A Quiet Sunday Drive....

HB and I got out for a bit yesterday afternoon and just took a drive. Now doesn't that make us sound old!! Goin' for a Sunday drive! It made me think back to when my parents and I did that when I was a kid. How many of you remember Sunday drives?

We would just get in the car and head off to look around. Sometimes my dad would show us something he had worked on or he would take us for a leisurely drive in the country. At Christmas we would drive around and look at all the decorations....of course we had to do that at night. But it was pleasant and relaxing. There wasn't a lot of traffic, no one "saluted" you if you drove a little slower, and it was just a way to spend time together.

Yesterday we drove out toward Elizabeth Lake. Along the way there's a buffalo ranch and some of them were up close enough to the road for me to get this photo....




Can you tell how dry it is around here?? Everything is brown and crispy!

We went on to the lake....



and HB got out his binoculars to see if anyone was fishing....



He saw a few guys way down at the other end but when we drove down that way it was all fenced off and said "Private Property" so they were either trespassing or they knew the owner or maybe they were the owners! In any event, HB did not get to do any fishing....plus it was late enough in the day that the fish wouldn't be biting anyway.

We drove on a little farther so I could get this next photo....



This is a bar where there are always tons of bikes out front. I love the way they're all lined up and showing off their pretty colors....and I love the stone building. There's another section off to the right but I couldn't get it in the shot. This place is right on the road at a stop sign and there aren't many places to park or pull over so it wasn't easy to get a photo.

After that we came home, cooked out on the grill because it was too hot to cook inside, and then we just zoned out in front of the computer and the tv! I bet you're all jealous of the exciting life we lead, aren't you?!

I'm almost finished with all my beaded doll except for the head portion. Now I have to make a face either with polymer clay or paper clay and get it attached so I can bead around it and finish it off. It's taking me a lot longer than I thought to do this doll. I knew it would take some time....and patience....but I can only work on it for so long and then I have to stop and rest my back, neck, and shoulders. In the process my mind has been racing and I've come up with several other things I want to start on so possibly there will be more creating happening at Chez Bee-cause.

Today I have lots of errands to run so I won't get much done on the doll but I'm hoping I can get at least the face made. Wish me luck!!

Some of This and Some of That....

I'm sure you're all tired of me saying how behind I am with everything....but the sad truth is....I AM BEHIND in everything!!! This is going to be a bit of a jumble as I try to incorporate several things into this one post.

First, the tooth has been mended and I'm happily chomping through those almonds! A few of you asked if they're as delicious as they look and YES, they are. I never had an almond tree in my yard until we moved here and now we have two. Fresh almonds are so yummy and they aren't hard like the ones in the store. They have an almost creamy texture. I wish I could scatter them all around the screen so you could all try some.

Next on my list of items is this, from Denise.....



Isn't that just the cutest! Who knew.....I'm a star!! Thank you, Denise. I'll add it to my sidebar later today. And I apologize for not getting it on here sooner.

And finally my last loose end is my beaded doll. No, she isn't finished....yet! But I have done some more work on her....mostly on the back. Here are a couple of photos so you can see I'm still working on her....


front


back

I'm almost liking the back more than the front!! Maybe that's because I'm getting a little more comfortable with the beading and it's going a little smoother than the first part. Up close that area on the upper right side of the front....where it's orange in a sort of circle....that's where I started and it's the worst part of the whole doll! But this is my very first beaded project so I'm giving myself a little slack!

OK, I'm off to tidy the house and run some errands and hopefully I'll squeeze in some blog-visiting time, too. I miss reading all your blogs and feel like I don't know what's going on anymore. Don't give up on me. And please don't think it's from lack of interest that I haven't been by to visit. That is definitely NOT the case. Love and hugs to each one of you.

And to Maryellen, I will do your challenge....I promise!! And Sherrie, I will do the meme you tagged me for....it just won't be today!!

Toothless in the Antelope Valley....

You know how stressed I've been about the house....well, now I have even more stuff to deal with. Over the weekend I broke a tooth. Many of you may not know that I have upper dentures. I've had dentures since I was about 14 years of age!!!! And one of the front teeth broke out. Naturally it would have to be right in front! So this morning, bright and early, I had to take them to the dentist to be repaired. I'm so glad we don't have "insta-view" on the blogs because you would be able to see me sitting here typing this without my teeth!



