It’s Real.

As you all know, if you’ve read my previous New Author + My Story post, we are changing my kidney disease treatment to Rituximab (chemo-like drug). This went a lot faster than I was braced for and my first infusion is scheduled for next Thursday, September 10th. This is technically still tentative because insurance, so it’s still a maybe. Regardless, it took my breath when I got the call. This is all new to me, so honestly, I’m terrified. I have no idea what to expect with this treatment. I have a lot of questions for my Doctor and he’s already gotten 2 emails and a text from me (whoops). Yea, that was an overload but after I was back on my feet from that phone call, all the questions hit me at once. I wasn’t expecting to get this call until sometime in November but it came only 3 short weeks after seeing my doctor about changing my plan. Please remember me in your prayers during this difficult and terrifying time for me.

-M

Unveiled.

Finally! After perfecting the staining, distressing just in the right spots, and encountering a few problems with the Polyurethane, it’s finally just how we want it.

Before:

After:

I’m completely in love!! See my unique staining steps below.

I used Minwax Jacobean and Minwax Whitewash Pickling.

Apply the Jacobean, WHILE STILL WET go over it with the Whitewash, blending the two colors. Because you have to blend the colors while wet, it’s best to work in smaller, more manageable sections. Blend as much or as little as you like to get the look your going for. If its too light, just add more Jacobean, and vice versa. Go back and forth dipping your brush until its perfect, do not actually mix the two stains
together. I pour a little of each stain into separate cups so I don’t ruin the whole can of stain. We finished with a satin polyurethane (optional), which didn’t dry in our humid weather so we ended up using mineral spirit to thin it out and help the drying process. Hope you love it as much as we do!

Check us out on FaceBook to contact us if you have any questions!

-M

Our Work

We went back to a friends house to take some new photos of the furniture we built for her! Check out our work below!

Custom King Sized Bed – the picture does it no justice. It’s truly a massive bed. Built, stained, installed.

Custom Barn Door – built, stained, installed.

Again, this piece is huge, measuring almost 5′ high. Built and stained.

We added the pipe in the back for a metal element and to also help hold decor up.

We also decided to throw in this awesome rope light that’s easily removable.

If you’re in the market for a custom piece of furniture just contact us! Also, we are still working on our dining room table but having a problem with the stain drying thanks to the wonderful humidity of Tennessee! We will post pictures as soon as everything has cured/dried.

-M

Adding Color

So we made a few more trips by the house this week than normal and surprisingly there has been a lot of progress. Last night, we went to a friends housewarming/welcoming of his wife to the U.S.. Then this morning, we woke up and went to the Chattanooga Market with Molly’s sister and her friend. When we decided to go there I had one thing on my mind, “Rolling J’s” food truck. For the love of truck sauce its good. We went around wasting some time and looking at all the booths. Of course as always Molly thinks more about getting things for Cash than for herself. I spotted a new Under Armor dog harness, then we stopped by “Barley Bones” and got him and Mack a treat.

Before we went to the market we ran by the house and to our surprise there was PAINT ON THE HOUSE!!!! It is turning out to be perfect. Me and Molly are getting more and more excited and ready every day. So without further wait here it is. We chose Sherwin Williams “Greek Villa” for the main color, “Urban Putty” for the Trim, and for the doors, “Urbane Bronze.”

Real-life Walls!!!

Happy Friday (almost)! Jarrod and I couldn’t stand to wait any longer and went by our house this afternoon. Guess what we seen!? Walls!!! Real-life, solid walls! Right in front of our eyes. NOW it truly is a house. They also had finished 95% of the siding! We picked out our colors for the exterior and also nailed down the interior colors for the most part! That’s been the most difficult part for sure. We are beyond excited to see everything come together. Check out the transformation that happened in just 1 short week!

  

  

-M

Liebster Award…Is This A Joke?

An award? What? Me? But how?

