Clutterconqueror

New iPad

2011-12-27T14:00:00.001-08:00

I received a new iPad as a Christmas present. So, I'm trying to see what I can and cannot do with it. Surprisingly, it has a little bit of a learning curve. Definitely, there are some things that work great, but I still see a need for a regular computer. Well, it should be fun.

Busy and Unaccomplished.

2011-11-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been about six months since my last post, and I've actually been pretty busy until the last month or so. Now I'm suffering from complete boredom. Or, better yet an overabundance of possibilities with no idea of where I should direct my attention. Honestly, that is pretty much my problem: BrainClutter.
I have a million ideas, and I have so much trouble trying to decide where to focus my energies. The result is that nothing that I truly want to accomplish actually gets accomplished. I bet there are some of you who know exactly what I mean.

Let's see what are some of the possibilities that are rattling around in here:

1). I began (but haven't finished because of some computer problems) The PhotoShop Essentials E-Course by Kim Klassen. Check out the button on the side of the blog. This is an excellent e-course! I learned so much in such a few short lessons. I would love to show one to you, but I can't seem to access them. Sigh! Working with computers is so frustrating. And so I have left Photoshop and Kim Klassen behind for now.

2). I have been entrenched in our family history since last Christmas. I have been incredibly successful using Ancestry.com to find relatives and develop an extensive family tree. The next step is to buy a new set of software that will allow other family members to see my information. So progress has slowed on this project.

3). The ancestry project led me to family photos which I would now like to create photo albums for. I created one on Shutterfly for my mother and that went fairly well, but I have a bunch of physical photos that I need to do something with. I also have to continue scanning my mom's photos so I can return them to her. There's a lot to do here. Not to mention all the new photo album ideas I keep coming up with: one for my son's graduation, our family trip albums, etc. I also tried to use a new software to try to organize our digital photos, but it only works with one computer at a time. Our home system is sort of a hodge-podge network that runs across multiple hard drives. Just another monkey-wrench in my already cluttered mind. Yikes.

4). I had started doing some calendar journaling which proved to be quite challenging. I mean should I draw all the squares? Cut and paste them? Then I started on a diary type system that I believed would work, but I seem to have lost all interest. I mean I haven't worked on it in months. Oh, well.

5). I found Pinterest. This is seriously the most wonderful and awful site in the world. I have cooked some amazing recipes! YUM! But, I have also added to my constantly rotating list of things to do. Let's see. I now want to try to crochet a scarf, though I don't crochet. I must embroider. Something. Anything. I've stopped short of quilting, though. I mean I have to draw the line somewhere.

And those are just some of the fun things to do. I still have to clean the house and decorate it. I really need to write a resume. And the pesky insurance stuff.

I really envy those women who can focus on one thing at a time and actually accomplish something. Nothing would give me greater joy.

Skywatch Friday

2011-04-08T06:17:00.001-07:00

Sunset in Key West, Fl. March 2011. Check out out more skies at http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Also, can anyone recommend a good photo management software. I have Windows and HP Media Smart, both coming with the computer. But each doesn't do all that I would like. Thanks.

Post-Vacation Greys

2011-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

It has been so grey in the Chicago area, since we returned from our wonderful trip to Key West, FL on Saturday, that I am completely miserable. UGH! Seriously, the sky, the trees, the houses are grey. Even my grass is a sad shade of brown, as everyone else's is struggling with turning green. So, I'm gonna post some beautiful vacation pics to brighten my spirits. Hope they brighten yours too.

Oh, how I miss the warmth, the food, the sun, the food, the sea, the food, the pool and the people and the food. Yes, we ate our way through Key West. They have the best restaurants. The people are so friendly. And we were blessed with beautiful weather.

Skywatch Friday

2011-03-18T08:44:00.001-07:00

Taken April 15, 2010. What a beautiful spring we had last year. Geez that reminds me I've got to get my taxes done.

See some really beautiful skies this week at http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Skywatch Friday

2011-03-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

A Haitian Morning-Spring 2008

I haven't been photographing skies since winter started. And even though it's a sunny day here, I'm hitting my stash to share a photo.

Don't forget to check out the beautiful skies from around the world at: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

February 2011 Calendar Challenge

2011-03-04T10:11:00.001-08:00

Finally, an art challenge I think that I can do!

