books and bottles and cartons oh my!

i am currently working on a 2 page spread in one person's round robin book, fixing up 3 cartons for the "art in a carton" project. i just got the next book i'm doing a 2 page spread in for my round robin group, so that will have to be figured in too! and i got MY book back! i am so excited to finally see it! i love all the time, effort and talent that went into it by all these friends/artists i've come to know. i must say i'm a bit "hooked" on this whole altered book round robin thing! lol

just as a side note... i filled an extra bottle with tons of artsy stuff, and i sent it to our daughter-in-law for our 3 yr old grandcaughter elena. the afternoon it was delivered, it was late for them so they set aside the bottle. when it turned out to be way too late once they got back home for the evening, patricia (my daughter-in-law) decided they woudn't open it up till the next day because it would just be too much of a mess right before bed. so what does my granddaughter do? she sleeps with the bottle! lol kids are just so darn precious! well, most of the time! lol

only a few days left till my surgery! i go in on monday for pre-op check and also things like paperwork, going over the procedure with me/us, checking in with the anesthesia dept, etc. i'm excited over the whole surgery and having to be finally done! but am not very excited over how complicated and long the procedure will be. i know, i know, they told me it was major surgery. but i talked to somone the other day that had a friend who just had this procedure done, and they spent 3 days in the ICU before being put into a regular room! omg! the ICU! i hope that i will do well enough to just go straight into a regular room. but you wanna know the funniest thing about this whole situation? the thing that i dread the most? THEM PUTTING IN THE STUPID IV!!! LOL yep, that tiny little needle in my hand or arm. i don't know why, it just hurts so bad! i think it is because my veins like to roll away and disappear when they try to stick them... you think they are shy or something? lol they better cooperate this time!

here i am, once again spending over half my time in the land of ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz due to pain meds. i had started taking them only when i absolutely HAD to because there wasn't going to be enough to last me till i go in on monday. but the nurse had miscalculated the date (i was originally suppose to go back on the 13th, but then it changed to the 20th for the pre-op check) and the amount of pills when they gave me my new presription. i'm suppose to take 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. i guess it just depends on how much pain you're in and what degree you are willing to deal with every day. nope, i don't like taking drugs, if there is any way to avoid it! but i'm following the instructions for these pills and taking it very seriously. i'm taking the pills as needed, but just about every 4-5 hours. it is finally taking care of the pain again, but of course it knocks me out just about every time! ugh! i spend so much time sleeping, it's rediculous! *sigh* i am just always so tired. i am taking them enough to keep on top of and get rid of the pain, but damn! that's ok, just a few more days till i have surgery, then i can proceed onto my recovery first at home for 3 months, and then i will start working on my physical therapy. as scary as the surgery could be, i'm just trying to keep my eye/mind on the outcome, when i am healed and better. when i can actually function better and live my life to the fullest extent! stupid things like walking around the mall shopping, going up and down the basement stairs to do laundry, walking our dog, going to the park with my granddaughter, and for that matter even flying on a plane or sitting in a car for a long drive somewhere! i can't do those simple things right now! if i try, i end up in so much pain! but i'm determined to get over this, and to have a better quality of life.

well, i suppose i've rambled on way too much, again! but that's ok, it is MY blog after all. lol i'm working on putting things into cartons for my "art in a carton" project. i've really want to get them sent out before i go into the hospital for surgery. but if for some reason i don't get them sent off, i know my mom and ann will help me get them out later next week! i'm planning on including some special things to make up for how long it has taken for me to get them out and on their way to their recipients. i've already had mine for a couple weeks, and i just love it! i feel bad that the ones i am making are taking me so long, but i really didn't foresee my back/health taking such a turn for the worse. i'll keep plugging along and i'll get them done and on their way.

i've also packaged up a few other packages too. my mom wanted to send a pkg to my neice and her two little girls; kind of a combined birthday thing for all three of them! so i took 3 according books that i made and decorated them for each of them. tied them up with a pretty satin ribbon and popped them into a large plastic bottle (clean and dry of course! lol), my mom loved the whole message in a bottle idea and she wanted to send this to them in a bottle. we also put in pretty purple curly ribbons, some candy for all of them to share, some sticker sheets, and a couple other surprises. now i have to tape it up really securely and get it labeled so my mom can send it out. i've also got a pkg boxed up to go to our granddaughter elena whose 3, she'll be 4 on dec 3rd. there are some clothes that i forgot to pack in her suitcase when she went home from her last visit with us, some candy to share with her momma, a surprise for Bob (their dog!), some art/scrapbook supplies and some sparkly ruby slippers just like dorothy from the wizard of oz! lol she saw something with that, maybe an episode of dora or something, and she loved the shoes, so we just had to get them when we saw them at the store! i hope she loves them and that they fit her! lol i've also packaged up a very special halloween book that i made with a bunch of fellow artists recently it is a Vintage Halloween Fatbook. Now, the vintage halloween is easily explained... at least some of the images on each page are from vintage halloween postcard images, with the different artists adding their own touches and embellishments to them. it is spiral bound and is just awesome! i am sending this to our grandson darien who is 8-1/2 yrs old, our granddaughter izabel who just turned 6, and they have to share with their baby brother who will be 2 yrs old in december. oh! i tucked in a surprise for them for some treats too! i can't wait to get all these goodies on their way to the kiddies. i really hope they like it! i took some pictures of the halloween book and i will probably publish them on my photo site and then just put the link here... that is so much easier when there are alot of pictures!

here's the link! http://justrho.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01 hope you enjoy the pics! it was so much fun to help create!

thanks for visiting and for reading! hope everybody's weekend is going well!

rho

bottles ready to go!

well, i've worked all day getting my bottles ready to send out! it's been totally fun and i have to say a very much needed distraction from the pain. my back is just feeling worse and hurting worse every day and my surgery date can't come soon enough! first it was set for oct 17th, but then they had to change it to oct 22nd. let's hope they don't have to change it again! i have enjoyed being a part of this "Message in a Bottle" activity. i'm not sure if it was more fun to RECEIVE the bottle or to PACK them to mail out to others! LOL great idea! i will be taking them to the post office tomorrow to start them on their journey. i hope they are greeted by many smiles!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... even with art!

well, besides the last two entries i've made hear having to do with mailing contents in a container that was previously used for something else, i am having alot of fun with my friends on the RR group i belong to. several of the ladies have been sorting through their "stash" and were sweet enough to make up goodie boxes and send to the other members of the group. just odds and ends, pieces and tid bits, misc findings, etc. these are things that maybe they got a package of and only needed a few, printed and solid scrapbook paper that was mostly used but there's still enough there to use on smaller projects, remnants of all kinds of specialty papers that you just can't stand to throw out but may never use yourself, yarn, seashells, die-cuts, etc. etc. etc. i spent my evening watching tv and sorting through all my new *treasures*, and that is exactly what they are to me! i wish i would have taken pictures of the boxes of goodies when they first arrived. i guess i was too excited to get them to think about taking pictures! lol thank you stacy and kimberly! i love all of it! i am also in the process of sorting, reorganizing, and taking stock of my craft studio. i have boxes all lined up that i am filling for each of my RR friends. i'm thinking making up the boxes is almost as much fun as getting them! LOL i love the idea of artists sharing and using all that can be used from the wonderful supplies we aquire. it's a shame when something wonderful gets thrown away because someone considered it trash after using what they needed out of it. artists, especially ALTERED artists can use just about anything of just about any size! just ask us! lol of course alot of our friends and family think we've totally got a screw loose... but that's ok... if that screw loosens up too much and falls out, we'll just use it for an art project! LOL here's to recycling art supplies!

