Yes, I e-mail myself.
I have found it extremely handy to email myself notes, ideas, grocery lists, writings.  My phone is almost always available and all those important conglomerations of words go to my gmail account.  They are all archived forever and as safe as any mislaid scrap of paper that would serve as my alternative.
Today, it came to my attention that I was not receiving some of my Notes to Self.  After re-examining the To: address field, I realized that another Kay.Dixon was becoming privy to my inner most thoughts and desires.  A fever-fueled mistyping of my own email address had added a valid, although unintentional recipient to my contacts list.  With my name.
Looking back through my Sent Folder, I realized I had sent her a note reminding her to get the Craftgawker App for the iPhone and to explore the joys of Human Bingo.
My latest contribution to her inbox is the following "editorial" on the benefits of eating more fried food.  Meant to be an entertaining piece for some of my closest friends and allies, it is now in the hands of my faceless doppleganger.  If she has read it, then why shouldn't you.

It is the beginning of the end. The end of the world as we know it.
It isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let's face it, we haven't been treating this place or each other very well. We use the entire world as our garbage bin. Letting poison, refuse, and ageless debris fall where it may.
Also, if u jam too many of us up together, the crazies come out.  Crime, war, and poverty..they are a few things we tend to specialize in.
Although the alarm bells are ringing in our ears...global warming, antibiotic resistant bacteria, polluted land, water, and sky...we ignore the repetitive sound blasts in our ear. Racing onward never looking back or acknowledging what is up ahead.
So, I wonder what I, a single human being, can do to change the red tide that is approaching the shore.  After thorough research across several disciplines, I have decided the best course to take is to eat more fried food.
Here is how I came to my conclusion. After reading several articles on how global warming is affecting disease spread, I became fascinated.
Warmer winters mean insects that act as disease vectors have a higher survival rate for the new year. That means more  West Nile and Lyme disease for u and me.
Malaria in Alaska?  It is coming. Well, actually it is already there, but humans have a few more warmer than natural years before having to pack their own quinine for an Alaskan cruise.
What are some contributing factors to this global warming situation?
U, the reader can probably recite more reasons than I, but the latest culprit identified by a brilliant team of scientists  in California is American's love of chargrilled food. Turns out, all the grilling puts a lot of particulates into the air. Enough so, it is rivaling the contribution of diesel burning 18 wheelers.
Humans in their self-obsessed way have focused on eating grilled foods
in order to keep a healthier heart. I say, stop this madness now!  By returning to a fried food heavy diet, we can get a one-two punch to kick start the saving of our planet.
First off, frying food does not add the particulate matter to our atmosphere that its grilling counterpart does. Secondly, humans are the one who got us into this mess to begin with. More humans living longer on the planet should not be our immediate goal or maybe ever
our goal.
I am realist. I know, even after being presented with these facts, most people will not turn from their healthy eating lifestyle to save our planet.  As I mentioned before...self-obsessed.
But, I am not worried. Mother Nature is not without her charms and her devices. She demands balance and balance She will have.
So, next time u contract the Hanta virus on a camping trip or lose a limb to a flesh eating bacteria, think about those grilled veggies u had for dinner and try to decide...Was it really worth it?

Making Ready for Creating

I have been trying to get my house in order so I will feel free to pursue the creative.
I wanted to share a small success with you that I accomplished today.
My writing desk in the living room had become the catchall. It is just the natural, handy place to put things when I come in the door.
What does that do for my writing and other creative pursuits? It stunts them.
So, now I can say this area is officially reclaimed!

Joy to Be Shared

This is the sort of joy that just has to be shared. My husband Joseph has some secretive mischievousness in the making and all he's saying is "You'll need a fancy dress." Well, today I started my search for my fancy dress.

Trying on clothes isn't my idea of fun. I didn't even like Barbies as a kid because you were always supposed to be changing their clothes. When I clothes shop, I'd rather guess and take my chances that it will fit. That's why my favorite outfit is a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The sizes are pretty standard for such fashion fare. I can usually judge what will fit by how many prairie harvest muffins I've been averaging per week.

Evy is all about fancy. So, the idea of shopping for "princess dresses" thrilled her. She and I went about our mission with gusto this morning. She picked out dresses, zipped me up, and blocked the dressing room door from intruders.

We found a couple of favorites. Although, it was obvious from the beginning that Evy and I have very different tastes. Evy leans to "fru fru." I am a more simple or classic gal.

All the dresses were really beautiful, though. However, their price tags reflected their valuable charm.

So, next stop, Salvation Army Thrift Store. It's my go-to, one-stop-shop. Simply put, it is my equivalent of the mall.

A lady was putting out formal wear as we walked in the door. After a few moments of searching, I got this....my new fancy time dress. I think it is absolutely gorgeous. Plus, I think it is not so ostentatious that I will be able to wear it on multiple occasions. AND...I didn't try it on and it fits perfectly. It is also brand new!

For $10...me and this dress were absolutely meant to be. (Yes, you read that right. There was only a single zero in that number.)

I got joy. Celebrate with me.

What It Is

Sportsmanship is your 4 year old son dropping back in the race to let his mommy win.

Excitement is realizing you are going to listen to a too talented fellow soulfully sing his lungs out.

Satisfaction is knowing your artful progress makes your art instructor nauseous.

Happiness is a creative moment that stretches into the wee hours of the morning.

Anticipation is having only two months to ready yourself for a bliss inducing weekend.

What Would Happen if....

you gave two 4-year-olds a digital camera and little supervision?

Since this is a family-friendly blog, any photos containing bare bottoms were removed.

Found Objects

I am taking a found objects sculpture workshop at Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. 3D is new to me. Luckily, our teacher Mark Brown is great! He dumped a whole bunch of junk on the table and said, "Have at it!"

We have been learning how to apply some basic principles of art and how to repurpose bits and pieces to make them wonderful.

This is my second piece I started on at the last class. It is fairly small, approximately 12" x 4". It is a bit of masonite painted and collaged with some magazine pieces. I've been adding random pieces of metal that speak to me in some fashion.

This is turning out to be my favorite piece thus far. I think I am most proud of myself for resisting my innate urge to embellish it with glitter or add rhinestones. Of course, I am also very excited to be discovering a new way to create!

Smoochy Movie

I am not a romance movie fan. When the night gets lonely, who do I turn to? My little black book contains Aliens, The Matrix, or Conan the Barbarian. This established trend means my movie watching buddies are in luck. When the horde starts chanting Watchman or Quantum of Solace, I'm already set on GO.

But, I've noticed that all the testosterone laden movie action has been having an affect on me. First off, my voice has dropped an octave. I also find I have an urge to spit after telling a good joke. I am wary that the next step will be hair on my chest or adjusting my crotch while telling a tale. So, I've decided to concoct an antidote.

My formula is simple. Next movie night, the _Guys_ are going to watch something girly. Since I have an extremely short list of what constitutes a good romance movie, the pickings are slim. To choose from, we have Say Anything, Ten Things I Hate about You, and A Walk in the Clouds. Honestly, those are the only three movies I could think of that had a sweetie theme and were memorable enough to make it to the forefront of my brain. Since the opportunity to entertain my estrogenic beginnings may never happen again, I don't want to be disappointed in the viewing choice. Watching something I've not yet seen and approved makes me nervous.

So, I am calling on all you helpful folks in Webdom. Suggest something gooooood.