Trick or Treat

I keep wishing this reality with my daughter was just a trick.

It most certainly is not a treat.

It is a treat, however, to have a part in making our grandchild's life as stable as possible.

Grandy and I are in the valley together for the weekend.Chandler is spending Halloween with his best friend so he is a happy camper. They are visiting Haunted Houses and what could be more fun on a Saturday night Halloween! Grandy will drive back up on Monday morning to be in Pinetop by the time Chandler gets home from school.

I have been thinking today of some much happier Halloween evenings when our kids lived just across town and we would go trick or treating with Chandler. This Halloween Grandy and I are hiding out in our den with the lights off ( I know, we are awful --- we really are ) as Grandy watches the Texas football game and I read blogs and work on my Christmas cards. Just not up to answering the door and giving out treats to all the ghosts and goblins. Fighting off the ghosts and goblins of my mind. Truth is though, I am doing alright. Much better of late since we have not had any Amber drama.

Painting took place today.

Painting will take place tomorrow.

Monday I go to cardiologist.

Monday afternoon I paint.

Tuesday I paint.

Wednesday I paint.

And so it goes---- we are making progress but it is slow.Trying to be alright with the slow part---

To our knowledge Amber has still not been served with our papers for getting shared guardianship of Chandler. Her next court date is November 18th. I hope we are not tricked again by another delay---

Happy Halloween and please know it is a treat to have this computer and this connection to each of you.

Round Two

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Monday

I slept better last night because I took a sleeping pill.

I am thinking about getting an alarm system for this cottage. There is one in the valley home and it helps me rest easy at night. When Amber was a teenager and on the streets running around keeping unsavory company I was always a little afraid. I did not think she would harm us but I was afraid someone she came in contact with or--- well--you can figure out the rest. Consequently I am uncomfortable. I think the alarm system would help relieve my mind at night.

Yesterday I spent two hours playing around in Photo Shop Elements. It was the first time I had done anything with it at all. I read a little magazine about it to familiarize myself somewhat and then I closed my Mac and opened up windows operating system. I had purchased tutorials and was going to begin my lessons. My tech guy ( husband) is not here and I was not able to open the downloaded files. Boo. I have figured out though that I love my iPhoto program on my Mac so much that I am going to purchase Photoshop Elements and the tutorials for my Mac. I am pretty excited about the upcoming possibilities of what can be done with photos and creating layouts. I have never done any digital scrapbooking and while I don't actually create 12x12 layouts I like to make little books and I certainly could use it in my business of creating packaging products.

My other time filler yesterday was working on a Christmas project/cards. I started this progect for my cards for last year and in October when we got the wind knocked out of our sails the project stayed put. I "made it over" for this year but I must say, it is much more time consuming than I had thought it would be. I am determined to get it done this year and out the door. I want that tin tub I showed you to be getting smaller in the next year!

I saw on the weather that it is going to get quite chilly up here on Wednesday. I think the highs are going to be in the 30's. We go down to the valley on Thursday after school. I am hoping it does not snow up here!!!

Saturday night I stayed up finishing the Anita Shreve novel, Light On Snow. It was very good. I just started her latest novel out only in hardback right now, A Change In Altitude.

That's about it. I am working on that Christmas project today along with correcting something on a packaging project to go to production. I am picking up Chandler from school this afternoon to take him to the dentist for a teeth cleaning appointment.

I hope you all have the nicest Monday possible.

Fresh On My Mind

Well, thankfully it is over. Traffic school that is. While I did learn something, I certainly do not think it was worth the $200. it cost me. I also was irritated right off the bat for the following reason:

We were to arrive at class at 11:30. When I arrived at 11:15 there was a line out the door and the classroom was almost full. There were seven seats left that I counted when there were about 20 people still in line. I put my purse on a table with an empty chair in front of it. Once I was signed in, seated, and just a few more people behind me got signed in, the teacher looked up, saw there were no more seats in the room and told everyone that was still in line they would have to re-register for a different date. He could not let them stay without a seat. Some of the students already seated immediately called out to the instructor that the remaining people could sit on the tables. The instructor told the people in line to go see if they could find other chairs ( the class was at The Holiday Inn ) and he would let them stay. Why did they register more than they could accommodate? Other chairs were found and that part ended well but I think all of us with seats were putting ourselves in the position of the people still in line as they were all in line by 11:30. I would have been wanting to ram the room with my car ( oops, road rage, another ticket coming ) if after I had legally registered, gotten my money order to pay and been there on time I had been told I could not attend class.

