I think this is exquisite. I just love it. I want to TOUCH it. I want it!
SO – I’ll share it with you here and save it into my Pinterest collection – all I’m really able to do. :0)
Good morning. I hope you’re well and happy today.
Kara Creates
I’m looking forward to playing in my art room, experimenting with white crayon and bleeding tissue paper today.
Ramblings of the Claury on Twitter
Heat index of between 105 and 120 again today. I’m grateful I can insulate myself from the totally uncivilized outside today, staying cool.
(I have to admit I feel guilty complaining about the heat when so many people in our country are suffering right now – Hawaii with the wildfire and California with the flooding.)
If you want to donate, Fox News is suggesting redcross.org/foxforward or text ‘HAWAII’ to 90999 to make a $10 donation. I don’t know whether they will set up help for the states suffering from the flooding or not yet.
Framed 7×5 Friend Sign – “Four Leaf Clover” – $14.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S. HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy
It’s totally uncivilized outside. The heat simply smacks you in the face the minute you step outside and doesn’t release you until you’re lucky enough to find some air conditioning. I’m feeling really lucky, now that we’re home again from errands, that we have a good system and can stay cool. Our animals go out, stay a minute or two, and then want to come back inside.
We have our bug spray guy coming between 2 and 4 today, to spray for things known or unknown, large and small, dangerous or merely annoying, hosing out place down inside and out. He’s wonderful.
I’m amazed that we have anything living outside at this point. Our elephant ear plants that came up late seem to be doing fine, though.
We went to check on the bridge replacement project on the way home from errands. There were workers there, and they were moving the machinery around, but we couldn’t tell what they were doing. They are moving very slowly on this project. I’ll be grateful if the new bridge is open by the end of the year, judging by the speed now.
Child’s Apron – Hand-Painted – “Falling Leaves” – Size is 2-6 years. The apron is 19″ long and 12.5″ wide, not including neck loop or ties. $19.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
As you can see, Fort Smith and Greenwood (and Fayetteville – where my sweet cousin Murray now lives – welcome to AR, Murray! :0) ) are in an ‘excessive heat warning’ today, with ‘feels-like’ temps of between 110-120. UGH.
We’re getting ready to drive our trash down and do some errands before coming home and being inside the rest of the day. Our wonderful bug spray guy (who sprays for everything, including elephants) is due to come this afternoon.
I got started yesterday etching the glassware I’m working on, putting my initials and the year on the bottom of the glasses. I decided that I want a smaller Dremel that has variable speeds and is smaller and lighter in order to hopefully increase my control. I have that ordered, and so will switch to some other things I want to try in my art room until the new one arrives.
Hoping for a quiet, albeit too hot, day. I hope you’re safe and happy wherever you are.
Greenwood is just southeast of Fort Smith, Arkansas – just above the “Feels Like 110-115” part of the image. (High of 106 this afternoon). It’s always hot in the summer, but I don’t remember having so many days of ‘excessive heat warnings.’ I think that’s new, and I really don’t consider it a good thing. I’m always griping about the weather, it seems, but Mother Nature just can’t seem to get her head on straight. Thank goodness we’re spoiled by not having to be outside for work and having good air conditioning!
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LesterLousDesigns-Etsy
Yesterday I finally finished liquid etching the stencils on the glassware I’m working on in my art room. The etching worked, but I’m pretty disappointed at how delicate and faint the etching is, even though I left the medium on as long as they said was the LONGEST time to leave it on.
Today I’m going to start experimenting, using my Dremel tool. I’m going to see if I can add names to the glassware with the tool. I’ll keep adding and adjusting to see what I can make of this. This will be a long, slow process. I’ll take my time and just enjoy. (Actually, this is the part I enjoy the most. What I WANTED didn’t happen. Now I’m free to ‘play.’ If something fun comes of it, good. If not, I can always pitch these and start over with something else. :0) )
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Red and White 3 Disc Light-Weight Hand-Painted Wooden Dangle Earrings with Bling – Length: 2.5 Inches; Width: 1.2 Inches – $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S. HandmadeHavenByLindaonEtsy
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Shout-out to Mary Lou – just thought of you when I saw this –
103 for a high today and under an ‘Intense Heat Warning.’ UGH
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I forgot to tell you, but yesterday on the way to Lunch Bunch and errands, we passed a young horse scratching his back like the one in this picture. I was astonished. I’ve never seen a horse act like a dog before, although it makes sense, I guess. My husband, who had a horse of his own when he was growing up, said they do this all the time. I can still see it in my mind. Wonderful. :0)
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The day got away from me yesterday and I didn’t get up to my art room. I’ll get up there today and see if I can finish etching the stencil shapes onto the glassware. As soon as that is finished, the next step will be seeing what I can do with my Dremel tool. That will be the deciding factor on whether I’ll pitch these glasses and start over with another idea or continue trying to make these as presents for Christmas this year.
