New Start

Well, what do you know. I'm back, hopefully for just a short time actually. I'd like to be working again soon. But it is what it is.

In the meantime, I'm going to spend some time catching up on the projects that I didn't quite get finished last time, and hopefully, start and finish some new ones. The room in the last post is on hold. We've pulled up the carpet, and I think we've decided to replace the sub-floor before we put down new carpet. It smells in there. And I'm afraid that if I put new carpet on top of the sub-floor, it's still going to smell. The problem is, I can't replace the sub-floor myself. It's one of the jobs that I would actually need to hire out. But other than that, I can't wait to move forward on it. I love my new light switch plates, and I'm anxious to see how it all ends up looking.

I've been working on a Christmas present the past couple of days. I'm using a Debbie Bliss Soho Variegated yarn that I bought when I was a fresh knitter, oh three years ago. The yarn is a single ply, thick & thin wool yarn that will probably felt if it just sees water. But I am just loving the fabric that the yarn is producing. It's soft and stretchy and bumpy and full of color. When I purchased the yarn, I felt for sure I was buying more than enough to do any project - larger than a scarf. Silly me. I didn't know to check yardage back then. And, I thought the colors were cheery and happy, only to find out that personally, I prefer the near-solids of a kettle-dyed yarn instead of a true variegation. So the yarn has been languishing in the stash, just waiting for the right project. Languish no longer!

In the works....

The first coat of Gadzooks - obviously I needed a second coat. But it does kinda have that "aged" look to it....


The Paint Colors:
I can't decide if these are showing true on the monitor or not, but regardless.... Gadzooks is on the short far wall of the room. Mango Twist is on the long wall and the wall with the doors. DH keeps calling Mango Twist "Cremesicle" so I guess that's closer than the "Flesh" color it looks like in the photo.

Before:


And yes, that ghastly color was there... the Green Carpet reflected back on the supposedly "white" walls. I keep telling DH that I don't want any more white walls, unless they are on a vintage car!

After:


Much warmer and it feels wider and shorter, more in a real size, even tho it is still 8' x 35'. Egads! A bowling alley! Not wide enough for even a real sofa to go across the room. Thank goodness that's not in the plans.

What is in the plans, is to pull colors from this piece of paper to use as accents in the room - make it feel fun and fresh. (Again, not showing up well on my photo!) I like the acid green and the teal/turquoise blue and add in some haute pink - the chocolate brown is well represented already by the original siding of the house. And there's plans for a neutral color on the floor and ceiling. But don't tell DH. He'd freak I'm afraid! There won't be much of any of them, but just enough to add some life to the room.

Next in this room is to pull the carpet and see if I have to replace the sub-floor or not. If not, I'll be ordering a neutral colored carpet and get that installed ASAP. Hopefully I'll find out this weekend. Otherwise, it's off to the hardware/lumberyard. Joy is mine!

SOLC 2

Still cloudy from sleep, I roll over to check the time.... Is it time to get up yet? When is the alarm going off? My husband sleeps next to me, little snoring chuffs in his dreams. I roll back over and look out the window next to me. The sky is deep blue against the red wood and green leaves of the Madrone trees. I don't have to get up. I'm not working right now. And the bed is warm from the three quilts piled on top of me. I pull the pillow closer to me and start to mull over what I want to get done today. I want to make sure the house is picked up. And I need to look for work. The garage wants to be cleaned. I guess I'm awake now.

I get up and head out on the deck. It's going to be warmer today than it was yesterday, thank goodness. The plants need water, and the Redwood tree is shedding on the planks. Sweeping the fallen leaves from the wood, the broom makes a soft "shuff-shuff" sound as the needles fly in front of the bristles. The hose is cold and heavy in my hands as it fills with water. I check the plants as I fill the pots with water. The rose bushes are starting to leaf out in red. The citrus trees are happy, lemons and limes weighing down the branches. The smell of coffee brewing brings me inside.

It’s a good morning.

SOLC 1

Today is a quiet day. I sit at the table watching the sun pass over the tops of the trees, wishing for more heat and more light. The shadows sharpen and fade as the time passes. The kettle whistles brightly, calling me forth from my huddle for a cup of warmth to wrap my hands around. A squirrel visits the bird bath, jumping from the roof to the railing to deep in the denuded apple tree. Daffodils, wrapped in twine and water and glass reach for the sun, spilling their sweet scent into the air. The sun tracks across the sky, barely clearing the tops of the trees, going early into the west and leaving the sky full of blue but the meadow full of darkness. The stars will be out soon and the temperature will drop. The cup is long empty, my fingers growing stiff with the chill. It is time... time to leave the words of others and time to create my own.

