So I Gathered...

I.O.U.

So I owe everyone a VERY long post and an apology!  Life has been just crazy and I honestly haven't had the time to sit down and compose the sorts of posts that I want to.  I have lots of pics saved on the camera and bits and pieces to share.  I hope to have a serious sit-down before Christmas gets here.  Thanks for your patience and I hope it will be rewarded very soon!

My First Wholesale Sale!

So I had to laugh this past Tuesday as I looked over and saw this on my kitchen counter.  Paul had washed some dishes from dinner and was barely able to squeeze them in...a passel of pixies was in various stages of completion and was hogging the counter space!  I had taken over just about all of the flat surfaces in the kitchen during my creative efforts!  I really need a larger studio...

 

Here are some pics of the pieces (many created with objects I found at the store itself!) I took over to show Steve at Uncommon Objects on Wednesday morning:

                Chairman of the Bored

 

                            Unforgettable

I love using these vintage spun cotton decorations as balloons in my work!
 

                  In Her Sundae Best

 

This one was a favorite and hard to sell...

                                He Was Secure In His Masculinity

                                 Inimitable

 

                                  Incandescent

 

And last but not least, this little guy...which I ended up keeping!  I am just a sucker for the little vintage mercury glass balls!

                            Bubbly Personality

 

Steve selected 7 of the 8 pieces I took and here is one in her new glass display case.  I think this is going to be a very good fit!

 

And I wanted to share a photo with you of the atrium area at the Blanton Museum of Art here in town.  I had not been in for a long time and my breath was taken away when I walked in and saw this...

 

All of these walls used to be white.  Earlier this year, this was installed by an incredible artist,  Teresita Fernandez, a recipient of the MacArthur ("genius grant") award.  This installation is called "Stacked Water" and consists of hand-cut acrylic panels that have been layered upon each other, their color changing from dark turquoise to white as they rise.  When you go up or down the grand staircase, you feel like you are ascending towards the light or descending into the depths of a tranquil tropical sea.  Stunning!  Her other works on display, done in graphite, were phenomenal as well.

I went to attend a tour that centered around the Petrobelli Altar Piece by Pablo Veronese.  It is a fascinating art detective story and if you have a moment, read about it here!  And if you are in town, go and see this exhibit!  It will be open through February, then all of the pieces of the altar will be dismantled and sent back to their respective owners.  At this time, there are no plans to ever have it displayed as a whole again in the future.  How sad that people cannot work together and come to an agreement regarding an artistic masterpiece that should be shared with the world...

                                                                               

Popular Pixies!

So do you remember this sulky girl?  Well, she made it off the counter and into a piece.  I had taken 8 pieces to the Asher Gallery at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft when I went to Houston for the Bayou City Art Festival and Suzanne called me a week later to say they had sold 4.  She knew I was coming back for an enameling workshop and wanted to know if I could bring more work. Sure. No problem.  So everything gets shoved back a week while I try to bang out some pixies in 4 days!  Here are a few....and I thought you might actually like to see some art this go 'round!

 

 

Here is my grouping, looking quite sophisticated in a glass case!

 

And here is a close up...yes, I will slowly be working through the process of changing my name from Rubiano to Shropshire...

 

I went to the enameling workshop and had a great time!  There were only three students, myself, Phil and Gayle, so we were able to try lots of different techniques.  I was very interested in the sgraffito technique where you scratch into the enamel to uncover a base coat ...

 

First, we experimented with stenciling where we sprinkled enamel over flowers and leaves...

 

And the results...pretty nifty!

 

 

 

I forgot to take a picture of this piece after it had fired.  I ended up not liking it, so I underfired a coat of white over it, resulting in a cool orange peel texture...also pictured is  a little flower experiment...

 This is a close-up of a larger bowl that I sifted enamel over and then scratched through to expose the metal.  This was the color it was as it came out of the kiln after I overfired it...very organic and reminding me of a brain coral...

 

Here it is after it cooled...the greens and bronzes became more apparent...love it!

 

Here is a sampling of bowls by Phil and Gayle...can you believe this is their first time to work with enamel?   Beautiful, aren't they?

 An outside shot of the Center...

 

Then it was back home with yet another deadline to meet!  This one was for "A Twisted Christmas: Not Your Granny's Wreath" invitational exhibit from Robot Art Gallery in San Antonio where artists give the traditional wreath their own "twist".

Here is everything laid out...

 

And finished up by Friday, October 30, for the deadline!

