Feeling the Tag Love

Yup, I've been way too introspective the last day or so, but I had to be to get to the other side of some crap that Hubs laid on me. I'm across now, feeling better, and one thing that helped was Benita awarding me and Antics & Rantics the Rockin Blog / Best Bloggin Buddy and the Your Blog is Fabulous awards. So thank you much, girlfriend.


If you read either of my blogs, you know I've done the tag already, but luckily I have many addictions! LOL Here are 5 more (I previously listed cigarettes, straightening iron, coffee, diet cokes and internet shopping):

1. my computer
2. fox news
3. mad men on amc
4. keeping up with the kardashians on e!
5. movies on tv (turner, amc, tbs, comedy channel)

I want to pass along both of these awards to anyone reading who wants them! :-)))

XXXXX

Yesterday, Hubs came home from work and, unbeknownst to me he was laying in wait for a dog to kick. I've been sort of homebound without a car for about a week now. I have Missy's car in the driveway, but as of Feb. 1, it needs to be inspected and I will not drive it unless it's an emergency that a cop would consider worth the risk of driving it, because my luck with these sort of things is erratic.

I do not want a ticket right now. Plus, there's not a heckuva lot of reasons for me to drive anywhere. I am still recovering way too slowly from my coughy-coldy-allergies (whatever the heck it is that I have) and it's all I can do most days to take care of the kitchen dishes, pay the bills, take care of ReggieDog and keep things picked up around the house.

All I did was bring up what should we do about getting Missy's car fixed or giving it as is to my brother as his oldest turns 16 next month. Well, if any of you have been married a long time to a moody guy, you will understand. Everything he said was derisive and with contempt. He first tried to paint me as paranoid for not driving the car. Then, he imploded into a little tantrum about how he did everything around here, and proceeded to list it all out.

After about a minute of not being able to get a word in edgewise to defend myself and then deciding that was futile, I left out the back door and went to smoke a cigarette in the garage. He followed me, still going a mile a minute on his tirade. I can remember being very aware that if any neighbors were outside, they were hearing him.

I finally put my hands over my ears and this stopped him. He went back in the house and went on to bed, thankfully. Of course, I was left to deal with my shattered self-esteem. It sucks to be told you are a worthless human being by your so-called soulmate, ya know?

But here is where I learned something about myself. At first, I thought through all the things I did do every day, as if preparing a mental rebuttal. But then, a strange calm came over me and I really felt this thought: this is not about me and isn't even worth defending. I began to think of him and all the pressure and stress he is under, working 6 sometimes 7 days a week, helping to run a special project that a lot of money is being spent on. I remembered that he was beginning to be really bothered by his allergies again (he'd basically been through in early January what I've been through with the nasal drip and coughing, and he's getting it again!).

Now, my previous reaction to this behavior (he does it approximately once or twice a year for some reason, like he just has to) was to call a girlfriend or my dad and wail about how unfair Hubs was being, or work myself up into a mass of chaotic hurt and get all depressed. Those kinds of reactions...like I was fighting it or fighting against it.

Now, I felt like I was hovering above it, figuring out the best place to land safely and out of the way. Forgiving him for he knows not how what he does when he does it. And, it's strange, but I think that the combination of growing in my art and growing in my struggle to adjust to my health issues, that combination has helped -- I have matured in these respects.

I could tell myself all day long the words, but this time I lived them. That love is sometimes taking some pain from your loved one if they need to give it to you, and seeing it as venting, not as permanent behavior. Sometimes people have to, need to act like toddlers. It's not like they act that way all the time.

Long story short, Hubs came home today and asked me if I was still mad at him, which was his way of saying that I should be mad. And I was proud of myself, I told him no, that I forgave him because I knew he didn't feel well and was under a lot of stress. You should have seen the look on his face. Relief, appreciation, regret, guilt. All there. He apologized and things went back to regular.

I think I shocked the shite outta him, actually. That should keep him guessing. Such is Love and Life with Mr. Moody. {winkwink}

New Banner Here + New Blog #2!

Hidyhoyo!

(This is the current greeting among Missy's pals this summer...it's so hokey, it makes me chuckle every time I hear it.)

So, how do you likey my new banner? I have been wanting a banner-lift for a while, and yesterday I just rolled up my sleeves and made something I'd had in my head. I dunno, I kinda like it.

