Blessed!

     I am blessed with a week off work for the holidays.  After the last few weeks, I needed this.  All the house mess I mentioned in the last post and the stress of working with a student teacher that needed a lot of help - yep, the week off was appreciated.  I also got to spend lots of time tangling and doing other artsy things.  And of course, the added bonus of sleeping in, isn't a bad blessing either.  It appears the house company has taken care of the problems they created.  The bank has cleaned up their end of the mess.  There are some issues with insurance as a result of the fallout from all this, but even that may turn into a blessing. 
     Another biggie for me this week?  I went over to interweave and got a copy of the book that has my art work in it!!!  I still can't wait to hold the paper copy, but it was awesome just the same.  I will write a full review with pictures when I get the book. 
     Using the tangle assunta was my facebook group's challenge.  Whew!  That is a beautiful tangle - when done by someone else.  I struggle with it.  I could not follow the steps on the Zentangle website.  They confused me.  So I went to one of my favorite tangler's sites - Ellen Wolters.  She does awesom videos.  So clear and easy to follow.  She used a grid to do assunta instead of these little dashes.  After I got comfortable with the grid, I released it from the grid.  It reminds me of a mistletoe ball or maybe that is my holiday spirit kicking in!

      Diva's challenge (or rather guest challenge) was so much fun.  I plan to play with this idea some more in my sketch book.  We were asked to take a tangle that usually went into a grid and draw it without the grid - or take a "free" tangle and contain it into a grid.  Cool, cool idea!  My favorite tangle is n'zeppel.  So along with emingle, I set them free! 

     Adele Bruno's string challenge was lots of fun too!  I loved the string and all four of the tangles she asked us to use.  Something about this tile though reminds me of the scene where the train is traveling over the mountains in the children's book - The Polar Express.  Okay, I know that is strange, but it does.  Seriously. 

      I wish I had had a more spectacular thought for my inchie this week.  But I didn't.  The word was "x-axis".  Pretty lame, huh?  Oh well, next week will be better.  Or not.  Have you seen the word we are supposed to use?!  Help!!

     Finally got this written.  The computer and the internet were not being very nice to each other today.  My brother said it is because all the world went out on Black Friday and bought new internet devices and caused a "traffic jam".  Probably.  But surely there was room on that huge web for little ol' me. 
      Hope you are having a blessed day!  Stay safe and healthy and see you next time!!

A Challenging Week and Some Challenges of the Fun Sort

     I am trying hard not to be frustrated. It is sort of working.  At least at times.  As a teacher I get paid once a month.  The first of October I called my mortgage company and had them set up my monthly payment for Oct. 31.  The very nice and helpful lady said would I like  her to set one up for Nov. 30.  Sure. Would save me time and trouble.  The first of November rolled around and the payment for Oct. was removed and we set about paying our usual monthly bills and such.  Then it got to be Nov. 3rd and guess what the most helpful folks at Greentree did - removed a SECOND payment.  (Anyone notice a place value problem here - 30 . 3 ?)  I didn't notice until I got a call from my bank telling me I was a bit overdrawn - to the tune of around $400!!  Oh my word!
    Of course if I send them the proper paper work, a few teeth, some blood and the deed to my soul, they will willingly correct their mistake (the mortage company).  In a timely fashion - it has been 7 days.  This is an electronic withdrawal so how hard can that be?  My bank has said they will put back the overdraft fees, but not until the mortgage company does their number.  In the meantime, they are happily assessing more overdraft fees.  I am being ignored on the phone to the house company and then when I did get someone, they "promised" me to have it cleared up by Friday evening.  Nope.  Not yet.
     I needed these few zen moments quite a lot today.  One could say I was desperate to chill.  To top it off, it has been a difficult week at school.  My kiddos are fine, but there is a bit of a personality conflict with my student teacher.  But I won't go there.  Enough whining.
      Every Inchie Monday's word was "weapon".  I tried to find a tiny toy gun.  I then attempted to draw a sword.  I asked my brother for suggestions and being the very clever person he is, he quickly said "do a pen".  Well duh!  How cute was that?!  Afterall the pen is mightier than the sword.  That may be the case but I think I would rather have a sword in hand than a pen when dealing with the folks mentioned above!

