For over a month now, Rita has been peeing on the carpet. Thankfully, the mess is getting smaller, but she doesn't show any signs of stopping completely. My theory is that since our carpet is SUPER-absorbent, it absorbed the smell of the cats' litter box in the cat room and confused Rita. Why pee on rough litter when you can pee on soft carpet that smells just like your litter? She has been banished from the room for several weeks now, but it hasn't stopped the inappropriate urination. However, the only place she goes now (outside of the box) is next to the cat room door. I've figured that she can smell the room (which I still need to wet-vac clean...trying to find one to borrow), especially since when the a/c comes on, air blows from the room to the hall. So, I stuffed towels under the door, which seemed to help. Unfortunately, Tangie likes being able to look under all doors, so she removes them and a few seconds later, Rita is peeing over there. Very frustrating!
So, I recently gave up. I don't have the time to watch her constantly during the day...I need to be able to work on the house and my business, not stalk her every time she goes into the hallway. I wish that I had a door on the hallway, like I did in my NC apt...then all would be fine. But we don't have that and it would be silly to put one in there, with the size of the frame. So, I bought Rita a cage. It has three shelves, but I put two next to one another, so that she has a nice place to sleep. The top shelf holds her food and water (which she has already dumped, probably because I put a towel under them...she had been threatening to pull the towel down), and her litter box is located under her bed. There's another space on the bottom level for another large towel and some toys...she sleeps there sometimes too. She's not too thrilled about losing her freedom, but hasn't howled like she used to do in the bathroom when I locked her in there. She can now see me in most of the rooms from her current position, which helps, I think. Today is Day 1 of the full-time cage (yesterday was the day I got the cage). She will be in this cage most of the time for at least a year, to fully litter-train her again. I take her out occasionally to play with her, to love on her, and to allow her to stretch her legs. I suppose it's much like being at the shelter again...except that she is in a permanent home that is stable.
I have felt so much guilt lately...feeling that this problem is my fault. I haven't been able to work, not only when she's out, but when she's locked in the bathroom, as her howling was heart-wrenching. So, hopefully this cage will help her and me.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
WX Jewelry
I have officially begun making Weather Jewelry, as the first batch of components arrived just before Memorial Day weekend. I made 2 bracelets and one necklace (with plans partly done for a second necklace)...not bad for a line that has just been started. Typically, it takes me all day to create a new design or to try different things to end up with a better product, but today was very quick. Next step: creating the Weather Jewelry website (http://weatherjewelry.com). I'm skipping the basic site this time and just spending my time on the more complicated version. So, it may be a while before anyone can see the products that I make every day. Plus, I still need to take pictures of the pieces. So much hassle...I'd rather just design and create jewelry all day and not have to deal with taking pictures, adjusting the pictures so that they display the product as realistically as possible, shrinking down the pictures (and having two versions--a larger version and a thumbnail version), etc. Bleh. Perhaps if my business goes well, I can hire someone to do it for me, heh.
The holiday weekend was nice, minus all the driving and the dealing with certain relatives. Nothing like getting cornered by two maniac relatives after you've driven 6.5 hours (started early early morning, ugh) and are in serious need of food (I ended up being the last person to get food because of the cornering). I really did enjoy staying at the Phillips Hotel in downtown KC...beautiful Art Deco 4-star hotel. There was no way that Don and I could have afforded it normally--thank goodness for Hotwire rates! Another great thing about the hotel was that it was about 2 blocks away from the Municipal Auditorium--where my brother was graduating on Sunday. We didn't have to deal with parking issues, yay!
This weekend was the first time Don and I had seen my parents since the wedding. It was nice spending time with my family again. I had also really missed KC BBQ...had more than my share this past weekend. Time for a diet again, for both Don and I. When we left KC, we were lugging the majority of my junk at my parents' house (only a few ceramic objets d'art and some clothing remain) in the behemoth Giuliano van. One less reason for my dad to get mad at me! With the junk was the very valuable smoker that my dad no longer wants (he's getting one that's bigger and better)--Don is very excited about doing our own smoking :-) I certainly won't be complaining.
