Sunday, September 27, 2009
Artfire.com
Does anyone use Artfire.com? If you do can you tell something about it. Is it a good site to sell on? Any problems with it?
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Mixed Media Painting
I tried to get rid of the glare, but everywhere I moved it was still there. It is a very simple mixed media, but I like it. As a bonus, when I added the bit of note at the bottom I happened to look at the date on it-December 26th, my birthday. Cool, uh?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
An Answer, At Last!
So, this week I have been to the ER twice and had the EMTs out to the house three times over Mom's bleeding. She keeps breaking open and bleeding badly from her arm shunt. Of course, the good doctors could not tell us why or what to do to stop it. I was told to just keep a bandage on her arm, get up at all hours of the night to check it, and hope for the best.
WT.......?
That's our medical system for you. I bet if she had the name of one of the uppity families around here she would not of been sent home with a "oh, well".
So I went home, took all her meds and vitamins and went online. After an exhausted search I finally found the culprit.
Aleve.
That's right. Plain old aleve, or napoxen. The side effects are prolong bleeding, bruising, abdominal pain, diffeculty breathing, plus some more, but these were what Mom was dealing with. So I took her off the aleve (myself, too). Then I looked up Tylenol. It was not much better. So no painkillers for either of us. I just hope this takes care of this problem. If not I will have to cancel my vacation plans and I really don't want to.
I guess she and I will have to learn to like pain. Maybe we can get jobs at Madame M's House of Pain.hehe
WT.......?
That's our medical system for you. I bet if she had the name of one of the uppity families around here she would not of been sent home with a "oh, well".
So I went home, took all her meds and vitamins and went online. After an exhausted search I finally found the culprit.
Aleve.
That's right. Plain old aleve, or napoxen. The side effects are prolong bleeding, bruising, abdominal pain, diffeculty breathing, plus some more, but these were what Mom was dealing with. So I took her off the aleve (myself, too). Then I looked up Tylenol. It was not much better. So no painkillers for either of us. I just hope this takes care of this problem. If not I will have to cancel my vacation plans and I really don't want to.
I guess she and I will have to learn to like pain. Maybe we can get jobs at Madame M's House of Pain.hehe
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Good-Bye Summer
Good-bye Summer
Good-bye Summer, with your days filled with light and heat,
your green lushness, blue blue skies, and colorful flowers seen on the side of the road.
Good-bye to the sounds of children’s carefree laughter, the buzz of bees, cicadas, and birdsong.
Good-bye to the smells of freshly mowed grass, roses, and hamburgers grilling mixed with the smell of gunpowder on the 4th of July
Good-bye to the taste of iced tea on a really hot day, of peaches fresh from the farm, of cotton candy at the summer fair.
Good-bye to the feel of cool grass between my toes, to the sunshine on my skin, the thump of a thunderstorm felt in the bones.
Good-bye Summer, with your nights filled with mystery and warmth,
your dark velvet comfort, star filled skies, and fireflies under the trees..
Good-bye to the sounds of frogs at twilight, cricket song, and the music of distant parties on the lake.
Good-bye to the smell of honeysuckles through the bedroom window, gas fumes mixed with food smells as I drive down Roan Street with my windows down, and the wet freshness of an over night rain.
Good-bye to the taste of blackberries picked that day, milkshakes made with much laughter and messiness, and a chilled Riesling after dinner on the deck.
Good-bye to the feel of cool sheets after a hot day, cool breezes from off the lake, the drowsiness felt after a hard days work in the yard.
Good-bye Summer.
Good-bye Summer, with your days filled with light and heat,
your green lushness, blue blue skies, and colorful flowers seen on the side of the road.
Good-bye to the sounds of children’s carefree laughter, the buzz of bees, cicadas, and birdsong.
Good-bye to the smells of freshly mowed grass, roses, and hamburgers grilling mixed with the smell of gunpowder on the 4th of July
Good-bye to the taste of iced tea on a really hot day, of peaches fresh from the farm, of cotton candy at the summer fair.
Good-bye to the feel of cool grass between my toes, to the sunshine on my skin, the thump of a thunderstorm felt in the bones.
Good-bye Summer, with your nights filled with mystery and warmth,
your dark velvet comfort, star filled skies, and fireflies under the trees..
Good-bye to the sounds of frogs at twilight, cricket song, and the music of distant parties on the lake.