 

I wired in vintage mercury glass ornaments and glass raindrops...

And here are some close-ups of the components.  Her title reads, "Despite the season, she was not wreathed in smiles."
 

I gave up one of my vintage mercury glass birds...

I worried all the way to San Antonio that it looked too much like a wreath and that I should have managed a different interpretation.  Oh well, I like it enough where I hope it doesn't sell!  Paul said the same thing!  I dropped off the wreath and picked up the butterfly boxes to bring back for my December shows.  On the way back, I had an epiphany (figures!) of the perfect twisted wreath.  Oh well, maybe they will do it again next year.  Sigh...

I drove straight to Fiona's school to help with the Halloween party for the kids.  They weren't allowed to wear costumes, but they could wear a crazy hat.  Just look at the sheer amount of color in this shot...

 

And any time I think Fiona and I don't look that much alike, I should just look at this photo...

Now I am finishing up a set of Pixies to show Steve on Wednesday morning for possible inclusion in the wonderful wares sold by Uncommon Objects.  Suzanne called yesterday and said they need more Pixies for Asher and to please bring more when I come up in two weeks to teach my workshop.  I have to set up an email sign up sheet for the kindergarten Thanksgiving party that I am now in charge of coordinating (since I was so helpful at the Halloween party!), and start a commission piece.  Hmmm, what else?  There is always something else I should be doing, lol!

Halloween Recovery...

So it was another crazy week leading up to the end of October finale, but that is par for the course for this household!  I splurged on Fiona's costume this year since we both fell in love with the wonderful creations of fairynana on ETSY!  Fiona was an acorn fairy this year, which I found very fitting since she loves to gather the acorns that rain down upon our lawn from our live oaks.

 

So here are a few shots...I can't help loving them all...

 

 

 

Here she is with cousin Ty, looking more impish than fairyish...

 

Here I am with my sister-in-law Gretchen.  She had her M.R.S. degree and Taylor was dressed as an M.D.  I was dressed as a tired mommy...a birthday party, trip to the mall, cul de sac party and finally some trick or treating!

 

Here is Paul with his "style" on that Fiona insisted he wear...that is her ski hat, not his!  What a sport!

 

And the end of a successful evening with her stash!

 

And if you can stomach any more along with the Halloween candy, here are some shots I altered a bit using techniques I learned in Susan Tuttle's workshop and some favorite filters...

 

This filter shows up better if you click on the picture to enlarge it...

A Year Ago Today...

So this morning when I turned on the TV to check the weather report, this is what I saw:

 

It was one heck of a coincidence because a year ago today, I married an amazing man...who loves to watch classic (not old!) black and white movies.  I took a picture of the screen and emailed it to him as an anniversary e-card!

So, for all of those friends and family that I promised pictures to last year (wince!), here are a few of the highlights photographed by Deborah Cannon...

We danced down the aisle for our recessional...to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours"...

 

We married at a lovely venue called Mercury Hall, outside underneath spreading oak trees

 

My bridesmaids each received a pair of striped socks in their gift bag.  We didn't wear them down the aisle (my mother would have had a coronary!), but they were fun to play with!

 

 

Fiona had a pair from her Halloween costume the year before...

 

My phenomenally loving and supportive family, without whom I would not be where I am today, which is a very happy place!

 

My Prince Charming...crowns courtesy of one of my best friends, Jeanne!

 

Fiona kept running off and hiding with hers...notice the bracelet?  Paul gave her that earlier in the day...

 

Our friends John and Laura who introduced us...at the Dart Bowl Bowling Alley...long story...

Laura and I have been friends since 5th grade and John and Paul have been friends for over 15 years.

 

Dancing with Dad...I can remember standing on his feet when I was a child as he guided me through the steps...

Paul bought some remote-controlled cars for the little kids to play with...

And the big kids too...

 

I must have been explaining the finer points of controlling small automated vehicles...

 

Me and Fi...

 

Fi and Taylor...

 

It sure does help to have professionals do your hair, make up and photographs!

 

 

My poor, long-suffering, little brother...

 

There are some lines in a Bob Schneider song that really spoke to me and made me think of Paul when I heard them the other day...

"There's a chapel in Minneapolis/ it holds the bones of a dead saint in it/and the stained glass glows from the ceiling there/it reminds me of the feeling where/I first looked into your eyes/and saw the most beautiful birds fly/straight into the sun/with their wings on fire and the deed was done."
  

