“Ate salad for dinner! Mostly croutons and tomatoes.
Wikipedia
Really just one big, round crouton covered with tomato sauce. And cheese.
FINE, it was a pizza. I ate a pizza.”
Junior’s Pizza
Quote credit: Cindy Bassett Thurman on Facebook.
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Friends
G. Henrichs via Magnolia Pearl Friendship Post via Zen to Zany
I’ve always found this to be true, whether it’s meeting strangers for the first time or getting to know relatives. Sometimes you almost don’t need to talk at all to recognize a special someone with whom you instantly ‘click.’ You feel you know them far better than you actually do, as far as details of their lives, but the heart of the friendship is feelings, basic reactions to life, maybe shared kinds of experiences.
I’m lucky to have both strangers who have become instant friends and relatives, as well. It’s such a comfort to meet someone of like mind. You don’t have to see them often or even communicate on a regular basis to feel close. And when you CAN be close, it’s as if you haven’t been apart at all. You don’t need to ‘catch up,’ although you do, and you care about all the details of what has happened, but the basic closeness never changes.
If you’re lucky enough to recognize this feeling, you’re rich. Nourish these special people, as they are definitely what makes our lives joyful.
Filed under Friendship
The Perfect Antidote to Snow
“Beautiful Blue Eyes – Parma Violets 3” – Paul Militaru Photography
Isn’t this gorgeous?
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Decoration Changes & Refurbishment
This is the ‘old style’ attachment method we used when we started making metal decorations for our mailbox. We simply cut a flat piece of metal and welded it onto the side of the piece after drilling a bunch of holes in it.
Since then, my husband designed a much stronger method of attachment – a square metal rod with L-shaped attachment piece welded onto it, and then attached to the decoration. He was upset that some of the decorations we put up this past year still had the ‘old style’ attachment and wanted to change them.
We had gone through the decorations, figuring out which ones we wanted to keep, replacements we wanted to make, and new pieces in the works. The turkey for Thanksgiving and the Rabbit and Egg for Easter needed the new style attachments.
My husband cut off the old style and then made new attachments and welded them onto the two pieces. The process of welding did a number on the paint of the decorations, so I’ve been trying to blend in the new attachment bar into the design on one side and refurbish the pieces as a whole.
This is the front of the refurbished Thanksgiving turkey. You have to look carefully to see the black rod sticking out to the left.
This is the back, where you can see the rod going all the way across the piece. I blended it in as best I could. I also added googly eyes to both sides this time, rather than just having the hole in a white circle.
Here’s a pic of the old piece to compare.
The second piece was the Rabbit and the Egg for Easter.
My husband had a hard time welding the attachment rod to this piece. There was a LOT to try to blend in. I had fun adding Snow-Tex to his cotton tail this time.
Here’s the back of the piece, with the rod blended in as well as I was able. I didn’t put Snow-Tex on this side.
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, project refurb
Snow Day
This is my new hat, purchased at the hardware store yesterday, and worn with pleasure today, while putting new suet and feed in one of the bird feeders on the deck this morning. I’m also thankful for my new boots with Thinsulate and rubber on the soles and toe. It’s 17 degrees in Greenwood, Arkansas right now. High is supposed to be 25, with 11 tomorrow morning. The public schools are closed, due to road conditions.
Happily, we don’t have to negotiate the bad roads to get to work! We got 2 – 3 inches of snow overnight. It’s not supposed to melt during the day, though it IS melting a bit on our sidewalks and driveway pad, due to the fact the temperatures didn’t plunge until a couple of days ago.
My husband said we could make it to Lunch Bunch, but I enjoy the option of not having to drive in it, unless we have to. When I called one of my Lunch Bunch friends, she said that she and our other friend didn’t want to get out in it, either.
Our son, who lives and works in Thailand now, asked me to take pics if it snowed so he could show them to his Thai pals, knowing they’ll be amazed. He said, “Thai people are bundled up against this ARCTIC BLASTWAVE, temperatures PLUNGING, sometimes the daily high is NOT EVEN 80°.” :0)
I’ve enjoyed walking around (carefully) in it today. I’ll probably go out again this afternoon to appreciate the crisp, cold air, the slight breeze, the hint of sunshine, and the fact that I can come back into a warm, dry house when I’m finished appreciating Mother Nature.
