Catching Up

The above photos are from yesterday morning at work at the Merrymeeting Boat Ramp. Love em.

Tree ripped by the tonado the other day. I'm not really a gawker, but I like to look. This was at the upper river boat ramp, as seen on the sign below. Would love to see some photos of the damage on the lake. I took these FRiday morning when I went up to visit Katie working the ramp.


Some busy days behind me. Wanted to show these photos- but lots of other things happening. Made a bunch of cards...(why don't I have more art photos?) the last couple of days, FRiday after Katie got home from work she and I buzzed down to the south shore (meaning south of Boston)-hit IKEA (What a blast) and went to an ABBA tribute band concert at the south shore music circus-what a blast too. They were excellent and we had a great adventure. Saturday was humid and I was plain old tired sicne we got home LATE from the concert Friday night. We went up to the lake and relaxed in the sun. Sunday started ok but we had wicked thunderstorms again (way too many this summer)-one stayed over the house for what seemed like a long long time- and we chilled and Dave restacked our biobricks so now I have the garage again. Took a good old nap too. Had a good eBAy selling weekend again too -$82 this weekend and $95 last weekend. Its fun selling on eBay and a good way to clean out a bit of the overstcok in the studio. And of course yesterday-worked in the morning-but then could never really get myself into anything in the afternoon- was tired, but cleaned a bit since tonight am having bookclub at my house, got my hair done last night. And today its gorgeous-went walking this morning already...
Oh yeah- finished Agatha Christie's Nemasis- that is a really good book and now am going to start People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.
LOVE IT!

Exciting Day and I never left the house!

Ok, was a day of RAIN, thunder, storms, phone calls and loss of the power.
Started with my mother-in-law calling to say we were in a tornado watch and severe storm watch around noon. Storm came through here-but not a lot of wind. We did lose power though for about 90 minutes.
When we got our power back ( and had 2 great games of UNO while we were in the DARK) the phone started ringing and put the news on to see that tornados hit a lot of this area- and we don't usually get tornados, and there was flooding in some spots, and someone even died as a result of one of the tornados in Deerfield...and we got more rain...and the phone kept ringing. Wish I could find a photo to post here since we were very lucky here and it was all very calm.
I cleaned out my bookshelves and PURGED! feels good but my studio is still looking like nothing got done in there.
And-I found out I'm published again-this time in Somerset Studio's HOME edition. Its my mail holders. Wow-I am really excited and very honored!
Looking forward to Samantha Brown's Passport to Great Weekends as tonight she goes to LONDON and BACK TO NH. Curious what she shows of our great state!

Great Concert

Last night was an EXCELLENT concert for CSN at Meadowbrook!
I haven't seent hem perform for like 5 years, and when they walked on stage (pardeon this-but they looked like 5 old guys) it was a bit disconcerning but BOY THEY STILL HAVE IT!
Our House, teach Your Children (and David Crosby's comment about doubling all teacher's pay), Wooden Ships, Deja-Vous, LOve the One You're With, Marrakesh Express, Gueniveve, Helplessly Hoping, Southern Cross, Almost Cut my Hair, Wasted on the Way, Cathedral (that song gives me chills),ETC.
Wow. Lots of anti-war songs, great vibes, fun crowd (less sedate than last time)
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And tomorrow night with Katie-we're on to the 70's with an Abba tribute Band!

More rain

Wednesday-
Well I worked on reorganizing stamps AGAIN- well put the heavy boxes into the bottom shelf and so its easier for me. Seems to be more of a mess every time I try to organize. I JUST HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF! And I love my stuff-forget about really cleaning out. I just can't bare to part with a lot of it.
Tonight going to see Crosby, Stills and Nash at Meadowbrook-in the RAIN most likely. And a bit raw too., but Lynnie called from NC and it was great to hear from her-seems like everyone moves away eventually. Am I moving forward or just sitting in my piles of clutter?
Love this seller I found on eBay who is cleaning out from his former stamp store. Great great items I am finding. I love it- but talk about adding to the collection and filling up the bins...
This week has been kind of a minor wash-out-not tons of rain but clouds and unsettled weather...Katie and I went to Tilton shopping yesterday-and I bought underwear-nothing sexy-just good honest sensible stuff...oh listen to me.

Not much of an ART blog, is it?

Not that I've been avoiding art, just not photographing it. So today, another icky grey wettish day I will post photos from Wallis Sands State Park last Tuesday. Oh, it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo nice that day on the beach!
Went to see the Dark Knight today. Great flick, I really liked it. Wondering what they left as nibblers for another batman movie in the future. Also wonder if they'll post humerous (is that what they call it?) nominate Heath Ledger for aan Academy award? he did a great job.
So been making some kind of Celtic-ish designs on Kunin felt and then using my heat gun on them. Wow. Really cool.
And yesterday I got invited to my friend's Vicky's for lunch. I haven't seen her in AGES and it was sooo great to sit and chat all afternoon. I missed her company.
Maybe we'll see sun tomorrow. I hope since I work in the morning.
Love looking on-line for all new items coming out from CHA and for fall. Wow. Need to start saving up some cash for some of them I think. Tim Holtz has some great new products (what an inventive guy), Hero Arts some new stuff that's got a few good things, there's new INksdinkado, wowseee.