03/01 Setting Goals

Yesterday was a day for dreaming and scheming. So, in an attempt to get some things done around here, I'm going to post my list of goals for the week. It makes for boring reading, but it should help me get on the way for March.

• Notify Recruiters that I'm ready to look at contract work
• Make one Cold Call
• Sign up for SEC Reporting Class
• Clean the Garage
• Make Progress on Finishing the Blue Bathroom Vanity
• Maintain the house, daily
• Send in Passport Paperwork
• Send in 401k Paperwork
• Challenge BBS to Red Photo Challenge
• Participate in 100 days
• Blog Daily
• Work on Quilt - have 1/3 of blocks put together
• Exercise three times
• Catch up on Reading

See, told you it was boring. The good news is that BBS is happy to be working with me on the photo challenge. And I like the combos we've posted so far. We'll see just how much I actually get done this week. Love you later!

Finished Things

A couple of finished things that have come out of not working lately:

1) Submissions to Stampers Sampler:

The first is for the turquoise challenge. I pulled a color combo from an Amy Butler print that was in some magazine. Turquoise, grey and peach. Her print was pretty mod, but I like the results I got from my paper choices. Love the embossing powder, but the black detail is hard to do cleanly.

and the second is for the Floral Fourth of July Challenge: Not so fond of this one. I think it meets the challenge, but I think the colors are just too... just too much I think. I tried to go beyond the basic flower box and flags and come up with something different, but we'll see.
And, they might not have gotten there in time. Such is the snail mail.

2) Some things off the needles:


The first thing is a stole that I've been working on for more than a year now. I used to drop stitches every time I picked it up and I just couldn't get into the rhythm of the thing. But lately, it's been in the car - ready for me to knit on any time I have some free time between appointments. It's made of Alpaca and is super soft. I did a very soft block on it, just to spread the yarn overs, and it ended up being about 6 feet long and about 18 inches wide. I'm so glad that it's done now.

The second thing is my first pair of socks. They are ankle socks, done in a worsted weight super wash wool turquoise yarn. I bought the yarn to take my sock class, where we did a very tiny sock, but learned the basics. So, to be sure that I knew how to adapt them, I did a sock for my foot. Once I was done with the first, the hubster said it wasn't done - where is my second? I guess I'll never have a case of second sock syndrome. I didn't think I had enough of the turquoise yarn left over to make the second sock, so I grabbed a remnant of mystery acrylic to stretch the wool. The stripes actually made the second sock seem like it was moving faster - I could see progress as I went along.




So that's some of the fun things. I'm trying to work on getting some of the house taken care of along the way.

Day 005: Lemon Bars?

Smitten Kitchen, one of the lovely food blogs I read regularly, has a recipe for Lemon Bars on her site that I think I must try! I love the sweet-tart taste of lemons, limes and grapefruit when used in desserts and sorbets. Add a layer of shortbread and I'm in heaven! I'm not a big fan of meringue, so pies are not so much a favorite. Fortunately, I have all the ingredients in hand, including 50 or so very small, but very ripe, lemons on the tree. Now all I need is the time to make them - probably on Friday.

Tonight I have a dinner date with the ladies of B. It'll be good to have the chance to sit and talk with these women and be out and about.

Day 004: It's raining again...

And it is raining again. The deep voice weather dude said that we should expect about 1.25" between noon and midnight. Since it started raining around 11:30 I can only expect that he's going to be right - again. Fortunately, I have the fire lit, the house is picked up and the appliances are running. All is right in the world.

I've been busy this morning - getting some things done that haven't been done in a while. I need to spend some time this afternoon, working on the seeking employment front. That will make the hubster a happy(ier) camper. Not that he's much of a camper.

It's dreary. And cold.

Knock on wood, so far, I've kept up with the 365 day project this year. Yippee! One week in, 51 to go. I'm posting my daily photos at by lorili - photos. I'm curious to see if my style changes or if I end up sticking with still life and landscape. So many things to take pictures of, so few I can take pictures of well.

Speaking of pictures: Two more cards that are together...

Day 003: A defining word...

I've been reading around blog land on this idea of choosing a word to "define" your year. Something that can be used as a sort of guideline to determine your actions perhaps, or to ruminate upon, or something to give you pause to think. I first thought that I would choose the word "finish" as there are so many projects that I do actually need to finish this year, projects that have been left half-baked for two or more years even. However, I think that a better defining word will be "continue". I want to continue to do the things that I have started in the past year, continue them in spite of the interruption, and continue them to completion. Whether that be the sweater I still really want to work on, or the guest suite remodel, or the weight loss journey that I have started. All of these things are in progress at the moment. I want to continue to work on them, enjoying the process and enjoying the final results. Continue, as you have begun.

