The Barre

The ballet barre - my enemy, my friend. It supports me in times of need and taunts me with it's seemingly unobtainable goals. I'm coming to ballet late in life. There was one mild flirtation with toe dancing in kindergarten when I was six. I was the some sort of fairy in a pink tutu in a play. I remember liking to be on my toes then. The teacher had to explain to me not to konk the other children in the head with the wand quite so hard.

I've never felt particularly graceful, I started growing before everyone else in the fourth grade and was the tallest one in the class. One of the neighbors called me Jolly Green Giant. I was very awkward and shy. How is this fair, I'm not particularly tall now - just 5'6". I should have ended up model tall to make up for that right?

Anyway when Drury started offering Wellness classes I decided I liked variety and wanted to try different things. That's how I ended up in the ballroom class. After that it was just a matter of time before I was swept up into the fantasy of it all. Who knew I had this inner longing to be all girly and graceful.

So that brought me to adult ballet. Intimidating right. It turns out this may be the best exercise I've ever had to increase my flexibility and balance. There's just this one tiny thing.

There it is folks. The barre. Simple, elegant and oh sooo high. I love exercising at the barre and I am flexibility challenged. Right leg I can get up there and man does it stretch those muscles. Left leg, not so easy. I stand back, I contemplate, I try not to be too obvious. My leg and I we have talks together about why it really should go up there. Some days we have to talk longer than others. See I always wake up stiff and sore in the morning and ballet starts at 11:00. Limber is not my middle name. I continue to soldier on though because each time I get a little closer, a little stretchier.

I get to point my toes and glide across the floor with the other dedicated women in my class in a spirit of camaraderie that is meaningful and true. I may not be a swan but I feel connected to something rich. I feel like a dancer in my heart.

Thanks to my muse Marie who is teaching me what it is to love dance movement of all kinds. I couldn't have a more inspiring coach or a more wonderful group of women to share it with.

Plus, I get to wear the shoes...

Whenever I want!

Rhi's 26th

My baby turned 26 yesterday and it just happened that they were doing some repairs at work and I had the day off. Yesterday was absolutely the most perfect of days. Rhi decided she wanted to go for a drive for her birthday so we hit the road about ten o'clock and went where the wil-o-the wisp took us. The weather was wonderful with just a bit of a cool breeze. Just cool enough that Rhi could wear her Led Zepplin jacket. With the feathers in her hair and her jacket and sunglasses on she looked amazing yesterday. Not just her mother talking I'm telling ya.

We hadn't planned on doing any hiking but we came across a trail head that we'd never been on and had to stop for a few minutes. There were only a few people there so we had most of the trail to ourselves. We sat by the creek and listened to the laughing brook for a bit. Rhi said it sounded like it was chuckling.

I was ahead of Rhi on the trail and a snake slithered off in front of me. Of course I squeeled like a girl. What is this affinity I have for snakes, why do they always find me. Rhi was laughing her head off behind me.

Peaceful surroundings for a girl's birthday.

We could have stayed longer but the road was calling. So we left the trail and took off around the next bend. Finally figured out what that thump, thump, noise we'd been hearing was. It was cars going over the one lane bridge ahead.

An afternoon stop at Hood's truck stop, where we found a jar of the good beef jerkey that you pull out with the tongs for .99 cents, and we were refreshed and ready to continue our outing. Many turns later we found ourselves in Halltown where we discovered the Whitehall Antique Emporium. That may not be the actual name. I know it was Whitehall something or other. Rhi elected to leave the Led Zepplin jacket in the car.

This place is a treasure trove, complete with a creepy feeling attic stuffed with goodies. Milk cans, wooden boxes of various shapes and sizes. We're both itching to go back when we have more money. I found a yellow stoneware bowl for .50 and Rhi found some peacock feather earrings that were a must have.

A few more miles and we were ready to turn back and head for home where we had dinner plans with Grandma. We ran into a bit of school traffic in Republic but that forced us to make another stop. This time we ended up at Cato's where many outfits were tried on. We found a couple of really cute plaid shirts for Rhi. Score!

Our evening ended with a good dinner at Red Lobster for our traditional birthday outing. Of course we all stuffed ourselves silly and had a marvelous time.

Struck by the Craft Bug

I had a bit of a crafting attack last week, or was it the week before? I saw some pretty wreaths online and T. was telling me about someone who used pipe wrapping from Lowe's for a wreath form. That stuff was only .97 cents for enough to do two medium size wreaths. I had to try it out! So I gathered some leaves from the front yard at work and here's what I came up with.

This is the completed wreath right after I hung it on my office door. The color has faded on it since I first put it together, but now it has more browns and more of an organic feel which I like.

I also added a leaf flower for a little extra oomph.

