It seems odd or This That and the Other

As I write this, it is early Sunday afternoon.  I went to Mass yesterday at 5 PM.  Pixie got me up early, and I had to take her for a walk in the front yard.

It seems odd, but it's not, that I haven't gotten out of my pajamas yet.

This is rare.

Jenny's cat, Fred, is busy prowling around the house.

He walks by Pixie, and he glares at her.

She just sighs because he's leaving her alone and that makes Pixie happy.

The sky is gray.

We're waiting the first big snowstorm of the season.

The prediction for us is 6-12 inches.

I'm glad I don't have any place where I have to be tomorrow.

I'm not sure when the snow is predicted to begin, but I plan to be safely situated in my home when it does

Pixie is feeling better.  I was terrified on Thanksgiving morning when she was dragging her left hind leg.  Our hosts for Thanksgiving were gracious and let us bring Pixie along and put her in their bedroom while we had dinner.  I couldn't have left her home alone.

She has a degenerative disease in her spine, and it's very painful, but we didn't find that out until Friday.  I was so grateful that my son was home.  He was able to carry her when she couldn't walk.

The meds kicked in quickly and Pixie felt better.

Saturday, she had a panic attack which meant we had to go back to the vet.

She had a laser treatment on her back and on her leg, and that helped.

She's on 4 new medications, and she will have to be on them for the rest of her life.

Things could be worse.  I'm glad they aren't.

So, we wait.  The medications make Pixie sleepy.  That's okay.  I have things to do, and she still wants to see me every second that she's awake.  Some things need to be done out of her sight like dishes, the bathroom, etc.  She doesn't understand that.  Since the pain is decreased, she is not in a panic.  I'm glad she can sleep.

Since, I am still in my PJ's, I might take a nap, too.

That sounds like a wonderful idea!

Night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Worth Repeating: Random Thoughts of Thanksgiving

1) Even though they aren't supposed to get along, they do!  I'm thankful.
 

2) The stem cell transplant is over, and Jenny is coming home early.  I'm thankful.
 

3)  I'm tired and worn out, but that means I'm alive.  I'm thankful.
 

4) I have two wonderful children who have proven the strength of their characters in this time of crisis.  I'm thankful.
 

5) Life will become more routine again.
I'm thankful.
 

6) Life goes on.  I'm thankful.
 

7) We have been changed for better or worse.  I'm thankful.
 

8) Our lives are certainly NOT dull.
I'm thankful.
 

9) Lemons into lemonade--the bitter with the sweet.  I'm thankful.
 

10) True friends and family, they've been here with us.  I'm thankful.

What are your random thoughts of thanksgiving?

Sculpture and Polymer Clay

I have a great love for Mary,

the Mother of God.

(Yes, I know that this is not one of my Catholic Blogs.)

It's just that I've been on a journey with polymer clay,

and 

this is part of the evolution.

My faith is beginning to be expressed in my art.

In all honesty, 

I am not sure why I began this particular journey of the 

Madonna.

I just knew it was a path on the journey.

With Christmas coming up,

I wanted to have a 

Madonna

made for my home, 

not as a part of the decorating, but as a permanent part of my decor.

So, it began with the round Madonna on the left.

I have found out that I am 31% native American.  This influenced the Madonna, the woman I call 

"Queen of All Peoples."

Next to her is the woman I call

"Madonna of the Snow."

We got our first real snowfall that day.

She's the only Madonna that is not hold the Child Jesus in her arms.

Next to her is the
"Queen of the Universe."

Directly under her is

"Mama Mary, the Mother of God."

Next to her is 

"The Queen of Refugees."

Those are my Madonnas.

In between, I was still working on this mosaic of Pixie.  She's my first one of 

"The Girl."

Today, I finished framing the Madonnas and Pixie.  I am very happy with the results, 

and,

hopefully,

tomorrow, they will hang in my living room.

Not to be forgotten, here's Pixie's mosaic.  

The lighting wasn't good,

and 

there was a reflection, but you get the idea!

So, until Tomorrow.

Buh-bye!

Are You Ready?

Thursday,

THIS

THURSDAY,

is Thanksgiving!

The holiday season is getting ready to explode.

Next Sunday

is the first Sunday of Advent.

A month and two days from today

IS

Xmas!

Oh.

My.

Goodness!

Are  you ready for that news?

I'm not.

On top of that, 

Today is Monday, too.

Sigh.

Well, maybe you're much more organized than I am.

I'll be lucky to get my tree set up before Xmas Eve.

