June 24, 2024 Monday--5am

Good morning!

I'm starting the weekend before last.  Got some pics from Leah to scatter in here chronologically.  So much going on!

Saturday the boys were at the Home Depot kids crafting session.  Looks like they made little outdoor barbeques--lol!

Sunday was Ian's early birthday party.  (His actual birthday is today.)  Ian about to blow out the ten candles on his birthday cake.  Dagan's stepmother--Grandma Barb.

Brother Liam, Leah's brother Uncle Aaron, Daddy Dagan, and Dagan's dad--Grandpa Jerry.

Not sure which day, but they went bowling with Uncle Aaron.

Liam won!  (He uses a ramp to bowl so he does have an advantage--LOL!)

At a very pretty miniature golf course.

And even over his birthday party they were working on the other colorful puzzle for my studio wall.

Sunday evening--a quick visit where Leah clipped up a sheet over the broken shade on my studio window.

Monday Dagan and Leah painted the accent wall in my bathroom.  Since the room is so narrow they figured it would be easier to paint that before the cabinets were installed.  Love it!  It's a golden mustard yellow.

Tuesday they started installing the cabinets!  My kitchenette!

The bathroom cabinets.

Hard to get them all in--narrow room--and it's dark in there, but I have a cabinet in the corner above the sink cabinet and a cabinet above where the toilet will go.

While they were doing that on Tuesday Leah brought me to the new dentist.  I had dreaded going and absolutely, positively expected really bad news.  My entire mouth has hurt all over ever since I got chemo.  I still have mucositis issues and some bleeding.   I even had to confess to her I was in such terrible shape for at least six months that I couldn't stand at the sink or even have the energy to sit on the toilet to brush my teeth more than maybe once or twice a week.  Hadn't been to the dentist for going on four years!  (They told me not to come until I was done with cancer treatments--and I hadn't felt well enough to even make the trip until recently.)  Going to the dentist is an emotional drain for me in the first place.  (Several bad experiences.)  Talk about high stress.  Worse than seeing the poke n' peek guy, for sure (but he's right up there).  I'll take bloodwork or scans or infusions any day.

Anyways, I got the usual x-rays and then the every-five-year-one where you stand and it goes around your head.  I was bracing myself for the bad news...and for the pain of the cleaning (my whole mouth is sensitive and painful to begin with).  Well, to say I was shocked is an understatement.  I didn't have one cavity or any abscessed teeth...none!  My gums have receded a lot (too much), but the dentist thinks it is due to the fact that they are totally inflamed.  Not a surprise at all.  I already had inflammation for a couple of decades due to fibro and the cancer treatment set that off so very badly for me from head to toe...well, I am still not back to my old level.  At all.  Dr. Baker thought if I keep doing what I have been doing that it should gradually improve and be better when I see her in six months.  As the inflammation subsides all over my body...my gums should also not be so inflamed and swollen and painful.  They already aren't as sharply painful as they were even 6-8 months ago.  Whoohoo!  I was so happy!!

Then the girl cleaned my teeth--and was so sweet.  She was gentle and it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.  I was thrilled to just be able to come home and keep doing the saltwater rinses and different mouthwashes and brushing a couple times a day.  And go back in six months!  I am so lucky!  I feel blessed-blessed-blessed! :)

Wednesday McFamily and Uncle Aaron went to see "Inside Out 2" at the plush movie theater with the lounger chairs.

I can't get over these fancy chairs being at a movie theater!  Times have really changed, eh?

I can't remember the exact day a guy finally showed up to mow the lawn.  They never did do the trimming with the weed whacker, though.

Thursday Dagan and the boys picked me up so I could watch them while he went to that luncheon. 

I got to see the cabinets for myself!  In the rooms with a window there is quite a bit of light.  I was excited to see they had cut the holes for the sinks and just set them in.  I am sooo happy with my black sinks!  Or gunmetal or whatever they call them--lol!

You can see how dark it is in the bathroom.  I was complaining to myself I couldn't even get a picture of the sink in there.  Ian asked me if I had it on the night vision setting.  Huh?  Gramma knows very little about technology and doesn't use most of the "smart" stuff on her smart phone or smart TV--ROFL!

Look what it did to turn it to Night Sight!  Goodness!  I need a ten-year-old to teach me about my cell phone--ROFL!

