Saturday, November 22, 2014

Posting Absence
Posting absence, a 2014 timeline:
January:  Open up shop.  The Bachelor Pad  (see on facebook))
February:  Dad diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Fly to Texas, spend 3 weeks
April: drive to Texas for my daughter's wedding.  Dad attends and dances at wedding!  Father-in-law gets sick and we spend extra days until he is released from hospital
May - June: operate shop and other projects
July 3:  fly back to Texas.  Dad passes away on July 8.  Stay 5 weeks in Texas for funeral, house cleaning and sale listing and will probate.  I am the eldest and executrix of the estate
August-September: catching up, working shop and dealing with Dad's estate
September 30: mother-in-law has stroke.  Oct. 3 arrive in Oklahoma to help take care of her and her husband who has Altzhiemers.  End up staying 4 weeks.
November 6: return home to California.  Husband has a new job in Massachusetts.  He begins new position Dec. 1.  He leaves here Nov.21 after a week of packing his belongings.  Now my every waking moment is getting the house ready for the packing and moving.  But, wait... it gets better!  I am going to move to Oklahoma for the winter to take care of hubby's mom & dad and bringing my 3 dogs and 2 cats there.  I have arranged for my brother to fly to CA to help drive us in an RV while I drive my car.  The logistics of this trip alone has been mind blowing!  Should be sleeping in OK before Christmas.
But, wait there is more!  My 60th birthday is Dec. 2.  Months ago I scheduled a trip to Cancun, Mexico to celebrate.  So, in the middle of all this chaos I'm spending 4 days away from it.  Sweet!

So yeah.  In between all this I did manage to create some paper projects.  If I have a spare moment I'll post pictures.

xoxo
Kat

Time to Catch Up!!

The last sunset  of 2012 over the Pacific

Another gorgeous sunset on Jan. 26, 2013

A large Western Scrub Jay in the backyard 1/30/13

Daughter Kellye and fiancee, Jesse and me at the Cliff House

looking south at Ocean Beach

3-16-13

Kellye with funny eye sunglasses

  

K & J at the Japanese Gardens, Golden Gate Park

 Then later... on their devices...  (they're young)

A gorgeous double rainbow

looking east

 

And this was what was west (causing the rainbow)

Some before and after pics of a project

(a simple thrift store picture)

There's more to come.  Lots to tell.  Stay tuned!

xoxo Y'all!

kat

Merry Time!

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

I would like to say that this a picture of our tree, but...no.

This is our tree.

(no room for anything larger)

Regardless, the "spirit" of the season is present in our little home.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a prosperous New Year!

xo

Kat

Happy Halloween!

Pic of me "enhanced" by Pic Monkey.  Too Fun!
More to come!
kat

Gopher, Gopher... Who's got the Gopher?

NOT ME, NOT ME!!!

I had a gopher, maybe more.  It destroyed my front yard and drove the dogs crazy in the backyard.  Seriously, my backyard looks like a war zone with all the tunnels/fox holes they have dug chasing after the critter.  In the front yard I tried traps (only attracted a million ants, ew).   I tried flooding the holes with water.  I tried those stakes that vibrate and make buzzing noises.  It dug right up to the stake and covered it with dirt!  Luckily, I got my money back on those things (guaranteed).
Then one night we had a visit from a skunk in the backyard.  Allie (aka Puppers) didn't get sprayed but she walked into a cloud of spray.  And, of course came back inside immediately.  Goodie.
That got me to thinking about the time back in the 80's that I lived in the middle of a ranch, in an old house that had been vacant for many years.  That winter we were "visited" by 37 skunks!!!!!!!  Yes, 37!  Then we figured out a way to get rid of the critters.
Good part, listen up!
MOTH BALLS.  They can't stand the smell.  Sprinkled them all around the house and never saw another skunk.  IMPORTANT INFORMATION:  moth balls are poisonous.  So here's what you do.  1. NEVER put them where pets can dig them up and eat them!  2. "Plant" them in the ground where the gopher holes/tunnels are.  It's a good idea to wear gloves also.  3. Do not leave them on top of the ground for birds or other animals to get to.  PLANT them.  Around your flower beds, in your potted plants (gets rid of munching bugs) along your fence line, around your rose bushes... anywhere gophers, skunks and bugs get.  GOOD NEWS:  it doesn't harm plants or grass!!!
The only thing to remember is to bury them in the ground.
Mothballs are not available in the really smelly version anymore but the ones you can get still do the job.  $3.99 to $4.99 a box.  Not bad.

Hope this helps!
xo
kat

Blackberries

In an area of our neighborhood where I walk the dogs, there are blackberry vines poking through a fence.
I usually pick off one and eat it as we pass by.  Yesterday I got smart and brought a little bag with me.

But, there are a lot more berries on the other side of the fence... out of reach.
So I went to the house where the berries were growing to ask the owners if they were going to pick them.  A young boy (13-14 y/o) came out.  He was babysitting his siblings.  He said "Who are you?!"  I explained that I lived up the street and asked if they were going to pick the blackberries.  "Oh, yeah.  We pick them" he said.  Sure they do.  As I left I heard him knocking on his door.  His siblings locked him out of the house.
I had a good chuckle over that.

SOP progress update

In the last couple of weeks I have managed to accomplish a few more tasks from my SOP list.
SOP stands for Summer Of Projects started by the Sweet Sherri over at Foziewisp

Paint the front door (it was white and chipped), scrub the floor mat that goes in the kitchen and unpack two boxes (that have been sitting in the living room for 3 months!)

Door black, check.  Floor mat cleaned and drying, check.  Two boxes emptied and ready to be recycled, check.

I also hung up a bunch of my framed artsy-fartsy photos that I have taken over the years.

I have more to frame and add to this wall.  I also hung up a lot of other art and bulletin boards and such.  Part of cleaning out one of the boxes.

So onward, back to my list.  My sister and brother-in-law are coming to visit for two weeks in August!

I'll leave you with this happy picture

Got this idea from a pic I saw over at Oddman a fun and quirky site (that we're addicted to)

So, have a great day, y'all, really!!
xo
kat