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An order was delivered yesterday with small canvas boards (two sizes) and bleeding tissue (tissue paper that ‘bleeds’ onto paper, giving the look of watercolor.) I’m still waiting for some white crayons. When I have them, I saw an idea online I’d like to play with.
We just finished putting away the stuff we got at Walmart after we got our mail and then enjoyed our friends at Lunch Bunch. Everyone was at Lunch Bunch – for the first time in about a month now, so it was extra special. :0) We got caught up, laughed a lot, got in some really terrific hugs, and said we should do this again. Life gets so busy and complicated. We NEED to try harder to see the people we care about as often as possible.
We checked on the progress of the replacement of the bridge between our house and town on the way home. The fact that they are replacing the bridge is nice for the long run, but it’s aggravating to have to take a much longer route to get to town than usual. It’s only about 5 miles difference, but you notice and grit your teeth a bit.
This is what we found today. Everyone seemed to be at lunch, or they were waiting for something to be delivered, because nothing was happening. You can see my husband as he walks closer to the work.
It seems that they might be getting to the final stages. Since I can only gawk and suppose, at least I HOPE I’m right. A lot of people are inconvenienced by the lack of bridge. I mainly think of delivery people, trash haulers, any kind of service vehicle, not to mention emergency vehicles and home owners.
To be completely honest with you, I’ll also be glad when we can use the bridge again because my husband is like a dog tracking a bone in watching their progress. We had an extremely small space in which to turn the truck around today. I held my breath, my mouth firmly shut, holding on to the chicken handle of my door, bracing my hand on the ceiling, seat belt firmly tight as we turned the truck, went a couple of inches forward, then turned the wheel all the way the other way and went another couple of inches several times before we were finally facing the other direction on the road. Even so, my husband heard me letting my breath out in relief and said, “What?” I didn’t answer.
Earrings – Dangle/Wire – 2″ Hand-Painted Orange Multi-Colored Light Weight Wooden Teardrop-Shaped – $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S. HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy
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That’s almost ALL I did yesterday. My husband was fighting with his computer again, chatting with the experts at Microsoft, with me typing for him, twice yesterday – once with a regular expert and once with a Level 2 expert. My husband can now see my computer over the net. He can now save his backup of his computer over here. We thought we had the networking solved going both ways, but found out we didn’t. I told him that I want to throw in the towel at this point so that I can plan my days to get other stuff done.
I got my new “Wreath” Christmas cards listed as a made to order item in my Etsy shop, though, so that’s something.
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YouTube
The jury is still out on my etching of the glassware for Christmas presents for my friends. I followed the directions carefully and I can see the etching after I remove the stencils, but it’s much fainter and more ‘delicate’ than I pictured. I’m going to go ahead and do all the stencils on all the glasses, and then see what I can do to punch things up with my Dremel tool.
This looks similar to what I have. I can write words, create designs, etc.
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Pxfuel
We’re going to get our mail, meet friends, we hope, at Lunch Bunch, and go to Walmart.
Shout-out to my friend Marsha, who had a scare yesterday but is doing fine today. I’m thinking of you. If I were there, I would be hovering, driving you nuts, so be thankful we live so far from each other. :0)
Women’s Health
Shout-out to Cathy, who will finish Week 3 of her radiation and chemo treatment soon. I hope you are still weathering this well, Sweet Friend.
I started the etching on the glassware yesterday. The etching cream worked, but the images are much more delicate and fainter than I pictured. I’m going to finish the 10 glasses following the directions, and then I’m going to ‘play,’ seeing what I can do to punch things up. I have a Dremel tool that I’m planning to use to add names, maybe some outlines, and some free-form stuff in-between the stencil images. We’ll see.
TechSling Weblog
My husband and I have been having problems seeing each other’s computer on the network, sharing files, etc. I typed for my husband while we spent about an hour on chat with Microsoft experts yesterday, but are now referred to Level 2 experts who are due to call us today at around 11:30 to see if they can help us. We’ve tried everything we know how to do, so we’re hopeful that these people will make the changes we need to get us to the place we would like. Fingers crossed.
All week I’ve had trouble with what day I’m having. I keep having to look at my computer, watch, and/or calendar, several times each day. If you find my mind, I would appreciate it if you would return it. It isn’t worth much, but I’m kind of sentimental about it.
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Mini Notebook – Pocket Notebook – “Apple” – 100 blank pages for notes, reminders, etc. Actual fabric retro patch affixed to the front. 3-3/4″ x 5-3/4″ x 3/8″ – good size to throw in your purse or glove compartment, or a fun gift for a caring teacher. $14.99 with FREE SHIPPING to contiguous U.S. HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy.
