Let’s take a trip

First we need to go back in time. It's December 24th, we're at my parents house on Damariscotta Lake and it's about 3:00 in the afternoon. The last two days have been windy and rainy, but today we have weak winter sun and very few clouds in the sky. In an hour the sun will be setting and one of the best places to watch the sun set is a little stretch of land in East Boothbay Maine, called Madeleine Peyroux into the cd player to pass the time.

(30 minute time lapse) Wow, that was fast...
Look, you can start to see the ocean!

Ah, here we are, slowing down to a snail's crawl to see what we can from the warmth of the truck. We'll park just up ahead...
here, on this curve
Look at that view!
Are you ready to get out and brave the elements?

Feel that wind, it'll just about knock you over and make you wish that parka's came with wood stoves!! Aren't you glad that you bundled up?
Be careful of those rocks, they're slick in some spots (as you can see from the algae green stain on my left knee where I slid - oh but that will be a bruise tomorrow!)

Even the seagulls are struggling to fly.
Can you feel the sea spray?
Look what some other dear adventurer left behind for us. Portent of good things to come, maybe?
Sadie doesn't get to the ocean often.
She's loving this! But I think it's time to head back to the truck. That wind is just a bit much and my hands are frozen. How 'bout you? We'll drive up toward the Ocean Point Inn. It's closed now, but we'll just drive past.

Can you see all the debris that the wind and high seas from the day before threw up onto the road? That must have looked wild!
Oh, lets go see my favorite house down here
It's just up this way.
How cool is that? It's a year 'round house, so we can't go walk around the grounds (and I think there's a car in the driveway now!)

Shall we head for home? It's after 4:00 and that sun's about to set. Take one last look at Ocean Point, my friends. We'll have to come back again in the summer!

**************************************

I'm so happy that you were able to go with me! I've been wanting to do this for some time and Paula's walk to school really inspired me.

Did you enjoy our trip? We'll have to do it again sometime!

So Much

Has it really been 9 days since my last post? 9 DAYS? Wow! Christmas/Yule went by in a flash...it didn't seem like it went by that quickly, but looking back...I just can't believe it!

Well I hope you all had a lovely holiday season, a good time spent with friends and family, good food and fun activities! I had a wonderful "Night before the Solstice" hanging out with friends; Solstice Night was spent at my parents, baking and crafting and watching movies. I'm the only Pagan in my family - the rest are some form of Christian (we were all raised Catholic), so I celebrate Yule and Christmas.

I was able to finish my friend's lap quilt (my present to her):

I was also able to finish the dollhouse! Oh, I am so happy with the way this came out! We are talking love love love love love love love!!! It was so worth all the hot glue burns and the lack of feeling in my fingertips (from said hot glue gun), the hours...the days...spent putting this little house together! And my friend Juli was in such shock, such surprise at receiving her very own dollhouse. I wish I'd had my camera - the look on her face was priceless! Here is the finished product (and more up-close and personal ones here):

There are little bits that I didn't get to add to it that I so wanted to, but I ran out of time...like the flower pots and the little bowls and the pictures, oh and the coffee table book of Elvis. Juli and I have this long running Elvis joke...it's not based on the fact that we're big fans or anything so mundane, it's based on a comment Juli made way back when we were...oh, 14 or 15, about Elvis living under her bed wearing a jelly donut costume (don't ask, it was a late night and definitely a "you had to be there" moment). Since that time it's just escalated into weird and sometimes obnoxious Elvis gifts...like the madly blinking mini Christmas tree decorated with glitter glued handmade Elvis ornaments, the 3D puzzle "Bust of Elvis" or the life size Elvis cutout wearing a Santa hat (that was the best, I stuck it in a corner of Juli's room and she didn't notice it right away, as she was in a hurry and was trying to change her clothes for something. Well, she whipped off her shirt, turned around and let out a scream that could be heard for miles and it was immediately followed by "THAT BITCH!" and a phone call to me filled with laughing vulgarities about how she thought some weird guy had gotten into her room. Obviously I won the Elvis war that year! Juli has won this year with the singing Elvis ornament that just won't shut up.)