Message in a Bottle washes ashore!!!

well, another neat little project i'm part of... message in a bottle from http://www.gomakesomething.com/ ... i got my first bottle yesterday. now, it was partially broken open, but i don't think anything fell out??? hopefully not. but what was inside is awesome and i'm going to have so much fun playing with these wonderful new goodies! i can't wait to send off my own bottles to their recipients! too much fun.

a P.S. to this post... my mail carrier said that he got this as a redirected mail. meaning it got delivered to someone else. he didn't remember delivering it, which he said he really WOULD remember delivering THIS! LOL so it had to have been a substitute carrier. so apparently i would have gotten it sooner than this, but at least i finally got it! i'm glad whoever it was delivered to was honest enough to give it back so it could make it's way to me!

ART IN A CARTON IS HERE!

well! it took me a week to get pictures of my Art in a Carton, and then another week to get them off the camera and onto the computer (It's a new computer and i'm just learning how to use the darn thing!) and now finally i have a moment to post about it and add pics! thank you so much susan for allowing me to participate in this wonderful project!

here are a couple pics of the lovely package and it's contents!

The carton itself came wrapped in brown paper with the lovely and recognizable "Art in a Carton" logo on it... i was so excited to see it finally in my mailbox! when i unwrapped it, i found wonderful stamps decorating the carton itself along with these very regal and majestic elephants. wonderful!
but that was only the beginning! this little carton was filled with artsy treasures galore! pink tissue paper (I love pink! lol) was snuggled inside along with a delicious bunch of fibers/ribbons/yarn that i absolutely cannot wait to use in a project! they are soooooo soft!!! there was also a bunch of small colored foam pieces that will come in handy many times in future projects! there is a clear glass piece that has an image on the flat back of it, it's quite beautiful. the picture that was taken of it close up didn't turn out, so i'll have to try again. also included was a very pretty peach colored accordian book that was tied with a wonderful peach colored ribbon, and what looks like an altered water color box (??? am i right susan? is that what it was in it's former life?) and i just love it! it is going in the lap drawer of my desk for me to put my tiny treasures in! and it was all capped off with a handmade paper lid that fit snuggly inside the top of the carton. it is made of black embossed paper and is lovely in and of itself!

i am busily getting thing gathered and inserted into the cartons that will soon fly out of my studio and into someone else's home. hopefully they will make someone smile as much as i did! what a day brightener! what a wonderful fun project! thanks again susan! awesome idea!

if you've never heard of "Art in a Carton" before, feel free to visit the site http://art-in-a-carton.blogspot.com/ and find out more. the spots are all filled up (52 of them!) but you can check in to see what others have received by participating in this activity/project. every time i see the contents of another carton taht has been received, i get new idea for doing stuff! i love the inspiration it sparks!

what a week...

well, it's been a wierd week, productive in some ways, but definately not in others, and all around totally frustrating. *sigh* we'll see if the weekend holds any answers/solutions for issues we're dealing with so that next week will be better. i haven't worked on any art at all. which is definately disheartening to me because it always boosts my spirits and has kind of a relaxing and calming affect on me when everything around me is in chaos. the next three weeks (the time between now and my upcoming back surgery) is going to be full of preparations, lots of activity going on here! hopefully there will also be alot of creativity going on also. i have several projects that i am working on that i would like to complete or at least have nearly completed before i go in for surgery. we'll see how the upcoming week unfolds!

three bright spots in my week were receiving my first "art in a carton" pkg, a "a message in a bottle", and a box of altered art "treasures" from a fellow artist that decided to share with the other members of our small altered book RR group. i have gotten pics of the art in a carton and the message in a bottle, but not the shared treasures yet. i'll get pics taken of the shared treasures tomorrow and get the other pics off of the camera they are on and make sure i post them here to share. fun stuff! can't wait to get my hands into some new projects in which i can use some of the really neat stuff i've recieved! aren't artists super?! i think so!

for now, i'm off to finish email, look through some of our sons school stuff, feed the furbabies, and then i'm off to bed. and tomorrow is saturday! that means i don't have to wake up to an alarm! yay!!! that's just awesome. *sigh* i'll be back to share pics and stuff sometime tomorrow... until then, happy creating!

update on my back...

ok guys and gals! here's the latest and greatest with me and my back. i went for a consultation with my ortho/back doctor yesterday. to talk about what we've done so far and what the results show, etc. basically they narrowed down the source of my problem and it is not just the one blown disc pressing on nerves. it is a combination of things, but mostly what they consider to be a "mechanical" issue with my back. the actual vertibrae (L4/L5 and L5/S1) levels are really messed up and are not going to get better, they will only degenerate more. which i cannot even imagine at this point! i have already been in so much pain. i've dealt with this in some way shape or form since 1999. now it's at a point where i had to make a decision to keep going the way i am, or do something to help stabalize the whole situation and hopefully provide me with a change in my pain level and be able to function better from day to day. i do not want to take pain meds every single day/night. tentatively, i have a date of oct 17th set for surgery. it's tentative because there will be two surgeons working on me at once, so the second surgeon has to have that date open too! lol they said that the surgery will last approximately 7 hours and i will be in the hospital for approx 5 days. afterwards i will have 3 months of extremely limited activity while my back is healing (i'll be able to get up and go to the bathroom, go to the dinner table, watch tv, read, etc.), and then physical therapy to help strengthen my back and stomach muscles to help achieve a better mobility and support. the overall recuperation time is somewhere between 6-9 months. di'm not even nervous about having the surgery, i've just been in pain for so long... i can't live like that... the pain is so bad that i can't do normal everyday things. and if i take the pain meds to alleviate the pain, it does take away the pain, but it also knocks me out as well... and i end up sleeping my days and nights away and the times that i am up and awake, i lose alot of that, actually forgetting alot of stuff because i've been out of it so much. so, that's what's going on. i'll make sure to let everybody know if this becomes a definate date and all. i wanted to let you all know. ok, i'm out of here for now! lol i'll quit rambling! lol

what to do, what to do, what to do....

well, the affects of the last epidural injection (sept 3rd) gradually wore off every day untill i was back in constant pain 2-3 days before i went to get this second one. i had it done yesterday morning and they decided to do two injections so they could "bathe the root endings for my legs" since i was having pain down into both legs. ok, not a problem. and they even got the IV in with only one stick! yay! but i really didn't get any relief from the pain at all yesterday, i actually had to walk with my moms walker! i took some meds and went to bed and slept until 10:30pm, much longer than i intended to! but then i got a few things done and was up when ann got up at 1:30am to go to work. i've just been putzing around for a bit with emails and stuff. now i'm due for more meds, so i'll take them and go back to bed now. this morning there wasn't any difference in my pain level, so i may be calling them once it's late enough for them to be open. ugh. i am so tired of this.

i have a "TO DO" list that is several pages long.... NOT all of it for just ME to do!lol but there's alot of stuff. alot of it i want to get done before winter sets in. AND before the holidays get here! i cannot believe that september is nearly at an end! halloween in oct, thanksgiving in nov, christmas in dec, new years in jan, valentines day in feb.... omg, makes me tired just thinking about it! lol it's not that i HAVE to do something special for all those holidays... but i LIKE to. it feels good to me. if that makes any sense! lol

tomorrow i go in to have the color touch-ups done on my fairy tattoo! i'm so excited! i know, it's going to hurt again! lol but not as bad... so i'm ok with it. and believe it or not, i already have an image that i want to use to put on the back of the OTHER calf! lol i think they will complement each other. but i have no idea when i will get that one done. we'll just wait and see.

