Cooking Today + My Clay Ornaments

Hi. Someone commented that it sounds as though I get serious migraines. I DO. However, I use Imitrex and sometimes samples of Trimitex from my doctor. I'm only in trouble if I run out of my Imitrex which happened a couple days before Halloween. My hubby's daughter-in-law took my daughter tick-or-treating, with her son, so thankfully that worked out OK. I have enough Imitrex to get through tomorrow too (Thanksgiving) so I'm good, then I get more on Friday, thankfully! I'll probably need it after cooking today.
Yes, I'm cooking today. I decided to clean the frig. out today, then do the main dishes, like potatoes and dressing, etc., because I don't want to have to do it all on Thanksgiving day. Plus I plan to watch the Macy's Day parade this year, and NOT miss it like usual! We have no recorder so I have to catch it live. I plan to for sure this year! Besides, we're only doing the basics this year as far as dinner is concerned. Not a ton of dishes, just the basic Thanksgiving fare, that will make it easier. Rick always makes "Pink Stuff" as we call it (fancy name, huh?), it is just cottage cheese and whipped cream with cherry jello. Our almost 9 year old daughter loves it. So do I. We may get a Marie Callender's chocolate pie too, as they are on sale, instead of making one, not sure yet. Everything else is easy fix-like gravy, cranberry sauce, the usual side dishes...so I'm set.

Now, as for my crafts-my Christmas ornaments. Well, I put on a new varnish I had never used before and apparently put a bit too much! So, after 2 days they're still drying! Geez, I won't do that again! But they're dry enough to get shots of, which I hope to begin today and post a few on my Etsy shop. It's a start at least now that it's only a month til Christmas. We put the tree up early this year-it's already up! It's just a four-foot fake tree that Rick had bought a couple years ago, but it will do. We left it partly undone, so I can hang my ornaments on and take shots of them on it. Then we'll finish it. There's plenty of time to finish it, so no worries there.
Well, that's enough for one post. Thanks for reading and dropping!
Pam

Getting My Crafts (Polymer Clay Ornaments) Done...

Hi-I hopefully I will have some nice shots of my latest creations for you by next week. I am ready to put the ribbons into the holes (they are ornaments with holes on top for hanging), then one more coat of polish and it's done. Then the photos. That part takes awhile. But it will get done. FINALLY!
So, are you shopping for Thanksgiving dinner yet? We have some stuff, but not all, and not the Turkey-not enough room in the freezer which is very small! It will come in time though, so we're certainly not worried. This year, my hubby is on call for his company (sucky I know) and his boys are having dinner with their wives' families, so it looks like we'll be having a dinner for three unless something changes before then. Oh well, it's doable. We usually cook us a little dinner anyway, just to have turkey and side dish left overs for awhile! They're great-I especially love the home made dressing, from bread crumbs and celery! I miss my mom's dressing, but they live almost four hours away and we can't go because Rick's on call. That's life. Hopefully for Christmas, we'll go there and celebrate with them and my brother, his two kids, and my 21 yr. old son.
Yesterday, at the apartment complex, we had dinner at the clubhouse, near the office. It was a potluck for everyone-they provided the turkey and ham. It was great with all the different side dishes-just like a smorgasbord! Sort of like a "pre-Thanksgiving Dinner!" Then us three played "Mexican Train"-a domino game. We really like dominoes.
Well, until I post again, take care,
Pam

Another Contest

http://redsoxmommy.blogspot.com/
This is a link to a contest for Hallmark-for adhesive wrapping paper and a greeting card. In her post, she describes some good products Hallmark has out, including the "No Peeking Bag" and others! Sounds great!
So if you want to enter the contest, just go to the link and check it out!

A Recommended Blog To Read...

http://cbspolyworks.blogspot.com/
I decided to put up this link because there are some good articles that everyone who enjoys polymer clay should take a look at. There are many good sources out there of course, but I enjoy this blog which is currently discussing two timely topics: the right type of clay to use, and using
what are called "Inclusions." Inclusions are things you add to the clay before baking. Such as foils, etc. She wrote these articles very well and they are well worth reading. I will start bringing other blogs to you as well that have interesting things in conjunction with polymer clay. So, in the meantime, go on over and take a look at this good blog. And if you comment, tell them Plumuniq's sent you-she knows who I am!

Well, it's time to blog again-OK-past time!
Anyway, I finally got to my Christmas goodies! Yeah for me! That is to say that I sanded most of my clay holiday ornaments, including my "To" and "FROM" Christmas tree shaped tags, and polished them. I even sprayed a few rounds of polyurethane on them. They look sooo good shiny! I am out of Future With Pledge, which many of us polymer clay enthusiasts use on our finished pieces, and can't afford it right now, so I'm using the spray that I have. It works well too.
Once they're all sprayed, I'll attach ribbons into each one with which to hang them. They can be hung on a tree or a wall, either way.
There are phrases and pictures, such as the Madonna and Child. Some are Scriptural phrases, and others are just holiday phrases, and there are even a couple of just silly phrases-for the fun of it!
I even made a bunch of Christmas tree shapes to put into bracelets for girls or women. I think they will turn out nicely.
Now I know it's getting closer and closer to Christmas, that's why I'm hurrying this. As long as there is a good two weeks for shipping (shouldn't take that long really) and time for people to see them, I'm not worried. I have every intention of getting these done by this weekend at the latest. So that gives me about a month to have them on Etsy. If there's time, I'll complete the buttons and sea shell life also and add on.
I also sanded and buffed my erasable clay creations. Most of them are sea life. Some fit on pencils. These can't be sprayed for obvious reasons! My daughter sure loves these...she claimed a few for herself. She always claims a few of my newest batches for herself!
Speaking of my daughter (who's 9 in December, on the 17th), she loves making clay things. She's been lately getting into my clay and just creating away, and she makes the most awesome things for such a youngster! The cutest little people and little toys. Some time I may give her a corner in my Etsy shop to sell a few of her things (at a fair price of course). She'd be so proud if she sold something-so would dad and I!
Well, that's enough for today. Catch you again soon, when I have some pixes of the finished pieces-who knows, they may be mounted on an artificial tree!

