Hello friends! Today I have something to tell you and it comes with needed advice. Here it is. I had my first hot flash last week and another one this week. I’d heard that a hot flash felt like you were on fire which I thought was a total exaggeration. And even though I didn’t feel like that I sure felt like I was melting. The first meltdown came when I was at the hospital visiting a friend. I was just standing there listening and laughing when all of a sudden streams of sweat started dripping down my head! You know hospitals are usually chilly so that’s how I KNEW IT WAS A HOT FLASH!
At first I didn’t hear anything else that was said. I was wishing I was in the 72 degree Comal River. I am so bummed! How in the world do woman deal with this? What do you do? Do you carry around a change of clothes while looking for the nearest closet or bathroom because you know you’re going to look like you wet your pants? Do you carry around a misting fan (have one and love it), just in case? I can’t just wait around for the next one to just show up! I’m afraid if someone saw how red my face gets they’ll either call 911 or think I’m Satan’s sister. This is serious people! I need help! I need a plan! So please, please, comment and tell me how to cope!
A Dining Hutch Summer Mini Makeover
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, we can chat about the revamp on the dining room hutch in Navasota. I’m calling it a Dining Hutch Summer Mini Makeover. It’s way to hot to do anything outside and since I get bored easily the obvious thing to do was to find something to redesign.
It’s not ugly but it was left pretty plain after I removed the winter decor back in February. I’m not the type to fill it with china or dishes. Nope. I like adding things you wouldn’t normally see in a hutch. Like the blue transformer, mason jars and the garland.
You don’t have to be predictable. If a guest were to walk by, they should say oh, clever, I’ve not thought of that. Then smile and tell you how fabulous it looks over cake and punch. Spread the color around and keep things symmetrical. That way it won’t seem hodge podge.
I found this fantastic candelabra at the Antique Mall in McKinney a couple of weeks ago. I think it looks great in front of that black backdrop.
I also like to keep things balanced and in odd numbers. This candle isn’t usually in the hutch so why not? I like that the color of the gray stands out a little more between the white sets of antique dishes.
But my favorite unpredictable item in the hutch is the yellow garland that looks perfect for summer. I feel it pops right off the shelf. I used the garland at Easter and everything else just got moved around. Redesigns are simple, free and I wasn’t out shopping because I was bored! If you’d like to see what it looked like before I got my hands on it, you can see that here.
Oh friend, I never had a single hot flash until I had a complete hysterectomy 3 years ago and now they won’t stop! I have heard ladies say, “I think I’ve had a hot flash.” Well, if you just think it then you have not had one!! Right? I am very careful about what I choose to wear year round. No layers that can’t be ripped off even if it’s only 20 degrees. No more cute scarves. I often have my hair pulled up in the most unflattering way because my neck is melting. I wear tank tops around the house a lot. Always have something icy cold that you can hold in your hands – that helps it pass. Watch out with caffeine. My twice a month margarita is definitely a culprit so just know that one and decide if it’s worth it. I have a tiny little fan that I take with me when we go out of town because it’s very necessary. Crank the AC down and just pay the bill! My husband frequently wears a hoodie in our house…no joke!
What else…. don’t take medicines and over the counter things that people will recommend without asking your doctor. Lots of people talk about black cohosh but my doctor said that longitudinal studies show that it builds up in your liver and isn’t good.
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Thank you Stacey! Not sure my husband will crank the AC down but I’m going to ask for sure. Such great advice. You are awesome!
You ain’t seen nothing yet! Wait till you wake up during the night and feel like you are smothering and can’t get your breath! Now that’s fun. Have hope there is medicine to help have a nice talk with your gynecologist! Good luck😁
Author
Oh Joy. Hadn’t heard that one. Sounds awful! And it sounds like I’m going to need way more than luck! 🙁
Those pesky hot flashes usually creep up when you least expect them. Some people keep a small foldable paper fan in their purse to use when they happen. Also, a package of Kleenex can help if it is a really bad one. Welcome to the club! haha
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A small foldable fan? Please, I needed a full blown A/C unit. And no thanks. I do not want to become a member of that club. :/
That candelabra is GORGEOUS!!!!
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Thank you Lindsey. I saw it in the second booth I came to in that mall and carried it around with me the entire time. It was one one those things I didn’t think would be there when I came back around.
Love the touches of blue with all the chippy. So pretty. Happy Weekend.
Kris
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Thanks Kris. I think I need to collect more blue jars or something. I love it too.
Cindy, I had a hysterectomy years ago and suffered for a number of years, even with a med my doctor prescribed (which was a natural hormone). Eventually I quit the med and let nature take it’s course. Knock on wood, my hot flashes tapered right off and I rarely have had any for the last 5-8 years. Good luck, my friend!
I’m willing to bet that when I saw you after we all met for lunch and you were headed to the antique mall, that’s when you found this beauty! I really didn’t walk through the mall that much because I wasn’t in the mood to shop that day. I’m thinking of all the potential ways you will be able to use this candelabra. Good find!
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Carol, you are correct! I did find it that day we had lunch! I love it. And thanks for the advice. I’ve heard hot flashes last 7-10 years! My fingers are crossed I’m the unicorn in the crowd and I only have 2. LOL.
