Honest Aimes

Emily presented me with this neat award, so thank you very much Em!! Please visit her blog.

There are a few requirements to accepting the Honest Scrap Award and they are as follows:

A). Here are 7 honest things about myself:

1. I desperately need to go get an eye exam and some new glasses. So much so that I've worn a pair of broken glasses for the last year that I've taped back together.

2. I have what I guess you might call a bit of a talent for naming things. I would probably have done well in an advertising firm creative department (which is what my daughter will be doing once she graduates college in a year, if the economy cooperates).

3. I just signed up for two online summer workshops, one in creative lettering and the other a study of techniques in Gwen Diehn's book, The Decorated Page.

4. My favorite hot breakfast cereal is Malt-o-Meal.

5. A neighbor gave us a sack of home-grown tomatoes last week and I sure did enjoy slicing them and eating them.

6. In the summer I combine Aveeno Moisturizing Body Wash with St. Ives Facial Scrub on my wash cloth in the shower, and it gets the dead skin off, plus it moisturizes and invigorates my skin all over.

7. I just got my hair cut off super short. I went to my usual hair salon, but began using a new stylist who gave me an old-fashioned razor cut, which is perfect for my hair type. I haven't had this good of a cut in years.

Thinking of 7 things that I haven't already blogged about was hard! So, these may seem obscure things about me. I am in a mood not to repeat anything, though, so, whatchya gonna do?

B). I must put a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog which I have proudly done!

C). I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers and list their links. Well, I recently decided that while I refuse to refuse to do tags and quizzes, I am going to refuse to hunt down new recruits. This is entirely my fault as I am very slow and it takes me forever to do that. So, if you are reading and want to do this quiz, consider yourself lovingly tagged by me, okay? And, if you have tagged me, please accept my thanks for understanding. :-)

Personality Test

Took this test the other day. Here are my results:

Your Personality is the Rarest (INFJ)
Your personality type is introspective, principled, self critical, and sensitive. Only about 2% of all people have your personality - including 3% of all women and around 1% of all men. You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging.

I've changed slightly since my last 6 times to take the same test. Previously, I was always a INFP (the only difference is a tendency to perceive instead of judge, and INFP's make excellent writers...bingo!). This slight change means I've become more judgmental, and that totally makes sense to me.

Ever since a certain presidential election, I've known that. ;-)

Here's what else it has to say about me:

"As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ
Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs place great importance on having things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is
entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it.

Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff
at, and the INFJ himself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it.

They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive. But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's
feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubbornness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a
perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right.

In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals. INFJ is a natural
nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they
can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or
else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.

The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

Jungian functional preference ordering:
Dominant: Introverted Intuition
Auxiliary: Extroverted Feeling
Tertiary: Introverted Thinking
Inferior: Extroverted Sensing"

The only thing I think it's off on is the detailed work (this is pre-arthritis meds...on the meds, I make it 100% true, lol).)

Anyway, that's a pretty accurate look into me. You?

Happy Hump Day!

Dang, I knew enough to feel guilty for not posting some blog entries, but it's been a whole week? I've no excuse other than I've been in deep deed.

It seems that every spring is like this: all of a sudden, I'm awash in chores with deadlines. After April 15th, I always want to chill out for a month or so, but nooooo. No one else waits around for that. winkwink

I can proudly boast that I've succeeded in biotch-slapping Hubs to hire out the humongo pool cleaning (after over a year of bog-like conditions). Finally, YAY!

May I present the most gorgeous blue water I've seen in a while, lol:








I had to sneak the photo because I didn't want Pool Guy to know he was being snapped. Kinda awkward. lol I have to say he worked hard. It was a tough job, and I have no idea if $325 for 3 afternoons of work was worth it more to him or to us, but it's paid and the pool's clean.

Of course, in 7 short days, it'll need the regular maintenance of brushing and chemicals to keep it from slowly going downhill again, which we can count on Pool Guy to take care of for $40 a week. That's $160 a month. And let's not forget the 12 hours of pump electricity each day for aeration. I guess I now know why our electric bill seemed lower, lol.

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose. Whoever first said that must have owned a pool, but I digress. I'm usually the first to goad Hubs into doing the DIY thing, but this time I'm voting for Pool Guy to do the weekly work. Hubs came right out and asked if we could hire him. LOL Yeah, like maybe he hates doing the pool? Ya think? My thinking on it is that Hubs wasn't that great at it, and it needs to be done correctly or that investment gets more costly.

So, anyway, that's now the plan for the summer (which is like 6 mos. down here, if not longer). It's amazing to me looking at it in retrospect how it could take so dang long to do just that much, but I've been working hard in my thorny-sided role.

First, starting last week, I had to spend almost 3 days in virtual verbal war as I told Hubs he needed to find someone, then I told him again, and again, because he went into his usual little weirdo rebellion fits, until he realized his way wasn't happening. It only took 2 screaming matches to get to that point.

By Sunday, Pool Guy had made two appearances and Hubs returned to work on days. I only took it easy just a little bit because I dived back into creating, and haven't really looked up until tonight, when I became duly red-faced for realizing how long I'd gone without blogging.

While all this was going on, I have been having a midlife art crisis, for lack of a better description. I've been getting more and more into stamping, paints, background techniques, gessos, glazes, and glitter. A bigger canvas than an ATC affords. And the awesome ways so many out there are combining ephemera with the liquids to create mixed media art.

It's like Scrap booking, but it's not. It's, to me, the closest you can get to feeling what a real artist might feel, short of drawing or painting everything on the piece. You are more free, less constrained by the photos, which in art collage are people you don't know but are attempting to create a personal relationship which. And it can be anything you want it to be, what fantasy! I mean, you can't control the lives of the real people in your scrapbook layouts, but you totally can in your collage.

I don't know. On one hand, it's so much work, learning the ropes and getting informed. But on the other hand, it's fascinating. I even got out the old Artist's Way and read some, need to read some every day. I will admit to being reminded by the author Julia Cameron's ex being interviewed on TCM the other night. Who is her ex, you might ask?

Martin Scorsese, that's who, the film director and obsessed American Express photo development customer. She even refers to them in one chapter, so he's in the book's index. And he was describing in this interview about a tough mental time he went through, about the same time they broke up. Hmmm.... Oh, to be a fly on the wall concerning that one! I really enjoyed seeing him in that interview. I find him quite refreshing and a very positive and religious man. (Cameron's book is laced with religious metaphor and inspiration). Double hmmm.....

I seriously sometimes think I was really meant to be Mary Hart on Entertainment Tonight, except that somewhere something went horribly wrong for me, LOL.

Anyway, if I actually do go through any material changes, you heard it here first. Lately I have been so lazy that if God himself told me I'd win a million bucks if I'd just be a tad more industrious, I'd honestly have trouble finding motivation.

