Hell-ooooooo

Well, how the hell is everyone???  I know, I've been gone a bit, but I have a good reason...blogger sucks!!  I was unable to get my page back and my all the wonderful people I follow.  I really don't know what happened, but I decided to return today and here I am, back into the fold.  Who knows about tomorrow, but tomorrow is another day...ok, Scarlett O'Hara said it first, but she was sooo right!!

So what have I been doing lately, well not much, other than artwork and doing some reading.  I know I should keep a diary or keep some account of stuff that pops into my head, good fodder for writing about it, but I forget that too.  I think the last time I posted any artwork was back in June...now my past.  I have been working on the cocohead dolls and framed heads and I think I've finished what I began back in  May, but I'll have to check that out, since my studio right now looks as if someone threw a hand grenade in there and shut the door.

It's just been too hot to clean my studio and I still don't have refrigerated air conditioning, so I'm still dealing with that swamp cooler and a gazillion oscillating fans, thanks to a fabulous fan sale at Walmart last month.  When the rest of the country was roasting, actually, we here in the Southwest were having some nice weather, well, at least they weren't in the 3 digits, but now that August is here, summer's back....pinchi August.  What's such a big deal about August, it's a boring month, except for you young mommies who are finding your budget being challenged buying all those "must-have" school supplies...oy, how I remember those days!!  And do kids use lunch boxes anymore???  I remember an array of lunch boxes stacked up in my garage many years ago in my other life....Hello Kitty, Batman, and ugh, Barney...I hate the purple puppet and now my 3 year old grandson, Sammy, loves him...I really believe that purple thing is sending out subliminal messages to our toddlers...my daughter obediently gives him his "coookies and Jews (juice) in order to get him to bed for a nap...see, I told you so!!

I'm returning to Austin, again, in late October.  When my 3 older grandsons were here visiting their father, I had them for a day.  In conversation, I told them I would like to return to Austin in Oct. or Nov. they unanimously said for me to come for Halloween, so I shall be doing the Trick-or-Treat thing in Austin this year.  Should be fun and bring back memories of my own trek around the neighborhood with my little changelings all those many years ago, but this time, I won't be able to ransack their candy!!  They'll probably have it booby-trapped and I'm diabetic now, so that fun is over!!  I'll be staying for the first week of Nov., hoping I'll be able to catch the Dia de los Muertos parade and shenanigans on S. Congress St. that first Sat.  Then it's off to spend a couple of days with my ol' buddy, Renie and "El Blue Eyes."  Have a story about ol' Jim, Renie's hubby and how he got that name.

Many years ago while I was very active in my kids elementary school, I was room mother coordinator, and a member of the PTA, where I met Renie.  She joined the PTA with me and we both were the "hospitality" ladies, since we were so hospitable!!  LOL  The year before, I would stand out with my buddies from the volunteer group, a rambunctious group of crazy Latina women, some from this side of the river and others from the other side.  Anyway, we began noticing this premature graying man, actually, his hair and beard were all white, and he had these incredible blue eyes, hence the name, "El Blue Eyes."  Every time we'd see him come, he was either holding a darling, cherubic faced blue-eyed little blond baby boy and/or holding the hand of another equally adorable little 4 year old.  Once the kids came out, we lost our focus on "El Blue Eyes," and began looking for our own little cherubs...OY!  Well, one volunteer appreciation luncheon, actually later on that year, our teachers and staff thew us this nice little meal and gave out door prizes and such.  Renie had to leave early since she was in the process of working and attending school for her real estate license.  I  told her if she won anything, I would take it to her house after school.  Well, low and behold, she won a door prize, so I did what I told her I'd do, I went to her house, which was pretty close to the school.  I approached the door, rang the bell and who, to my hu-eg surprise answered the door, "EL BLUE EYES!!"  I handed him the prize and weaved back and forth to my car...so Renie was married to "El Blue Eyes!!!!???"  Anyway, when she called later to thank me, I told her the story and we both laughed till we cried.  Fast forward this past May when I was in Austin visiting again, one evening all her children, all 4 of the 5, were there joining us for dinner, Renie told me to tell them the story of "El Blue Eyes."  Poor Jim, I don't think life has been the same since I told the kids the story about how their dad was a blue-eyed icon for a bunch of crazy Mexican ladies!!

