one of those days.

Ever have one?

I need a time out.

Or maybe a BIG cuppa coffee.

A big cuppa and a good book.

A big cuppa and a good book
while sitting in the sunshine.

*sigh*

accidental collection #2

You know how some people have indoor pets or
outdoor pets? All of our pets are indoor pets,
but some of our rocks are outdoor rocks.

These, however, are just a few of my indoor rocks.


This is calcite on dolomite and chalcopyrite.


This is sparkly and blue. Which means I can't recall
its proper name at the moment. It's probably
azurite.


Vanadite. No, wait, argonite?
Okay, fine, sparkly and brown.


This is a dinosaur fossil. Yes, it is real--
we even took it to a museum to have it authenticated.
The guy started giving me the third degree, too,
asking where I got it and such.


These have nothing to do with rocks, but they are
the only semi-art related anything I've had the
time to make lately. These are all Stampin' Up
stamps (thank you, Rhonda, for
loaning out your bugs and critters!) with
Fabrico ink. Some are for our new nephew,
some were requested by Eva after she outgrew
her first batch. She wore the first set for
a whole year, and I was amazed at how well the
Fabrico inks withstood repeated washings.

What are you working on? Garden? Poem?
Painting? Song? Leave me a link! I could
use some inspiration.

(And I'm a little nosy.)

it's spring, and the smart alecks are in full bloom.

We've been spring cleaning, and the daughter found
a yo-yo. She's been carrying it around with her,
diligently yo-yoing, improving her yo-yo skills.


She comes up to me, yo-yoing away, and says
"I've been practicing so much, you can call
me yo-yo Faith."

"Okay."

"You know, if you'd practice a little, we could
call you Yo-Yo Ma."

And then she turned and walked out of the room,
didn't even crack a little smirky. If I recall
correctly, I threw my book at her. Don't get all
twitchy--it was a paperback, and she was too quick
for me, anyway.



What's blooming where you live?

GI Joe and the IRS

So, we had our taxes done, and since we owe,
let's see, about 7 hundred million billion
zillion dollars, I've been listing auctions
today. Which is what I do when I'm at work
(sometimes) anyway, but today more than usual.

All the GI Joes have taken up temporary residence
on our dining room table. This made it WAY easier
for me to sort all the tiny little stuff out. I'm
telling you, GI Joe has a LOT of stuff, way more
than Barbie ever even thought about dreaming of . . .


SKI PATROL JOE--he's an older one, from 1965-66.
You know how I know?
You look at their bums.

You could probably tell how old I am from looking
at mine, but fortunately for all of us, I'm NOT
posting a picture of that.


GREEN BERET GI Joe--okay, I made him his
scarf, but it was eating my lunch that he
was missing his. This pic doesn't even
show is ultra cool headphones/Morse code
thing.

The good thing about working late is that
after we close and lock the door, I can
sing really loudly.

Really, it's time to go home . . .

(Becky and Tipper, you know what, it IS getting
springy here! We actually worked in the
garden yesterday!)

the latest addition to an accidental collection.

Does anyone intentionally set out to collect
something? Really, all mine are complete
accidents--and if you hold to the old saying,
"More than three of anything is a collection,"
well, let's just say I've had a lot of accidents.


This fancy little gold number was given to me
around the age of ten by Great Uncle Tom, on
the one and only time we ever met. Have kept
the bag all these years, and it makes me think
of Grandma's brother every time I get it out.


This vintage beaded bag is probably the oldest
in all the collection, and one of only two that
I've never actually carried/used. Isn't it
pretty? The chain is a replacement, and the
inside (green silk) needs replaced as well, but
it's just so pretty!


This bag is a fun one, and is crocheted from
scrap silk that would have otherwise been
trashed.


This vintage bamboo box purse makes
an appearance every spring.

Here's the new addition:

Ta Da! It's the bag Christina made in
trade for the sports collages. Isn't it
gorgeous?? The fabric combination is
fantastic, and the little extras make it
even more special--the little coin purse
and the wristlet/key chain, how cute are
those? What a neat touch. I'm looking
for an outfit (closet shopping!) to debut
this new beauty with . . .

THANK YOU, Christina!

i hate slow internet.

today i'm at home.

the internet is slow.

i know it's wrong to hate,

but i do . . .

(not being at home, just the slow intraweb.)

*deep sigh of resignation*

atc, GI Joe, my lunch (yes, again with the lunch) , and a cuppa coffee . . .

ATC for Altered Pages alphabet challenge--
m is for music. The background uses the polished stone
technique, but the gold glimmer is lost in translation
to the computer screen. *sigh*

This is what I do at work:

that's right, I play with dolls. Oh, sorry--that's
ACTION FIGURES. This is Adventure Team GI Joe,
Demolition Expert, getting ready to save us from
that yellow bomb! Thanks, Joe!

Again with the lunch from Executive Catering (now known as Cafe 75),
this was the turkey press:


Today, Pam, for you, the pickle--your CUTE
prints came in the mail, thank you again!


Pam asked me to model for her. This is an amazing
likeness of me in the morning. Okay, the first
part of that was a lie, but the second is quite true!

lunch, inchies, and a kitty

A new catering place has opened next to our
shop, and the DH suggested we try them today.


I'm glad he did, because it was delicious. This
was my roasted chicken chiabotto sammy, with a
huge helping of crispy, warm, seasoned chips.

Why did I post my lunch? I dunno. It's cold
here, and my brain won't work properly until the
spring thaw . . . and I like food! It had
spinach and goat cheese, too, in case you were
wondering.



Here are some inchies for a swap. At least, I
think I'm in the swap. Maybe they aren't going
to let me play--they haven't e-mailed. Anyway,
the images are mainly from Altered Pages, and
the moon faced stamp is from Inka Stamps.
The kissy lips are from a thrift store, but aren't
they fun? (Inchies are 1 inch by 1 inch. TINY!)

Finally, I am very happy to show off a lovely
little painting by Marie, which arrived this
last week, and is currently residing on the
mantle (next to a painting by Tipper)--
it's actually the painting, not a print, as the
picture/poster may suggest--



It's a tiny thing--about 4 x 4--and suits me to
a T, with the kitty, and the drying roses and
lavender. Although, honestly, my lavender has
NOT done well enough for me to have big bunches
of it to dry. Maybe this will be the year!