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What a day!

It has actually been a blessed day, but a tiring one and somewhat frustrating as well. Happily, I managed to keep a good attitude through the frustration.

The first challenge was to get Max to the car. Max, of course, loves to ride in the car. The problem is that as soon as the other dogs see that Mom has the leash, they are all excited. Now, Punkin might like to go but since she's scared of everything, she also doesn't want to go. But she sure wants to know everything that's going on! And Parker? He'd go anywhere, anytime, with or without me. So, my plan was to call Max to the kitchen, close the door, put the leash on him there and take him out through the garage. The biggest problem with that was getting him to come into the kitchen. All three dogs were gathered around the kitchen door with Parker and Punkin pushing to come out there. Max just backed off and didn't want to be part of the melee'. With a sore foot, I didn't blame him. Once we got that handled, the rest was a breeze.

He did beautifully at the vet's office and I really like this vet's office--first impression. I don't care if it is on the other side of town. It's a great vet's office. They treated Max really well and were beyond wonderful with me.

As it turns out, I still don't know if Max has glass in his foot or not, but it is REALLY infected down in between the pads. And, it's not just his front paw that is messed up; his back paw is messed up too. And to add to everyone's misery, he also has a fistula.

In case you don't know, fistulas are like open sores. Sometimes they are so deep that they actually create something like a second anal opening. We're nowhere near that bad off, thank God, but oh, my, I wanted to cry when I saw how red and raw that was. I should tell you, in case you don't know, that fistulas are a breed characteristic in male German Shepherds. And the older they get, the more prone they are to them....... They tell you about hip dysplasia in German Shepherds, but fistulas are far less talked about.......... if you want a male German Shepherd, be warned!

We have quite the regimen of treatment to get through. He is on oral antibiotics, steroids, and pain pills. Then there is also a topical cream for his butt which is antibiotic and numbing. He is supposed to have hot compresses on his butt several times a day. They also suggested soaking his feet in epsom salts several times a day. All the pills are twice a day pills. I have not figured out how I'm supposed to get him to soak his feet. I don't know how to get him in the tub--he weighs way too much for me to lift him in there! And, then to get him stand still in there for 5 minutes--that should be a challenge.

The vet was wonderful as far as the bill was concerned. I was so thrilled it almost made me cry. I do not like expending any extra money if I can help it, but I couldn't believe what they charged me. I've heard and experienced so many horror stories about lousy or wildly expensive veterinary care. These people really did seem to care more about the dog than about the money, God bless them!

We arrived home and then began the frustrating part. It took me almost 3 hours to get the meds. I also needed to pick up a refill on my blood pressure meds. Well, the pharmacy that has my blood pressure med prescription does not have a low cost prescription drug program for pets. But, Walgreen's does. Of course, when I called Walgreen's in December, I was told they did not even have a low cost prescription drug program for humans! So, I decided to drive thru and drop off Max's prescriptions at Walgreen's and then head diagonally across the street to the drugstore where my meds were waiting.

Well, they had one poor guy trying to work the counter AND the drive-up at Walgreen's. It took me over 15 minutes just to drop off the prescriptions. Then I headed across the street. First I gathered up some things I needed: milk for me, metamucil type stuff for Max, and epson salts for Max. Then I went to the pick-up counter to pick up my script which was supposedly ready by this past Monday. Guess what? They looked at me like I was from outer space. They had no record of the refill request. Here's the funny part about that: it was their computer system that called me to remind me about the refill and arrange it! So, the guy said it would take only about 5 minutes to actually pull it all together, so I set off to explore the store. I had NO extra money to spend so I just walked around for about 10 minutes. When I got back to the pick up counter, I had to stand in line. 15 minutes later it was my turn to get my meds.