I have seen women who have had them that bad but, i am over 65 and i may get a little warmer sometimes but i am one of the lucky ones. They should have invented something by now, all they think about is giving us pills, and i hate pills!! Your hutch looks simple but pretty with the blues and yellow. Hope you have a great 4th and find a solution.
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I hope I’ll be one of the lucky ones too. And I do not plan on taking pills. I’ve heard those can be very bad for you. I’ll probably just have to suck it up and push through for the next several years! Uuuuuuggghh! Thanks for the sweet compliments too. Happy Independence Day!
I do empathize with you! Because of cancer, I had a complete hysterectomy when I was 42 (34 years ago), and the hot flashes began about two hours after the surgery. Here are some tips the nurse in my OBGYN’s office gave to me: put an ice cube inside your bra (in your cleavage – it will not show through on your clothes), take off your shoes and put your feet on a cold hard surface floor (ladies’ restrooms are a good place), don’t drink alcoholic beverages (especially red wine), and don’t waste your $$$ on OTC drugs. I was/am unable to take hormones because of the cancer, and I am glad I didn’t take them. It isn’t always easy, but find a way to smile, laugh, do something that brings you joy, and just keep going. I still have a wee little private summer now and then, but it is of far less intensity and of shorter duration. It’s natural, you are not unique, stay kind, this too shall pass, and you will survive.
Thank you for your blog and IG. I look forward to your posts, and do appreciate your sharing.
STAY STRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Oh Edie what great advice! I’m definitely doing the ice cube thing and do not plan to take any drugs. I’ve heard they’re terrible for you. I think the finding a way to smile and finding something that brings me joy sounds like the best way to push through. I don’t want to turn into a nag or a grouchy old woman! I love laughing and laughter! Thanks for following along on IG too. Hearing that must made my day! 🙂
So sorry about the hot flashes! I love the candelabra, but I would never go symmetrical. I think it is much more interesting and carries the eye around the composition of it is not symmetrical.
Author
I love asymmetrical design too. It’s very interesting and different and I’m a huge fan of different! Thanks for visiting today. 😀
Oh dear, you’ve got the hot flashes. I didn’t actually get hot flashes, but as I got older and started going through the ‘change’, I basically started being hot, period! Started sleeping with a fan. Love the white noise and the breeze. And I’ll tell ya, sometimes it makes me very cranky. The mister is a great idea and keep a fan with you. I know of a lot of women who do that also. On a lighter note, your redo of the hutch is lovely. I am not one to display china. I instead like to put other items in a hutch, if I had one. And goodness, I love, love, love, to redesign and redecorate all the time and if doesn’t have to cost much. Your display and the ideas are wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing and good luck with the heat!
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Thanks Joanne! You are one lucky woman – no hot flashes?! I’m so jealous! I have the fan by my bed and sadly have to take it with me everywhere. Can’t sleep without it. 🙁 And I’m glad you liked the redesign. I LOVE REDESIGNS!!! Hope you have a great Independence Day. 🇺🇸❤️
I was so lucky. My ob-gyn had me on hormones before we knew how bad they were; when I got off them, I was pretty well OK. Now, at 66 I still have occasional energy surges where I flush (red faced from a glass of wine look), but it is managable. My body thermostat is set higher and I can go all winter in a T shirt in the house–which in Maine is NOT normal. SO on blood thinners lives in a T, thermal top, and hoodie or heavy fleece shirt all winter and is ALWAYS cold. Looks like you’ve gotten a great start on suggestions! I had a co-worker who was so UGLY, she got divorced, and the poor man lived in his truck for a while! Anything better than that is a plus in my book! Good luck.
I love your hutch. Would love to see your candlabra with turquoise votive candle holders or red/green for the holidays! Could even hold small pots of faux flowers or succulents! I have a collection of turquoise Moon and Stars glass in my pale t. bathroom–candy dish holds talcum powder and puff, flared vase holds toothbrushes, apothecary jar hides ugly necessities. Love that color!
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Oh wow! Living in Maine and only wearing a t-shirt sounds about right and right up my alley! I pray I do not turn into a witch! That would be awful. 🙁. And thanks for the adorable suggestions with the candelabra. I’ll keep that in mind for sure when the holidays come up or until I find something super cute to put in it. 😀. Have a great Independence Day Kathy!
Cutting out soy and increasing exercise and healthy foods has really helped decrease my hot flashes. They were soooo bad I couldn’t sleep but have decreased to only being warm blooded since I upped the exercise and veggies. Good luck, they are real and not fun! Love your hutch, it has inspired me to paint mine that I’ve put off for the last 3 years!
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So glad you are inspired Carmen! And thanks for the advice. I’m going to try it!
Cindy the best thing I ever did was get my hormone levels tested ( spit test, not blood work) and started taking Bioidentic Hormone replacement. Once I did this and things leveled out it helped with the hot flashes, I had energy and my weight went back to normal. Well, close! lol.
I LOVE that candelabra! So beautiful!!!! I need to go shopping with you, you always find the best stuff!
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Hmmm. Might have to get that test done! Thanks! And yes, let’s go shopping together. 😀❤️