And hey, guess what? What's a year without me creating a blog, right? So far this year, I haven't done that. But, wait! LOL, yup, I did it again, hehe.

Seriously, I've been wanting to separate my life and opinions from my art. This blog has a good title for my life and opinion posts, so it became apparent the the new blog #2 needed to be the art one. That's how Paper Paisleys art journal blog was born!

There is still tons to do over there in the way of transferring links and decorating here and there, but I'll fill in those things as I go. Please go visit and see the banner I created for that blog, too. :-)

Meanwhile, here at the ranch, I need to catch up. I was blessed to have been given no less than 3 blogging awards in July, and I have them displayed on my sidebar.

Karyn awarded me the Twinks Award.








Then, Benita and Jill both awarded me the Brillante Award. Thank you very much, Ladies! (And Happy Birthday, Jill!)





The rules for the "Brillante Weblog" award are:
The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
Link to the person you received your award from.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Put links to those blogs on yours.
Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.
I am giving the "Brillante Weblog" award to the following bloggers:

1. Cheryl - she needs a tiny little pick-me-up right now
2. Lynn - I've been thinking about arthritis and wrestling lately, and that fits only one person I know! ;-)
3. Noelia - I've been working on a special sumpsump for her, a year overdue {hangs head in shame}, but good things happen for a reason and ever since I decided on something I loved, I finally started it last week. Soon, my friend. And hoping you are having fun on your trip. :-)
4. Maureen - she's funny and I have so many of her posts to catch up on {hangs head once more in shame}
5. Vicki - love this woman...and she and her DH need some healing thoughts right now.
6. Theresa - because she is the only female golfer I know :-)
7. Texas Kim - this girl needs another job and maybe this will be good luck. :-)

Onto other items of note, my health has worsened a bit since the spring. The arthritis needs strong meds and then I get complications that are a pita as much as the disease.

I definitely have to close up my tax shop and there'll be no more working for the next several months. I'm embarrassed to say that I have ADD now as one of those treatment complications. Lord, I'm really glad I didn't have this my entire life. They tell me it will go away once I finish the therapy protocol, but part of me wonders about it. And I'm also told that it gets better as I learn to deal with it better. Hope so. Typing is still a real chore some days.

I've really had to re-think my involvement in almost everything in my life this year. This is why I've not been blogging so much. That saved energy works better for me if I put it into my art because that calms me down and helps me practice focussing. Since "focus" was my Word for 2007, how creepy is that, that I would be taught the following year that I was then a pretty good focusser, after all, before I really needed work now.

Making things also helps me stay more positive. It's been tough to lose your previous life-as-you-knew-it, in bits and pieces, inch by inch, slowly. It just never stops, ya know? I am going to write more frequently though. Just maybe in shorter spurts. And then just upload images to Paper Paisleys with few words. On those days that a big old post (like this one! Already breaking my rules...) seems too complicated and hard to do.

That's my cue to sign off for now...Sooner and Laterz!

Happy Earth Day!

In fact, the next few days contain Earth Day celebrations globally, so perhaps it's Earth week, LOL. And when I Googled for info, I saw a couple of celebrations that were on Saturday, the 18th, but that might have been for the sake of weekday workers who wanted to plants trees or some other day-long venture.

Those of you who've been reading my blog for a year or more know I like to make something to honor this day that incorporates the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle theme. This year I wanted to add bestowing an award to someone special who is environmentally aware and pushes for it on their blog more than anyone else I know.

The choice for me was easy. I immediately thought of my friend Vicki Cook, who never fails to commemorate days of action on her blog, whether it be to celebrate the beauty of trees, to plant flowers, install a bird feeder, or coax new birdie visitors with a nesting house.

Vicki, I salute you for being a 2008 Earth Angel and all around Nature Girl Extraordinaire! Here's your award, for displaying on your blog sidebar (I hope!):


Ok, so on to my Earth Day creation. I wanted to make Vicki a piece of hanging art-iness, and I wanted to include my ATC "Patchwork Earth" that I'd made weeks ago, because I'd originally made it with Earth Day in mind. Although I'd been excited about making this ATC from little slivers of scrap paper to look like a quilt, I wasn't 100% happy with it when I finished it. It was missing something.