Relaxing and letting time roll along in a parallel universe is just so nice.

Well, speaking of rolling along, I was shocked in a great way to discover I won a RAK from Shirley! Congrats to her for her 1,000th post and I guess that'd be me! LOL See, it pays to reply to practically every entry you're behind in reading, LOL.

Anyway, I know Shirley's RAK will have something neat in it, so even though it may take a while to get here, it'll be sweet!

And, I've been tagged! That, for next time....

One. More. Day.

Take the Quiz

Your Mind is Purple
~~xxxx~~
Of all the mind types, yours is the most idealistic.
You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.
Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.
You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.

~~xxxxxxxxxx~~

Geez, that quiz was kinda...revealing...and dead on. What are the oddz? LOL I saw it on Sarah's blog and of course had to take it. Be strong, Aimes, only one quiz a day!

~~xxxxxxxxx~~

Well, I had to pull an all-niter, but I'm closing in on my deadline. WooHoo! I'd have to say I'm not much into wanting to create anything right now though. More like I want to pretend to be a bump on a log...hibernating. Bump on a log. SLEEP. Yup, I stayed up all nite working. Could not relax enough. Tried. Failed. Way too much java and stress.

Oh, and all those goodies I bought for Hubs yesterday? Yup, I helped eat them. I probably gained 2 pounds back in 24 hours, but it was fun. Note to file: grazing as a diet strategy only works when you graze on good, healthy food. Otherwise? Worse than worse.

Well, back to work. Gonna bust outa here and crash in a bit. Ahhhh......then I can really "spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life...WITHOUT BOUNDARIES".

Bbbbwwwaaaaaa! winkwink

Learning to Love the Weeds

I Love Buttercups...
Patches of Blue...

I Love Old Clover....

And Clover Brand New!


Yep, it be Spring here on the Third Coast. Our night time low temps creep slowly upward, even though so far we've been enjoying cool winds in the day time.

And it's official: the Skeeters have landed. Thankfully they are still in that morning hangover phase: you know they are there, but they act a bit stoned.

So have the humongo tree roaches that can fly. (HATE those...)

In addition to take stolen moments away from my tax returns to enjoy the good and bad of Nature, I had a bit of a traumatic experience last week.

I walked into our detached garage, like I do 2 dozen times a day or so, and almost did not notice the little teeny brown field mouse sitting frozen with his back to me on the cement floor where it meets the garage door. And when I did notice, I was frozen, too.

I have a bad phobia about them little nasty things. I know that people actually keep them as pets, and since we live on the edge of a field / horse pasture those little "cute" ones are the ones we deal with. And, they are not that smart. But you'll never see me owning one as a pet. They totally freak me out.

So, there we are, frozen, both of us. Finally, my brain gets a thought to step forward: push the button and raise the garage door, like he'll just run right out and leave us alone forever. I know, stupid, like he's someone waiting for an elevator.

Just after I raised my arm and pressed the button, I thought uh-oh, what if he turns around and runs back into the dark recesses of our garage? So, I grabbed a little hand shovel that was hanging nearby.

So, I was ready. But still, mouse time stood still. He finally stirred and sure enough, wheeled himself around. So, what did I do? I batted him with the shovel like I was up at bat, out on the driveway. As I contemplated "what now", I watched him land on his side, right in the drip line of the roof overhead. It was raining, and so water was dripping and dabbling all over him, his face, his fur.

What did he do? Without moving anything else, he opened his mouth and started drinking.

It was then I realized he must have eaten some poison that Hubs has set out in the garage. We've had a few mice in prior years that have ingested it and make it into the pool where they drank themselves to a quick bye-bye. That's always fun scooping them out.

Back to my story...Now, Hubs would have beat the mouse flat with the shovel, or worse, just stepped on him. But I was wearing my pink fur thongs and nothing short of my life being imminently threatened would convince me to bloody-and-guts-up up those babies.

No way. No eff-ing way, okay? So, I fell back on my tried-and-true method for trapping snakes that has proven successful for me.

I ran into the house and grabbed a small wide-mouthed pickle jar from the pantry (I'm a packrat in the kitchen too), filled it a third of the way with water, then stopped in the laundry room and poured it full another third of Clorox bleach. Then I grabbed the tongs that hang there for pulling out clothes from the back of the dryer.

I carried my equipment out to the garage, where the mouse was still there writhing out on the driveway and shuddering in the still-dripping drip line. I placed my jar down on the cement and then picked the mouse up by the tail with my tongs and lowered him into his vat of death, dropped the tongs and screwed that lid on tight.

I wiped the tongs down with alcohol and put them in the dishwasher to run on the Scald setting (what I call the Sterilize setting) all by their lonesome (to avoid having to suppress gagging at the thought that my plate or glass mixed liquids with those tongs), and I'm proud of myself that I did not just throw the tongs away.

When Hubs got home from work a few hours later, I was all proud of myself for being so brave and resourceful, so I told him the story. He rolled his eyes and asked, what do I do with the jar now?

I'm like, dude, don't worry, I'll take care of it. Geez, how sissified can men be sometimes?

The jar stayed there on the garage floor until trash day, when I wrapped it up in bubble wrap, taped it securely, and then placed it in the trash. Problem solved, and no blood stains or guts to clean up.

I guess I could argue that I've built a "better mousetrap" - gives new meaning to "in a pickle". Personally, I can't think of a better way to recycle, can you?

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Seems like there's always a test or quiz in Blogland.

For instance, here's the True Color test I found at Colleen's blog. I took it and here's the verdict. You decide, is it me?

What's Aimeslee's True Color?

Her Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Then, I {stupidly} took the typing test over at Kim's blog. Like, did I forget I had arthritis in my hands, or something? I was reminded when I got my score: a big 44 words a minute. Dang. Let's just say that score was much higher when I was 25, and I didn't even do secretarial work.
44 words

Speedtest

Back from Real Life

Me, exhausted but wearing my Happy for Hillary smile, upon getting the news at my precinct caucus that she won Texas!!!!

Caucuses suck, by the way, the most un-democratic chaos that could be and IMO a direct disenfranchisement of the vote, ripe for abuse. I'm already signed up on a petition to do away with Texas' so-called Two Step, but that's another story...

I've had the most incredible life since my last post, and I apologize for being gone from here for 10 days, but I can only plead Reality (as opposed to insanity, LOL).

Since we last visited, I volunteered for the campaign like every day, then was purely lucky enough to hookup with Alex, who was scouting for volunteers to read online content and identify sites with unfair accusations and info. So, I got to start doing that. It's just the most amazing thing and right up my alley, given my love of writing and Hillary's candidacy, LOL.

And right in the middle was that fantastic winning night!

