Tuesday-8am

Karma got a big thrill last night. Was in the 40s and not very windy or raining, so I stuck her blue suede cat bed on the porch right outside the door. She loved it! Spent hours and hours out there in the dark. (Anything new, of course--and that was a first.)

Here's a shot with the flash--which just annoyed Karma, all settled cozily in the dark.

Me--last night I took the floppy worn leather handles off of this wooden box...

...cut down a piece of felt for the bottom, and laid all my fountain pens inside.

Even had room for the three empty preppy pens (in the center) that I am saving for new future inks. ;)

The pens were just all piled up on each other in that smaller box and there wasn't much room left for any additional pens. At least they are all lying flat for now--hehe!

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One thing I did notice is that the Noodler's Piston Pen that I bought...

...well, the ink had all but evaporated!!??

This pen was filled at the same time as the rest of my new ones--and I had only used it once! Not good.

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I spent a long time trying to empty and clean it out. They don't come apart that I could see, so it is a tedious, repetitive process of filling with water and shaking and emptying. I had Noodler's Bernanke Blue in it and that is the fast drying ink--so I wondered if it was the ink and not the pen. I refilled it with Private Reserve Plum and we'll see if that ink evaporates.

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In the meantime, Leah asked if they could switch Craft Night to Wednesday because she is taking a golf lesson tonight. No problem. I may be tired because my days and nights are flipped, but I wouldn't pass on our first Craft Night this year for anything! :) :)

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I have spent days here on the McLap cleaning up and deleting pictures and documents. A huge project I have been putting off since I got the McLap over a year ago and transferred the Windows/MS brain contents into the McLap/Safari thought processes. I am not finished, but I have made tremendous progress! I can say I am halfways organized on the McLap. Whoohoo! Or, shall we say, probably as organized as I am ever going to get trying to adapt my old MS storage ways into the Apple system. Much better than it was, that's for sure.

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What got me started was that I went into my documents to find the list I had copied of all the ladies for that new Circle Letter so that I could print it off. This prodded a desire to clean up my documents so I could more easily find what the heck I was looking for. So, I decided it was finally time to at least begin the process.

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Then while I was sorting my documents I came across my goal list for 2011. Sadly, I had practically nothing I could check off, was way too general with so many of them, had things I wanted to add, and had written up the list before I realized how much I was going to be invested in a daily spiritual practice. So I revamped it a little. I really, really will be lucky if I get half of them this year since it is nearly May already! Oh well. ;)

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Revised Goals for 2011

1. YouTube--buy taller tripod
2. Calligraphy--practice and try new alphabets
3. Keep up with various online audio classes
4. New spiritual journal
5. Read the Angel Books
6. Angel Books--make notations
7. Read the Dream Journals
8. Read Morning Pages notebooks
9. Read TBR book stack
10. Bookbinding--make a journal with the 90 lb. paper
11. CBP--finish bird and flower paintings
12. Watercolors--wildflowers and botanicals
13. Watercolors--paint paper for journal and bookcard covers
14. Sketchbooks--EDM
15. Sketchbooks--Ink and watercolor
16. Handmade Paper--set of red Christmas cards with white snowflakes
17. Handmade Paper--try new techniques
18. Cards--set of birthday cards
19. Cards--set of Christmas cards
20. Cards--new techniques
21. Bookcards--handmade paper covers
22. Bookcards--painted watercolor paper covers
23. Bookcards--regular covers
24. Soulcomfort/Meditation--establish a regular practice
25. Sacred Circle--once a month
26. Organize craft bookcases (buy shelves and corner shelf)
27. Clean and organize desk and files
28. Clean and organize pictures and documents on McLap

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Finding the goal list gave me the motivation to stay on task with number 28--ROFL! And now I am winding down and will be heading for bed shortly. Was a gorgeous day in the 60s yesterday, but I slept thru most of it...with the window open, tho. Today--50s, cloudy and rainy--and the window will be open. ;)

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"Happiest are the people who give the most happiness to others."

Denis Diderot