Artsy Fartsy Friday~~~Artist Laura Bell

Welcome everyone to Artsy Fartsy Friday!


   Short and sweet today.



       All I will say is that I will NEVER complain about doing laundry again!

And I can thank artist Laura Bell for that.

                     
                 
                                     Artsist: Laura Bell     Uploaded by: CBS
                

I am always amazed by the creativity of artists

       Now, when you do your next load of laundry ....

                                  just think of the possibilities!!!!





Have a beautiful weekend!

             Blessings, Joanne
        

Knitting-in-the-Round

OK, a while back I sort of mentioned that I was learning knitting-in-the-round.

That's when you use several needles
                                     
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or circular ones 
To make tubes. ...Like for sleeves, hats...etc
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The double pointed needles are often used for smaller work.

Like booties
                             
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or teeny sweaters
                               
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or even a cool hat
                           
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  This book
                           
                  caught my eye at a bargain book store and I thought it would be fun
         


I purchased it and took it home. Now I am not proficient in knitting, but after consulting tons of YouTube tutorials I was able to make sense of it all





and  I made

                          and

I actually made three But I gave one away to my little almost three year old niece

These were so much fun and I am already working on a fourth...what I will be doing with them I still don't
have a clue, but in the meantime.....


                      maybe I'll make for them!
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I am so weird




                                                                                         

The Reality of Garbage

Hey have you guys seen anything good on TV?


I mean anything that doesn't involve 40+ year-old house wives cheating with  random 20 something-year-old strangers
                    
                                     
                                                  The Graduate



Something that doesn't involve the subject of teenage pregnancy and somehow making it attractive instead of a warning to teens
                                                           
                                                
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Something that doesn't involve gratuitous sex scenes that are now abundant on regular TV instead of exclusively in movies


          Movie: Bob Carol Ted and Alice




Something that doesn't involve verbally abusive dance teachers or pushy pageant moms

                   


Something that doesn't involve drunk 20+ something-year-olds that think that the only thing in life that makes you worthy of love is how one looks...and of course the most expensive handbag.
                                      
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Something that doesn't involve a "Blushing Bride"  pushing, cursing, slapping, and trantruming to get her way. 
                                            
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No table flippin'


No young woman or men humiliating  themselves to get attention
                                     

Since I love art ( Now I don't claim to be some art connoisseur) I appreciate it and I like what I like. My taste may appreciate an artist who works with paper bags or the classics of Renoir


I saw that there was a new show about the New York Art world.

It would be centered around a group of young women trying to break into the Art scene. They intern and work at various art galleries and there are even a group of them who manage to open a gallery as well.


My kind of show...so I thought.

All I saw was the same old thing that I see when they depict young women these days.

Catty

     Drunk

         Gossiping

              and some ( Not all ) with  an unbelievable sense of entitlement and up-turning of noses to anyone who is not like THEM.


       where were the artists?

                    
                           For that matter where was the art? It was pushed aside like some abandoned Hollywood backdrop.



another reality show with the same old formula.


They spoon feed us, and we (like hungry babies) gladly swallow it and ask for more....UGH.


I'm no angel. There have been shows that have grabbed me and held me in their reality show nonsense. It started with The Real World way back when
Then again when Survivor first appeared on the scene in 2000
The housewives of New York  was my Achilles heel later on 

But I quit.

      I'm done.

          

I wonder what would happen if we all just turned off the TV. How much money would be lost if every TV turned off for one day, one night, even one hour. Would anything change then?


       After all the dumbing down of shows...

              would we all have some sort of awakening?


 Would we get up and look around and realize all the time wasted?


I mean think about this....If someone came up to you and pointed to a pile of garbage and said

"Here, that's all there is. Look at this over and over again." 


Would you do it?


Haven't we done it?

I know I have.

         
So I have turned away, picked up the remote, and pressed....
                                         
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Artsy Fartsy Friday~~~The Art of Slinkachu

 I am so excited today!!!!

I finally get to post an Art post about.... Slinkachu 


I first came across his work when I saw his blog on Blog of Note. There, I was instantly pulled in into his miniature world. You have to see it to believe it. It's so clever so thought-out and so very very uniquely interesting..        



                   
                        Artsist: Slinkachu  uploaded by:  deutschewelleenglish




                    
                     
                          Artist: Slinkachu   uploaded by:  theguywhowatchmovies




Here is his blog link-->  http://little-people.blogspot.com/ and there is where you see the real genius. He photographs the scene and then he zooms out to show you the scene as you and I would see it as we walk by. His work changes your perspective and pushes you to see the ordinary in a very new way. I think he is brilliant!



Have an awesome weekend and look around....you might very well come across Slinkachu's work in your travels....ya never know!


              Blessings, Joanne

Take a Break to Giggle

Time for a bit of fun. Laughter is contagious


To me there is nothing better than seeing someone on TV cracking up when they aren't supposed to.


Please enjoy this game show on-air giggle and I hope it makes you laugh too!

