A new ride

In 2005 my husband went to Driver Motors in Mayfield while I was at work.  He brought home a 2004 Chrysler Sebring.  I fell in love instantly.  It drove like my Saturn SL2 that was totaled by a woman would did not follow the laws of a stop sign.  It was small like that car and drove wonderfully.  I had the dealer put on a keyless entry system and we signed the papers.  Over the years, she was a good car.  In the last couple of years we began to have computer problems with her.  The computer was telling the car that things were wrong and they were not.  The solution a new computer at $2500.  That wasn't going to happen because the car might be worth $1000.  So we drove on and continued to have issues with the check engine light and the emissions and really there were no problems it was all computer related. Back to the shop we go, the dealer called in a Chrysler expert and it rigged up the computer to stop sending out signals and we were on our way.  Our dreams were to get two more years out of the car.  This was last year.

 A couple of weeks ago, my daughter was driving to the other side of Paducah when my little Sebring decided to die.  I mean DIE!  So dead it had to be replaced.  John and I began a search for a cheap car with low miles.  Why?  We were planning on taking the trip of a lifetime in April, a trip to Hawaii.  This just didn't pan out.  A car with low miles and low price just wasn't to be found so we talked about it and decided 10 days in Hawaii would be great, but we could have this car for 10 years like we had the Sebring.  We upped the budget and cancelled the trip.

We looked high and low for the right fit.  I called a dealership in Madisonville because I wanted to look at a Ford Fusion they had on their lot.  The dude on the phone thought I said Nissan instead of Fusion.  It was fine, and turned out to be fate.  I had not looked at a Nissan.  John had mentioned it, but that's really as far as we got.  We drove the car and fell in love.  I loved the engine, loved the feel and loved the get up and go.  It is bigger than my Sebring, but I still can feel like I'm driving that little car.  Here are some pictures of the new member of the family.

I have not gotten possession yet.  There were a few things I wanted done before I  brought it home.  The car is still in Madisonville going through the Michelle approval process.  I got the call today that the car is ready and the dealer (Greg) will try to deliver tomorrow (barring the roads clear up enough for him to get here).  I am very excited to see her once again.  Wonder what we will name her?



















Here are some photos of the new member of the family. 

Gall Bladderous: a year later

It was a year ago that I was at work eating lunch with Patty and Valerie.  I was having chicken and dumpling soup.  The dumplings were a big soggy and I thought I was getting sick from them.   All of the sudden I felt like I was going to have a seizure and very sick.  The girls knew what was going on and took me to Valerie's office to sit down.  I was feeling no better.  They wanted me to go home.  I hated to leave because I feel guilty because I have to leave work for my mother-in-law a lot.  So I sucked it up. I went home at 4 and it got worse. Now the pain was between my shoulders, I was sure I was in trouble.

John took me to the ER where it was determined I needed my gall bladder out stat, but they sent me home.  I had never had gall bladder issues before and this shocked me.  I didn't know to demand it come out now and I was in such pain I just did what they said.

I went home.  My friends called a doctor and he was going to work me in the next day.  I had the ultrasound the next day then I went to see him.  He said it had to come out it was in terrible shape and I wasn't well.

On the way to surgery

6pm I am wheeled into surgery with a bad gall bladder and a liver infection.  The gall bladder came out a drain went in and while the pain from the gall bladder was gone the pain from the infection set in.

It was a rough week.  Luckily, I have great friends and a mom that cooked for me and brought be goodies and puzzle books.  I made it!!  I went back for my followup and was told how close to death I was.  That is some scary stuff.  I was also told if I had died that first night my husband could have sued because it was evident that the gall bladder was scrapping the liver raw giving me a bad infection.  It took a while for that infection to clear, the stones were so giant it rubbed the liver raw.  I had two big stones a 1 inch and a 1/2 inch.  I had asked for a souvenir since I was paying all that money for the surgery.  It took an extra incision but I got my souvenir.

the 1/2 souvenir

A year later, I am doing well. However, since I never had an symptoms until it went bad I'm not sure how I should feel.  I feel great though and lucky God spared me through the infection. And I would like to thank the lovely staff at Lourdes for treating me so well.  I would like not to thank the ER staff....who tried to kill me. 

