It's been a good weekend.

I've been decorating the house for Christmas, not as much as in past years, but I'm pretty happy with what I've done. Simple stuff, and in the colours of orange, turquoise, hot pink and lime green. I'll post some pics when I have time. A friend suggested I make a tree with branches, which turned into filling a monster vase with Christmas decorations that I bought last year, not thinking that my girl would have moved out by this Christmas. It looks SO awesome!
The girl in the LO is my little friend Anna, she was having such a good time that days! And so was I!

Friday Fill-in #152

I have one more comment for the evening. Well, not a comment, exactly, it's the Friday Fill-In. I thought it might help me relax after my debacle with Blogspot.
1. Wait! Wait, don't forget that you swore you would never throw your computer out the window again!!!
2. Have a cold beer, followed at once by a shot of 100-year old whiskey.
3. The trouble is I think I sat on my screwdriver.
4. Sometimes my mind is many miles away.
5. With a faint pop I found my screwdriver.
6. The soup I made for supper was unfortunately quite shadowy and ominous.
7. And for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to logging off this monstrous machine, tomorrow my plans include shovelling snow and Sunday I want to relax and do absolutely nothing I have to do.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

TGIF

I know, I know, EVERYONE says this come the end of the week. But I really really really mean it, as I am so grateful I don't need to drive into work tomorrow. We had a snowstorm today...early this afternoon I was hanging around outside, with no coat on, then BAM. We got slammed. It took me 2.5 hours to get home, a route which usually takes 20 minutes. I had the traffic report on in the truck, "almost 50 cars in the ditch, the north highway is closed, a 15-car pileup on McNight..."...when they said "there are too many accidents to report, we give up", I knew I was hooped.
I was in 4-wheel drive, so I wasn't spinning out like most others on the road, but it didn't make any difference, as I had nowhere to go. Cars to the right of me, cars to the left of me. Isn't that a song?
I've posted a mini-album here for the Opus challenge #34 Sweetie Pie. Check this site out, the ladies are a hoot and have both wonderful talents to share, as well as a great sense of humour! here
As an aside, Blogspot is terrorizing me tonight, won't let me add more than one photo to this post, and shuts down when I try to add more. As a last resort, I've put the pics in Smilebox. It was a fun challenge, as all the Poobah's are!

My Angel

I love angels. I used to collect them, but I realized some time ago that collections just get dusty. And I don't dust. This excludes of course scrapbooking supplies. And my albums. They don't get dusty. Neither scrapbooking supplies, nor my albums. Even if they did I would not care. So I guess it's all about what one WANTS to collect. At any rate, I no longer collect angels. Nor teddy bears. I just collect scrapbooking supplies. And they do not count.

Caroline Ikeli Scrapjacked

I really like the Scrapjacked site.
here The challenges are always so inspiring and wide open to interpretation, which works well for me. This month is no exception. I'll bet there is no one on their DT who is old enough to remember Mr. Bill from the early days of Saturday Night Live, but he was one of my favorites (in what was often a drug-induced haze) Those of you who DO remember him however, will be happy to hear that on this summer's Route 66 Road Trip, he neither was run over by a semi, fell off a cliff, nor was he caught in the jaws of a rapid dog. Mr Bill lives another day!

Some details as promised

Just a note

I've switched up the background of my blog. The last one, as much as I liked it, made me nauseous every time I looked at it. Too bright. So this one is a bit more subdued.My word for 2009 is CALM. I feel that now. That's the point of having a word.
I guess, now that 2009 is almost over, I no longer need to be calm? That opens up a number of possibilities.
And before I leave, here is an ATC canvas I've just completed. I love it and my daughter asked me why I wouldn't make her one? A. Not that I wouldn't and B. She's never wanted anything I've made before. I may. Details of a few of the ATC's are on the next post.

Mojo Therapy

I haven't done the Mojo challenge for awhile, no good reason, just doin' other stuff. I do love their challenges and their DT's work. I did one for the "Therapy" challenge this month tho-my therapy would be my friends. Sometimes they are f2f friends, sometimes friends via email, sometimes it's friends who visit my blog. Heck, sometimes it's my cat.
What else can I say? You do the best ya can with what ya have.

