Artful Quilters Webring

I have been meaning to join this webring for several months, but never remember when I am at home, and do not want to join from work! (even tho I do surf the web from work). You can follow the link to the right and get to some fantastic sites!

What do I want for the coming year

Our topic for this Thursday's yet unnamed Women's group is "What do I want for the coming year?"
I have given up on New Year's resolutions, so glibly manifested after a glass of champagne and then guiltily discarded by mid-January.
But this year I am really going to concentrate on time. Recently I was talking to my 84 year old mother and realized I AM ALMOST 60!!
Fifty Seven (going on 58 very soon!) sounds so much better than ALMOST 60!
As a child my grandmother always told me the older you got the faster time went. If time accelerates any faster, I will be 99 before I know it.
Increasingly, time goes by in a blur, like the calendar pages in an old black and white movie.
I was born in 1950, and Halley's comet and the new millenium seemed vast distances away in the future. Since both have come and gone and we are currently in late January, 2008, I feel like I am losing my "time grip". Monthly magazines arrive in about 3 weeks, and my semi-monthly paycheks roll in with regularity (I don't mind this...)
The only way I can think of to control this time warp (isn't that a song from the Rocky Horror Picture Show?) is to become more intentional. I already have a structured life, but need to have more intention about how I live and enjoy.
I work in a high tech and high stress enviornment where I am the expert, and I use my artwork to relax from that grind. I have always loved creating and need to get some balance between work and recreation.
If I can plan and live my life intentionally I think that I will enjoy life more, even if I cannot create more time.
Quantity vs. Quality- quality should always win out.
By setting my intention, I manifest my desires--whatever they may be.

Much better week!

Well, after my faux Friday the 13th last week, my week was much better this week! Long and busy, but no disasters.

I have joined an Altered Book Round Robin with some women from the Art-e-zine site. We are using small board books and I started my book with two spreads in it. Can't decide if I am through or not, but I have two weeks to decide that.

I could have sworn that yesterday was Friday the 13th!

After a LONG week at work, went to dinner and to play cards at a friend's house. While we were heading home, going through an intersection, this HUGE white pickup runs the red light right in front of us! Luckily the car to my right braked quickly and I was able to swerve and miss the idiot by no more than a few inches. He did not even slow down!

Then I get home and inside my house it is 39 degrees! It was only 15 degrees outside! Cold air is coming out of my vents. I immediately turn off my NEW FURNACE, and look around. PNM (Natural gas supplier in NM) had turned the gas off to make repairs in the area. By now it is 10:30 and the service man does not arrive until 12:30. In the meantime I am building a fire in the fireplace (my only source of heat!) Fuzzy will not even come out of whatever hidey hole she is in, and it is very cold. Luckily I have an electric blanket on my bed, so the cats and I repair to the warm bed. By the next morning it is only 60 degrees (although that is a great improvement over the 39 degrees from the night before). I called my HVAC guy and he can't make it until noon. When he gets there he tells me that the whole winter (I had a new furnace installed in April, 2007) the air conditioner has been running when the heater is running!

Does this look like a cold cat?

Anyway, the furnace has been repaired, and the cats and I are roasty toasty warm! Hopefully my huge electric bill will go down too!

Wishing you you warmth and happiness!

Pay It Forward Challenge

Judy at http://cheerytomatoproductions.blogspot.com/ has inspired me to join this exchange:

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

Envelopes and Furry Aliens

If you have ever received a snailmail from me, you know that I try to NEVER send a plain envelope. Since all that I get in the mail now is bills, I would be very pleased to receive one of these envelopes. I put on a return address label (I use a separate white stickon label for the to address), and then color with sharpies (front and back are decorated). I get to practice some freehand patterns and try out different color combos.

As I was sitting and playing, my two furry aliens (aka Baby Cakes and Fuzz Bucket) were playing around. Fuzzy seems to be giving me the evil eye....
and then she is only a shadow, Baby Cakes is looking for her!

Let's see if this egg hatches!

Get your own egg here!

Gratitude Sign

Got this email from a very good friend today, and want to pass it along...


Ever wonder how to say thanks when you saw a military person in uniform? See a simple way to do it from across a room or as you are passing by. - skip
And when you can, say it outright - rk

Check This Out: The Gratitude Sign

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

Seems like a very simple thing to do, and even though I am adamantly anti-war, I plan to take up this gesture.

I am still scanning, cropping and identifying old family photos to post on Ancestor.com. This is so addictive, I can't stop!

Can I count photoshoping as my daily art process? If I can I am set for the year!