Cedar Shake Paintings

It's a beginning ... 

*laughing*

You can tell that these cedar shakes came off of my hundred-year-old roof - look at all the nail holes in them! Well no, I don't suppose you can tell that they came off of my particular roof, but that they came off of somewhere is pretty obvious. Yes it was my hundred-year-old roof.

These first four are black with purple and blue along with the Star of Bethlehem over silhouette landscapes.

While I wait for the rest of them to dry (black base coat) I have to decide if I want to go with the purple and blue for the rest of this year's batch - or mix it up a little. Leaning toward using the same color scheme at the moment.

In the black of the landscapes I want to put the words: 

The Child's Name - Jesus

     Your Name - His

Since my lettering skills are horrible, it's a big MAYBE about getting the words onto these ... I will, however, at least write them on the backs.

Just past midnight.

And here's where we're at with the dozen of them. I DID finish them before midnight, I'll have you know.

So that's one goal met.

Now I just have to seal them up, poke holes in carefully selected spots for proper balance (so they hang straight; they're cedar shakes, thicker on one end than the other), and get the thin copper wire onto them.

But I do believe I'll do that tomorrow as I am mortally tired.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Somebody 'My Little Project' posted this idea for making cupcake toppers for Christmas, and what a fun idea that is!

How much more fun would it be to have a bit of a party with a Christmas Tree theme using these cute cupcakes - and as both an activity and a take-home memory use clear glue tinted green and pipe cleaners to make tree ornaments!

Once dry, the glue trees would peel right off of waxed paper. 

You could also use this same idea to make little things to attach to the wrapping of gifts, or for a kid to give to classmates, friends, relatives ... pipe cleaners can be shaped into any shape you want ... stars, bells, angels, music notes, wreaths ... have different colors of glue in squeeze bottles ... use the pipe cleaners to make simple circle ornaments [or squares for presents] that can be decorated by filling the circle using the variety of glue colors - stripes, polka dots, random ... these would also be good sun-catchers to hang in windows ... 

For that matter, the basic concept is entirely useful no matter what time of year it is: hearts in February, shamrocks in March, Crosses, lilies and other flowers in April, more flowers in May, green leaves and trees in June, fireworks in July, hot suns and water in August, sheaves of wheat and such in September, fall leaves in orange and yellow and red - plus Halloween theme - in October, turkeys and pies in November, and we're back to Christmas in December.

And that's just about enough of THAT

Sez I !!

It's past time for this woman to be OFF LINE and PAINTING.

Well, first a trip to the post office to see if that order of books has come in.

[And yes it did. I was expecting one small box because I only ordered a few at a time in small orders and got notice that one had shipped. Apparently they combined the orders and I got three big boxes instead of the one little one I was looking for! Now, for I think the first time EVER, I've got a copy of each and all of my own books.]

THEN painting.

I want a dozen Christmas Themed cedar shakes done and progress made on the painting I'm supposed to be doing of the Lee Patterson photo I've chosen.

While I'm in the mood I really ought to get the pencil sketches of the Younglings done so I can mail them out and hope they get to the UK by Christmas.

And THIS isn't getting any of THAT done, now is it?

Nope!

Don't forget I've also got a couple of dozen window sized paintings to get done, too. Christmas ones for my own front porch windows. Later on in December I'll start putting lights on out there in the porch to backlight them at night.

So ENOUGH of this being on line stuff for a while I think. 

Yup.

Sky-scapes and silhouettes to do.

I think I would like to see if I can find the woman I was not all that long ago.

*laughing*

Okay, one more thing.

Because I was up there and wanted to, I stopped in at our local Frip Shop.

Here's the result:

[Hard to see I know, but there are five leather jackets, three of wool, a little plaid blanket, and the REAL find of the day ...  *drum roll please* ...  to the far right  :  chore coveralls  ;)  !! So when I have to do outside stuff I won't freeze, yep. Folks, I have to tell you - check your local second-hand stores on a regular basis. You will inevitably find something you need for not much money, and the proceeds generally go to support a good cause.]

And NOW it's time for me to get myself busy painting. Can't wait to see what it will bring. Every time I THINK I know what I'll be painting, I'm surprised by what actually does pop! It's an adventure, every single time.

Be Nice

A recent comment on someone's post gave me pause.

It was kind of a long pause.

The topic was about how it seems as though lately every other thing is offending somebody all of a sudden.

I realize it's not 'all of a sudden' at all - it just kind of feels that way.

My opinion is that if the intent of someone is to insult and offend someone else, that someone else is entitled to be insulted and offended but not entitled to make a bigger deal out of it than it is. 

