More Home Improvements and Fun Finds

Happy Saturday!

Down with a stomach bug today and had to cancel clients, so I thought I'd take the time to blog a little.

I've been having so much fun renovating cheap furniture lately and trying to upgrade our home.  We've purchased badly needed new/old furniture for really great prices and have "made them over" in a rustic, shabby chic sorta way, and it's really been fun.  The thing is, you can't mess up the paint if you're going to distress the piece anyway!

The first was our living room table that we found in the trash.  It had been a beautiful Pier 1 type table which had been totally carved up, so we had to deeply sand it down and then refinish it.  I WAS really happy with it until we purchased new sofas which were about the same color.  Now our living room is all coffee/cream color and I need to re-do this table.  Here's some pics!

Yes, this says POOP!

Narly heart

After two coats of paint and distressing

We are going to stain the top espresso and paint the bottom a robins egg blue and distress... new knobs, too... something similar to this pic:

The second project was a brown dresser and end table from Cort Furniture.  This was a little more expensive at $250 for the set, but we were looking for a long dresser for our bedroom, so it fit.  I chose not to paint the end table shown, as it'll go in Mike's man cave eventually, and he liked the color.

The original color and knobs

First coat

Painted and distressed

All done!

Love glass knobs!

The third project was a Habitat for Humanity find.  Mike found this cute corner desk and chair for $40!!  After renovating it, I looked up the brand and info, and it's an old Ethan Allen piece that was selling all fancied up for $450 all over ebay.  I love it and don't want to sell it, so it's ours!  It fits perfectly into the kitchen corner.  We have some renovating to do in the kitchen, so it'll look even better after we're done.  :)

At the store

Mike sanding it down

One coat of paint...

Two coats, distressed and glass knobs added!

How cute in the corner!

Shutters were $4.00!

As I type, the husband is cursing in the bathroom trying to put floating shelves up.  Apparently, the stud finder isn't working and the wrong screws came with the kit, so he's improvising.  We are adding the same shelves just like this lovely woman did in her aaaaamazing blog post.  I am infactuated with her easy DIY ideas and she even does the leg work letting you know where she got the items and how much they were.  She's a sale hound, too and doesn't spend much with her projects.  This is what we're attempting to do.   I want to add much of the sweet little additions that she has, as well.  I just hope the shelves stay... never used invisible shelves before!  Either way, they are MUCH nicer than the disgusting rusty white over the toilet thing we had.  Nasty!

I'm not sure if the husband will agree, but we have a large black chest/coat hanger thingy in the hall.  It's an eye sore because everyone piles crap on top of it instead of using it for a shoe stasher/coat hanger.  It's black, too, and I'm tired of dark colors!  It looks much like THIS one, but imagine it with three huge backpacks, dry-cleaning, leashes, piled on coats and shoes.  Ick.  So, I really want to do something just like the good people at 320 Sycamore Street.  She has TONS of ideas... and this one is super easy and cheap.  It would open up my foyer and would be so much cleaner looking.  The problem is finding something cute and small for shoes... no baskets because Mr. Sam LOVES shoes, so we have to hide them.  :)

The bathroom shelves are up and there's no more cursing.  Haha!  I'm going to load these up with LIGHT but cute things!

UPDATE:  OK, I'm wondering if these shelves are meant to be more decorative than functional, or we may need to get larger or longer screws.  They look pretty, but I wouldn't put anything very heavy on them.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, though, as they are meant to hold up to 30 lbs.  Hmmm.  Anyway, I kept it on the functional/light side.   I just have to add the TP in the large basket, and some rolled up pretty hand-towels in the two middle baskets  Here's an updated pic:

Cute, huh?

This is the look I was after on the right... think it's pretty close!  What do you think?  I'm going to look for those magazine baskets, also!  TJ Max!

Ok... must go paint a few things.  One is an old hope chest with a heart which I received as a gift but can't stand anymore!  It's going to be painted and distressed and put on Craig's List.  LOL!

Will post pics soon!  Happy Saturday!

Barb

No, You're Not Crazy...

Does this sound familiar?

"I think I'm losing my mind!  There are crazy things going on in my home and I don't know what to make of it.  My child's toys go off by themselves, the TV goes on and off by itself and I just feel like I'm being watched.  It is really scaring me.  Is there something negative in my house?  Or, is it one of my passed family members trying to warn me about something?"