well, i'm falling asleep at here at the computer, so i'll say good bye for now. see ya'll later!

shot didn't last more than a week... but getting another one...

well, the epidural injection i got on sept 3rd lasted for a few days before wearing off... i'm back in pain again, which i don't like, but they're planning on doing another injection this coming wednesday. i'm not so apprehensive of this one, and i really do hope that it helps longer than the first one. even if i am eventually going to have the surgery, i'll welcome any pain relief i an until then!

i have a few art projects in the works. i sent in some fatbook pages for a vintage halloween fatbook project that one of my groups is doing. i can't wait to get the finished project! i forgot to take pics of the pages i did before i mailed them. i am so made at myself! but i'll take pics when i get mine back and i promise to post them! i am working on an alphabet fatbook with my RR group, it's still in the planning stages, but i'm still excited to be working on it. i'm also TRYING to work on an altered cigarbox shadow box project but it's moving so slowly. i'm sure it will "click" sometime soon (it always does)and i'll be able to finish it. i also have the latest RR book to work on, suppose to mail that out next thursday! yikes! but it's moving along. oh, and i have an a-z happiness fatbook project that i am working on, it's not due till nov 1st i think, so there's plenty of time for that one. anyway, i'm keeping quite busy along with the usual day to day tasks and all the dr's appts and stuff to deal with. i don't mind being busy with the art stuff... it keeps me calm and stable when everything else makes me totally insane! today i'm pretty much relaxing and taking a break from the busy week. i might even take a nap! what a thought!

what a difference a shot makes...

no, not a shot of tequila! lol an epidural shot. oh how i dreaded it! but it did make a little bit of difference in the amount of pain i have, so that's a good thing! before i was in pain ALL the time. now, i'm only in some pain when i move certain ways or if i do a bit too much. at least i'm not having to take pain meds every 4 hours around the darn clock! there is no way to accomplish much of anything that way! so now, i have to carefully play "catch up" with all the things that didn't get done while i was all loopy and sleeping most of the time! i don't quite know what to do with myself... i haven't done a bit of art in over two weeks! that's just wierd! but first, i have to catch up on household stuff... work before pleasure! tomorrow is cage cleaning day, i promised by little critters i would make them first priority on saturday. then the living room and the bathroom and... well, you know how the drill goes! lol at least one, possibly two, people are going to be out and about tomorrow so i can do things without trying to "do around", which suits me just fine! lol our son and i have been feverishly working on his high school courses that he started a few weeks ago. we've been up to our eyeballs in Civics and Literary Analysis and Composition! ack! i can't believe that high school is kicking my butt for the second time in my life! just doesn't seem fair now does it?! lol at least he's a whiz and ahead in geometry! cause i have not a clue where math is concerned! lol i'll take my blessings where i can get them! for now, i'm off to indulge in reading a book i started while waiting for my shot the other day. and then maybe a little tv. this week, although busy and having a busy weekend in front of me, still feels better than the previous weeks that have past, so i'm glad.

another week gone by...

well, it's friday night and all day i've been thinking it was thursday?! lol so much for me keeping track of time huh? i've done nothing creative this week, nothing at all, haven't had time or energy for it. school officially started full force for our son this week (was suppose to be last week but his login and password info for his virtual school courses didn't make it's way to us till this week) and we've spent the week working our patooties off to get things figured out, organized, started and caught up to date! we've got two of three subjects up to date, and this weekend we will work on the third. now, i don't mean that i am doing any of the work, he is doing the work, but i am right along with him because he has a hard time with reading comprehension/finding the answers within text, keeping things organized, and getting his thoughts down on paper or into a word documents. if it was all oral/spoken, then that would be a snap for him! but we are doing well and he is making great strides in his academic endeavers. so everybody's happy!

i have my work cut out for me this weekend. i have to clean cages (four of them), clean the litter box (just one! thank goodness!), and take pics of some stuff i am going to post to our local craigslist to sell. we are tryint to weed out stuff that is just taking up space and not getting used. and i STILL have to get my art studio finished! i have it partially done, but there is stuff spread all over the place! lol and of course i am the only one that can do it because nobody else knows what half the stuff is for or where i want it... so it's all up to me! which i really don't mind, i just have to get the spare time to do it! lol

i cannot believe how fast this month is going by! it's almost the first of september! before you know it we'll be dealing with halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, new years... yikes! a whole nother year gone by!!! wow. it's amazing how time can fly by sometimes. but it's never dull around here, something always going on, something happening, etc. so at least i'm not vegging in a chair watching soaps or news all the time. i don't read the paper, i use it to line the bottoms of cage trays. and i don't watch the news, i get the highlights from my mother who DOES watch the news. lol if there's anything noteworthy, i figure i'll hear about it eventually or see it online at some point! lol i'm horrible aren't i? the news is just so depressing! i can't do that to myself every day or mulitiple times a day. i have enough to deal with on my own.

well, i suppose i should attempt to go to sleep now. i took a nap this afternoon, which of course made me not so tired tonight! i'm hoping i can get a good nights sleep. good night and happy creating!

omg, how many days have i lost???

well, i'm taking my medicine the way the dr said i have to, but it doesn't leave me much time that i am awake and coherant! i mean, rest is good and all that, but things really do have to be done and i certainly can't do any of it if i'm sleeping! the pain is better than it was, so that is under control, which is excellent! only 4 more days till my ortho appt! yay!

it's finally time to mail out the RR book i worked on during july. it's been done for weeks and i've been chomping at the bit to get busy on another one! i've been told that the next RR book is in route to me now, so i should get it in the next few days. now i just have two other projects to get in the mail; the fat book pages for one of my groups and also the altered board book for my other group. but i HAVE to remember to get pictures of all of them before i mail them off!

i've made some headway in organizing my studio/craft room. there's still a ways to go, but it does look promising! i never thought i'd have an entire room devoted to creating art. what an awesome thing! i'm really anxious to get my sewing area set up so i can do things as the thought strikes me and not be held back by not having enough room.

i am thoroughly enjoying working on all the projects that have been started in the groups i'm a part of. each one of them offers new insight, new ideas, new techniques, etc. i love learning new things and i love collaborating with other artists.

well, it's time to go take care of furbabies and get things ready to settle down for the night. i can't believe it, but it's not even 8pm and i'm ready for bed already! maybe going to bed early will give me an early start to tomorrow. you never know... until next time... keep creating!

oh my achin' back...

well, just when i thought my back was going to settle down and give me a break... psych!... it doesn't! i feel like i'm gonna die and i'm afraid i won't! pain meds and muscle relaxers can only do so much, and when they don't work on what the problem is, it just ends up making you groggy and out of it. so, i just deal most of the time. what else can ya do? and i have to do thing here at home, there's no way around it. everybody else is helping me and being very considerate and all, but there are still things that i have to do and even those small things are really getting to where they hurt. i can't wait for the 25th to get here so i can go see the orthopedic surgeon and see what he says! i'm gonna call them on monday and see if they have any other cancellations!

