We had a relatively quiet Sunday - if you don't count the committee meeting at which I blew my food plan once again.  Salted nuts and chocolate chip cookies.  Started again today.  But enjoyed working with everyone and meeting some new folks. 

The Steelers won last night.  Yay!  I found the book I'm reading more interesting than watching football after the end of the first half.  Sometimes things just work out that way, I guess. 

We're supposed to get snow tomorrow and very cold through Friday.  Tomorrow I'm planning to stay home and work on polymer clay and/or stringing beads.  It, too, should be a very quiet day. 

Tom's having a committee meeting here tonight for Brotherhood, concerning their annual big fundraiser, which he's been running for about 10 years and will NOT be running this year (he thinks).  I hope it works out that someone else takes over.

The colleges have started up again and, as always, there are new students and new grad students in town (maybe even new professors).  They just don't understand about turning left here in Pittsburgh.  When the light changes, you MUST proceed to the center of the intersection.  If everyone in the other direction is going straight through, at least you can make your turn as or after the light changes.  Otherwise you'll be blocking the intersection.  Sometimes, even 2 cars can get turned using this strategy.  I sat through 4 light changes behind one car as he gradually began to figure this out today.  

Volunteered at Phipps Conservatory Discovery Cart this morning with Pot-a-Plant - teaching kids how to transplant a tiny plant into a larger pot.  They then can take their plant home with them in a paper bag with a sticker identifying what they have and how to take care of it.  Since the forecast called for dire conditions later in the day, I had only about 15 in all, counting adults that I talked to about plants or about Phipps.  And I left an hour before my usual time because it started to rain and freeze above me on the conservatory glass ceiling.  It's still doing strange things out there, rain, snow and sleet all mixed together.  I'm glad I'm inside!

Haven't been getting much of anything done this week except a lot of reading.  Which can be a nice way to spend a winter week.  BUT - there's clutter all over the place that I'd like to clear up before January 20th.  My husband volunteered us for a Temple-sponsored Inauguration Party here at our house.  Pot-luck lunch with us to supply liquids, plates & cutlery.  It should be fun - and an exciting day.

I filled the bird feeders this morning and discovered we're getting a greater variety than I've seen so far this year, including white-throated sparrows and red-bellied woodpecker as well as the more usual birds we've been getting.  Also, the first starling found our feeders this morning.  This probably means 30 or so of his friends will show up in the next few days.  Guess it can't be helped. 

We used to have a neighbor who hated feathered creatures.  It was hard to be a bird watcher with her around.  At one point she complained about 6 big crows just after I had been delighting that I'd finally attracted some crows.  They're interesting critters, with a fairly complex social structure and funny antics.  Anyway, at that point I moved all the feeders to the opposite end of the back porch - where it was much harder to watch them.  After they moved away, all the feeders were moved back to a more convenient (for us) location.

Yesterday I volunteered at Phipps Conservatory working for the first time in horticulture - repotting snapdragons for the spring flower show.  It was loads of fun but I'm afraid too much twisting for my back, reaching for another pot, another plant, more potting soil.  I'm too short for most things to be within easy reach, I'm afraid.  I'll wait and see how my back/hip responds before volunteering to do it again, even tho it's what I love to do.

Other than that, things have been quite quiet around here.  I got more of my many amaryllis plants repotted and even discarded some of the smaller offshoot bulbs so as to be not quite so over-run with plants.  Or, at this stage, pots.

I've caught up on almost all my paperwork and maybe can now get back to polymer clay for a little while.  I've got 2 projects.  A friend asked me to see if I can concoct bracelet closers and decorate the "handles".  So far, I've gotten 2 different sizes of alligator clips and am trying to think of something unbreakable that I can fasten to them as handles.  Then I'll have to figure out how to decorate the handles while still attached to the clips, or how to attach decorated handles to clips.  I'm tired just thinking about it.

The second project is to use up my many pre-made polymer canes on whatever, reconditioning them by reducing them and then making up 'skins' of decorated clay to attach to various objects.  Just think - matching switchplates, clocks, pens, bracelet closers and jewelry!