I get emails and questions about this constantly, and unfortunately, some of the first thoughts people have when whacky things happen in their home are, "it's eeeeevil," or "something bad is going to happen to me, and they're trying to warn me.”

Truly, more times than not, it's just simply spirit people saying "hello.”  They won't try to scare us; however, if we aren't used to typical spirit activity, it can be rather spooky. If you feel you have any energy in your home (spirit people OR something more negative), the first thing to do is to tell it to please stop.  I always prefer to treat them with respect and to ask them to stop (or leave) in a loving, but firm tone.  If it's a spirit person, they will not want to scare us and will normally comply.

When one has "activity" in their home, it's typically something called "After Death Communications" or ADC's.  ADC's are very common, but again, if we aren't used to the activity, it can be a bit unnerving, to say the least!

What constitutes typical spirit activity?  Well, before I answer that, anything mentioned below should be checked into; i.e., rule out the physical reasons these things could be happening before deeming it spirit activity.  Many times, folks will have plumbing problems which makes thumping sounds in the walls, or electrical issues that need to be looked into, broken thermostats, and so on.  :) 

Back to typical spirit activity:  Because spirit energy is electromagnetic energy, they can easily manipulate electrical things such as the volume on your TV or the channels, computers, light bulbs or lights, clocks, radios, etc. You may notice a light bulb dimming or flickering when talking about a deceased loved one, or your cell phone may suddenly ring with no one on the other end and no caller ID (it would sound different than a typical hang up). Spirit can give you a waft of a scent you would associate with them such as a specific perfume, flower, cigar or cigarette smoke, etc. If a spirit person cooked eggs every morning routinely, you may smell eggs out of the blue. You may catch streams of light or mists in photos you've taken at family gatherings or even around your home.  You may hear his or her voice in your head suddenly as if you're reading a book to yourself, or you may hear your name being called (within your head or even outside of it - everyone hears them differently). You may FEEL someone behind you or even catch a form in your peripheral vision, yet turn around and no one is there. You may feel them go "through" you. You may even have small things move or fall off of counters, or, (and this is the most common), you may dream vivid dreams about your spirit people. Dreams which are clear and vivid and "feel" as if they really happened are very many times connections. 

Our spirit people will give us many little subtle signs to let us know they're around us; we just have to be aware enough to catch it, and most importantly, not chalk it off to our imagination (or worry that it's something eeeeevil!).

On that note, this is not to say that negative and/or stagnant energy doesn't exist; it does, but it's much more uncommon.  If you do feel you have an negative energy in your home that you've asked to leave but it hasn't, remember YOU are always in control. Deal with it non-emotionally and firmly (they can feed off fear). Put your foot down, and respectfully insist they leave - it's your home.  My suggestion would be to do a spiritual home cleansing/blessing which I would be happy to send you if you add your email info below (or, you can write me at office@barbmallon.com).

Hope this helps!

Have a great evening!
Barb

Playing with Stones, etc.

Oops.

Well, I haven't been very good at keeping my blog up... and a few friends (ahem, you know who you are!) have been nudging me to get back to blogging, so since I have a few minutes, here's a little update.

We've been able to do a little upgrading of our home because of an unexpected financial boost for Mike.  We are carefully budgeting and fixing up the things that a family of two teenage boys, two dogs and ratties have helped, emmm, ruin.  LOL.  We started with our couch, which was literally destroyed by our rattie and doggie friends over many years.  The ratties loved hiding behind the cushions and we found out they had chewed little holes... which become bigger holes with the new pup!  So, out went the old, stinky couch and in came a new couch and love seat that the dogs are NOT allowed on (our rattie friends have all passed away). We moved the OLD 52" TV down to what is going to be the "man cave" near my studio and are getting a smaller, more manageable one to hang on the wall; it'll be nice having everything so open in our living room again! Next, we need to hire plumbers and electricians to fix two of our four bathrooms that are unusable and then some other things.  I haven't felt very comfortable in this house because of how it's been falling apart, so I'm excited about the little upgrades!

I've been back in my workshop more, lately and have been primarily working with larger cabochons.  Beautiful moss agates, dalmatian jasper, rutilated quartz and rutilated amethyst.  I'm learning how to add unusual touches to the pieces and not just hang a stone on a chain, so it's been fun.  Check out my newest additions in my Etsy shop!  Here's a couple of my favorites...

Rutilated Amethyst

My wide JOY ring!

