That was in mid Dec. a few weeks after her DH had heart surgery after a heart attack. Sure hope he, she is OK and just to busy to spend time here. Her kitchen was just wonderful and coming along real nicely.

But something that I did get for my kitchen was a set of Calphalon Tri-Ply stainless steel pots and pans. I love the glass lids. It's like having a window where you've always had a wall. These pots have been wonderful, just a joy to cook in.

Having a senior in high school (plus six other children) makes for a very demanding life. I'll try to check in more often. I must say that the G'web technical slow-down problem in January-February temporarily drove me away as well.

It's funny that you posted this, sjerin. Just yesterday, one of my sons asked me if I ever went on the kitchen forum anymore. So he's noticed too. Thank you for asking, sjerin!

Part 1
Part 2

Hi Ladies!

I absolutely cannot believe that it is 2007 already. 
"I am not a failure...I am not a failure..."

To cut to the chase, my cabinets are not finished.  "I
am not lazy...I am really not lazy..."

There has been so much go on with my family this year. If I have not stated
this before, we retired here and built this house. Bro & SIL live next door,
parents live about 300 yards south, and my sister is now the 'distant relative'
living about 2.5 miles away.

Just today, my mother asked me for a perm again, which I had to debate the
issue with her. I pulled out her 'card' and showed her that she last had one on
January 27, 2006. Two weeks later, she went into the hospital for a hip
replacement, then almost died.  Horrible infections, etc...  It took
her about two months plus in Life Care Center to get to the point where she
could come home. 

Then Dad, stoic man of health, started looking a bit pinched.  He
finally announced he had not urinated in about 72 hours.... Emergency surgery
took care of some kidney stones.  He, too, had infections...

No sooner recovered from this and he then had elective surgery to replace one
of two shot knees.  He, too, got horrible staph infections requiring him to
go to the hospital for 6 weeks DAILY for I.V. antibiotics because Medicare would
not pay for home health care to administer this medicine. My sister and I
alternated taking him back and forth to the hospital (five hours committed a
day) for this treatment. THEN he started physical therapy.  All the while,
we're trying to take care of our families, etc. 

If you don't remember, my mother is about 90% disabled due to her crippling
rheumatoid arthritis and several strokes.  She can operate a TV remote and
telephone.  She's so bad that there's no way she could use a "clapper" to
turn on a light.  She can't dress herself or lift anything heavier than a
large box of tissues. No pouring pitchers of tea, coffee, or even a china coffee
cup.  Child size everything.  Finger grips on forks and spoons to
grasp eating utensils in a fist-like grip.  I tell you this so you realize
that when Dad's down, we have to step in and do it all. Shopping. Laundry. House
cleaning. Etc.  thank goodness we all live so close and can do meals with
them  often.

I also had major stress with my 26 & 21  year old ADULTS living with us
along with our 15 & 13 year old kiddos.  Since I was busy, the older two
quit college and were stressing me out of my mind.  I went ballistic. 
They did not help out, nor pay rent, so I told then they needed to find their
own place.  They finally did.  We're still helping the 21 year old
paying her car & insurance payments plus.... (it's worth it). Why? Well, they
both lost their jobs 2 weeks after moving out because the company folded. It's
been slow recovering right there before Christmas. (They didn't move out until
Thanksgiving, causing me undue stress because of their slobbery and hours. I was
starting to have trouble with my teens.. but all is well now with the teens.)

Oh, keep in mind I have two teens in band and in different schools. AND my
son is in competitive Winter Drum Line competitions. BUSY. BUSY. AND neither of
them drive, so I do a lot of volunteering. I even do all of the Band's News
Flash! emails and Band Web site. If you want to check it out see
www.eaglebandone.com.

THEN...in October, during his physical therapy, Dad started saying that
'shock' machine that he had to use on his leg muscles because atrophy had
started setting in being so immobile, seemed to make his heart hurt. WHAT NOW? 
Got him right in to a cardiologist (Mom also has a pacemaker, pig valve, heart
problems...so we've got connections!).  Well, Dad, did the nuclear stress
test and had five MAJOR blockages.  ASAP Surgery.

