Sometimes Psychiatric Help is a Blessing

So I’m told. I have no idea why I wrote that title. Maybe I do need some psychiatric help. Or chocolate.

Anyway, I am going to be working on my little work area upstairs momentarily, in preparation for the coming of Nomstress, Nightflyer, and Rat Boy this weekend. I’m afraid when I start to do some art, and I use that term very loosely, I tend to make piles of my discards and my paints and my embellishments so that the original work area has shrunk by 75%. Working in a space the size of a sheet of notebook paper is not conducive to creativity, so the piles transfer down to the floor, leaving space open for yet more piles.

It’s like the Circle of Life™, only with scissors and glue instead of lions and zebras.

Don’t get me wrong. I can find EVERYTHING. Usually because it’s piled somewhere around the area, but I can still find it, so there’s a method. But I need to clean out a lot of old stuff and organize what I wish to keep. I should start with organization, though. If I start to clean out, then I will have piles and piles and more piles and my guests won’t be able to fit upstairs. My shrink, AKA the gal at the wine section, suggested I get those restaurant racks that are adjustable and shiny. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I already had shelves in the closet, and by that I meant I didn’t want her judging me. Her thing is wine, not hoarding intervention.

Anyway, I shall do my best to clear the area of the gingerly-placed piles of creativity. Hopefully it won’t take long.

And hopefully I won’t get distracted by starting yet another project… 😉

Forgotten Finds

I spent all morning yesterday cleaning my bathroom, and I am talking from the ceiling all the way down to the baseboards. It was a long morning. But the reward of having a very clean bath was worth it. Anyway, I also reorganized the drawers, which means Hubby won’t be able to find anything for a week, but it needed to be done. In the course of taking things out to organize it, I found a Lia Sophia™ box, and curious, I opened it to find this:

That’s right: a rhinestone choker. How completely unlike me to own such a thing…

You can stop laughing now. I MEAN IT!!

I could have put it on while cleaning the bathroom, but by the time I found it, I was almost done. I guess I will have to cajole Hubby into going on a date night so I can show it off.

After all, what is the use of owning pretty bling if you can’t go out and show it off? Right?? 😉

Final Countdown

Yay!! Vacation time is almost here!!

Which is why I have spent all morning cleaning and doing laundry and dusting and organizing and throwing out trash and cleaning out the fridge and making lists.

Oh, and while mopping, Son found my missing glasses. WINNING!!

Yes, I have my apron on, and no, I don’t look THAT happy. Weirdly, that table resembles one I own. That creeps me out a bit. At least I don’t own that lamp. My aunt does, however.

Anyway, I shall be blogging from parts unknown next week. Well, some of the readers know where I’ll be, but let’s keep that to ourselves, m’kay? I just will NOT have time to devote to my adoring fans if they were to show up to stalk me.

Yes, I laughed at that, too 😉

Yay…Me….

So yesterday Hubby was getting the boxes that contained his office regalia out of the garage, and I found even more crap to go donate to Goodwill, because any thought I ever entertained about using the super gem table lamp and the garish silk table covers have gone out the window with his “Omg… you still have that??” look from when he spied it. So, some of the stuff will go to Goodwill, some to my niece, and some to Nicole, because she loves sparklies as much as I do.

Super gem table lamp.

And that is my recycling bin. I’m classy that way. I’m sure my niece will love that lamp for her little one. Hopefully I will have made a big enough dent in the pile that Hubby will not complain for lack of space. After the crap has been distributed or packed up, I shall begin organizing the tools and the books. I hope that the rain continues so that I don’t bake out there. If temperatures rise above 95* F, then I will shove everything out the garage door and pray that someone will come by and pick up their new treasures.

Hopefully before Hubby returns 😉

I’m Officially a Cantankerous Old Lady

And I am being kind.

Yesterday, I was outside trimming the dead branches off my Pride of Barbados shrubs, bushes….whatever they are. They are supposed to grow to six feet, and mine are ten feet tall. Yes, I need a stepstool. Anyway, I was off in my little world of garden beautification when I hear kids walking into the cul-de-sac. Normally this is fine, but I know the kids around here are all gone for vacation somewhere. So I turn to look and see that they are walking up the sidewalk, tossing a football back and forth. “How cool,” I think to myself. I like to see kids being active.

And then the coolness factor stopped when they got on my crappy lawn to throw the football on a long pass!!!

Me: Excuse me, but you are on the lawn.

Kid #1: We are throwing a football.

Me: I see that, but you need to respect people’s property.

Kid #2: It’s just a football, man.

Me: That’s “Lady”, and GET OFF MY LAWN!!

The only thing missing was my shotgun.

The machete may have intimidated them, though. Now, I am not one to freak out if someone is on my crappy lawn, ok? The kids around the cul-de-sac have come and gone with their skateboards, bikes, rollerblades, whatever. But they had asked if it was ok. These kids took it for granted that the whole place was their playing field, and that is just wrong. Respect for other people’s property is something we were taught as kids. I get the vibe some of us are slacking off in teaching that lesson.