I found this challenge at http://thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-month.html in the middle of February. It looked like so much fun I decided to jump in. There were so many great interpretations which were so much fun to look at. In order to make it easy on myself since I was already starting late. I used no paint, glue, cutting or anything that would require extra time. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Before:

After:

I did this just with markers and colored pencils. Now I'm working on March, but I've hit a road block so will work on it this weekend.

Thanks to http://thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com/ for the challenge.

Skywatch Friday

2011-03-04T09:45:00.001-08:00

Chicago Air and Water Show-August 2010

It's been too cold around here for photo taking. So, I thought I would enjoy the warm skies and water of a very hot day. Luckily we were at the Hancock Observatory enjoying the show in comfortable air conditioning.

There are some amazing photos this week athttp://skyley.blogspot.com/. Make sure you check them out.

Skywatch Friday

2010-12-10T06:55:00.001-08:00

I took this photo early last spring. Can you guess what you're seeing? The early morning sun trying to shine through a thick layer of fog that was hanging over our neighborhood. We often get fog when we have warm temps melting a heavy layer of snow.

To see more great skies checkout

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday

2010-12-09T11:43:00.000-08:00

Was May really the last time I posted? My goodness how the time flies.

Today, I'm thankful for my doctor and all the nurses who cared for me during a recent, non-life threatening surgery. Thank heaven that God gives us these angels here on earth.

SkyWatch Friday

2010-05-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

I quickly snapped these shots yesterday from the car window while picking up my son from school. I don't think I've ever seen clouds curl like this. It reminded me of surf or one of those cartoons where a cloud is blowing wind.

If you want to see other skies from around the world, check out SkyWatch Friday at http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

2010-04-30T11:04:00.001-07:00

April 28th, 2010 at my daughter's baseball game. Temperatures in the fifties, so I was cold. Of course the next night...72 degrees. Check out skies around the world at: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Thankful Thursday

2010-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Today, and mostly last Thursday (when I missed last week's Thankful Thursday post), I am/was grateful for the miracle of modern pain medications. What would we do without 'em.

EARTHQUAKE

2010-02-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here in northern Illinois, we had a minor earthquake about 4am. I probably would have slept through the entire episode, except for one thing. My eleven year old daughter, Thing Two, came into my room and said, "Mommy, Mommy, there was an earthquake. I was sitting on the toilet when the house started shaking. Did you feel it?" Me: "No, honey, go back to bed." Such a supportive mother.

When I woke up, sure enough it was all over the news. Of course, my first response was to have a good laugh, and tell my son, so that he could have a good laugh, too. Then, I decided to go upstairs and wake up Thing Two by shaking the bed and yelling, "EARTHQUAKE." I then proceeded to laugh hysterically.

Her response, "You know you really have a cruel sense of humor. I am not amused."

Bwahaha! Who knew kids could be so much fun.

Ironically, we did update our Facebook status and called the local news station.

Later, they downgraded the magnitude of the quake. Thing Two replied, "You really can't tell the difference when you're sitting on the toilet."

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hey, I just noticed my Thankful Thursdays are never done on Thursdays...kinda figures.

Anyway, today I'm thankful I no longer have to take the bus.

Yes, yes. Call me a sissy, but in my younger days that was my mode of transportation. To say it sucked is a gross understatement let me tell you. If you didn't freeze your bottom off while you waited, your toes were liable to crack off from the cold while you were sitting in it.

Of course that was in the winter. In the summer, you could look forward to being rained on because the bus usually leaked. And as newer buses were introduced, operational windows became a thing of the past. Well, I guess they didn't want anyone to open the windows while the air conditioning was on. That did present a problem however when the air conditioning broke.

Now we're back in the deep freeze. And for all you folks standing on the bus stop, I feel you're pain. So, I'm wishing you warm, fast buses.

A New Look

2010-01-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Well I've been messing around with a new look for the blog. I think I've come up with something pretty nice. Thanks to Elegia's Backgrounds. Click on link in upper corner, if you'd like to see her free designs to use on your own blog.

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

While it might seem trite with all that is happening (Haiti), today I'm thankful for three pieces of technology.