Good-bye to the smell of honeysuckles through the bedroom window, gas fumes mixed with food smells as I drive down Roan Street with my windows down, and the wet freshness of an over night rain.
Good-bye to the taste of blackberries picked that day, milkshakes made with much laughter and messiness, and a chilled Riesling after dinner on the deck.
Good-bye to the feel of cool sheets after a hot day, cool breezes from off the lake, the drowsiness felt after a hard days work in the yard.
Good-bye Summer.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
New ACEOs ON Etsy
I have posted some new aceos on my etsy shop. I finally gave up on waiting for the sun to come out and took the pics inside. I don't know what I am doing wrong to get blurry pics. I used both the macro setting and the regular setting. I would hate to hire someone to take the pics for me. If anyone has an idea, le
t me kn
ow please.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
A Night of Drama
Warning: If the discussion of blood shed and trauma bothers you do not read this post. I just wanted to show what I go through as my mother‘s caregiver..
It happened Sunday night. I had just finished cooking dinner when I heard my mother yelling for me, something about her line being broken. I figured it was her oxygen line to the oxygen exchange machine. I went in there and yeah, her oxygen line was undone. Then I look at her and saw a scene from a horror flick. There was blood everywhere. Soaking the bed, her clothes, the covers, the wall, the night stand and everything on it, and the floor. She had her hand pressed against her arm was blood was still pumping out in spurts.
Her shunt where they hook her up to the dialysis machine had broke open. It is attached to an artery. Thus the spurting blood.
I grabbed a large towel and went to help her hold it and yelled for the nephew to call 911. He came in there with the phone, saw the blood, and turned pale. He went to call emergency services from the living room.
It took them about fifteen minutes to get there as we live in the middle of nowhere. By that time my arm and back were hurting from holding the towel down trying to keep the blood from pouring out. And now I was soaked in blood. Was I so happy to see them.
They did their thing. Stopped the blood flow. Got mom on a gurney and on her way to the ER. Before they left they took all the bed covers, mom’s gown, the towels I used, and my clothes and put them in a bio-hazard bag. Then they were gone.
I had to clean the mattress and myself before I could follow them. And eat as my blood sugar had dropped. Then I went to the hospital.
When I got there I found Mom had stopped bleeding and they were going to let her go home. Of course, that meant a two hour wait while every doctor there read the chart and then they had to find the real doctor to sign the release papers.
Once back home I had to feed Mom because she didn’t eat dinner. Then I got the pleasure of cleaning up the rest of the room. Took about an hour. Then the nephew turned the mattress. By himself. He was proud of that until I mentioned that he waited until all the blood was cleaned up. Point-this is a kid that watch SAW movies all day long…and laugh.
Finally all was done and I could get her in bed at 2:00 am. All this started at 8:00pm. I had to get up at 5:00 am to go to work. And all night long every time she made a noise I would freak out and go check on her and her shunt. Needless to say I was not up to par at work. Luckily my supervisor is understanding.
So that is just one of the dramas I have to deal with on a regular basis.
It happened Sunday night. I had just finished cooking dinner when I heard my mother yelling for me, something about her line being broken. I figured it was her oxygen line to the oxygen exchange machine. I went in there and yeah, her oxygen line was undone. Then I look at her and saw a scene from a horror flick. There was blood everywhere. Soaking the bed, her clothes, the covers, the wall, the night stand and everything on it, and the floor. She had her hand pressed against her arm was blood was still pumping out in spurts.
Her shunt where they hook her up to the dialysis machine had broke open. It is attached to an artery. Thus the spurting blood.
I grabbed a large towel and went to help her hold it and yelled for the nephew to call 911. He came in there with the phone, saw the blood, and turned pale. He went to call emergency services from the living room.
It took them about fifteen minutes to get there as we live in the middle of nowhere. By that time my arm and back were hurting from holding the towel down trying to keep the blood from pouring out. And now I was soaked in blood. Was I so happy to see them.
They did their thing. Stopped the blood flow. Got mom on a gurney and on her way to the ER. Before they left they took all the bed covers, mom’s gown, the towels I used, and my clothes and put them in a bio-hazard bag. Then they were gone.
I had to clean the mattress and myself before I could follow them. And eat as my blood sugar had dropped. Then I went to the hospital.
When I got there I found Mom had stopped bleeding and they were going to let her go home. Of course, that meant a two hour wait while every doctor there read the chart and then they had to find the real doctor to sign the release papers.