We have a three day weekend while they're working on some repair issues at work (woohoo!) and I decided to bring home the little plants that I've been collecting in my office so I could re-pot them. I'd been thinking about all the lovely little hanging gardens I've seen on the web lately so using the stuff I had on hand...

I started off with three plants and I used some empty pots I had on the porch. I decided to put some broken clay pieces for drainage so I had to bust up an old clay pot. I set it in the birdbath and smashed it with a rock. That was fun! I think I've found the perfect use for the bird bath in the winter. I had a little bit of potting soil on the back porch so I got them into their new pots in short order.

The pots I had were different colors, and faded, so I decided to tie them all together with some blue paint I had out in the tent. I didn't want to lose all the character of the pots so I just added stripes to everything so some of it could show through. I had lots of help with this part.



I also had a new package of picture hanging wire that I didn't remember I had. Bonus! So I cut six pieces of wire and nested them around the pots. I also hot glued the wire to the bottom of the pots to hold them in place. Then I put a bead on the wires to pull it together and tied a knot and made a wire loop. That seemed a little loose so I had some decorative cord left over from the wreath that I tied around the pots. I didn't have enough for all three so I used pipe cleaners on one of them and draped a little of the cord on that. You can't tell unless you're up close, so not too noticeable.

I was thinking about how to hang them and I've seem some interesting things with sticks on the web - and man do I have sticks. I went out in the dark to get the stick and kind of found one by the feel. Cleo ran out the door when I was coming back in and I couldn't catch the rotten little monster. I had to go back in and grab my flashlight to search for her. I couldn't find her so I went out front to work on my stick. I had decided to whittle on it. I tried that with R's pocket knife awhile back and it took forever. This time I used a box cutter and man did that go quick. Two things... 1. cut away from the body and 2. don't sit the stick on your leg while you're taking off the bark. Just common sense. I had help with this as well.






Mama kitty just needs someone to love her.





I grabbed some steel wool and smoothed the stick down. I know I've got some sandpaper somewhere, but anyway that seemed to work pretty well. I ended up with a nice smooth stick. I went out back while I did that step and hollered for the cat again but couldn't find her. It was good but I decided to rub it down with gold paint. I took a paper towel and dipped it in the acrylic paint and rubbed it all over the stick. Gave it a little bit of luster.

Petey was keeping an eye on my craft drawer for me.

Then I wrapped my last piece of wire on either end of the stick and tied the pots on with pipe cleaners. I don't know how long it will stay up but I'm pleased with the results.



A new camera is definitely on my Christmas wish list. It really is prettier in person.




and why is this picture blue?








I went to put up my craft supplies and lo and behold...



Petey's mini-me, Cleo is back. Did I mention that I was trying to put my supplies away? The little rat must have snuck back in when I went out to polish my stick.

By the way, what's wrong with these two pictures...

Idiots!

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I don't hear any big crashes in the night.

Five Days of Joy Fest

Ahh the mini vacation! I'm parlaying a half Friday and a Monday holiday into my Five Days of Joy Fest by taking Thursday off as well. I ran around with Rhi yesterday until she had to go to class and then finished off the day by picking up my new Waterfall Chest. I got it all situated and found some bamboo looking shelf liner that I cut and fitted perfectly into my jewel. No kidding, I figured just right and only had about a 2x6 strip left over. Then of course I had to arrange all of my clothing into all of the various compartments. I can't believe how much more storage this thing gives me.

Three of the six drawers are divided









and it just fits into the spot that I planned for it.

I did some research online on Waterfall furniture. It was designed as inexpensive furniture for newlyweds back in the 40s and sold at places like Sears.

Young couples were broke back then too and many lived with their parents when they were starting out. So a bedroom suite was one of their first purchases as a couple and often held special sentimental value.

It generally was plywood covered with a nice wood veneer in interesting designs to make it pretty. You can't see it clearly in this picture but mine has pretty little bakelite medallions incorporated into the handles.

Bakelite is some sort of polymer resin used for decorative touches. My chest is surprising heavy for something made inexpensively and it does have dovetailed drawer construction. I love it already.

LOL! I cleaned off the dining room table just before I started writing this and I just walked by it to get supper and it's already covered in scrapbooking paraphernalia and cat. Seriously I don't think Petey could sprawl out any further. I'm going to join Rhi later and work on another necklace while she scrapbooks. I found a new pretty at the bead shop in Branson today. I have an idea about macrameing my wire that I'm going to test.

We had pizza at Mr. G's (awesome Chicago style pan pizza - pepperoni, onions and jalepenos. Yum!) Then we swung over to a resale store called Weezies in the old downtown part of Branson. Rhi found some blinged out jeans with rhinestones running down the outside seam. Lots of good stuff in there - I think we need to go back on a regular basis.