I've learned so much, too. Most of which I can't talk about, but I sure wish I could. I can say we caught professional Obama caucusers at our precinct trying to pass themselves off as eligible participants and got them booted out, which enabled Hillary to win at my precinct. Filed complaints with the state party, too. Found out we weren't the only precinct that had this happen, either. And that the reason why Texas' caucus totals won't be finalized for months is because of all the complaints filed against the ObamaBots and it will probably take that long to settle those, but you will likely not be told that by the mainstream media because it makes Mr. New Kind of Politics look bad (I'm about ready to hit somebody right now just thinking about it).

Anyway, there's tons of other volunteers like me doing the same thing nationwide, so this is nothing special to anyone but me. But I love it.

So anyway, where was I on this blog? Oh, yeah, showing more birthday photos and picking 3 more commenters for RAKs. I do have a couple more photos. And, I have the hand-made RAKS for the next 3 peeps almost done, but until they are finished, I think I'm going to wait to say who they are for. I'm really enjoying making little artfarts for you, and I've been super-productive since I can work on bits and pieces while reading campaign content. I got the first 3 RAKs mailed off last week and have heard back from them. You're very welcome, my pleasure. I'll show some photos of my artfarts next time.

Okay, so the rest of my birthday photos: here's the scene pulling up to the restaurant, Pappadeaux.

Here's my m-i-l and s-i-l on our way out:

Here's most of the cards I got:I loved how one of them is an actual teenager card, HA! Here is one I got from my girl Texas Kim, and I think it's probably the most unusually cool "nude" thing I've ever gotten in the mail! I was shocked that it made it without a smudge or a tear (I made a little front and back photo collage for you so you can see that it was mailed just as you see it...no envelope...wowzers, huh?): Awesomely ingenious and creatively hip, Kim. Thanks! What did the post office clerk say? I'm dying to know! LOL

I also got a scrapping equipment gift. Hubs asked what big tool did I want, and I said (without hesitation), "I want the new Quickutz Revolution borders bundle!":Oh man, it's Lust with me and this bundle. Just looking at the photo makes me weak in the knees. I haven't ordered them yet, cuz I'm waiting for the price to drop just a bit. But it's great to know that it's a guilt-free purchase when that time comes, LOL. For me, this is a Top Ten contender in My Gifts of All Time.

Rosette has tagged me, so here goes (hey, girl, I hope you recognized that restaurant, being that it's in your vicinity, LOL):

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Hubster
C- Cake or Pie: Cake (Duncan Hines Choc. Fudge)
D- Day of Choice: Sunday
E- Essential Item (s): cell, lipgloss, cash
F-Favorite type of music: 60's-80's rock
G- Gummy Bears or Worms: Neither
H- Hometown: Houston, TX
I- Indulgence(s): fried butterfly shrimp
J- January or July: January
K- Kids: 1 Girl
L Last movie: Bourne Supremacy on TBS
M- Marriage Date: 05/29/1987
N- Number of Siblings: 1 brother
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples
P- Phobias or Fears: heights
Q- Quote(s): "Know thyself" ~ Oracle at Delphi
R- Reason To Smile: Hubs cracks me up
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag : Tina
U- Unknown Fact About Me: (if I told you, it wouldn't be unknown anymore)...oh, okay: I've washed my face with Noxema my entire life.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I'm not a vegetarian.
W- Worst Habit: Smoking
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: Rib eye, baked potato, salad
Z- Zodiac: Pisces

Rubbed the right way, maybe...

This weekend, I ended up playing a bunch with different ways I could use those rub-ons that have appeared to have "gone bad". On this atc above, I had some success rubbing them onto acetate. I had some acetate sheets (transparency sheets) from back when I first got into rubber stamping, so I pulled some out and cut out some atc-sized rectangles.

This atc, "Lovey Dovey Danger", has an entire sheet of acetate on top of the atc. (you can see the glue dots at the corners if you look real close.) Onto the print-wrapped base, I rubbed on the 'Lovey Dovey' text, as well as the 'guaranteed' oval at the bottom. Then, onto the acetate, I rubbed the boy skeleton, the 'danger' text and the skull hand bones.

I could see right off that a nonporous and slightly sticky-feeling surface is one that rub-ons like best. Porous paper and vellum, not the best for a dying rub-on. So, that was good to know. Then, I played even more by brushing Diamond Glaze onto the back of the rub-on sheet itself, letting it dry, then cutting out a shape. Here's an atc I made using that trick: What I discovered when I did that, was that if I cut the shape out leaving an thin outline around it, the top layer of the rub-on sheet came off and I was left with a very thin but sturdy rub-on that I could peel away from its sheet and apply to my project.

So, I'd say that is the secret to salvaging "bad" rub-ons, if one wanted to. Brush a layer of Diamond Glaze onto the back of the rub-on sheet, let dry, then cut around the rub-on shape you want to use, and then let the top separate off to get a very thin sticker of your rub-on. You'll still need to brush on a top layer of Diamond Glaze once you have applied the rub-on, but this worked great. No breaks in the rub-on this way.

Well, now that I've solved this, what's next, world peace? LOL

Linda tagged me the other day and I need to do that tag quiz. So, here it is:

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tag 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago: I was 11 years married, Missy was 10, I was treasurer of the PTO at Missy's elementary school and a board member of her softball league, I had a bustling and growing tax and accounting biz, and we would be moving into a new home later in the summer while fixing up the old one..

Things on my to-do list today: I only keep 3 things on that list (and a long "When I Get to it" list on the side). Today's 3 things are: 1.shower 2.post office 3.bank deposit

What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire: provide Missy her dream college career, let Hubs retire immediately & travel to determine where we want to relocate to (based on our conversation yesterday, it may not be America).

3 of my bad habits:

3 places I have lived: Arkansas, Texas, Texas

5 jobs that I have had: library aide, accountant, teacher

5 Things people don't know about me: geez, I don't know that there are 5 things left LOL... 1. I almost drowned in a church camp swimming pool when I was 3; 2. My throat closes up when I eat shrimp, but I still eat it; 3. I like brussel sprouts; 4. I don't like corned beef; 5. I prefer the taste of diet coke to coke now.

I'm going to tag: Lida, Kim L, and KimKT.

Put the Whoa on Nelly

Monday for me began like any other, with me making all these big crafting plans to complete within the next 16 hours or so.

Typical me. As with food, my arty eyes are also bigger than my stomach.

So, at some point yesterday, I mysteriously just put the whoa on Nelly, as we say down here. IOW, I put the brakes on. Reality met my art-fantasy life.

I was frankly amazed, because my left-brain usually has to talk my right-brain into something like that. I had big plans to make like a bazillion more Valentine cards, and of course I'd never finish in time to mail them all today. So it was with relief that Nelly met whoa. I was finding myself working on ATC's anyway, the entire time I was thinking all these additional cards were going to get made.

