An Unexpected Christmas Eve Eve Guest

On Saturday the 23rd The Artfull Hand had an unexpected guest, a little wren. Every since I hung a real wreath on the front door a bird has been roosting in it every evening. I had startled it a couple of times when I had gone out the front door later then usual. On Saturday Bev open the door to put the sidewalk sign out, she didn't notice the bird. But later she was hearing noises in the shop and finally tracked down the source, the bird. When I got there she told me about it and I looked over the situation. This was a good time to have a veterinarian for a husband who occassionaly does work on birds. I went back to the vet office for our net.

My first attempt at netting the little creature was foiled by my vertical challeged handicap(too damn short). The little guy/girl flew to the center of the window and I was able to get a little closer. Gotcha! Because of my experience with birds at the vet office I was able to net and handle the little guy/girl not harming him/her. We posed for a picture near the wreath. Then I turn him/her free. Bev and I waved good-bye as he/she flew off with just a few ruffled feathers.
We now knock on the inside of the door in morning before we open it.

A Christmas Story

Guide Dog's Christmas Surprise
One bright Christmas Eve, Santa Claus awoke looking forward to taking to the night sky on his sleigh. He got out of bed, pulled on his hat and big redcoat and opened the outside door to go and visit his trusty reindeer. It was snowing and very cold. As Santa approached the stables, he smiled at the thought that he would soon see Rudolph's red nose shining through the blizzard. But, oh no, wait a minute; as he turned the corner, Santa saw not one but nine shiny red noses! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolphwere all looking miserable.
"Oh dear," said Santa, "what's up with you all?"
Comet, the reindeer union rep, stepped forward. "I'm very sorry, but none of my reindeer will be able to do a full night's present delivery shift," said Comet, looking sad. "This is the first time we've ever wimped out on you,but we're all feeling lousy this year Santa and, well, we feel you'd be better off with some other helpers just this once."
"Comet, this is disastrous news!" Santa held his head in his hands.
"I'm not sure I can get all the presents out to all the little boys and girls without help from my reindeer."
At this, Blitzen and Prancer stepped forward.
"To be honest Santa, we had always worried something like this might happen," said Blitzen, sounding very bunged up.
"With this in mind, some years ago Prancer decided to approach another group of magical creatures with special powers who might be able to stand in during an emergency."
"Well, Prancer," Santa turned to the other reindeer whose eyes were streaming, "Do tell me. What is your idea? Which other creatures of the world have magical powers that can match those of my nine wonderful reindeer, of whom so many songs are sung and tales are told?"
"Why ... Guide Dogs, of course!" smiled the reindeer. He turned towards the snowy white plains of Greenland , tapped the ground three times with his hoof, bowed his head and antlers, then majestically reared up making a very loud calling sound that echoed round the four corners of the planet. Within the space of thirty seconds, a shadow appeared far on the horizon. As it got bigger, Santa could just make out nine glowing yellow labradors in the arctic moonlight as they flew towards him.
"This year," continued Prancer, "your helpers will be: Buttons, Goldie,Honey, Sam, Ben, Max, Anton, Lucy and Lassie."
Santa and his deer stood and stared up at the approaching dogs, who they could now hear barking. When the dogs landed they became silent; the only noise was the north wind howling. Santa, awed by the sight, was about to speak when the leading dog - Buttons - led a single note chorus of howls as a salute to the reindeer whom they would replace this year. Happy, all the reindeers saluted back and in unison returned to their stables.
"Greetings to you, Father Christmas," said Buttons.
"Instead of being with our blind owners this year, we want to bring smiles to the faces of all the world's children. We're ready when you are."
Santa smiled and beckoned the creatures. He led them to his workshop. Parked outside was a huge sleigh, loaded with presents of all shapes and sizes.
A small green-clad elf was just putting the last present on the top; when it was balanced correctly, he slid down and pushed himself off the side and scampered back into the warmth.
Sam, Ben and Honey had already positioned themselves at the front of the sleigh and barked at the other dogs to join them. As they lifted the sleigh's harness Santa said:
"Aren't you going to take your own little white harnesses off first?"
"Oh no," spoke up Lucy, the smallest of the dogs,
"these are our identity.Guiding is what we do and tonight Santa, we will guide you!"
With the dogs all in place, Santa climbed onto the front of the sleigh, took the reigns in his hands and boomed merrily at the top of his voice:
"GoButtons ... go Goldie ... go Honey!"
The dogs pulled and the sleigh took off into the now clear dark blue sky.
"Moosh Sam, gee up Ben, away Max ... away!"
Lucy turned and winked at Lassie. They were both wondering how their owners were getting on. They hoped to be back and curled up at the foot of their beds before they awoke,and chuckled at what their masters would think if they knew they were flying around the world helping to deliver presents.
"Lucy, Lassie, noses forward!" Santa's voice startled them into action.
"Anton, stop trying to eat the falling snow," he continued, before breaking into a very loud and satisfied:
"Ho ho ho! Keep flying, my little guides.This year,
winked Father Christmas, you dogs will find out what busy really means."
As the sleigh, the jolly old man and the nine magical guiding dogs reached the horizon and flew towards the first of several billion houses on the list, Santa knew that the guide dogs had saved the day and everything would be all right.
"Merry Christmas, one and all!"