FRIDAY already!

Boy that's a little picture-but this week's movie was Mama Mia- fun- like the musical.

Can't believe its Friday night already. This week flew- lots of sun and beach and lake time. Cleaned out some of craft books. Have a knitting book on on eBay that's gone sky high. Have a kitty with an infection. Car didn't work out for Katie. Did some stamp scape style stamping on some photos of water and sky and they are REALLY cool. Did some more LONDON scrap booking and I pulled a muscle in my hip which kind of made me not bend really much...but am doing better!

Hope your week was as FANTASTIC.

Monday's photos

Here's photos I tried to post Monday. The beauty is that the weather has cleared out and it is gorgeous, sunny, warm, NO humidity. Yesterday Katie and Iw ent to Wallis Sands beach, and the ocean was fantastic. Took some photos but need to download them. Today went to the lake. Had a car for Katie week too, thought today we took it to a VW dealer and discovered it would cost too much to fix up, so still, no car for Katie.




Am loving this book- The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark. A great eerie gothic story.
And tonight- less than 1 hour, new season of Project Runway- I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a day

Ok, so was reading a blog called bookgirl's nighstand (http://www.bookgirl.net/), and she's read 48 books so far this year. Wow! I am impressed. So I counted for me. 12 novels and non-fiction books, several tour books for London (like 6) , 4 new cookbooks and those I pull out to look through for recipes and more than I can keep track of art/craft books since I look through them when they're new and then I pull them out here and there-in fact, today I did phase one of my book cleaning in my studio. I am proud and happy with that! Still have phase 2 and 3 to go through-phase 3 being the big shelves and phase 2 the pile next to the closet. Also got our bio-bricks today-an alternative to wood to help try to ease the cost of heating out house this winter. I was very impressed with the guy who sold/delivered them. I also worked 90 minutes this morning before the rain got so hard I was getting wet under the tree, so I came home and it really POURED-so glad I left when I did. But the bird watching this morning was FANTASTIC. There was a family of geese at the marina, and there was Baltimore oriels and a kingfisher eating a fish, and some type of fresh water sandpiperish bird, and the sapsucker whose always in the trees at the boat ramp and goldfinches and chickadees. Did I mention all the great blue herons we saw kayaking last Friday? Anyhow, am trying to upload images from where I work at merrymeeting this I took this morning but blogger isn't letting me, and my lower back is killing me because I have this pulled muscle in my bottom and moving books today in phase one agrevated it even though sitting in my cars heated seat helped...and I have more items to put up on eBay tonight...which I am going to go do since I can't upload...happy Monday!

Movies, movies and more movies

The last few days have been movie afternoons-Katie, me and DVD. We watched 2 Harry Potter films, George of the Jungle, The Other Bolyn Girl and Fool's Gold. Love it!

Started a new book- The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark. A nice truly Gothic story-so far am loving it.

Did you see the new Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous stamps on Tim Holtz wbsite? Love them.

Today I also did some assorted art (scrap pages, ATC's for my 7gypsies spinning thing, did the last pages of my cherry book. Also went to the lake, took a walk, talked with mom. Relaxing day- but I am in summer mode.

I switched into summer mode

Went kayaking in Merrymeeting Marsh today with my friend Joanne. I love kayaking in the marsh, and today was especially fantastic. It was warm but a bit overcast, so it was comfortable was our 2 1/2 hour trip. Saw tons of blue herons, damselflies, red winged blackbirds...just amazing. The pickerel weed was in full purple bloom and the white lilly pads as you can see. And we only passed 1 boat, a guy in a canoe fishing near the boat ramp. I was SOOOOOOOO relaxed when I got through, and it really felt like I'd switched over to summer mode. Was one of those unexpectedly magical trips. (Although the marsh is my favorite place to kayak-I love to meander in there!) Stopped for lunch at Johnson's afterwards- had a small fried oyster dinner (although there is no R in July and we're not suppose to eat oysters then, are we?) and in one there was this hard piece and I pulled it out of my mouth and it ended up being a tiny pearl. Pretty cool actually. Never has happened to me before, and probably never will again.

Permission to stay home

You know, its obvious I work. When at work, I'm desperate to stay home and do art. When I don't need to work, I think about how I should go out for the day and not just sit home. How sitting home is bad, what my mother's generation did and how I'm so different. But down deep, I want to stay home. I want to play in my studio. Its ok not do something wow and crazy-its summer, dewind time. Especially after a busy week. (Work Monday, Tires,movie and shopping Tuesday, Yesterday afternoon Katie and I met up with 2 friends- saw Hancock (love that movie), shopped at TJ Maxx-and I actually bought clothes- and did dinner. Granted I hung out all morning...) So today, I will stay home and putter. Bake some brownies. Play some more in my studio, sit ont he screen porch and read more of the 4 letter countries (I'm in Chad). Tonight I have to go out to drawing anyhow- but haven't been in 3 weeks and am excited to be back.
So its ok to play. Its ok to do nothing, it doesn't make me my mother who never goes out (how can she do that).
And especially enjoy this FANTASTIC weather today since the humidity dropped.