I did get cards made and mailed for my folks and Missy. Hub's family is not into cards other than birthdays and Christmas...and maybe Easter. I grew up getting and giving cards for any little thing, however. My parents like getting them and giving them.

Speaking of left brain / right brain, I ran across this cool questionaire for artists. The quiz technically is for painters, but it could easily apply also to paper crafters. I found the questions themselves to be quite interesting. Definitely worth a try...

I've been certifiably ambi-brained almost my entire life (ambi- meaning double, or both as applies to being left-brain or right-brain). I suspect most people are who are left-handed. Something about having to live in a right-handed world makes us enhanced on both sides or something.

At the end of the quiz, it gives you a 2-column table that lists traits and which brain side (column) each trait applies to. Going down my table was like tracing ric rac...that one on the left is true, the next one on the right is true, lather, rinse, repeat. Geez, if I didn't know my background, I'd be thoroughly mixed-up. LOL

Anyway, it was all so true! I am horridly late for things, yet I plan out my projects. I hate to keep to-do lists, yet I always read the instructions first. I'm strongly visual, yet I'm strongly verbal, too. And the big one: I remember both faces and names, but if push comes to shove and I don't have face visuals, I may get the names confused.

So, I have to be ambi-brained in order to be a day-dreamer (a huge one) AND pay fastidiously close attention to detail (anally so). Those who know me know I am both of those. Just a weirdo. hehe

Anyway, moving on! Some of you wanted to see my hair after I cut it myself. Over the last couple of days, in spare moments, I've tried to snap some shots of my hair that has been neither coiffed nor styled, so I guess I should be glad I didn't go to the trouble since I totally suck at those Myspace type of self-shots. It's having to use one hand with my arthritic fingers. Not a good combo.

Anyway, here are a couple of everyday shots where maybe you can see that it's just hair and no big deal, LOL. I mean, I am definitely going to get my cut cleaned up, but I'm taking my sweet time doing it...

This is what it looks like most days, from the front: And as far as the back of it goes, Hubs tried helping me out on this one, and as usual, you might want to pop a dramamine if you tend to get seasick, LOL: And finally, I just wanted to add this one, cuz I like it, LOL:

Anyway, the cut is surprisingly even from side to side. I have something approaching Farrah wings (bangs) in front, and a bit of a mullet going on in the back, but nothing that a flat iron can't blend and hide. Plus, I have a tiny bit of a natural poof on top now, which I definitely needed. So, as these photos show, it's hardly noticeable to anyone other than me, but I am so much happier with the shorter layers and not nearly as much hair falling out. And I guess I'm just kind of lucky about cutting my own hair, although my standards on that are so low, lol, luck is not that hard to find. My basic view is, it's just hair and it grows back.

Ok, moving on! Here's the card I made my folks: I probably should have photoshopped that one a bit, because the pink paper ribbon blends much better in real life with the chipboard elements' pink colors. Anyway, this card was just very quick and of course still took me a while, and that wasn't the card's fault (I refuse to say how long it took me...I do not like people laughing at me for any old thing, now). What I thought was cute was that there were 2 girl bunnies and 1 guy bunny...like our family. So, on the inside, I print Happy Love Day, fron the 3 of us. So, that's like each of us (me, Hubs, Missy) are on the front. Yup, my parents get all excited by the lamest stuff. They are gonna love this card...hehe.

Post #2 for Today (please don't die of shock...)

So, I'm back now from going to tell the others they've been tagged. You won't want to miss my first post, LOL, it's the tag quiz I took and then I tagged four more gals.

Okay, that's done. Here's another card I did for yet another sis-in-law:

I had lots of little scraps left over from making Kim's card, but I didn't want to make the same card so I varied it a bit. Plus, I have this thing, this procedure, for making my cards. I make half-sheet cards for my family, and quarter-sheet (A2) cards for everyone else and for notecards. (I would much rather make A2 sized for everyone, but I got my family spoiled on the bigger cards and can't change it now.)

So, being that this is a family card, I needed to make it larger. Luckily, the recipient won't know that Bella stamps are made pretty much for the A2 size cards. I do like how it turned out though. Gotta love the ancient scrapbooking paper lines. I'm pretty sure this one by Urban Lily is at least 3 years old, if not more.

I have 2 bro-in-law cards coming up to make next week. The fun never truly ends around Casa Miguel, ya know? {meow, LOL}

Next topic: Miss KimKT wins my thanks, via her comment she left about Wednesday's political post, for reminding me that I should probably explain why I can consider JFK to be barely above scum for his womanizing, yet I support for President the wife of another womanizer often held in esteem that hovers equally close to said scum.

Yes, it's a complicated thing, my beliefs. Yet, oh so simple. As much as I think Bill Clinton was stupider than scum, and as much as I've lately been wishing she would have divorced his ass back in the day, the plain and simple answer is that I don't blame or punish Hillary for any of that. And conversely, JFK doesn't get a pass for his vile behaviors just because Bill had his schwang sucked off in the Oval Office.

See, I support Hillary even though I know full well she may not make it to the finish line. She's already had to start loaning her campaign money. The end may well be near unless more donations roll in. I sent her $50 Tuesday night, a paltry sum indeed, but it was all Hubs would agree to, with more later if she lasts and if I clear it after tax season.

With me, it's about what I feel is the right thing to do. Maybe it's my age. I'm going to vote for her, even if the primary is the first and last time I can do that. With me, it involves making a promise to an 8-yr old girl who received a signed letter from First Lady Hillary Clinton and a signed letter from Gov. Ann Richards, both in the same week. The girl was and still is my Missy. She was interested back then in being President and wrote a series of essays that received some attention. It was then that I promised the support I give today.

Yeah, I know the Far Right Limbaugh-heads think she is the devil reincarnated, but I think the same thing about Karl Rove and totally believe I'm right, so they must think they are, too. I just know that this woman, for all her faults, endured what can only be considered the most henous episode of Jerry Springer ever created, to a world-wide audience, where she went from being the loyal little trooper on the Today Show, defending Bill, to utter humiliation, anger, rage, betrayal, hurt, embarrasment, you name it. Again, all played out like it was Desperate Housewives on our televisions.

And yet she did not file for divorce. She did not shrink from the Earth's surface. In a sort of even-more humiliating irony, she actually did become like Tammy Wynette Standing By Her Man (reference to the 60 Minutes interview in 1992). She picked herself up and started a new chapter to her life that revolved around what she wanted to achieve, finally, after all those years of supporting Bill and being overshadowed by him.

Tuesday night, the exit polling showed that Democrats, whether they voted for her or not, clearly and overwhelmingly believe they see her as Commander in Chief more than Obama, and I think it's because of the same traits and the same character that got her through all of that which did not kill her so it made her stronger, tougher.