Ian was "in my refrigerator"--lol!

Ian discovered a nest of baby birds in one of the bushes in the front yard because they were cheeping to be fed.  They look like baby robins to me.  Got a little video.

The boys finished the other colorful puzzle and it had all the pieces!  These bright puzzles will jazz up the studio for sure. :)  I do love color!

Leah took better pictures than I did after they were done...well, basically done.  There's always something, right?  Anyways, kitchen sink...

...bathroom sink...

...bathroom cabinets lower view...

...bathroom cabinets upper view.

Then--the problem.  The crown molding (is that what it is called?) on the cabinet over the refrigerator.

You can see the line drawn right across the middle of the hole for a ceiling light.  That's where the molding needs to go.

So they couldn't finish the molding up there.  Need to talk to the electrician to see if they need to do anything special to the wiring before we have the drywall people close off that light hole.  I think that would be the easiest rather than to try to move the light fixture.  I think I'll have plenty of light.

If you're interested...Leah made a video tour of the cabinets for me.  The neighbor boy was over so it got really noisy for a short while.  

How fancy, eh!  Soft close drawers and cabinets.  All except for the slanted cubbies under the sinks, that is.  The dishwasher will go in at the left.  Refrigerator to the right.  Microwave up over the sink.  It is all becoming more and more real!  :)

Well, being out and about twice last week I didn't have as much "extra" to put into ICADs.  And I was getting quite frustrated with the prompts.  I found the color prompts especially frustrating, but the other list of prompts was sometimes awful, too.  Like terrazzo?  Potpourri?  Crystal?  Awk!  I was struggling this past week.  

For example--terrazzo tile?  I had no clue what to do with that prompt.  I finally printed off a close up of some colorful version and glued it down as a background.  But then what?  I couldn't think of anything to actually do with it and with the color guacamole!  Set it aside and went to the next one.

I decided to ignore the color prompt and just do the ivy prompt.  Used the Maimeri Blue paint palette for this one and the next one.  (I really AM enjoying playing with these old tiny handmade palettes, though.)

Next day--navy dress was the color?  Ignored that one.  Ranunculus was the other prompt.  Never heard of it.

Looked it up.  Turns out it's this thickly layered (and beautiful) flower...but really difficult for me to draw...could tell that right away.  I was several days behind by this time...so I found a drawing online, printed it off, drew the rest...but fussy cut out the actual flowers and glued them on--lol!  Just too tired and sore to deal with anything more than that.

By the end of the week...feeling overwhelmed by the vagueness of many of the prompts and the crazy color suggestions...I tossed out the color prompts and the other weekly list of prompts and decided to go rogue. ;)

But I knew I did like something to go by, so I searched online Sunday and found several prompt lists for drawing and painting and mixed media.  I printed those off.  Now I will randomly pick whatever strikes my fancy...and try to catch up.  Give it a good shot anyways.  Do not plan to go back to terrazzo, though--ROFL!

This week is going to be a tough one for me, too...just health-wise.  I am doing much better, obviously, but when I am out and about it still knocks me back, you know?  I never did expect to keep up with the ICADs.  I expected to do more on good days and catch up some then...and I still will.  Just had less good days for extra stuff.  Used up my spoons being gone, cooking, baking, and doing laundry...the usual stuff.  The only thing I am behind on are the ICADs.  So that is really saying something. Whoohoo!

Today I am going over to watch the boys again so Dagan can go get blood drawn.  Tuesday Keanna comes to clean.  Friday is the poke n' peek doctor I hate going to.  Hoping this time I don't end up with a bladder infection or bleeding.  About time I just can make one of his visits without aftereffects, right?  Maybe I'll be surprised and it will go as smoothly as the dentist did.  One can hope.

I need some more studio time.  I can't even express how wonderful it is to be able to finally have some days with an extra spoon or two where I can just play with paint, stencils, pens, scissors, glue, pencils, markers...all of the studio goodies!!  Ahhh!  I am delighted to have a day or two a week.  As I slowly improve I may get even more play time.  

Knock on wood.  I shouldn't push my luck.  Nope.  I am really happy with how things are right now...this day...this minute.  Six months ago I often couldn't even sit up at my kitchen table for 10 minutes.  I am so grateful...brings tears to my eyes.  Life is good, my friends.  Life is good.  I shall see you next week.  Hopefully maybe even have some rogue ICADs to share--LOL!  Blessings to you all. :)

June 17, 2024 Monday--5am

Good morning!

