Thursday, October 30, 2025

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken on Halloween of 2008. We spent the day at the hospital, enjoying games, activities, and trick or treating around the administrative offices. Mattie's child life intern snapped this photo of us together. Mattie did not want to go to this party at the hospital in costume if I wasn't dressed up too! So I was a cat! On an aside, do you see the purse behind Mattie on a shelf? That was my purse. If you know me, then you know I am a typical New Yorker.... my purse is glued to me. However, the year we were living at the hospital, I would put my purse down in Mattie's room and leave it there unattended. Same in the playroom. I am not sure why I did this, as it was completely out of character. The only conclusion I can come to was the hospital was like our home. In fact, we lived in it more that year than our actual home. So just like when I am home, I don't guard my purse, and it translated to how I felt about the hospital. That may not be earth shattering, but it actually was very revealing of my state of mind at the time. 

Quote of the day: Memories are strange things. Without being something I can hold in my hand, they wield a beguiling power over me. Like a mirage in the noontime heat of summer, they dance before my inner eyes and beckon me to find water where there is not water. ~  Joy Sikorski

Life is just so complicated with my usual routine and having contractors over. They are the nicest men, but whenever my day is altered in some way, it makes me edgy. I am also very tired, as I am getting up even earlier than usual to get things ready before they come over at 8:30am. Below are three photos of the bathroom I am renovating. It is being renovated only because my mom flooded it this summer. 

The photo on the far left is what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house in 2021. Before my parents moved in, we changed the color of the bathroom and painted it ourselves. We also changed the vanity. You can see those changes in the middle photo. The photo on the right was what the bathroom looked like in August, after the vanity, part of the bathroom wall, and floor were removed. 

This was what the bathroom looks like as of today! The tiles were laid on the floor. The grout will be placed on the tiles tomorrow. Typically the grout color used is a grey color. I am not a grey person, so I have selected a very very light gray, that almost looks white! I can't tell you how these bright tiles have opened up the bathroom. I struggled picking out tiles, but Alfredo agrees.... this was the right one. It is the kind of tile that anyone would like, because you can decorate with whatever colors you wish to make the bathroom pop! I have to see what kind of wall space I have after it is all said and done. But I have watercolor sketches of our home that a local artist created. This was part of the series we were working on for the family room, which I abandoned. Any case, I would love to take a few of the landscape sketches and either frame them or make them into a canvas for this space. 

In August, it looked like it was raining in the dining room. The water was coming from my mom's bathroom above this space. The hole is now gone! Tomorrow the ceiling gets painted and then the dining room will be done! 

Meanwhile, I am so grateful, more and more boxes are being delivered for the Foundation's item drive. We have the best supporters and friends.