So, after all she has been through, I am just not going to make her pay by abandoning her just because it might be a tougher fight in the general campaign with her as the nominee. That's just not honorable or right. (And, that's if we believe the Republican talking heads, which I don't...to my mind, Obama makes the much easier target to defeat, since his victory depends on almost 100% of the black vote, that same black vote that Rove & Co love to disenfranchise so covertly and effectively during elections. And hey, if there was a black baby in John McCain's past, can a white love child be in Obama's future? Only Karl knows, but I'm willing to bet that he would never be truthful about who the easier candidate to beat would be. Wouldn't be prudent. So when he or his little surrogates say they would love their opponent to be Hillary, I don't believe them for one minute.)

I realize that going with her is the tougher road to hoe to the nomination, because of the perception that the media has made it impossible not to wonder about. Frankly, I consider supporting Obama to be taking the easier route. I mean, here's ya some Change, some real and detailed Change if you're up to it: someone needs to take Karl Rove out, once and for all, or Obama's rhetoric about a more civil politic will never ever ever ever happen.

And, who better, who more qualified, who more eager, who more due, than Hillary to do that, in perhaps the most epochal struggle of our time. It's dirty work indeed, but to think we can just send in Obama to stand up to Rove and.... and do what exactly? ... well, that's just either really naiive or really not thought through.

In my opinion. And I told you my beliefs were complicated. Hey, I often wish I could just take that easier path, write Hillary off and join the Cool Kids Coalition. It's not like I haven't been swayed by a smooth talker before, because I have. And it's not like I haven't voted for a black man before, because I have. Both in the same candidate: 1988 Texas Primary, Jesse Jackson. I'm still proud of that vote. He was the only one making any sense! But he wouldn't have made that great a President, I realized that later.

We are fixing to hit some bad times, my friends, and I want a President in there who is half Margaret Thatcher, half Tracy Flick, battle-scarred and battle-tested. The Vice President can make speeches and teach us about the urgency of now, while he gets him some battle scars of his own to campaign with next time around.

Tomorrow starts my kick-off countdown to Valentine's Day, where I will try to have some kind of heart-y crafty eye candy to show every day. Maybe every day. Try to every day...

Tagged & I'm It

Thank you so much, Katy, for tagging me. Here goes:

1. You must post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter.
3. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name.
4. After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers.
5. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details).

My middle name is Elizabeth (but that's way too long for this, so I'm using Beth).

B - Before graduating from college in 1978 with a degree in accounting, I had previously majored in art and in journalism.
E - Every four years I get a real birthday cuz I'm a Leap Year Baby.
T - The last Starbucks coffee I had was a Skinny Mocha Latte.
H - Heaven on Earth to me is a foot and leg massage.

Okay, I'm tagging:
Kacy
Kim L.
Linda
Barbara

I hope I did that right. It took forever to track down the people who have already been tagged, which is why I used Beth and limited it to four.

I have to go tell them they are tagged. Be back with the rest of my post laterz.....

Thanks, Linda - Let's Play Hump Tag!

Missy sent me photos of her brand-new dorm room. She moved to a just-opened dorm and has a new roommate, her bff Katelyn. First, a little reclining shot on her bed...

Then, a shot of a couple of LO's I created for her. She has them in the page protectors sideways and uses the binder holes to hang them by. I think it looks cool...

I got a bit verklempt at this shot of her bedside table. She's showing off her Zapatos shoes; but, me being Mom, I spied the striped SEI scrapbook I had filled with LO's and given her, sitting on the carpet underneath the table, ready for her to look at if maybe she can't sleep at night or gets homesick. Awwww.

**********
I was tagged by the lovely Linda. All of the questions have 2 answers. After answering all the questions here, add one question of your own (this tag started with 4 questions) and then tag 2 people. Simple enough? I am tagging Barbara and Katy.

1. Name your 2 favorite scrapbooking topics:
a. my family
b. my dogs

2. What are the 2 best places you've been to?
a. London
b. Paris

3. Name 2 things you do every day:
a. eat
b. computter (computer-putter)

4. Tell us 2 things that pretty much everyone knows about you.
a. my sense of humor
b. my love of writing

5. 2 places you wish to visit:
a. Amsterdam
b. Montana

6. 2 things you may not know about me are:
a. I am such a homebody that I only leave my house once a week, if I can help it.
b. I'm a closet fan of "Little House" reruns, on the Hallmark Channel. The other day, Laura, Mary and Mr. Edwards' son got stuck on a runwawy train car and man, I was glued to it til Pa and Mr. Edwards got it stopped. Whew! That was a close one!

7. 2 nicknames you've had at some time in your life:
a. Miss 5 (as in Miss 5 Minutes Later)
b. Aim-o, Aimeless, Aimester....something usually along those lines.

8. Name 2 of your favorite drinks:
a. Green tea on ice, with mint and lemon
b. Diet Coke

9. What are 2 interesting (in a good or bad way) jobs you have had in your life?
a. Probably my most enjoyed one: in the late 70's, I was assistant controller for Pace Mgmt, which owned Pace Concerts, during their heyday as THE concert mgmt company. Needless to say, I had an awesome night life!
b. Probably my least enjoyed one: One summer in college, I wondered about quitting school to get a job and be on my own. The first job I found was waitressing at a Denny's-type 24-hr restaurant. Although the money was pretty good, I'd never worked harder physically, nor been treated so badly (very sexist). In the fall, I was signed up for those college classes again, bebe. LOLOL Thank GOD!

10. What are your top 2 fun things to do after work?
a. shower
b. put on fresh, clean clothes

11. What are 2 things I would like to learn:
a. Spanish
b. Photoshop Elements

12. What are the last 2 songs you downloaded or last 2 CD's you bought?
a. Amy Winehouse "You Know I'm No Good"
b. John Mayer "Waiting on the World to Change"

13. I added this one:
Name 2 movies you could watch or you have watched 100 times in your life and still watch again, no problem:
a. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
b. Office Space

**********
Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me: I pulled one of my famous put-aways. I put away in a safe place the memory card that holds all the not-yet-uploaded photos of what I made for Christmas gifts, and now of course, I cannot find it. I know it is here somewhere. It's just that I cannot yet remember where it is. I'm giving it another couple of days before I begin to tear the house apart, so please...say a little one for my card to just appear out of nowhere, ok? LOL Thanks [blushing and shrugging shoulders]

**********
Edited to add cuz I forgot: 2Peas Blogger challenge for Thursdayis to post your very first layout. omg. well, okay. I'm never one to say no to providing a laugh, LOL. This is my Hubs, Christmas of 1952, his first one:


Have a great end-of-week days!