First, my Ipod. God this is one of the greatest inventions of man. You mean I can listen to only the music I like, as often as I want, wherever I want? What's not to love. Of course, as a fearful flyer taking my ipod on a plane was a heavenly experience. But, I even take it into the grocery store or Borders so I don't have to listen to their music. Listening to music while doing household chores actually makes it bearable. Needless to say I love my ipod.

My second piece of technology that I love is my Bose around the ear headphones. Expensive, yes, but a Christmas gift extravagance that was worth every penny. It isn't so much the sound quality I love (because I have no idea whether it is good or bad), but the comfort. Ahhh! The little pillows that gently snug my hears and allow me to comfortably listen to my Ipod. And no more accidently tugging those hard, little earbuds out of my ears, while I'm doing my chores. I don't take them to the stores, but I'm sure looking forward to wearing them on a plane. Heavenly.

The third technological wonder I'm grateful for is the ability to download the podcast of my favorite Chicago d.j. Steve Dahl. His Dahlcasts are an hour worth of entertainment I look forward to. Before I know it, I've laughed my way through folding and putting away three basketsful of laundry. Steve's sense of humor is akin to my own, and I feel like I have a friend following me around the house helping to make my chores a little easier. I'm really grateful that Steve and his crew work so hard to give me an hour's worth of entertainment everyday. That's way more than I'm getting these days from radio or television.

Thankful Thursday

2010-01-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful that I was able to eat at Tavern on the Green. It closed today, January 7th, 2010; how sad.

A few years back, the four of us took a train to Niagara Falls and then one down the Hudson River to NYC. Except for a severe gall bladder attack, it was a wonderful trip.

One of the highlights for me was having lunch at Tavern on the Green. We ate in the Crystal Room, shown here:

I remember looking around and taking it all in, thinking: "I bet some people might think this is a little gaudy and over the top, but I love it." It was charming and magical. I thought of the celebrities who had eaten there and I even imagined that the two guys sitting next to us were hitman discussing there next job. What a great place to people watch. Everything and everyone seemed so elegant and extravagant.

I hoped one day to return to Tavern on the Green and have dinner in the Summer Garden, shown here:

Ooh, imagine what it would be like to dine here on a warm summer evening with a soft breeze blowing through those Chinese lanterns. I would hope I could sit near one of those topiaries. I think those are stags, which I believe were a symbol/motif of the restaurant. What a romantic and enchanting setting.

How sad that none of us will be able to experience this place any longer. How happy that I am that I was able to experience it once.

New Year's Resolution #1

2010-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

This year a "must-do" resolution had to made.

NO MORE FREE-CELL.

I must stop playing that mind-numbing, time-sucking, life-wasting game. It serves no purpose, and I have nothing to show for the hours I've spent playing it.

Why do I play? Addiction? Possibly. Boredom? Definitely. I play when I'm tired and I want to relax without falling asleep. I also play because I feel I'm active without having to actually think. Often, I just do not want to start an art project or read a book that would consume my time or require effort and energy.

But it must stop and stop now.

I haven't played in the last two weeks because the kids have been home and basically monopolized the computer. But today, I'm on my own. I've already surfed all my favorite sites (at least once). I'm tired because I didn't sleep well last night. And, even though I have a million things on my to-do list (including making my to-do list), I'm sitting here tempted. Oh, so tempted to start playing that game.

And so I turn to you, blogosphere, to keep me true to my resolution. I need someone to answer to and you're it. I will not, must not play.

Instead I will: blog, or needlepoint, or read, or work on any number of other projects that will give me a sense of accomplishment and something to show for my efforts, energy and time.

Argh! All I can say is, "Thank, God, I'm not an alcoholic."

The Project That Would Be Complete

2009-09-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

That's right, no matter how hard I avoided it and procrastinated The Sailors' Valentine for the Cloth, Paper Scissors Challenge insisted upon being completed on time. It was the most serendipitous, almost miraculous experience.

Starting a month ago, I found the shell leis and a cigar box almost on a whim during a visit to the flea market. I came home all excited. I knew they would be perfect to make a little treasure box topped by a sailors' valentine. I bought the paint the next day, and did absolutely nothing, but think about it, for a month. Finally, the deadline Sept. 8th loomed. It was Friday, Sept. 4th. There was no way I was going to finish (start) it. I was supposed to go out of town for the weekend. But, serendipitously, my plans changed, and I was forced to stay home.