                      
             
               Game show:The Chase   Host:  Bradley Walsh         uploaded by  tinyhorsemen             



Hope it made you laugh

                            Have an awesome day!

Artsy Fartsy...Finally!~The Art of Calvin Nicholls~

I LOVE art, but I guess you already knew that. 

 
I love it when I can get lost in the work and look at it over and over and always find something new about it to appreciate.


I haven't posted any art in a few weeks and I apologize for that. So I'm making up for it this week.


                                             ART.        YEA!!!!!
                                       
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Here is another artist that works with paper. Calvin Nicholls  creates unbelievable relief art that astounds me every time I see it. The feathers of his animals look light and soft and the fur looks as if it could move in the breeze. Please enjoy....
                                                
                   
                     Artist  Calvin Nicholls         uploaded by  jikkehond

Amazing right?

Have an awesome fantastic day!!!!!



                                        Blessings, Joanne

Gonna Go Old School

Got a dent on my fridge.

             It's driving me a bit crazy.

                     really coo coo.


My Dear Hubby reminded me that we have a warranty on the fridge...because the fridge is less than a year old.

So I call the dear people at Kenmore....


   "Hi this is Blah Blah How can I help you?" The Kenmore Phone consultant greeted me.


I tell her about the dent.

I tell her the fridge is less than a year old

and I tell her that I have a warranty.


There is a silence as she checks my account on her computer.


She states "Well, you ARE under warranty. We can sent someone out, but it is not a guarantee that they will replace any parts. It might very well be too expensive."


Then she says something that made me nearly gag.


"You may just have to buy another fridge"


Who the what the.......


Did she just say that one of my options is to buy a new fridge? To replace a fridge that is 10 months old?...Because of a dent?

I reminded her that I just bought this fridge less than a year ago. I nervously chuckled a bit realizing that she was probably reading from a script.

I told her that I realize that she HAD to say what she said, but "Doesn't that sound a bit silly to say to someone that has just purchased your fridge less than one year ago?"




                                      silence




                                           
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Okie dokie then





 I thought of how when I was younger we had just the one fridge....in fact, until I moved out.



we also had the same washer and dryer.


                          and TV

                                 


                           and radio

They didn't need replacing every year because they were made well.


My in-laws just replaced the old garbage can that was given to them as a bridal shower gift 50 years ago!


5 years ago we bought a washer and it has been on it's last legs for about 6 months now.

Years ago we bought a Sony TV and about two years later it was ready for the dump. Later I found out that an integral part was practically made to fail. The salesman said "Rather than fixing it...you might just want to replace the TV."

                      "But it's only two years old." I replied









                                       
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Every year we are told that we MUST upgrade our phones, computers, video game systems and ipods.

As a child did your family replace the telephone on a yearly basis? 

Did your Dad come home with a brand new washer every two years?

Recently my husband fixed part of what was wrong with our washer. When he looked inside, the parts that were responsible for the agitation were all made of cheap plastic. Things are no longer made to last. Things are made to intentionally breakdown. When it comes to electronics we have been sold the idea that whatever we have in our possession right now this instant is not good enough,...it's deemed obsolete the moment we take it home.


I want out.


Recently when the washer was completely kaput I bought one of these.

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kid's socks came out white as snow



I thought of other things I may replace




I might just start listening to this
                     
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and going back to this.
                                 
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I may even get some pearls and an angora sweater.






and if my kids want to play new  video games I'll look for our old game system
                                   
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...if they don't like it then we'll go real old school...
                                      
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and as far as our dented fridge is concerned, I may just leave it the way it is...I'm guessing before the year is out the whole darn thing will break down anyway. and if that happens


we'll go old school there too
                                      
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Flip Flop Flop

God has a sense of humor.


                     I'm convinced of that.




     Because why then would a woman who just wants to blend in...


                                    and not stick out in any way.....



                    have this happen to her in a crowded grocery store

             


a simple broken flip flop

that happened way on the opposite side of the store
                                         in the farthest check-out line....









that caused her to walk like this on the long walk to the the exit doors.

                                          
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           and to the car
                                       
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that was parked far far away.


                        
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and after she was safe and sound in the car...she laughed....hard 
                       
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 God knew what she needed~ a good hold-your-belly-laugh~...but next time God...could it be in a place less crowded?...just asking.

Have Your Friendships Changed?

I am going to apologize ahead of time because this might very well seem like a pity post. This is not my usual kind of post. I am feeling a bit down today.




Have your friendships changed? What changed them?
                             
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Many things can change a friendship. Maybe its betrayal or an on going argument that just never seems to be resolved. Distance sometimes erodes a friendship until the annual Christmas card is all there is.


Some of you have kept the same friendships since childhood
                  others college and some have kept blogging relationships for years without ever meeting in person.

For me it was my cancer.


or at least I think it was the cancer.


When my husband was sent to Iraq years ago and then just a few years later I became sick something inside me changed... really changed, and that is what my friends are complaining about.