Anyway, this holiday was splendid! Many grand gifts were given and received, family time spent, amazing food eaten (and still eating) and I even got the chance to head to Ocean Point in East Boothbay, Maine on Christmas Eve. Oh what a beautiful place...but I'll post about that and take you all on a little tour tomorrow!

:^)

Do You Hear What I Hear...

In my quest for different music via blog, radio and just talking to my friends, several artists have been mentioned (and thanks to Mel, I can listen via Napster to full albums for free and decide whether or not I want to invest my money - which is much better than spending $$ on a cd that I don't really like, as that $$ can go toward something else):

*Carla Bruni (thanks, Shari! I heard Carla Bruni's "L'amour" on the radio back awhile ago and really enjoyed it but couldn't find out who she was - it was a track that a guest to the radio station played off their iPod)
*Luna (again, thanks Shari)
*Laura Brino (whom I'm loving!)
*Moe...I haven't made up my mind about Moe yet. They're very Phish-esque and I do like some Phish, but after a while...all the songs sound the same or they go on for so long that you start wondering when/if the song will ever end. No offense to anyone really into Phish...just my opinion. But Moe seems to throw in some twang, some harder riffs here and there...I'm skipping through albums trying to draw out some favs but having a hard time
*Neko Case totally rocks and I am so getting her music!

And if anyone caught CBS's Sunday Morning this past Sunday, Cat Power's "The Greatest" and Anjani's "Blue Alert" were mentioned as great gifts to give. Definitely check out Cat Power, if you haven't already! Anjani's old stuff is a little pop-y, but Blue Alert is very bluesy, very smokey and very Leonard Cohen (who co-wrote and produced it).

My posting will be sketchy this week. Yesterday was meetings galore, an hour and forty five minutes stuck in traffic, crawling at a snails pace, outside Portland and then on to the staff holiday party at my house (which rocked, but I never took pictures - duh!) I have Thursday off to work on Christmas presents, then it's off to a holiday gathering of friends at The Liberal Cup in Hallowell (great atmosphere, good people, good live music, the food is so-so as it depends on what you get, the home brew is excellent! You have to get there early to get a table though; it fills up fast!) Friday will see me driving my gift-laden, one horse open sleigh (Mitsubishi Montero Sport), with my furry little elves (Sadie & Tallulah) in tow to the Lake for some yuletide cheer with the fam.

Have a fabulous rest of the week - I'll try to post again before Christmas!

And now for something completely different...

I have a new favorite Christmas song:

"Donde Esta Santa Claus" by Guster

I know they put it out two years ago, but it's one of those songs you forget about because it's not over-played, then you hear it again...out of the blue...driving home after a long day and before you know it, you're chair-dancing in the driver's seat and people are looking at you like you're nuts...but you don't care because this song just lifts your spirit and gets you moving!

On my list of new and/or fun things I want to do, I mentioned picking up a new (new to me) cd each month of someone I've never heard or haven't heard much of, just to expand my musical selection. I missed a lot of US college bands and indie bands when I moved to Canada in '95, but was bombarded with a ton of great Canadian bands, a lot of amazing local New Brunswick talent. But I'm just now starting to realize what I missed out on.

I'm starting to play catch up, now and at this moment it's with Dispatch - I'm really liking their live stuff. All Points Bulletin is currently playing (love "Riddle"). Of course, reading up on them now, I'm wondering where the hell I was to have missed this band? Was I just not paying attention? Was I listening to some other style of music? This is entirely possible - I dated a hardcore punk for about 4 1/2 years and getting him to listen to anything else or go to shows that didn't involve his music was like pulling teeth.

What are you listening to (aside from holiday music)? I'm open to any suggestions in just about any flavor.

Reflections (aka "Thoughts and Things Part II")

"Reflections"

In the comments of my post yesterday, Shari mentioned reflections being good and how the end of the year seemed to be the time when we reflect. After yesterday's post and on top of not feeling well, I was emotionally and mentally feeling out of sorts and disconnected. In a way it was good, though. I started to notice things that I normally don't pay much attention to. Like the reflection in my side mirror when I was stopped in traffic and it all seemed to connect - reflecting on the past year and the reflection in the side mirror of what was already behind me. I was literally looking at the past, of where I had been, while mentally my inner sight was doing the same.