Well, it's getting late and my Chihuahuas are really getting on my nerves about feeding them...don't get it, they get the same stuff every day and they still look forward to it...we should all learn from them!!  LOL  Before I go, I want to leave you with the latest little cocohead dolls and a pic of my adorable, Zoe (umlaut over the e).  She's almost 7 month and just a bundle of shear adorableness, but then, she's my granddaughter so I can brag!!

Frida Cocoheads with hand painted clothes.

My Little Zoe

Well, folks, hope I don't fade away again and I promise I shall visit your blogs, my lovlies, but first it's lunch time for the doggetts.  Peace out.

Just Some Stuff

Good Morning My Bloggy Buddies.  I can't believe it's been so long since I've written any pearls of wisdom or at least one or two rants...I'm losing my touch!!  LOL  Like so many of you, I can't blame it on the weather or brown outs or blow outs or whatever whirls your electricity.  Actually, the Southwestern part of the U.S. has been quite nice, a little humid, but nice.  We had triple digit temps in June, but what else is new, but it was soon broken with the promise of rain, or as it's called around here, the "monsoon season!"  Hey, when we get more than 4" of rain/year, that's a monsoon!!  LOL  Anyway, it seems we got our years worth on Wed. and of course, Miss Daisy and I were out in it.  I swear, it seems when it rains out here, all the idiots who normally stay in-doors and stay put and away from any moving vehicles, take that opportunity to decided to take a spin around town...can you spell  "H-y-d-r-o-p-l-a-n-i-n-g!!!?"  The thing with rain out here is that it pours for a few minutes, I mean real "frog chokers" then it abruptly ends, with the sun shinning through the dark clouds and in a matter of minutes, the the sky is bright blue again.  We're under water restrictions and have been for the last 20 years, in seems, so when it rains, our rather dead looking grass lawns, for those of us who havent' gone xerioscaping (sp. but what that means, is putting in rocks and desert plants that don't require hardly any water) yet or ever, look green and lush during the rainy season, which is coming to an end very soon.

Currently, I'm waiting for my physician to call me back due to a medicine malfunction.  He prescribe a beta-blocker for my increased heart rate and blood pressure and I've only been on it for a couple of days and already I'm feeling pretty crappy...hell, I could have dropped from a stroke and never feel this badly!!  It has a list of warnings and "possible" side affects and of course, Georgina has them all!  It affects one's blood sugar if your a diabetic, which I am, and yesterday, I had difficulty with mine...it dropped to 67, which is normal for those without the disease, but for those of us who have it, well, it's "fainting" time for us!! I ate 3 of those glucose sugar tablets and it inched up to 79...big deal!! Last night, I finally gave up and headed to the bedroom about 7ish, after making dinner which I couldn't even look at...bleh!!  My honey took off today so we could have a nice 3 day weekend, and we've been looking forward to it for a couple of weeks now.  I had my son, Ian, visiting for a bit over a month, so he was my constant companion during that time until Sunday, when his father came to pick him up.    Anyway, I decided I didn't want to extend this into the weekend, so I made the call about 10 mins. ago so let's see how long it will take for either him or his nurse to call back...doctors...OY!!

I've found my way back into the studio lately and am making some more of my coco-head dollies.  I posted one last month my blog and I've made one more.  Actually, I completed one more...have some heads waiting for their bods.  This one is a framed skellie coco-head.  I also am going to make small "Frida" coco-head dolls and cut out their clothing yesterday so I can start painting on the fabric.  No, I haven't set up my Etsy shop yet, but again, if anyone is interested, let me know.  He can be yours for a mere $35 plus shipping.  I don't have a PayPal account set up either, so if any of you are into instant gratification, sorry.  I do accept checks and money orders, for now till the Paypal thing is ready.

