MMA :texasflag:🇺🇸💄

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Last Notes

2026-05-09 21:49:04 CEST

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I will make it through. Thank you friend.

2026-05-09 15:58:01 CEST

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Thank you for checking up on me and for caring.
I haven't been much on FA lately. I can't manage many relationships well when I'm grieving. I'm kind of a buzzkill these days tbh.....I don't have much positive anything to share
Today I do have something positive to post: we adopted a dog. I feel a little guilty, as if I'm trying to replace puppy. I'm not, but my son needs a dog and I acknowledged that need. Kenzo's a shiba inu, different from Akita but in the same family.

2026-03-31 07:46:48 CEST

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Ah, the Pistorious defense, I see.

2026-03-31 07:44:49 CEST

Please someone explain to me how I can find a Honda OEM mass air flow sensor for less than $60 on Ebay,
but when I call my local dealership (because I'm impatient and don't want to wait 3-4 days for the mail)
their quote for the same part is OVER 700 DOLLARS. And no, I read them the part number. It was the exact same part.
I am disgusted.
The location of the MAF sensor on the 2016 Honda is extremely hard to access. They did that shit on purpose! What kind of Phillips screwdriver to use?

2026-03-27 00:05:26 CET

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You DO have to be really careful w FBMP. There's been a few times where I terminated a meet up because the person was acting funny. You get a feel for this kind of thing. And also I always read ratings and go on their profiles to peep who they are.
I won't buy electronics or jewelry on FBMP. That's an Ebay buy for sure-there's no buyer protection with FB! That's why I pretty much buy only stuff for the kitchen and vintage furniture on FB, which is almost always sold by females.

2026-03-23 02:59:34 CET

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LOL you got jokes

2026-03-22 06:20:39 CET

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And here are a few close-up pictures of the details, since it's hard to see them from that far. The light is dark since it's very late when I'm taking these.
I'll see if the cabinet looks much different in the morning light, and will update the pictures if they are better.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/126/527/192/471/original/548f7d5efaa0d429.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/128/947/309/109/original/0348755fb006d46e.jpg

2026-03-22 06:08:10 CET

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After I finished painting the gold glaze over the trim, I painted over the golden areas with a crackle medium so that a mosaic of lines would develop in the glaze.
It takes 24 hours to show the lines. If it doesn't crack to my satisfaction, I'll go over the trim again. Meanwhile I put the table where it was supposed to be, so I could enjoy it. Here is my completed cabinet!
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/091/725/935/684/original/334596580f93c98d.jpg

2026-03-22 06:03:46 CET

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The pourable acrylic was very runny and was not meant to cover like a regular paint would, so it was a good choice. The glaze distributed the shimmering gold further apart in its medium, so the application seemed a much lighter gold. And the glaze gave off a beautiful pearl nacre, which contrasted with the matte effect of the red and ivory paints.
It was very easy to paint over every ivory- painted area. The gold covered the trim, but it didn't change the color. It just enhanced it.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/075/307/056/780/original/a1e054a5fc9d7083.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/075/344/662/561/original/f3bc77e79b9ea240.jpg

2026-03-22 05:53:29 CET

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I wasn't done yet, though. The cabinet needed more dimension! So, I rummaged through my paint inventory and pulled up a "pourable acrylic" paint in metallic antique gold, and an unopened jar of pearlescent glaze I bought years back. I poured equal amounts of both into a ramekin and mixed them together with a tongue depressor. I left some of the glaze on the wood to dry so I could preview the effect. What I was trying to do was gild the trim, but without it looking like solid gold paint.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/035/311/370/455/original/57fd61997ee8161a.jpg

2026-03-22 05:46:41 CET

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When I completed this step, the cabinet did not have as strong of a contrast between the ivory and the red. The brown was a bridge that harmonized the colors.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/271/008/251/828/044/original/1b174791620c01f7.jpg

2026-03-22 05:43:18 CET

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The ivory paint looked much better after I washed the brown over everything. The accents came to life once the dark color was worked into the lines and spotlighted the cabinet's details. I made sure to work the brown into the red paint too, because there were many other lines that needed contrast. The texture of the cabinet grabbed the brown paint and held it beautifully. As I wiped, I left a lot of the paint in the corners and on the surface for an antiquing effect.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/994/229/190/360/original/bdb05545734296a9.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/994/242/230/892/original/0b6ff030856c4806.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/994/249/166/826/original/5f76269a7941e4f2.jpg

