Who knew....

Who knew....I'd neglect my blog for just over two years...

I would like to say I've been busy traveling the world or making some great discovery. But truth is, I've just been lazy. Just over two years of laziness. Two years of working and taking an occasional trip and two years of neglecting things. Or I could say it's two years I've spent living life. Routine life, working, eating, sleeping, repeat.

I have been trying to create more. Sometimes succeeding, mostly not. Accepting that things just haven't gotten accomplished on the timeline I might have liked. But more importantly, accepting that it's ok I didn't follow some schedule or meet some arbitrary deadline. Promising myself I will try to do better.

And so here I am now trying to revive my blog. To use this to share my creativity. I don't do a great deal of scrapbooking because let's face it how many cat or food pictures can I take/document. I still love mixed media as much as ever and can't get enough Dyan and Dina products. And yes, I've fallen down the planning rabbit hole though honestly I don't have that much to plan. It does offer another creative outlet and so I'm immersing myself there (read dumping all my money on another hobby). But everyone needs a vice.

So in the coming days/weeks/months/etc. I hope I can continue here and share some of what I am working on. Share a thought or two along the way. With that said...

....stay tuned.

Sunday Night Play Time

So much for spending the day creating. After breakfast and an errand I decided I needed rest more than creating. Obviously I was correct since I took a FOUR HOUR nap. Once I finally got my eyes open good, did a little laundry and watched the Super Bowl halftime I retreated to the studio to play. Much like my energy, my creative juices are low but I did at least make a start.

I used some gesso and modeling paste then added various paints and sprays from my February Flying Unicorn Mixed Art Kit. I have no real vision of a finished product and thus no clue where this is going. And for now, I think I am done for the night. Perhaps after it sits a bit I will have some inspiration and direction.

It's About Damn Time

January was a busy month and I finally sat down tonight to play a bit. I've been wanting/meaning to for, well, days. I've had all weekend to play but waited till late on Sunday to even attempt anything. I looked and looked at my Flying Unicorn goodies and even surfed looking for inspiration but felt inadequate. Finally I just jumped in and played. What you see is the final result. Maybe this is the motivation I need to get creating!

Itching to be Creative

I had some amazing creative opportunities last year; from scrap retreats to mixed media classes with star designers/artists. If only I could channel all the desire to create into actually creating. I manage to play some and then life gets in the way. Even last years goal to participate in the Documented Life Project derailed...about February/March. I didn't give up I just didn't make it a priority and dedicate the time. Somewhat like rehab, I would create a bit then fall off the wagon.

Even with life and dry spells I did take part in some amazingly inspiring events. Classes with Dina Wakley, Dyan Reaveley and Debby Schuh. And the most inspiring; the first ever Uni-Camp scrap retreat held by the Flying Unicorn. THAT weekend in Temple was so much more than I ever imagined it would be. I met an amazing group of talented ladies from all over the country and Canada. A diverse group of ladies who melded together to form some wonderful friendships. I loved everything I learned that weekend and all I continue to learn. I am anxiously awaiting the notice that sign ups are open for Uni-Camp this year. (I'll share more over time of the retreat weekend including links to the blogs of many of the talented ladies I met and am now have the pleasure of calling friend.)

Today's itch to create comes with the reveal of the new Dyan Reaveley Dylusion products by Ranger. The big Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) show is this weekend and various companies are posting their upcoming products. Today it was Ranger's upcoming Dylusions line that has me drooling. I LOVE Dyan Reaveley and her products and look forward to getting my hands on the new releases. Additionally I hope to have the opportunity to take classes from Lady Dy using her new products.

I have had the pleasure of taking classes from Dyan over the last year, having traveled to Forney, New Braunfels and Waxahachie to do so. It's all been great, creative, messy fun.

Just a few of my creations with the guidance of Lady Dy. (Sorry for the sideways pics--not sure how to rotate them.)

Revival Time

No, I'm not referring to religion though I'm sure in the eyes of some I could use it. I'm referring to this blog. This poor, sad, neglected blog. It's been way tooooo long since I've updated anything. Oh I've thought of it often but never quite manage to sit my behind down and do it. Instead I spend (waste) my time sitting in the living room with the honey in front of the tv (while he watches various things) as I play on my kindle scrolling facebook, pintetest or playing solitaire.

Time to break the cycle and start new habits. Yes, I know that sounds like a resolution which is not something I make. But if it makes others happy to view it that way then who am I to correct them? As for me, I will continue in my delusions of referring to changing habits.

One habit I did develop mid 2015 and nurtured through the year was going to the gym. Yes, me, the girl who hates that sort of thing. I have a gym membership and actually use it. And I can tell when I've been away too long. I'm not going to win any lifting competitions or such but I do try to get to the gym at least three times a week (sometimes more believe it or not) and generally do at least 30 minutes on the bike or treadmill-sometimes up to an hour. Yeah me.

