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

pool... no pool... pool???

ok, the big question is.... will they come home with a pool this time??? lol we'll see! we are all anxiously waiting with bathing suits in hand! lol well, ok, not literally, but you know what i mean!

i've spent the day purging and storing... out with stuff we don't want/need anymore... calling the DAV tomorrow to pick it all up... and all the heavy winter clothes and coats get put in the spare closet until we need them again. i'm also reorganizing the hall linen closet. i've got the brilliant, although probably already thought of by someone else, idea to put a complete set of spare sheets for each bed in the room the bed is in! it was one of those "duh!" moments! lol what a concept huh? this also helped me figure out exactly how many mismatched sheets i have! those will go into the quilting pile! this leaves a much easier to maintain/use linen closet for towels and such! yay! love it!

we continue to make ground daily in the puppy housebreaking department. sarge is doing soooo good! and he continues to be his adorable little self too!

ok, time to go feed the grandchild! until later! keep creating!

no pool yet...

ok, it's sunday and there's no pool yet. they have to go back with a truck to pick it up, it won't fit in the car! lol
i worked on some of my altered book stuff last night, it's a bit hard with a 3 yr old around, but "slow and steady wins the race" right? let's hope so! i really love some of the stuff i found, can't wait to see how it turns out.
we are really enjoying our new puppy. his name is sarge and he's a miniature dachshund. he is now 12 weeks old and such a good boy. here's a picture of him...

aint' he just adorable?! he's so short, his name tag drags the ground! lol he's so fun to watch romp around and he seems to be pretty smart. he has already learned how to play fetch with a ball and we've kennel trained him for at night and when we leave the house. as far as potty training goes, he's doing pretty darn good! he sleeps all night and he has started going to the door and whining when he has to go out. we have an accident here and there is we're busy and not paying attention, but for the most part, he's doing excellent!

well, i'm off to to do............... something! lol not sure what yet... later!

happy saturday! let's see what all is happening today?! well, this afternoon ann and the boys are going to buy an above ground pool! EVERYBODY is going to love that as the weather gets hotter! the boys are out raking leaves and making sure the backyard is nice and clean so they'll have time to just enjoy it later! lol

oh yeh! i decided to post some pictures of a layout i did in someone's altered book in the round robin that i'm participating in. tiffany said she likes daisies, bright colors, and polka dots... and this is what i created! it's a 2 page spread that is also a double fold-out. the 2 page spread says "when art is shared friendship blooms", then when you open it up, there is a saying about friendship that i came up with from using text from magazines, junk mail, etc.

the saying is:

"Think all friends are the same? A real best friend protects your secrets and hangs around on for all the everyday ups and downs, too. The very most wanted ones R not perfect but so close it scares you & are nowhere close to normal! The greatest friends really love to mix it up and can be wild just like you. what a fabulous thing! Together, things get interesting. Share the fun with a friend! The true magic is that even when you leave them, you never really do."

pretty cool huh??? i thought so! hope she likes it!

until next time... keep the creativity flowing!

rho

thank heavens for pizza delivery!

well, it's just been one of those days! busy busy busy from start to ... well... not quite finished yet! lol when it came time for dinner... and then past it... lol... and i hadn't figured out what to fix yet... i was very relieved when ann said to order pizza! lol extra yummy since i didn't have to cook! lol

the new puppy and 3 yr old elena are running this grandma ragged! lol but i love every minute of it and i wouldn't miss it for the world! i'm already dreading when elena has to go home, because i know it will be so many months before we get to see her again. while she is here, we are getting in as much arts/crafts time as possible. she totally loves it and so do i! along with her altered book and family scrapbook, we will be working on a special something for father's day!

i'm working on the layout in the book i currently have for the round robin altered book swap that i am a part of. we're also doing a 10 item mystery swap challenge! i'll make sure to post a pic of what i create with the 10 items that are sent to me. i'm having so much fun with this!

gosh, every weekend this month has something going on! this week i had to mail out the 10 item mystery swap items, next weekend we take our nephew back to ohio (he's been visiting after graduation), the following weekend is when i mail on the current altered book i'm working on in the round robin (and father's day), and the following week is when we drive our granddaughter to chicago to join her mom to visit her aunt and her grandmother who is visiting. busy busy busy! and i'm probably forgetting something in there somewhere! lol

well, off to slumberland for me... until next time...

long day, not much to say!

well, it's been a long day... and probably will be a long night since it's storming like crazy outside! ugh! i hate lightening and thunder storms! elena and i worked on a couple more pages in her book, i'll have to post the pics tomorrow. she's too funny! she can never get enough of cutting and gluing. i'm off to dreamland to dream creative dreams! goodnight all!

new altered artist in the family...

our 3 yr old granddaughter is visiting us right now, and i've been letting her play with the arts

and crafts stuff and she's been working on her first altered book! she's having a really good time. most of it is just cutting and pasting right now, but it's a beginning, and that's what counts! it makes me feel good that this is something that she might enjoy doing for years to come, and that we can share it. i thought i'd post some pics of her work so far. i think she's brilliant! don't you? lol

my funky valentine's day card...

Our son needed a Valentine's Card for his girlfriend and didn't want the usually lacy, pink, foofy card. I told him i would make one for him that would be much more in tune with her/his personality. i thought it came out rather well! what do you think???