Monthly Archives: February 2018

February 14, 2018 · 10:06 am

On This Valentine’s Day 2018…

If you don’t already do this, don’t just concentrate on celebrating the special holidays of the year with the one you love. Don’t worry about whether he gets you something for Valentine’s Day, your birthday, your anniversary. Wouldn’t you be happier if he thinks about you and tries to make you happy MOST days of the year?

This doesn’t happen accidentally. It starts with YOU. When YOU show HIM that he’s special, thank him when he does something he doesn’t have to do that saves you time, effort, worry, he might return the way you make him feel in kind.

Yes, there are days you chase him around the house with a fly swatter when he’s being obnoxious. Yes, there are days you think about how satisfying it would be to bash him – just a bit – with a frying pan. Yes, there are days your feelings are hurt. Yes, there are days you want to yell until you’re hoarse. Yes, you might enjoy some time to yourself.  That’s called living with someone who ALSO has wants/needs/ideas/hopes/dreams.  Those feelings go both ways.

It’s up to YOU to see that the GOOD feelings/warm thoughts/melts-you-into-a-puddle acts go both ways.

And YOU go first.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and happy tomorrow, and happy the-day-after-that….

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February 14, 2018 · 9:13 am

Painted Gourds – Take 20

Jypsy Wings on Etsy

 

 

Poplar Hollow Studio

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February 14, 2018 · 9:08 am

Thoughts on Valentine’s Day 2018

Tumblr Lessons

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February 14, 2018 · 8:29 am

Valentine’s Day 2018

H & L

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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February 13, 2018 · 11:51 am

A Really NICE Surprise!

My husband and I were working in the office when our driveway detector went off. My husband said, “Could you get that?” I went out to see the UPS delivery person, something that happens often around here. I brought the box into the office and opened it. It was a vase with a dozen red roses!

My husband doesn’t like to celebrate ‘holidays,’ saying he thinks he should be good to me ALL the time, rather than just a few days each year where it’s EXPECTED that the guy get a present for his love. In fact, we’ve talked about the fact that the ads must make men like my husband  – or someone who might be strapped for extra cash – feel awful for NOT spending lots of money to ‘show his love.’  We think love shouldn’t be a ‘have-to’ thing.

My husband was really good about sending me flowers for NO occasion when I was at work. It was his hope that I would feel special, and that the other women in my workplace would feel jealous that I got flowers and it wasn’t my birthday, or Valentine’s Day, or anything.

In June we’ll celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. Since we have loved each other since I was 14 and he was 17, you can add another 9 years to the official married years. I guess I’m confessing to a kind of addiction…

I really wasn’t expecting this. The card says, “I never get enough of you!” (For two people who don’t even use the same SALT, you KNOW that isn’t true, but what a NICE thing for him to say! He’s definitely a keeper.  :0)

 

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February 13, 2018 · 10:55 am

Cleaning Out the Art Room – Day 1

novakadjokovicfoundation.org

I’m going upstairs now, armed with trash bags for donations and trash bags for trash, to get started going through things in my art room. As bad as things are in there, my biggest problem will be NOT picking something up and wanting to stop cleaning and PLAY with something wonderful I’ve found. I have my mental ‘ruthless’ hat on, so I’ll do my best.

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February 13, 2018 · 10:48 am

Oil Paintings I Love – Take 15

Allartclassic

 

 

 

bullfinch-Faith Te

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February 13, 2018 · 10:37 am

Shallow Thoughts for the Day – Take 1

quote of the day

* Nothing ticks you off more than that moment during an argument
when you realize you’re wrong.

* There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

* I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately
clear your computer history if you die.

* How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just
nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at
work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

 

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February 13, 2018 · 10:31 am

Birds and Water

“Ducks” – Paul Militaru Photography

 

 

“Love at First Sight” – Paul Militaru Photography

 

 

“Sailing on Unsafe Waters” – Paul Militaru Photography

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February 13, 2018 · 10:25 am

Painted Gourds – Take 19

Cat Gourd BirdHouse-Baubles-N-Bling

 

 

Dogwood-Nat’s Kreations

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February 13, 2018 · 10:20 am

The Battle Over “OUT!”

We thought we were doing a good thing when we taught Amber to bark when she wanted to go out, or was outside and wanted to come in. Soon we realized we had created a monster who LOVES ordering us around. She just comes in and then barks to go out again – and loudly enough it hurts your ears! My husband thinks it’s hilarious when I’m concentrating at the computer and Amber comes up to me and then makes me jump straight up in the air out of my chair with a loud “WOOF!”