2026-03-22 05:36:04 CET

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So I did some very bold things to mute the color contrast. I mixed brown and black paint and began applying it to the surface: I painted lines with small brushes and I swept a larger brush over the decor accents and the framing. My goal was to force the brown paint into every crevice, mute the ivory and make it look aged 100 years.
The brown paint was latex and dried very quickly. As I applied it, I wiped it off. I had to work one small area at a time so it didn't completely dry.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/966/081/005/845/original/a2386f94ff9b7ee4.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/966/086/846/340/original/2b3bd855dbba58d4.jpg

2026-03-22 05:27:10 CET

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I started to worry a little because the decorative accents and the framing on the doors was looking like a blur of white with no distinct details. And I couldn't keep the lines straight for anything!. The contrast between the colors seemed to highlight every mistake I made in painting straight edges.
It took 3 days to do the base painting. I had to lean the cabinet back to get the bottom parts painted without making mistakes.
It wasn't perfect. And, there seemed to be too much contrast.☹️
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/923/769/009/594/original/9f78225a4d7df6df.jpg

2026-03-22 05:19:45 CET

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Next, I applied the red. The red is darker, but it's not as opaque as the ivory because of its base. A white-base paint is thick and heavy, like woolen socks. Pigments for dark paints have to be suspended in a clear base, not a white one, or they would go pastel. So, they tend to be sheer and cover lightly, like panty hose.
Dark paints usual require several coats. This was true for me, especially when I edged the areas I first painted ivory. It took 3 coats of red to cover.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/902/366/209/057/original/a8e2e0fc88efb1a7.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/902/365/336/866/original/9660f1732fd2e5f0.jpg

2026-03-22 05:12:10 CET

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I was very happy with my $60 investment. I had Chinese red oil paint left over from another job and I decided to use it on this cabinet.
The manufacturer used a texturing technique to give the cabinet the appearance that it was old and had been painted many times. Its rough surface made painting the straight lines very difficult! I had to use a small painting guide to keep things aligned.
First I painted the trim a vintage ivory. My fingers were aching from holding the brush so precisely.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/872/879/347/147/original/0b1a3c28e7b9686f.jpg

2026-03-22 05:03:19 CET

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It turned out to be a nice replica that probably was from a place like Ashley Furniture? or a little better. Tag on the back said "Made in Chy-na" and manufacturer date was 2014.
Interestingly, the FBMP algorithm captured those images and another cabinet, the exact same one, showed up in my feed yesterday. This seller was slick, though. He asked $500 then that joker raised the price to $650! He had people interested too!
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/836/910/632/445/original/0cd3014bd78e341b.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/836/924/889/471/original/44656bb649b8fda7.jpg

2026-03-22 04:56:05 CET

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I have been home with the shutdown so there's time on my hands I wouldn't normally have. I didn't think it would go so long, TBH.
Anyway, I had another angel drop on FBMP, which was an unusual cabinet. It grabbed my attention immediately! It is pretty versatile, I could see it working in a foyer, in a bathroom, in a home office, or even as a sofa table because it isn't very deep. And it was just sixty bucks!
I literally bought it sight unseen, prepaid at once and picked up that afternoon.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/809/198/952/996/original/011b64e497386b64.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/809/203/476/741/original/5af71e6774f09556.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/270/809/203/880/354/original/756904d4b49da4df.jpg

2026-03-22 04:47:58 CET

Hey everybody
Checking in
I have been working a lot with my hands to try to get myself to a better place emotionally. It is what I do when I'm feeling overwhelmed. That, and purposefully expressing gratitude.
My living room has morphed into a different kind of space because of the repurposed drapes I got out of a mansion, back in November. They are so elaborate and a blue/white Chinoiserie print which dominates the room. Now it needs way more color than my neutral biscuit- gold couches.

2026-02-14 16:54:06 CET

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Thank you Mike

2026-02-14 16:46:45 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/761/091/324/350/original/602d3a69b7264c32.jpg

2026-02-14 16:45:41 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/756/977/452/944/original/be956a623126f8f7.jpg

2026-02-14 16:45:18 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/755/434/525/167/original/b0ce8ad484032063.jpg

2026-02-14 16:44:05 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/750/662/816/438/original/bdf95eb2ffa9557c.jpg

2026-02-14 16:43:45 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/749/275/234/403/original/4efbe7fae83e9b1b.jpg

2026-02-14 16:42:52 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/745/879/831/760/original/ad835a9d7bea2834.jpg

2026-02-14 16:42:29 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/744/316/111/510/original/4707e9666e4481d3.jpg

2026-02-14 16:42:11 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/743/150/237/929/original/3d7c34c5887b3b8c.jpg

2026-02-14 16:41:49 CET

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https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/116/069/741/683/215/181/original/ab6996226ae84138.jpg

2025-12-30 06:54:49 CET

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She did a wonderful job capturing the rehab! And the table looked better than when she started. That table has great bones and she has the eye-- she knew its potential!

