A scintillating post about social security...

Aaaahhhh! Well, I bit the bullet and made that dreaded call to the social security office to discuss applying for widow's benefits. My brain is not the sort that likes to think upon this type of thing, so it quickly began to spin in circles as I tried to take notes. In a nutshell, I found out that if I want to receive a check for November (the month of my birth) I need to cut my hours at work so that I'm grossing less than $1310/mth. If my math is correct (let me know if it's not, please!), at my current wage of $12/hr I would need to work less than 27 hours per week.

Now that I've theoretically cut my hours back (and that's actually only a few hours less than I'm working now because fall has arrived and we always get cut back) I will get my November check...the fourth Wednesday of DECEMBER, based on the fact that Bob's birthday was the 25th of the month. Feels like a leap of faith! But, it must be done, and hopefully all will be smooth sailing afterwards as long as I don't go over that monthly gross income level. Right? If there's anyone out there with experience in this, please just let me know if I've got my facts straight. Now I just need to let my boss know to cut me back and I have to make an appointment to fill out the application at the social security office before November 30. Whew.

It feels like a huge thing, so I'll have to take it one step at a time. I'm sure it's do-able. I'm already thinking of job options, one being to work at the local school in the kitchen. As much as I'd like to get out of food service, it may be the best option. No nights or weekends! It will depend on whether they'll take someone on part-time. There are other possibilities, but I may start with this one.

In other news, I may start posting entries from my "Pink Journal" so they will be recorded here for my kids if they should want to look at them later. Mostly these will be thoughts of a spiritual nature that I want to leave with them. Who knows if blogger will even exist by the time I wander off to heaven! But, maybe someone will find them of interest in the meantime. :)

And here we go! (You'll probably have to click on them to enlarge so you don't hurt your peepers...)

 

Well, that's a start. I won't bore you with the whole journal right now. ;)

 

On the lighter side, I'm falling behind on my ATC pics. Lucky you!
These red birds are for the Faith Art RAK (Random Act of Kindness), and they will be given out to people in need of some cheer and support. I send them off to a friend of mine in Kentucky, and she and her husband, a minister,  use them in their ministry.

 This is for a monthly 5x7 canvas board swap. I mailed this off to one of the gals  from my ATC site and she will be sending me one in return. This is a rip-off of one of Van Gogh's paintings called "Willows at Sunset". (I made a smaller version on an ATC earlier, if it looks familiar.)

 The next four cards were made for a swap called Finish It Up. The host sent each of us an envelope containing some paper items. We were to design some cards using the items she sent. The items were...

...a vitamin label...

 ...a superhero word (Zap and the little explosion thingy)...

 ...a cat dressed up as a person...

 ...and another cat  dressed up as a person as a gift card for the host.

 THEN there was the ever-popular Ballpoint Pen Swap...

 Lastly, for the moment, these two are for the Halloween Pumpkin Swap.

 

Sweet son, Jordan and his friend Brooke. I think they're an item! I pray that she will be as faithful, true-blue and fun loving as Jordan. He's waited a long time!

 Adele...super-hero!

 Her little brother, Sully/Sly (not sure which will stick yet). He's already looking around to see what kind of mischief he can get into. :)

If you've read this far...you are a true friend! Ha ha! Thanks for dropping by, y'all!
Shalom on you and yours!

Sully is here!

My new grandson, Sullivan Loren Yliniemi, arrived yesterday, September 10, at 2:25 a.m. He's 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 19 inches. He and mom, Micah, are doing great and will come home today, when I'll get to meet him for the first time.

I received the expected phone call at 11 p.m. Friday, asking me to come over to stay with the three grandgirls while Micah and Adam drove to the hospital, which is an hour and fifteen minutes away. Micah always does most of her laboring at home and BARELY makes it to the hospital in time, lol. Actually, it was a whole 2 hours later that they had the baby. She said that she experienced a couple of contractions on the trip where they thought they might have to pull over and deliver the baby in the car. Ha!

I had worked on Friday, doing the customary chicken frying, so I'm a bit done in today. I didn't get much more sleep than the laboring mom. :) Then a long day of keeping up with three active girls. Whew! (Poor me; whine.)

Anyhoo, here are pics of the little man. His middle name is that of his great-grandfather's on his dad's side. He will be much adored by his big sisters! And he will be called Sully or Sly, more than likely. :)

 Audrey and Hazel had their first day of school pictures taken on Tuesday. Audrey is in kindergarten (homeschool) and she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up.