Well, today it was back to physical therapy and then meet a girlfriend for lunch.  We discussed making bracelet fastener gadgets decorated with polymer clay, then went off to Michael's to get the clasps.  Which, of course, they were out of.  Bummer.  But I did manage to spend about $30.00 on other stuff.  I should never go into that store!  Well, I got some stuff to make zipper pulls and some wire for jewelry making.  And a Kleenex Cube holder made of wood.  The one I covered last month looks pretty good, so I'll see if I can avoid the mistakes with this new one.  The major mistake being curing one of the sides while resting the already-cured side on the grill of the oven rather than on a tile or tray.  Got lines all through that side too deep to sand out.  Nor could I bake them out, even with a pile of tiles on top of that side while going through a full baking cycle (275 to 300 degrees for 20 minutes in a toaster oven).

Here's the last 2 photos from Christmas - Xanga didn't mind me downloading them today.  Maybe the photo handler was overloaded yesterday?

Tom unwrapping a gift with Eric and Duane more clearly shown.

Well, now it won't load the last photo into the blog.  You'll never see it, even tho it's uploaded to Xanga.  But that word "well" is in a rather nice font - I was just convincing Xanga that I did NOT want to go back to Times new roman or whatever.  Why won't my font and size just stay where I left them the last time?

Just spent 1/2 hour getting Tom's printer to work - it hasn't been happy ever since the bookshelf rebuilding event with all the sawdust and wood chips that got into everything.  Of course, it also didn't help that it was unplugged.  But even after I fixed that, it still was having problems.  Now I used a can of compressed air to blow stuff out of the works, and promised Tom my teeny weeny vacuum sweeper to use if all else fails.

Well, they've come and gone.  Eric (my youngest son - age 40 - not so young!) left yesterday afternoon with thunderstorms and tornados predicted for his destination (Chicago).  His flight departed about 2 hours late, but he seems to have gotten there.  We got to see a photo of his girlfriend and hear a lot about her and her 2 young sons.  I'm so glad he's found someone he's comfortable with.  We'll see how this works out in due time.

Here's a photo of Eric being Molly's favorite uncle.  (Molly is Tom's granddaughter age 9.)

Dan, Karen, Kristin and Tim stayed here through Christmas Eve, left Christmas day to visit Karen's Dad, and returned here last night - we're closer to the airport than her Dad is.  They left around 6AM this morning.  But lots happened in between all these arrivings and departings.

Here's Charlie in action:

Getting his prey!

    Chasing his prey!

Tim and Charlie

Well, my first craft show was an educational experience, but costly.  I only made half of what it cost to rent the table at the show.  Not too much traffic and people were not interested in anything costing more than about $10.00.  So I sold a couple bookmarks, 2 really low end necklaces, a switchplate and a pill box.  So few items I can remember without looking.  But I found out I can do it, that it doesn't take too much to move my stuff around, and how to lay out the table.  I need something to hang necklaces from, and maybe a couple stands for arranging the clocks.  Also maybe to put out only a few samples of each thing at a time.  Anyway, it was interesting and I met some of the other exhibitors.  Nice people.

Today my grandkids, DIL, and 2 sons are in the hous.  We'll probably play a bunch of games, then go over to Anne's for dinner.  But first I have to do something about a painful tooth.

Seems I'm being more prompt about reading email this week.  So I'm also blogging more regularly.  Must have something to do with my resolve to unsubscribe to the seemingly millions of merchants who send me messages every day.  I can already see a change in the amount of junk I have to wade through. 

Still getting ready for crafts fair.  Yesterday evening I printed business cards - still have to separate them if I can figure out where they got put away.  And I have some necklaces that need 'repairs' where I put them together hastily without proper clasps.  I'm not too sure how I'll fix that - maybe wholesale use of jump rings to hold the clasps in place.  (I threw on zipper pull hardware just so they'd close, originally.)

Charlie just jumped into my lap, making it more difficult to type, but it's very relaxing to listen to purring as I sit before the computer.