We also stopped by the Craft Mall for a quick tour. They were playing some great 70's music and Rhi had to tell me to quit dancing and pay attention several times. This started a trip down memory lane on the drive back. Rhi says "Remember how you use to tell me to cut it out and be normal when I was doing stuff in the stores?" I think that might have involved standing on her head or cartwheeling down the aisles but I don't really remember what she was doing at the time. She's been unable to provide concrete examples to back up her claim.

106.7 was playing good stuff on the radio for the drive back. I'd forgotten how profound the lyrics on this one are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqeSUAlI5u

I hope the link works. If not, it's "No Time" by Guess Who. Crank it and enjoy summer buddies!

Trouble Sleeping

I'm tossing and turning tonight. I don't have any friends or relatives in Joplin but after listening to stories all day and experiencing a range of emotions, I'm feeling on edge with nothing to be done in the middle of the night.

I dropped my glasses earlier and the lens came out so I have to run to get those fixed tomorrow. Bother!

It doesn't help that Petey has decided to perfect her Flying Walenda skills tonight. She fell off the bed with a loud crash, then she tried to scale the wall off my nightstand and fell. Then she finally landed in my laundry basket with a crash. I think that might have been the intended target all along. Unfortunately I'd finished laundry earlier tonight and it was further down than she thought it was going to be. There's something wrong with that cat.

Guess I'll try this sleeping thing again and see how it goes. My thoughts go out to all those folks who aren't in their own beds tonight. They've got a rough road ahead.

Phase III of summer tent fun

I started off the weekend with a bit of a disappointment - Seraphina was down again. Didn't get out to survey the damage until late Saturday, in between a weekend of rainy annoyance. The center section was down and filled with quite a bit of water. I couldn't reach the water to start bailing so I thought about it for a bit and then came up with a solution. I tied a string to a bucket and then, since my twine was pretty rough to the touch, I tied the other end to a small stick. This allowed me to toss in the bucket and then wrap the twine around the stick to reel it in. The first bucket worked but I found that it was a bit heavy to pull up. So I switched to a smaller bucket and used the same method. Interestingly enough it confirmed the idea that what I really like about fishing is the casting part. I found it to be quite a satisfying rhythm to toss in the bucket, reel it up, dump it, and toss it back in. It will be interesting to see if I can lift my arms tomorrow. Anyway, once I got that accomplished, I was able to get into the tent and assess the damage. I was afraid it would be much worse than it was. Of course there were puddles in the tent to clean up but not too bad. The chest had fallen over and it took a bit of propping up to get the roof back where it should be. My next grand plan involves six foot rebar on all four corners and bamboo across the top.Course I could use rebar across the top as well but I don't want it falling on my head. I wonder if lightning will be an issue? Probably not, it would be grounded after all. Off to the hardware store tomorrow evening. Rhi and I checked out rebar at Lowe's yesterday but I think I want to check out Ace Hardware as well. I'm really liking Westlake Ace Hardware on Campbell right now. Rhi wants some of those scary little lighted nomes that they have.

The next craft project for the tent is going to be painted floor rugs. I've always been intrigued by the idea and I've found that the tent floor holds paint very well. I think this would give me that layered rug look I want without having to actually do multiple layers of rugs. I'll have a couple of painted ones and then layer with a material rug. Still looking for the perfect garage sale find on that. Ooh and I can plant some flowering vines to grow up the rebar.

We had our ballet class Sunday instead of our usual Saturday to accommodate Marie's schedule. It was good. Still taking baby steps but I feel just a little bit more flexible and am following the steps just a little bit better. We worked on pretty arms today. If I keep at this I may someday be graceful which will be also be nice but the major benefit I expect to derive is that I will be more flexible. Ballet is awesome for increasing flexibility.

I'm watching River Monsters while I type. What is it about this show that is so fascinating. Maybe it's the guys accent or maybe just the excitement of the unknown. What could it be that killed those cowboys or what was it that ate that guy over there. Could it be piranhas, could it be giant stingrays, no it's giant electric eels. I'm not going in the water ever again. But I have a strange urge to be out there throwing out a line with that guy.

My Starry Night

I've just about finished tinkering with the chandelier for the tent. My camera is not taking the best of pictures - everything is much more sparkly in real life.

Not that the tent has anything to do with real life mind you. It's purely for relaxing and dreaming.

Twinklies without flash.

Twinklies with flash. You can see some of the draping here but not the way the drapery glitters. I think I need another couple of yards to be satisfied.

Lighted stars without flash - lighted stars with flash. This is the section over the table and I wasn't sure they were going to work.

Apparently they needed to be jiggled.

The table is a work in progress. I just finished my second coat of gold on the top and need to touch up in the daylight and think about which pattern I'm going to add. I have a couple of Morrocan furniture designs for inspiration but I think I have an idea. I may start with a sun to match the little lights overhead and build on that.

