Gamble House - Pasadena

Today, I made a short road trip to Pasadena, California. Pasadena is a beautiful city filled with great old houses and great architecture. My destination today was the Gamble House which was designed by the Greene brothers and built in 1908 for the Gamble family (Procter and Gamble). The house is a craftsman style house with an Asian influence. I took the tour of the house which was $10 and one hour long. Worth every penny and every minute! There was a group from Michigan in my tour group - here to watch the Rose Bowl game on Monday. The city of Pasadena is preparing for the big parade - the bleachers are in place, and camera crews are setting up their tents and cameras in preparation for Monday morning.

The main entrance or foyer is filled with teak wood and is gorgeous. The main staircase is surrounded by a handrailing that is made entirely of teak. This was one of the few places in the house where you can touch the wood. Even the docent/tour guide can't touch the wood. All the nails and screws holding the pieces in place are covered by small pieces of wood, made of maple to cover the teak! The website has beautiful pictures of the interior including the beautiful staircase and the stained glass door - click here. My father would love to see all this - he is a cabinet maker and stair maker by trade. I will have to make sure we make it to the Gamble House on his next trip to California.

Every room is filled with wonder. Each room has its own individual design - the living room has a carved piece of redwood just below the crown molding of the room. Just gorgeous - with seagulls, waves - trees whatever the wood suggested was carved onto the wood. The lighting in the house is dim as was typical of the era. Most of the bulbs in the house are 25 watts or less. The foyer has a beautiful teak door with an exquisite stained glass window of an oak tree. The lamp shades in the main foyer are made from the same art glass that is used in the front door.

The kitchen is filled entirely with cabinets made of maple! The original sink is still in the kitchen and a stove from the 1930s or 40s. Most of the furniture in the house was designed by the Greene brothers and made in Pasadena by the Hall brothers.

The picture below is an example of the top of the windows and most of the outside doors. All the moldings are identical for each window - all designed by the Greene brothers. Each room in the house has its own character and its own design. The living room has a beautiful carving just under the molding that is carved from a large piece of redwood. The artist let the grain of the wood dictate the piece - and the waves and seagulls, and beautiful trees are very natural looking and beautiful as a result! To see a part of the carving, click here.


The gardens in the back of the house are lovely as well. What particulary caught my eye is the beautiful pond in the back of the house. The design is so beautiful and integrated so well into the back steps. I can imagine sitting by the pond on a peaceful afternoon without a care in the world! Next time you are in Pasadena - I highly recommend making a stop and taking a tour of the Gamble House!

Three Beautiful Things

1. Not forgetting the many blessings that I have - a car, a home, and two wonderful children.

2. I went to the bank yesterday, and was leaving a little dejected because of low funds. Santa was there taking pictures. I decided what the heck - as I was sitting on Santa's lap waiting for the photographer, we chatted. What a lift Santa gave me - talking about Christmas and just being his jolly old self. I left with a smile on my face and a tear on my cheek from such a sweet man.

3. Living in America with all the freedom that we have.

Scarves, Scarves, and More Scarves!

This year I have learned to knit (again). I was inspired to take up knitting again by a book called Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton. The book is a murder mystery - a "cozy" novel as they are called. The author made knitting sound like fun, especially getting together with a group of knitters at a yarn shop. I have attended one knitting guild meeting, and will attend a second one this Saturday.

I have been knitting a few scarves for presents. The white and pink (with pom-poms) is for me, the white one is for my sister's mother-in-law, the pink fuzzy one is for my niece (identical to a blue fuzzy one given to her sister), the pink and red variegated one was the first, and the blue wool variegated one is for a friend who lives back East. I am working on two more that are not pictured - a black and brown one for my dad and a tan and blue one for my step-mom.

I have ventured out a bit and started a baby blanket - but it kept getting wider and wider - so I ripped it out and am know crocheting one instead (I am a better crocheter at this point). I am going to learn to purl on Saturday – so I may wait until Saturday to start my step-mom’s scarf so I can make it a bit different. Knitting has become a good therapy for me - although at times I don't quite know when to quit. My hand gets tingly and sometimes I wake up with one or both hands that way - so that is when I know I need to cut back a bit.

A beautiful and brave little girl

This is a picture of Ellie, my friend Kathryn's daughter. Ellie is wearing the scarf that I crocheted for her 4th birthday. Ellie is a very special and very brave little girl. You can read all about Ellie and her family here. Her parents are inspirational and very brave too because they are constantly taking her for treatment so that she can grow and develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here Comes Trouble!

