12 Days

2:19 p.m. I didn't write, but a lot has gone on. 

- I started up my new website and have been making art tutorials over the past couple weeks or so...even migrating this site over there. I'm also making sure to tell the good news and that Jesus is coming...using this site to forward the kingdom of God.

https://www.sketchpalace.com

Hoping Sketch Palace will be a new business brand, if I can get things off the ground.

We got a new washer a few days ago...hand-me-down...but it's an extremely big blessing. It's very leaky, but Grandpa is working on it. Still, no more laundromat and not needing as much to wash a little at the time with the mini washer.

Over the weeks, Grandpa and I would comment every time we would pass the new construction to and from work, for the Dollar General Market. When they open, I'd like to see if they pay more, and if so, be hired there. It's going up fast. 

And we've been commenting and eyeing a poor deer that got hit in the road last week but still seems like a whole carcass.

I had a dream about Maggie Smith recently, and she was acting, (sometimes dreams involve acting as if they were w a movie or show) and now it's kinda like I got a private performance of hers that's all mine.

Basically, it was with a group of women in an apartment and there was this restaurant located on the grounds of my old apartment building.

I went there with a friend, who doesn't exist, and realized I'd forgotten my phone so I decided to take a 'shortcut' out back and down the steps to get it.

Well, this displeased the women, because they always had to take the notoriously long way around to get to and from the restaurant. Here I had to 'audacity,' to casually and with care free, take a shortcut.

I don't remember all of what was said, but Maggie, in character in a black lace victorian gown, bunned, said something I had remembered most of until now...but it completed with, "And she goes in the back...We never go in the back. And this [girl]..." 

The way she says 'Never,' emphasized and with a sarcastic shake of her head, and 'back' with a sharp English 'k' sound is priceless.

 And this week I've been watching 'Drive-Thru history with David Stotts' and learning about the gospels.

Monday, November 6, 2023

I did a big mound of dishes while the dog played, and at the same time made myself a very big batch of macaroni.

Then I did house chores.

The night before, I bought the Lewis and Clark documentary. <3

I spent a little time in the word and with the audio Bible.

Work was at 4 o'clock.

When I did some shopping, I came up short $5, which was very embarrassing and I didn't have another card to cover me, so Bob did. My credit card payment was made, but it didn't clear, leaving my balance too low. I was both thankful but embarrassed, and would certainly not let myself forget to pay him back.

It was an easy shift, Thank the Lord. 

I also took care of some Christmas shopping in-store. :D Which was fun. I still needed gifts for DJ's kids and Scarlet.

I tried to find those 'Barbie-themed holiday gift cards' online but I couldn't. I can't get to a Target right now and they aren't available online, so I'm pretty much out of options...unless I get up the nerve to ask Grandpa...who I think only sometime recently told me he never knew what Target was.

I got caught up in between looking for a drafting table for myself, for no good reason, or a drawing easel for Harmony. Still on the fence about that one.

Hillsborough County contacted me about Fancy's licensing being due, lest I incur a fee (I almost scoffed in an email back, thinking it was about Roxy, who was licensed only months ago, but God called me out on it) but I said no longer resided in Hillsborough or the State of Florida. Thankfully, inconsequentially, that was the end of that matter.

I spent too long browsing on Amazon and shopping...that's to sum the rest of that up. God forgive me, in Jesus name, amen.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

I had some time in the Word. 1 Chronicles 4.

I watched the puppies play in the yard for a little bit.

Looked at CashApp stocks. I had reached trading limits due to round ups and couldn't cash out the amount I wished. I'd have to wait for another day.

I spent 3 hours doing laundry. Yup. Three hours tediously washing with that mini washer and the dryer. And that included everything, including the blankets.

Work was at 4 o'clock.

In other news, my teeth are feeling a bit better. I had a horrible toothache in the weeks' past. However, I'm still stuffy headed and don't know the last time I woke up without a stuffed up nose. Allergies.

If I called off work every time I was stuffy, I'd never go to work.

I got a good shower in before I left.

I worked with Bob, which is always pleasant and easy. He's troubled but very encouraging (more than any of my other managers) and he not only takes things at a good pace, but he really wanted me to slow down and stop worrying so much. Like Kwana, it was not hard for him to see I was very insecure.

I got my Christmas list finished off...for the most part. Though I did spend on my credit card again. I also bought a Mario Tee before it went out on the sales floor. :3

At home, I did some cleaning up.

Unfortunately, my blankets weren't dry, but my heated blanket...a throw one..had arrived. It's not hot, but it does get a bit warm.

I also tried to set up that roll-up chalkboard but it honestly was very bubbled..so it came out okay, but not perfect by any means.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

I finally made the leap to draw my master copy of Hans Holbein's Anne Boleyn sketch. A different one this time. This took a few hours and of course, meant I listened to a 'lot' of the audio Bible of Genesis..one of my favorite drawing activities.