I'm looking forward to this week because Kelly is in town. Hopefully we will be able to meet up and Lackmann won't keep her so busy that we cannot meet even for a short time. They have to eat, right? Then again, knowing my former advisor, he'll be planning meetings with all the bigwigs for all meals.
Until I receive a phone call or email from Kelly saying that she'll be available at so-and-so time, it's back to the jewelry design. And perhaps I'll stop being a lazy bum and actually start work on the website design. Time to create a new logo and a ton of icons...
The holiday weekend was nice, minus all the driving and the dealing with certain relatives. Nothing like getting cornered by two maniac relatives after you've driven 6.5 hours (started early early morning, ugh) and are in serious need of food (I ended up being the last person to get food because of the cornering). I really did enjoy staying at the Phillips Hotel in downtown KC...beautiful Art Deco 4-star hotel. There was no way that Don and I could have afforded it normally--thank goodness for Hotwire rates! Another great thing about the hotel was that it was about 2 blocks away from the Municipal Auditorium--where my brother was graduating on Sunday. We didn't have to deal with parking issues, yay!
This weekend was the first time Don and I had seen my parents since the wedding. It was nice spending time with my family again. I had also really missed KC BBQ...had more than my share this past weekend. Time for a diet again, for both Don and I. When we left KC, we were lugging the majority of my junk at my parents' house (only a few ceramic objets d'art and some clothing remain) in the behemoth Giuliano van. One less reason for my dad to get mad at me! With the junk was the very valuable smoker that my dad no longer wants (he's getting one that's bigger and better)--Don is very excited about doing our own smoking :-) I certainly won't be complaining.
I'm looking forward to this week because Kelly is in town. Hopefully we will be able to meet up and Lackmann won't keep her so busy that we cannot meet even for a short time. They have to eat, right? Then again, knowing my former advisor, he'll be planning meetings with all the bigwigs for all meals.
Until I receive a phone call or email from Kelly saying that she'll be available at so-and-so time, it's back to the jewelry design. And perhaps I'll stop being a lazy bum and actually start work on the website design. Time to create a new logo and a ton of icons...
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Weekend!!!
I'm still peeved that Blogger deleted my old account...wanted to keep my old blogs. Didn't care for the upgrade, especially since it meant that the old account got deleted. Thankfully, it still allowed me to keep my old name. Anyway, this was a random thought I had today and got peeved about all over again. Such a small issue, but I suppose I'm in a silly mood at the moment.
Today has been a good day. Life is getting better, less blue. It certainly helps that it's Friday, though. Friday means hanging out with friends, lunch with Don and his friends, Don home for 2 days straight, and not much time to do work that I don't want to do anyway. I spent almost 2 hours (instead of the usual 1 hour during the school year) hanging out with friends...was so very happy.
Soon I'll be starting to paint some of the rooms in the house. Don and I just bought some small cans of paint to test the colors in our office and the cats' room. Hopefully the colors will work out...don't want to go through the process of looking at paint chips again! I have had some problems picking out paint colors for the rooms--the mental pictures I have just haven't corresponded with the paint chips I bring home. My biggest problem is that I'm just not an interior decorator--my mom has reminded me of this again and again. I love art, painting, and decorating, but I have so much trouble designing the look of the interior of my house! In the past, I have put together what seemed like good shades/colors, only to discover how hideous they really are together. I really don't want to mess up my house...so I'm picking "safe" colors: mainly pastels and only 3 colors (with various shades)--blue, green, and violet. I'm hoping that I'll be able to paint the sample blocks in the two rooms this weekend...and then we'll see if they will work!
In other news, I'm starting a new line (separate from Lavender Frost lines, but still under the company), called Weather Jewelry. I haven't made any pieces yet, but have just ordered some of the initial components I need to make a few samples. Hopefully sales will pick up faster for the Weather Jewelry than the Lavender Frost lines...web site has been operational for several weeks and haven't had my first sale yet. It's rather disappointing and frustrating...if I could just get that first sale! Once I get one, I'll be very patient about subsequent sales...I just need proof that I can actually sell one of my products. The nice thing about Weather Jewelry is that it is completely unique...I have yet to see anyone else making a line of jewelry that is only weather-related. Plus, I already have a possible outlet for sales--a rather popular weather site owned by a friend.