Yep, I'm liking this idea. 

Also, I'm giving some thought to some painted floor cloth rugs. They wouldn't be as tactile as a real rug hmmm. I'll have to give this some thought.

Reincarnation

It's been a good day today. I went a little crazy on the shopping but oh the goodies I've found. I started at Target this morning since I was up way too early for my ballet class. Tried on some shoes cute little metallic sandals but I was being good. Made it out of the store with just an exercise mat and the water bottle Mom wants for Mother's Day. Went on over to my class and got my work out in. We did some new stuff today, something called a Tondeau and something that sounded French. I don't know, I just try to do my best. Anyway there's this one move where everyone sweeps their toe across the front and then back. There are five of us in the class and it makes the most relaxing little whispering noise as the ballet shoes move across the floor. It's sort of mesmerizing to be listening to the classical music and concentrating on making the correct movement. I feel transported.

After class I turned down a little side street and stopped at a garage sale where I found two very lovely gold sheer curtain panels. Score - only $5 for two panels! Then I decided I was annoyed with my hair and went to the Mall to see if I could get it cut. They had an immediate opening and I now have a cute little bob. Ran by FM material store to look for stuff for the tent after the haircut. Oh my gosh, there were wonderful things in every nook and cranny. Not only did I get some lovely sparkley gold and pink material but I found a wonderful deep purple silk for my chaise. I also found some very pretty trim for my chandelier.

Boy have I been busy this afternoon with draping and decorating. I haven't been inside all afternoon. I also popped into Big Lots and bought some solar lights. They're not charged up enough to show in the pictures yet but hopefully by tomorrow evening they'll be shining through the sparkly fabric. I couldn't resist sharing pictures, just keep in mind the pictures aren't nearly as pretty as the real thing.

Everything is all a glitter in my little retreat.

The Return of Seraphina

I've very much enjoyed having an extra day this weekend. Yesterday I visited hardware stores and gathered pvc  pipe and joints for my tent repair project. As you all know I had a tentastrophy last week and Seraphina was down due to high winds. After much aggravation searching on-line and talking to service hotlines I found out that replacement parts were not available. So of course jury rigging was the next step. Men have tools - women have ingenuity. A generalization I know but definitely true in my family. Anyway I spent yesterday evening putting parts together with my handy dandy roto tool and pvc glue and got her back up. She's not quite as straight as before but at least she's up. We'll see how she holds.

One casualty of the storm was the hand-beaded chandelier. The frame is intact though so I believe I can start over. Que Sera Sera. I don't know why but I must sing that when I say it. Maybe I need to watch Doris Day on Netflix today.

I was leaving for ballet this morning when I realized Rhi had taken my truck but not left me her car keys. Fortunately my mom was willing to pick me up and drive me over. Alas my ballet slippers were in the glove box of the truck. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Bonus, mom got to watch the ballet class. She said we looked like little fairies dancing across the floor. Gotta love your mom! She'll lie to you with a straight face when you need her to. I actually signed up for more ballet lessons with Marie. Next week is our last Ballroom class and I don't think I can do without some form of movement over spring break. I figure I'll work on flexibility first, then coordination, and then grace. This could take a very long time.

We're going to have Easter dinner with the parents this evening. Dad's been looking at recipes on line and is cooking a ham. He said something about a blow torch so Rhi and I decided to come home and go back over when it's done. Mom's rosebush is starting to bloom and the buds look really cute in the little vase Susan gave me.

How sweet is that!

I'm stretched out in my comfy chair with the front door open and my bare feet hanging out in the breeze. Think I'll watch a little Doris until dinner time maybe, Glass Bottom Boat, or Pillow Talk. Or maybe I'll take a little nap. My chair has that effect on me, sometimes it's just too cozy to resist curling up with my little fuzzy blanket and nodding off.

Like Sand Through the Hourglass...

I feel the precious moments of vacation time trickling away. I've done not much of anything for a week, I've read, I've lounged. I've put up a tent and hung out in said tent. I've weakened in my resolve in the dog free tent zone. I decided  I liked having one dog out in the tent with me when the others were inside so no one can sneak up on me. So this has become Lady's haven as well. She has spread herself across the lounge like the Queen of Sheba for most of the afternoon. I've been decorating a bit, still not exactly the palace I envision or that Seraphina the tent deserves but it's coming along.

As many of you know, I've been working on the chandelier for the tent. I've still got to add my light and I'm not sure I'm happy with the amount of bling yet, but it's coming along. I'll know it's finished when I lose the urge to fool with it anymore.