This picture was taken on Thanksgiving and is of my sister, my cousins and I. (Left to right - my sister Judy, me, my cousin Teresa, and my cousin Michelle). This was a very emotional day because my cousins and their families are moving to Indiana. I don't see my cousins very often now (and they live in California) and I know I will not see them very often once they are in Indiana. I have always wanted to go to Indiana so I guess I will have to go for sure now.

Visit to the peridontist

I went to the peridontist about a week and a half ago and discovered that I need TWO gum surgeries. I am going to have the first surgery tomorrow and the second sometime early next year. I also need to have a tooth extracted as it is not savable. I am not looking forward to the surgery, but figure that it is a good time since I am not working this week. I bought lots of soft foods and comfort foods for this week and I am making a nice dinner tonight. I have been eating well over the weekend in anticipation that I won't be able to eat much after tomorrow. I hope that I will be able to eat regularly by Thanksgiving.

Sleep Apnea - Part 2

I went to see the ENT a few days after I got the referral. I found out that I have a deviated septum and that I had a polyp in the left side of my nose. I was born with a cleft palate or hole in the roof of my mouth, which I had corrected with plastic surgery when I was two years old. The ENT advised against having the deviated septum repaired, as it could re-puncture the roof of my mouth and I would have food come thru my nose etc. She referred me to a plastic surgeon for a second opinion. She referred me to get a CAT scan to see where the polyp was coming from and it there were more polyps. The ENT also said that I should lose 50 pounds in the next six months. She discussed a gastric bypass briefly, but that is not something I am interested in. I will lose my weight the old fashioned way.

The ENT also referred me to a dentist to see about getting a snore guard made. The snore guard helps to stop snoring, but also pushes your jaw forward so that your tongue can lie flat and does not obstruct the airway while you sleep. I went to see the dentist a few days later and she explained the snore guard or Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP) appliance to me. I would have to have impressions made of my teeth, which would then be sent to a lab to make the appliance. The appliance looks like a retainer of sorts with a few differences. The top plate has a hook on it as well as a knob to adjust the device initially. The bottom piece has a wire in the center to for the top piece to hook into. The idea is to push the bottom jaw forward and the knob is to get the bottom jaw in the right position. The device holds your mouth open slightly.

Before I could get the TAP made, I needed to have my teeth cleaned. I have gum disease and it had been a couple of years since my teeth had been cleaned, so I would need to have deep cleaning done on my teeth first. So I set up my first cleaning appointment a few days later, along with my CAT scan later that same day. I had forgotten how long the cleanings are, and I should not have scheduled both in the same day.

The CAT scan was interesting as I had never had one before. The CAT scan machine looked like the MRI machines that you see on TV medical shows, but shorter. Since the CAT scan was only for my sinuses, I was put in only far enough to get a picture of my sinuses. Being inside the machine was like being inside of a dryer with the door open. The machine turned very fast while it took pictures of my sinuses. The procedure took 10 -15 minutes at most.

I saw the plastic surgeon about a month after I had seen the ENT. I had to miss one of my classes, but it was important to get the surgeon's opinion. The plastic surgeon did not recommend correcting the deviated septum. He said that operating on someone with a repaired cleft palate is not wise, and he was surprised that my tonsils had been removed. He examined the polyp in my nose and gave me a steroid to take for 7 days to see if the polyp would diminish in size. I asked him about the CAT scan results, but he said that I would have to see the ENT after the medication was finished, and she would give me the results then.

I saw the ENT a little over a week later. The steroids reduced the polyp and the CAT scan had showed no other polyps. She was pleased that I had begun to lose weight and we had a nice conversation about exercise and weight loss. She gave me a prescription for Nasonex to make sure that the polyp didn't return.

By August, all of my cleanings were completed. The impressions for my snore guard were made. The device takes 2-3 weeks to make. I had an appointment after labor day to pick up my snore guard. When I arrived at my appointment in September, I was told that the impressions had broken on the way to the lab and I would have to have impressions made again. I have a very small mouth, so impressions are not fun. I was annoyed that they had not called me in sooner to re-do the impressions.

I returned to pick up the device. The dentist had me try it on and see if it felt tight in any area. It was tight in a few place, so she made some adjustments and sent me home with the device. She said she would call in about a week to see how I was doing. Last week, after having had the device for about a month, I went in to have the knob removed from the device. It had been a while since my last cleaning, so I was due for another one. I have to premedicate with antibiotics due to a heart murmur, so I had to wait an hour before my cleaning could be done. After my cleaning I asked my dentist about a referral to a periodontist as I need to have gum surgery. She referred me and I went to see him two days later.

