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      Monday, July 06, 2015

craftstuff 09:41 AM - 07/06/2015 The topic: Organization. It’s a good thing ---------------------------------------------- Something happened yesterday that was a first. I have a couple of projects in mind and I wanted to get started on them. I was able to pick out my paper and cut it (fresh blade - no problems, no redos, no frustration!). I'm ready to start gluing. It was great! I mentioned this to Brian and he said "isn't it good to be organized?" Yes. Here are some photos of how I'm organized. (Clicking on a picture will take you to a bigger photo in my family album; clicking on that picture will open a larger photo.) The workbook - list of all svg files as well as photos of the kits   A five inch binder - I went big and heavy duty so it would last a while   Project list - kit name and information about the kit   I used letters from a foam alphabet I bought at WalMart   Kit photos   The storage cabinet - best thing ever -   It holds a lot! The top shelf has my glitter and embossing powders, cord and thread, brads and eyelets, other specialty papers (like for DIY tattoos).  The second shelf has patterned paper stacks on the left, solids on the right, the center stack on the second shelf is white cardstock. Third shelf has seasonal and specialty paper (like vellum) on the left and K&Company paper on the right, the center container has single sheets of different cardstock - solid colors or pages I've printed out. The bottom shelf has the transfer paper that I use when I make shirts and my big box of embellishments. I also have the paper cutters and stampmaking kit in this cabinet.   Left door - using the peg storage system   Right door - cutting mats and acrylic stamps   I have so many clear stamps they'd fall off of the hooks. Using the clothes pin embellishments I'd gotten from Walmart a few years ago took care of that problem.   The other side - the rubber storage bins have ink pads, rubber stamps, pens, embossing folders, adhesives, ribbons, punches and more, all in easy reach. So, there you have it. My organized storage area. And it seems to be working. Yesterday was just amazing at how smoothly it went. (Oh, and here's a shout out to my friend Allyson - with the exception of the heat press stuff, this is all on you...you're the one who got me started!) storage    organization    kobalt    craftstuff    | Permalink

      Thursday, July 09, 2015

craftstuff 07:13 AM - 07/09/2015 The topic: Fave paper ---------------------------------------------- I'm working on some projects right now and I'm using the paper from Die Cuts With a View "Midnight Berry". I love this paper. It is SO pretty. | Permalink

      Friday, July 10, 2015

craftstuff 10:41 AM - 07/10/2015 The topic: My latest ---------------------------------------------- A birthday card for a sweet young lady in Oregon. She loves Disney and Tinker Bell is one of her favorites. This kit is from SVGCuts.com Box Cards kit. I've officially made every card in this kit now. The card and envelope. I used Zazz glitter glue on the clouds and Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell is from a retired All Night Media punch I got a while back when I was collecting Disney punches.   The Mickey Mouse head in the doorway is a stamp and Versapad clear embossing ink and embossing crystal glitter. I got my heat tool, the thing that's like a hair dryer on steroids which melts the embossing powder onto the embossing ink,  probably twenty years ago. Ask me if I'm glad I never throw anything out. (Yeah, sometimes...)         And the Tinker Bell punch is put to use once again.   And a new cool thing that I really love. Auto open!   Manna really liked her card. So did her mom.   | Permalink

catstuff 02:38 PM - 07/10/2015 The topic: Here’s Rocky and his new do ---------------------------------------------- Well, two weeks new, it was done two weeks ago today. This was his first trip to my vet. He did okay. He wasn't too sure about the haircut. He spent the first week rubbing his face all over everything. I'd pick him up and hold him like a baby and he'd rub my face, then lay his head against mine. But I think he's finally noticed he's not nearly as warm as he was before the shave and the weirdness is wearing off. It's obvious he doesn't mind it now, he seems a little more active than he had been. He almost plays with the other cats when they charge across the yard. (Which means he only runs part way with them.) Anyway, here is a little video I made with little clips taken over the past fourteen days.   | Permalink