Really hope that storm chase season isn't over yet, at least not for the southern plains. Don has figured out how to better show low-light conditions on the new HD camcorder, so it would be great to be able to use it on some storms. Personally, I'm not too sure I'm ready for more tornadoes and more danger...I may have had a bit too much on the last chase we went on (Greensburg and St. John days). But I know that the best way to get over a fear is to face it...and face it I will. I just won't be facing it as Reed recommended I should face it--by being as close as humanly possible.
Finally got around to picking out wedding photos to put into the parent albums--the belated wedding gift Don and I are giving to our parents. Hopefully I will be able to print them soon, put the photos into the books, and give the albums to our parents. Wonder if I can get it done before Memorial Day weekend, when Don and I will be in KC for family graduation celebrations (for my mom [finished Masters in Education--Biology/Life Sciences], my sister [fall semester, Bachelors in Education], my brother [high school], and me). Still need to reserve a one-way trailer to haul back all my junk to Norman at the end of the trip...need to remember to do this and soon! Also need to remember to bring the second copy of my thesis with me, for my parents.
This blog pretty much sums up my thoughts right now...jumping from topic to topic. Perhaps it just means that it's time for bed. Mmmm...sleep....
Today has been a good day. Life is getting better, less blue. It certainly helps that it's Friday, though. Friday means hanging out with friends, lunch with Don and his friends, Don home for 2 days straight, and not much time to do work that I don't want to do anyway. I spent almost 2 hours (instead of the usual 1 hour during the school year) hanging out with friends...was so very happy.
Soon I'll be starting to paint some of the rooms in the house. Don and I just bought some small cans of paint to test the colors in our office and the cats' room. Hopefully the colors will work out...don't want to go through the process of looking at paint chips again! I have had some problems picking out paint colors for the rooms--the mental pictures I have just haven't corresponded with the paint chips I bring home. My biggest problem is that I'm just not an interior decorator--my mom has reminded me of this again and again. I love art, painting, and decorating, but I have so much trouble designing the look of the interior of my house! In the past, I have put together what seemed like good shades/colors, only to discover how hideous they really are together. I really don't want to mess up my house...so I'm picking "safe" colors: mainly pastels and only 3 colors (with various shades)--blue, green, and violet. I'm hoping that I'll be able to paint the sample blocks in the two rooms this weekend...and then we'll see if they will work!
In other news, I'm starting a new line (separate from Lavender Frost lines, but still under the company), called Weather Jewelry. I haven't made any pieces yet, but have just ordered some of the initial components I need to make a few samples. Hopefully sales will pick up faster for the Weather Jewelry than the Lavender Frost lines...web site has been operational for several weeks and haven't had my first sale yet. It's rather disappointing and frustrating...if I could just get that first sale! Once I get one, I'll be very patient about subsequent sales...I just need proof that I can actually sell one of my products. The nice thing about Weather Jewelry is that it is completely unique...I have yet to see anyone else making a line of jewelry that is only weather-related. Plus, I already have a possible outlet for sales--a rather popular weather site owned by a friend.
Really hope that storm chase season isn't over yet, at least not for the southern plains. Don has figured out how to better show low-light conditions on the new HD camcorder, so it would be great to be able to use it on some storms. Personally, I'm not too sure I'm ready for more tornadoes and more danger...I may have had a bit too much on the last chase we went on (Greensburg and St. John days). But I know that the best way to get over a fear is to face it...and face it I will. I just won't be facing it as Reed recommended I should face it--by being as close as humanly possible.
Finally got around to picking out wedding photos to put into the parent albums--the belated wedding gift Don and I are giving to our parents. Hopefully I will be able to print them soon, put the photos into the books, and give the albums to our parents. Wonder if I can get it done before Memorial Day weekend, when Don and I will be in KC for family graduation celebrations (for my mom [finished Masters in Education--Biology/Life Sciences], my sister [fall semester, Bachelors in Education], my brother [high school], and me). Still need to reserve a one-way trailer to haul back all my junk to Norman at the end of the trip...need to remember to do this and soon! Also need to remember to bring the second copy of my thesis with me, for my parents.
