December Reflections - 2019 - Thank you

The prompt for today is "Thank you for..." and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you all for reading and commenting on my posts this year.  Between my Blogger site and the WordPress edition I've had over 3000 comments, likes and views and about 200 followers.  Not that the numbers really matter, it just surprises me that so many people not related to me actually take an interest in what I have to say.  In fact, the people who ARE related to me don't even take that much interest - LOL.  

I'd also like to thank:

Linda G. Hill for her fun challenges:  Just Jot It January, The Escapist Coloring Club, One Liner Wednesday and Stream of Consciousness Saturday.  I know that it takes a lot to keep these going strong year after year and I appreciate the opportunity to play along.  

Jim Adams for continuing the Song Lyric Sunday musical roundup.  It is such fun to hear everyone's different picks each week.  

   

Arlee Bird, John Holton and the rest of the A to Z Challenge team.  I'm starting to worry if I'll be able to come up with something fun this year.  I have no clue yet.  

James J. Cudney, IV for his continued support of my blog AND my Etsy Shop.

Susannah Conway for her wonderful prompts in April (April Love - which I actually haven't been doing since I started the A to Z), August Break and December Reflections.  

Mary at Jingle, Jangle, Jungle for the Rocktober Music Fest.  I participated this year for the first time and it was fun. 

I know that it is easier for me to write when I have the prompts and inspiration from these great folks and I know I get more views when I link up with them.  

Thanks again to all of you for visiting me!  Looking forward to more fun next year.  2020 is so much easier to type than 2019 don't you think?  

November Novelties - 2019 - #SoCS - ght

Happy Saturday all.  Time for another Stream of Consciousness hosted by the lovely Linda G. Hill.  Today she gives us the fun prompt of "ght."  Bonus points if we can use more than three different words with that combination.  Let's see where it takes us.

I've mentioned that I'm losing some weight and I say I'm following a Keto plan but truthfully all I'm doing is cutting out carbs and sugars.  I don't measure or count calories but I do try to limit the carb intake to about 15 to 20 carbs a day or less.

So far I've been pretty successful and to my delight I've lost 50 pounds since March and 64 pounds overall.  I am striving to get to my goal of 145-ish by my birthday in March.

Not sure what my weight is here but it has to be close to my highest.  Don't know why I would take such a picture in the first place or why I kept it!

 
I like this one better.  It is from September. 

Of course with losing that amount of weight, my clothes are starting to get too big.  I know I have a way to go so I don't want to buy too many things and as many overweight people can relate, there are clothes in my closet that span several sizes for that "just in case I lose" time.  However, the weather is starting to get chilly here and most of the pants I have are leggings which are made of pretty thin material.  The other day I went to Target and picked up a couple of pair of jeans to try, one in a size 16 and one in a size 14.  I was outright thrilled when the 14's fit the best.

When I went to return the 16's I decided to try a 12 on just for kicks and while I could get the zipper up, they were just a bit too tight.  As I was walking through the mall I saw that Old Navy was having a one-day sale of jeans at half off so of course I had to check that out.  I found a pretty pair in a lavender color that I loved so I brought them to the checkout.  I remembered that I had some discount points that were expiring so I figured I ought to use them.  Look what happened when I did:

Note the name of the jeans:  Pop-Color Rockstar Jeans!  

That's right, a big zero!  I paid naught for these pretty jeans! 

Looks a little more dramatic side by side doesn't it?  Now, I might have to get a new top to wear with these pants but I have two more certificates for Old Navy so maybe I can score again!

That's the kind of spending I can do without giving it a second thought!   I think I used more than three words with "ght" in them.  Waddya think?  Bonus points?  Are they good at Old Navy?

Must Be May - 2019 - One Liner Wednesday

The April A to Z is over for this year except for the recap on May 6 and time spent visiting people I didn't get a chance to see during the month.  Therefore, it must be May.  Typically it is a less active blog-wise month for most of us who participated in the A to Z as we gather our strength.  I'm going to try to remain a presence as much as I can.  There is the Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Song Lyric Sunday and One-Liner Wednesday so I just need to think of something for the rest of the days.  Maybe I'll start something new! 

Today being Wednesday, here is my one-liner...

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in my studio!" 

 

One-Liner Wednesday's brought to you by the lovely Linda.  

Mainly in March - 2019 - Stream of Consciousness Saturday

Linda has set us the task of talking about the last piece of physical mail we got.  I've noticed that most people have been saying they get very little mail anymore, preferring to pay bills online.  While I pay the bills online, I still get the paper statement just to make sure.  I know, call me wasteful.  I like having the paper trail to refer to. 