I've had it on my heart for along time to draw a master copy of Holbein's Anne Boleyn yet again. If it's not obvious, she is a favorite subject of mine by my favorite artist, Hans Holbein the Younger.

I'm also very interested, in general, in making master copies of Tudor-era works.

I worked in Royal Langnickel graphite pencils and blocks (the Wal-mart variety of art supplies) and with my blending stump. 18" x 24" Strathmore Colored Pencil Paper, because I wanted to test the grittier paper out with my graphites.

I didn't quite recognize from the refence image that Anne Boleyn, if that is who she is displayed here, was actually quite thin. I'd hoped I got the bodily proportions right. The proportions are a bit off, but that left room for improvement for a later time.

Only somewhat less frustrating than the last time I drew her, drawing her rather large nose proved difficult and took quite a bit of...erasures.

To be continued...

I close with this prayer:

All glory, praise, thanks, and all things be to God on the highest forever and ever in Jesus mighty and wonderful name, amen. God is able! P.S. I love you and Jesus does, too.

Dear God,

We thank You for the gift of art, and for the opportunity to use it to glorify You, even when it is imperfect. Help us to use our creativity and talents to create art that reflects Your beauty and glory, and that proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.

May our art, even in its imperfection, be a beacon of hope and light in the darkness, and may it draw others to You.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Scripture:

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

This cites Isaiah 64:8, which is a reminder that we are all created in God's image and that He is our potter.

After all that, I was pretty tired, so I took a nap. I got it nearly done, but I didn't finish it.

Jen made burritos, which was really delicious, so I enjoyed that.

I spent the evening watching some Bible films and documentaries.

The chalkboard is still peeling.

I also made it to 1 Chronicles 9 as I go through the Enduring Word Bible Commentary.

And from these dates on is where things start to...fall off.

Thursday, November 9, 2023

I finished up the Boleyn piece.

It's the second, and final, day of this project. I was in quite the hurry to get it done, but only in the sense that I was trying to get as much of it finished as I could after I got off work.

If you're not familiar with Holbein's version, it is an unfinished-looking sketch, which is all the more fun for me to make a work that also appears unfinished, though finished.

I listened to my audio bible at the same time, meanwhile, which made it all worth it.

This was a new attempt also to draw on the table instead of the easel, but I'm not sure that it worked out in my favor, as far as comfort and ending quality.

There is a difference of two-and-a-half hours between these two photos.

I made an effort at this point to darken lines that were dark, and lighten those that were light.

Drawing master copies are a wonderful opportunity to step outside of ones comfort zone and style, and perhaps it makes one less critical because you know you're working in the different and unfamiliar.

The headpiece was more complex than it looks, when it came down to trying to imitate the shading.

The inscription scaling was also rather difficult. I did it too large at first, to the point where the first letter of Anne's name was cut off. I almost left it like that.

Since the reference itself was worn, making smudges and ruining a clean sheet was very forgivable, and I set out to make it even more gritty looks which covered my blemishes even more! Even the handwriting erasures from multiple attempts to get it in a correct scale.

In the end she was a finished piece, but I was strangely underwhelmed. I set it up nicely in a frame and I felt like I frames a mere doodle.

I have a limited number of frames and swap out pieces between them, and I think this one should be swapped out, God willing, when I should make the next masterpiece.

I close with this prayer:

All glory, praise, thanks, and all things be to God on the highest forever and ever in Jesus mighty and wonderful name, amen! God is able!

Dear God,

Thank you for the gift of art, which we can use to glorify you even in our imperfection. Help us to use our creativity and talents to create art that reflects your beauty and glory, and that proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.

May our art, even in its imperfection, be a beacon of hope and light in the darkness, and may it draw others to you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Scripture:

Romans 5:8-10 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life!

https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/proclaimed-kingdom-pt-1/

I also, late into the evening, started...but did not complete...another sort of attempt at drawing a master copy...only of a Tudor object: Queen Elizabeth's ring which was removed from her finger at her death, featuring Queen Anne Boleyn.

Very ruddy in appearance.

In other comments, I was disappointed and frustrated to learn that getting 18 x 24" frames delivered to me by Michaels is not really possible..at least from the brand I'd prefer with the good deals.

Friday, November 10, 2023

IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE.

I took up a 50% deal to buy a premium domain for around $50 for the next year or so from Wordpress. It will feature both art, and later God willing, tutorials. I'm hoping this is the start of a new business venture..one which I can use to forward the Kingdom of God.

So I spent a crazy amount of hours messing around with that.

This will later prove to be a long distraction over the coming weeks. Thank God I decided not to try and do all of them at once, but I'm editing a long list of entries...and adding tutorials..one or two at a time.

Also, I spent $20 on sodas. Yikes.