Open House and Christmas Sale

We had a very nice open house at the artfull hand last week. There were free make n takes, snacks and door prizes. It was very well attended. In the picture on the left, Sue F is leading a card project. Laid out in front of a customer are 4 variations of the same card.
Starting the day after Christmas and up through the 30th The Artfull Hand is going to have a big clearance sale. Everything is reduced in some manner except the consigment items. We want to clear out as much as possible so we don't have to count it and to make room for new stock that is coming in....
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Gathering

Monday night the 11th was the Artfull Hand's Christmas Gathering. That is when we all come together to enjoy each other's company, tasty snacks and some fun.
We each brought a $5 or less gift and of course a hand made card. The game we played to distribute the gifts is a version of 'Rob your Neighbor', played with dice. There were several hoots and hollers during the rolls as if you were lucky enough to roll doubles you got to 'rob' your neighbor.
This coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be our Annual Open House. We'll have free make 'n takes, more food and drink and door prizes. Take a break from the hustle and bustle and come by and join in the fun.
PICTURE EXPLANATIONS
The top photo is of Ellen laughing and Kathy A. hiding behind her camera. We were all laughing because every one of us had brought a camera and we all were trying to take a picture of each other at the same time.
Picture two is of the tables as we played rob your neighbor. The unclaimed gifts are in the middle of the table. I did end up with the Christmas sack shown closet to the blonde head.

winter weather

Well it has been the most interesting 48 hours.
Beginning on Thursday the 30th: The Washington area(as in City of-not State or DC) was hit by a nasty winter storm. Unusual for us in any manner of speaking but highly unusual as it was the very first of the season. On Wednesday, the 29th I had the A/C running in the car and the shop as it had gotten up to 73 degrees F and was quite warm.

That is the weather in the Mid-West always changing. I believe Mark Twain said,"If you don't like the weather wait 30 minutes and it will change." That is a poor paraphrase. Anyway, Thursday was a nasty day, starting out with a cold rain that switched back and forth from freezing rain and sleet. We had shut down the Artfull Hand by three O'Clock in the afternoon. Linda and I had wanted to get home before dark and no-one was nutz enough to come into the shop to buy any rubberstamps. All were just trying to make it home.

The snow didn't start until late Thursday night. By the time I awoke on Friday there was approximately 6 inches at my house. I was lucky, a friend who lives 20 or so miles to the West of me in Hermann, got closer to 12 inches.... Add to that several more inches of sleet and some ice and you have a little idea of what we are dealing with.

Friday, December first, I only ventured out of my house to try to clean my car. (See photo above). The rest of the day was spent watching all three Lord of the Rings movies - the extended versions-in order.

Saturday, I drove my husband's work truck and had to put it in 4-wheel drive just to get out of the driveway. (He had plowed our driveway with the tractor on Friday.) I got stuck in some of the frozen tractor ruts. The temperature had plunged to single digits over night so everything had frozen over. The good news is that we have Sunshine and warming temps. The shop is open once again. Included in the work force today is Jake- a Black Lab and Cappy the beagle. The fence door to their outside pen had frozen. I couldn't budge it. So they spent the night indoors and came to work with me. The first thing they did upon jumping out of the truck was to make a circuit around the building. I'm not sure what they were looking for. I had to track them through the snow. I was fearful that they had seen or smelled the neighborhood kitty and had chased him off. I called and called, neither of them came to me. One of the neighboring shop owners stuck her head out her door and reported that she had seen the dogs head back to my back door. Sure - enough there they were. So after a good scolding we all got the shop open and ready for business. I've been here over 2 hours and I'm still waiting!!!!

