Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Day 2 but no kids yet

Another brutally HOT day but no kids at school yet, love this no pressure start to school. Wonder if I'd like working without kids every day. Not rushing in, a little more morning time...hmm.
So here's a card I made that I'm quite fond of. The ladies are B Line Designs-love them-the background is CHF and the butterflies are die cuts I bought in a big pack of summery die cuts (marked way down-too). I love these ladies, B Line has the greatest stamps. Time to be up and off and running...this is the hardest part!
*****Quick update*****
99 degrees today. What weather to go back to school with and maybe a huricane this weekend-they're watching Earle. And its suppose to be as hot tomorrow when the kiddies return.

Monday, August 30, 2010

It starts now

College classes...me back to work...missing Katie...home alone...Dave's driving from a late out of town meeting...actually watching Secret Life of the American Teenager (oh its a bad show) but Katie watches it and I watch it with her but I can't tell her I'm watching it but it makes me feel closer to her by watching it...had dinner and a dip into Merry Meeting with my friend Vicky tonight...it was wonderful...but I miss Katie and it just kind of hit you at different moments usually when you least expect it. Anyhow- here's a card I made her.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Tomorrow the Routine Returns

So in honor of a GREAT summer wounding down...which it is since next weekend is Labor Day and since Katie is already at college and since I start work tomorrow and since September starts in a few days...here's some photos in summer recap #3 -theme is about my yard this time since I LOVE my yard so much.
Summer highlights:
(yes I'm being a bit sentimental right now)
1-got a new floor in my kitchen and diningroom
2-had a great party for Katie
3-got out in the boat several times with Dave and others
4-took a few road trips
5-had a fun girls camping trip
6-read a few books and did a bit of art
7-sold some art
8-got the bathroom actually finished with art on the wall
9-spent too much cash
10-did some good summer things like saw fireworks, relaxed in the sun, snoozed on my screen porch
11- got Katie ready for college
12-saw friends and family
13-walked most mornings
14-gardened (just need to make my pickles)
15-got a few little projects finished-the rest I will work on 1 day next long weekend
16-dreamed in French a couple of times (which means it starting to really come out in brain, right?)
and mostly-for me
17-HAD A BLAST and ENJOYED MYSELF AND WAS HAPPY

and tomorrow, its off for 2 teacher days and then the kiddies come in for 2 days...I am mostly ready, except giving up the free time and taking on the routine and getting up the morning...I am ok with going back to school.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Summer Photo Recap #2

Doing much better this morning...lets see if I make it all day without another missing my baby at college emotional slide down. Anyhow...since this is my LAST weekend before work restarts...time for another summer photo recap. This time my theme is a bit different than the other day... 
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Contents:
1)off Kittery Point, Maine
2) Fort Constitution light house (Newcastle Light I think), Newcastle, New Hampshire
3)One of the lighthouses at Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
4) 5) and 6) At Portland Headlight, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
So I'm going to make the trek down to my craft store today to enjoy a change of pace and to keep me busy. Going to go get ready in just a couple of moments to get off early- Dave had to go work at one of his airport clients down in Massachusetts today, so since its just MOI, figured I would do something good for me. Not that I need the temptation to spend more cash...I seem to do that very well as it is.
Enjoy your Saturday-hope its a beautiful as mine is.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Exhausted

Moving Katie off to college went very very well overall. It was SO HARD  to leave the house...but leaving her off at school wasn't so bad. Coming home to an empty nest, a little hard again. When I just talked with her on the phone...sweet, wonderful but a little hard. I miss her a lot already. But I will get used to it. I will stop having teary moments...and I can't think about when she said goodbye to the Harley this morning....(I will start crying then)...I took a long nap when I got home, I was exhausted...mentally. Though the margarita I had afterwards when Dave and  I went to lunch didn't help.  Was cool though, when we got out of the Texas Roadhouse after lunch the Blue Angels were flying in practice for tomorrow's airshow at Pease . Wow. I've seen them before and they are fabulous and amazing. Wish I could have snapped a few photos of that but I was so busy just watching them fly by...cool.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Our roadtrip adventure...

Just a few shots from our roadtrip today...since tomorrow morning we are off to move Katie into UNH! (OH no...I want to cry but she and I had a great day today!!! And she's only 40 minutes away....its not like I won't see her again-and soon. Like maybe dinner next week...I am such a baby)
Know where we ended up?
These photos are at Protland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth,Maine.

HOME!

This is Katie's last day home, so in honor of HOME! Here's a couple of mushroom cards I made with some stamps from CHF that I picked up during their going out of business markdowns. The sayings on the cards are from Darkroom Door. Anyhow, today Katie and I are off for a last day of summer vacation adventure since the sun is finally back out and its humid like summer.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

ART!!!!! and SCIENCE!!!!

