Tuesday-10am

Good Morning!

T Stands For Tuesday already.  

Where did the week go?

As you can see, I was up before dawn a couple of times. 

Sleep has still been see-sawing from decent to bad.  More bad than decent, so I haven't accomplished much lately. 

This is what it looked like yesterday--a mere smattering of snow remained on the ground.  But this morning it is snowing and blowing--very white out there.  Not expected to last long, though.

Since we last spoke, I won the "Love Coupon" stamp set from the Precious Remembrance Shop's YouTube channel! 

I know the perfect little boy who just might get coupons when he's a little older for playtime with clay or crayons or paint or paper & scissors with Gramma.  ;) 

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I also ordered a set of stamps from the Sweet Stamp Shop.

It's called Plan to Work... 

...and has all these teeny, tiny stamps... 

...perfect for a planner or bullet journal! 

They also sell a whole series of other "Plan to__" stamps sets.  So very cute!!

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Miss Karma received a birthday present package from Tori in England!!

I forgot to mention that Karma was ten years old on February 5th, but Tori remembered!  Thanks so much Tori!  Karma loves them...of course.  ;)

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I did make a JetPens order for FriXion pen refills, like I mentioned.  But the really exciting purchase I could hardly wait to get my hands on was the orange and grey pen/pencil case on top of my bullet journal...next to my favorite red Thermos cup, of course.

I know...they were out of red ones...but this was too cool to hope they would restock and wait with fingers crossed--LOL!  (You never know on JetPens if items like this will be around or for how long.) 

You can unzip it from the bottom... 

...and fold the top back. 

Voila!!  A standing pen holder!! 

It has a couple pockets, too.  And say you just want to quick grab only one pen...well, if you zip from the top down you can reach in that way, too.  Now I can more easily drag around all my Frixion pens (and a little ruler) with my bullet journal no matter where I go.  Isn't this just awesome!?   

And--tada!--I found a spot (with a ton of room to grow) for my washi tapes (and the teeny, tiny regular colored tapes I bought umpteen years ago).  I found this ArtBin thin satchel that was empty in my closet and they fit perfectly. 

Got a few more washi tapes, too, on sale from JetPens.  Maybe they are on the way out.  I've seen a lot of them on sale here and there online.  Well, kind of good for me, I guess. 

Oh, and I did get a hold of the sticker company about the calendar stickers from Amazon to complain that they were 2012 and not marked as such.  The lady replied that if I scrolled down below in the written description it did say 2012 (thought I had read the whole thing--could have missed it), but then why it there no year and does it say they could be used for a mini desk calendar, etc, up on the top of the description?  She said people use old calendars as decoration for art projects so they never get rid of old product.  (Why would anyone want to make a "decorative" three year old desk calendar?)

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Anyways, she said she could mail me a 2015 set and I should contact Amazon for a refund.  I did contact Amazon and got a refund--and I amended my review a little, but still warned people to read very carefully.  I noticed now that there were some calendar stickers on Amazon from them that boldly said they were from 2013, but that the ones I bought still had no year up at the top.  Maybe they will fix them all?  And we'll see if she really sends me the 2015 stickers.  I'll let you know.  

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Meanwhile, Karma snoozed while I actually did get to the art table for a little while. 

Okay--this took me forever to get back to and I didn't do much, but I finally completed the first challenge for DLP (Documented Life)--"Be your own goalkeeper".  I printed off my 2015 goals & my purge list, made an envelope and the 2015 header from some patterned paper.  Done!  I finally finished one challenge--ROFL!   

You may recall I also have a dedicated journal for the J52 (Journal52) group.  Yes, I guess I can see what I write through the exuberant ink play--LOL!  

Well, I only got so far as to putting gesso on the backside (next to the page I used up the rest of the orange ink making circles).  But at least I did something.

I hate intensely dislike the puckered pages.  I might have to skip to another page because I got that far and couldn't bring myself to do anything else on that bumpy, lumpy, hills & valleys page.  I know.  I know.  I have puckered page issues.  I know they don't bother most people, but I just can't change me now.  Maybe I'll have to use just one side of the pages to get through these journals I made.  I will never use cheaper, student-grade paper ever again.  That I can promise you--LOL!  

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I still have a few more packages to arrive for February.  Oh--this was interesting.  Tracking on a FedEx package said: "customer nominated third-party customs broker has been notified of shipment arrival."  What the heck!?!  This is being shipped entirely within the US.  Third-party customs broker?  And this customer certainly never nominated them...and being nominated does not mean you won the vote--LOL!  It really does make one wonder where our packages really go and who actually handles them?

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 Anyways, it's 28 degrees--still snowing and blowing.  Enough that I couldn't get a picture because of all the fine snow on the windows.  Karma is sleeping in my lap.  And it's getting time for toast and more coffee!  ;)

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What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the Sunset."

Crowfoot, a leader of the Blackfoot nation   

Friday-4:45am

I've been up since 4am so I decided to say hello.  Leah and Ian came over Tuesday late afternoon.  Dagan came over after work.  The plan was to order dinner, Leah and I were going to work on sewing plans, and they were going to put together the new bathroom spacesaver for over my toilet.  Ian was in a great mood.  Can you see those bottom two teeth?