Oh, well, life is truly an adventure here.

I wish you the best of the holiday season.

I wish you breath.

I wish you patience.

I wish you joy.

I wish you the best of the best.

Most importantly,

I wish you peace.

Now, if you are the driver in front of me who

INSISTS 

on driving below the speed limit,

PLEASE

GET

OUT 

OF 

MY 

WAY!

Merry Xmas!

 

Be Grateful!

Moments

I found the ginkgo tree, actually, not one tree, but two trees.  I found the first tree at the end of the block.  I knew it had to be near because I found the first leaves in that area when I was most despondent.  The leaves are great consolations to me.  The trees are a sign of prosperity and hope in Japan.  After the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, to end World War II, at point zero, where the bomb exploded, a ginkgo tree survived the impact and remained standing, intact, with its leaves on the tree.  I found the second tree, literally, in front of my nose.  I knew it had to be near, but I never thought it would be directly across the street.  The moment I saw the tree was sweet.

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

  

After the events of this week in Paris and other places in the world, I had to really stop and think about things for which I could be thankful.

I'm tired of hearing the news, but here's my list.

1) I am thankful that, so far, our country is safe.  

2) I am thankful that our law enforcement officers are willing to work so hard to protect our country.

 

3) I am thankful that we have so many dedicated women and men, in the military,  who are willing to risk their lives  to protect us.

One Word

Peace

Worth Repeating: Focus on Life: One word

Hope

Put On Your Sunglasses, the BEADS are BRIGHT!

Did you put your sunglasses on yet?

I made these components this weekend.

They were really fun to make.

They brightened up my day!

Today, I made two necklaces from the components.

I'll show those to you on Thursday.

I'm hoping to make some earrings, too.

We shall see.

The components are made from polymer clay, and no two are exactly alike.

Once I finish the jewelry,

I will probably make more components for my Etsy store.

So, stay tuned!

I think you'll like the results!

Oh, if you could PIN this post, I'd appreciate it.  

It helps to spread the word!

Thank you!

Progress...

Joy is a work in progress.

She's made from polymer clay.

Well, I think she's almost finished,

but

I'm not sure what to do next. 

I took this photo about a week ago, and since then, I had to change her skirt because her skirt was brittle and broke off.

My mistake.

Learn.

I made a background for her.

No, you can't see it very well.

That's the problem.

I had her right there,

but

I didn't hold her up against the background.

Like I said,

I also had to change her skirt.

I added shoes, too.

Behind Joy, but very covered up,

is an ocean or lake, whatever you want to call it.

Also, the background I used to photograph her was too small.

More pictures later.

I'll show you the rest of the scene in the next photo.

Never mind the look of my work table.

At least you can see the other sign and the ocean or lake behind her.  

I might leave her as she is,

but,

I'm not sure.

We shall see.

What do you think I should do?

Also, feel free to PIN this story on

Pinterest.  

Thanks for looking.

Back to LIfe...Letting the Awful go and beginning to live again....

 At this moment,

these bits of eye candy are available on 

Art Beads.

It's pink and purple weekend.

Here's the link.

HERE

There's a lot of other beautiful eye candy there, too.

So, come join us!

It's fun!

Sometimes, You Just Can't Fix Ugly

I've decided that, sometimes,

you just can't fix ugly.

This heart will be in the garbage soon.

This is an ugly that I just can't fix and make better.

As I write this, I am taking a break from the TV.

What's out there is ugly,

and there's nothing I can do.

I can't fix it.

Paris.

Japan.

The only thing I can do is pray.

Pray for Peace.

Pray for Paris.

Pray for Japan.

Please join me.

If you don't believe in prayer, like Pope Francis said, 

send good thoughts to the people who were hit with such tragedies.

Thank you.

A Moment

The setting sun turned the sky above it red, orange, blue, purple, and yellow.  The colors pierced her heart like swords full of painful memories.  She didn’t mind being alone.  She liked that.  She hurt from the rejection, again. 

In only a moment, she knew. 

She remembered the acceptance of another place.  She was unique in a field of flowers that were the same.  There she was treasured for being unique.   The same person.  Different place. 

She smiled and thanked God for those memories.  Life would never be dull.  She laughed and ate her popcorn. 

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

 

 

 

 

1) This rain could have been a lot of snow.  Our grass is still green, not brown or white.  That's really big for this time of year.

 

2) Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, or so.  Weight Watcher's is going well.  I've lost 10 pounds to date!  Now, I just have to learn how to watch my weight during the holidaze!

