Bush "41" greets Obama's at IAH.

Rose is having problems with her allergies. I looked online to see what pollen was "high" right now. It's tree pollen. Poor baby has been walking around the house sneezing her head off.

Thank goodness Obama left Houston today and went to Austin. He was in town overnight for a fundraising event, I assume for the Democrats. Doesn't he have more pressing matters in Washington? I read that it costs approximately $181K per hour to operate Air Force One.

Today I'm creating a list of things to take with me to Santa Fe on Monday, as well as a grocery list. There used to be a Fiesta in the Heights that had really good veggies and great wine prices. Unfortunately it was torn down about a year ago and is becoming a four or five story assisted living facility.

Ouchy

Love these guys!

I set my laptop on the hood of the Explorer yesterday. I should have known better! I turned around to look at something and knew what had happened when I heard the crash. My computer had slid off the car and hit the driveway. Fortunately my laptop still works although there are now more scratches and dings on the outside.

Rose and I decided to sleep late this morning. I should have asked Mr. B to turn off the ceiling fan because it's too cold in the room to get up. And Rose is too short to reach the switch. I guess I'll just have to stay under the covers.

Today I'm creating nothing. Well, maybe I'll make dinner again, but that's going to be it.

New Ads

The roses at the Houston house LOVE the cool sunny days!

The weather in Houston is so wonderful! It's April and the temperature is still only reaching the 70s during the day. This is completely unheard of here. The cool weather makes Rose frisky. Too bad she doesn't know how to chase sticks.

I'm feeling somewhat lost without all the auction stuff to do, but then I'm really liking calmer days. Yesterday I did some decluttering at the house and I'm going to do more rooms this afternoon. I may even cook dinner tonight.

Today I'm creating new ads for my Tuesday client. What to say. What to do. It will come to me.

Notes for next year

I'll be heading to Santa Fe in a week.
Happy, happy. Joy, joy.

I finished the auction I have been working on since September 2013. Friday night's auction was fun and profitable, which is just how I like them. Saturday morning after the auction I was back at the venue waiting on people who left early to come back and claim their items. Some came and some didn't, so Saturday afternoon I moved the remaining dozen or so items to another location. Today I packed up the reusable items in two new lime green tubs and sent them back to the association's storage unit until next year. I won't chair the auction again, but left everything in good order for whoever takes it over.

It's sad that Mickey Rooney died. I just heard on the news that he was the first choice to play Archie Bunker on All in the Family. Rooney turned down the role because he thought it was too controversial.

Today I'm creating clean living and dining rooms. It has been at least a month since Mr. B and I have seen the living room floor because of the artwork leaning everywhere. And the dining room table was auction central. There were papers all over the place, but tonight I can see the top of the table again.

Countdown to the auction

The auction items (except the wine pull, 72 bottles of wine, and 45 pieces of art at my house) were transported to the Candlelight Dinner & Auction venue a little after noon today. Set up was delayed by around three hours, but I had a terrific team of committee members who saw my vision and made it happen in the shortened time span. It was an exciting afternoon seeing everything come together!

My guilty pleasure from Good Dog is worth every calorie!

While I was waiting on the tables to be set up for auction, I indulged one of my guilty pleasures. I went to Good Dog in the Heights and ordered a "dog" with red potato salad. Oh …  my … goodness! I probably go once a month by myself and sit at the counter. I order a diet coke along my hotdog and side. While my food is being prepared I read whatever I've brought along, which today was my auction to-do list that I have on my iPad. It's always worth the wait because Good Dog serves me a yummy dog!

Today I'm creating a magazine ad. As soon as Mr. B left the house this morning, I began writing the ad while propped up in bed on pillows. Sometimes the concepts and writing comes quickly, and fortunately today was one of those days. I had to do a little pacing and talking to myself, but it came together in a way that made me really proud. Still, regardless of my volunteer work, paying clients must come first. In fact, that was what I wrote about in the ad I wrote today: Clients first, first, foremost and always!

An afternoon in the car

Rose rode in the car with me today.
She's a great traveler!

Only two days remaining until the auction. I spent all afternoon in the car running here and there. My to-do list is shorter for tomorrow. I'll spend the morning picking up some items and the afternoon taking things to the venue and beginning the set up.

When I wasn't in the car I was on the computer creating table signs for the items. My typing skills are terrific, but my design skills are limited. I wish I could have made the certificates more decorative. Oh well. I want people looking at the auction items, not reading the descriptions.

Today I'm creating a trip to a fabric store … that's closing. For years I've gone to a fabric store on Hwy. 290. It's moving somewhere on Old Katy Road, so maybe it will be closer. Hwy. 290 is always a mess with construction, and today there was a bad wreck. Ugh! Anyway, getting what I needed from the fabric store has moved to tomorrow's list.

Crunch Time

Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich and diet coke.
Breakfast of champions?

I'm in countdown mode until the silent auction I've been working on for months happens on Friday night. The next three days will be extremely crazy as we work on the final details. Wednesday is table signage and other computer work. Thursday afternoon we begin load-in and Friday morning we complete the set-up. Hopefully we'll be finished with set-up by noon because I see a mani/pedi and nap occurring before the event!

My day began at my Tuesday client's office, where the speaker at the sales meeting was kind enough to provide breakfast sandwiches from Chick-fil-A. I've avoided eating there since the Chick-fil-A same-sex marriage controversy in June 2012, but felt it was my social responsibility to eat one of the breakfast sandwiches so it wouldn't go uneaten and thrown away. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Today I'm creating shoes that fit. What? I had a great pair of shoes that I was going to give away because the back strap would always slip down when I walked. Instead, I bought a pair of clear rubber strips to put on the back strap, and my problem is solved. Easy breezy.