It made me really take stock, as I sat in my truck, in the rain. I realized that no one is spinning my wheels but me, no one is stopping me from doing anything but me and no one is going to just hand me what I want...I don't have to wait for the new year to start these things!

So, since I wasn't feeling well, I left work early (which is when my revelation came about). I went home and made curtains and finished a quilt top that is a Christmas gift (photos to come after the Giftee opens the gift), then sat in a chair and napped for a bit. It made me feel mentally, emotionally and physically recharged. I had my moment of Zen while using my sewing machine and naps always make me feel better.

I'm ready to pay attention to my surroundings, to act on the whims that I have...like taking a road trip or sitting in that bookstore or going out to a pub for a beer...anything that isn't sitting around at home watching tv or feeling like things have stalled!

Thoughts and Things

I skipped drawing class last night. I just didn't feel well. Still don't.

I feel like I have so much on my mind: Christmas and Christmas presents, the staff holiday party at my house, bills and truck worries and...the list seems endless.

I'm feeling so uninspired lately...no that's not right. I feel very inspired by so many things that they're all swirling in my brain and I can't seem to catch them, to focus on them and put them on paper or blog post.

Thinking of the year ahead, I want to do so many things. It's like 2006 went by in such a blur. Days rolled into weeks into months until it's now mid-December and what have a I done? Oh, I know there are all those crafty projects and house projects...and I did get to go to Tennessee. But there was so much more that I wanted to do and didn't. And not elaborate things, simple things...make farmer's market trips a regular weekend thing in the summer; take road trips; spend the day walking around a town I've never explored and take pictures; spend a day in a cafe or bookstore, reading and drinking chai.

2006 felt like everything was "go go go go - fast fast fast - do do do - now now now" and I just didn't stop to enjoy. Yes there were moments, but they seem so few and far between now. I feel as though I wasn't really present when I was hanging out with friends and family. I was there, but mentally I was going through a checklist of things I could be, should be, need to be doing.

I guess I feel that I need to make more of an effort in 2007. I think I want to institute a movie night every other week with my friends, a craft day/night/weekend/whatever once a month or whenever, really get my house organized so that when a crafty-arty inspiration strikes I won't be digging for supplies or worse yet...ignoring it because I don't want to dig for supplies! I want to take pictures of something interesting everyday. I want to buy a new CD every month of a band or singer that I've never heard of and explore their sound and if I don't like it, I'll pass it on...but I want to really expand my musical interests. I want to just take off and road trip alone - take the train to Boston or something...but I want to road trip with friends, too (to have someone to explore with). I want to create guerilla art (I still have my bucket o' chalk - I just never took the time to do it!) I need to rehab my budgeting skills (they're not the best) and take time to go thrifting and antiquing. I need to really take time to garden this year and get energized and finish the projects I started last year (and the year before). I want to go through a major purge session and get rid of all the things taking up space, that are unnecessary...really pare down and revamp not only my house but my life. I don't feel like I'm living...I feel as though I'm just existing. I feel...bored. Not just bored, excruciatingly bored!

It's time for change in my life. Good change, positive change, new people to go with the old ones, new adventures to talk about, new books to read and new projects to try (while I finish the old ones).

Change is good and it's needed. Wish me luck!

Lights aglow

The Hubbard Free Library - Hallowell, Maine

I took a side road home from work through Hallowell one night last week (before it snowed) and the library in Hallowell stood out like a beacon in the night, all it's windows ablaze. It was just so beautiful! I had to stop and take a picture.

I've always been enamored with this little library (even though I don't live in the town).

Mother Nature's Holiday Gift

Surprise and excitement overtook me when I looked out the window this morning.

I bundled into my winter jacket, dug my winter boots out of the closet, threw on my hat and mittens, leashed the dog and stepped out into a winter wonderland!

