My Art World.....

Is on hold for a few more weeks. Im about buggy since I really can't get into making anything for all that needs to be taken care of for the move. I can't wait until I am situated and back to creating, daily. Im busy it seems each day getting things done for my big move and I hope to be settled by the end of the month.

Bare with me and keep coming back, I will have more dolls, purses, and who knows whats next...... for your enjoyment very soon :)

gotta go for now, I need some sleep so I can get up early and pack, pack, pack, pack.....and pack some more.

I'll be back soon,

Michelle

21 more days to Packing D-Day

I have been organizing, throwing out and making the necessary trips to the local thrift shop and I think I'm ready to start packing! That was my thought this morning, so I started to pack mid afternoon. I now have 6 boxes done and my entire entertainment center and book shelf clean. It feels pretty good now that I at least have this much done.

I have 21 days left to get my belongings, well at least the things that I want to take, packed and ready for the POD. Its a guess as to how much I can fit into this "U-Haul" POD. I mean I've got the measurements that they gave me but until I actually see it it's just hard to tell. I plan to go to the local U-Haul place on Monday so maybe that will help :)

Truely, I can only think of how much everything hurts right now.....ow. I went through this 2 days ago when I cleaned out the kitchen pantry & cabinets and then also the bathroom cabinets too. It took me a whole day after that to feel normal again. This back surgery recoup is tricky to say the least. Anyway,  I gathered 6 bags of trash and they were a bit heavier than I expected or needed them to be so in pain is what I am. But the real revelation was what I came across as I cleaned and I also found it hard to believe that I actually had that much "junk" that I wasn't using! What was I thinking holding on to 5 lotion bottles that only had a 1/4 of an inch of lotion left? And "scrunchies" bahahahaha, yep I said scrunchies. I still felt the need to hang onto several and in a variety of colors to match all my outfits. Oh dear, It was definitely time to do this.

I found a few other things in my cleaning frenzy that made me laugh as well but definitely not mentionable :) take my word.

I will have to work on the art room next but I really hesitate doing this because then everything that I adore working on or with will be packed away. Its inevitable though, it has to be done and I'll be there before I know it. I hope I still believe that sentence once the tape is on the last box of crafts/ paints and material.

The great thing about this traveling adventure is that I will have some wonderful pictures and some fabulous quality time with my oldest daughter

Lets see what I have in my pictures "bag of tricks" to post and then I'm off to bed. My back is finally starting to relax and I'm going to take advantage of this glorious feeling.

Here's to a good nights rest and some beautiful dreamz,

Michelle

A Beautiful Sunday..... to remember

This is the day America changed ....forever.....for... always. The day that my comfort zone was disturbed, that day that I will always remember and never forget. Its engraved in my soul like a hot iron... branding life. I know where I was, I know what I was doing at that very moment, as well as almost every human being in the United States of America.

I was in shock, and for the first time in my life I really started to understand what it might be like to live in another country where fighting of this intensity went on daily. I watched, as did many others, the planes crash into the twin towers that day not wanting to believe. And I  just couldnt understand how this could happen to US, the United States of America.

I was working with one of my clients and his cell phone rang, he said a few things to the person on the other end of the phone and then hung up. He said, Michelle, turn on your tv to CNN, my friend just said that we should and that it was important. I turned it on and there we watched the first tower with a hole in the upper side of the building, smoke violently rolling out of the gaping hole.

We said nothing to each other, trying to make sense of what was happening and I guess digesting the possibilities. My mind was the optimistic one thinking that somehow a plane just flew too low and the instrumentation miscalculated something, somehow. We both sat there, honestly, sat there and said nothing to one another. Until we then viewed the 2nd plane slam into the next tower and the conversation flood gates broke loose....

We were now both speaking at the same time with thoughts of our own begging to make sense of what we were now seeing. Really, is this really happening? And then as the time passed another report, now of the pentagon being hit. My mind is now wondering where my children are and how I can get them home as quick as possible. I didnt know what to do first.