Alright-next- when talking about drunk driving, the different stages of offenses were presented along with the consequences and it was indicated the consequences were the bottom line, no exceptions. Well-----you know me and my big mouth. I asked the question what happened when the consequences were not followed, as my daughter had an extreme DUI , and we were still waiting for her to do her 30 days for the DUI. He sort of ??? Of course he does not know my daughter's case and I know the law is supposed to be the law but ??? Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Also, we were told police officers do not get off on tickets. They are sited like everyone else. While I think this is true much of the time I do not think this is true all of the time.

Then again, we all get warnings some of the time so I guess this is not a very good complaint on my part. I think my complaint is that it was brought up in the first place.

Below are some of the things I did learn ,which may or may not help you keep from getting a ticket:

You will not be stopped on a freeway if you are doing up to 9 miles over the speed limit. Do not however do 11 miles over.

When exiting a freeway and you come to the stop light and it is red stop before the intersection. If it is a No Turn On Red intersection and you are over the crosswalk line you can be sited for running a red light even though you have not actually made the turn. If No Turn On Red is posted there is no reason at all for you to be looking to see what the oncoming traffic is doing as you are not to turn until the light becomes green .

Those middle turn lanes are for left hand turns only. They are not there for you to pull out in traffic and wait until you can get in the right hand lane. While you might not be stopped for doing this, if there is an accident---well, you know the rest.

We were told how the cameras work for the red lights. There are sensors ( I am calling them sensors ) under the pavement. Do not think you can beat a ticket by going to court. You will not win. Actually, it pretty much sounded to me that if you get a ticket for any reason you were not going to beat it so -- pay it or go to school.

Do not go 16 miles in a 15 mile school zone. You do not even want to know what the fine is for this--and especially if children are present. The end of the school speed zone is the second line in the crosswalk--not the other sign in the road from the opposite direction. Once you cross that second line in the crosswalk you can speed up to the normal speed limit. I already knew the following but I will mention it here as I see this happen so often. When you are in a school zone you may not go by another car in the other lane, even if they are doing 5 miles an hour. That is what the no passing means. Not that you pull out and go around a car---don't pass a car, period, end of story, when in that school zone speed limit area.

If you are at a four way stop, and two cars arrive at the same time, the car on the right only has the right of way if the car on the left chooses to defer to the car on the right. It is not automatic. Also, if you wave a car on and then the car going gets involved in an accident you can be held 1/3 responsible so don't use your hands to indicate you are deferring to another driver.

I also learned there were other people in the class just as shall we say disappointed about being there as I was---especially about 1/3 of the class that got ticketed in I believe it is Star Valley , right outside of Payson. We also learned there are many and I mean many more cameras being installed all across the state so people watch out. The state has a contract with a company and the contract continues---

Oh yes, when you are pulled over, before the officer even approaches your car he or she knows already if you have insurance, if you are wanted by the police, etc. etc.

Other complaints by students were about the speed limit changing often from 45 to 35 to 25 and back again in a short distance.

It is in the works to make cell phone usage inside the the moving vehicle illegal.

On break I asked the instructor about the officer telling me he would have normally given me a warning but he was on a detail and no warnings were being issued. According to the instructor if he was on a speed detail he was required to ticket me.

You know, I really do respect most law enforcement officers and I would not be a policeman or woman for any amount of money but I must say, some of the tickets being issued are not in my mind about safety---it is more about revenue. I will not say the instructor verbally said these same words but I will say he was sympathetic with this view point. That was one thing that will stay fresh on my mind for a long time. I will also most likely be that person causing road rage as I go the speed limit ,to the limit, when I am not on the freeway. We will see how long this intention stays fresh on my mind!

Friday Frenzy

I need a font that is SKINNY!

The frenzy was actually yesterday afternoon.

Two times, of late, my grandson had told me he needed new jeans. I had bought him six new pairs of jeans when school started. The second time he told me he said he needed black skinny jeans. I started thinking about it and thought to myself," I need to talk to Chandler. I bet he is saying need in place of the word want." I oh too well understand the misuse of the word need.