 

 

 3)  Pixie knows it's cold now.  She refuses to get out of bed unless lured by the promise of a treat!  The Girl keeps me laughing.

This, That, and the Other

THIS

Something artistic to show.

These are some prototypes for buttons I hope to make and develop with polymer clay.

I like the big, blue flower buttons the best.

The white buttons were made by adding crushed rose petals to the polymer clay. 
I thought the clay would turn pink or rose, but it stayed white.

The specks in the clay are

the crushed rose petals.

I plan to do a little more work on the purple button with the appendages.

Do you think little shoes would be cute?

THAT

I reopened my Etsy shop.

I hope to get back on my torch soon.

Right now I have polymer clay beads there.

Take a look.

I love the clay, too!

Click

HERE

to go to my Etsy Store.

THE OTHER

You can start looking for me in some of the Facebook groups that sell beads.

I need to pick out some beads and get the camera going.

Then, of course, I have to edit the pictures.

It might not be until this weekend.

I'll post links on my Facebook Business Page.

Click

HERE

for that link. 

While you're there, if you could like my page, I'd be most grateful!!!

Thanks.

Worth Repeating: Top Ten Reasons Why I Make Glass Beads

1) Colors

2) Challenge

3) Meditation

4) Friends I've met

5) Friends I've never met

6) Bead Shows

7) Creativity

8) Passion

9) Shape

10) Melting Glass


What is your passion? What are your reasons for loving your craft?

Check out my Facebook Business Page to see some Listings

If you're interested in polymer clay headpins,

contact me on Facebook.  I'm just starting to build up my albums. 

I can't say they are for sale on Facebook, 

so I just say, check for availability.

The headpins in my album that are available are 

$10 each pair + shipping.

Shipping is

$3 USA or $10 everywhere else.

Here's the link to my 

business page.

HERE

You'll find more headpins there.

Thanks.

On Waking Up and Realizing It's Monday

When I was working, Monday came too quickly.

I would drag myself to work, and if I found a friend who was just as cranky as me,

I would commiserate with that friend about the evils of Monday,

and everything was out of joint.

And then came Tuesday!

It finally occurred to me that maybe being this down about Monday was affecting my life and my attitude.

Duh!

About this time, I also stumbled on articles about happiness and gratitude.  It seems that if you are a grateful person,

you are also a more happy person. 

So I tried it out.

Less complaining, especially on Mondays,

and

more gratitude, even for Mondays.

I finally decided that if I could wake up on any given day, and find 2-3 things for which I could be grateful, then I went into my day with a much more positive attitude.

The world really became a better place, 

even on Mondays.

The same goes for the end of the day.

I tried to find 3-5 things for which I was grateful.

I found myself becoming a happier person.

The evening tied into the morning gratitude, 

and

the morning gratitude tied into the evening.

Have you ever tried keeping a gratitude journal or simply acknowledging the things for which you are grateful each day?

I'd love to hear what you think about this?

If you feel up to it, please leave a comment.

Thanks.

 

Erma Bombeck

A Moment in Time

A friend of mine and I were enjoying brunch today at a local restaurant.  We enjoy each other's company and spend most of our time talking.  As we were busy chatting, and our time together began at 10:30 AM and ended at 1 PM, our waitress came up and said that our check had been paid, and she nodded to the rough looking gentleman behind us, wearing a leather Harley jacket, accompanied by his, obviously, adored little girl.  They got ready to leave and my friend asked him if he had paid our bill.  He smiled and said. "Yes," and he walked out the door.  We tried to thank him, but he walked out very quickly.  

Can you imagine being the recipient of such a kindness?

Wow!

What a day!

 

Three Beautiful Things This Week

Three Beautiful Things This Week was inspired by a wonderful blog that Clare writes called Three Beautiful Things. Everyday, Clare writes about 3 Beautiful Things that happen each day in her life. It's a wonderful blog! I can only hope to imitate her in a very small way.

1) I'm having a wonderful supper of linguini with clams and shrimp!  I can hardly wait!

 2) I'm home again, and loving it!

3) We had unbelievable weather this week.  We reached a high of 70 one day which is unbelievable for Minnesota in November. 

I Made a Decision Today

I'm going to be nicer to me.

On the next rainy day, I'm going to play.  I'll read a book.  I'll color a picture.  I'll cook something special for me, even if the points are a little bit high.

I'll stay in bed and watch TV.

I'll shower, then get back into my sleep pants and sleep the rest of the day away.

