Tuesday, May 29, 2007

101 Things

#39-Follow Flylady. I had my own system/routines in place when I found Flylady. I tried to follow her routines but I keep going back to the ones I had in place because they work for me. I'm going to mark this as completed.

#49-Nails. I got my nails done today. In November, it had been 2 years since I had them done last. I always take them off for about a month to let my nails "breathe." But my hands were so dry and cracked from the colder weather, washing my hands all the time (I was a nurse at the time) and from stress, I decided that I would wait until they were completely healed before I got them done again. Now, in all that time, they have been completely healed maybe 4 times. This is very painful. Sometimes I would wake up at night and my fingers would be throbbing. I now use presciption creams and lotions and parafin dips on a daily basis. I really dislike not having long pretty nails!







Friday, May 25, 2007

My week

I went for the interview on Monday morning. The attorney came out promptly at 9:30. We introduced ourselves. "Follow me." she said. We went behind the desk where "Jerry" (not his real name) was sitting. She then said, "This is where you will be working. Take your jacket off so you will be confortable." What??? this is it?! I was anxious the whole weekend. I guess I need to try not to think about things, the way that I do. Certainly, all she could have done was to say, I don't think this will work. But, I am now doing my externship for a very nice attorney!

I have had to go clothes shopping several times this week. I purchased a few nice tops and a couple of pairs of slacks/trousers. I just couldn't see myself spending time and effort to tweak patterns to make clothes when I would just have to do it all over again in a few months. Better, I think to continue to amass a coordinating fabric stash, so when I do start to sew it will all work together.

And speaking of amassing a stash......The fabric I ordered from Ann at Gorgeous Things arrived on Wednesday. It is a luscious knit. The colors coordinate with a few other pieces I already have.

I have signed up for the Summer Reading Challenge for 2007. Some of the books I didn't read last summer will be on the list, some won't. I'm taking Cell off the list. I am still reading it, but it is one I keep in the truck. It may be months before I get it read. I have six from last summer, a couple are in progress and I'm going to add six more. I would like to read some light novels, but I probably won't have much time for that. I do like to read "text-book" type books. Books where I can learn something. Dummies types books, Idiot type books. So.....what to put on the list.......So many books, so little time!!!

Oh, and if you scroll waaaayyyyy down, you will see the button for the reading list. I think the top and skirt the girl is wearing is sooo cute! Would be fab for a summer's evening here in FLA!







Sunday, May 20, 2007

Graphics and other things

Yesterday, after my WW meeting I went to Joann's Fabrics. Nothing was calling to me so I went to Barnes and Noble. My instructor, Paula, told the class that The Elements of Style would help with the communications part of the CLA exam.

I also got Photoshop Creative, a magazine on how to work with Adobe Photoshop. This is a powerful graphics program in which you can do almost anything.

Many of the digital scrapbookers use Photoshop. Many write tutorials so others can obtain similar results for themselves. Many scrappers also share freely their hard work in the form of "papers" and "elements" so that other scrappers WON'T have to do it for themselves. I am very appreciative of all their work. I tried to use a couple of the tutorials, adapting them for PaintShop Pro XI without much success. I haven't done any of the tutorials from their website or read any books about "Paintshop". So, I guess I shouldn't comment. LOL Actually, I think there aren't as many as for Photoshop. I do like Snapfire though. I have an early edition of Elements I like too. Perhaps I should just "dig-in" and study the Paintshop tutorials and search out Paintshop books, rather than lusting for an expensive graphics program......naaahhh, I think I'll just lust a while. LOL

Tomorrow is the day for my interview. I am more anxious the closer it gets. I found out last Thursday that I must have an externship by the end of this week. Something about putting it into the computer. So I'm feeling the pressure to do well with this interview. I hope the attorney will make a decision on the spot, although I know that isn't usually how things work.

On the crafty side of my life, I have picked through my fat quarters and chose some fabrics to make a couple of mats for the dogs' water bowl. They leave drools on the floor every time they get a drink, and with three dogs that is a lot of drool! Their old mat is in tatters. I also was finally able to print a proper sized heart for the Chain of Hearts Yahoo group. I'll be looking through my stash to see what I have appropriate for CQing. I'm still trying to find the silhouette of my son from when he was a child. I want to do it in cross-stitch. I have no idea which container I packed it in.

Lest I forget, I ordered from fabric from Anne's Gorgeous Things. I am going to make a "Stacy Top". This top is nicer looking than the one from Macy's! I tried to post a link, to the exact fabric, but I think she has sold out. There was only 19 yards left after I ordered.

101 Things Update
Friday I had a massage before my appointment with Dr Weller. I see her about once a month to be adjusted. Makes all the difference between walking upright and crawling. LOL It was wonderful! I haven't had one in such a long time. It was very relaxing. I had my eyes checked about three weeks ago and got new glasses. I'm going on Wednesday to order my colored (brown)contact lens. I have an appointment on Tuesday to have my nails done.







Saturday, May 19, 2007

My Recipe

If austin were a drink they would be:

1 parts bitch
4 parts tranquility
4 parts alluring

Get Your RECIPE Here!

What Color Purple Are You?

Dark Purple

To others, you seem a bit dark, mysterious, and moody.
In truth, you are just a very unique person who doesn't care what others think.
And you really enjoy your offbeat interests and friends.
You've decided that life is about living for yourself - simple as that.

Friday, May 18, 2007

What European City Do You Belong In?

