Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tidbits: Freeform to do list

Okay. It is Wed at 11 am. Freeform is all I have in me.

I rose at 6 to wake the boy, had him to school by 7. Enjoyed a good morning call from my Man.
Head pounding, back to bed till 9:30. I slept right through the alarm I never sleep through.

GodFather's peptalk, Excedrine, and a loooonnngg hot shower have me feeling human again.
Today's aromatherapy: The Foil Hat's Green Tea and Linden soap. Her Sinus soap (can't remember the catchy name with my head like this.) would have been perfect.

The luggage is on one couch, laundry on the other.
Off to run yesterday's errands, love on Gramma, and buy a bunch of meds.
Deliver chicks to our chicken-sitters, and be chicken-sitters ourselves.

Race to pick the Boy up on time, and get ready for our weekend adventure.
Will pack art journaling supplies, tarot cards, and my sunhat.
Some C.S. Lewis, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, too.

Thanks for the thoughts, I am ever manifesting my healthy, joyful self.
Hugs, and I will talk to you on Monday. And I will be healthy and happy.
LB

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tidbits: In no particular order.

Tidbits- In no particular order:

You may have noticed an absence of your favorite turtle fan. I seem to be taking a blog break due to being sicker than a dawg, and sounding like one too. My aim is to be well enough to fly to Los Angeles and the end of the week so the kids and I can represent UnityBellevue at the AGAPE conference there this weekend. Yes I will blog about it when we get back, and yes I will pack my camera, and the Boy's replacement camera came in the mail today, so he can shoot movies and learn how to post them for me. And I will be sure to put the pics on my camera onto the computer, so I can take lots more this weekend.

There is a pool at our hotel so Girly can practice her swimming- at 13, she is finally taking lessons. I know, she is old to not know how to swim, but we have let her take her time on this, and not being able to go into the water at all at Interlochen because she didn't swim was a bit of an inducement for her to overcome her childhood fears and start swimming. We all have new swimsuits (even me, sigh) , and new dress clothes we got at Value Village. They grow so fast!

A friend took the kids swimming for me tonight so I will fold laundry now and we will be in bed early tonight. The FYM has to be at the high school at 7 am for WASL testing. Errand running tomorrow- We get to be with Gramma, pick up her scripts and do a grocery run. Then check on the chickens we are sitting. Head back to the west side of the lake, finish delivering the bills and pick up my scripts. Come home, eat easy but healthy dinner and start packing. Kids each took on several household chores and washing my car (thanks for the suggestion Amy in O.

My Dude called and talked to us while we were in Value Village. He is so sweet. Even though he is on a business trip, he is keeping his promise to go swimming with the Fine Young Man tonight. He bought a swimsuit and is swimming laps at his hotel while the Boy is swimming them here at the community center. What a Papa. Smooches.

Here is a true tidbit for you- an interesting fact about the women in my family. For many generations, we have developed a fear of heights and claustrophobia usually beginning in our late 20's to early 30's. Piano Girl was hit early and was born with severe claustrophobia, agoraphobia, and aquaphobia. In her short 13 years, she has come an incredible distance! (Ask me to tell you her story some day- you can be sure her bathtimes weren't a ton of fun. ;-)


And (not quite) last but not least, a thank you to all y'all my invisible friends for your fun comments and kind words and well-wishes. I really soaked those up and and sending hugs back to you. If I had a voice more than a whisper right now, I'd sing to you. I'm proud of you.
(No really, ask them- I would. :-)


Speaking of singing, it makes me smile when my son hits his low notes. For a skinny Boy, he has a rich, deep voice.

Okay, going to rest while folding laundry eating a salad and strawberries, and watching Dancing With the Stars on YouTube. I know, I know. The dancing is just so beautiful and poetic. It reminds me of the fact that I wanted to be a gazelle when I was a girl. I loved to practice my leaping in the back yard.
Hugs to all y'all.
LB

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Tidbits: various

The whole family is sick with a really bad cold- green guckies, hacking coughs, bad headaches all around. It is after 11 am and I am the only one awake. We all feel really yucky.

We went to the Seattle Art Museum (google it please, I am too tired to link today) and saw the Roman Art from the Louvre exhibit last night. It was well worth the effort and was fantastic. If you live locally, you should really try to go. Having studied history with the kids made it so much more enjoyable.

I am going to try to be a weekend warrior even being sick, and
1. get the front section of fence weeded and my vines planted.
2. I also want to keep going on the decluttering of the studio project.
3. I have a slew of photos to upload, with lots of studio and baby chick photos.

Not sure when things will be up, but will try. Sorry the blogging has been so boring and sporadic lately.
LB

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Tidbit: It's Thursday again

Uugghh. Again. Headache still hovering. I am wondering if it is pollen or sinus related. It is wearing me down, though. On top of that, we're all coldy- coughing, runny noses, really sore throats. Sigh. That just happened overnight- the kids were fine last night. We are up early anyhow, getting ready to head for piano lessons. I won't let the kids breathe on the toddler, and we may duck out early. I am doing my very best to not be discouraged about how prone we are right now to get laid out flat by every little virus and cold bug that we encounter.