I had a nice surprise this morning. I was doing my normal quick morning look through Twitter and found a post by Simon! He posted an excerpt of my email to him after I finished reading his wonderful book. He added, “Getting reactions like this one is why I write. It’s the goal. The entire point of the endeavour. ”
Isn’t that terrific? :0)
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I finished my “Wreath” Christmas cards yesterday. I’m thinking of putting them on Etsy as a choice for my group of hand painted Christmas Cards. What do you think?
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Today I will start the glassware etching. I’ve watched some videos now and read the directions several times. My friend Marsha suggested that I use a glass jar to practice. I have a couple them waiting to be used as grease jars. Then I’ll take a deep breath and DIVE!
While I’ve been writing these posts, I’ve also been communicating with friends and family via various media. I’ve seen some beautiful things on Twitter, and will soon look at Pinterest. I’ve enjoyed a few songs from YouTube. Scanned the news. Non-hurried morning with a cup of coffee and a chance to think about what I would like to do with the rest of my day.
I almost finished the ‘wreath’ Christmas cards yesterday that I’m making for my friends. I should finish the last step today. Then I’ll let them sit for a time before looking at them again to see if they pass muster this time. If they do, I’ll store them carefully, plus list them as a custom order on my Etsy shop, HandmadeHavenbyLinda for the holidays.
I’m still putting masking tape on the glassware I’m going to etch. I’ve etched things in our sandblaster before, but I’ve never used the delicate stencils I’m using with the liquid etching medium I’m trying before. I have no clue what I’m doing and I’m quite a bit intimidated at this point, delaying the time I actually dive in and try it. Maybe today. :0)
Earrings – Dangle/Wire – 2″ One-of-a-Kind Hand-Painted Light-Weight Leaf-Shaped Rose and White -Wooden $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to contiguous U.S. Earrings
Earrings – Dangle/Wire – 2-1/2″ Green Teardrop-Shaped with Green and White Extra Disc One-of-a-Kind Hand-Painted Wooden – $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
I had fun in my art room yesterday. I’m doing one part of the Christmas cards at a time, then letting them dry. I’m trying to make stylized Christmas wreaths using a multi-media approach, and I’m having a blast using different media and experimenting with different techniques. There is a definite freedom know that if they’re a disaster (as the first ones were) there is a place waiting in the trash can and I can start again. :0)
I got the masking tape on one of the glasses yesterday. I’m trying to get up the courage to try the liquid etching system. I’ve never done this before, so I’m working VERY slowly, reading the directions over and over before actually taking the plunge. Maybe I’ll work myself up to try the first one today. If not, I can do more of the masking tape stage on the other glasses.
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Exciting things for the day include gathering the trash, driving it down to the bottom of the driveway, getting our mail. Be still, my heart.
I’m having real trouble getting much done since I found this book. This is the first book by Simon Panneton. “Follow (12-year-old) Ellie as she joins a ghost on a swashbuckling, against-all-odds (sci-fi) adventure to reunite long-lost lovers.”
This is not my normal reading choice, but I’m finding it hard to put down. Ellie has my heart. She’s an orphan who has essentially shut down emotionally. Sharing her life as she opens up, surprising herself as much as everyone else how courageous she is in tackling whatever is in the way of her goals, opening her heart as she goes, is a thrilling experience.
I’ve finished about 2/3 of the book and am TRYING not to simply sit in my chair and read until I find out how her story ends…
99 degrees this afternoon – excessive heat warning with heat index of 113. I am filing a note of diplomatic protest that this is totally uncivilized.
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Gfycat.gif
Happy Birthday to my friend, Kay. We celebrated Friday at Lunch Bunch, but today is her actual birthday. Have a blast, my friend.
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Women’s Health
Shout-Out to Cathy, who starts Week 3 of her chemo and radiation tomorrow. Just wanted you to remember how awesome you are, Sweet Lady, and that I’m thinking of you.
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Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota
I cleaned my art room enough yesterday that I had a place to play. I started again on my ‘wreath’ Christmas cards, using watercolor paper this time and a multi-media approach, with bleeding tissue paper, white web spray, magic markers so far, with more to come.
I also started the glassware etching, putting some stencils on the glassware. The next step is masking tape.
I have no idea whether these will turn out okay, but starting this early gives me time to trash my efforts over and over until I hopefully come up with something the might be good enough to give my friends. I’m having a good time trying.
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Painted Container with Lid – Hand-Painted, One of a Kind – Glass – “Stained Glass” – The piece is 7.5″ tall including the lid. The lid has a rigid vinyl piece that allows the lid to fit very snugly into the bottom. The circumference of the container is 13″. – $41.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
I’m relieved that the severe weather passed us by overnight. I never heard any rain if we had any. Everything, including flying hairballs, was predicted, and my weather thingie was flashing a tornado watch. Thankfully, we had a quiet evening and night and are fine.