In a burst of energy today I sanded and painted my ugly little chest and have turned it into a Moroccan themed (loose interpretation) treasure. I'm pretty happy with the result in spite of the fact that I free handed most of it and it's not as crisp as it probably should be. Oh well. I'm mostly happy with it. Also I got to use some more of my Robin's egg blue paint - and I've still got some left. That can has more than paid for itself. I think I have enough to do one more bookcase when I get energetic again.

I've also brought the little gate leg table out (don't think I'm going to do anything to it just yet) and I've spray painted my little green chairs in champagne. They actually look more interesting in person than in the picture. They were originally green and I've lightly spray painted, so they have sort of a mottled pattern that I think is eye catching. Next for these is cushions. Oh and I'm still looking for rugs. The green air mattress under the table is temporary.

Of course I found the chaise a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to Teresa's eagle eyes. This fifteen dollar beauty has been the greatest find. My gosh this is comfy. Lady thinks so too! My make do on this piece is an old green striped twin sheet covered by the silky room divider that came with the tent.

I've also added my little fuzzy purple throw as a rug. Found the little table at Hobby Lobby and couldn't resist. A girl's gotta have a place to put her beverages you know.

I definitely need more pillows scattered throughout. I'm not normally an orange person but I've got my eye on some luscious silky material in a lovely orange with gold roses scattered on it. Also some very nice blues and purples at the material store.

Here are more pictures of the chest. Again think Moroccan inspired. 

Of course the gold is more shimmery in person than in the picture. I also turned the handles upside down when I put them back on. They look more like genie lamps that way. Ha! Those were all tarnished and ugly but a nice copper paint made them look like new.


I've also ran my extension cord from the garage to the tent so when it was so hot the other day, I had my fan going and was still able to enjoy my retreat. It's getting harder to leave the tent and come in.

Seraphina Has Arrived from Pakistan...

Seraphina arrived around 2:00 today in all her 62 lb tent glory. She has wheels. Rhi says we're not naming the tent. Too late! I was very anxious to get her all set up but so much to do today. Had to go to core abs where I had an excellent workout. Can't have that mood getting out of whack from lack of exercise during the vacay. Worked on my chandelier for the tent until the wee hours last night. Just putting the finishing touches on it, so no pictures yet. Went to Waffle House for cheesy eggs and bacon for lunch - yum. Went to Walmart to get tent sealer and ran by Big Lots to look at tent lights. Got home just in time to relax for a few minutes before my 3:30 massage. I know  - right. The luck of the draw had me with Frank today. I was a tad nervous about a male masseuse but sucked it up and just relaxed into it. Now I'm glad I did. He made me feel very safe and comfortable and wow did he work all those little tense muscles in my neck and shoulders. I tend to lead with my neck when I'm doing ab stuff. Anyway I felt like I was in a wonderful altered state when I was finished and kind of floated back home. I emptied out the little tent and it was time to take off again. Rhi wanted me to go to the Nature Center before she ran out of light to take photos. We actually ended up going to check out Ingram Mill Park instead. I think they still have some work to do on it but it's really coming along. There's a nice woodsy trail around the lake with some really cool bridges that they've put in and lots of nice scenery. We headed back home with just enough light to get the little tent down and the big tent up. Rhi did most of the work. She figured out where all the multitudes of tent poles went and got it staked down for me. We finished up just after dark so not much rearranging and decorating yet. I can hardly wait. Seraphina has two, count them, two closets and a little three tier hanging shelf for the corner. There's also a cute little battery operated light that is velcroed to the ceiling, not to mention four great big windows. Rhi has banned me from running an extension cord from her bedroom but I think I can make the garage work. The tent is supposed to have a port for electrical but it was too dark to find it tonight. I can hardly wait to get started in the morning. I think I'll start out with a nice relaxing lounge in the morning and then figure out how I'm going to arrange the furniture in the tent. Then I may run off to the thrift stores to look for textiles. Ah we'll just have to see what the day brings.

Let the vacationing begin...

Mrrrwhaaaha, yes this is me, vacationing, in the tent, in my new ballet slippers. Which by the way I had to fight my way through a screaming hoard of tiny ballerinas for. They only have little girl items on display in the front of the store. The crazy big people stuff is hidden away far in the back room. I think I saw her blow dust off the box. Many questions were asked, what type of shoe are you looking for? Do you want cloth or leather? Standard answer, duh I don't know. What do you have in a gargantuan size 10. Width, um maybe medium. Anyway I tried on three pair to discover that I wear a size 7C in a ballet slipper. Laaaa! I have the petite princess feet in ballet. Shut up, all of you, I hear you laughing. I also looked at ballroom slippers, they were pretty cute too but I didn't want to spend the $40 bucks for them. Besides, Marie said I could wear my ballet slippers in ballroom too. Woohoo.

