last day of March…

April will be a busy month around here. We have a goal of putting the house up on the market by the end of May. So all the painting, repair and remodeling has to get finished in April and May.

This is the list yet to be finished:

• Sand, Paint and finish tiling fireplace.
• Put up and paint crown molding and trim throughout house.
• Put up remainder of new doors on bedrooms.
• New windows in Living room, dinning area, two bedrooms and bath.
• New deck.
• New front porch.
• Foundation under closet.
• Paint exterior.
• Pack up all non-essentials.
• Have huge garage sale.
• Plant shrubs in landscaping.
• Remodel master bath.
• Paint and put in wood floor in master bedroom.

I think that is it…oh yeah…the basement: paint and new tile floor.

Damn, that looks impossible!! Especially since Rich only gets Sundays off and has to go to Iowa City every two weeks for 2 weeks! Since he is a carpenter he does all the work himself…but still….yikes!

My job is to do all the painting. And clean-up and yard work. And help him with the construction stuff. It is over whelming to say the least.

So today is the last day of March and April will be a blur…

My camera is not working right. It is an Olympus 3.2 mp that I bought right when digital cameras first came out some 4-5 years ago.  At the time it was almost $400.00!  Sometimes it will take a shot and sometimes it doesn’t.  It is real slow and the yellow light is always flashing, so we bought a new battery but that is not the problem. Even with a new charged up battery it is still acting up.  Richie’s camera (FinePix 4mp) is in need of batteries…and his takes better photos than mine.  So I will be taking more photos soon.

I made a lavender beaded cuff bracelet this weekend with hand crocheted white edging on it.  It turned out ok but I wasn’t happy with the knots from the crochet string.  How to hide them was a problem.  So it is not sale worthy…I think one of my nieces might like it.

I go walking at 9:30…

I better go have some oatmeal.

cheers!

playing with photoshop and baking…

I found this blog that offers a tutorial on using layers and textures in photoshop and so have been experimenting with it.  What fun!

I started with this

and this

and came up with this:

It is my little sister Marsha…she was so cute!!  She is my neighbor now! I’ve been going over there a lot lately…to borrow baking soda, show her the images, just chat…ect…

It rained most of the day today.  I made some homemade egg noodles and put together a nice soup for them…also made some apple bread.  Guess I’m feeling a little “Suzie homemaker-ish” today.

sick time passing…

The lapse in posting was due to getting really sick after my baby left. I’m on the mend now…yay!

I have been beading some, reading a lot. Right now I’m re-reading “Party of One” by Anneli Rufus. It is about the misunderstandings that extroverts have about most “loners”. (what she calls loners, I see as introverts). It’s an interesting read mostly because I can relate to most of the comparisons and examples. Where most people (75% of them) get energized by being around others…we introverts in contrast are drained by constant noise and crowds. We need time alone to energize. This is only a very general view of the book. She goes into details about how different cultures treat people who are not outgoing and how they are labeled and shunned. Also she traces heroes of our times to being mostly “loners”. Creatives like scientists and writers and artists…mostly “loners”. Anyways it is an interesting book and would be useful to anyone trying to understand some one they perceive as being different from them.

Well I must mow the lawn today…and want to bead awhile beforehand…so I will see y’all late r!

The wind is howling…

It is late and I won’t be able to sleep. Since Richie has been gone I stay up till 1am most nights. It is only 11:20pm. Lots of company stopped over today. And so I did some cooking. Made a scrumptious pizza. Using a yeast homemade dough…rolling it out and all. With that recipe if I am in a hurry I don’t have to let it rise. It can just be mixed and rolled and ready for toppings! It tastes great. The recipe is from a cook book on only pizzas…and I am too lazy to go and get it right now and give out the name of the book…sorry. But I do remember it as I do make it often.  So here you go…this is the recipe I used:

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1 packet of yeast
• 1 cup water (hot)
• 1 T. sugar or honey
• 1/3 cup of olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the water with the sugar. Let it sit and rise while you mix the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the flour mixture. When the yeast mixture forms bubbles on top (this is when you will know it is ready) put it in well along with the oil. Mix everything together with hands. Mix well and form a ball. Then knead for about 6-8 minutes on a marble surface. You are supposed to let it rise one time.

Make your sauce:

• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• crushed garlic (to your own taste, I use 3 cloves)
• 1 T. oregano
• 1 T. basil
• 1 t. red pepper seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together in small bowl. And spread onto both pizza crusts. 

Use the toppings of your choice…. onions, green peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, cheese and even meats if you desire.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until browned the way you like it. Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy!!!

I have had some sort of sore throat/sinus thingy since Tuesday. And I think I figured it out. The pear trees are in full bloom and so are many of the cherry trees.  Allergies….it has to be!! So I am double dosing on the vitamin c, green tea and salt water gargles. I guess that is a major reason I’m feeling so lazy/tired.