2025-10-29 03:56:37 CET

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Will do. It will need pics and it’s too dark now to take them.

2025-10-29 03:50:54 CET

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Yes, I sure do. I applied because I have no credit cards to float utilities and because there’s a strong possibility that awe may not get back pay. Trump asked for it to not be paid. I want to cover all contingencies.
Thank god I gave my landlady a two month security deposit because it’s only $605 a week and that will not cover my rent- just my car payment, cellphone, car insurance, utilities and gasoline.

2025-10-29 03:46:15 CET

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I had to apply for food stamps and unemployment because of the shutdown….I wanted to take $ from my TSP to get through this but I’d already used it to pay for my mom’s memorial expenses so that avenue was unavailable. I got SNAP just for part of October and all of November. When I activated the EBT card this past Saturday I discovered that November’s amount was already deposited too. I got ALL of it spent by Monday- I will be NOWHERE NEAR any grocery store come November 1st!!

2025-10-29 03:41:17 CET

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No. Not at all.
The videos also say that the alternative is to lie in wait in the parking lots to rob the people who do pay for groceries….accosting them at their cars.

2025-10-29 03:35:38 CET

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I haven’t heard about Kroger specifically but there are a lot of videos of folks organizing to loot Walmart and other groceries —by filling up their carts and just walking out without paying, en masse. They figure that the stores can’t arrest all of them so there’s strength in numbers.

2025-10-26 05:39:37 CET

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Would you believe me if I told you ….
BAM!!
Look what showed up on FBMP TODAY!!
I am just done. My dream cabinet, and it’s $4K. WAAAAAAAAHHH!!
It’s ok….when it’s the right time, it will be mine or the Lord will put something even better in my path that is actually obtainable!
Seeing this sure makes me appreciate my own smaller version of this magnificent cabinet. Compared to the price of this one, I think stole it for $400!.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/438/601/528/361/084/original/b983d50d4f09c158.png
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/438/603/922/967/257/original/d86303775a85460b.png

2025-10-21 06:20:47 CEST

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This is the cabinet that I wished I could have afforded, and just as you preferred, the artist removed the mirrors altogether and switched to glass. It is lovely. But, I am happy with my vintage find and I am enjoying the restoration work. This is more carpentry and working with tools than painting so it’s a nice switch.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/410/227/947/630/867/original/b57b17f2b5ab4e85.jpeg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/410/227/960/084/921/original/ad844eb86da98a27.jpeg

2025-10-21 06:11:57 CEST

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It’s solid mahogany and in 3 pieces. It is structurally okay but needed some work. It was dry and faded and the connector bolts, adjustable feet and shelves for the two smaller sides were missing. I’ve had to make a template (horribly tedious) to cut new shelves, order hardware, and re-condition the wood. I soaked the wood with an entire bottle of Old English and let it just absorb the oil. Then I used paste wax inside and out. I’m still working on it as we speak. I’ll post more pics soon!

2025-10-21 06:06:32 CEST

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Yes, the doors could also be glass, but since there are drawers behind them the mirrors hide that. There is another configuration of this piece that has four doors and just shelves inside, no drawers. The bottom is also storage shelves behind four doors. I loved that and wished I could afford it, because I needed something in the dining room that stores my serving pieces but hides them away so you don’t see the boxes etc. I settled for this instead:
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/410/179/640/705/992/original/d0551899a514314b.jpg

2025-10-14 22:40:45 CEST

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Here it is, so you can compare the Before to the After!!
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/374/446/431/477/917/original/cd5ab5a76f3287b7.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/374/452/683/267/951/original/33475b5744ac0e58.jpg

2025-10-14 21:27:47 CEST

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Thank you Phil! It was so fun to do. I saved the roof for last, per the Daniels Principle. Our next door neighbor Mr Daniels was a butcher. He told my mom that he always cuts the chuck steaks and makes the ground beef first because they're the hardest/messiest to do. He tackled them first to get it out of the way, and saved his favorite part--cutting the filet mignon-- for last to give him something to look forward to and motivate him to finish.