Got him home. 26 & 21 year old LAZY ADULTS have been NO help through all of
this with the younger two...only cared about running around and playing with
their friends. All of this FINALLY gave me courage to calmly say, "I love you,
I've had it, please be out of the house by December 1." They were.

December 3 or 4th...my sister's 45 year old husband has a heart attack. 
Did I mention that she has a teen in my son's high school?  Well, we're all
pitching in.

All year long, I've not felt well.  Just haven't been right. 
Lethargic. DEPRESSED. I'm not taking drugs for depression, doing my best to
avoid it. I do admit SMILING BIG that I am SO much better since #1 & #2 ADULT
kiddos are out of the house. Did I mention to you that they are driving each
other CRAZY living together?  :D My daughter has turned into
'me'.

Don't ask me how, but SOMEHOW, I shopped for Christmas in ONE DAY and not a
gift card in the pack. OK...my son needed some dental work $$$ so DH wrote a
check after I got the estimate from the dentist for the work. He still hasn't
gone in, but I'm after him.

January arrives. Got that Christmas tree down and packed away ASAP. Still not
feeling well. Just seem too tired. Yes, extra weight is still on me, but I just
am not myself physically. Little by little over the year, I made dramatic
changes in my diet. THIS is big for me: no caffeine. More water. Seems my GERD
issues are much worse.  Noticed racing of my heart at weird times. 
Thought maybe I had gotten hold of something with hidden caffeine....just
noticed more pains. Jan. 23, turned 48. Ick. Better alive than dead!

I vowed to get on these cabinets.  ALL stripping finished. Decided to
tackle the master bedroom first so I can figure out how to get that finish that
is smooth to the touch and professional...without hiring a pro.  I
practiced and practiced to try to figure out to get the quality finish I want.
WELL...LADIES... I have definitely figured out what to do and how to do it with
the least mess possible. AND I am doing these doors in my dining room about 8 at
a time. I'll bet you think I have a huge dust mess. I don't.  It's really a
quite tidy affair I have going on. I imagine it will take me at least 8 more
weeks to finish or less, depending on humidity, and if I diligently stay with
it.

The master BR built in entertainment cabinet is unique looking. The company
that drilled the holes in the new doors for the hinges made a mistake, so I now
have to have those filled and re-drilled, so it's not all done.  The
TECHNIQUE for the finish is where I've been mainly focused.  Research,
research, and trial and error.

I am just so happy now that I KNOW how to do, what I want to do. I will share
when I am completely finished. My 17th Anniversary is July 1st, and barring
illness or death, I WILL have those doors done by then!

Diligently working, things seemed so-so until about two weeks ago. I was
updating the website and all was quiet and well...then this clutching pain in my
chest. I thought, uh-oh. You've got to be kidding.  OK...it passed...then
slowly, it felt like a huge 'egg' was melting over my left shoulder...and down
to the top of my arm all went numb-y feeling. Heart was still having pains. 
Started doing research online for this pain.  Well, it didn't sound exactly
like a heart attack.  But I just didn't feel good.  I called my sister
and we decided to just wait a little bit and see.  It seemed to pass, but
the arm was still numb...all through the next morning.  I didn't do jack
squat that night and expected to feel better in the a.m.  Well, nada
chance. Kept telling myself that I'd wait to see how I felt in 30 minutes. ,
then an hour. Well, sharp pains  in 'my heart', not my esophagus, is what I
call it.  I called my doctor who's nurse would NOT let me have an
appointment.  ALL chest pains MUST go straight to the ER. Sheesh. 
FINALLY, I decided to go to the ER. Kept my sister on the phone while I drove
myself there. They kept me overnight. What a joke. Passed the stress test. Nitro
gave me a migraine...doctor kept asking me if I felt better (not), started
puking, gave me a total of 3 nitro pills, lupressor (spelling), morphine and
more morphine, and other meds, then finally a "GI Cocktail" which was like
drinking a Novocain milkshake. HAD I known it numbed your tongue, I wouldn't
have swished it in my mouth! Idiotic mistake. AFTER all of THAT, I STILL hurt,
nothing showed on the EKG, AND I still had a migraine.

