watching airplanes

"Right now I'm sitting out here watching airplanes" Gary Allan

That's kinda what I was doing when I was distracted by a random natural heart.

I think it is so cool when you find hearts in those unexpected times or places.

See it?????

I also hope to finish this little project today so I can have a reveal tomorrow.

 And the Crusty Old Plumber - who happens to be my buddy - is working for my friend Lannae. He just sent me this little picture of her newly modified furniture piece in her master bath. A sofa table cut to accomodate two above counter lavatories. What cha think of those?

Just a note ---- Although many people use the word sink here and I have also heard them called face bowls - the technically correct terminology for these is lavatory.. Sinks are found in kitchens and laundry rooms. (completely useless educational fact for today)

Have a wonderful afternoon.

Last weekend as a full time mommy....

Ok - Softball Princess moves into the dorms next Sunday. She is 18 years old. I will be only a weekend mom from here on.

So yesterday - Sunday, July 31 - she filled out forms

Joined by these two clowns.... (Chance and Blake)

 Waited oh so patiently

 Watched the skies carefully

 Suited up...

 Horsed around just a bit for stress relief.

 Then she hugged her daddy.
She hugged mom too. That picture is not on my camera.

 Loaded up on this thing.

 Took off .......

And came down from 14000 feet .... like this

Landed safely.

 Just so their moms know - Chance landed safely too.

 And Blake had the best landing.

On the way to www.skydivemonroe.com she said to us "if I die will you make sure my nails get painted."

After she finished she said "I felt like google earth."

Next year Mom gets to jump too.

a newly started old project.

Good morning. This post is a bit of a scary post. See, I have lived in the house where I live for 20 years. I know this project has been in the project pile for longer than that, because I moved the item from the last place I lived.

Guilty as charged --

I got stuff. I got junk. I got a mess. I was coleecting and collecting and collecting stuff all these years with all the intentions of "fixing it" to use or to sell. What I have come to realize is that I am "damn near" being a diagnosed hoarder. There are reasons for this - and a large part is still being uncovered.

Anyways. Big blessings - lead to big truths - and this has led to the realization that my Give a damn circuits have been broken for a long long time.

But enough. Now I am embarrassed to admit this - I need to get a move on in clearing out the junk that symbolizes these issues.

Basically - things stacked up in the universe and my Give a Damn has been extensively serviced and is dang near in full operation again.

In the last two weeks - I gave away a piano that I have hated, did not want, nor did I have any emotional attachment to. It needed thousands of dollars worth of work, which I can't do myself nor afford to have done.  But my grandmother (now deceased) arranged this to come into my house and I just kept hanging on to it for those reasons. PIANO NOW GONE.

I sold a car - the wind up car that left Softball Princess stranded.

I arranged for our boat to go stay with my brother in law. He can piddle with fixing it back up. Maybe even The Man can go play with his bro since there is going to be a huge void in his life very soon.

I dragged a table off the porch and scrubbed it in preparation for painting.

And I tackled this 20 year old project.

A sewing stand.......

Sorry about the pictures - cell phone snaps - I was on a roll and I was afraid to lose that by going after the camera.

Made of cedar - with a fabric backing. I think there were about 30,000 tacks and staples in it.

Lest you think the picture quality is really that bad, let me assure you this, when I touched this fabric it was so rotten that it crumbled on touch. It was a dirty - dusty - nasty step to the project.

The inside has these pockets. I saved these panels for a pattern but they are lying on the porch - not taking this nasty mess inside.

No idea why this is so tiny - I have all the tacks and staples out now. I'll scrub and sand and repair some issues in the wood. Then - shhh, don't tell the wood lovers about this but - I'm painting this and adding new panels to it. God knows I have fabric.

maybe it will look something like these when I finish it.



I do hope you all have a wonderful day.

Notes on the best birthday in a long time......

I turned 46 on Thursday - It was a wonderful event. There was no big party. Really,  no elaborate gifting. But there has been some major attitude changes in my life.

