Good Monday Morning fron Kentucky

Good Monday morning. I always have such big plans of what I want to get accomplished for the week on Monday but lately things haven't been going "as planned' so this week, I'm taking it as it comes. No lists..no schedules...just take it as it comes. This is the last week of 2008 and I have really good intentions for 2009...let's just hope I can stick to at least a tenth of what I would like to get done. I got my tree down yesterday and most of my decorations back in the attic though I still have a few outdoor things to get in. I am going to try to do that today since the temps are going to be in the upper 50's.

I have really let my eBay and Etsy business slide the last few months. With Will starting school in August I really thought I would have so much more time to devote to work BUT it seems I got less done instead of more. Transitioning him to preschool was NOT the easiest thing I've ever done, but he's come along way since then and hopefully when school starts back next week, things will go smoothly. I've got my fingers crossed. BUT BUT BUT I'm going to start out strong in 2009 and get lots of wonderful old vintage items listed. I have so much inventory and have had so little time to do anything with it but I intend to WORK WORK WORK in 2009!!!!

Make sure to check out my store and check back often because I intend on filling it to the gills in the coming weeks!

Vintage Feather Pillows

I have been "trying" to work and get some "new" vintage stuff in my eBay store and I did get a few aprons, feedsacks and feather pillows listed this weekend. Got so much more to get on. Now, got to work on Etsy and I'm working on my Picture Trail sight
Make sure to check it out!!!!

It's Almost Christas

Good Morning from Cerulean and let me tell you it's COLD COLD COLD!!! It was six degrees when I got up this morning. Certainly feels like winter out there today. Just a few more days til Christmas and I'm still trying to get things ready here. My whole family is coming over for a meal on Christmas Eve and I've been trying to clean and do some "home projects" that should have been done a long time ago. I've just about to get all the things on my "list" done and now I got to figure out what I'm cooking! I'm not used to cooking for a lot of people and there are at least 20 coming. And to me, that's A LOT of people to cook for!! LOL

Will seems to be more interested in Christmas this year than he was last. I still don't think he understands the whole "Santa" thing, but he does know who he is now and he will say Christmas and does sing "Jingle Bells' which when I think about how far he's come from last year, it's a miracle. He was barely saying any words last Christmas and now he knows so many. He doesn't use them in sentences (some he tries) but he can identify so much now ...and though we are still far from where we should be, the progress he's made so far is remarkable. He's been sick the past week and yesterday seemed to finally be feeling like himself again.

It's so hard to buy him presents since he doesn't play with toys like most kids but I have bought him a hodge-podge of things that I think he will like and a few that I'm sure he won't get just yet, but he's picking up on so much now, I don't think it will be long before he does. He loves my digital camera so much that I bought him a Fisher Price digital one...hopefully he will learn to use that and that will be somthing we can have fun with together. It's hard to find "age appropriate" toys for children on the autism spectrum. Most of the toys for 3 and up are not something he would be interested in....so we have to think outside the box for a lot of his gifts.

PLAYSCHOOL & BUSTED HEADS

What a day it's been. Today was "playschool" at Will's preschool. All and all we had a good day...til the end. I'll tell you about that later. During "circle time" Will got up on stage (middle of the circle shaped rug) when it was his turn and counted to ten!!!! I was so proud of him. He usually never does what all the other children do and certainly never "performs" and I can tell you this was one of the proudest moments a Mama could ever have. Like I've said before you really learn to appreciate the small stuff when you have a child on the autism spectrum. He also loved painting with Ms Marcy (his wonderful teacher who has soooooo much patience with him).

He even went and hugged a little girl named Cheyenne (Will loves the pretty girls)

I was so glad that I saw him "trying" to interact with the children there. He still has a hard time with that but I have seen a big improvement since school started. We're really trying to work on his social skills. He had a few small meltdowns, but all and all it went good til...................

He was playing in one of the "centers"...I believe the living room area and he got his foot hung in a stool and fell and hit a bookshelf and when I turned around I saw blood just pouring out of his head. Of course, I was in panic mode. He was crying and screaming and we were trying to clean him up......and when we finally got enough blood wiped away it was that instant realization that he was going to have stitches!!! OMG!!!! It was a gash!!!!. Then I really started to panic in OVERDRIVE. Karl was out of town....actually in another state today and I kept thinking how is he going to handle a hospital and stitches...what am I going to do....and how was I going to do it by myself....and he was still crying and I was still trying to calm him but I was about ready to start crying with him. I was so scared and he was in so much pain and so scared and no amount of comforting seemed to be calming him down....and I didn't know what I was going to do. The school nurse looked at him and she agreed he did need stitches.....so off to the hospital we went. Thankfully the hospital is practically across the street from the school. We got right into the emergency room and the staff there was so good with him...of course I told them right off the bat he had autism. It just makes things easier for them to understand some of his behaviors though I think a typical child would have been upset too.....Anyway, they took a look at it and they thought they could "glue" it and he wouldnt' have to have stitches! What a relief..... So we got him layed on the table and got the gash cleaned (and that was another crying and screaming ordeal and him saying "need help, need help" over and over (which broke my heart) and they applied the glue and in about five minutes we were about ready to go. Just had all the PAPERWORK to fill out. And by the time it was over, he was beginnning to calm down. Thankfully we had grabbed a red and blue plastic star so he had something to comfort him.....(red and blue matching items is the best medicine for Will in upsetting situations) We ran back by the school to let them know he was okay.....and we came home and he's been in good shape and doesn't act like it's even bothering him now.

