Thursday, September 27, 2012

Thursday-9am

I had time to play this week--whoohoo!  So I will show the challenges first because I have lots of pictures to show you today.  :)  
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First of all Erin's zendala challenge #24 for this week over at The Bright Owl.  You can visit there to see what other talented people have done with this template, too.
Here's mine. 
See!  Proof I am being sloppier--I mean looser.  ;) 
And then the Artist's Play Room over at Just Add Water, Silly was whatever we wanted to do this week ("you choose"), so I decided to do my latest lesson in the Doodles Unleashed class and kill two birds with one stone since I wasn't able to play until yesterday.  We were supposed to do a background, draw flowers or shapes with ink, color them in with colored pencils, and then use white and black for accents.
More proof of my slow transformation into... 
...a loose woman!  LOL! 
Not much to look at, but it was fun!  And quick!  You can go check out what some truly wonderful artists have done if you click on her link above.  
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Yes!!  I finally finished the huge reorganization project on Tuesday!!  The double decker wire shelves in the hall closet...  
...my bedroom closet shelf... 
...the new bookcase is empty again and waiting for the wooden shelves... 
...can't forget I also took this entire bookcase apart by the front door... 
...the bookcase and wire shelves in the bedroom...
...this entire dresser filled with craft stuff (note that the second shelf from the top is filled with aromatherapy supplies--you'll need to know this later--LOL!)... 
...this entire half of my living room wall... 
...and the bookcase and art table and new wall shelves...
...are ALL finally cleaned and reorganized...while the trees turned rust colored.  
These little trees in the yard are very pretty in the fall. 
A lady who lives here was walking by as I was taking pictures of the trees.  We have quite the international diversity here.  The women who wear these colorful outfits must be so glad it has cooled off.  I felt so sorry for them when it was 100 degrees. 
And they have been building something out in that field. 
Cement trucks have been coming and it looks like walls for a large building. 
Okay--remember the aromatherapy stuff?  Karma's favorite way to eat her cat food (well, she thinks they are cat treats but it is actually diet cat food) is to dig them out of this metal tea tin. 
It's hard to catch a shot of her doing this because she has very quick, darting paw capture. 
Anyways, there was a new, clean tea tin in with some other empty bottles and jars stored right next to the box of essential oils.  Being lazy, I thought--I'll switch the clean tin for the old dirty one and just toss it.  Then I don't have to clean anything and I really don't need two tins, right?  
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Karma was crying and in a foul mood that night.  The next morning--well, after she gets her canned treat and I heat up some coffee, Karma gets her tea tin refilled with about a half cup of dry food.  But I can see she has over half of it left and has actually eaten some of the other food out of the bowl (for which she normally has to be desperate and out of the tin food).  I fill the tin, but she just sat and stared at it.  Finally she got up and walked around and around it...sniffing the air with this disgusted look on her face...and crying.  We humans can be a little slow, but it finally dawned on me...that tin smelled like essential oils of all kinds--ROFL!!  Karma was having none of it.
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Luckily the old tin was on the very top of the trash I hadn't taken out yet!  Put food in the old tin and she plopped down and scooped away with great relief!  How could anyone eat food that smelled like ylang ylang, cedar, roses, eucalyptus, and patchouli--LOL!  Still makes me giggle.
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And lastly for today--I grabbed a few pics of Dagan and Leah's house!  With siding...
...and a front door.  The prep work for walls is being done on the main floor...
...upstairs... 
...and in the basement. 
Ceilings are starting to take shape. 
It is really starting to look like a house now with the siding and roof done.