On our next snow day, I'm not going out.  I'll live in my PJ's.

I'll cuddle with Pixie.

I'll make beads or I'll play with my clay.

I'll eat when I'm hungry.

I'll drink when I'm thristy.

I'll just take care of me.

Right now, that's all I want to do,

and

That is Okay!

Worth Repeating: My Intentions for Today

One of the reasons I love animals is that they tend to live in the moment, no questions asked.  If there's food, they eat it.  If there's someone to pet them, they enjoy it.  If there's danger, they run.
If they're tired, they sleep.

Obviously, Walter is living, that is, sleeping in the moment.  He was tired, so he lay down on my bed and went to sleep.  Never mind that I was planning to use the space creatively.  Never mind that I had hopes of using my computer there, too.  He was happy to live in the moment, make himself comfortable and sleep.

I had to stop and think about this.  I had wanted to hammer and make some components for a bracelet I was going to make.  Since I wasn't in control of the environment, (I have been well trained,) I stopped.  Walter needed his sleep.  I fussed a bit about this.  Then the decision was easy.  I decided to be happy.  I put away my tools.  I crawled into bed, and I took a nap.  When we both woke up, we felt better.   I was less crabby, and that felt good.

Call it making lemons into lemonade, or simply realizing that I can't control what other people do or say.  (In this case it was an animal, a cat.)  I can only control my reaction to what is said or done.  I was happy I took the nap. My intention for today was to accomplish something concrete.  It didn't work out, but I learned.  Animals know what to do.  They don't worry about the future.  They only think about the now.  I'm not sure I could live this way, but I'm sure happy I took that nap!

What do you do when you get stressed?  How do you react to what people say and do?  I'm interested.  Let me know!

One Word

Sleep.

I Like Growing Old or Old Age is not for Sissies...

I'm enjoying myself more and more

as I age.

I dyed my hair pink a year and a half ago.

That caused a bit of a stir.

I've sure enjoyed having 

pink hair.

I hope to have my hair pink until the day I die.

There are those women who have come up to me and said,

"I wish I had your courage."

It doesn't take courage,

it just takes hair dye.

Why not have some fun?

I bought a wonderful pair of slippers.

Actually, I thought I was just buying some very warm shoes.

Turned out they were slippers.

They have hard souls.

They look a bit funky.

I put them on in the morning, and I tend to forget them.

I'm sure on a snowy day, I will remember to change them, I hope!

i wear bright colored clothes and funky shoes.

I wear clunky jewelry that stands out in a crowd.

You can have your gold and your silver, too.

I'll take my glass and polymer clay with great big focals and beads

and earrings that hang to my shoulders.

 

I learned a great trick from my doctor.

She keeps reminding me that I'm geriatric.

Sheesh!

I have Reynaud's Syndrome in my hands.

That means they get really cold.

Use Vicks or Icy Hot on them and they will warm up quickly.

That's one of the challenges of age,

you do smell like Vick's a lot!

 

I have started to read the obituaries.

I remember the "old folks" doing that.

It's just that, at my age,

many people younger than me have begun to die.

I am surprised at some of the names I see, and I wonder...

 

Things change.

Times change.

People change.

I've already lived longer than I am going to live.

I feel blessed.

A Day of Rest or This, That, and the Other....

THIS

I'm going to try to get organized,

she said, while falling on the floor,

laughing and nearly wetting her pants.

No, really.

This time she had to go to the bathroom before she wet her pants.

Ok, I'll try that again.

At least on Facebook, I am because on November 5-6

the Facebook Group,

Art Beads,

is having a finished earring extravaganza!

If you would like to see a preview of the earrings that I will have for sale, or after the event see those that didn't sell,

you can go to my

Rosebud's Lampwork Page

to see them.

Whew!  That was a lot to say!  Anyway, check it out!

If you wanted to like my page, I wouldn't stop you!

That would be AWESOME!

I'll be putting more in that album tonight.

THAT

I'm reading a great book.  It's the newest book by the Bloggess. aka, Jenny Lawson,

called 

Furiously Happy.

She'll be in Minnesota tomorrow night.  I'd love to go see her, but that might not be the right place for Jenny to be since she still has to avoid crowds so that she doesn't get sick.

This is a book I would highly recommend.  

I'd also recommend reading her blog,

The Blogess.

She makes you smile, and she makes you cry.

Sorry, we won't see you!

THE OTHER 

I spent a little time sleeping and napping yesterday.  That's a great combination!

I hope to do more of both in the coming weeks.

See you tomorrow!