Then I had to go up front to check out with the milk and other stuff. In line there too. Finally got out of there. Then I had to go back to Walgreen's. And this time I had to go in because there was some sort of paperwork to be filled out in order to qualify for the low cost drug program. The pharmacy tech couldn't remember her password. Then they didn't have the full order of steroids. So, now, I have to go back for the rest next week. At least they had enough to get started.

By the time I finished at Walgreen's, I was exhausted and all my energy was depleted. Remember, I was operating on less than 5 hours of sleep and I had not eaten all day. I ended up driving through the adjacent Jack-in-the-Box and buying a fish sandwich. When Joe and I were first married, I was watching my carbs. I was still eating them, but limiting them as best I could. I used to get fish sandwiches and eat them open-faced. I remember that they cost $1.89. Now, 11 years later, they are $2.69. That's a 50% increase in 11 years! Wow!

So, now, what I really want to do is go to bed. But, before I can do that, I have to finish dragging everything in from the car and make sure Max is all dosed up for the night. I doubt I'll sleep for more than a couple of hours, but I can't take a chance. I want these meds working in his system tonight!

Just beginning to get it together........

"But, it's almost noon, Pacific time" you might say. And you'd be right. This person worked til 2Am. Then, tired, but spent, she went to bed where, inexplicably, she laid awake for 2 hours. So, in an attempt to redeem the time, she got up and did her CT update. Finally she went back to bed around 5:30AM, hoping against all hope that the dogs would, just this once, forego barking at the trash truck which arrives somewhere between 8 and 9AM. Well, that didn't happen!

Anyway, I did manage to get back to sleep after the trash truck had gone on about its business, so I think I managed something just short of 5 hours of sleep. Not a lot to start a day on.......

I can't help but wonder about one thing. When Joe was working and sleeping at odd hours, they were so darned quiet. I wonder why they are NOT quiet when I need to sleep!

So, now I'm sipping my morning frappuccino, with a twist. I had to make it with canned milk because I just was not in the mood to go buy milk last night. Silly me. But, I have to go "out and about" today, so hopefully I will find enough energy to buy some for my next frappuccino!

Today, Max and I take a long ride in the van to the far side of town to a vet who has been recommended as "reasonable" and "knowledgeable". I am so anxious to get whatever is going on with his paw taken care of.

I have my own aches and pains and sometimes I limp around here too. But, believe me when I say, my limping around here does not bother me like his limping around here. I feel like I'm a neglectful mother, something I never was with my 2-legged child. So, I'll do what I can. I think one thing that kept me awake was thinking of all the possibilities of things this vet could decide to include in his bill. When I made the appointment, I was very careful to explain my circumstances. Yes, God has promised to meet all my needs, but I do try to be very frugal with what He gives me so that my bills can be paid. If there is extra, it needs to go to reducing debt. I MUST get out of debt.......

I have indeed prayed over this beloved dog's paw. And, yes, I really do believe God answers prayers for dogs. I've seen Him do it in my own household. But, I don't have any clear direction from God HOW He's going to get this dog healed. And, frankly, I just cannot watch him suffer. He had such a horrible life before he came to live with us. I think he's had enough suffering for one doggie lifetime.

So, shortly, I will sign off here and get ready to drive to the far side of town with one large German Shepherd. I have to be outta here by 1:15 in order to get to the vet's by 1:45 for his 2PM appointment. For some reason, they want me there early.

I would like to stop, on the way home, and drop off a tax return. And get some milk, LOL.

I have a rule around here that you don't get your tax return til you pay me. Well, I made an exception to that rule for the sister of a long-time client/friend. And, guess what? Now I have to make a collection call. I really really dislike doing that kind of thing. Chances are, she's forgotten; we're all busy and things slip. However, how to approach her so that she saves face and I get my money is the big question. This was an area where Joe was an expert and I do wish he were here to handle it, but he's not. So, either I don't get my money, or I pull up my big girl panties and make the call........ I can't afford to not get paid.......

