duct tape and wd40 . . .

still not sure about the wd40 but duct tape rules!!!!

remember i said i was going to go all maintenance today and replace the bracket to the sliding drawer in the kitchen??  i was so good, i took shots.  no. no. photos.  not vodka. geesh.  i went to my friendly ace hardware man.  he burst my bubble.  they do not carry a large supply of the brackets and without the measurements i was sunk.

i'm supposed to measure?  what is that?  i took the photos. intact:

 crumbled like bacon on a bleu cheese salad:

to top it all off, there is no visible means of adherence of the bracket to the wall.  no screws.  nothing!  mr. helpful says it probably done with a staple.  great.  pry it off he said.  with my seven foot arms, i asked?  ok, i was getting testy.  but i thanked him profusely and headed home.

i rattled around in the 9TS's tool box.  my first and second tries at finding a prying tool were too big but the third was a maybe.  then i wondered if i would do more damage than good.  i'm prone to that you know.  and so i sat.  looking around at the contents of the drawer strewn over the floor, the rung hanging down like a dejected swan neck, the woeful bracket denuded on one side, and finally the light bulb went off.

while the 9TS supplies lacked the necessary black sticky roll, my craft drawer was overflowing.  back into the kitchen, i cut a length of duct tape and not so carefully wound it around and around the rung sitting in place in the broken bracket.  around and around.  carefully i tested the drawer.  and then i loaded said drawer.  to date, i have not heard a crash.  maybe it is waiting until 3 a.m. but . . .

by george, i think she's got it.

tippy tappin' . . .

as you know, i love dabbling around with digital goodies, taking normal photos and messing with them.  it makes me happy.

there are lots of companies that make digital files with which to create, but designer digitals is my favorite.  over at their site, they have not only a store but galleries in which to post your work and for an extra added bennie, they have a design team of uber talented women sharing their creativity with the world. their work is amazing.

earlier last month, they announced they were looking for guest team members for the months of october, november and december.  the deadline for submission wasn't until the 24th of september.  dream on little girl, dream on.  i let it pass. 

then my friend jana . . . herself a team member . . .  gave me a nudge.  try out, she said.  give it a shot, she said.  so the day before the deadline, i did.

well, i didn't win a guest spot for the three months but they had so many responses, they added some one month spots.  I, ME, I won a guest spot for the month of november.  get up off your seats ladies and dance.  hop up and down and flap those arms.  shuffle around in tight little circles emitting high pitched squeals of joy.  get to tapping those toes around the kitchen floor.  the world is my oyster.  wait.  i don't like oysters.  the world is my diamond.  i like diamonds. 

color me happy.  and excited.  and grateful.  and slightly insane.

make up your mind . . .

k1 has gone to jacksonville for the weekend.  k2 is off to her parents.  the house is mine.  all mine. and before i start my list, i am going to snuggle in with a lovely salad full of garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes, greek olives, feta and sunflower seeds along with a hunk of warm ciabatta bread with a plate of spices surrounded with olive oil for dipping and a glass of cabernet.  my, oh my.  then i think i'll honk around in photoshop for a while and enjoy my life. 

tomorrow is chore day.  it's about time i fixed the broken bracket on the cabinet so i don't have to look at its contents strewn all over my kitchen floor.

i need to re-stack the wood pile before i order more.  poor richard says it will be a cold winter and i am hoping he is right.  the fireplace is ready and waiting. 

i fear the end of swimming season is upon us.  if mother nature cooperates and stops the buckets of recent wetness, i can finally get out and use the four containers of commercial bleach i bought last month to clean the deck and furniture to move into my second favorite use for that area. lounging in the cooler air, sipping a suitable libation, book in hand. 

of course there is laundry to be done. litter to be scooped. counters to be cleaned. rugs to be vacuumed but mostly i will enjoy the silence.

it's not that i don't love the k(s) version 101 and 102, its just that occasionally i enjoy the peace and quiet of my sixty six year old world.  one without rap and giggles, make-up and impromptu fashion shows, food stains and squabbles.  lord, how i love those giggles. does this make sense?  at any rate, i will enjoy my weekend and happily wait until sunday night when my house is once again full of laughter, panic, drama and rolling eyes.  i cannot wait.

on the subject of unhealthy foodie stuff . . .

i left the pickle relish in my pocketbook over the weekend.  gah!!!!

and why exactly did i have a tiny tupperware container filled to brim with sweet relish?  silly.  because we went to river grille for lunch so i could snag one of their outrageously delicious 12" long hot dogs and because sometimes they have relish and sometimes the don't.  so yes, minerva, i bring my own.  not a lot beats an ice cold beer, an extraordinary hot dog and some roasted red taters.  yes.  i did.

back in the day,  one day a week was experimental dinner night.  something new.  untried.  the 9TS and i had some glorious flops but we also had a growing number of do-agains.  last night with the girls, it was homemade strombolis. 

but wait . . .  did i tell you we are now officially a hen house?  my 19 year old granddaughter moved in last month so it wasn't such a wicked daily commute to college.  it makes life delightful if not confusing.  kidlet and her niece have different first names but share the same shortened version.  to avoid confusion, i usually refer to them in writing as k1 and k2.  k1 being the older first version.  in voice . . . well, that's where it gets tricky . . .  the phone rang this morning asking for their singular name and i asked which one.  without batting an eye, the caller said the 26 year old.  people are learning.

anyway, last night the kitchen exploded in pizza dough, marinara sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella.  trial by fire would be appropriate considering the oven was cranked up to 500º.  but we ended up with this:

 and since we all know i usually forget to photograph until i'm half way through, this:

we each made our own and before k2 was halfway through hers, she was asking if this could be a do-again. with k1 nodding in the background, mouth stuffed with goodness.

why of course, sweet peas.  of course.

last day in venice . . .

playing with more shots:

this is so much more fun than doing laundry.

a plumber i am not . . .

so i've had this persistent drip in my bathroom faucet.  if i move the ball to one very specialized locale, the drip ceases.  but this morning, even before grocery shopping, i decided to look up the issue on YouTube.  bad idea.  i followed the directions and after a splurt of inky black water and some gunk, nothing.  no water.  of course that means no drip so i guess technically i fixed it.  i'll remind myself of that every time i go to wash my face or hands between now and monday when i call the real plumber. 

king walla walla poo poo rises again . . .

what happens when you put an 18 year old, a 26 year old and a 66 year old on a bed giggling into the night and being silly?

aching sides from laughing too hard and tears running down faces.  so much fun should be illegal.

just remember, king walla walla poo poo be-leaves in you.

thank you, google . . .

but i know who really sent it.

see the black ribbon.  it's supposed to be a reminder of 9/11.  but it is really melanoma's cancer ribbon.  rock on 9TS.  thanks for the birthday wishes.

yes. yes . . .

dear 9TS, you were: