Friday, January 30, 2009

SHHH ... I think the ass kickin' may be over ....

Okay ... I want to say this quietly just in case I'm wrong ... but I think the ass kickin is over & it has moved on ( I pity it's next victim !!) But I want to be quiet in case it's a trick. I know it was still here last night because we needed our truck so we could take our car to the muffler doctor and the truck's brake line had come off ... and no brakes.And it was buried... I mean buried... in ice. So here we are at the ages of 40+ and we are borrowing Dad's car ... BUT ... we got the car home safe & sound, we stocked up on groceries, we had dinner, had a good sleep, had showers, flushed toilets and heard that satisfying swirling sound ... all good !!! So maybe, baby !
I will say that when all this ... doodoo ... comes pouring down, it makes you amazingly resilient. Yeah, I know I had the old baby tears a few times but for the most part, you really are EXPECTING bad things so when they happen it is just "oh, I'm not surprised" and you move on. AND ... you know how people say everything happens for a reason ? Well, in a strange way it did. Stay with me - it's long but it does come together at the end ...The muffler was ripped off the car so that meant Charlie had to lay on the road in the snow to pull the last bits off which meant that he then stunk to high heaven because a male cat must have peed in the road which meant that his coat & pants had to be washed which then led us to the water blowing through the laundry room and the washer not draining because of the frozen lines which then made the fuses blow which meant Charlie had to go "on the otherside" of the house where we never go to fix the fuse and in the process walked by the window that had been blown out and the snow that had been blown in. SOOOOO ... happy ending ... we would not have found the window until spring and there would have been much more damage and maybe even animals "on the otherside" . And that, my friends, is the longest run-on sentence I have ever written. My grade 9 English teacher would have something to say about that !!
So today is sunny, I have had a lovely hot cup of tea, our car is being fixed, the cat food cupboard is full, I had no "cleaning projects" this morning, and today REALLY IS FRIDAY. SO I say Hallelujah and bring on the happy days !!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

2nd Update ... and then there can be NO MORE

Okay, read the 2 previous posts.
Now add the following :
1. A large window broken in the house.
2. Ergo ... snow in the house.
3. A 6 hour power failure.
4. 3 hours of sleep.
5. No heat at the store when I arrive - the furnace wasn't working.
6. I can't even talk about what I had to clean up.
7. More broken bags of beads - total mess.
8. Today is NOT Friday apparently. It is only Thursday. ( that was a bitter pill to swallow !!)
Okay, whoever you are, STOP KICKING MY ASS !!!
Bright spots :
1. A hug from the original Doris Blood. So sweet !
2. I did get to have a shower this morning.
3. And I really don't give a flying f**k about those damn blue snowflakes on the paper towels. I think that was artificial happiness ...

ANYWAY, I am feeling a little low but I am somehow going to kick this day in the ass instead of the other way around. I just hope it doesn't involve emotional eating ...

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

See previous post.
Add the following :
1. Muffler ripped off car.
2. Toilet now NOT flushing so well.
3. A 3 or more foot long cylinder of pipe jamming, drain blocking, frozen washer water, shower water, poop, toothpaste, toilet paper .... EWWWWW!
4. Some broken pipe.
5. A washer that doesn't want to spin.
6. A blow out of water across the laundry room.
7. Several blown fuses.
8. A cat that picked my leg ALL DAY.
9. 3 pounds of beads - 15 different bags - all broken together in one box ....
10. Pushing the wrong key & starting this post all over.
11. Stale hot dog buns.
12. The fact that we even had to resort to having hot dogs for supper ... ICK !

BUT ... MY PAPER TOWEL HAS BLUE SNOWFLAKES ON IT !!!!!
Sigh ... it can only get better !!

My life is in the TOILET ... Literally ...

