Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday-8:30am

Today I have been blogging for 5 years!! Started out just keeping in touch with friends and family, but I have met so many amazing, kind, wonderful people. Who knew!? You just never know where life will lead you and who will cross your path. I am really thankful for Dagan and Leah keeping me on the internet all these years. I never would have guessed it, but I'd be lost without it now!! ;)
****
Speaking of the internet...I mailed this Monday, so I hope Desi has already received it.
Made a quick thank you card for the handmade bookmark...
...and included a couple of mine in return.
Hope you like them Desi. :)
****
I am using your bookmark in The Secret of The Shadow by Debbie Ford that I just started recently. It's all about the power of owning your own story--all of it. ;) I'll be spending quite a bit more time journaling this summer, I think. Anyways, I did take the pretty beads off and have them hanging on a lamp. Miss Karma LOVED the noise they made and thought they were just for her entertainment--LOL! She broke it apart grabbing at it! So I fixed the chain and decided they should go on the lamp--added some bright red yarn for a tassel on the bookmark instead. Looks good! Not quite as cat interesting, tho. Makes no noise. ROFL!!
****
I put together six bookcards. Five are already in the mail. Guess I should make some more.
It was really hot and humid for the first time up here on Monday and Tuesday (93 and 95 degrees). I know many of you have had horribly hot weather, but we've been cool and clammy up here most of the time.
****
The road crew has been working on that connecting road when it's not raining. (It looks the same to me as it did weeks ago?)
It was way too hot and sticky for me out on the porch, but Karma loves the heat and sprawled out there for hours!
By Tuesday night the rain returned and the temperatures dropped. We were in the 40s at night, but it was still 80% humidity. The humidity dropped a bit since then and the cool weather has hung around the rest of the week. Been raining off and on--40s-50s at night and 60s during the day...occasionally kissing 70.
When it is wet and cool Karma is back inside in her warm cat bed.
Meanwhile, my purchases for the month have been trickling in. I felt like a traitor to Goulet Pens, but I ordered a bunch more of the cheap Preppy pens from JetPens. Hey--$3.00 a pen vs. $3.95 and free shipping over $25.00. I prefer supporting small businesses, but I am on a very small budget and have been a loyal customer of JetPens for years, too.
****
Anyways, the green one had a half inch crack in the cap. I contacted them about a new cap and they are sending me a whole new pen. This is the first time I've ever had a problem with anything I've ordered from JetPens and they were very prompt answering my email. Good to know. They're always super fast with their shipping, too!
Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from my best friend in high school!! I hardly ever hear from Pat. We keep saying we are going to stay in better touch and then life gets in the way somehow. If she had internet (speaking of--again), I know we would. But she goes to the library to use it there.
****
Anyways, she bought Karma this cute, red, felt, catnip mouse toy!
Which, after she played with it for a while, Karma guarded off and on all day--hehe!
The long awaited Noodler's Flex Pens went on sale at Goulet Pens at noon central time on Monday. It is amazing their site didn't crash. It was unbelievably slow, but I am patient. I had my cart ready to go (with just some O-rings) and it took me 27 minutes just to add these two pens. I filled them with ink from bottles I already had around pre-Goulet--ROFL!
Lapis Inferno (blue and white swirls) and Cardinal Darkness (red and black).
I didn't want to go for the clear demonstrator because of the evaporating trouble I have had with the clear regular nib Noodler's piston pen I bought. (I think it is evaporating a little less since I plugged the hole in the cap.) These flex pens are piston pens, too, but I figured if nothing else they would be good for trying out the samples inks from Goulet's Ink Drop every month, right? And I have never had a flex nib pen to play with because they were so expensive. These were only $14.00 so I had to go for it. ;)
****
Anyways, it was a good thing I didn't want a clear demonstrator because they sold out in a few minutes. The blue one sold out in an hour and all five of them were gone within 12 hours. I know. Crazy pen people, eh? I feel lucky to have gotten my two. :)
****
The reason there has been such a long wait is that Nathan (owner of Noodler's) has to set each nib by hand into each pen and that just takes a long time to get enough of them done to make shipments. He is currently trying to figure out a different method of setting the nibs whereby, hopefully, he can hire someone else to help him. (Apparently he couldn't get anyone else to do it correctly with the current method.) Then there won't be the long waits and runs on the pens. It was exciting, tho. First time I have been involved in a sale crush online like that. ;)
****
Anyways, those were my two small pen orders. I am still waiting for my JoAnn's order to arrive. (They have the best sales!!) I'll wait till I can show you pictures.
****
Naturally, I played with pens and inks again the last couple days. My wooden box is already full!! It sits open like this right behind me when I sit at my craft table to write. And my little spiral notebook has all the information as to what ink is in which pen. Seventh heaven!! LOL!
Yes, all of them are cheap pens. Out of these 32 pens (counting the one empty preppy on the lid there) only 6 of them were over $14.00 and only one was over $30.00. Four were free with ink bottles and 16 are Preppys.
All the Preppys to the left of center have ink from actual bottles I own and can, therefore, refill. The Preppys on the right side are all filled with Ink Drop samples. I spend more on ink than I do on pens, obviously--ROFL! Nice ink, cheap pens. But when you are writing letters the recipients only see the ink, right? ;)
****
I sit at the table to write letters and journal...and can change colors to my heart's content. Hard to explain what a joy that is to somebody who, like Dagan for example, is quite content with Bics. LOL!!
****
I have been intensely involved with arts and crafting for the past six years. But this year there has been a shift in focus. Ever since last December my days have been so much more about reading, studying, written exercises, journaling, letter writing...harder for me to get going on the craft stuff for some reason. So I have less to show you, but I have been busy. I just dug out my old calligraphy class information, so when I get to practicing that again maybe I will have something to take pictures of. :) Just has been a more contemplative year so far. Very, very positive...and a bit monkish--hehe!
****
Have a great weekend. :)
****
"Kindness does wonderful things to a face."
Dixie Doyle