 Hazel is a preschooler and she wants to be a cowboy! :) I suggested to her that she might have to be a cowGIRL. To which she replied with a little smile, "Oh. Okay." She didn't know that option was available.

 

That's all the news fit to print at the moment. Everyone enjoy your Sunday!
Shalom.

Time keeps flying!

Seems like I just posted and here it is about 10 days later!

I had a weekend of frying chicken at work for all the Labor Day celebrators. It was hectic, but I really feel it today. TIRED, achy, and fuzzy in the brain. Hopefully, things will now slow down at work. My manager in the deli just announced that December 30th will be her last day. I was feeling bad about cutting back or quitting in mid-November, because I didn't want to leave her more short-handed than she already was, so this news makes my departure a little easier. Thank you, Lord! She's had arthritis issues for years, and she and her hubby decided now was the time to quit rather than trying to make it through another year. So, this semi-retirement stuff is becoming more real every day. I can't really go out and appy for another job until my social security kicks in in mid-November. I need to think outside the box about what is available and possible around here. Prayers for wisdom appreciated!

I just mailed cards off for a swap called "What's In Your Cabinet?" (Curiosity Cabinets):

"Trapped in Amber"

"Bottles and Jars"

"Vintage Stuffed Animals"

"Under the Sea"

Another swap was called "Found Poetry: Illustrated". The idea was to glue a square of text from a book page onto your card. Then find a "poem", which doesn't need to rhyme or even look like a poem. Mostly it just makes a funny sentence. And then you illustrate it. These turned out kind of clunky, but for the record, I'll post them. :)

Well, I'm off to do more resting, and to deliver some birthday gifts to my little grandgirl, Hazel. She's FOUR today! Here's what I got for her.

Ha, ha! The red car is for Audrey, so they can have races up and down the hall. Hazel's little cousin, Max, had a birthday a few days ago and this is what they gave him. Hazel was sad to send the toys off in the mail, so I got her the same toys for her birthday. With Hazel it's dinos one minute and tutus the next! She's such a treat!

Oh, and Hazel and Audrey have another past time. It's called dressing up their little living doll of a baby sister! My daughter titled this "Princess Della Bean, the Sponge Bob jammie queen". :)

 And don't forget the cape! Hello, sweet Audrey sister!

Here's Hazel the birthday girl, being all grown up at gymnastics. ;)

Okay, I really am going this time! I need to catch up on YOUR blogs! Have a blessed week, everyone!

Shalom!

A "little" art...

Howdy, folks!

Looking forward to a weekend of reading and art. I've been doing so much art in my spare time that I've neglected some of the "good" reading I've been wanting to do. I've been working my way, ever-so-slowly, through Watchman Nee's The Normal Christian Life, but I'd like to get more into that. Of course, my Bible is most important, but I find myself thinking, "I'll read that when I'm really able to concentrate." You-know-who makes sure I never feel really able to concentrate, so I'll just jump in and read anyway! I also have the autobiography of George Muller which I've been looking forward to.

I just finished the Miscellaneous Mail Art PAT, so-called because there are several groups, each doing a different type of mail art. The one I'm in is for MOO's, which are tiny cards measuring 1"x2-3/4". I've done one before and swore I'd never do it again, lol! It's so hard to fit a drawing on a rectangle of those dimensions! Anyway, here are the MOO's I made. I made two cards for each group member according to the theme they chose.

Here are a couple more Faith Art cards for the Random Act of Kindness group. This is an ongoing project, so I just mail them to the host when I happen to get some made. I'm enjoying this a lot!

I also find I haven't written in my journal in ages. I'd like to start doing that again, even if only a very short entry each day. A person should be able to come up with something worthwhile to say once a day, right? It just takes a little pondering to recapture something that's worth passing along. A little goal of mine.

Well, that's all for right now. Thanks for dropping by! I'll try to get over and visit some of you this weekend.

Shalom and God's blessings on whomever passes this way. :)

Thrift store haul!

My day off began with helping Micah and the girls. A new seatbelt was needed in her van before baby Sullivan arrives (maybe in the next few weeks!). So, I followed her to the repair shop and she and the girls crowded into my car to wait for the van to be ready. We ate our drive-through lunches and the girls colored and played games on Micah's phone. We had a good time together. The mechanic is a friend of Micah's, so he gave her some good-humored ribbing about being pregnant AGAIN. He and his wife have four kids also, so he was only kidding. :)

As they drove away to do their own errands I decided to drop in and take a quick look at one of the local thrift/antique/junque shops. I ended up staying for almost 3 hours! My idea of a fun afternoon! I came away with a basketful of loot.