Stay Home Mom

What a face!
Well Katie and I went and got the Passat some new front tires today and saw Wanted. Anything to escape from the HEAT and HUMIDITY! What was it like before AC. Also shopped a bit, and had a big fight this morning as we couldn't find her paycheck-which Dave had stuck on a shelf by the door but the shelf was over our heads. I made poor Katie cry, and I still feel guilty and like I'm quite wicked. No Mom wants to make their baby cry-even if they're baby is 16. She;s moving away fast enough at this age as it is, and I just want time to freeze her so she'll be around longer.
Speaking of babies, got to love Leo's face above.

After the weekend!

Love these great wildflower photos I took on the side of the road (and embarassed my family when I laid down in the grass to take them) a week or so ago. Flowers are the fantastic part of summer I think!

Now the holiday weekend is over, and it was perfect weather. Spent all 3 days at the lake, or at least part of those days at the lake, reading and enjoying some sunshine. Katie worked the 4th and 5th and then did a carwash for her class yesterday-and she had a blast. I also finally got the kayaks out and washed them and did a bunch of gardening and Dave got the garage ready for our biobrick delivery.

Today was work day at the boat ramp- I finally got to finish my Fine Balance book and then made a huge jump into the 4 Letter Countries book which I've shown up above the flower photos. Pretty interesting- he's not a writer with super finesse, but I am enjoying the book a lot anyhow. Not that I want to travel to Mali, Togo, but Peru sounds pretty good. Am in the middle of Loas right now...can you do the rest-let's see: Oman (read that chapter too), Chad , Cuba, Fiji, Iran and Iraq. That's the 10 he does, which are the only 10 unless you go by non-English names like Eire for Ireland. Anyhow, is a fun read and although I enjoyed a Fine Balance and didn't want to just put aside, what those poor people had to go through. Makes me very grateful for what I have-definately!

Having a Fantastic July 4th Weekend

The girls out in the sailboat and the speedboat. Having a blast being teenagers-life is grand!

The margarita cruise! Dave, my mother-in-law Barbara and my sister-law-Deb's hand! I'm taking the picture!
Some great fireworks in Wolfeboro last night.

Dave got me some yummy donuts for breakfast this morning. I shared with him and Katie! But you can see where I started the chocolate with chocolate frosting and chocolate jimmies. No sharing that one!

A Great Summer Holiday

Hopefully we'll have a goreous summer day tomorrow-and not the afternoon clouds, showers and gray we have been having the last couple of days. Enjoy your cook-outs, parades and fireworks! I hope to enjoy the ones in Wolfeboro, NH where my mother-in-law lives.
Tonight had fun, went to see Get Smart-was enjoyable, and had an ice cream at Sawyer's (it is original from the 11950's-looks like it) with my 2 favorite people.
Enjoy your holiday with your favorite people.
Happy Birthday USA!

Holiday is rolling in

You can see from the photos summer is here! I just love it-though I must admit we clouded in today and had rumbles of thunder and light rain- once again. But you can tell the big holiday weekend is almost here-the out of state liscense plates are popping up...when you live in tourist area you get to see a lot of them. Stopped to get groceries today- and the store was pretty crowded, but tomorrow will be worse, I'm sure. I'm excited, feeling very patriotic this year. Dave is taking tomorrow off too, which will be nice.
Finishing up Bourne #3, really like these movies I must say.

Tuesday Tuesday

Here's a couple of more of my Casablanca cards.

So its been a very busy last couple of days. Yesterday morning was day 1 at Merrymeeting Lake being a lake host-checking boats of obnoxious weeds that could contaminate the lake. I made some ATC's yesterday afternoon- doing one of those 7Gypsies ATC stands. I was planning on making it a romp through the year, but it may be just a summer set. I was having too much fun doing summer ATCs, and I still have lots of ideas. Last night was bookclub, dragged Katie with me. Went to this great Mexican restaurant over in Kittery, Maine- CocoLoco's. YUMMY! Then Katie and I went to the outlets, didn't buy much (nothing for me but you know 16 year olds). Had a good eBay night too-made a little over $48.

Today I went to school to do curriculum work, had a nice little lunch in Prescott Park with Dee, then went to the lake for a swim and some sun, and a few light sprinkles of rain, but nothing that drove us off the dock. School work went really well and I'll get paid for a day come fall- nice for holiday shopping which will be tight this year with the cost of heating oil/gas (pretty scary when people talk about that in June when summer hasn't even started yet).

And now I need to address packages to send out from my eBay selling. Should be fun!