pain is bad, I've slept all day and all I can think of are the

Wet N' Wild holiday palettes. LOL! Last week I hit every drugstore from here to my dad's house. Now I hear they're showing up in more places so it's time to do it again. Ya know, when I'm not ouchy and stuff. Maybe by the time G gets home tomorrow I'll feel up to the hunt. So funny, I never would've given a d@mn about WNW stuff, but in the last year or so their quality has gone through the roof. "Club" was on my list to buy next time I was at MAC. Well, WnW had knocked it off! Woot! One WnW palette (of 6 colors) $4.99 or 1 MAC pan $11.00. Clear winner, me thinks ;)

my closet exploded!

OK, it exploded awhile ago. But, we finally cleaned it out so Dad can put the shelves back up tomorrow. I am AMAZED at how much stuff was in it. There were so many SHOES and HANDBAGS! I have to get a picture or at least count them before I start sorting them and putting them back. I may even mention the total to my therapist to see if she thinks its a problem. I kinda think it is, but at the same time there really aren't any shoes I want right now so at least I'm not adding to it. Right? I know I'm going to donate alot and throw out alot and hopefully have a more closet. This place just doesn't have the kind of storage necessary for my shopaholic ways :) And my shopping addiction needs to be better controlled right now.

Cancelling Netflix really hasn't been a problem. I'm getting DVDs from the library and pretty new ones at that. Last night I watched The Lovely Bones which was better than expected. I'd heard pretty mediocre, but the book was so good I figured I'd give it a go. The one thing I found sort of vague is the way purgatory is portrayed. I read the book several years ago, but I think the book made more sense. Anyway, also got Alice In Wonderland which I've been dying to see and it was fabulous! I already know I need to own it. I bet Santa brings it (if I'm good).

My ebay sales aren't going as well as before. I don't know if I'll continue after this stuff is gone. The next thing to go will probably be my Rosebud Blythe. She was my first, but I like the darkhaired ones so much better. Plus, I think she's appreciated in value. Which makes me wonder if holding on to her longer might be worthwhile?

Playing with the binder but haven't really nailed it yet. I want to make something unique (handpainted covers) that's also marketable. It's high time I got my Etsy shop up and running again and there is SO MUCH competition in the jewelry market. I thought diversifying might be a good idea.

Picking Glen up at work was tempting. I sat there in the car, looking up at Nordstroms and wondering if they had the MAC Tartan Tale out yet. I am so tempted by this collection but the swatches I've seen so far are a bit vanilla. I hope MAC didn't play it safe with the colors. Anywhooo, it comes out officially tomorrow. Heaven help me! (and my bank account)

more spray painting

Just a bit more of the spray painting I got done in Maine. But now I'm home and the air is crisp and summer is over. It will become more of a challenge to paint, to work, to GET THINGS DONE. The cold weather does nothing for my productivity. All I want to do is snuggle under blankets with the kitties, nap and watch movies. Possibly a normal reaction to fall/winter but I always take it as a sign of my Seasonal Affective Disorder rearing it's head. Will start to use my full spectrum light box shortly.

So, Glen has today off and I'm probably going to drag him around to my appointments and errands. Poor guy! LOL! Anyway, even if this job isn't ideal I do think having a schedule is helping his mood and that makes me happy. I know i wrote about how i don't want him to resent me for not working. I just want to point out that that is MY fear and insecurity. Glen does NOT resent me not working. He wants what is best for me. I just don't want to be the stereotypical wife who spends her husbands money while spending her days getting mani/pedis, ya know?

new works in progress

Loving stencils and spraypaint at the moment. I'm coming up with loads of backgrounds and many that I like just the way they are. Also great for cutting up and using as covers on my "Potpourri Books". Ya know, if I can ever get going with the binding machine.

Glen working has been sort of strange for me. I'm trying to get "enough" done every day so he doesn't resent me. One day I slept ALL day (still struggling with insomnia) and felt terrible about it. Last night I made him whole wheat fusilli and chicken parm for dinner (plus he took some for lunch today). If I could get something NOTICEABLE done I would feel so much better. Friday I felt like I was cleaning and putting things away from hours but it just doesn't look it.

There's my sweetie <3 This is in Maine on the Kennebec river. It's fairly close to the lake house.  We usually stop there at some point as it's on the way to MY FAVORITE DRIVEIN EVER!!

Back from Maine

worked on a stack of paintings tonight

Tried to go to sleep around midnight but ended up fiddling around with paint and glazes until all canvases in progress were so wet they just had to be left alone for the night. A few hours later I walked by them again and still thought they were pretty good. That's promising. Let's see if they pass the next day test. Not that there will be a next day as i can't seem to sleep. I tried a little klonopin (cause I can't take too many, it'll leave Glen short and his anxiety trumps my insomnia) and had to take allergy pills a few hours later for super fuzzy head/sinus pain. Still no sleep. As of now my knee is unbearable so I am giving in and taking a pain pill. If I don't fall asleep there's not much else I can do. Can't mix/add any more meds.

Went to my Dad's earlier today. Picked up some money and then went searching for decanting supplies at the local dollar stores. The first store had NOTHING and the second one had some generic pain killers we take, eyeshadow palette and a little basket of shells INCLUDING A STARFISH!! I've needed a small starfish for an assemblage I started a month ago. So glad i found him for $1. Finally headed home. My knee was bothering me, the traffic was INSANE and I just felt wiped. Glen ended up finishing up my errands (the bank and pick up my new sandals) while I caught a nap. The fuzzy headed feeling just leaves me good for nothing and it makes me postpone my allergy shots which just snowballs. Grrr...

Even though we considered going to the lakehouse, when it got dark and I was home cuddling with Willow I was grateful to be home. We'll get there as soon as we can. Glen was awesome and unpacked the suitcase I'd already packed.

This week I went for a second opinion on my knee. I've finally had all the necessary tests and was prepared for surgery. Torn ACL, torn meniscus, Bakers cyst, horrible arthritis, etc. The surgeon we met with sent me for an xray, looked at it and said that I needed a knee replacement but was too young. I asked about possibly fixing the other problems and he just repeated I was too young. Didn;t look at my ultrasound or MRI. I started bawling as soon as we walked out of the office. How does a Harvard educated surgeon sentence someone to a life of pain? It has taken me a few days to be able to talk about it. I'm going to try to get more opinions. It just doesn't seem right.

Glen found a new job, allregies are sucky and I still haven't shot the pix I need to

Yesterday Glen had an interview that lasted HOURS and by the time he was done it really felt too late to head to Maine. I was driving home on the highway around 1pm and traffic was sloooowwww.... I doubt going north was any better. ANYWAY, it seems that Glen DOES have the job (woot!) so we may take a quick vacation before he starts. Now if I only knew what I'm going to do. Working 40 hr weeks just doesn't seem in the cards right now. Maybe the knee operation will help my back pain. Just have to wait and see.

I've been going through a stack of paintings that either aren't done or they aren't as good as they should be. Gradually I'm working over them and trying to come to something more unique. Glen mentioned that he really liked my skull painting after I started to glaze over it. Hmm.. I really didn't like the placement of the skull or the negative space. Maybe I should do another. I want the variations of white and ivory to look like a landscape and not be immediately recognizable as a skull. BTW, its a beaver found in the woods. Nothing nefarious or gruesome.

Glen is starting to sell articles and I'm thinking I should also give it a go. What I wonder is what subject isn't already saturated. Art, mixed media, altered art, leprechauns?