15 comments:

Carol C said...

Congratulations on your blogging anniversary!!! Hope you have many more years of successful blogging and art making!

Kathleen said...

Hi Rita...thank you for your daily visits. I really appreciate your stopping by and leaving your notes! Sometimes I can comment on yours when I visit, sometimes it won't take it. Hrrrumph!

I,too, am a pen/paper person. If it's either of the afore-mentioned, I find it hard to resist! I am an addict...but not as organized as you are!

My sympathies to Leah and your son.

Toriz said...

Happy bloggerversary! Congratulations on making it to 5 years!

I'm glad you're so happy with all your new pens; enjoy them!

It doesn't matter if you don't have much in the way of craft items to show, as long as you feel you're in a good place, and as long as you're happy with things the way they are. :)

Rita said...

Carol--Thanks so much!! Hope you're having a good weekend. :)

Kathleen--Sorry blogger won't always let you comment. It has been quite moody lately. I hope you don't stop trying!! :)
I know! I've been addicted to paper, pens, and inks since I was like nine! There are worse addictions, to be sure. ;)
Thanks. My heart goes out to them, too.

Tori--Five years sure went by fast! I am most definitely enjoying my new pens. I think I need some new writing paper now--hehe! ;)
That's what I kind of figured. You do what you feel compelled to do, right? I'm in a good place and keeping busy--just don't have as many things to show on the blog. Maybe I should take a picture of what my table looks like in the mornings with all my books and journals out--LOL!

AliceKay said...

Wow, 5 years? As Tori said, happy bloggerversary! *scrolls up to check the spelling of that word* :)

I'm glad I met you thru Iggy's blog. Your posts are interesting and very colorful. Just look at all of those pretty pens! (i use a black Bic Atlantis, by the way. lol)

That was a very pretty thank you card you sent to Desi. I'm sure she'll love it.

It doesn't look like there's been much progress on that little connector road by you, but if that construction is anything like your building's roof construction, it may take awhile.

Love the sky shot. So pretty!

That's a cute shot of Karma guarding the little catnip toy. LOL

Temps here have been up and down...mostly up. Temps in the high 80s and 90s with very high humidity. It was so thick Thursday, it felt like you were smothered when you walked outside. Poor Terri and the guys in the mill (and feed trucks) have to work in this heat and humidity.

We had another bad storm go around us Thursday night. It bypassed the town I live in, but Towanda wasn't as lucky. (i have some pics to post whenever i get to them) We have scattered thunderstorms rolling thru the area tonight, too, but so far, all we've had is a quick shower. The sun came out right afterwards.

Sorry I didn't get to finish reading this post when I tried to. (clicked on it twice and got interrupted twice and left without reading much) I hope you're having a good weekend.

Serena Lewis said...

Congratulations on your 5th blog anniversary, Rita! December will mark my 5th blog anniversary too! :)

I am the lucky recipient of one of your lovely bookmarks...I love it!

Your bookcards are beautiful and such a neat idea too.