Moss Agate Necklace

Besides that, our new puppy Sam is now around 60 pounds... he's a beast and we absolutely adore him.  Maggie gets irritated at him constantly, like he's the little brother who won't leave her alone.  He is great with commands, smart as a whip and lovable.  We need to find him a good doggie obedience school to get him more socialized and trained.  Right now, he's just a little fearful of other people and dogs, so that's next on our doggie agenda!  Here's a picture of our sweet pups:

As far as work goes, I've been super duper busy, and I think the busiest I've ever been... knock on wood!  It's funny, but the show The Long Island Medium has really helped in bringing mediumship back to the forefront again!  I also have to thank all of my clients who refer me to their friends and family... I LOVE seeing so many clicks on "referred by Barb's client" on my scheduling form!  THANK YOU!!  The only downside is that I haven't had a lot of time to make my jewelry, but it's ok... those stones aren't going anywhere!  And look at all these I need to set...  :)  If you like any of them, let me know!

Ok, better get going!  Need to clean up a bit before some dude comes to put some kind of bracket thingy on the wall for the TV.  LOL... I have no idea, but lots to do before he gets here!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Blessings,

Barb

July Update - New PUPPY!

IT. IS. HOT.  I should just stop there, but I can't… I have more news!  :D


There are now TWO dogs in the Mallon household!  Yikes!  Last Sunday, one of my wonderful clients, Jackie, wrote me asking if we were interested in taking her new dog.  She's one of my Facebook friends, so I had been commenting on her cute three month old pup who looked SO much like our Maggie!  She works full time and had to crate Sam most of the day and wasn't able to spend enough time with him to train, etc.  She knew I was home often and he could be out all day.  It was a hard decision for her to make and we are honored that she asked us!  :)

The ironic thing is that Maggie seemed kind of depressed during the day and just laid around and slept.  She really needed a friend, but we wanted it to be the "right" friend at the right time.  We didn't want to force it, so we figured that when it was time, it'd happen.  Sammy was the name of our first lab who passed of epilepsy at five years old, so when Jackie said his name was Sam, that was it.  LOL.  She also said she'd send along his crate and take care of his next round of shots, so.... how could we refuse?  He's a handful, but we love him and he keeps Mags very, very, VERY busy all day!  I'll keep you up to date on his progress, training, etc.  :)

The horrid storm that blew through this area Friday evening was probably one of the scariest storms I've been through.  It lasted about 15 - 20 minutes but was INTENSE.  We were lucky to have only lost phone and some cell service and not our power, unlike our poor friends from Alexandria and up into Maryland who did... and for DAYS.  My prayers to all who were so horribly affected by the storm and to the families who lost loved ones.  And, thanks to my understanding clients who had to reschedule since I didn't have a phone to use for phone sessions!  We just got our service back last evening, so I'll be contacting you soon to reschedule.

Regarding my in-person sessions, I will be in the same office I am in now for another year.  I didn't want it to work out that way, but I missed the "automatic renewal" date and they had me locked in for another year, so I couldn't do anything about it.  So there's that.  LOL.

For those of you asking, my next mediumship demo is July 28 and I'll be donating a percentage of the proceeds to Jackie's favorite animal rescue or shelter, so sign up!  :)  Sounds like it'll be a Pit Bull rescue again because Sammy is part Pit as Maggie is.  We love our sweet pit bulls!  They are awesome!

Hope you had a safe and happy Forth of July!  Stay cool!


Barb

June Update!

Hello, everyone!  The following is from my June newsletter.  If you haven't signed up, why not do so, now?  You can either text BARBMALLON at 22828 or...

Sign up for my Newsletter!

Hoping you're having a wonderful week.  It's been nice and cool here in Northern Virginia, but apparently we're getting some HOT weather this weekend.  Ah well.  :)

What's new here, you ask?  Lots of news! I've been trying to be much better about my blog and adding interesting things.  I'm about to start blogging on my diet and exercise regiment, if for nothing else, to keep myself on track.  I'm on day 12 of very healthy eating and already feel better, but in order to lose (or as a friend says, reduce my weight by...) this ickky 20 pounds, I need to incorporate more exercise.  My daughter is getting married at the end of September, so I need to work my butt off!  I've forced myself on my elliptical and stationary bike and have been taking 30-45 minute walks per day.  Hoping it'll start to work soon!  :D  Thanks to my wonderful friend Will for the help and encouragement.  Also, if you're on "myfitnesspal.com" friend me!  It's an app for iphones/ipads, etc. and is also online.

