Car Trouble, Easter, A/C Quit, One Thing After Another

I haven't felt like writing in awhile, so I'm a little behind. I'll try to keep this entry from being too long.

 

On March 18th (I think that was a Saturday), Charlie noticed my car making a squeaking/chirping sound. I'd actually heard it now and then for months, but Charlie couldn't hear it because he's a little deaf and he said he couldn't fix it if he couldn't hear it because he wouldn't know what to check. Well, finally he could hear it. He started with the cheapest possibility (I don't remember what that was) and finally on Easter Sunday (April 9th), he got it fixed. He had changed a few parts by then (the last one being the power steering pump) and did something with a belt and the squeaking/chirping finally stopped.

 

My car's a 2007, so I reckon it's going to start showing its age now.

 

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Sean's birthday was April 9th. He's 26 years old now. Charlie gave him some money towards getting a telescope that he wanted.

 

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Easter Sunday was April 9th. It wasn't quite as warm as I would've liked (I think it was in the mid 60s), but it wasn't bad. The dress I wore for Easter was one I bought from someone on Poshmark. A Kate Spade dress that was originally $398 (I think it's from between 2015 and 2018), but I paid $35.22 after shipping and tax. 

 

There's a blue Tahari dress with little white dots and flowers that I really wanted (and still want), but I couldn't find it in my size. It's so beautiful. I hope I can find it eventually.

 

Kate Spade dress for Easter. This is Kate Spade's picture.

 
 

Tahari dress I really want. I would've worn this for Easter if I had found it in my size. Enlarge to get a better look at it. (Not my pictures, obviously. They belong to someone who was selling it in a smaller size.)

 

 

Church was really good and we had a pretty good sized crowd. I never did see or hear how many we had. We sang Name Above All  Names (Eddie James), Rattle (eh), and I think either Said and Done or So Will I. Possibly both.

 

Pastor preached a great message (Seeing Through Your Tears) and there was a lot of fellowship and treats for the kids after service.

 

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April 15th-16th, Sean, Ashley, and Alyssa (Ashley's sister) went to Southport for the weekend. Alyssa had never been. They had a really good time. I'm glad they had a safe trip.

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Saturday, April 29th, the a/c in our house quit working. (Actually the unit itself. We've had cold mornings with no heat in the house.) Charlie changed some part that was showing it wasn't getting or didn't have any power, but the a/c still wouldn't work. So he called someone and they came to look at it this past Wednesday. They said they had to order a couple parts for it. We don't know how long that's going to take. Thankfully the weather has been a little on the cool side, so we've been able to keep the house mostly comfortable. (The front of the house faces south and is hard to get cool.) But it's supposed to be close to 80° today and tomorrow and into the 80s on Monday and Tuesday. It'll be much harder to cool the house on those days.

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It's been a difficult couple months for us - car repairs, a/c repairs, dryer needs fixing (waiting on the part), our house payment went up by almost $200 a month because county taxes went up, and a health issue we don't have answers for yet - I'll blog about that when we know something. Plus, a few other little things. But it's little things on top of these other things.

So when I post after this the clothes I've bought since my last entry, they are items purchased between early March and early April.

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And now, clothing purchases I've made since my last entry.

DKNY dress. Bought from someone on Poshmark. (This is their photo.) Originally $130, I paid less than $30 after shipping and tax.

 

Ann Taylor dress. Bought from someone on Poshmark. (This is their photo.) Originally $114, I paid $35.22 after shipping and tax.

 

 

Calvin Klein dress. Bought from someone on eBay. (This is their photo.) Originally $134, I paid $52.31 after shipping and tax.

 

 

Tommy Hilfiger dress. Bought from someone on eBay. Originally $129.50, I paid $32.01 after shipping and tax.

Talbot's dress. Bought from someone on Poshmark. Originally $148, I paid $50.14 after shipping and tax.

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Songs bought since my last entry:

 

 

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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DH Birthday, Sickness, Clothes, and Music

Charlie's 54th birthday was February 21st. I made him one of his favorite meals (chili) and made him a cake - he wanted chocolate with vanilla frosting this year. His gifts from me were a dress shirt for church (Alfani brand from Macy's) and a Levi's black denim jacket with dark gray sherpa lining. My mom gave him money.