Snow falling and drifting, covering the trees; everything silent, muffled...the world covered in a wooly blanket of white.

I've never had a dog that loved snow so much as Sadie. She raced around like a wild dog, burrowing into it, covering her whole body, changing her fur color from mostly black to all white. She then collapsed in the house with one of her new Christmas toys (she knows what Christmas is! She loves it! Sadie has her own stocking and wiggles frantically for every toy to be pulled out of it. She grabs them - one at a time - and makes a pile in the center of the room. When the stocking is empty, she sits on top of her pile and plays with the toy that is the most favorite of that minute).

Tallulah is not a fan of snow, she likes to watch it though...from inside the house, in the warmth and comfort of her kitty bed.

I hope that you get glorious winter (or summer) surprises today, too! Have a great weekend all!

2

#1: As promised, the forgotten "What I learned Wednesday" photo

"Paper bags" - pastel charcoal and willow charcoal

It isn't really done; there are a few things that I need to touch up and erase, but I ran out of time in class. I was so shocked at how the erasing of certain areas really makes it pop out!

#2: The Dollhouse

So I'm making a dollhouse for my best friend for Christmas. The story is that when she was little (long before we ever met), her grandmother had this beautiful, huge, old dollhouse that my friend spent hours lovingly playing with every time she visited. She was absolutely in love with this dollhouse.

Secretly she thought of it as hers and knew in her heart that her grandmother, seeing how much she loved this dollhouse, cared for it and played ever so gently with it, would one day give it to her.

During one visit, while she was playing with this dollhouse, my friend let slip how one day she would love to have this dollhouse as her very own, but her grandmother exclaimed, "Oh no, this dollhouse isn't intended for you - I plan to give this to your cousin!" This cousin was mildly mentally challenged and always threw pieces around, trying to break things. My friend's little heart was broken, her spirit crushed and the next time she visited her grandparents, the dollhouse was gone, never to be played with by her again.

Upon hearing this story, my heart broke. After all these years, she still lamented the loss of that dollhouse (she's thirty now). I decided a few months back that I would find a dollhouse kit and make my friend her very own dollhouse. I found a kit for a Lafayette house on Ebay in September and little by little, as I can find what I wanted, I've been buying furniture.

I sat down last night and started to read the directions and familiarize myself with the pieces. As I looked at it I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just start the first couple of steps", then I did a couple more and a couple more until the first floor was almost finished! I'm so impressed with how easy it is! Take a look:

I just love the design! I'm thinking that I'll have to get another one and make it for myself! It's only 4 little rooms with a little spiral staircase and I'm in love with that little window seat (which will be the kitchen). Once I get the first floor partition in, I'll start to paint the downstairs. I'm thinking yellow for the kitchen (it'll go well with the green seat of the kitchen chairs) and the living room will be a victorian red. I haven't figured out the 2 upstairs rooms yet. Before I paint anything I really want to find out what colors she would like, but how do I do that without letting her know what I'm doing? I thought of posing the "What If" question of "What if you owned your own house, what colors would you use?" and follow up with "What would it look like? How would you paint the outside? How would you decorate?" etc. etc. but I couldn't just come out with that question. I need to be sneaky about it. I'll keep thinking on it and figure out how to get around to the House Color questions. I think I need to get her family involved!

Bummed

I had a great "What I learned Wednesday" planned for today, but I was running behind this morning and never took pictures of what I drew last night in class.

As you may recall, we were continuing with fully rendered value. We started with thumbnail sketches in the last class of paper bags and then moved to the big paper to sketch our favorite thumbnail. Last night's class, we were to move on to rending light and shadow.

I wasn't really grasping the concept...I thought I was. I thought I understood it, but I'll admit that I was wrong. I didn't know what the heck I was doing...until my teacher came to my rescue! She showed me how to properly add tone and how to take it away with my eraser. My paper bag didn't really look like much until she showed me how to make it pop. I was so excited that I was really grasping the concept (and she played much better music this week, thankfully!)

I'll take pictures of it tonight and show it off tomorrow!