So, I laid it aside and forgot about it for a while, hoping and knowing deep down that I'd come up with something to make it more acceptable to my tastes. Picking it back up recently, I decided to do the back with a map of the world stamped image (one of those background stamps from a previous post that I mounted cling cushion on and created storage in the VHS tape cases). I then let it sit some more and thought about adding some rhinestones and jewels and maybe some little stamped cut-out birdies to finish that side.

Turning to the front of the CD, I decided to go over the red gel pen with black, blue and green, thereby toning the red down some. That helped. And, I coated the entire top with my favorite Diamond Glaze, which always makes things look better. I also filled in the bottlecap earth with some Glaze, and then I applied some Crystal Stickles to the inside perimeter. Now, I was getting happy with this little card.

Next, how to hang it? Well, I killed two birds with one stone by using an old CD -- I was able to recycle, plus I'd be able to get out my alcohol inks and paint like I'd been wanting to. That done, I went looking for other elements I could add that were sitting around waiting to be re-used. I had some skinny green satin ribbon that I'd looked at for a few months on my creating desk, so I grabbed it and curling-ironed it straight, then stitched it through holes I'd punched with my Cropadile. Then, I found some beads that were the perfect colors and started stringing two tails on the bottom. (And I might add a couple of "arms" on the side.
I think those beads are so pretty, like porcelain or that turquoise kitchen ware from California in the 1940's (with the drink pitchers that look like a tire-shape with a spout and a handle?) Uh, yeah, obviously, I don't collect dishware, right? ROFL!

Anyway, I'm terribly later than I wanted to be with this post, because nothing went anywhere near a timetable today. So, I'll close with a cool thingy you can make to funnel rain water from your gutter to a rain barrel. And, it hangs, too!You can then re-use the water for feeding and watering plants and birds. You'll find instructions here, courtesy of Lowes.

IN MEMORY

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
b. January 15, 1929 - d. April 4, 1968
What a wonderful difference his life made!

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MY "MAJOR AWARD"
That's right. Just like the Dad in "A Christmas Story", I value and highly covet major awards, LOL, especially cyber ones. And thankfully, no fishnet leg lamps have to sit in my living room.

I want to thank Tina and Lida for awarding me this in March, and Lynn in April:

The rules for the *you make my day award* are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know through email or by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times yourself, and if you do, consider yourself really, really loved:
So I'm passing on the award to the following people (in no particular order):
1. Kim L.
2. Kim KT
3. Katy
4. Sandi
5. Vicki
6. Cheryl
7. Jenna
8. Gina
9. Heather
10. Noelia

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MONTHLY MISCELLANEOUS:

I've taken lots of photos and collected tidbits of info in the last month to use here on the old blog, but as often happens with me, I either forget to upload them or I'm not in the mood or situation to bother getting into the detail needed to explain. And this past month has been a real black hole for my free time, what with tax returns and policy research.

Well, today I thought I'd try to get some of these out of inventory and into the light where they belong, so to speak.

Some things I've been into lately:

Here it is, April, and I still have not finished altering my 2008 art calendar I started back in January! Argh! I'm using it to keep track of the birthdays and dates of my artsy friends, as well as deadlines for swaps and challenges, and although not having it decorated does not stop me from using it, it still bugs the bunion outa me, so I'm making it a goal item for April.

Back in January, on Flickr's Inspiration Boards group, I saw people making these on their walls to help them keep their notes and inspiring papers out and visual. Soon, this morphed into people using these to show off their little pieces of art or pretty images, whatever, which is also inspiring. I've been wanting to make one for my wall and even decided where it would go, but was a bit shy about sticking the thumb tacks into a pristine wall. One day I just did it, and I'm glad I did. I'm using this one to hang my art after I finish it to "cure" a bit. And I plan to make more inspira-lines in other places. One cool thing about them is they can be as long or as short as you need them to be. And, they are really easy as pie to string up: just start at one end and then the other.

Aren't these pretty? (See? I even strung some more line under my bookshelves over my desk, LOL.) I took an afternoon not too long ago to work on cling-cushion my background stamps, and made up some image sheets for my stamp binder while I was at it.

I keep most of my stamps in VCR tape cases by theme, and these were all thrown into the cases, no rhyme or reason.

I have finally created a system for organizing these case contents. I make chipboard inserts that have glossy photo paper adhered to one side where the stamps cling to the surface, and have sticker paper on the other side where I stamp the images. That way I can pick up an insert and know what which stamp each image belongs to. It really makes it easier to see what I have in there. Only a million more cases to fix up this way, but at least I have a plan now.