And here we are, a new family on the path into the sun...
 

Happy Anniversay...

Sally Jean In The House!

So, Sally didn't make it over to the house, but I picked up her and her friend Bonnie from their hotel and whisked them over to South Congress as they passed through Austin on their way to the Round Top antique show at the end of September!  First we had a snack at the wonderful South Congress Cafe...

 

Then of course, over to Uncommon Objects for a bit of shopping...

They were off the next day for a week of shopping at Round Top!  I look forward to seeing what spectacular finds they unearthed!

The next day was a luncheon with my mom, a warm-up for the Austin Symphony League's annual fund-raiser Jewel Ball that evening.   During said luncheon, someone offered me and Paul tickets that were going to be unused, so he checked to make sure his dark suit was clean (no time to rent a tux! gasp!) and I raided mom's closet for something that would fit the Hollywood 50's theme.  No problem...

It was a lovely evening and quite fun to see all of the amazing gowns that people were wearing.  They even had impersonators of famous Hollywood stars from that era!

My sister-in-law and I had promised the kids that we would take them to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.  We didn't realize it would be in 3-D...a first for the kids...

They kept raising their glasses to check out the effect and Fiona repeatedly exclaimed, "Mom!  It's right in front of my face!"  I kinda like the look...  Oh, and the movie is a must-see!  Hilarious and well done!

Ty decided to wear his glasses home and I couldn't resist snapping this photo of him drinking a bubble-gum flavored (yeesh!) Jones soda...our family name is Jones...

 

Oh, I almost forgot!  I need to announce the winner of the Drama Queen Gem Tintype Charm Necklace.  I sincerely apologize to those of you who kept checking back to see if you had won.  I truly meant to get a post up before the show, but it just didn't happen.  I hope you can forgive me...

The winner is...

Fiona felt she needed to hold a few stuffed animals to give the shot some color.  So, Daniela, send me your snail mail addy and I will send the charm off post haste!  I promise...

Then it was into the whirlwind of trying to get inventory ready for the Bayou City Art Festival, my biggest show of the year.  It is always so tough trying to anticipate what will sell and what you should make to fulfill what the client might want.  I also promised some pixies to the manager of Asher Gallery at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, to be dropped off prior to the show.  What was I thinking?!!  Here they are in progress...it made toasting my waffles each morning a bit problematic...

 

And a few finished...

 

I left for Houston last Friday morning after waking up to torrential rain here in Austin.  I waited it out until it was a light drizzle to load up the truck.  I was flying solo since Paul was staying home to take care of Fiona. I drove in the rain for 3 hours to Houston, then over to the artist check in.  I had Mapquested all of my little routes because downtown Houston always gets me turned around, especially in inclement weather.  From the check in I made it over to the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and met with Suzanne.  She was thrilled with the pixies, even though I only had 8 rather than 12.  I told her she was getting quality over quantity.  I was trying so hard to get these ready, that they were starting to feel forced, and I didn't like that feeling.  Here they are, ready to have a stay at the gallery...

And here is a shot of the gallery itself...a lovely space!

Suzanne has a great eye and has created a very eclectic selection!  Stop by if you are in the area and don't forget that they have great workshops too!  I want to take the enameling class in a few weeks...

So, back into the truck and following my directions back to the DoubleTree hotel.  Has this ever happened to you with Mapquest directions?  I was driving down Houston street and the directions said to take the fork to the right to stay on Houston.  Well, at the fork, Houston was to the left and Memorial was to the right.  Do I take the direction (right) that it says to take or do I take the street?  I chose the street, which of course was wrong.  So, there I am, trying to navigate (hah!) through downtown Houston on a Friday afternoon at 4:45 in the rain...I got lucky and ran across an exit that was the street that the hotel was on.  I made it (eventually) and checked into a really awesome room!  It was pie-shaped with windows down each side...

The room came to a point over the street where you could stand and look straight down...freaky...

 

All in all, it felt very swank!  I splurged on the room because I figured that doing the set-up, selling and breakdown by myself might wear on me a bit and being a block from the show would be welcome!  I waited and went to set up around 8 pm.  I found I couldn't even get down the street to where my booth was located, so I backed up (narrowly missing the $25,000 metal sculptures that an artist had on a forklift directly behind me!) and tried to get back to the hotel.  Have I mentioned that I am directionally impaired?  Only a block away, but with all of the one-way streets, I managed to get lost.  But, in a flash of serendipity, I came across the street that was near my booth, so I parked and carted everything in, avoiding all of the the set-up traffic!  Yay!  It was drizzling, but at least it wasn't the downpour they had been predicting!  I finished about 11:30 after lots of bruises and cursing when I needed that one extra hand.  The volunteers were very helpful on those occasions!

