The Greys

The weather continues to be mostly grey.  This is only relevant because grey weather causes ALL my motivation to go into extended hibernation.  All I want to do is eat chocolate and read frothy, insubstantial books.  However, even a visit to a bookstore yesterday left me uninspired and I left without buying a single book.

The bathroom remodel continues.  The ruined sheetrock has been removed--and surprise of surprises--and all fit into the trash can.  Now to return the new faucet that is missing hardware and get that installed.

Our white shepherd, Polar, is not feeling well this week.  She has been getting me up at 3:00 a.m.  Unfortunately, not before she has an accident.  So my brain is foggy from lack of sleep and the most ridiculous dreams imaginable...I have been forcing myself to exercise, remembering that I usually get a better energy boost from exercising than from sleeping longer.

This morning I grabbed the moisturizer instead of my saline to put in my contacts.  Fortunately, I caught myself before I actually used it.

February Fun

I've been suffering through the February "blahs"!  I also seem to have misplaced my brain.  So the picture that was going to go with this blog, is at home--in the camera, and not downloaded...

I haven't been able to work with glass much--being about to run out of oxygen, so I've been immersed in other creative endeavors.

Yesterday I made NYC Black & Whites (from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar).  Very good and very photogenic...picture to come later.  I consider baking to be a creative endeavor.

I had an unexpected day off work, so I finished my bulletin board in my studio and sewed some more on a summery top.  The rationale being that perhaps I can have it completed in time for warm weather.

Then I figured out that if I only crochet two rows each day, I can have the body of my afghan completed in 53 days...as opposed to the over ten years that it took me to finish the last afghan I made.  Now if I will only crochet the two rows every day...I've been feeling a little tired and haven't gotten as much done as I would like.  The sun is shining today and that is always good for driving away fatigue.

I have my lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrot, and snow pea seeds purchased, located and ready to go in the ground.  If it stays nice I should be able to get them all planted this weekend.

The Best Laid Plans

I had all these grand plans of what I was going to accomplish and get done.  Ha! Now I must do something else.

Several years ago the hall bathroom shower began to leak.  Naturally, we had no money to fix it, so we all simply started using the shower in the master bath.  Recently we have been busily paying off debt and actually developing a savings account. (Yes, this is relevant...)

The master bath shower has always also leaked--somewhere.  It never leaked a lot and I could never actually discover where it was leaking, no matter how many times I pried off the plumbing access panel and had a look.  We knew we were going to have to repair this shower as well.  However, the entire bathroom is a 1970's relic (nightmare) and we really want to gut the bathroom and the walk-in closet and combine the space to make a more useable bathroom.  We were hoping that we would have enough money actually set aside to devote to remodeling before we had to start.

For some reason the master bath shower has decided to increase its leakage.  I still have no idea what is actually leaking.  But I can no longer deny that the leaking has become very serious.  We now have water damage to the floor in the bedroom!  And the bathroom floor has become rather warped.  And I'm sure that it isn't really desireable to have mushrooms growing around the bathtub.  Next, I imagine that the entire bathtub will simply crash through the floor.  Oh, and did I mention that we certainly do not have enough money saved to do any bathroom remodeling at this time?

However, demolition doesn't cost anything whatsoever.  So we have started to tear apart the first leaky shower.  The shower doors are now resting in state on the bed in my studio.  The fiberboard that someone actually thought would be waterproof is now in the process of being removed.  The good news is that the underlying sheetrock is not as water-damaged as we first thought. 

We do have a time-line for getting the first shower repaired.  First, we have to get it done before the one we're using DOES fall through the floor.  Secondly, and perhaps most importantly we have about three weeks before the early spring season hits and Kent is much too busy to do any home repairs. 

Ice!

 Another picture of the hoar frost that we had last week.  We have had nothing but high fog lately.  Not very good for any sort of motivation.  I have spent some time considering painting the house interior yellow and have several paint samples taped to various walls.  I think that will go a long way to eradicating the winter "blahs".  I really like the white on white color schemes that I see, but they really don't work for me.  When we first painted our current home we used a lot of white on the walls, hoping to counter-act the Seasonal Affective Disorder that comes calling every winter around October.  It didn't work!  Much as I admire the white in theory, in practise I find it too sterile for me.  So color is going on my walls and I will admire other people's white color schemes.