Well, this entry is becoming a mile long so I will call it quits for today. Have a great weekend, everyone!

An Exciting Super Tuesday

I wanted to wait until late to blog; then I got busy mounting some of my rubber stamps on cling foam and cutting out; then got so sleepy I was afraid to post my name, much less anything else! I napped a bit though, enough to trust myself again, so here I am, at least for a little while.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the folks who were impacted by last night's tornadic storms. My parents are in Northeast Arkansas and rode it through in their hallway. Thankfully, they are okay with just a loss of electricity. One of the tornados hit less than a mile from them, so they were indeed lucky.


Every so often in my card-making, I will make one that I just love. This is one of those. It's for my oldest sister-in-law (I have 5 of them between both families). I hadn't ever really made one for her that I liked alot or would say was really nice. So, this one was long overdue for her to get.

I got to use my Big Shot Texturizing Plate on the blue cardstock. I also used a Spellbinders Nestabilities scalloped circle die, as well as a few other assorted toys. I've been trying to include 1 or 2 different techniques or pieces of equipment in my creations lately. I don't know if I actually will make more of these, but I wouldn't mind it if I did. ;-)

Hillary is officially my girl now. I finally decided today. I particularly enjoyed seeing the media project her the winner of Massachusetts and California. The Kennedy endorsements in those states had me reacting negatively. I idolized JFK as a child and teen, but then I grew up, read several biographies and learned about his reackless behaviors and blatant womanizing (nude women in the White House pool, dating a Mob mistress then too).

I began looking at his administration critically and saw how many times America teetered on the brink of major f-up. So, I'm no longer a fan. I thought it was pretty cool that their states went to Hillary after the Kennedys came out for Obama. Other than that, I was left with excitement over how many participated in the process, and how no one is yet a runaway frontrunner. My state votes in the March primaries and I like it that it's still a competitive race.

I've decided to just award the Blogging Award to everyone on my 'Dear Friends' Links on my sidebar. I just can't pick any one over another. You are all Excellent Bloggers!

Another Week to Forget...

Thank God for today. This has been the first time since I last posted (on Sunday, eegads, no wonder I felt something was missing all week), that I feel like I can shake all the crap off my fallen angel wings and move forward!

But while the crappy things were still happening, Hubs and I got sick. So yesterday I missed being able to give a shout out to my girlfriend Kim, who turned the big 4-0. But I will shout it now!


HAPPY BIG ONE, KIM!

There's the card I made for you. Finally got it mailed Thursday, so it probably did not get there on time. I am just a big fat loser all the way around, but oh well, hell. Thought that counts, right? Hope! LOL

I also wanted to share this video with Kim and all of my girlfriend readers. It's hilarious! Let us hope that none of us are getting Valentines (or any freakin card) made this way!



Okay, then!

On to or back to my Forgettable Week... In addition to daily radiation trips, which we did not cancel once, my F-I-L somehow falls in the bathroom between the commode and the tub. And bangs up his rib. But he throws a fit about going to the emergency room, so it isn't looked at for like 3 days.

(I dunno, I'm not a medical person, but if you are going to get radiation every day, could they not shoot a little x-ray of your rib while they are doing their thing? Apparently not. And, to be fair, if the patient is ornery about it, probably not.)

Finally on the 3rd day, my M-I-L loses it (like she should be doing all the time, LOL), and becomes assertive and insists it get looked at. She still needs to improve her timing though; this happened at 8 at night, so nobody but me, once again, could help out. We get him there and he has a fractured rib. What can you do? They taped it up and sent us home, after taking that x-ray.

Then, the next day they call the house and say there's something on the x-ray, looks like pneumonia! So, I take M-I-L to pick up all the scripts he's been written for that. And he starts that protocol, being told that if he doesn't quickly improve, it'll be a hospital stay. The best thing is he becomes a model patient, as the hospital is his idea of Hell.

Well, anyway, the day after that, some sheepish nurse at his doc's office calls to say, quit taking the antibiotics, he doesn't have pneumonia, that spot was his cancer.

Oy, oy, oy. Now, at that exact moment, I had all the proof I needed to feel fine with universal care, because if there's all this idiocy in the capitalist medicine world, any change would be a step up. Because, check out this sick syncopation: my mom calls and finally got word on her x-ray. No suspicious spot. It was just her hianal hernia.