I’ve switched gears to working from my INSIDE list today, happy I can practice my yoga in the comfort of my living room this afternoon.
This is a complex of three (I think) evergreens that are a boarding house for MANY birds. A bunch of them are already enjoying the black oil sunflower seeds and two fresh packets of suet I put out for them.
Smoke wishes you a HAPPY WINTER!
Filed under Arkansas, Mother Nature
Feeling Empowered
I know absolutely nothing about programming or how computers work. A couple of weeks ago, the program I use to be able to make changes on my website, Creative Artworks, wouldn’t come up. Trying not to panic, I tried everything I knew how to do, including rebooting the computer, and nothing worked.
My son is in Thailand, but we can chat through a program. I told him what my problem was. He led me through getting a terminal session on my computer, then finding the program he needed, then running a program, then checking to see if my program came up. It did! He told me to keep the terminal session open. I did, but one night, when I couldn’t sleep, I came into the office and decided that I would copy the whole terminal session into a Mac program called NOTES. I copied and pasted it, and then went through to get the commands he had me type into the session and I put those at the top of the notes. I did this because sometimes my Mac reboots after adding updates. If it did, or I had to reboot because the computer went wonky, I would lose the terminal session.
Today my computer simply froze. I had to reboot. As I thought, I lost the terminal session. :0( I checked, and my program wouldn’t come up – the same as last time. :0(
Instead of panicking, I went to the NOTES program. I brought up a terminal session, and carefully typed in the commands at the top. Then I went back to my access program and hit, “retry.” IT CAME UP AND IS WORKING!!!!
HOOOOOOOORAAAAAAY!
I’m so grateful that I have a smart son who came help me, using a chat program, patiently walking me through the problem. I’m thankful that my sleeplessness resulted in my copying what we did to fix the situation into my NOTES program. I’m thankful that it worked!
I don’t have to bother my busy son, who is across the world (12 hour time difference.).
I LOVE it when I can FIX the problem myself!!!!!!
clipartkid
Filed under Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
Interesting Thought
fsensitivity-Phillipe Geluck via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Grin for the Day
Towel Critter Art – Take 3
Flickr – Ryan Island – Carnival Cruise Line
Jodi Jill Towel Art
Julian Frost
Filed under Creativity, Towel Critter Art
Knowledge and Wisdom
Marilyn Vos Savant and Nino Chakvetadze via Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
The opportunity to learn something new is a quality of life thing. Being open to new information keeps your brain active. Being aware of what’s happening around you allows you to appreciate being in the moment. Pushing yourself to try something outside your comfort zone is a challenge that keeps you more vital. Trying new things opens up whole new worlds!
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Pictures, Favorite Quotes
Towel Critter Art – Take 2
Filed under Creativity, Towel Critter Art
Folding Myself Into a Paper Airplane – Take 10
whxgjd.com
An important lesson is finally embedding itself into my brain – yoga is what I need to feel better.
I freely admit that I’m as surprised, or even MORE surprised, than anyone. Who would have thought I would do yoga? Who would have thought I would START yoga at age 69? Who would have thought that I could start a session, feeling old and creaky, with pain across my back just under my shoulder blades and finish a session on one part of my body, then an overall flow session, feeling MUCH better.
I’m proving this lesson to myself daily now. I realize I’m still doing ‘old lady yoga’ – tactfully named, “Gentle Yoga”, emphasizing good, long stretching in various poses, rather than standing on my head or folding myself into a pretzel shape while singing, “I’m Happy.” But this practice is proving a life-saver for me.
Very slowly – very gradually – I’m loosening up. This creaky old lady is becoming a BIT more flexible.
The hardest part for me still is the time at the end of each segment where you’re supposed to lie on your back and completely relax. At the beginning, my mind would race, thinking of what I needed to do today, wondering if I remembered to put something on the list or not… I’m slowly learning to put things away for later and concentrate on the moment.
- I’m learning to breathe into the area of my back that tightens itself regularly.
- I’m working on being able to sit on the floor with my knees bent under me. (My feet cramp in this position and my thigh muscles are awful. Gradually, though, if I can get my feet to quit cramping, I can sit like this for several seconds at a time now.
- When I started several weeks ago, I could not lie on my back and put my arms over my head and rest my hands on the floor. I can do this now – not comfortably – but I’m working on it.