I was feeling somewhat depressed and lonely last night. I don't exactly know why, though, of course, I know the name of the guy who was the root cause. Anyway, I ended up a) listening to a very uplifting sermon on the 'net, and b) starting on a mini-kit. The combination lifted my spirits. I think, though, that I'm going to re-do some of the papers in the minikit. I want the color palette to major on two colors. I usually try to give at least one, sometimes two papers in each color in the kit. However, this is a mini kit and, if I do that, I can't emphasize the colors I want to emphasize. So, although I thought all the papers were done, I think I may make some changes. I've done a few elements, all the theme-y stuff, but I might add a few touches to them too. They look good, but I think just a bit more time on one or two of them might make them better. Since I want them to be the best they can be, I will spend the time.

I have a tax thing hanging over my head that I don't have time to explain. Suffice it to say it's just another example of me giving a lot extra and the client expecting even more--for nothing, of course. I really need to change my attitude about this. I need to remember that when I give, it is the Lord who is supposed to give back, not the client...........

Well, I am out of time for this. I'll say good-bye for now with good intentions of coming back here later. YOU be BLESSED today!

 

Budget buster........

As you know, if you've read this blog for long, I operate on a really tight budget. Well, Max, my faithful German Shepherd, has apparently cut his foot. He is not only limping; he is also dealing with a little bit of bleeding. I can't stand watching it. I have absolutely no doubt he would give his life for me. How could I just sit and watch him hurt? So, I have an appointment to take him to the vet tomorrow. I already told them up front that I have a very limited budget for this..........I hope that helps.

So, this morning, before the "invasion" started, I finished off four alphas for the current kit. I even got the preview started. So, I'll have that finished up sometime today. I still think it's "purty". It will have 16 patterned papers, 8 solids, 100 mb (99.9 if you want to get technical) of elements and 4 alphas. That's a good sized kit, I think.

I'm not sure what I'll tackle next on the design side. I am trying very hard to spend as little as possible on supplies for design. I have a big stash and I'd like to make use of some of that rather than buying more......... So, I think I'll peruse the stash and see where that leads me.

I am still working away on tagging my commercial use stuff. I expect that to be an ongoing project for months. I have deleted a bunch of stuff that I just know is not my style, will never be my style and I cannot justify storing it or spending time on backing it up, etc. I will still have a bunch of stuff, but I'll be happier knowing I've pared it down to what is, for me, useful.

So, I've dealt with most of the client stuff for today. I have some backed up work to complete but I don't think I'll see any more people today.

Today is drag-the-trash-to-the-curb day. And, as always there's vacuuming to be done.

Parker was a pest today. Fortunately, my clients for today were all pet lovers. I have been putting Parker in my bedroom for a while now. He's a sweet dog, but he wants to be loved and that gets old after a while. However, he's wising up and realizing that when Mom calls him into the bedroom, she's going to leave and he'll be stuck in there alone for hours. So, today I couldn't get him to go in there. He weighs a ton, so if he makes up his mind he's not going, he's not going.......

I am having my pineapple/banana/orange smoothie again today. It also contains Greek yogurt, of course, and today I remembered the spinach. The last time I made this, I forgot the spinach and it looked like a liquid dreamsicle. Today, with the spinach, it is kind of a yellowy green. Of course, I had to add a bit of juice to thin it down to make it work in the blender, so I'm still working on my big Costco bottle of cranberry juice. I try to keep the juice to a minimum, if I can. I know cranberry juice is good for me, but I want to be sure I get a good mixture of vitamins and minerals so everything that goes into the blender is important to me.

I bought that blender at least a year ago. It has really gotten a workout. It is used at least once a day and most days 2-3 times. It wasn't the cheapest blender on the market when I bought it, but it sure wasn't an expensive one either. It has given wonderful service. I really like it. It is a Hamilton Beach Wavestation Express Dispensing Blender. You can grab them on Amazon for around $25.They look like this and I've used mine for frozen coffee drinks and smoothies.