 

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I've had one thing or another making me feel bad since the 22nd or 23rd of February. Starting around that time, I had a sinus cold with a low fever. On the 26th, AF showed up. And on the 2nd or 3rd, allergies started bothering me. For about 3 days this week, I've barely been able to talk. Whispering was a struggle. My voice came back today, but now I can't hardly breathe. *sigh* I hope I feel better soon.

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Purchases since my last entry:

Eliza J. dress. Purchased from someone on eBay. (This isn't their picture or mine.) I paid $41.52 after shipping and tax. A belt didn't come with it, so I'll try to find one that's similar to the one in the picture.

 

Talbot's dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. I paid $34.11 after shipping and tax.

L.L. Bean dress. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. I paid $16.01 after shipping and tax.

Universal Thread rope belt. Purchased from someone on Poshmark. (This is their picture.) I paid $19.19 after shipping and tax. I bought it to go with the L. L. Bean dress.

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Songs purchased since my last entry:

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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Hail Storm, Mother's Day, Loki, and Music

Friday, May 6th, I needed to go to a few places and was getting ready when I heard it start raining. I knew it was supposed to rain and didn't really think much of it, not even when I heard a few rumbles of thunder, but then I heard hail. I quickly left the bathroom and looked out the living room windows. I then got my cell phone and went outside to record it. Most of the hail stones were pea sized to marble sized, but a few were bigger. It went on for about 6 or 7 minutes. I don't think I've ever seen hail last that long.

When I came back inside, I turned on the news to find out if or when I could leave the house. While I was watching, they said they saw rotation over McLeansville (about 15 minutes or so east of my house) and not long after that a possible tornado hit Mebane (less than 40 minutes from my house). The meteorologist said that he believed it was a tornado. It made me wonder if there'd been rotation over us when the storm came through here. Thank God it didn't touch down here, but I feel bad for those who were hit by a tornado.

Rockingham County got the worst of it, from what I saw. Either one tornado that hit several towns or more than one tornado, but obviously from the same storm/rotation. I've seen a few photos and some video.

Because of the storm and the time I spent watching the news, I ended up leaving the house about 30-45 minutes later than I had planned. First I went to the vet to get Milo's food and one of his medications. Then to Goodwill to drop off some stuff. And then the pet pharmacy (on the other side of town from where I live) to get Milo's other medication.

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Mother's Day was May 8th. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to church because I woke up after an hour and couldn't go back to sleep. (I actually woke up several times in that hour.) I finally fell back to sleep around 7:00 AM.

None of us (me, Charlie, Kelly, Mom, Sean, Ashley) made it to church that day. :-/

For Mother's Day, I got flowers from Charlie and Kelly and Sean and Ashley. They and my mom also got me cards. My mom gave me some money. We gave my mom flowers and a card.

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Kelly and I brought Loki to the vet this past Friday. (Only I could go in. They still have some covid rules at the vet's office.) They did the usual checks, took blood, and gave him two shots. I told the vet that sometimes Loki is a loud breather and when she listened to his lungs with a stethoscope she said she could hear a bit of a whistling sound. She said it's not bad enough to do x-rays, but if he starts coughing, panting, and/or struggles to inhale or exhale, to let them know. He could have/be getting (?) asthma.

They called yesterday with the results of his blood work and said that it looks good.

I have to take him back to the vet on June 3rd for a booster.

Loki did pretty well at the vet. I could tell he was a little nervous (I cracked up when he tried to "hide" between the cabinets and the little trash can; he often "hides" in full view next to doors and bathtubs lol), but he was cooperative - he didn't fight or try to get away or hiss or growl. He just laid there with big eyes.

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I've made a couple purchases since my last entry.

I bought this CC Couture top from someone on eBay. (This is their photo. I take no credit for it.) I paid $17 and change after tax. Shipping was free.

I bought this Jessica Howard dress from someone on Poshmark. I paid less than $31 after shipping and tax.