      Sunday, July 12, 2015

catstuff 09:20 AM - 07/12/2015 The topic: I think I’ve mentioned NotPancho ---------------------------------------------- The kitty who looks like Pancho? The kitty who I think is Pancho's brother? The kitty who can climb the fence and get into the yard with no problem? And the same kitty who can climb the fence and get out with no problem? Late one evening last week, I took a bag of cat crap out to the dumpster. And there was NotPancho, under the truck. I talked to him. He came over to me. He let me pet him for a few seconds then backed off, hissing (you know, the stray cat "I've been on my own for years now, I won't let you into my heart because humans just throw a kitty out like so much trash"). But he stayed by me. He let me pet him some more. The petting worked better if I let him do the work, just held my hand out and he rubbed his head on it. I sat down and he came even closer. He sat next to me and started rolling around on the cement, showing me his belly (I resisted...). I took these this morning. I thought I'd taken video, but I guess my fat finger didn't push the button hard enough. It would have been great, it was NotPancho on the wood around the pool pump, Sagwa jumped up behind him, Spot jumped in front of him. Three cats, with NotPancho in the middle. Then I recorded him getting out of the yard. I was pretty frustrated when I realized the camera wasn't recording. Damn it. But, I did get these pictures of him (with Pancho). Clicking on a picture will take you to a bigger photo in my family album; clicking on that picture will open a larger photo. So, this is the face of the kitty I call NotPancho. I want him to stay here and not leave.   Here he is with Pancho.   Pancho turns around. See the resemblence? You get a better idea with the bigger photo. NotPancho has not been neutered and he has the huge hard head of a tomcat. But he seems really sweet and the cats are more curious than anything. I don't think there would be any fighting if he stayed. I think if we could get him fixed, it would go a long ways towards having him stay in the yard. When we watched him go over this morning, he actually jumped from the wood floor where the pool pump is to the top of the wire. Brian watched, shaking his head, muttering "this isn't good, this isn't good". He's afraid the other cats will try. And, of course, he'll need a name, NotPancho is not a name. | Permalink

      Monday, July 13, 2015

craftstuff 06:24 AM - 07/13/2015 The topic: I love it when a plan comes together ---------------------------------------------- Remember the stamp making kit I got last May? And that I made stamps? Well, Brian is finally ready to start using the ones I made, so it was time for me to put them together for use. He'd gotten acrylic sheets at a local plastics place (used to be called Ridout Plastics, but they've changed their name to EPlastics and their online presence is http://www.eplastics.com). The thing about going to the brick and mortar store is they have scrap material. Pieces that are left over from bigger orders, but not big enough to sell as sheets. For ten bucks he got 18" of acrylic 3/8" thick (one piece was ten inches, the other eight inches, both twenty inches long). That will make a fair amount of acrylic blocks for stamping. I bought some empty, wooden thread spools on eBay (from China) for handles. For my scrapbooking use, I wouldn't need handles, but for Brian, the plan was to glue the stamps to the blocks, then glue a handle (I've found that Beacon 3-in-1 glue works well on most of my projects) onto the other side of the block. Changing out the stamps wouldn't be practical for him. Anyway, last night, I finished this project (he planned on using them on a shipment that's going out today). And I think they'll work nicely. Clicking on a picture will take you to a bigger photo in my family album; clicking on that picture will open a larger photo.     The cheapest personalized stamp I could find to buy was about thirteen dollars. Stamps this size would be around twenty. And that doesn't include the block or the "handle". There are ten stamps there, stamps alone would cost around $200.00. The stamp maker kit was under $110.00. The spools cost $7.18 for twenty of them on eBay. I think this stamp making kit will easily pay for itself. Wait, it already has. And the nice thing? That weird smell wore off of the stamps. There is no odor to them now. Yay! | Permalink

      Tuesday, July 14, 2015

mrs. crankypants 01:25 PM - 07/14/2015 The topic: Finally got the tree trimming video together ---------------------------------------------- And if I sound bitter in my rant on the youtube page, I am. I'll probably stop being bitter when the trees are full again. Or the neighbors move to the cornfield. I have to say the workers were fabulous. No machinery got them up into those trees, they climbed those trees. It was amazing. There are a couple of videos where you can see three trimmers in three trees. It took them a day to get the trees mostly done. (We were happy with them as they were but the whiney asshole next door was not.) (Cornfield, cornfield, cornfield...) They got another trim and all is well. The bitching has stopped (for now, anyway).     | Permalink

      Saturday, July 18, 2015

otherstuff 11:17 AM - 07/18/2015 The topic: I think it’s a true and fair statement ---------------------------------------------- That for me, watching paint dry would be more fun than paperwork. Brian said "but see, if you did as it needed to be done, it wouldn't be so bad". I beg to differ. I'd be hating it every day, not once every five months or so. And if I watched what I ate and exercised every day, I wouldn't be fat. So, what's your point? Maybe if my work station was more organized it wouldn't be so bad, either. Aw, who am I kidding? I've been doing paperwork since I was 18. I'm 61 and I'm tired of it. | Permalink