Some days this is all we may get for clouds--lol!  I'll take it.  Better than gray skies and rain. :)

First of all--test results came in and no cancer--all is well. 

Keanna came on Tuesday.  

The drywallers sanded, sprayed on texture (like an orange peel), and painted this week!  Dagan sent me pictures of the tan base color.  All done!  I think that was on Wednesday.

Looking into the main room (hard to say "Great room" in a tiny house--lol!) toward the living room.

From living room toward kitchenette side of room.

Bathroom.

Studio.

They even fixed and repainted down the stairwell where they put in some dents and scrapes hauling down the drywall.  Will be nice when the electrician returns so we have some light down there.  So exciting!  May have cabinets installed this coming week!  Whoohoo!

Was 95 degrees on Wednesday!  Good grief!  I finally had to clean my AC filter and close the place up.

I worked on ICADs.  I'll show them all together.  

6/8 color: orange/ prompt: wave  (Obviously thought of this famous painting immediately and tried to draw a similar wave and Mt Fuji.)  Used my Sennelier palette...and for the next three, also.

6/9 color: extrovert (a kind of yellow)/ prompt: potpourri  (Some of these prompts are not great and I do skip them sometimes.)

6/10 color: Dutch tulip/ prompt: orange  (As you can see, I actually accidentally switched the color and prompt--oh well--like this better.)

6/11 color: flutterbye/ prompt: ferris wheel  I was in no mood to try to draw a ferris wheel--lol!  Made blobs and let them dry.

Did some squiggly line drawing...and ended up liking this one.  

6/12  color: yellow slicker/ prompt: ellipse  The top of the cup is the ellipse--ROFL!  Was in the mood for something silly and fun.  Used my first Altoid palette I ever made with the mishmash of paint tubes I had collected.  Used that little palette for the next three this week.

6/13  color: forest/ prompt: lost and found  Huh?  I should have done another abstract or something.  They can't all be winners--lol!  I started with a tree stencil and thought I could make a kind of scary forest a person could get lost in.  Not great, but I got to try these new brushes I had gotten ages ago that are supposed to make leaves or petals easily.  So it was worth it.  The leaves were fun!

6/14  color: pine forest/ prompt: recipe  Another forest green?  And recipe?  Just decided to play with swiping some color on the page and letting it bleed.  Was fun to see what the colors were in the old palette.

Since you guys don't know what I am talking about with all these little handmade palettes...

These are so old I can't remember what empty plastic container these first two are even from.  Cough drops?  Who knows?  What I would do is buy a small set of tube paints from different companies or just buy red/yellow/blue at least to try them out.  Was so long ago...I think I made all of these gradually between 2000 and 2004 when I was in college.  Bought empty half pans and full pans for really cheap and put them into an empty Altoid tin or something similar.  I saw it in a magazine.  Yes, this was before I was online.  And before people had caught on to what a good idea it would be to include actual color samples--lol!

Cheap Joe's.

Schmincke

Sennelier

Here's the first one I ever made from the three kinds of tubes I had--Sennelier, Schmincke, and Winsor Newton.  I had added Ws and Cs for warm and cool colors, I believe.  (Which I still don't fully understand.)

Learned rather quickly that the half pans are much more difficult to use because they are so small--lol!

M. Graham.

I used pop bottle covers!

Maimeri Blu

Winsor Newton.  I do think this container was from something called Fisherman's Friend cough drops.

Holbein

Daniel Smith.  Most expensive, as I recall, but I really liked them...still do.

Now the next two handmade watercolor paints I purchased from an Etsy shop maybe 5-7 years ago?  Can't remember.

They are a novelty type of paint with shimmer.

I bought these around the same time from Iuile Watercolors on Etsy.

They look very similar to the other small palette, but I can't remember if they are from the same shop.  No label on the "Fun" palette above.

But this is where I got the free dot paint card with my order that I recently finally used.

I did really like the Daniel Smith paints, as I said.  

So much so that I ordered a set of DS Mixing Colors.  Came with a little chart even.  That must have been somewhere around--goodness!--can't remember.  Must be 7-9 years ago?  Not too long after I moved here, I don't think and that is over 9 years ago. 