Honest....this is not a photo of me!!! But it's still not a pretty sight. I have to leave them at the dentist until at least 4:30 this afternoon and maybe until tomorrow! So pardon me while I
hide out today and hope no one wants to see the house.

Other things actually did happen over the weekend. HB picked a boxful of almonds from our trees and we sat on the patio and shelled them.



Aren't they pretty? And they taste so good....but today I won't be enjoying them until I get my teeth back. So with that in mind I think I'll read today and take my mind off my teeth. See you all soon....

PS - A couple of people have tagged me and challenged me to do things on my blog so I'm working on it. I just haven't had much time but it's all on my "to do" list.

Still Here on Planet Earth....

Just wanted to let you all know I'm still here....I couldn't resist this photo of the earth with purple water!! I've just been extra busy and also a bit lazy if that's possible all at the same time!

My beaded doll is lazily reclining on the studio work table with only about 2/3 of her back left to do....but I haven't had time to finish her. And today isn't shaping up much better. I have lots of errands to run plus I have to make a trip to the library because I finished the book I was reading and need something for tonight. I read every night before I go to sleep....mostly just light, easy reading stuff. I save the heavier stuff for other times during the day.

Yesterday I received this adorable piece of art in the mail....



I ordered it from Vanessa at a Fanciful Twist. When I saw it on her etsy shop I knew it had to be mine....HB is always teasing me about "all my stuff"....I love the whimsical style of Vanessa's art. This piece will hang in my studio (once we get moved!)

My blog visiting has been rather spotty at best but I'll get around to everyone sooner or later!

Beading and Thinking....

These are the three days when I'm not on the computer much (Fri - Sun) so this will be a quickie. Several of you had expressed an interest in my beaded doll so I thought I'd give you an update....



I'm almost finished with the front and have got a little bit done on the back....pictures of that later.

And just because I like doing them, here's another quiz....

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Modifying

Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you. You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion. You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested. You tend to ground those around you and add stability.

What's Your Thinking Style?

I'm not completely sure this is me!!

Smorgasbord....Are You Hungry?

Today is gonna be a smorgasbord....a little of this and a little of that. There was a great smorgasbord at the golf course near where I grew up. I loved to go there to eat. My mom and I would go there sometimes but my dad always took us out for dinner on Friday night. I'm not talking fast food either! I mean we got dressed up and went out to a restaurant and had a nice meal....steaks usually. That was back in the day when I ate meat!!....and when people actually got dressed up to go out for dinner!!!!

As far back as I can remember we went out for dinner on Fridays. And believe me, I did not get up and run around the restaurant! I used my "party manners" and learned to behave myself. When I got older I was encouraged to ask a friend along and many times Gail went with us. One of my dad's favorite places was in Springfield, IL (they lost out for the Simpon's movie!!) This place had a little band and a singer and a dance floor....maybe more of a nightclub but nothing rowdy. My favorite part was getting dressed up! And feeling all grown up!

Ok, enough nostalgia!! But I'm staying on the subject of food. HB likes to grill in the summer and since I don't eat meat about the only thing I can fix for me is veggies. I once tried Smart Dogs, which I love, but they don't do good on the grill. Over the weekend for the 4th I discovered two new (to me) products that I really, really like! And I can put them on the grill!! The first one is....



I was a little concerned about the tomato but my tummy did just fine with these. I also tried these....



And they're delish!! So now when we grill I can participate. Isn't it interesting how many customs and traditions are centered around specific food. And if for some reason you don't or can't eat those foods then you feel left out.

Now on to something else....I told you it would be a smorgasbord! Here's my doll after several more days of beading....



She's coming along but I still have a lot of beading to do!! I can only work on it for so long and then I have to take a break. It isn't my eyes so much as my neck and shoulders that begin to bother me. I start out sitting properly but the longer I bead the more I find myself hunching over the work space. Bad habits!! I can still hear my mom saying "sit up straight"....

On that note I'll leave you with....dessert, I guess. You know how I love memes and little quiz thingies!!