The downtown location is quite lovely.  The booths are situated on the streets and sidewalks between large oak trees and tall towers.  Quite a juxtaposition...

Saturday was good...overcast weather and cool temperatures.  The major fly in the ointment of the day was that I had ordered a lunch that didn't show up until three in the afternoon.  Fortunately, some amazing friends dropped off three homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Between that and my Diet Coke, I did ok...

Sales were fairly brisk and were mostly of my larger original pieces.  I did have some new prints (which I will get listed on my ETSY store soon!) and those did well.  At the end of the day, I went to dinner with my good friend and fellow Bayou City Art Festival artist, Debbie Little-Wilson.  She does amazing work in printmaking and her new direction is very exciting!  We had a scrumptious dinner at Vincent's and then it was back to the hotel to crash by 9 pm.

Up the next morning to do it all again.  I was startled when I entered my tent and found this lovely lady suspended from the rafters...

I had told my neighbor, Michael Gard, that he could put stuff in my tent if he needed to...but I wasn't expecting this life-size lady!  Yep, all of that is hand done wirework...gives me carpal tunnel just looking at it...

Sales were abysmal and all of the other artists were saying the same thing.  We couldn't figure out what it was...overcast but no rain, comfortable temps, etc.  

That is the thing about this lifestyle...you never know how a show is going to go and you definitely don't count your chickens before you sell them!  My buddy Douglas came by and showed me his newest work...very cool photo montages that are cut and layered upon each other to give the illusion of depth...love his shoes!

Then it was time to breakdown...again, without the predicted downpour!  I loaded everything up and made it back to the hotel (on the first try!), had dinner and went to bed.  Up the next morning to drive back to Austin.  I stopped by Uncommon Objects on the way home because I knew they had all been shopping the previous week at Round Top and I wanted to see what they had found.  I wasn't disappointed and will share what I just had to have in the next post.  

The exciting news is that Steve wants to start carrying the pixies at Uncommon Objects!  He has already picked out space in a glass cabinet right at the front of the store!  So, I need to get going on those, plus catch up with everything I have put off before the show.  I am three weeks behind in Susan Tuttle's Visual Poetry Workshop, I have been invited to make a wreath (not your granny's wreath!) for a show at Robot Art Gallery, I need to work up two new workshop ideas in the next week or so in time to submit them, start applying for all of the spring art festivals, work on two commissions that were ordered this weekend, put new stuff in the ETSY store, make more inventory for the two local shows I will be doing in December...oh, and chaperone field trips and volunteer in Fiona's room, take care of the house and family...sigh.  No problem...

When Art Overtakes Life...

So I have been remiss in posting these last few weeks.  I always get a bit flustered the three or four weeks before the Bayou City Art Festival in October and many things around the house start to fall through the cracks.  I opened up the silverware drawer the other day looking for a spoon, and that made my stick of Burr-Life, precariously perched on the upper counter where I have been working fall into the empty drawer with a resounding crash.  The silverware drawer was empty because I had not unloaded the dishwasher and the sink was filled with dirty dishes that couldn't be loaded into the dishwasher because it was full...sigh.  I decided then and there to try and play catch up!  I tried to tidy the house a bit, but this little girl just stared back at me from a pile of stuff on the kitchen counter, knowing it won't really be clean until after the art festival...

We have had quite a few firsts around here lately...first day of school...

first lost tooth...

First piano lesson, first Irish step dancing lesson, first uttering of "I don't want to take piano, Irish step dancing, fill in the blank, lessons!", first show and tell, first lost live preying mantis in the classroom (don't ask!), etc.  In between all of this, I am trying to build inventory for the October show in Houston...

I finally managed to find where this computer stored the photos from the opening reception at Robot Art Gallery at the beginning of September...

Paul and I had a great time at the opening!  Again, it was pretty cool to see my work up on walls that weren't my own, lol!  Here are a few views...

Here is Paul looking at work by photographer Kevin Rayhons.  Kevin's botanical prints were just spectacular!

Here are our two favorites...

This is Andrew, the one who found me on ETSY!  Some examples of his work are behind us...