My Fridas & skellie head.

Also, I have to show you pics of my two younger grandies, Sammy and Zoe (umlout over the e...still don't know how to do it on blogger).

My Sammy with his "Green Eggs & Ham" shirt and his kew-el Vans

My "Yankee Doodle" sweetness

My cousin asked me the other day how I can not be visiting every month  to enjoy these little morsels of preciousness and they are!! However, I explained to her that these children need both a mother and grandmother and if I did visit every month, someone would die!!!  LOL  I will be visiting again in late Oct.  While my older 3 grandsons were here visiting their father, I had them for a day...usually, I take them for more days during their visit, but I just couldn't get my schedule in order to see them more often.  Anyway, they asked me to visit for Halloween, thus, I made reservations and I will be there for the All Hallows festivities and hopefully the "Day of the Dead" festivities down on S. Congress St. in Austin that  weekend, since I'm extending my stay into November.   South Congress has all those cute little trailer eateries and very cool shops and of course, one can sit and watch the show of very "authentic" individuals strutting their very authentic selves....love it!!

Well folks, I'm sure I could write more, but I'm hungry and I'm in the mood for pancakes, so I'm off to the kitchen to make some, of course, we could always get dressed and head on out to the I-Hop...nah, I'll just make my own.  Have a great weekend and as always, peace out.

Wine, Movies, Art & Dem Sum

Good morning my fellow bloggers and stalkers.   Hope all had a great weekend and looking forward to another great week of learning, creating or just vegging, what ever floats your boat.  I'm still trying to get used to this firggin' format, but I'm sure in time, I'll become quite accomplished at figuring it out, making it as user friendly as a quantum physics assignment at MIT!

I had a pretty good weekend.  Friday I finished up the auction pieces for the Rotary dinner we attended Saturday evening.  The food still sucked and as for the wine, the only decent one I found ran out right away.  They had a plethora of red, which I love, but my allergy to them keeps me at bay, and they had lots of white sweet wine....I hate sweet wine!  When I visit my daughter in Austin, we go to Specs, this wonderful warehouse filled with all kinds of  spirits and luckily we have them here in El Paso now...one just down the street from us, heavenly!  Anyway, I digress as usual, but Andria loves Muscata...makes my teeth ache just typing the word.  I recall liking sweet wines when I was a young person, age wise, not mentally since I still have yet to grow up!  However, when we moved to Germany, I discovered all kinds of great wines.  That winter of '76 when I arrived,  happened to be one of the best grape growing years ever in that country, or all of Europe, I assume, since I "tested" many wines all through the continent and they were excellent.  It has been an especially dry Spring and Summer, making it great grape growing.  So we enjoyed the '76 wines throughout my entire time living there, '76-'79.  As '78 approached, the cost of '76 wines began to escalate due to their popularity.  I did bring some back with me, but they have long been enjoyed.

 I was a real snob back in the day when it came to wine...French or German was all I drank, then I discovered CA domestics when visiting my older sis in LA in '80, plus the cost was more suitable to my budget, as it still is.  Then during a trip to Santa Fe and other parts of northern NM, I discovered NM wines and I've been in love since.  NM has some awesome wineries and luckily, as many of you know, NM is just up the road or across the train track down the street from me. So we pretty much buy domestics now.  I had a neighbor back in my other life who was German and began a wine import from her native country.  She used to bring by bottles of our favorite wines at Christmas and we looked forward to that gift every year.  I still see her on occasion at the Sprouts up the street from me, but she is now hawking NM wines too...she too has seen the light!!  LOL

Again, there I went...tracking again!  So here are a couple of pics of what I sent to the auction.  They were alright and not my usual sort of work, but as I said in my last post, my dolls were never popular, too strange for this group, so I prostituted myself and made this stuff.  I do enjoy making the religious candles, though and I think I'm going to make a few more, except with my own small painting instead of a post card...now where did I put those water colours??!!??