Since we have now ALSO learned that letting her out alone results in all kinds of things leaving the garage, the front porch, and other surrounding areas and showing up in the front yard – either in one piece or damaged beyond repair, we are now TAKING her out. It’s now 10:10 a.m. central time and she’s been out 4 times already.  This is a battle. We’re trying to get things done and we’re never sure if she REALLY needs to go out or is just pulling our leg. While it’s a problem concentrating or bringing something to completion, it’s also good in that it forces us to get up and moving. I’m also trying to play with her a bit while we’re out, taking a ball or something with me for her to retrieve. It’s good exercise because I make it a point to go out past the shop to my garden in one direction, and then all the way across the top of our part of the ridge line to my greenhouse and then back to the house. Just in CASE she doesn’t demand it on her own, we have an alarm set to remind us that we should go out again.

We’re having ‘discussions’ now about how many times it’s reasonable to take her out. Obviously, Amber would essentially enjoy being out most of the time. When it’s cold and wet outside with a gusty wind, we are less happy about staying out there with her for very long, telling her to ‘hurry up!’ and wanting to come right back in.

‘Discussions’ with a 91 pound lab puppy aren’t very productive…

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February 12, 2018 · 5:10 pm

Mother Nature’s Gifts

Monett Times

“Where the tree tops glisten

And Children listen

to hear sleigh bells in the snow….”  (“White Christmas” sung by Bing Crosby)

I guess I never really thought about it before. I’ve sung the song a million times, but just glossed over the words. Today Mother Nature had iced and frozen the trees to the point I thought it had snowed for a minute, looking out the window. Then the sun came out, after a really dark, dank day yesterday, and the tree tops DID ‘glisten’ – spectacularly!  You could almost see every branch as the sunlight hit the trees. We both remarked on how beautiful it was on our way to town. Multiply the sample above by about a thousand and you’ll have an idea what we enjoyed this morning!

Fox 4 News

The icing on the cake was when we rounded the curve and saw FOUR deer crossing the road! This picture gives you an idea of what we saw – 4 deer, one following the next in a parade as they crossed to the other side. There was no other traffic around, thank goodness, so we just slowed and watched them as they crossed safely to the other side, and then moved on.

Mother Nature was in a really good mood, smiling down on our part of Arkansas today.

 

 

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February 12, 2018 · 11:10 am

Painted Gourds – Take 18

Gourd Ideas-Bing Images

 

 

Artist Unknown

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February 12, 2018 · 10:21 am

New Purging Project Starts Today – My Art Room

I converted our third bedroom to be my art room. I can create to my heart’s content (when I can make the time and have the energy).  I consider it a treasure trove of wonderful ‘stuff’ I can use if/when the creative bug grabs me. Between projects, though, I tend to just open the door quickly (the cats try to dash inside the minute the door is cracked) and stash whatever it is, thinking I’ll get to it later. This is the result of all that stashing.

I really have no excuse, other than being a slob. My biggest problem when I try to go through things and clean in there is that something grabs my interest and I want to sit down and play with it.  :0)

 

Under all this is a nice drafting table.

This used to be a dressing table when it was a bedroom. It is mostly set up (under all the ‘stuff’) as a jewelry making center and wrapping center. (I know – it’s hard to believe.)

 

This table is for alcohol ink creations, drawing, etc.

This is an area where I keep art supplies.

I have shelves on both sides of the drafting table.

The last time I cleaned this up, I was mainly straightening things. This time I’m going to concentrate on purging (donating things or throwing away), THEN cleaning, and THEN reorganizing.  This will definitely be a multi-day project.

We have the truck packed with a big donation from the pantry purge to the Veterans Thrift Store in Ft. Smith. When we get home, we’ll repack the truck with all the trash bags from the same project, hoping that the good trash people will take them all.  THEN I’ll start making more…

 

 

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February 12, 2018 · 9:36 am

Optimism

sun gazing via diana roggen bucke brown on 5minutesmoreplease.wordpress.com

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February 12, 2018 · 9:32 am

“Abstract Art – Aquatic Interferences”

“Abstract Art – Aquatic Interferences” – Paul Militaru Photography

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February 11, 2018 · 1:23 pm

Pantry Project is Finished!

Recently I showed you the NON-FOOD side of the pantry. Here is the FOOD side – mostly – except for the very top shelf.

 

Today I went through the top shelf mainly. We just bought replacement flood lights for an outside corner of the house. Today I found that we HAVE some…. I found a lot to put in the Veterans Thrift Store donation area, a lot to throw away, a lot that needed to go elsewhere. I then thoroughly cleaned the top shelf and then reorganized it. There are still two containers holding miscellaneous small light bulbs, but we won’t have to paw through them to find a regular replacement light bulb anymore.

 

I bought and used a lot of see-through plastic bins to help me organize things. We also have small ‘critters from time to time, and these will help us move things quickly to clean, plus The critters may decide to go elsewhere when they find it’s hard to get to anything edible now.

 

My husband made some special can shelves for us several years ago. We have these labeled, so we can quickly find the veggies or soup we want. We put new cans in the back of each partition, so the older ones keep moving to the front.