I was introduced to the Michael Mehl, the coordinator and curator of Foto Septiembre, a month-long event that takes place in San Antonio every year.  He then introduced me to Patricia Mendoza who had started this event in Mexico and we had a lovely talk about her work and my work.  She is a well-known historian and artist and is curating a show on the written word and letters in Mexico.  She expressed  an interest in my work because I use original, historical papers in my boxes and might be in contact to have some of my work exhibited in a lovely space in Oaxaca, Mexico.  We will see what happens!

All in all, a very fun evening!  A big thank you to Andrew and Lara and everyone else at Robot Creative for granting me such a lovely opportunity!

I also managed to squeeze in during this time some new work for my ETSY store.  I just love these little pendants made from tiny gem tintypes and hope you do too!

I feel another give away coming on!  If you leave a comment on this post before midnight on Saturday, September 26, I will put your name in for a drawing for this pendant...

I also squeezed in teaching a couple of classes this past weekend for a group who had requested it.  Here are some pictures of their wonderful Butterfly Box projects...

And here are the results of Polymer Pixie Pins, which I hadn't taught before...

We had a great time!  I am always interested in teaching, so if you have a group that would like to have me come out, just email me and let me know.  Of course, you can also come to a workshop at any of the art retreats that I will be at next year!   Oh, and because I had had several requests and after 2 or 3 hours of banging my head against my computer screen, I finally added a Google Friends Follower widget, so you can join up if you like!  And I also had a huge mail-out (250+) of dues notices and invitations to join for a club that I work for that had to be out by September 15.  So many things to do, so little time...

I usually sit at the computer in the morning to take care of all of the computer stuff that builds up, but I have changed this schedule because I am now trying to exercise in the mornings.  Right before school started, Fiona reached over and grabbed a handful (!) of flab on my stomach as we were sitting on the couch.  I decided that that wouldn't do, so I started a walking workout after we walk the mile to school each morning.  Two weeks into it and already the jeans are fitting better!  However, my computer time suffers.  So, to those of you whom I owe emails, bear with me!  I will also try to post more regularly, but again, that might fall behind due to trying to squeeze in as much studio time as I can when Fiona is in school.  Thanks for your patience!  Off to play with the butterflies!

Adorn Me! 2010

So we can finally let you know that the Adorn Me! website is up and running!  Hurry on over to see the fabulous workshop offerings for this jewelry-only event hostessed by Linda Young of Art Unraveled fame. This event will take place March 2-7 2010, in Houston, TX.  The line-up for instructors is stellar and includes Keith LoBue, Thomas Mann, Deryn Mentock, Sherri Haab, Richard Salley, Amy Hanna, Diana Frey, Diane Cook, Melissa Manley and many others!  I am planning on taking a few classes myself!  

I will be teaching a NEW class, Pixie Pins!  Are you tired of the pixie thing yet?  I am certainly not!  These are Lazer-Tran images baked onto metal and accented with all sorts of fun accessories that are attached with various cold connections.   I made one batch of these pins back in 2003 to sell at Art Continuum and I sold out on vendor night!  If I may say, Tim Holtz had to have one and Thomas Mann purchased one for his mother.  I have not made any since, but I might have a few for vendor night, wink!  I think this class will be lots of fun, so come join me next March!

I was also invited to teach my Butterfly Boxes class in Houston, TX  this November on Saturday, the 21st, at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.  If you haven't visited the Center, I highly recommend it!  They usually have a spectacular ongoing exhibition, along with working artists' spaces and a great gallery, The Asher Gallery...which will be carrying some of my Perching Pixies this October!

And another note:  Art and Soul in Hampton, VA 2010 has MOVED up their online registration opening to September 13 from October 13, so make sure and check out the website and make your decisions!  I hope to see you there!

It's Been a Quiet Week...

So it turns out that Fiona had a bad case of the flu that is rampaging through the kindergarten classes at her school.  

Several classes had half of the students out with illness.  I experienced a very bad moment on Wednesday when my neighbor told me that her son's teacher had sent an email that there were confirmed cases of swine flu.  Trying not to freak too much, I called the school and they said yes, lots of students were ill.  I immediately called the doctor and got Fiona in.  She was miserable that day with 104 temp, headache and sneezing her head off.  We managed to see the doctor after a round with the receptionist who was giving me a hard time about my insurance card that I had left at home in my hurry.  I told her I really didn't care about the insurance and would pay what they wanted!  The doctor said yes, it looked like the flu and to just make her comfortable as I could.  He could test for the H1N1 virus, but there was nothing they could do because the one treatment they had needed to be taken within the first 24 hours.  So, back home to get her settled...