  

I got rid of most of my salt and pepper shaker collection before I moved, so I thought it was time to buy some more. I'm looking for cute little knick-knacks to brighten up the apartment.

  

I love this box of postcards. The artwork is inspired by matchbox cover art. I'll use these when mailing ATC's to make a sturdier package and the recipients will love the art!

 This little Santa nesting doll is in poor shape, but I love it as art. It looks cute on my desk shelf. The plaid box is lacquered and was made in India. It's in rough shape, too, but I think that gives it more charm. The lid lifts off and I'll find something to store in there!

 I bought these two frames mainly for the frames themselves. They look like something you would hang on the walls of your resort cabin. Someone put 1960-ish looking magazine pictures in the frames. But if you click on this to enlarge it you'll notice that the magazine picture doesn't go all the way to the top. Someone finished the picture at the top! I wish they would have painted the whole thing! This was something I hadn't noticed til I got it home. I'm hoping to someday make a painting or two to put in them.

 I got this because I love the illustrations. I wouldn't be above copying them for some ATC artwork!

 This funny box was filled with pretty stationary with interesting borders. I'll probably use these to wrap ATC's in. Some of the collagers among us will probably cut the borders off and use them in their collages. Or maybe I will. ;)

 

I don't know about you guys, but I read ALL of the Black Stallion books when I was about 10-12 years old. So, when I come across a copy I snap it up for my grandkids' library.

 I had sort of a souvenir theme going for a while...

 This tiny mug celebrates my Texas roots. It will sit on my desk and will eventually hold some art supplies.

 I just thought this was funny! It will work perfectly with my Keurig coffee maker!

 What can I say? I need a tea bag holder!

I also need a spoon holder...don't I?

So there you go. A lot of fun for not a lot of money.

In other news, I made this postcard for the MMH (Make Me Happy) Postcard swap. A gal asked for a painting of a mushroom. This little postcard is in the mail and bound for St. Petersburg, Russia! My first card to go to Mother Russia. I hope there's something left of the art by the time it gets there. It's sort of a funny feeling to spend time making  a painting and then to stick it bare nekked in the mail! But that's how it's done. Here's hoping she gets it okay.

 

For another Make Me Happy swap I made this ATC of a chicken.

 It's been a pleasant day off, and I'm feeling blessed! I hope you're having a good day and that you'll have a wonderful weekend!

Shalom, all!

Hummingbird wars...

This little fellow (I guess it's a fellow!) has been hogging the hummingbird feeder. He sits guard on a nearby sunflower and when other hummers come along he attacks and drives them off. He was doing this this morning and was still at it when I came home from work!  See him silhouetted against the sky?

 Here he was craning his neck to get a better look at me. You can see his ruby throat. There's a lot of dive-bombing and chattering going on. He's still doing this as I type. Little rascal!

 

This woodpecker card is for a Make Me Happy swap. I mailed it out this afternoon.

 

We also have a monthly RAK (Random Act of Kindness) that we do at my ATC website. Each month someone is nominated who could use some encouragement and support. One gal lost her husband a month or so back, so we sign up to send her a "care" package. This is a bookmark I made, along with some other things I thought she might like; art materials and such along with a note. I think about 30 people signed up, so she will get quite an avalanche of mail. It's a nice thing to be able to take part in. 

 

 This llama was for another Make Me Happy swap. In these we send a card to just one person.

 Look what just came in the mail! MK, do you suggest reading the books in order, or can they be read in any order?

 I tried to capture the sunrise. Too bad about the power lines. Oh well, it was amazingly orange!

Almost forgot! Here's my harvest so far. Well, I did have one earlier. A lot of my tomatoes had blossom end rot, but it looks like I'll get a few good ones before cold weather sets in. That's all I really wanted. Just a few fresh tomato sandwiches and some to slice and douse with Ranch dressing!

I have a hankering for a sloppy joe, so I think I'll make some!

 Thanks for dropping by!

Shalom to all.

Beatrix Potter swap...

Not much news. I'm on one of my three day mini-vacations, so I'm doing a lot of relaxing and recreating...RECreating...you know, like in recreation? Ha!

I just finished the "Potty About Beatrix Potter" swap. Potty. Is that an English term? The swap host is from the UK, so I'm assuming... Anyway, here are my cards.

Have a happy weekend! Shalom, my friends and family!