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We have a pretty good music team at our church. There are a few songs they sometimes sing that aren't my style (and that's fine, even though there are a couple songs I absolutely hate! lol), some songs that are okay or that I like, and some I absolutely love. A few weeks ago, they sang kind of a medley, I guess you'd call it, that just blew the place up. Such anointing!

The first song was Throne Room by Kim Walker-Smith. I had heard it once or twice before, thought it was okay, and never really thought about it again. But when our singers sang it, Lord, have mercy, it was powerful! Kristin did the lead and she was awesome!

 

As that song was ending, they went into part of Lifeline by Hillsong Young & Free - the part that goes, "You're all I want. You're all I want." (repeated several times) and then "Oh, You are my hope. Jesus forever, You've forgiven my failures. And oh, You never let go. Jesus forever, You've forgiven my failures." Kaley did the lead on that one and was also awesome. 

Then they went into part of The Blessing. "May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations. And your family and your children and their children and their children. May His presence go before you and behind you and beside you, all around you and within you. He is with you. He is with you. In the morning, in the evening, in your coming and your going, in your weeping and rejoicing. He is for you. He is for you." Then repeat "He is for you" several times.

 

 

It was beautiful and powerful and anointed! Many were crying, praying, worshipping, hands lifted. Many went to the altar to pray. I absolutely loved it!

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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Taxes Done, Ancestry Stuff, Easter, Etc.

I had an appointment to get our taxes done on Wednesday, April 13th, at an older woman's home in Asheboro. (Almost 20 minutes from my house.) My mom somehow knew her or found out about her, had her do her taxes, and recommended her to me and Charlie. When I got to her place and she started going through our papers she told me that Charlie's W2 was not in the folder. *sigh* So I had to go back the next day. Everything she needed was in the folder this time and she was able to do our taxes.

Charlie did our taxes last year and we owed federal. We were supposed to get a refund from state and we were going to use that towards what we owe federal (it would cover most of it), but we never got the refund. When Charlie contacted whoever, they told him to re-file. So hopefully now we'll get our refund from state so that we can pay federal. I think we'll end up with a little bit of money after all that. (From this year's taxes.) I expect Charlie will put it in savings - he's trying to save up for a truck.

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The 1950 census was released a couple weeks ago. So far I've only been able to find my mom's dad's parents and a few of his siblings. I haven't spent a whole lot of time searching because the number of pages is overwhelming. Hopefully I'll find some more relatives soon. In 1950 my grandparents and great-grandparents lived in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and California.

 

Charlie's parents and grandparents lived in North Carolina, Tennessee, and California.

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Sean's birthday was Saturday, April 9th. He's 25 now. Hard to believe. Charlie took him to a drag race in Dunn for his birthday (a couple friends went with them) and bought him a racing (NHRA?) jacket. I got him a card. Ashley made him a cake. I don't know what she got him.

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Ancestry DNA recently had another update. I lost Norway again. Dang it! lol Here are our (me, Charlie, my mom) new results:

Mine.

 

Sardinia was a surprise. We haven't seen that one in Charlie's DNA before.

Mom's.

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Easter was Sunday, April 17th. It was a beautiful day - sunshine, about 71°. I would've preferred a couple degrees warmer, but it's better than the low to mid 60s they had been predicting about a week earlier. I kept praying for it to get into the 70s and I would cheer every time I checked my phone app and saw that the forecasted temperature had gone up.

I wore the green floral dress that I posted a picture of a couple blog entries ago. I was going to wear the pink floral Jessica Howard, but since everyone wears pink (or white, purple, light blue) on Easter, I decided to wear the green one. Plus, green is my favorite color. 

 

I wore my blush (so light they're almost a nude color) patent sandals/heels (Dream Pairs; I bought them on Amazon), a white Talbot's shrug with lace trim down the front (along the part where it's open), wore my hair up (as I always do on Sundays), and carried my Etienne Aigner straw purse. All but the shoes were bought from either eBay (the dress) or Poshmark (shrug, purse).

 

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Church was awesome! It was basically just a worship service. Celebrating the Resurrection! Pastor did speak for about 10-15 minutes after we had sung several songs. And then we sang a few of them again after he was done.

