I don't know what happened to my daily posts, but they seem to be dwindling. I don't know if that is good or bad, but it is what it is. Monday I stayed in my pj's all day. I worked from 7:00 to 11:00 editing and spent the afternoon puttering around. I did a little kitchen duty and cleaned up the aftermath of the latest crafting session on my studio table--that took me a couple of hours. It resembled damage from a natural disaster, but I rearranged while I cleaned, so that made me feel better. Ornery was really tired when he got home from work so we watched a movie to help him stay up until it got dark.
This morning I concurrently did five loads of laundry and edited another message, then decided it would be good to get dressed and get out of the house for a little while. It wasn't a pleasurable experience, but I did it for my sanity and for that I suppose it sufficed. I just really do like to be home and I really don't like to shop or drive--which means I rarely go unless I have to.
When I got home, I spent a couple of hours on the phone to a friend who lives out of town. She was telling me that even though I have never been to her house, I help her all the time to organize her things because she asks herself, "Would Tracy keep this or throw it away?" My sister tells me the same thing. I don't know if that is good or bad, either!
Mickie can't come for our craft date tomorrow, but I am thinking about taking the day off to play all by myself anyway. I have 13 ornaments complete, and I only need 10 for the exchange, but I have listed one online and have a few orders to fill, so I think I will continue working on those. I have seventeen more to embellish, and probably three or four times that many ideas.
Once we finish painting and decorating, I plan to edit in the mornings and create in the afternoons. My Pinterest boards are filling up with so many cool ideas that I don't know when I will get to them all. That website has certainly enlarged my horizons and perked up my creativity!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Weekend in Review: Restful
The only work I did on Saturday was fix breakfast and lunch. Ornery's mom came over and helped me put together a jigsaw puzzle while Ornery finished up the last bit of painting in the hall (about an hour including clean up) and cut more ornaments on his scroll saw. We visited with Mom from 10:00 until 4:00. After she left, we ate dinner out, then spent the evening together watching a couple of movies.
Sunday was similarly spent with leisurely coffee time followed by a late breakfast and a nap. We hung the posters in the hall. They look a little high, but we wanted to leave space for the words we plan to paint beneath them. They look SO nice on the green wall, and we both exclaim frequently how much we love the color! The tall one I did have hanging in the middle of these horizontal pictures is between the studio/bathroom alcove opening and the guest room door. We plan to put the big mirror on the other section of wall between the coat closet and the studio alcove--but that won't happen until we get ready to paint the living room.
They are a little more even this time than before. The reasons for this: Ornery taped the laser level onto his tripod and aimed it down the hall so we could line up the bottoms of the frames. We measured from the floor to hang the first one, then made a mark on the wall at the corner 12 inches away and used the level line to line up the bottoms. He also made a little cheater with a large (5 gallon size) paint stick and a screw. (I got the idea from this post) It was much easier with two people, too! Those frames are heavy and awkward so it was nice to not have to worry about dropping them. (and BONUS, we didn't have to make more than one hole per picture!)
Ornery started working on the scrap bin we designed last weekend. I helped a little with that since the first cut was from a full 4'X8' sheet of plywood. He loves his new table saw, but he is working through a learning curve, as expected. I am glad his first project is the scrap bin because it doesn't matter if he cuts perfectly straight. The main thing he was forgetting is the width of the blade and how that affects the end measurement.
While he was out in the man cave, I was in my studio creating more cute little ornaments.
I have them hanging on the bulletin board by my desk. The four on the bottom and the far right airplane design on the second row are the new ones added today. I have one with map and a stamp on it that I haven't decided how to embellish. I am stopping early so I can get ready to meet the family at Olive Garden for dinner to celebrate Ornery's sister's 44th birthday.
It was nice to have a couple of days off, and as we get closer to completing the work on the house, I think we will take more and more weekends to relax. I am going to try to paint the alcoves and guest room myself--I'll need Ornery to do a little cut work--during the week so our weekends will be more free. I am itching to start going to some garage sales to look for crafting supplies and fun things to use around the house.
I just have four messages left to complete this eBook, and only four days this week to work on it. It has worked out pretty well to work on the editing in the morning and do other things in the afternoon. Mickie is back in town, and we will be crafting all day on Wednesday. I am looking forward to that!
Sunday was similarly spent with leisurely coffee time followed by a late breakfast and a nap. We hung the posters in the hall. They look a little high, but we wanted to leave space for the words we plan to paint beneath them. They look SO nice on the green wall, and we both exclaim frequently how much we love the color! The tall one I did have hanging in the middle of these horizontal pictures is between the studio/bathroom alcove opening and the guest room door. We plan to put the big mirror on the other section of wall between the coat closet and the studio alcove--but that won't happen until we get ready to paint the living room.
They are a little more even this time than before. The reasons for this: Ornery taped the laser level onto his tripod and aimed it down the hall so we could line up the bottoms of the frames. We measured from the floor to hang the first one, then made a mark on the wall at the corner 12 inches away and used the level line to line up the bottoms. He also made a little cheater with a large (5 gallon size) paint stick and a screw. (I got the idea from this post) It was much easier with two people, too! Those frames are heavy and awkward so it was nice to not have to worry about dropping them. (and BONUS, we didn't have to make more than one hole per picture!)
Ornery started working on the scrap bin we designed last weekend. I helped a little with that since the first cut was from a full 4'X8' sheet of plywood. He loves his new table saw, but he is working through a learning curve, as expected. I am glad his first project is the scrap bin because it doesn't matter if he cuts perfectly straight. The main thing he was forgetting is the width of the blade and how that affects the end measurement.
While he was out in the man cave, I was in my studio creating more cute little ornaments.
It was nice to have a couple of days off, and as we get closer to completing the work on the house, I think we will take more and more weekends to relax. I am going to try to paint the alcoves and guest room myself--I'll need Ornery to do a little cut work--during the week so our weekends will be more free. I am itching to start going to some garage sales to look for crafting supplies and fun things to use around the house.
I just have four messages left to complete this eBook, and only four days this week to work on it. It has worked out pretty well to work on the editing in the morning and do other things in the afternoon. Mickie is back in town, and we will be crafting all day on Wednesday. I am looking forward to that!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
New Dining Pictures
Here are a couple pictures from the new arrangement of the dining room. There is still more work to do on the decorating front, but this is a good start!
This was taken before we painted. It shows the curio and little oak shelves on the wall.
This picture is from just after we painted. We had the antique cupboard on the bedroom wall, no leaf in the table, disassembled light fixture and the curio next to the living room.
This is a view of the whole thing from the hall just outside the kitchen doorway with the new arrangement. See? The light is fixed! That little wall to the left of the door is where the clock dishes will hang in their new frame. (I'll post when finished!)
The three little pictures I put together are hanging on the right side of the curio. I decided not to put the three little oak shelves back up on the wall, so the cabinet is a little more full now since I put several things that were on the shelves inside. I don't know about the white table cloth and candles on the table, but I was just using what I already had. It could really use a fall arrangement, don't you think?
Here is the antique cupboard in its new spot. I painted (although not very well) the basket that is on the top, and you can see the newly adorned birdcage all lit up! I should probably change out the Christmas wrapping paper I have lining the shelves in the cupboard, huh?
Finally, a close up of the cute little cage. I think I will see if I can find some bittersweet sprigs to poke inside. I think it needs a little something. I guess my projects are always works in progress!
So close
It took all day to edit one message yesterday, but I am now at 40% finished. In the evening I finished off the birdcage and Ornery helped me move the curio and antique cupboard to their new homes. He also worked on cut-work to finish off the green and all but one side of the hall of the white. Tonight he will roll the last coat on the ceiling and finish it up. I am so ready to put away the drop cloths and clean up the mess!
Today:
I will post photos as soon as I get it put together, but I will wait on photographing the hall until I get it all finished. I know the pictures will be beautiful against the green walls, and can hardly wait to get them hung. I think this time, however, I will wait until I have some help to hang them so I don't make so many calculation errors. There were several extra holes in the wall when we took them down to paint. Oops. It will also take us a while to get the words painted on, but I think well worth the time and work!
Almost to the weekend!!