my tattoo is healing nicely, it hasn't been that bad at all. sometime in september i will go in and have him touch up/add more color to it. i'm still really glad i got it. and i STILL haven't showed it to my mother! LOL yep, still chicken! i'll show her soon, i think part of it is that i want to keep the good feelings about it, you know? it feels good that i got it, it's something i've been looking forward to... and she's going to gripe and nag about it and i just don't want the negative feelings that will come my way. so if anyone is planning on "outing my tattoo" to my mom, DON'T! LOL

school starts next week for alex, he does school at home through a virtual school online. it's an extension of a kansas public school and they provide everything and keep track of all the grading and credits and stuff. it's also a college prep course of study, so it is definately challenging, but that is good for alex. he's a smart cookie. especially in math!!! wow! this year will be a bit more involved for both of us. we'll have to figure out the new "rhythem" of the new school year subjects and then we'll be good to go. the first few weeks is the hardest.

i've got to knuckle down and get some pics taken tomorrow. some of some art pieces, some of my tattoo, some of the puppy, etc. i keep getting distracted and forget about taking them. *sigh*

until next time...

i just love this stuff!!!

i finished some pages for a fat book swap that i recently joined and i am so pleased with them! i cannot wait to get the finished book back, but it won't be for a couple months yet! lol it's a book for halloween! lol what can i say, i was stressing a bit and it kept me occupied! lol anyway, it was a lovely little project and now i can move on to another one! i'll have to get some pics of the pages i did and post them, i forgot to do that! that's about it for now. i'm off to bed... early, i know... lol... but i have to get up early in the morning for a school thing we have to go to. off to dreamland!

another day, another design...

hello .... blog... lol... exhausting day today. running from here to there and doing appointments and such. no time for art. *sigh* got home LATE but pulled some art stuff out to play with while i watch "the closer" that we dvr'd earlier. figured out a new thing to do and it's really awesome, can't wait to get started with it tomorrow. i'm going to need something to do while i'm sitting and resting my back. ugh. i've done way more driving then i should be doing, but what are you gonna do? i don't have a chauffer... chaufer... oh hell... i don't have a DRIVER! lol now it is off to bed to get some much needed rest. ooops, no, not just yet. have to go feek the furbabies first. THEN to bed. tomorrow is another day and on with another design! i love it!

just another day...???

well, tomorrow is my birthday... i have no problem with my age, i will be 48 yrs old, young, whatever you want to call it! doesn't really "feel" like my birthday though. i don't know, just seems like another day. i have no feeling of "crisis" with each year i get older. if anything, i'm always quite surprised when i think about how old i am and compare that to other people who are that age or who are younger or whatever. i don't feel like i'm almost 50... but then again, maybe i don't know what "almost 50" feels like! lol i'm just glad that i am here with some family around me to help me celebrate the day i entered into this world as a seperate human being (instead of hitch hiking inside my mom's belly! lol).

right now, life is good. it has it's moments when it totally sucks, when it's unfair, when i totally wish it were different. but for the most part, i'm ok with it. it certainly has it's daily challenges, that's for sure! but i'll keep kickin as long as i can keep kickin!

i saw a sign the other day that i wanted... couldn't afford to buy it at the time, but i'm determined to make one of my own... it said:

"There will be no crisis this week... my schedule is full!"

don't ya love it?! i may change the sign to read "no crisis today" lol... might fit better around here sometimes! lol

well, i'm hungry and sitting here typing isn't helping that matter any at all! so i'm off!

Ok, so it's not done yet!

ok ok ok... i haven't gotten my studio/workroom done yet! sue me! lol it's been a long and exhausting week and i'm just now getting around to working in there tomorrow. i have been "thinking" about doing it, so does that count just a little bit??? lol hope so, cause that's as good as it got this week! tomorrow (well, today actually, but it's still dark outside so to me it isn't tomorrow just yet. lol) i have two errands to run, cages to clean for the fur babies, and then the rest of the day (and weekend as far as i'm concerned!) shall be devoted to nothing but organizing and working in my studio and doing art. i have several projects that i am working on and need to complete, some pictures to take of some art, and some brainstorming to do about an upcoming project. i just love the whole process of "creating"... it's so satisfying when everything comes together and the project is completed.

well, it's late, i'm tired, so i'm out of here. will be back later in the weekend to report progress made! have a wonderful weekend!

art done and waiting, art in the works, and art waiting to happen...

well, i'm at an interesting point... i have some projects finished and sent off, i have some that are finished and just waiting till the mailing date gets here... i have some that i am just starting on... and i have some projects that i can't start on yet but i'm dying to! lol but i guess, for an artist, that's a good place to be, because it speaks of productivity? accomplishment? well, that's my story and i'm sticking to it! lol

one thing i haven't done justice to is getting my studio in order! man, it so needs attention, and i know i am lucky as #&%$ to have a whole room to devote to my art and "stuff" (i won't use the word that ann uses to describe all my "stuff"... cause there IS alot of it! lol). life has just been a bit scattered of late and just haven't gotten back to it yet. well, to be honest, it doesn't help that it is the hottest room in the house! lol it is the sunroom, which means one whole wall basically is a bay window... and their really aren't any air conditioning vents in that room (trying to think of where they are if there are any at all...) so it's always a bit stuff and warm. i don't do well when i'm warm, much less when i'm hot and sweaty. but i really want to get the room finished and organized and all that so that as the weather cools off, as it is always going to do come fall, i will have a wonderful place to retreat to on those cold rainy or snowy days to wallow in art and be creative! and i know, that will make it the coldest room in the house then! lol BUT , there is a franklin stove/gas fireplace in there that will be so cozy! what a wonderful winter i invision! ok, so this is giving me insentive and a bit of a push to go and work on it some more! but not today, i have other stuff i have to attend to for now. no, that isn't my poor impression of scarlett from "gone with the wind"... lol... i really WILL work on it this week. ok, i'll make a deal... i'll work on my room this week, and a week from tomorrow, i will post pictures of it here on my blog! how bout that for insentive! lol i surely don't want to have to post pics of it in total chaos and disarray! if God could create the world in less than 7 days, i should be able to get my studio together in 7 days or less... dont' you think? hmmmmmmmm... quite the challenge! but we're on!

ok, off to do more laundry... ugh... NOT one of my favorite things... but totally necessary!

not my art, but it is on my body...

this is my new tattoo... it is on the back of my right calf. this has alot of significance for me because it is the fairy image that my daughter had on her computer, the fairy that she wanted to get a tattoo of when she turned 18. however, she didn't get that chance. she passed away in nov 2005 at the age of 16. she had cancer. my birthday is coming up this month, aug 10th, and ann got me this tattoo for my birthday. she knows how much i've wanted to get it. it's only the second tattoo i've ever gotten, and by far the most painful! but i'm so glad i was finally able to get it done. i love it. it will look alot better once it is less irritated and a bit more color is added. plus i will get better pics of it... this one i took myself... not easy to do when it's on the back of my calf! lol anyway, wanted to share. makes me happy.

here we go!

see, i first became aware of Vondra and her antics a few years ago when i discovered altered books! one of the activities that was going on in a group i joined was to depict and name your muse. here are the layouts i did of vondra... (these were my very first altered book pages!)






she has a bit of a flair for the dramatic i'm afraid! but she sure is fun to work with! i told her she could hang around as long as she wanted. :-)

now, if i can just find creative ways to store all the things she's managed to accumulate! i CERTAINLY wouldn't have bought all this stuff! my goodness! *sigh*... what to do... what to do... lol.. i'm off to sort!

dealing with vondra...