Thanksgiving

What a wonderful day it was. The weather here in East Central MO has been wonderful. Couldn't ask for better weather for November. Of course the shop was closed on Thursday but I went in anyway because I wanted to wash the windows at least the outside of them. I also put up some Christmas lights. That was enough work for one day.
On Friday we had our one day after Thanksgiving Sale. The Day was very good. Thank you dear patrons.
There are a lot of cool things happening in December. So come in and visit for a while.

Deer Hunting Widows Week-end

November 11th was the opening day of deer hunting season here in East Central Missouri. My husband along with a lot of other males(and females) were out in the woods.
But...Along with me in the Artfull Hand were several Deer Hunting Widows the whole week-end long...It started at 5pm Saturday afternoon running till Ten that evening. Then we started up again on Sunday at 11 am. Wow! Did we have fun. We played Stampin' Bingo, watched some DVDs and ate a lot of good food. One of the coolest things we did was to have a challenge grab bag. Bev, SueP and I concocted a sandwich size brown bag full of all kinds of small goodies. The challengee had to pick a bag and then make something out of the contents...The pieces that were made were outstanding. I will try to get some pictures and post them.
The event was so much fun that we are planning another 'stamp-in' on Super Bowl Sunday.

Finally!

About a week ago my overhead sign was finally installed. It took me 3 different sign companies and fifteen months.
Why is it so hard for a little guy to get anything done??? So what I wasn't contracting for a huge bill board along one of the interstates...It shouldn't have taken as long as it did. I know for a fact now that most of the signage today is computer generated... No longer do those sign painters have to climb tall ladders with their buckets of paint and brushes.
The guy who did my sign needed prodding. I only wish I had - had an electric prodding cane like the one my Veterinarian husband sometimes has to use to move cattle. That would have gotten the sign guy's butt moo-ving.

Happy Autumn

It's a beautiful day at The Artfull Hand. There's lots of sun and warm temperatures. The shop is fill this afternoon with happy stampers doing Linda's 3 for 3. I didn't get a sample of her offerings today. But I have posted another card she made using Rubber Stamp Tapestry Grape Wreath. Linda is very talented and I am lucky to have her working in the shop.
Last week was a bit on the colder side. I had bought some of that plastic that you can stick over a window. There is a window in the rear of the class room that I felt a cold wind blow through last year. So before the really cold weather hit I wanted to shrink wrap that window. That meant we had to move 2 cabinents and a counter top plus all the colored glass I had sitting on the sill. Then I climbed up on the ladder and stuck the double sided tape to the aluminum frame of the window. The hard part was seeing the edge of the paper liner to pull it off. I wear tri-focals, needless to say I couldn't see a damn thing. So that meant that I had to climb up on the window sill.(Thankfully it is wide enough for me to kneel sideways) Then I could get close enough to see the edge of the paper to pull it off of the tape. However while I was up in the window Bev and Sue were frantically looking for a camera. Again, Thankfully, there wasn't one to be found! Otherwise dear reader, you would have been subject to viewing a large rear end percarioulsy perched on a widow sill.
Happy Autumn

It's looking a lot like Christmas

We are overflowing with Christmas stamps at the Artfull Hand. The poor Thanksgiving stamps are squeezed on to one corner of the front table. There are some really cool vintage stamps of children. Linda has been working her little fingers to the bones making samples. I'll try to get one and post it here.
This week-end is our first annual deer widows week-end. While the guys are out in the woods we girls are going to be up to our chins in paper, inks and rubber and lovin' every second of it. If you get a chance come by and join us. We will be playing games and watching videos besides stamping. Oh yes and there will be FOOD! And of course there is always chocolate available in some form.....