 

Well, that's it for now. I want to get some things besides blogging done today.

 

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Starting over..........

New day, new start, right? I was so exhausted when I went to bed last night that, thankfully, I just fell asleep. None of that counting the styrofoam bits on the ceiling for me last night! Crazy dreams, though. At one point I dreamed I was somewhere tropical and beautiful. I was driving a car, chasing someone. Somehow my car sailed over top of a rock wall, painted white, and a young couple waiting for a bus. I had no idea I could drive like that!

Invasion again today. Love the client, but I really do feel a little Garbo-ish by now: "I vant to be alone". I am really going to concentrate to see what I can get done before it all starts and after it ends. I would love to clean out my fridge for example, but the adjacent counters and the table are piled up with the stuff I took out of the drawer that broke. So, I have no convenient place to put anything I pull out of the fridge. I'll have to wade through the drawer stuff and then try to move on from there. Maybe I can put the stuff back in the drawer and then just set the drawer aside til I can crawl in the cupboard and fix the slider?

I did vacuum yesterday, so the level of dog hair is not too bad. I could certainly spend some time dusting though. I think I will also start putting out tee shirts and boxing up some of my sweat shirts. I think we have to have come to the end of the cool weather in these parts. I'll leave some warm things out and accessible just in case we get another couple of cool days or to be ready when the cool weather comes back next fall. I kind of even hate to start this stuff because I know I can't just go do it and finish it and having it partly done will just make a mess.

I am still mucking with a corporate return that needs to be done. I do not like doing those and I do them primarily as an accommodation for my clients. But I have to face it....... They're never really as bad as I think they'll be..........

I still have a few details to wrap up on the kit I've been chipping away at. I tried to do ric rak yesterday and just couldn't get the ricrak to take color the way I wanted it to. So it all ended up in the trash. I guess I'll try that again because I really would like to put some ricrak in this kit. Should also do some lace and maybe some sort of journaling something. Then, I think that's about it. On to alphas and done.

Well, that's my amorphous plan for the day. What's yours?

I think we should see some more pretty layouts from my Creative Team. How about some eye candy?

Laurie did this cute layout. Cute photos and I love that little "nest" of "grass, jelly beans, and "eggs" along the bottom. Laurie turned the "eggs" into egg-shaped buttons and accented them with bows. Cute idea!

Lori did this layout, featuring her DGD Carmen. My favorite part about the layout is how she has combined the green "grass" with the egg tree, the bunny and the chick. That is just darling. Personally, I'm kinda fond of that altered chevron paper too. I like that it is extra pointy, just a touch different from your run of the mill chevron paper.

I don't usually feature pages scrapped unless they pertain to the kit we're working with each week. But I have to show you this one because it's so darned cute.

Karen, who has sort of been on hiatus from the team, scrapped this. She is a busy pastor's wife and has been doin' the Lord's work instead of mine, LOL. That is one excuse I'll always buy! Anyway, they had a traditional New England boiled dinner for St. Patrick's Day at their church as a fund-raiser for their upcoming summer Vacation Bible School. I love the excellent job Karen did on extracting the photo of herself and her husband. It's the perfect compliment to the snapshots below. And, would you look at that hat they're all wearing? I swear I did NOT see that had when choosing the colors for this kit! Fun layout, right? Guess I should tell you that this uses last week's kit, You and Me, and the St. Paddy's Day add-on, both available in the HotFlashDesigns store.

Alrighty, time to launch myself into overdrive and see what I can get done. YOU be BLESSED today!

Learning to live..........

with disappointment.

I'm tired. But, I am almost too tired to make my way down the hall. I decided to amuse myself by picking through Pinterest, looking for color palettes I love. It's not that I need color palettes. Lord knows, I have enough to design scrapbooking kits for the next quarter century. But, I love color, so looking for unique color combinations amuses me.