Freepik
I spent some time in my art room yesterday, trying to get things put back in place. I had to move a LOT of stuff in order to clear space large enough for my husband to be able to use a ladder under the fluorescent light fixture, rewiring it so that it would accept LED tubes. The light is wonderful in there now, but the room looks a bit like a bomb hit.
I really need to go through and toss a bunch of stuff. Each time I work on a project I find supplies that have hardened up, no longer usable. This time, though, I really want to continue work on the Christmas presents and cards I have in mind, plus play with the new colored markers my husband got me, so I’m just going to concentrate on getting things put somewhere reasonable, clear off my drafting table, and then play. I can be more of an ‘adult’ later… :0)
Jeff’s Wildlife Photography – @Sykesjeff on Twitter
WEATHER –
We’re supposed to have rain very soon, and then storms – some severe – tonight-into-the-overnight. I guess it’s kind of whiny of me to wish we could just have a quiet rain, rather than moving from ‘intense heat warnings” to “Severe Storms Warning,” but I would LOVE to be a bit spoiled for a while.
NATURE’S GIFTS-
I had the gift of two hummingbirds taking their time eating and resting at our feeder this morning. I was in the kitchen getting coffee when I caught movement outside the window. One hummingbird landed on the feeder and just sat for quite awhile, resting and looking around, drinking occasionally. A second hummer joined him, but they weren’t dive-bombing each other. Both just sat at the feeder seemingly enjoying the food and the companionship. Just beautiful!
On the way to town a couple of days ago, a roadrunner ran across the road down the road from us. It was the first one we’ve seen in a couple of years. We usually have a couple we see from time to time in our yard, but they’ve been scarce for a year or so.
And finally, our driveway detector kept going off – just one detector, so I didn’t think there was a vehicle, but it went off several times. I got up to see what was causing it and got to see a doe crossing our driveway, leading her fawns to the west. She wasn’t in any hurry and I got to see her as she encouraged her babies to follow her. Really special. :0)
Our doors are open, my husband is sleeping in, and it’s deliciously cool right now with gentle rain and 71 degrees. I feel like a plant, drinking in the reviving moisture. We’ll have to close up around lunchtime, probably, and turn on the a/c, but I’m enjoying every minute of this.
Yesterday I finally got up to my art room! It’s the first day in quite a while, since I was trying to get work done in the yard, and then some areas in the house ‘healed,’ from my sloth.
I turned on the fluorescent light up there and nothing happened. I flipped the switch over and over again, with the light FINALLY coming on. That means yet another ballast transformer finally giving up the ghost after some 35 years. Things just don’t last anymore. :0) My husband and I will try to get the fixture changed over to accept the LED tubes today.
I started my idea yesterday for some Christmas presents for my Lunch Bunch buddies and other in-town friends. I had made some Christmas cards with painted wreaths a couple of months ago, but they didn’t turn out like I wanted, so I threw them away and will start over with another technique.
Ahhhhhh! We have the doors open so the cool breeze is running through the main part of the house. It’s cloudy, sprinkling, and a delicious 75 degrees F. right now. Just beautiful. I stood outside on our driveway pad drinking in the cool under my umbrella this morning when I let Amber out. What a nice reprieve!
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Earrings – Clip-Ons – “Blue, Purple, Rose & White” Hand-painted, Light-Weight, Wooden $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
No areas are glaring at me this morning that need to be ‘healed,’ and the rain gives me an excuse not to be working outside this morning, so I may actually give myself permission to play in my art room. I have so many ideas rattling around in my head right now that I don’t know if I’ll actually accomplish something, but I may just enjoy listening to some music up there while I mess around. :0)
“30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 110.”
I’m pleased that there is a CHANCE of some rain today, plus chances next week. It’s sunny outside now, and 91 with a heat index of 98, so it’s a bit hard to believe.
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Yesterday’s Projects –
This is my kitchen desk. One thing I learned from the clean up yesterday is that I really need to either go through my recipes and throw out a bunch or start a second binder and figure out how to divide things up. The desk was covered in printed-but-not-put-into-the-binder recipes because the binder is getting too full. I’ll put this on the list for another day.
I also vacuumed an entire dog and cat upwhile taking care of the first floor yesterday, judging from the hair that I pulled out of the canister. Amber and Abby still look exactly the same, but it’s absolutely amazing how MUCH hair is in the vacuum canister when I finish each time.
