I "so" rock !

a tiny life No.3 - collage, watercolour & ink - 5 x 7

This small (5x7) original collage & watercolour painting is now tucked into it's cellophane sleeve and waiting to show up in the next shop update ... any day now.

I gotta say ... I am having way too much fun and all this frantic CE building is keeping Worry & Fret at bay. Just as it seems that I can't practice deep breathing and deep brooding at the same time. Who knew ? It seems I'm also unable to cut, paste, paint, draw and feel anxious at the same time. Hallelujah !! I'm in between paying projects at the moment - design assignments from customers No Uno and big fish Chicago company - and it's high time I tried once again to see if I can't rustle up another new customer or two. Most companies, I find (in the 7+ years that I've been doin' this self employed designer gal thing) want a freelancer that can work from their workplace (so they can keep an eye on you I'm assuming) - not someone far away in a tiny sleepy village by the sea. But I also know if I can just get my foot in their giftware/home decor door - if they would just try me on one project ... well, I'd be in like flint. So that's a big To-Do on la list for this week.

I had quite a day yesterday. Aside from my ongoing CE building I wrestled with a radiator early in the morning (in my office) spewing hot scalding water. Uh Huh ! heart pounding, WTF ? Racing up and down stairs searching for the proper tools to stop this leak. Many, many sodden bath sheets later, furnace turned off and a bamboo skewer stuck in the hole I thought I was home safe only to find water leaking through the ceiling and into the main floor. Sigh. Cleaned up the water, found the vice grips, tightened the stop the water leak screw - and disaster averted You rock ! girlfriend ... or so I thought ... only later in the day to relive the morning's heart pounding angst. After lunch I was drawn to a mystifying crackling sound coming from my living room. Oh great !! the old-as-the-hills ceiling light fixture in the dining room, the one that earlier had water dripping through it - was crackling. Uh Huh !! Crackling. !! And I could smell that horrible burning electric smell. OMG !! Pulse elevated to thumping and what TF to do ?? OK calm down. Google to the rescue ! race upstairs and type in water leak through light fixture - turn off the breaker (especially if you have old ancient wiring !!). Rush back downstairs and down into the basement. Meanwhile crackling continues from said ceiling fixture. Several years ago I updated the electrical in this house from fuses to a breaker panel. Something that's never been done however is to label those switches. So ... I raced up & down the basement stairs oh 20 times (heart pounding now not only from fear of fire but also from mega increased aerobic activity) until I found the right breaker switch. Power off finally to that wet ceiling fixture and the crackling stopped and thankfully our house did not burn down through the night. Big friggin' PHEW!

You so rock sister ! Now I'll be the first one to admit (in my post feminist thinking) that I wish there was a handy man who lived in this old brick house. A super man, dressed in jeans and plaid flannel, who would leap up out of his recliner and swoop into action to deal with these ongoing old house crisis' that occur ... but sadly n'est pas ici and when all is said and done I do feel very proud and capable when I just - handle things. Things I don't believe I can handle I continually do handle - even though the stress of it nearly kills me. My heart is pounding again as I type this.

Can you say condo ?? - Condo - condo - condo - that's right - sing along with me
oh ... yeah... it's quando - quando - quando isn't it ?

Bubbles & scent are callin'

ps - Today I'm participating in the first official Dim Sum Sunday a foodie's blog meme - check out the details over at The Karmic Kitchen