But I digress. Back to my main topic: I am going to revive this blog. I am back to working on my creativity so I have hopes of posting creations here, among other things. Over the coming days I hope to do some clean work here-updating links, adding new ones, etc. Sharing past adventures and those in the works. Stay tuned.....

Bad Blogger.....

Despite my declaration at the start of the year I have failed. I am a bad blogger....I can never seem to find the time; correction, I never take the time to update my blog. My craftiness the past few months has been hit and miss. I think about it almost ALL the time but I don't sit down to create. Instead I find myself just flat out being lazy. Instead I spend, no waste, endless hours pouring through Pintrest or watching creative videos when I should be creating.

My studio/scrap room/art room is a disaster with stuff everywhere and I do not want to take the time to clean and organize though it badly needs it. I would rather create yet the disorder prevents me from doing so. What a vicious cycle. On occasion I do manage to at the very least clear my table enough to do some creating. At those times I find myself sitting in front of my art journal basically just slapping paint on a page. I never know which way to 'go' when I'm doing that. I do however enjoy adding the colors to the page and moving them around.

The weekend weather is bordering on nasty and the honey has mentioned maybe going to a movie. If that does not happen perhaps I will sit and play with paint and try to get myself on track...

One and done....

Week one of 2015 is behind us. Finally started the second Documented Life Challenge tonight which is the picture above. Not sure where I'm going with it and not feeling inspired but was fun to just play with paint for a few minutes. There's nothing that says everything has to be done in one setting and are cannot really not be rushed so I'll just wait and see where it goes.

The work week was busy as expected and I'm still trying to back into routine. The weekend was pretty much uneventful which is just fine given the fact it rained almost the entire time and was cold. The honey went hunting on his days off which meant I was on my own and got away with continuing to do nothing. Unfortunately he didn't get anything so no backstrap this season. Now he says he's taking me hog hunting in a month or so--we will see.

Next weekend I've got a scrapbook retreat so I really need to get my things together so I can leave Friday just as soon as I can get out of the office--hoping to slip out a little early. Unlike last year I have an idea of the projects I want to work on so I will spend the evenings after work this week getting things together. My main goal is to get my 2014 Project Life finished and start 2015.

I am hoping to do more crafty things this year and I am fortunate to have a honey who supports that. When I find new things and tell him his reply is to get it even without knowing the cost. The annual Craft and Hobby Association Show was this weekend so thanks to facebook I've been seeing all sorts of goodies I can hardly wait to get my hands on!

What a Day....

First day of the new year at the office. Would like to say it went smoothly and in some ways it did with the exception of being on the verge of an anxiety attack. It started last night with difficulty sleeping and seems to have escalated from there. I did not get the amount of sleep I should have and I know that played a role then add to walking back into what is sometimes bedlam and I think it was 'the perfect storm'. I'm slowly bouncing back and look forward to a full night of sleep tonight...even if I have to have a drink!

The best part of the day (other than lunch time with the honey) was coming home to my art journal. I came straight to my scrap room to play. I'm not certain if I'm finished...maybe I am, maybe I'm not but I'm not going to push or rush it.

Ahh Crap....

Break is coming to an end and tomorrow it's back to work....after 3 weeks off....3 weeks of accomplishing nothing around the house...or crafty goals. I DID get plenty of rest.....which will probably kick my ass about 8 am tomorrow morning when I have to be in the office. I have gotten into the very bad habit of staying up late and then sleeping quite a bit during the day. That comes to a halt now...despite the fact I was up late last night, slept on the couch a couple hours then got up when honey came in at 5am and went to bed with him...till 10a then back down around 11a till nearly 1p with him. Hoping I actually get some rest tonight and am not too much of a zombie tomorrow.

On another note I DID take time to be crafty! I finally began work on prompt one from the Documented Life Project.

I followed the facebook group last year and loved all the creativity and decided this year I am going to participate!

The first prompt is about facing the blank page and being your own goal keeper. I'm not totally certain where I'm going with this first prompt just yet but I have started with my pages. I put down 'book paper' (basically pages from a book and even part of a restaurant menu then painted over it. Not sure what my next layer will be. It's the fun thing about being creative...just going with the flow wherever it may take you.

Not Quite There....

At least not yet but I am trying and will continue to do so.

Since honey was off we went to the movies--our first time at Alamo Drafthouse. After all the hoopla he was determined to show his freedom and not let some radical tell him what he can see so we went to The Interview. Not a bad movie. Had us laughing pretty much the entire time. Not a bad way to spend a dreary, rainy day.

Slow Start....

Not a lot of progress made around the house with the dawning of the new year but I am trying. Never mind that my blog update is just barely on January 1!

