Trudging along.....

Kind of a neat picture of a guy trudging along on wet sand in this "flickr find" I found -

Mom has been sick and not getting better for a few weeks now. We went to a "quick care" place a week ago, she had all sorts of tests and internal pictures done with no releif from the scripts he gave! *sigh* Then, Tuesday we went to her regular doctor, except he was on vacation, so we saw a PAC and Dr. who was on call... had more tests done and another ex ray done! Yesterday I was expecting some news from this doc on call and found that NOTHING was conclusive about her diagnoses! OY! So we now have another appointment on Tuesday afternoon to see her regular doctor who knows her! *SIGH* She is, among other things, having trouble breathing. Could it possibly have anything to do with decades of smoking!!?? Hmmmmmmmmmmm, I wonder...

Nancy and I've been working so hard to get the bathroom done so we can move her down here! It seems as if we are the guy in that picture trudging through wet sand! Akk! It just seems to be the project that is taking FOREVER to finish!!! AKK!!! All I want to do is get her, her bed, her recliner and her TV down here so I can take car of of her!! I'm worried sick about her being alone when she isn't feeling well!

So, Monday I was off and I worked on the fauxing of the bathroom walls again. I got a good chunk of it finished. This morning I worked in there for a bit too. Here's a pic of the unpainted interior door with some of my faux work.

I have been scheduled for over 30 hours this week and will get probably get close to that many next week too! Covering other folks vacations. Good for my wallet, bad for my time to work on the bathroom!









I REALLY like the richness of the look on the walls!! I plan on waxing and buffing the walls as a final step in my process. Nancy is having a difficult time picturing what the final room will look like.

I've decided that the woodwork and trim is going to be yellow.... so I played with the last picture in my photo editing program to give her and all you blog readers an idea of what the cabinet and trim will look like in yellow.

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Thanks!! Connie

Creativity and time

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about creativity. I haven't been able to work in my studio for any length of time in the last few weeks. I miss it. When I'm doing other things, like caulking, taping, painting, cleaning brushes, vacuuming up paint chips etc... I daydream about working in the studio. I have a couple ideas running around in my head, like polymer clay critter faces in sea shells, (I have a big box full of shells, have had 'em for years now and suddenly they are calling my name) wooden box purses, lined with fleece and flannel, and sewing up a new pair of lounge pants using a comfy pair I already own and really love as a pattern. Beading projects are roaming around in my head, I have a pile of necklaces that either need repair or finishing. I have some faux turquoise cabochons that need some kind of bezels, I'd like for one of them to be a PMC one and another to have silver seed beads peyote'd around it, and perhaps that becoming the focal of a free form piece??

*SIGH*

Even after we get the rooms up stairs painted, we are then moving down into the bathroom to finish it, and then back upstairs to the new living room, then back down here in the downstairs double living room. After that I'll start moving my studio upstairs. THEN I'll be packing up Mom in preparation for her to move down here.

I'm not anticipating being able to get back to my studio until - maybe the fall?? *pout*

That doesn't mean I won't be making and working on things, it's just that my studio will be upside down for a while and I'll work out of boxes. *sigh* I *thought* I finally had a permanently dedicated studio space in this house. Nope. I'll have come full circle after this next move. My stuff will have been in 4 different places, one will be the second time around.

*dream* A dedicated studio space in our new place in the southwest. *heaven*

So, I'm wondering how in the heck do you all find time to be creative on stuff just for you??


In the meantime, I've been shopping for new bedding. I found this 12 piece Bed in a Bag on line at smartbargains.com. We really like it and think it will go well in our new room!

*squeeeee!*






~~~

Connie

Where've I been??

I haven't been posting or being very creative lately due to a few reasons.

1. Shoulder surgery
2. I started working
3. The holidays came
3. Continued back pain
4. Camera shit the bed

I think I've mentioned it elsewhere and perhaps here too. I had to have shoulder surgery on my right shoulder last July and it's been months (before and after) since I was able to use my arm, thus the creative part of me was laid up, except for crochet.

I also started working again after not working for nearly 12 years due to disability - back troubles and chronic pain. I got hired at PetSmart and I love my job! I am a pet care specialist. Basically I take care of the needs of all the live animals in the store with the exception of the area devoted to the local humane society. The first 4 weeks of work we weren't open and everyone was working full time in order to set the store from bare walls to grand open ready. The pay was great, but my back and legs hated it!! It was also beginning to be the holidays and that in itself is added pressure and stress, let alone working full time for the first time in 12 years!! We weren't doing our normal jobs, we were stocking shelves according to plan-o-grams. YIKES!!! Once we opened, I started my regular work and it's a breeze, relatively easy for me when I have my pain under control. I just recently got put on to regular part time hours and that's wonderful!

The work caused my back and legs to act up some and made me a little bit grumpy. I've dealt with chronic pain for all these years and I know how I have to deal with it in order to be successful with anything in my life. I need to be in control of the pain, and because of being on my feet and legs for 8 hours a day I wasn't in control! I recently started going to the Pain Clinic and had two series (starting last June) of epidural steroid injection shots in my spine. Sounds yucky, and it was! However, as painful as those few minutes that the doctor was actually injecting the thick liquid into my spine was, the lengthy relief I gained from the shots was excruciatingly sweet! Virtually no pain for months! I couldn't believe it!! The problem now?? It's time for another round - I have an appointment for next Wednesday.

I think this will be the last ones though, the next step is "zapping" the nerves that come through my my L3 and L4's. I have a bulging disk and arthritis in this area, causing pinched nerves coming directly from my spinal cord, thus the low back pain, the numbness of the sides of my legs all the way down to my little toes, i In a nutshell?? I have Peripheral Neuropathy. Oh joy!!

And finally, our old Kodak Easy Share kinda sorta shit the bed. It still works, but the picture quality for the closeups is bad and the battery door is broken - thus needing a piece of duct tape to hold them in. Not the best of situations!

We bought ourselves a new one - x mas present to each other, a Panasonic. I'm still playing with it, learning how it works etc... but it's WAY cooler than the Kodak!! The pics were taken with the new camera!!

This is my new kiln for Precious Metal Clay!!


This a pic of my newest PMC project. Silver lentil shapes that will be filled in with poly clay and decorated with mica shift. These are unfired.

YAY!! I, hopefully, will be posting a lot more stuff lately as things seem to be slowing down a bit and I'm able to make and keep a more - all around - productive schedule.

That's the plan anyway. *sheepish grin*

Hours

My new boss promises that I'll be on my regular part time hours next week! YAY!! Full time work for 3 solid weeks has been VERY tough on this achy ol' body! Can't wait till I can get into my studio again!!