You Are a Normal Girl

You are 40% Good and 60% Bad Sure you've pulled some bad girl stunts in your past. But these days, you're (mostly) a good girl.

Are You a Good Girl or a Bad Girl?

Are they kidding!!!! I've never been considered "normal"....but I did have my "bad girl" days. But that's another story!

Links, Love, and Thank You

I haven't done any links for a long time so I thought I would give you a few today. First of all I went to visit Lia this morning and she led me to two new places. The first one is for all you French loving people out there....you know who you are!! Check out the fabulous fifi if you love shabby chic decorating, gardening, and just pretty things in general. She's brand new to blogland so say hello. Then pop over to visit this blog for some fun and inspiration.

While I was browsing through my bloglines I noticed a new post at Journaling & short stories...So Many Hat's so I popped over to see it and SURPRISE!!....it was for ME! Check it out. Plus she gave the perfect description for what's "ailing" me with my art....I have art ADD!! I jump around from one thing to the next just as someone who has ADD! So that's my new label....I have art ADD.

And lastly let me thank everyone who commented and gave me such good advice on yesterday's post and most especially a huge thank you to Lisa who phoned me!! It was just the boost I needed.

I'm Full of Questions....

What? How? Which? Questions are my constant companion recently. I've been buying books like a mad woman hoping that THIS one will give me the answers but it never does. What it does is give me more questions! I've come to the conclusion that I'm spending way too much time reading about art and not actually doing enough of it. I'm always trying to learn something new....that one thing that will be the spark that will ignite me. It hasn't happened yet. My biggest problem is I like everything.

Each new thing I see I want to try so I leave the unfinished item on the shelf and proceed to the newest and greatest....and once again I'm disappointed. Disappointed in myself for getting sidetracked, disappointed in whatever new thing it was this time because I never have the supplies needed which is amazing since I spend so much money on supplies!! Why is it that everything always takes that one thing I don't have? And it usually costs a small fortune to get!

I think about ancient people who had nothing but mud and a stick and yet they produced art that has survived for centuries. And here I sit surrounded by tons of stuff and I'm not producing anything!

Mostly I think I'm not inspired. Oh, I have all those books but I'm talking about face-to-face inspiration. Getting together with a group of friends, even one or two, and making art together. Learning how someone else does things. Seeing how someone else does things. I'm a visual learner. Show me or give me detailed pictures to follow and I'm usually ok.

Several years ago, when HB and I were still traveling in our RV, we spent the summer at a wonderful campground near Crystal Lake, IL....sadly the campground no longer exists. We had huge grassy spots, there were beautiful weeping willows, a pond right outside my front window, and a river just a little bit off to the side....I could see it from my side windows. It was a slice of heaven. Inspiring all on its own. While we were there I met my good friend, "K" (she's the one who is going to have serious surgery later this summer) and we learned that we both had a passion for creating. From that first day on through the entire summer, we spent most of our days out on the picnic tables creating. She taught me how to make paper, and how to stamp and emboss, I taught her about watercolors (what little I knew) and drawing and we both did collages. It was my best summer.

We both had so many ideas that summer that we could barely keep up. She would think of something and I would think of two more things and then it would go around again. We bounced things off each other and just kept coming up with more and more. I felt rich with ideas and accomplishments.

Then we left the area to move on. I've not found that same essence again. That's what I'm craving. That's what I need now. The blog world helps tremendously but there still isn't that last little bit of human connection. That's what I need. That's what I'm missing. And no matter how many books I buy....and believe me I buy a LOT of books....I can't get that human connection from one of them.

I'm not whining or complaining....I hope it doesn't come across like that....I'm simply stating what I've just realized is that missing thing I need. Do any of you out there also have this problem and if so how do you cope with it? How do you get that inspiration that comes from someone else sitting across from you if there isn't anyone there?

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On a different subject....I have hummingbirds outside my patio doors all the time now. I spend a lot of time watching them zoom in, chase each other off, and gulp down sugar water by the gallons! Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little on the gallons! But they do drink a lot!

I've spent a fair amount of time standing as still as a statue with my little camera aimed at the feeder trying to capture them and mostly I get weird photos of blurs and air but I finally got one that shows a hummingbird!!! Not as closeup as I would like but I'll take it anyway....