My husband took another stab at fixing my battery-powered vacuum yesterday. With the new battery we got and installed it charged up and was making noise, but wasn’t picking up the dirt. He took it apart, took the head out to the shop and blew it out with the air compressor. I had cleaned out the brush in the head, but didn’t think about it being clogged farther up. It works now!
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Today’s Projects –
It embarrasses me to admit and show you what a slob I am, but though I do try to improve with age, it doesn’t seem that I’m going to change my spots at this point. These two pics show you the table that is between the couch and my chair in the living room. As you can see, an ‘explosion’ happened, and it definitely needs some attention. This is the project for today, along with continuing to work on some paperwork I’m trying to get put away, and getting some chili going in the crock pot, which I did awhile ago.
I hope that your Saturday is a good one weather-wise, and that you find something to really enjoy.
With our ACTUAL temperature forecast to be 105 degrees F. this afternoon and an ‘intense heat warning’ yesterday, today, and tomorrow of 110-115+, you can be sure THIS old lady will be happy as a clam staying inside enjoying the a/c and feeling very grateful. My husband will probably drive down later to get the mail, but that’s it for outside today, I think.
I made a BIT of progress on cleaning up our ‘go-out’ table in the dining area yesterday, but my husband needed me to type for him while he was chatting with Microsoft Support, so my progress stopped there. I’ll try to get at least a bit more of that done today.
My big push is on paperwork and bookkeeping today – exciting, huh! :0) I’m trying to clear the decks so that I can play in my art room without feeling guilty. I’ve tried a couple of times lately, but soon after sitting down at my drafting table, I start thinking about all the things I’m “supposed” to be doing and my joy in being up there fades away. It’ll come one day.
I hope you’re managing to stay comfortable whatever weather you’re having, reaching out to people you care about, and even arranging to have a bit of fun.
Actual temperature forecast to be 104 today. I have no idea what the “feels like” temperature will be. All I know is that IT’S TOO HOT! I’m eagerly awaiting the possibility of rain late this weekend or early next week.
We’re leaving for errands in a few minutes. When we get back, we’re in for the day.
I finished my spraying for weeds yesterday. I’ll give it a few days and then see where I need to treat again. My husband is smiling at the turning-brown-and-crunchy grass.
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Yesterday I cleaned up and reorganized the dining area. Today I’ll tackle what we call the ‘go-out table,’ a catch-all for many of the things we should have been putting where they belong, but landed there because we were too lazy.
As you can see, the baskets are full-to-overflowing and things are getting ready to topple off the table. Hopefully, I can remedy that today.
I hope you have a calm, quiet day, insulated against weather extremes, with a hug or two to help you through.
The 1st day of August means 1st-of-the-month chores.
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Shout-out to Sweet Cathy, who has her first chemo treatment, 2nd dose of radiation, and doctor of oncology visit today. Trying to send her hugs and strength today.
Shout-out to Bud, who is celebrating a birthday today! He’s a member of our Lunch Bunch group. He’ll have to wait for his card until Friday, but I’m thinking of him and wishing him well today.
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The weather is still not “something to be trifled with,” but help seems to be on the way if we can make it until Monday, when we have good chances of rain through Thursday! HOORAY!
Yesterday I mixed and sprayed TWO 2-gallon containers of KillZall weed killer. I’m planning to do the same today. Then I’ll wait and see what happens and respray where needed.
I got stung/bitten by what looked like a horsefly, but I reacted badly, my hand and wrist swelling up and itching madly. I took two Benadryl tablets and rubbed Benadryl ointment all over my hand, wrist, and part of my arm where it was red and swollen and itching. It calmed down overnight. It’s still swollen, but not itching at all. You have to look carefully to see the swelling, so I’m good.
My goal now is to cut way down on how much time my husband and I have to spend in the yard. The sun is really strong and risk of sunstroke is high. My husband scoffs – but he does that to a LOT of things lately, so I’m trying to spray where he has trouble mowing, and try to keep it that I don’t have to weed whack as much.
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Since school starts here August 14th (I find it hard to believe.) I used to be a lifeguard in the summers, as well as a teacher for 8 years in the public schools, and there was no problem between the two. Now I couldn’t have both jobs, since the pools are open until Labor Day.
Facebook
A school bus passes in front of our house twice daily. For this reason, and the fact that school starts soon, we decided to go ahead and change our mailbox decoration to welcome the kids.
“Yosemite Sam” – the kids are too young, probably, to recognize this cartoon character, but I’m hoping they can Google him.
I feel sorry for the bus drivers trying to pick up their group of kids in this area. Since the bridge is being redone and there is no through traffic, I’m not sure what they have to do to get to everyone. Has to be taking a lot more time than it used to.
I just LOVE the happiness radiating from this sweet young girl. The painting makes me smile each time I see it.