I can't remember what all we sang, but some of them were Awakening by Eddie James, Take This City by The Pentecostals of Katy, This Means War by Charles Jenkins, Name Above All Names by Eddie James, Something Happens by James Wilson and Cortt Chavis. I think we may have also sung a couple others, including I Won't Let The Rocks Cry Out for Me. Each song flowed into the next with little to no break between songs. They did a pretty good job of keeping it moving. Most in the congregation were really into the worship.

I don't think we've ever had an Easter service like that (there's usually skits and/or songs that are all about Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection), but man did I love it! lol

After service, there were some give aways, a cook out (it was a nice day for eating outside), and candy for the kids. (Kelly had filled a lot of the plastic Easter eggs when we'd gone to clean the church on Saturday afternoon/evening.) We didn't stay for any of that though. We went on home and I made French toast and bacon.

I don't know how many people we had at church, but it looked nearly full to me. The most people we've had at church since covid.

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The last time I posted about new songs on my iPod was in November. Here are the songs I've purchased since then.

Click on the picture so you can see it better.

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I think it was this past Monday that Kelly's TV cut off and wouldn't come back on. So Charlie took her to Walmart yesterday after he got off work and bought her a new one. I don't know how much he spent. (Probably not much.) I forgot to ask. Using her PS4, she uses her TV for YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+, as well as video games.

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Sean was sick with a stomach virus Thursday, April 14th until this past Tuesday. He was also running a fever. I don't remember how high he said it got. I think the fever part was done by Sunday. He felt pretty awful and weak. I'm glad he's doing better now.

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Speaking of Sean, I haven't been to his and Ashley's place at all yet. They moved into their place this past December, but I've yet to make it over there. They work during the day and by the time they get home, I'm cooking supper (or about to) and then we eat and by then it's kind of late to be hanging out at someone's house. They're hardly home on the weekends during the day. I reckon I'll make it over there someday. lol

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Since my last blog entry, I've bought a couple skirts.

Ralph Lauren (Polo Jeans Company). I bought this from someone on eBay. Less than $30 after shipping and tax. (This is their picture. I take no credit for it.) I bought this because it's 100% cotton. The vast majority of modern jean skirts have stretch in them and it can be unflattering if you're not skinny. They hug you in places you don't want hugged. lol

 

 

Banana Republic leopard print skirt. I bought this from someone on eBay. I paid less than $22 after shipping and tax. (This is their picture. I take no credit for it.) Green is my favorite color and it can sometimes be difficult to find cute green clothes.

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Well, I reckon that's it for now. :-)

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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This and That

I was going to get the taxes done this past Tuesday, but I had trouble sleeping. I will try again this coming Tuesday.

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Some time early last week, I realized I had no chocolate! *gasp* When I went grocery shopping on Saturday, I bought several chocolate items - brownie mix, a few boxes of Goobers, Pepperidge Farm Brussels cookies, a bag of fun size Baby Ruth, a bag of fun size 100 Grand, and some chocolate pudding. Of those things, I've had a few 100 Grands.

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Entry before last, I posted a song I've been loving. Here are two more:

 

We sing both of these songs at my church. Both done awesomely and with anointing and power! I love it when we sing them.

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I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up around 10:30 PM or so, both Charlie and Kelly had gone to bed. I've been feeling kind of "off" and a little down/blue ever since. I think because I need to hug and kiss them goodnight before they go to bed or things just don't feel right. I think also partly because I expect to start ovulating (sorry if TMI) this weekend and that not only makes me more tired than usual and causes my skin to break out (I'm 49, for goodness sake!), but it also sometimes affects my mood. It doesn't put me in a bad mood, but I reckon it can make me melancholy and make me cry easier. I already cry pretty easily. :-/

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Sean's birthday is this Saturday. He'll be 25. That just seems crazy to me. Feels like he should only be 15 or maybe 18. It's true what they say. It feels like you blink and they're grown. He hasn't told me yet what he wants for his birthday. Too busy with working at the church, married life, and playing video games, I reckon.

 

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~

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This and That

I'm going to try to keep this as brief as possible. I've gotten behind and to post all the details would make this entry way too long.

