Ahhh vacation...

I have been having a wonderful time just kicking around at home with my kids for the last week. It is so nice to finally have some time to get some things done that I just haven't had the time for. I've cleaned and organized... I've ironed a lot of stuff. I got a sewing machine for Christmas so I've been tinkering around with that. It's been really peaceful too since the kids each got their own computers and some new video games also :O)

I'm in the middle of making of a fun project right now. My youngest son had a bunch of those wooden crates (like you can buy at craft stores) stacked in his room to hold his books. I planned to buy him one of those tall book shelves after Christmas. But of course, we had to rearrange his room to accommodate his new computer and desk. We managed to get a nice small desk (less than 3 feet wide) from a friend and it fits nicely into a corner of his room but we still have to work around the upright piano in this room... that thing is not moving. I turned his bed and moved everything around but he still ends up without a wall space for a nice shelf. So I'm back to the crates again. I stacked them at the foot of his bed in an arrangement which would allow him to have books on both sides. When he is in his bed he will be able to access the books on the top of the shelf which is over his mattress. The other side will have open area's for books on the bottom portion. I even knocked out some slats on one crate so he can access books from both sides. Now that I have a nice arrangement I'm painting them. That's the fun part :O)

He has a really nice tropical fish bed set with matching curtains that we got from Domestications. It is like someone took a picture under the ocean and printed it on the fabric. We wanted something to match that set so we took the pillow case to Lowes to get some paint mixed. After it's all painted I'll stack them up and fasten them together. His bed is a garage sale find that I plan to refinish later one. It has the drawers underneath which saves space in his room. When I finally get a sander to help refinish it I know where to go to get the paint colors I need. Then some nice tropical fish knobs and he'll have a very cool lookin room!

Well I better get back to painting!

This is a very sad day....

I just realized that my miniature rose that I've had for 3 years is dead. When I got my new job 3 years ago September by husband walked in the door and just sat this beautiful potted white rose on my desk and left without saying a word. I was on the phone with a customer so I couldn't say anything. He knows that I just love white flowers.. Last summer it really took off. It really bushed out and bloomed a bunch. It had 13 blooms at once and it kept blooming constantly though to winter.

Then it got spider mites really bad. I worked at getting rid of them but it never really came back strong. A couple of weeks ago I noticed some of the stems had died and turned black so I trimmed them back.... and then I started noticing the leaves were dying and falling off. Now I see it's got rot on the bottom and the green stems on the top are withering.

That really sucks. They don't even have anything good in the stores now either. I'll have to wait until spring :O(

Another good quote of the day

Google: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.
- George Bernard Shaw"

This is something I strongely believe in. A lot of people like to sit around and complain about their lives. They blame their problems on things that happened in the past. They blame their spouses or their parents or little black rain clouds that follow them around and cause their cars to break down. But don't we all have those problems from time to time? At some point you have to stop whining about your problems and start looking for a solution. Spend that wasted time more wisely and get out there and do something about it.

Of course it takes something big to make a person realize this. Something major or even life threatening like a bolt of lightning to the head or like in my case it just takes a little 8 year old kid to say, "Well mom, why don't you just take your car for a checkup?"

Doh!

Quote of the Day

Google: "A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of.
- Burt Bacharach"

Too funny! That is so true.

Googles Quote of the day

Google: "Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes"

I love this quote. I wish they would have more good ones.

I am really tired this morning..... I haven't been sleeping well so I finally took something to help me sleep. Now I will feel like a zombie for the whole day but at least I'm not exhausted. I really don't feel like doing my hair. I think I'll just go to work looking like a drowned rat. My hair would probably freeze though. It was snowing like a bugger yesterday and I know my car looks more like a bump in the driveway snow. UGH. Isn't it Friday yet?

Mad about Stampin' Up!

Now you can see the new Stampin' Up! catalog online!

I'm addicted..... I can't stop thinking about stamping!!!!! I went to a card workshop this past weekend and had a great time. Now I just need to figure out how to use what I have to make some on my own and I need to put together a scrapbook. I haven't printed any of my pictures for over a year now! I only have digital!!!! I am going to start sending them to Sam's club online to have prints made.

And, as if one crazy new hobby weren't enough.... I'm going to a knitting class this weekend. I wanted to learn about this time last year too. I got a book and learned the very basic stitches but couldn't get that darned tension thing down. I bought some cool yarn to make a scarf with but I get a couple of rows and it feels more like a belt than a scarf! Hopefully the class will help!

my time flies..... when you're busy!!