OH MY GOD. What the hell? That was in two different states, too. Yep, better to just try to forget and go on with life. My mom is on Cloud Nine (and I am beginning to realize just how depressed she must be with all her chronic illnesses, like I get from time to time, because she is not usually this chipper and optimistic lately). My F-I-L is recouping nicely and quickly and my M-I-L is finally getting some relief.

But none of that good stuff happened until Friday (yesterday). And on top of those 2 story lines, the phone rang Monday morning and I couldn't hear or talk because of a lot of static and sounds of dial tones and such. So, after the person calling me tried to call 6 more times, I finally got them to answer their phone when I called them on my cell. Got that settled, then I called Verizon to report it. Well, for 2 days I dealt with a robot voice, albeit a very sophisticated and smart one. I was impressed. Except that to them the problem appeared to be resolved but it wasn't.

Finally late Tuesday I figured out how to talk to a live person and a repair guy was sent out Wednesday. Turns out our lines were crossed with someone else's. Took him half a day to get it working, but I'm glad he kept at it. We have all new cable and a new box on the pole. This is always a good thing. The worst part was probably M-I-L calling 45 times and having to re-route her to call the cell and her forgetting half the time, but hey, we got through it.

And in the midst of all that, Missy arrives for a day-visit. She had a dentist appointment here to get a couple of cavities filled. Good thing she did, as much as she wimps out at pain, one of them was just on the verge of infection due to our prior dentist closing the filling up wrong and leaving it open to bacteria! Missy was super close to having to have a root canal, but our dentist fixed it (he's very good). She had it pretty rough for a while, but after I finally found some mushy food she would eat, she felt better, as she'd barely eaten all week!

Anyway, she shows up without my memory card, darn. She got flustered, running late, and forgot it. (I gave her a CD mailer to just mail it to me, hopefully she will not forget that.) We teased her pretty good about not being allowed to come back again for a visit, because every time she comes home, something around here breaks and needs repair (last time she came home, the front bath commode was busted and the plummer had to come).

Oh, and she came home sick, so of course Hubs and I got it too.

Anyway, this morning I awoke fresh and with a little energy that I want to bottle so I can save some of it, LOL. Hubs has been on graveyards and is still asleep, so I'm hopeful he is feeling better, too. Since he only has one more night to work on his shift, and tomorrow is the Super Bowl, I'm thinking odds are good that he will be in a better mood at least.

Well, that's it. I did want to thank both Sarah C. and Linda for awarding me Excellent Blogger this week. I'm so proud of it that I have put it on my sidebar. Sort of like putting it on the mantel in my family room if this weren't cyberspace, LOL.

I'm supposed to pass it on and I will, but I'll do that tomorrow. I have tons of blog posts to catch up on at the blogs I usually read first. And I want to think it through a bit, too. Not, definitely not from a standpoint of who deserves it, though. Because every blog I read deserves it. There is no way I could decide on that basis. It'll be more like who needs the lift most, who hasn't been awarded yet, etc. Spread the love kinda thing. Let's be honest, it's acool thing to be told you are an excellent blogger. A little thing, but one mental/emotional lift that can help us keep going. Lord knows, I needed it this wunnerful week. LOL

Remind me in tomorrow's post to also talk about the groups I'm in for 2008. And I have more creations to show...

Hillary Flick, Anyone?

Just for the record: if the 2008 presidential election were today, I would be casting my vote for Hillary Clinton. Having said that, however, my choice is not yet cast in stone. She has caused me to wince more than once, this month alone. You could say I'm leaning towards her, which means I can still poke fun at her and her personna. When I saw this video, I just could not help myself, I had to spread the political humor love.

For those of you who feel about Hillary like she's a bad thing, I know you'll enjoy this video. That is a no-brainer, right?

And for those of you who support her or like her or are at least keeping an open mind, here are two facts to help you get comfortable with it enough to chuckle a bit:

1. In his original review of the movie, Roger Ebert elaborately point by point equated Tracy Flick to that much-admired scion of Republican women, Elizabeth Dole; thus proving that there's a fine bipartisan line when it comes to labelling the Flick similarities;

and

2. Lest we forget, Tracy Flick does win in the end. Hmm, now there's some tail wagging the dog, eh?

ROFL Enjoy.