So, still with no exact plan on what I wanted to do, I primed and painted the box. It went so well. Then the ideas started flowing. Let's change the sentiment from "Forget Me Not" to "Live, Love, Laugh." Let's make it a heart and arrange the shells around it. Let's form a frame with the larger shells. Tools were easily located. The heart shaped mother-of-pearl earring was found to use as the "latch." It just all came together. Miraculous. Amazing.

The only glitch was that The Big Kahuna had taken the camera. So, I ended up not sending the entry in until today--one day late.

But I did it! I finished something! And I even turned it in! That's big news for me. And I think it turned out pretty good. I will know on Friday if my project was chosen. But, that's a little like the lottery, I think--I hope I win, but in my heart I know I probably won't and that's okay. The art they received for the "By the Sea..." challenge was absolutely amazing. The thing is when it comes to art, I think judges are looking for unique interpretations. Something that is unexpected. And so, while I love my box, and I think it's very good, I sincerely doubt it is a unique interpretation.

Still, I'm going to be happy to display it in my home.

Exciting Chicago News

2009-08-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

#1 The Chicago Triathalon
Yesterday, the family drove downtown to watch our cousin Molly swim, bike, run the Chicago Triathalon. She was running in memory of her mom, who died of cancer. Despite this being her first event of this kind, she finished in great form. Yay Molly!

#2 PJ Clarkes Is A Great Place To Eat
It was a beautiful day to be on the lakefront--warm sun, cool breeze. We ended up walking from Navy Pier to the finish line, past beautiful Buckingham Fountain. What a treasure that is. I wish I had taken a picture because all the one's on Google kind of suck..ahem..don't do it justice.
After the race, we took a cab back to our car. And decided to eat at PJ Clarkes, on the corner of Columbus and Illinois (about 3 blocks west of Navy Pier). Delicious. The Big Kahuna and I split the house salad, which included sugared pecans and a tart cheese (feta/bleu?). Out of this world. We also split the salmon special ($14.95), layered on a bed of risotto and covered with baby spinach and artichokes. Yum.
I don't often get to recommend restaurants in downtown (because I rarely get down there), but wanted to give a shout out here. Only negative, I would have had a margarita, but they were $16.00. BTW, we chose PJ Clarkes over the restaurant at the Lucky Strike bowling alley. We had been there last month and weren't excited with the food.

#3 I Predict The Bears Are On Their Way To The Superbowl.
Last night, the Big Kahuna and I hunkered down to watch the Bears and Broncos. Great game, very exciting. I was impressed with Cutler last week and last night just sealed it for me. The offense just has an exciting new dynamic. And if Forte can have as good a year as last year...?Whew! It should be a fun ride.
Last night was the first time I heard the story behind THE TRADE. Man, if I was a Broncos fan, I'd run Josh McDaniels out on a rail. Of course, I do hope Kyle Orton does well there. He certainly seems like a nice enough guy and a capable quarterback.

#4 And The Most Exciting Of All (drum roll please)
Steve Dahl is returning to the "air waves" with a daily hour-long podcast starting September 8th. You can sign up here: http://dahl.com/itunes (if I got that link correct). Or better yet, just go to http://www.dahl.com/. I love Steve. He'd been on the air here in Chicago for 30 years before he was unceremoniously dumped by his employer, CBS Radio. I'm not sure what they were thinking, but I've missed his show, and I'm happy to have him back.
A few years ago, when Steve's show was in the afternoon, Thing One and I would sit on the computers, playing video games and listening over the internet. Thing One became a real fan, too. Eventually, Thing One started doing an impression of Steve doing his impression of Steve's sidekick, Buzz Killman. He was really good, too. And it got to be kind of funny, because Thing One would just start doing the voice with his friends. The next thing you know they're all copying him and I've got a room full of twelve? year old boys doing Thing One's version of Steve Dahl's version of Buzz Kilman's voice.

So, it's all good.