Today:
- Edit message #5
- Put all the glass back into the curio
- Vacuum and spot clean the carpet in the dining room
- Put the leaf back in the table
- Iron the table cloth and set the table up with runner and new place mats
- Sand and paint the frame for clock dishes
I will post photos as soon as I get it put together, but I will wait on photographing the hall until I get it all finished. I know the pictures will be beautiful against the green walls, and can hardly wait to get them hung. I think this time, however, I will wait until I have some help to hang them so I don't make so many calculation errors. There were several extra holes in the wall when we took them down to paint. Oops. It will also take us a while to get the words painted on, but I think well worth the time and work!
Almost to the weekend!!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Work and Ideas
Yesterday was a very good day for me. Ornery and I both saw the chiropractor and he gave me a good report. I told him I thought the improvement was from a few dietary changes (no pork or chocolate and cut back on salt and sugar for almost two weeks!) and adding lemon juice to my water. He was skeptical and gave me a hard time about it. :) Whatever the reason, it was a nice change. Ornery is apparently getting some better, but not so as you would notice from the outside. He went back on the natural steroids yesterday. I started him on some coconut oil as a topical treatment--we'll see how that works.
After that, I came home and started right in on the next message for the eBook. (three down, seven to go!) I finished it at about 1:30, then ran over to the hair salon to pick up some curl fixative, for lack of a better description. My stylist had time right then to trim my hair, so I got that done as well. Then I stopped by Michael's to use an exchange/gift card that had been in my wallet for a few months. I don't know if they ever expire, but it would be a shame if I lost that $7.49 due to lack of use! I picked up some more Smooch (spray glitz) which has been one of my favorite products of late, and a couple small stippling brushes--also a well loved tool. I was so excited to see the Smooch there--they had several colors--as I was starting to get nervous about running out. I can't remember where I bought it the first time, but I haven't seen it in any store for many months.
In the evening, while Ornery worked on the tedious job of painting along the edges of the ceiling, I took my birdcage out in the back yard and painted it lobster red. It was still quite sticky when I went to bed, so I left it on the back porch to dry a little more. Considering the high humidity in the air, I was surprised to see it had dried well overnight. I will work on it later today and see if I can make it into something interesting to put on top of the antique (Hoosier) cupboard.
Today, I will edit another message and work on the birdcage. I also plan to sand the frame Ornery made and paint it black. That is the last of the home decor projects I have started, but I have been finding all sorts of ideas on Pinterest that I might try to make. I bought some stretched canvases last week at Hobby Lobby and have been trying to decide just what sort of medium I want to use on them--mixed media? acrylic paints?--and the design or picture I want to make. There are so many options, and I am very new to that form of art. I figure the first one or two will be "wasted" as in they won't be good enough to go on the walls, but once I get into my stride, I think I will be able to create something I will be proud to hang up.
Before I get too immersed in that, I plan to finish off the rest of the ornaments I have started. I received a request for three custom designs last night, but I won't make them until I find out which color schemes she wants. Ornery has been too busy taking care of the house (mowing and painting) to get the next set of ornaments cut out, so I may have to wait a week or two to work on them. I also have a whole box of books I have some scroll sawing in mind for... So many projects, so little time!
I think we will take a couple of weeks off from the painting once we finish the hall. We are still deliberating on the ceiling color for the living room, and it would be a pain to go back and do it later. Of all the walls we don't want to have to redo, the ceiling is at the top of the list. I would like to finish off the projects we have started before launching into another--no matter how badly I dislike the wall color of the living room!
After that, I came home and started right in on the next message for the eBook. (three down, seven to go!) I finished it at about 1:30, then ran over to the hair salon to pick up some curl fixative, for lack of a better description. My stylist had time right then to trim my hair, so I got that done as well. Then I stopped by Michael's to use an exchange/gift card that had been in my wallet for a few months. I don't know if they ever expire, but it would be a shame if I lost that $7.49 due to lack of use! I picked up some more Smooch (spray glitz) which has been one of my favorite products of late, and a couple small stippling brushes--also a well loved tool. I was so excited to see the Smooch there--they had several colors--as I was starting to get nervous about running out. I can't remember where I bought it the first time, but I haven't seen it in any store for many months.
In the evening, while Ornery worked on the tedious job of painting along the edges of the ceiling, I took my birdcage out in the back yard and painted it lobster red. It was still quite sticky when I went to bed, so I left it on the back porch to dry a little more. Considering the high humidity in the air, I was surprised to see it had dried well overnight. I will work on it later today and see if I can make it into something interesting to put on top of the antique (Hoosier) cupboard.
Today, I will edit another message and work on the birdcage. I also plan to sand the frame Ornery made and paint it black. That is the last of the home decor projects I have started, but I have been finding all sorts of ideas on Pinterest that I might try to make. I bought some stretched canvases last week at Hobby Lobby and have been trying to decide just what sort of medium I want to use on them--mixed media? acrylic paints?--and the design or picture I want to make. There are so many options, and I am very new to that form of art. I figure the first one or two will be "wasted" as in they won't be good enough to go on the walls, but once I get into my stride, I think I will be able to create something I will be proud to hang up.
Before I get too immersed in that, I plan to finish off the rest of the ornaments I have started. I received a request for three custom designs last night, but I won't make them until I find out which color schemes she wants. Ornery has been too busy taking care of the house (mowing and painting) to get the next set of ornaments cut out, so I may have to wait a week or two to work on them. I also have a whole box of books I have some scroll sawing in mind for... So many projects, so little time!
I think we will take a couple of weeks off from the painting once we finish the hall. We are still deliberating on the ceiling color for the living room, and it would be a pain to go back and do it later. Of all the walls we don't want to have to redo, the ceiling is at the top of the list. I would like to finish off the projects we have started before launching into another--no matter how badly I dislike the wall color of the living room!
Monday, August 22, 2011
A Good Monday
Despite working hard all weekend, we managed to wake up fairly chipper this morning. I spent the morning editing the second message for the eBook project I have been working on. If I am to get it done in a month, which was my original plan, I will have to do one message a day for the next eight days, and spend the last two doing a final edit. It is a slow process. I don't know whether or not I will make my one month deadline, but I am going to give it a try.
I spent the afternoon cleaning out the refrigerator, taking care of food (burning soup, etc.), doing laundry and finishing up the last of the pleated paper flowers I started over a month ago. I had a short chat online with my sister and wrote/sent out four birthday cards to various relatives--one was late, one is barely on time, the other two early. Oh, well. I don't suppose most people really care since they are generally unexpected anyway.
After Ornery got home, he ran over to Lowe's for another gallon of ceiling paint while I fixed dinner. After we ate, he mowed the lawn. It has gotten quite lush with the nice rain we have had over the last week or two. At least he had nice weather for it--the high never reached 90 today!
Tomorrow I hope to get another message edited in the morning, then do a little bit of house cleaning in the afternoon. If I work on a craft project, it will be the bird cage. I can't wait to see if the vision I have of it in my head will equal the finished product. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't!
I spent the afternoon cleaning out the refrigerator, taking care of food (burning soup, etc.), doing laundry and finishing up the last of the pleated paper flowers I started over a month ago. I had a short chat online with my sister and wrote/sent out four birthday cards to various relatives--one was late, one is barely on time, the other two early. Oh, well. I don't suppose most people really care since they are generally unexpected anyway.
After Ornery got home, he ran over to Lowe's for another gallon of ceiling paint while I fixed dinner. After we ate, he mowed the lawn. It has gotten quite lush with the nice rain we have had over the last week or two. At least he had nice weather for it--the high never reached 90 today!
Tomorrow I hope to get another message edited in the morning, then do a little bit of house cleaning in the afternoon. If I work on a craft project, it will be the bird cage. I can't wait to see if the vision I have of it in my head will equal the finished product. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Weekend in Review: Greening the hall
We got a late start Saturday morning by having breakfast at Mimi's cafe (ran out of eggs, Ornery can't have sugar or yeast so no Panera) at 8:00. By the time we had finished eating, we had drawn out the plans for a scrap bin, which will be Ornery's first table saw project. From there we went to Hobby Lobby to buy a few things for an idea I have for an old birdcage Mickie gave me, then to Lowe's for supplies for both projects.
While we were at Lowe's I picked up the book I had been eyeing for several months about painting with color. The rooms in it are so vibrant and alive! It gave me several ideas, and after seeing all the green in the big area of the house, Ornery said he might be re-thinking the green bathroom we had planned. Nothing is ever set in stone when it comes to paint on the walls--not even after it is done! We will experiment with some other ideas for both the living room ceiling and our bathroom.