I can't believe how fast this week has gone! So much seems to have happened in such a short time. I feel like I've been riding an emotional rollercoaster! First we were really worried about my boss who was in for surgery to remove some brain tumors. We were really worried about him since he also had pneumonia. Today they finally said he was awake and doing some stuff and that was so great to hear. Another lady at work has a 6 year old little girl with extremely high blood pressure so she's been running from Dr to Dr over that. I sure hope they figure out what is wrong with that little girl and can help her.

At work they just announced that they hired someone to replace one of our senior people after he retires in a couple of years..... and I just so happen to know the person they hired. odd. It sure is a small world!

I went to the eye doctor Tuesday. I had been having a hard time reading the menu boards at fast food restuarants lately and my eyes have been bothering me at work. Turns out I have to get bifocals now :O( I feel like such a granny. Of course they said there will not be lines and the glasses I picked out are nice. It was so hard to choose but I ended up with these glasses that have matching magnetic snap on sunglasses. The front of the frames are very thin red wire with rimless bottoms and the arms are bright gold. I love them. Hopefully I will still love them when they get here!

Halloween

Finally it's come and gone. It was fun but now I'm ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas....and of course my birthday! I did enjoy gettin goofy for Halloween. I wore a crazy gothic wig with orange glow in the dark eyelashes. I was "Goth Girl" moody and quite the rebel. A friend of mine was Pippy Longstocking with airborn braids and all.... I'm sure my boss is glad the day is over.

My boys had a great time Trick r' Treating. We just drove around and only got out for the really good looking houses. My goblin and Ninja got so much candy I thought their candy bags would break! The PMI bags I got from work were pretty tough!

invasion

My husband is having a poker party tonight and my house is full of guys. I'm married so that doesn't excite me anymore LOL At least he bought this laptop so I can sit in my room and surf. I just can't get into poker and I have tried. The only thing good about these poker parties is the food.... that and I can usually talk my husband into picking up some Baileys for me with the other booze. I love Baileys in fresh ground coffee Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm but of course I love it more when he pays for it!

Well tomorrow I'll be having some people over. I'm having a Partylite party. Candles. Like I really need more. Mainly I wanted to socialize... The person doing the party is pretty fun and not too psycho with the party. We will be able to just mill around and talk. Hopefully the house wont still smell like farts and beer.

Well, I better sort though some crap. Everything we didn't know what to do with ended up in my room. Or, I could just keep playing pinball. Yikes, I think I'm addicted!!

Fairbanks, Alaska Forecast : Weather Underground

Fairbanks, Alaska Forecast : Weather Underground: "Tonight
Snow diminishing to flurries after midnight. Another one to two inches accumulation. Patchy fog. Lows 20 to 25. Light winds.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog and flurries in the morning. Highs around 30. Light winds.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy. Lows around 20. Northeast winds 5 mph."

It's really nasty out. Driving today was awful. It's snowed pretty much all day except for when it rained. The roads were like skating rinks. I'm starting to catch a cold so I wasn't too excited about venturing out. We did have a nice time though and a great lunch at Boston's.

My husband bought a laptop and he's pretty thrilled with that. He has wanted one so badly. I'm so glad he finally got one he likes. My mission for the day was to find 2 large planters that I like for my large plants in the living room. It was difficult to find something I liked in the size I needed and then even harder to find two that matched. The two I found look like old urns in a nice neutral shade of fake stone. They cost me $70 for the two. Yikes! I ended up spending $80 counting the extra soil I needed. It's worth it though, the plants look great in them and really needed the room to expand.

Jimmy Buffett Quotes - The Quotations Page

Jimmy Buffett Quotes - The Quotations Page: "We are the people our parents warned us about.
Jimmy Buffett "

Isn't that so true? No wonder my mom has never been happy with me.

Monday monday.....

Today was busy at work! I was so glad to get out of there and go work out. I lost 2.25 lbs last week! I'm so glad. It really is hard to watch everything that goes in your mouth! Although, just knowing I'll have to grab a pencil and figure out what something's going to cost me is a deterring factor.

So I finally cut down one of my gardens last night. Now I just have to clear the front garden. That is going to be really difficult since the flowers still look so petty. I just love my garden and can't stand to cut down my flowers! I'll have to do it sooner or later though.... the later the better.