Once back home I had to feed Mom because she didn’t eat dinner. Then I got the pleasure of cleaning up the rest of the room. Took about an hour. Then the nephew turned the mattress. By himself. He was proud of that until I mentioned that he waited until all the blood was cleaned up. Point-this is a kid that watch SAW movies all day long…and laugh.
Finally all was done and I could get her in bed at 2:00 am. All this started at 8:00pm. I had to get up at 5:00 am to go to work. And all night long every time she made a noise I would freak out and go check on her and her shunt. Needless to say I was not up to par at work. Luckily my supervisor is understanding.
So that is just one of the dramas I have to deal with on a regular basis.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday Morning
It's so quiet this morning. It's foggy, so what sounds there are are muffled. No dogs barking, so planes at the nearby airport, no motor boats on the lake. Even the crows are silent. The only sound I hear is crikets and my coffee pot brewing. I think I will take my coffee and go sit on the deck and watch the fog lift.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Soft Rain and Memories
Isn’t amazing how seasons can change so subtly , but noticeably? This past Monday, Labor Day, Summer’s last holiday, we had a huge storm. Lightening, thunder, torrential rain, even hail, high winds, the works. It did some major damage around here with trees being uprooted and roofs being ripped off. I passed the lake while all this was going on and it looked like there was a hurricane going on. The waves were huge. Summer’s last hooray.
Yet, today, just three days later the rain came in so softly we barely noticed it until we heard it on the tin roof and smelled it through the open doors. A lovely musty, earthy smell. A chilly, wet smell.
A Fall smell.
It was a smell that made me wants to curl up in a chair by the open window, wrapped up in my favorite old sweater, with a hot cup of earl grey tea. It brought to mind past Autumns, school days (when school still started in September), football games observed from underneath blankets, bonfires on the banks of the New River, the day long chore of cutting wood and raking leaves.
Many of my friends lament the end of Summer, hate the Fall, and though I will miss the endless hot days of the Summer, I really love Autumn.
So I will most likely bore everyone to death during the next month or so with my blogs about Autumn.
Ps-art will be posted this weekend if my “photography room” cooperates and the weather clears.
Yet, today, just three days later the rain came in so softly we barely noticed it until we heard it on the tin roof and smelled it through the open doors. A lovely musty, earthy smell. A chilly, wet smell.
A Fall smell.
It was a smell that made me wants to curl up in a chair by the open window, wrapped up in my favorite old sweater, with a hot cup of earl grey tea. It brought to mind past Autumns, school days (when school still started in September), football games observed from underneath blankets, bonfires on the banks of the New River, the day long chore of cutting wood and raking leaves.
Many of my friends lament the end of Summer, hate the Fall, and though I will miss the endless hot days of the Summer, I really love Autumn.
So I will most likely bore everyone to death during the next month or so with my blogs about Autumn.
Ps-art will be posted this weekend if my “photography room” cooperates and the weather clears.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Good-Bye Summer
Good-bye Summer
Good-bye Summer, with your days filled with light and heat,
your green lushness, blue blue skies, and colorful flowers seen on the side of the road.
Good-bye to the sounds of children’s carefree laughter, the buzz of bees, cicadas, and birdsong.
Good-bye to the smells of freshly mowed grass, roses, and hamburgers grilling mixed with the smell of gunpowder on the 4th of July
Good-bye to the taste of iced tea on a really hot day, of peaches fresh from the farm, of cotton candy at the summer fair.
Good-bye to the feel of cool grass between my toes, to the sunshine on my skin, the thump of a thunderstorm felt in the bones.
Good-bye Summer, with your nights filled with mystery and warmth,
your dark velvet comfort, star filled skies, and fireflies under the trees..
Good-bye to the sounds of frogs at twilight, cricket song, and the music of distant parties on the lake.
Good-bye to the smell of honeysuckles through the bedroom window, gas fumes mixed with food smells as I drive down Roan Street with my windows down, and the wet freshness of an over night rain.
Good-bye to the taste of blackberries picked that day, milkshakes made with much laughter and messiness, and a chilled Riesling after dinner on the deck.
Good-bye to the feel of cool sheets after a hot day, cool breezes from off the lake, the drowsiness felt after a hard days work in the yard.
Good-bye Summer.
Good-bye Summer, with your days filled with light and heat,
your green lushness, blue blue skies, and colorful flowers seen on the side of the road.