Yesterday HB and I had our waffles out on the patio as we always do on Sunday morning and we sat and watched the hummingbirds. We even had two that just hung suspended right above the table looking at us! Luckily we were finished eating by then but I did grab my water and put my hand over it!! You just never know!!

Don't be afraid....I have no photos of my thermometer today!! I'll just say that it's going to be another scorcher and leave it at that. I hope where ever you are that it's cooler and more pleasant than here.

I've been working on my art doll and have a bit more to show you....



Excuse the needle stuck in her and also the lovely background....a brown paper bag!! I was looking for something to put behind her so the colors would show up and as a final resort I just grabbed the bag. No one ever accused me of being a photographer!!

This is a close up of some of the beading. Don't look too close though because I'm not that neat!! I think this is clickable if you want to see it bigger.



My kitties are both mad at me because when I'm beading I don't let them into the studio. Too many chances for a disaster!! So they ignore me now when I come out. LuLu scratches at the door because most of the time when I'm in the studio she keeps me company. Harley must think it's "girl stuff" because he seldom comes in and if he does he strolls around, sniffs everything and then leaves.

I'm off to do more beading. See ya later....

Reading, Beading, and Baking

Do you find it difficult to concentrate when it's hot? My brain seems to be more frazzled than usual....and that's saying something!! I feel as if I'm a baked potato!!

We got out about 7 PM last evening to venture next door to our neighbor's house for a cookout. Once the sun sets here it begins to cool off and so we were able to comfortably sit on the patio and enjoy a wonderful meal and good company.

Today I got out early to go to the library. At least it's good reading weather! And I've also been working on an art doll but she only gets my attention for a few minutes then I have to leave her....my studio is the warmest room in the house both winter and summer! Lucky me....and I don't like heat!

Here's a photo of what she looks like....



Not a very good photo but I tried several and this was the best! I've just started on her so there isn't too much beading yet. This is a totally unplanned project. I'm just beading where I feel like it with whatever color strikes my fancy! She may turn out to be awful but it's more a learning experience for me.

For everyone who missed coming over yesterday don't worry you can still get in on all the fun!! I just took a couple of photos of the thermometer....



That was in the shade at 2 PM and this next one was in the sun just a few minutes later....



that's about 118º and it had only been in the sun a minute or so....I couldn't stand it any longer! You may notice at the bottom it shows the humidity and luckily it's not very high....maybe 18%. That's one of the things that saves us from really suffering in this heat! I used to laugh when people said "it's a dry heat" but now I know what they mean.

I hope everyone is staying cool where ever you are. I'm being very thankful for central a/c while reading and beading and being a bit lazy while my frazzled brain tries to cope!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

All I can say is it's hotter than a....

Here's the temperature in our backyard at 3 PM in the sun....



In case you can't read it the thermometor says about 116º!!!! Wanna come over to our house today??

Promises, Promises....

It's Monday and I have very little to show you!! We spent the day with Molly on Saturday (and I forgot my camera!!) and yesterday it was hot so I was lazy. Today I've been playing with a little project but it isn't anything special or earth-shakingly creative....just a little felt thingie. All my felt was packed in one of those plastic tubs so it wasn't difficult to get it out and of course my embroidery thread was still out so there you have it....my reason for making something with felt!

Over the weekend I did manage to mess around with some magazines and a glue stick. I usually carry a small hardcover notebook when I go shopping. At home it lays on the counter so I can jot down things I need to buy when I'm out. It was just a plain uninspiring cover so I cut out all sorts of photos....not necessarily things I buy....and stuck them on some brown paper and made a new cover for the front. It's definitely not fine art but at least I did something!!



After looking at some of your blogs last night and this morning I almost feel embarrassed to show you what little I've accomplished! Seems as if everyone is on a huge creative binge right now and I'm still back at the starting gate! But I'll catch up one of these days....I promise! And then all your mailboxes will be stuffed with goodies from me.

And don't think I forgot about my list of blogs that is missing over there on the right side of my blog. I have been working on it when I have the time so it won't be much longer before I reinstall that.