Curves International - Home

I signed up for Curves about a month ago. I already feel a lot better just exercising at least 3 times a week (some weeks I went 4 or 5 times). I didn't lose weight (I gained 5 lbs) but I can feel that I've gained muscle. My stomach is certainly tighter! Now I'm starting the curves weight loss program which is their diet plan to go with the exercise. Tomorrow (Monday it's AM already) is the first day. I didn't realize there was so much to it. It isn't just watching what you eat... I have to actually measure and count calories so I can stay at 1200 calories. I only have to stay at 1200 for 1 week but I think it will be difficult! I can do it though.... I have everything for the first part of the day all measured out so it will be quick to fix. We'll see how it goes.

Dummies::Understanding the Principles of Feng Shui

Dummies::Understanding the Principles of Feng Shui: "Understanding the Principles of Feng Shui
Adapted From: Feng Shui For Dummies "

I have been curious about Feng shui for a while now and in searching the internet I have finally found just what I needed.... Feng Shui for dummies! Now maybe I'll get it...... maybe. Now I just have to figure out where I put my chi.

I am currently learning about the Bagua which helps you determine which area of your space to concentrate on. I'm starting with the front/center space where my door is since that represents career and life path. I think that's pretty important.

BLS Career Information Home Page

BLS Career Information Home Page: "Exploring Career Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
"What Interests You?"

Kids who aren't sure what they want to be when they grow up can see what careers they would be good at based on what their interests are. I think this site is great for kids to explore before they really have to make those tough decisions later on. I can't wait to see what my own kids think.

Family Day > Homepage

Family Day > Homepage: "Family Day � A national effort to promote parental engagement as a simple, effective way to reduce youth substance abuse and raise healthier children."

What a great idea. I think we could all use a little extra time with our family. My oldest son and I recently started having tea again (since it's starting to cool down outside). It's wonderful how a little hot water and some tea bags can bring the conversations out. And he thought "nothing" happened at school. Once he gets talking you can't get him to stop. Imagine how much more could be shared around the table for a full meal!

MAKE: Blog: Portable Rotary Phone - pre-review

MAKE: Blog: Portable Rotary Phone - pre-review: "Portable Rotary Phone - pre-review

This is too funny. I would really like the old can and string version....

Poetic stones

I bought a little kit from Magneticpoetry.com called "Poetry Stones deluxe". I used it to make the walkway in my garden a little more unique. All I needed was a few bags of concrete patcher from Home Depot and some time. The kit has 3 lbs of this stuff, three colors of concrete dye and nice press in letters. It also contains several molds to use but I didn't use those (I will though). My husband made a simple wooden frame so I could make more at once and also have more words on each block. The kit has several brick sized molds in different lengths which would trim the edges of my gardens nicely. There is also a nice round stone mold and an adjustable square mold. It is well worth the $50.

I searched all over this town and couldn't find stones I liked for my garden. I'm just not up for the usual cats, birds or bugs that everyone here has. This kit allowed me to use a favorite verse from Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Of course I got a little impatient and moved the stones to early which caused some to crack. I think it gives them character. Next year I'll add some more sayings to my yard. I can't wait for spring already!



"Happiness... not in another place but this place...."





"...not for another hour, but this hour."





Here are some that I did as a birthday present for a friend of mine. She has a nice grotto for them to go with. They are hand painted using regular acrylic paints and then covered in a clear sealant.

LunaNi�a.com | Unconscious Mutterings

This is interesting. You type the first thing that comes to mind for each word and it is supposed to give you a better insight into who you are or why you are the way you are.

Here are my answers. I don't know what it means....



LunaNi�a.com | Unconscious Mutterings: "I say ... and you think ... ?
Related:: Unrelated
Soothing:: Bath
Flashback:: Moon
Turmoil:: News
Immense:: Vast
Guitar:: Red
Nonsense:: useless
Blame:: Blameless
Childlike:: wonder
Duff:: " Homer

Special effects

This picture didn't turn out very well and had a nasty glare from the sun in the background. I played with the special effects in Picasa and now it almost looks like it could be the way into heaven... 

Have you ever seen a gnome from Nome?

Picture 10 

I followed one through these woods but I didn't make it to Nome Alaska.

A Focal point

Picture 9 

In the late afternoons we get bouts of sun lighting up patches here and there. The sun seemed to be illuminating just this one tree and the contrast was breathtaking.

A colorful group

Picture 8 

I just love the contrast of the birch with the spruce trees and these have such a graceful lean in their trunks.

Are Birch really just white?