Surf-Share Saturday/Sunday

It occurred to me today, as I was trying to come up with some good content for today's entry and ending up with some lame ideas all the way around, that I have a few pretty cool sites bookmarked to share. Hence, the start of something new! Surf-Share! LOL What a great topic to be able to fall back on when needed. So, without further ado, let me dig into my Google Reader for a few links to sites you might find interesting.

1.Since I still officially have a teen (who also considers herself one) until July 2008, I like being inspired by scrap layouts specifically for teens. And if you scrap for teens, you know how tough that can be! So, I consider Scrap The Teenz a God-send. There are a ton of fabulous layouts there, and the inspiration flows strong. The sidebar has links to 3 other great sites for family inspiration: Scrap the Girls, Scrap the Boys, and Scrap the Pets. Geez, what more could you need? Scrap the In-Laws? LOL


2.I lurk at Elizabeth Bunsen's web site most every time she posts a new entry. She is an artist in Burlington, Vermont, I think. Pure eye candy and quirkiness abounds. Never know what she is going to post. Mostly photos, and many times scenes of her bit of Heaven she calls her home. Man, if only I could be so lucky to have her gig, LOL. Guaranteed to lift your spirits and call you to your creative home.

3.Here's a journal challenge blog you can enjoy even if you don't join in: This Is Me Journal Challenges. They note in the sidebar, "The This is Me Journal, is designed to give you a creative outlet and way to jot down some random ideas about yourself. In 10 years, you will probably look back at these pages and laugh- and that is the idea. Not really to get too deep, but to express things that you think and do everyday- that you never want to forget!" If you already journal well but need inspiration, if you're a scrapper who needs a new way to journal, a scrapper who needs journaling improvement, or if you just like to see what other people create and think about, check out this site. Don't forget the ginormous list of particpant's links listed on the sidebar, and if you start at the bottom of the blog page and work your way up, you get all the challenge 411 from Day One, complete with slide shows of each challenge's participant entries. This site is fully loaded. It's the Everyday done in almost every way. LOL

4.Confessions of Pioneer Woman, a city girl transplanted into country life as a ranch owner's wife, and her companion site, Pioneer Woman Cooks, are delightful and funny escapes. I don't want to be her, but I want to know Pioneer Woman, otherwise known as Ree in real life. But I'll just have to suck up every morsel she throws out to her adoring fans. The woman can write! OMG. I just finished her latest entry about how she met her DH, aka Marlboro Man. And Ree only cooks fat-laden, starchy, stick-to-your-ribs, old-timey ranch hand food, and she includes step by step photos and instructions in case you want to cook it all too. What a guilty pleasure!

5.From the ranch to the farm, LOL. Sherelle Christensen's a big name in scrapbooking, but on her blog, My Crazy Life, we get a nicely written, beautifully photographed window into her simple, lovely and genuine and immensely busy life on her family's Idaho farm. I have to say, I'm just blown away by it all. Her snaps are stunning, particularly the scenery of her everyday surroundings, and also quaint, sweet and old-fashioned when the subjects are her family and the community. Plus, there are delicious farm-food recipes, oh my. Very similar to Ree (#4), but never snarky, always genuine and forthright. I crave daily feeds of her musings.

Well, that's 5 great escapes. Hope you give them a test run if they suit you. I've got a date with some cleaning and then later with the Hubs, so I'll see ya Monday! Have an awesome weekend!

What Color Are You?

Saw this color quiz on Heather's blog and thought it looked fun! Try it for yourself. My color result is not my absolute favorite, but it is in the complimentary triangle of those I like, and the description of me is pretty close! (how'd they do that?)

you are mediumseagreen #3CB371

Your dominant hues are cyan and green. Although you definately strive to be logical you care about people and know there's a time and place for thinking emotionally. Your head rules most things but your heart rules others, and getting them to meet in the middle takes a lot of your energy some days. Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it. Your outlook on life is brighter than most people's. You like the idea of influencing things for the better and find hope in situations where others might give up. You're not exactly a bouncy sunshine but things in your world generally look up.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Remember what I said yesterday about the art journal page I was working on?

It's way too cutesy.

It's pink.

It's "little girl-y".

Ok, then, you were prepared ahead of time, so here it is:

It's an homage to my childhood love of ballerinas and all things pink. Serious love back in the day. When I look at it, it helps me bring up visual memories of my ballet classes, my endless Barbie play, and itchy, scratchy, frilly, floaty dress slips made of netting, worn on Sundays under crisp cotton dresses with black patent leather shoes. Those kinds of memories, and as I have no photographs of them and am getting up there in age, this and other art like it will have to do as my helper. I'm suddenly reminded of the phrase "reverting back to my childhood". LOL Yep, the older we get, the more we cherish that time, if only to be able to still remember it.

{Shiver, shudder} Whoa, that's getting to be old fart talk, right?

Hey, I'd like to thank all of you who left comments here! What empowerment I get from you! And, just so you know, I try harder than heck to repay the favor by going to all of your blogs and commenting.

I'm pretty excited right now. I had a doctor's appt this morning with my rheumotologist (one reason I'm late blogging today). Sort of like a final checkout from the heavy-duty therapy I've been on to fight all of my arthritii. I'm now on maintenance! WooHoo! Plus, and I'll explain more about this later as I learn about it, he asked me to be in a special drug trial for a new med to help improve my cognition and my inability to handle stress. I'm so in. Tired of being slow and avoiding stuff due to the possible stress. Something about putting the coating back on my brain synopsies or something like that. I was like, what has this got to do with arthritis, though? He laughed and explained that so many chronic arthritis patients have been damaged by the pain meds like I was, so his specialty is a targeted population for it. My biggest problem now is not to get my hopes up. I have my first prescription, but it'll take 1-3 months to see if it works. I just have to hope this can help me regain some ground. There are things I want to do! LOL

Have a great weekend! Thoughts and prayers to the California fire victims as they begin to piece it all back together. {{Hugs}

It's A Not-Want-To-Blog Day

I'm just not that into it today, but I am into trying to write every day, so I am making myself do it. Don't you have those kind of days? I do, not that often, I admit. I usually love to write, so why is today different?

I've been creating today! Oops, I am breaking my October rule, I know. Just couldn't help myself, I suppose. Playing in my art journal. Nothing finished, of course. Of course. But, I am closer. Promise.

And you are not going to believe one of the pages when I finally upload them all. A hint: it defies everything we've been taught to not do anymore.

It's way too cutesy.

It's pink.

It's "little girl-y".

Part of me keeps lobbying to just lie and say I made it for my little 7-y.o. niece, hehe. You know me, though. Too honest and open for my own good, so I will be owning it as my art. And, you know what? I likey. I am really into the Who-Gives-A-Crap School of Art: in other words, don't try to dictate to me what is and isn't art. I'll do my own thing, thank you. I might even do more. Eegads!