2025-10-14 21:11:18 CEST

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Finally, I waxed both pieces with clear paste wax to seal and harden the paint.
I cut off the zip ties that I used in place of the hardware while I was painting. I did not replace with new hardware--I just buffed the original hardware with Barkeeper's Friend and put it back on. I wanted to stay as authentically vintage as possible.
And that was it! I was done, at last!
Here is my final project. It's helped my grief.
I only wish my mom were here to see it. She would have loved it.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/374/099/622/282/877/original/a8f57be2ef63c467.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/374/106/054/982/741/original/f948be5a461c8758.jpg

2025-10-14 20:50:39 CEST

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Based on the picture in my mind, I did a little research and once I selected the right colors, I got up on the ladder and got going again.
I used my Dixie Belle mineral paints-- Kudzu Green and Limeade-- and streaked them over the copper. This took awhile. Once again, I had to battle against making the steaks symmetrical and patterned!
Oxidation was just what the roof needed. The cool colors broke up all the red and yellow so the cabinet didn't look like the Washington Redskins!
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/374/004/509/875/432/original/75f14057166c4b9c.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/374/004/642/451/493/original/f78d5e5d1d15bef7.jpg

2025-10-14 20:43:28 CEST

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The cabinet was looking much better but I still didn't feel that it was finished. Rather than try to figure it out, I made a cup of coffee and just let myself sit, relax and think. Whenever I'm not sure what to do with a project, I've learned from experience to just wait for the Lord to give me the answer. It's less expensive too-- I've had lots of attempts to improve that went wrong because of my impatience. And that cost a lot of $$!!
In few hours, the Lord put a picture in my mind.

2025-10-14 20:35:32 CEST

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I buffed the copper wax to a shine but I wasn't satisfied. So I went back to Hobby Lobby and grabbed some more metallic wax in the antique gold color. I added the gold color underneath the roof all the way around and worked it up over the sides onto the edges of the roof tiles. That was exactly what was needed; the shading gave the roof contrast and depth.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/958/401/316/400/original/9b629a645144cfe8.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/960/176/421/019/original/76aa578a91aeae74.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/960/366/739/331/original/c6dd62e7266bec7b.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/960/619/268/739/original/bca5a9acf8e59ca1.jpg

2025-10-14 20:28:23 CEST

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After the brown top coat dried it was crackled, but thankfully not too much. I wanted to add some texture for a more natural look, but not an excessive amount that would be difficult to dust later on!
Now the fun part. I reached back into my stash and pulled out the Spanish copper metallic wax. What fun it was to apply that! I had to do all this standing on my ladder since I'm so short. The cabinet is taller than me since it's on a dolly--both pieces were on dollies to move them easily.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/930/868/439/558/original/67f38b56a7c1e630.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/931/440/997/322/original/0f05c04c5b4ffd9c.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/931/532/217/138/original/1a1bb8a579647c03.jpg

2025-10-14 20:17:59 CEST

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This was my base coat for the crackle effect. I painted the roof black before I went to bed because it needed to dry before I could apply the crackle glaze. I knew the black color would be covered up by the top coat so it didn't need to be perfect. That's why I could slap that color on there, working with almost no light! My foyer is very dark in the evenings, but I get great morning sun.
In the morning I applied a thick coat of crackle glaze--and after an hour, a brown top color.
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/883/481/892/055/original/f738f8c70d2755db.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/883/785/580/442/original/c8d708bcc420e27e.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/884/269/083/411/original/31eb0d04cc1ae6bc.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/884/272/067/897/original/9ca0fe9adaed3160.jpg

2025-10-14 19:45:12 CEST

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So this was a temporary diversion, which I'm sharing because it got me to thinking. Why not put a copper roof on the BIG pagoda cabinet, too?
Ooooo! I liked that idea! So I regrouped and reassessed. I did some research to get some ideas of shading etc. And after looking at a lot of different pictures of pagoda roofs, I decided to do a few different techniques to get the effect I was looking for.
First, I had to paint the whole roof lamp black. (Which was a bit startling, I'll admit.)
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/761/483/986/487/original/559af00ea3a7a49a.jpg

2025-10-14 19:40:28 CEST

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Once the antique gold gilt paint had dried, I used a soft, thick paper towel (Viva, the very bestest) to apply tiny bits of the metallic Spanish copper wax over the gold. I quickly blended it over the paint, making sweeping motions upward towards the peak of the pagoda roof. The result was just perfect and I was totally thrilled with the result. It actually surprised me. I couldn't even really tell the shelf was damaged, after I'd finished!
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/741/823/624/097/original/f087efbf28fded29.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/742/442/694/287/original/e2ef3c922f1ddc22.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/743/500/887/416/original/4334318d1bb5f9cc.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/743/848/009/292/original/99f8008b29e656a6.jpg