We didn't get home until 11:00. We puttered around for a little bit, then took a nap. After lunch we finally started getting the hall ready for painting, and actually began application at 3:00. I got all but a small area of the walls painted with the roller and Ornery got one coat on the ceiling. No cut work except a short run along the ceiling--that is the time eater. We didn't work at it for too long--until about 5:30--then stopped for the day. We grilled burgers (no buns) and had them with sliced tomatoes and potato salad for dinner, then had a bath/shower and listened to the sermon online.
This morning, we got a little earlier start, although Ornery was really unmotivated to get back at it. We worked pretty steadily through the morning, with a quick Lowe's run thrown in for Ornery to pick up some more paint for me. I finished rolling the green (most of it needed two coats, so it took longer than I thought it would) and did a little trim work. Then I printed out the words we will be painting on the hall wall and did all the calculations to figure out where to begin and how much space will be required, how high to put it on the wall, etc. It was quite a bit more math than I am accustomed to using! It seems I have been doing quite a bit of drawing of plans and calculating this weekend!
For the words, I have paraphrased two verses from John, 3:17 and 10:10. The words will run along the hall wall just beneath the framed posters of macro-photographed flowers. It will say:
The studio table was quite a disaster with five or six projects in progress on it, so I took a little time to clear that off so Ornery could set up for taking some photos of the ornaments I made last week. While I was at it I decorated a Z with some paper flowers I made a few weeks ago, filled the holes on the frame Ornery built for my clock dishes, and drew the pattern onto four more pieces of wood for him to cut some more little stockings out later in the week.
I am thinking about making several different styles of Z wall ornaments and hanging them outside our room. :)
Once that was done (Ornery ran out of the ceiling paint and was working on the green cut work) I painted for a few minutes while he set up for my photo shoot. (Post is here) Then he primed my birdcage for me. I was all set to do it when he offered. Sweet guy (or else he is afraid something might be ruined by the over spray...)
Now I am off to do some laundry and figure out what to fix for dinner. It has been a fun and busy weekend, but we got a lot accomplished, even if we didn't finish all we set out to do.
While we were at Lowe's I picked up the book I had been eyeing for several months about painting with color. The rooms in it are so vibrant and alive! It gave me several ideas, and after seeing all the green in the big area of the house, Ornery said he might be re-thinking the green bathroom we had planned. Nothing is ever set in stone when it comes to paint on the walls--not even after it is done! We will experiment with some other ideas for both the living room ceiling and our bathroom.
We didn't get home until 11:00. We puttered around for a little bit, then took a nap. After lunch we finally started getting the hall ready for painting, and actually began application at 3:00. I got all but a small area of the walls painted with the roller and Ornery got one coat on the ceiling. No cut work except a short run along the ceiling--that is the time eater. We didn't work at it for too long--until about 5:30--then stopped for the day. We grilled burgers (no buns) and had them with sliced tomatoes and potato salad for dinner, then had a bath/shower and listened to the sermon online.
This morning, we got a little earlier start, although Ornery was really unmotivated to get back at it. We worked pretty steadily through the morning, with a quick Lowe's run thrown in for Ornery to pick up some more paint for me. I finished rolling the green (most of it needed two coats, so it took longer than I thought it would) and did a little trim work. Then I printed out the words we will be painting on the hall wall and did all the calculations to figure out where to begin and how much space will be required, how high to put it on the wall, etc. It was quite a bit more math than I am accustomed to using! It seems I have been doing quite a bit of drawing of plans and calculating this weekend!
For the words, I have paraphrased two verses from John, 3:17 and 10:10. The words will run along the hall wall just beneath the framed posters of macro-photographed flowers. It will say:
God did not send His son to condemn the world... Jesus came so we can have real and eternal life: more and better life than we ever dreamed of.The font I chose is called Organic Elements, and it is really pretty. I just hope we can get it on the wall as cleanly as it needs to be to look good. We decided to use a deep red/orange color for the words--at least that is the plan for now. We will decide how it looks once we get it up there.
The studio table was quite a disaster with five or six projects in progress on it, so I took a little time to clear that off so Ornery could set up for taking some photos of the ornaments I made last week. While I was at it I decorated a Z with some paper flowers I made a few weeks ago, filled the holes on the frame Ornery built for my clock dishes, and drew the pattern onto four more pieces of wood for him to cut some more little stockings out later in the week.
Once that was done (Ornery ran out of the ceiling paint and was working on the green cut work) I painted for a few minutes while he set up for my photo shoot. (Post is here) Then he primed my birdcage for me. I was all set to do it when he offered. Sweet guy (or else he is afraid something might be ruined by the over spray...)
Now I am off to do some laundry and figure out what to fix for dinner. It has been a fun and busy weekend, but we got a lot accomplished, even if we didn't finish all we set out to do.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Winding down summer
It has gotten hot again--over 100 degrees-- and forecast says it will continue that way for a few more days at least. :P Can we be all done with summer? We have made national news with our heat wave this summer. I think I prefer anonymity!
Yesterday I had my hair permed. It took three hours, but I am very curly! I like it with the highlights that are still in it. I can't tell whether or not Ornery likes it--it is pretty wild right now because we didn't style it. After I left the salon, I stopped by Chipotle for some lunch, but there weren't any tables open, so I took my burrito bowl to the scrapbook store and chatted with my friends there while I ate--and then stayed there for the rest of the afternoon!
While I was there, I had a conversation with a woman who is planning to open up a scrapbooking retreat on a ten acre plot of ground they own. She asked me if I would be interested in coming to help her organize all her stuff once they get it done. It was a very exciting offer, but I have no idea how long before she is ready for me to do it, so I don't want to get my hopes up about it so far out. They haven't even broken ground yet, so it will be quite some time--at the earliest next spring.
Last night, Ornery hung my ribbon rack and I filled it back up with all the colorful ribbon bolts. Ahh. Much better. Then we discussed our plan of action since we tend to not want to do any painting in the evenings. We decided we will paint on the weekends and craft in the evenings during the week, otherwise Ornery would never leave his shop, especially since he just bought a table saw today. He found a Bosch portable table saw with a stand on Craigslist for just over 1/2 the price of the same saw new at Lowe's. He had been watching for one for several weeks, and had done a LOT of research to find out which saws were best for the money, etc. I think the only other big tool he still has left to buy is a drill press to outfit his shop. Hopefully that can wait until after Christmas...and maybe by then we will figure out where to put it! That side of the garage is pretty full already!
Today I worked some more on my ornaments. I'll see about taking some photos this weekend and posting them on the design blog. I am very pleased with how they are turning out. I have ten complete now, which is the amount I need for the exchange so far. I am not sure I will use all these for the exchange though. I need a few for Christmas gifts and I plan to list several to sell on my etsy shop. I still have six left to decorate, and I think I will see if Ornery can cut another 16 for me next week sometime. I am sure having a lot of fun with them.
I know several people who are going out of town this weekend--the last hurrah before the end of summer. Several schools have already started class around here, and the few that haven't started yet will commence next week. I am so glad I don't have to worry about that anymore!
Yesterday I had my hair permed. It took three hours, but I am very curly! I like it with the highlights that are still in it. I can't tell whether or not Ornery likes it--it is pretty wild right now because we didn't style it. After I left the salon, I stopped by Chipotle for some lunch, but there weren't any tables open, so I took my burrito bowl to the scrapbook store and chatted with my friends there while I ate--and then stayed there for the rest of the afternoon!
While I was there, I had a conversation with a woman who is planning to open up a scrapbooking retreat on a ten acre plot of ground they own. She asked me if I would be interested in coming to help her organize all her stuff once they get it done. It was a very exciting offer, but I have no idea how long before she is ready for me to do it, so I don't want to get my hopes up about it so far out. They haven't even broken ground yet, so it will be quite some time--at the earliest next spring.
Last night, Ornery hung my ribbon rack and I filled it back up with all the colorful ribbon bolts. Ahh. Much better. Then we discussed our plan of action since we tend to not want to do any painting in the evenings. We decided we will paint on the weekends and craft in the evenings during the week, otherwise Ornery would never leave his shop, especially since he just bought a table saw today. He found a Bosch portable table saw with a stand on Craigslist for just over 1/2 the price of the same saw new at Lowe's. He had been watching for one for several weeks, and had done a LOT of research to find out which saws were best for the money, etc. I think the only other big tool he still has left to buy is a drill press to outfit his shop. Hopefully that can wait until after Christmas...and maybe by then we will figure out where to put it! That side of the garage is pretty full already!