Homework

So you'd think that with Christmas just around the corner, I'd have a ton of bags in the house to put gifts in...and to complete my drawing homework! Or at least a couple of paper bags from the grocery store. But no...I had to search for a bag (and my homework was to draw a couple of bags, rendering light and shadow). So I dug and dug and finally I lucked out and found one lingering in the boxes of decorations:

"Hark the Hearld Angel gift bag" - willow and regular charcoal

I have to admit that I like what I draw better in a photo than in person. I think because you can't get close up enough to scrutinize :^)

Well, I'm off to a dentist appointment (having 4 fillings replaced. UGH!) Wish me luck!

***

Almost forgot, if anyone is interested:

These little guys are up for sale in my Etsy shop, Faery Tree Creations.

Much Needed Change

Had to change my blog template.

That Christmasy one that I did really tore the eyes out.

A Moment to Breathe

The craft show is done! It was fun and a good learning experience, but not a whole lot sold - which I am okay with, because this is the first one I've ever done and it was very small (a few picts here of the space I shared with my friend Melissa). Next summer, I'm going to try to get into the Cumberland Craft Fair in southern Maine. Big venue, more people, better setting (and outdoors!)

I feel as though I can breathe again, but I'm kind of feeling lost. You know when you have a big project to do, you're pretty much on screech trying to get it all done and when you finally finish, you don't know what to do with yourself. Before you had a purpose, a focus, a timeline! Now you have...nothing. Well, that's technically not true. I still have two Christmas presents to work on, but I've got so much time to do them, that I wandered through my house yesterday trying to fill the hours, creating things for me to do!

It snowed this morning as I was leaving for work and snowed until almost noontime!

It made me giddy! Oh how I love snow!

Of course, the sun is out and it's all melting away...but for those few hours, it was magick! Big thick flakes of white filled the sky, blanketed the ground.

It's supposed to snow again later this week! I'm praying that it continues to snow off and on until Christmas to keep everything looking fresh and clean.

Oh, I didn't sell any little snowmen and tree ornaments, so I think I'm going to put them on Etsy tomorrow.

On that note, until tomorrow my friends! Hope you all had a great weekend!

What I Learned Wednesday

Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show what I learned in class last night and that's only because you wouldn't really see much more than a bunch of lines and a bit of tone.

Last night, we were introduced to value rendering and drawing paper bags. I have to say, I really enjoyed it! I need to create a value scale though and really practice, but it was such a good class - even the Sunshine Sisters were in good moods last night! Until the radio came on and we were subjected to my teacher's choice of music.

Oh, Lord and Lady! It was some sort of Progressive Jazz Fusion with wailing saxaphones and blaring trumpets. It wasn't something I would have chosen...had she thrown in something along the lines of Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughn - some bluesy jazz - I would have loved it and it would have helped me with that creative groove...but it just didn't work for me. And I did give it a chance! There was a rendition of Take the "A" Train that I enjoyed but that was only one song. I know I know, to each their own - maybe it's my teacher's mood music, but I think I'll bring my mp3 player to the next class.

But the music aside, the class was great! We were missing about 7 people (though I think some dropped out), which gave many of us room to spread out and a chance to dialogue. I wish Adult Ed capped the class at 8 or 10 people to make it more intimate.

Gotta scoot! Got another meeting in Freeport - whoo hoo! Love being able to get out of the office to sit in on interesting meetings (Lands for Maine's Future this time) and still get paid for it!

Homework

We're still doing perspective in my drawing class and I seem to be struggling with it. Not because I find it hard - I get the concept, I can see how it's supposed to look - I just find it hard to get into that space, you know, the one where everything flows and time stops and there is nothing but your subject, your medium and you...that zen place. And it's no one's fault but my own - there's no lack of inspiration, no lack of creativity, plenty of paper & ink, charcoal & erasers - I've just been feeling...rushed. There seems to be so much going on that I'm taking no time to practice at home. How sad is that? And I know that when Christmas is over, I'll have more time than I'll know what to do with...but you know, after tonight, I only have 3 more classes! Not that I need the classes to be able to draw, there's nothing stopping me from drawing once classes are done - it's just that they've been such a motivation. I guess I just need to motivate myself once they're done, because I'm really seeing an improvement in myself. Check this out:

This is my homework from the very first week of class,

and this is what I did on Sunday, after hours of procrastinating (seriously, I did housework and made brownies because I just couldn't find my zen to draw) and then WHAM! I hit that zone and it just came together!

