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  • A Thousand Hummies

    September
    6
    2007

    Well, it certainly seems like there are a thousand hummingbirds in our yard now. Not that I’m complaining – of course, I only bought every available hummingbird attracting plant and feeder on the planet. My eyes shouldn’t pop right out of my head and hit the window then when I see 7 of them dueling with their sweet nectar sucking little swords out my front window.

    Talk about entertainment – my only problem now is that I don’t have the time to sit and watch them all day! They’re hard to count, since two to three of them group up and zoom past the window, up into the tree or over the house to the backyard feeder like miniature stealth bombers. Thankfully they haven’t exceeded the number of fingers on my hands yet, I don’t think I’m that fast with a calculator.

    This particular female ruby throated hummingbird is easy peasy to photograph. She’s not afraid of the spectators (and our noses) pressed up against the window to watch their shiny (and tiny) intricate little selves drink up and zip away.

    I did add another feeder to the front yard yesterday morning since they were trying to triple up on one feeder but didn’t seem to be getting along well enough for that. Now they’re doubling up on both feeders. It’s just craziness, I tell you. One of these days, I’ll have a photo of one of them sitting on my head or something. heh!

    :gets back to work:

    My Bunneh is Lazy.

    September
    5
    2007

    In an effort to make Dusty more comfy cozy in her new home, we spoil her rotten. She immediately took to her litter box as a bed, so the way it’s supposed to go is that you move things to each corner of the cage in an effort to litter train your critter. They’re obviously not gonna go on their toys or food, but she was doin’ her doody under her water bottle. I switched places then, put her litter box where the water bottle was and her bottle where her box was. Then she began lying under her water. Rmpf.

    Enter hubby (he who had to be convinced, remember?) – suggesting I go get her a proper “bed”. I head off to the store and pick up a variety of things to try. I found a hide-a-way box, and thought it would fit nicely in her cage and she’d fit into it for a while, at least. I get home and get it situated in her designated bed spot, and she digs it. So I move her food over to the only corner left, which is in front of this little circle window in her new little room.

    Supah Lazy Bunneh figures out within seconds that she can reach her water bottle and pull it over toward her, making herself a little eat-in window.

    mini rex bunny opal 8 weeks' class=

    Yes, now she doesn’t even have to hop two hops out of her hide-a-bed to eat. What a laaaaazzyyyy bunneh she is! So I prepare her dinner and put it in front of her window.

    opal mini rex 8 weeks old' class=

    Oh, yes, she is a happy bunneh.

    Quinnie, on the other hand, is a little tickered off that Dusty is getting all the attention. He would like to remind you that he was here first, and he is a good boy and a very pretty bird. Loudly.


    quaker parrot quintin

    WW WW #5

    September
    4
    2007

    ww.jpgWeight Watchers Weekly Weigh-in #5!

    My fifth full week in the Core Program. I want the excitement from last week back! Daggone it, it was a slow week, and I must have been lazier or ate worse and didn’t realize it and can I just blame this ALL on PMS?! YES? Thank you so much. I’ll be better next week.

    First week: -4.6 lbs.
    Second week: -4.2 lbs.
    Third week: -1.6 lbs.
    Fourth week: -2.4 lbs.
    Fifth week: -.8 lbs.
    Total to date: -13.6 lbs.

    Next gold star: 1.4 lbs.
    10% target: 4.4 pounds away.

    Dang stupid &*)(%^ water retention and bloating and &*)(%^ stupid portion control and blahbity blah blah blah!

    To top it all off, I lost this week, I didn’t gain. What is wrong with me??! Would someone please smack me? I don’t even want to know what kind of nutcase I’ll be if I have a plus sign for a weekly result. Shheeeeeeeeshhh.

    Shutting up and getting back to work now. I hope you had a great and long weekend!

    Meet my new Bunneh!