It was a fairly quiet day. I didn't lay my head on the pillow till nearly 2am and honey got in from work about 6amish. I got up for a bit but went to bed with him and then slept till nearly 11a. I got up and played a little then joined him again about 1ish and slept till nearly 3p. We both got up then and I cooked New Year's Dinner--traditional black eyed peas and cabbage and cornbread.

After dinner it was football and cleaning the kitchen. The Oregon/Florida State Game was just ugly and the Alabama/Ohio State game wasn't much better. While honey has pretty much been glued to the tv I have puttered around between the living room and my scrap room. Trying my best to work on many neglected projects.

Since honey is still off tomorrow it will be 'date day'. After all the hype the honey really wants to see The Interview so we will be headed to Katy to Alamo Drafthouse to check it out.

For now I should put myself to bed because my bad habit of staying up late and then sleeping late in the day is going to be bad come Monday morning....

Looking Ahead....

I have really, really neglected my blog this year but as 2014 comes to a close and 2015 dawns I am going to try being better at posting. I have so many artsy things I want to tackle in the new year and other things too that perhaps blogging will keep me motivated to stay on track.

It's time to stop lounging on the couch and DO things. That's not to say I've not done anything in the past. Heaven knows I could have accomplished so much more than I have. I've been on break since December 13, and have done virtually nothing during that time. I hate that I haven't accomplished anything but I have enjoyed just relaxing. I've also done quite a bit of thinking about things I need to do and things I want to do. And now it's time to start committing some of the things to paper...

So things for 2015:

MORE: Reading
Less: Stressing
MORE: Creating
MORE: Organizing
MORE: Cooking
MORE: Adventure
Less: Worry

In the creating department I want to get back on track with Project Life. I've done fairly well with 2014 being only 6 months behind at the moment and I do have pictures printed but I don't want to continue being that behind. I have also decided to participate in the Documented Life Project and look forward to the weekly challenges there. I'm hoping the are will help me in the less stress and worry departments.

On to 2015!

Time has flown...

It's so easy to put things aside thinking you'll get back to them and suddenly you find it's months later. I've thought often of blogging but never quite seem to get to the computer to do. There are various reasons and probably the biggest is that I just didn't make it a priority. I can say it's not the only thing I've not made time for. There has however been time for important things like spending time with the honey.

And now as the summer winds down I will try my best to make a conscious effort to pull together some semblance of a schedule and include time for blogging.

Neglect.....

....this is what a neglected blog looks like. I think of blogging but never seem to get around to it. Summer turned to fall then winter and now the cusp of spring.

May 31 everything turned upside down for Robin and I focused my energies on helping her. And of course there was my life too. In a nutshell, Robin is now divorced and living in Arkansas and I'm here flying solo. The honey is still on the road and gets home about every three to five weeks. In his absence life goes on and I try to be a good wife taking care of home.

Here's hoping I can finally establish some sort of schedule that allows for creativity and blogging. Time will tell.....

Already a Year?

One year ago yesterday I became a homeowner. I signed mortgage paperwork and entered deeper debt but I now have a home to call my own. Somewhat hard to believe it's already been a year.

On the Road Again....

The honey is back on the road...different company this time. So far he seems happy with them--says they actually seem to care about their employees. Time will tell! They arranged a bus ticket for him to Birmingham, Alabama for three days of training and then off he went. He thought he'd be going to Dallas to get a truck but was routed to Wisconsin. And they even sprang for a rental car for him and two others there.

He is currently on his third or fourth run--I've already lost count. And he's already got time off scheduled. He will be home in a little over two weeks for his birthday. At least he's not scheduled to be gone months at a time as before. And he should be banking some money soon.

It took a day or two to get used to being home alone again but I don't guess it was that difficult. I'm back to doing very little cooking and eating out a lot--though I shouldn't. It's just so much easier to just grab something. The problem is that generally it's just crap. I was spoiled with the honey home and cooking for me.

On another note, I sold the Taurus. Somewhat sad to see her go as she was a really good car. Lots of good times. I might have even been able to get more miles out of her but it really was time. At least now the honey won't have to worry about my transportation with him gone. I have something reliable, with good tires and AC. And it's fun to drive! And now someone else can enjoy her...the new owner seems quite pleased.

Still Playing.....

I finished...or at least I think I've finished my first art journal entry. Not sure I'm that excited with it but at least I've started.

I have started on my next entry. Coated the pages with gesso and after they were dry I started adding sprays of various inks..Heidi Swapp-though I didn't shake them too well and then Ranger Dylusions which are the rich colors--love them! They can be picked up at Hobby Lobby in sets of 2 for about ten bucks. The can also be found at Texas Art supply for under 5 bucks each which is the cheapest I've found them but I seldom get to Texas Art Supply. It's something new to play with.

I added some washi tape which does not really stick to the gesso/sprayed pages so I used Close to My Heart Crystal Effects as adhesive. I think that's all I'm going to do for the night. Perhaps I will find some time and feel creative tomorrow and can/will add another layer.

More play...

Though I didn't take (or post) any pictues I played a bit more tonight after dinner. Added some more color and then some stamping and words and bad drawings. I'm not really happy with my end result and I don't know that I can or will add anything more. I will sleep on it but at this moment I'm thinking it's time to move on to the next entry. I also wish I had more time to sit and play with paper and pictures and paint and such. Honestly by the time I get in from work I don't always make the time to sit down to play. I'm usually busy with dinner and then poof, it's time for bed. Just gotta learn to balance it all.

And trying to get better with keeping up with things like this blog. It's time to get some structure, develop a plan of action and excute it. I've been in the house since August and there is still so much undone. I need to slow down enough to do the things that should have already been done. And take time to rest and relax.

Playtime......

Seems like forever since I've sat down to play. I've wanted to, planned to for the past few weeks but just never managed to do so. I've been busy at work and pretty much fried by the time I get home. Add to that some other turmoil and everything has been chaotic. I'm working now to find balance with it all...home, work, supporting a loved one and finding time for me to play. One step at a time.

It's been a fairly low-key weekend. Visited with girlfriends till late Friday night. Despite all that needed attention this weekend I spent time just hanging with the honey. Other than going out for breakfast and dinner we did nothing Saturday. It's been so long since that happened and I enjoyed every second. Today I've tried to get back in the groove for reality but have not been in too much of a rush for that. And as is my norm, as bedtime draws near I finally sit down in the studio to play.

I was dertermined to start play in my art journal and tonight I finally took the first steps. I prepped my pages with gesso then sat down with some paint and water. Once my pages dry I'll add my next layer though at the moment I'm uncertain what that will be. I have accepted that this is a process that may take a while. I cannot rush the process. Granted the day my come when I sit to play and go till I feel I am finished but that is not the case at the moment. For now I am going to take my time and let it speak to me.....

MSversary and other assorted rants....

Hard to believe May is here. So much has been going on that seems there is hardly a spare moment and when there is I don't seem to accomplish much if anything. April brought a trip to Austin and the annual loan conference. It turned out Rush was there that week and with nothing really happening in the evening with the demise of private lending over the past years I decided to see the show. I knew my buddy M was coming and though we wouldn't be able to sit together we could at least travel to and from the show together. I didn't get my ticket till Saturday before the show so imagine my surprise when I found myself just to the side of the stage with a great view.





As expected, it was a great show. Glad I made the decision to get a ticket!

It's always fun being in Austin and seeing friends. Normally these conferences give me a new focus and energy but this year I only felt stressed by it all. All the new regulations and proposed regulations and the overall day-to-day. The timing of the meetings from Tuesday to Thursday was a bit odd too in that I had to go back to the office on Friday. It was late before I got away from Austin and then just outside Sealy my car kinda sputtered and then a light on the dash came on. Here I am driving 70-75 down the road trying to dig out and check the owners manual about the light. Overall the car seemed to be running fine but the light was staying on and I was growing uneasy. I made it home, parked the car and there it sat for the next week.

Bill said he would check it but it would be Friday at the soonest. It worked out that I could take the honey to work and take his truck so I wasn't without wheels. When he got off we made a dash into Sugar Land for a little (used) car shopping. We didn't have a great deal of time since it was after 7p when we arrived. We did what we could, had dinner with the Myers and I took their jeep home to return it the next day.

The plan was to get a used vehicle and that was my focus. Granted I have hoped when the honey got settled job wise we could think about a new vehicle but fate stepped in and moved that deadline. After about and hour at the car lot picking cars Bill decided we needed to go check the local dealership. On a bit of a whim he pulled into the Ford dealership (which if you know him is a big deal-LOL) and found a salesman he's known for years. Within about an hour we were headed to lunch and waiting on a return call to pick up my new vehicle. It was less than 30 minutes when I got the call telling me to be there in about an hour to get my new wheels--a 2013 Ford Escape. So much for used!



And I'm loving the new wheels though it's somewhat bittersweet saying bye to the Taurus. It was a good car..took me over 277,000 miles. Lots of memories, lots of good times. Who knows how much longer she will go and hopefully be loved by another (the honey drove it in to get it sold and he said she ran perfect so who knows).

And now the meaning behind my post title. Five years ago tonight I was in Hermann Hospital awaiting the first of many tests that would lead to my diagnosis the next day (May 9, 2008) of MS. And so, I now refer to May 9, as my MSversary. What a ride it's been the last five years.