      Sunday, July 19, 2015

mrs. crankypants 11:21 AM - 07/19/2015 The topic: I’m kind of sad right now ---------------------------------------------- You know the project I was working on last week? Well, I got it out in the mail on Thursday, two day priority. Which meant it would take three days to get to Anaheim from San Diego. But guess what? Tracking shows it was delivered the next day. Friday. Great, right? Well, it really isn't. Because the person I sent it to, didn't get it. If it was delivered to her house, then it was also stolen. There's not much in it than anyone else could use, it's a gift of the personalized kind. I took photos, I will share at some point. But it's just a sad situation, these package thieves. I guess the only way to stop this from happening is to pay extra and have packages signed for. A PITA for all involved, but I can't replicate what I made. I can try and if the package doesn't somehow miraculously turn up, that's exactly what I'll do. But I shouldn't have to. Hey, thief who got Allison B's package from Dianne S in Lakeside...put it back. Thank you. | Permalink

      Thursday, July 23, 2015

otherstuff 07:32 AM - 07/23/2015 The topic: Well, it’s certainly been a week ---------------------------------------------- Earlier this month, my daily deal site, Meh.com, had their anniversary Fuku (lucky bag) sale. Five bucks. I was fortunate enough to get one. And I got this totally awesome, 28", UHD, Samsung monitor. Of course, my graphics card isn't the right kind to take advantage of the awesomeness of this monitor (okay, it was a returned refurb unit, but five bucks!). So I do my research and buy a new graphics card. One of the posters over on the meh forums offered his help, should I need it. Well, the card got here (a card I got because it had a twenty dollar rebate, but someone didn't read the fine print, it had to have been purchased by the end of June) and guess what? I couldn't get it to work. So, I asked this nice guy for help. And he walked me through everything I'd need to do. And after two days of trying to get it to work (I learned things, I learned how to clear the CMOS, I learned what the CMOS was after I couldn't access my gmail), it turns out that I'll most likely NOT be able to ever upgrade the graphics because of the way the BIOS is set. I can't unlock the settings for the graphics card (the computer came with graphics that are integrated (built in) to the motherboard). So, this card is going back to Amazon. Problem now is I don't know what I did with the HDMI cable that came with it. I didn't use it, it was too short to go from the monitor to the computer so I bought one just for that. Working inside the case, I pulled all of the connections at the back of the computer and every one was in use. So, that was a PITA. Then, the last time, when I'd come to the realization that this wasn't going to work, the computer wouldn't boot up at all. Not a good thing. I shut down, pulled the cables, booted back up and the computer started. I plugged the USB cables in one by one, waiting for each to be recognized and all was good. That was the scariest thing that happened during the (unsuccessful) new card installation. Then yesterday I went out into Brian's shop to get something out of the refrigerator. The compressor was on and a small amount of my hair got pulled into the fan. Nice. I'm holding my hair in my fist, my arm holding the rest of my hair down so it doesn't get pulled in and I was yelling for Brian. He came over and tried to pull my hair out of the fan and I told him to turn the machine off! And I found that the package I sent to my friend was really stolen. She spoke to her mail carrier and he remembers delivering it to her home. So, there's that to deal with. I went to the post office website to file a claim and they want receipts. Yeah, for stuff I had in my cabinet, things I bought last year? Paper pads that I'd only used a few pieces of paper for my works of art? Well, okay. I was able to find back invoices on the various websites and since the paper I used can only be purchase in the stack with other paper that I didn't use, I'm going to list the full amount of the purchase. All told, it's well over the fifty bucks that I should get back. I have a sneaky suspicion that thief isn't going to care much for the next package s/he steals from her. You never know what's in the box until you open it. And my friend has cats. So, I was gonna go make breakfast, then get started on paperwork, but there was something in my original edition of this entry that something didn't like and it wouldn't take. I did no paperwork this week because of all of the other caca I had to deal with. Now to figure out what the stupid mod security doesn't like now. A while back there was the xanax posts, then something completely innocent, now some other stupid ass problem. It was about the compressor and my hair. I just found the guilty word. h a v i n g (this entry won't post if there are no spaces). Seriously. I can't even believe it. <---my week   | Permalink