Halloween

Halloween at the Artfull Hand was fun. Besides the announcement of the winner of the Halloween Card Contest I offer a discount for any customer who comes in costume on the 31st.
I have always liked Halloween. I confess that I tricked and treated till I was 17. Then I stayed at home on all hallow's eve and scared the little kids who came to my parents' door. I would decorate the front porch, have my stereo speaker in a window playing spooky music and weird noises. I would dress up as a witch(think of Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz)including green face paint.
Well that still continues in some form at the Artfull Hand. We had several customers come in dressed up. I will post pictures as soon as my computer will let me. It is having trouble finding the correct page.
11/6/06 I'm still trying to upload photos to this entry. For some reason the correct page can't be found. I've tried to ask for help from Blog.com but no response from them... so I will move on.

Out on a branch

Husband and I just returned from visiting our sons and their wives in South Carolina. We had a wonderful visit. It was also a welcomed break from running two businesses.
The Carolinas are beautiful places. This picture was taken next to a parking lot for a small shopping center. The tree was one of those glorious old oak trees with Spanish moss hanging from it. DH is on the left, then son David(the red head), then me, daughter-in-law Sarah and finally daughter-in-law Debbie. Son Michael had to work that day. My mother was behind the camera.
While in S. Carolina I got to go to the Carolina Stamper, a stamp store of course! If you are ever in Beaufort,S.C. you must find this store. It is a hoot. I have always marveled at how different stamp stores are from one another. Not like the big box craft stores where if you go into one in Florida and need double stick tape. You will be able to find the same tape, in the same spot in a store in California.
Of Course I think that the Artfull Hand is the best store in the US. But it is neat to go into other stamp stores to see how they do things. I even bought 4 stamps RETAIL!!!!! They were ones that I haven't been able to get in at the AH. But will eventually.
Upon my return to the Artfull Hand I had some disappointing news. The trunk show from Stampland had to be cancelled for the second time because of the owner's family problems. We're hoping to get them in - in January of '07.
Voting is now going on for the Halloween Card contest. We got some really good cards. I'm glad that I don't have to make the decision.
Happy Stamping every one. And GO CARDINALS!

Smoosch

I actaully took a class in my own shop!!!! These are the results of it..... The class was led by Sue F. She found this card in a book and thought it would make a good class as it used several different techniques. The results are stunning. So much so that this has be come a popular class.
The card on the left was made by Bev and mine is on the right.
Sue and I didn't like the name of the card in the book. So we changed it to Swoosh. Only I mangled it and it came out smoosch. (Pronunced like the action when you mash the lid of a PB&J to the bottom portion of the sandwich..) The results have an Oriental feel without looking really Asian.
If you like what you see call the shop and say that you are interested in the Smoosch card. We'll get Sue to do another class.
Husband and I are taking a few days off. When I walked out of the backdoor at the shop today. Kelly said, Be safe and don't talked to any strangers." I stuck my head back in the door and said, "Who is stanger then I am?" "Good Point." was the come back answer.

dumpster diving

Well it really wasn't dumpster diving. I had just visited McDonalds for breakfast and was taking a short cut through the back parking lot of Penny's when I saw it. The third display unit that I had been hoping they would put out. When I was setting up the Artfull Hand I bought used display units from various sources, mainly stores that were updating theirs or who were going out of business. I got some really good buys. Well the Penny's store in Washington must have been cleaning out store rooms in July of '05 . I bought from the back of the store 2 slat wall units on wheels in fair condition.
As the Artfull Hand has grown I needed more display units. I have been on the watch for several months for another unit. I even checked the store supply catalog that I had. A new unit was in the neighbor of $400..yikes. So I was patient for once... And last Saturday I was rewarded. There it was sitting along side some other discards. I told myself that I would buy it if it was still there when I got freed from the Vet office. Well....it was there when I drove by again. So I stopped in the Catalog department of the store to pay the lady behind the counter. She told me that she would find a man to help me load it into my vehicle. Ok. I backed up my Ford Explorer to the unit and waited. Instead of a man, two women came out of the store. The three of us picked it up and put it into the back of my vehicle. Who needs a man?
Once I got it back to the shop Jane and I unloaded it and moved it into the shop. We washed it down and re-arranged the other 2 displays to accommodate the addition.
Why you ask is this worthy of a post???? Because of my dumpster diving prowess there is more money to be spent on product and stamps to fill the new display!!!!!!! Hurray!

