Build Your Own Fireplace In Several Hours!

I love this photo of the fireplace I built several years ago. It was more beautiful than the photo.

 Would you believe I built in several hours? No experience? Amazing, right? What would say if I told you ... you can do it too? Okay ... get 100 bricks, mortar mix ... no, I am just kidding! This is a fireplace you can build without messing up your hands, without lifting anything heavy. Simply get you a bunch of liquor boxes all the same size ... tape them all with masking tape in the shape you want for a fireplace. Paint all the color you want ... then outline your bricks by painting your mortar. I had an electric heater that looked like a fireplace fire burning ... I placed it inside the opening where a fire would be ... you could put electric candles or whatever you want there. I painted each brick to look more realistic. When I turned the heater on ... oh my, it fooled one's eye into thinking it was a real fireplace. I decorated the mantle , turned on the Christmas tree ... the room was cozy, beautiful ... underneath the trees were beautiful presents wrapped with bows. You just let your imagination guide you ... and in a short time you can have a fireplace!

Note: I am sharing this from my writing site ... myLot.com. Gloria Faye Brown Bates 

Photo owned by Gloria Faye Brown Bates 

I'm Never Going To Take Our Christmas Tree Down!

Gracious... we have had many grey, gloomy days lately. I have to say days like this can pull my mood down ... I am a sunshine girl.

Shorter days, less daylight can cause SAD ... seasonal affective disorder. You can Google it, read about it. If you get sad, depressed more during the winter you might want to find out more. Less sunshine... less serotonin can lead to depression. High levels of serotonin can make you happier. That's where sunshine comes in. I noticed this year since putting up a happy, cheerful Christmas tree in October for Skip ( he wished for one ... he has been sick a long time ... has been worrying this is his last Christmas) ... I have noticed how cheerful all the lights are during these short, grey days. They are warm, twinkling, wonderful. Both Skip and I love the lights, we need them. We smile more looking around at all the happy lights, fireplace, Christmas tree... one of us always remarks on how good it feels to look at the lights. I was imagining how sad it would be if there weren't any lights to look at.

I'm never going to take our Christmas tree down!

Photo is owned by Gloria Faye Brown Bates  ... Christmas Tree for Skip ...  2022

Note: This is shared from my writing site ... myLot.com

Especially In Today's Time You Need To Follow Up When You Are Trying To Take Care Of Business

                         Photo of my watch ... photo owned by Gloria Faye Brown Bates 

Yesterday for some reason I began to worry about the Medicare Advantage Plans I signed Skip and I up for ... I researched it more to discover it wasn't going to work for us. I called to terminate it several days later.

The agent and I talked. She said she was terminating it, she gave me confirmation numbers for both. I hung up from our conversation with relief. No one can afford to make mistakes with something so serious. 

Well, yesterday I began to worry about making sure the Medicare Advantage Plans were terminated. I am like that ... I always double-check things ... I am always glad I did. 

I called, spoke to a woman named Julia. She looked both Skip and I up in the computer  ... guess what? She found out that our policies WEREN'T terminated! Oh my, my, my!

I asked her why the agent didn't terminate the. She said the agent put in the computer they needed more information. 

I asked her to please terminate the policies so there's no chance of them coming into effect on January 01, 2023. She proceeded to terminate both policies ... it took a little while, but ... she got them terminated. She said in 7-10 business days we would get letters to that effect. She gave me different confirmation numbers.

She didn't need additional information as it was all there. How about that? I have one question ... what do you suppose would have happened had I not followed up to be certain the plans were canceled? 

Do you see why ... I follow up, double-check everything? I don't know if you've noticed this since the pandemic ... everywhere you go or do ... things aren't the same, people aren't the same. A lot of people don't seem to care about doing their jobs or ... aren't experienced enough to do them.

I ordered something in August this past summer ... oh my, when the package came it was damaged so much it broke the contents inside. I called the company, I was passed to one person after the other... you wouldn't believe how they couldn't understand to simply replace the item. They kept getting it wrong.  

I called so many times until I got to speak to someone intelligent, cared enough to help me.. She didn't have a problem at all. Finally ... I got the replacement in late October!

That's why I never take anything at face value ... I check, double check, follow up until I feel satisfied all will be as it should. In today's time ... if you don't you just might regret not doing so.

It may take a little time ... that's okay when it comes to doing things right.