It surprised me this morning to see that the weather people on the 5News website have a sense of humor. Temperatures have been at or above 100 and will be basically all of next week. They describe the weather today as, “A heatwave is set to BEGIN (all caps mine) heading into the weekend.” I actually snorted when I read it. :0)
I’m planning to try to get the rock beds that run across the front and back of the house weeded today. My husband just sprays to kill the weeds, but that doesn’t make them actually go away. We end up with ugly dead weeds, instead of livelier green ones – not much of an improvement in my eyes. So I’ll do short sessions, trying to stay out of the direct sun, and see if I can get the job done. If I do, THEN I’ll hose the areas down with weed killer to try to prevent a regrowth of the weeds.
A new project will start soon – We created a critter we called, “When Pigs Fly” and hung it up high with a line from a branch over the driveway several years ago.
The problem is that after several years a storm brought not only the pig down, but also the branch from which he was hung. We plan to refurbish the pig – thoroughly cleaning him and then repainting him. My husband was talking about trying to hang him up on another branch. He weighs about 75 lbs, and I REALLY don’t want my husband up on a ladder trying to tie the line to the tree branch and then tying the pig to the other end of the line and trying to pull it up.
I told him I loved the idea of securing the pig’s feet to one of the huge boulders to one side of our driveway – like he was getting ready to take off and fly. His wings are out from his body so this could look good.
(We did the same type of ‘securing’ of this “Guard Dog” to a boulder on the other side of the driveway from where we would secure the flying pig.)
My husband looks like he might go for that idea. I’ll try to work on the pig in the mornings – when I can make the time – when I can turn a fan directly on me and do a bit of the refurbishment each day.
Mini-Purse – Canvas Hand-Painted with long Cord Strap – “Purple and White Delight” – 5″ x 7″ with a zipper to secure your valuables. It is large enough to carry your cellphone plus valuables. The long cord allows you to wear it cross body, hang it on your shoulder, or tie it to your belt. $17.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
We actually don’t have “Hot Man” on the mailbox because it has been TOO HOT for us to make the effort. AND the forecast is for “Hotter temperatures the next 10 days.” The website shows 100+ for nine of the next ten days and little to no chance for rain. My husband is hopeful that the grass will become his favorite ‘brown and crunchy’ so he won’t have to mow. I can’t blame him. I’m more than grateful our a/c is functional.
We haven’t changed the mailbox decoration in some time, basically due to laziness and having other priorities. Since school will be starting here in August, I talked to my husband about it. We agreed that we’ll change from
“Sylvester and Tweetie Pie”
to
“Yosemite Sam”
just in case the school bus kids (or someone else) watches what we put up.
We have a totally different traffic pattern in front of our house now with the bridge between us and town being rebuilt, so it will be interesting to see if we get any comments. (Oh, update on the bridge – we drove down to the site yesterday. They have finished two of the three supports needed for the bridge. Things have gone slower than the workers would like because the sporadic heavy rains we’ve been having fill the area with water that has to be pumped out in order to proceed. )
Journal – “Ship’s Wheel” Spiral Bound Hard Cover Hand-Painted with 3D Wooden Wheel – 5-1/2 x 7 hard cover spiral bound journal. 10 manila ‘envelope’ pockets inside. $17.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S. Questions: lindawlewis1@gmail.com Link to item on HandmadeHavenByLinda
We’re leaving soon to get our mail, see if anyone else is there for Lunch Bunch, and shop for a few groceries before coming home.
It’s hot. We’re under our daily ‘intense heat warning’ designation. We’re just concentrating on getting outside either fairly early in the morning or just before sun sets, spraying ourselves with lots of mosquito repellent before venturing out.
TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF –
Olya Smolyak-Getty Images-iStockphoto
Lynn Moody gets my vote as the best massage therapist ever. If you’re in the Greenwood/Ft.Smith/Hackett or surrounding area, give Lynn a call at 479-629-7601 and see if she can schedule an appointment. She really listens each time I come, makes my concerns a priority, finds places I didn’t even know were sore and fixes them, and leaves me feeling relaxed and relieved. We also share hugs because we’ve become FRIENDS over the years, as well, and truly care about each other. Absolutely priceless.
HANDMADEHAVENBYLINDA ON ETSY –
Tote – “Block Quilt” Hand-Painted, One of a Kind – Orange, Rose, Blue, Yellow, Green and white blocks decorate BOTH SIDES of this 13″ x 13″ x 4″ gusset-bottom tote. Really happy, colorful tote is accented with raised white decorative border reminiscent of Hostess Cupcakes. YUM! $19.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S. Contact me at lindawlewis1@gmail.com with questions. Click on the link to take you to the tote on my website.