And the garage floor and the driveway are done now, too. 
They spent a couple days wiring the house for the internet.  Oh, and Dagan's checkup went well.  They're putting him on blood thinner as a preventative because he's high risk for strokes, but he's doing fine.
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Speaking of Dagan--he stopped by Monday night and...guess what!!  Between my asking my techie angels to heal the TV computer, not touching it for many days, and Dagan's famous magic touch with electronics...he came over and Media Player worked just fine for him!!??  And it has been working for me ever since!?  I don't care why.  I am just so thrilled that it is working.  I even finally got to see who won Big Brother...and was so happy it wasn't the really evil liar (swore lies on the bible, his marriage, his grandfather), Dan!  That young fellow, Ian, won!!  Nice!!
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Yes, I must confess that I have been watching (or half watching-I do FF a bit) Big Brother and Survivor since they first came out.  I keep saying I won't watch any more, but then I end up watching again, anyways. 
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Goodness sakes!  That's the big wrap up for Thursday.  I am finally DONE with the big reorganizing project after nearly two months, the TV is working again, I am pretty much caught up online, I got four letters written this past week, even got the paper shredding done, I am free to play again, and Karma's not mad at me for stinking up her food.  What more could a person ask for?  How about that it's suddenly supposed to be back up to around 80 for the next few days!  Whoohoo!  It won't almost smell like snow in the air for a while.  Might even need those fans again, after all.  :)
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Have a stupendous weekend, everybody!!  :):)
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"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."
Zig Ziglar

39 comments:

Shelly said...

This is my first time to visit here and I must say I'm impressed with how well you organize things! I also enjoyed Karma getting her treats.

Great blog~

Anonymous said...

I thought I had s lot of stuff--you could open your own art supply store!!

Darla said...

I came back for the Thursday edition :-)

Love your flowers you loose woman you! I'm working on something for APR - but I'd better work faster.

I must say the new house seems to be coming along really fast. So interesting looking.

Glad you figured out Karma didn't really want essential oils for breakfast. What do you normally do with them? I'm just learning about their use in massage.

Darla

Currie Silver said...

what I see is busy, fun, and lots of new discovery going on!! glad you're on the enJOYing end of your reorganising project.
thanks for the link... I had cut out all the Zentangle stuff I'd been getting, but then I remembered how fun it is to have the Zendalas to play with so Now I have a little stash ;~D
Seems I have been bouncing about with A.D.D. in projects so that's one to get me settled down!!
thanks again for your nice words on my posties. means a LOT to receive encouragement!!

Zue said...

A quick one, but will be back..
Golly, I have never been that tidy in my life, at least not all the rooms at the same time.
xx:)

Beth said...

WOW!! I am impressed with your organizing and beautiful art work!! The kid's house is looking good and I bet that they can't wait for it to be finished.

Victoria said...

Totally gorgeous art..your flowers are dazzling and magical..lovely color palette..spectacular! and i love all the photos you shared..and Karma of course..and wow..lots happening..everything is looking fabulous..shine on!
Victoria

SandeeNC said...

I bet those essential oils made her food not only smell but taste funny too! Poor baby! So glad to see all those neat, tidy rooms and seeing that you're getting around to playing again, love the journal pages! I don't watch Big Brother but I do love Survivor...hope Lisa picks it up and doesn't get booted off. It was interesting to hear how she has been on her own since the age of 12 and that an actress can feel introverted, but in a way it makes sense! waving hi from the hills of North Carolina :)

Janie Junebug said...

Loose women produce beautiful art. I'm glad you figured out why Karma was unhappy. The Hurricane once gave me a box of Belgian chocolates. They were all delicious except the lavender. It was like eating perfume.

Love,
Janie

TwinkleToes2day said...

Fabulous zendala and your flowers are beautiful.
I have nEVEr seen so many craft supplies outside of a store and I am most impressed with how tidy it all is :0)

Intense Guy said...

Such a newsy blog post! I'm going to section it off into 1/2s or 1/3ds and read them that way over several days...

:) LOL

Poor Karma Kat - she don't like fancy seasonings on her treats...

Leah and Dagan's house is looking good! Any update as to when they move in?

I can feel for your Media Player woes... or rather my mom can. Her computer wasn't working, so she undid all the wires and drove it to my office where I plugged it in and it was working fine. She took it home - replugged everything in - and it worked fine. I think it just wanted a car ride to see some autumn leaves....

Serena Lewis said...

I love your art projects, Rita. The Zendala is quite eye-catching and your flower pages are lovely!! I have found that sketching only in pen is a big help in becoming a 'loose woman'. lol

I wish I could be as organised as you but, when I organise, things tend to go a little wayward. lol

I imagine it would be very hot for woman who wear those outfits but someone once told me that it's not all that bad. The fabrics are usually lightweight and breathe-able plus the body is also protected from the sun. Light, bright colours reflect whereas dark colour absorb sunlight. My Mum swears she feels cooler in summer if she wears long sleeves. I might trial that theory this summer.