Beautiful, Pampered Feet

Last night my daugher Beth and I went to the nail salon. I got a pedicure in a salon chair. Oh, the relaxing massaging of the chair, the feel of the warm water that my feet soaked in! I almost didn't go when she first asked - I was waiting for a phone call about a temporary job. But I decided that going for a pedicure rather than waiting by the phone sounded ever so much more relaxing!

I was a bit hesitant at first to relax, but the manicurest assured me to sit back and relax. So I put my chair in recline mode and enjoyed the massage of the chair! What a wonderful feeling. I could feel all the cares of the day fade away.....I used to be hesitant to get pedicures, my feet are very ticklish. But I have learned over time to control my laugher somewhat. My feet were ticklish last night. The lady who did my pedicure was very sweet and got the giggles when I flinched due to my ticklish feet. She said that her feet are ticklish too! I got the full treatment, including the smoothing of the bottom of my feet. My feet were a bit tender last night, but it is totally worth it - my feet look beautiful - top and bottom!

Sleep Apnea - Part 1

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea earlier this year. The Greek word "Apnea" means "without breath". Millions of Americans have sleep apnea, which means that they stop breathing several times during the night. There are several treatment options for sleep apnea, which I will talk about later. For more information about sleep apnea please visit this list of resource links posted by the American Sleep Apnea Association.

I first suspected that I had sleep apnea after a trip to Las Vegas with my daughter, Beth. We shared a hotel room, and she told me that I not only snore but I stop breathing during the night. So upon our return from Vegas I went to the doctor. My diagnostic and treatment adventure began about a week later.

The first step in the process was to have a sleep study. I went to a sleep diagnostic center in Century City. You are given a list of instructions, which includes things such as don't take a nap the day of the study, don't drink any caffeine the day of the study, things to make you insure that you will not have a difficult time falling asleep the night of the study. My appointment was scheduled from 10:30 p.m. and went until 6 a.m. The sleep testing center at first looks like a doctor's office. The testing room itself is like a hotel room. My room contained a bed, dresser, TV with VCR, and a couple of chairs. First you are instructed to get ready for bed and told that the technician will be with you shortly. A word of advice, wear comfortable pajamas - on my second sleep study I wore some tight exercise pants, and this made it difficult to put the wires on my legs.

When the technician comes in, the first step is to hook you up to about 20 wires to monitor you while you sleep. There are wires on your head (put on with a stiff lotion), your arms, your legs, your stomach and it is all hooked up to a machine named "Alice 5". The first half hour to an hour of the study you are monitored as you sleep. After that, you are awoken and the technician hooks you up to a machine called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). You are then monitored with this device for the remainder of the night. The CPAP machine delivers air thru your nasal passage thru a mask. The first mask was difficult for me, because I breathe primarily through my mouth. I was then switched to a mask that covered both my nose and my mouth. The technician adjusted the air flow several times during the night.

The only difference between the testing room and a hotel room is that the bathroom is down the hall. Every time you want to go to the restroom you need to unplug the monitor and bring "Alice" with you. There is no shower at the facility.

About a week later I received a note from my doctor's office that I needed to schedule a second sleep study. It had been determined that I had severe sleep apnea, but the first mask did not work for me, so they wanted to try a different type, Bi level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi PAP). Same drill as before, but the new mask was put on at the beginning of the night. After this sleep study, I received another note that I needed to see a doctor at the sleep diagnostic center. I called to schedule an appointment, and was told that I needed a referral from my doctor. HMOs - gotta love all that red tape! So I called and left a message for my doctor. My doctor was on vacation, so I was told that they would leave a note for another doctor to write up the referral. The next day, when I had heard back I called again. They took the message again and when I called later that day, they had referred me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor.

Before and After

I have lost 25 pounds since June of this year and gone from a size 18 (left) to a size 14 (right). Leaving my job of 15 years played a major role in that - not because of depression, but because of less stress in my life. I started walking more when I went to school for two months - walking across campus twice a day and upstairs to my classrooms made a big difference too. I look at these two pictures side by side and I am so proud of myself - I still can't quite believe it but I am so happy to be so much slimmer!

October 2006 - This is me now!

Three Beautiful Things

1. Having dinner with my son, my daughter, and her boyfriend. They loved the chili that I made. (Crock pot recipe - so easy!!!)

2. My daughter's boyfriend, Carlos, who loves my cooking and shows it both verbally and visually - you can tell by watching him eat how much he enjoyed the meal!

3. My wonderful daughter, Beth, who brought bread, rolls, and crackers to go with dinner.

March of the Penguins

I watched the movie "March of the Penguins" last night. What a touching movie! It is a fascinating documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman. The penguin chicks are so adorable and their parents are so loving. Life is tough for the Emperor Penguins in Antarctica! They march for 70+ miles to get to their mating place, and then the females make the journey again to gather food for the chick! Quite a remarkable feat!

