I had two reasons for celebrating today. First, today is Winston's 4th Birthday. I think he likes his new toy!
The second reason, I got to hear my nephew's band for the first time. The name of the band is Sink This Ship. They are considered a hardcore band however I'm too old to know what hardcore means. Evan plays the drums and I have to say I'M DAMN PROUD OF HIM! They were hired to play at my sister's neighborhood block party.
It is so hard to believe that my nephew is 18 and graduated from high school. How can that be possible? It wasn't that long ago when he used to run to me and call me Tee and give me a big hug. He still calls me Tee but no longer runs to me for a hug <sniff> <sniff>. We had his graduation lunch yesterday and at the end of lunch, when we were going back to our cars, he thanked me and gave me an honest to goodness hug. Only now, I have to reach up for the hug. He has grown from a toddler that I used to carry to a young man who is at least a head taller than me with tats, pierced ears, and his brand new car. Oh and did I mention he's in a band.....a loud band!!
I was going to order custom printed M&M's for his lunch but instead, printed out lables with a couple of words he uses (there were many more words but they weren't quite appropriate to wrap around the candy) and his picture and stuck them to mini candy bars.
Every year, the Contra Costa Times prints a graduation page so I bought an announcement. Oh, I couldn't wait until he saw what I wrote. The announcement says "Congratulations! I am proud of you. No matter how old you are, you will always be my Sweetie! Love Tee" The paper came out today and my sister said Evan's reaction was "what...what..what is that!" I spoke with him a hour ago and he called it "interesting". Hmmm....that's luke calling a fixer upper small house "cute". When he's older, he'll appreciate it. Isn't that what our parents always say about us!!??
Drawing Day - June 06, 2009
Drawing Day is a worldwide drawing event encouraging everyone to drop everything and draw for the sake of art. Help us create 1 million drawings online this day.
Drawing Day has arrived - tell all your friends!
Last year, I was honored by an invitation to make a charm for a doll that would be raffled as a fund-raiser for ovarian cancer research. The doll is now ready to live in your home. Please go to this link and read about the doll and please please please buy a raffle ticket or two or six.
The tickets are $5 for one or six for $20.
http://www.scrapbookroyalty.com/tiesthatbind.html
Below is my post from September and my charm.
I am honored to have been invited to make a charm for the Ties That Bind ovarian cancer fund-raiser. Here is my charm along with the mission statement and the link to their blog. Teal represents the color for ovarian cancer. I used varying shades of teal for the netting and fringe and black beads and teardrops for the accents. The colors of the beads didn't come out as well digitally as it looks in real life. I used a #12 needle, size 15 seed beads, Japanese delicas, teardrops for the ends of the fringe, and a jade-like glass donut. The charm will attach with a lobster claw.
I went for my annual physical yesterday. For 34 years, maybe a few years less, my doctor has been giving me the lecture to lose weight and get some exercise and ends with see you next year. Yesterday was different.
The good news is, the medication is controlling the high blood pressure (which he found during last year's physical. I also elimited the chips every night so that was helping also.
My cholesterol count is ok (I forgot to take my bloodwork report yesterday and a copy is in the mail) but I think he said it was 203. Hmmmmm......
My weight is the same as last year...whew! Mind you, the number itself is not good.
Both knees and hands have some stiffness which, most likely, is caused by my psoriasis. If we can get the psoriasis under control, the joints will feel better. The catch 22 is, even thought the psoriasis is all over and I can control it with the cream, I can't reach my back. Winston isn't much help putting the medication on and I can't see back there even using two mirrors and I'm not flexible enough to be a pretzel.
Ok, now the bad news. For the first time, he heard extra heart beats. He asked if I had shortness of breath or notice my heart beating. I get worked up in my cardio class and I figure thats from the work out so I told him no. There have been a couple of times in class when I have gotten light headed, like today, and have had to stop because the room was spinning. My doctor ran an ekg and it came our normal. He said some people have extra beats and he's not worried about it. Should I? Both parents have had heart attacks.
More bad news. You know that lecture I mentioned above? This time it was lose 10 lbs and start exercising (once a week doesn't count) and make a follow up appointment for November. Oh crap!
I told him I have ice cream every night 365 days a year. Yea, I'll eat any kind. Non fat, low fat, no surgar, skinny cows, etc. He looked at me and said I can have it every other day then he gave me that look when he realized, I haven't been listening to him for 30 years and said, ice cream only on weekends. Crap.
Now I admit. I am very very lazy. I commute for an hour each way from home to work and I get home, check email, plop my butt on the recliner and have dinner while watching tv. Or, if I'm doing my art stuff, its all sitting. I hate to walk even with Winston and I hate exercising. I've been taking the cardio class for 1 1/2 years and its the first time I've stuck with anything. I'm having fun in the class, we tried a little bit of zumba (thanks Kathy!). I had sent a you tube to Steffani. I knew it would be something she would like and I had fun trying dance moves....big hips and all.
Then during class, I got dizzy and light headed. At the end of class, I was told that class will be on hold for two months after next Saturday's class so Steffani can train for a tournament. More bad news. Since class is only my sister and me, there's a good chance it will be canceled permanently.
There goes my once a week committment. I told my sister if we no longer have class, then we should get up at the same time as if we had class and take the three dogs out for walks. Ok, I've said that before and like I said, I'm lazy and we don't do it.
My nephew invited me to do the P90X with him. Me, exercise with him in his living room full of family. Uh, thank you but I don't think so. Its suppose to be a really intense workout that football players use. Um, I don't think the 49ers are looking to hire me to play anytime soon.
So, there is my lazy and unhealthy life. I have six months to lose 10 lbs. It might as well be one hundred.
I am waiting until after the student work critique to add the final layer which is beeswax....just in case I need to make any adjustments.
I re-worked the painting I made in Suzi Blu's class by changing the color of the background and adding oother doodads and embellishments. I can't decide if she's ready for the beeswax. The painting has been sitting and patiently waiting for me to make a decision. There's something about it that doesn't feel "ready". I can't figure out what I'm missing.
Before: After:
My girl now has eyes and has been embellished with color mists from Outside the Margins , walnut ink, Stewart Gill galatica, fresco flakes, distress ink pads, and diamondz.