I began receiving calls from other clients that I would see that day reporting on what they had seen and their take on what we were experiencing and suddenly interjected into that was the next report of Alaquippa. Things became very still in the air, as if we were in the eye of the storm. I dont think I've ever experienced the sound of air silence before. You never really realize that so much is going on around you until all that is going on.. stops.

I then received a call from another client saying that she just saw and heard 2 fighter jets fly by her house in the opposite direction of Cleveland Air. Our thoughts were that they must be chasing someone. By this time the activity with the towers were being reported with the possibilities of terrorism, so seeing fighter jets fly by was alarming. Not more than 10mins later the jets flew back towards Cleveland and I really wanted to see my kids, now.

I still can't believe it, I don't think I will ever, really, understand how this happened to our beautiful America. How, Why...and why didnt we see it coming. America, the land of the free and the brave lulled into a false sense of security by what? By whom? Im not political in the slightest but this day made me think about the why's and the who's.

This is what I was doing on 9-11.......Where were you?

God Bless America ,

Michelle

A Very Good Morning

Good morning to everyone in bloggerland, Im trying to write as my kitten chews on my feet..silly cat. She seems content to lay under my feet and clean her beautiful fur as I write as long as I dont put my feet back on the ground!

I woke up lazily this morning which is always a great feeling. My Sophia (my kitten) was very cuddly and decided that staying in bed was a great idea so we did. I didnt get up until 10am! Not the usual for me, im usually up by 7, mostly because Sophia is an early riser. Kittens just dont understand beauty sleep, they are in play mode 24/7.

Ive finished my purse and am still working on my elf-Mahdreen. I am going to put her body together and take some pictures today. I had a bit of a set back with my car the last few days so its been the attention grabber. Hmm, I seem to be calling in all the fix it energy this week :)

I decided to take my car into the shop to have the A/C looked at, need to know the price before I decide if Im going to replace it. So I take it to a local shop, the owner is someone Ive known from one of the CC's that Ive worked at. He has a guy look at it and tells me that Im looking at over 1000.00, ugghhhh! Not what I wanted to hear at this point. I know that I have to have it fixed before I move. I cant very well drive across the states in a car that doesnt have a/c, especially with a passenger and my cat. Im not happy about any of this and on top of that he tells me that I need a new tire! I just bought them 2 yrs ago!!! I tell him and he says, well the hole is on the side so I cant plug it. He puts on my spare(cause im not going to buy a tire from him cause Im po'd about the price of the a/c) which now days is a donut sized tire only meant to get you to the shop to get another tire! double grrrrrrr. So I tell him to just do the oil change and I'll pick up the car.

I arrive at the shop and exchange pleasantries with the owner and he then gives me a bill for 97 dollars! now Im fuming, what the heck did I just pay for. I was so mad I couldnt even see straight. $97 dollars? really, for an oil change? He said, well we have to charge for checking the a/c. Honestly, really? So I pay the $97 and take my car and the donut and go home to cry for awhile.

So the next day I decide that I have to look for tire prices and get this tire situation under control cause I cant even begin to work on organizing stuff for the move without transportation. I finally take it to a place next door to my complex, sounds citified doesnt it? but its not, just happens to be an NTB a block away for some reason. The area is very wooded and then sprinkled with civilization in places that just dont seem right, haha. So I have my tire replaced for $79 and Im still looking into the a/c.

I said all that to say.......I have really been trying to get back into the art room where my sanity resides and I think today is the perfect day to do it.

Inventing and Creating....the things we are made of

Ive had a few crazy weeks and just sat down to write for a moment. I forget sometimes how good it feels just to put some words down and have them slowly relieve my  mind. I love to write I always have and with the crafty, inventive side always taking center stage :) my love for writing stands by the side of the road if not for this blog.

So,.... the sewing portion of me is at a standstill for the moment..,hmm. I keep going into the art room with intentions but I suppose they arent strong enough or I would have worked on one of the projects I have waiting for my attention.

