to feed in it.  I've done all that others have suggested too...all to no avail.

Dog Collars & Tags

Angel - Rosie - Jasper

A while ago, I started searching for some nice tags for our 3 PuppyKids.  I looked for a while and finally found just the right ones.  They are stamped "washers" in Brass and Stainless Steel and even come with a charm of your choice.  Since the brass is heavy and my pups are small, I opted to do washers of 1 1/8" in Stainless Steel and 7/8" in Brass.  The Stainless Steel Washer says I'm Lost...

Call 123-456-7890, while the top washer has a Pup's name.

The tags come with the rings to attach to a collar.  Our Pups wear a Harness whenever we take them out and since there is really no way to secure tags to a harness, I decided they needed a special collar.  And it had to be a collar that would not allow you attach a leash...because if it did...hubby just might be tempted to hook up a leash and skip the harness to take them outside when we're away from home.  LOL!!!

Rosie of course, got a Rose

Jasper got the PUPPY Charm I fell in love with!

And Angel, being the angel of a Pup that she is, got an Angel charm!

Then, I finally found just the RIGHT collars for all 3.

The following collars are some of the MOST beautiful and Bling-y collars...just perfect for 3 small Pups - none of the Pups weighs over 14#.  Notice these have a ring already attached for the tags.  The buckle is very nice, too and has a ring to keep the end of the collar down.

And here are the collars I selected.  The "girls" got Gold with Clear and AB Crystals.  And Jasper, our "boy" got Silver with Clear Crystals.  These collars are made in the USA...and the holes are reinforced with grommets.  These are just the most beautiful collars and they didn't cost me an arm and a leg either...they're very reasonable.

 Here are their collars with their tags attached.  These look wonderful with any and all of their harnesses.

Here are a few other tags available from themadstampers, who have an Etsy Shop.

Here are a few other Collars from genie4petsblingcollars, who is on eBay.

I can see myself getting some animal print collars!! 

  

Besides the beautiful Collars and Custom-Designed Dog Tags...these 2 Sellers - Jeanne from Genie4petsBlingCollars and Cindy and Rodney from themadstampers were the best.  They both went the extra mile to make sure I got what I wanted while being pleasant and helpful!  I love that!

So, if you have a pet, even a tiny dog...Jeanne has the Collars and for the beautiful Tags, custom-designed for your Pet, Cindy and Rodney has those too!  Please stop by and let them know that I told you about them.

Rug Pad for an Area Rug

Exactly one month ago, I received an email from a co-founder of RugPadUSA, asking if I'd be interested in doing a review of a Rug Pad for them.  After checking it out, to make sure this was the "real deal" - you can never be too careful these days - I agreed.  They're located outside of the Greater New York area and specialize in manufacturing higher end, eco-friendly rug pads that are made in the USA and have been in business a couple of years.   It didn't
take me long to figure out what rug I'd get the pad for - or what kind of rug pad I would need.  As an Interior Designer, I've known the value of a good rug pad for Area Rugs and Carpeting.   A good rug pad will give you many, many years of use from a beautiful rug or carpeting.

I purchased the rug that is in our Great Room a while ago - this is the first photo of it that you've seen.  I also purchased a good rug pad...however, it wasn't available to be sized to fit my rug, unless I wanted to cut through it myself and order a much larger pad.  So, when I saw the rug pad for use on carpeting for my area rug was available cut-to-size, I was hooked!  It was also available in 2 heights - 1/4" and 3/8".  {My former rug pad was 1/4"}  This time, the new pad would not only be cut-to-fit but also be 3/8" thick.

My Rug is 7'10" x 10'10" and fills the center of our Great Room.  I love the black center and border, and of course I love all of the roses and flowers.

The photo above shows the side that faces down on the carpeting...and the photo below shows the side that faces up - where the Area Rug sits.

It can be flipped around, if your Area Rug were on an uncarpeted floor.

  

It arrived {all 30# of it} very quickly - I sent my order to the co-founder on the 27th of September and the Rug Pad arrived on October 3rd.

With everything going on around here, it took me some time to get hubby to help move furniture and roll up the rug, put down the pad and unroll the rug and move furniture back...but it finally got done.

This is the Rug Pad I got from RugPadUSA...

Now the review...

You should already be able to tell, I was impressed by the personal contact of the co-founder through my blog, offering me a Rug Pad if I would do a Review.

There was no odor with this Rug Pad - it's an eco-friendly rug pad, so I would imagine that has everything to do with it.  No toxicity and because of the construction, it will not break down nor damage floors or carpeting, like some pads do.

And I am very impressed with the quality of the Rug Pad.  I'm so pleased that I could order it cut to fit...and I no longer have edges on the end of the rug that aren't on a rug pad at all.  There is just 1.5" all the way around the rug that is not on the pad...and I love that.  The rug pad even makes my rug feel so much more expensive.  The old rug pad wasn't a cheap pad...but I could feel lumpy bumps in the pad when I walked across the rug.  I don't have that problem with this Rug Pad.  I am also glad that I got the 3/8" thick pad.  Even though my carpeting is newer and thick, the pad is not overly thick.  

NOTE:  If you happen to have a Rocking Recliner by LaZBoy...with the round wooden base like I do, you may need to rearrange your room a bit, to not have the recliner sitting near the edge of the rug.  Sitting the chair near the edge of the rug allows the recliner to swivel by itself, sometimes swinging you around in the chair, even when you want to sit still.  It just so happens that where I want to sit in my chair there is not alot of room to either have the swivel base entirely on the area rug...nor totally off the area rug and since the base isn't level, it spins.  I solved the problem in one room with the same situation,  I just have to do it in the Great Room too. All I did in the other room, was put another piece of carpeting on top of the existing carpeting, bringing it to the level of the rug/rug pad! {My old rug pad did the same thing though}

I have 3 other Area Rugs and plan to purchase new Rug Pads sometime next year...and you can bet I will be getting this brand of pad for those rugs!

Thank you RugPadUSA.com!!

Just to make it clear, even though I received this Rug Pad in lieu of a Review, the review is truthful and totally how I feel about this product.