That stint in the hospital was a joke. Heat monitor was a joke. Everytime I
got a pain in the 'heart', I was to call the nurse. Shoved a nitro in my mouth,
gave me bp meds in an IV...and another MIGRAINE, with nothing for it. Oh,
LORD...were these people nuts asking me "do you feel better yet?" I finally
realized, that I felt better without the nitro! TADA! I also realized that I had
been dealing with these 'pains' in lesser form, for some time.

Bottom-line: No test they did those two days proved evidence of a heart
attack. Yahoo. They thought maybe my GERD issues were the source of my pain.
Changed from Aciphex to Protonix. I know it is NOT the GERD issues.

What IS new is that my normally low BP has been high for some reason. (So
low, the blood bank will NOT take my blood some days.) My blood pressure in my
leg is different than arm. My HB races some. I'm on BP medicine for now since
all of this. Unless there is an emergency, I'm scheduled to have a nuclear
stress test on March 26. Even though I feel RENEWED on BP medicine, my 'heart'
still hurts. If I get stressed about ANYTHING, it starts to 'hurt'. (26 & 21
ADULT kiddos, friend that is dying yet is requesting help from me, finishing my
realtor board test, etc...)

Needless to say, my health is now on my radar. It's been everyone else, but
now I MUST take care of me.

So, I am slowly, but surely working on my cabinet doors and I'm getting
faster.  I don't want them done fast and crappy. We've experienced this
THREE times already.  My husband, GOD BLESS HIM, has put up with me and all
of the drama. I will say this, NOT A DAY GOES BY that he doesn't mention those
cabinet doors. Each time he opens his mouth, it UNmotivates me and saps my
energy to finish them.  I don't know if the pain in my 'heart' is
physically based or not...or if I'm just stressed to my limit. I do know that NO
ONE will know how ecstatic I am going to be when this kitchen is done.

BTW, I've had two friends build houses from start to finish...and mine is
still not done. My mother wants her kitchen done soon, but is waiting on me to
finish mine. Like her pushing me, too, is supposed to scurry me to finish
mine faster! I told her, I'll work on her a design, I'll even oversee demo,
shopping, and construction, but I'm not 'doing' it myself.

(OH...my parents have "just canceled" the party we were throwing them in
April for 50 years of marriage. They any money we were going to spend put into a
new kitchen instead.) I hate this. I **KNEW** it should have stayed a surprise.
IT would have been SO much easier!

One more thing: neighbor across the street built a new house, just moved in
last week. She bought her island unpainted and painted it herself.  I went
over to see her technique.  I kid you not, she was slapping house paint on
the island with no primer. She had brush marks and trash in the finish. She said
she liked the rustic-ness about it. She just doesn't' CARE. I do.

And...when people feel my cabinets and see them, they will feel and see the
quality job I'm doing. 

Now, what am I stumped on right now? I need hardware! I want the hardware on
before the doors are installed. Anyone have photos they'd like to share?

I do miss all of you. I have had so much more going on than I have time to
tell, as you can all imagine. I think of this forum frequently.  I just
haven't had much to report other than distress.

I'll try to keep my toe in the door from now on. I can see the light at the
end of the tunnel.

Be blessed in all you do!

Sheri Lynn

Take your time on those cabinets and don't let anyone hurry you. It's YOUR kitchen and you can do whatever you want, WHEN you want. Take care of YOU, and good luck with your stress test.

All the best,

Mari

Oh, and dh found a new job as well - VP of IT for a 500 million dollar credit union. LOVES it - such a change from the past (two) jobs. (coughcoughdisneycoughcough)

Kids of course are keeping me busy as well. Both kids are involved in an Annie productiont that opens next week for four days - dd is an orphan and ds is on stage crew and I'm sewing and mending costumes. I sleep betwen 4 and 5 am. lol

You sound like superwoman - can work and raise a family on 3 hours sleep!

Slow down! Let some things pile up - but first, explain to ALL involved that this is what you are doing. Call a family meeting, if needed. Calmly review the extent of what has been going on and get others to see what can be done. Take time for yourself at least once a week.

My heart goes out to you. I, too, have had the "sandwich generation" syndrome. God bless you!

Julie