Friday, December 13, 2013

Procrastination Breeds Creativity


I'm writing my last paper for this semester...and obviously it isn't going smoothly. Writing on social action and social justice is ok, but the references I'm to use don't relate to my experience-which is what the paper is about. Or is suppose to be about. 
Now if I could figure out how creating Christmas villages and cards with my Silhouette or baking gingerbread cookies is a social action I'd be, well, still stumped. I just don't have a lot to say or at least 6-8 pages worth. Thankfully that is double spaced 6-8 pages.

So while I, um, mull things over I'm posting a card I made:


This card is the second one I made...apparently dripping water on the printing makes it all mushy and blurry.

I find that sometimes remaking things creates a better item and sometimes it doesn't. But that is only in the creator's eye because someone else may find it the other way around.

I volunteer at the local Children's Hospital and we wear red smocks so that is what the red top represents. It isn't dirt, it's gold ink that is on it. I pressed too hard in one spot so had to repeat that elsewhere so it wasn't so obvious a oops.

I've made a paper house I believe is called a puntz house. Eaton's and Simpson's Sears used to sell them in sets of 10 and were lit up with mini-lights. I made my own as a teen so when these showed up-or I noticed them-I decided to use my trusty Silhouette to create new ones (the original are long gone). I've made two and are sitting on the mantle now. With battery operated candles now I don't have to string lights between them or have them near an outlet. They are nestled among a number of paper 3-D trees I also made...all but two trees are from white cardstock. I'll have to add a photo to this after I buy more white cardstock and make more trees.

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Laugh more than once a week!

I've been idly doing some "next blog"ging and came across a couple of blogs that were aimed at a 50+ audience. They were very different, one is by a 50ish woman who needs to relax and laugh more and the other by one in her 80's who knew how to relax. Both had husbands, the former's is still living with her albeit she states he's a bit bigger than he needs be. The older lady's husband is wheelchair bound with Alzheimer's living in a care centre (she called the other residents "inmates"). I suppose I must say that the older lady recently died at 85 and her daughter wrote the last blog posts telling us this. I read some of her earlier posts and she did enjoy life, especially with her children et al and at the lake in the Green Bay area.

The younger woman seemed to be a no-nonsense type of person-I'll leave it at that because I really don't know her, but she seemed to be very critical-and vocal about her views. I do know people like that and unfortunately that can be very alienating. I do so hope she really is more uplifting in real life-though she stated that laughing once a week is more than enough. Really? Gosh, I think it's a bad day if I don't do it once a DAY! Time to stop the starching of the undershorts!

Life is too short to laugh only once a week...and there are too many things that happen that could make you rip your hair out. Or the person's next to you. I prefer to hear a clerk say thanks for understanding than them thinking "she's really almost scary when she's mad".


Hubs & I are puppy sitting our 'grand-puppy' Diesel-dog (our pet name for him). He's a miniature dachshund and loves to give doggy-kisses...I've had a walk-by licking from him. He's sleeping on my lap right now. I love that. Our last pet, Alice the white Persian cat died last February (she would have been 20 in May)

Alice sleeping in a random box
and the year before Miranda the grey tabby (our son's cat who he chose in 1992) and Dakota the lab/shepherd/collie died about 5 years ago. So we've been pet-less for a while, there is less cat/dog hair found each month-er,  day, yes, I vacuum every room every day (riiiiggghht & the North Pole is a rainforest). No taking a dog for a walk in -30C weather or vet bills. Also no enthusiastic (or indifference from the cats) welcome when we come home or purring and stretching out on the fabric I'm cutting or newspaper I'm reading. Diesel-dog gives us that injection of pure unconditional love we sometimes crave. Even the standing out in the cold icy backyard wondering if he's going to 'go' then or we'll find a treasure somewhere in the house during the upcoming week is fine.

This is Annabelle, our 'grand-hedgehog' on her co-owner's birthday...I made party hats for both of them. Just a cute photo of her...to up our weekly 'smile' quota.