This morning I did 30 minutes on the exercise bike, still have rehab exercises to do.  Somehow, I get all involved in other things and seldom get to them.

Oops - Charlie just rolled onto his back - a clear message that I'm supposed to be rubbing his tummy.  Well, I was running out of things to type, anyway.

The football party went really well - the Steelers won!  And the pizza and other pot-luck foods went over well.  My girlfriends and I played Mah Jongg throughout.  It was pretty distracting - a lot more noise than we're used to.

Yesterday I found time to go out to get a cash box, portable calculator and receipt book as well as some other useful items.  It was nice to get out of the house as Tom was beginning to get nervous and cleaning up everything in sight.  I'd already done my desk (stuff from last May 'til now) and polymer clay area including the table we use for Mah Jongg.  It took all morning, while Tom was out at the gym, having lunch and picking up the (partially-baked) pizza. 

The last things I can think of are polishing the brass letter openers with polymer clay handles, if I can even find all of them (one disappeared during the party last night - I think Tom 'straightened it out' to an unknown location).  I got business card stock and now have to design and print some cards.  What have I not thought of?  Oh - and also have to stop at a bank and get quarters, ones, and fives for change.  I finally finished the application for state sales tax, got an email acknowledgement from PA, and am waiting to see what happens next.  The website said I'd have a sales tax number within 48 hours.

Gotta get back to doing my rehab exercises - I came upstairs from the exercise bike and got waylaid by my computer.  It has a habit of doing that!

Still preparing for the crafts fair.  This morning I finally figured out where I'd put the 2 black tablecloths I'd ordered to cover the table, so they're now in the "for the crafts fair" bin.  I still need a receipts book, change and bags.  Almost all of the items to sell are finished and packed to be transported there.  Also, I still need to figure out how to get to the proper address - so many details.  I've got extra price tags with me in case something is unmarked, a pair of scissors, boxes for the clocks.  I'm sure there's stuff I've forgotten or never thought of, but that's what a first craft fair is for.  Oh - I also have to make up and print some business cards.

AND - we're cleaning/straightening up for the football party this afternoon.  Yesterday I printed out a lot of info about ETSY (Thank you, Kelli, for telling me about that site - I'd never heard of it before) and ended up reading all of it as I sorted through some of the stuff on my desk.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to sign up to pay sales tax in Pennsylvania, since the 'Louis Craftlister' site has that as a requirement (so does the state - minor detail) required of vendors listed there.  Gee - it sounds like I'm going into business, rather than trying to reduce the quantity of output of my hobby!

Still getting ready for the crafts fair on Thursday.  Got to assemble clocks today - 2 just need clockworks, one still needs center hole drilled, then clockworks.

Then there are several bookmarks that still need tassels - here's one:

And switch plates that need to be shrink-wrapped instead of in plastic baggies:

And finally, clean up my tools and work area because we're having a Temple Brotherhood football party tomorrow evening.  Pizza, kids, some pot-luck (more cookies, I bet - not good for me). 

Tools (tiles for baking clay, price and name tags for items to be sold (hopefully), portable work surface with ruled lines).  Photos were taken on a glass tabletop - thus all the clutter in the background.  I use the chairs for 'stuff' when I'm working with the clay.

My desk, which is a worse mess (if possible) than the polymer clay work area will also have to be straightened out.

And, if I have any time over the next 3 days, there are lots of polymer clay beads to be strung.  My least favorite part of the whole thing.  I used to think sanding my pieces was the worst, but I've got that down to a manageable system.  I've several friends who love to do beading.  Sure wish they'd do mine!  I just find it tedious.

Amazing thing - 3 months ago I got my left knee replaced and since then my right hip has not been bothering me like it used to.  Guess my spine was mis-aligned from favoring the sore knee?  Anyway, I'm so grateful that my hip has let up.  Yesterday I wasn't even worried about having to park a block away from the Life-Long Learning luncheon 'cause I knew I could do the walk with virtually no pain.  Amazing!!