A2Z Project - Letter G

I have decided to really stretch the letter G subject for this week out of fear of falling behind. (I've got to get going on letter H.) The G is for Graphic. A graphic depiction of fake orchids in a small vase.

The Perfect White Elephant Gift

This vase is a perfect example of what should constitute a "White Elephant" gift.

Just A Few Pictures from Christmas

Just a few pictures from Christmas Eve. Each of the kids got three presents. The adults pulled White Elephant gifts again. I got one that is a perfect example of what constitutes a White Elephant gift... I'll take a picture of it later today and post it. A person from my son's company came, too. The receptionist. She brought her two daughters, a friend of theirs, and her mother. A "Southern Grandmother" according to my son... and he wants his kids to have a 'Southern Gramma' in their lives. (00) Okay. Now if you can just twist it a little..... Fortunately for me, I understand the comment and I have no qualms about it. But maybe he shouldn't have said it out loud while I'm sitting next to him. You know, just to be polite.

The Look of Christmas

"I don't care if you don't want to do it. Now, hug your brother and smile!!"

The Finish Line

The finish line is coming into sight, at least for me. Nine more hours and I will be able to put another Christmas under my belt. Oh. Wait a minute. I don't think its gonna fit under my belt. Oh well, you know what I mean. Once Christmas Eve is over, I'm done with the holiday season. Look at me... I've already started counting the hours. Can you say 'curmudgeon'? Does that word even fit?

Curmudgeon: 2: a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man.

Yeah. It fits. Well, except for the 'old man' part. Just insert 'old woman' and everything is kewl.

Hope ya'll have a pleasant little Christmas.

Three Cookies Left

Busy day yesterday, at least for this place. The three girls came over and the cookies were baked. Then everyone (except me) went to a high school basketball game. After the game, 'mom' took the girls home and went to visit one of her friends in the area. So... after the baking I had the place to myself. I caught up with my naps.
You know, because I could.

We started the day off with a pizza.


The kitchen was a bit crowded at times. The 14 yr old kept up with friends by texting. I heard her tell 'mom' that she could text without having to look at the screen.


The boys were demonstrating their belching skills. The wee one is the best at it.


There was Christmas music playing all the while..... LOUDLY.


Darius discovered his love for ipods. And he has his favorite music, too.


Cookies were packed away in an empty tin I had around. These would go with the girls back to their place after the game. Everyone had plenty to eat during the baking of them and we still have three left this morning. They are crunchy cookies. Dried cookies. Good for dunking, that's fer sure.

Christmas Bake Off

We're having a Christmas baking session today. It sounds much more seasonal than it really is... to be more factual, some grand daughters are coming over in an hour or so to bake some cookies. Chocolate chip. Some with nuts, some without. We'll also be getting some you-bake-pizza for lunch. Thats about all I can muster for Christmas cheer... and it wouldn't be happening unless pressured into it. (and there was a little innocent pressure applied, but its all good.) I'm just grateful C is here to do the actual "doing of it". It will make it more fun for the girls. In any event, we will be having a full house for a few hours.

It is my number two daughter's three girls that are coming over, 14,11, and 9 yrs old. Thank goodness my daughter C is here (aka 'mom') to work it for me. I consider her my representative. I am so not a "gramma" in the storybook sense of the word. I would be prone to buying a couple of dozen cookies from a bakery and saying "All Done Now!! Wasn't that fun?!" And at those ages, you can't fool them into thinking just sitting on a couch with an old lady saying "ohmygawd, you're growing too fast!" is fun. That doesn't even work on 'mom's' 4 and 2 yr olds.

The group might end up going to a high school basketball game later this afternoon. I'm hoping the game is free. If its free to get in, then 'mom' will take the boys to the game as well. (insert a group hug here.)

Now 'mom' and I are trying to get the place a little more organized with some manuevering room. "Stuff it in the closet for now!"

The Creative Spirit

I don't want you to miss a good art blog. Roshanda left a comment on an older entry here so I checked out her blog. I thought you might want to check it out too. She does wonderful caricatures.

A2Z Project - Letter F

I am so boring. One of my weak areas is originality. I don't have any. All those little colored boxes over there... they're mine. I wouldn't want to think out side of the box, know what I mean?

I'm not sure why doing these alphabet letters has become a chore for me... I was all gun ho at first. I'm going to blame it on all the noise around here, but really, its a toss up as to what's up with this.

F is for feather. A blue feather. A blue feather that represents a quote from Richard Bach. "Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours."


Just some doodling. The guy is from an ad... I wanted to try the angle and practice foreshortening. The other one is strickly a doodle.



On another note... I finally focused on the garbage disposal and got it to working. The reset button is recessed so you can't just push it. You have to find something slim and stick it up and push.

It looks like things may not be changing much around here for a while. I'm talking about the people staying here with me. You know.... 'mom' and her boys. For a while she was going to hookup again with her ex boyfriend and get an apartment. Neither of them can afford anything on their own, but together they can barely scrap by. But the ex still has all of his issues and anger management problems and it would just be a matter of time, a matter of a short time, before all the drama is engaged again and the same shit happens. I'm glad she's giving it up. Its a lose-lose situation. I just need to be more accepting.

New email address

Since my "normal" email address has gone belly up, I have signed up for a new email account: senile.woman@hotmail.com

I've used the other email for over ten years without a hitch. Now this. Weirdness.