Gel Cards

At stamp club last Monday night Bev lead us in making gel cards. I hate myself for saying this but they were the cutest things. You stamped your chosen image on white and colored it. Then using colored card stock you cut or punched a circle, square or rectangle that would revel your image. Here comes the new part. Using a small zip lock bag that was large

enough to fit over your image you poured in styling gel!!!! Squeeze out most of the air and then zip shut. Place the bag on the back of the colored card stock. You will need some really sticky tape I suggest the red liner tape. Then place that over your image again using sticky tape. From that point you construct a card.

I had watched the little Mermaid on Sunday so I was in a fishy mood.

Busy,busy,busy...............

My word have we been busy at The Artfull Hand and at the vet office. I don't know what to attribute it to, the cooler weather? The waning moon? Just not sure but am happy as I am tired.
Last Saturday at the Artfull Hand we held our monthly ATC swap. This month's theme was 'Bad Girls'. I really wanted to do a card that would have the girls in stitches or wow them with my artistic abilities. Well neither happened. What I ended up doing was one design based on Eve, the original bad girl! And the other was of Medusa from Greek Mythology. They were ok.
The day was so busy at the shop that I didn't get to eat my lunch until about 3 in the afternoon. I had stopped at the local gas station to pick something up as there was a Band Festival in Washington on Saturday and all the fast food places would be jammed with those visitors. Well the sandwich I bought made me sick all day Sunday. So much for trying to save time.....
We've gotten in new Christmas stamps from several different companies.
The cards for the Halloween contest are starting to come in. Stop by the shop to see what other fun things we've been doing....

Funny Hat

When you have a birthday you must wear a funny hat. The regular customers of The Artfull Hand threw me a birthday lunch. It wasn't a surprise party because the last surprise party we tried to throw the guest of honor didn't show up. [It wasn't her fault. It was mine. I was in charge of getting Kelly(to my right in group picture)to the shop to have a Krespie Kream Donut Party. I just didn't get around to it. Shame on me... So we had a party with out the party girl!]
Also in the group picture is my right hand gal-Linda(to my left).Behind her in the black shirt is Carol, then Earlene,then Patty in the blue and Lavonne. Back over to the left side is Sue F.,Karen and then Sue B.(We are very long on Sues at The Artfull Hand.) There would have been others in attendance but they have day jobs.... Shirley C is represented by the beautiful flowers she sent me, I'm holding them.Oh Yes! Terry is behind the camera. Without her there would be no Artfull Hand.!
I am so Blessed to have friends like these. Thank you dear friends for the gifts (you shouldn't have but I'm glad you did) and the beautiful hand made cards(they had better be HAND MADE!)
So when you have a birthday you should wear a funny hat, any kind of funny hat. It should suit you. Mine is made up from the ribbons and bows that were attached to the birthday presents...My age, you asked? Well in a yahoo group that I belong to we show our ages by adding the double digits together as our true age.(None of us are into triple digits -yet!) So my age is 9 this birthday. You figure out my true age, dear reader. So I believe that my funny hat suits a 9 year old.
I guess I must say some business stuff. Recently we have gotten in Stampland, Stampington and Stamp Smith Stamps. And a whole bunch of new products... You 'll just have to come by the shop to see everything.

Fall Changes

This past week-end the Artfull Hand hosted a Fall Garage Sale. In addition to being able to sell used stamps we opened up the possibilities to anything art related. Our customers brought in things from scrap fabric and fibers to Sissix tools. We had 3- 6 foot tables overflowing and one side counter filled with cool stuff. The sales were brisk as the autumn air on Saturday. We feel that the garage sale was a success.

Fall is a strange time for me. I feel like I want to hibernate. I know it is the Seasonal Disorder that many people have. I really don't do anything for it. It affects me mentally and physically. I can be reveling in the glorious colors, the crisp clean blue of the sky and the pungent scent of burning leaves while also feeling down in the dumps. I know that all of those stimulants to the eyes and nose will soon be gone, swept away by winter's wind and cold. Fall is the time when my Librian nature really comes to the surface as you might be able to tell from my photograph "Autumn Grief" that I posted with these comments. I really tried to balance the lights and the darks, the colors and the composition. I think I did quite well. When I look at this photo I remember the day I took it. It was a fun filled day with a friend on a delightful October day. Ok - you say, " What in the world were you doing in a cemetery?" Well, the answer is that both my friend and I have an interest in cemetery art. We were exploring this cemetery, Forrest Hills, In Kansas City, MO. It has some wonderful examples of sculpture. Not only do we look for interesting and beautiful pieces of art we also read the head stones, wondering about the decease, their lives, their loves. Sometimes we are sadden by what is written. Other times we get a history lesson. And on a rare occasion we are witnessed to the humor of the deceased or their family. Cemeteries are not at all spooky places. They are peaceful and beautiful. I think I will go and take a walk in the neighborhood cemetery to say hello to some of the residents.