My friend, Rob Gutro has written another book, "Lessons Learned From Talking to the Dead" and he's included me throughout it.  It's a great book and I recommend you pick it up!  I'm also in another friend's book, "The Girls Ghost Hunting Guide" - check them both out when you have a chance!

I also had to get... ugh... progressives as I was sick of having 5 pairs of different strength reading glasses laying all over my house.  They are a ***** to get used to, let me tell you, and I think I'm going to have to upgrade from the "standard" lenses to the better ones, even if that means hearing an "I told you so" from the salesman I bought them from.  At least they're cute Ray Bans.  Ha!

I am not sure about where I'll be conducting my in-person sessions yet, as I just officially ended my contract with Regus.  They were just too unprofessional for me to deal with anymore, so I'll be moving at the end of August.  I will keep you up to date!

For all of you who have asked and asked about my Psychic Development Workshop, it's NEXT WEEKEND!  Please don't hesitate if you want to sign up.  There are three seats left!

All the fur babies are fine... Maggie is her same sweet pain in the butt (she figured out how to back out of her harness, ugh), and Sadie is getting a little older and more mellow.  We have Rocky raccoon come by every night and there's always a little turf war (hissing and yelling) between Rocky and the other raccoon "Gimpy" (he/she has an unusable back leg).  Our possums make an appearance every once in a while and our family of squirrels are all around still.  Fiona and Snickers both love to jump up on our kitchen screen as if to say "WHERE ARE MY PEANUTS, WOMAN?"

Here's today's food/workout diary:

20 mins elliptical
biceps curl - 5 sets, 10 reps, 2lbs
lateral raise - dumbbell side - 5 sets, 10 reps, 2lbs
triceps extension - 5 sets, 10 reps, 2lbs
dumbbell hanging triceps extension - 5 sets, 10 reps, 2lbs
kickbacks, bent, 1 arm, dumbbell - 5 sets, 10 reps, 2lbs
walk 45 mins (later, after dinner)

banana/whole wheat toast/coffee for breakfast
spinach and avocado salad w/light ranch and flax seed
broccoli & eggwhite stir fry w/quinoa for dinner (later)
maybe a little vino and a weight watcher ice cream bar… we'll see. :D


Have a great evening!
Barb

The Little Ghost Boy at The Admiral Fell Inn - EVP

Thanks to Michael for finding this MP3 for me!  I've been looking for it forever!

Here's the story:

I was doing a mediumship demonstration over the Halloween weekend at The Admiral Fell Inn in Fells Pt. MD. and was getting ready for the event in our room on the 4th floor.  Brady had been playing with my little tape recorder, which irritated me because I didn't want him to drain the batteries.  There were these deep window sills in the room and apparently he left the recorder on and put the recorder down inside the sill to hide it, and then closed the curtain… He was 6 at the time.  You can hear the TV on in the background and Brady was playing in the middle of the room talking to me.  Bren was only 4 but was on the floor putting a puzzle together.  I THINK Brady was talking about playing or doing something, I can't remember and it's hard to hear him, but he's intent on something on the recording.  Anyway, I guess Mike eventually found the recorder after I left, turned it off and put it away.

I didn't listen to any of the tape that night and had honestly forgotten about it and went to bed.  I couldn't sleep and tossed and turned all night and just wasn't comfortable.  I had my suitcase opened on the floor near the bed and woke up at 4am to see what I thought was Bren going through it.  I sat up about to snap at him, "BREN!  What are you doing in my suitcase at 4am???" The boy and I locked eyes and he looked as surprised that I could see him as I felt when I realized that it WASN'T Bren... and then he was gone.  It was so real that I turned on the light to make sure Bren was in bed, and he was… both of my boys and my husband were all sound asleep.

I returned home the next day and on Monday, the Today Show was featuring the top 10 most haunted hotels.  Guess which one was number 8?  The Admiral Fell Inn, and guess who haunts it (one of many)… a little boy.  :D  The year before, we had stayed in another room and "someone" was playing with the extension cord inside my ceramic Halloween bowl on the floor… picking it up and dropping it over and over, so this wasn't the first time we'd experienced craziness there!