Good news when I checked my emails tonight. My 16x12 Olympic Cottage has shipped. I could be putting that baby up in the next day or two. So that's part of the plan for the vacation. Am I gonna stay up till I feel like it - are you kidding? Am I gonna sleep as late as I possibly can in the mornings - you know it. I'm also going to read, and surf the net, and play and relax and craft; or I'm going to lounge in my chair and do nothing. We'll see how the mood strikes me. By the way, this is a freakin' comfortable lounge chair. I can just see the last bit of pink in the western sky from my chair through the tent flap. The neighbor's dog and I are going to be come best buddies this summer. Just as soon as I stop freaking her out. Well time for a little cat nap and then I'm off to Hobby Lobby to look for tissue paper for the making of paper flowers. If I make it outta the chair of course.

Time flies...

Here it is Sunday evening all ready. These weekends go by too fast. Friday was Google Reader review night. Love to get caught up on all that interesting stuff out there. Of course by the time I finished with that it was 3:00am. So naturally I slept till 1:00 the next day. Just in time for Rhi coming in from the barn. I must have been out, I didn't even hear her leave. Such a rainy gray day that we decided to stay in. Just a quick run to the Quick Trip for soda. Saturday was catching up on Hulu and Netflix. I watched a movie with Liam Niesen and Sandra Bullock called "Gun Shy" it was about an undercover DEA agent who'd almost been killed during a bust and was having post traumatic stress issues. He ends up going to group therapy while still on a case and getting all the  guys in his group involved in the case. It was pretty cute and had a good ending. I went out to check on things in the tent and it had fared pretty well. I did discover why the chaise was so cheap though. The tent reeked of cat pee so I've got the cushion out in the rain and air. As soon as it's decent enough to be out there I'm going to use the hose and some detergent on it and let it dry in the sun. I think it's recoverable, it's just going to take some work. Sunday I decided I'd been enough of a slug this weekend and talked Rhi into getting out with me. We went by the gym, but of course it wasn't open, so we went to the mall and made a brisk trip twice around. By the time we were done my lower back hurt, my left shoulder hurt, and I had a sharp pain in the ball of my foot. Jimminy Crickets it's hard work to get back in shape. I found a new app this weekend to help with fitness. It let's you put in your weight and your goal, how much you want to lose a week, and tells you how long it will take you to get there based on what you're telling it. You also put in your meals and your exercise for the day and it calculates how many more calories you can eat after you've put in each meal. In other words it's just another fun toy to play with to keep things from getting boring. I like changing things up it keeps me interested. I decided to be a little crafty today as well. It was nice. Rhi and I both sat at the table, she worked on the paper she has due and I worked on beading this necklace. The colors aren't showing up that well in this picture. There's actually a lot of red in it. Rhi said she'd pose in it as long as I didn't include her head in the picture. I'll have to wear it tomorrow to show it to you guys.

Petey had to go in her cage while I beaded. She would not be deterred from helping otherwise.Just as I was finishing up Mom came for a visit. We were all over at the table sipping tea when she asked up to go to Mama Jeans with her to pick up ginger chews. I came into the living room to put on my shoes and thought, what the heck is that fuzzy stuff all over the floor. That's when we discovered that someone had attacked the rabbit fur collar of my mom's coat that she had left on the chair. We were all right there in the dining room I don't know how we missed that massacre. Fortunately it's thinner but still wearable. Rotten little monsters. We don't know which one did it but we have our suspicions. Picked the last of my jonquils on the way back in from our outing. No point in leaving them out for the frost. They sure are pretty on my table.

The babies are out cold on the couch, I'm finishing up my weekend with a little blogging, doing a little laundry, maybe doing a few dishes. Or on the other hand maybe I'll just go read a book.

Last Tango in Tandem

It was a good day today. Started the day off with a positive meeting. Spent my lunch hour garage saleing with Teresa. Just kind of looking around, I'm looking for decorating items for the tent. We were going to go by Funtiques (which for some reason, I can't stop calling Good Ju Ju). I think I'm just going to give up and start calling it Lauren's place. So anyway we turned down this side street and Teresa spotted another garage sale sign. I didn't think much of it when we pulled up. It looked like clothes and crap from the street but I'm so glad now that we stopped. Look what I found - this is going to be so perfect for the tent when I get it fixed up.

I need to go the material store this weekend and look at outdoor fabric. I'm torn between two visions. Either a neutral pallet of light colors with different textures or an Arabian Nights fantasy with pinks, blues, purples, etc. I'm just going to have to see what they have at the material store. White has always been impossible in the house but in the dog free zone...  Let's just say it has some appeal.

I don't know what's going to end up appealing to me the most. It could go either way. I'm a woman of many whims.

If I go with the color pallette I'm influenced by my Lavender Buttercup graphic maybe in somewhat more subtle shades.

