super busy sunday

I've been a busy little bee today. I've been selling my rag-tag jewelry at The Arts Center in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Today I spent ALL day making jewelry and then packaging it. I'm still not done. It was a rather exhausting day--had to remind myself to eat... Now it's raining cats and dogs--which we SO need. I hate when the tangerine trees get that shriveled leaf thing going on. Hopefully this rain will plump them out again. I like to make jewelry out of items that are pretty much useless and that I don't have to pay a lot of money for. Of course turquoise doesn't fit that bill but I love turquoise. I made a bracelet out of old watches today. Are you thrilled yet? Someone must be thrilled because someone is buying my stuff up! Thank you special someone! I intended on writing more but I realized that it's 10 PM and I don't want to be up late so... goodnight to all and to all a goodnight!

what i should be doing... what i am doing...

I guess I should be making an apple cranberry pie. Instead I'm here blogging. Ted is working the late shift at the factory so I'm up to my old shenanigans and listening to Cold Play and possibly the new Killers in a little while. I should be making some jewelry too. But that can wait. So can the pie. Plus if I bake the pie tomorrow it will be fresher and better and won't get that juicy soggy feeling. I hate that. Today I was a cooking fool... making sweet potato casseroles, and 3 varieties of cranberry sauce to please everyone... I did laundry, put away Lulu's laundry--that took forever since her cousin gave her a massive amount of hand-me-downs. I put a whole garbage bag full of summer clothes into the back of her closet for future use. Her dresser can only hold so much. Such problems... what a blessing to have a cousin a little bit older and taller!! I always got hand-me-downs when I was a teen. I was so in to used clothes, men's dress shirts, the trench coat, jeans jeans jeans. Then I went through my college Gap days... and still like the Gap. Would rather do the Banana Republic ((Outlet))... I like stylish clothes. I like wearing clothes that fit me right that make me look appetizing. A few years ago I lost the 30 pounds baby fat that I gathered--10 pounds from each kid. I got to buy a whole new wardrobe. It was a blast. I went from a size 12 to a size 6. Still... sometimes i look at myself and think... Renaissance woman--too curvy. Growing up I was constantly teased for being so skinny and flat chested. High school boys can be so annoying. I never felt pretty then. But I never cared. I was wearing men's dress shirts and a trench coat... and jeans... obviously my main concern was not in looking nice or attracting the opposite sex. I was boy crazy I just thought what I was wearing was attractive and thought that I was captivating... clothes or not.

Tonight we went to Busch Gardens. We got there around 4 pm and they were open until 7 pm. That's an hour more than we thought. I rode Sheikra... the roller coaster that drops you straight down from really, really high. It really scares me but I ride for the 10 year old. It was sunset when we were on the ride and the sky was beautiful. Not as beautiful as two nights ago... but very pretty. I like my Florida sky. It's weird how wherever you go--the sky is different. At least that's been my experience. The crumbcakes loved going to Busch Gardens... and when we got in the car to leave they orchestrated, in unison, "Thank you for taking us to Busch Gardens!!" chant. We used to do that for my parents when we were kids. It brought back memories when they did it. Adorable.

Lulu rode her first roller coaster tonight... the Scorpion. It does one upside down loop. I can't believe she is tall enough to ride a roller coaster. She was so thrilled to do it, so excited. She's always trying to keep up with the brothers. She is brave and feisty, sweet and kind. She's the baby girl I always wanted.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Ever thankful.

A lovely envelope from Test Tower! Me Sermonizing...

Hello dear world. Has anyone been watching the news, listening to the radio, reading Russian propaganda? I hope not. It's time to bury the ol' head in the sand... I never thought the United States of America would fall apart--at least in my life time. Never thought we'd be on the verge of economic oblivion... Yet people are still doing what people do... working, breathing, buying stuff, chugging along. Am I the only one waiting to see the soup line getting longer... waiting to be standing in the soup line? Yet here I am still on the i-net... still able to use the computer to communicate nonsense and dribble. We've done as much as we can/could to prepare for ????? in the future. What does a global depression look like? Will everyone lose their job? Who will keep their job? When banks falter is all you money just gone? Does it vanish in thin air? What will be worth something--food, water, cash, gold, guns, ammo? Will I watch my kids starve to death or die of infection or viruses? Is it too late to do something?

Don't panic, work together... share, pray... buy local, act local. It won't be time to rob the local Circuit City... not time to "grab a new t.v." It won't be time for any disgusting behavior. Time to see that God will see you through if you trust Him.

