Dragonsglass

This is turning into long labor! I seem to have more stuff then room, even with the added storage I got. Guess there will be a “great studio sale” after this birth is over.

I started in bright and early this morning totally backwards, by bringing stuff in and then going “DOH” when I realized I needed floor space to build the desk and shelf unit. So I took some pictures before the great construction began. Here is the partially loaded room.

After moving things to the walls I attacked the desk and cabinet, got them built and set where I think I want them. I got the computer hooked up first thing and then got my clay table in place and my cabinet that holds my clay right next to it. My next step was to bring in more stuff. Not that I have put anything away yet, but hey…at least I know I will have too much stuff to put away.

I finally ran out of steam about 4pm this afternoon and took the after construction pictures. Here they are.

Tomorrow I will start in getting my supplies all organized and labeled. I have enough drawers, containers and shelves. I just need to get items on/in to them in a neater manner then I have been doing. And maybe, just maybe I can get a wee bit of claying in. Who knows, I may even find my jewelers saw blades! they have been MIA for three weeks. Happy claying!

This weekend we have been busily putting our little “kingdoms” in order. I have spent most of my time bringing in and getting the living spaces back to order. The great room is all done and we have some very happy kids….as this picture shows.

Karen has been working madly on getting the old office turned into her office and music studio room. I took pictures of the guest room that will soon become my new clay room too. These are taken before much of anything is in the room.

So….there you have it. Day one of the great clay room birth. That was yesterday. Today we went and picked up a desk and storage cupboard for in there. that will be my job tomorrow. putting those together and starting to figure out where I want to put everything. Of course I will have to work around the bed and the ironing board. Of course I will be reminded of all the ironing I have to do (the shirts hanging in the closet….I keep hoping for the ironing fairy to take care of that for me…but alas) until I get the closet door back on. Then it will be the “out of sight, out of mind” going on. And now…I think I will imitate my cats and collapse for a while.

Is on!. Tomorrow the flooring starts going in. this means today the studio gets totally packed up and moved into either the kitchen, back patio or garage. Then one last room of carpeting to rip out. I also have to move the sectional sofa out and get the last remnant of carpeting from under it. Back? what back? I don’t need no steenkin back!

On a happier note, we had our Relay for Life this weekend (24 hour walk to raise funds for the American Cancer Society) Our Relay, here in Bakersfield, is the second largest in the whole US, the largest in California, and a training site for other relay committees. As of last count we raised over 1.7 million, with money still coming in. The final tally will be at the end of August. I am so very proud of our community and the big companies that match and sponser our event.

I had a table full of creations, many by myself and others donated by my friend Moe, from Hawaii. She sent a box of necklaces and earrings and other things for me to sell to help raise money. I went with a large box of items and came home with a very tiny box. I raised an additional $160 selling these small items.

I promise, dadragon will be back creating within the next couple of weeks. Until then, I will fold wax paper cranes. Happy claying to you all.

Our dumpster arrived yesterday and is sitting in the garage just waiting for 7 years of accumulated crap to be tossed. This morning I began in the studio. Time to organize and get rid of the stuff I will never use. I am packing up a box with this stuff and schlepping it off to our guild meeting tomorrow morning. I was going to throw anything they didn’t take but decided if there is enough of whatever, I will do another Dragonsglass sale on my site.

am taking a back break, then back to the clay mine. In between de-cluttering I will be folding cranes and making a full batch to bake while I de-clutter more. I think I am taking a page from Jana Roberts Benzon. Karen walked into the clay room and said “OMG, the room exploded!”. Every time I go anywhere with Jana, or she comes here, I always give her a hard time about her suitcase “exploding”. I guess she can give me a hard time now. Probably should take a picture to show her

Have a clayful day!

ME

Starting yesterday afternoon. K started AND finished her taxes, and I did the same. I know not terribly exciting is it? But actually it IS!!!! Why you ask? Not because we get that wonderful (snork) rebate from the feds (because I don’t) but because for the first time in the almost 10 years that we have been registered domestic partners, K and I got to file “married” on our state taxes. For those of you who are *allowed* to be married it may be no big deal but for those of us relegated to “second class” domestic partners it is a big deal. It allows us to get the same monetary benefits of married folks.

What this means is that we now can seriously think about replacing the evil carpet in the whole house with hardwood flooring! Yipeeeeee *flip* *flip*. We thought we wouldn’t be able to do this until the end of the year or next year because we had a sewer emergency that had to be fixed. Our sewer line collapsed and needed to be replaced. there went our new flooring fund. But, because we were able to file jointly in the state, we now have enough (with K’s federal and the rebate) to re-floor the whole house Today I began the chore of pulling the old carpet. I got all of the office up (except for what’s under the heavy stuff) and will head down the hall and into the great room next. Bit by bit, section by section it WILL be pulled up.

now that the actual carpet pulling has commenced we can get someone in to give us the bid on installing the new floor. I know I could lay it with the help of a friend or two, but I sure would like to get it down in one fell swoop then the month it would take me and my back to get it done. I am not sure there are enough good pharmaceuticals in the world to make my back happy with laying flooring. Heck, I think K might even back *groan* me on this one.

I am a happy girl K is a happy girl. The fids will be happy critters soon (I hope). And now….I must clay to celebrate!