Harley didn't mind the couch bed being open all week...

 

As I said in the title of this post, it has been very quiet without Fiona's exuberance.  I spent my time taking care of her, playing games, listening to endless Disney cartoons and making crafts like this to entertain her...

I have to hand it to Martha Stewart's craft team...these packaged projects have every little thing ready to go for you...although my pig does look a bit like a large pink cat.  I suppose I can't blame that on Martha...

Poor Fiona would fall asleep at odd times.  I came in to find her like this one afternoon...

I received very little sleep this week and was running on fumes by the time our closing came around on Friday morning.  My mom came to watch Fiona while I ran around to several banks gathering up money to take to the closing.  I almost went over the counter and strangled one poor teller when they put a limit on what I could withdraw at one time...but everything went fine and after signing a mountain of papers, the refinance loan was closed.  I won't be completely easy until I hear that everything funds on September 9.  I had the gallery opening in San Antonio that evening, but I will post about that later.  It was pretty exciting!

Here are a few things I worked on during my down time.  Have you ever had an idea right in the middle of doing something else and you have to drop what you are doing to follow it through?  Well, that is what happened with these pieces!  

The idea hit to make these gem tintypes into little pendants and I had to do it!  I am calling them Altered Gems.  I draw and collage on them, then cover them with a coat of resin.  

I will attach a necklace bail to them and hang them on thin cables.  I am very excited about them and already have a few favorites that I will have a hard time selling.  (If you click on the photo you can see a larger version and be able to read the text on the pendants.)   I hope to get them in my ETSY store in the next week or two.  I will let you know...

Let me know what you think...

Art & Soul Hampton 2010 And Another Winner...

So I just found out that I will be teaching at Art & Soul Hampton in 2010!  Here are the 4 classes that I am offering...

Over the Edge- A New 3 Hour Class!

We will be collaging a cradle board that will allow you to use tiny nuts and bolts to attach metal wings and other accessories...

Marvelous Mica ATC's- A New 3 Hour Class!

We will make tiny collages to sandwich between mica sheets and then rivet crowns, wings and other accessories on to the piece.  You will also received a tiny pair of real butterfly wings to use in one of your collages!

Perching Pixies

Here is a passel of pixies students made in a past class...

This one cracked me up!! Just look at that face!

Bedazzling Butterfly Boxes

Some fabulous butterfly boxes made by students in a past class...

So, registration opens October 11, 2009.  Come join me and have some fun!  Oh, and remember that I also will be teaching at Art & Soul in Las Vegas in 2010 and ArtFest 2010!

At the end of my "Cyberspace Is A Funny Thing" post, I wrote that if you left a comment before midnight on Sunday, August 30, you would be put in the high-tech drawing machine for a drawing today for a glossy 8x10 print of "Good to be Queen".  Of the seven people who commented (I left you out  Michelle, since you had won an egg last week and we want to share the wealth,lol!), the winner is...

Actually, my poor high-tech drawing machine is broken down with a 102 fever.  New school, new kids and new germs evidently, so I had to draw the name myself.  Fellow-Texan Tina, send me your snail-mail addy and I will send your print on its way!

Oh, and thanks to those of you who voted the other day!  Here are the results:

It was a close race, but I won with 42% of the votes.  And I didn't even have to call my family to vote, lol!

I read somewhere that a lot of people don't care to read blogs that are all sweetness and light.  They like to know that the authors are dealing with reality too.  I will share that I have had about 3 sleepless weeks worrying about closing a refinancing loan on my house.  When I divorced and moved to Austin a few years ago, I was able to secure a 3 year, high interest rate (9.25%!) bridge loan to purchase my house.  Well, that loan matured on August 15th and the closing I was promised would happen by July 31 hadn't happened. And still hasn't happened!  This thing has morphed into a money-sucking black hole since the appraisal came in $10,000 too low and interest is still accruing on the original loan.  There was supposed to be no money out of pocket for us, but now it is a significant amount and we are scrambling to try to cover it.  There goes the tiny nest egg that was saved and I might have to borrow from the bank of Mom for the first time in almost 40 years!  Oh well...I tell myself just get through each day and pay what I can.  That doesn't help at 2 am, but I have come up with some new art ideas as my brain chases itself around and around, lol. Wish me luck...hopefully closing this Friday!