2025-10-14 19:24:54 CEST

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The shelf was in battered condition. Now you know that did not deter ME, not even one little bit. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the most magical stuff: a small jar of antique gold gilding paint and a tube of Spanish copper metallic wax. Can I tell you how awesome this stuff is?
I very quickly restored the pagoda. This was a three hour project-- super fast. The antique gold was generously painted on first work a tiny brush to cover dings and chips (we can call this my gilt trip):
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/672/059/881/890/original/6bd75588e29bd626.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/673/432/269/711/original/1d5dcb8e1c0f9a90.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/678/772/089/945/original/60d86e9bbd3a6f38.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/678/818/686/528/original/61b61d27571a22b0.jpg

2025-10-14 19:15:43 CEST

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I bought it sight unseen. And you'll understand exactly why I did that, when you see what the same pagoda shelf is going for on ebay:
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/645/150/690/042/original/35b6d6f0512206ca.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/645/356/990/604/original/8fc80f6a6b1385b9.jpg
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/645/442/881/919/original/8e73552e86dac594.jpg

2025-10-14 19:13:08 CEST

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As you might have guessed, I have a thing for pagodas! I have no idea why. Maybe it's because of my time in Japan as a military spouse. Who knows? Anyway, right in the middle of this project I saw an opportunity I had to take immediately! It was this small vintage pagoda shelf, that was posted on FBMP for $75:
https://files.freeatlantis.com/system/media_attachments/files/115/373/635/331/429/165/original/d795d5ddc6ac8292.jpg
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2025-10-14 19:08:51 CEST

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I naturally gravitate towards spacing things evenly and sequentially, in recognizable patterns. To go against that tendency is unnatural for me. It is for others, too-- I immediately notice this in another artist's handpainted work. It looks wrong if it isn't random. Many handpainted art is too regularly spaced and it just looks wrong.
Once I was finished with the dark color, I could have stopped there. But something, somehow, was incomplete. I had to think on it.
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2025-10-14 18:57:42 CEST

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After I finished the sponging technique, I needed to add depth. This was when I used a Dijon mustard accent color. I applied it very sparingly with a special paintbrush that almost looks like a makeup brush. It's very full but then tapers to a point. This kind of a brush helped me get into all the crevices in the fretwork and place just a tiny bit of color. Then, by making tiny circular movements with the brush, I blended the color and spread it out. Painstaking work, but good results!
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2025-10-14 18:25:03 CEST

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So what I did was to cut thick Manila file folders to size and slip them between the lattice work and the mirrors. I wish that I'd found plastic ones but I had to make do with what I had. For the most part, these worked just fine. The only difficulty I had was removing them once my project was finished. It took an ex-acto knife and razor blades to cut the file folders out in pieces; I was not able to remove them easily.

2025-10-14 18:24:18 CEST

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The lattice work on the doors was a particular challenge because it was over mirrors, not wood. I did not relish cleaning up the mirrors with a razor blade! The corners were tiny squares, especially tight to maneuver with a razor and therefore difficult to scrape clean. I could not remove the mirrors from the doors because they were sealed with a rubber gasket to keep them from shifting. I knew that I'd never be able to get back those gaskets back place neatly. I needed a good solution!
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2025-10-14 18:11:04 CEST

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The latex dried much faster than the oil paints, so not a few times I was caught off- guard and had to correct my mistakes. This was not difficult to do; I just dipped my spine in some water and smoothed off the mistake and tried again. Some artists use a spray bottle; this technique does not work well for me so I erase and reapply a new coat instead.
Here's a picture of one of my "oops!":
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2025-10-14 18:07:46 CEST

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The first accent was a lighter yellow. I brushed this on with an almost-dry paint sponge, again going with the wood grain. What I wanted to do was soften and mute the deep yellow so it would give off almost a glowing effect. The mustard color by itself is very stark. It would have been fine in a minimalist environment but I needed it to coordinate with my existing furniture, not dominate it. I also chose a satin finish rather than a high gloss for the same reasons...harmony and subtlety.
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2025-10-14 17:45:01 CEST

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I took my time and very carefully painted the pieces, making sure that both got lots of those authentic brush marks. The oil paint was a dream to paint with but I can see why it's not a big seller. It's really stinky and it gets you high and not in an enjoyable way. I had to open windows and put a fan in the foyer window to pull the smell out of the house. Puppy went upstairs to escape! I had to soldier and suffer through but I left the house frequently to get fresh air. We took pups with!
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2025-10-14 17:23:58 CEST

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Now I could start on the base coat! I got a ton of paint samples and looked at them in natural lighting to get the best shade. What I wanted was to do was match these pieces as closely as possible to my own vintage bedroom suite, which is also painted. The in-vogue color of that time was a yellowed-ivory kind of thing. When I looked closely though I noticed shading, and stippling, and even scraping was used to artistically age the pieces. I chose 1 base color and 3 colors to accent/age.

