{gone fishin'}

happy easter

Wishing you all a very blessed and joy-filled day.

(postcard found at a junk shop a couple weeks ago).

and, friday!

My dad is moving next weekend, so he, my two sisters and I met for breakfast then went to his place to help him out by getting him packed. After living in an apartment for two and a half years he has finally found a condo he wants to buy - obviously I don't take after him as I seem to have the knack of finding houses and buying them in a matter of days, lol! Having done two major moves in two years, I was on a roll - and think I wore them all out! We got alot done and he's in good shape to do the last minute stuff - and most likely ASAP as I didn't leave him much else to occupy his time while home, it's all in boxes!

Stopped at Stamp On It on my way home and signed up to take one class at an art retreat called Creative Inspirations which will be held May 18-21 here in GR. Unfortunately can only squeak in one as that weekend my nephew is having his bachelor party - not a traditional one but a big golf outing (thank goodness says the old fogey, mwah), and my sons are coming to stay with me for the weekend to attend. But I am very excited about the one I chose which is called Fabricganza and will be taught by Lisa Englebrecht - it is going to be so awesome! We'll all have a fun saturday!

It was such a great day here today - hit 80 degrees!! - that I spent some time outside when I got home hanging out on the deck, got my grill set up out there then hung out reading for awhile before Ernie and I took a long walk around the neighborhood. Found there sure are alot of dogs living here, he was in heaven! Then I started looking for something in here I couldn't find which frustrated me enough going through boxes I ended up unpacking a few more and moved some things around. That in turn got me cleaning up (how does it get so out of control so fast?!!), and then got one of the pillows finished which will go on my new chairs - maybe tomorrow can do the other as I am now beat. Going to be an early night, I am ready for a shower and bed already.

it's thursday?!!

I've been tired all day - is it the full moon?! Ernie woke at 3am to go outside - what?!! He went back to sleep but it took me until well after 5 to do so, in turn I then overslept and missed a 10am appointment - I don't sleep and never miss things. Now I just looked out the front window and there was a man juggling with fire across the street - in my new neighborhood! Must say I've never lived somewhere and seen that, for that matter never have randomly seen a man swallow fire either, which he also apparently was practicing.

On a different note, I am going on a little vacation next week and picked up a new book on ribbonwork to take along. Minimal supplies I thought and I certainly have alot of ribbon - well I now have more of both and looking forward to giving this a go. There are some gorgeous examples from the 1920's-30's in the book when this was all the rage.

And on the house front today, my bookshelves arrived from IKEA and I now need to find someone to help assemble them, but that should then take care of all the boxes on the main floor when they are ready to fill - a major accomplishment! Also picked up a ceiling fan which came in and went to pick out a color for my exterior doors as it is spring here, finally, and so painting can be done soon. I think I am going with something called gypsy teal, a scrumptiously rich jewel of a color!

fun mail day

I have met the nicest people through my art, and one of them is Lisa Guerin! She and I emailed a few times last week after I saw her work in the new Somerset publication, Haute Handbags, as I wanted to congratulate her on being published - and not just with one project, but two, the second of which she made some fab bags out of old blue jeans - see cover instructing you to turn to page 108! She is so talented, and the sweetest and coolest girl you'd ever want to meet! I missed seeing her this year as I have the past two when at ArtFest, being that I knew I'd be moving I could not sign up to attend this year. Well, today I received in the mail a huge packet of collage supplies and ephemera from her, Artfest goodies she'd put together as trades. Did I mention she is also one of the kindest, most thoughtful of people I know?! Think I'll be hitting the posts office with a little something for her, too.

getting in the groove

Did a little painting and sewing today, just messing around trying to get back into the groove. The photograph on this piece was in the album I picked up last saturday. That spunky young lady who put it together had it captioned, "some people will do anything to get their picture taken". Again, it makes me wonder who it was, what she was doing, why?? I see it as being a prisoner to body image. Therefore my background piece the colors and swirls of emotion that takes us on each and every day.

happy day

Today was the first ice cream cone of the season day, a celebration of a partly sunny, mild day here in western michigan. Went out a bit, am in search of a chair for my dressing table as the upholstered one I've had does not go with the new look, wanting something old and well-loved. I'll know it when I see it, as of yet I have not but the hunt is fun! Today yielded a few small treasures, an easter postcard, some buttons and a felted purse. This last found at an art gallery, the woman who owns it does fused glass and the building houses her studio as well. Has an open studio on wednesday evenings, no experience required, I think I will give this a try very soon as she had some fun pieces from last night to show me which just had come out of the kiln. Also there is a possiblilty I can take a lampwork bead class the first weekend in May but have to double-check the date as I might have a conflict with it. I've fired up the sewing machine here, making two pillows, half way there. A nice, relaxing day.