On another note: Cards have been started, and are ready for mailing... I just need to get the last letter finished and on the way. I'll post the pictures of them over the next couple of days.

Day 002: Navel Gazing the first

It's Tuesday. The second day of the year. My goals for yesterday were overtaken in a rush of computer game playing. I've got to quit doing that. I did however, get to take my photos - both yesterday and today. Two down, 364 to go!

I didn't realize my pantry was missing so many critical staples to my recipes - so today I get to to go to the store. How can I be out of salt, out of buttermilk, and worst yet dishwasher soap (no I don't use that when I cook ~ silly!) all after just going to the grocery on Monday. Argh!

We'll see how today goes. Stream of conscience now. Gonna just write whatever until I get comfortable writing every day.

Day 001: Finish

It's the first day of a brand new year! Hooray! I'm going to try and practice the power of positive thinking and only think good things are going to happen this year.

I've been spending the past couple of days working on my wish list of things I want to complete this year. It's quite a list, encompassing the house, my health, and my creative side. Oh yeah, and money and family too.

I read a post the other day - and now I can't remember where from - that said to pick a word to define your year. I think that I am going to choose the word FINISH. Finish what's left undone. Finish any projects you start. Finish. I have a bad habit of getting the supplies, starting a project, and then abandoning it when it doesn't meet my expectations or is beyond my skill level. The problem is that I have high expectations of myself, and although settling should not be the optimum choice, some times, it is better to finish as best as you can, rather than abandon all hope.

Quality Picture should be here, but I haven't taken it yet! See me tomorrow.

Day 21 (or An Analogy in Words & Pictures)

I sit here by the bay and as I look toward the horizon, the water seems calm. A little ruffled by the passing wind, but over all calm. As the ruffly edges move towards the shore, they swell. And with a gentle crash, they land upon the cliff side, more like the energy has been released, rather than by intention.

But periodically, they swell to something larger than before, a sharp edge becomes defined and they crash in on themselves, sending sound and spray through the air.

Leaving in their passing a white froth of churned up sea, sand and air.

A seemingly smooth path forms off shore, in water where a current of some strength is moving at cross purposes to the waves reaching for the shore.

Day Twenty (or Thanksgiving Wrap-up)

I took some pictures today, hoping for my next large scale project. I think I am going to do a 6'x4' painting of some of these tulips for my new and improved exercise room. I love working on the large scale, and I'm learning so many things by doing it myself - no art classes.

As for the wrap-up... the BBS and family were here and I don't know about them, but I had a blast. We ended up at Yosemite and the Monterey Aquarium as "events" and had a couple of nothing but play days. I took over 8G in pictures, and the food, well, the food left something to be desired. I get teased all the time for scheduling my Thanksgiving day - when I need to cook something, do I have the oven/stove space, what serving dishes will I use - that I decided to fly by the seat of my pants. After all, I've been doing this for 15 years or so, I should know what I am doing. Turns out, the schedule is my lifesaver. The food was all good, just not done when it needed to be done. It was more like a traveling feast. I am definitly going to try and brine a chicken sometime in the next twelve months and see if that will make a difference.

Day Nineteen (or Back again...)

Here I am, wishing I was back at the beach again. I think it's time for some wave therapy. I'm going to make sure that I get my butt down to the ocean this weekend and sit for a while. I'm feeling out of sorts and I need some time to regroup. I have too many things to do on my list of lists and taking some time out for me is not on them. I'd rather be at home, working on the house, than sitting in a hotel here in Austin. But here is the perfect time for some self inspection, retrospection, and creative noodling. No demands on my time or my person except for those that I create. I should be glad for this time away. And I am, just not today.

Day Eighteen (or Hooray! It's a Floor!!)

AFTER

Well, it would be a floor if I could get blogger to upload the pictures. I've finally gotten to the point in my studio that I can steam clean the carpets and move the daybed back in. Once I do that, then it's just down to some straightening and some editing of "stuff" I'm so excited you just don't know. And thank goodness, it'll be done before the kiddos get here. I've got a list a mile long to get finished, but I know that I can do it, I just gotta stick to it. But one room (almost!) down, 20 more to go.