We received something from Focus on the Family in the mail... not quite sure how we got on that mailing list... but there was an article about the lies we tell our children--one "lie" that they mentioned was, "God helps those who help themselves." How could that be a lie? God rewards hard work. And the phrase is not referring to helping yourself to the cookies in the jar or the t.v. at Circuit City... It's about doing for yourself what you are able and rightly should do. God says whatever you find to do, do it will all your might. There are blessings for good behavior and there are curses for bad behavior. It is cause and effect. If you get drunk and something bad happens to you--an accident, etc, liver poisoning or disease if this becomes a way of life--that is the effect of your behavior. You can say that you reap what you sow. Perhaps our economic times are based upon a society, a nation who reaps what he has not sown. I'm talking about living in debt. I think most of us are playing the credit card gamble. Now more than ever it's time to stop spending what you don't have. Most people I know, in fact maybe everyone that I know--work hard for what they have, work hard to do good at their job. Americans in general are hard workers... we just have to stop living above our means. Do you really need the new dress, shoes, gadget... ? We've been told for so long that things will make us happy. It's almost a constant shove into the brain. But, I don't know about you, but for me... you get the thing and then what you really want is the NEXT cool thing... and so the cycle never ends. It's time to say No. No. No.

I would like to thank Test Tower for the awesome mail art that I received today... I didn't know that mail art was edible... dual purpose!

Test Tower ROCKS!!

Cascadia Art Post mail art by Jack

Friends Forever...

We received a lovely photo postcard from friends Karen and Dana. Karen is an artist and helps run their funny farm. I've known Karen since I was like 8 years old. She seems to remember more of what I said and did... but I remember how we kept each other on the straight and narrow throughout life. Thank you Karen for always being there for me!

Ben in the hospital...

Last Tuesday at around noon Ben got bite by our former guinea pig, "Blaze." By 8 p.m. that night the hand was swollen, hot and Ben was running a fever. Ted and I agreed that we had to take him to the ER. I thought they'd give him some antibiotics and we'd be on our way. That was not the case. The infection was so bad that he had to stay in the hospital until today... Saturday. Ted and I took turns at the hospital with Ben. Ted stayed at night and I went during the day. The whole affair was immensely draining. Plus the stress of not knowing what exactly is going to happen to your child and his hand... is so upsetting. The doctors were afraid that the infection was MRSA or Staph related and might spread to blood, bones or tendons. Ben was on IV antibiotics. Each day he made a tiny bit of progress until Thursday night when the wound erupted. (A lot of the bad stuff came out) Then the hand started to look a lot better. Ben told the nurse that everyone from his church was praying for him. She said that prayer was very healing. Ben thought that the hospital stay was all about the PS2 and watching cable tv. Also they had just about everything a kid could want on the food menu. I'm so thankful for the support of family and friends. It's so difficult to see your child suffering with perhaps possible implications of amputation... The ER doc said that we came in just in time... children loose hands over animal bite infections. So I'm writing this here tonight to give parents a little warning about pets and animal bites... even the guinea pig can carry some nasty germs.

Tired, tired, tired...

I'm tired and it's Monday. I've been Mondaying=doing the things that take up my usual Monday. I'm adding a new element to Monday... organic food co-op. Today I'm getting a delivery... next week I'll pick up.

Yesterday I made this piece of mail art that I sent to my aunt Cathy today. This is her birth month. I'm sending it early for a few extra days refrig time. It doesn't look like much but took me all of an hour at least. And the colors scanned lighter than the original... thus is life.

Three pieces of mail art arrived at my door today. And also a Gettysburg address from the US Mint. I'm guessing my dad sent that. I'll have to call and ask him. The mail art can be seen at the other blog... www.jenniferzoe.blogspot.com Very interesting... as the mail art race heats up. Just kidding... no race... I hope you have a sense of humor today...

Slideshow of some of my mail art and other arty fun

Find more photos like this on International Union of Mail-Artists

Veteran's Day

Thank you to all of our Veterans... past and present... known and unknown. You have made this country great and many of you have paid with your lives. I thank you. I thank you for the freedom that you afford me.

A few of our days in photos...

Starting from the top... we have today's event... the Temple Terrace Art Festival. There was a hug crowd there... lots of artists and crafters selling their creations. The festival was on the beautiful Hillsborough River. Then there is a photo of our many postered homeschool room... (AKA the dining room)... Then a couple of photos from the USGS open house... too fun. I am now thoroughly exhausted and will attempt to retire early tonight.

Look what the mail man dragged in... TEST TOWER

I've been a busy little ant... working so hard on my mail art call--I did 4 pieces yesterday of 4 of my favorite friends who have chromatophore cells. I've also done some research on the cells, the animals and marine biologists who study them. Fascinating. Working hard at homeschooling too--hoping this is not one of those rights that Obama is going to take away. Not lol. We went to the USGS open house this week--it was a BLAST. I guess that officially makes me a nerd. We got new posters to decorate the homeschool room/dining room. Fabulous. Perhaps I'll take a photo to show you all--all of my faithful readers...

Let me tell you how wonderful it is to have a 10 year old. He made me eggs for breakfast and hot chocolate--with lowfat milk. (ovaltine with warm milk). GOtta love HIM! I guess I thought this day would never come. I'll blink and we'll be sending him to college!

Don' t forget to check out www.jenniferzoe.blogspot to see my other two mail art pieces...