Picture 5 

This birch looked blue near the base which was intensified by the camera. Near the top there seemed to be shades of mauve and peach like the oil that swirls around in parking lot puddles.

Picture 4 

Getting to the root of it all

Picture 3 

I just love the roots of trees and the way they twist around in elegant frozen poses. Last year I went out and took several pictures of these same trees in the park but this year there is still some green here and there. It got cold enough to bring on the colors of fall but then we were surprised by a beautiful Indian summer.

This is actually two trees grown together and if you look you can see a small hole where some critter probably lives or once lived. Piglet?

A worms eye view

Picture 2 

I love to get down to see what others usually miss. There are such beautiful things down low. Here I found beautiful bright red "Strawberry spinach" growing around the roots of the trees. They love very dry, sandy soils. I tried to move some into my yard one time and they all just died. Stubbon little things.

Fall is.....

A lonely leaf and a gentle breeze
and all the time you need
to think.


Picture 1 

Fall's many colors

Fall 2005 Photo Tour 

It drives me crazy that I can't put all of my pictures into one album on here. I do like Picasa but I was sure there would be a way to put all the pictures together in one post with thumbnails. This is the best it can do as far as I can tell. I will admit this is cool but not quite good enough. I guess they will have to work on that..... in the meantime I'll be looking for another way. It is nice the way you can view the pictures much larger if you click. They do look so much better full sized and with all their pixels.

Fall

Today was a beautiful fall day. The colors are really starting to come out in full force. There are a lot of birch around here and the leaves turn this georgeous golden color that contrasts nicely with the pine trees. Even the tiny little Amur Maple I planted is starting to turn. The leaves are beautiful blends between orange and red. The lowest leaves are pure red. I can't wait until that tree gets bigger.

The leaves were just pouring down from the birch right in front of my house but there was this stupid line of cars parked along the road. Someone must have been having a party. I was dying to take a picture but didn't want a shot with the cars included. I did go walking and got some neat pictures but by the time the last car left it was too dark. Maybe tomorrow...

I have always loved fall. It is such a beautiful time of year. It's a shame it doesn't last longer. As the air gets cooler and the colors glow..... I actually feel warmer. I love to go for long walks with a nice hot cup of coffee and baileys and just clear my mind. Today I didn't bother with the coffee. I just took pictures.

I've always been facinated by the twisted roots of the trees. I took several beautiful pictures last year of the same tress here covered in a carpet of golden leaves. This year I decided to take pictures a little earlier, while there is still some green growing around them. I will post more pictures later.

Animal Totem Butterfly

Animal Totem Butterfly: "Butterfly Totems

Butterfly spends the first part of its life crawling the earth, before metamorphosis leads it to spin a home for stasis (known as a cocoon). After transforming, Butterfly is reborn as various beautiful colored winged creatures of the air.
This insect is extremely sensitive to the Harmony of Earth, and is the first creature to leave a damaged ecology. Butterfly's graceful dancing-like appearance on flowers reminds us to find the joy in nature and make it a part of our life.
Butterfly enters our life as a messenger for change. If it comes to us hurt or ill, Butterfly asks us to stop keeping our joy at bay. It may take some time being alone with ourselves to listen to Butterfly's gentle requests that we allow the natural transformation of things in our lives."

________________________

I'm just bored and surfing but thought this was interesting. I really had a hard time choosing between a butterfly or a wolf. I think both tend to represent a sense of freedom and individuality and both have a wandering, vagabond type of spirit. So do I.

Okay, I'm going to bed... It's nearly 12:30.

Blogthings - Your Blog Should Be Blue

Blogthings - Your Blog Should Be Blue: "Your Blog Should Be Blue


Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.
You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.
From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book."

_____________________________
Well "Blue" is in the name..... I think I prefer green athough the rest is true. I just like to write about the things I love.....whether others love it or not. I think it is calm and it's true that I avoid conflict. I don't have any pet pictures though. Maybe I should put some up. My dog's name is Blue.

Jonathon Delacour: China Doll

Jonathon Delacour: China Doll

I have a China Doll plant that I received as a house warming present. Now I've been in my new house for a year and the plant is still growing strong. I've transplanted it into a bigger pot to allow it more room to grow but now it is looking kind of scraggly. I was looking for some info on that particular plant and found this site very interesting (although it wasn't the info I was looking for). I had no idea that my little house plant could be a two story tree if planted in the proper zone. Of course I can't plant mine outdoors in this area and I prefer this little guy stay in fairly small. I just need to crop it a bit and hopefully it will fill out better.