well now... i haven't introduced you to vondra yet. she's an artist also, and she's addicted to craft supplies; she looks for them everywhere, and can usually find them! but she does tend to get in trouble a bit over her spending, and she even drags other people into that trouble too, which is rather frustrating. but she's delightful to be around and is more inspiring than irritating, which is a good thing! you see, vondra is my muse. she is who inspires me to do the things that i do... and to buy the things i buy! lol boy does she get me in trouble! right now i am sorting through things in what is shaping up into my art studio. there are things that i truly forgot that we had! very cool. disturbing on a certain level, but very cool too! lol vondra is this reall cool free spirited girl who loves to create, loves to shop, and loves to belly dance! she's a little shy of the camera, but somewhere i have a picture of her... when i come across it, i will most definately share it! in the meantime... say "Hi Vondra!"...

been MIA for a few days

well, with last week being an emotionally draining one for me, i just kind of kept a low profile and just took things nice and easy and did what felt right for me as each day went by. (for anyone reading that didn't know, friday would have been my daughter amanda's 19th birthday. she passed away in november 2005 from leukemia, she was 16 yrs old). right now i am doing pretty good. much better than i did last year. i am doing alot more "for" me this year in that i am staying pretty active with my art, which i find to be very therapeutic. so maybe that is the key for me. my very good friend eileen came over this weekend and we spent some time just chit chatting, working a little on art stuff, etc. she's been an awesome support and encouragement to me. the cards she sends me in the mail are just hilarious and always come at just the right time. she definately has a knack for picking out good cards. she's also my partner in crime when we go to the recycle materials center and find "treasures" to bring back home for projects. i'm so glad i know someone who gets into this creating stuff too!

i have finished another project... a board book swap in my RR group. i can't mail it yet, which is driving me insane! lol but it is done and i am very pleased with it, even if i do say so myself! lol i will post pics of it as soon as i can. i still don't have any ideas on the cigar box/shadow box activity... i guess i shouldn't push so hard to think of something... i know it will come.

another project i have in the works is for a "Fat Book" project our RR group is doing. the theme is the alphabet and each of us is assigned certain letters. i have w, x, y and z. which is cool, no worries there. i've just never done a fat book before, and i really haven't seen any pictures of any except for one! so i'm kind of freaking out here trying to figure out what the pages are suppose to be like. i mean, i know it is another type of altered art, so it isn't set in stone how it HAS to be... i get that... but i just have to get my mind wrapped around this thing and figure it out. i don't like feeling like i'm floundering out in the middle of nothing. i've cut my pages, allowed for the binding margin, i've found the letter images i want to use (some really cool ones too!)... and that's where i'm stuck.

a few things on a more personal note... #1, i'm on a weight loss program and am actually losing weight! yay! 18lbs so far and feeling pretty good about it. i am pleased with the program, not hungry or tired or feeling deprived and all that kind of stuff. we'll see how it goes. #2, i'm planning my next tattoo (i only have one, i make it sound like i'm covered with them! lol). i talked to the guy and took him some pictures to work with. he's going to work up something for me and call me to come check it out. i'm hoping i can get it next month for my birthday. we'll see. and #3, still haven't heard exactly when our oldest son is deploying to iraq. sometime in the first or second week of august. i hate it that he has to go. scares the crap out of me. and i hate the thought of his wife and little girl being alone while he's gone. they just moved all the way across the country from north carolina to washington state. i'm hoping that things settle in fairly quickly for them so the girls can keep busy and meet new friends and all that. #4, my partner, ann, is scheduled to have surgery on august 12th. nothing really major, i guess, but i consider all surgeries major basically. i love her and worry about her.

well, that's about it for now. i'm going to be working in my studio tomorrow, continuing getting things sorted out and more organized so i can work in there better. when i have it done, i'll take some pics. i can't wait, it's going to be an awesome space with plenty of room to accomodate all of my crafting endeavers. pretty darn cool.

and another day goes by...

still plugging along here... today wasn't so bad. i guess the emotional venting yesterday helped relieve at least a little of the emotional overload i am feeling this week. and i continue to create! i find it to be very therapeutic. i can get lost in the process, the ideas, the supplies! lol and i'm doing more than sitting around watching tv or taking a nap, which is probably what i would be doing if i didn't have my art.

my latest finished project is the recipe art swap that my RR group is doing. i've picked some of our families favorites to go in the cookbook. i'll get these mailed off to our group leader on friday and anxiously await the finished product! can't wait to add it to my cookbook shelf... ok, shelves... but who's counting?! you can't really see them very well but this is a sample of them. i used a variety of cardstock, both prints and solids, and tried to find images that might go with each recipe.



every time our granddaughter visits us, she and i always end up making something. i am keeping track of those recipes, making notes about how she liked it or something funny that happened, etc. and now that i have a digital camera i am going to start taking pictures of the finished recipe to include in a ever-growing recipe book. when elena grows up and ventures off on her own, i'll give her this cookbook to have and hopefully use and enjoy some memories too.

my latest project is one that kind of stumped me at first. just couldn't wrap my mind around it. but i've figured it out now, and i'm running with it! lol i'm hoping it turns out as fun as i'm thinking it will! lol wish me luck!

staying busy as possible...

well, i finished another project today, and i'm very glad! in my "round robin express" group we are having a "recipe art exchange" activity where we all contribute 6 different recipes (one from each listed categories) and send them in and they are going to be laminated and bound into a cookbook! now ain't that just the coolest! there are 6 of us participating, each contributing 6 recipes, so that makes... 36 recipe cards total, if my raggedy math skills are correct! lol i'm really looking forward to the completed project. i love cookbooks, i have a ton of them, but there's always room for just one more.

i have finished so many projects in the last couple weeks, i know i was/am ahead of myself on some but i couldn't help it. as i finish one i'm looking for another to do. as i look through my supplies i see things that i want to use to make something. as i ponder little details i of a project new ideas flit in and out of my head... and i think i just figured out why.

as some of you may know, we lost our 16 yr old daughter, amanda, in november 2005. she had leukemia and complications of pneumonia took her life. it's the hardest damn thing i've ever had to deal with in my life. i've lost other people... relatives, including my dad, and also friends... but losing a child... just doesn't seem fair. it totally screws up the whole order of things, you know? i'm still dealing with all the shoulda, woulda, coulda, what if, stuff. i feel so cheated. her precious life was ripped away from me by a cruel disease. i am at peace with the fact that she died when she did. i know that sounds crazy after what i just said, but she was extremely sick and her illness had relapsed and she was going to have to go through more extenisve chemo to try to get rid of it. they gave her less than a 20% chance of making it through the chemo. it would have made her more sick than she had ever been up to that point. i don't think i could have watched her just waste away day by day. she was too strong and too spirited for that. she would have hated it! so, that is why i say i am at peace with the fact that she died when she did. what is hard for me is the absence of her physical presence in my life. hearing her laugh. dealing with her attitude! telling her i love you and hearing her say it back. *sigh* well, july 25th will have been her 19th birthday. shit, now i'm crying. well, i've kept it in check fairly well, so what the hell! it's hard... because birthdays are to be celebrated! when someone dies, what do you do? when your child dies, what do you do for their birthday? you talk about them, you look at pictures, maybe you go out for dinner or make their favorite food, you release some balloons, you cry... alot of people don't do anything, because they just don't know what to do. i have such a hard time with amanda's birthday because i just can't let that day go by without rejoicing and celebrating the fact that she ENTERED this world! it has nothing to do with the fact that she died. it is the celebration of her LIFE. we had been planning a long weekend away this year, over her birthday weekend. it was going to be busy and fun and filled with people and good times. but it's not going to happen now, circumstances beyond our control nipped it right in the bud. so, i'll be home, or somewhere near home. and yes, a few people will remember her birthday... but most don't mention her anymore. they don't know what to say, or they figure i don't want to talk about it because it makes me cry, or whatever. or their tired of talking about it because i like to talk about her when i can. oh, right now i wish i could just freaking scream at the top of my lungs till my throat can't take it anymore, till my voice is gone, till my head explodes! i think i've worked so hard at being busy because amanda's birthday is so near and i know it's going to be so tough. if anyone reads this, if you got this far... go hug your kids, ok? it doesn't matter what they did or didn't do, doesn't matter what they broke or lost, doesn't matter if you are at your wits end because they are driving you out of your everlovin mind... just hug them, make a point of really hugging them, holding them close and tell them how much you love them. how special they are to you. i would give anything if i could do that just one more time. ok, i'm going to go wash my face now, and try to stay away from my mom till my eyes and face go back to looking normal so i don't upset her. i never did finish cleaning those cages, so i think that's what i'll do. i'll take care of all of our furbabies that i love so much. i know amanda would have loved them too. she was such an animal lover. if anyone is interested, you can visit her memorial site at http://www.amandacox.memory-of.com . nothing fancy, just a bit about her and some pictures and stuff. oh, you can see all of us bald! that's good for a laugh! lol ok, i'm off to more productive things...