On the other hand, if whatever it is is NOT intended specifically to offend you, what do you have to be offended about? 

Really?

Unless you're one of those 'it's all about me and nobody else counts for anything' people, and take every last thing in the whole wide world personally, how is it offensive to you what someone else chooses for themselves because they happen to like whatever it is, so long as it isn't harmful?

Someone walks up to you and slaps you in the face, that's insulting and offensive and harmful. Be insulted and offended, by all means. It's also assault and you've been harmed; so have them arrested and give them time to think about it while they're sitting in jail.

Someone decorates their house with a Nativity, chances are it's because they're Christian and honoring that. A group of people choose to get together and decorate their community in a way that pleases them, while others would prefer something different? Let the second group get together and decorate their space however they want. What the heck is there to get all het up and bent out of shape about because 'tis the Season and people want to celebrate it the same way they've been celebrating it for all of their lives, and all of the lives of the generations who came before them?

If you're one of those 'it's all about me' people, get over yourself for cryin' out loud.

Frankly, there are a whole bunch of us out here who find it offensive that so many people are so thin-skinned that they'll create issues out of things that aren't in any way meant to offend anyone but instead to make people smile.

...

If we as a society are indeed that 'all about me' and can't manage to respect the rights of others, perhaps every religious edifice in our nation needs to be removed. Period. No more religious buildings of any kind. Some people find mosques and synagogues offensive. Some find crosses on tops of steeples offensive. Some find the crosses with a dead guy hanging on them offensive. Some find the ones with circles on them offensive. So maybe we ought to just get rid of them all and replace them with identical boxes all lined up along one street. Lest anyone be offended, you know.

If Christmas decor is all that offensive to so many people, maybe we ought to just dispense with it altogether, along with every other kind of decor because you just can't tell if your hedge might offend someone, or your trees, or maybe the color or your house. I've seen some houses painted some really ugly colors - with a bunch of bright flowers planted around them that totally clash with the house's colors. I find that aesthetically offensive. Do I tell the home-owners they have to change that ugly color scheme because it offends my sense of balanced beauty?

Maybe we ought to, if all of our religious edifices are going to be required to be identical boxes, be each and all required to live in identical square boxes, drive identical vehicles, dress each and all in identical clothing, have our hair cut and dyed all the identical style and color, and all the males be named John Doe and all the females named Jane Doe.

Just in case someone might be offended, you know, if we happen to have a bigger house or maybe a name someone doesn't particularly like.

While we're at it, we can make sure everyone is the same height and weight, so the skinny people and the portly people can lay off each other for once.

And no pets. For anyone. Because some people don't like cats, or dogs, or whatever.

And everyone eat the identical food at the identical time every identical day. Think how easy grocery shopping would be.

And won't that simplify things?

Even if you should happen to get into the wrong identical car, drive to the wrong identical house, and get into bed with the wrong identical person, it won't matter in the least. If you should happen to make a child in the process, nobody's going to know the difference because there would be no difference.

...

Good Lord.

People.

Are you kidding me?

What I just wrote is stupid.

So is a lot of stuff.

Be nice.

Is that so hard?

Shift-Work Related : Burnout, Focus Groups, and Team Building Links

CNA BURNOUT

It's a short article but one of the most useful, down to earth, ones I've found. The search is still on, so who knows what might pop up.

This one recommends taking 'mental health days' when you need them, vacations, cutting down your hours if you can afford to do that, switching shifts if you're bored with the routine of your current one ... changing to a different job if you really can't take it any more ... 

And I kind of have to laugh a little at the 'bored with the routine' bit. It's not exactly a problem for our particular 'teams'. We don't have any given shift teams and never know to which unit, hall, or co-workers we will be working with from one shift to the next. There's just no consistency. At all. 

On with the search ... 

Here's another one, same source, which is one with articles written by CNAs for CNAs - people we might actually be willing to listen to because they might actually know what we need to hear. This one has a piece I found pretty interesting on Focus Groups and Team Building.

Give it a gander and see what you think. Much of this is perfectly viable and would probably be valuable if given an actual chance to succeed.

And that's about enough of this for tonight. It's past my bedtime, I'm in the middle of a four-day stretch (which I don't expect anyone who's never been a CNA to understand as  : what the heck, only four days in a row and you call it a 'stretch'? :   is a perfectly understandable reaction IF you've never done the job), it's been a difficult week in more ways than one, and this woman is heading for some hopefully healing sleep! 

It Fits, Yes It Does! Who Woulda Thunk!?!

photo credit - www.nancysantana.com

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy".


Here are more informative photos discovered by a simple web search. There are lots - go looking!!