Basically - MY "GIVE A DAMN" is no longer broken.

My birthday included lunches with great friends.

It included breakfast with great friends.

There was one "liquid" dinner.  

I received a very symbolic gift from my Ohio Bestie Friend.

I took the time to relax and really celebrate this year. It was good for me.

Saturday was absolutely the best. I found myself with a day to spend on me, since the man and the princess were playing ball in Atlanta and had stayed the night with his sister.  I rambled around with a wonderful friend. Poked into old homeplaces, old cemeteries, and antiques stores. Played on dirt roads. Had fabulous conversation. It was one of my best days in a long time.

MaggieGrace actually worked in the studio on Sunday. She spent the morning Sunday watching the SoftBall Princess play ball and crocheting. It was a great weekend.

I also cleared out a piano. I kinda gained the piano in a roundabout way. It was old - broken - needed thousands of dollars in repairs - and my Nanny arranged for me to be the fine owner of this thing. Well - I lived with it until yesterday evening. And now it no longer takes up space in my house. WhooHoo!!!

Now for a few fun images from saturday.

I took this in one of the cemeteries. This is the image right off my camera. I do not know why I wanted this kind of "off" perspective.

Then, I started "playing" in the picnik.com editor. I will be printing this to hang in my office.

Then - using the sepia setting on my camera - I took this one too. Again, this is the image - right off the camera.

More picnik.com editing. I built an eerie - haunted appearing fire in the fireplace. Cool - huh.

I do hope, every one had a great weekend.

I did.

A long post that really says nothing.....

Ok peeps - sorry. MaggieGrace has some big big life things going on. So i have been a little scattered.

Here is a post of a bunch of random notes that add up to nothingness - but mostly to let you guys know I didn't die.

I will be 46 on Thursday ------

I am now the proud parent of two adults - the softball princess turned 18 on Saturday. We are busily doing the crap that we have to to get her into college and dorm life. Busy scrambling.

I have however finished a baby blanket - a gorgeously soft one in the creamy yellow color.

Plain old double crochet stitched with a tiny variation.

Front and back post double crochet rows add a bit of a fake cable effect.

A very simple single and double crochet edge treatment finished this one off. I finished it Saturday Morning and started one in a luscious oange sherbert and white variation.

I lost my halo - but then discovered it is easily replaced - and danged cheap too. Not sure if the stray apostrophe is valuable or not.

I am sucha display geek - simple white cotton knit with grey knit words. Very effective display in a New York window.

New York work trip included time for sight seeing (and beer drinking).

I was asked to stop taking these pictures - Anthro of course.

I am letting my hair grow out - I love it longer.

But then I wear it up all the time. Go figure.

I've spend some time babysitting for these monkeys.

And I am acting like a teenager - feather extensions and some really easy laughter add to that entire midlife act like a teen image. ( I love the extensions)

There has been a road trip with the entire crew (yup I've gained a couple of boys to hang out with these girls)

Flip flops and painted toenails - serious summer attire.

A visit to Ground Zero convince me that America heals - just like we all should.

Oh and the Princess got a new back glass - not sure what happened but it resulted in a 1am phone call to my cell.

So there you have random pictures that add up to an excuse for why I am not around. I will say that something has happened in my life that has resulted in getting my "give a damn" repaired. I am slowly slowly working on finishing some things that should have been done a long time ago.

I'll sign a "do better" card about keeping this updated.

Have a beautiful day.

let's have a fitness chat.

This post is about "not running away" "not giving up" "facing and conquering demons"

Hell, call it whatever you want to, I saw it in myself last night.

It was suspected that the "kidney cancer roadtrip" discovery was triggered by a particular boot camp drill.

See the picture below.......

This is a tire pull - the straps on the tires we use go around your waist. The suspicion from the doctor was that the excess pressure through my midsection during this drill was what aggravated the cancer tumour.

I haven't looked at those tires since that day. I had not avoided them, this drill just had not come up in the workout rotation. UNTIL LAST NIGHT.