Virgen de Gaudalupe Candle

"Love" book marker & daisy earrings

They were fun and easy to make and took me no time to put them together.  They did get a few bids, but again, my friends ended up with the above book marker and earrings...don't know who bought the candle though.  I think it was the young woman who was holding another one of her prizes, a certificate from a local attorney for a free Chapter 7 bankruptcy!!  I won't even comment any further on that one.

Since I'm waiting for the "monsoon" season to begin, hence the end of our swamp cooler's effeceincy to keep us comfortable during the summer, I'm making lots of different meals and freezing them for microwaving or toaster oven heating.  Last week I made "chilaquiles," a sort of enchilada casserole.  I usually make red ones, but I decided to make green chile and chicken, plus, a large "olla" (pot) of beans.  I made a huge baking dish of it and froze half of it as did the beans.

I added more green chile, NM of course, which I purchase at a little shop up the street from me.  They roast long greens  and jalpenos daily, so I no longer have to roast them myself.  If anyone is interested in the recipe, just let me know....will email it to you....it's so easy, a baby can make it...well, ok, I exaggerate, but it's real simple.  I also got a couple of ideas for another easy Mexican dish for "Albondigas," meatballs.  For those of you who are not acquainted with Gloria over at http://glorv1.blogspot.com/ you really do need to check out her blog.  Gloria is one of the sweetest, creative and just down right nicest ladies I've had the pleasure of knowing.  Her blog is full of her wonderful paintings, her childhood stories and her love of family and life...she's a gem.  This morning she posted a recipe for albondigas and it's the same one I grew up eating...lots of veggies included.  So if you want to try something new and easy to make, hop on over there and get that recipe...I promise, it's delish!

I discovered this great show a couple of months ago on the Science Channel.  It's called "Oddities," and here's the link for you to check it out:  http://science.discovery.com/tv/oddities/.  The couple that run this little shop of some horrors in NYC seem pretty normal, but it's the characters that come into the store to buy or sell....now they are  the real oddities!  I wouldn't mind having a few of their wares, and display in my studio or living room, but there are people who's entire home is nothing but...amazing collections.  Anyway, go check it out...it's really a fun show and later on this month, there will be another store added, one from San Francisco...looking forward to the west coast version.

I should close this down and publish but I have one more link I want to share with you.  My daughter was encouraged by a friend, who works for Nickelodeon, to write a blog about being a mommy of a litter of kids, 5 of them to be exact.  Andria has always been a terrific writer...she can make you laugh till you realize you need to wipe both tears and boogers or just wipe tears.  I know some of you either have adult children and grandchildren and some of you have no children at all, but I can promise you, you'll enjoy reading her thoughts about life as a full-time mother of children ranging from 12-5 months.  For Mother's Day, she wrote a really funny and yet beautiful blog about moi.  After reading that, you'll know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  So please check it out and check out her "like" page on FB.  I think she has a giveaway of a gift basket filled with goodies...just what those goodies are, still not sure, but check her out and please pass the word on...she could use the traffic:  http://andisjournal.com/wordpress/2012/05/ 

Before I bid you adieu, just wanted to let you know I went to see "Snow White and the Huntsman."  Folks, I'm not one to go to the movies much, we're  Netflix kind of people, but since I've been getting together with a couple of old high school buds, we've known each other for 41 years, I've been doing more theatre than television.  Charleze Theron is incredible, so evil and yet, so lovely, the Huntsman is a total hunk and a half which  made the $6.25 admission a little more palpable and the special effects were fantastic, but over all, it was a stink-o-roo!!  Kristen Stewart recently admitted that she sparks up now and then, well, she should have sparked lots more during the filming of this movie...she was a real downer!!  Let's just say it's not your mama's Disney version!!  In spite of that, we still had a great time and that in itself was worth it.  We're going to see the new Andy Garcia movie this week, “For Greater Glory.” It's about the Cristero War, during the mid-late 1920's in Mexico when the Mexican government revoked the practicing of Catholicism in that country.  My mother told me when she was a little girl, my grandparents took in a Franciscan monk from Mexico who took up residence in their basement.  He did household chores, cooked and sometimes, played babysitter to my aunt and some of her rowdy friends when she had her club friends over.  He ratted out one of her friends to my grandmother, telling her this little girl kept getting into the brandy!!   LOL   Girls will be girls and monks will be...whatever!!!!