This boy loves the camera. 

 Well, turns out it was a hassle to use the coupon with the online site...took longer to order than expected.  We had a delicious dinner from Ruby Tuesdays.  (What a treat for me!)  Dagan started taking the old spacesaver apart...and Ian kind of fell apart.  He's got an upper tooth that is close to coming through the gum.  He felt like he was running a low temp and it was getting closer to his bedtime...nothing worked to calm him down.  so Dagan hauled the old spacesaver out by the dumpster and out the door they went.

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Wednesday was a sunny morning so Miss Karma was catching her rays.

Karma, also, loves the camera in her way.  She begins stretching... 

...rubbing her head on the floor... 

...kind of petting her own sweet self--LOL! 

Then kind of looks up at me like...did you get that?  Was that good? 

We actually had sun again today yesterday, too.  I believe it got into the 20s the last couple days.  

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Anyways, Leah came back this afternoon yesterday (can't tell I have hardly slept, it's still pitch black out, and I still think it's Thursday) and we decided to focus strictly on the sewing plans.  Ian was in a good mood... 

...and stayed in a good mood.  He is ready to call it a night when it gets to be around 7ish because he goes to sleep around 8:00.  But no loud protesting this time.  :)  Much happier boy...even though he still felt warm and his cheeks were flushed.  

Leah and I worked on making drawings and templates and planning fabrics.  It always takes us longer than we think it will--LOL!  Dagan came over after work and Ian took a nap on Daddy's lap for a while, too.  We had spaghetti and broccoli for dinner.  I kissed a smiley boy goodbye last night.  ;)  

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Now I can start on the pads and pantyliners this weekend.  We read online that I should have some kind of ball needles for the sewing machine before I start sewing them.  Never heard of ball needles.  Denim needles I know about (need more of those, too).  But first I have to make the final patterns and do a lot of cutting, anyways.  Be warned, Miss Brother!  I'll be back soon!  LOL!

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  Obviously didn't get much sleep at all.  Could use a nap already.  Blogger was giving me troubles getting the pics up and it's already 6:30am.  Friday.  Yes, it's Friday.  It will feel more like a new day after the sun comes up--LOL!  

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So--have a happy weekend, everybody!  

Keep smiling!  :) :)

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"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

Tuesday-2pm

Well, it's afternoon and this will be super brief today.  I forgot to take a picture of my red coffee cup for T Stands For Tuesday, too.  Probably won't get around to visiting the group till later or tomorrow, either.  Goodness!

Caroline went shopping for me today and I just got everything put away.  Leah and Ian are supposed to come by soon so Leah and I can discuss sewing plans. 

This is what it looks like right now.  Yes!  We are getting a tiny bit of snow. 

So--I haven't much time today, but wanted to pop in and say hello.  Do you think Miss Karma has enough beds up off the floor on these cold days--ROFL! 

It's 14 degrees (-10 C) up here in Fargo.  And it is now February...which is National Letter Writing Month, people!  I never knew that.  Nice!  Good month here to stay inside and write letters where it's nice and warm, I guess.  ;)  Where did January go, though?  

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Have a great week.  

Hope to chat more next time!  :):)  

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"Take everything you like seriously, except yourself."

Rudyard Kipling

Tuesday-9:45am

And Tuesday morning it is!

I captured the pre-dawn horizon glow...

(was it Monday? Sunday?)...

...before all the automatic lights... 

...retired for the day. 

We had sun for a couple hours before the clouds rolled in... 

...and took over the day. 

This morning we have thick fog.

You can see its been above freezing.  Again--not even a dusting of snow.  Brown grass.  

Yet I hear you are getting super dumped on again out east in the US.  We haven't had one good snowstorm up here yet this winter.  Strange.

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Well, since I finally finished the tote, I wanted to finish with my planners, too.  So I worked on the Franklin Covey...got all the addresses transferred and the Christmas card list, etc.  Just need a set of alphabet tags to move all my passwords.  My "Information Station" is coming along quite nicely.  Then I do have a red filofax that I organized for art and craft stuff and as a kind of catch all for anything that doesn't go in the Franklin.  Got that done.  Whoohoo!

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Since I have decided, after using it for almost a month now, how I think I want to set up my Bullet I thought I may as well set up February.  Not until I was almost done did I realize that the days were all wrong!  I had only used 1-31 for January on the big task list page and hadn't marked days of the week next to the numbers--but I decided I wanted to add the days from now on, right?  And what the heck!?  They were all wrong.  ??

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I brought over my laptop and checked the calendar online...and the monthly stickers I bought on Amazon and were using as my reference...were not right!?  (And--yes--they came wrinkled like this, too.) 

I finally see on the back...2012!!! 

2012!?!?!? 

Who would buy 2012 stickers in 2015?  Why were they even selling 2012 calendar stickers?  It never occurred to me they wouldn't be current!!

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Buyer beware.

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What a mess!!

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Silver lining...I had used my FriXion pens and highlighters so that I could erase.  But...in addition...my thin .38 blue I've been using a lot...ran out of ink.  So I had to repair with my 0.5 blue which is much fatter, as you can see.  (This drives my OCD side up the wall--won't be rid of this sloppy view till March--sigh.)

