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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Slapdash Saturday (Links)

Friday, August 29, 2014

Feline Friday

7/20/14

This girl, overall, is doing so much better since I discovered her collar was giving her fits and caused her skin to be inflamed and be bald. It shocked me! She no longer wears a collar and her fur has since grown back. She may have developed an allergy to something within the collar itself. Because of her, all my cats no longer wear collars.

7/21/14

I have also been giving her "baths" when she is extremely itchy around her face and ears. I use a homemade pet shampoo since the commercial ones can be harsh. It is a combination of Dawn dish soap (original), vinegar and water. We had a few struggles trying to figure out how to keep her calm and yet still wash her. The best method is to just simply hold her and have a bucket of water on hand with a wash rag. We have had to do this frequently in the beginning; but, now, we only have to do this when she gets a major attack of itches which is about once a month or so.

7/22/14

She is a much happier cat and hangs out all over the place now. She still prefers hard flat surfaces; but, will occasionally hang out on the chair with me.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Wordy Wednesday {A/C}

Our main Air Conditioner (A/C) broke down three times so far this summer. This is just our luck. We are now saving up money to get a brand new A/C system next spring due to the fact many of the parts are no longer being sold. It is frustrating because the system is only seven years old. (The house is a little over seven years old and we have owned it a few years.) It is one of the cheapest systems you can put into a house. We never dreamed that we would have to get a new A/C so soon.

My advice to any homeowner building a new house, do NOT go for the cheapest. Instead, go for at least a mid-range price A/C system.

This is the reason for the second breakdown. This is a vital part that makes the A/C run. The cause of the problem? Ants. Stupid ants. Can you see them?

Hundreds of dead ants filled up this part preventing it from working properly. For some odd reason, ants are attracted to electricity. A new part was put in and this time, a cover was installed to help deter ants. There is no guarantee that it would stop them; but, it may at least deter them from getting inside.

In the meantime, I went on a warpath. I had recently won the battle against the ants inside; but, now the battle was carried outdoors.

I concocted my own ant killer (a mixture of borax, diatomaceous earth, and corn meal) and poured it on every ant pile that was within 10 feet of the house. I would stab an ant pile, pour some of the mixture onto the pile and the mix it in with a small shovel. This worked for all active ant piles because they were all gone (dead) within 48 hours.

There was only one situation where I could not locate the actual ant pile. As a result, I had to resort to using Ortho Max Home Defense Insect killer {spray form). In fact, Dan sprayed this stuff all around the foundation of the house. Now, we just need to remain vigilant and watch for new ants.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Slapdash Saturday {Links}

  • Free Mario (video game) Quilt Pattern found on Craftsy.
  • This video went viral and there are reports he landed a record deal.

  • This motorcycle crash caught on a dash cam might be staged. Whether or not it is, the end result is pretty amazing.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Feline Friday

Mine!

{It's okay to steal your human's chair.}

Shout! Let it all out!

{I'm so tired.}

I'm Talking to You.

{Contentment}

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Five Minute Friday: Tell

Tell

To read the details about "Five Minute Friday", go here.

I am not linking up at the Five Minute Fridays linky party for various reasons of my own. So, if you stumble across this via search or whatnot and happen to be one of these participants, I bid you welcome. But please, treat me kindly and I thank you in advance.

I have a confession. I have been doing my own version of “Five Minute Fridays” when the mood strikes me. This started a month or so ago. It is not limited to one day a week or even five minutes. Yes, I break the rules. After all, some rules are meant to be broken, correct?

I just write from my heart and then I go back and edit the heck out of what I wrote. That is another rule I am breaking. You are not supposed to edit what you have written. I confess that I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of the “stories” being shared with the world are unedited and unaltered. If they are truly unedited and unaltered writings, then I bow down to their mastery of this particular skill.

Why do I do this exercise? I do it for journaling, personal therapy, and so much more. It is a safe place to express my thoughts, figure out things, and release my soul. When I find the time, the inclination, or a thought crosses my mind, I write in short bursts. And, I hope to gain courage to share a few of them with the world. I feel like I need to tell the world my story; but, I am an extreme introvert and it is exceedingly difficult to do this very thing.

The above was quickly written and mostly unedited. The prompt for the latest Five Minute Friday was “tell”. I am not pleased with my effort. I fear some will be offended and / or hurt. So, there you go. This is why I rarely share my thoughts and my soul.

