The Ugly Truth

I've been in "The Zone" this week. The Crafting Zone. Due to storage constraints in the temporary apartment, I have only had bits and pieces to work with. So, when I found out that the new house still has an indefinite move-in date, I had to bring the rest of my craft supplies with me.

To my delight, not so much Lumpkin's, I have been craft happy for days!
The only problem is, I have so many ideas, that I don't know where to start, so I usually start more than two projects at a time! The pieces above have been prepped, dried, now have been painted and are waiting the next creative steps.

Since I never know what direction I'm going in next, I find it helpful to have all of my supplies, pretty bits, papers, etc. all around.

One thing that Lumpkin and I agree on, I need an organizational system. That would be much easier if our living arrangements were more permanent. For now, I'm using plastic totes, laundry baskets, cardboard boxes, pencil boxes, an older suitcase given to me by a family friend and plastic bags.

My friend was creeped out by the head below... he says it's not normal for someone to have this in their home. I say it is. Especially if you're making headbands and your model is in school all day!

I'm not alone in this chaos... I brought Leia's favorite blanket out and she likes to lie down beside the table while I'm working. She really doesn't care how messy it is at all!

Stay tuned! In the next couple of days I'll be sharing what I've been up to!

Temporary?

The temporary apartment... we're now into our second month here. Still waiting for the house we're moving into to be completed. The remodeling seems to be taking forever. A friend asked me if they were building a completely new house. Some days it feels that way.


It's not that the view is bad. Although we only have windows on one side, they face the town square, which surrounds the park. It's a second floor apartment, so we have a bird's eye view.

But do you notice the road right out front here (through the chains holding the store sign?)....
Yes, that's right. A STATE ROAD... a highway. Coming from the country, I like things kind of quiet. While it's not horrible, the morning traffic... yuck. Both bedroom windows facing the street.


Happy news though. It's all worth it for the privacy of being in your own place and having central air!!!! Sometimes it's kind of fun when Lumpkin and I peer out the blinds and watch the comings and goings of our small town. Every event is held at the park on the square. It's tough to see the other side of the square due to the trees.

It's also kind of cool, because not a lot of people even know there's an apartment up here. The building is an old building. It is three stories (would love to see that third floor), there's only one other apartment, and the downstairs is a carpet store. On the outside of the building, near the roof, it reads Masonic Temple. I imagine this building has been here for a very long time. We live next to the funeral home and across the street on the opposite corner sits the Corner Cafe. A couple of doors down from our door is our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Jefe. The library is straight through the park on the other side of the square

I'm not gonna lie though. I don't think I'll miss this sign.

One Of The Reasons Why I Love My Daughter

So I'm a little late telling this story, but it began before Lumpkins birthday, which is June 30th.
She texted me one day and said "If I could only get a cool phone, that's the only gift I'd want."
So I told her that after having been in the hospital a few days the month prior, I would not be able to grant this request. (We've been carrying Straight Talk phones for nearly two years - great deals, by the way) Being the awesome child she is, she said "I know" and immediately dropped it.

Two days later on my payday, I went to the local AT&T store after work to sign up for internet service at our temporary apartment, and GUESS WHAT??? I casually asked about the cell phones. Turns out, I didn't need a deposit, and they gave me a major discount on the internet service for buying the cell phone service. Given the cost and my income, it was the only birthday present, but I believe these pictures below say it all. My child is AWESOME.

You'd have thought I'd given her a million dollars. So grateful, so happy and the most amazing and loving child. Thank you Lord. I am blessed. She makes every day worth living. When times are tough, all I have to do is look at her face and know I am loved. I never knew how much my Mom loved me until I became a Mom too. It's the best job ever.

Date Night

Ali and Lumpkin. On a different day, a previous outing. To be young (and thin) again! Ali is Lumpkin's Besty and is now dating her boyfriend's best friend. I knew that these days were coming. I've known it all along. But it still didn't totally prepare me for the sitting up with the lights on, waiting and watching the clock, trying not to call and text too much.

Where do the years go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was strapping her into her carseat, handing her a sippy cup, singing along to Tom Petty in our old Mercury Sable? Isn't she still in preschool? Tell me I didn't just buy a mini skirt and a pair of 4 inch heels. That must have been some other bad Mom.

It's a Blog Hop Wednesday!

Stop by and visit my friends here!

I Love My Dog

Please don't judge me for the 80's mirrored/gold decorating statement above my pup's head... it came with the temporary apartment. Leia is sitting on my lap, shown at HIGH ALERT because it's storming, which sounds suspiciously like fireworks... and let me tell you, my friends, fireworks are no friend to this pooch!

If you read my Monday post, I mentioned the gay hilarity of slipping in the tub/shower and crashing out onto the floor. I am not still laughing. Yesterday was terrible. I hurt in places that I didn't even learn about in my Anatomy classes. A lot of that is gone today, but the spot on my back that I landed on continues to pain me in a major way. Going to the doctor in the morning, insured or not.

My loving little dog Leia hasn't left my lap this evening. It's kind of nice, considering the feeling of being oh... I don't know, chopped liver? I was looking forward to an unusual for us, an evening alone with my daughter (what was I thinking?), when her boyfriend called... oh, to be 17 again! I would have left too!!! But at least I have the little pupster here. And there is a curfew.

Art Journal Page - Sort Of

I've had a lot going on lately. For those of you that stopped by regularly, you probably noticed that I wasn't here anymore. I just kind of dropped off the map. At first, it wasn't intentional. Then it was. I just couldn't make myself open up to anyone anymore. I had to withdraw for a while. I was incredibly unhappy. So unhappy that I didn't even recognize it myself. I made a promise to myself after my Mom died that I wasn't going to keep making the same mistakes and spinning my wheels. Life is too short to work a dead-end job (that doesn't even pay the bills) and makes you crazy in the process. I find myself unemployed again, and guess what? Incredibly happy!!!!

So, while I'm recuperating from yesterday's injuries and searching for a job I can live with, I decided to pursue some different art techniques I'd been wanting to try.

Also, I thought, unintentional, was the symbolism in this first piece. The little saying isn't new, and certainly not mine, but I've loved it since I first saw it on Pinterest. My Sisters will understand the birds, the key, maybe the reddish hair... but the rest of it is all me.

To give you a little background, my Mom, (I talk about her a lot!) was very creative. I never thought I possessed that gene. We had art in school. We had the same art teacher from first grade through high school. We were not fond of each other. She certainly never led me to believe I had any sort of talent, and I had no desire to learn from her if I did. I took one art class in college. I was proud of the work I did there and kept it for years, but still, never really did anything else.

When I found blogs on the internet (cue the angels singing)... I thought I'd found my people! I've still struggled to find my niche. I still don't feel especially creative always, I'm not really a furniture painter, although I may do one or two pieces, but I've found a few friends and their blogs, some etsy shops, and ideas on Pinterest that gave me the smallest inkling that Hey!... I can do this too!!!!

I'm learning every day. There are so many ideas I want to try. So many techniques. Everything is so new to me! It's an adventure finding out how each product will work and what the end result will be. Even if I never do a thing with any of this but put it in a box and get it out and look at it once in a while, it is making me so happy! I think I finally understand the piles and piles of craft and art supplies that my Mom amassed while she was alive and I'm elated that now I'm working with those same brushes, hopefully with the same joy. I sure hope she's smiling down on me as I work.