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris.
You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

I discovered I like to color! Actually, what I like is to take an image and use PaintShop and color it.

I like to see how different colors interact. I plan to use these images and make coasters or mini quilts from them. Just another thing on my to do list. LOL I know that this type of coloring is rather juvenile, especially considering all the things that can be done with a good graphics program. But, I enjoy doing it, and since it's mindless activity, it helps relieve stress.

I have an interview for a job next Monday at 9:30. I'm nervous about this. Not only will I be starting a new job, it will be a new career. I'm starting over AGAIN. The last time I changed careers, it lasted a little over two years. I did tech support. The company I worked for lost the account and I was laid off. I decided I couldn't wait for them to call me back and went back to nursing. I had been working about two months when they called me back. I would have loved to continue working for them but: (1) I had gotten used to the less than 10 minute commute to work, (2) at that time my monthly gas bill was $75.00. Can you imagine what it would be now? Anyway, I'm on my way again. Hopefully this career will "take". But who knows? I might change again in 10 years or so. LOL I don't think I will ever retire. Maybe when no one will hire me, or I get too senile. LOL










Saturday, May 12, 2007

Myspace Graphics
www.wishafriend.com

Weekends

I always look forward to weekends. Even when I'm not working. It's a time to relax and not think about things seriously. Time for gathering with friends and hanging out. Time to sew and craft and shop. Three of my favorite things! oh! and catching up on a few of my fav TV shows. I don't watch very much tv, but I do have a few favorites, Boston Legal, Nip/Tuck, and The Riches (LOVE Eddie Izzard, he's hot!). I keep up with Dancing with the Stars, but don't watch it any longer.
Several days this past week we have had smoke from the fires in Georgia and north Florida. It is awful. I can only imagine what it is like to live close to the fires. It's hazy and the odor of the smoke is horrible. It's difficult to breathe and there is ash on everything.
The odor and haze wasn't so bad this morning. I was able to go to my WW meeting and to Joann's Fabrics. They had a sale on McCall's, Butterick and Vogue patterns.
I picked up Vogue 8307 (when I try to link to this pattern the site tells me it isn't in the database yet, yet if you enter the number and do a search on the Vogue site you can see it), I plan on making the jacket in a charcoal gray wool melton and line it in red or bright pink. I also got Butterick 4986, and McCall's 5193, 5395, and 5314. I'm not sure what I will use to make these. I also picked up some tags for altered art and Quilled Greetings Cards.
I've been talking for ages about my SWAP. I'm slowly, very slowly, agonizingly slowly working on it. The truth is...I am just not going to start sewing on a new wardrobe until I get to my goal weight. I don't want to have to keep tweaking the patterns to fit me. Failure to reach said weight is not an option, no matter how long it takes. So, until then.....I'll just keep planning.
That's the way I am. I will talk and think about something for a while, depending on what it is, the "thing" I want to do may take a few minutes or a few years. But, once I make up my mind to do something, watch out! here I come! LOL
I have been reading other blogs and marveling at the beautiful green plants. Here in Florida it seems like we are always on water restriction. We don't have a lot of green in our yard. I wanted to do some landscaping this year, but it now low on the priority list due to me leaving my job earlier this year. I did plant some caladium bulbs a couple of weeks ago and they are coming up finally.








Sunday, May 06, 2007

Everyone


who knows me, knows that I LOVE animals, all animals, but especially dogs and elephants. I only had one small dog when I was growing up. My Mom was "afraid" of dogs. I think it was more that she thought she would be the one taking care of it. So, imagine my surprise when in 1993 my Dad said, this is going to be my dog and she will be an "indoor" dog. My son named her Mica. Mica stayed with my Dad until early 1998 when she went to live with another family ( the little girl adored Mica), when it took all Dad's time to take care of Mom. My Mom passed on May 4, 1998. A month or so later the little girl suddenly developed an "allergy" to Mica and returned her to my Dad. Mica continued to live with my Dad until her death last year.

I didn't have another dog until I moved to Florida and married Walt. He had a tri-color Bassett Hound named Sebastian Benson Oglethorpe. Since then we've had several dogs. Some of them can be seen here.







Now, I have these guys. This is Buddy's nose and "Pea-Bee" with the "go-rilla". I don't have a good picture of Bear, Walt's black Lab. You can see other pics on the side bar.



I have several collections, shot glasses, thimbles and....elephants! I have glass elephants, wooden elephants, ceramic elephants, old elephants, and new elephants. I think they are so beautiful!
I have most of my collections packed away now. I don't have enough room to display them properly. I barely have enough room for the six book cases filled with books. And my wish list is over 700 books long. I love books. I love to read. Most of my reading these days is related to studying for the paralegal class. I will get back to reading for pleasure once I take the CLA exam given by Nation Association of Legal Assistants in December.










Saturday, May 05, 2007

Yesterday


Yesterday, I got the things I needed to finish up my second bracelet. The beads are a lovely blue. I haven't decided what my next piece is going to be yet.
When my son lived in Florida he started an avocado plant. Eventually it got too big for a pot and we planted it (see it behind the scraggly palm) in our front yard. It would only get two or three avocados each year. The squirrels would usually get them. Thursday Walt pointed out to me that there are dozens of tiny avocados on the tree.

Hopefully we will have a bumper crop (I LOVE guacamole!) and we will start another plant.






Yesterday was the ninth anniversary of my Mother's death. I miss her so much. I see things I think she would like and then remember she isn't "here". Same with my son. They both left too soon.