This is a picture of the non-food side of the pantry.  I can now just walk up and get the small appliance I need, rather than having to stand on my head to get one out of the cabinets in my island.

I’m pleased to have this much better organized than it was before. Even my husband noticed a big difference, though his main focus was on what I did with his ‘chip food group.’

The next thing I’ll need to do is list and pack up the things for the next donation to the Veterans Thrift Store. We’ll need to make this donation tomorrow or so.

 

 

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February 11, 2018 · 11:16 am

Work

Lisa Bearnes Richey

I’m procrastinating right now. The beef stew is in the crock pot for tonight, and I finished cleaning up the kitchen afterwards. The dishwasher is going. I SHOULD be leaping up the tall ladder to tackle the highest shelf in the pantry. What am I doing? Sitting here on the computer typing another post to you!

Most blogs center on one thing – something about which the writer is an expert. I wondered what on Earth I would write about if I had a blog. I don’t know that much about anything for which I could be a wonderful source of information. If “I” get bored reading about only one subject endlessly, I could only imagine how anyone actually reading MY stuff would feel…

Finally I decided to share things I found that I loved: books and movies I liked; recipes I found that were really good; mind-boggling art by talented people; funny signs; sharing the metal critters and mailbox decorations my husband and I so enjoy creating; my struggles with getting the lard off and keeping moving; efforts to crawl out from under 30+ years of gathered ‘stuff,’ etc.  I decided to write, TALKING to the kind people who read my stuff, about a wide variety of subjects. I decided to write to entertain, touch, or make people smirk.

THIS has become a big focus of my day. I LOVE looking for images I hope will make you smile. There are so many talented people in our world. We’re seeing some of them now at the Olympics. I love being able to live on the same planet as people who can excel at sports of all kinds, dance, art, and music. I love finding people who not only are good at what they do, they think outside the box and bring what they’re doing to an art form, enriching all who see it.

So, as always, I ask for your feedback. I love comments reacting to what I’m saying. I appreciate comments on what you like, what you’d like to see more of, other subjects you’d like to see. Your following my blog is such a compliment. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

_________________

P.S. I lost my help on the pantry due to this procrastination – my husband is on his way out to the shop to work on his welding late project. My own fault. I’ll just move slowly up and down the ladder, doing a bit at a time and then resting.

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February 11, 2018 · 10:00 am

Thankful and Happy

Humor Mash

It’s cold for Arkansas today, well below freezing and a gusty North wind. The wind chill is ‘too-darned-cold-to-be-out-here!’ We got freezing rain last night and our deck is treacherous. The evergreens are looking really weighted down, but all else looks like we dodged a bullet weatherwise.

Still we froze our parts off taking animals out this morning. My husband went back out because he noticed that we only had ONE feeder with seed in it and a gazillion birds – plus a squirrel – all trying to get something to eat. The one feeder that still had food was one I filled with small bird seed, rather than the sunflower seeds we put out for everyone else. We decided that the feeder is defective and that the sweet birds aren’t getting anything before the seeds freeze at the bottom. So I’ve washed out another feeder and will put the small bird seed in the better feeder and we’ll put it back out. We’re thankful and happy to be able to stay home today where it’s safe and warm.

Projects Update –

1) My husband is working on the welding lathe, some in the shop and some in the office. He got a nice face plate for the control box that will house the motor so that he can mount the buttons on the front nicely. Otherwise, we’re waiting for some parts to come in.

2) The new-computer-for-me project came to a screeching halt when we had a defective motherboard. We returned that, got another, only to find after my husband worked with a tech on the phone at the place we’ve always trusted to get computer parts couldn’t make it work, either. So the 2nd motherboard was mailed back to them yesterday. They should get in Monday and hopefully have a replacement in the mail to us next week.

3) My clean-out-the-pantry project is entering Day 5.  I’m hoping to finish up today. I have to get up on a high ladder to reach things up there, so my husband has agreed to receive things we’ll give away and put them somewhere until we’ve culled out all that needs to come down. Then I’ll clean and organize the rest. Pics to follow.

Since it’s so yucky outside, I’ll start a stew in the crock pot before getting up on the ladder. I know after going up and down and cleaning a bunch today, I won’t feel like cooking later.

I hope YOUR Sunday is a good one.

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February 11, 2018 · 9:42 am

Button Art – Take 22

HydeParkHome-Etsy

 

 

Wacky Wonderful Wednesdays

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February 11, 2018 · 9:39 am

Dragonfly

Amazing Pictures via Cathy Ruggiero

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February 10, 2018 · 1:12 pm

Pantry Project – Day 4

cutmild.blogspot.com

This is Day 4 of the Clean-Out-The-Pantry project, and I HOPE it will be the last. I’m hanging in there, but I have to admit I’m pretty bushed. I now have 7 large trash bags in the garage to go out Monday evening, and we haven’t started gathering the ‘regular’ trash for the week! We do have several things to give to Methodist Church’s food pantry when I get finished, and I’ve gathered several things for the next trip to the Veterans Thrift Store.

