How it all Began and Where is it Going

 I was bored. No, that's not exactly accurate. I was tired of standing around Lowe's as my husband picked out the best 2x4's they had for one of our remodel projects four years ago. I let my mind wander and I began thinking about this blog I had read a couple of days before the trip to Lowe's. I can't remember the blogger's name but she was writing about how she wanted to recreate a Restoration Hardware table she had seen in their catalog.  It was a welded metal base with a live edge walnut top. It costs about $3000 if I remember correctly. The blogger was using an oak board and gas piping in her recreation. It was around $100 I think. We were in the middle of a remodel and I couldn't afford either of those options. But as I stood in the lumber aisle letting my mind wander I came to realize that the 2x2's on the shelf in front of me would look just like the welded base if they were black. So for $15 worth of 2x2's and a 2x10 pine board I made my version of that Restoration Hardware table in the blogger's post.

I never thought to photograph the in-progress build. I painted the base in Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and I used Antique Walnut to stain the top. I took the pictures standing on our staircase so I could get a wide enough shot of the whole table. Our entry isn't very wide. One of these days I'll find something to put in those Pier One mother of pearl vases my family gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

That one table set me on a course I didn't even know I wanted. I loved making that little table. It was freeing in a way to know that I could step outside myself and make something that I wanted. And it didn't stop there. My mother liked it so much that a few months later I made her an identical table for her birthday. Then she asked me to make a table for my sister as a welcome home again present. That's a story for another post but I'll tell you it involves a hurricane and a long road to recovery.

And the table making didn't stop there. My mom asked me to make two more tables for church, and that story involves that same hurricane and recovery.

Another table for my sweet friend involving Shou Sugi Ban and pickling stain,

then a desk for my sister when she had to work from home due to Covid. (I have not found the pictures from that yet but it looks very similar to the table I made for.) Then my sweet friend asked me to help her build a coffee table. It's still a work in progress and I'll make a post about that as well. Shou Sugi Ban again.

I love making tables, but I was sidelined. You see I live with chronic pain. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia back in 2016, but since I had lived with pain for thirty years I figured I could just continue to push through like always. Building tables and remodeling my house became more and more difficult to the point where I couldn't do either anymore and doctors weren't being of any help. I resigned myself to never being able to do the things I loved to do anymore. But God had other ideas. 

Earlier this year, after some goading from my sweet friend and my husband, I gave one more chance to another doctor, but I had to wait over town months for the appointment. So, over the summer I watched furniture flipping videos on Youtube since it didn't cause much pain to use the tv remote. I had to try my hand at that on a desk for my daughter in August and fell in love with the artistry.

It was a pure labor of love and it took me over a month, working a few minutes at a time to complete but I am so proud of how it turned out for my first artistry piece. The post for that is coming soon, and you'll find out if my daughter loves it as much as I do.

The appointment time finally arrived and I went to the Endochronolgist. He actually took the time to listen and after running some tests decided that I needed to see a Rheumatologist. After waiting almost a month I met with the Rheumatologist and he ordered more labs and X-rays. I swear I was glowing after that many x-rays. After thirty years of pain, I finally had an answer. I have Psoriatic Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia, and Osteoarthritis. I felt so validated. My pain is real and a doctor believed me. Now the next steps had to be taken. 

How to treat it? Will I be pain-free? Can I be active again? The treatment is aggressive and if my insurance company doesn't approve it, very expensive. There is no cure for PsA, the treatment will suppress my immune system and leave me vulnerable to viruses, cancers, and other health issues. I may or may not achieve remission and be pain-free. 

I'll try it! 

I'm a Believer and I know God will make a way for this treatment. I'm also a realist and I accept that I may never be pain-free but if I can at least get back to a pain level where I could build tables and finish the remodel of our house, I'll take it. I want to build tables again and refurbish old furniture into something new and fun, and after six years I want to finish the remodel we started. It is so satisfying to take a space and make changes to it to make it your own. Maybe someday I'll make a blog on all the changes we've made to our house since we bought it in 2012. 

My wonderful husband not only supports my desire but is doing the heavy lifting on this furniture adventure. He'll be retiring from a lifetime of service in a couple of years and we're looking forward to this new season of life that is approaching. I hope that you'll join us.

Update:  Our insurance approved the treatment and I start next week. I believe in the power of prayer, so will you say a little prayer for me that this treatment works. Thanks.