2025-10-14 17:18:32 CEST

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So many folks do not take time to do this because they figure that paint will be covering the primer anyway. This is a mistake! The brush marks show right through so you want to have everything as aligned with the wood grain as possible. It only took one quart to do both pieces. Just as I suspected, the fretwork did get a lot of drips... so it was a good decision to go with the oil based primer.
After my primer set, I went over both pieces again with super fine sandpaper and wiped clean.

2025-10-14 17:17:03 CEST

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I decided to use oil based primer and paint, a first for me. The reason I choose that medium was the extended drying time. I suspected that the liquid would pool in the fretwork regardless of how carefully I painted, and it would cause drips. I wanted to be able to go back and smooth those areas again without causing the surface to gum up.
The priming was only one coat, which I put on very carefully and brushed with the direction of the wood's natural grain.
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2025-10-14 17:15:27 CEST

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The dust that this created was horrible! I have an aversion to masks because of COVID (!!!) but trust you me, I put one on for this work. I did not know what kind of chemicals were used in the original coating on the piece so I wanted to be safe rather than be sorry. (I also put the dog outside, because YOU try to put a mask on an Akita) It took a full dozen tack cloths to get all the fine debris off the pieces before I could begin painting.

2025-10-14 17:14:04 CEST

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So I decided to paint it, which is not normally something I do with vintage furniture. This time though, it was necessary! I took my time and very carefully filled in all the damaged areas with wood filler and smoothed the surfaces with extra fine sandpaper. This took a lot longer than you'd think! Some places I just needed to sand carefully.
After repairs were completed, I prepared the cabinet for priming. I took medium- fine sandpaper and roughed the entire surface of both pieces.

2025-10-14 16:47:04 CEST

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It needed a LOT of work, which is probably why the couple who I got it from never did anything with it. They told me they'd had it over 10 years and all that time, it just sat in their garage! The amount of work it required was intimidating: huge chunks out of one door and chips to the finish. It also has very intricate woodworking with lots of crevices. I could see immediately that it was too difficult to strip and re-stain the pieces because of all the wood filler needed, and the fretwork.
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2025-10-14 16:43:39 CEST

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I never mentioned to mom that her time was drawing nigh....I just made every opportunity to facilitate those connections. I didn't look at the cabinet at all during that last month other than shifting the furniture out of the foyer into my bedroom so we could get the cabinet inside the house . I figured that I would work on it later, in that space. And so, it sat there ....from June until yesterday.
Once the government shut down I finally had time free, so I started restoring the piece.

2025-10-14 16:42:37 CEST

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My mom went downhill literally the day after we picked up that piece, so I never got the chance to show it to her. It just seemed frivolous and out of place with all the more compelling issues we were dealing with. Mom's energy was limited and her focus was narrowing down to family and food. I got her her favorite foods to try to keep her eating, visited every day, and helped her FaceTime with family.

2025-10-14 16:41:56 CEST

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Finally in June their house sold and they told me that the new owners wanted the cabinet if I wasn't able to get it. My mom was nearing death at this point and sleeping most of the time. So I got up at 3 am and hit the road to get the cabinet. We got to San Angelo at 8 and were on the road again by 9. We got home at 3 and unloaded the cabinet on the front porch and then went to see mom as always. She never even knew we went out of town on a day trip.

2025-10-14 16:40:37 CEST

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It was about 200 miles from me but totally worth the trip. In February I was about to get it when my mom had a series of health issues-- she broke her hip, then she got a UTI, and then she entered hospice in April. I had been communicating with the couple who were selling the piece and trying to arrange a convenient time. They were so kind and understanding and never even asked for a deposit. Here it is ....I hope you can see why it was worth the wait!
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2025-10-14 16:38:04 CEST

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I wanted to get away from thinking and do something with my hands because that's how I recover emotionally. But there's no way that I could take on a fun project at THIS stage of the audit. So I was actually happy when we shut down. I was told that I am not allowed to do any work so that released me to finally start one of my projects!
Back in January, a beautiful cabinet caught my eye. It was in horrible condition but I immediately saw is potential!

