Another day...

I haven't blogged very much lately. I really need a break...again! I get so wrapped up in all the online stuff that I don't get anything else done. As of late, I go to work, come home and sit for hours on this computer and become a vegetable. It's so easy to get wrapped up in just sitting here and wasting time when I should be cleaning or exercising or bathing the dogs or SOMETHING!

eBay has been my latest obsession. I seem to go in spurts: art websites, blogs, scrapbooking sites. It varies from week to week. I've been spending way too much money on there so I'm going to have to restrict myself very soon. There's just a couple items I'm watching right now, so I really have to keep a close eye on them. I can't believe the stuff from my childhood that I have saved and now I'm seeing the same stuff being sold on that site. I still have so many girly toys and it's very hard to part with them. I hope my son has a daughter someday so I can pass them along to her. :)

I haven't heard from my best friend in several days. I tried to call her but her voicemail comes on. I'll try again before I go to bed. I don't have to go to work until the afternoon tomorrow, so I'll have to keep trying until I get her on the phone. I'm worried about her, she isn't herself lately. Family is working on her though to help her through all her issues. I hope she can get straightened out soon. I miss our conversations and our frienship. It's really different right now. We used to talk about everything and now we just talk about her drugs. I feel sorry for her but scared at the same time. How is she ever going to get off those damn pills? Oh well, I think I'll get off this thing before I end up with another migraine.

Photo Cuffs are Cool!

I received my >Photo Cuff < the other day and I finally put my first picture in it today. This is my dog, Sara. I scanned it on my photo scanner, so it doesn't show the whole cuff but it holds 4 small pictures. There are different colors and styles. Mine is the Brooklyn cuff and it's black. Anyway, just thought I'd show it off. Check them out!

Studio Friday: Family

This week's topic for SF is Family.

We grew up in a very close family. Mom and Dad, my brother, sister and me. I lost my Dad in 1990 and my Mom last year. I think the best things that have been passed down to us are her journals, in which she wrote until a few months before her death. I only have a few pictures of Mom and Dad when they were younger. The photo of her as a one-year old is the only baby picture that she had. There is some damage to the center of the photo so I laminated it to preserve it. When Mom died last year, the things we kept are all stored in my basement so there are many things that have now been passed down to me from her and my grandparents--stuff she had kept for so long like the large family bible from a previous SF post. :)


This is a scan of a picture of a big photograph of my Dad that is hanging on the wall at my sister's house. There is no way she'll let me take it to have it scanned because it's in an original frame that still has the backing intact.

This is a picture of my Nana (Mom's mother) at Gillette Castle, in Hadlyme, in the early 80's. We all went during a family reunion in Connecticut. She passed away in 1984.

Studio Friday: A-Ha Moment

I remember reading Tine's SF Contrast entry last month, and her post was a total "a-ha moment." That's where my suggestion came from. When it comes time for me to come up with one of mine, I'm drawing a blank. (Hmmm, maybe losing my mind is the biggest a-ha ever!) ;)

Words of Wisdom.

I heard this today and downloaded it. It's a few years old but I really like what it has to say and I can relate. It's called: Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann... remember this one?

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97...

Wear Sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen..."

Fetish: An object of obsessive devotion.

{My Obsession}

New
Italian Leather

Pointed Toe

High Heel

Lace Up

Sexy

Need I Say More?

Mission....

Well, it's been a hectic week but I managed to lose a whole two pounds. That doesn't seem like much but it's okay for this week. Next week, I'll be back on a normal schedule, I hope. I've been doing stretching exercises today to limber up. Even with all the walking and standing and bending and reaching done on a daily basis, I still don't get enough exercise. That is the main thing I have to deal with...exercise! I hate it. To actually schedule time for it and then do it, is not even remotely interesting to me, isn't that awful?

So here goes week two.

Studio Friday: Fave Art Supply

Well, when I read the topic for this week's Studio Friday, immediately I thought of my sketchbooks. They happen to be my favorite art supply because it's where I can do what makes me happy... sketch.

Saying Good-bye

Today was Uncle John's funeral. He was a veteran so he had military honors. The soldiers did the flag ceremony and played Taps. (That made me cry) It was raining very hard today, unfortunately.

Afterward, there was a family gathering at a local VFW where Uncle John was a member. The entire family got together. Aunt Ellie and Uncle John had six children: Sue, John Jr., Steven, Brent, Scott and Robin. Each of those children, except one, had children. Sue had two boys, Chris and Jeff. Chris had a son named Steven (Stevie) and now he has a baby daughter (who is absolutely precious!) which makes a fifth generation! That made Ellie and John great-great grand parents! I'll have some pictures to post in a future entry.

One nice thing that happened today was Aunt Ellie had her five-generation picture taken. She and Uncle John were waiting until he got better to go to Connecticut (where Stevie lives) to have it done. Sadly, next month would have been their 60th wedding anniversary. I don't think they were ever apart for more than a couple days their whole 59 years together. He'll be missed a lot.

Studio Friday: Space

This is my space. Messy as it is, just part of my clutter. It isn't fancy or even well decorated but I know where everything is and it's easy & within reach. I'm working most of the time anyway and when I am home, I just sit here and paint or scrapbook or sketch my day. My computer is to the left of the picture and scrapbook supplies are to the right along with a backer's rack holding my work stuff.

Sad day today

Today wasn't a very good day. My Uncle John passed away. He was my mother's brother-in-law and he has been sick for quite a long time with heart problems, diabetes and other conditions. He just wasn't able to fight anymore. He died at 8:45 am in the hospital with family all around.

**Mission: Day One.**
I didn't do any organizing today because there was too much going on.

A few years ago, I was a member of Weight Watchers and when I finished, I kept my books and food journals for future reference knowing it was possible to fall off the wagon. I did. At the time, they were going by the point system, which really works by the way. Exercise is the KEY to losing weight. Period. Anyway, I've started following the diet plan to lose 50-100 pounds without going to the weekly meetings, which have gotten outrageously expensive! So today, I had all my points by supper time. I took my lunch to work today instead of grabbing something on the run.

At my aunt's house tonight, I ate 4 little square sandwiches with ham salad, which would actually equal one whole sandwich and one little square egg salad, so I went over my points a lot! I didn't mean to do it, it was totally mindless eating. One (or several women) should never talk where there's food present and within arms reach. I know right now that this whole weekend is going to take careful maneuvering around the food. The family is all home, (6 children, grand and great-grand children) and they're all great cooks and people are so generous with their food gifts, that it will be hard to get through. Hmmm...

Isn't it strange how once you've committed to dieting, you realize how much food you really eat? It boggles the mind. :)~