Well, it really wasn't very amusing tonight. I think I was just too tired. I searched Pinterest for wedding parties (some folks post their color themes for their weddings), story boards (folks use this term interchangeably with "mood board" though in my mind story boards are oriented more to photography), mood boards, fabric, color, decor, and more. I sure didn't find much that flipped my switch.

I have found color schemes that I love everywhere--in my own photos, in my grandkids' clothes, in my own clothes, in other people's photos, in Pottery Barn ads, in bedding ads, in ads for dinnerware, in fabric collections............ Literally everywhere. So, could I find any tonight? No, not really.

Last year's Pantone color of the year was called tangerine. It was a particular shade of orange. So, everyone did couches, pillows, paintings, teacups, throw rugs, clothing--you name it--in orange. And I've designed a number of kits that are orange-heavy. I think my CT would have something to say if I started yet another orange kit.

I'm also guilty of LOVING the combination of blue and green. I have designed a lot in these colors. And, therein lies the problem.......... I probably need to explore some other color combination. And this year's Pantone color of the year is emerald, so If I'm going to do a green and blue kit, the green should be "emerald" and I much prefer the yellowy/brownish shades........

So, for tonight, I have flunked color palettes. I think I am just tired and a bit burnt out. I've been designing kits like a crazy person and doing tax and, and, and....... I need a break. I think a few days off would give me the opportunity to find some fresh inspiration, and I could use that. In the meantime, I think I need sleep. I'm about to see if I can actually get some of that! Good night, all!

 

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Just a quick update.........

Not long now til the beginning of the "invasion". I'm attempting to both chug my smoothie because time is short and to linger over it because it is so good! Nothing like being conflicted!

I've been wanting to try this particular combination in my smoothie for a while. However, I think I forgot an ingredient (uh-oh!). This contains one orange, one half of a banana, 8 chunks of canned pineapple (I didn't have any fresh), a heaping spoon of Greek yogurt, some cranberry juice, and 3 ice cubes. I also added a bit of the juice from the canned pineapple. It is sweet enough that I certainly don't need any artificial sweetener. I didn't want to use cranberry juice, and I actually own orange juice. However, the cranberry juice is open and the OJ is not. I know something will spoil if I open that OJ now......... I forgot the darned spinach! So, a few less vitamins than I might otherwise have had. However, it is the best tasting smoothie I've made so far. I do not mean to imply that is because there is no spinach. I think you'd really have to overload the smoothie/blender with spinach to even taste it. It is just that I love this combo of orange/banana/pineapple. To me, THIS is real tropical fruit!

Well, I finished going back through the elements in that kit. Yes, there were a few that were oversized and some that could be cropped a bit. But, really, not as many needed either resizing or cropping as I'd thought. Apparently I was more efficient than I thought as I went along.

I've vacuumed up the worst of the dog hair and mud. Now just trying to get through my smoothie and catch my breath before the clients show up. Wish I had time to do some dusting, but I kinda don't think so......... I have to get the client files all set up to receive whatever info they bring with them!

Gonna be a great day!

I have several tax appointments. One set of clients promises to be quite challenging. However, I'm gonna pray over the peace of this house and over our meeting. I'm also going to pray that God will either take control or give me control of this meeting.If He gives it to me, it will be miraculous as the husband is incredibly difficult to deal with and very opinionated, right or wrong, and controlling.

This is a husband and wife who do not get along. They particularly distrust one another in the areas of finance and do not seem to be able to find a common ground or compromise. This will be the first time they have come together. In the past, the wife has come alone, we've done the return, and then I've had to help her deal with a LOT of questions/explanations/complaints, etc., from the husband. At least they will be dealt with one-on-one today without everything funneling through her. Is that good? Maybe. Is that bad? Maybe. We shall see. I am not much for conflict. I have a feeling I will have to stand nose to nose with this guy unless God intervenes. And that is why I am sincerely praying God intervenes. In the past, I had a job that required I stand nose to nose and defend a concept pretty much every day. I am so over conflict........

