another blog that I read is of from an artist who recently invited people to send him pictures of their studios. Now, My "studio is nothing I would send in to a real artist who makes a real living from his work, but here where we are just friends (I think) I thought what the heck, I'll post a pic of my garage, er studio, or lack thereof. He recently put up a contest fro a giveaway of an office chair to a lucky commenter on his blog so I thought, what the heck - I'll try for it. If I lose (which I will), what have I lost? I still have my folding outdoor chair to sit in when I Paint...( Art News Blog : http://www.artnewsblog.com/2009/07/win-chair-for-your-studio-or-office.htm )

Nothing fancy is it?




Recently I watched an episode of a show that HGTV runs called "That's Clever" where they show crafters making something. One of the crafters made some winged seahorses in that plastic clay stuff so I tried it with my shoolyard paper mache technique. the above was the one effort I have painted. I wonder what I'll try next...

A few months ago I told a friend that for the first time in years, I was not stressing over money. Famous last words. It is becoming harder to stretch what I'm getting over the bills once again. And I forgot to budget in the fact that with our current mortgage, we are paying the real estate taxes ourselves - every half year. Well, I had to dip into my savings that I had been working on (remember not stressing about money?) to pay part. *sigh* I need to have a better memory to remember when things like that are due... Perhaps it will get better soon? I gotta find a way to earn a bit of extra cash, if just for my own piece of mind.

Am hoping to get back into art for myself. I finally got to the garage and uncovered the table I had set up for myself, currently it has a project I was asked to do for a going away present for our minister. This is a new one - painting a terra cotta pot. Originally they wanted me to paint a picture of the Ymca (where we hold services) on it but after really goofing up and having to sand it down, I just decoupaged a photo of the Y on it then did some writing. Cross your fingers everyone, because I don't have a lot of time to do another before they want to give it to her.

Went to the Origins Convention last week and had a good time. It was good to see old friends and play Dragonstorm. I hope that everyone else had fun too - that I didn't piss anyone off too bad. *sigh* I need another vacation...

So the theme for the sermon at church this Sunday is Peace and Justice. Not having much time to work on the decor, I went for obvious symbolism... dove and scales. *sigh* I think I need a new brain to be more original... So I am using an old banner (the first one I ever painted) and 2 posters for the BB goals (reminder, we meet in a gym at the Y).



Now the dilemma, I have 2 versions of the scales. I like the colors on the first, but I messed up the proportions. Hubby likes it better too. The second has good proportion and matches the dove but I think I'm tired of the red color. Which to use and do I have time to go for try no.3 in redoing the first? *sigh*

I have been busy with graduation stuff - my eldest is now a graduate from high school. I can no longer look forward to sending her back to school come next fall and I'm not sure of her plans for college (community college). Please pray with me that I do not loose my temper too much and that she actually gets a job that gets her out from under my feet. Right now I really miss having the daytime for ME - this having people around 24/7 has gotten old fast.

ON a brighter note, I have brought home the posters I did for the last sermon series at church - the series was on prayer. I thought they turned out rather well considering my lack of formal art training (as anyone who regularly checks in on me would recognize anyway). Please excuse the fact that one of the pictures seems to have been half darkened - this appeared in the photo only and I'm not sure why...

Currently I am working on stuff for next Sunday. I should have started this weeks ago but alas, graduation and family got in the way...

On weds. received call that mom was being admitted to hospital. She was having "heart flutters" as she calls them. Local hospital gives meds to bring her BP down, then she had an erratic pulse swinging every where from 30 to slightly over 60 (isn't a pulse of 60 good for an 82 yr. old?). Local hospital finally gets that somewhat stable and transfers her to a larger regional hospital with heart drs. (including the one mom uses) on staff. Mom spends Weds, and Thurs. at the regional hospital, she show no signs of any problems there. When we talk with her. Dr. on Thurs. morning, he has no idea what happened since she was fine at the regional hospital. Regional hospital had asked the local hospital to sent all the data they had on mom's heart... local hospital cannot send it because THEY CANNOT FIND IT! I'm mad. Anything the dr. does to prevent this from happening again is just a guess at this point - she is 82 years old and on enough meds to kill a horse already. What we came away from this with is a heart monitor implanted in her chest to record such events as they happen for the next three years... this is not the first time mom has had the fluttering but it is the first time anyone caught any of it on record and THEY LOSE IT! God as my Witless, that hospital has got to at very least issue an apology...

Today was Plumbing day.... See today was the last day of School for my eldest before she graduates. That means that today was the last day I would have the whole house to myself... And since we only have one bathroom it was the best day to tear apart the toilet to fix it... the flapper assembly had gone bad. I've done this before and I figured that now that I know what I'm doing (famous last words), it wouldn't be an all day job... you can start laughing here folks.