I will update later today. I hope this doesn't come off as too whiny, because I honestly am feeling grateful that other than a cold and a headache that we are all alive and well, and that our lives are full and filled with love. So many folks I know are going through so much worse right now.

Hanging in there, and hoping you are too.
LB

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Tidbits: Uggh.

Another migraine. I am so tired of this- the last month has been really bad, and today's was the worst of them- I haven't had this many migraines since I first started this blog 2.5 years ago. I was fine today, until about an hour after lunch (It was a wonderfully fun lunch with the Godparents.), during which I ate a large quantity of corn chips. I think tomorrow I will start eliminating corn, and the following week, take away wheat. It is a start. Something has to give here- I want to be fit and strong, not chubby and migraine-laden.

The Boy is coming down with something too- he is snarfing, snuffling, and coughing- again. I thought Spring meant being healthier- what am I missing here?!

Gramma forgot she was supposed to fast, and had coffee with cream this morning, so we didn't do the blood draw, which means I will get to see her several times this week: tomorrow night I will take her grocery shopping after dropping the kids at youth group, and then we will do the blood draw Friday morning.

Things will be better tomorrow, right? Off to bed with me now- I promise, promise, promise to put photos up tomorrow.

Tidbits: As the white rabbit would say........

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! Can't say hello, goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

Thank goodness the Dude called this morning, or I would have slept straight through! I didn't completely set my alarm last night, and had taken a benedryl so I would rest, and I did- a good seven hours. Way better than my usual 3 or 4 when the Dude is traveling.

We now have to leave in 30 minutes, in order to take Gramma to the Dr.'s to have her blood draw (just routine for her thyroid & cholesterol levels, no worries).

Yesterday was good- hectic but good. I am very amazed that we progressed as far as we did on our fabric journal-making project. I had a total of four kids, and they all were helpful, patient, and just delightful as they learned how to safely irons, rotary cutters, and my sewing machine. It was crazy-busy, but really good.

I didn't do much in the studio regarding my week-long warrior project, but I did rearrange the tables- we shall see if that helps some.

I did take lots of photos, but need to get dressed and ready and out the door now, so I will do my best to post them later today. Meant to get some up last night, but Blogger was being poopy.

Hugs,
LB

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Weekend Warrior: Another "during" update

Hi! Thanks for all your kind comments and support so far. I am still working down here. This is quite a task! I have been taking photos as I go, and will post some tomorrow. I got through a lot of boxes and piles, only to fill other boxes and make more piles. I am keeping sight of my goal though, no matter how long this takes. Dy helped me a great deal by reminding me to think about the kind of art I want to make down here, and to really just keep the materials that will be used for that kind of art. A great deal of the stuff I have been tossing has been in our art cupboards for 5 to 10 years! I have to admit- I still have concerns about getting rid of some of it- spools and spools of ribbons, skeins of acrylic yarns by the boxful, piles of felt squares, etc. But if we haven't used it in 5 years, I am not goin gto miss it right? Right? I saved it for the kids, but that isn't the stuff they use- as long as I have tons of paints, papers, and sculpey, they are happy, so why is it so hard to give up the huge box of ribbon bits and bobs?!

The other thing I have to do is think about how I want my space arranged (thinking of moving the tables around to make more usable space), and how to best store the supplies I really do use often: fabric, paint, collage materials, fibers, paper, etc. The Dude came with me to the hardware store tonight, and I got some ideas, and he is going to help me come up with some storage solutions for the things I use the most. This is where the Studios magazine is both helping and harming- I will be happy if my after photos look as good as the before photos in the mag, lol. But the mag had lots of low-budget ideas for storing and organizing, and I do have a lot of options already.

One thing I have decided, with help from Dy, is that I want to put some of my fabric on the shelves behind the design wall. Mostly the stuff I love the most (batiks, japanese, bright colors, etc.) and want to be using for fabric collage. The unusual fabrics will still live in the plastic bins on the fabric wall, as well as some other supplies. I am not sure where I will store my books and bead boxes, but will figure that out this week.

The Dude is going to help me fix my wire baskets (I have some that don't have the side rails, that I got for free.) so I can put them under my paint table, and that will get rid of a lot of my paint table mess.

My paper cupboard is much more useable, but the little paper drawers need to be re-sorted and labeled. This is where my embellishments, and little doodads live, but they are a mess because I just throw stuff into any drawer after I use it- lots of that problem down here- little tubs and boxes with misc. stuff from a finished or set-aside project. Gotta get a handle on that.

Funny thing- it is hard to do this organizing and live my regular life too! As for what happened today that didn't involve the studio: I worshiped at the church of flannel sheets again this morning- sigh- this is getting to be a habit as I haven't been in 6 weeks, but I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night, being wide awake until 4 am.

After a nice brekky of avacado and bacon on toast, and a hot bath, I fetched Mama and she folded an entire couchful of laundry (I really should have taken a before photo of THAT!), helped with the dishes, and scrubbing of the kitchen, kept Piano Girl company while she baked bread and banana bread, and chatted with me while I made homemade chicken rice soup. We sent her home with two tupperwares of soup, half a loaf of bread, and lots of kisses.