This blog pretty much sums up my thoughts right now...jumping from topic to topic. Perhaps it just means that it's time for bed. Mmmm...sleep....
Monday, March 12, 2007
It's Official!
Yesterday, I got the paperwork back from the Oklahoma Secretary of State--the Articles of Organization and Trade Name Report for Lavender Frost, LLC have officially been filed with the state. Now I can send in the rest of the official paperwork...and the company will be fully legit! I've already received the business cards I designed and had printed with a professional printing company, but, unfortunately, the wrong phone number was put on the card (Don's and my mistake...we put my cell phone number rather than a land line. We'd rather not pay oodles of cell minutes!) So, it's back to the printers again...thank goodness for fairly cheap printing costs.
I have begun my creations...one necklace I made recently is displayed on the official website: http://lavenderfrost.com. So far, I'm only making necklaces and earrings...eventually I will probably design bracelets as well. I'm so very excited about the company, but am worried about actually selling the pieces. I believe that my bridal line will sell fine, but I'm not so sure about the other lines, mainly because I'm not sure that people will be willing to shell out $140 for a necklace (that's pretty much to cost for me on some of these pieces--I use real Swarovski crystals, sterling silver, etc). I realize that that is not much for many people, but it's a lot to me. Once I start making sales, I'll probably stress less about this, but for now, I worry.
Of course it doesn't help my stress level that I'm worrying about getting all the house work, organizing, and arranging of things done in a timely fashion. There's so much to be done in my new house--repainting, arranging furniture, organizing everything so that every object has its place...not to mention the everyday cleaning and chores that need to be done. I really am grateful that Don and I have a new house...it is nice that I have a fresh canvas to work with, but some days the work seems daunting. I am trying to take it day by day, but my attitude is often soured by long days spent in the house, alone. I'm used to spending a lot of time with other people--whether it was at work in the lab, hanging out with the Raleigh crew (and before then, the Norman metr's), or going to classes/studying with classmates. It is wonderful when Don comes home, but all day I am without companionship...well, other than that of my two kitties. They are good about "talking back", but it's just not quite the same as talking with thinking creatures. Thank goodness for Friday's at Louie's with the OU grad students...our weekly meet-ups give me what little sanity I have each week.
Despite the occasional blues, I really am overall quite happy in my new life. And I cannot wait for events such as the Road Trip to the Walsh Wedding...yay for spending days with two girls I absolutely adore and for possibly meeting up with my other Raleigh buddies.
I have begun my creations...one necklace I made recently is displayed on the official website: http://lavenderfrost.com. So far, I'm only making necklaces and earrings...eventually I will probably design bracelets as well. I'm so very excited about the company, but am worried about actually selling the pieces. I believe that my bridal line will sell fine, but I'm not so sure about the other lines, mainly because I'm not sure that people will be willing to shell out $140 for a necklace (that's pretty much to cost for me on some of these pieces--I use real Swarovski crystals, sterling silver, etc). I realize that that is not much for many people, but it's a lot to me. Once I start making sales, I'll probably stress less about this, but for now, I worry.
Of course it doesn't help my stress level that I'm worrying about getting all the house work, organizing, and arranging of things done in a timely fashion. There's so much to be done in my new house--repainting, arranging furniture, organizing everything so that every object has its place...not to mention the everyday cleaning and chores that need to be done. I really am grateful that Don and I have a new house...it is nice that I have a fresh canvas to work with, but some days the work seems daunting. I am trying to take it day by day, but my attitude is often soured by long days spent in the house, alone. I'm used to spending a lot of time with other people--whether it was at work in the lab, hanging out with the Raleigh crew (and before then, the Norman metr's), or going to classes/studying with classmates. It is wonderful when Don comes home, but all day I am without companionship...well, other than that of my two kitties. They are good about "talking back", but it's just not quite the same as talking with thinking creatures. Thank goodness for Friday's at Louie's with the OU grad students...our weekly meet-ups give me what little sanity I have each week.
Despite the occasional blues, I really am overall quite happy in my new life. And I cannot wait for events such as the Road Trip to the Walsh Wedding...yay for spending days with two girls I absolutely adore and for possibly meeting up with my other Raleigh buddies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