So yesterday was a cloudy blah day and I spent it home. Did some studio cleaning (YAHOO) and laundry and made some and finished some cards!!!! Here's a few.
The people stamps on all of these are from B Line Designs -I LOVE her stamps! The middle background is also a B Line and the other 2 are from Cornish Heritage Farms. You can see my mood was rather romantic- in the philosophical sense of the word, not the love sense of the word.
*****
So today its raining again-which is good-better than the blah day-at least the DRY earth here is getting a good soaking. I laid in bed reading my latest book-yes, I am doing some science reading

Its a DNA history of the people from the British Isles (do they even use that term anymore?)-maybe I should say Great Britain and Ireland? Anyhow- he does go on a bit and ts informative and interesting...DNA is REALLY fascinating (Yes, I am a geek too). I read his book of the 7 daughters of Eve- this whole thing about mitchondrial DNA which gets passed only from mother to child and how they can use it to trace back your ancesteral roots-like thousands of years ago...someday I'd love to have it mapped it because my maternal ancesteral roots as far as I know are Polish/Russian or Slavic of some sort. The rest of my roots are Swedish or some time of Scandinavian...maybe German because everyone says I look German...who knows...this books throws in some history (much of it I had no clue about) and then goes into both mitchondrial DNA (mDNA for short) and the Y chromosome which makes males male. I'm getting to the point where he's decoding the DNA sequences to figure out where people's ancesterors came from. Really fascinating how we all most like arrived from someplace else...way way way back when...
And today...read more, go back up into the studio...who knows what this rainy day might bring? (I say that a lot lately, don't I?)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I know summer isn't over

But I want to do a summer photo recap-haven't done much in the art department lately so not much to show you there-
Sending to you :
Summer Photo Recap #1
See below the baby loon on Silver Lake in Maine
*****

So today is a chill day- we went to UNH yesterday and I got to see where Katie's dorm is (we couldn't get in) and I feel so much better about Friday. She needed it; I needed it. I got into my school for a bit, took Katie and Brian to lunch at the Greek restaurant in Portsmouth (YUM...YUM)...went to Barnes and Nobel. Was a good day out...but time to stop thinking about school and the end of vacation. Time to enjoy vacation while its still here!


Monday, August 23, 2010

its RAINING

This is the first rainy day ALL summer. The grass and the flowers and the plants in the garden are smiling and laughing and turning green. The trees are rejoicing. I'm loving it too...after last summer when it never stopped raining it was too much, but now, we need it. Today...lots of potential...maybe check out Katie's dorm...maybe go to the movies...maybe work in my studio or finish my book...maybe go into work...lets just see what the day brings. For once, I am loving a rainy day.
Above and below, rain in Barcelona. (And can you see the Picasso too?)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Mad Libs--with Books

So here's my bookish answers to these questions:

In school I was: The Lobster Coast
People might be surprised I’m: The Historian
I will never be: The Witching Hour
My fantasy job is: A Year in Provence
At the end of a long day I need: French Milk
I hate it when: Neither Here Nor There
Wish I had: The Geography of Bliss
My family reunions are: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
At a party you’d find me with: Cold Weather Cooking
I’ve never been to: In a Sunburn Country
A happy day includes: When Wanderers Cease to Roam
Motto I live by: The Happiness Project
On my Bucket List: Great Expectations
In my next life, I want to be: The Flame Trees of Thika

Got this list from http://www.bookgirl.net/  It  was really HARD to do and not so sure I did it the best choices because its hard to think of books sometimes. But here's mine!

This is the week!

Dave's announcement- this morning when Katie got up. Yes, she leaves Friday...I don't know if I can handle it.
So I've been out of control buying some stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms this summer...they're going out of business and this has been a last chance to get those items I want. Here's a batch that arrived the end of last week, which I have since cut up and now need to go use. (Such fun!)
Here's my latest read- taken on a recommendation from Katie. I am really enjoying this book.
Next book I am going to read is a Bill Bryson...I've also got to do some ecology work for school NEXT week.
OH yes, this is the last week for my summer break. But that should help with Katie going off to school.
Such a full week. And much of it is emotions with me. Of course, I'll repeat what everyone else says to me, she's only going 40 minutes away. Why isn't that helping?
And here's Harley and Emma...Harleys starting to look like an OLD dog. But he's my baby-boy. They'll be home  (and believe me, they do require a lot of time...they're very spoiled and demanding babies...and if you add Leo...
He wasn't posing for photos...but he IS the MOST demanding of them all.

Anyhow, here is my list of what I want to accomplish this fall...

1- Read, read, read
2-Finish last summer's vacation scrapbook that I'm moving right along with
3-Cook some new and interesting foods
4-Save money for tuition next spring
5-Go to Maine, Portland maybe or Orono...or better yet, downeast
6-Take a few more interesting long weekends
7- Finish knitting my sweater
8-retfere (this is Emmie's addition to the list as she walekd across the computer)
9-Not miss Katie too much
10-Find a good vacation for Feb.
11-Try to keep taking lots of photos since I tend to slip off
12-Don't let work overwhelm me at all...

Let me think some more as I think of them...
Ok, time to get off the couch...trying to talk people into either rug shopping or going to see Eat, Pray Love today as its cloudy and suppose to rain.


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Boating Once Again

The boat motor is fixed and we're back in the water. Been several weeks since we had to replace the theromostat and waterpump...didn't fish much but had a fantastic relaxing day on the water...I was beat since last night Katie had  a busy night with her midnight trip to IHOP and she had a few friends over...they didn't go to bed until around 3 a.m.-though I slept ok I was still having that mother ear listening for them. Anyhow, today we went out with Dave's sister Debbie and her husband Dave.
Anyhow, you've probably noticed there's not a lot of art lately...except my photographs...but think these are pretty cool snaps from our boating adventure today.