Creating Spaces You'll Love – On a Budget You Can Afford
Life has been very hectic with work and talking care of my dad.
Decorating for holidays always gives me peace and enjoyment. Includes needlefelted eggs I made and vintage glass eggs my grandmother purchased 50 years ago.
Though the weather is not spring like, Easter is coming.
May Christ’s glory and the promise of this joyous time of year, bring peace and happiness to you and those you hold most dear.
Today we stopped at an estate sale our friend Mark (the local auctioneer) had on the way to see my father!
After pricing out outdoor bistro sets, we became discouraged at the high prices. So, we went looking for a vintage bistro set for the garden area. Not only did we find a bistro set for a great price but we found lots of finds for our booth at the Coxsackie Antique Center.
It was a successful day! Hopefully we have time this week to reorganize the booth.
Looking for something to do with your scrap wood and old license plates? Consider building a nice home for chickadees or other birds in your backyard. This project upcycles many of the things we often consider junk or throw away.
Using scrap wood (or old barnboard), nails, and an old license plate you could build a nice little home for your backyard friends!
May your troubles be less and your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness come through your door- Irish Blessing
Enjoyable St Patrick’s Day. Three slow cookers of corn beef cooked. Such an easy meal to make. Delivered one to my dad and dinners to friends.
Enjoyed a drink outside and finally meeting Hudson, the swan.
Our favorite Irishman delivered Elisabeth and I a corsage.
Life is good here on the Hudson.
Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases are debilitating for every party involved. Yet, outside of our own families and if lucky enough, paid caregivers, the support is limited. My own struggles with the disease have been two-fold, watching my paternal grandparents suffer for 10+ years and fall victim to this disease and currently supporting my maternal grandfather as he struggles with the life-altering effects of memory decline.
My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over the summer. His short-term memory was gone almost overnight and he has since lost his ability to carry out many everyday functions (i.e. bathing and cooking). On its own, this decline is debilitating but coupled with his other health-related problems and the seldom support we have (outside of my parents and myself) caring for him has become a full-time job, on top of our other responsibilities (careers, volunteer work, and schooling).
This process is not easy. We hit many roadblocks – and if we as his unpaid caregivers did not advocate for him every step of the way, spending our work breaks on the phone with social services, bringing him to appointment after appointment, and filing the mountains of paperwork he would not be living at home and happy (or at least as happy as one could be when they lose their ability to function as they once did). The bright light in the entire process is that after months of waiting, my grandfather’s application for the nursing home diversion program was accepted. Once part of the program, we went through the process of selecting a service coordinator and having medical assessments where we were told he qualified for 24-hour care.
With the newfound knowledge that help would soon be on the way, we were overjoyed, not because we do not love spending time with my grandfather but more knowing that we couldn’t be with him all the time. Yet, early on we didn’t understand the true gravity of the home care crisis. The process of searching for full-time home care through our service coordinator began in early Fall 2021 and is still continuing as we seek to find 24-hour care. Although my grandfather lives 30 minutes outside of Albany, he is considered in a rural area – not on the main bus route and a long drive for many aides, so the search has not been easy. Yet, we were able to find an aide for 6 days a week, 10 hours a day. This is a far cry from the 24-hour care my grandfather requires but we were told because of where he lives and the severe shortage of aides this is basically all we could hope for. In our quest for help, our service coordinator had us share our struggles on social media to try to find help and even offered me training to become an aide since I spend so much time caring for him but to no avail. At barely above minimum wage, how can the state or country expect that people become home aides when the rate is not enough to live on? Simply filling up the gas tank to reach the client’s location, getting them groceries, or paying everyday expenses cannot be expected (or rarely can be done) with such a menial rate.
The aide we were able to hire, drives 30 minutes to get to my grandfather’s, rotating shifts with his partner who is also in health care, sharing one car, while raising a baby. Sadly, this reality is not unique. We count our blessings that our aide stays despite the obstacles, knowing full well that countless others are waiting just as we once were and having the knowledge that this aide may be our only redemption. My grandfather’s home aide works tirelessly to make meals, do laundry, attempt to bathe him, and most importantly keep him company. The peace of mind this gives us, plus the fact that now our daily visits can consist of socialization as opposed to continuous cleaning and meal prepping is a welcoming sight. Yet the rate the aide is paid is unfathomably low for his efforts.
The knowledge that more help may not come is debilitating. With the home care crisis, families like my own have to decide whether to put their loved ones in a nursing home or support them round the clock. Neither decision is easy, but caring for a loved one, especially on top of full-time work, is exhausting. What I have learned is that this is not an easy road. In many ways, regardless of where you live this transition will be a struggle. Watching a loved one deteriorate puts me to the point of tears most days. It is with the support of both unpaid caregivers (like my parents and myself) and home aides that my grandfather is able to maintain some order and normalcy in his life.