And you thought I was exxagerating about being a nonconformist last week? HA!

Lord, What I Do For My Friends...

Heather has tagged me, with the same challenge that Gina tagged me with last week. It's not Heather's fault, though, and I loves me some Heather and Gina both, so I'll play. Actually, it's not a bad tag challenge, and one that could be done every week if ya had to. Last time, I refused to tag other people (I wasn 't in the mood, ya know), but today I'm a gonna. So, look out, some of you will be tagged, but it's pretty fun to do, so do it, ok?

Here are the rules for it:
1. Link to the person that tagged you (that's me) and post these rules on your blog (like I'm doing right here).
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay, to begin (and I'm desperately trying to think up 7 new things):
1. You probably know that I have a list of fall season TV shows that I watch (ya think? With a TV show calendar just for that at the bottom of this blog? Nahhhhhh). Well, the voting's been close, very close, in my head, but my 2 favorite shows are probably "Damages" and "Mad Men", and BOTH are in ratings trouble and will probably be cancelled! I just cannot get a break from Hollywood.....
2. I happen to think it's important on some level to shower at the same time every day, so I try to do that. I fail miserably, but I do try.
3. I live with a man who abhors leftovers. I, on the other hand, have it ingrained in me to eat them so as not to be wasteful. So, guess who ends up having to eat them? Me, but I finally snapped to recruiting Reggie-Dog as my assistant on this. And I'm delegating more and more, getting more off my plate and onto his, so to speak, hehe.
4. Although I will occasionally sleep on my back, I'm mostly a side-sleeper. And, I rotate, too. (Okay, not continually.) I start out on my right side, then when I get up for my first bathroom trip, I swtich to my left side. I do this with any other bathroom trips (that varies). If I do not do this, I will wake up the next morning with all kinds of arthritic skeletal problems. My pelvis will feel bruised badly.
5. Our mail is delivered late in the afternoons, at the same time in which our neighborhood is the most active (walkers, people driving home). So, I wait until dusk to go out to my mailbox, because I don't like everyone looking at me (might have something to do with the clothes I wear on days I stay in).
6. I read my local newspaper online every day instead of subscribing. I subscribed for decades until a couple of years ago. The paper build-up and the cost caused me to just put my foot down, and I frankly have not missed it much.
7. During the time I was really ill with my 5 arthritii, I got out of the habit of following the local gossip and staying tuned into my community. When I got lots better, I decided to stay gossip-free. When my friends try to draw me back into it, I balk. I like being clueless.

Okay, that's it. Now, I'm going to post this entry, go around and find 7 other people to tag, then I will edit this post to add who I tagged.
Edited to add: Here are the girlies I have tagged!
1. Chris
2. Gail
3. Kacy
4. Kim
5. Mackey
6. Vicki
7. Sandee

And that's gonna do it for me today, because I'm not that into it, remember? {Eyeroll}

Sunday Confessional

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Visited Drea's blog by way of Mackey's and finally succumbed to that dang celebrity look-alike quiz.
ROFL, gotta say that, while I am still a bit jealous of Drea for getting Hillary as one of her look-alikes, I'm more than happy with mine.
Attention Diane, Marcia, Katherine and Kimberly: look closely, my face is in the mirror of your futures!
Get thee to the plastic surgeon, chicas, now!

It's past time for a Fitness Update from me, I know. I've sort of let things go, although I have tried to get in a minimum step count every day, and I've also recorded my steps. I've tried to take my meds and eat and drink my Daily Musts, although these have suffered a bit due to my current sleep problems. Intake is best when a schedule is followed, right?

To refresh the memory, I was going to take a bit of a break on conscious weight losing and just let my body find my current weight as its new set point. (I think that was about a week to 10 days ago.) And on that, I believe I've succeeded. Although I haven't lost any more pounds, I have stayed the same weight since beginning my break. And believe me, there have been a few times I could have (should have) gained a bit. Since that eating behavior is what tests the set point, this is a good thing, especially since I have not gained.

But, I've let my water intake decrease. I've also not drunk my green tea or eaten my yogurt every single day. Now, to my mind, I maybe could have lost a tiny bit had I just kept those two things up, ya know?

So, I'm beginning a renewed commitment to my Daily Musts today, and I'm adding the list to my sidebar in hopes of that being a motivator for me. To repeat, this list may seem like it's lightweight, but for me these little things make a big difference in my health and how I feel. And, isn't the difference usually in the details? Isn't it always the little things that count the most in the end? For me, yeppers.



I also said I was going to stop my art making through the end of October, which I have. I was going to start going through all the accumulated piles of crap in the public areas of my house and put/clean/throw away. And I've been working on it! I was also going to tie up my loose work ends and print/package/deliver/mail my last group of tax returns, and on that goal I have not done well. Therefore, my focus this coming week will be on that, and then back to the general cleaning.

Sounds like a good plan for me... What are your goals this week?

Whatever your goals, I hope you accomplish them. Here's to great upcoming week for us all!

Lost in Thought Today

Already. And it's only 8 a.m. my time. Of course, I've been up since 2 a.m. Yes, Ladies and Ladies, you are watching a sleep disorder in action. Not like it's fatal. We manage. It just really leads to a random life. Just as a structured life is restrictive, so is a random one. Beats death, though, bigtime.

I think the biggest frustration I have is not being able to really plan a schedule I can stick to. Like, today I'm supposed to go get my teeth cleaned. Well, that ain't gonna happen, because I do not have a personal driver (and I, unlike Brittnee Spears, have a good excuse as to why I don't have one). I will need the driver to get there because my appointment's at 2 p.m. and I'll be super-drowsy by then, we are talking half a bottle of Robitussen drowsy. If I stayed up that long. That's only 12 hours since I woke up, too. But I'm drowsy now. I know I got 6 hours of sleep, because I forced myself to stay up until the end of Pushing Daisies last night. You'd think I could last 6 hours awake without wanting to take a nap, wouldn't you?

So, I am waiting to call the dentist at 9 when they open to reschedule. Hubs and I don't care for the lady who works the desk, so the thought of giving her a teeny bit more work to do is satisfying. (I have a very good reason for disliking her. When Hubs goes, she bullies him into paying too much and then says we are not overpaid. This forces me to have to do a complicated account reconciliation to prove to her that we are overpaid. Only then will she back down. One time she even laughed and said, you're right. Without even looking at my recon! I was ticked.) So, I will get my jollies today by messing up her appt. book just a tiny bit and keeping her from having a 100% show-up rate day. If her boss were not a good dentist, we'd be gone from there, however, dentists we like are very few and far between in my area. Most are of the dental chain store varieties, or old timers who aren't on our plan and can therefore charge us whatever they want to. But then, when you have Marlene the Billing Bully (that's my name for her...Hubs uses another B-word name) trying to collect what she wants to charge, what good is having your dentist be on your plan and supposedly limited to the negotiated rate? Yeah, please do not tell me we are not already on socialized medicine. It's just handled by the insurance companies....badly, badly, badly. And that's comparative to the government-run Medicare, too. I do my parents' Medicare billing and they can be brutal, but we are usually talking about a difference of $35.00 in the end, not $530.00, which is the amount Hubs overpaid by this last time.

