Fall Blooms

Plumbago

Hibiscus

Mexican Petunia

Passion Flower

I'm still working on setting up my work space after the move, so I haven't had a chance to sew, stamp, paint, or otherwise put much of my creative energy to good use. I did, however, find some time today to take a few photos of what's currently blooming in my backyard, and I'm sharing them here with you for some color inspiration.

Today we also managed to plant some lettuce and broccoli, and are hoping that the mild fall and winter here will be kind to our cool-weather crops. We're planning some extreme container gardening for the spring, in the hopes of not only reducing our food bill, but eating better stuff as well.

I should have most of my supplies put away by tomorrow, and will soon have a few things to show you. I see moo cards and some projects with gel medium in my immediate future...

Sweet Home Alabama!

Photo courtesy of Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel.

After two ill-fated moves in the past year, in only four days we'll be moving back to the Alabama Gulf Coast. South Alabama is a land of mosquitoes, hurricanes, spectacular thunderstorms, and unspeakable heat, and I love it all! This time we'll be less than 10 miles from Gulf Shores -- close enough to enjoy the beach often, but far enough away to avoid storm surge from a major hurricane. I'm looking forward to seeing pelicans again, and eating fresh seafood, and walking on hot sand, and simply experiencing the lifestyle that comes with living in a coastal area.

Now you know why I've been absent from this blog. My 3-week visit to Mobile was not only for visiting family, but for the purpose of finding a rental property as well. The past couple of weeks have been devoted to packing and organizing the move.

With all my supplies packed, I won't be able to make cards or any other art until at least the middle of next week. At that time, I hope to catch up on a few of the challenge sites, and will also begin planning holiday cards.

Thanks for sticking with me -- see you in a few days!

Stamped Pink and Black Birthday Card, Plus an Update

It took me 2 weeks after the move to Arkansas to get internet access. Why is this always so hard? But now I'm back online and thrilled to be getting email and internet again without waiting for a computer at the public library.

Recent weeks have gone very quickly for me, but a lot has happened and I feel like my luck is finally changing, in a very positive direction. Today I started my new job in Little Rock, and I think that's going to be a good thing. Also, I learned a couple of days ago that a dispute I had with a major health insurance provider has been settled in my favor. My advice to everyone -- if you are dealing with an insurance company that repeatedly refuses a claim that most certainly was covered under your policy, do not hesitate to take the matter to the Office of Insurance in your state (at least, here in the US). It is their job to protect you.

While I was without internet access, I spent some time making simple cards. Pictured here is the only one I've scanned to date, but I'll try to get the others posted over the next several days. I've been itching to make a pink and black card (one of my favorite color combos), and this 2-step "gift package" stamp seemed a logical choice. This wasn't made for anyone in particular, but will go into my card box, to be used at a later date. All stamps, ink, and cardstock from Stampin' Up!.

Inspiration from Nature

I'm always inspired by nature this time of year, and usually can't get enough of my camera. I'm completely infatuated with all the new growth that is popping out everywhere, but I also love to see what was left behind last season. I have no idea what that is in the top photo, but I've been watching a number of these in the yard all winter, sitting atop stalks that are taller than me, and thinking what great photos they would make. I'm glad there were still a few left when I finally brought out the camera. The bottom photo is from a low branch of a pine tree in my back yard. I guess this is an "out with the old, in with new" sort of photo set.

And speaking of in with the new, we will be relocating one more time, in less than 2 weeks. Making a living here in Southern Illinois has been a tough road, so we are moving to Little Rock, where I have a job waiting for me and Dan has some good potential opportunities. I'm extremely excited about the new job. I'm going to be-- wait for it! -- a technical writer/blogger. I keep hearing the question, "People get paid to do that?" Well, yes, they do! And I'm so looking forward to it!

I've set up a bunch of automatic posts for the next two weeks (love that new Blogger feature!), so I'll be auto-publishing at least every couple of days, although I may not be available to quickly respond to comments for that period, or to comment on all of your wonderful blogs.

I'll be back "in the flesh" as soon as we get to Little Rock. Creative wishes to everyone!

Wishing You a Restful Christmas

As you can see, even the pets are exhausted. (Pictured here - Harley still loves his Mama.)

After several weeks without internet access, I am finally back online. Somehow, a simple rewiring of telephone lines turned into a "why don't we give this old house some high-tech data lines" project, and it was clearly a lower priority than the complete rewiring of our electric service.

The move was very difficult. Since we didn't yet have running water on the day of the trip, I stayed behind in an empty house for a few days while Dan came ahead with all our belongings.

We've learned many, many lessons about buying a 100+ year-old house as-is. I won't go into the details at this time, but will say that this has been a very expensive process. In spite of the expense, the tremendous stress, the tears, and the frustration, I still love this old place. It feels good here -- the house has character.

Although we still don't know much about the history of this house, we've learned a few interesting things. When you discover pantyhose and empty wine bottles in the attic, you soon start hearing stories from the neighbors about the former occupants (how did those guys manage to keep the lawn chairs on the roof after that much beer?). Apparently, this was Animal House. Our neighbors are greatly relieved that an attorney and an artist are now living here, and don't even seem to mind that the attorney plays his trumpet every night.

Unfortunately, the space that I'll be using for a studio is currently being used as a staging area for the remaining construction, so my supplies are still packed. I hope to get that area set up shortly after the New Year, so I can get busy doing creative things. I'm looking forward to an amazingly creative year!

Moving Right Along

We are 99% packed and ready for the big move next week, and I am going completely nuts without my art supplies! I've also packed all my books, so now I think I'll need to go to Barnes & Noble to find something to get me through the next few days. We'll be traveling to Illinois this week to close on our house, then returning to pack the truck and head north again next week.

After keeping all my aquarium fish alive through two lengthy power outages following major hurricanes, I decided that it would be in the best interest of my fish (and my own sanity) to give them to the local fish store and hope they would go to responsible fishkeepers. Pictured above is one of my three yoyo loaches, who were named Yoyo Ma, Yo Adrian, and Yo Mama. It was tough to let these guys go, but they may not have survived a long road trip to a colder climate. I didn't drain the tank immediately, and my poor kitty, Lenny, kept staring into the water, looking for his fish. He returned again and again, until finally the tank was drained, cleaned, and packed away. Clearly, I'll need to restock soon!

I'm really looking forward to finalizing this move and regaining my creative momentum. See you in a couple of weeks!