The pen is mightier than the sword

      Diva had another great guest challenger this week.  We were to use the three tangles - trio, huggins, and xyp.  They spell THX.  As in thanks to all the veterans and others in our lives.

THX

      This last piece is for my facebook group, Square One Tangle.  Well, not my group, but one I am loving being a part of.

Hurry

       I suppose it is time to shut the computer down and call it a day.  I am hoping everything will be resolved at the beginning of the week.  There are things I need and all my funds are "blissfully" tied up in this mess.  And I suppose if it isn't, I need to remember that God indeed has a plan.
     Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a blessed day!

Every Inchie Monday - wheat

   This week's word for Every Inchie Monday was wheat.  I painted a background and then glued on some "wheat". 

    

      Have a blessed day!

A few challenges

What's this?  Me posting in the middle of the week?  Not rushing in at the last minute on the week-end?   What happened?  I got sick with a very fast moving stomach bug yesterday and since I wasn't counting on being at home I left all my school work at school . . .  so when I was finally able to get up for a bit, guess how I amused myself?!  While I enjoyed the extra art time, I really don't want to have to have the "cause" again.  That was less than fun.
      Every Inchie Monday's word was violet.  My mom had two windows full of beautiful African violets.  She tended them with love and care and they flourished.  Then she passed away and they were left to her daughter (me).  Uh, I still have the pots.  Apparently I do not have my mom's green thumb. 

     Diva's guest challenger asked us to do a tile and use one of her tangles - seton.  This is a really fun and versatile tangle. 

  Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine!  Have a blessed day!

Permission

      As I probably have mentioned before (maybe more than once), I am a very linear person - at least in lots of respects.  If given a list of things to do, I will generally start at the top and go in an order down the list.  It frustrates me not to be able to accomplish tasks - even ones that I put in front of myself.  All that being said, I have had to give myself "permission" to not finish or even do a challenge.  You have no idea how hard that is on my linear system.  Seriously.  Missing a post on the Diva Challenge or Every Inchie Monday bugs me to no end.  But school work this year is overwhelming - so many new and different things we are responsible for.  My time is chopped up into tiny segments of free time, very tiny.  So I apologize for this post being sooooo long, but I am posting all those things I have completed, but not gotten to write about. 
      I love Every Inchie Monday.  I intend on doing every inchie.  I also cannot help but do them in order even if I am given the entire list for the year.  (Remember the linear glitch?)  I missed last week's word - umbra.  So here is last week and this week's post. 

umbra

vegetable

     Now for the Diva's challenge.  I actually missed 2 of those!  Drives me crazy!  Last week we had to use pink in honor of Diva's grandmother who had breast cancer.  While cancer is prominent in my family, it has been other types.  But cancer is still cancer.  The whole time I was working on this tile, I was thinking of one of my teaching partners.  She has a sister who is fighting this fight.  I said a lot of prayers for them both.

pink

    This week's Diva Challenge was to use the tangle betweed in a monotangle.  I love, love, love betweed!  It is one of my absolute favorites. 

betweed

     Now . . .  I am "caught up".  Oh, unless you count the eleven - really, 11!! - Journal 52 pages I am behind in.  And then there is the tile swap I need to work on.  What about Christmas presents?  And that craft show?!  Oh dear!  Okay, Cathy, take a deep breath and give yourself permission to only do what you want to do and have time to do.  (There is a little tiny voice saying "but I want to do them all" that I am trying to ignore).
     Thanks for finding time to drop by.  I don't get to visit and comment like I want to during school.  So on holidays I try to get to my favorite sites and check everything out.  But I value your comments and time.  Have a blessed day!  I think I shall go and . . . create something!