Delphiniums

2009-07-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

The other day I noticed there were some delphiniums in bloom at a public garden near my house. Delphiniums are pretty rare in these parts; I think they must be difficult to grow. So I took some time out to photograph them. Then I decided to play around in Photoshop, because I sure do need the practice. So...

Before

And After

Let's see, I messed around with the Hue/Sat levels. And I put in Dust & Scratches and added Diffuse. I like how the blue flowers and yellow green in the foreground contrast. I was surprised and happy about the reddish cast of the foliage in the middle and I like how the building in the background is lighter. I think it draws your eye better and you can see through the windows.

That was kind of fun.

Illustration Friday-Worn

2009-07-01T15:12:00.001-07:00

No illustration. Apparently Photoshop has a greater learning curve than one hour. But I've thought about this subject for the last week and I'm going to post about it anyway. So, here goes.

Meet Baby Bear. I first met Baby Bear when I was pregnant with Thing One. I spotted him across one of those shops that sells everything: snacks, magazines, greeting cards and souvenirs. He was fluffy with soft curly fur. He was a beautiful, warm brown with a jaunty, brown, plaid ribbon tied in a bow around his neck. I knew I had to have him for my baby. And that was the first bonding experience between me and Thing One.

Two years went by as we got to know our wonderful baby boy with all his charms and little quirks, which included not sleeping through the night. That year, Thing One and I joined a "mommy and me" -type class called Huggy Bear Two's. We had a wonderful time being led through our activities by a very energetic and special woman named Teacher Sandy. Best of all, Teacher Sandy had a puppet friend named Huggy Bear. Huggy Bear was a very popular and loved little guy. So, being the not too stupid Mom that I am, I introduced Thing One to Baby Bear, who was known to be a friend to Huggy Bear. "What should we call him?" I asked. "Baby Bear," said little Thing One. "You know, he could sleep with you and maybe help you to fall asleep," I told him. And so he did.

Baby Bear spent the next ten years helping Thing One sleep. They went to sleepovers together. They traveled all over with The Big Kahuna going on Indian Guide Campouts. Baby Bear even went with Thing One to his first summer at sleep away camp between sixth and seventh grades.

Now, Thing One is fifteen and Baby Bear has a special place on the closet shelf. His eyes are scratched, his fur is matted and dirty, his ribbon, long ago lost, has been replace by a grubby, baseball uniform, and the stuffing in his left arm is all but gone from being twirled by his hand. Baby Bear is well-worn and well-loved

Wreck This Journal

2009-06-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday evening, I was surfing the blogosphere when I came across this site:http://tnc-wreckthisjournal.blogspot.com/. I was so excited I went right out to my local book chain, bought the book, and went next door to the office supply store to buy a pack of kid markers. When I came home I began my journey to Wreck This Journal. This is what I did:

Not too impressive? Good.

I'm always so worried about being perfect that I deliberately tried not to be. I didn't want to worry if my scribbling had an artistic flair or not. But if I feel like being a little creative, that's ok, I'm just not going to worry if this is art or anything.

It's truly a freeing experience. I now want to go ahead and write in all my perfectly beautiful, and unused, journals that I have. And I'm going to keep going in this one. I want mine to look as worn out as our leader Jamie's is. I realized their is a real beauty in a book, or anything for that matter that has a worn appearance. Hmm... Interesting that the Illustration Friday word this week is worn. Sounds like some universal inspiration

Hello, World!

2009-06-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've decided to join the blogosphere and I'm damn glad to be here.

Why? Asks you. Because, says I, I needed a place to post my achievements in order to want to achieve. Think Weight Watchers, the weekly weigh-in motivates you to watch your weight. And so my posts, however often, are meant to motivate me to accomplish something.

By nature, I am not a self-motivated person. Being a stay-at-home-mom has been a tough road for me because generally there are no deadlines. So weeks, months, years have gone by without my having accomplished the little and big things that I wanted to do. It was like I entered a wormhole at 33 and came out the other end at 4X without knowing what happened in between.

So, I'm hoping to force myself out there to take a bike ride...so that I can take that photo...so that I can learn photoshop...and post it on my blog. And/or some other type of thing. I'm hoping to find a way to get all these ideas out of my discombobulated and cluttered brain and into action!

So let's get started and see how it goes!