Well, time to shut this down and get my afternoon started...need to get myself back into the studio and begin creating more "coco-head" dolls.  Peace out.

WTF!!

This is a short one, folks.  What in the friggin' hell happened to Blogger????  I admit, I haven't been around in some time, my bad, but really??  I'm gone for just a couple of months and all these changes...hey, if it's not broke, don't fix it!!!  I'm still trying to figure out this new format, so if it looks strange, it probably is!!  Well, it is Monday and I had a looooong weekend, so I'm grumpy.

Was sick in April, most of it, then off to Austin to visit the grands in early May. There I fell in love again with my adorable little Zoe (umlaut on the e, making a long e sound...haven't figured out how to insert unless it's a doc).  She's this little ball of sweetness, all plump, pink cuteness.  Do I sound like a grandmother or what!!??  Also, got acquainted with my Sammy who is 2...cuteness too!!  Had a blast with my older boys, who are here right now in El Paso, visiting their dad, so I'll be seeing them in a week or two...maybe for an overnighter, or not!!
  

As for creative endevours, well, let's just say the well is dry for now...can't seem to get my stuff together.  I think when I was sick in April and of course, not creating, my muses decided to take a vacation and they haven't returned, the bitches!  I was asked to donate a piece for this wine/food event coming up this Sat.  We attend every year, the food's horrid and the wine, let's just say that if I had tasted horse urine on a dare, that's what the wine tastes like!!  In the past, I've always donated one of my dolls, but either our friend or my honey bid on it and I end up taking it home...OY!!  They just don't get me or my work around here.  So I decided I would do something different...I'm making a necklace (idea I got from Pinterest...I heart Pinterest), a pair of cutsie earrings for a little girl and a book marker.  How random is that??  They all have one thing in common, though, they're all created from polymer clay.  I will post pics later, that is, if they turn out alright.  I call this my "prostitute" work since I don't normally do this stuff, but I believe I wrote a blog about that some time back, so won't go into it.  Anyway, it's for a good cause and doing it for our buddy who's in this organization,The Rotary Club.

For those of you who don't FB, I'm posting my coco-head dolls for your viewing enjoyment or terror.  I sold them already, one is here locally and the other has found her new home in VA...thanks again, ladies.  Time to get off this and head on to the bedroom to get ready for another wonderful day at Walmart...remember, it's Miss Daisy Day.  Have a great week and promise not to stay away so long, but my planet has no Internet!!  Peace out.

Hellooooo, Remember Me???

Well, I thought it was time to sit myself down add a post to my forgotten blog. When my computer broke last month, I got out of the habit of going online...even emails have gone unread. My life really doesn't require earth-shattering, important emails anyway, if it's that important, call me!!

