10-1-2018 Monday-11:15am

Good morning!

We've had freeze warnings a few nights this past week.  

Annie is always glad if I crack the patio door open for a while.

At this rate it won't be long and we'll be closed up for the season.

She still has mad love for her favorite spin-toy.  :)
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Thanks to everyone who commented on Friday.  This nomination has stirred up a lot of people--male and female.  I'll be waiting to see what this week holds.
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A mystery box arrived from my sister-in-law, Kathy!  She remembered I had said I would love to have something Mom made one day.  When they brought Mom back to Florida for the winter Kathy noticed this throw/blanket that Mom had knitted for Dad because he'd get chilly even when it was 80 degrees out--LOL!  Mom said she'd never use it, so Kathy asked if she could mail it to me!  How nice.

I am already using it when I have the patio door cracked for Annie when it's in the 30s and 40s.  ;)  It's doubly special because Mom made it and my dad had used it to keep warm.  
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Not a good picture, but The cat grass came up from when Ian and I planted some the week before and Annie was thrilled.

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I spent most of the week down the news rabbit hole--but I did get the two bookcases emptied out and ready to be switched.  
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Why switch identical bookcases, you may ask.  Well, we have the Vagabond die cutting machine set up next to that center-of-the-room bookcase and I wanted to move all the paper racks and paper supplies over to the one next to it by the closet door so that we could put all the dies, embossing folders, and supplies right next to the Vagabond for easy access. 
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As you can see below Leah made some extra shelves for the bookcases and rather than dealing with moving those all around--just switching the bookcases themselves was easier since I do have to empty everything out to clean and organize anyways. 
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Daddy and Ian came over yesterday afternoon and we had a busy time of it.  Dagan switched the bookcases for me--tada!  Then he decided to help me wipe down the top and shelves with a damp cloth, too.  Ian wanted to help, of course.

Here's a little taste of our busy day.

The paper racks are too heavy for me to move as is.  These days I would have to empty all that paper out, move each rack, and then refill.  Dagan can just lift them up and move them...like I used to be able to do--LOL!
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Paper racks moved!

While I, myself, could still move after they left I did gather as many of the paper supplies to the little table as I could find easily in the various stacks--ready to find a new home in the "paper" bookcase. 

You can see what a mess this place is--stuff piled everywhere.  There's more piled around elsewhere, too--LOL!  The kitchen table, my desk, the bookcases in the hallway...lots to go through. 

But it won't take too much longer now that this hurdle has been jumped.  ;)  As soon as the room is done (have to wait on closet, hallway, etc, where other art & craft supplies are lurking) I really have to get going on Christmas cards!!  
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After we switched the bookcases we headed out to the garage with a huge stack of stuff on my little cart.  I pushed that, Dagan carried two tall fans, and Ian had the job of carefully carrying my cell phone...because I needed to get pictures for Leah of the chair mats.  As you can see, even with weighting them down for a month when it was in the 80s and 90s (and you know it's hotter in the garage) they did not flatten down.

  Leah is going to send pictures to IKEA, I guess.  They may do nothing now because it has been quite a while, but it doesn't hurt to show them the mats were permanently warped.
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Anyways, Ian filled the bird seed container all by himself with the huge scoop.  I took pictures of the dangerous-to-me mats.  Dagan gathered up the humidifiers and then he even filled them for me when we got back!  Aren't I spoiled!
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Ian had some "punch time" with some new-to-him punches and scrap papers while Dagan and I sat and talked a bit.  After a while Ian said he needed a break so he climbed up with me in my chair, had a snack, we watched the latest Maru and Hanna video and then found the log cabin builder guy.  Ian and I watched the builder man cutting logs while Daddy sawed a few with a short nap--ROFL!!
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We all shared apple slices.  Ian and I cleaned up the punching mess.  They left about 4pm.  We were blowing kisses and I told Ian to save one for Mama.  Leah told me when they got home Ian found a small box in the entryway and put the kiss in there to present to her--LOL!  
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Well, I am so far behind this month.  I haven't quite finished setting up the bullet journal for October or finished with the monthly banking and bills.  I also printed off my request for a write-in ballot last night and need to fill that out and get that in the mail, too.  My back already hurts, so you know there is going to be a lot of stretching and frequent breaks.  In time, I'll get it all done.  But starting back in the studio cleaning and putting things away--not today, that's for sure.  Maybe by Wednesday...or Thursday.  ;)
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I hope this is a really good, positive week.
*hugs and blowing kisses*
Bye for now.
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"Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness."
Chuang-Tzu