VICIOUS SCALES –
Anti Martina-iStock
I must be ingesting lead lately – My scales are staying where they have been or showing I weigh MORE. All this is while I’m trying to
watch what I’m eating
eat more fiber
drink more water
move more
It’s demoralizing, but I’m firm in my resolve to ‘keep-on-keepin’-on’ and that soon I’ll show some good news on the scale or with the measuring tape. Maybe my clothes will get a bit looser. Stranger things have happened…
Enjoy your Thursday. As soon as I write a couple more posts for the blog, fold the laundry and put it away, I see a nap in my future. :0)
We’re under an ‘intense heat advisory’ for the rest of the week. It’s typical for Arkansas to be hot in the summer, but as I age I handle it with less grace each year. My tolerable range of heat has narrowed to the point I have to laugh. Thank goodness for heat and air conditioning and the freedom to avoid being out in most of whatever weather we’re having.
Sololos-Getty Images-iStockphotos
TOMATOES –
I’ve decided to simply work on cleaning up my tomato plants, rather than pulling them out at this point to see if they produce any more reasonable-sized tomatoes. Mother Nature has been in a snit this year, providing some of the worst veggie-growing sun/water/temperature/storm combinations we’ve had in the over 36 years we’ve lived here. I thought maybe it was just me, but my friends’ Kay and Bud have been having successful veggie gardens for years and years and their efforts produced nothing this year. BAH. HUMBUG. :0(
EXERCISE –
I’ve decided to count the stress of dealing with the challenges my husband is presenting as my cardio for the day. If he DOESN’T cause my heart to stutter, stop and start again with one of his sneaky projects, I make it up with my yoga practice. Yard work in the heat rounds out my exercise routine these days, with short sessions, drinking water, and resting in-between.
Dental Economics
I’M DUMB! –
I am feeling SUPER embarrassed today after pulling a really DUMB stunt last night. I cooked dinner and was serving the hamburger patties from the skillet. My husband was being helpful and rinsing stuff and putting things in the dishwasher as I served. “Somehow” I got distracted.
We ate and then I went into the office. My husband came in and asked if I meant to leave the burner on on the stove. GULP. NO!!!!!!!! It had been left on for at least an hour, burning propane. At LEAST there wasn’t a pot or skillet on the burner, but that’s the best I can say. I’ve never done that before.
Every 20 years or so I lock my keys in the car. I’m HOPING that this is one of the things I can say that about – assuming I can say ANYTHING in another 20 years…..
LOOK WHAT I DID –
Earrings – Stud/Post – “Midnight” Layered Wooden Hand Painted, Light Weight, One of a Kind $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
Contact me at lindawlewis1 with questions. Click this link to go to HandmadeHavenByLinda to purchase.
Mosaic/Wood Picture Frame – Hand-Made, One-of-a-Kind – 8.5 x 6.5 mosaic-on-wood picture frame. This is a one-of-a-kind, free-form mosaic design on a wooden frame that holds a 4″ x 6″ picture. There is a wooden dowel attached to the back that fits into a hole to make the frame free-standing. $32.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
Thankfully, the weeding of yesterday’s iris planter was the last in the series. There is always something to do, but this was the last of the totally-out-of-control projects. Today I’ll gather what tomatoes I can and make some hard decisions on whether to try to trim up the remaining plants or pull them out.
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BRAIN REBOOT?
EveryPixel.com – depositphotos
I had to get a new watch a few days ago because the band on the watch I had broke and couldn’t be fixed. I got a humongous el-cheapo watch at Walmart. I managed to get it set correctly. It tells me the time, the date, the day, and the seconds. The biggest problem is my brain. I’m used to looking at the old watch. The new one has the date at the top and the time below – directly opposite from what my brain is expecting to see. I have to look at it twice each time to figure out what I’m looking at. I guess this is yet another perk of getting ‘more mature.’ :0)
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POOR START TO THE MORNING –
Healthline
My husband and I have discussed his trying to carry everything at once, rather than make a couple of trips. Needless to say, my suggestions fall on deaf ears.
This morning he was trying to put breakfast stuff away. Suddenly, the box of Cheerios went one way, the box of blackberries went another way, and his bowl bounced on the floor with leftover milk and spoon going in a third direction. I was mainly thankful that he didn’t drop the milk! We spent the next few minutes cleaning up. Our dog, Amber, happily cleaned up the leftover milk and licked the bowl (unbreakable) clean. This is an ongoing discussion – as is his tendency to put things right on the edge of a table, shelf, or counter…. Makes life more ‘interesting;’ THAT’S for sure!
I set a mental alarm for half an hour on weeding the planter. The temperature is fine, but the sun is pretty intense, so I stopped at the given time, emptied my full weed bucket and came inside. I’m drinking a big glass of water and resting before heading back outside for session #2.