    September
    2
    2007

    Dusty opal Rex bunny 6 weeks old' class=

    Oh, it was love at first sight. I went to the pet store yesterday to pick up some goodies for Cocoa when I passed by the bunnies. And there she was. In all her Thumper-like glory, Dusty and I locked eyes and little cartoon hearts floated above our heads. I grabbed the cell out of my purse and called home.

    Me: “Honey. Can I have a bunny?”
    Him: “What?!”
    Me: “A bunny. She’s a rex bunny and I love her. Can I have her?”
    Him: “NO. What the he** are we gonna do with a bunny?!”
    Me: “Love her. Play with her and pet her, OMG SHE’S SO SOFT.”
    Him: “Where are we going to PUT a bunny?!”
    Me: “In my studio. I’ll make room.”
    Him: “Well let’s all come down there later this afternoon and see her first.”
    Me: “uurrrghhh fine. okay.”

    And an hour later, he was all “What kind of bunny?” and he googled her breed and within like 10 minutes he said “pack up the girls and go get her, then.” And I was all “SQUEEEE!!!!”

    And here she is, the newest addition to our family, Dusty. She’s an chinchilla Opal (colored) Rex bunny, and she’s simply adorable. Softer than cotton and cuter than cute, she snuggles and licks and nudges and she likes to sleep on my shoulder. Awwwww.

    I lurrrve my bunneh.

    Click for a couple more pics of Dusty:

    Keep reading »

    I Am Not (almost) Invisible.

    September
    1
    2007

    150leanne83007.jpg I disappeared this week – did you notice? (Nod. Just nod. Thank you!) I managed to get a new photo of myself, ’cause I know you were all wondering how long my hair has grown. Okay it was just me then. Ahem.

    So I worked this week, feverishly, and without big results to share. I hate when that happens – but next week, and the week after that, you shall be overwhelmed with updates and eye candies.

    I did get a revamp, upgrade and launch done for Kimberly (previously known as MommaK) – her fall design is up and the thought of fall coming made me run to JCPenney for a couple new pair of sweats. Yes, I bought clothes! Ugh! I shouldn’t have, but baggy sweats are always in, right? So there’s my reward this week, folks. And they are more comfortable than the ones at Old Navy, in case you were wondering. (I linked you right to them, haven’t you gone through checkout yet?)

    petroville blog designBack to Petroville, I gave her an upgrade – she’s running WordPress 2.2.2 now and by winter she’ll be sporting 2.3 or whatever the newest version will be in 2 months. I upgraded her plugins (and threw the social bookmarking up here, too – so use it, people!) and I’m totally having feedreader envy.

    That stinkerhead – I was all gung-ho on installing Feedburner Feedsmith for her, and getting her to put up a chicklet. Obviously I was completely and totally curious to know what her readership is, why else would I do that? heh. So she gave me the chicklet code, I threw it up into her new widgetized sidebar, and her count was 25 yesterday. (neener neener!) Well put hot mustard on my tongue – that plugin harvested up all of her readership – she jumped to 172 overnight. Damn damn DOUBLE TRIPLE dayyyuummm.

    Color me green.

    I do have a few other projects in process, and a bunch more in queue. I will be finishing up a few more (paintings and blog designs both) next week.

    * * * * *
    The girls started back to school yesterday!  This means my productivity will increase – summer vacation is over and there’s a chill in the air – me and my new cozy sweatpants are going to stay in the house, eat core food and work until spring. Okay just until my bulbs and plants get here and I get them planted. THEN I’ll stay in until spring.  When I emerge, I shall be rich, skinny and cute, and have very very long hair.

    * * * * *
    I was approached and interviewed by a student at the University of Strathclyde whose dissertation topic is “Blogs as a Marketing Tool in Small Business”. He forwarded me the final copy of his dissertation and woah – I’m blown away. Most often I look at my blog as a diary, even though my intent is for it to encourage people to think about art, and to help people realize how easy it is to purchase original art direct from artists because there’s a person involved. To know the person behind the talent brings added value to the whole experience, in my opinion. I get frustrated when I see mass production stuff at Target and WalMart. There’s a difference between having something pretty on your wall, and having something personal on your wall. It’s what makes a house a home, to me. Anyhoo, I read through his dissertation and wound up realizing that I could be doing more to get that point across.