Some of you know I've been down with some awful bug and it looks like it really wants to stick around a bit longer....house guest, fish and bugs...all have much in common! After 3 visits to the doc and multiple series of antibiotics, for the upper respiratory infection which was an added pleasure (insert sarcasm here), nebulizor breathing treatments, steroids, etc., etc., etc., ya think I'd see some light at the end of the tunnel...NOPE...it's still hanging around. Thursday morning I woke up and felt like a million bucks. I was happy to report that the 2nd round of antibiotics were kicking in and I felt great. I spent a wonderful morning talking, laughing or rather, gafawing (spell check is clueless on this one), with my dear buddy, Anne. I felt pretty good after our usual marathon phone call and went into the studio and was ready for some work. I'm having a tutu made for my little Zoe and I bought a onsie last month that will match it. I also had purchased a blingy little skull and cross bones decal for it, but I had forgotten what I had done with the original one since I had purchased it back when she was still baking in the oven, so I bought another one. Well, for the life of me, I couldn't find that one either...OY!! I spent about an hour and a half looking for that bag, moving bins, throwing up dust, cursing, when I finally found it on top of another bin that had been placed there by our cleaning lady...I know my studio drives her bonkers, but it's off limits to her...my mess and I know where everything is. After all of that, I was short of breath, loss of energy and I still hadn't put dinner together. By the end of the evening I was beat up and went to bed quite early. I slept till 8:30 yesterday, something I don't do unless I'm sick...ok, then, first hint!! I had to go to the local store to pick up some fresh veggies and fruits on sale and the entire trip took me about 15 mins. I came home put it away and then collapse on the couch and there I stayed till I went to bed again early last night.

Today, I'm feeling pretty good, but I don't intend on perusing any kind of activity that may put me down again. Ok, maybe a little look-see in the studio...damn, I'm so bored!! Anyway, I have to resolve to gaining my health back because I'm leaving in two weeks for Austin. Yep, I'm Austin bound again and will be visiting my grandchildren. I'll also be able to hold my little Zoe girl for the first time. Isn't she just precious???

This was taken on Easter Sunday. She has inherited her mother's crazy, birdie hair, as I called it, which means she'll develop a gorgeous head of hair someday...nothing like the ol' Meema!! I can't wait to pick her up and hold her sweetness. Now do I sound like a gushing, doting grandmother...ya damn right!! LOL I'm also looking forward to getting acquainted with my little Sammy guy, who is now 2 and of course, the other members of the Penis Posse..they crack me up.

Before I took a spill into the bronchitis vortex, the week prior to that, the hubster and I decided to take a short weekend trip up to Albuquerque, NM. I love that city and it has so many interesting places to visit. We decided not to go up the road to Fanta Se (Santa Fe) since it would eat into our time, besides, there's just so many galleries and snobs one can stand in one day!! That Friday evening, we dined at one of our favorite restaurants, Scalos, for some delicious Northern Italian cuisine. We hadn't been there in some years, but I must say, the quality of the food has declined a bit, as has the menu, but I was looking forward to the best Tirimisu I had ever had. Again, a big disappointment! Oh well, I guess you really can never go back again, and we probably won't. The next day, we met with one of my oldest Yahoo/Blogger buddies ever, the lovely Linda Wildenstein, who you can find at http://lindaomasoldebaggsnstuftshirts.blogspot.com/. We met at this great little eatery for breakfast and from the moment we met, we didn't skip a beat. My sweet man sat there patiently (actually, he really enjoyed listening to our crazy discourse) as Linda and I yacked away. You know, there are people in your life that you meet and for some reason, you feel as if you've known them all your life and Linda is one of those people. I can only guess she and I were friends in another life, but whatever the reason, we enjoyed our conversation and great food.

We spent the rest of the day going up and down the street of Nob Hill (or Snob Hill as Linda called it) enjoying the art, fun and funk. It's right by the university, so you can imagine what kind of characters the area attracted, and I'm not referring to students either!! LOL Sunday morning, we headed out to another little eatery which is down the street from the one we met Linda. Had some delicious French Toast and hubby had red enchiladas. For Mexican food, I'll eat that here at home and the fact we have access to wonderful NM chile, I don't need to venture out much. We returned home around 3 and settled in for the evening, knowing the next week, it would be full-out...it was, till the following weekend, when Vern and I struck with the grunge.

I wanted to post one of my completed coco heads. I had done all the preliminary work prior to our NM excursion, so all that was left to do was glue the little hanger in the back and the head. I have 2 more of the series to complete till I begin another body of work and who knows when I'll be up to that.