I actually had to look the word up. Liebster; German for kindest, sweetest, favorite, preferred above others … you get the idea. So either I was the sweetest, or the nominating blogger was the sweetest. I’m not sure.
With any award (I assume) there are rules. One of the rules is that the rules be posted in the acceptance post.

Rules:

1. Thank and link the person who nominated you.
2. Include the Liebster Award sticker in the post too.
3. Nominate 5 -10 bloggers who you feel are worthy of this award. Comment on one of their posts to let them know of their nomination. These bloggers must have less than 200 followers.
4. Answer the eleven questions the person who nominated you created. Then make eleven questions of your own for your nominees. You may use the same questions.
5. Lastly, copy these rules in the post.

Thank you so much DoubleEspresso! Although our blog is very small, and only reaches few people, we write from our hearts hoping to inspire others.

Here are my questions:

How would you describe the perfect day?

+ Our perfect would be waking up to a cool fall day, take short bike ride, eat a delicious breakfast (It’sssss Bo-Time! Bonjangles all the way), probably do some woodworking, go antique shopping, and watch our favorite movies! 

Why did you begin blogging? And has that purpose changed any to date?

+ My husband started the blog in order to document building our home, it’s definitely turned into something more personal now. 

When you see the scene of this world changing so drastically, do you feel hopeful or doubtful?

+ This world. Where to even begin, people killing people so casually now days. People glorifying those who shouldn’t be put on a pedestal, things happening that I never thought I would see. I’m only 23 so I’m very doubtful with what this world will be like when I’m 50.  

What was your favorite song your senior year of high school?

+ Oh gosh…I’d have to go with “Love the way you lie” by Eminem and Rihanna. My husband, well he knows the lyrics to just about every song so who knows! 

What advice would you give your younger self?

+ Trust and listen to Mom and Dad’s advice! They have my best interest in mind.

If YOU could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would it be and why?

+ New Zealand to see the set of the Hobbit!! My all time favorite!!!!! 

What is your special talent no one knows about?

+ I’m an open book so I think everyone knows just about everything about me. My husbands would be his ability to change his voice to sounds like someone else. It’s crazy how well he does it!

Coffee or tea? With or without cream?

+ We’ll take 2 iced sweet tea’s! Welcome to the South! 

What is your dream job?

+ Honestly? To not have one! I dream of the days of being a housewife. Staying home with my babies, if I’m lucky enough to have them, cooking dinners, cleaning. Some women hate it, but I love it more than anything. I watched my mom do it for years so I suppose its just me wanting to fall into her footsteps. 

What makes a good friend a great friend?

+ Honesty! There’s nothing like it. 

What was your favorite movie growing up?

+ Growing up? It’d have to be the Land Before Time movies. But now, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. I could watch them day in and day out. They make me so happy. Jarrod always talks about the Grimlin’s. I’ve never seen them so I’m thinking that might be his favorite!

-M&J

I’m nominating:

Bulldog Travels

&

 Pearly

-Sorry, I have no idea how to find other bloggers with less than 200 followers! Help me out by nominating other bloggers!

My Questions: 

What’s your favorite thing to wear (PJ’s, work out gear, dresses, etc.)?

If you could buy one thing in the world, no matter the cost, what would you buy?

If you could be any animal what would you be and why?

How do you feel about all that’s going on in the world these days?

What’s your favorite book?

 Are you an extrovert or introvert?

Are you married? If so, whats been the biggest struggle you and your spouse have overcome? If not, apply this question to just yourself.

 If could go to school for anything and know you would pass and succeed, what would you major in?

If you could change your past, would you? Why or why not?

What’s your favorite season? Why?

What’s your favorite holiday? Why?

Every August Until A Cure

Back in March I, Jarrod, developed this page to share the build of our new house. However, it has turned into something much more. Here’s an important part of my life and why I love to woodwork and create things.