damn it's hot!

ok, i got all the errands done, thank goodness! it's like a freakin oven out there! oh, with a tad of humidity thrown in just to make things peachy keen. ugh. now i'm home and trying to cool off before i have to do some stuff around here. i've got to remember that it's summertime and i have to do my errands FIRST thing in the morning or in the EVENING after the sun goes down! i'm off to get something cold to drink!

errands and stuff...

well, today it's back to the "real world" lol... it's the beginning of another week, things to do people to see and all that jazz. i'm off to run a couple of errands and then back home to clean cages (we have furry critters) and then to make some sense of the art supplies i have strewn hither and yon. oh but it was a glorious weekend of creating and i loved it! i do miss my family though. just doesn't seem right/the same without ann and alex here. and i certainly don't sleep as well! it's like a part of me is missing. but at least i had my artwork to keep me busy... oh, and of course sarge (the puppy)!

last night i worked on my recipe pages for the recipe art swap our group is doing. i think i have them just about ready to go... well, to print at least... though i may do a bit of tweaking here and there still. i think the project is going to turn out to be a really neat one! especially since i love cookbooks! lol

well, i'm off to the races as they say. got to get the business part of the day done and over with. happy monday everybody!

creativity flows!!!

this is what i've been working on for the last few days... it's in the current altered book RR that i am participating in... i couldn't decide on just one idea, so i did all three that i came up with.... they just sort of evolved... hope she likes them!










i wish i knew why in the heck some of the pictures always end up uploading sideways! ack! that irritates me so much! oh well, not going to stress over it. i'm just happy with having so much creative time.

on to the next project! whooo hooo! lol

lazy day, friendship and art...

what a great combination! lol my friend eileen came over yesterday. i had all these plans in my head about what i wanted to get done/accomplished and in the end i threw it all out the window and just had a wonderful day! we sat around and chatted for a bit, then we decided to go over to the recycled materials room at the childrens museum near me (have i mentioned before that it is my very favorite place?!) because she needed some magazines to cut things out of. well, of course i can't go in there and not leave with a little something! lol i picked up a few more small hardbound books to use for altering (they dropped their price on books to only 25 cents each!) got some more used greeting cards (eileen and i have a whole bin full of them now), i also got a baggie full of embossing powder (it's the white sparkly kind that makes me think of sparkling beaches or fairy dust!). gosh, i know there was something else and i just can't think of it right now. anyway, it's always a wonderful time going there and coming out with "treasures" for mere pennies! then we came back and worked on some art while we chatted the afternoon away. we had a great dinner (beautiful salad and chicken tenderloins that were seasoned and grilled) and watched a movie (Juno). it was just a nice, no stress, to-heck-with-housework, fun kind of day. i guess it just has to be done sometimes! lol

after eileen went home (she does of course have her own life and family!) i sat and fiddled around with some more art, watched a little tv, surfed around on the computer looking for some stuff and before i knew it my mom came out and said "are you ever going to go to bed? it's after 4am!" i was shocked! lol i finished up what i was doing and headed to bed, which by this time was 5am... lol... snuggled up in the bed while the light slowly started to creep into the sky and drifted off to sleep... and didn't wake up till almost 11am!!! that'll teach me to stay up so late! lol

i do have a few things that i definately want to accomplish today, and i will hold my artwork out in front of it all like a carrot dangling in front of a stubborn donkey! lol i won't sit down at my art table until i am finished with my household chores. HONEST! i won't! you'll see, i'll keep my word! oh you doubting bloggers! lol so long for now... off to... do housework, yeh, that's what i'm going to do... housework... *mumbling as i go... "i won't even LOOK at the table, not once, i won't open the book to see how that spread looks again... no... i'm not even walking past it... i'll go the other way... "

today in the life of rho....

well, as far as being productive... i accomplished a few things... banking stuff, post office stuff, grocery store stuff... after that, i pretty much vegged and goofed off the rest of the day! well, actually that's not completely accurate... i worked on some art stuff tonight. very pleased with how it is going so far! i managed to stay on track with my "new way of eating" (i refuse to call it by the "D" word!) and feel pretty good about it so far. i also played with our puppy, sarge. he misses his 'nother mama. so do i. ann is out of town this weekend. tomorrow i have to kick it into gear and get some things done here around the house. i've got some definate things planned out to do... we'll see how many i get done. now i'm headed off to dreamland. well, i don't care if i dream or not, as long as i sleep! lol by the way... if you see any typo's, the "k" and the "l" aren't working very well. it's driving me insane! oh well, i shouldn't complain. this little laptop has really done well and continues to do pretty good even after 3 years of constant use. ok, goodnight! i outta here!

ok, ok, ok! so i haven't been here in a while! lol

it's been a crazy few weeks. i've been dealing with my back being out and after an MRI finding out i have two herniated disks. oh joy! i have to go see the orthopedic dr, but the first available appt is august 29th! geez! so i'll just have to deal the best i can between now and then. i've been working on some art for several swaps i'm involved in.

this is for an Element Tag Swap activity. i decided to not go with the "obvious" symbols for each element. yes, i'm odd at times! for fire i chose birthday candles, for earth i chose mudpies, for water i chose water balloons, and for air i chose blowing dandelions! they aren't very fancy, but i think i like them anyway.

and this is in a RR book that is circuating in the group i'm in. (i have no idea why the first picture turned out sideways! lol)

and of course having fun with our new puppy, sarge. he's growing so fast and he's so darn smart! just love him! that's it for now... i'm sure i'll be back with more later!

what a week!

well... many things happening this week... busy busy busy!

been working on the 2page spread for the current book i have for our round robin. going good so far! the rest of the week has been spent having a good time with my granddaughter, elena, before she has to leave this weekend. we've had a great time working on altered books and making bead necklaces and picture frames. i'm so glad she is interested in playing around with art supplies! lol we're packing up all of her stuff, and getting everything ready for the trip. we are driving her to chicago tomorrow night. her mom will meet us there (she's flying in from washington state) so they can visit with some of her family during the month of july. then they will fly home to washington. unfortunately we just found out that her daddy (my oldest son) just got orders (he's in the army) and will be leaving for iraq the first or second week of august. the orders say "up to 15 months". we aren't happy about that at all, but he knows it is his job and he will go where he is sent. patricia is an army wife, and she'll hold down the fort at home while chris is away. it's hard on her, but she's a strong young woman. elena has had to deal with daddy being gone several times already, but it's never easy. i hope she does alright this time. me? i'm his mama, and i worry about him no matter where he is... but especially when he is in harms way. i know i won't really rest well until he is safely back home again. until then, i will continue to create. it's always very therapeutic for me. until next time...