Yep, you read right. IN THE TOILET . ( If toilets and bodily stuff gross you out, like they do me, stop reading !!) The last week and a half has centered around toilets, plumbing, and what should be in the toilet. So pleasant. Really fabulous. Like a vacation really.
First I have a crabby old cat who has decided that the world is , not his oyster, but his litter box ... so I am greeted most days by cleaning projects ... not too keen on that. And it is perfectly on purpose. So I am trying to deal with that & get it to STOP !! There aren't a whole lot of solutions and I'm sure if he knew my thoughts he WOULD stop ! So I lay out huge sheets of cardboard to cover the carpet, I spray stuff, I put food in the spot, I install hissing cans of air, I buy repellent. I am getting SO TIRED of this. But there has to be a solution somewhere. So that's the first part. And it is ENOUGH really. Last week after a particularly bad time, I finally started to cry . So I prompt my blubbering self to come up with some good things ... after a few minutes I finally sob out "My paper towels have blue snowflakes on them". That's the best I could do. But because it was the only bright spot right then, it made me laugh. To think that the crappy cheap no-name on-sale-because-the-holiday-is-over NON absorbent paper towels were the bright spot was so pathetic, I did have to laugh. So it was all good !
Toilet issue #2 . Our drains and sewer pipes have been freezing. We live on rock and have no basement so it happens. But it has been an ever changing - revolving drain plug up. One day it's the kitchen, then the bathroom, then the washer ... and On AND ON AND ON ... we could retire on the White Lightening money we have spent !! So for a few days I washed dishes in a basin and then dumped the water in the bathroom sink. Other days we have had to go to the bathroom only upstairs or only downstairs. Some days we can't shower - sink bath it is. Yesterday, there was no really well functioning toilet ... and I was fearful so I waited all day until 4 pm. ( I thought of you Myleta ...) Could wait no longer. But the toilet angels were on my side that day & it flushed !! So, now the toilet flushes, the kitchen sink drains but still no shower or washer. But tomorrow is another day to quote Scarlet and it may be the lucky drain day !!
And just because yucky things happen in threes ... my cat threw up all over my hand. Now if you know me, that is horrific ! I hate stuff that comes out of anyone's body ... EWWWW. So I know the look of horror on my face must have been hysterical. It didn't feel too hysterical . Well maybe I was hysterical, not sure. I couldn't wash it off because Charlie was in the shower & the water would have either burnt him or frozen him. So I stood with HOT CHUNKS , yes- chunks, dripping off my hand and ... well, actually ... CRIED!! But I must have done something else too in my horror because Charlie came flying downstairs from the shower wrapped in a towel to see what had happened. He heard me SCREAMING and thought I must have been hurt . SCREAMING ??? I didn't know I had. See, I told you, HORRIFIED and maybe HYSTERICAL. Now, I know I saw his shoulders shaking when he turned his back. Somehow he saw HUMOUR !!! None for me ... even now. I was quite indignant, pointing out that I had to endure it in order to save burning him so I was thoughtful in my distress. Funnier still to him apparently. He then suggested that I could have swished it off temporarily in the toilet. Oh, yeah, that would be right up my alley. Not funny.
So every day I have had to remind myself of what is good ... somedays it IS just the pattern on the paper towel, somedays it is that a toilet flushes, or that the day is vomit free. But those things are good ... and better days are out there I guess. At least we have indoor bathrooms ...
Thanks for letting me DUMP on you ... oh, hahaha, that is a good spot today ! ( I always make myself laugh ...)
Hope you have a great non-pukey day !!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

A Year ... in a can ...

Hello !
This is my latest project. I have made a divider for each month, each with a calendar. Then I have pages to add for the month where I add photos, jot notes, mark days or happenings on the calendar, etc... At the end of the year, I will bind it together and have a little book for 2009 !! I am excited !
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Here are the first few pages.
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And now ... here are a few of the things that I LOVE RIGHT NOW !!!
* 1. The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price. And what about Ambrose - totally adorable !! I want him to be my friend & I could go on his adventures with him !!!
* 2. golden delicious apples ...mmmm
* 3. my FAB new scarf that Dave made me. LOVE IT !!!
* 4. drains that are thawed. You should love yours just on principle.Love them without knowing what it is like to have them frozen. Just take my word for it.
* 5. orange mulling spice in my tea. Not every cup. Just the odd one to make it special & different. Just like me ... hahahah!!
* 6. Flat back crystals ... ALWAYS !!
* 7. crocheting with wire ... well maybe this - SUCCESS crocheting with wire !!
* 8. my Belgian waffle maker. Mmhmm. Once I figured out what 180 degrees was. Seemed like every time I turned it MY 180 degrees, all the batter poured out. Turns out, 180 degrees is bigger than I thought !
* 9. and, well, just because ... BACON

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

DING DONG ...thE TRee is GoNE ...mY GrOOve is On ... LiFe is BoNNe

Wahoo !! The tree is gone, the debris is packed up, the season has WRAPPED !! And MY GROOVE IS BACK !!! YIPPEE!!! I sat down and CRAFTED yesterday ... and planned and dreamed what else I am going to do ... OH YAY !!
I did have a wee stumbling block though ... I decided to assemble my SU stamps - all tiny letters and numbers - a backward upside down 22 is a perplexing thing . So is a lower case "a". So is just about any number or letter. Let me just say that I love the letter "O" - it is perfect !! Anyway, I ended up LICKING the rubber stamps (yum!) because I was too lazy to use ink and then have to clean them. So I would lick each stamp, stamp it, and then be able to know if it was right side up or not. Geez ... who knew THAT would be so hard !! So after an afternoon of snacking on liquid rubber, I had a full calendar set & was able to start MAKING STUFF !!!