Frost ;O(

Google: "29�F / -1�C
Partly Cloudy
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 92%"

No, not Robert, Jack!

I woke up to what looked like a lint covered lawn and I forgot to cover up my garden last night. I guess I was too busy celebrating my 14 anniversary. It was an interesting problematic day yesterday. It was my anniversary and also the birthday of two of my co-workers. The older one of the two was really down in the dumps about her age and I bought her a bouquet of flowers arranged in a cute little gift sack with ribbon handles. I put them under her desk where she wouldn't see them until she went to sit down. They were a very pretty bunch and she loved them but when she went to pull them out the corner of the bag snagged on the mat on the floor and ripped the bag and dumped the whole thing. There was water everywhere..... The flowers my husband sent for me didn't arrive. He kept calling me to see if anything was "up". I kept telling him "no, nothing much is up". Finally he got a hold of them and straightened them out and they were to deliver them before 6pm. I had already left for the gym and my friend was going to call me when they arrived. They got there 5 minutes before 6:00. On the way over someone rear ended me!!!!! No damage but the girl was a b*tch! The light just barely turned green when she smacked me. There wasn't even enough time to say "one Mississippi"!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...... or rather in the parking lot of the place I work, my friend was there with my flowers which had this big red heart shaped balloon with the words "I love you". I thought that was very sweet.... I wrestled them into my car and the balloon popped off and went out the sunroof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH!

What a day..... I decided to just let it go and celebrate that nothing really BAD happened. All the things that happened where all pretty trivial little hitches in my day. When I got home we chilled out with margarita's and watched tv.

The kids just left for school this morning and my husband and I have 4 days off to enjoy. Today we get to enjoy time with out the boys. We are going a nice breakfast in a few minutes. It should be....... PEACEFUL!

Brrrrr....

Google: "50�F / 10�C
Overcast
Wind: W at 9 mph
Humidity: 82%Today

47� | 32�Thu

53� | 34�Fri

58� | 38�Sat

60� | 40�"

It's cold and rainy today..... with a touch of smoke in the air. The last digital sign I passed said 48°. I'm not really ready to see my garden go.

I dug up a strip at the end of my lawn just inside of my fence for my tulip/rose bed. I can't wait to start planting my bulbs. I'll put some roses in next year. They don't winter well here. It will probably be too wet to do anything tonight and I don't think I need to get sick. I do have a 4 day weekend coming up though to celebrate our 14th Anniversary. Hopefully the weather will be good to us.

I've gone to the gym 5 times now. I haven't lost an ounce.... I guess it's a little early to be whining. I don't feel like going today and I don't have any clean work out clothes. I'm a little sore still so maybe I'll take the day off.

What's your garden style quiz

: "What's Your Garden Style?




Your Results




Your responses say: I favor an informal garden, but I'm not looking for the 'unmade bed' look.

Definitely work in lots of curving beds and don't worry about a setting up a central axis for your landscape. But odds are you can't tolerate a garden that looks like no one lives there, so proceed with caution as you plan. Go for the 'domesticated wolf' rather than the clipped poodle.
Of course, some people enjoy taking a vacation that's the very opposite of their day-to-day preferences. You may actually prefer a garden style that is the precise opposite of your 'day job.' So don't start scraping sod and laying paths until you've considered every garden style."

Yeah, I'll definitely stay away from the "clipped poodle" look.

A moral dilemma....

When the last (wicked) phone person vacated that desk I went over and improved upon that work environment... with a lot of warm water and soap.. and electronic cleaners. Then I cheerified it with a nice African violet. Today I bought the poor thing home and laid it to rest..... then I tucked a young, newly propagated from the white violet I bought for myself, into the pot. Now, I feel like I'm putting a baby in harms way. What an evil person I am! This young girl didn't mean to kill the first though....she really is much sweeter than that other bit...I mean person. I will try to educate her on how to care for this new little violet and how to protect it from the so-called "plant people" that come around and care for/kill the plants in the office.

Today is really goin g slow........ the air is off and we are all baking to death. I feel like those hotdogs that "plump when you cook'em". I feel nasty and I just want to take a nap! However, I will keep on plugging along until 6:00 today and then go to the gym like I should. Then I will enjoy a wonder weekend that will probably be the last one for enjoying my garden.

Never enough tulips!

I couldn't help it. I love white flowers and these tulips are so pretty. I bought some bulb food as well and I can't wait to start planting them.