I guess this is just something I'll have to get used to....bumps and bruises are a normal part of being a kid....

Check out my "new-old" stuff on Ebay

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

It's cold here in Cerulean....the wind cuts to the bone out there. Feels like winter is here now. I've been out trying to take some pictures of some "new" old goodies but nearly froze to death trying. I will be listing some neat old feather beds (with some great old ticking fabric) , feather pillows and ladies floral hankies if any of you out there are interested. I hope to have them on my tonight....(I HOPE) I have so many great linens to get on this winter that I have rat-holed away all summer, but just can't seem to find the time to do it. I get so tired of saying that (and I'm sure everyone else does too) but it's so true!!! I thought when Will started school that I would have all kinds of times to work on my projects, but if anything I have less time than before......and when I do finally have a day to work, I'm so busy trying to get a thousand things done at once that I don't seem to get anything accomplished.

Here are a couple of feather beds I am listing on ebay.

Tomorrow I have to go with Will to preschool for "playschool" and that's always fun. That's when the parents go to school and "play" with their child. I had a hard time at first because when your child is the only one in the classroom with autism it's hard not comparing what the other kids are doing to what your's isn't. I guess it scares me more than anything....right now we don't know how "severe" the autism is and believe Will has come so far and everyday he is doing so much more that we are so thankful for that but when the other kids are talking "ninety miles a minute" and engaging in play with each other and your's is off in the corner playing with his "red and blue" (his current obsession) matching objects and ignoring everyone around him.....you can't help but panic. I can tell you, I've gotten alot better and I'm sure in time it will get easier....but it's still the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with in my life....The first few weeks of school I left everyday in tears and I don't even know how I managed how to drive home. At that time we didn't have an "official" diagnosis...but we knew.....but when you see him with other children (which he hadn't been around that many) it all hits home a little harder and you realize how terribly wrong things are. But things are better for all of us now. He's finally adjusted to school and really seems to enjoy it and I am "learning" to accept things as they are. I love my little boy more than I knew I ever could and I guess I am more scared for his future when I'm not here to take care of him than anything. We do a pretty good job dealing with the day to day of it all...we've learned just to take it one small step at a time and enjoy all those little things that most parents take for granted that their children can do with no problesm. Will hasn't hit the regular milestones like most kids, but he's come a long way and I know in my heart he is going to get so much better .

Better get to work. Got dinner to get ready and hopefully some things listed on eBay tonight.

It's Been A While

I've gonna try this again!!! I had such good intentions when I started my "blog" but life gets busy sometimes and I find it hard to do the things I have to do everyday. Now with cold weather and more time indoors maybe I can concentrate more on it.

My son Will, who has autism started preschool and believe me we've had our hands full with that. He's FINALLY liking it.... actually LOVING it but we've had a struggle with the school system getting him the services he is entitled to and needs. I feel like I stay at school as much as he does now fighting with the "Big Wigs" trying to get him the speech therapy and the one on one aide he so desperately needs. I think now we've got that going (I'm keeping my fingers crossed) but it's been far from easy. I stay on the phone with teachers, school administrators and anyone else that will listen to my desperate cries for help. It's a shame how hard you have to fight to get that "appropriate education" that your child needs. I think the school district we're in just doesn't understand autism. Thank goodness we have had a wonderful teacher and classroom aide who is on our side and see how much potential our son has.



I am also trying to get some new things on eBay and Etsy. My user-ID on both sights in "thecherrychic" and if you love vintage linens and textiles you need to check me out. I have got a ton of new "old" stuff to get listed and maybe now that things have calmed down at school, I'll finally be able to get back in the groove. Let's hope so at least.

Hello...Let me introduce myself.....

Hello... I am new to blogging so I'm not sure where to start. My name is Chris. I'm 42 years old and live in a very small town in Western Kentucky. A beautiful little town called Cerulean. It used to be a resort town in the early 1900's. (back then it was called Cerulean Springs but the post office dropped the Springs part many years ago) The cerulean blue colored spring water was believed back then to have medicinal purposes and people rode the train from miles around to drink and bathe in the water and stay at the huge hotel that used to be here. The hotel is long gone and now it's just a sleepy little rural farming community and a great place to live. And the spring water is still "cerulean" blue.

Here is a postcard of the hotel around the turn of the century.

We bought an old abandoned house and two acres here about 15 years ago and have re-furbished it slowly but surely. When we purchased it my main goal was to bring it back to "original" but to live comfortably and to accommodate all the things you had to have (water heaters, heating and cooling systems etc) we had to make some changes. Plus when you have a husband who is into every modern new anything that comes out, you have to make some compromises. In the end, it all worked out and we have a beautiful house that still has alot of it's "old" charm with a lot of modern conviences that I don't know how I could live without. We built a new kitchen, gutted EVERY single room, re-wired, re-finished floors, built new porches...you name it, we did it. All we had was a shell of a houseand we just built it back ONE ROOM AT A TIME....and we're still building. It seems like it's never ending some days , but thankfully we enjoy it and my husband has the talent and the know how to make it all work. It has been a true labor of love.

This is the house a few years ago. I'll post more pictures later.

Here is the link to my eBay items http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZthecherrychicQQfrppZ50QQfsopZ2QQfsooZ2QQrdZ0

And here is the link for my Etsy store.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5680656

Make sure to check them out. I'll post more tomorrow.