But, I digress. Lots of reasons there why I don't think today is a good day to get my teeth cleaned, LOL. I would rather be asleep.

Actually, I'm kind of tormented by something. Well, mildly, heavy on the mildly, tormented. Okay, troubled. 100% troubled. Really wishing I had the balls to fully discuss it here, but alas, my balls escape me at the moment. So, I will have to suffer in silence. Still trying to talk myself into "be patient, things might turn out better than you think". We shall see. All I will say about it is, if you love something, let it go. And forget the other part about it coming back to you, in case it doesn't. (We are not talking about people here, but creative ideas.) Now see, I've already said too much, LOL.

Well, as much as I'm not in the mood for doing a tag (sorry, Gina), I said I would so I will. I may not tag people by name, though. I rarely ever do that. Something about it smells like a chain letter to me, LOL, and I don't do those.

Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.
1. Link to your tagger (Gina) and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs. Um, no. If you read this, consider yourself tagged, okay?
1. I am a nonconformist, have been all my life except for brief periods where I tried hard to conform and succeeded but felt miserable.
2. I've recently discovered that living the artistic life and mindset has changed my mechanism for being motivated to do the everyday mundane things. I used to be able to get interested in stuff like laundry and ironing. Now, all I think about is, I could be creating, and my chores all seem like drudgery. Having to learn how to re-motivate, the artist way.
3. I have extremely strange sleeping habits (wow, I bet you didn't know that!). In fact, sometimes I cause my own insomnia problems by getting up after only 2 hours, because that's when I get the first urge to tinkle, like clockwork, and if I go back to bed I then go into the deep sleep that can sometimes last 6-8 hours straight. And I fight it if I cannot aleep that long for some reason.
4. I've become a bit of a germaphobe, understandably. I always spray my nose with my Nasonex prior to going somewhere and I never go there without my Purell hand sanitizer or wipes, which I use immediately after going where it is I'm going. Then as soon as I get home, I wash my hands and swab the insides of my nostrils with rubbing alcohol, just in case the Nasonex wasn't working.

More weirdness, eh? ...thinking...

5. Um, okay, lately I've developed a liking to using a gluestick on papers in my art journal. Not on my scrapbook layouts, though, but maybe. Sometimes I use it on cards, but not alone. I have a slight horror of something falling off a card I made. And gluestick is not that flexible a glue.
6. I cannot stand roaches and bugs like most other women, but if there is one in my house, I am all over it in attack mode with my fly swatter, my bug spray and my paper towel and shoe. I've been known to yell "Die!!!" just as I'm going in for the kill. I began behaving this way many moons ago as a teen, when I was woke up one night by something brushing on my cheek. Turned on my light and it was a huge flying roach on the wall. Something in me just snapped, right then and there. Up til then, I'd been a screaming pansy about any kind of critter.
7. I underwent intensive allergy testing at a prestigious clinic in Houston a decade or so ago, so I know without question that I am highly allergic to shellfish. Yet, my favorite eat-out meal if I can get a good one, is fried shrimp. I will eat it until I pop, then have almost a full-blown throat closure in the car on the way home. Every time. Bonus: And I have learned over the years to do meditation and deep breathing to open my throat back up, too. No joke. It's always a struggle, but it works. I can also get my heart to stop fluttering and beating fast, whenever I have a panic attack, which is oddly usually when I am run down and worn out.

Okay, glad that's over with. Have a great Thursday, everyone, and take my word for it, don't think about things too hard today. (winkwink)

Cutting Edge, My Arss...

You are a pair of SCISSORS!You're cutting edge, baby! You cut through life with ease, always keeping others on the edge. You have the power to simplify things by just cutting them out. But scissors beware - you may cut some of the important things out of your life without realizing it, in your need to keep trim!
Take this quiz!








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I cannot remember now where I saw this...whose blog it was on, LOL. I'd definitely give credit if I could remember. Anyway, I took the quiz and I'm scissors. Cutting edge, oh right. LOL Maybe a couple of times I've used stuff a certain way or ressurrected some technique a few months before several other people use it too, but I just figured that was serendipity, people all getting the same idea randomly. I still think that, LOL.

I'm having sleep issues again. My body clock rocks along normally, on the 16-hour wake schedule, but then goes too long after a few days. I struggle to keep it from being 20 or 24 hours, but I can never win. I try harder, to force myself to sleep at the same x hour every night, to no avail. I haven't had success in years and years. How's that done again? LOL

It's actually caused by the combo of my meds: they would make me sleep more if I didn't fight them and it ends up causing me insomnia.

So anyway, I stayed up last night working on tax returns and I'm feeling punch drunk now. I've been trying to get photos of the cards I did Saturday edited and uploaded all.morning.long. No luck yet. Things are moving in slow motion, you know what I mean? (I can still type tho, that's 2nd nature as long as my arthritis isn't acting up in my fingers.)

I guess I'll show those cards tomorrow, or maybe all this week, just to have something every day to show.

I went over to 2peas and looked at the blog challenges to get the questions, but really, none of them since Friday have seemed to apply to me or whatever. One asked about scrapping plans this weekend: none. The next one asked what one technique I use on layouts: none, I'm all over the map. And another asked about where I go to attend crops: I don't. The closest to that is my Saturday group that I've only been to twice since we started back up in September, and that's more of an educational or workshop thing. I never "crop" there. I've never really done crops.

I've been surfing around to writing blogs lately, in my spare moments. I kind of feel that's where I'll evolve to next. You may or may not know that I freelance when I can. A couple of months ago, I was in the running for ghost-writing a book. Found out last week I didn't get it, but came really close. The editor told me I needed to write more online about my life and get out of limiting myself to a scrapping blog. So I've been lurking around at other writers' blogs to see how they do it, and it's fascinating to me.

This is one of three gorgeous fall photos I was forwarded recently in an email from a friend. I'm so jealous of folks who are getting their fall color changes now. Cuz we aren't. Pout. So, a photo has to be the next best thing for me.

So I've been lurking those blogs. No way I'll ever be able to rehab this one to that purpose, so it looks like a second blog in my future. Again. LOL I've been putting it off thinking about this, but I really want to get started on it. Thinking I'll do it on Wordpress, so many writer blogs there.

Well, I probably contributed nothing of value today, but I did want to make an appearance. I see a nap in my future.....LOL (hmm, wonder how I knew..... winkwink)