Poor Karma...yep, I get the gist. They say never to light scented candles at meal times because it can spoil a meal. So glad you were able to retrieve Karma's old tin.

Dagan and Leah's house if looking fantastic! Probably won't be long to go now...have they been given a finish date at all?

I'm so glad MediaPlayer is working again!! YAY!! Did Dagan have any idea why it played up for you?

Years ago, the kids watched Big Brother and I too became hooked. Funny, that the kids lost interest and I remained hooked. It was cancelled for a few years and only started back up this year....I promised myself that I would not get hooked again. So far, so good. I watched the first Survivor and loved it but never really got hooked on the ones that followed. I did enjoy watching The Amazing Race for a couple of years but it's on too late now. Have you watched that at all??

On top of my blood pressure medication, the doctor also has me on daily asprin to help thin the blood, it acts as a low dose preventative. I'm assuming Dagan will be on something stronger.

It's already Friday here so I'll wish you a happy and restful weekend, my friend.

Love and hugs,
Serena xo

Carolyn Dube said...

Your floral journal spread is stunning- love the graceful flower petals!

TexWisGirl said...

their house is looking good!

i like your 'loose' design. :)

i have watched every season of survivor but i gave up big brother about 4 yrs. ago. :)

Gloria j Zucaro said...

Such an interesting post today. I enjoyed it all. Your Zendala is wonderful, the flowers in your journal pages are so beautiful. Really nice drawings and colors. I love cats and am so glad you were able to figure out about the unusal smells! What an amazing studio you have! I am inspired to get organized with some pretty boxes and such as well as storage I already have.

Queenie Jeannie said...

Loved that quote - so true!! And WOW! Look at all the lovely crafting goodies so nicely organized. Brilliant!!!! You did an amazing job and I love seeing all the little tubs and holders neatly on the shelves. Makes my little OCD heart just purr!

The house is really coming along now. That's the way construction goes....takes forever and little progress is discernable and then bam! It's nearly finished! I hope they will love living there.

Karma is a hoot! I wouldn't want my food to be all smelly either, so I'm going to have to agree with her.

We are having seasonable weather, cool and rainy, lol! But we've had a nice summer so won't complain!

Have a FUN, CRAFTY weekend!!!! You deserve it!!!

Anne's tangle blog said...

I like your zendala very much!

Zue said...

Your flower painting really caught my eye; it is beautiful....a gorgeous composition!
They are lucky going to live in a house like that...my goodness, looks like it won't be too long now:)
xxx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

You really DID do a complete makeover. Gosh, I'm really impressed with all you've done.

I'm amazed you were able to capture Karma because when I try with Bleubeard, he is only a blur. At least you manage decent photos, even if they aren't the ones you would have wanted.

Dee said...

Dear Rita, thank you for that final quotation today. It really spoke to me.

And thank you, too, for sharing all that's happening in your life right now. What a relief for you--to finally have the rearranging, decluttering, and sorting done in your home. And to have the tv fixed so that you can enjoy your evenings with your favorite shows.

And finally, I so like that daisy picture and the zendala. I don't know about you being a loose woman!!!!!! but you surely are a free-spirited artist! Peace.

Far Side of Fifty said...

You finished and before October! Poooor karma..with a stinky food tin..really Rita what were you thinking!! LOL.
I was glad Ian won too instead of the dastardly Dan. Survivor and three tribes is interesting too..that is my no telephone time on Wed night..a time I look forward to all day long.
I am enjoying my first morning off..headed out it will be a beautiful day:)

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

i LOVE your flowers pictures rita!! really very nice...for a loose woman that is! ha! just kidding...they're beautiful!!

you are just TOO organized!! =)

hey! i wish someone would give me some treats in an old tin like that, and i could roll around on the floor and get some exercise! haha!

i've never watched survivor...and never even heard of Big Brother....

c'mon fall!! we need some cool down this way!

the 'kids' house looks GREAT!! i just knew once they got back to working on it, it would go pretty quick!! i bet they're soooo excited!

*scratch*scratch*tickle* for karma!!

Catharina Engberg said...

You are so well organized! I am so far from it!
And about Karma: Cats are such personalities and are strong willed. I can see Karma in front of me and
I´m laughing, poor thing!
Thank you for your comment on my blog and wellcome back again.

art by Catharina Engberg
www.catharinaengberg.blogspot.se

Neesie said...