I am stronger than I have ever been - mentally and physically - today. While the bootcamp workout is challenging every time, I have learned to fight my way through them. I have learned that you will not die from pushing yourself to the point of puking if needed to finish something. And the feeling of accomplishment when the workout is finished is worth every step and lift and sweat drop that wets even my underwear.

I kinda thought I had it going on --- UNTIL LAST NIGHT ---

We warmed up - We ran - We met at the practice field - We were told there were three stations - Station one for my group was abs. three minutes worth (DONE DEAL) -

Station two was a hill drill, jog down the hill then alternating lunges back up that hill - repeat three times (DONE DEAL and I FINISHED FIRST FOR MY GROUP) -

Station three was those tire pulls and on the walk to that station the irrational demons jumped on me. I was in tears before I got there and absolutely could not get a grip. The power of this emotional and mental demon surprised me - actually scared me with its intensity and power. So this sweaty, hard breathing, crazy lady, now in an irrational, hysterical, teary eyed frame of mind wants to literally say "screw this, I cannot do it." But the part of me who slays demons won that battle - I chose my tire, tossed that strap around my waist and pulled that damn tire three times up and down that field.

On the repeat of the circuit - there was a new spill of tears. Not hysterical irrational or full of fear. NOPE - this second round of tears washed away the ugly bloody remants of that demon slaying.

I finished the workout strong.

It was a physically demanding workout, but last night I learned that on this fitness journey, I cannot plan for what demons may rear their ugly head and start chanting "you cannot do this", but I can decide to silence them by simply powering on through the tears and fears.

I HAD MY STRONGEST WORKOUT EVER.

I do not run away. I do not give up. I do not allow fear to have power. These are choices I get to make. And amazingly enough - that lesson will serve me equally as well in all areas of my life.

Nope - I choose to move "only forward, never longing to go back".

Have a beautiful day ---

Missing in action....

Sorry - I didn't mean to do that again. Maybe shortly, posting will return to normal. Just had some huge life things happen to us lately. Not anything horrible - just Softball Princess graduating from high school - as the valedictorian - and other good good things.

So MaggieGrace goodness is a little shy right now. But that will be changing.

But I did have a few things to share with the internet peeps.

Ernestine Cochran, a very dear friend of mine, gave me this yesterday at church. She is a talented porcelain artist and I have several pieces of her work. But this one is so very special. It is in recognition of my cancer survival.


It came with prayers for my continued good health.

But here is the really cool part...........


That's my house. I love my house.

And on the other side......

That's my big barn... all covered with trumpet vine. That vine is in bloom right now.

And my breast cancer and kidney cancer ribbons.

I literally squealed when she gave it to me.

I am so blessed by really special people in my life.

Now for those who read because they be family members......

Saturday we were invited to the govenors mansion for a valedictorian recognition reception. This picture is way out of order, because this is right after we blew off the speeches and bailed on the whole program. The Princess was the instigator. But there wasn't much discussion before we all decided that was an excellent idea.

Mom Dad and Princess outside the mansion.

This needlepoint firescreen was in the first editions library. It has been cut from the canvas and handstitched to the silk. Intricate and beautiful.

Graduation Night - College Girl and Softball Princess. These two are my life.

A word about the Princess Speech at graduation. She is not your typical really serious academic student. We were not privy to any of her speech preparation - so moms mouth dropped open when her first word at the podium was "wassup". That jaw drop was soon followed by the phrase "oh my God" as she proceeded to deliver a witty and majorly different valedictorians address - to many cheers and much applause from the packed house.

Excerps from the speech can be found here. http://www.madisonjournaltoday.com/archives/4095-MCHS-graduates-say-goodbye.html

We will be spending the summer getting ready for the transition into being a college student.

College Girl will be spending her time in the Chemistry Dept at UGA on a summer internship and collecting salamander eggs for her senior bio chem research project.

Hope this finds all of you having a wonderful day.