- There’s a pose where you’re lying on your back. One leg is straight on the floor and the other is pointing up at the ceiling. Using a strap, you move your leg over to the side as far as possible. Then you move it across your body to the other side. THIS is when my body says, “Oh, NO!” The great thing about Cat (the yoga instructor) is that she stresses that how far you’re able to move isn’t important. It’s the moving in the right direction to your personal edge and then breathing into it that’s important.
The very best news lately is that they have created another DVD composed of ‘the next level’ of yoga practice. I’ve ordered it so that, between these two DVDs, I’ll have enough good instruction and encouragement to be the best that I can be.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, exercise
What are YOU Watering?
Neil Barringham via Lifehack.org via Evie Zimmerman, Trendingly.com
Every year time goes by more quickly. When you get to be as old as ‘I’ am, it is really WHIZZING past your head and blowing your hair!
I’m continuing to try to get my to-do list under better control. At the end of each day, I want to be able to say that I did something of value. “Value” is a relative term, I realize, but I mean something that has value to ME. It might be
- something that will have bad results if I DON’T do it – such as paying bills on time, or mailing a book I sold.
- something that will help me while also helping others, such as donations to the Veterans Thrift Store or the local library.
- something that will make my husband smile, such as making a huge load of sausage balls for our lunches or snacks, or finding a sugar-free apple cider and ordering it for us.
- something that makes ME smile, like planting things in our raised-bed square foot garden (or planning for it, or working in it, or harvesting from it….)
- cleaning out, throwing or giving away, and re-organizing what’s left (something I’m doing a little bit at a time.
- creating another decoration for our mailbox or metal yard critter with my husband
- spending good time with family or friends
- spending time in my art room, playing with some of my terrific supplies
- relaxing and reading with my coffee beside me
- doing a couple of sections of my yoga DVD
I ALWAYS have too many things and not enough time or energy to accomplish the list. That’s a given. What I’m trying to do is to make sure that I include FUN in each day possible. I’ll MAKE time to do things I can’t really justify, but love to do. And I’ll consider it a day well spent if I don’t end up in the slammer for ignoring a ‘have-to,’ plus did something that gave me pleasure…
I’m watering my FUN grass this year. What are YOU watering?
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
Gorgeous Gourds – Take 7
SustainableSeedCo.com
Sustainable Seed Company
The Art Zoo
Filed under Creativity, Gorgeous Gourds
Towel Critter Art – Take 1
When I first started this blog, I displayed a bunch of wonderful towel animal art introduced to me by my sister-in-law, Mary Lou, when she and my brother-in-law were on a cruise. I was completely blown away and delightedly shared the images. Then I found out the hard way about image limits and what happens when you delete what you think are old images, and lost the whole section.
I found some new images yesterday, again smiling like an idiot every time I find another one, so I’m going to start that section again and share them with you. :0)
Carnival – Beyondships.com
Carnival Sunshine
Craft Art Ideas
Filed under Creativity, Towel Critter Art
Changes to Creative Artworks!
In the first of several changes to my website, Creative Artworks, I have added a CLEARANCE category. Throughout the year, you can take advantage of changing inventory on the site at 50%+ off. This also includes the regular FREE SHIPPING for anyone in the contiguous United States.
(If you’re outside of this, you can always email linda@creativeartworks.cc and I’ll figure out the needed shipping. I can send you an invoice via Paypal.)
RIGHT NOW – I have put my one-of-a-kind handmade Christmas cards in this category. The regular price for a card is $4.00. Right now you can get a card for $2.00 (a 50% savings.) I’ve also included a “BUY ANY 5 CARDS AND SAVE EVEN MORE!” item. – You put this item in your shopping cart and then type in the names or item numbers of any 5 cards on this page and pay only $8.00 and free shipping.
These are all one-of-a-kind cards, so act quickly to get the best selection. This is on a first-come, first serve basis. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Sale ends January 31st.
SAMPLES –
ENJOY!
Filed under Uncategorized
Gorgeous Gourds – Take 6
Shades of Fall – Etsy
Rocking V Cafe – The Afters Gallery
Filed under Creativity, Gorgeous Gourds
Starting a New Year
Yesterday I wrote down a goal weight for the end of this month. This morning I had actually gained half a pound. I immediately started feeling like a failure – a long-held attitude from my past.