sleep, or the lack thereof

Sleep: elusive, frustrating, comforting, much needed - these are all words I have used to describe what for me does not come easy. I don't define myself as an insomniac as I am long past letting it frustrate as it is just not "abnormal", this has been the case for years - and years. I have things I do depending on how I feel when I wake, which is usually around three hours or so after the time I've gone to bed, the maximum time I sleep at one go is usually five. So, if I wake and feel a bit groggy/sleepy I will give it a few and sometimes, just sometimes I fall back asleep. Most of the time I turn on the light and read, I keep alot piled beside the bed. Before moving I'd go upstairs to the art studio and play around on the computer or mess around with a project or two. Since getting here and with the studio in the basement of the house, although a walkout (or maybe especially because of this as there are so many windows and doors), it is cold and I haven't learned yet to pull on all the snugglies I need to keep myself comfortable down here. So far that has resulted in not much time spent here post midnight, but too part of that is I am just now unpacking my supplies and stashes (and stashes and stashes). The pattern since the onset of all this has always been sleep, get up for awhile, go back to bed, start the day again about 7 or 8 o'clock. Do know when I had to get up for work at 5am things were a bit different in I had to maintain some sort of schedule but it certainly curtailed my doing much of anything much of the week, mostly trying to get to bed before the sun even set - pathetic!

The point of all this is I am feeling sort of at loose ends, more tired than I've felt in quite some time yet also too busy getting settled to take the naps I think of incorporating into the day at some point in time when I am starting my mornings. Which, anyway, doesn't do anything whatsoever for sleeping then at night so it is just as well. Life, in most ways, just seems a continuous Catch 22, it's all half a dozen of one, six of the other.

who, what, where, when......

I don't think I will ever get past just how people can discard family photos but I have to say when I come across them I feel I have found treasure. I enjoy so much sitting right down on the floor and going through a box or basket of them. I am always wondering what their stories are and feel quite an intimacy with the people in the pictures as I view a slice of their life from a bygone time. Today I found a photo album from the 1940's which was put together by a girl with quite a sense of humor - I like her! If she is still alive today she would have to be at least 80 years old, and I'd like to think just as spunky as ever! (Note to anyone who doesn't want 'em: send them to me, I'll be more than glad to pay postage)! And by the way, yes, that is a bit of my pj's at the bottom of the picture I took - to know more about my story, it was a damp, dark, and cold day, I've had them on since about 6:30 this evening - I love my pajamas, and fleece is the new silk in my book!

sunshine on a cloudy day

a quiet little corner where I started my day with a cup of coffee. A bit rainy this morning but this is my own bit of sunshine. Now off to start the rat race!

{precious}

He has brought me so much comfort, joy and laughter. ...and to think, he only came into existence one year ago. Happy birthday little Ernie!

random thoughts

these are the days -

- must be getting used to my glasses because I just thought, "where are those things", not because I couldn't see but because they are finally becoming a part of me and not feeling obnoxious.

- makes me irritable signing and sending in my tax statement. Bush.

- speaking of $$ - why is gas $2.67/gal??

- room-darkening blinds are new and improved since I had bought them years ago, I can't even tell it is daylight (well, I can't tell it is daylight alot of these dreary days but these are helping and I say, yeah!)

- however, why do so many appliances/electronic devices come with clocks and why do they have to glow in the dark??

- today I ate 'breakfast' for all meals, cereal, waffles, and lots of orange juice. I am so loving SILK vanilla soy milk.

- I feel I am becoming a putterer, spending ridiculous amounts of time arranging and rearranging - it is a luxurious feeling to have unlimited time to do mundane things.

- Ernie will be one year old tomorrow, do dogs know how old they are without having to convert it into "dog years"?!!

- Hey Luke, did you wonder last week why, if they are called "wisdom teeth" they get pulled out??!

music

I finally got my mp3 player up and running - right, Luke did (he also bought it for me for christmas), he showed me the ropes last week and I have hundreds of songs I'd like to get on this thing, and I'm well on my way. I'd been peacefully lying in bed reading and listening to music when suddenly I got a bug I needed a particular song (eva cassidy's Songbird) and was at it nearly an hour again this time around. Music is one of my basic necessities of life. I can't believe it has taken me so long to get one of these things.