      Tuesday, July 28, 2015

otherstuff 06:54 AM - 07/28/2015 The topic: And we’re back in business ---------------------------------------------- Well, we were last week, but I just didn't get back here. Yesterday, I caught up on five months of reconciliation. Today I will finish up with June and catch up on my invoicing and filing. Yay! I've been trying to not turn on the television at all during the day. Just to see if it helps with the energy bill. A couple of weeks after replacing the freezer our usage was down 16%. Last week it was down another 4%. I don't know if part of that was not turning on the television (cable box and speakers) or all the freezer. We've had a couple of humid days, when I just have to turn on the A/C. Right now we've got the whole house fan on (the one in the attic, that pulls in the outside are and pushes out the inside air through the attic vents) a big fan pulling air through the bedroom. I mentioned how much hotter the bedroom is since the trees were so radically trimmed and Brian shut the bedroom windows yesterday when it started to get hot and that helped keep the temperature down in the bedroom. It's really a shame because I love the air flow and hate all of the fan noise and motors. It wears me down. I do know the couple of days I spent off of the computer (and out of the office - I was making stamps and cutting paper so I have something to work on at night instead of just sitting there playing Candy Crush on my tablet), the office was considerably cooler in the evening. Amazing. We may be getting some more rain this week. Lord knows we need it. According to all reports, we're going to have a very wet winter and Brian's starting to make plans to fix the areas of the old homestead that might have problems with leaks. Like the skylights in his shop. Last weekend the coyotes were horrible. Then we didn't see NotPancho for a couple of days (someone mentioned calling him Gemini because he's the twin of Pancho and, Melanee, you'll be pleased to know we've been referring to him as "Gem"). He was back a couple of nights ago. I don't know if he's been in the yard, Brian added fencing to the section that Gem jumped up onto. After they did all of that work at the elementary school last summer, the bunnies lost a lot of habitat. We're seeing them on our street now, I think that's what the coyotes are after. I got some cheap closeout pool floats from Walmart online. I got the bigger ones, they were seventeen dollars each. Well, the ones that got here were not the ones I ordered, they were cheaper (!) ones than the ones I paid for. I looked up numbers and called Walmart. The CSR kept telling me she could only give me a 20% discount. I would have taken them back to the local store, but who's to say they wouldn't believe me? "You're trying to get a refund of $17 for each one of these, but these aren't the $17 floats". I could see the conversation. I got so frustrated with this girl, that I hung up. I relaxed, took some deep breaths and called back and asked for a supervisor. The CSR asked what the problem was and I explained it to her. Within five minutes I had my refund. Amazing. She didn't understand why the other CSR couldn't do it. First world problems, right? Have a great day! Like we always say  "Woke up!" And that's a good thing. | Permalink

otherstuff 03:13 PM - 07/28/2015 The topic: Dear Walter Palmer, DDS, Trophy hunter ---------------------------------------------- You're a heaping pile of shit. You and all of your trophy hunting friends. Anyone who gets pleasure out of killing an animal is a piece of shit. And, no doubt, there's something twisted in your head. I don't care if you were under the impression it was legal, you're nothing but a sick f*ck. You and the rest of your ilk. (If you have no idea what I'm writing about, click here.) I've seen the photos of you with your kills. The other lion. The leopard. The rhino. The ram.  That big smirky smile on your face. I hope you lose everything you've ever cared for. I hope your practice is bankrupted. I hope your family turns their backs on you. I hope your dog pisses on your slippers. I have only the worst thoughts towards you. I'd love to read that you'd been hunting, fell in a hole, lost your bow and couldn't get away from whatever wildlife ripped you apart, limb from limb.  There'd be no sympathy, but plenty of cheering from my little corner of the world. If you love killing so much, take joy in the taking of a life, here's an idea. Why don't you and the rest of you fecal mountains rent an island and kill one another? Trophy hunters killing trophy hunters. That would be fair. That poor lion did nothing to you. And now you regret killling him? You regret nothing. If you have any regrets it's that you were found out to be the piece of shit that you are. Rot in hell.   | Permalink

      Friday, July 31, 2015

otherstuff 09:24 AM - 07/31/2015 The topic: Putting my money where my mouth is… ---------------------------------------------- Giving to WildCRU This is the organization that was tracking Cecil. There is now an American billionaire matching donations up to $100,000.00.  It's not looking good for Wally at this point (who has amazingly disappeared).  In an article from BBC News, "The US dentist who killed a lion in Zimbabwe should be extradited to face charges, Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri has said." Brian said if Wally has any kind of brain, he'll cash out everything and start a new life.... | Permalink

otherstuff 09:31 AM - 07/31/2015 The topic: In other news ---------------------------------------------- It's not over for the cat killing vet from Texas. Also a bow hunter. Also a piece of shit. Yeah, can't say as I have too much confidence in District Attorney Travis Koehn's ability to properly carry out his duties.   | Permalink

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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

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