I'd like to talk instead about the last piece of mail addressed to my husband.  He made the choice to respond to a Publisher's Clearing House notification about six months ago and since then he gets at least one, sometimes three mailings from them every day!  Well, maybe not EVERY day but at least 2 or 3 times a week. 

At first he was ordering from them, small things, but that just seemed to increase the amount of mail he was getting.  I told him that it was not worth it to continue but he said that he was going to keep up with it until the next big giveaway. 

Of course no one knocked on our door with the huge check on prize day so I thought that would end the matter...not so.  There seems to be a new drawing every few months and they keep telling him that he is getting closer and closer to winning (estimates place your odds at 1 in 1.7 billion).  Now they send him mailings that have a map of our town to show that they know where he lives! 

Each one of the mailings has an envelope with a sticker or something that needs to be attached and sent back in order to keep you in the running.  He has stopped ordering (thankfully) but still wants to send back the entries.  One day I had 6 empty envelopes going to Publisher's Clearing House (may/may not be an exaggeration). 

On the one hand, I feel like I am losing money in postage (55 cents for regular mail at the moment).  On the other hand, getting one of those oversized checks would be something!  Plus, at this point we are keeping at least one postal worker (possibly two - one sorter, one mail carrier) in jobs so we are contributing to the economy. 

To be fair, he was a winner.  We got a check in the mail from Publisher's Clearing House for $10.  That about paid for the postage for the month so we are almost even.  And really, how can I deny my husband the pleasure he gets from opening all these fantastic offers?  Could be worse. 

Thanks Linda.  Great subject. 

Just Jot It January - 2019

Well, I'm here to testify that the last few weeks have been pretty crazy. January started off fairly quietly with my husband and my daughter out of the house and me having the place to myself.  I should have been smart enough to try to get ahead by prepping some posts so that when the month really got going I'd be ahead of the game but you know I'm kinda slow on the uptake sometimes.

I've written that I am juggling lots of transcription work right now and that's a good thing because we just got word that the dirty (relatively speaking) part of the construction is going to start on our shed.  They are scheduled to come out tomorrow to do the foundation forming and laying the concrete.  Of course, right now it is raining so if they are still able to do it, muddy might be a better word.

The whole reason for the shed is that our son will be moving back home for a while.  It is so difficulty to live on your own nowadays, especially where we live.  He has been living with some friends for about 2-1/2 years now and I know that coming home is going to be a transition for him - the whole, "our house, our rules" kinda thing.  I'm sure he wishes he could live in the shed but that would have required a different set of permits and a much higher cost so that's why I'm moving my craft room out there.  I think I'm going to have a bit more room than this.  Maybe I'll need to get more stuff to fill it - LOL not!

My one-liner is: 

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance."  Alan W. Watts

Mr. Watts sounds like a smart guy.  To help keep me dancing through it all, during the month of February I'm going to be taking a class with Jamie Ridler called Awakening.  Awakening is a way to bring dance into your daily life.  Jamie is such a great creative coach and I have taken a lot of her offerings, like the Vision Cards I make at the beginning of each year.  She is always coming up with new and fun things to do.

The last prompt for #JusJoJan is to share your favorite part of last month or last year.  I'm taking that to mean the month of January, not December.  My favorite part of last month is that my picture was the first entry into Jamie's Winter Bulletin Board Art Invitational and so it gets to be in her video every Tuesday and Friday:

The theme is neighborhood and this is what I see when I look out our front window - minus the snow.  I made it using stamps and coloring them in and some stickers.  The train above the houses is really what I see since they elevated the platform a few years ago.  You can see that in the video I shared about the holiday train.

And that's the end of Just Jot It January.  I know I cheated a bit with the last two posts by cramming more than one prompt in but overall I think I made it work.  I know that February is going to bring a few new experiences and you know I'll share!

Thanks to Linda G. Hill for hosting all month.  She's had some trials of her own going on.






 

Just Jot It January - 2019 - Vision Cards

Last year I participated in #JusJoJan for the first time and it was really fun so here we go again.  The prompts for this project are coming from Linda G. Hill.  Come join us!

Today Linda suggests "Resolutions" so I'm going to Jot about the Vision Cards I made for 2019.  I've been doing this practice for the last five or six years now and I really find it helpful to keep me on track with my goals.  I don't say "resolutions" because those are easy to dismiss.  Goals are a better word for me because while I may not actually reach the goal, even if I take some tiny steps toward them I am succeeding.