RR dragon wings and fairies...

i just finished and mailed off a book in the round robin i'm participating in... i really had a good time doing this one! we're suppose to do a 2 page spread, but i ended up doing TWO of them because i couldn't make up my mind which one i wanted to do! lol oh well, most of the people have said that we can do more if we want to. so that's good! here's some pics...

this is the 2page spread i did with a fairy theme...




this is the 2 page spread i did with a dragon theme....





i think they both turned out pretty good! i thought the wrapping paper i found was PERFECT to use for the dragon wings! now i just hope that the recipient likes the pages!

Finished another RR segment, ready to mail!

ok, i'm finished with this segment of the RR (round robin) i am participating in... and i think it turned out good! but then again if i didn't i would have trashed it and thrown it in the garbage and started over! lol so anyway... i'll have to try to upload some pics tomorrow (it's taking forever right now and keeps freezing!)... the person it is for likes dragons and fairies and mystical things... we are suppose to do a 2 page spread in each book, and i ended up doing two because i couldn't decided which idea i wanted to go with! lol well, i've fed all the furbabies and now i'm headed to bed. hopefully to get a good nights sleep!

exhausted... but good...

i worked on some altered art items last night and this morning. i'm so excited when things start falling into place and youc an see the finished project! i can't wait till i receive mine back from other people working on it... i am just thrilled!

now, from art world to real world! lol

ok, so i'm not superwoman! i admit it! THERE! i said it! *letting out big deep breath* can we just progress from there?! i hope so!

for those who don't already know... i am extremely A.D.D.... always have been... i was one of the lucky ones who did NOT grow out of it. i didn't even realize it until i was 27 yrs old and my son was being tested for it at the age of 7. they ask alot of backgroud questions about the child's parents, grandparents, etc. to see if there is any familial link to this sort of thing, which there can be. so, after talking to the dr, and having my mom fill out the paperwork about me as a child, turns to me and says: "well, you are classic A.D.D... you've just managed to make it into adulthood without any help from anyone else. you've learned your own coping skills and you deal with what you can and you don't deal with what you can't! lol the good news is, there is a reason for all the misc. bullshit that you've dealt with all your life, and it's not because you are a lazy, crazy, stupid or bad person." well, i burst into tears right then and there because that is exactly what i had thought about myself my whole life! i was lazy, crazy, stupid, bad or all of the above! things have been much better for me as the years have gone by... well, since 1999 anyway. that's when i finally ventured into getting some help with some medication. and it really did help! i was so glad. but it is no magic bullet. there are no special powers, no wiggling of the nose or snapping the fingers..,. doesn't work that way. for the most part, the meds really help me to function in a more normal way. BUT... IF life throws a lot of stressers on me, IF there is alot of emotional stuff happening, IF schdules are too tight and i get overwhelmed... everything pretty much goes in the toilet! lol well, not EVERYTHING... i get about 1/4 to 1/2 of things done before i am off to another thing... so nothing ever really gets finished or complete. which is frustrating, totally frustrating. i go to my dr appt tomorrow and i am going to ask her if there is anything different i might be abe to take to help with it. the one i've been on since '99 just isn't cutting it anymore. we'll see what they do. there are so many new and different medications for A.D.D. now. i figure there ought to be at least one that i could take. lol in the meantime, i start projects, and i stop them i go back to them, and then i go fix dinner (well, i start dinner) and then i go rewash the clothes that i put in the washer day before yesterday cause i forgot they were there, then i go on to figure out exactly what HAS to be done RIGHT NOW , cause if i dont' do it FIRST, it aint' gonna get done! LOL we all survive, but it's definately interesting, to say the least. OH! and to top it all off i've totally thrown my back out! yay! what a great mix to the daily puzzle, huh? you betcha! i'm off to take some motrin, put dishes away and whatever else i can do for now. cause once i sit down, my back is going to lock up and i won't be moving anywhere anytime soon or at least not very fast!

day not starting off well...

ok... today isn't starting off well... 2 out of the five of us are feeling yucky... going back to bed and hoping to feel better when i wake up again...

A Hole?!?! WTH?!?!?!?

well, we've had the pool set up for what.... 6 days???... !!!!... we swam in it on the 10th... and then a couple days since then (we've had alot of rainy/stormy weather lately) and then day before yesterday we notice it's got a damn hole in it! hey! so that means we only had it up for 4 days before it had a hole! @#$%& so now it is finishing draining, tomorrow we take it apart so i can return the damn thing to the store. they better not give me any crap about it either. we were already dealing with the fact that the pool cover had a tear in it when we unpacked it, and the pole to the pool skimmer net was smashed on the end so it didn't work... but we were just going to contact the company and have them send us replacements for them. but now the pool too!? no. i don't think so. we were EXTREMELY particular about following the setup instructions to the "T"... everybody used the ladder to get in and out, no climbing at all... no shoes or non-approved toys allowed... just those noodle things and diving toys. i mean, come on! shouldn't it last more than 4 freakin day?! ok, ok, i'm taking a breathe! lol i've spouted enough. lol but i'm not even sure we're even going to get a replacement... i dont' know if i want to take the chance on it.

Fence Update and stuff...

the fence is fixed! yay! looks way good too! i think we'll have to be replacin' that nasty ol' tired looking fence for sure now! seeing that nice new wood up there... dang! i want it all to look like that!

i've been working on the layouts in the RR book i'm doing right now. getting very exciting! almost done! mailing day is this thursday! and i just received the next book i'm to work in, so i don't have to wait long to get started! i just think this is so much fun. i'm glad i decided to join in and stretch my creativity. i'll share pics as i get it finished.

ok, i'm outta here. busy cooking dinner. i've got a ton of hungry people here... ok, no, i don't... but i have a teenage boy who can EAT ton!!! that counts! lol

Happy Father's Day Frame

while helping my granddaughter make something for her daddy for Father's Day, i came up with an idea for a gift that i made him as well. as you can tell from my other stuff, i am really into altered art. so what else would i decide to do but an altered art gift! lol
i decided to make a picture frame... it has a kind of burgandy colored wooden frame that is glued to a white backboard... the black that you see on the front... is magnetic! cool huh? all those nuts and bolts and stuff come off and can be moved around! i used some rub-on lettering to make the words, kind of has the look of chalk on a chalkboard. i used an old belt buckle to do double duty as a decoration on the front as well as functioning as a stand for it. i think it all turned out rather well! i hope he likes it! what do you think of it???

holy fence-crashers batman!!!

yep, you may have guessed already... someone crashed through our fence! seems they were backing their van down their driveway and the breaks failed and they went through our fence and were very abruptly halted by the presence of a very large oak tree! blew their back window completely out! i have pictures, but they aren't on the computer yet. will add those as soon as i can. (ok, as you can see, they are on here now! lol) tow truck is extracting the van now. the guy says he'll start working on our fence tomorrow. *sigh* here's the FULL story... ready for this??? the van was in the guys garage... he went to start it, and the battery was dead... so he decides he is going to push the van out of the garage and into the driveway so he can have someone give him a jumpstart. that's a cool plan... except for the fact that the driveway is on a slight hill, AND he did this all by himself! you guessed it! the van rolled out of his reach, down the driveway, across the street, jumped the curb, went through our fence and hit one of our oak trees! oh boy!

totally love it!

i finished my item in the 10 item swap challenge and i totally love the finished product! i'm really sorry that i don't get to keep it, but am hoping that it will be liked by it's recipiant! here are a few pics...



what do you think? i love it, hope my partner in the swap likes it too!