Its amazing how much noise two little boys can make... amazing, but not surprising. LOUDNESS... CONSTANT LOUDNESS.... CONTINUING AND CONSTANT LOUDNESS. Holy Crap, Batman!!

I sent them away for this afternoon. I crammed some gas money in 'mom's' hands and pushed them out the door. "No hurry... take your time. Bye Bye!!" The quiet time is worth the money, at least for now.

Cranky Day

Now don't go and be jealous. Sometimes you have to wait your turn in order to wake up to a cranky day. Lordy.... everyone except me is REALLY CRANKY this morning. "How cranky are they?" They are so cranky I willingly told 'mom' to get out. Of course, I didn't word it that way, but that's what I meant.

"Why don't you get dressed and go take a break? Here's some money for gas."

"Now, when you say break... what does that mean exactly?"

"It means go away for a few hours and come back in a much better mood. It does not mean you have to be back in a few minutes.... nor does it mean you can be gone forever. It means 'Get the hell outta here and don't come back until you are in a better mood.'

Of course the quote only got one ' to it because its not the exact words. I was more diplomatic. And I'm here to tell you that within 30 minutes 'mom' was up, dressed, and outta here. Thank goodness, too. I was about to reach out and bop her one and that would have been very hard on our relationship.

Now, the question is ..... can I survive two small boys who are in a cranky mood? Its gonna be a toss-up.

On another note... I still can't get into my hotmail account. I wonder if I've gotten a virus or something. Sigh.

A2Z Project - Letter E

E is for Eager Emily. Emily is a made up name to fit with the letter E. One does what one must.

 

 

Everything around here seems to be breaking. Is it the munchkins? I don't know, but it makes me wonder some times. Currently the garbage disposal isn't working. The motor hums, but nothing moves... including the water in the sink. It drains very very slowly. Also, the inside of the dish washer falls out. 'Mom' says they all do that. Well, its never done it with me before, but I only used it about three times until 'mom' and the munchkins arrived.

My knee is acting up, too. It does this every so often. I don't know what the deal is, but I'm limping around with a counter full of dirty dishes and a sink full of dirty water. Fortunately, I'm taking it all in stride, especially because I just need to report it and a magic elf will appear and fix it all for me. Any way, that's my plan. (and did you notice the tiny little pun... bummed knee, taking it in stride? One does what one must.

My email isn't working either. I'm hoping its a hotmail problem. The other thing that is not working is blogger's photo upload process. When I get to the place to upload something the entire session closes up and disappears. Gremblins in my pc?

Ree Brown - A Simple Life

Ree, folk artist. The video is about 10 minutes long. Many will yawn, but a few will see. I enjoyed it... a look at a simple life with many layers.

Testing

Can I post anything without a photo? So far, so good. It seems as though blogger isn't going to allow me to post any photos. Good thing the service is free.

Some Days Are Like That

I was trying to post some photos of the floods in Washington State, but blogger doesn't seem to like it, or s/he on a coffee break or something.

I finally got around to calling the property management people and got the oven fixed, the leak in the bathroom sink fixed, and the weather stripping on the door fixed. I was feeling pretty good about the activity. This morning I noticed its wet around the base of the toilet. My first thought was to blame it on the boys and their aim, but I'm beginning to think it might be some other problem. Silly me. I just want things to work right and to continue to work right, you know, like forever.

My daughter, aka 'mom', got a jump for the car and has taken it to get a new battery. It needed a battery and we are all crossing our fingers hoping that is all that it needs. She's also going to take it to get the tags, too. ohmygosh... everything might be legal soon.

Before this, 'mom' had gone grocery shopping. She got a ride (and a jump) from a friend. 'Mom' can be down right handy. A problem arises with me whenever I begin to feel that I'm the only one paying or providing things... that's when I get bitchy. If I know and or feel 'mom' is contributing too, that's when the "team player" comes out.

All of this is leading up to the comment.... "OHMYGOSH, I'VE HAD THE BOYS ALL TO MYSELF FOR THE ENTIRE DAY!!" It started out good... we're playing and goofing around with each other. Then I began to get tired and "poo-poo" was no longer funny. Okay, to be honest, it was never funny to me but the boys think its HILARIOUS!! Then they wanted to play. I wanted them to lay down and take a nap. It was touch and go for a while, but.... snicker..... they're asleep now. Who's the champ. I'm the champ!!

I'm going to go put my feet up for a few minutes while I can. (the sounds of tiny violins can be heard in the background. Poor baby. Bless her little heart.

Anyone speak Brazilian?

Someone has left a comment on the post below (Mogdigliani portraits) and I can't read it. I'm not sure if I'm being asked to remove the video or to pay money for it. I recognize a trademark symbol and I think I understand the word denairo, although my spelling might not be good... but other than that, I get nothink. I checked out the web site s/he requested I add to my blogroll, but I still don't know what its about. If you've got a clue as to what is being said, plz let me know. Thanks.

Mogdigliani Portraits - Video 6+ minutes

A2Z Project - Letter D

Letter D = Dangerous Dougie Doggy, bandana thief.


Delightful Darlene, daring dame.


Unfinished 'Decisions'...

Repeating Myself

I haven't done anything creative. I've had opportunity but lacked desire. Yet I wanted something to post. Even bad art is better than no art. IMHO.
The above was taken from a post card a friend had... she asked me to copy it for her, which I did.

One of those attempts that are never completed.

Foreshortening study.

Nothing much going on here. If anything exciting happens I'll be back.