God Bless All The Soldiers!

Well, this is late, and so am I on my posting this month, but I am still unpacking and working on my Christmas goodies for sale (my polymer clay goodies, that is-treats don't come until late November, around Thanksgiving time)!
Anyway, most of the unpacking is done, thanks to my husband, who is so helpful-he knows it's hard for me having fibromyalgia and degenerative disc disease (and spinal arthritis, etc.), with migraines. It all gets hard at times. But my crafts keep me going-well, that is, after my husband and daughter.
So, I wanted to say a big thanks to all the soldiers past and present for keeping us safe here in our land. We have so much to be thankful for. Americans are the richest people on the earth, bar none, and we should all be thankful, even the most poverty stricken amongst us are rich compared to so many overseas and in S. American homes, especially countries that are in Africa and such areas.
If you are a parent of a soldier, then God bless you too, as you go through it with that son or daughter. I am so thankful my 21 yr. old son is not a soldier-I don't think right now I could handle that. Maybe because I've been through so much, but I just know it would be tougher for me than him I think!
Anyway, God bless all soldiers, no matter what gender or what war fought in! Thank you from me and my family!

Top Droppers For October

These are my top droppers for October: I'd like to say a big "Thank you" to each of them! sound of a soft breath 27
Lapidary Queen Wannabees	17
Paperkraft.net	16
Reveries of simplyJACY	16
Melissas Jewelry and Gem Blog	15
Scraps of Mind	13
jael's artjewels	12
time2cre8	11
Searching for me	11
From the Eyes of my Heart	11

Something To Think About...

Here's something to think about:
I've been off-blogging again... just laying around, doing nothing No moving, no trips to Texas, no unpacking, in fact no housework for 3 1/2 days-sound nice? ...ahh, probably does sound great, until you realize it was because I had a migraine. NOT so nice! I was out of Imitrex and couldn't afford to pay out cash (almost 35.00) for one. Too much. It was that or the hospital, and I've been in the ER too many times. 4-8 hours of waiting til it's all done, and you don't feel like it's completely gone when they're done. They give you something to calm it down, not even Imitrix, or the new stuff by the makers of Imitrex. So you still have to rest another day to get over it. Better than the original pain though..
But the ice never lasts long enough in the waiting room. Ice bags that is. I bring in a baggie of ice
to keep over the pain-it's the only thing that keeps the pain minimized! The ONLY thing. Massaging my neck with the Shiatsu 100 helps too (the migraine comes from the neck). But after around 2-2 1/2 hours the ice melts, unless I'm lucky enough to get a nurse who refills it or better yet, they have an ice-machine there in the lobby like a couple I've been in. And of course neck pillow is essential-you have to lie down with these buggers-there's no sitting or standing up with them.
So, if you're one of the lucky people that have never felt a migraine-here's a brief, not really accurate description. It's like a flaming hot knife being twist tortuously under one eye, while the rest of the area around the eye and behind it are pounding/hurting in conjunction. A brain-freeze x 10. All taunting you at once, saying, "You can't do anything about it!" Plus, the pain causes you be sleepy-a natural reaction to the body when there is so much severe pain going on. Often, it causes the stomach to be ill too or at least somewhat nauseas. At least I do have some medication for that particular symptom.
So, for 3 days and nights, (unless I'm lucky and get the 4 day vacation) that's all it is. All day and night, changing the ice-bag every 2-3 hours and getting back to sleep. Sometimes lying on the couch in the evenings to hear the TV, for something different to do. And wouldn't you think the other medication I take for fibromyalgia would do any good for this. NO. It doesn't. It may a bit, but doesn't get rid of it-only time or Imitrex can. They say caffeine does too. But I don't feel like coffee when I'm that sick. I used to take pills loaded with multiple cups of caffeine in them-for headaches-and they helped some, but I hated the side effects, and they didn't do enough good anyway-so no thanks to that option.
So, if you do read this blog, now you know why I went on an "off-post binge" again, and the probably will be the main reason-illness of one form or another-when I do again. Hopefully, not often. I know-I am a Christian-and should be stronger in belief in healing-but it's hard when you've had these conditions for years and years, and it's taken years to get someone/anyone to believe you in the first place, must less treat you or help you.
If there were a cure for what I have-and someone said, "Here, you can either have a cure with NO more headaches and NO more neck/head pain-no more pain anywhere-no more tiredness-no more bi-polar, OR a million bucks," guess which I'd choose, in a snap!
Just sayin' -something to think about in your own life I suppose.
Pam
PS_If you've had a migraine at a rotten time in life, let me know about it! I had one right after my daughter was born (who's near 9 now). Turned out I had to get a "blood patch" put in my spine by the anesthesiologist. Until then, I couldn't lift my neck or even feed her. They thought I didn't want to bond, until one nurse figured it out. I got the patch the same day we went home! So, what's your story about migraines?