Yes, this is what caught my eye. I saw it as a painting someone had made digital images of to print onto all sorts of things and thought What The HECK!!

So, me being me, I went looking to find out exactly what the heck.

Japan of all places! 

Considering the symbol that caught my eye is quite very ancient, to find it in a relatively 'new' context is kind of fun - and it means exactly EXACTLY what I have it meaning in my own context, which is more fun yet!

I've only just begun, but essentially it focuses on the 'life energy' that surrounds us totally, kind of putting it to use to relax us so our bodies can do what they do without the interference of external (or internal) stressors. 

It seems to be a sort of meditation thing.

Balancing Mind, Body, Spirit makes all kinds of sense. 

"Reiki (/ˈreɪkiː/) is a form of alternative medicine developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui."

^^^ That's ^^^ a Wiki quote ... 

I have a strong hunch that this guy wasn't the very first of anybody in the whole wide world to figure this out.

I might get back to this later. 

Right now I'm heading for my bed; as this Long Dark advances, hibernation seems like a wonderful idea - but I can't hibernate so will sleep for a while as an unsatisfying substitute. 

Waiting For Book Orders To Get Here!

I recently noticed that I only have copies of a few of my own books and thought What The Heck is up with THAT? Some of the most recent ones I've never even laid eyes on 'in person' so to speak; others I've had in my hands only for a moment before they've jumped ship into other hands than mine. Not a bad thing, that - but ...

Granted I can easily enough just open their original files and read them any time I want - but that's not the same, as any reader will tell you, as having a copy of the book in your hands as you're reading it.

I'm excited to be getting the books I haven't yet had in my hands.I want to hold them, examine them, ruffle their pages, and sit myself down and READ them.

Yeah I know that might sound weird since I already well know what's all in them, right?

But there's just something about it ... 

I'm especially looking forward to seeing for my own self what the LARGE PRINT  set of Mamm Speaks books are like 'in person'. We've not tried this before - it's an experiment that I really hope works out well. And we'll soon know!

I'm also looking forward to reading them 'in person' so to speak. It's different from reading them from a computer screen, believe me. I want to see if that Story Line really does flow along the way I think it does, without the 'rest of the story' framing it.

Why?

Because it is the Soul of the whole series, the 'oldest' part, the foundation of all of the rest of the books that are out and those not even written yet.

Be that as it may be, the orders ought to start showing up in the next week or so.

Hopefully they'll get here when I have days off!

Access Links That WORK

Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, and Blessings on All!!!

They're even alphabetized !! 

These are the links that will provide the best deal for the current Younglings of Dunnottar and their 'help other kids' projects. I'm not sure why, but for some reason that's how it works. The links will take you to where you can learn what each book is about.

We thank you for your kindness, and will let you know what kinds of projects the 'kids helping kids' have funded with your help! 

Brann	https://createspace.com/5599640
	Brann Bides	https://createspace.com/5094920
	Brann Sails	https://createspace.com/5095176
	Corrbed	https://createspace.com/5599731
	Danann	https://createspace.com/5264792
	Diann	https://createspace.com/5599702
	F Words	https://createspace.com/5850189
	Fishin' Off the Dock	https://createspace.com/4801149
	Going to the Moon	https://createspace.com/5073783
	Introducing ... The Younglings...	https://createspace.com/4796326
	Junior the Goldfish	https://createspace.com/5067229
	LittleMamm of Iona	https://createspace.com/4850757
	Mamm of Dunnottar	https://createspace.com/4984973
	Mamm of Perth	https://createspace.com/4619742
	Mamm of Tarnos	https://createspace.com/4737313
	Mamm Speaks: Part Five	https://createspace.com/5888690
	Mamm Speaks: Part Four	https://createspace.com/5888635
	Mamm Speaks: Part One	https://createspace.com/5888435
	Mamm Speaks: Part Seven	https://createspace.com/5888819
	Mamm Speaks: Part Six	https://createspace.com/5888739
	Mamm Speaks: Part Three	https://createspace.com/5888570
	Mamm Speaks: Part Two	https://createspace.com/5888501
	Merri & Dothann	https://createspace.com/5599820
	Rua	https://createspace.com/5599765
	Short Stories, Tall Tales...	https://createspace.com/5852667
	Small Town USA	https://createspace.com/4676738
	The Lonely Little Owl	https://createspace.com/5093153
	The Story Behind the Story	https://createspace.com/4677587
	TheSurprise	https://createspace.com/5093206
	They Are My Song	https://createspace.com/4522374
	Time to Dance	https://createspace.com/5854197
	Victor Vignettes	https://createspace.com/4534174