Weekend is over

and it has been a wonderful one!
I spent a few hours today downtown taking pictures-the new Christmas Holt Renfrew windows are done and they are SPECTACULAR!!! So edgy and really beautiful. Apparently the designers are world-renowned-it's easy to see why.
I've spent the past week going through all my art supplies and culling them. Now I know what I have and I realize I must attend a 12-step meeting for this addiction that's become so obvious to me. BUT the thing is, I love having all these options at my fingertips. It's not like I'm taking the glimmer mist out of the mouth of some child in Biafra. OK, I KNOW that was not politically correct. I knew that as I was writing it. But I have no self-control. No addict does.
Anyways, once I got organized, I put my mind to the task of finishing up all the little albums I started and then never finished for one reason or another. I got most of them completed. It was fun, there was a little book of Hoops and Yoyo in Cuba that I really enjoyed doing. I did an awesome (if I do say so myself)
dressmaker's bust with these detailed golden wings I got in Edmonton. I took pics of it but the main one is really crummy, so I'll have to redo it. I'm so proud of it, can hardly wait to show it off.
Did I mention I even gathered up ALL of my buttons and put them in one tin? Yes, one tin. It's a big tin and I'm pretty sure if I ever get really bored, I can cover the truck in buttons. Completely.
Hmmmmmmmmmm...

Nature

What do I see out my window? It varies, from day to day, sometimes moment to moment.
The year I came to thia city, from an island where snow was a rarity, we had 40 degrees below zero and 25 degrees above in the span of a few weeks. so as much as we complain about the weather, wait five minutes. It'll change. tonight it's clear, not too awfully cold and the stars go on forever. Pretty good.

Yes, I did.

I caved. I went down and got my sheets and made the darn bed. My mother's voice was in my ear and she wouldn't shut up! We all know the kinds of things she was saying...how could you, have you no shame, yada, yada, yada.
I slept well last night.
This LO was taken in the Grand Canyon during a Canon photography class one morning.
We got to try out their equipment (Yes!) and had the benefit of a cute instructor.
He told the girl to leap and leap she did. I think she had such an easy time of it, jumping so high because the day before, we finally did some laundry. Laundry when you're on the road is a big deal. Trust me, a BIG deal. So she is really jumping for joy that we had some clean clothes. (Note the laundry line at the bottom of the page.)
Laundry. It seems to be the flavour of the day. Let's hope I've got it out of my system by the next time I post. :-))

Laundry

I have no sheets on my bed. The sheets are in the laundry. My bedroom is on the second floor. The dryer is in the basement. That is two, count em, two floors down.
Shall I simply go to bed and get the sheets tomorrow? Or shall I do the right thing and go downstairs, all the way down two flights of stairs, to get them?
I'm leaning towards no sheets. It's not like anyone would know. Well, yes, YOU'LL know, but you'll keep it to yourself, won't you? I trust you, after all.
I live alone... No child to impress, to husband to complain...It's unlikely there will be a fire tonight and even if there were, I doubt the firemen would really care THAT much if they rushed upstairs to put the flames out and discovered I am sleeping in a bed with no sheets. (Ooooh, firemen are SO hot.)
I'll bet elephants don't worry about sheets on THEIR beds.
Stay tuned.

Eye Candy!

I was visiting blogs from the Opus clan tonight and fell in love with this lady's pretty pretty work: here. She's very talented!

Hey Good Lookin!

I'm back home. Home sweet home. I was so inspired after my class at Treasured Memories, I only just got my coat off and started doing some more painted backgrounds. Lisa you rock!!
This LO is for the Opus Poobahs this week and is about my daughter's FIRST meal she cooked for me at her FIRST home away from home. It was to die for-chicken and dumplings. I'm so impressed. And while I'm at it, the girl of mine got a $1000.00 scholarship, the only one in the city to receive it! Now if that isn't something special! I told her to treat herself and buy a box of M&M steaks. (Not that she can't cook, we all know THAT now). I don't know if she will, but she deserves every sweet thing that comes her way! Way to go, K!

Edmonton

I'm in my hotel room with my teeny-tiny laptop-Second time only in my (long) life that I've had a room with one bed only and I just dumped my Diet Pepsi all over it. Aargh. Oh well, I'm too tired to care. I got a TON of food at Tony Roma's and brought it back to the room. I am stuffed. I have a class in the morning and was going to go to the Farmer's Market first, but decided to sleep in instead and have a leisurely buffet breakfast. Nice. Now I'm turning in to my wet bed. If the pop dries and I get stuck to the bed, will the maid free me in the morning? Maybe I should take the deadbolt off...

