01.29.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 11:47 am by Kim Joy
I do not know how cold it was at 6am when the dog woke me for the walk, but at 8:30 it was 20* out. Brrr! So I am in bed with covers over me and a cup of coffee, just a few minutes then I will get up. Today is teacher work day so the kids are home. The van is getting tie rod replaced, oil change and inspection so I am vehicle less until it is done. No worries cause I am starting the window repair this weekend as my plans changed from what I had planned.
Broken window to be repaired
Broken window view 2
I can never make plans and expect them to happen, someone always changes them for me. Yes I am whining, for the last month the plan was to go to NY to visit my sister Jane but the ex decided he needed our son this weekend. I need to remember this for the future, the monkey wrench will be thrown at me!
So it is cold but the heat is not going on all the time, the insulation is doing its job. It is coming on but not like it used to and not for the length. I will bring in wood when I get going and start a fire in wood stove. Cory and Gary cut wood for me on my birthday party day. Thank you guys!
Well time to hop up and get a move on. Hope you have a wonderful Friday. Will it snow like they said? The Southwest and Plains look like they are getting hit pretty hard.
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01.23.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 11:45 am by Kim Joy
Oh my gosh it has been forever since I posted. I had hoped to post at least 3 times a week but I am falling down on that plan. I just can’t seem to make the time and if I wait to do it just before bed then I get too tired and go to bed instead. I am sorry, I will try to be more thoughtful.
Since last posting I have been busy. Last Sunday I went to Judy’s for the Altered Artist Meeting. It was so fun. Lots of peoplebrought supplies to give away and I took a box of “goodies” and came home with two more than I took! I did get jewelry findings for outreach classes, stamping magazines, a bag of sea shells for my garden, a cigar humidor which will now be a tool holder for my jewelry pliers, framed veggie ads repros to hang in kitchen and two old blue mason jars. The project of the day was laying out the first page in a fabric book, I choose fabric samples from the bag I got off Craigslist last year. I shared the fabric samples also. I did not finish the page but it was fun seeing everyone and what they are up to. There was a ATC swap in the early part of meeting, since I was not at last meeting I could not swap. Boo who! I won’t be able to go to February meeting because I will be doing 3 day PMC workshop. This is a great group of ladies and everyone is so warm and inviting, a genuine great group.
MLK Day no school no work… I put a steak in crockpot for dinner tonight, then I mulched front garden, it was harder than I thought especially since mulch pile was frozen! I did get the garden along front of house done though, rest will follow. I finally put together the compost bin with the pallets I got from work. It looks like a compost bin made out of pallets so I guess it is good. Loaded stuff in it and it now is a compost bin. Yea! I took a load of stuff to shed for storage that had been building up in house since before Christmas. Then Bonnie came over and we kitted for Arlington classes. It was fun and we got quite alot done. Then we picked up Kyle and went to the movies, the adults saw “It;s Complicated” and the boys saw “Avitar”. Since our movie go out first we went shopping at World Market and other stores near theater. Dinner was good, steak fell apart, it had been in A-1 and dijon mustard for 8 hours! After dinner I worked on workbench trying to organize pieces and parts.
Tuesday I finished workbench, down to one zip lock bag to go through. UFOs are in a box waiting completion. Finished items in take photo box. I field all the piles on my desk and the piles in studio also. Then it was banana bread making time, had to run out for eggs and shortening, hate running out of ingredients and having to run to store mid mixing! New shopping list on fridge. Basics class tonight and it went well. They were doing Wire Wrapping Basics in preparation for the Cha Cha bracelet next week. I do get really good students in Arlington. No whiners and everyone is happy to learn a new technique. Some went home last week and made necklaces on their own. Yea they are learning and experimenting on their own.
Wednesday back to work. I was alone on 1st floor. Boss on Hill and Chuck MIA. Got lots of email done and worked on website. Brought in banana bread for faux staff meeting. Nanook came to work and slept most of the day until the mailman came. Class at Lorton tonight. Another great class. You know I could not pick better students than I have now. Some went glass shopping in store and some were cutting out patterns and glueing down to glass. I need to remember to bring boards next week. I will have to make them first. Glad Santa brought me a circular saw!
Thursday the 21st…. my birthday! I did not take the day off, thought about it after I got to work. Never thinking that far ahead. Learning the Mass Communicator on our new system. It just registered that I did not request ability to pull Journal mailing list and CR mailing list with new system so we are working on that today also. Crap too many things to remember. We went out to lunch for my birthday. Pocahontas gave me the brown purse I was eyeing in Louisville in the fall, so sweet. And Cruella gave me cute frames. I will have to bring in camera to take picture of Nanook and Chloe for one of the frames. When I walked in the door at home I found Meagan cooking. What? Meagan was cooking brats and eggs and had baked a cake. Can you believe it? Meagan, Matt, Patrick and I had my birthday dinner at home. It was great because they did it for me. Better than a restaurant meal in my eyes. After dinner we had the wonderful chocolate cake with chocolate icing with chocolate chips. Amy, Meatball, Lance and Jacks stopped by. Amy set me up with a care bag of yummie treats. It was a great birthday.