Discussion takes place. Yep, just what I thought. It has started. The style thing at school. This is the first time he has asked for a particular piece of clothing. He also requested opening a savings account. We have been going to do this for a long time but did not have his S.S. number and needed it for the account. Since Amber is now currently out of the picture we have the number. So-----

Off we went yesterday afternoon to the bank and then to Walmart in search of SKINNY jeans. He insisted that was what they are called. The clerk at the fitting room said she had seen boys try them on but she did not know if they still had them. She called someone to help. The help was older than me and not into the latest fashion in the least --- even Walmart fashion! Smile. Bottom line-no skinny jeans. Only other store I know to look since it is the only other clothing store we have up here in the mountains ( to my knowledge ) is Penny's. Off to Penny's we go. Score. Skinny jeans are actually slim jeans and the skinniest ones we found are by Vans. Luckily they were on sale or there would not have been black skinny jeans purchased. It amazes me what clothing cost at regular price--sometimes even sale prices. Anyway, my Chandler was happy and you see him above modeling his skinny jeans before school. He was in a frenzy when the alarm went off this morning to get those skinny jeans on his skinny legs. Seems my heart is always in a frenzy to help make him smile be it Friday or any other day of the week. Tomorrow I will be in a frenzy to get to my Defensive driving class so my ticket will be dismissed. Hope all your frenzy's are good ones this weekend.

Thursday's Truth or Consequences

This vintage wash tin in my studio holds more unfinished projects than I care to count--

But-count them I did last night. Ridiculous, just ridiculous. What has happened to me over the years? I always, and I mean always finished something if I started it or I got rid of it right away.

Now, another truth, this same tin a few weeks ago held just as many bags of card kits that I had assembled. I would take a class, buy extra materials to make more, assemble all the supplies to make the cards and store them in zip lock bags. Tidy, neat, just sitting, and sitting and sitting. When my dear friend Suzanne came to visit I sent them all home with her. She had to leave her summer clothes at my house in order to not go over the airline suit case weight limit. She also had to leave some other craft things I was bequeathing. I am not sure if it is just that I like being with my friends and other people in a class and I really don't give a hoot about the project or what---- I love the things I sign up to make. Why don't I take the time and effort to complete them? Busy? Well, yes, we are all busy. I absolutely know though we find a way to do the things we truly want to do. Guess finishing the books is down on my list. I must either start giving them away or I must start finishing them and that is the truth!

After I counted the number of unfinished items ( I am not revealing how many ! ) I got busy and completed the page in the Fall book of which I spoke about in an earlier post. Isn't this darling? It was done on a piece of canvas with a mask and glimmer mist. The part I completed last night is the beading. The beading is what makes the page so special.

These are two of my other favorite pictures in the book.

Yahoo! A finished product. Maybe I will even add some pictures and journaling in the next couple of months.

And last but not least my finished lamp shade. This shade will be going on an Alabaster lamp which was purchased when I was in Warrenton Texas at the big antique bash. The shade was inspired by Carol Wingert's shade she made for creative escape. You can visit Carol here. She puts together amazing kits to sell and gives absolutely awesome directions. Alright, back to the shade. Carol used all buttons on her shad and while I loved it I also loved some of the original covering on this vintage shade that was falling apart. There was very little of it left so this is what developed. I took vintage Damask napkins and tore them into pieces. I looped them around the top of the shade base. I attached a button to the bottom of each piece and then strung buttons down to the bottom of the structure. On the metal pieces coming down to make the base I strung buttons all the way down those pieces. See the gimp on the bottom. It is original. I wanted to save it as well. The last step was to sew the rhinestone buttons around the top on the pieces of napkins and tying in pieces of the torn original shade. I don't have the lamp up here. It is in the valley and I am looking forward to seeing it on the lamp with light shining through. The truth is I am very happy with the consequences of starting a project yesterday and completing it on the same day!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - The Beginning of a Lampshade

Spooky

Now this is a real friend---

Thank you ever so much, Bonnie, for making this adorable Spooky banner for me!

Close up of the Y--

Shows the world one of the reasons Y I love my dear friend, Bonnie.

Like mother, like daughter--

Bonnie's daughter, Megan, made these gorgeous fall leaves. Love them.

And---if that wasn't enough. I also received these fabric pumpkins with real pumpkin stems that Bonnie and Megan made.

Some of the beautiful fall foilage in my Pinetop neighborhood. I took this photo yesterday.

Sorry I haven't blogged this past week.