Now I know that the slim .38s that have the thin line I so love...well, they have refills less than half the size of the 0.5s...so they will run out of ink a lot faster.  But they do sell refills for all sizes at JetPens.  So you know I will have to make an order in February.  Oh, and they sell washi tape...  ;)

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Meanwhile...I searched online to find a free one-page calendar I could print--tada!

Cut apart the months and I can add them with skinny tapes. 

Yes!  Guess what?  I forgot I had this set of tiny tapes (on the left hand side of the box) that I bought years ago!   

They were all these plain colors in a variety of thicknesses for super cheap--who could resist?  But they got shoved away and I actually forgot about them until I ordered washi tapes this month.  

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And then--yes!--see the two rows of plain-colored, even smaller tapes?  They just arrived from Japan!    

Super cheap...around two dollars each for ten rolls, I believe...with no shipped costs...from two different places in Japan (Amazon).  They took almost a month to get here...but now I had to find a box home for my budding collection of washi tapes and tiny tapes--tada!  I think I need more of the pretty, decorated ones, dontcha think?  LOL!  Yes, I have had washi tape on the brain for about a month.  ;)

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Now I know the big difference with washi, too.  You can see how thin the Japanese tape is I used to attach January.  You can see through it even.   

But the old (but still good) non-washi skinny tape I used to attach February is thicker and opaque.  Kind of like teeny tiny matt duct tape--LOL!  It's a lot heavier and I'm not sure it will come off like the washi tape does (quite easily repositionable).  I love the washi!  Amiee's pretty washi tape is also very thin, but not as totally transparent. 

Anyways, as long as I had the Bullet journal and my camera out and people have been asking me how I use my Bullet...so thought I'd show you what has been working for me.  I have two pages at the beginning of each month.  (They weren't even on the same page spread in January and in the opposite order--which doesn't matter to me, just so I have them both.)

One page has the mini calendar, goal/project list for the month, and the writing list for the month--letters, birthday cards, etc, will be listed there.  (Yes, I do quite a bit of letter writing most months).  Then the other page is the monthly task check-chart for things that repeat every day or weekly.  (The highlighting is to help me remember T Stands For Tuesday.)

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Then I set up about a week on a page for the month.  I want to fit only that month in that month's section so some "weeks" are longer and some shorter.  Like the first page in February will go Sunday to Sunday.  I can have up to 9-10 days on a page or 3 days...however I feel like dividing up the month. 

I drew some checklist boxes about 2/3rds the way down the sides of the pages, but have left the rest of the page blank.  On the bottom I can list specific days I am supposed to go somewhere or someone is supposed to come over.  Could jot notes down there if I need to--whatever.   

As you can see, this works for me because I seldom have appointments and don't leave the house much--LOL!  I can add more checkboxes for that week if I need them, too.  I color code instead of using the actual bullet symbol system because I have been color coding on my desk calendars for years so that works best for me.  (I do love the little additions of color with the tapes!!) 

This works well for me because any and all plans in my life are tentative.  If I have a bad day...or two...or three...I don't have to rewrite everything over and over.  I have a longer period of time to get the things done on my list.  Less stress.  Less time spent.  Less paper used.  

I am loving it!!

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Oh, before I forget...here's my red coffee cup for T-Day.  My trusted companion while I struggled to repair the Bullet as best I could.  Oh, and--Note--when you are erasing with FriXion pens the heat will also start to make whatever is on the backside disappear, too.  Especially if you are aggravated and really pressing hard and fast and furious--LOL!  (Just ended up making more work for myself.)  

BTW--I did write a very negative review warning people not to buy the stickers because they were for 2012.  And other calendar stickers from that company did say 2015 but the one I bought didn't say a year (tricky).  I only paid $2.13, I believe, for them--but they were now up to $7.98!  Last I looked, anyways.  They're still selling two kinds from 2012, though.  Now I can tell when I know how January is supposed to start...not on a Sunday.

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When I plopped down in my chair in disgust over the stickers...I looked over and saw Miss Karma looking totally relaxed.  She didn't want her picture taken, though.  Wouldn't give me the time of day. 

Speaking of pictures.  :):) 

I love my rotating picture frame! 

Ian with food all over his face. 

They jump all over in time...from smiling on the couch...  

...to his first hours in the hospital... 

...to sitting up by himself.  :):)

For those of you who asked what T Stands For Tuesday is...you can click here or on one of the other links in this post.  We just get together (with links) on Tuesdays to share whatever it is we have been drinking and doing.  I'm the boring black coffee drinker with the same old cups--LOL!  I am drinking Starbucks House Blend today.  It's easy to join us or you could just come over and check out what everyone else has been up to without joining anything.  Nice group of ladies.  Well, all ladies so far.  :)

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Anyways, I am usually one of the last people to link up on Tuesdays.  Guess I should go see what they have been up to, eh?  Have a great week...from foggy in Fargo.  ;)

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Don't take any wooden nickels...or old calendars!  LOL!  :):)

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"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."

Marcus Aurelius