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Work day at 4 p.m.

Bob had me spend most of the shift taking down flowers from the display and boxing them. It doesn't feel like an exhausting task while doing it...but man, when you stop to take a breath, it's the most tiring task I've had yet.

I have to organize the flowers by type (and not all of them were together)...and mark their quantity in inventory. It took so long that, even with Bob's help at the register, I only got halfway done by the end of the shift.

I was later told it had to be the Fall flowers and I got really worried that I did all that work and did it wrong, AND that thereby someone would have to lengthily go back and fix my mistake, but in the coming days multiple coworkers re-assured me otherwise.

 I spent (and misspent) another crazy (not a good thing) amount of time working on my new website. God forgive me, in Jesus name, amen,

In the evening, Harmony and I played a new multiplayer game on the computer called Lego Jurassic Park. I've owned it for a while, but we have a 'lot' of fun with its teamwork elements. You really can't play it by yourself. :) And we do a lot of laughing and wild joking, meanwhile.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

I was scheduled for Sunday morning, so I missed church. It was another day of working on the flowers, but at least I managed to get it done...howbeit exhaustingly...by the end of the shift.

I worked on editing yet another post for tutorial purposes.

I read a little of the Word. 1 Chronicles 11.

Rented 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian' and watched it with Harmony.

I was crazy sick.

I also had a chat with Jennifer on the porch, but I can't say I recall what it was about.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Day off from work. 

I did some cleaning and felt a bit sick myself.

I started the video series about the Gospels on Drive Thru History.

Harmony was home sick with something in her stomach, but I didn't have any age-appropriate medicine to give her...despite that huge medicine haul recently.

I got a hold of the food stamps people by the way, but it took two hours of being on hold to do so.

I worked on my site some more, (for another crazy amount of time) trying to get it ready and making sure it was indexed.

I even set up a one-day $5 advertisement to see how it would do.

I joined a site called 'Next Door' which one day would function as a tool to be more involved with my what's going on in my community and in the neighborhood.

I rented 'How the West Was Fun'

I tried to get some pay stubs  for food stamps purposes, but I was unable to log in to my account. I was locked out even and had to request a new password (and wait a few days) 

I was able to get a 'complete' work history in the end...which is extremely useful to me.

I also hit a roadblock trying to get into Dayforce and get my address changed.

I played on Dall-E a bit in an attempt to get some images to incorporate into a tutorial I was doing that lacked a reference image.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

I worked on my site.

Work @ 2:30 p.m. I don't recall who it was with or what happened, really.

Bible Commentary. 1 Chronicles 12

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Work at 4 p.m. Bob and I, and he was very re-assuring to me over that mix-up about my assignment regarding packing the flowers. He also said I really should stop worrying about my job performance. I'm doing fine. I don't need to constantly worry over it.

My site had page indexing issues, which was a little of a headache to try and fix. I got worried about it, though a big part of me knows it was not that big of a worry that I needed to spend myself on it.

I made other issues for myself, as it turned out.

I tried to get in touch with Kwana about getting online together and seeing if she can remotely change my address, but she could not. Anyway, we were suppose to do it at 2:30 p.m. but things got hectic at work for her, so we couldn't do it that day.

She was able to contact HR for me, though.

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Work. I would have come in the morning, but there was a big deal about a truck coming earlier than expected, so I opted to come in at 2 and worked with Becky.

She too, tried to reassure me about the flower thing and let me know that I'm doing okay as an employee. Don't worry.

I was over-frustrated at having to put every $20 in the checking machine to check for a fake. Fake 20s are very, very rare and I expressed this frustration (after having an internal tantrum about it) to both Bob and Becky. 

At one point, the person handed me four 20s and I had to check them all. It kept spitting half them out for being wrinkly and rejecting them, the line was growing, so I said 'Forget this. Ain't nobody got time for that.'

There's only one person (me) at the register. 20s are the most common bill I get handed. Lines get long as it is. I don't like keeping people waiting. Especially on a machine that ain't working right 100% It's my pride and impatience, neither of which is commendable, that contributed to my need to make a fuss. And still does. Once again, I treat people as though they are as impatient as I am. As if no one dared wanted to wait.

Anyway, they said I could feel it if it was a fake twenty. You can certainly feel if it's been very circulated. So that's something.

I was having an internal tantrum after a short while and ultimately rebelled and refused to put it in the machine.

P.S. I bought a bunch of small bags of chips, Doritos dip, and tortellini. I made it that night. Yum!

Enduring Word 1 Chronicles 12

I got offered a business card from Paypal, debit not credit, so I opted in for that. 1% on all eligible purchases..I think. Exciting.

I watched more of that gospel documentary and got a little deeper into it by looking up verses.

Free Children's book with Prime Membership.

I also ordered a new, bigger, heated blanket with hopes that it will be hotter. I did use a credit card, just so I could possibly get it a day earlier than paying with debit.

Grandpa fell asleep and forgot about me, lol, that night at work..by the way...but it didn't take long for him to pick me up and from there I'd get my two precious days off in a row. God willing.

Another commentary: my spirit is starting to be troubled when people ask for cigarettes or cigars in the store. The Holy Spirit is troubled by it. Or when they regularly buy a lot of alcohol.

I don't like grabbing people's idols upon request, their addiction, and handing it over to them. Selling them their idol; their addiction.

I was actually relieved to be closing down the cigarette shelf at the end of a shift, (no more selling their idols today) when a woman came in and at first, seemed disappointed it was closed, and I was going to leave it at that...but the manager overruled and decided I need to sell it to her. So that was that.

God comforts me though.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Payday.

My check was less than $400. Jen said I'd only owe her $25 for the rent. Grandpa didn't require gas money. I put $50 away in savings. Another $50 in my bank...which later got spent up. 

So by the next day I would have about $70 total from everything for the next two weeks.

I spent $108 on a LOT of groceries, after coupons, at Family Dollar. Another $30-$40 on Christmas gifts (on credit) after I learned Aunt Steff, Uncle J, and the kids are coming for Thanksgiving...though not Christmas.

They had a real good sale on sodas. Cokes 2 for 12, and Pepsi buy two, get one free. So I got five 12-packs to bring home. I didn't tie my bags...it's a miracle I didn't lose my groceries...I almost lost my toilet paper. The one that was $1 for a four pack.

Once again, though my favorite frames are on a very good sale, I have no way to ship them to me. :(

I will leave a side note that though my uncles are immediate family, I don't have a relationship with them..or Steff and her kids.

I also went on Michaels to see their sales. I kinda wish I could afford a Cricut to buy Jen...really surprise her with a real one...but they are quite expensive.

After all that fuss over the money and getting my groceries, it was ultimately a day to rest. Not centering my time on projects or chores, but just chilling and really resting. Mostly with gospel teaching on the Drive-Thru history thing.

BOUGHT 'How the West was Fun' and 'The Secret Garden.' Ahem. $15 more spent.

Harmony and I played the Jurassic Park game by candlelight, and with Aaliyah. A lot of snacks, candy, and snacking. Harmony spent the night. Her and her puppy.

Aaliyah made me sweet and sour pork and rice and it was delicious...I don't even like it usually, and she made it good. I ate it today.

I also started downtown Abbey. I oddly didn't know 1/3 of what was going on, but it had me somehow hooked on its good storytelling. And I love Maggie Smith. Not only that, I didn't see violence, nudity, sex, debauchery, or crude language...so I didn't feel uncomfortable.

Saturday, November 18, 2023 (TODAY)

3:52 p.m. It took almost two hours to cover 12 days and I'm still not done. No wonder I've been so tempted to put this off. 

I gotta take a break, praise Jesus. My grocery order of water, crackers, and strudels have arrived.

P.S. I feel like it's almost time to order my old journal and get this blurb one caught up. If it's full enough, I'd like to order 'it' as well at a potential black friday sale and start anew.

EDIT: Came break from a break around 4:20 p.m. once I could get my computer to stop freezing from trying to start a Jurassic game that never happened.

I had Aaliyah's sweet and sour pork mixed with the rest of the delicious tortellini I bought on and made on Thursday. I really, really like Ranch seasoning on a lot of my food now, lol. I'm still quite full from that big ole' plate.

I just finished submitting the last of my food stamps documentation (the rental agreement, after submitting pay stubs) and praying I get approved for help for the next few months.

I got unreasonably frustrated today stepping in a little pile of puppy poo, not once, but TWICE (and I swore, God forgive me) and remember, I have no running water. So! I had to scrape it off on the wood porch steps outside and rub sanitizer on my feet....all this early in the morning.

I was also mad at something else quickly after, but now I don't remember.

I also ordered groceries today, having run out of water...needing crackers for soup...and a chance to get my favorite flavor of Toaster's Strudel for BOGO.

Harmony and I watched 'How It's Made' and we enjoyed it.

I also managed to get into my Dayforce recently and while I can't change my address in the end, I can virtually access my W2, so THAT will suffice come tax season. God willing. 

I do miss Quest, everything, and my relationships with my coworkers. Heartily interested in going back...just at the right time.

I got my new electric blanket today... unfortunately, Aaliyah and Harmony fought over the old one when I tried to give it away.

5:07 p.m. Updated!

I got my blurb book re-uploaded. Vingt-Six. Vingt-Sept still needs a heavy updating...but for now just getting this entry done was a lot, bruh. I'm just glad to be caught up.

P.S. A big thank you was also made, in comment form, as well as blessing, to the Hollywood Costume and Props blog I've come to love and randomly browse over the many years.