Partly because I was busy, partly because I don't know how to catch up, partly because ??????

O h so glad to be sitting here in Pinetop, listening to a shower outside, holed up in my flannel nightgown, about to go back to bed as I stayed up way too late last night finishing a book. The name of the book is, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. Oh so true -- sometimes still want it all!

O h my goodness how time flies by.

K ind of spooky in and of itself.

You will be kind I know as I try to list just a few of the things that have been going on in my life.

I have heard concerns from many about the change in my posting details of what has been happening. There is no way I can go back and fill in the blanks and there is no way I would remember details anyway but .....

Disagreement and argument with Maria ... she did not think I had a right to complain about Amber's things and the garage sale. The exchange was ugly and is still unpleasant for me.

Major concerns about happenings with Amber, Chandler, and Maria.

Different opinions between Randy and myself about the situation but gratefully and I do mean gratefully between Barbara in Texas and Suzanne visiting from TN much progress was made that resulted in....

Petitioning the court for joint guardianship of Chandler, with Maria. This is a solution for us and is in the process.

Amber was given another extension for court as she was sick on her Oct. court date-( This is what we were told when Randy called the court.) The next court date is around mid November.

Well Woman exam and EKG revealed a new Heart Arrhythmia. Doctor had me make an appointment with the cardiologist. This appointment is the first of November.

Remember the ticket I avoided driving from the valley to Pinetop because of the wonderful officer? Funny--I really did deserve to be sited for this offense. Well, on the 6th of October I got a ticket in my neighborhood on the main road going up the mountain. Radar showed me going 41 in a 30 mile zone. The 30 mile zone had just and I mean JUST started from the 40 mile zone. Officer said he would normally give me a warning but on this particular detail they were not giving any warnings. I wonder when they have details in which they do give warnings. I want to go to court but everyone has advised me to just go to driving school so I have registered.

Randy and I are currently taking turns being in the valley and being in Pinetop for Chandler. We are painting the valley home, including trim, walls, cabinets and doors. What a job. Slow process as we are going from stained wood to painted. Also there are deep little grooves in our wide baseboards that require paint to be put in with a tiny craft brush to cover the stain completely. Randy is now on paint detail in the valley and I am on Chandler detail. We will be switching off after Halloween.

While I was in the valley Bonnie and I took a darling fall/Halloween class at the Scrapbook Barn. Dana taught this class and she was great. I hope to take some pictures later of a few of the pages. There is one in particular that I just love.

I do hope your life is not SPOOKY but just full of treats--

for sharing with you is a special treat for me.

My Girlfriends Gone

My girlfriends gone

My heart is sad

My girlfriends gone

What fun we had

My girlfriends gone

We'll meet again

My girlfriends gone

But love remains----

Wordless Wednesday in Pinetop

Saturday Sorrrow

Leaving Texas antiquing behind today.

Sorry I have not posted pictures since Wednesday.

Forgot to take camera to the fields on Thursday.

Yesterday was my dear Suzi's birthday. We have been celebrating of sorts all week together. Three times we have gone to the grocery store and purchased a pint a piece of Blue Bell Ice Cream. While others walked around eating there little scoops we walked around with our cartons. Now it seems the cartons are being carried on our bodies and they don't look as good as they tasted. Smile.

Found an elegant, absolutely exquisite vintage black dress yesterday, which according to Suzi, looks as if it was tailored to my body. Got it for $25.00. I have no where to wear it but will someday. Honestly, it looks like an Audrey Hepburn item and the closest I will ever come to being like Miss Audrey is by wearing this dress. Will just put it on in the privacy of my own home if necessary.

Wanted to go back and buy a bed I saw the very first day-think I posted it. Discovered it was really a half bed so would have had to adjust the rails or buy metal ones and since our lives are in such flux at the moment I passed on it. Suzi and I have both said there will ALWAYS be treasures out there!

First time we have been to this show that I did not haul home a trailer full of stuff. Of course I used to have my antique booth. This time buttons, trim, and beads got my $$$. Made my husband very happy about packing. I think I have a rusted floor lamp to still show you and the alabaster lamp. Future Wordless Wednesdays hopefully.

While you are enjoying your Saturday we will be enjoying ours driving along listening to a Book on CD, looking at the beautiful scenery along each state and every now and then dreaming about a return shopping trip. See you later - about time to get the rest of the crew up and packing.