I have been up for quite a while. I have got to figure out what is going on in my neighborhood at 6:30AM. Whatever it is, it sets the dogs off and I am awakened. Today I managed to go back to sleep for a little while which is good because there will be no respite for me this afternoon!

Tuesday is trash day, but the trash guys come somewhere around 8:30-8:45AM. Every other Tuesday is water delivery day, but the water guy comes around 10AM. What could be happening at 6:30AM that has the dogs barking like crazy? I do not know.

Anyway, I have the current kit almost finished. I think I will do some ricrak, maybe some lace, some "curly" ribbons, and that will about do it unless I find some other things in my stash of goodies that look like they would add substantially to the kit. It's a beautiful kit. Not theme-y at all, just "purty". I know there are some elements in there that need to be trimmed and some that are ridiculously large, so I think I just might work on that for the next little while, just so I can get a better idea of what can be squeezed in there!

I will be running the vacuum cleaner, at least in the living room/dining room/office today. The sprinklers came on last night. Webbed paws and other paws bring in clumps of mud which are all too visible even on my "mud-colored" carpet. I need to get that done before the first client shows up! And, as usual, there is German Shepherd hair everywhere in spite of the fact that I just vacuumed two days ago!

Okay, let's do eye candy!

Karla created this chocolate-themed Easter layout. I love that since the doodled "bunny" in this kit is brown! Karla has layer upon layer of paper behind that photo! Mad layering skills. Some cute little clusters too. Such a cute layout!

Laura had some photos stashed of a family Easter egg hunt. Those stashes are good things--photos of Easter egg hunts might otherwise be tough to come by the week before Easter! Laura just keeps wowing me with her layouts! I love the irregular scalloped pieces she used to border her page. And, what do you think of that bunny in the lower left corner of the layout. I think he/she is just adorable and I'm so glad Laura found a way to show him to you!

Okay, I'm really pressed for time, so I have to move on. YOU be BLESSED today!

 

What I believe.........

I decided I would try to do a series on my beliefs. Quite honestly, this was triggered by the proliferation of equal signs on FB.

First, I believe there is a God. To my mind, all one has to do is look at a pregnant woman to realize THAT didn't result from any "big bang". No lightning struck and caused a process as complex as human reproduction as a result. Actually, I don't believe it is possible for any life form, higher than possibly an amoeba to "evolve". Amoebas, maybe. At least one could see a single cell amoeba splitting and another single cell amoeba resulting. But, humans? Just look at the complexity of a human body. Look at the way the various systems in the human body work together. Circulatory system feeds the respiratory system. Digestive system feeds the circulatory system which feeds every other part of the body. We have pancreas to regulate insulin. We have other organs, each with specialized functions, but all designed to work together in synchronous harmony.

From my own experience, I believe most forces of "nature" are destructive. Lightning (frequently referred to as the source of the "big bang") is amazingly destructive, resulting in death or tremendous damage to whatever it touches. We have lightning today. Is there anyone walking who isn't certifiable who would aver that they have seen a lightning strike create life? I don't think so.

So, all this, this earth that is meant to function in harmony, came from somewhere. My somewhere is God. I believe He made this place as an integrated system in which He meant for me to live. It was designed to meet my every need, in conjunction with Him. I believe this place, my existence as a complex being are evidence of God.

Further, I pray. And my prayers are answered, frequently in unimaginable ways. Is this a coincidence? I sincerely do not believe that to be the case. And, somewhere down the road, I'll give you some "miraculous" examples, from my own life, of things that cannot be explainedany other way.

I did not come to this belief easily. I have a pretty good mind. I'm not another Albert Einstein, but I am capable of logic and reason at great lengths. With every other explanation I tried to believe in, I found flaws that just caused my mind to whirl. It was only when I chose (and, yes, it is a choice) to believe in God, that I began to see the conflicts resolved.