This is what I've been trying to do in class, but haven't. I think it's the time constraint and having to share my work space with someone else - I feel like I can't spread out. And of course, the teacher stops us to point things out and talk, like she's supposed to...but it's just enough to not allow me to slip into that focus that I need to create. And I know that this is why practice at home is so important, to allow me to slide in and out of that groove with such ease.

Now I'm itching to draw! Too bad I'm at work and they'd frown at me doodling when I'm supposed to be working on constituent stuff!

Ah, until tomorrow and the new adventures in drawing that I'll get to share!

Great Big Chunks of Christmas Spirit

Remember how I said a few posts back (okay, it was a month ago) that I could get my house to look like the Spirit of Christmas heaved great big chunks of Christmas cheer up on it? Well, to quote a horrible and cheesy movie from the 90's (Mortal Kombat)...IT HAS BEGUN!

My tree (yes it's fake - I justify it by remembering that I'm not killing a real tree year after year just because I like the smell, which I will get when I trim trees out at my brother's for Christmas boughs), the archway to my hall, and my little village (well the start of a village, anyway).

These little vintage 40's candy boxes are from Inspire Company. I love Amy's blog and she posted about them one day...had to have them! And now here they sit, atop my TV (Holiday Inn was playing to help me get into the spirit). Oh how I love them!

Even Sadie got into the spirit...okay, she was forced into it. But, doesn't she look like Max from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"; that sad little face when the Grinch ties the antler on his head?

As you can see, she's not impressed with the antlers. She tried to eat them when I took them off her head. And Tallulah refused to try them on. Gave me several death glares.

She may be small, but she is a formidable little creature!

The Christmas decorating will continue...as soon as the craft fair is over and done with; Friday is set up and Saturday is showtime! I will be so thankful when it's done!

(my view of my post and how it actually looks when it's published are totally different, I find that I have to keep going back to correct it. Is it just me or...anyone else have that problem?)

Personal Notepad

As I catch up with everyone's blogs, I've been noticing a trend - that of busyness. So many comings and goings and crafts to make and goodies to bake. And it doesn't seem relegated to just those bloggers in the US who are celebrating Thanksgiving; it seems to be a worldwide occurance.

This time of year just seems to be a flurry of activity; preparing for and celebrating the various holidays, executing the many projects that have been planned for so long, getting the handmade goodies ready for selling, trying to carve out time for friends and family. The lists are miles long and time is flying away from us by leaps and bounds.

On any given day during this season, my arms and hands look like a mass of handwritten tattoos...my own personal notepads when I don't have a piece of paper nearby, spelling out the places I've been and need to go, things to remember, things to do.

October, November and December just seem to whiz by with little feelings of accomplishment. When it's over, I have mixed feelings. Relief that it's over, but sadness too; all that anticipation and the joyous feeling of the season. But I often wonder, did I take any time for myself during the hustle bustle? Who did I neglect? What did I forget? And every year I make the same resolution - start early, get it all prepared ahead of time so when this time of year rolls around I can sit back and relax, visit more, and feel like I'm enjoying the season rather than feeling the anxiety of the looming "To-Do" list. Then, if I take a class (like Drawing), I can enjoy it more and not feel like it's cutting into my "getting things done" time.

But I have to admit, I've gotten smart and started an assembly line process for the craft fair things - it's making it much easier. I have 1 lap quilt to make for a friend, my nephew's gift to buy and a dollhouse to make (I really, really hope my best friend doesn't read this blog - as far as I know, she doesn't because I've posted about her before and she's never mentioned or commented, so I think I'm safe). I'm really looking forward to working on that. I've been picking up little pieces to go into it here and there and just received the kitchen set in the mail yesterday, all the way from South Carolina (Ebay - gotta love it!) It's so totally cute! And I'm so impressed with each piece! The doors open, the drawers move.