Today I worked some more on my ornaments. I'll see about taking some photos this weekend and posting them on the design blog. I am very pleased with how they are turning out. I have ten complete now, which is the amount I need for the exchange so far. I am not sure I will use all these for the exchange though. I need a few for Christmas gifts and I plan to list several to sell on my etsy shop. I still have six left to decorate, and I think I will see if Ornery can cut another 16 for me next week sometime. I am sure having a lot of fun with them.
I know several people who are going out of town this weekend--the last hurrah before the end of summer. Several schools have already started class around here, and the few that haven't started yet will commence next week. I am so glad I don't have to worry about that anymore!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Hair and There
This week is winding down, and while it started out with a bang, it is sort of ending with a fizzle. Today, after a stop at the bank and post office, I am off to have my hairs bent. (I like the sound of that better than getting a perm) It has grown out longer than I can ever recall wearing it, although Ornery says he thinks it was this long in college. It catches on all sorts of things and is most generally in the way, but Ornery seems to like it longer, so I will wear it that way for him, even if most of the time it is up in a clip!
If I am going to wear it long I prefer to have it curly rather than straight and stringy, and my last perm is pretty much gone. I have decided to let the color go back to natural and see what I have, although natural color is relative when you have a perm since the solution lightens it up a lot. Maybe that will help to hide the gray.
'Nuf about hair. The ornaments I made yesterday are really cute. Each one is uniquely decorated, and I am having almost as much fun making them as I did last year making all those dominoes. I am not going to post photos of all of them until later, but here is a sneak peek...
The photo is from my phone, so not too great, and this ornament is unique in that it doesn't have any Christmas colors or designs on it, but you can see what I am making. Ornery cut the shapes out from a drawing I made, then I painted the backs white and am embellishing each one with various combinations of scrapbooking papers. I got seven completed yesterday out of sixteen that he has cut so far. I am pretty sure I will be making more for my etsy shop once I have all I need for the exchange and gifts. For now they are hanging on the bulletin board next to my desk. I am enjoying seeing them in all their funky glory. :)
Last night Ornery finished making the frame for my little clock plates, and also put the last coat of paint on the ribbon rack. Hopefully tonight he will hang it for me and I can put everything back on it. I am responsible for painting the frame, and hope to get to that in the next day or two. I have really fallen behind (already!) on my editing project, and it doesn't look like I will be any less busy the rest of the month. It is nice to have options, and since I have so many irons in the fire, I obviously have a plethora of options!
If I am going to wear it long I prefer to have it curly rather than straight and stringy, and my last perm is pretty much gone. I have decided to let the color go back to natural and see what I have, although natural color is relative when you have a perm since the solution lightens it up a lot. Maybe that will help to hide the gray.
'Nuf about hair. The ornaments I made yesterday are really cute. Each one is uniquely decorated, and I am having almost as much fun making them as I did last year making all those dominoes. I am not going to post photos of all of them until later, but here is a sneak peek...
The photo is from my phone, so not too great, and this ornament is unique in that it doesn't have any Christmas colors or designs on it, but you can see what I am making. Ornery cut the shapes out from a drawing I made, then I painted the backs white and am embellishing each one with various combinations of scrapbooking papers. I got seven completed yesterday out of sixteen that he has cut so far. I am pretty sure I will be making more for my etsy shop once I have all I need for the exchange and gifts. For now they are hanging on the bulletin board next to my desk. I am enjoying seeing them in all their funky glory. :)
Last night Ornery finished making the frame for my little clock plates, and also put the last coat of paint on the ribbon rack. Hopefully tonight he will hang it for me and I can put everything back on it. I am responsible for painting the frame, and hope to get to that in the next day or two. I have really fallen behind (already!) on my editing project, and it doesn't look like I will be any less busy the rest of the month. It is nice to have options, and since I have so many irons in the fire, I obviously have a plethora of options!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Up and down
Monday night, Ornery fixed the light in the dining room--the chain and cord were too long and needed to be shortened to get rid of the ugly patch job the previous owners had rigged. It was not a quick job, either, and I think he might have regretted taking it on, at least on a week night. While he worked on that, I vacuumed all the floors in the main part of the house and cleaned the kitchen floor. Somehow or another I managed to just keep going (Energizer bunny-like) until my whole list was finished. It took me until 8:00 PM to do it all, but what a feeling of accomplishment!
Apparently all that work on Monday wore me out and made me totally worthless on Tuesday! I had gotten an email from an etsy customer stating that her package was returned to sender because it had the wrong address on it...the address she gave me! I had the tracking number on the package, but apparently once it was dropped off at the address on the package, it dropped off the USPS radar as well. Now I just have to wait to see if it comes back. I spent a lot of time fretting and researching, of course to no good end.
Ornery went to the doctor again for his finger yesterday morning. It has been two months of soaking, doctoring and medicating, and it is still not healed. So, Dr. G upped the dosage of a tincture he is taking, and took him off sugar, dairy and yeast because apparently there is a rather virulent strain of fungus on a rampage in his body causing him the problems. It isn't too hard to go without yeast since we don't eat much bread, but the cooking without sugar and dairy are giving me more of a challenge. Almost everything on my menu plan (hence the groceries I bought) has some milk, cheese or sour cream or something like that in it, and no sugar means no fruit as well, so that knocked out a lot of other things. Poor Ornery had to have his coffee without 1/2 and 1/2. It's good we have stevia instead of using sugar to sweeten it, or he would have had to choose another sort of pick-me-up! Today I fried potatoes and onions in coconut oil and scrambled eggs for breakfast, made tuna salad on tomato slices for lunch and I plan to fix chimis (no cheese) for dinner. I hope this narrow diet doesn't last too long, although we would probably be a lot healthier and thinner if it was a permanent lifestyle change!
Last night after dinner, I started working on the ornaments for the exchange. Ornery had cut them out over the weekend, and I sanded and painted the backs of 8 of them white. Then I covered a few in some fun Christmas papers and embellished one ornament. I don't know that it is completely finished, but it is well on its way. So far, so good.
Today Mickie comes for our craft date, and I plan on working on them some more. I know she will give me lots of good ideas. She is going to be gone for a couple of weeks and I will sure miss her! Between her visits/encouragement, and my many hours spent perusing Pinterest my desire to craft has been rekindled.
I am also expecting a couple of other visitors today, so it should be a busy day. Guess I had better go shower and get ready for it!
Apparently all that work on Monday wore me out and made me totally worthless on Tuesday! I had gotten an email from an etsy customer stating that her package was returned to sender because it had the wrong address on it...the address she gave me! I had the tracking number on the package, but apparently once it was dropped off at the address on the package, it dropped off the USPS radar as well. Now I just have to wait to see if it comes back. I spent a lot of time fretting and researching, of course to no good end.
Ornery went to the doctor again for his finger yesterday morning. It has been two months of soaking, doctoring and medicating, and it is still not healed. So, Dr. G upped the dosage of a tincture he is taking, and took him off sugar, dairy and yeast because apparently there is a rather virulent strain of fungus on a rampage in his body causing him the problems. It isn't too hard to go without yeast since we don't eat much bread, but the cooking without sugar and dairy are giving me more of a challenge. Almost everything on my menu plan (hence the groceries I bought) has some milk, cheese or sour cream or something like that in it, and no sugar means no fruit as well, so that knocked out a lot of other things. Poor Ornery had to have his coffee without 1/2 and 1/2. It's good we have stevia instead of using sugar to sweeten it, or he would have had to choose another sort of pick-me-up! Today I fried potatoes and onions in coconut oil and scrambled eggs for breakfast, made tuna salad on tomato slices for lunch and I plan to fix chimis (no cheese) for dinner. I hope this narrow diet doesn't last too long, although we would probably be a lot healthier and thinner if it was a permanent lifestyle change!
Last night after dinner, I started working on the ornaments for the exchange. Ornery had cut them out over the weekend, and I sanded and painted the backs of 8 of them white. Then I covered a few in some fun Christmas papers and embellished one ornament. I don't know that it is completely finished, but it is well on its way. So far, so good.
Today Mickie comes for our craft date, and I plan on working on them some more. I know she will give me lots of good ideas. She is going to be gone for a couple of weeks and I will sure miss her! Between her visits/encouragement, and my many hours spent perusing Pinterest my desire to craft has been rekindled.