Friday…. insulation install! Yea!!!! The guys arrived at 7am to wrap duct work with insulation and cap gas furnace pipe that was sucking heat out of house. They were up in attic until 12:30pm. I framed tulip panel. I am hoping this will help with electric bill. If you don’t remember December’s bill was $467 and we never went over 70*, keeping it art 62* at night 65-68* during day. I will keep you posted. After they guys left Meagan and I ran out to base to pick up some stuff and ended up getting flannels for her and new wallets for both of us, we stopped at Treasure Trove on way home and got a pair of Frye boots never worn outside for $30 and 4 great jackets. it was a great day. So many bargains. Friday night pizza and a movie.
Happy Cat in front of woodstove
Today’s plans… took Nanook for along walk and ended up in woods, found an old bottle dump, just finished laundry and updated my website with classes and shows. Got to run to bank to get my signature notarized and mail packet off the NY for insurance. I am going to send photos to a gallery to see if they will take my stained glass pendants and pottery shards for their store. This afternoon solder pendants until Terresa and Cory come over. Cory and Gary are going to split wood for me as I used all the last load. Then we are going out for my birthday. This is like the never ending birthday!
Heating the house
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01.16.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 1:03 am by Kim Joy
Friends
Have you ever met up with someone you knew years ago and had it seem like it was yesterday when you last saw them? I am sure you have. There are many people in my life like that. Being a former military spouse and moving seven times in that marriage I met a lot of people and there are the people from before marriage (bm). There are friends that I have not seen in 21 years that I talk to on phone and it is like no time has past. Some friends are back here again for second time.
I love meeting people and adding to my friend circle. I have friends from all walks of life. At my Divorce Party they all met and got along so well and still ask about each other. I do have a great collection of friends and ohana.
My Hawaiian friends will always be so special to me. I loved Oahu and the people who became family to me there. If I called and said I am landing at the airport at 5 someone would be there to pick me up.
I have kept a friend, Jill, from the 80′s that when we talk it is so good to hear her voice and I know if I showed up on her door step she would not be shocked. She helped me though a really rough time in my life and put up with me no matter how bitchy I got. One day I will call her and jump on a plane and see her.
Joanne is another friend that means the world to me. She supported me more than anyone ever has. She is another person I show up her door step and there would be a plate set for me at the table.
I am the worst letter writer so thank goodness for email and long distance phone service. It makes keeping in touch easier.
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01.10.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 11:37 pm by Kim Joy
Our house in winter
Living in the Smallest House on the Street
When we first came to see this house it looked so small and lost among the mc mansions beside it. It is nothing to write home about until you live in it. It has three bedrooms, all good sizes, a large living room, galley kitchen, dining room, 3 season room and one bathroom.
Yes sometimes it is a challenge with two teenagers having only one bathroom but there have not been too many fights. The light switch is on the outside so you will be “told” when someone needs in! The heater works very well in the bathroom so you are warm while in there.
The 3 season room is my studio. It is fine during the 3 seasons it was meant for, winter gets a little chilly so I need to use a space heater. Everyone has to come through there to get in the house. We do not use the front door, the parking is around back and we are backdoor people anyway. I do wish there were ductwork in this room then I would be in it all the time.
Our house in summer
Back to being the smallest house on the street, we also have the longest driveway so people don’t bother coming up that are just driving around. I think it is wonderful living here. It is like the house that time forgot or a secret cottage. No door to door salesmen venture up the driveway. We sit back off the road far enough that we can’t hear cars unless they bottom out when the county took out the hump, now it is a dip. The school buses have to go super slow since they are so long bodied.
It is a ranch built in 1951 with an addition added in the 60’s. The bathroom has a new sink and toilet but the tub and floor tiles are original. The kitchen was recently remodeled but the linoleum is scary, white with green squares on the diagonal. 3 season room has original flooring. The rest is carpeted with beige, not good with teenagers and a muddy driveway.
Meagan and Nanook walking to shed to get shovels
Nanook loves the backyard which is huge. The lot is one acre and sits in front of a creek bed and woods that back the high school ball fields. There are four oaks down on the back of the property that have been burning in the wood stove to help keep electric bill down a little. He just loves walking around and hiding behind the shrub row by the shed. There is a garden bed along front of house, driveway side of house which is our herb garden. There is also a large garden bed off the patio which is growing weeds so well, there are azaleas and some other flowers planted there as well. Next spring more will be going in all around.