2025-10-14 16:37:06 CEST

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We take a draft of the report and use end notes to reference everything in each of our sentences, even if we say "auditor conclusion". And even auditor conclusions say something like, "auditor conclusion based on B.3.PRG, Details 1 through 4 and Conclusion, 2" where we point to our analysis of section of the audit. It's a lot of very tedious work! I like this kind of work but I've been "in my head" a lot with dealing with everything up to and after my mom's passing.

2025-10-14 16:36:04 CEST

Hey y'all
I am furloughed AF and I'm feeling actually relaxed and at peace. I was working 70 hour weeks up to the point where we shut down because of report writing. My audit report is due to be published in January, so there's a ton of things to do to get it ready for publishing on the agency's website. Because our report can be FOIA'd, it must be absolutely accurate. It also has to be supported perfectly with documents to show where we got the facts and the numbers and the background.

2025-07-23 15:55:00 CEST

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He's doing okay! A few times that he started to go into the involuntary jerking and I was able to intervene. I'm trying to keep him laughing and upbeat, which helps.

2025-07-23 13:43:31 CEST

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I hate that my mom's not with us any longer for ME, not for her. Mom is fine now having the time of her life and enjoying perfect health. But it's a big adjustment for us.
Even though I have more time on my hands, and my anxiety level has dropped considerably, I'd rather have my mom here. But like she was before the strokes, NOT like these final years. It was a very long decline and I'm happy she's no longer suffering.
I will now be able to visit friends in VA more often, and I will.

2025-07-23 13:37:16 CEST

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I gained five pounds and felt like a VIP with all the invitations to breakfast, lunch and dinner. I think we were taken out to eat like fifteen times!
We had Mike's American grill 2x, Coastal Flats 2x, Artie's, breakfast (First Watch & Metro 29 Diner) fish and chips, had Ledo's pizza a few times, and of course we went to Stella's.
I tried to bring home a small mousse cake with us but somehow the melted ice seeped into the carefully wrapped plastic bag and saturated it. Epic fail.

2025-07-23 13:30:45 CEST

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The guests were mostly older folks who battled over two hours of terrible traffic to get there. They needed to get back and have a rest and I was pretty much at my end, too. I had to make the gift bags, design a program, pick the songs for the service, write a biography and a tribute to my mom, order flowers, and make a tribute video in less than 2 weeks. I was plumb tuckered, as they used to say.
Thank God for good friends. They chipped in time to help me make everything and extra $$.

2025-07-23 13:26:07 CEST

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The bag contained
A foil- lined sandwich bag with 2 fried chicken wings
Mini bottles of hot sauce
A container of pasta salad with grilled vegetables and poppy-seed dressing
A bag of Utz Crab(Old Bay- flavored) potato chips
A can of Coke
A slice of white chocolate mousse cake from Stella's Bakery
A handful of Tootsie Rolls
Two gold forks
A gift tag with mom's picture.
I was happy with the service. At first, not having a luncheon bothered me but it turned out to be better. Everyone was tired.

2025-07-23 13:20:07 CEST

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So, that's that. I did my duty to tell him.
The hospice chaplain attended via the link and he messaged me that it was a great service. He told me I did the right thing by going back to the DMV to have it there.
I'll bet my brother never does his own service for her. Even small ones take planning, effort AND money. He never did any of those with mom.
The church was too small to have a luncheon so instead, I gave all attendees a purple gift bag that I filled with mom's favorite foods.

2025-07-23 13:13:57 CEST

Good morning all
I returned to Texas last night. The service for mom went great. I don't for one second regret returning to VA to honor her memory. Many of mom's prayer fellowship were there, plus old family friends, and her sister was able to come. It was not a funeral; my mom didn't want that. It was a memorial tribute to her and it was mostly an acknowledgement of a life well- lived.
We live-streamed it. I sent the link to everyone invited. My brother never even opened the email.

2025-07-07 12:18:32 CEST

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Hey Rick.
You are doing the Lord's work. There is nothing easy about caretaking, especially with this kind of illness, and the last weeks are going to be really hard on you and your aunt.
May the Lord shine on you both and give you peace. And i pray for His mercy on your auntie. I pray that soon she will gently cross the bar and go to the Lord, where i know she will experience everlasting joy and have perfect health once again.