After surgery

The chair

A month or so ago, my friend had a chair for sale.  Another friend of mine bought it and gave it to me to paint for her office.  I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. I made a couple of sketches and  did some internet research but in the end I thought about the personality of my friend.  She likes owls, her school colors are green, she is a child of God, and she's pretty awesome.  She needed a chair to fit her uniqueness. I scrapped all previous ideas and painted it in her school colors first.

I had made a bird and an owl for this friend but wasn't sure how or why to give it to her.  This chair was going to be perfect.  With the way the chair was made I thought I could fashion a tree from it.  A tree with branches to hold the bird and the owl.

Here is the finished product:

The bird and owl are made from plastic grocery bags. I took the bags and fashioned them into the shape I needed but using duct tape.  This was a very long process.  They were flimsy, but I wasn't done.  The next step was to make a paper mache with mod podge.  I used many many many layers of newspaper and glue.  I let dry for a week.  Then I made a texture paste and covered the outside of each animal in a thick layer.  I used my fingers to make bumps along each animal body to make it look more real.  This dried for two weeks because I went on vacation....when I came back to them they were hard as rocks.  Very lightweight but very hard.  PERFECT!!!

The chair was painted first with gesso to give the surface a bit of tooth.  I then painted the whole thing green to match my friend's office and school colors.  After that dried I painted on a background of a tree branch.   Next, I took a stencil and wood icing (both purchased from Ephemera Paducah www.ephemerapaducah.com) and added some tree bark and texture.  Once that dried I started painting on leaves.  I added the bird and viola we have a painted chair. 

Throw Out 50 Things

I recently read a book called "Throw out 50 things" by Gail Blanke.  I liked this book because she told you how to do the purge.  She purges with you and gives you a list of what she depleted from her collection and leaves a space for you to write in what you got out of your home. 

 I have been trying to do this for some time, ever since we had to clean out 40 years of junk from my mother-in-law's house.  I have failed since I had no guide and no one to be competitive with......it just wasn't working for me.  After reading this book, I had a plan to "make it so" (borrowing a line from a great Starfleet Captain).  I started when we got home from vacation.  I proceeded to tackle the project while putting away the items from the trip.  I have been working for 2 days now and I feel I have accomplished a bunch.

I have gotten rid of (either by donating, trashing, gifting to someone in need or recycling):

1. Broken tape dispenser I was never going to fix
2. Broken hole punch
3. Out of date cd roms
4. Magazines
5. Quilts (tiny quilts we have worn out and I won't ever fix)
6. Bath mats (no longer the colors we use)
7. Gooey hair gel
8. Partially used coloring books
9. Toddler sized hats/gloves
10. Unused scarves
11. Picture frames
12. Too young for our kid's games
13. A swivel chair
14. Yucky make-up
15. Broken shells
16. Seen better days Christmas decor
17. Too small or worn clothes
18. See better days toys
19. Out of date coupons
20. Ink cartridges
21. Wire Hangers (this house follows Joan Crawford wire hanger policy)
22. Gently used craft items
23. Cleaned out drawers in the kitchen (I never had a junk drawer but I had junk in each drawer)
24. Books
25. Ink pens
26. Paper pads
27. Some of the 10 rulers I have collected (I kept 2)
28. Address labels featuring my father-in-law's name (for the shred pile)
29. Cross stitch fabric too small to use (why would I keep that???)
30. Mostly burned candles
31. Cardboard boxes that for some reason I feel I need
32. Old papers no longer needed (meant for the shred bin)
33. Broken suitcase that will NOT be good for anything no matter how much I think it will
34. Craft projects attempted but the product is a failure
35. Resumes from John's college days (why have I kept this?) 
36. Old chipped along the edges plates/bowls

That is where I am as of today.  I hope to achieve this 50 things goal by Spring Break 2014 (first week in April) and have added the goal to not bring back the junk.  I still have lots of stuff to go through from my mothers-in-law home and I hope that will be what puts me over the top. I also have a rainbow vacuum in my attic that it is time to get rid of...I have held onto it thinking I could fix it.  I can't!  Never will I just have to face facts?  My other new goal is if you can't fix it right now, you pay someone to do it or get rid of it, RIGHT NOW!!!  Don't bring your junk in my house.