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HANDMADEHAVENBYLINDA ON ETSY –
Memory Box – Hand-Painted – “Autumn” – Dimensions are 5 inches tall, 9.5 inches wide, 4.75 depth, and 31 inches circumference. It can hold buffet supplies, photos, souvenirs, and more. $26.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
I’ve been moving a LOT more – though not doing my yoga as I should – and I’ve been watching what I eat, but this is NOT resulting in less snarky scales. I’m frustrated, in that we have adjusted what we’re eating to include more water (now filtered), LOTS more fiber, little to no sugar, other than from fresh raw fruit, cutting WAAAAAY back on salt, watching portions, etc. BAH. HUMBUG.
Time for Session # 2 in the planter. Wish me luck, please.
Yesterday I weed whacked the back and side yard. My husband followed me, blowing the grass off the back sidewalk. The yard looks really nice right now. We would never make any of the ‘beautiful yard’ competitions, but it DOES look like someone lives here now. :0)
Today I’m tackling the brick planter that lives in the ‘niche’ between our screened porch just outside our fireplace on one end of the house. (Yes! There IS a planter under there!)
I converted it from a tomato planter to an iris planter a couple of years ago. Now it looks like something out of a haunted house movie, doesn’t it – long neglected – capable of weird things climbing out of the weeds and Bermuda grass The really amazing thing to me is that all this happened since the end of the spring after the iris bloomed. I’ve been working my way around the yard and this is the last flower planter on my list. I’ll get started on it in a few minutes and see if I can do any good.
Women’s Health
Shout out this morning to Cathy, my good friend in Tulsa, who needs lots of love and strength sent her way to help her with a serious health issue. As you read this, please send a kind thought or two.
Now the “Battle of Lewis vs Bermuda” begins in Greenwood AR. There is no reward involved, but “It don’t make me no nevermind,” and I WILL win…
Memory Box – Hand-Painted – “Rooster” – The dimensions of the box are 4.25 inches long, 3.25 inches wide, 2.25 inches deep, and 2.5 inches high. FUN present to give to one of your own children, a grandchild, or fun to give as a birthday present. – $17.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.
As soon as I finish with blog posts, I’m heading outside to see if I can get our back yard weed whacked. I’ll do short sessions with lots of rest and hydrating in-between; but I would like to get that done today. I’ll also check to see if we have tomatoes to bring in. It’s been so hot that most of the garden veggies are gone. When we have heat indices to 115, there is no way to get enough water to garden plants. If you push it, you end up with ‘boiled’ plants, so it’s best to just give it up if we’re having a summer like this.
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Raising Children Network
I’m still dreaming of art projects, but there have just been too many priorities or my energy taps out before I can get upstairs to my art room. Maybe today, if I can finish the back yard….
Kay and Bud were at Lunch Bunch, so we had a nice chat with them while stuffing our faces. They seemed to be doing well, but Kay was stung by a wasp and the back of her hand was bright red and itchy, she said. Otherwise, we compared how money was leaving in all directions as we try to keep things up and running. It was good to see their faces, have a few laughs and catch up.
We stopped for groceries after that and now we’re home for the day.
On the way home, I laughed out loud at a sign I’ve been watching as we drive past each day. This is one we don’t see on our regular route to town. (We’ve gotten interested to see things past our usual turn-off since they are still working on the bridge between us and town.)
This sign is a marquee on the road in front of a combination gas station and 24-7 type store with a small deli. Three days ago, the sign said, “Cheif Salad.” Yesterday it said, “Chief Salad.” Today it finally said, “Chef Salad” I hope they sell a bunch of it. :0)
It’s still only 82 degrees F, but it’s quite muggy. It’s still quite overcast, so I’ll try to get out and do some weed whacking this afternoon.
It’s dark and stormy-looking right now. Some of the forecasts say the rain will stop before we’re supposed to leave to join our friends at Lunch Bunch. We’ll probably go anyway, but we won’t go grocery shopping if it’s pouring. It’s nice not to wake up to fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk temperatures this morning. It’s only 80 right now.
My husband got the belt back on the mower and finished the yard yesterday, so HIS part is finished. I was going to weed whack today. Maybe I’ll still be able to do that later today.
I spent yesterday afternoon trying to find out why our American Express card charge wouldn’t go through for the meds I was trying to buy for my husband. The phone tree thingy said the card was fine, but the chat lady said the card had been canceled due to inactivity. We reapplied, were accepted and should get new cards in the next week or so. Then the NEXT time we order the meds, we can use the new card.
No time spent in my art room yesterday, but maybe things will smile on me this afternoon, no new crises will have erupted, and I can spend awhile playing. There’s always a CHANCE! :0)
Meanwhile, I wish you a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend.
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