Milo had a vet appointment on October 6th. I don't remember what all they did, but they decided to give him a shot once a week for the pain in one of his front legs. He had been limping (no injury) and would sometimes hold his leg out in front of him in the air, as if he couldn't move it. I can't remember if they gave him the first shot on the 6th or not. He had appointments on the 14th and 22nd to get the shot.

On November 3rd, he had another appointment for blood work (to check his liver) and another shot. They didn't like how his liver is looking (it was quite a bit higher than the last time they did blood work; more than would normally be expected) and in case it's because of the shots, they decided not to give him a shot that day. They said they'll give him the shot once a month instead of once a week and hope that doesn't hurt his liver. I had also been giving him pain medication every day and they said to stop giving him that in case it's the medication in addition to or instead of the shots.

I have to make an appointment with a vet specialist to have an ultrasound done. They want to look at this liver and his gall bladder (they think there may be sediment built up) and then decide what to do from there. The vet has to send a referral to the specialist before I can make an appointment, but they haven't done that yet. I'm going to call today and hopefully that will be taken care of.

 

We've known for a couple years that his liver values aren't what they should be, but the vet only recently called it liver disease. That was kind of a shock to us. Liver disease is what killed Sam. I'm hoping and praying they don't find anything too bad on the ultrasound and that medication will be enough to keep him with us and healthy for a few more years.

 

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Charlie had a doctor's appointment on October 8th. His lungs are almost completely clear now, but the doctor could still hear a little bit of raspiness. Charlie has an appointment this Friday for some kind of therapy. He doesn't know what that will be.

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Sean and Ashley took a trip to the Outer Banks October 2-9. They sent me pictures nearly every day. I'm glad they had a good time and came home safely.

 

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Ancestry.com had a DNA update about a month or so ago. Here are my results now:

Charlie's:

Mom's:

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On October 21st, my aunt Melonie (my mom's brother Dusty's ex-wife) had surgery for a brain aneurysm. Thankfully, surgery went well. She's been home for a couple weeks now. (She lives in Arkansas.) They removed her staples yesterday. She said it was extremely painful.

The day before her surgery, her daughter Kasey was shot twice in the head by her drug dealer and left by the road. Someone happened to see her lying there and called 911. I haven't seen any updates in about a week or so, but the last one I saw, she was awake and sitting up in bed. We're praying she fully recovers and gets off of drugs.

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In my last entry, I mentioned a few pairs of boots I had recently gotten. (For pretty good prices.) Here are pictures of two of those pairs of boots. I haven't taken pictures of the black Bare Traps boots for some reason.

 

L.L. Bean Park Ridge, olive green.

 

 

The  North Face Bridgeton.

 

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On Thursday, October 21st, Kelly, Rene, and I went to the mountains. We had thought about going the previous Friday, but I can't remember why that didn't work out. Then we were going to go on Monday the 18th, but I didn't sleep well at all the night before. On Tuesday, Rene had a class. I didn't sleep well that night (or Monday night), so we couldn't go on Wednesday. Finally, on Wednesday night, I slept enough for us to be able to go on that Thursday. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our trip. I'll post some of the pictures I took in another entry.

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I haven't posted about songs purchased for my iPod since July 22, 2020. Here are the songs I've bought since then.

Obviously, I love Fred Hammond's music. Especially his older stuff.

Well, that's it for now. Unless something comes up, my next entry should be about our trip to the mountains.

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*~*Nocturnal Queen*~*

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Room Done! (Mostly), Covid-free, Corona Update, Books, and Music

The library/office is mostly done now. I'm thinking about getting curtains and maybe another floor pillow or floor chair, but that's pretty much it.

Since my last entry, the painting Leaves and Vessels was delivered (July 6), I got more lights (July 6), I ordered two more rugs (July 7) and they were delivered on July 13th, the painting Late September Birch was delivered (July 15), I ordered a tapestry/wall hanging for a corner of the room I felt like needed something (July 18) and it was delivered on the 19th, and I bought a floor pillow from World Market on the 20th.

The rug on the right side of the room used to be in front of the bookcases. I put it to the side to put down the other two rugs and just left it there.