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I have a few pix of the project that jump started it all for me. This is the AMAZING storage project I did. It is a sheet of foamcore cut to fit a tote. Then I glued beer cups - festive ones ! - to it. I did another slightly larger for the next layer. Photobucket
All the ornaments drop into the cups & are completely protected. AWESOME !!
Tonight I have MORE crafting lined up and I am going to try a wire & crystal crochet design that I was shown in Toronto . Don't know how to crochet ... but that shouldn't be a problem ! I'll let you know how it goes. Have a wonderful INSPIRED day !!
P.S. I have come up with a few plans for my year ... The Year of (self)Challenge !!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

It's The TREE !!!

Okay, you know how I couldn't find my groove ? And something had stolen it ? It's the TREE!! I know it !! I have never struggled so much to find my groove after the holidays ... and I have never had a tree. (well, not in 20+ years ...) MMhmm. Get it ? Plain as the glitter on the carpet. I think the tree has stolen my groove. And , yes, I realize that it is January 10th and most self-respecting holidayers have taken their trees down. But mine has me flummoxed. Having not put a tree away in over 20 years I am at a loss as to how to deal with the STUFF that seems to have swollen & increased in size like yeasty bread dough. I brought 4 or 5 tidy boxes & bags downstairs and now they have erupted to be a SEA of tissue paper, boxes, plastic cases, just tons of debris !!! My whole extra room upstairs is filled with this stuff and the ornaments & decorations are all downstairs. I have come up with an awesome storage thing that I am going to make ... but I need some stuff cut ... that means delays ... although Charlie has promised that today is the day. Meanwhile the tree sits laughing at me - somewhere in it's branches is my groove. Give it up tree !!!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Can I Have A Do-Over AND Where is My Freakin' GROOVE ??!

Okay ... I wake up to hear that there is no water in Middleton. Lovely. I MAY need to have a bathroom break today ... So we gather jugs to take with us so we can flush. Fine. Off to work we go. I arrive and the parking lot is under 2 or 3 inches of slush, ice, and water. Nice. Enter the building and, oh, the furnace is off. Super. The cat has to be at the vet for a day of medical treatment and the beginning of at-home treatment. Charlie takes him off because I am staying behind to clean up the little spiteful puddle he left me. YAY. At this point I am thinking that I am not up to my ass in life, I am up to my throat and life has a mother of a death grip on said throat. Sigh.
But there is no do-over on a Thursday morning. So I count my happy spots - saw Deedee at the P.O. - that's good - the puddle was just a puddle , and it was on cardboard - the carpet stuff smells good, the water is back on. Okay ... it will do. I am feeling the long squeezy fingers loosening their grip on my throat. And the tea is helping .
But all this time I have been waiting for normal and it seems to be a yucky normal, at least today. I have lost my groove in all this ABnormal. And I WANT IT BACK !!! DID YOU HEAR ME, GROOVE THIEF ??? I WANT MY GROOVE BACK. Stella got hers back, why can't I ???
So my plan is to put my head down, ignore the slush & cat pee & groovelessness, and pretend I do have my groove. I am going to check out websites, email friends, work with beads, and throw myself into the day. Somewhere in this day is my groove.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Normal ? Are you out there ? Can you come back ?

Okay , its the 2nd of January. I am SO over this holiday stuff. It was great, don't get me wrong, but now I am ready for real life , normal life, to come back. It probably won't until next week because there is such a wee sliver of a week left that it will jump in with Mr. holiday and keep quiet. But watch out Monday ! That is when normal comes back and I will be happy !!
We all build up to Christmas , like a symphony with the notes getting faster & louder. Then the big drum roll & cymbal crash .... and then ... what ? It's like the other notes didn't get written. We can't jump back into everyday ( which, for the record, I think is pretty friggin' SWELL!!) because New Years is right around the corner, and that's a holiday, and there might be plans , and there are meals, and .... whatever. So we hang in this weird limbo where we eat candy even though we know we shouldn't - but it's not the new Year yet - and we wait. Like its a law that you can't just put all the stuff away or in the garbage and carry on . Weird huh ?
So it is almost done. Just 2 more days of this strange other dimension life left to go. Oh ... I admit ... I may be a bit out of sorts today - I have a pain, my hair looks like a wig ( that is WEIRD!!), I have a vindictive cat, and I want fresh fruit. But I think it will all go away with the return of normal. Because to be perfectly honest, I love the everyday so much that I miss it terribly. Come back soon, please ?

... a few of my favourite things ...