I grew up in a small area just south of the North Carolina/Virginia border called Providence, NC. During my childhood, I would frequently help my Dad do projects around the house. This is the time when I began to love the satisfaction of doing things myself. Some of you may know, but those who do not my Dad passed away in December of 2009 from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He was diagnosed in 2007 after being tested for many other diseases, for months he visited Duke University for testing and visit’s with Specialists.

His illness began with causing his speech to be slurred which devastated him as he was a man who loved sharing information/knowledge and took much pride in his work. He was in a position at work where communication was a requirement so he had to retire early on disability. Shortly after retiring, he began losing all motor skills and the ability to eat and speak. After he lost his ability to communicate, we created a system for him to still communicate with us by using the movement of his eyes. I eventually stopped working so I could help care for him when he could no longer be alone. I still remember it like it was yesterday, I felt like I was stuck in the movie “Groundhog’s Day” as every day, I had the same routine. I would wake up in the morning and go upstairs to relieve the Hospice Nurses. Then I would begin my shift of taking care of dad from 10 AM until around 4PM. Days were spent watching Family Fued, Price is Right, and then Soap Opera’s (Dad loved the stories especially since he got to watch them everyday). Taking care of the man who I had looked up to all my life really brought me down. At the same time, I think it helped make me who I am today. These times were difficult, but I cherish every moment I got to spend with him. ALS is a disease I wouldn’t wish on anyone, yet more and more I see people who have been diagnosed with it. The ALS ice bucket challenge has brought more attention to this harsh disease and gained it more support. August is now known as ALS Awareness month with the motto “Every August Until A Cure.” I can’t wait until a time when a cure is found so no one else will have to lose a loved one at the hand of this illness.

If anyone has questions or would like any advice as to how we handled caring for someone with ALS, feel free to comment below and we can get in touch.

-Jarrod

And Then Reality Hits…

What a productive/fun weekend! Jarrod and I started by going to check on the progress of our new home Saturday morning. Things are really starting to come along! SO EXCITING! They have the insulation done and sheet rock is delivered, meaning they will probably start that this week. We can’t wait to see the walls closed in! They also have started on the siding and delivered our front door. Here are few pics:

 

After checking that out, we went out on the lake with our dear friends Kendra and Chad! They have some awesome toys (boat, paddle board, etc.) and we had a great time! We then went over to another friends house for dinner and it was incredible! So good having nice friends to share our time with.

While walking through our home we started talking about our “office nook” in our master bedroom for an office space, or as we thought, a crib for whenever we have kids. Then reality smacked my in the face yet again. I realized, that I may not get the opportunity to have our kids. With this disease, it has a chance to come back it seems, as well as it’s not something I want to pass on. I’m not exactly sure if it’s genetic though, I haven’t discussed all that with my doctor yet. Also, if I ended up being approved for the Rituximab (chemo-like drug) my doctor will use another medication to put my body into menopause to save my ovaries for my future. I’m not sure what kind of toll this will take on my body and what my chances would actually be of having our own child. So, other options started running through my head. Adoption, having a surrogate, or just not having children at all. I favor having a surrogate the most because it could still be our child. I just wouldn’t have the experience of carrying it myself. I suppose we will cross that bridge when we come to it, but it weighs heavily on my heart and mind each day.

On a brighter note, Jarrod and I LOVE Restoration Hardware! But, if you know anything about RH, you know that it is extremely over priced. So I’m determined to re-create the pieces we love for a fraction of the cost.

Here is Restoration’s decorative books: Not sure what they ran because they no longer sell them

And here are mine: (and guess what! I made these for FREE – the rope we paid $3.00 for!)

Here is Restoration’s Glass Cloche: Selling for $80.00!

And here is mine: for only $25.00

My Aunt and Uncle had a stock pile of corks so we put them to use and eventually I will fill them succulents:

Again, this was free thanks to my aunt and uncle and the borrowing of a hot glue gun!

So we had a rather productive weekend and here we are both dreading Monday, with the rest of the world!