BEFORE

Day Seventeen (or Lemonade )

When Life hands you lemons, make lemonade ~ well that's the proverb anyway. I'd rather make something more refreshing and adult in nature. We have about half a dozen citrus trees on the deck - hanging out until they are big enough to survive the attentions of the multitude of deer that roam the property. Each one of these trees doesn't realize that it is less than 5 feet tall, and root bound in a pot. They produce the sweetest smelling blooms in the spring time and drive the bees and birds mad with the sweet nectar. As a result, we end up with over a hundred fruit set on each tree. I can't bear to see the branches overloaded, so I end up culling them down to about a third of the final set. That's still a lot of lemons and limes (only a few oranges). The limes go into Mark's Magic Margaritas, and the lemons go into:

Lorili's Luscious Lemonade

1 part Citrus Vodka

1 part Peach Schnapps

1 1/2 parts fresh squeezed lemon juice

Super Fine Sugar to taste (usually for me, that's about 1 T)

Treat as if it's a margarita - ice in the cocktail shaker, a nice cold glass frosty from the freezer. Pour the liquids over the ice in the shaker, add the sugar. Shake until well blended, taste, adjust as needed (sugar, peach, lemon), shake again, then pour into a lemon/sugar rimmed glass. Garnish with a fresh peach slice if you have it.

I've tried this with prepared lemonade, and lemon juice from a bottle, it doesn't work. Don't do it if you don't have the fresh lemons to juice.

Day Sixteen (or Home)

Home.

Where the trees reach for the sky and the sky meets the sea.

Home.

Where the birds cry and the wind answers.

Home.

Where the rain falls and the earth moves.

Home.

Where the stars shine and the moon follows.

Home.

Where my love waits for me.

Home.

Day Fifteen (or Happy Halloween!)

If you look very carefully at the black blob on the left, you will notice a small claw sticking out from the side of the coffin shaped critter. And what is this critter? A very small, very clean mummified bat.

I was doing my laundry this past weekend, shook out a shirt to put it on the hanger, and lo and behold, a piece of black fluff fell to the floor. I picked it up, EWWWWW, and immediately let it drop back to the floor. So what do you do with the clothes once you have found a bat in your clean laundry? I decided that a rewash, without the bat this time, was in order.

We get bats in the house occasionally when we open the doors after dusk and leave them open for a short while. I've had to catch them in a pillow case and release them outside, or even chase them out an open window when I can manage to do that. But this is the first time I've found one in the laundry.

Happy Halloween!

Day Fourteen (or The Way of an Artist)

I am too an artist! Really I am!! That's what I need to remember over the next few weeks. I am going to attempt, for like the eighth time, to go all twelve weeks of the "Artist's Way". I'll keep my contract, I'll do the morning pages, I'll do the dates. And I'll do the ART. The picture to the right is one of my paintings. It's 4'x6' on 3/4" MDF. Yes, that's right, MDF, yes, four feet by six feet. I happen to love it. I'm afraid to have anybody but my husband see it, just for fear of their reaction. If someone says they like it, I'll blush, but I won't believe them, and if they say they don't, I'll be crushed. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't. I did a much smaller version of the same photo in yellows and oranges, and it just glows. I really want to make one of those for myself.

I'm big into the self-help this week. I want to do the Artist's Way, I want to work on my weight loss, I want to learn how to work Photoshop. I'm journaling quite a bit - here, on paper, it seems where ever I am, I'm writing something down. And it's all navel gazing, but there you go. I'm in a transitional period - I have a job, I know I am going to lose my job, but I also know when I'm going to lose my job, so I have some transition work to do. I want to open myself up to a more creative side to compliment the work I do with amounts and accounts and stuff. I want to work on our home, make it a better place for us all to live. I want to create, I want to organize, and I want to play. Sigh. It feels hopeless, but I have to remember that it's my choice to make. I can do it all if I choose to.

Day Thirteen (or Back in Austin)

I'm back in Austin. Wahoo! Not really, but I have to do something to get excited around here. I'm staying at the usual place, with plans to hit up some really good food joints. I need to NOT SHOP while I am here, I have too much to fit in my suitcase already, but I did bring an extra one this time. I'm driving a Chevy HHR which is kinda funky and so not something I would normally drive. I have to say though that the cool factor is much better than the Toyota Corolla I had last time. I'm just glad that it's going to be a two short weeks, rather than one two week time frame.

Other than that, I'm starting to do the Artist's Way while I am here. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get a jump start on it and be able to continue once I am home on a more regular basis. I don't think I want to be a writer, but I do want to create visual works of art. Photography, painting, collage, who knows.