2025-07-07 05:29:41 CEST

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My belated condolences. I hope it is getting easier to bear. I am still crying a lot, even though I knew it was coming.

2025-07-07 05:24:06 CEST

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Yes, love, on the 24th. I was with her. It was hard to watch but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2025-07-07 03:43:43 CEST

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Oh.... one last update
My brother is not coming to the service.
He just RSVP'd.
I am trying to be charitable. That means that I'm not trying to judge him or be bitter about it.
It is his choice. I think that it is a poor one, and an abysmal example for his children.
This is difficult for me to accept. Your mother's memorial service is a big deal. So big, that the military would send you home from war to attend it.
As retired military, he can even fly space-A within CONUS.

2025-07-07 03:27:17 CEST

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My mom was not in pain when she died. I asked her, countless times, and trust me, she would have told me.
The nurses all told me that pancreatic cancer is extremely painful. My mom did not exhibit that pain at all. She cried out once, when her sheets were being changed, because she was so thin and the movement hurt her. But she was okay after a minute. She never asked for morphine.
So although everything looked like cancer, I can't say for sure.
Maybe the Lord spared her that pain.

2025-07-07 03:23:29 CEST

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that the weight loss was profound and not like when Oprah lost weight, where she looked like a bobble- head. This looks like cancer, where mom was skeletal and her flesh melted away.
I had one final photo of my mom that I took a week before she died, for my aunt. (She tried to snap a picture during their last FaceTime but it didn't work so she asked me to take a picture.) I just looked at it and that's when I realized how bad my mom deteriorated.
There's only 1 reason I'm not sure about it.

2025-07-07 03:18:55 CEST

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It took mom exactly one year of nursing care--where she was off the Joe Tippens protocol --to finally die. She weighed less than 130 when she passed and her official diagnosis was "protein-calorie malnutrition ". My friend who runs a hospice told me it's a bullshit diagnosis when the doctors can't be certain exactly what's causing the patient to decline, except her weight was plummeting.
It's been 12 days since mom left me. And, as I've been going through these photos of her, I've noticed

2025-07-07 03:14:17 CEST

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However, I lost control of her meds after the final stroke that put her in rehab. She never got well enough to leave the nursing home. SInce they controlled her meds, wouldn't give her anything except from FDA approved, labeled bottles , I couldn't get them to give her the off-label fenbendazole. Mom lost too much executive reasoning to self-administer the meds, or I would have sneaked them in to her. I could get one dose in for sure, during my daily visit, but the protocol is 2x a day.

2025-01-08 04:53:31 CET

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If hundreds of globalists failed at this, after they were working on it for over 60 years with a complicit media, how do you figure this one person's going to get away with it-- with an army of citizen journalists as the new media watching and reporting in real time, and a world population who is engaged and thinks everything's sus AF?

2025-01-08 04:43:44 CET

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I am not sure what more Trump can do to show that he's fighting for us. If he hadn't won this election he'd be jailed for life. He still might be pew-pew'ed at this rally on the 19th (which I wish he wouldn't do). Let's give the man a chance to do what he said he was going to do. He's earned that at a minimum, after getting shot in the face.

2025-01-02 18:50:57 CET

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The furniture came from a run-down house that's being sold for 50% of list value for that neighborhood, if it were in decent condition. Walking through, I got the impression that the couple barely could afford the house and never could make any kind of improvements, or even maintain it very well.
Same for their furniture! I'm cleaning literally 50 years of dust and grime off these pieces. In one of the nightstands, I found sticky puddled soda that dried solid. Lazy and inexcusable!

2025-01-02 18:45:24 CET

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I'm sure it will look great when it's completed but right now I'm in the phase where everything is very messy while I clean the furniture so I'm out of sorts and in a perpetual bad mood. I hate topsy-turvey.
This furniture was a great price but it is the dirtiest I've ever purchased and I've used almost half a bottle of (concentrated) Murphy's Oil Soap already. I still have to scrub out the drawers and shelves of the armoire. I have some major stain repair to do, too. Ugh!

2025-01-02 18:42:14 CET

Happy new year everybody. I'm still here! I take my mom to wound care once a week, I went to San Antonio to visit family for Xmas, and a short day trip to Oklahoma to grab some vintage furniture. These two weeks off from work are filled with.....work! I haven't accomplished nearly anything that I thought I could. I've been trying to clean some "new" vintage furniture for my son's room for almost a month but it's so dirty I have to do piece by piece. I feel I'll never get it all done.

2024-11-06 03:48:48 CET

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That was a great night. God rest Joe.