    It also got me curious – does reading my blog and knowing me make you more inclined to buy original art? Does it give you a creative spark? What do you get from my blog that keeps you coming back? Do you wish I shared more tips?

    * * * * *
    One last thing – did you know that Yahoo Launchcast has a Richard Marx Fan Radio Station?

    Oh Dear…

    August
    28
    2007

    The general decency of people is on a rapid decline, have you noticed? Being a non-confrontational person in this day and age has it’s benefits – because then I’m not clumped in with the aggressive morons of the world – but it also has its pitfalls, because I don’t say a da*n thing about this stuff. People like me have delayed reactions. Ten minutes after any given event I repeat everything in my head with all of the things I *should* have said, and the results are always way better in my head than they were in reality.

    Here are a few rmmmpf moments I’ve had lately:

    • Dear Mister “We got an offer, but it wasn’t good enough” – It may very well be the only offer you get. And unlike you, it was sincere. I hope if you do get other offers, that they’re lower than ours and that you get a nice little taste of your foot. I also hope you get to have a little side of humble pie with that.
    • Dear Miss “I’m gonna keep doing whatever I want to do because I live in a bubble and I have my own rules in here” – Go right ahead. I am enjoying seeing that whole “what goes around comes around” come to fruition.
    • Dear “Some day maybe I’ll know what I did wrong” – I’ve never had an experience where I didn’t ASK if I didn’t know. Some day, maybe you’ll realize that one-way streets are pretty limiting when you’re looking to go in another direction. You have to make a turn and find a two way street eventually. You’ll never get to where you want to go. And also? You’re a grown up, you should know better, and you should be the bigger person.

    There. I just had to get a few things out of my head, that is all.

    WW WW #4

    August
    27
    2007

    ww.jpgWeight Watchers Weekly Weigh-in #4!

    My FOURTH full week in the Core Program. I rock, I hit THE number on the scale today – one that I haven’t seen in SIX YEARS. WAHOOOO!!!

    First week: -4.6 lbs.
    Second week: -4.2 lbs.
    Third week: -1.6 lbs.
    Fourth week: -2.4 lbs.
    Total to date: -12.8 lbs.
    I am 2.2 pounds away from my next gold star, and only 5.2 pounds away from my 10% target goal (gold keychain).

    HELP ME MY PANTS ARE FALLIN’ OFF!
    Reward ideas, anyone? Anything but clothes.

    Who, ME?

    August
    26
    2007

    It seems like forever since I just chatted and caught up with everyone. Maybe it’s just the summer – maybe it’s that I’ve been really focused on work, but I’ve gotta make more time to stay connected with the people I care about. I keep thinking “next week…” and “when the kids go back to school…” well, how about now? Now’s good. Now works for me.

    I’ve got some things to share first, tags from friends who I hope don’t feel neglected (I do reply in e-mail, I swear it) and they deserve some blog linkin’ love.

    A whole bunch of stuff to read here….

    Keep reading »

    Snarkypants Blog Design

    August
    25
    2007

    custom wordpress blog design snarky fun template upgrade and plugins' class=

    I’ve been working on Snarkypants (aka Lisa’s) blog design for a few days – and just completed her upgrade, design and plugin installation. It’s really cute and fun, she gave me creative license with a few must-haves (coffee, cats, books and computers – absolutely!), and I turned it into a whole new look with many new features and functions – her WordPress blog has much more “oompf” now.

    I should mention that Lisa splurged on this design as an early B-day gifty for herself. Much deserved, I say. A new look, a cuppa joe and a handful of Werther’s – she’s ready to blog!

    Go on over and have a look – let her know how you like her new digs!

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