As I did last year I made six cards and they represent:  Home, Healthy Living, Crafty Business, Money, Relationships and Adventure.  It's a little bit of a process as the first thing I do is get my pictures and words/phrases together and arrange them on the cards.  I use 8-1/2 x 11 inch cardstock and then cut it in half.  Last year I used them vertically but this year I'm trying horizontal. 

Once I am satisfied with the way they look, I glue everything in place and add a few touches here and there. 

I call this one "Go Places."  I've used Travel as a theme before and this time I'm concentrating on the things we can do around our own neighborhood.  There are many "tourist attractions" close to home that I've never seen.  After all, I didn't walk across the Golden Gate Bridge until I turned 60 even though I've lived in the Bay Area all my life.  Alcatraz Island and the Winchester Mystery House are easily accessible. 

Next is Health.  I'm not saying I'm going to lose 100 pounds this year, although if that happened I'd really like it!  Simple things like eating healthier, walking on a regular basis and doing some dancing will help me lose weight and get in better physical health.  I want to be able to go on those adventures!

Money!  With the crazy stock market the way it is, I'm worried about our financial future since both my husband and I are collecting Social Security now.  Our "retirement fund" is secure but it is not much and I'd rather see the market up rather than down.  We also need to get a handle on credit card use, etc.  I at least need to see where we stand at the moment so I can figure out the best course for us.

Connect - I am an introvert so big parties are not really my thing but that doesn't mean I have to live like a hermit.  We had a great evening with some friends having dinner and then going to the beach to watch the sunset in 2018.  I'd like to do more things like that.  I also need to connect more with the hubby.  Even though we are in the same house 24/7 most of the time I am working either at my typing or in my craft room and he is in the living room watching TV or in his garage.  We go to concerts together but I'd like to watch more movies with him or go for walks, etc.  

Crafty Work - In a month or so I will be getting a shed in the backyard to use as my workshop (A SHE SHED! - LOL - We are not calling it that though).  I really want to increase my Etsy business and I have a few other ideas for using my craft skills to add to our income.  Plus, it's just so much fun!  Making a buck or two here on the blog wouldn't hurt either.  Or maybe I can be a break out YouTuber with my how-to videos!  

Last but not least is our house.  We have done a few major things to the house over the last few years, new fence in the backyard, new roof and siding on the house, new bathroom.  When our daughter moved home from college we painted her room and when our son moves back home (hence the need for the shed in the backyard) we'll paint that room too.  But, not all the things around the house need to have such major changes.  A lot is just giving it a deep clean from room to room and making some small adjustments here and there.   

As far as I can see, all things tie together and if I start working on one area, it should benefit one of the others as well.  What do you thing of my vision cards?  Consider making some yourself.  I learned about them from Jamie Ridler and they have really been helpful for me. 

So, that's my #JusJoJan for January 1.  How are you doing today?  Make goals/resolutions/plans for 2019?  Share!

December Ditties - 2018 Stream of Consciousness Saturday

Linda is dealing with her ailing son so her suggestion for the prompt today is "Ask Someone Else."  

As a mom, that's an easy one for me.  "Go ask your father" is a typical response from me when the kids want to know if they can borrow something, if they need help with their cars, if they want to eat the last of something, just about anything I can get away with not answering!  Sometimes it backfires and the kids will come back to me and say, "He said to ask you!" 

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas.  Just a few days until we get into a new year.  Hopefully it will be better than this one!   

Sweet September - 2018 #SoCS

I didn't post as much last month as I thought I would but truthfully there was kind of a lot going on, some of which was unplanned. 

Rounding it all up, we saw some concerts:

I love the way the light shining on this tree makes it look like it's on fire. 

 Some pretty long hair on this guitar player, no?

We went to a couple of baseball games:

We caught Shawn Estes and Rich Aurelia getting ready for the pregame show outside AT&T Park.  Hubby said, "Smile for my wife please guys" and they did!

I read a few books:

Actually, I read quite a few books this month but it was because most of them were children's books.  I also read a mystery by Mary Higgins Clark, "Two Little Girls In Blue" which was very interesting about twin toddlers who were kidnapped.  One was returned but the other one was kept because the kidnapper wanted a child.  It told about the girl who was returned to the parents experiencing the bad things that were happening to the one that was kept.  I wonder if that really happens with twins.  My mom is a twin and I am not sure those things ever happened to her.