Almost forgot about the only big metal palette I ever bought.  Lukas.

This was so long ago...I think I bought this when I took the night class for adults at a local high school back in the early 90s.

You have all seen my big porcelain palette again lately.  I bought this around the same time as I was making all my little handmade palettes--early 2000s.  So old that I have no clue whatsoever which paints are actually in this palette--lol!  No idea.  But they all work just fine...all of them in all of the various palettes.  That's what I love about watercolors.  :)

So most of my collection of watercolors is quite old and gathered over many years.  But I am adding some new paints!  I'll show you later.  Not today--lol!

 Thursday I was going to go over to watch the boys while Dagan went to a luncheon at work.  Dagan called and said the guy's wife had covid and they had to switch it to the next week, but I went over regardless.  Dagan could run and pick up meds and such over his lunch then without the boys.  

Yes, Gramma looked up on the blog when we had worked on the Minecraft house...so Ian had been able to find the particular world we were building it in--lol!  And it is now labeled--Gramma's House.  

Ian suggested an entire floor be built above my first floor that was a huge aquarium!  Okay!

Liam was busy part of the time playing a different game on some kind of handheld gaming contraption.

The screen is cut in half.  Liam is on the top half and Ian and I are on the bottom half building my house.  This was Ian adding on the aquarium floor.  Those are pixelated fish swimming around.

It is all very confusing to Gramma.  Nothing makes much actual logical sense in Minecraft worlds.  I don't know how they can remember all the rules and all the abilities of the various creatures and all the rest.  We are in "Creative" mode, I was told, so that we aren't being attacked.  Well, thank goodness!

Before I left I wanted to go downstairs and see the place all painted for myself.  

The boys came with me.  

I believe the cabinets are next!  Every step it looks more and more like a real home. :)

Been closed up since Wednesday when it was 95 degrees.  Been in the 80s every day.  Supposed to have a reprieve in the 70s for three days, I guess, now this week.  That will be nice.

We so seldom see company on the patio anymore.

Allie was excited.  This adult rabbit was relaxed and taking a bath--lol!

Meanwhile...end of the week...went to use the blinds in the studio...(they haven't been touched for like three years now--besides being miserably ill, I can barely reach them over the art table).

Went to twist them open...

...and the string snapped right off.

I don't like maintenance to come over when I'm not here...so Leah said she'd bring over a sheet or something and hang it up for me.  I'll deal with it after I am done with all these appointments.  But in the meantime, ever since cataract surgery I have trouble with bright light glare (causes aural migraines) so I'm fine with having a sheet over the window for a while.  That's why when I WAS in there, I haven't touched the blinds and left them closed.  Should have left well enough alone, eh? LOL!  

I haven't been doing the ICADs each day.  I usually miss a couple-three days and then do more at once on a good day.  Whatever works, right?  And I always clean everything up, of course. 

I don't know if you can tell but the three brushes I used to make the leaves are kind of chopped off on one side.  I was getting the hang of them.  I'll have to try them on flower petals, too.

Here's the stencil I started with for the forest ICAD.  I think I prefer the trees being what you color and not around them.  I forget what this kind of stencil is called.

Well, I suspect we have lost our lawn care company.  

Do you see how tall the grass is?  It is going to seed!  They mowed at the apartment across the way.  They even mowed a strip on our side of the sidewalk, too.  Wonder if they will come to mow this week?

Oh, and Dagan sent me pictures Sunday.  They put the sticky backing on the jigsaw puzzle the boys put together for my studio.  Ian is pointing to the missing puzzle piece.

They showed it to me when I was there on Thursday--piece missing.  Wanted to know if I still wanted them to back it for putting up on the wall?  I said yes.  They have looked high and low for the missing piece.  You can hardly notice it.  Nobody nor nothing is perfect after all, right?

I think it will look colorful and bright--and they put it together.  Yup!  I will hang it.  :)

Well, that's it from here for this past week.  I have a new dentist on Tuesday and will watch the boys on Thursday.  They might start installing cabinets on Tuesday.  And I have some new paints to set up and ICADs to play with.  Life is good!

Allie--she is living the good life, too.

Till next week, my friends!  

*love and hugs from Fargo*

P.S. In case you're wondering...Blogger won't let me change my font color anymore.  Black it is.