Fall Garage Sale

All this week we at The Artfull Hand have been preparing for the Fall Garage Sale on Saturday the 23rd. Several customers have brought in boxes of cool stuff to sell. Last Spring we held a used stamp sale where customers were limited just to stamps. This time we opened it up to anything art related. We have gotten some really cool stuff.
We received yesterday a very large order from Holly Berry House. They have some really cool medallion stamps that when you cut and layer make fantastic designs. And we received an order from OnyxXpressions the Black Rubba Company.. Way cool stuff. You have to come see.

The inner me

This past week-end an artist friend Mai-Liis visited me. Her specialty is altered dolls and shrines. She taught at the Artfull Hand and I was lucky enough to sit in on her class. She suggested that I make my box about me. The inside would represent the inner me....I laughed at this thinking of all the weird stuff that runs through my head. I really don't want anyone to know the 'real' inner me. I might be institutionalized. It was a really fun class. I learned a thing or two. What do you think of the inner me?

Surprised and pleased

Today I pick up my friend Mai-Liis at the airport. She is spending a week visiting and teaching here in MO. The past few days have been very harried. I was exhausted(just tired now). My back is now feeling some better. My sinus infection is under control. I have been wanting to start cleaning up for her. Well it didn't start till this morning. I began to work on the kitchen. DH was in the TV room I assumed watching TV or reading. But then I heard a vaguely familiar noise... What's that I hear? The vaccum cleaner running!!!!!! OMG!!! HE's VACCUMING for me. And I didn't even have to ask for help. Mark it on the calendar! Call the all the news outlets... Lead with..."Married Man Now Domesticated"(My DH would say naw, P_ ssy Whiped.)
But I really appreciated his help this morning. At least we got the top layers of dirt and dust scrapped or sucked up.

The Church Ladies

Yesterday I took the Artfullhand on a road trip to New Harmony Baptist Church in Salem, MO. That was an hour and half drive one way...
My friend Sue went with me. She ran my 'store' while I taught the Church Ladies the polish stone technique and the reverse polish stone. I believe the alcohol inks and the technique were a big hit.
I took several boxes of product with me and set up the store in their beautiful fellowship hall. It continually amazes me the creativity of different individuals. The cards that the Church Ladies crafted were just beautiful. There were some ho-hum ones but really there wasn't a dog in the pack. Good job Ladies! Perhaps you had a talented instructor --"wink-wink"!

All that Glitters

What a Glittering good time we had in the Glitter on Acetate Class yesterday. We had glitter every where. When the class was over the students walked out with their finished cards - sparkling! The students had a bit of a hard time mastering the glue application but they'll get it with a little practice.
The Panda is the project we did in class. It is a Chinese paper cut that I found on the internet. I downloaded it, size it and saved it. Then printed it out on overhead transparency sheet. The other image we did was of a happy Halloween jack 'o latern. With that image we stamped with Stazon directly on to an acetate sheet. The students did a wonderful job of chosing their colors from the Art Institute Glitter choices I had available.

The Big 40

I have a friend that is turning 40 this week. It is a traumatic event for her. I am into my fifties. Turning 40 for me wasn't hard. 30 was. 50 wasn't. I don't think turning 60 will be. Now turning 70 might be I don't know. But I feel 80, 90 and 100 will be a breeze. I e-mailed another friend telling her the same thing. She e-mailed me back saying that the Bible says(paraphrasing) that man's time on Earth(and I assume that means woman's too) is 3 score and 10. That figures out to be 70. So that is why 80, 90 and 100 are going to be a breeze for me. I am not going to worry about one damn thing. I am not going to let due dates or deadlines bother me. Should bes and ought to bes just won't exist for me. I am going to play, sleep, drink and eat what ever and when ever I want to.