Now on to dancing. Tonight we spent most of the evening on the Tango. I really like the Tango. It makes me feel like a real dancer. Not only a real dancer but a very feminine dancer. Hard to explain. Then we switched back to the waltz and I lost it. Apparently my brain can only hold one dance at a time. Some sad news tonight as well. Robin's rehearsal schedule starts back up next week and he won't be able to come back to class. I may be back to dancing with Marie next week. That's okay though Marie always makes me feel more competent. I don't know how she manages to teach both parts though. That switching from leader to follower and teaching both parts would absolutely fry my brain. You're my hero Marie!

Not So Hot Weather

So it's 56 and a bit nippy with the wind tonight. Still not bad in the tent. Yes, yes I am still in the tent. It does make a nice quiet place to blog here in the dog free zone. They're being too quiet though, I've got to peek out and see what they're up to.Yep they were digging something up had to put the little monsters in since I've got the tent flaps up and can't watch them. I discovered something important today. Had a little relapse on my anger management. Finally figured out what's different this week so I think I can address it. I haven't had my wellness classes this week and I think my endorphins are low. If that's what it is I don't think I should be missing any more classes even if it is spring break. I did do a bit of exercise in the floor yesterday and I walked with friends a couple of times today so I hope that gets me back on track. I'm also really happy to hear that we are having the ballroom class tomorrow evening. Tammy and I went for a long walk after work tonight. We were really engrossed in our conversation and I was watching the bush growing over the sidewalk to get around it and completely missed the tree branch hanging over. I about poked my eye out. The crafting bug has bitten me again, I just hope it lasts through the weekend when I can actually spend some time on things. I found a really pretty candle holder in a magazine that will require some handmade blossoms, a piece of wood and some glass candlesticks all in neutral colors. There are so many crafting ideas out there on the blogs that I could have a new project every weekend for the rest of my life. It's so satisfying when you actually complete something and really like what you've created! I can't wait to get started.

Bustin Thru

The dogs have discovered my tent in a big way tonight. Lady and Bobby are insisting on being in the tent. I made the mistake of letting Lady hang out with me yesterday evening and now she thinks it's a given. Of course Bobby wants in on that as well. With Bobby and Lady in the tent Dixie wants in too. Trouble is she doesn't know how to get in and is just attempting to plow her way in the screen. I didn't let any of them in by the way. That was all Rhi! Ah they're all shooed out and it's quiet in the tent once again. Rhi also brought Petey out for a visit. I'll get even somehow. I have set up a little folding card table and two lawn chairs in the tent so I'm typing at a table. Not pretty, but functional. That's okay though this first tent is all about experimentation before the arrival of the cottage size tent. Teresa has intrigued me with pictures of handmade chandeliers today. One crystal beauty has particularly caught my eye. But the more I think about it the more interested I am in a stick chandelier strung with white Christmas lights. No telling what will develop. I was leaning toward pinks and greens and purples and an Arabian Nights decor but upon further reflection there are merits to an all white scheme with various textures. Further dog bans must be issued for that to be a possibility though. I didn't zip the bottom of the tent door and Bobby has just figured out how to get in. Crafty little devil. They don't think being separated is at all right. I think finding the right indoor/outdoor run will key. I think I'll work on finding that first and then decorate around it. T. also suggested redoing the old chest-of-drawers and using it for storage in the tent. Definitely an idea worth considering. After all I do intend to set it up so I can do crafting out here. Sage is over there peeking in the window. I think my co-workers were skeptical when I first hatched this plan but they're coming around to diggin' the idea. So far so good on the placement. The tent is far enough from the house but angled for privacy. I wonder how difficult it would be to make a little platform bed, hmmm....

Arabian Nights Phase I

Much better day today. I've successfully picked up the bulk of the sticks in the back yard (in spite of the snake).
Peace brother, be on your way. Have made it half way through the annual poopage cleanup festival. Have discovered if I tape a trash bag onto the frame for my hamper, it is the perfect tool to carry around the yard with me in this endeavor. That much being accomplished I elected to move on to my real mission in the yard today. I began with laying out the tarp and figuring out where to set up so I don't block Rhi's window. Then I made Rhi come out and help me set up the test tent. It's smaller than my summer tent will be, only one room but works as a test case. For those of you who haven't heard my grand scheme... I ran across a big tent on the website at Sears that looks just like a little cottage and hatched this plan for the summer. I have a book called sacred spaces that shows the special get a way places that women design for themselves to meditate or read or just take a break from everything. While Ali McGraw's adobe bungalow was cool, what really caught my eye was an Arabian tent complete with a desk for writing and a lounge chair for relaxing. Beautiful! Now I'm convinced that I can have this too. I don't have a big beautiful Arabian tent but a cottage tent is just as appealing. I feel pinks and purples and greens coming in my design scheme. Definitely an outdoor chandelier, maybe a hammock and probably a craft table of some sort. The test tent today is to test whether I can keep a tent on the ground with wind. Again with Rhi's help, I have it firmly anchored with stakes and bunged to the chain link fence so we'll see how it fares. Meanwhile, no furniture yet but Lady and I are lounging on a blanket while I work on my blog. I haven't run an extension out yet so I've got an hour before I run out of juice. So far I'm loving it. I've got the windows open so I have a nice breeze but there's enough privacy that I'm relaxed and at ease with no neighbors in sight. Unfortunately the white German Shepherd next door just figured out I'm in here but hopefully she'll settle down in a minute. Rhi is a little annoyed that I text-ed her to bring out the mouse for my computer. She said "I'm right here". How did I know she had her window open! I think I'm going to stretch out and take a little outdoor nap now. Or maybe watch a little Hulu. I think I have enough power for a thirty minute sitcom. :)

