Monday-noon

Good Afternoon!

Yes, my hours have slowly been shifting since I went off the melatonin.  So far not enough to make me want to go back on it because I am still basically on days and sleeping okay once I get to sleep (I'm back to it taking me 30-45 minutes to shut off the brain chatter), but it's enough to make those days seem very different.  I am back to being more awake in the evenings, staying up till 2-3am, and sleeping till more like 10-11am.  Funny how a shift of just a couple of hours can cause such a big change.

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 Miss Karma still thinks I should be up by around 9ish at the very latest to deliver her morning canned delights.  She cries outside my bedroom door around 9-9:30 for a couple minutes...to no avail.  (Karma wisely does not try waking me up at close range--jerking covers over one's head in a twin bed can send additional occupants flying.)  She will probably give up and switch her hours accordingly--LOL!   

I do think maybe I do feel a bit more alert and clear-headed.  I know I am actually getting some things done later in the day again.  Have been playing at the art table at night, too.

Still trying to use up my very old misters (which are all dreadfully plugged and I don't feel like cleaning out the nozzles so I used the bronze mister like paint on this page).  This Journal52 prompt was "Building Character".  (Compassion, truth and love are what matter to me.)  Doesn't show very well, but it is very shimmery!

The next weekly prompt was "Abstract Art".  

(I may actually catch up one day.)  

All I have so far is a dark background. 

I actually got down the new Dick Blick acrylics I bought a while back.  (Funny how I am always afraid to use the new, nice stuff.)  First time I used new liquid acrylics instead of the 15 year old craft paints (from Joe).  OMG!  They are so smooth, thinner, and flow so easily!  They take longer to dry, too.  I really enjoyed using them more this time!  You know how I've had such a hard time getting used to acrylics--well, I guess I shouldn't wait to use the good stuff--LOL!

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Anyways, I had such fun making marks with trash that last time that I thought I'd do it again.  I think that would qualify as "abstract", right?  ;)  That's the plan, anyways.

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In fact, I liked the results when I played with trash so much that I made some color copies on cardstock, cut them down, and folded them to make some cards.  I'm always needing some fast cards to tuck letters into...and I had some strips left over that I can use for collage, too.  :)    

I do think I am slowly being freed up to be that looser woman by using this junk journal I made with the paper I hate--(well, probably elevated now to a mere dislike)--because I don't give a rat's a$$ what I do to it--LOL!  That poor pathetic paper purchase has turned out to have a silver lining.  There always seems to be one, doesn't there?  I can slop, scrape, experiment, mess up, and outright destroy pages as much as I want because the paper itself is so bad to begin with that I don't have to worry about ruining anything "good"--ROFL!  Freedom arrives in strange ways sometimes, eh?  Remember how devastated I was after all that work making those journals to discover how truly horrible the paper actually was--and was even thinking of taking them apart?  Felt like a monstrous mistake and my heart was in my shoes.  You just never know, do you?  ;)

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Yesterday Amy came by to pick up my library books.  I don't think I remembered to show you what I read last time.  Anne Tyler's first two books: If Morning Ever Comes and The Tin Can Tree.   

I do like those close up, slice of life books with unusual characters.  I will continue to read her books--hopefully chronologically...just to see how she grew as an author.  I love to do that when I can.

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 Speaking of chronologically...the library we were borrowing the next in line in The Cat Who" series--well, somehow that got messed up and sent back.  Amy had to re-request the book and it should be in within a week or so.  Therefore, I shall hold off starting these next two until that one arrives and Amy can drop it off.  This series does progress in chronological order--and are fun, quick reads, anyways.

I also get books like this one on inflammation, arthritis, and aging, too.  Don't always remember to mention them. 

I am always checking out ideas...to see if there are any ways to further change my diet that might help with my myriad of health issues, you know?  Cutting way back on dairy seems to have been a good thing.  I can tell when I do eat more dairy now, anyways--clogs my head up.  

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Oh!  Oh!  I did forget to tell you what the initial results of the baby's heart ultrasound were--duh!  They will send everything down to Minneapolis, of course, for the experts to evaluate--but everything looked good!  And they got a second "boy" opinion, too.  ;)

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I just checked on my phone and it is zero degrees right now.  Dark, cloudy day and it doesn't look like we're expected to even reach into the 20s this next week.  Back in the deep freeze.  But we had a couple days there last week where it was above freezing--a hint of spring to come.  And spring will come...in another month or two--LOL!  

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 Anyways, time to get moving here.  

Have a super rest of your day.  :):)

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"Mistakes are the portals of discovery."

James Joyce