I am also expecting a couple of other visitors today, so it should be a busy day. Guess I had better go shower and get ready for it!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Not a baby anymore
Thirty one years ago today I became a mom for the first time. Yesterday as I sat reflecting about those last twenty-four hours before Elizabeth was born, I realized several things.
- We had some amazing couple friends back then.
- I was too young to be a mother
- I couldn't have imagined how the years would have unfolded
- I wouldn't wish for any other daughter
Happy birthday, Elizabeth--and may you enjoy health, peace and prosperity all the rest of your days. I love you.
Monday, August 15, 2011
That blur was me...
Whoo-eee! Welcome to a new week, and we are racing into it at the pace of a well oiled body on a super tall water slide!
I was all set to get back to the editing today, but just couldn't get all the other errands and chores out of my mind. The main thing I was really wanting to do was get organized. I have felt adrift for over five months and I don't like having so little discipline in my life. I realized that part of my problem was not having a working calendar at my disposal. I love those week-at-a-glance, full-sized planners that offer plenty of space to write appointments, to-do lists, and menu plans on the appropriate day/time. I tried to make it work with my phone and Gmail calendar, but I like to write things out in long hand with a mechanical pencil so I can erase and still keep things neat. (another bit of OCD peeking through?)
My first stop was Office Depot to buy some labels for my etsy packages (all I had left were pre-printed with my old address on them) and the aforementioned planner. Then, I took all my lists and my new green calendar and filled in the blanks over breakfast at Panera just down the sidewalk from Office Depot. From there I set about putting check marks by all the completed tasks--and there were many tasks to complete--Bank, Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club, Interstate Battery store, Whole Foods, Quik Trip (almost ran out of gas!) and home. My shopping list is satisfyingly full of crossed out items!
The laundry was my next chore, followed by putting away the groceries and starting some chicken in the crock pot. By this point, my back was aching pretty badly, so I took some OTC pain medication and sat down to reflect upon and update my planner. It is a nice little security blanket for me, and I am happy to be reunited with it again. After preparing dinner (hobo dinners), Ornery ran over to Lowe's to pick up a piece of molding for the frame he is making. Oops, he cut one of the angles wrong and had to redo that side. While he was gone, I started my iron-three-shirts-a-day plan, and finished off the laundry.
I only have a few things left to do today, but it is very reassuring to know that everything that needs to be taken care of will be recorded right there for me to see--and not forget (or neglect!)
edited to add: Ornery brought in the mail today after work and therein was an envelope full of missing insurance payment checks (they had been sent to our old address) and a very fun letter from my aunt in California. It was the a delightful surprise, to be sure! I LOVE days like that when the mail is not full of bills or junk!
I was all set to get back to the editing today, but just couldn't get all the other errands and chores out of my mind. The main thing I was really wanting to do was get organized. I have felt adrift for over five months and I don't like having so little discipline in my life. I realized that part of my problem was not having a working calendar at my disposal. I love those week-at-a-glance, full-sized planners that offer plenty of space to write appointments, to-do lists, and menu plans on the appropriate day/time. I tried to make it work with my phone and Gmail calendar, but I like to write things out in long hand with a mechanical pencil so I can erase and still keep things neat. (another bit of OCD peeking through?)
My first stop was Office Depot to buy some labels for my etsy packages (all I had left were pre-printed with my old address on them) and the aforementioned planner. Then, I took all my lists and my new green calendar and filled in the blanks over breakfast at Panera just down the sidewalk from Office Depot. From there I set about putting check marks by all the completed tasks--and there were many tasks to complete--Bank, Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club, Interstate Battery store, Whole Foods, Quik Trip (almost ran out of gas!) and home. My shopping list is satisfyingly full of crossed out items!
The laundry was my next chore, followed by putting away the groceries and starting some chicken in the crock pot. By this point, my back was aching pretty badly, so I took some OTC pain medication and sat down to reflect upon and update my planner. It is a nice little security blanket for me, and I am happy to be reunited with it again. After preparing dinner (hobo dinners), Ornery ran over to Lowe's to pick up a piece of molding for the frame he is making. Oops, he cut one of the angles wrong and had to redo that side. While he was gone, I started my iron-three-shirts-a-day plan, and finished off the laundry.
I only have a few things left to do today, but it is very reassuring to know that everything that needs to be taken care of will be recorded right there for me to see--and not forget (or neglect!)
edited to add: Ornery brought in the mail today after work and therein was an envelope full of missing insurance payment checks (they had been sent to our old address) and a very fun letter from my aunt in California. It was the a delightful surprise, to be sure! I LOVE days like that when the mail is not full of bills or junk!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Weekend in Review: Industrious!
Thursday when Elizabeth called, she said she was thinking about coming to town on Saturday to help me weed the front flower bed. Wow! I hadn't planned on working out there until it had cooled down a bit more, but I am not foolish enough to turn down free help! So, we met for breakfast at Panera at 7:00, then dropped her car off at the tire store nearby to have the wheels aligned. A short spin through Lowe's netted us several hundred dollars worth of perennials and shrubs for about $50. I am pretty sure shopping for that kind of thing at the end of the season is the best time for the budget. We got several things for $1, and nothing was over $10.
We worked off and on in the flower bed removing the overgrown creeping juniper and Bermuda grass until about 10:15. Then we decided we needed to have Ornery take us in Big Red on a run to a nearby town to buy some cotton seed hulls for mulch at a feed store that closed at noon. No point in cleaning everything up just to leave it open for weeds, right? We were gone about an hour and a half or so and by the time we got back it was pretty warm, so we only worked for a little while longer before Elizabeth went home and we took a nap. We cleaned out five bags of overgrowth, and were very glad for the rain softened ground!
Ornery wasn't working on the flower bed with us; he was cutting out the little wooden elf socks we will use for this year's ornament exchange. He was exhibiting symptoms of having scroll saw withdrawal, so we let him have his fun. After he had those finished, he started working on making his first ever frame to display a little set of clock-face dipping bowls I bought at Pottery Barn a couple of years ago when I was in Arizona. My friend Mickie inspired this project when I asked her how I could best display them. When I measured the dimensions needed for the display, we decided that a custom frame was needed, and she asked why Ornery didn't make it for me... He has not balked at all about all the woodworking projects I have been asking him to do!
Late in the day, Ornery mowed and edged the yard. This necessitated raking up about four bags of pine needles that had fallen during the massive heat wave/drought we just ended. He had a big day, Saturday!
Sunday morning as soon as we were done with breakfast, we trotted back out to finish off the front bed. Ornery manned the shovel on one end of the bed, and I puttered around on the other end planting, putting down pre-emergent and watering in some plant food. By the time we were too hot and tired to do any more, we had a total of 12 bags of grass, weeds, pine needles and branches piled at the curb for the garbage men to take away. We got all the plants in the ground, but still need to mulch. We are so out of shape!
After shower, lunch and a nap, I worked on menu and grocery list plans, laundry and a few other household chores. While we didn't get any painting done at all, I feel like it was a very productive weekend!
We worked off and on in the flower bed removing the overgrown creeping juniper and Bermuda grass until about 10:15. Then we decided we needed to have Ornery take us in Big Red on a run to a nearby town to buy some cotton seed hulls for mulch at a feed store that closed at noon. No point in cleaning everything up just to leave it open for weeds, right? We were gone about an hour and a half or so and by the time we got back it was pretty warm, so we only worked for a little while longer before Elizabeth went home and we took a nap. We cleaned out five bags of overgrowth, and were very glad for the rain softened ground!
Ornery wasn't working on the flower bed with us; he was cutting out the little wooden elf socks we will use for this year's ornament exchange. He was exhibiting symptoms of having scroll saw withdrawal, so we let him have his fun. After he had those finished, he started working on making his first ever frame to display a little set of clock-face dipping bowls I bought at Pottery Barn a couple of years ago when I was in Arizona. My friend Mickie inspired this project when I asked her how I could best display them. When I measured the dimensions needed for the display, we decided that a custom frame was needed, and she asked why Ornery didn't make it for me... He has not balked at all about all the woodworking projects I have been asking him to do!
Late in the day, Ornery mowed and edged the yard. This necessitated raking up about four bags of pine needles that had fallen during the massive heat wave/drought we just ended. He had a big day, Saturday!
Sunday morning as soon as we were done with breakfast, we trotted back out to finish off the front bed. Ornery manned the shovel on one end of the bed, and I puttered around on the other end planting, putting down pre-emergent and watering in some plant food. By the time we were too hot and tired to do any more, we had a total of 12 bags of grass, weeds, pine needles and branches piled at the curb for the garbage men to take away. We got all the plants in the ground, but still need to mulch. We are so out of shape!