 

I was thinking.........

I would go looking for a part-time job. I think I may have found one, though it doesn't pay very well. I am being spammed like crazy again. Maybe I could get paid for blocking spam? Yesterday I blocked 20. Today I blocked 5. Tomorrow? Who knows.........

Well, I ate the last of my broccoli salad tonight for dinner and let me tell you I am full as a tick. Yesterday, I had 1/2 the package for lunch. It made a good sized meal. In fact, I had to leave a little of it behind in the bowl. Just couldn't force it down. Today I added some chopped tomato to the second pack and had it for both lunch and dinner. And I am still really full. In case anyone is interested, this salad is from Costco and it's made by Sweet Tomatoes. I think the best thing about it is the packaging.

Normally I hate packaging. I resent that manufacturers have to go to all sorts of efforts to package stuff like Fort Knox, just because there are idiots out there who want to poison Tylenol or pee in pickle jars. But, for once, the packaging here is a very good thing. I can honestly say that although that salad sat unopened in my fridge for 3 weeks, it was still fresh when I first dug into it yesterday. I found that pretty amazing.

Well, I've done some tax today, though I should have done more. And I've done some design. I think I started the day with a kit that had one element. It now has 42 and it will have more before I turn out the lights. I have also done a lot of backing up of files on my EHD.

I have not done too much in the house, though I'm puttering with that now. I have made substantial progress toward a clean desk. It gets piled up daily. I should go through it daily, but some days I don't. Then it gets piled up even worse! Well, it doesn't exactly look "neat" but I lowered one pile by a good 3 inches. So, that's an accomplishment. I've also folded a couple of loads of laundry. And worked in the kitchen.

I am at that point where I am ready for tax season to be over. I don't mind tax. I've been doing it for a long time so it's second nature. I like most all of my clients and most of them have been with me for a very long time, so I enjoy seeing them again. I do mind the folks who trek through my house. And I definitely mind that life as I know it stops as tax season gets revved up.

The first thing to be abandoned/left undone was the declutter project in the guest room. I have been coping with a broken garbage disposal for months. I have some money to buy a new garbage disposal, but no time to install it. I went to open a drawer in the kitchen yesterday or the day before and the back of it "fell" down. I finally got it completely emptied, pulled it out and tried to get it seated properly into the brackets. Uh-oh! Apparently a screw on the one bracket, located way in the back right of the cupboard, is missing. I'd guess after many years it's worked its way out. I need to turn myself into a pretzel and crawl in there and try to fix it. But, that would need to be at a time when the vacuuming and dusting is caught up and no clients are expected. That won't be anytime soon.......

And, I have to admit that after a while, I do get resentful that these folks can't get their acts together and drag their rusty butts in here sooner! Why do we have to have a flesh pile from the last week of March til April 14? Would there be something in the rules that says we can't do some of this in February? I don't think so..........

Anyway, at the moment I am doing the low blood pressure thing. It is uncomfortable and I wish it would go away. And it will, as soon as the blood pressure fights its way past the meds to new heights. That will start the high blood pressure headache, I'll take more meds, and the cycle will start all over again. I'm tired of it!

Okay, enough complaining. I am going to get back after it. I don't think I'll be back here anymore tonight, so sleep well, my friends!

 

Not ready for Monday!

Yes, that's me. I was so tired last night I went to bed early. Then I laid there for 3 hours, not going to sleep. Goodness knows I tried! But it didn't happen. I did get in a lot of prayer time though.

Then, 4 hours later, I was barked awake by the dogs. As I was trying to wake up, I looked at the clock and thought it was at least an hour early for the yard guys to come. Then I thought maybe I had lost a day again and today was really Tuesday. But, no, it's Monday......... And I've been hard at work ever since.

I don't know how long I'll last on 4 hours of sleep. I USED to consider 5 hours satisfactory and 7 hours optimum. But, I'm not a kid anymore......... Pray I don't wake up a few hours from now with the imprint of the keyboard on my forehead!

