WOYWW

Happy WOYWW!  Play along at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/


First of all...look what is NOT in my house!  Yes...we were successful at capturing that little critter live and releasing it 2 miles from my house.   You know...it doesn't look so villainous once it's safely captured.  It just looks scared.  Whatever...I 'm just glad he's back in the great outdoors.  We're leaving the live traps up for now, but I haven't had any other sightings of a rodent.

So here's my desk this week!  Very boring.   I've got a stack of birthday cards (thanks folks!), ATCs that were host gifts for my swaps, envelopes ready for me to process (also for my swaps), a stack of blank watercolor ATCs, and no works in progress.   I probably won't be able to make many desks this week because I have to work!  My apologies ahead of time, but I'll do what I can.


Peace and Love, y'all!

WOYWW - birthdays and mice

Happy WOYWW!  Head on over to the blog of our lovely host, Julia, at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ to find out what this is all about.


Here's my workspace this week...  It's clean and orderly.  I seemed to have used up all my creative energy last week.    The previous post has some of the ATCs I finished last week :) 








So what's taking all my creative energy this week?  Well, I discovered I have an unwanted house guest yesterday as I saw a small critter run along a wall.   Yup... I have a mouse in the house.   My husband and I are new homeowners and have been here for just a couple of months.   I'm not handling the thought of a mouse very well.   I first saw it while putting on my shoes Monday morning.  That night I had invited another couple over for dinner.  As we were sitting and drinking that bottle of wine that was on my desk last week...the MOUSE RAN ACROSS MY KITCHEN FLOOR...  I was so mortified!  However, my friend is also a veterinarian (a lab animal one at that) so we cornered the little mousey behind a bookshelf.  We had someone move the bookshelf while we were poised to capture the little guy with mixing bowls.  Well...we failed.  Round bowls...square bookshelf...just didn't work out.

As a veterinarian, the list of diseases mice can potentially carry to my family (and my chinchilla and guinea pigs) is running through my brain constantly.  It's pooping out its salmonella and peeing leptospira wherever it goes...i'm just sure of it. Not to mention hantavirus, lymphocytic chorio-meningitis, tularemia..oh..and not to mention rodent fleas (ok...more like rat fleas) can carry black death (yersinia pestis...yeah..so that's probably not this far east...).  So my dogs all got an extra dose of frontline plus this month on top of their advantage multi.  I fully aknowledge that I might be just a little paranoid...and it's not likely our little house guest is carrying all of those diseases, but I still want him out of my house!  My husband and I have set up live traps in hopes we can catch and release...but we'll use deadly force (ie, snap traps...I won't use poisons) if necessary!

In other news...today is my birthday!  All I want this year is the mouse to be caught and released!



Peace and love, y'all!

Creative marathon

Here are the results to this week's ATC spree!  I completed cards for 3 swaps.



Gaze Into My Crystal Ball

Wild, wonderful watermelons! 

Art Nouveau Women


I think they turned out ok.  Of course, I'm always looking to improve my skill.

Peace and love, y'all!

WOYWW

Happy WOYWW!  Julia's blog is where you play! 

Here's my desk this week.  I'm working on a card in the style of art nouveau for a swap I might sign up for (if I can finish the cards).   It's been a lot of fun so far. I'm hoping to finish it today since I'm off today!  Hoorah for having a day off in the middle of the week!   Also, I'd like to complete cards for a whole bunch of swaps: flower and butterflies, sunflowers and black birds, me and my crystal ball, wild watermelon, whimsy dogs.... We'll see how far I get tomorrow!  If you visited last week, you can see the inky backgrounds have been gessoed and stamped..and are ready for a subject...not sure what yet.  In the top middlish portion of my desk there is a bottle of wine.  I was thinking about painting it for a still life swap, but I'll probably drink it before I get around to it.  Oh well :)


Thanks for stoping by!  All these ATC swaps are over at ATCsforALL.com.  I'm Ethereal_sheep over there if you want to start doing ATCs...I'd be happy to help you get addicted...er...start trading ATCs!


Mid day update on my mini-ATC-athon:

 
Here's what I have done by 3:00pm.  The watermelon swap is finished, 2 to go on the Art Nouvaeu...the 4 cards for all the other swaps too.

Peace and love, y'all!

Beautiful weekend

Fall was in the air this weekend. There was a cool, crisp breeze that flowed through our open windows. We mowed the lawn, weeded all the flower beds, and got our yard looking respectable. Then we spent our Saturday afternoon watching the sunset at the local winery.

The weather couldn't have been any more beautiful as we sat sipping our wine on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri river.



I felt inspired to finish cards for the swaps I'm hosting.   Colorful Hot Air Balloons and Watercolor Still Lifes :)

Sunday was our day to help at church on the hospitality team.  We loaded the back seat with 50 dozen donuts or so by 7 am and set up the breakfast table.  Then I made my grocery list, and baked a cake...all before noon! 

This evening we had community group.  This week we discussed the first chapter of Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage... which was ironically what was covered in the sermon this morning.  I guess we all need a reminder that marriage is much deeper than 2 people coming together for self-gratification.  Marriage is a sacred commitment between 2 imperfect people.  Through marriage, God teaches couples many lessons...in patience, the meaning of true love, and unity.  So far the book has been great, and the discussion even better.  

Peace and Love, y'all.  It's back to the daily grind tomorrow!

Saturday Morning Reflections

It's a lazy Saturday morning here in mid-MO.   We woke up to a beautiful, fall morning.  While drinking our coffee, we watched Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown and shows about dolphin rescues.  Then I changed the station to a movie on ABC Family... Some Cinderella themed movie.  Well the main chick (played by Lucy Hale) sings a song called "Bless Myself."   As I listened to the lyrics I was really surprised by what they said.

There's a little secret/ I would like to tell you/ There's a book of lies/ I know they'll try to sell you/ and they'll try, and they'll try/ To convince you to buy you need 'em/ So the next time you're down/Look inside not around./  I can bless myself/ There's no need for someone's help / There's no one to blame/ There's no one to save you but yourself/  I can justify all the mistakes in my life/ It's taught me to be, it's givin' me me/  And I'll survive/ 'Cause I have blessed myself.

Maybe it's just a song about self empowerment, but the lyrics' references to "bless" and "save" seem to me be referring to religion. I think it's really sad, because the book of truth tells us that blessings come from God.  We're helpless to justify ourselves in the eyes of God; only Jesus' atoning blood can do that.

WOYWW - Acorns, Totoro, Chinchilla

Happy WOYWW!  Thanks to Julia for hosting!  http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ 

So here's my desk!  It has watercolor paper that I had fun with the new iridescent inks.  No idea what I'll do with them yet.  Maybe cut them up and make ATCs.  Then we have some acorns and dogwood seeds.  I'm hoping to use those as a subject for a still life painting.  Then...maybe I can get the dogwood seeds to sprout! I could use an oak tree too... My yard is rather devoid of trees. Anyway...back to my workspace.  The picture on the right is from my sister in law.  She did a great job drawing my chinchilla (Chimichanga) in his Totoro dust bath thingy.  I also have some new brushes on my desk. 

NON-WOYWW babbling
 Over the weekend I got to go back to Arkansas to visit my grandpa and all of my family (on that side) and my in-laws.   I have the most awesome family and in-laws.  I love them so much.  What a blessing to have such a great family!

Peace and Love, y'all!