Weather

What's the deal with weather? I always seem to want it to be different. It was 114 degrees in Vegas this summer-too hot. We were a few miles away from a tornado near Denver-too wet. A few years ago, there was a twister not far from us in Brooklyn-I was bitching about the humidity. And tonight it's SO Cold out! Although a month from now it will be 40 degrees colder, so heaven only knows what my problem is. Still I whine. In a couple of days I'll be up north in Edmonton, wonder what I'll complain about there? Naaaah, the hotel has a sauna. :-)
This photo was taken two summers ago in Newark. It rained EVERY SINGLE DAY (there I go again) except the afternoon of the seaside wedding we went to. It was perfect! So why should I complain? Because I do, that's why. It gives my life meaning. tee hee

BTW, isn't that a terrific umbrella? I spotted that in Orillia, Ontario. On a bright sunny day.
Go figure.

No fall this year

I'm so sad, the leaves got brown and fell off the trees before they had a chance to put their petty autumn party dreeses on so we could all GET DOWN! in the colours.
Winter coats in the morning, t-shrts by afternoon. retarded weather.
At any rate, I pulled out my album from last year and went through it for a colour fix. it helped. Hence the LO from October (2008) Aututmn colours make me so happy. I am happy now. I pray that you are too. Or at least, if you are not happy right now, I hope you are feeling peace.

Palm Springs here I come

I love the States. All of them. So I'm looking forward to my trip to CA in January. I know, I know, it's a long time away, but IT IS BOOKED. That's the important thing. I honestly think that half the fun of travelling is looking forward to it, then another half is being there and the last half is enjoying the memories. OK. I failed Math. Numerous times. I don't care, I'm excited. Can I maintain this excitement for the next three months? No problem.

Customer Service

You know, sometimes I want to rip people's heads off. Like when someone has 18 items in the express line, or when a company treats me badly and really doesn't care.
I'm feeling that way about Kodak right now. First, many months ago they mixed up my order REALLY badly. So badly in fact, that I swore I would never deal with them again. But then I got an email saying "We're sorry, we've had some glitches and we fixed them, here is a $10.00 credit for you, please give us another chance. So (against my better judgement), I placed an order. No credit. Nowhere. I emailed them and they said it expired on October 5th. I received the email at the end of October. I sent them their own email which says it expires November 5th. They write me back and say so sorry, it's a glitch, here's a $10.00 credit. I lose it with them and point out that I didn't start this, they did and they owe me $10.00. They write me back saying have a nice day and thank you for choosing Kodak. WHICH I DIDN'T!!!!
Anyways, that's where it was left. I was hyperventilating.
I pick up my order the next day, get home, sit down to look at my pictures, and IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S ORDER!!!!!!
I haven't emailed them again.
I got the name of the chairman of the board and the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing and their address in Rochester NY and I am going to give them a blow-by-blow recap of this crap.
I feel apoplectic. Breathe in, Breathe out. Give me strength.

Tom the Turkey

This is my contribution to Opus' Tom the Turkey challenge, using Kristen's terrific image of this friendly little guy. Our Thanksgiving has come and gone in this neck of the woods, but there's never a bad time to be grateful. That's how I try to start my days, with a gratitude list. After that I ask for help to be kind, compassionate, tolerant and loving towards all I meet. I usually do really well with this until I leave the house. (and I live alone) From that point on, if I hit one out of four, it's a good day. Progress, not perfection.

In withdrawal

I've done no art this week. I was SO Tired at the beginning of the week that I knew I had to make some decisions.
I have gone to bed early every night this week, except tonight and tomorrow I can sleep in a couple of hours. I told the prison I woudn't be there until 10ish.
The darn cat has put her butt on my computer mouse. ARRGGHHH. MOVE, CAT!
So I had to get some kind of an art fix and went to the Fifth Birthday Party of Art Central, a group of studios that open their galleries to everyone for free each Thursday night. It's called First Thursday. Tonight the ACAD art students put on a fashion show of wearable art. It was awesome. I saw lots of interesting work, and especially some excellent encaustic art. I love that.
But it's time to go to bed. Good night John Boy. Goodnight Jim Bob. Goodnight Mary Ellen. Goodnight Moon.

Way tired tonight

I am just BAGGED. I have concluded I am simply too old to work any more than 10 hours in one day.
Good night.

HAPPY BELLY BUTTON DAY!

Drove to Lethbridge today to wish my girl a happy birthday (for tomorrow). She was busy with a customer when I went into her store, and when done, looked up at me and said "Hello, may I help??!" The look on her face was worth the 430km round-trip drive.(I think)
Before I left, I downloaded a pile of Ephemera from here
I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER WORK!!!
So now that I'm home, it seemed like the right thing to do to make a celebratory ATC for my sweet daughter. 19 years old! I'm so glad I gave birth to her when I was 11.
Have a super day tomorrow, girl. Love you.