I also made a baby book for a friend who just had her first baby.

And I made a card or two for the Etsy shop.

The big round moon showed up for me to make my monthly wishes on

A selfie for the month too.  Note the round clock in the background.  I've had that for over 40 years as it was mine before we were married!

That does not include the things I don't have pictures for but which certainly happened, my husband being admitted to the hospital overnight for a rapidly beating heart (not just because he loves me) and I ran over (and probably killed) a dog who had not been on a leash and ran under my car as I turned a corner.

Some happy, some sad, some music, some sports...quite a well-rounded month, don't you think? 

Today's Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt was "Round."  How did I do?  

Awe-Inspiring August - 2018 #SoCs

Stream of Consciousness Saturday's prompt is "Bodily Functions."  Thanks, Linda, for such an interesting topic!  If you follow her link she even gives us some inspiration.

The body has many functions of course but the first one that came to my mind is elimination of waste - going potty if you will, and the differences between men and women.

If you are a woman you undoubtedly know that the line for the our bathroom at almost any event is much longer than the line for the men's.  Why is that?  Is it because they can just stand and go?  Planning is key in these situations because if you wait too long and the line is six miles out the door, you could be in trouble.  I have actually gone in the men's with my husband guarding the door because the line for the women's was so long. 





There have been a few times, though, where I have seen the men's line longer than the women's.  In fact, it was at the Mountain Winery, the site of our two most recent concerts.  The Winery went through a remodel several years ago and the restrooms were placed in an out of the way area at the edge of the property.  You can see them underneath the Chateau Deck on the right side of the  picture.  The line for the women was long, but the line for the men was longer.  We women had a good chuckle about that.

After a few shows, however, things returned to normal and the women's line was again longer.  Fortunately, I found a shortcut.  There are actually two entrances to the bathrooms and hardly anyone uses the one toward the back.  Once I found that out I started using that back entrance.  It can be handled in an adult fashion if we women are sensible.  There are about 30 stalls so if the people entering from one side take the 15 closest to them and the ones entering from the other side take the 15 closest to them, it works very well.  Once I figured out the secret, I now use the back entrance all the time and get in and out pretty quickly.  I am basically a good person though so when I am finished, I go around to the other side where the line is usually pretty long and give the ladies waiting there the tip to go around the back. 

Speaking of bathroom issues though, who's bright idea was it to come up with the new toilet paper roll sizes?  All the packages in the stores now seem to promote larger rolls:

This one says Mega Plus and one roll is supposed to equal 4 regular sized rolls but there is also SUPER MEGA where one roll equals 6 rolls of regular!
 

We live in an older home, built in 1955 and those huge rolls won't fit on my built-in toilet paper holders.  Even the new holder we have in our remodeled bathroom is still built in and you can hardly pull any sheets off or they come off one square at a time.  That reminds me of the Seinfeld scene where Elaine is in the bathroom and asks the person next to her for 3 squares when she realizes she has no toilet paper in her stall.  I'm sorry but I like more than three squares even if I am only going #1.  With a #2 issue, I need WAY more than three, and it has to be double ply!  (TMI or do you get it?)

Are they increasing the size of the rolls to save some paper since they only have to use one cardboard roll instead of 4 or 6?  I think that it is kind of defeating that purpose because if you're like me, when you see an excess of something, you think you can use a lot since it won't run out.  

Anyway, you can thank Linda G. Hill for this wonderfully informative post and if you ever go to the Mountain Winery, remember my tip about the back entrance to the bathroom.  There is a back entrance for the men too but I hardly ever see anyone using it.  Maybe they don't know how to share?  Do you have issues with huge toilet paper rolls?  

Making Memories in May - 2018

Last month with the A to Z I didn't make time to participate in the Escapist Coloring Club as hosted by Linda G. Hill.  I'm sharing here a few of the things I've colored in the last month.

These are 6 x 8 inch prints that I plan to try to incorporate into my scrapbooking and card making.  I can cut them down a bit to fit as card focals and add a sentiment.

This one I can imagine using in a scrapbook layout with either a picture in the white space or using that space to do some journaling.  Now I just need to go on a vacation to some island to have pictures that would work with it - LOL.  

Sometimes I like doing these because I can finish one or two of them while watching a movie.  If I have to stop in the middle of coloring a larger picture I forget what colors I'm using!  (Maybe because I have too many pencils and markers?)

As with all blog-hops, make sure to stop by and check out some of the other colorers!