Thanks for reading,

-M

Rainy Days = Pinterest Overload

First let me thank everyone for the outpouring of support on my first post yesterday! That was a great feeling and brightened my day. It’s been raining for nearly 3 days in Chattanooga! It’s so cloudy and dark. I do work a full time job, so I don’t get to stay home snuggled in bed with my baby Cash like I would dream of doing. Instead each day I have to wake up a 6:00 AM. Cash is such a smart little thing – each morning around the time for my alarm to go off, he comes up beside me to get his daily snuggles. I cuddle him until I have to force my self up out of bed and then I tuck him right back in, which is where he typically stays until I force him to go outside. Dogs are definitely like their owners, we both hate mornings!

That being said – I basically would rather be in bed any day, especially rainy days. I do love a good rainy season though! Me loving to be home and inside so much (aka – hermit) drives me to spend much of my time on Pinterest!

Pinterest is whole different world where people think they are craftier than that really are, or where people think they can cook like Paula Dean then their cake comes out looking like an rock rather than something edible. Yea, I’ve been there. But those times when you’ve worked hours to make something perfect and to your surprise it actually turns out – those are the times where it’s totally worth it! My latest project was making wall storage for my jewelry, and definitely worth the little time it took to make it. Luckily, there were no fails this time, thanks to the help of my husband. We picked up some scrap wood from the house that they were going to throw away and then ended up with this totally awesome and functional piece!

The top easily slides out to put bracelets on, the middle is for hanging earrings, and the bottom is multi-functional! There are small hooks on the bottom (that unfortunately I just realized you can’t see in the picture – whoops) to hang necklaces, then the corks we acquired from family. I cut some in half and glued to the board to stick my stud earrings in. Then finally, my ring storage are dowel roads cut in small pieces to easily slide my rings on and off. I didn’t paint or stain it because I typically like the leave things the natural way – so I think this time I’ll just sit back and enjoy it! Check out our creation below!

New Author + My Story!

Hi everyone! My name is Molly Dixon, the wife of the Jarrod. I’ve wrote a post before but have now become an official “author” of the page! I’m excited to able to write about our lives. From me, you will hear everything from my health, life, my Pinterest ideas coming true, and failing, and about our new home that we are building, oh and A LOT about my dog, Cash. I’m usually an open book so you will probably find out a lot about me on here that you might have no known.

A little bit about me, if you don’t know me already, I grew up in the little town in Dunlap, Tennessee. The most beautiful little valley in the world!

No, I’m not a huge TN Vols fan! I’m more a NFL girl thanks to my husband. Go Baltimore Ravens! I lived in Dunlap for 17 years then moved to Memphis, TN for my Dads job. I was less than thrilled to be moving my Junior year of high school so I made them promise to not send me to public school in Memphis. So, I homeschooled (online) myself my last 2 years of high school. I regretted this in some ways, I missed out on the fun of being a Senior. But it was just as nice to stay home surrounded my passion in life (animals) and stay in my PJ’s most days. I’m definitely a home-body so this was right up my alley. When I graduated, I moved back close to Dunlap to Chattanooga, TN to attend college and be with my sister. She’s older than I, so we got an apartment together. She already her Lhasa Apso, Mack, then we acquired what is now my obsession, Cash. What kind of dog is he you ask? Well…he’s a mutt, but the best/cutest one to ever walk the planet that’s for sure. He’s been with me through it all and loved me unconditionally ever since. My angel!

After attending college for a couple of years, I decided that it wasn’t for me. I moved back to Memphis to attend Cosmetology school and completed that with honors. I moved back, yet again, to Chattanooga to spend the rest of my life with the man I’m lucky enough to call my husband! I only do hair for friends and family now, and am working in a employment recruiting office. Go figure, I’m doing something now that I wouldn’t have to be in debt for. Anyway, I’ve been in Chattanooga ever since and love it here. It’s truly a great city to live in!