There is a slab way back in yard that had a partial wall around it at one time, now it is back by the creek bed. That will be an outdoor sitting area this spring. I have hanging lanterns to put around it and furniture that is closer to house now but will move back. Our neighbors to the north rebuilt their house that burned last March and they will be moving back in soon. It is not a mc mansion but it is a two story. The gazebo will have to move as it is right by their patio. There is a hedgerow between the two houses but still too close.
If this place were for sale we would buy it. I love the feel of it and the kids love it too and don’t want to move. When you find a place that feels good you want to stay. It does need work like insulation… there is none. We found that out with the December electric bill. We would also change the kitchen flooring and the carpet (low grade and worn). I would bump out studio and put in duct work, enlarge patio and add a garage. Dreaming of additions to a rental is not realistic at all!
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01.09.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 12:11 pm by Kim Joy
Wesley sacked out Saturday morning
It is another cold day here. Our woodpile is down to one good night burn. Anybody want to come over and split wood? We have a cord cut but need to split. Our woodcutters flew south and have not been seen since. I could try bribing with food and drink! I do love the woodstove going, keeps the heat from turning on which is money out the attic until the house is insulated. How people could live here for 50 years with no insulation is beyond me. How many months of high electric bills would it take you to insulate? Not many for me for sure. If the landlord does not come through that is where my birthday money will go…. insulation!
Today’s plans are to go to Community Forklift (www.communityforklift.com) and meet a lady with buttons for me. Then go to Clay Day to visit with old friends, I don’t do polymer but my son Patrick does. He is not sure if he wants to go or not. The ladies always ask about him and make a big fuss when he comes. I will take some jewelry project I am working on to make use of hand time. Tonight there is a reception at The Workhouse in Lorton(www.workhousearts.org) for the NVBS Bead Challenge (Northern Virginia Bead Society). The Challlenge is every September each member buys a bag for $5 and in December at Holiday party there is the big reveal. Well some members approached the Workhouse about setting up a show and behold it is happening. The show will be up for month of January. I was the last president and was also newsletter editor for awhile. Not as active as I used to be. I will be helping out with Bead Boot Camp later this month.
Maybe somewhere during the day we can shoehorn taking down all the Christmas decorations. There are days I wish we could just leave it up bit iI want the space back and it will make it more special for next time to set it up and have the fun doing it. It may not happen today, plate is looking pretty full, will have to wait and see.
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01.06.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 9:26 pm by Kim Joy
Check out my new Artfire store at www.artfire.com/users/kimsjoy . I opened the account in March 2009 and finally got photos loaded in November. I realize I need to change background. The dark does not help show the pottery pendants, so I will be getting out the photo cube and experimenting. I really need to take a class with the Rebel, I do not know what it can do and I use the same setting all the time. I guess reading the little book that came with it would be a start. I did flip through it but still just need to get “dirty” and experiment. It is not like it uses film or something. I can play and erase! There are probably sites on line for people who can’t figure out all the bells and whistles.
If I could get better pictures than I would load all of my inventory I have at home. What good does it do in a box? None.
I also have hundreds of beading books I want to downsize. I was bead crazy awhile ago and felt the need to get every bead book on the market. I worked at a library and had all those books at my finger tips also. I have narrowed my interests to glass, kumihimo, PMC and business. So those extra books that need to find a new home can go on the supplies page at Artfire. I did find adjustable good looking ring for my button rings on Artfire, they are more like a bypass ring thatn the adjustable rings of our childhood. I probably should look there for silk cord for kumihimo, just thought of that. I did fins a place where I can get 100 foot spools at a reasonable price. My kumihimo are made out of furry, fuzy yarns and I think I need to step back and make them look more like traditional kumihimo braids.
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01.04.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 12:04 am by Kim Joy
I should cover back wall of window with plastic- cannot do it from inside as workbench cannot be moved unless I empty it Woke up this morning and it was 16 out. Took Nanook for a walk. I tried to get him to cut it short but he did not want to be cheated out of his morning walk! I climbed back in bed with a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper, then updated my website with classes , a link to my Artfire store and craft shows I am doing this spring. Nanook and Wesley were glad to snuggle for a few more hours. So glad I weather stripped front and back doors. Front one still has huge draft coming in. I did get one of those things to slide under door to keep draft from pump house out of studio. The studio has no ductwork and that means no heat except what comes in from kitchen and woodstove so any way I can keep drafts down is good. I think of all glass!! What a job. I think I will look into plastic for outside, might look cheap but if it can keep electric bill down I am for it. Our electric bill for December was $467, I almost fell over, how can that be? I am calling DOM Monday so see if they know why it would jump over $270 dollars from last month and we keep heat at 68 when we are home and 65 when we are out of the house. Makes no sense, yes it has been cold but it was cold in November and we have been burning wood and that makes it so heat does not come on as often. Something is not right.