The Dude and the Boy started the patio project, too. I will get photos of that tomorrow. I also owe the ladies on the WTM boards a photo of what I see from my front door. I better go charge my camera battery.

That's all for now- the Dude leaves for a trip tomorrow, so I want to go snuggle with him while I can, and get some rest tonight. See you tomorrow with photos. Not sure when I will post, as the Girls come for art playdate at 1 pm, I still have to get the studio ready for our big project, and I do want the kids to do some school tomorrow- it is Spring break at the high school, so the Boy will be able to focus on Green Dragon classes for a while.

TTFN,
LB

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Weekend Warrior: A "during" update

Well, I am pooping out, and don't feel like I got half as much done down here as I would have liked. I filled 3 boxes and a black garbage bag with stuff to donate, and half a black plastic bag with garbage. I cleared out many rubbermaid tubs, large and small, and decluttered the storage shelves in the little pantry under the stairs. I put supplies I don't use often but don't want to get rid of in those shelves, and labeled as I went. I cleaned up the paper cupboard, and there is room now to put other papers as I come across them.

I also made supper- we had roasted chicken, rice, green and yellow beans and carrots, and baked squash. I think part of my being tired is that there were various bouts of yelling and frustration on all parts, as the Dude and I tried to do our own projects in addition to supervising (read nagging) the kids getting last month's jobs done- The Boy finished up his wood stacking/chopping chore, and cleaned the moss off the roof and cleaned the gutters; the Girl got her baby chickens moved to the garage, and then cleaned up from them being in her room- all floors mopped, doorknobs sanitized, room aired out, etc.

I am tired, my feet really hurt, and my heart is heavy, but I guess it is some progress after all. I think I will keep going a little bit here- at least take some photos to post tomorrow.

Weekend Warriors: before pics part 2

More before pics. Scroll down to the post before this one if you don't know to what I am referring. Much of the problem is how much stuff I am trying to store, and the fact that like items are not being stored with like items. Lack of labels is another issue I will try to deal with this weekend. Can you tell I was also inspired by the special issue of Studios magazine?



Weekend Warrior: before pics part 1

Okay folks, both Miz Booshay, and Amy (there is a link to Weekend Warriors at Amy's blog) are participating in Weekend Warriors this weekend, and they both inspired me to take up the challenge. This was on my to do list anyhow, as I am supposed to be teaching a class in the studio on Monday, and it is horridly scary down here!

I am not going to comment on the individual photos right now, just going to post them, and then get to work. I will add comments above the photos later- if I spend time doing it now, I will never get to the hard work and there won't be after photos. I cannot believe I am saying this, but if you dare, you can click on the photos to enlarge and see all the mess, sigh.





Friday, April 04, 2008

Friday Feast

I occasionally partake in Miz Booshay's weekly tradition of serving up a wonderful Friday Feast for her blog readers. I found today's questions particularly inspiring. I thought that I would post my answers here in addition to the comments section on her blog. Feel free to join me in the comments section with your answers.

Appetizer

Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.

Soup

Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.

Salad

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?

Main Course

How do you feel about poetry?

Dessert

What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?

My answers:
Appetizer
Hmmm, it would be a rich lime green color with some bright lemon yellow highlights, have lots of beautiful long wide petals, like a daisy or a zinnia, and bloom prolifically on long stems so I could cut lots to bring into the house. I could call it "Bright Sunshine" or the "Glowflower".

Soup
There were some great voices listed at Miz B's blog- Patrick Stewart, Julie Andrews, Sam Neill, etc. This is a bit weird, but one voice I love is Dy's husband Zorak- he has the deepest, richest voice- I love it when he answers the phone. Don't worry, Dy knows I love her hubby's voice already, lol. But really, in all honesty, I love my children's voices the best- they took voice lessons this last summer, and they both sing beautifully. The lessons strengthened my Girl's voice, and smoothed the rough edges of my Boy's low deep voice, and it just makes me smile whenever they sing.

Salad
This last car has been kept the cleanest so far- it is about a 6 or 7, but I plan on making it a 9 this weekend.

Main Course
I love it! I love basic, children's poetry that is easy to remember and quote. I love Margaret Wise Brown's poems for children. I love to compose simple poetry to make kids laugh, or to put in a love note. My dh has written several poems- the ones I love the best are the birth story poems he wrote for each child.

I also adore A.A. Milne's poems-
The more it snows, tiddly pom,
the more it goes, tiddly pom,
the more it goes tiddly pom,
on snowing.
And nobody knows, tiddly pom,
how cold my toes, tiddly pom,
how cold my toes tiddly pom,
are growing.

Luckily, my kids like poetry too, and still remember many of the poems I had them memorize when they were little. They say them to our borrowed kids now and make them laugh. What a wonderful tradition!

Dessert
My Girl reading to our borrowed toddler, and the model of DNA my kids made out of K'nex. I hope to take some today of my new shoes.

See you in the comments!
LB

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Wordless Wednesday


Easter Egg decorating:

And the long-awaited new haircut (and double-duty gratuitous kitty) photo. We used the 1-inch blade on the electric clippers.
T.T.F.N.
LB