Tulip - Double Late - Mount Tacoma - Fall Bulbs

After work I went to my first session at Curves. It wasn't so bad. I was worried I would be have to do something that required coordination..... but it was just working around a circle of machines and step pads 30 seconds at a time. It wasn't too bad and I didn't feel totally wiped out when I left. My husband told me to go ahead and get some new work out clothes using his account. That was nice of him! I was whining last night because everything I had was too small..... So now I'm ready.. I think I'll go tomorrow too. I think I can do this thing since it's not just diet and counting points.

I guess we shall see!

This is where some of my tulips will be going. I will also be adding handmade concrete stepping stones embedded with words from Frost's "Road less traveled".

Tulips

I am getting excited again. I just bought a bunch of bulbs to plant this fall. They will come up in the spring. I love planning! I can't wait to see how it will all look next year. I bought several different types of bulbs. Mostly they were in bulk and I have them mixed together for a surprise but I also bought a bag of "Groenland bulbs" and a bag of assorted Easter colored tulips. I'm not usually into those colors but they will be blooming around Easter so that will be a nice time for those colors. For effect I also have a touch of some beautiful reds, deep purples, and white with some daffodils mixed in. I've already planted some Grape Hyacinth Muscari armeniacum which will add a nice deep blue to the mix. After they start to die down I'll have my other perennials coming in and various rose bushes.

Tulip - Viridiflora - Groenland - Fall Bulbs: "Tulip - Viridiflora - Groenland
Tulipa Viridiflora 'Groenland'"

I'm looking forward to fall with a dream of spring.......

Smarty pantz

My oldest son was selected to be tested for accelerated math based on his Terra Nova scores from last year. He passed with flying colors so he will be taking 7th grade math this year. I am really happy for him because he was bored out of his mind last year. His grades were terrible but we all knew he was bored and not at all interested in what they were teaching..... Because he already knew that stuff. We will really have to work on keeping on top of his schedule because he'll also be in the orchestra which will also require him to make up class work. I hope there isn't anything else he wants to do this year because I'll have to say no. I don't want him to get overwhelmed. The biggest chore though seems to be keeping his head down to normal size. He got the second highest score in the school and although I am proud I'm also worried his friends wont be interested in hearing much more about it.

My youngest is in 3rd grade this year and I've not yet heard anything good or bad, which is good. With him no news is good news! Last year I got a call from the principal in the first week! Hopefully he will not have any troubles this year.

I joined Curves yesterday. That will keep me from gaining a ton of weight over the winter months when I don't like to be outdoors much. My first session is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to shedding a few inches. I really want to get back into my size 8's and start feeling better. I took the dog for a jog tonight and she loved that. It feels good to get outside after staring at a computer screen all day!

The weather here is amazing. It got cold enough to kiss some leaves in my garden with red and yellow and then it's in the 70's during the day?????? What's up with that? Is it fall or not? I was really hoping my sun flower would bloom before it got too cold but it doesn't even have a head yet. It is nearly as tall as the house now.....

A lazy weekend

I thought this weekend was going to be a total waste. I was so exhausted after last week that I slept in Saturday and then didn't do much the whole day. As as matter of fact...... maybe I slept all day, I'm not sure. I can't really remember anything about Saturday. Today (Well Sunday, it's 1 am now) I actually got out of bed before noon...... about 5 minutes before. I did a lot of cleaning. I was in one of those moods where I just want to throw away everything. Everything is clutter...... everything is taking up my space. I felt over-crowded by it all and wanted it out. So the garbage people will be ticked come morning time...... well, in a few hours.

I finally got out my new little "poetry stones" kit.... for myself anyway. I used it the first time to make a one-of-a-kind birthday present for a wonderful lady that was turning 75. She is a devout Catholic so I set into stone the first half of the Hail Mary prayer for her into two larger stones. Then I painted a little portrait of Mary on the bottom of one and a rosary on the other. It turned out very nice. I would have never been able to do it if my husband hadn't made this nifty wood frame stone mold. I could make several stones at once instead of using the little tiny molds that came with the kit. One word per brick would have taken a vary long time! For my garden walk my husband divided the molds in two and I made six terracotta stones with words of Whitman's Leaves of Grass. "Happiness,... not in another place but this place, not for another hour but this hour." I can't wait to see them finished.

~ip

Google: "Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.
- Christopher Morley"

Starting over again....

Since I had to move from my last blog I've never really felt at home. Hopefully this can be the place for me.