We did get a little sun today and what a difference it made.  My fingerless gloves are finished.  (Pictures to come soon.)I have started on my hat. And I tidied up my shelves in my studio and there is glass in my kiln.
I also pulled out my trusty screw driver and hung the little drawers that I picked up to house all the components to one project--one project in each drawer.  Now I'm ready to make use of them.

I have been trying to identify what makes me happy and what causes me stress.  And determining what I can do to fix the things I can fix.

My clothes are boring...easy!  I pulled out the blazer that I had cut out ages ago and I'm going to get started sewing it.  I also have fabric for a pink top that was purchased specifically to go with the blazer.  I'm already thinking of jewelry ideas...  And I found the cutest sweater pattern!  Yes, I know...MORE knitting!  And then there is the really pretty crocheted tank top that will look great under blazers and jackets.  Crocheting I find relaxing and enjoyable.

I have identified my biggest stressor...more on that later...I am taking steps to try to make that stressor less of a huge obstacle.  One way or another, I will surmount this hurdle.

Winter

 Last week there was some sort of "cookie" error when I tried to check my blog.  Ever since then, I have not been able to upload multiple pictures.  I am a little disappointed because I rushed outside with my camera to take pictures of the frost.

Since I am limited to only one picture at a time right now, I went through and tried to find the picture that really portrayed our weather the best...

We have been wrapped in freezing fog for several days now. Yesterday the fog lifted just a bit but left the frost behind.  This is one of the views that I get to see every day when I leave home.  I never get tired of it.  Maybe it will appear again in spring garb later on.  There are usually mountains to be seen, but they are hidden in the fog right now.

The only thing I want to do when we have this kind of weather is park by the stove with a good book and a hot drink...not so very good for getting ready for my show next week!

A Word

 I had started my blog only to discover that there is some kind of glitch that wouldn't allow me to upload my picture.  So I went back and started with the picture.

These are the fingerless gloves and loomed hat that I have been busily making all during the Christmas break.  I am now on my fourth hat and pair of gloves.  Looming hats is easy, quick, and fun.  I can finish one in less than an afternoon.

In reading other blogs I learned about the word...Choosing one word to live by during 2013 rather than making New Year's resolutions.  I rarely make many resolutions; the ones I do make I try to turn into habits with varying degrees of success--there is still unfolded laundry lurking in the laundry room...

I really wasn't terribly excited by the whole choosing a word thing.  It was interesting to read about other people's word, but I just didn't see myself doing it.

However, while I was busily doing dishes some time ago my word came to me out of the blue--so to speak--and chose me.  So I have a word for 2013, after all.  My word is "create" and has already made a difference...I may even get to that unfolded laundry...

After Christmas

My hope is that everyone had a peaceful and happy Christmas holiday (or any other holiday that is celebrated at this time of year).

With most of the children out of the house, we are trying to make some new holiday traditions--and also fit things around everyone's schedule.  So we decided to have a late supper after the Christmas Eve service.  It's a little late for me to eat and I'm not sure if we'll try that again, but it was fun.

I decided to knit fingerless gloves for all the girls.  This, in spite of not liking to knit or having kniited anything in a very long time.  I think I started knitting right around Thanksgiving. The last pair was sewn together this morning.  They turned out quite nicely and I'm going to make myself a pair before I forget the pattern...(pictures will be posted later).

And I had to make some jewelry for a Christmas present.

These are "Winter Vision".  The poked bubble dots always remind me of eyes.

This is the matching necklace.  "Winter Sparkle".  I was really happy with how the dichroic beads turned out this time.

I was especially entertained by how well the dog hair shows up in the pictures even though I very carefully picked it all off before I started to take pictures--at least I thought I had.

Today I picked up my daughter's knitting loom and started to knit a hat to match the fingerless gloves.  Loom knitting is quite entertaining.  Someone took the concept of spool knitting and expanded it, so that instead of some useless rope, you actually can knit something that can be turned into a wearable item.  I must say it is quite a bit faster than "normal" knitting.  There are some slippers in her instruction book that I want to try soon.