Traditions are so important in life, as are routines. I don't always remember this, but since I am not working at the moment, I find that I miss having a daily routine. I need to start a daily routine to help me through this transition, this change. I am still getting up early every morning but I am not really doing much until maybe around lunch time when I am tired of watching TV, reading or whatever I have been doing. Today I am going to do some cooking and baking and try to establish a new routine for Sunday. If I start preparing meals for the week on Sunday, then when I am working again the routine will already be established. I am going to try out a couple of new dessert recipes and maybe make some bread - ambitious I know - but it is only 11 a.m. right now....

I have some ideas that are floating around in my head for a short story. Once I have put some of the ideas and determined which idea I want to go with, I will post the story. I am going to go to the store and get some of the ingredients I need for my dessert making.

What a difference a day makes

I couldn't resist the song title for this post as it just fits in so well. I had an interview this morning and it went really well. The office is in a beautiful building in Santa Monica. The job I interviewed for is a HR generalist position for an entertainment company. The interview was very relaxed and comfortable and I left with a great feeling. I will hear back later in the week regarding a second interview.

This is my third week that I haven't been working or going to school and I have decided that I need to find some activities other than TV or reading to occupy my time. I think it really hit when I realized that I actually started watching "The Jerry Springer Show" today. I NEED to get out of the house and walk more to increase and maintain my weight loss. I NEED to schedule some other activities for days when I do not have an interview. This week has been a good one - I have had my first two interviews since I have been job hunting and I have that experience under my belt. I had interviewed for positions within my old company, but it is not exactly the same.

I think that the difference between the interview on Monday and the interview today was my attitude. It seems strange that I was less nervous about this job interview. I had envisioned doing well on an interview and I thought that I would do well on the first one - but I guess that my vision is for the job I interviewed for today. The temporary job that I had this summer helped me to prepare for this interview because I learned some skills relating to job descriptions and recruiting that I can use in my new position. I can see myself in the new position and am looking into ways that I expand my knowledge to make me ready for it.

Quilt picture - by request

Per Kathryn's request - here is a picture of one of my latest quilt projects. This pattern is called Yellow Brick Road. I had originally bought a batch of fat quarters, unsure of what I would do with them. One day I decided to use them in this pattern. I did not have enough fabric and so I went back to the store I had originally purchased the fabric from. Amazingly, there was still two sets of the fat quarters - amazing because it had been at least six months since I had purchased the original fabric. This quilt is not finished, but close to being finished. I am creating a pillow with matching quilt squares and a burgundy trim around the edge of the pillow. Once completed, I will post a picture of the quilt and pillow together.

Monday Blues

It was cloudy and looked like rain yesterday. I ran around and did errands and heard the song "Manic Monday" and wondered how many songs are about Mondays? I found a list this morning and there are quite a few more than I can name. I thought of three - "Manic Monday", "Rainy Days and Mondays", and "Monday, Monday". I looked up Song Titles with "Monday" in them and found a list of 16 - including one that is called "All my friends are coming over for Monday night football". I am not into football, but found this song title amusing.

The thought crossed my mind, as I listened to "Manic Monday" on the radio, why did I choose Monday for a job interview? I should have seen that as a possible omen, but I spent the day relaxing and arrived at the interview early. The interview went okay I guess. Very strange place, the reception desk was in the back of the office area. I got there early - at 5 and my interview wasn't scheduled until 6. I went to Ralph's and bought a copy of “Threads”, a great sewing magazine, parked and walked to the interview. I got there at around 5:30 - not too bad. I didn't get in to see the interviewer until 6:40! There were 15 - 20 people in the small reception area and nearby hallway. Someone made the mistake of having interviews on the same day as a tutor orientation.

The reception area was cramped and crowded. While I was waiting, one of the other candidates asked what job each of us was interviewing for. One gentleman refused to say, but the lady I was sitting next to and the man who asked the question are interviewing for the same job.

The interview went ok - the first question she asked was "Tell me about yourself". How hard is that? My first response was "Like what?" I asked how many people they were interviewing for the position and she said between 25 - 40 people. I was nervous and not tongue-tied necessarily but I had lots of pauses and “ums” and “ahs”. I interrupted her a few times as she was looking over the questions – felt like I made all the classic interview errors. Ah well, it is over and now I play the waiting game. She said they will call for second interviews in a few days to a week.

I have another interview for a different position later this week. That should go much more smoothly - practice makes perfect!

Maureen