When I did it, the feelings overwhelmed me for a moment or two, and then I got disgusted with myself – not for the weight gain, but for the ATTITUDE. This year I’m going to concentrate on NOT putting down my efforts to improve.
I’m going to look positively at the differences between the ‘old me,’ and the ‘newer me’ and concentrate on trying to continue my efforts one meal at a time (in my efforts to lose the lard) and one day at a time (in my efforts to move more). I’m NOT going to set myself up for failure. If I’m better than I was, that’s a WIN.
I’m going to try to mentally picture my past failures going through the shredder above, lightening my load, lessening any guilt, raising my consciousness that I’m focusing on being a better me…
123rf.com
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Encouragement
Delight for Kids and Grandkids
Bethany Kerr of Creative Artworks offers new prints of her original artwork that will delight the young and the young-at-heart. Many adjectives apply: creative, clever, humorous, whimsical – but they’re just downright delightful. I almost wish I still worked outside my home so that I could display them on my office wall.
I also wish I had grandkids so I could give them a new print or two each occasion to light up the walls of their bedrooms!
“A Night at Home”
“Go Fly a Kite!”
“Laundry Day”
“Sky Diving”
“Swinging from the Chandelier”
“Swinging Platypus”
“The Chef”
“The County Fair”
You can see more prints by Bethany Kerr
If you click on the link at the top of this post, you can also see samples of pencil portraits by Bethany, along with sizes available and pricing.
Make it a New Year’s Resolution to get some of these for yourself, a co-worker, a friend, or a family member this year! WARNING: – You’ll have a hard time choosing your favorites!
Filed under Amazing Animals, drawings
The Egg
Ron Leishman – http://www.clipart.com via Mothering Multiples
Every morning I have a hard-boiled egg, meat, cheese and butter – microwaved – for breakfast. Lately, my husband has decided that HE should peel the egg for me.
We’ve had trouble peeling eggs. I found a suggestion that if you put a teaspoon of baking soda into the water in which you boil the eggs, the shells will come off more easily. We now do that and it HAS helped, but not always. We also put the eggs into ice-cold water directly after boiling them. That helps, as well – but not always.
My husband watched a few YouTube videos on the subject a couple of days ago.
He came into the office with a hard-boiled egg. He got my attention, then peeled off a bit of each end of the egg-shell. He BLEW into each end and then looked at me like, “VOILA!” He proceeded to try to take the eggshell off, and had as much trouble as we sometimes do. I told him that even if it worked, I didn’t want him doing that to MY egg. If he wanted to blow into HIS egg, that was fine, but NOT MINE! I then pointed to the desk top and the floor. Both were littered with tiny bits of egg-shell. He called the dogs over, but they weren’t interested. He finally got a dust pan and cleaned things up.
I had just gotten my concentration back at the computer when he came in again. This time, he wanted me to go to the kitchen with him. He put a second hard-boiled egg into a glass, filling the glass about half full of water. He then started shaking the glass violently. The result was water all over the cabinets, counter tops, and floor. I just looked at him. He looked like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He tried removing the egg-shell. It worked, but I was still looking at the mess all over my kitchen. He then took a towel and wiped up most of the mess.
Today, when I was fixing my breakfast, he was already working on my egg. He came over in just a second with the egg nicely shelled and ready for our egg slicer. I said, “That was fast.” He smiled, saying he’s perfected the egg in the water-glass technique.
THIS time it worked, my kitchen wasn’t awash in water, and my egg was shelled in a sanitary fashion – quickly and easily!
AND, my husband is still alive to tell the tale…
“The Dogs of 2016”
My sister-in-law, Mary Lou, posted this on Facebook. I smiled, I snorted, I laughed out loud, I wiped tears away. I watched it again, and then one more time. Even if you aren’t a dog lover, this will become a wonderful classic. What a gem!
WeRateDogs presents a hilarious, adorable, and heartwarming year-end roundup of the goodest doggos and puppers of 2016, set to The Brazen Youth’s “Center of Gravity.”
“Remember, the dogs will always be good.”
TastefullyOffensive.com delivers a daily roundup of the funniest videos, pictures, and comics on the Internet.
If the links above don’t work, the URL is http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com/2016/12/the-dogs-of-2016.html?m=1
Filed under Favorite Videos
creativeartworksblog 