"You've changed Joanne" is the mantra I hear over and over again.


I say...how could I not.


Instantly after the operation I became very protective....of my time with my family.
I didn't want anyone or anything getting in the way. All I wanted ...was more time with my family.
                                   
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I didn't want get togethers and dinners out


I wanted more time with my Kids and husband

I didn't want girls night

I wanted family time


I wanted to surround myself with my kids because they were the main ones I worried about when I got sick...I worried about them and how little time was left to enjoy them.

I was suddenly aware of hours and minutes even seconds wasted  when I could be home with my kids making memories.

Yes, I became selfish, because I suddenly had the knowledge that it could all be taken away in an instant. I needed those first few months after my operation to stay close to home and kids and my husband. I felt safe there. I wanted to just stay home.

 I felt bombarded by guilt as friends who didn't understand my sudden introversion felt alienated. I couldn't explain it; I didn't understand it myself.

recently a friend called and asked what she should give a friend of hers suffering breast cancer and getting a mastectomy.

                "What did you want Joanne when you were sick?"

    That question instantly froze me; it kicked me right back to that time.

                "Should I send her flowers?" she asked.

                "No." I said, what I wanted then was to feel normal again. I wanted to feel clean. She probably does too. "Send her some nightgowns that open in the front. pretty ones. She won't be able to raise her arms for a long time, so these nightgowns will help with that."
pretty front opening nightgowns and blouses would have been such a blessing for me then. I felt sucked right back to that awful time. I'm a survivor now So why did it make me sad to think of not having that pretty nightgown?


Years ago we decided that we would get together once a month. Sounds simple right? Nope, When you are a woman in her forties with young children , a caregiver to her own Mother and a husband who works horrendous hours. It is difficult. Even planning a family camping trip takes tons of coordination and planning so that My Mom is taken cared of properly. There is no such thing as impromptu plans. I guess its that way for everyone with families.  I do make these get-togethers, but it is the times I can't go that it becomes a problem and tensions arise. 


What's even more difficult is feeling that I don't do enough.

I am not enough. spread thin and tired of the complaints from all sides I retreat.

I don't do enough

   I don't give enough

      I am not enough, so why am I so tired?


Friends and some family think I don't care....I do

Friends and some family think that I have changed...I did

Some think they have it all figured out...but the only way they could possibly understand is going through it and I wouldn't want to wish that on my worst enemy.  They have their own trials and I don't pretend to know what they are going through but thank God Their Mothers are relatively healthy and independent and they themselves are healthy too .

Time fitters by as hours turn into days while I take care of Children,  Husband and Mom. admittedly I forget to call to check in. My fault entirely.

So I take my best friend's criticisms and I read the text where she writes that she will not arrange our monthly get togethers anymore. She says it is too much to keep asking what days are good for us all.

As I sit and read her text I glance at the mountains of medical bills that still have to be paid for my Mom. I have to think of ways to keep my kids occupied while I escort her to the numerous doctors appointments and have to make time to do her shopping. I think about my own upcoming mammogram and that weird pain in my chest that I have been feeling which worries me a bit.

I feel guilty, I feel responsible and I feel so very sad. Then guilty all over again because so many are in worse situations by far.


 Spread thin

        Thread bare

                Exposed and raw

                          I pray, take a breath and open up another envelope.






Have any of you experienced this? How did your friendships change?

Dear Rear

My family and I went on a little vaca.

We went to a Dude Ranch and no I did NOT ride the horses....if you want to know why just click here to find out what happened last year at the same ranch.

We went with Brother-n-law and family.

We were disappointed that the only thing that we enjoyed last year (well, the grown ups that is) The food was sub-par. In just one year the quality went down down hill.

Soooo, we came back home and my Sweet Daughter wanted to download pictures she took with her camera.


Now, a question.... do you have an idea of what you really look like? From all angles?



                              Especially the back?



                            



                               Are you sure?



Well, unbeknownst to me, my daughter took a picture of the Hubby and I walking and holding hands.


                   The back of us.



                                        'nough said.





All I AM going to say is that I had no flippin' idea!

 I mean In my head I thought I still owned the perky 18-year-old butt that fit so nicely in my super tight Sergio Valente jeans ( remember those? Circa 1982?)


All I can say is gravity is a Cruel Cruel evil thing... and so are donuts.


So since my sweet daughter intended to put this picture in a scrapbook I decided to use Picmonkey to edit it a bit





                First I thought of a strategically placed sign

                            

Then I changed what I was wearing...hey don't laugh this might be on the Paris runway next year

Then I thought I could convince everyone I was vacationing on some tropical island

But really who am I fooling? I realized that everyone already knows what I look like from behind...I was the last one in on this cruel joke!



When my Daughter came in the room I pointed to the picture on the screen and said "That's some shot of my rear dear."




    She responded " I think its a great picture of you and Dad holding hands"



Maybe it is, but I am going to try to think of the good old days..


                                                          
                     



                       OK, maybe they weren't all that great.  
                            
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