Good-bye to the sounds of children’s carefree laughter, the buzz of bees, cicadas, and birdsong.
Good-bye to the smells of freshly mowed grass, roses, and hamburgers grilling mixed with the smell of gunpowder on the 4th of July
Good-bye to the taste of iced tea on a really hot day, of peaches fresh from the farm, of cotton candy at the summer fair.
Good-bye to the feel of cool grass between my toes, to the sunshine on my skin, the thump of a thunderstorm felt in the bones.
Good-bye Summer, with your nights filled with mystery and warmth,
your dark velvet comfort, star filled skies, and fireflies under the trees..
Good-bye to the sounds of frogs at twilight, cricket song, and the music of distant parties on the lake.
Good-bye to the smell of honeysuckles through the bedroom window, gas fumes mixed with food smells as I drive down Roan Street with my windows down, and the wet freshness of an over night rain.
Good-bye to the taste of blackberries picked that day, milkshakes made with much laughter and messiness, and a chilled Riesling after dinner on the deck.
Good-bye to the feel of cool sheets after a hot day, cool breezes from off the lake, the drowsiness felt after a hard days work in the yard.
Good-bye Summer.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Blue Berry Cobbler-The NonBaker Way
This is for all of you out there that gets volunteered to make a blueberry cobbler. Like me. We have recently come into a large amount of frozen blueberries. My mother nagged me for three days to make a blueberry cobbler. Now, if you know me, I am not a cook. To be honest, I hate it. The microwave is my best friend. I eat a lot of my food raw.
So I gave in to the constant torment and decided to make the cobbler. I also decided to cheat. I bought a box of white cake mix, went by directions, then added the blueberries into the mix after pouring it into the pan. And kept a close eye on it.
It turned out rather good with just a few uh ohs.
Note-really, keep a watch on it. And use a big pan.
Note 2-put tin foil around edges. Otherwise they will burn.
Note 3-put the tin foil on BEFORE putting cobbler in oven. Pan is very hot and oven mitts are bulky.
And this is the most important note 4-get yourself a piece or two before you inform a twenty-one year male that there is cobbler on the stove.
I would of loved to have a picture of how this turned out, but it didn't last long enough for me to go get my camera.
So I gave in to the constant torment and decided to make the cobbler. I also decided to cheat. I bought a box of white cake mix, went by directions, then added the blueberries into the mix after pouring it into the pan. And kept a close eye on it.
It turned out rather good with just a few uh ohs.
Note-really, keep a watch on it. And use a big pan.
Note 2-put tin foil around edges. Otherwise they will burn.
Note 3-put the tin foil on BEFORE putting cobbler in oven. Pan is very hot and oven mitts are bulky.
And this is the most important note 4-get yourself a piece or two before you inform a twenty-one year male that there is cobbler on the stove.
I would of loved to have a picture of how this turned out, but it didn't last long enough for me to go get my camera.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Stella Awards
Stella AwardsIt's time again for the annual 'Stella Awards'! For those unfamiliarwith these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck whospilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's inNew Mexico, where she purchased coffee. You remember, she took the lidoff the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Whowould ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's right;these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in theU.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. Sokeep your head scratcher handy.Here are the Stella's for the past year:* SEVENTH PLACE *Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury ofher peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who wasrunning inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandablysurprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her ownson.Start scratching!* SIXTH PLACE *Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California won $74,000 plus medicalexpenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord.Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of thecar when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.Scratch some more....* FIFTH PLACE *Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , who was leaving a househe had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately forDickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he couldnot get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the housebecause the door connecting the garage to the house locked whenDickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT daysand survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, hesued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish.Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson$500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.Keep scratching. There are more...Double hand scratching after this one..* FOURTH PLACE *Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in theStella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after beingbitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even thoughthe beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did notget as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle mighthave been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams hadclimbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog witha pellet gun.Pick a new spot to scratch, you're getting a bald spot..* THIRD PLACE *Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered aPhiladelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on aspilled soft drink and broke her tail bone. The reason the soft drinkwas on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 secondsearlier during an argument. What ever happened to people beingresponsible for their own actions?Only two more so ease up on the scratching....*SECOND PLACE*Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club ina nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor,knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying tosneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 covercharge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh,yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.Ok. Here we go!!* FIRST PLACE *This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. MervGrazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who purchased new 32-footWinnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU footballgame, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of theWinnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor homeleft the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual thatshe couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise controlwas set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down?$1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed theirmanuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has anyrelatives who might also buy a motor home.
