My Beautiful Neighborhood

What a great city I live in. It was recently ranked the safest city to live in the United States with a population of more than 250,000. What is so incredible about this city is that it doesn't seem that large. Maybe its because the subdivision where I live sits between two farms. One farm has horses and the other has cows and of all things Llamas. The little ones are adorable, so fluffy and happy as they run after their moms in the big field.


There are walking trails throughout the city. Mine has has a beautiful stream running through it and is inodated with beautiful trees, flowering bushes, green grass and loads of squirrels scampering about. 

Motorized vehicles are not allowed, but there are bicyclists, joggers, and people walking their dogs and it is so wonderful just to take a leisurely walk. Nature is in abundance all around me.

My son Charlie's house is directly across from a beautiful little lake teaming with wildlife. Some of the local ducks have taken up residency under a bush right on his property. There are fish of all kinds, nutria, turtles, snakes (not so fun) and  I love watching the white Egrets

 

as they stand at the water's edge patiently waiting for their meal to arrive (as you can see by the picture at the top of the blog) The Blue Heron is magnificent as he flies across the water and lands so perfectly without hesitation. The funny thing is there are also loads of Sea Gulls and we are not even close to an ocean. Fishing is allowed and on a Sunday afternoon you will see Daddies teaching their little ones to fish.

This rustic bridge is just one of many on the walking trail. As you walk along there are plenty of places to stop and have a picnic, (the city provides picnic tables and grills) and there are numerous playgrounds for the kids with slides and swings.

Yes, my neighborhood is beautiful and as big as Plano is, it is a great place to live.

A Wonderful Addition

While shopping at Michaels this past week, I came across a wonderful addition to my clay room and the fantastic part is, it was 50% off the original price. (final price $24.99) This small cabinet was going to make my life easier. Knowing an approximate measurement of the polymer clay packages, I had a feeling that they would fit perfectly. I quickly stuck it in my cart and raced over to the clay isle and my instincts were right, they would fit perfectly. Now I was anxious to get home and load it up. Oh, how wonderful it is to have that clay at eye level with each color in it's own designated space.

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The cabinet has a glass door, which I will never close, (although you could if you wanted to) I came up with an idea to be able to use that side too. I bought that rubberized Grip Liner (I used black) and hot glued it to the edge of the glass, then with Christmas ornament hangers I hung my gripper and cutting tools. The Grip Liner is thick and able to withstand the pressure of the hanging tools with no problem. The cabinet is built to be hung on the wall, but I am going to set it on my table. I will certainly have easy access to them and a little more organized in my clay room.

The Place where I Clay

Since it is impossible to use the sunroom for clay I decided to convert my spare room into a clay room. Now I do not want to worry my dear friends about a place to stay, the room is completely interchangeable and I love it. I bought a folding table, perfect for all my clay, claying accessories and tools. I also put the futon in there so if Melissa decides to spend the night she will have a place to sleep. My queen mattress and box are encased in plastic and stowed away, but on the ready if I do get out of town guests.

I moved everything off the dining room table (so now we can use it for the holidays) which is wonderful. The table I bought from Walmart is 6 foot long and it was only $39 which I thought was a real bargain. It folds into a 3 foot square and can be easily stowed in the closet. I pushed my two rolling carts in there with my fingers crossed hoping they would fit under it. Wallah, they were just right. Okay, things are looking up. I have a 5 foot bookcase,

an armoire and a wicker cabinet, plus a walk-in closet all of them empty just waiting for me

to place everything. Now, in saying this, I think  will need a list of where I put everything. There is nothing worse than trying to find something and wasting an hour or two trying to find it. After all, I could be claying not doing the hide and seek routine.

This is a picture of my claying area. There are two windows in the room so it is nice and bright. I am very happy with this room and I know I will spend loads of wonderful hours claying my little heart away.