Don't be an Obliviot, Please!

Here I am riding in the cab from the airport to the hotel and you can see downtown Milwaukee. My cab driver did not put his seat belt on, so for 20 minutes, it went DING DING DING DING...

I am staying at the Marriott Courtyard and lo and behold, they have new carpet!! Don't you like it???

The hotel is connected to a mall. I went to the foodcourt and ate chinese while I was waiting for The Diplomat to arrive from the airport.

After The Diplomat arrived, went to the convention center to the Bead & Button Show. Tonight was the special sneak preview for wholesale members. It is the best time to go because less people attend and you can get to the booths and walk down the aisles. Look how empty! It won't be tomorrow.

We met our friend Penny Costal at the show and we three went to dinner. It is a tradition to go to the Italian restaurant after the first night (restaurant choices are slim pickins here). We order what we want and then we have show and tell of the things we bought. Penny had the best haul. Mine was not as exciting as I was working down the list given me by the Human Pinball since she could not be here. HPB, I am working sister! We always have interesting conversations over Italian dinner. One topic was about people who do not seem to be aware of anyone around them. Penny Costal gave us a vocabulary lesson. That person is called an obliviot.

Obliviot, n. an oblivious idiot, one who suffers from sever case of obliviousness.

I would you to use it at least once in a sentence today.

Also at dinner, the two women at the table next to ours changed chairs so they could rubberneck at out show and tell. They introduced themselves and made us tell them what we do and how we do it. Beads, bringing people together!

The Diplomat and I ran into an old friend Barbara McGuire at the show. She has a booth and is well known in the polymer clay industry. See her work at www.barbaramcguire.com. The Diplomat bought one of her polymer clay pendants and some earrings. Of course my picture does not do these pieces justice. They are gorgeous. I bought two rubber mats to use with precious metal clay.

Tomorrow, beads!

Normal Girl

JOY!

How would you visually represent joy? That was the challenge I had when asked to do a set for the summer sermon series at church on Philippians. Smiley faces was one thought. BUt, I went with jumping for joy. The joy jumpers are abstract. We are going to put them behind the platform and shine black light on theem. I hope that looks cool, I won't see until Sunday.

Meantime, here is a painting idea for forgetful people. I got all my stuff outside and realized I had forgotten the paint pan. blech. It worked pretty well to just dunk the roller into the can and then rolll iton the board. Saved a couple dollars!

Extendo handle for the roller and it was a piece of cake to paint the big boards.

I love painting a project alone with my iPod on, singing. Another thing that brings me joy is going to Milwaukee for the Bead & Button Show tomorrow. I LOVE Bead & Button. I will be sharing!

What brought you joy today?

Normal Girl

P.S. Thanks DT for your help!!

Time Out

Instead of a fun posting tonight, I am going to turn everything off and have some quiet time in prayer. It has been one of those days when people are mean, my class is hard, I am old and I hurt everywhere, and there just isn't enough time to get everything done. I need some time with the Prince of Peace. I will pray for you too. Tell me what you need.

Normal Girl

Shopping for Upstairs

This morning I took Wonder Woman with me to Garden Ridge to shop for the upstairs of the Birdhouse. Wonder Woman has raised four boys. She has a job that is emotionally intense every day. She has a several ministries where she spends alot of her time. I don't know how she does it all. Not only all that, she always signs up to help me with my projects. Wonder Woman is on the upstairs team for the BirdHouse mission trip. She is a woman with taste and I always ask her to buy the pretties: the rugs, the curtains, etc. Wonder Woman spent 5 days in the hospital a short time ago and she is not quite back up to speed. But, she made it through the shopping trip, moving a little slow, but accomplishing her task nonetheless.

Wonder Woman, I am so grateful to have you on my team!

So, we filled up these two shopping carts at Garden Ridge. I have not been to Garden Ridge in a couple years. They are a shell of their former selves, but they still have some great bargains. We got everything we needed except the large pieces of furniture all in one place, and that makes Wonder Woman and me, happy.

We got bedding for 4 beds, everything for two bathrooms, including shower curtain and towels. We got 4 lamps, curtains, some other stuff and of course, two birds.

We save all of this decorative stuff for the last day of the trip and when we put it out, it makes the house a home!

Normal Girl and Wonder Woman

Green and Purple

I made four more bracelets tonight using the metal focal pieces from the garage sale. That's it. I was watching season 1 of Lost. I like watching it all in a row without commercials.

Normal Girl

Your Recommendations?

I have been told by Normal Girl to shop for a new computer. I can use one but I don't want to be responsible for this choice. Neither does she, the slacker. What should I buy?

Imaginina

Can All Your Stuff Fit in This Room?

I went down to Grace Centers of Hope tonight with a small advance team to gather a bit more info for the mission trip. We wanted to do some more measuring, and talk to the men that live in the house. Our objective is to encourage the guys that live there, and that won't happen if we change their living spaces so much that they don't like them. It is a big challenge. Jerry lives in this room. It is 8'x8'.

Try to imagine it. You sleep in a room that is 8'x8'. Everything that you own is in that space. Everything. You share this room with another adult. Right outside your 8' space is another person and all you want is a little privacy.

Maybe you will join with me in thanking God tonight for all that you have. Think about all of the things you own. Could you fit them all in an 8'x8' space with your bed? And if you are like me, you have a list of other things that you want. And you will get them. And you will have space for them.

One of the things that strikes me when I am at GCH is how hugely God has blessed me. No matter what kind of stuff is going on in my life that I think is hard, He has blessed me with way more than I need.

So, if you join me in thanking God today, would you please pray for Jerry too? Thank you...

Normal Girl