Back on Track

Well I have some lingering congestion from flumageddon but am feeling much better. Went to all my classes last week and only coughed in the first one. That first one is kind of a blur. The Wednesday class was all about walking lunges and Friday with Ginnie was some really good stretching. Just wanted to lay there and go ahhh after the Friday class. Saturday I let myself get talked into trying Marie's ballet class. As it turns out it was pretty cool. It's a small class with about five or six women of various ages just there to get a good workout and have some fun. Not a lot of moves I could do, it's pretty complicated but man did I get some good stretches. This could be really help me with my flexibility. I just have to figure out if I want to give up a chunk of my Saturday running around day for it. 

Today Rhi and I were all about the cooking. I ground up some rosemary 

and Rhi grilled some garlic and we mashed that up and put it all over some potatoes drizzled with olive oil. 

They're in the oven roasting as we speak. I really like using Rhi's mortar and pestle for grinding up the spices - fun! 

I ground up some peppercorns and celery salt and onion flakes and pounded those into a couple of really nice Venison round stakes which we cooked on the grill.Yum. The dogs are going crazy over the smells. They kept trying to sneak into the kitchen to be nearer the lusciousness. Top it off with a really good class of sweet tea and I'm good to go for the day!

If only it had distract Sage longer. He's curled up on my lap this evening hiding from the thunder.

Day 2 of Flumaggedon

Interestingly enough this variety of flu doesn't seem to affect my appetite. Other than making me crave cold and fresh. I'm sending Rhi out for a pickle. The headache is persistent and annoying and I have a persistent raspy noise behind my sinuses that's very disconcerting. I had a 102 degree fever yesterday which is minor for me. I use to scare my mom with my fevers. When we lived on Kentwood I had the chicken pox and topped out at 106. I remember laying there in my little bed with the frilly yellow bedspread waiting for my mom to get home from work and watching little pigs dancing across my bed. When mom got home and was taking my temp I bit the thermometer and she had to carefully wipe the glass out of my mouth with a washrag. Here's an interesting thought. Sometime over the last few years we've switched from mom coming over to check on me when I'm sick, bringing me 7up, maybe putting a cool cloth on my head to "don't come over mom, I don't want you getting this crap". Just the teeniest bit of sad there. Rhi's taking good care of me though and Dixie just threw herself on top of me and said I wuv you. She's keeping a close eye on me this week. I didn't need that spleen anyway.

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Passing Twinkle

I'm having trouble sleeping tonight. Listening to my tunes usually puts me to sleep but tonight I'm Foxtrotting to the music. Its heady stuff to get a taste of feeling graceful. I noticed tonight that I was dancing on my toes in the ballroom class. I started dancing on my toes in kindergarten at Evangel. I don't remember the play but I was the fairy in a pink tu tu with a magic wand tapping the toys (other children) on the head in the train. I was on my toes then and I felt beautiful and confident. About 4th grade my inner sense of grace went flying out the window when we moved, I started wearing glasses, and I was taller than everyone in my class. Nothing like being called Jolly Green Giant to give a girl a complex. I'm not even that tall as an adult, 5'6" is not even average any more. Amazing how those childhood taunts stick with you long after you've outgrown them. Tonight we Foxtrotted for awhile and then we learned a passing twinkle. In this move the girl steps across her partner on the inner foot with a twirl, then back on the other foot with  a twirl, couple of twirls in all, then back into the Foxtrot. It's a little like flying with someone to catch you on either side. I'm feeling a need for dancing shoes. I think I'm becoming addicted to the adrenaline high. Grace Kelly I'm not but wait a minute could she even dance? I had my head tilted up looking over my partner's shoulder and R accused me of watching myself in the glass window. Wish I'd thought of that and who would have ever thought someone as self conscious as me would make a statement like that. I confess I did do a couple of twirls in the parking lot on the way to the truck after class. Maybe I'm a dance junkie - I wonder if there's a group for that?