After shower, lunch and a nap, I worked on menu and grocery list plans, laundry and a few other household chores. While we didn't get any painting done at all, I feel like it was a very productive weekend!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Not very productive
Today I spent almost the entire day on the computer. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest (you can follow me by clicking on the new button up in the right hand corner) and Etsy. At about 2:00 I decided I should be a little productive, so I put together a white shadow box with a map of England in it that I promised my niece who lives in New York and spent the summer in England. Then, with the map scraps I covered a tin and made a little note card to go with it. It would make a great little gift set for someone who likes to travel in the British Isles, especially if you put a gift card or two inside the tin! Here is the listing in my etsy shop...
A little ridiculous
Ornery has a fairly good sized collection of Life Is Good t-shirts and on Friday he usually wears one to work with jeans. A few weeks ago, one of his co-workers asked him if he had a boat because he was wearing a shirt that had a drawing of Jake and Rocket riding in a boat on the front.
Puh-lease!!
Today he is wearing the shirt I got for him for July 4th. It has Jake driving a red pick-up and Rocket is riding in the back. Unfortunately, the first time he wore it he spilled something on the front that failed to wash out in the first couple of launderings. I told him today they would ask him two questions: Do you have a red truck? and Is your dog named Spot? :D
Puh-lease!!
Today he is wearing the shirt I got for him for July 4th. It has Jake driving a red pick-up and Rocket is riding in the back. Unfortunately, the first time he wore it he spilled something on the front that failed to wash out in the first couple of launderings. I told him today they would ask him two questions: Do you have a red truck? and Is your dog named Spot? :D
Thursday, August 11, 2011
This week so far
I am not feeling very wordy this week, so I just wrote a little synopsis of each day.
Monday:
I started on the second editing project and spent all morning (7:00 to 12:30) to complete the first message. One down, nine to go! Elizabeth called on her way home from work at about 8:30--she had been sick in the night and rather than call in, she tried to work and ended up going back home. Sounds like she might have gotten a bug.
I barely had time to shower and dress before my friend Nita came for lunch at 1:00 We visited until just after Ornery came home at 4:30. While she was here, I had another friend call and want to get together Tuesday afternoon to visit. Ornery and I had talked about attending the homeowner's association meeting tonight, but neither of us could muster up the enthusiasm to actually go do it.
Tuesday:
Chiropractor visit in the morning, followed by a phone call with Elizabeth, lunch and bit of housekeeping. It sure doesn't take long before things pile up! I got quite a bit done before Diane came over to visit. She and her husband have started selling water ionizers and she brought me some water. I am skeptical about their particular product since the compensation plan is so generous. To me that says they are selling a cheap machine for a lot of money! Still doing research, and will drink the water to see if I feel any different.
Since I didn't get a nap after my doctor visit, I was really tired by the end of the day. I should know better!
Wednesday:
Woke up at 3:00 AM to another thunderstorm. I sure wish Ornery would consent to unplugging that stupid alarm system--every time the power goes off (as in every storm so far since we have lived here) the alarm sounds and won't shut up until you turn it off. Makes for great sleeping... NOT! The rain brought the temperatures way down, and at 7:00 I sat out on the back porch to enjoy the breeze and the sound of the rain.
At 9:30, Mickie came over and we crafted all day. I posted here if you want to see what I did... It was such a fun day, and I wish I could do it more often! After work Ornery put the first couple of coats of white paint on the rebuilt ribbon rack. One more coat and we'll be hanging it up in the studio. I have missed the cheery colors and accessibility of the ribbons.
Just before bed, more thunder and lightening rolled through the area, keeping the temperatures much cooler than they had forecast. Not that I mind!
Thursday:
After having company for the last three days, I am ready to pull in my tent flap and spend the day in my pj's enjoying the quiet. I woke up early (4:30) and took care of some correspondence, ran the dishwasher and started the laundry. I have quite a few little projects that I have been putting off that I hope to work on today--I haven't ironed Ornery's shirts in ages, and that pile is getting a bit intimidating. Good thing he wears polo's most of the time!
We decided that rather than tackle the big project of painting the hall and ceiling this weekend, we are going to finish off the kitchen and paint the little alcove outside our bedroom next. We also have some yard work to do. The pine tree has finally stopped dropping needles since the rains began, and while the grass is looking rather cheery in its straggly over-grown state, the neighbors would probably appreciate it if we would mow.
Monday:
I started on the second editing project and spent all morning (7:00 to 12:30) to complete the first message. One down, nine to go! Elizabeth called on her way home from work at about 8:30--she had been sick in the night and rather than call in, she tried to work and ended up going back home. Sounds like she might have gotten a bug.
I barely had time to shower and dress before my friend Nita came for lunch at 1:00 We visited until just after Ornery came home at 4:30. While she was here, I had another friend call and want to get together Tuesday afternoon to visit. Ornery and I had talked about attending the homeowner's association meeting tonight, but neither of us could muster up the enthusiasm to actually go do it.
Tuesday:
Chiropractor visit in the morning, followed by a phone call with Elizabeth, lunch and bit of housekeeping. It sure doesn't take long before things pile up! I got quite a bit done before Diane came over to visit. She and her husband have started selling water ionizers and she brought me some water. I am skeptical about their particular product since the compensation plan is so generous. To me that says they are selling a cheap machine for a lot of money! Still doing research, and will drink the water to see if I feel any different.
Since I didn't get a nap after my doctor visit, I was really tired by the end of the day. I should know better!
Wednesday:
Woke up at 3:00 AM to another thunderstorm. I sure wish Ornery would consent to unplugging that stupid alarm system--every time the power goes off (as in every storm so far since we have lived here) the alarm sounds and won't shut up until you turn it off. Makes for great sleeping... NOT! The rain brought the temperatures way down, and at 7:00 I sat out on the back porch to enjoy the breeze and the sound of the rain.
At 9:30, Mickie came over and we crafted all day. I posted here if you want to see what I did... It was such a fun day, and I wish I could do it more often! After work Ornery put the first couple of coats of white paint on the rebuilt ribbon rack. One more coat and we'll be hanging it up in the studio. I have missed the cheery colors and accessibility of the ribbons.
Just before bed, more thunder and lightening rolled through the area, keeping the temperatures much cooler than they had forecast. Not that I mind!
Thursday:
After having company for the last three days, I am ready to pull in my tent flap and spend the day in my pj's enjoying the quiet. I woke up early (4:30) and took care of some correspondence, ran the dishwasher and started the laundry. I have quite a few little projects that I have been putting off that I hope to work on today--I haven't ironed Ornery's shirts in ages, and that pile is getting a bit intimidating. Good thing he wears polo's most of the time!
We decided that rather than tackle the big project of painting the hall and ceiling this weekend, we are going to finish off the kitchen and paint the little alcove outside our bedroom next. We also have some yard work to do. The pine tree has finally stopped dropping needles since the rains began, and while the grass is looking rather cheery in its straggly over-grown state, the neighbors would probably appreciate it if we would mow.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Weekend in Review: The Green Continues
SATURDAY:
Since Ornery had been painting the ceiling in the dining room during the week, that room had a pretty good start Saturday morning when we began working. He had applied two full coats to the main part and partially cut in one coat along the edges. After breakfast he poured some Olive Marinade in the tray for me and I started rolling it onto the walls while he continued cutting on the ceiling. After he finished there, he did the cut work on the walls as I finished rolling them. We worked steadily all day, stopping for short breaks and meals at home, and by 7:00 had all the green part finished (even the cut work), leaving one more full coat to do on the ceiling to finish up. The white does not seem to cover very well, but the green only needed one coat--which made up for the extra work of the ceiling. Sort of.
We were briefly interrupted in the evening by a few little power outages when a fast moving storm rolled through bringing with it the first rain we have seen in many weeks. For a little while we couldn't even see the neighbor's house behind us, it was raining and blowing so hard. It rained off and on throughout the night, giving us a much needed reprieve from the unrelenting heat.
During our little breaks throughout the day we discussed our plans for the living room, and what sorts of things to put on the walls once they are all green. The things we have up now will NOT go well, so we are back to the drawing board for the living and dining rooms. The art we have in the hall will actually go better with the green walls, and the picture we used to have on the mantle at Miller Manor will go in the living room instead of the library where it currently hangs--it will be a major shuffle of all our nic-nacs and wall decor, but even so, there will be large gaps since the things we have had for years will not really fit into the new look we are going for. Once it cools off, I think we will start doing some garage sale shopping.