As you can tell I am going to be an old woman who just doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything. Now you might say that this sounds a bit selfish. But think about it. If someone reaches the ripe old age of 80 and beyond in this present world, don't you think that they have earned to be selfish? I do.

Oh My Aching Back

Yesterday I hurt my back wrestling with a dog that I was putting into a cage.(For those of you who don't know. I also run my husband's veterinary practice. I am the chief pooper scooper there.)Anyway, this dog was a 61 pound Chow-Chow/Great Pyreenes cross breed. She was a sweet creature who just didn't want to go into the cage. I bent down to pick up her front end to place her front feet in the cage so I could boost her butt to follow. Somewhere during that maneuver she twisted and so did my back. It was one of those times when the pain takes your breath away and you drop to your knees. Luckily, I had boosted her butt sufficiently that she was in the cage and I could lean on the cage door shutting and locking it behind her. I hung on the cage door for a few minutes catching my breathe as she licked my face through the bars.(I told you she was a sweetie) After several minutes I was able to pull myself straight by reaching up and grabbing the top cage door. My problem was that I couldn't turn around and it hurt to stand. I forced my left leg to swing to the left and turned my whole body without twisting or turning at the waist. (OK-- now I was facing in the right direction to leave the cage room but my feet wouldn't work!) That shot a paralyzing thought through my head.(OH MY GOSH! I'M Paralyzed!) Well it took a few seconds for my brain to send signals to my feet and legs to start working. I was able to 'walk', it was more like lurching, out of the cage room holding onto every available appliance, wall, door jam, table or counter I could lean on.
I made it to a chair and just sat. As long as I was still it didn't hurt. Ok good, now I know that I'm not paralyzed but I still needed to get around to do my jobs...
As soon as I could I took some ibuprofen and carefully moved about. As time pass so did most of the pain. I just couldn't stand for any period of time with out pain.
Once I got home in the evening, a heating pad, left over prescription pain medicine and extra pillow helped on the couch. I was moving a little better.
Sleeping wasn't too bad. I did wake up several times trying to roll over in bed. I tried to stay laying on my back instead of my usual pretzel position.
It's a wonder what a little heat, a little time,prescription drugs and sleep can do for an ailing back. I still need to be careful on how I move but it is a lot better today.

Labor Day

Labor day is over. Where has this 2006 year gone? It's September all ready!!!
Labor Day is aptly named as I labored most of the day despite a sinus headache. I was trying to catch up on little jobs that have been escaping me in favor of ones that pop up and seem urgent.
I did get the chance to spend some time on the couch but felt guilty about it. My friend Mai-Liis from Austin is coming to visit in a week and a half and I wanted to really start picking up and straightening. I hope she understands if I don't get around to it. There are so many more interesting things to do instead of cleaning!!!! The bathrooms will be clean and of course her bed, the kitchen too - to some extent but the rest of the house be damn!!!

Today we celebrated Linda's Birthday. She's third from the left. Alot of these people have given me help this first year or have spent money which is always helpful.

Thankyou Sharon, Lavonne, Linda, Kelly, Carol, Kathy,Patti and finally Shirley.

One Year

Well the Artfull Hand has one year in being in business. It's been an exciting year with new beginnings, new techniques, new materials, new and old friends.
I want to publically thank all my friends for making this a reality. To those who lent me money, who helped me find bargins, who helped move stuff, who painted, stacked, unpacked, stocked and all the other stuff that goes into running a retail business including buying my wares. And those who helped through out the year covering shifts, teaching classes and leading make and takes. I could not have done any of it with out the help of my friends.
It's been very interesting for me to actually run a retail business not to mention a real educational experience. However there is a down side to this one year success. That is my DH. He is not as supportive as I would like. HE is the one friend that should really be there for me. Now I must say he puts up with a lot of stuff because of this business. He hasn't stop me from doing this venture. But he hasn't actively helped either. He will come and do something if I ask him. Volunteering doesn't seem to be in his vocabulary. This hurts some. Today there was a blow up from him for something that was beyond my control. I think later he realized he was being childish but didn't apologize for his outburst.
So this anniversary is bittersweet. Sweet are my friends. Thank you so much.