As I have said, Alzheimer’s is not just a disease that affects the patient but the mentality and lives of countless family, friends, and caretakers. It is in these caretakers and underappreciated and underpaid home aides that the real gratitude should reside. We, as a state and a democracy, should repay the dedication, hard work, and servitude home aides (and all medical and social support staff) provide by not only acknowledging their work but paying them accordingly.
The challenges of eldercare (and at-home care) are often overlooked but the Fair Pay for Home Care will go a long way toward addressing them. The Fair Pay Act would immensely benefit my grandfather as well as others that are unable to receive any care due to the labor shortage and low wages. Plus, such increases will prove to home aides that their work is not only important but needed and appreciated. With higher rates, more individuals would be willing to work in-home care and hopefully inspire current aides to continue working despite the challenges that may persist. This Act would help us find the 24-hour care we so desperately need for my grandfather and help countless others that have not been as lucky as we have been.
As strong advocates for Fair Pay For Home Care, we were glad to share our story across social media, in the Times Union (the local Albany, NY paper), and on WRGB Channel 6 News!
Check out the feature stories here:
Will winter ever end?
A year ago today we were playing bocce and wearing t-shirts.
Today, shoveling snow and just waiting for spring to come. With the heat turned down to 58 in the house due to high oil prices, will warm weather ever come to the Northeast?
Dreaming of warm weather and sitting on the patio.
We are always looking for new projects and using natural materials to create beautiful pieces of art. After several trips to the beach across the street to salvage wood that has washed along the shores of the Hudson River and collecting driftwood from our various trips to the ocean we have created a stockpile. As such, we have gone to work making some new projects. Mirrored after common windchimes and to add a more personal touch to our front porch, Rick decided to get creative.
This project was completed using Driftwood from the Hudson River, wire, and an old fishing lure.
The shoes we wear every day present a storage challenge. I wanted a place for our shoes in the back entranceway. Before we had baskets or shoes just laying around which did not look tidy. My husband found scrap wood and pegs in his workshop. He made 2 hanging units that fit 7 pairs of shoes.
All that is needed for this project is two pieces of scrap wood (fitted to your space) and pegs/ hooks to hang your shoes off.
We now have a place to hang the shoes we wear daily.
Recently, my mom and I have been watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix. We then ordered her books on Amazon and binge-read them. This has spurred our own tidying up adventure.
So, off we went with step #1 of KonMari Method. This weekend we tackled my clothes (which was an exhausting feat). See below for before and after pictures!
Needless to say, I have a lot of clothes, exactly two wardrobes, a closet, three dressers, and a hope chest full (minus the coat closet downstairs). I thought tidying clothes would be an easy feat but I soon discovered how much work it truly was. We started by emptying my hope chest, wardrobe, and dressers. We piled everything on the bed and proceeded to determine whether the item brought joy and fit me. This took from early morning until mid-afternoon. Then, we did the same process with my closet and additional wardrobe which housed all my hanging clothes and two racks of suits. Although time-consuming this process allows you to fully access what you have and make appropriate judgments of what to keep. I decided to part with items that no longer brought me joy, those that no longer fit, or those that I could no longer see myself wearing.
Next came putting everything back. Despite getting rid of many items (most of which we will donate to the thrift store at our Church), how to store everything was the next feat. Using Kondo’s folding techniques (see her book Spark Joy), I was able to better display everything in drawers, piles, and hanging. *The key is to fold into small rectangles. Everything was arranged light to dark – so the lighter colors were the first thing to catch my eye!
After over 14 hours, one hard cider and a bottle of wine, over 14,000 steps, and 6 large garbage bags full the tidying was complete. This was by far one of the largest feats I have tackled and I can say with all honesty that I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.
So thankful for such an amazing mother that helped with this weekend’s project. I feel so much better in my space now!
BEFORE
AFTER
5am always comes too early! Today was another busy day so I knew I needed to get a quick dinner prepared. Seeing as the region is potentially in for a mix of snow and ice, I knew whatever I made had to be ready as soon as I finished work so I could bring some over to my father’s in case the weather caused problems tomorrow.
So, I took a look in the freezer and off I went. Elisabeth asked what I was making and I replied I have no idea lol. Dinner came out to be my take on a Brazilian stew. And it tasted delicious on a stormy night!
We use to love going to a Brazilian restaurant during our trips to NYC, yet due to COVID, we have not been back in well over two years. We miss our trips to the city. COVID has changed so much we use to take for granted.
15 Minute crockpot dinner that is sure to deliver a good amount of spice and flavor.
Ingredients :
1 Package of Boneless Pork
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes (We used Frozen Tomatoes from our Garden)
1 Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
2-3 Carrots, Chopped
1 Teaspoon of Tomato Paste
A Few Drops of Grand Marsala
Spices (Cocoa Powder, All Spice, Cumin, Chives, Black Pepper, and Rosemary)
2 Cans of Black Beans
Sour Cream (Optional)
Instructions:
Upstate Vintage Living