One thing that has helped is we got 6 large plastic see-through bins so I can put like things together, such as sugar substitutes, or low carb baking mixes, or different kinds of flour. I used 4 yesterday and we went back today – since we’re due for freezing rain all day today into tomorrow, and shopped for groceries, too – to get 2 more. I THINK that should finish it. It will certainly make cleaning easier in the future.

Other than my husband’s sacred ‘chips and crackers food group,’ we’re pretty much down to things we can/should eat now in the pantry. Things won’t be so jammed together and it’ll be easier to find things.

If I finish today, I’ll post pics.

I hope you’re having a wonderful day.

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February 10, 2018 · 12:49 pm

Button Art – Take 21

MerryChristmas.com

 

 

 

 

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February 10, 2018 · 12:26 pm

Are We Training HER or OURSELVES?

We’re slow learners, but we finally got the message – Amber cannot be trusted to go outside by herself until further notice. We also learned that we have to watch her like a hawk in the HOUSE, too, as she was chewing on a plug-in thingie for my husband’s computer this morning before we figured it out…

She LOVES to go outside by herself, but since the poor dog doesn’t have ANYTHING to play with, she has become more and more inventive about finding something to pass the time out there.

Yesterday we decided to get new welcome mats for the front door and the garage door to the house. I put the old ones we were replacing on the floor in the greenhouse where the weed barrier has become torn.

Soon we let Amber out. I went out a few minutes later to find BOTH new welcome mats in the front yard. The one from the front porch had a huge bite out of the top of it. The one we got to scrap our shoes on in the garage was in several pieces.

We put the shock collar on her, got the remote, and agreed that one of us will go out with her on a reasonable schedule. We SHOULD be playing with her and walking around anyway, so it’s just having to own up to our responsibility as owners of a loveable, rambunctious, destructive, energizer bunny type lab puppy.

 

 

 

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February 9, 2018 · 2:07 pm

The Contest is On….

EekDictionaryDefinition

EEK!!!!!

The contest is on for the oldest thing discovered in our pantry. So far, the winner is 1996 – a can of fruit cocktail in one of the back corners…

I had also been keeping large plastic containers of things – Better for Bread flour, All Purpose Flour, Brown sugar, regular sugar, etc. in two rows, one on top of the other, all the way across the back of one shelf. I’ve just finished throwing all that out. We’re not eating ANY of those anymore. I don’t know why I was so reluctant to dispose of them. Some were yucky, too….

I’m taking a break now, and then I’ll start to try to make a baking supplies area, a condiments area, etc. out of the chaos that reigns now. At the rate I’m going now, it’ll probably be the end of the weekend or into next week before it’s reasonable again.

I think I’ll sleep well tonight!

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February 9, 2018 · 10:09 am

Happiness

Planting Peace via Cathy Ruggiero

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February 9, 2018 · 10:06 am

The Residence

I just finished reading “The Residence – Inside the Private World of the White House” by Kate Andersen Brower.

She interviewed MANY of the butlers, chefs, maids, electricians, etc. who have worked in the White House through many presidencies, getting their unique perspective on first families, the importance of their jobs, and their dedication to ‘the house.’ I found it fascinating. I’ve just ordered her book, “First Ladies” for my kindle, and can’t wait to dive into it.

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February 9, 2018 · 9:57 am

Button Art -Take 20

thelittlebuttonbox.uk

This wonderful button panda was created by Emma Ellis.

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February 9, 2018 · 9:54 am

Pantry Purge – Day Three

funbech.blogspot.com

We’re going to enjoy our good friends at Lunch Bunch today and then I’ll start Day Three of the clean-out-the-pantry project. The non-food side of the pantry is almost finished.

 

 

On the food side of the pantry, I’ll try to recapture areas such as baking supplies. I’m going to first start gathering food we aren’t (or shouldn’t be) eating on our low carb lifestyle – except for ‘saving-marriage-stuff, such as the chips food group, for my husband.

I’ve got this! (I HOPE)

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February 9, 2018 · 9:33 am

“Hills”

“Hills” – Paul Militaru Photography

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February 9, 2018 · 9:31 am

Stupid Quotes – Take 5

 

“Pitching is 80% of the game. The other half is hitting and fielding.”
– Mickey Rivers, baseball player

“Solutions are not the answer.”
– Richard Nixon, former U.S. President

“Permitted vehicles not allowed.”
– Road sign on US 27

“SAFETY FIRST: Please put on your seat belt – prepare for accident.”
– Sign on backseat of Taxi

“If  history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.”
– Terry Venables

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