Bright Summer Colors
I did this painting some time ago using happy bright colors in oil. I don't paint in oils anymore. The smell kept giving me migraines. My mother begged this painting out of me, so it hangs on the living room wall now.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A Fun Questionaire
What’s your obsession? I don’t really obsess over anything. Makes my blood pressure go up.
What would you eat for your last meal? Soup beans, mashed potatoes, onions, slaw, cornbread, apple pie, and a big glass of really cold milk.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I love all flavors, but I can’t have ice cream because I am diabetic.
What do you think of the person who tagged you? Lisa sounds like a really fun person to be with.
If you had a house totally paid for and furnished, anywhere, where would it be? Outside Myrtle Beach, with my own private beach.
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would it be? Same beach. An hour of solitude sounds nice.
What language would you like to learn? Romanian. It’s sounds so beautiful.
What is your favorite color? That color at sunset that’s orange, purple, and gold all mixed together that I can’t seem to recreate. It’s God’s own personal color mix.
What’s your favorite piece of clothing? My old ratty jeans.
If you had $100 right now, what would you spend it on? canvas (or groceries)
Who is your favorite Artist? At the moment it’s Maggie Taylor
What is your favorite season? Autumn
Describe your personal style: Consignment shop chic, goodwill finds
What’s your favorite movie? Resident Evil
What inspires you? Relationships, music, dreams
What music do you like this week? Southern Jazz
What is your dream job? Other than owning my own artsy business, hmmm…music video director.
If you could change something in the world to make it a better place, what would it be? get rid of all the bureaucrats.
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? be not so cynical.
What is you favorite perfume of all time? my own perfume that I mix myself.
what’s your best (or most comforting) cold remedy? Home made chicken soup.
What are your 2 best qualities? Friendly and Laid back.
What are you most thankful for? That I live in the US
If you had a super power what would it be? I would love to be able to change into animals forms.
Love or hate thunderstorms? Whoohoo! Nothing like a good rockin’ thunderstorm!
The Rules
1) Respond & rework. Answer the questions on your blog. Replace 1 question you don’t like with one of your own. Add 1 more of your own.
(the last 2 are mine)
note: This makes for a very lengthy post
Hence,
2) Tag 4 people
I’m not going to tag anyone, but any reading this post wants to do it, go for it.
What would you eat for your last meal? Soup beans, mashed potatoes, onions, slaw, cornbread, apple pie, and a big glass of really cold milk.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I love all flavors, but I can’t have ice cream because I am diabetic.
What do you think of the person who tagged you? Lisa sounds like a really fun person to be with.
If you had a house totally paid for and furnished, anywhere, where would it be? Outside Myrtle Beach, with my own private beach.
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would it be? Same beach. An hour of solitude sounds nice.
What language would you like to learn? Romanian. It’s sounds so beautiful.
What is your favorite color? That color at sunset that’s orange, purple, and gold all mixed together that I can’t seem to recreate. It’s God’s own personal color mix.
What’s your favorite piece of clothing? My old ratty jeans.
If you had $100 right now, what would you spend it on? canvas (or groceries)
Who is your favorite Artist? At the moment it’s Maggie Taylor
What is your favorite season? Autumn
Describe your personal style: Consignment shop chic, goodwill finds
What’s your favorite movie? Resident Evil
What inspires you? Relationships, music, dreams
What music do you like this week? Southern Jazz
What is your dream job? Other than owning my own artsy business, hmmm…music video director.
If you could change something in the world to make it a better place, what would it be? get rid of all the bureaucrats.
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? be not so cynical.
What is you favorite perfume of all time? my own perfume that I mix myself.
what’s your best (or most comforting) cold remedy? Home made chicken soup.
What are your 2 best qualities? Friendly and Laid back.
What are you most thankful for? That I live in the US
If you had a super power what would it be? I would love to be able to change into animals forms.
Love or hate thunderstorms? Whoohoo! Nothing like a good rockin’ thunderstorm!
The Rules
1) Respond & rework. Answer the questions on your blog. Replace 1 question you don’t like with one of your own. Add 1 more of your own.
(the last 2 are mine)
note: This makes for a very lengthy post
Hence,
2) Tag 4 people
I’m not going to tag anyone, but any reading this post wants to do it, go for it.
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