I wrote the following on the day of my father’s birthday (July 23). I decided to post it on his facebook wall. So, I will share it here for posterity sake.

Dad, I so wish you was still here with us so that I could wish you a happy birthday. Most of all, I wish that we could just sit, converse and visit with one another.

You have been such a strength and inspiration to me and, I am sure, for all of us. I know that you would have encouraged me to persevere and to keep on keeping on with life. It has been a struggle the past couple of years; but, whenever I have a situation, I think of you and know you would have kept on moving and going forward. Because of you, I do not want to give up.

Thank you for being the Daddy I needed in my life. Thank you for being a great example when life and health knocks you down. Thank you for being you. I wish I could tell you this face to face. At least, I still have this wall to write down some of my thoughts.

Lord have mercy, tears still fall down on my face.

Here is another I have written on August 8, 2014 when a clear thought crossed my mind while standing in the shower. I knew I had something to write about and found the time (to write).

“It’s not cold; but, I feel cold.”

I was standing in the hot shower and I feel cold when this thought runs across my mind. This is not a feeling of what most people would think of as cold. It is a feeling of frozenness of an emotional kind. I am just benumbed. I do not feel like doing anything and have not accomplished anything for days on end. I am in hibernation. It is a survival mechanism when life and/or emotions become too much for me to handle. I have to retreat from the world.

Note to my readers: I think it is part of being an extreme sensitive (both empathetic and personal) and insecure introvert. Every personality test I have taken comes up with INFJ (or an extremely similar name). I do not think deafness plays a critical part; but, I do not discount it either.

(For more information on the INFJ personality, check out a description here.)

I believe the reason for this happening at this time of my life is I am still dealing with the death of my mother who passed away August 13 of last year (2013).

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Wordy Wednesday {Sunset}

I was outside with the cats late one evening (August 8th) when the sunset turned absolutely gorgeous. These pictures do not do justice; but, I was pleased with my efforts.

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

Psalm 65:8 {NIV}

Monday, August 18, 2014

Macro Monday {Tetragonotheca repanda}

Tretagonotheca repanda (showy nerveray)

This was a lone wildflower plant that grew on our property. It was reminiscent of sunflowers. It should be considering both are from the same family (Asteraceae) of flowers.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Winning Love

This is to give bloggers and their giveaways a shout out and it is my way of giving additional thanks to them.

  • On May 29, 2014, I was notified via email that I won a book called A Promise in Pieces by Emily T. Wierega from the SewCalGal blog. Apparently, there are a bunch of books in this series and each is stand alone. To see them all, go Quilts of Love series.
  • On June 14, 2014, I was notified via email from The Girly Gamer blog that I won a set of Doctor Who posters. I am a HUGE fan of Doctor Who and am thrilled to win this set as they are a tad expensive. You can view the set I won here. I will either place them in my studio or in the future guest/video gaming/workout room.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Wordy Wednesday {DIY Teaser}

I have been working on a project with the help from Dan. Do you have any idea what it could be? I think only fanatics will recognize what I am doing.

The purple background is actually leftover drywall and the frame is from scrap wood. The figurine on the bottom right will actually be changing color. I will show you all the final products one of the days soon. It is still a work in progress for "my room" at the moment.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Macro Monday {Vegetarian Jumping Spider}

Shot in Livingston, Texas (Polk County) on July 4th, 2014.

Bagheera prosper

Vegetarian Jumping Spider: more detailed information

When I first spied this tiny spider, I was immediately intrigued as I have never seen one of these before. I knew it was a daring spider of some kind; but, exactly what? I did not know. I do believe I amused my youngest nephew and my husband with my excitement over shooting this tiny little critter. The macro shots came up with some surprising characteristics that is not easily seen with the naked eye. I am really pleased with these shots.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Picture Dump: Fourth of July

We traveled to Livingston, Texas for a mini family reunion over the Fourth of July. A fun time was had by all.

This man practically had the Nintendo 3DS in hand the entire holiday weekend!

This little girl is the third generation to use this particular swing. I used the swing set in my childhood along with all my brothers. The Mother of the little girl is the second generation and the child is the third.

"Talk to the Hand" or "Look Ma! One Hand!"

My man was so patient with this boy. One of my brothers have a better picture of these two both playing a 3DS (at the same time).

The youngest precious person at the gathering.