progress

I've gotten much unpacked and am to the point I am starting to hang pictures and art on the walls today, finally - in some ways I can hardly belive a month has nearly been spent in this house but in others - well, I'll just say I am ready to be settled! This should improve my general frame of mind and bring this house all together, make it HOME. I have a room full of boxes of books and such upstairs yet but waiting on IKEA to deliver an identical couple sets of bookshelves to those I had to leave behind as the new owners of my NC house wrote them into the contract (I think they lusted after them as much as I do); they are for a full wall so as to convert a bedroom into a library. So, still lots to do, but am putting as my next plan of attack the art studio - I am so ready. Cross my fingers - by week's end I might be able to lose myself blissfully in creating some art - oh happy day! (was unable to add my pic yesterday, something wrong but I've amended it as today seems to be, indeed, a new day!)

bridal shower

From the left - Becca my neice, my sister Peggy, and her soon to be daughter-in-law Heather. My nephew Rick is the first of our kids to be getting married, he and Heather are both 21 and students at GVSU, they are planning a June 3rd wedding. All the aunts (all seven of his!) gave a bridal shower this afternoon. I know I was feeling my age!

trying my {patience}

Today was cold and gray, I look forward to the little bits of color popping out of the snow, that hint of hope this won't last forever. This picture was taken by a wonderful photographer, Al Hyams, who specializes in photography of the northwestern half of lower Michigan - many places which are very dear to my heart.

the itch

It has been waaay tooo long since I have had the opportunity to make art and I am starting to feel the itch in a very big way. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I spent the weekend trying to come up with an idea for some twenty bridal shower giftees as "the aunts" are giving a shower this coming sunday for my nephew's fiance'. After some trial and error I decorated some votive candle cups which I finished this (past, is it really nearly 4am??) evening, wish I had a picture to share with this post but the camera battery died and I have to find the charger tomorrow somewhere amongst this chaos. They did turn out cute, her color for the wedding is hot pink and they sure look springy and fun with the ribbon I found, a few patterns of the pink. I added a button (surprised?!), a bead, some lettering. I guess it has gotten to the point I am looking to create in unexpected ways - that bruise on the side of my head/face I mentioned the other night? It has turned into a black eye for god's sakes. Not really black and blue but the most interesting shades of black, yellow, brown I have worn in a very long time! Magnify this behind my new glasses, and it really is something to see. Wish I had a better story to share - I fought off a boogey man or something - but I clunked myself quite hard on the edge of a cd cabinet as I was bending down to plug in the iron saturday morning. Note - things are in different places here, watch what you are doing or you are going to hurt yourself repeatedly! I am excited, tomorrow (make that today) Luke is coming for a short visit as he is on spring break. We will do a little heavy lifting together (move this desk which weighs an estimated gazillion pounds, and the bookshelves) so I will be able to start unpacking the art supplies by weeks' end - hurray!! I am sure we also will EAT, as that is a favorite passion of this nearly 23 year old's, and probably snuggle in and watch some March madness basketball and a movie or two (complete with snacks)! He hasn't lived in Grand Rapids since he was in the third grade, and although we've visited many times we were always very busy with family activities so he is also wanting to do some exploring. Alot to cram into a short time period but that's what we've always done, and I miss these boys and all the action which was our way of life.

glasses

My new specs, transitional lenses, getting used to them makes me feel the ground is rising up too fast, what I probably have looked like all day is drunk! This self-portrait doesn't show the whopping headache I've gotten wearing them since picking them up this morning (nor the bruise which is developing due to my plugging in the iron and whacking the side of my head on a cd cabinet - but that's another story). In addition to being able to see much better, I hope it will help to minimize or slow down the progression of those deep squinty wrinkles between my eyes I have acquired as a result of this diminishing eye sight. Turning 40 my eyes began to deteriorate, I have a couple years before hitting the next decade marker, wonder what will be next?!!

{bright and beautiful}

Although I tend to like sepias, faded prints and all the romance of the shabby chic look I have never used it in my house except in extremely limited ways, I guess given I lived with all males and tended to want them to feel comfortable in their own home (not withstanding the wearability/dirt factor of boys!), I tended to lean more towards a sort of muted jewel tone palette. Thinking this house through I still do not see myself going in that direction when furnishing and decorating it, and that's a good thing I guess as my bedroom did not turn out to be the soft soothing yellow I envisioned but slightly more BRIGHT. It took three coats of paint to cover that gray and I am not in the mood to repaint so have been looking for a way to tie this altogether into a look that will be comfortable and fun. I happened across this pattern at The Company Store and think I am going to go with it - the newer, bolder, wilder side of me just may be emerging!

a new day

Today's view of my backyard (taken out of a very dirty window I will add) - one thing I do remember is that March is a very fickle month! Lots to do inside though(including window washing as blinds will be installed thursday) where it is warm and toasty and smelling heavenly with the folgers chocolate-flavored coffee I've got brewing in my new braun coffee pot. All in all it will be a GOOD day!