Another important piece that you will read about, is my health. Back in…2013 I believe, I was diagnosed with a kidney disease. I’m not going to try and type out the name, because there’s not much data on it for you to read about. Basically, my kidneys release too much protein and eventually over time, that will cause damage if it’s not stopped. What causes this disease? There’s no research on that. Why/how does is spill protein? Honestly I have no idea. This is such a confusing road to be on, I’m not sure how to explain it to you. All I know is that I wake up each day to fight not knowing what will happen, and I don’t fight everyday. A lot of the time I just throw the towel in. It began with reoccurring UTI’s. I kept going to my regular doctor who eventually sent me to a urologist, who found the high protein, who then sent me to a nephrologist to treat me. Protein count in your urine should be 0. Mine has topped at around 3,000 that we know of. Right now it holds steady around 1,300. I’m on an injection 3 times a week called Acthar, as well as 1 pill which I take 8 of a day. I just went back for my check-up and didn’t receive the news we were hoping for. A man that I met earlier this year who has the same disease and was treated how I’m being treated, when into remission for about 4 years and unfortunately received bad news as well that his protein is back up. My doctor, based on my condition, decided to change the course to a chemo-like drug called Rituximab. I’ve read good things about it as far as side-effects go which is enlightening, but it’s completely discouraging that the man I met earlier this year is no longer in remission. This hit me in the face like a brick wall. I’m having to come to terms with the fact that this is something I may be dealing with for the rest of my life. Me being only 23, is very troubling. I want to live a life of health, and have a family. I don’t want to see my doctor more than I see my Mom and Dad, who now live in Ohio. But I have to realize this may not be the case for me. Am I sick or bound to bed? No, absolutely not. I have a full time job and love to do other activities. But is it easy? Definitely not. I’m tired, I feel weaker than I used to, and some days I have pain. I’m bruised from injections, I’ve gained weight from the medication, my skin and hair has changed. My life has changed. Some days are better than others but that happens even for healthy people. I’m thankful I’m not bound to a hospital bed. A lot of people say to me “it could be worse.” But keep in mind, this is “my worse.” I know no worse so this is hard as it gets for me. Keep that in mind when you tell someone that who is dealing with something that you may not think is bad, because I guarantee you, that person would love to smack you in the face. 🙂 Some days finding the silver lining is too hard, and those days we need to just be able to rant without someone trying to be overly positive. Let’s just be honest.

So, all that being said, we will now start the war with insurance to cover the Rituximab, because we have the initial thought that they wont. It will probably be later this year before I start the new medication. Until then I will continue with the injections and pills. If you’ve known I was on this journey, I would like to thank you for your prayers and thoughts. My family has been everything to me during this time. They are the best family in the world and without my mom, dad, sister, and husband I would be lost. And it extends beyond just immediate family.

Well when did Jarrod come into this story you ask? Well, we met online via Plenty of Fish back in 2011! We both just were looking for a friend at first (but then why would be on dating site?). Right. Anyway, we a met a few months after talking online and haven’t been separated since! Married on May 4, 2013 and love him more and more each day. He’s been the most supportive man through all of my trials and never giving up on me. He deserves all the best in this life and I will do my best to give him that.

So through it all, here we are neck deep in making choices for our new dream home, living in the basement apartment of a gracious Aunt and Uncle (Cash loves having his “Lissa” – Melissa watch him during the day) and there’s nothing better than Uncle Marvin’s hamburgers! We sure will miss them when our new home is completed!

Jarrod and I both have passion for design. He loves to build things, and I love to finish them with paints, stains, distressing, etc. We also both love to decorate! We love making our Pinterest Pins a reality. But sometimes they fail and of course you will have the opportunity to get a laugh out of that!

I hope you all will love reading about our ups and downs, and our accomplishments and failures. I hope you will get inspired to get out and do something and live life to the fullest while you can! We will also post tutorials on things we build from now on! Don’t want to build something? That’s okay, its not for everyone so let us know and we can take care of it for you!

Thanks for reading!

-M