So, I thought the ghost boy was pretty cool, but soon after we unpacked,  I found the recorder and listened to the tape.  This little etheric boy's, "I don't think so" is so clear and right next to the recorder.  He must have been responding to whatever Brady was saying.  It's the clearest EVP I've ever gotten… and accidentally (thanks to Brady), at that!

Does it sound like "I don't think so" to you?

FELLS POINT EVP

Enjoy your evening!
Barb

Today's Unusual Spirit Communication

Anyone who knows me knows that once I'm "off" as a medium, I'm off.  Period.  End of story.  I normally do not like to be nudged by a spirit during my off time and so I have made it "the deal" since I've been working as a professional medium (now about 14ish years).

Recently, I've relaxed this rule a bit - not sure why; maybe a little nudge by my guides that those on the other side need more opportunities?  But this morning, I had a very unusual thing happen…

My son wasn't feeling well, so I allowed him to stay home for a few hours and told him I would drop him off a little late on my way to the office.  Since I didn't have to get his lunch ready right away, I decided to take a small nap until it was time to get up and get ready for clients.

While I was slipping off to sleep, I was jolted by a male voice saying to me, "I died of lung cancer."  Whaaaa?  Who the heck was this?  So, I start talking to him… "and?"  He's sitting at the end of my bed - a lean or frail older man blowing cigarette smoke circles in the air.  I also smelled a hint of cigar or pipe.  He said that he was worried about his family because they "still grieve."  I said that people tend to grieve for a very long time, sometimes all their life and he said, "no, they grieve not because of my passing, but because all that I went through during my illness… they dwell on how sick I was, how sorry they were, how they wish I hadn't had to go through that, how long it took… "  "Oh" I said.  He wanted me to tell the family that he was free of that illness and not to think of him that way - to think of him when he wasn't ill and that he's at peace now.  He mentioned the name Charlie (not sure if it was his name or a connection) and I told him if I came across the person who needed to hear the message, I'd tell them.

I thought that was the end of it.  Nope.  Next I see a short round lady with dark hair and in a very LOUD and, ahem, obnoxious voice, said "IT'S SKY HIGH!"  I jumped…. "what is?"  "Blood pressure" she says.  Then she was gone.

Again, another person made an appearance.  This time it was a man who was killed in a war.  He was in his 30's and was lean and good looking with a very charismatic demeanor.  He had been in an explosion and had severe head trauma… he said it another way, which I won't say here.  He said he had left his wife and kids at home - I believe there were two small children.  He also said the name Ronald or Donald - not sure if that was his name or he was connected to that name somehow.  He wanted to say hello to his family and reassure them he was ok, and, that he knew it was hard raising the kids alone.  Again, I said I'd give the message if we found the person who needed to hear it.

Lastly, I heard this very sweet voice say, "Susan."  I said, "ok, now who's this?"  Suddenly it occurred to me that I KNEW this voice and I racked my brain trying to figure it out.  She was sweet with a big smile, a little insecure but that voice… who was it?  Suddenly I remembered the voice and it was exact.  It was my daughter's aunt Sue who passed not long ago.  She came into focus and looked MUCH different than the last time I saw her… she looked exactly as vibrant as she did when I first met my ex-husband back in the early 80's.  She didn't say anything, but I knew this was how she was now and was a message in itself… she was happy, healthy and vibrant again.

I finally fell asleep and went into the office later.  Again, the first man who had lung cancer came in before my clients had arrived.  I wrote a few more details down (pocket watch, merry go round, popping his teeth out, lively, etc.), and called my clients in.  Two other spirit people came through first, and then the man started pointing at the notes I'd written, so I knew he was back.  It turned out that it was my clients' grandfather… she understood almost all of it and it turns out the rounder loud lady wasn't a spirit person, but was a person he was connected to still alive who has a myriad of health problems.  He presented her that way - loud and obnoxious to identify her.  My client laughed because it summed her up perfectly.  I told them to make sure she was watching her blood pressure…

So those messages were passed on.  The other client was fairly sure that the man who died in the war was from her father in law, Donald's family.  He had many brothers and she thought there was a story of one who passed in a war.  We shall see.

I posted this because even though most was validated, I still have this weird feeling it could also be for someone reading this…. sometimes more than one person will understand a message - spirit has a very cool way of working and getting their "hello" out to their loved ones here.   Don't strive to make things fit, but if it makes sense, take it as a hello.  Please let me know if you do understand anything by leaving a comment below!  It was SUCH a unique occurrence, so I had to share.

Have a great weekend!
Barb