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! 

Astrobrights Paper Review

     Warning - the brightness of this paper may cause you to need sunglasses! 
      I love paper.  I collect pretty paper for use in my scrapbooks and at school.  So when I opened this box of paper, all I could do was gasp.  It is so bright and . . .  well, flashy.  I love it and I knew immediately my kids at school would love it. 
     My first use was to take some of the cardstock to school and print some task cards for a center.  By using several different colors the pieces to each center could be kept separate.  The kids loved it!  They went on and on about how pretty and bright it was.  I did not have any trouble with using it to run through our copier.  It didn't jam the copier and the ink printed nice and bold despite the color.  I didn't use the dark blue cardstock to print cards on because I was unsure if it would show up.
     After that I tried using it with my Cricut personal cutter to make some bookmarks for my class.  Again it worked very nicely and did not cause the blade to "grab" the way some of my papers do.  The bookmarks (for Halloween) are going to be a great surprise!
     I also cut some of the cardstock into pieces to use to to my tangling on.  The ink holds up well and again I like the boldness.  It also looks great when using gel or glitter pens.  I also like that the both the paper and the cardstock are smooth writing surfaces.  No grabbing my pen as I worked.
     Go to this link to check out the astrobright line of paper and cardstock.  I don't think you will be disappointed in the quality - or the brightness!!

Heavy cardstock minus the yellow

Astrobright high quality paper

Some really great bookmarks!

Every Inchie Monday - ungual

      Webster's dictionary here I come!  I had no idea what an ungual was.  It is a nail - toe nail or animal's nail.  This EIM sure teaches me some new vocabulary!  There should be a way to use this idea in my classroom . . . maybe I will think on that.

     I also had some time to play with my Square One Facebook challenge.  the challenge was to use fengle.   I love that tangle, but like someone else said it is a hard one to tie in with other tangles or to a string. 

     When my brother and I were small there was this game called Barrel of Monkeys.  It was sort of a pick up sticks type game where you had to see how many monkeys you could pick up by connecting their arms and feet.  The whole time I was drawing I could not get this game out of my head - they remind me of the monkeys!
      I missed a couple of challenges this week.  I always hate to do that since they are so much fun, but school work and some other stresses seemed to have sapped a lot of my energy.  Maybe I can get back on track.  Have a blessed day and thanks for dropping by.

A "Few" Challenges

     I have become a Sunday blogger!  I get things finished during the week sometimes, but never find the time to sit and write.  Oh well, better late than never.
     I finished the Every Inchie Monday for tomorrow (early, I might add).  The word is "thistle".  I think those purple flowers are so gorgeous.  I can't possibly think of them as weeds.  They are just too pretty. 

     I worked on Adele Bruno's string challenge this week.  I think the tile looks a bit empty but I like it.  Sometimes I have a tendency to overwork a tile or piece.  I just don't seem to know when to quit.

String Challenge #60

    Diva's challenge this past week was to do a blind string.  I placed my pencil on the edge of the paper, closed my eyes and took off!  This is a fun challenge.  It also helps me to produce strings that are not always so similar. 

Challenge #187

     For one of my facebook groups, we had to use the tangle "pendrils".  I like this tangle.  It is sort of addicting though.  Once you get started you can't seem to stop.  I think it looks pretty cool combined with n'zeppel.

pendrils

     And last but not least, I worked on a submission in a vellum sketch book by Clearprint.  You can use any type of art (of course, I chose tangling) and do one page.  Then you send it back to the company and they send it out to the next person.  I was a bit unsure about drawing on vellum, but now that I have - oh, I love that paper!  Also it sort of shook my confidence when I saw the first page - that artist was awesome.  But I forged ahead and did my page.

     I used a Ben Kwok template and modified it some (very easy to do with vellum). 
     Guess I shall open the school books.  Papers to grade and a notebook to work on.  Have a wonderfully blessed day and thanks for dropping by!