The water shutoff to the toilet tank was the first omen... It tried to refuse to turn all the way off. Good thing I have lots of buckets and old butter dishes to set under things... then had to move one to the bolts that attack the tank part to the seat part. Can any one say "rust" since they were the ones that I had to loosen the last time the flapper thingy went bad. I think they may be original to the toilet but I'm not sure - this was here when we bought the house 23 years ago. (there is a date stamp in the toilet - 1974 which is the approximate year the house was built) The first one was a bit of muscle but I got it off... The second bolt decided to disintegrate - at least where the screw driver slot was. The nut was nicely rusted tight... Wiggling, cursing, screwdrivers, visegrips, WD40, and 2 hours later, I had it loose enough to slide a metal bladed keyhole saw between the tank and the seat portion so that I could cut the dang bolt off - now I hadda make another trip to Lowes for new bolts since they don't come in the flapper assembly kit... The plastic bolt that helds the old flapper assembly refused to come loose... Well, that is what Dremels are made for. Now I remember the last time I did this I discovered that Plumbers putty was necessary for the toilets bolts not to leak so I HAD gotten some new of that so the reassembly resulted in...Tada... the leakage from the rubber seal area of the FLAPPER ASSEMBLY. Turn water back off (really looking forward to actually USING the toilet now and besides the eldest was home and needed to go also...) to once again remove tank and this time I use the plumber's putty around the base of the flapper assembly. It is now 5 1/2 hours later and I have a working toilet. Next time it will either be a real plumber or Mr. Sledgehammer which will necessitate the buying of a new toilet... On a side note, bet you all never knew that keyhole saws and Dremels were necessary plumbing tools did you?

Of course the sun was shining the whole time I'm stuck in the bathroom with tools and bits of toilet spread everywhere. The minute I step outside and start the weedeater in prep to mow...BOOM! Thunderstorm hits, like immediately. *sigh*

Working out in the yard today and notice that my blackberries have blooms! My mouth is already starting to water! Moved on to the back yard to mow... those who read this regularly (or as regularly as I post) know that I have two dogs. Before mowing the back yard, I gotta go pick up the doggie by-products, the crap so to speak. Reached for what I thought was a pile of crap in the middle of a tall clump of grass and it moved. I had me a big ole toad! In the 20+ years we have lived in this house, I have never had a toad before. Since I didn't want to mow him, I had to move him and he liked his tall clump of grass. I think it would have been easier to herd a bunch of cats than to get that toad out of the back yard

So as you can see I still exist, haven't had to dip into the bail fund yet (Eldest daughter has me hovering over it tho), and still have Crazy Lady's youngest here as a house guest(?) *sigh* At least it is not raining...

The angels are finished...

Now for the too old story, the blanket 1/2 crochet-ed, the pictures for the church...
*sigh*
Gotta start getting myself organized I guess...

Feeling better today, so escaped down to Cincinnati for my first visit to the Cincinnati Flower Show. To be fair, this was the first year it was in this particular location but I think I was expecting more show and less shop. there were a few things that caught my eye though...



Here we have an edible hanging basket... Salad anyone? I never thought of planting my salad fixin's in a basket before. It does help the bunny/dog problem. (the bunnies sneak in to eat, the dogs then decided to chase and the dogs then stomple the plants. Dogs have no respect for my Garden..



One of the vendors had this froggie for sale. I heard him tell a lady (not me, I knew I could not afford it) that it was $500+ to buy. *sigh*



While these plants may not be what I would chose, I found the way the wood was painted to resemble books very clever...



This caught my eye as it appeared to almost be made of PaperMache but I wonder how they weatherized it?



I love the use of white in a garden for some reason. this window box display just matched that...

Over all it was a nice morning out. Parking was a problem but that was partially my fault, I have a hard time just getting out of Dayton this morning. Event seemed to be trying to force me to stay home so I got a late start...

I have been invaded! Crazy Lady's youngest daughter is staying with us. Crazy lady is still in Jail but her husband has failed to pay the electricity bill, FOR MONTHS! So DP&L shut off the lights. No electricity at their place so my eldest offers to let her stay with us... without a consult first. Of course this is the week I get sick and the Mr. is off on a business trip... to warm sunny Florida. (I'm stuck in cloudy, rainy, cold Ohio. Life ain't fair I tell ya, life ain't fair!) The number of dishes has increase, the kid's room is once again an EPA superfund site waiting to be discovered, and I can't keep up with the number of towels we are suddenly going through. I can't seem to get anything done either....

The kids' room has gone from this:

to this (please ignore the sheets over the windows, still need to find the right fabric to make the curtains with):


Now I can get back to My project (yet unfinished) of paper mache angels...

after 2 days of staring at the same wall, all the paper is gone. No more stripey flowers; no more of the 50's looking bunnies, duckies, puppies and chickies that were scarily lurking under the stripey flowers (and would NOT DIE) ; and most of all NO MORE WALL PAPER PASTE! Tomorrow should be a day for sanding the joint compound now filling (I hope) all the holes, then priming the walls. Maybe the end is insight... or maybe I'll have to live with the disaster area from the room now residing all over the rest of the house...