SUNDAY:
We got a bit of a late start, but eventually Ornery painted while I cleaned up messes. I got the last of the stuff taken care of that we bought home last weekend from the booth, washed dishes, cleaned up paint supplies and did some laundry and a little cooking. I am still adjusting to the gas stove--my brown rice took almost twice as long to cook as I am accustomed to waiting, and it was still chewy when I got tired of waiting and went ahead and put it in the casserole.
Ornery finished the last coat of white on the ceilings at about 4:30. While I scrubbed the dining room chairs with Murphy's Oil Soap, vacuumed the floor and moved things back into place, he took a soaking bath. We had a light supper and plan to retire pretty early tonight. Here are a couple of pictures of the mostly-finished (sans artwork on the walls) project.
You can see the mobile in this one--it really looks cool with the green walls. I like the white cabinet and trim, but I really don't have any idea what else to do for decorating in here! The tall ceilings are a bit of a challenge for me.
The dining room light had been hung with too long of a chain and cord, and the previous owner had secured it with a piece of the electrical cord tied in a knot and left dangling--not a pretty sight! Ornery will be taking it down and shortening the cord and chain later this week, but once we got the paint stuff done he was too tired to tackle it today. There are also a few places where the green is a little light, but we'll take care of them when we paint the hall. Once we have the kitchen finished (still need to do a couple things in there!) we'll use a blender to go along the bull-nosed corners where the two colors meet.
The doorway you see in the second picture goes into our bedroom. We will be painting that little alcove/hallway the same green as is in the dining room. It's hard to believe that the builder had that putty color in every room when the house was new, especially with the color carpet he chose. It is the same color that is in the guest room, hall bath and another little alcove/hallway outside the bathroom/studio.
I don't have any idea what to put on the walls or windows--if I put anything over them. I love the light that comes in through those blinds, so if I do anything it will either be just a top treatment or some sheers. It looks a little sterile right now, but SO much prettier than the nicotine yellow! I took the leaf out of the table, and plan to put a white table cloth on it and some sort of colorful square on top of that to help keep the white table cloth clean. Other than that, I am waiting for some serious inspiration to hit!
Since Ornery had been painting the ceiling in the dining room during the week, that room had a pretty good start Saturday morning when we began working. He had applied two full coats to the main part and partially cut in one coat along the edges. After breakfast he poured some Olive Marinade in the tray for me and I started rolling it onto the walls while he continued cutting on the ceiling. After he finished there, he did the cut work on the walls as I finished rolling them. We worked steadily all day, stopping for short breaks and meals at home, and by 7:00 had all the green part finished (even the cut work), leaving one more full coat to do on the ceiling to finish up. The white does not seem to cover very well, but the green only needed one coat--which made up for the extra work of the ceiling. Sort of.
We were briefly interrupted in the evening by a few little power outages when a fast moving storm rolled through bringing with it the first rain we have seen in many weeks. For a little while we couldn't even see the neighbor's house behind us, it was raining and blowing so hard. It rained off and on throughout the night, giving us a much needed reprieve from the unrelenting heat.
During our little breaks throughout the day we discussed our plans for the living room, and what sorts of things to put on the walls once they are all green. The things we have up now will NOT go well, so we are back to the drawing board for the living and dining rooms. The art we have in the hall will actually go better with the green walls, and the picture we used to have on the mantle at Miller Manor will go in the living room instead of the library where it currently hangs--it will be a major shuffle of all our nic-nacs and wall decor, but even so, there will be large gaps since the things we have had for years will not really fit into the new look we are going for. Once it cools off, I think we will start doing some garage sale shopping.
SUNDAY:
We got a bit of a late start, but eventually Ornery painted while I cleaned up messes. I got the last of the stuff taken care of that we bought home last weekend from the booth, washed dishes, cleaned up paint supplies and did some laundry and a little cooking. I am still adjusting to the gas stove--my brown rice took almost twice as long to cook as I am accustomed to waiting, and it was still chewy when I got tired of waiting and went ahead and put it in the casserole.
Ornery finished the last coat of white on the ceilings at about 4:30. While I scrubbed the dining room chairs with Murphy's Oil Soap, vacuumed the floor and moved things back into place, he took a soaking bath. We had a light supper and plan to retire pretty early tonight. Here are a couple of pictures of the mostly-finished (sans artwork on the walls) project.
The dining room light had been hung with too long of a chain and cord, and the previous owner had secured it with a piece of the electrical cord tied in a knot and left dangling--not a pretty sight! Ornery will be taking it down and shortening the cord and chain later this week, but once we got the paint stuff done he was too tired to tackle it today. There are also a few places where the green is a little light, but we'll take care of them when we paint the hall. Once we have the kitchen finished (still need to do a couple things in there!) we'll use a blender to go along the bull-nosed corners where the two colors meet.
The doorway you see in the second picture goes into our bedroom. We will be painting that little alcove/hallway the same green as is in the dining room. It's hard to believe that the builder had that putty color in every room when the house was new, especially with the color carpet he chose. It is the same color that is in the guest room, hall bath and another little alcove/hallway outside the bathroom/studio.
I don't have any idea what to put on the walls or windows--if I put anything over them. I love the light that comes in through those blinds, so if I do anything it will either be just a top treatment or some sheers. It looks a little sterile right now, but SO much prettier than the nicotine yellow! I took the leaf out of the table, and plan to put a white table cloth on it and some sort of colorful square on top of that to help keep the white table cloth clean. Other than that, I am waiting for some serious inspiration to hit!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Focusing on strengths
When Ornery and I took a trip to Albuquerque last year, we listened to a CD by John Maxwell to help pass the time. One of the things he said that has stuck with both of us was rather than focus on improving the things we are not good at, we should focus on improving the things we are good at.
I forget these lessons sometimes, but this week those words came back to me, first when I scored poorly on the math placement exam to go back to school, and today when I got an email back with a very nice compliment from the author of the eBook that I edited. He said he was, "VERY PLEASED with what I had accomplished and that very few people had the skill to bring it to the point that (I) had." He will flesh it out a bit more, but I figured he would considering that the spoken and written words are so different.
I have another assignment, this one is over twice as big as the first one -- instead of four it has ten messages! The message series is called, "New Covenant Prayer: Everything has Changed." I am giving myself a one month deadline--although no one is going to stand over me with a stick to make sure I meet it! I think if I don't have a deadline, I will procrastinate on it like I did the last one. It will be a challenge to get it done in that amount of time, but I think it will be good for me to have a meaty project to work on.
I forget these lessons sometimes, but this week those words came back to me, first when I scored poorly on the math placement exam to go back to school, and today when I got an email back with a very nice compliment from the author of the eBook that I edited. He said he was, "VERY PLEASED with what I had accomplished and that very few people had the skill to bring it to the point that (I) had." He will flesh it out a bit more, but I figured he would considering that the spoken and written words are so different.
I have another assignment, this one is over twice as big as the first one -- instead of four it has ten messages! The message series is called, "New Covenant Prayer: Everything has Changed." I am giving myself a one month deadline--although no one is going to stand over me with a stick to make sure I meet it! I think if I don't have a deadline, I will procrastinate on it like I did the last one. It will be a challenge to get it done in that amount of time, but I think it will be good for me to have a meaty project to work on.
A New Day
Yesterday
- (-) I had a meltdown at the dentists office -- fillings postponed indefinitely
- (-) My printer decided it was no longer a "color" printer, and is now printing everything in black and white
- (+) I sold two clipboards from my etsy shop
Today is a new day, and time to balance things back out a bit.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Construction Zone
We have moved on to the next decorating project, and my dining room is empty of furniture and draped in drop cloths while Ornery paints. He has most of two coats of white paint on the ceiling, but hasn't started the cut work around the edges. Once that is done, he will start putting the olive marinade on the walls. I can hardly wait to see what that looks like! I hope I love it because I bought two gallons!
While he is painting, all the dining room furniture (except the curio cabinet) has been relocated to the living room and halls. It is a bit of a mess! I still haven't done any of the painting I had planned to do this week, but I am sure I'll get to it eventually. I didn't accomplish anything yesterday except to make some cards (which you can see here), and this morning I have to go to Lowe's for more paint, then to the dentist for my two fillings. Bleh. Crafting with Mickie may not happen at all this week, as she has gotten pretty busy.
