January 6, 2025 Monday--5am

Good morning!

Leah's gradually been getting better.  I'm about the same.  Something has set off my system...as happens.  We were going to have our Christmas on Sunday but I had to pass.  Maybe this week.  I always have to play everything by ear, as they say.  Anything involving leaving the apartment is always tentative--lol!  But I have been keeping fairly busy with monthly paperwork, federal paperwork, laundry, cooking (LOVE the new electric skillet for eggs!), letters & cards, monthly banking, and monthly online orders (some have already arrived!).  We are right back in the deep freeze... 

...so the Critter Cafe has been quite busy!

I have tossed some seed out into the grass sometimes and the sparrows love that!

This week it is time to take down the Christmas cards, I suppose.

Not that often I am up at dawn.  I can pretend the sun is coming up behind the mountains...instead of the neighboring apartment building--ROFL!

The most exciting arrival this last week was my second watercolor book I ordered!  (All the rest of my books have been packed away for two years.)  Transparent watercolor flowers!  They look just gorgeous!  I found the lady on YouTube--so I can follow how she does this.

But...all my good watercolor art journals are also packed away.  So I treated myself and ordered some inexpensive (but hopefully decent paper) watercolor journals that will come this week.  I've only used cold press and never tried hot press, so that should be interesting.

McFamily drove through the Holiday Lights display at the fairgrounds this year.  

They'd never been before.  It was such fun they plan to get tickets next year, too.

Ralphy in the rabbit pajamas...

...and the "major award"!

Looks like this tunnel was at the very end.

Drum roll.....

The appliances are in, all set up, and working!  At least we assume they are all working--lol!  Looks like a real kitchenette now. :)

I have a laundry room, too.

Washer and...

...dryer.  They look quite complicated.  I'll have to learn how to use them.

Leah--showing how much spare room I have on top of them.

I've never used a front loading washer.  Well, except for the giant one at a laundromat to wash rugs and bedding.  Talk about change, eh?  LOL!

Never had a side-by-side before or one with water and ice in the door.

How fancy!

Dishwasher is fancy, too.

Love that it has the extra tray on the top for utensils and such.

Microwave.

Wow!  

And the sink has a garbage disposal, I believe.  

I know it's not everybody's taste, but I LOVE my black faucets and sinks!

Saturday the boys went to the Home Depot kids' project and Nash from next door came with.

Piggy banks!

Lastly, on Sunday Leah got the very first of the IKEA furniture together!!!!  

Going to use these two small cabinets to make one longer end table to go between the two lift chairs.  

That is just the beginning of the stacks of IKEA furniture--lol!  But the very first pieces are together!  It has begun!

Leah propped up the towel ring to see if I would like it.  Yes!  They needed to be able to wash their hands down there when they are working.  Nice to have a functional sink!

This was the first year that the boys stayed awake until midnight on New Year's Eve.  Dagan and Leah are not country music fans, but that is what they found that had a ball drop central time.  Liam almost fell asleep at like ten to midnight, so Ian kept him awake.  They did a happy dance celebration!

Yes, the new year is here!  My word is "change"...and the first thing I had planned to do was change my routine this winter before I move.  Best laid plans--again--lol!  Been feeling poorly, but that is still the plan...eventually--ROFL!  I just hope to be able to make it to my annual regular doctor appointment on Wednesday.  I had to postpone Christmas and my dentist checkup so far.  Just been on a bout of bad days...as happens.  Annoying but nothing new.  This too shall pass.

Meanwhile, I can hardly wait for the new watercolor art journals to arrive.  Want to play with both new books as guides.  I have really disliked hated the student grade paper in the journals I made for however long it's been...goodness, could have been fifteen years ago?!  I just look at those journals that took so long to make and my heart sinks.  I really do hate that buckly, bumpy, porous paper.  I have decided to take the ones with that Dick Blick student paper in them apart!  Life is too short to use lousy, difficult paper...but as long as they are here I feel obligated to use them--lol!  They've been hanging over my head for way, way too long.  I can save the covers and remake them with artist grade paper.

I know two of them were made with a completely different brand of student grade paper.  I haven't even tried those because they were the larger ones as I recall and therefore quite intimidating to this newbie.  So I plan to try them (they could even be better quality).  But if they are also terrible...take them apart, too, and refill them.  Which I can't even do right now as my bookbinding supplies are packed away somewhere.  *sigh*  But I can certainly take them apart!  Now!  I already have good quality large sheets of watercolor paper and waxed thread that I can use to refill them...so that may be the first project for my new studio. :)  Really, life is just too dang short.  I refuse the let these crummy paper art journals hang over my head for the next fifteen years--LOL!  In all these years I have only finished one of them and started another.  I think I made four or five of them!  That was why I packed away my good journals and left these out...was trying to force myself to use them.  Bleh!  Hasn't worked--lol!  Time for a change, eh?  

Change.  New year.  Fresh starts.  And new watercolor journals in the mail--lol!  ;)

I hope you all had a good new year and are feeling well.  Despite health annoyances, the year is off to a good start.  Overall picture is bright.  Allie and I wish you well.  Until next week...