I've been having fun making these little masks and now have to update my Etsy page and get things moving. I'm even considering adding PayPal...yes, dragging me into the 21st c...kicking and screaming, but it's necessary if I want to find new homes for my stuff.

The other day, I was on blogger and read a post from one of my favorite ladies, Clementina at http://tazadechocolate.blogspot.com/ She was having a giveaway that really brought back some wonderful memories. She was giving away a molinilla for hot chocolate and a gift package of Abuelita. I really don't recall if she asked us to tell who we'd like to have a cup of chocolate, ie, someone we loved and now deceased, but I told her the story of my grandmother's dirty bird, which was a true story. If your interested, you can go to her blog and ready all the entries...there some wonderful ones too, but you know me, I always tell a good spin. Anyway, I won the whole thing and I'm just so excited about my winnings. I grew up with Abuelita and my grandmother showed me how to use the molinilla in her kitchen...great for mixing and frothing. I was surprised that Abuelita came in granulated mix form. I'm accustomed to the little, solid chocolate discs which I add to my mole, when I've made it, and red enchilada sauce...getting hungry for enchiladas now!! Anyway, here's a couple of pics from my winnings.

Well, my friends, time for me to "pack it in," as my old friend from Manchester used to say and bid you all a fair adios. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a most creative week. Peace out.

Obeservations and Art

I took my mother to Mass on Ash Wednesday. I was hoping it wasn't one of those "high" masses where you stand for most of the pomp and ceremony...OY. So I asked my mother how long a Mass goes for these days...she wasn't amused. She told me they can go sometimes over an hour, then asked me why. I told her I had a very low tolerance to boredom...again, not amused. She then went on about wasting all this money on our Catholic education, however, I reminded her I was a product of "dual" education, private and public, whereas my sister went through the whole shebang...elementary, high school and 2 years at USF, University of San Francisco, a Jesuit college, so please practice a bit of levity when it comes to Church and Georgina!

I told her I wanted to go early in order to beat all those "holiday" Catholics, you know the ones, they show up for Easter and midnight Mass at Christmas...another OY! I'm a "no holiday or any day if I can get away with it," kind of Catholic! We got there and the main parking lot was filling up. We spotted a handicap space but the SUV in front of us got there first, however, my mother was a bad sport about it and glared at the poor gentleman as he was vacating his car...so much for a holy heart!! LOL We entered the cathedral and she then "darned" the people sitting in "her" pew. My mother became quite ill last year and hasn't attended the physical Mass in about a year. She got the ok from her priest, who we ran into last summer at World Market, to watch the Mass on what I call, the Catholic channel. Now where can you participate in a Mass said by the Pope on Christmas Day while relaxing in the comfort of your den, wearing your warm robe and fuzzy slippers??