It occurred to me on Saturday that I had not done backups in February and I had not yet done any in March. This is a cardinal sin around here. I don't think I can come up with an excuse that is good enough for failing to do this. I've experienced one hard drive crash without current backups and it was a disaster. And that was in spite of the fact that I had off-site backups running all the time. Honestly, the recovery was atrocious. So, I should never ever not do my backups, having gone through that experience. So, anyway I started on Saturday.

I've backed up quite a few files, but most of them are smaller files. I do have a big one (128 GB) backing up now. But there are probably at least 6 more files, this size or larger, to go. I hate that it eats processing power and slows things down, but it has to be done. And, silly me, I could have had most of this particular file backed up by now if I had just remembered to start it last night before I went to bed.

So, I have a client due in an hour. I actually have clothes on and my hair is combed, so I'm headed in the right direction. I've prepared an inventory of files I want to eventually move to the new design store and even put some expected dates on some of them! THIS is a real step in the right direction. I also wrote a quickie tutorial for some of my CT ladies and sent that out. So, I have been relatively productive so far, in spite of my lack of sleep!

So, today.......... Tax. Yes, TAX. I need to do some! In fact, as soon as I finish here, I need to assemble a return I printed out last night. I expect the client will call to pick this mess up this morning. I do hope she calls first because I have clients scheduled and I'd prefer to slot her pick up time between appointments, not during appointments. In my own head, my time belongs to the guy who is sitting in front of my desk while he's here. I try not to answer the phone or the door while I'm on someone else's time. That's difficult to do. I don't know who's at the door, but the dogs bark like crazy. The other day an appointment was interrupted by a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses............ ugh! And, I do have caller ID and I check to see who is calling.

I now have at least two telemarketing companies who have gotten my cell number and call up to 6 times a day. How do you get those guys to stop? If you actually take the call, get to a human, and ask to be removed from their list, they slam down the phone and call back anyway! The ones I really love are the ones who put me on hold after I agree to take the call. What a PITA that is!

So, I did a paper pack over the weekend--saw a color scheme that inspired me and just went for it. Now I have to do elements. So far, I've done one and I don't think THAT will take me far........... So, that will be where my design energies get focused. I have at least two kits that just need tweaked a bit and they're finished. I'd like to get that done this week as well. I also need to preview the alphas for the "country" kit.

Around here, as usual, I should be dusting. In case you haven't figured it out, I've kind of given up on trying to work on decluttering the house. I can't do it all; there, I've said it. So, I'll be busy the next few weeks with the extra work that tax involves, and then I can jump back into that. In the meantime, I just need to make sure I have clean underwear and keep the dog hair and dust under control as much as possible! Oh, and let's not forget trying to keep myself fed too!

Well, let's do eye candy so I can do some of those things I've listed above. I have some really cute layouts to show you with the "Easter" kit. I do want to point out that that kit has only 2 theme-y papers so it is infinitely adaptable to any spring layout you might want to do.

Laurie has been doing "Project Life" layouts with my kits each week. And each week, I wait to see what she'll come up with next! She uses the same layout more or less, but, of course, the photos change from week to week and she changes out the embellishments and other design ideas along the way. My absolute favorite thing about this week's installment is the chick with all the conversation bubbles. And those conversation bubbles contain her journaling! Such a great idea. I also like how she adapted the banner to contain her title for "Week 11". Smart!

Deanna contributed this one and I think it is just darling! So cute that the photos show a little guy who is mystified as to why he has been given eggs to play with. I really think Deanna did a super job embellishing this layout! Don't you love the little chickie, standing on the line of the banner? how cute!

Okey dokey, that has to be it for me this morning. I have to finish getting ready for my appointment and get this pile of tax papers into the proper order and stapled, stamped, signed, reviewed, etc. YOU be BLESSED today!

 

 

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