Mental-pause???

oooooooooo-----kkkkkkkkk------- my brain has taken yet another "mentalpause" moment... i cleared my schedule this afternoon so i could go to my dr's appt... you know, the yearly "blah, blah, blah... how are you feeling... blah, blah, blah... we need to work on that cholesterol... blah, blah, blah... are you getting enough rest and exercise?... blah, blah, blah... here, change into this gown... " yeh, that! lol so, i get there, ACTUALLY find a parking spot that i don't have to hike five miles from, and i walk in the office door AND i'm 5 minutes EARLY! yeh, me! go figure! i sit there and read my book... after what seems like AGES the receptionist calls my name and says... "ummmm, your appt isn't until next thursday..." as she looks at me rather curiously. ok, yeh, i'm a complete and utter dork! lol i look in my date book (because yes, i totally had to resort to using one!) and sure enough... there it is! NEXT THURSDAY! but i also, for some unknown reason, had it under todays date too! *sigh* oh well, it gave me a chance to get out of the house and... well, just "be"! lol now i'm home and back to normal stuff... more insanity! i think i'll take my granddaughter swimming before i have to cook dinner...

Creativity is FLOWING!

oh my goodness! i received my pkg in the mail for the 10 item swap challenge i am participating in... and oh wow! i'm so excited! my partner sent such wonderful items and immediately i could picture in my mind what i wanted to do! things just fell right together and i was able to pull all the pieces i needed... i used things that i had gotten a few years ago and i remember thinking at the time "i don't know what i'll use that for, but i'll use it for something! i know i will!" lol and i did! i'm so psyched! i will be getting some pics of the finished project later today and i'll have to post some. i can't wait for opinions! ok, it's off to the mundane world of housework for me, at least for a little while!

sunburns and dotee dolls...

i made my first "dotee doll" last night to practice for an art swap thing i will be participating in. i had so much fun! i know she's not the best in the world, but i think she turned out rather well! i'm going to be sending her to my neice jenna. here's a picture of her:



SUNBURN! ACK! lol yep! first one of the season! didn't even think about it. over the top of my shoulders/upper back and my neck. not like blistering or anything, but definately red and it was radiating heat last night! i just got a little bit of pink on my face, just enough to see that i have a little bit of color. i have to get my mind back into "summer" mode and make sure to put on sunblock! other than that, our first day with our pool was very enjoyable to say the least.

OMG! THE POOL FEELS SO GOOD!!!

well! let me tell you! i haven't felt this relaxed in i don't know when! spent an hour or so in the pool with my granddaughter and i just might get back in there later! if there was ever any doubt in my mind over getting a pool (which i'm not sure there was, but maybe) there isn't anymore! lol just lovely lazing around in the water, sunshine, slight breeze, cool water... oh the joy!

the only other thing i've accomplished today is making appts for the mom's dog and one of our cats at the groomer for monday. boy do they need it! badly! phrankie, our cat, is a persian and he has so much hair it's absolutely horrible for him in the summer! we usually get him a lion cut and then by winter it is grown out enough that he stays warm and by late spring he's ready for another cut! works out well. rudy, mom's dog, is just shaggy looking and that isn't right for any respectable cairn terrier... even if he is a bit too chunky! so we'll get them all spiffed up and pretty.

i'm doing my best to keep things organized so that i can really work in more art time for me and elena before she has to leave at the end of the month. i'm really enjoying spending creative time with her! tomorrow her best friend here in kansas city (just happen to be very good friends with her mom!) is coming over to have some outside pool time and some inside art time. i can't wait! the kids have so much fun together and they only get to see each other a couple times out of the year now that our son and his family have been stationed elsewhere. i do hope elena and laura stay in contact throughout their lives, that would be quite interesting.

ok, i'm off to more productive persuits. have to go switch out the laundry so people have clean towels to dry off with when they get out of the pool! bye for now!

oh this puppy!!!

boy oh boy! this puppy is something else! he is serious about his toys!
LOL check this out!!!



that sad blue thing is one of those stuffed dachshund looking toys from petsmart... it is bigger than he is! well, it WAS bigger than him! lol see all that white stuff all over the floor? no, i'm not just a bad housekeeper! that's all the stuffing! lol he was shaking it like he was an attack dog! lol we're going to print the picture and take it, the toy and the receipt showing when we bought it and go into petsmart! LOL let 'em put THAT on a commercial! LOL

Let's Get to Know Each Other And Play 20 Questions!

(Please copy and paste into your blog and leave a comment here with your blog url so i can see your answers too! thanks!)

1. What is your favorite Summer Drink(s)?
ice cold peach tea!

2. What is your favorite Summer Activity?
anything where i can stay inside where it's nice and cool!

3. If you could spend a lazy afternoon reading, what would be in your hands?
a good novel, fiction or nonfiction

4. What is your favorite type of craft/art medium?
ATC's and Altered Books

5. What is one art/craft supply you absolutely have been dying to have or try?
i want a full size paper cutter, you know the kind they had in school to cut papers? the butcher block base with the heavy metal handle/blade? i want one so bad!!!

6. What are your favorite colors in our 'rainbow sherbet' theme?
Pink, lime green, yellow, orange, aqua (or blue)pink, lime green, aqua

7. What is your favorite sweet treat?
reeces peanut butter cups

8. Are there any craft or art supplies you would NOT be interested in receiving?
no, not really! lol

9. What is your favorite song today?
True Blue by Cris Williamson

10. How do you 'pamper' yourself during the hot summer days?
hmmmmm... let's see... curling up somewhere cool with a good book when i can be totally alone and get lost in whatever i am reading.

11. Do you have any kidlets or pets?
4 human children, 3 human grandchildren, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 8 sugar gliders, 3 ratties, and one granddog!

12. What is your best potluck dish for summer get togethers?
green fluff!

13. If you could take a summer vacation anywhere, where would it be?
gosh! that would be a hard one to decide! i have no idea...

14. Describe your decorating style. Does that say anything about your personality?
comfy, casual but nice, i love rich deep colors like jewel tones

15. What are your initials?
R A G

16. Why do you like to join swaps?
because i love seeing how creative people can be and i always learn something new!

17. You have 25 dollars to spend just on you for a little treat. What do you buy? (you can list more than one thing)
i want you to go to the recycle room at the childrens museum! whoo hooo! you can get a couple shopping carts full of art supplies with that! how fun!

18. What's one craft supply or art supply you absolutely can not live without?
scissors!

19. Who's the last person you hugged?
my granddaughter elena

20. What's your favorite number and why?
i really don't have one... sometimes i pick 7, or 4, or 9... i really don't have a single favorite number.

we're on our way!!!

well, they brought home the pool yesterday... and the box sat in the garage while it stormed all night. lol but that's ok, everything can't happen all in one day. they just got back from picking up the sand to lay out under it. so we are definately on our way to swimming! well, maybe not swimming, but lounging in the water! lol i mean you can only do so much swimming when it is 15ft across and 4ft deep! lol but oh how nice it will be when the weather is hot and yucky! hopefully we can get it set up and started filling by tonight! we might be able to swim by the end of the week! lol