Now, I’m off to go dig some holes for yet another Pride of Barbados and a few Lumbagos. I can’t seem to kill those. If I start yelling at the birds to get off my lawn, I’ll know I have a problem 😉

Sweet Satisfaction

Honestly, I let the day get away from me, but only because I was outside having fun.

The backyard has some rather nice bushes, along with cassia, a loquat tree, gardenia (one that is struggling to survive), and a nice but hidden crepe myrtle. Yesterday after dinner I was sitting outside, donating blood enjoying the nice breeze when I took stock of all the overgrowth.

That’s right. Joaquina came out to play!

And there is nothing as satisfying as taking a 14 inch machete to the bushes and trees outside. Even the dogs were going nuts every time they heard the whack!! as Joaquina dealt a killing blow. The best part? Having the kids do the clean-up.

Momma is pretty smart 😉

Fate is Fickle, and She Laughs A Lot

It never fails….

Yesterday started really well. I was cleaning, getting the house ready for a visit from The Nomstress and her family. SQUEEE!!! Anyway, I was in the groove, moving along, and getting stuff done, when there was a knock on the door. It was the Lawnmower Man™, but not to collect payment. Turns out while mowing the front lawn, the mower kicked up a small rock with enough force to take out a van window.

My first thought was, thank goodness no one was hurt. The next thought? “OMIGAWD!! WHAT DO I DO NOW???” But I calmed down, talked to him, and agreed on a payment plan, called my insurance, and arranged for replacing and clean up.

Unfortunately, I spent two hours in the hot Texas sun cleaning and picking glass out of the lawn, instead of getting their room ready in the cool comfort of my home. Several cuts and a nice red face later, I managed to finish my chores prior to their arrival, but only just. I want to think Fate is done playing with me, but I get the feeling she’s found a perfect target for her mirth 😉

Common Scents

I love candles. They are romantic, and give a very flattering light, and in the winter they help to warm up the home. I have them everywhere, on the kitchen table, the bar, around my bathtub, even in the fireplace. Love, love, LOVE them.

But I also have kids. And I have excitable dogs. And that means that sometimes candles are a hazard to my mental health. Nothing like having a son asking if he can burn his graded schoolwork in his room to make one think twice about lighting candles. I’m pretty sure he was joking, but knowing that he mastered the campfire merit badge before anyone else makes me a bit….cautious.

Anyway, as all parents know, kids are some of the most aromatic creatures on the planet, and that’s not a compliment. I keep their doors closed for two reasons: 1) the sight of their wreckage, and 2) the smell of their laundry. And if you own snakes, then it’s double as bad. At first I utilized candles, but then I was afraid of the hazard that comes with them being unattended. Then I got wax warmers, but they also required the use of tealights. And finding a pile of ash by one in Son’s room one day was enough to get me to look for an alternative.

Now, that’s smart! A warmer you plug in!! No flames, no fear!! And I love that you can change the scent from one day to the next without having to store a big candle somewhere. And on the plus side, it gives off a soft light, as well. I have already spilled the wax while moving furniture, and found that it is easier to wipe off than that of conventional candles. I do still keep candles around, but for high traffic areas, these warmers are safer and make better sense.

I just wish I had thought of them years ago 😉

Through a Glass Lightly

Heh, I love coming up with titles based on other titles. It tickles my punny bone.

I was over at Bad Bad Juju and happened to see the Juju Woman’s latest work of art. She does some beautiful stained glass work, and Anjin/ Yabu isn’t shy about posting photos, thank goodness. I get a nice fix of purdy when he does.

Anyway, it got me to thinking on getting back into my stained glass hobby. Yes, I used to do stained glass, mostly by copper foil method, but did some lead came work, too. Copper foil is easier, but not as forgiving as came. Still, it is so cool to cut and grind glass into shapes that fit together to form a beautiful glass painting. Most of the works I did I gave away as gifts. I remember doing a bunch of angels using bevels and flat glass marbles (like the ones people put in vases or fish tanks for decor) for one of my mother’s many Christmas trees. And not to mention a ton of little flowers using said marbles. Biggest one I ever did was the Texas flag in the shape of Texas. My brother-in-law got that one for his birthday one year. This one, however, I kept as a reminder of my many stained glass work mistakes:

As Yabu says, it’s a pain to capture the beauty of a stained glass panel. I think I took 15 pics with my phone and this one was the best one. Even with all the rookie mistakes I made, it is still one of my favorite pieces and a very nice pattern to boot. I think in my heyday I must have made about 20 of these, in different colors and backgrounds. And now as I begin to reorganize and purge stuff in the garage, I may get back into it, if only to make gifts for friends and family.

But first, I’m going to make an Aggie panel for my home! 😉

Cleaning Binge

I’m on it!

Lately I have had the urge to clean up the stacks of stuff we have around the house. Maybe it was The Queen’s dictate of doing five things a day, or Hubby losing track of stuff, but it has gotten under my skin. And things are looking much better around here.

Now, a lot of the stuff is his, that has been collected while he’s been away. But we also have boxes of books and papers that need their place. This weekend sounds like a fine time to organize that on some shelves in the garage.

Sigh… 😉