I picked up the living room set about a month ago, it's all red velvet and victorian looking. I also have a bedroom set and a writing room set (well, it's stuff that will be used in the writing room that I will create).

If I didn't have the craft fair to prepare for, I'd so be working on this dollhouse! I love it! I'm going to hate to give it up when I'm done, but the look on her face will be the best reward for my work!

Alright, I've rambled enough. I have to check out of here and run errands, grab lunch and head off to an environmental meeting in Freeport - yay!

If I don't get a chance to post tomorrow (though I will try), Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States and have a great rest of the week to everyone else!

Doin' the Happy Happy Dance of Joy

Well, it might be a premature "Happy Happy Dance of Joy", since the final vote hasn't been made but I'm doing it anyway!!

I STILL HAVE A JOB (at least that's the concensus)!!!

Yippee!!

Leadership was chosen and my boss is still President...well Democratic Presidental Nominee to be exact. On December 6th, the whole Senate will vote...but the D's have the majority and so long as all the little duckies stay in their row, my job will be secure for the next 2 years. This session we will also have a wicked, kick-ass Majority Leader - she is so incredible smart and sweet and, as she puts it, "Tenacious as all get out!" She's just one of those people that you really enjoy working with because she appreciates everything you do (you don't mind going out of your way to do things for her!).

And another happy "work" note, this is a 2 day work week for me! Ingenious girl that I am, I took Wednesday off to help my mother prepare for Thanksgiving (and with my job, Friday's part of the holiday. WHOO HOO!)

Oh...and you know how I was complaining about the weird weather? We're back to normal November temps. It was 32 when I walked the dog this morning and I loved every minute of it. In a month, when it's 32 with a wind chill factor of -20...I'll be complaining again. That's just how I am, I've come to accept it! Now I want snow. I love snow up until February, then I want spring! In my perfect world, spring would start at the beginning of March, summer at the end of May, Fall - September 1st and Winter - the week of Thanksgiving! And for the week before Christmas, it would snow every day...not a lot, just enough to make it pretty and clean and white! That would be the weather forecast in my perfect world (I love those Walgreen commercials where they show the town of Perfect. Have you seen those? You can see one here and here, for those who don't have Walgreens Pharmacies or their commercials. They're described as Tim Burton-esque and I find that very befitting!

Well enough randomness for one day. Until tomorrow, happiness abounds my friends, happiness all around!

Evening Sky

Evening sky above the Maine State Museum & Library

Happy Friday all!

Christmas is coming...

and so is the craft show I'm participating in. I really need to get crackin'! I have 2 more weeks to create at least 5 more christmasy fairies & tree toppers and finish my snowman & christmas tree ornaments.

Have I shown you my little ornaments?

I haven't? Where's my head?

Well, take a look!

They're made from clay. The snowmen have a very slight sparkle to them that will catch the light when they're hung on the Christmas tree.

The trees have small colored beads pressed into them, also to catch the light.

They also make great decorations to attach to presents! My friends put in an order for 5 of each to hook on family gifts (they're the ones that gave me the idea).

These two lovely ladies with the glittery wings will also be in the fair.

Miss Olivia Tannenbaum








and


Little Suzy Snowflake (name pending - I'm not convinced on this name)



On the list of "to be made" (or rather "hopefully will be gotten around to") are Kandi Kane (can you guess what colors she will be?), Windy Whyte (who will be all in white), I'm attempting to create a Christmas Ball fairy by cutting a wide hole at the top and bottom of a plastic ball ornament to fit over a fairy body, then gluing the ornament hanger on the top of her head; then there are the tree toppers that look similar to this.

Well, must mosey. I've got a cell phone to go retrieve from FedEx. Did I mention that I was getting a cell phone again? It's only a tracfone - I had a cell from 2000 (that I was required to get when silly me thought I wanted to sell life insurance) until December of last year. I'm not a cell phone addict and paying that much money (for 600 minutes a month that I only used 60 of) made no sense!