Lots going on at your place as usual Rita,
I never realised you were such a loose woman...oh how I wish I was. You'll have to tell me your secret! ;D
The flowers are brilliant.

Now that Karma...she knows what's what...she's so switched on. ^..^ (hehe)

Have a great weekend whatever you have planned...you're so organised now.. it should just be playtime and fun from now on! :D

AliceKay said...

Your zendala turned out pretty nice and the journal pages are very colorful. Love the flowers.

Way to go on the re-organizing. Everything looks great. :)

I'm glad Media Player is working for your TV again. I used to be pretty good at figuing out problems in electronic things, but not very good at it these days. New gadgets are getting beyond my knowledge, and I get too frustrated trying to understand the manuals. :\

Poor Karma. I'm glad you figured out why she wasn't eating her treats.

Maybe they're building another apartment complex over there? Will be interesting to see what goes up.

Dagan and Leah's house is looking great. They will be in there in no time. :)

Have a great weekend!

Jennifer McLean said...

wow, finally getting it all done and organized must feel SOOOOOOO good. I must admit, I "thin the herd" bi-yearly, I figure, If I haven't missed it in 6 months, it should probably go.

Your mandala is great but wow, that journal page is inspired. I'm totally loveing it, although, I also truly love all things daisy and coneflower related. Those petals are so expressive. great job, lets' hope you don't have to cover it all up as you continue with the course.

Tracey FK said...

So glad the organising is coming to a close... it does look impressive... and no I am not letting Phantom see this post... I laughed at poor Karma... you horrible loose woman you... now you are getting loose with her food... shocking state of affairs... and the hose is looking great!!!! How exciting...xx

Crystal said...

Very nice organization and Karma is ingenious as usual. :-)

Dana said...

The house is looking great—and so is your organizing! I do love the flowers; the colors are so bright and cheerful. :)

Have a great weekend!

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Damn you are looking so orgaised now I am a little jealous I would be so organised damn I would love to have that many art supplies........the house is looking good......reading the you have written four letters made me remember I have a number of letters to answer will have to get to them in the next day or so........

Anonymous said...

Your paintings are just fabulous!

Love the house too.

Dave said...

That Karma's a pretty smart cat knowing how to get those treats from the can Rita. Good that you were able to get out and take those photos inside the house - Dave

Farida said...

Thank you for sharing all of these.. and as always, I am forever at awe with Karma. I wish we were neighbors so I could stroke and play with him. You have so many art stuff! Wow! And your doodles are very beautiful. Please continue sharing them to us. Have a great week :)

Jenny Woolf said...

Oh my that house has come along so wonderfully since I have been away from my computer! It's going to be a wonderful home.
I really love your flower picture.
And I am sure that perfumes dont smell the same to cats as to us, when you think how wild some of them go over the smell of sardines ! :(

Anonymous said...

OMGosh I saw your picture on "just add water" earlier today and was admiring it! I had no idea you did that! I especially loved the white dots on the black. That is a really nice touch. Did you use paint or a gel pen for that? I often add little touches with gel pins. I love your mandala too. I never did make one of those. I'd love to see it with color.

That house is going to be really nice when it is finished. It is so exciting seeing a new house come along and knowing it is yours. I remember watching mine go up. I would take my lunch hour every day and watch them work on the house while I ate my lunch and it was so hard going home to our dilapidated apartment building each evening until it was finished. I have a lot of "progress" pictures and when the walls ever get torn down they will find my boys writing on the walls from when they chose their rooms and wrote their names on the studs.

I have media center too. It is evil and should be banished from existence. It never works for me and I despise having to ask for help to just watch TV GRrrrrr. Can you tell I have a lot of pent up anger over that?

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

The house has come along so quickly. I can't believe that it has been only a few months (spring...wasn't it?...when they started?). Your work is incredibly detailed. It's a joy to look at it!

Anonymous said...

I love your drawing, Rita!!

stefanie stark said...

I love your latest flower-lesson in the Doodles Unleashed class!!! The flowers are so beautiful!!! And the colors are so perfectly!

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! Love your art work and so organized ~ lovely ~ (A Creative Harbor)