I have converted the kids good and proper - they both swear that they will never ever put up wall paper in any house they should ever buy. They agree that there should be a special place in the Abyss for people who put up wall paper badly. And they both want to make lots of money to hire people to do this work rather than ever having to do it again. Until they move out, I'll bet this is the last time I have to do any decorating in that room. Hehehehehehe......

There should be a special place in the Abyss reserved for those who put up wall paper without properly preparing the wall first. This has been an all morning thing and there is only paper on one wall of this room. ARGGGGHHHHH!!! I have said it since the first time I ever had to help my mom put up wall paper back home - I will NEVER use wall paper in any home I use. Unfortunately, we bought a house that is full of it. I just wait almost 10 years between rooms in the hopes that it will just fall down on its own. I hate wall paper!

Did I mention that Its spring break and this is the kids room? The room that looks like an EPA cleanup site waiting to be found? They have been helping...

I am a mean mom. The eldest is having trouble motivating herself to making time to get her hours in toward getting her drivers license. She claims that if we buy her a car, she will be more motivated. I claim that I am not going to buy a car, have it sit and still pay payments and insurance on it with no one to legally drive it. Today I get an email where I could register to win a Camaro from Jimmie Johnson, my favorite NASCAR driver. Right now I can hear the screaming if a miracle should happen, I win the Camaro, and then tell her she is not allowed to drive it since it is from Jimmie. For some reason I entertain thoughts like that. I am a mean mom.

Well, I found the story I started to write how many years ago? I know I hadn't touch it it in at least a year. Spent the last few days rereading it and cleaning up some little typos and wording problems I missed the last umpteen times I went through it (and in a year I will find more, I'm sure). So I guess I'm back to writing for the short term. We'll see home long it lasts this time. It will be miracle if it ever gets finished, let alone if it ever should be published (taking bets? that's a long shot there folks).

Life goes on here in the messy little hut. Hubby is traveling alot for work, the kids are still getting on my nerves, and my mind keeps inventing projects that will never get started let along finished. Social life is almost nil, every time I think I am going to get to go out with real life adults (as opposed the adult wanna-bees that I used to work with), the social event gets canceled. I am supposed to go out to play DS tomorrow, but am waiting on the game to be canceled once again. I think it will only happen on a night that I cannot make it at this point. *sigh*

A while back I tried to take pictures of my "people" while they were on the baskets at church (the Y gym). well, my couples are home now and ready for real pictures!





This helps give a better idea of what they look like than the previous pics did! Now I can put them away until they are needed again (if ever)

as I have to play chauffeur to kids tonight and still have no clear direction as to where or when. Youngest is a bit easier since the where is the local high school but the when is still up in the air... eldest is where and when. *sigh* I did google the school she is heading to for a choir contest but once I get there the where in the school is a problem-as well as the when to leave. she has to head out right after the choir performance in order to get to a job.*sigh*

And it's cold here again - what happened to that 70 degree weather we just had? I adjusted to it faster than I am adjusting back to this near freezing or below stuff. I think I am getting old...

Could today get any better? Resigned form my job, my women's group for the morning got canceled, I forgot a large part of my grocery list at the store (now I have to go back) and someone is going pay for their own carelessness (as soon as I find out who). See, I laid my headphones that I use with the 'puter on top of the printer. Someone else decided that a big batch of other stuff had to be dumped on top of the printer sometime later. I went to use the printer - it was jammed -WITH MY HEADPHONES. I had to cut up the cord for the headphones to get them unjammed then spent the last hour fighting with a little spring that popped loose during the great headphone jam just so that I could get this printer back to working. Even had to clean part of it with Rubbing alcohol so that it quit leaving roller marks. Maybe I should just go back to bed and refuse to leave it.

Sign me -
Growling in Dayton

I resigned from my job today. With the hubby traveling more and the kids schedules becoming more erratic, I just couldn't do it anymore. As much as I hated that job, I'm scared - it was like a mini safety net that is now gone. keep me in prayers and send any good thoughts this way, OK? Only one more week to earn a paycheck...

went to the Dayton Art Institute today. Their current special exhibit is by the glass blowing artist William Morris. ( http://daytonartinstitute.org/ ) After viewing Chihuly's exhibit a couple of years ago I guess this just let me feel a little flat. From a Technical standpoint I think that Morris is better but on an emotional level it just didn't have the umph I was expecting. *sigh* At least since I finally sprung for a membership to the Institute, the tickets were already paid for. Now to wait for the next exhibit...

I actually started a home exercise program. I've been doing it for a month now, and I haven't lost a single pound. *sigh* Is it age? Have I started eating even more? *sigh* I really don't understand... I guess as long I stop GAINING weight then it is worth it, I hope. I just know that I can't afford to replace most of my wardrobe again this year...