Hot there...bleak and cold here.

How cute Karma is with her mouse toy from Pat.

OH, I'm suffering major pen envy right now. I can certainly understand the joy you must feel in using them.

It seems like ages since I've painted....sketching has become more prevalent to me, however, I haven't even done much of that these past weeks with all I've had going on. Crochet seemed more doable of late. I've never learned calligraphy but I do admire the beautiful calligraphy of others. My calligraphy attempts are like chicken scratch by comparison. lol

Anywhoo, have a great weekend, my friend.

Love and hugs,
Serena xo

Cowgirl Red said...

Those pens are beautiful and so are your cards. karma just cracks me up. Does she like having her picture taken? Have a wonderful week Rita. It started raining just now. A thunderstorm. Thanks for sending it our way. Terah

Cowgirl Red said...

Oh and congrats on the five years of blogging. I've only been doin it less than a year and treasure the friends like you that I've met here. What a blessing. Terah

Rita said...

AliceKay--LOL! Another Bic lover! ;)
I think it has been so wet up here that it has been difficult for them to make much progress on the road. We're expecting another 4 days of rain again. At least it has cooled off again here and we don't have the heat you guys have. I feel sorry for Terry and everybody who has to work outside in the heat and in the cold!
Hope you had a good weekend. :)

Serena--Aha! We started blogging the same year! Glad you liked the bookmark and the crazy bookcard about pens--hehe! ;)
Isn't it funny how when we shift around to something else we are just loving to do we feel kind of guilty for not doing what we were doing before. Does that make sense? I rotate around and while I am doing whatever it is I am enthralled with at the moment I miss all the other things I love to do...but one or two will win out and the rest will have to wait. Silly, eh? I sometimes envy people who have just one specific thing they like to do and are good at it. I will never develop those kind of skills. But I have so much fun! ;) Love and hugs back atcha! :)

Terah--With Karma, having her picture taken depends entirely on her mood. Sometimes she sprawls about like a beauty queen when I get the camera out and other times her ears go back and she refuses to acknowledge my presence--LOL!
OMG! Rain! I hope you got a really good thunderstorm!! :):)
I am so glad we bumped into each other online. How else would a housebound new vegetarian meet a delightful, animal loving, cowgirl cattle rancher, right? I love your textile artistic talents and that you bring me along out on the range to meet the cows. (I just try not to think about where they end up.) I am still waiting for some pictures or videos of the massive cottonwoods! :):) I'm so glad we met, too!

Toriz said...

Yeah; got to have some nice paper to use those nice pens with! LOL! :)

Desiree said...

Yay for 5 years Rita! I did indeed get your wonderful thank you card and bookmarks. I so appreciate it. I had 4 12 hour nights and that leaves me little time to even sleep. SO very delayed with responses. :D I also did a quickie post. I love the red you added once you took the beads off to protect them from the cat! :D It really added a pow for that mutli thread. And even though you are doing less crafty such as you say to show us. I would love to see examples of your writing, with all those pens! :D I also love the little book cards. I cannot wait to see more journaling from you! :D

Rita said...

Desi--Thanks! I'm so glad you liked the red yarn I traded for the beads. And Karma, the stinker, has left the beads alone since I hung them on the lamp--well, she hasn't noticed them yet. ;)

My journaling is just regular writing. I haven't ever done one of the collage-type journals. Not yet, anyways. I do some of the EDM sketches now and again, but I have never done a sketch journal, either--yet. ;) I've been getting inspired by all I see online--on youtube and blogs. I should at least do some more EDM entries--sheesh! I just always have so many things I want to do. I'd have to be triplets to get done half what I would like to in this life--ROFL!! ;)

Intense Guy said...

I've "been away" too long... Its nice to see Karma enjoying herself... and you sound so upbeat!! All that pen-goodies magic I suppose!

What doesn't surprise me is that road looks no nearly to done than it did weeks ago - no wonder they cost millions of dollars!

Anonymous said...

Wow blogging for five years I dont know if I will last that long. Love those pens :o) The pictures of Karma are adorable as always. And that card is beautiful thanks for sharing it with us.

Rita said...

Iggy--Yes! That pen&ink magic does it to me every time--ROFL!! ;)
I know! It has rained so much they don't seem to get much done on the road. And it has been raining for days again. Sooner or later they'll finish, I'm sure. I'm in no hurry for extra traffic. ;)

Lynn--Oh I hope you last more than five years!! Karma says hi! :)