Trace Creek Crop

This year DiAnna and I went to the crop together.  Our ambition is always larger than our time frame.  Meaning we always plan to make things and get a bit sidetracked.  However, we have developed a philosophy.  Get done what you can, but make sure you have a fun relaxing day.  This year was no exception to that rule.  It was nice to be off work, no one bothering you for meals or fights with siblings...just relaxation, friendship, shopping, eating, and a little Jesus.

DiAnna and I decided before the crop to made matching aprons.  My apron was pretty crappy so this was brilliant idea.  We both took a denim apron and trimmed it with pink trim.  She used an eyelet trim and I used tulle (because I wanted a tutu).  

Here is a photo of my work station.  I was going to work on a Marilyn Monroe drawing that I made.  It was inspired by a pose she did in a publicity still for Niagara.  She was pretty wicked in that movie and I recommend you see it if you have not.

These steampunk inspired items were featured in the Mia's Madness booth. I simply love everything they sell.  It's junk to most by an absolute treasure to me.  I chose some items from the junk bin.  A triangle pendant, a washer, and a few other metals.  Stay tuned to see what I made from .50 of stuff. www.miasmadness.com

This is a photo from the yard sale.  This is where you sell items you no longer need/want were gifted.  I sold a bunch of stuff this year and I did not spend one dime of money shopping it. Now I did get things but everything I bought was with money I made in the yard sale. 

Check out this wagon!  It is all mine!  I have been going to TCC for many many years and never won a thing.  I was sitting with my friends in the church and telling them all that I hoped they won something.  And I listened and wait a minute I realized Jill Rogers finally called MY name.  I won one of the grand prizes. I got the third grand prize awarded the first two prizes where $50 cash. I prefer the wagon because it is something I have always wanted but I never would have bought for myself.  It is extraordinary.  I am very grateful that my name was called. 

I made a couple of sketches but this is the only thing that I finished on the TCC relaxation day.  A wood panel of the Marilyn Monroe drawing I made.  The panel was painted a few colors, I didn't like any of them and finally I got to this green and I liked it.  Next I used Barquoe Motifs to stamp some swirls using StazOn! ink.  Then I used some Aleene's tacky glue and painted it onto the board.  I let it get a bit dry then I painted it with white.  What a nice crackle finish it leaves.  I did a die cut of the Tim Holtz viewmaster thingy and place the die cut on the board.  I used wood icing to make some texture for the background.  Once this dried I used some Walnut Stain ink by Tim Holtz for some effect. I cut MM out from the paper she was drawn and painted on and used Mod Podge to put her onto my board.  I think it's fabulous!!

This is the project I made using the stuff reclaimed from the junk bin.  I did not take a before picture...boo.  The top picture is when I first put it all together. I used wire to hold the circle onto the triangle and made the elder wand with wire down the center.  I painted it with gesso to cover the mixed metals. I added glitter because I thought I would keep it black, but no I found my Krylon chrome spray paint.  I layered many layers of paint on here. I think it turned out grand. 

Another TCC comes to a close.  DiAnna we will do it all again in the spring, Lord willing. 

Mixed media minis

These little miniatures feature a little bit of everything.  Maybe some painting. Maybe some inking.  A little die cutting....who knows. 

The first three are to honor two movie stars I adore...Betty and Marilyn.

This next one I have a bit of how I made it. 

I made a sketch on the mixed media paper and traced it to make a mask.  I put double sided tape on the back of the mask after I cut it out.  I then placed it over the sketch on the mixed media paper.  I inked the background using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain and Vintage Paper.  Then I sprayed with Perfect Pearls silver misting spray. 

Next, I used my brand new viewmaster styled Tim Holtz Distress Die and made a couple from regular white scrapbook paper.  I inked both of them with distress inks...walnut stain, vintage paper, and tea dye.  Then I sprayed with Michelle's Musings brown ink on one and java ink on the other (I can't remember who made it...I broke the original bottle).  One of the viewmasters was covered in Michelle's Musings modeling paste the other in a heavy gel. On the heavy gel one, I added glass glitter.  Once the two viewmasters were dry I cut them apart and added to the mixed media paper.  Next, I took off my mask and painted the lady.

And the last one is a homage to Audrey Hepburn, Michelle's Musing style.  This one was fun for me. It is a bit of everything...just like me!

Just a few mini paintings

I have been on a painting kick lately.  Here are just a few of the paintings that I have done.  They are all 6x8