I am as I mentioned working on a move to another, warmer, state. Im also working on my divorce. Im making all the appointments for the lawyer, Im paying all the fees, Im organizing my things and getting rid of those items that I dont need anymore. Im bombing the garage for spiders so that I can go through those items and throw away, give away or pack what Im taking with me.

I have a few months to get these things done so Im "thoroughly" going through things. What a great opportunity to cleanse my life. Its a lot of work but so worth it in the long run, kind of Feng Shui'ing everything while im at it hmm? I love my books on Feng Shui! if you've never tried it...I highly recommend it! The energy that is derived from getting rid of old, stuck energy is absolutely amazing!!

So my agenda today is to open the garage so that it can air out for a bit.....means that I have to sit out in the lot for a while, Im in a large apt. complex and my garage is on the other side of the complex, dont ask, ugh. So I'll read my book on "Trust Your Vibes" by Sonia Choquette and enjoy the sun for an hour. Its 76' and sunny with a light breeze today, not too shabby for having to sit outside.

I also plan on dedicating an hour to my purse and at least an hour to Mahdreen (she deserves it, she's been patient enough). I also have a new jewelry project that I started a few days a go to appease my nervous energy. I made a pair of earrings yesterday and want to make a necklace. Its the Steam Punk thing that has become so popular lately, some fun ideas to play with.

I've posted a few pictures that I took a few days ago early in the morning. I live on the 3rd floor of an apt complex and look out onto a beautiful protected wetland area. So you see woods for as far as the eye can take you. This particular morning we had some fog roll in and as I was waking up and looking out my window I noticed the fog and the beautiful colors that were coming through due to the sun rising. Sometimes you can capture all the color and sometimes, well, maybe just the fog :)

So I'll be back soon....I am having a great time with my creative freedom. Talk to you soon,

Michelle

Back In the Saddle :)

Hello to everyone who has been hanging in there with me and to all those dropping by to say hey! I've had so many changes to come about in the last several weeks and have gladly welcomed them. And yes, there have been some changes, wow.

For one, Im in the process of divorce....hmm, that one is time consuming enough on its own. It's only been 3yrs last April that I wass married and as happy as a clam when I did. I remember posting about the man that I had fallen in love with and our wonderful times together. And then of course the proposal and then the wedding and then the honey moon....And then I stopped posting about "US" altogether because the problems began. I won't go into the  specifics because they aren't important at this point. But I will say that it was my choice to divorce and for many good reasons. If it were for only one of the reasons that I decided on.... it would suffice for my reasoning.  I believe that all women can and should stand tall and strong, this is not a mans world of and to itself, this world is filled with human beings. We all breathe the same air. Enough said. So this has taken a bit of my thoughts and time. It isn't one of the things that I posted about being so happy for, which is an obvious.

One of the great things to come of this is that I am moving to a warmer climate, no more snow! yay, yay and yayyyyyyy. I'm very excited about this all by itself! I'm a West Coast native and have longed for the warmth and SUN, ahhhhhh, for a lonnnnnnng time. So I see an opportunity to make changes and live my life the way "I" would love to.

I have also had several offers to expand my sewing creations, many different avenues to explore that are so exciting and that makes me very happy!

I will post some of the new pictures of the body parts for Mahdreen, which I plan to finish through the next week. And also a new purse that I have been working on:)

I love the fun of making a very cool, classic outside shell and then a wild and crazy fun lining! I don't want to give away tooo much of the future, in the works, creations but this purse may be one of the lines to come :))) One more picture and then I'm off to bed.

still healing from my back surgery........

Talk to you soon, Michelle

Patience is My Virtue I hope its been yours :)

I will post tonight, I have so much to show you and tell you. A lot of new ideas and lots of new fun for the future of my dolls and my sewing life.

 Thank you for your patience, I know that many of you have been waiting to see what has become of Mahdreen and soon the next steps will be posted. So many things happening in my life and so many choices, Im sooooo excited and will let you in on everything very soon, promise :)

So I will be back tonight, Michelle