Wish I could have stayed in bed all day but I needed to return a gift to Bed Bath and Beyond, then a run to Goodwill in Arlington to drop off a load, of course I ran in and found a counter top compost bucket new in it’s plastic in the box and a Pilates DVD. I got a reformer in the fall and lost the exercise chart so hopefully this will help me to not find any excuse not to use it. I also ordered a replacement chart from Stamina which should be coming soon, this one I might laminate of frame so I cannot lose it. I loved working out before we set up for Christmas, need to get back at it.
Now I am Gallery sitting at Ellipse. I had removed all my Christmas pieces when I was here the 29th. It is slow so I can get paperwork done. I updated my ledge so I am ready for tax time. Yuck! I also put all the information I found on my great grandfather, David Ramsay Sellars, in a notebook. I had made copies to send to my sisters and cousins, need to get those in the mail. I also wrote a letter to a friend from the past whom I have not seen in years, one of my New Year’s plans is to keep in touch with people better. Not just emails but calls and snail mail. Everyone loves getting a card in the mail right?
Tonight I hope to go through stained glass magazines and organize them, after 2 moves in 1 year they got mixed up and I want to get them back in order. Good cold night job in front of woodstove. I love dragging my brown wicker chair beside stove and reading. I think I will bring in antique lamp to put beside chair for a cozy old time feel. It feels like a soup and bread night also. I can swing by the grocery store on the way home and pick up a loaf of fresh bread.
Time to close up the store…. more later.
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01.03.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 2:05 am by Kim Joy
Tonight was Meet the Instructors at Lorton. It ran from 4pm to 7pm. There probably a dozen instructors there to talk to potential students, visit with other artists, listening to beautiful piano music by the piano instructor and taste some great foods by the chef instructor. I brought glass to cut a triple tulip panel and successfully cut the whole panel while I was there. It was fun and I got to meet Joey who puts together the catalog of classes. now I have a face to go with the name. The event was in Building 16, an old dorm from when it was a prison. While I was setting up I felt a presence and even saw a shadow behind me. They said there is a ghost, a white man with dark hair dressed in blue and that he has been seen alot. It was not a bad feeling just a presence.
The Glass House is a great place to teach, new worktables and equipment and my students have been awesome. It is a great teaching venue and I love being part of it. Years from now when it is bustling I will be able to say I was there in the beginning. Cool feeling.
If you ever get a chance to visit the Workhouse you should, the galleries offer all kinds of media and the artists that have studios there love to visit with you. Plus you can learn the history of the prison in the Workhouse Museum.
A plug for my upcoming class…..
Beginning Stained Glass Wednesday January 12, 2010 to March 10, 2010
Young Adults and up
Instructor: Kim Joy
Students learn the basic techniques for making a stained glass panel using the copper foil technique. Students will learn about design, glass cutting and fitting, foiling, soldering, applying patinas, and framing.
Pregnant women should check with their doctor before registering.
Supplies will be discussed in the first class.
Tuition: $225 Supplies: Students can expect $100-$300 depending on glass and tools purchased.
For more information contact Kim S. Joy 703-623-0905 or email Kim at kim@kimsjoy.com or Rick Sherbert 703-584-2984 or email Rick at ricksherbert@lortonarts.org
Visit http://www.workhousearts.org/classes.php for more information about Workhouse. To learn more about Kim S. Joy visit http://www.kimsjoy.com/
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01.01.10
Posted in Daily Musings at 12:13 am by Kim Joy
So today I had an appointment at Walter Reed with Opthamology to have my eyes checked. It all started Oct 3 when I ended up in the ER with pink eye. I was given meds that I am allergic to and ended up with abraded eyes. Two more rounds of meds and they were still sealed every morning, runny and burning. Sometimes they felt like someone was pushing on them. I called to get an appointment with Opthamology and after a rescedule finally went today. They numbed my eyes and looked at them and found….. two hairs had grown out of one of the ducts. WHAT? Hairs in my eye? Hairs on my eye? What the heck? I never heard of hair growing in your eyes. It was weird when the hairs were removed. She had to push my eye over to the left to reach around to get them. Push my eye? It was just plain freaky.
Something like this could only happen to me.
I am so glad to know what it was that was bothering my eyes and that relief is on its way. I think I actually felt relief when the hairs were pulled. I am so grateful to be on the mend.
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