After much anticipation (sputter, sputter, cough, cough), the priest came out with his "entourage" consisting of two alter "persons," a man and woman and the deacon, I think...never figured out what his purpose was, but there he was anyway. The "orator" begins the Mass in English, then the priest said his stuff in Spanish...this is where I knew I was in for a long haul. The acoustics at St. Patrick's are horrible...it's like talking in a large cavern. So add the Spanish thing, the bad acoustics and all the new changes, thanks Pope, and it's a maelstrom of disaster for many "Ash Wed." Catholics, I included, but only by default!! You kneel now when you used to stand, stand when you used to kneel....WTF!!!!??? Then when it came to the germaphobic part of the Mass, the giving of peace. It used to be, you'd take the person's hand, usually a stranger sitting next to you or behind you, the one that's been coughing their organs out all through the Mass, and say, "Peace be with you," and they answer back, " And with you also." But oh no, it's changed, now you answer back, "Peace be in your spirit," or something like that. What amazed me is that they not only offered the host, but for those who really wanted to live on the edge, you could take a swig of wine from the "public" chalice!!!! If memory serves me right, during the time of the Communion, you could sit if you didn't participate or sit after you do your prayer of thanks after receiving the host. BTW, when I hear them talk about the "host," all I can think is some alien invading it's "host," and later, eating them from within. Ok, my bad, but during this time, I sat while others stood. The only people that sat were those who were confined to wheel chairs or hove-a-rounds, and Georgina. Talking about, "AWKWARD!" would be an understatement. Of course, I could have stood, but then I'd feel stupid, like I didn't know what was going on, which I didn't, but they didn't know that!!! The one thing I always loved about the "new" Mass, the Latin-less one, was that at the end of the Mass, the priest says, "The Mass has ended, go in peace," and we reply, "Thanks be to God." Hell yea...I'm so out of here!!! Thankfully, that wasn't changed and I felt the same sentiment as I always did after the Mass...some things just don't change. Then there was the ashes...now that was fun!! I noticed people already lining up on the side of the church during the C0mmunion....had no idea why they were standing there...figured we had a full-house. I realized they were lining up for the ashes, so I wasn't going to let some little snot-nose kids try to weasel their way in a line while so many of us were still participating in the closing ceremonies. After it was over, I got up, stood at the outside of my pew, allowed the other lady who was sitting next to me and my 89 year old mother to get in line...I just dared anyone who tried to complain by my butting into the already established line....others began to do the same thing...I'm a trail blazer!!! We got our ashes and left through the side door instead of taking the great walk to the main doors. Reminded me of that Beatle's song, "She came out through the bathroom window..."

So that was my experience attending the Mass. I'm not sacrilegious, I just call it like I see it. I have the utmost respect for those who enjoy attending services...I'm being serious here, folks. I believe I posted my views on God..I think it was two posts ago. Anyway, my mother loves church and she loves her Saturday anticipated Mass via the tellie on the Catholic channel. Like I said, who can attend services at the Vatican?? Personally, I like the ones with the cloistered nuns...didn't know they still existed, but apparently some orders have survived. They remind me of an early Christian group of ascetic women who had themselves bricked up in a church, with only a small area to receive food offerings and prayers from the outside world, People considered them holy and gateways to spirituality and the Divine and came to pray with them. The cloistered ladies must be a branch off that tree.

Alright, enough of my observations and musing about my religion, which I'm thankful for because Catholicism is part of who I am and how I see the world and the Divine. Let's talk art. I wrote a post about being a prostitute, that is, I was going to make things I normally wouldn't for retail purposes. I made these little necklaces for the shop that's renting my Pop's old office space. She specializes in girly stuff and has some great, inexpensive jewelry...it's a fun little shop. I got this idea from some lady on Pinterest, I heart Pinterest! So I decided to try it and for the most part, they came out really cute, yes, I said, cute, of course, there's always room for improvement. So here they are:



I'll be delivering them to Desi today. For those on FB, you can "like" her page, under, "Royally Sweet." She's a great young lady, as is her Mom...two lovely ladies and Desi will be making my little Zoe's tutu for my visit in May. I already have the blingy skull and cross bones decal for her onesie and she'll make the tutu around that theme...can't wait.

Here's a sample of my real art work. I won't tell you what I intend to do with them,but I will tell you I was inspired by Mexican folk art...oh really, Georgina!!!! Duh!! Anyway, I love the Coco Heads and own a couple of them, so this is my rendition of those little figures.

Well, it's time for me to take it to the couch and get some work done, however, after lunch. The hubby and I are going to "Roscoe's" for a generous serving of grease. They serve the best old fashion hamburger and fries. I know I'm going to suffer tonight as Roscoe enters my nightmares and wakes me with a case of heartburn, but it's so worth it!!! I'll just have to work that much harder on the treadmill come Monday!! Have a great day and peace out.

Adios, ADO

Sadly, the wonderful art doll organization, ADO (Art Dolls Only), will be shutting it's doors. Thank you for your hard work and dedication for providing so many of us a place to be at home and meet other wonderful doll artists.

Adios, ADO, y muchas gracias. Peace out.