The weather has been record breaking hot and dry as a bone, which has not induced me to go out much at all. Yesterday was forecast to be 115 degrees, but I don't know if it ever got up there. Today is to be another scorcher and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. At least I have plenty to do inside to keep me occupied!
While he is painting, all the dining room furniture (except the curio cabinet) has been relocated to the living room and halls. It is a bit of a mess! I still haven't done any of the painting I had planned to do this week, but I am sure I'll get to it eventually. I didn't accomplish anything yesterday except to make some cards (which you can see here), and this morning I have to go to Lowe's for more paint, then to the dentist for my two fillings. Bleh. Crafting with Mickie may not happen at all this week, as she has gotten pretty busy.
The weather has been record breaking hot and dry as a bone, which has not induced me to go out much at all. Yesterday was forecast to be 115 degrees, but I don't know if it ever got up there. Today is to be another scorcher and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. At least I have plenty to do inside to keep me occupied!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Postponing Decisions
I am slowly learning that if I am not at peace I have difficulty processing all the logic required to make a far-reaching decision. So, I am just going to wait to decide about school until I have a strong feeling one way or another as to what direction I should go. Meanwhile, I will relax and continue praying about it, considering the various options. I will have to get a good picture in my mind of what I want to accomplish before I commit or it will be a short-lived venture. My system worked for selecting paint colors, so I don't know why it wouldn't work for this as well!
Speaking of paint colors, today after a bit of cooking, I will be wielding a roller and brushes. First I am going to finish off the area behind the refrigerator, then I am going to repaint my ribbon rack--this time it is going white. (Eventually I will paint the table legs and unfinished bookcase in the studio white, too.) We've decided to hang it on the door to the bathroom that is going to eventually come out of the studio. Once we take out the door, we'll mount it on the wall in the same spot.
The paint colors seem to still be evolving a little bit--I have changed my mind three times about the guest room, and at least that many about the studio. I have bought the paint for the guest room, though, and once I get it on the walls, I won't be changing my mind anymore! That happy occasion will hopefully happen later this week and over the weekend. I discovered to my delight that Valspar has a website with a virtual room painter so you can select your color from their huge variety and see what it would look like on your walls. The colors are not exactly true but fairly close, and at least you can see what two colors would look like side-by-side.
I am using Raisin in the guest room, gilded pesto in the kitchen and the tray ceiling in the living room, Homestead Resort Parlor Sage in our room and bathroom, and Olive Marinade in the dining, hall and living room. Other than in our room all the ceilings will be white--at least that is the current plan!
Speaking of paint colors, today after a bit of cooking, I will be wielding a roller and brushes. First I am going to finish off the area behind the refrigerator, then I am going to repaint my ribbon rack--this time it is going white. (Eventually I will paint the table legs and unfinished bookcase in the studio white, too.) We've decided to hang it on the door to the bathroom that is going to eventually come out of the studio. Once we take out the door, we'll mount it on the wall in the same spot.
The paint colors seem to still be evolving a little bit--I have changed my mind three times about the guest room, and at least that many about the studio. I have bought the paint for the guest room, though, and once I get it on the walls, I won't be changing my mind anymore! That happy occasion will hopefully happen later this week and over the weekend. I discovered to my delight that Valspar has a website with a virtual room painter so you can select your color from their huge variety and see what it would look like on your walls. The colors are not exactly true but fairly close, and at least you can see what two colors would look like side-by-side.
I am using Raisin in the guest room, gilded pesto in the kitchen and the tray ceiling in the living room, Homestead Resort Parlor Sage in our room and bathroom, and Olive Marinade in the dining, hall and living room. Other than in our room all the ceilings will be white--at least that is the current plan!
Monday, August 1, 2011
111, 98, Needs Remediation
When I was little, I would ask my dad silly questions like what size shoes he wore. He would give me silly answers like "They quit putting sizes in my shoes, now they just mark two lines." Well, today the car said it was too hot to record the temperature, it just recorded three lines! I don't think I have ever been outside in that kind of heat before, and I grew up in Arizona!
So, what was I doing out in that heat? First I went to Panera and had a bit of breakfast. I had planned to make my list while I was sitting there, but there was not a single pen in my purse! So, I just thought about it for a while, and then used the list feature in my phone (after I remembered it had that...) From there I went to the community college (along with about 500 other people--mostly 1/2 my age!) to see what was what about going to school. They had received my transcript 20 years ago when I enrolled, but there was no information in the system of either my ACT scores or my ORU grades other than that they had gotten it. I took copies of both, though, so they sent me to the testing center to do a math placement test and (of all things!) a reading assessment.
Now, I haven't even LOOKED at algebra in 10 years, and even then, I wasn't what you would call good at it. Somehow my kids got through all that math in school, and both went on to college level courses without too many problems, but since I tend to put negative experiences out of my mind, all that math was pretty well gone. We won't discuss the score for that, although I really worked them out and thought I answered several problems correctly... On the up side, I got 98% on the reading comprehension. I am sure had I done it first I would have gotten 100, but by the time I muddled through 2 hours of math, my brain was not interested in reading that stuff.
I haven't decided what I want to do. I could either go back to ORU and get another transcript or wait a few weeks for them to try to find the microfiche copy of it in their records--in which case, I may still have to go back to ORU and get another copy. If I use those credits, I wouldn't have to take English Comp 1. There are other courses I could get credit for, but if they include that GPA with all the other classes I am required to take, I think I would not come out looking very good. If I choose not to use those grades, I will have to retake a few classes--depending on my major. I only had a few passing grades of things that might transfer, since ORU had a lot of religious ed general requirements that I took pass/fail. The only grade above a C was French, which was a B, and wouldn't count for any of the credit requirements for the majors I am looking into.
More pondering to ensue. I don't even know for sure I really want to take any classes!
From there I dropped books at the library, mailed the airplane etsy order at the post office, returned the table cloth and place mats I bought Saturday and bought a gift card at Bed Bath and Beyond, and went across town from there to Whole Foods for a few bags of groceries. I left at 8:30 and got back at 2:15 when I finally reheated some goulash for my lunch.
Now I am going to take a shower--111 degrees is too hot to come out of smelling sweet--then I think I am going to hibernate until fall.
So, what was I doing out in that heat? First I went to Panera and had a bit of breakfast. I had planned to make my list while I was sitting there, but there was not a single pen in my purse! So, I just thought about it for a while, and then used the list feature in my phone (after I remembered it had that...) From there I went to the community college (along with about 500 other people--mostly 1/2 my age!) to see what was what about going to school. They had received my transcript 20 years ago when I enrolled, but there was no information in the system of either my ACT scores or my ORU grades other than that they had gotten it. I took copies of both, though, so they sent me to the testing center to do a math placement test and (of all things!) a reading assessment.
Now, I haven't even LOOKED at algebra in 10 years, and even then, I wasn't what you would call good at it. Somehow my kids got through all that math in school, and both went on to college level courses without too many problems, but since I tend to put negative experiences out of my mind, all that math was pretty well gone. We won't discuss the score for that, although I really worked them out and thought I answered several problems correctly... On the up side, I got 98% on the reading comprehension. I am sure had I done it first I would have gotten 100, but by the time I muddled through 2 hours of math, my brain was not interested in reading that stuff.
I haven't decided what I want to do. I could either go back to ORU and get another transcript or wait a few weeks for them to try to find the microfiche copy of it in their records--in which case, I may still have to go back to ORU and get another copy. If I use those credits, I wouldn't have to take English Comp 1. There are other courses I could get credit for, but if they include that GPA with all the other classes I am required to take, I think I would not come out looking very good. If I choose not to use those grades, I will have to retake a few classes--depending on my major. I only had a few passing grades of things that might transfer, since ORU had a lot of religious ed general requirements that I took pass/fail. The only grade above a C was French, which was a B, and wouldn't count for any of the credit requirements for the majors I am looking into.
More pondering to ensue. I don't even know for sure I really want to take any classes!
From there I dropped books at the library, mailed the airplane etsy order at the post office, returned the table cloth and place mats I bought Saturday and bought a gift card at Bed Bath and Beyond, and went across town from there to Whole Foods for a few bags of groceries. I left at 8:30 and got back at 2:15 when I finally reheated some goulash for my lunch.
Now I am going to take a shower--111 degrees is too hot to come out of smelling sweet--then I think I am going to hibernate until fall.
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