Rug by nuloom.

I asked Charlie to build me another, smaller bookcase (he built the two bookcases in this picture) for the books I have on the table and the floor.

Rug by Surya.

Rug by Safavieh.

Some may think the lights are tacky, but I love them. lol I had originally planned on doing a world theme (things representing different countries), but I couldn't decide on a paint color. Then I remembered a beautiful library I had seen pictures of that had dark blue walls and shiny gold stars and other celestial things, so I chose a dark blue paint (blue midnight). Then when I went online rug shopping, I kept being drawn to orange rugs. That surprised me since I've never liked orange that much. When I bought the orange rug that's now on the right side of the room, I then began looking for other orange things, like the poppy painting, the ceiling fan pulls, and the throw. So, the starry/celestial theme was gone, too. lol

These are the paint colors I was trying to decide between when I decided to go with blue walls (all from Lowe's; some Valspar and some Sherwin Williams):

I decided these were too blue (1 & 3) or had too much purple in them (2 & 4).

1 is Bluer Than Blue, 2 is Mountain Lake, 3 is Delft Pottery, 4 is Vital Blue.

6 is the color I chose: Blue Midnight. 5 is Salty Dog.

This one was a little too dark. It's called Naval.

I really liked 8 (Anchors Aweigh), but thought it was probably too dark. I loved 9 (Dark Night), it had a bit of green in it (my favorite color), and had a hard time choosing between it and 6.

I looked at probably hundreds of rugs when shopping for rugs for this room. After getting the ones I wanted for this room, I decided to get one for my bedroom. I had a hard time choosing between two rugs and ended up ordering the second one a week after ordering the first. The second one should be delivered today.

Loki has immediately laid down on each rug as soon as I've put them on the floor. lol This one (by Jonathan Y) and the one in front of the rocking chair in the library seem to be his favorites. The one in front of the rocking chair gets lots of sun when the blinds are up. This rug in my room is not my normal style, but I like the colors for my coastal/beachy bedroom.

And I decided that I don't like one of the paintings in my dining room all that much anymore (I bought it over 10 years ago) and have ordered a new one to replace it. It's called View to the Amalfi Coast. It should be here later this week or early next week.

I think I may have said it in a previous entry, but everything I've bought for the library/office has either been cheap, on sale, or I found a coupon for it. So while I've probably spent quite a bit of money (I haven't done the math yet lol), I haven't spent nearly as much as I could have if I had more money or were rich. lol

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Sometime around June 27 or 28, Charlie's sister Gail and her husband moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Gail had lived in Oklahoma for years and raised her daughters there. I think her husband Jim was born and raised in Oklahoma. I can't imagine moving to another country away from my kids and grandkids. (She has grandkids. I don't.) I know people do (I'm a fan of House Hunters International and see it quite a bit), but I couldn't do it. No matter how much a part of me would love to try living in New Zealand or Europe.

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Sean and Ashley have completely recovered from covid. Ashley has gone back to work and Sean will be going back soon.

Speaking of Ashley, she just celebrated her 24th birthday yesterday. I bought her two books (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Where the Crawdads Sing; she loves reading like I do) and ordered her something from Amazon that should be here at the end of the week. I also got her a card and a balloon.

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On the subject of the corona virus, here are North Carolina's and my county's numbers as of last night:

Completed tests: 1,458,997

Positive cases: 102,861

Currently hospitalized: 1,179

Deaths: 1,668

Recovered: 78,707

Active cases: 24,154

My county has 4,314 (don't know how many have recovered) and 134 deaths. My zip code was in the top three worst for our county on July 10th. We now have 511 cases (again, don't know how many have recovered) and 33 deaths.

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Since my last entry, I finished reading Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris and read The Queen of Nothing (3rd book in a trilogy) by Holly Black. I gave the former 3 stars at GoodReads and gave the latter 4 - 4½ stars.

I started reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri yesterday. I've only read the first chapter so far.

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I last posted about buying new music for my iPod on May 5th. Here are the songs I've bought since then:

Psalm 23 is by People and Songs. Speak Those Things: POL Chapter 3 is a Fred Hammond album.

 

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~

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