A nice shower sounds great as does some hot tea with lemon. I was thinking last night that I haven’t read any really interesting novels lately…so I’ll look and see if there is something I can find in the bookshelves!!!

Ok…need to start the kettle…

Cheers

back to the norm…

Well, my sweetie pie has made it home by now. Here are some pictures of him…I will sure miss his little self…I’ll write more later tonight or tomorrow…right now I am making up for some missed jewelry making time! Cheers!!!

Flowers we picked on our “field trip”

My baby…now a 5 year old. He loves to draw transformers!

Hunter and his cousins, Tanner and Ethan

Sister Dawn

We had lots of company while he was here…yes I know, too many pictures of HIM but I have “bragging rights”!! You’ll understand once your a G-Parent too!!!

grandson visits…

Well, it is the third day of my grandson’s visit with us.  He is keeping me very busy (understatement of the month!).  Since he is now 5 and in kindergarten he likes to help me do things like cooking and some cleaning.  So that makes things fun for both of us.

Right now he is coloring in “the work room” while I type this.  Later we will make some granola (recipe from “Path to Freedom”) and make up some flash cards with his reading words so he can study and work on those!  It is exciting for me that he is in the process of learning to read.  Reading was always a top priority for me to pass to my son’s.  And even to this day every birthday and Christmas they each get a book!

So this week not much in the way of making things will get accomplished.  But weather permitting, we will work outside and get some much needed weeding and planting done!

Already in the ground is: spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce and snow peas.  They were from last years seeds so hopefully they will come to fruition.

I better go he is playing with the swing lamp!!!!

clothes lines and swings…

The clothes I have drying outside now…

This swing has certainly seen better days!

Richie’s truck is still in the shop so I stayed home today and he is using my jeep. It is wonderful outside and I’m heading to dig in the dirt!

Cheers!

netti pot…

I am still using the netti pot daily.  And have purchased some NON-iodized salt to use in it.  My good blog buddy Brad said that is what he uses and it is also what is recommended.  The packages you can buy ready made up are just too expensive and why buy such things when you can just make it up at home?  So I have been using this solution:

• 2 cups of filtered water (use non-chlorinated water).
• 1 teaspoon of non-ionized salt

I boil the water and then mix in the salt so that it can dissolve thoroughly.  Let the water cool to warm and then pour 1/2 the mixture into the netti pot.  (the pot will hold 1 cup). Do one nostril and then repeat for the other nostril.

I have tried using sea salt and it was too harsh.  So I read that you could “soften”  it with adding some baking soda…wrong (at least for me)!  The addition of the soda was even more irritating.  Also, I have used xylitol dissolved in water in the netti pot.  Because of the  studies on it’s effect on bacteria in the sinuses.  {yeah…I know, I spend way too much time looking things up on the INTERNETS!!!  (sorry Mr. Bush)}.  Another solution I want to try will  be herbal teas.  But for now, I am happy to be breathing easy using the salt solution.

More later…

on the way to better photos…

Here is a happy photo of the Buddha bracelet!

Measurments:

length 8″ long. Adjustable (the donut and chain clasp allows for a comfortable fit on even my small 6.5″ wrist!).
—————————
Stones used: Nice and chunky!!

African Jade
Mahogany Obsidian
Green Jasper
Sterling Silver (spacers)
Cut Citrines
Black Agate
Amazonite
Antique brass chain 5mm
Jade Carved Buddha 1″long.

Finally the photo turned out to my liking! Yay…

It’s rainy and Rich has to take his truck in to the shop…and so I have to go and get him.

Thanks for all the helpful comments on making better photographs!

Help nanny 911

It is March already!!  I haven’t felt like writing lately…nothing much to say I suppose.  Today I did some weeding in the herb garden because it was 70 degrees outside and sunny!!  Maybe the lack of sunshine lately has had me somewhat down…I don’t know.

Thursday my middle son and his son will be coming down.  I get to watch my grandson for a week while son#2 takes a much needed vacation.  Richie will also be leaving again for the north…what I am hoping for is to get myself on some sort of a schedule.  Yes I know it sounds like something “Nanny 911″ would recommend!  But I need it for self-discipline!!  Which is soo very much lacking in me.  I have no motivation for exercise lately and have been eating things that I know don’t agree with my body or standards!  In short….I think I have been letting myself go.  Is it because Rich and I have become so very comfortable (and also VERY happy!) with each other?  Who knows…all I know is that laziness has crept into my habits and I don’t like it.  One huge culprit is the computer…and alas, we have acquired a new 3-in-one printer (a real nice one too).  I have so many ideas for designs and graphics…and now I have a great tool to make them come to life!  But seriously, the time I spend on the computer and reading (I read all the time…almost anything I can get hold of!) takes up way too much of my time.  My exercise time…and I have to find a way that works…and for me having a routine always makes me BEHAVE!

Enough…action…not so much reading and limiting my time on the computer will help…this I do know.  Does it help to write lists?  Does it help to use a day planner?  What kind of things do you do to help you get things accomplished?