Frustrations Left and Right

We are all frustrated with the weather. That's for sure. Last night felt more like October than July.
We have had more rain than I can remember in a long time. Lake Johnson, kids canoeing through the yard type rain. A good solid week of killer heat to follow. Of course it was the week I was at a show, on the pavement, under a tent, feet in the ice chest (trust me, I was being polite by not offering those few and far between customers a cold drink). Now, and since (of course), cool, cloudy, rainy, blah, blah, blah.
BBQ for the 4th, poured rain. Plans for Great America, poured rain. Friends over to swim, poured rain.
I'm beginning to believe we should have bought an Ark and not a pool.

So, tomorrow the in laws start arriving. The weather is better and headed up in the 80's and beyond for at least the next week. Yeah! We're thrilled. Finally, the pool will warm up again (see, the last time the water got int he 80's and even hit 90, of course, I was at that stinking, and I literally mean stinking in so many ways, show and no one could use the damned pool. No adult home and I was gone 14 hours/day). So, with excitement, we check the water temp, 82°, great! Pull back the cover, test the water and all looks good (on paper). In person, not so much! Cloudy water. SOB!
We may be new to pools, but I spent many a year as a lifeguard and around pools. I know cloudy = algae and algae = frustration. Lots of frustration. and NOT lots of swimming.

So, warm weather, sunshine, warm water does not equal (need to look that symbol up) swimming.
end rant/ off to work on pool.

To Be or Not to Be..........a Mom

that is the question. Anyone raising teenagers knows that's the question more often than not. You just really don't know how diffucult watching someone fail, fall on their face, screw up, live with consequences, and sometimes make bad decisions is until you're the mom of a full blown teenager. It's part of the game. Some call it payback, some call it God testing you. There's no denying it's tough.

I have had friends convey raising daughters as 24 hour hostage negotiations. You see, I do believe that girls leave the human race for about 7 years. Alien life forms. Then I count my blessings and thank the good Lord I have boys! Okay, one of them has the propensity to PMS like a 16 year old alien invaded mean girl, but I soooo know it could be worse. Then I tell him, " you know, the worst part of all this is that you make me feel the need to call your grandmother on a daily basis and apologize." He grins.

If you have read anything in this blog, you have read that I was (repeat WAS ) a self proclaimed punk with a capital P! For me, and the pure enjoyment of my mother, this is payback. The highly intelligent student pulling low C's (of course there's no valid reason!), the mumbling, eye rolling facial contortions only a body between 13 and 20 can make, the "why is my life so hard" whine. Oh, and the new one, at least to me, "If I had a cellphone!"

Well, today, I need to be the Mom. The loving, caring, compassionate, wish i could make you all better, MOM! I can't even bring myself to refer to him as a meanager today. Today, I just want to hug him and make him feel better. Even more so, I want him better. I want the miracle cure for the common cold today. You and I both know, its not going to happen but I have to be positive, hold out hope and make lots of chicken soup.
Alex is home with a terrible cold. Maybe the flu, but probably just a cold. The headache, stuffy nose, can't breathe, exhaustion inducing cold. It's going around. Seems more are sick than well. I should be glad it's now and not during Christmas, right? Well, normally I would be, but tomorrow is his big concert. His 8th grade year, star of the Jazz band, 3 solos in 3 songs concert. He has worked so hard this year. Moved to the tenor sax, helping out the younger band students, taking on bigger and tougher solos. His biggest role in the band to date and only one more concert after this before moving on to the high school. Many family members are schedule to attend the performance. He is proud. He is playing the best he ever has. Now, I don't even know if he can blow a horn much less make it through a solo.

So, I am cooking soup, administering liguids, and zinc, and motrin ( even the decongestants have been flowing) and feeling my heart break for him. this is not like those tough ones aI mentioned earlier. This one is harder. He did everything right, he put in the effort, he gave it his all, he even took advice and that's no easy feat at 14. yet, he is almost certain to be disappointed. This is one of those bittersweet mom moments. The more you love 'em the more your heart breaks.

So let's make it all about me and will him back to health so I don't feel so bad, hehe

Baby it's Cold Outside

Someday I'll figure it out, but for now I'll have to link it

I am really feeling the bone chilling today. 11 degrees. It's just too cold! Nothing by Chicago winter standards but each year I seem less able to bear winter. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Now, my 11 year old had a great idea the other day. Snow in summer. See, he loves the snow and ice skating, sledding, building snow men and forts and all other fun winter activities. He gets that from his mom. It's the cold we share a dislike of. Why can't we do all those fun things and not freeze out keisters off?

Oh, to be 11 again. At 11, I probably still dreamt of the possibility of Mr. Peabody's way back machine. I know I did plenty of dreaming. Oh, the things you can think of when you have innocence, imagination and time. At least I still have the fun of hearing my kid's dreams and imaginations. Today it is this.




Not just another in the long line of drawings, doodles and rambling my boys covet (and store all over the house, the car, their school lockers, etc). This is a full blown, Inconvenient Truth inspired, renewable energy system
compliments of Erik C Johnson.

I really have to make a mental not to share more of them with all of you. These boys of mine can really be quite entertaining.


What, you're still looking for an explanation?
Why it's a lightning harness. Can't you tell? It captures all the lightning and distrubutes the massive energy to all the wires running through town.
Oh, no! don't worry about the voltage or heat or sporadic, unknown location of the source at any given time, He's got it all figured out.

Feature, Feature, Who's got the Feature?

It seems it's been my week for features. This is a new experience for me but I have to admit, I like it. It has been a lousy week and if not for the ego stroking, I would have considered it a complete loss.
Lousy you say? yes! Lousy! I know it was Thanksgiving and the kids were off school and DH was home from work and we had lots of time.................whoooooooooaaaaaaa. there ya go! Lots of time. That is code for your week is gonna SUCK! The time Gods heard that one and Bam! they threw a party on my week. a cold, painting the house, a cold, laundry, a clod, making jewelry, a cold.

Did I mention, I caught a crappy, head stuffy, coughing, burning eyes, all I want to do is sleep cold? So much for tasting the turkey. so mcuh for making jewelry, cleaning, laundry, shopping, or anything else I had hoped to do. Not to mention, sitting through a show feeling crappy is the worst.


OMG! can I whine! Must be why I like cheese so much. Sorry about that. So, I do believe the title of this post is features. Yes, I had a few. Handmade Fusion listed me on the front page as the featured artist complete with interview

.

That was a special feeling. Not to mention, I was chosen as the first ever featured artist there. I'm sure it was a pull of the hat, but I will fool myself into thinking it was all becasue I am special (works for me, hehe)

I have also been featured in a few treasuries on etsy this week. It's been awhile and it was nice to be recognized by my peers. best of all was today's Front Page feature on etsy



If you are not all that familiar with etsy, suffice it to say, the FP(frontpage) is akin to winning the etsy lottery. Tons of exposure, lots of attention and the ultimate etsy feel good.
I have only had a front page feature once before and it was very short lived. The item sold immediately and poof, I vanished. I have made a few treasuries over my etsy career that I felt worthy of FP status but I was mistaken. It is a great and true honor to make the FP as an artist or a curator. Thankyou justEARRINGS for making me feel good!
I now return to my mundane lifef on the couch with the kleenex, remote and a big glass of Gatorade.