Grooming and De-Legoing

This dog is so soft and huggable...

Serious Teddy Bear Therapy looks like: me sitting on the bench, trying not to cry - but the Anxiety feels like (that scene from Aliens!) it's crawling under my skin and I want to tear it out. (Aren't you glad I'm not drawing this stuff!?)

Elsa Bear jumps up on the bench next to me. She scootches closer and leans against me. She steps on my lap and pushes her nose under my arm until I'm hugging her and stroking her super soft fur. It really does make me feel better.

Even dirty - she's soft and huggable. But washed (and dried!) is unbelievable!

Grooming... Take 2.... If you saw my previous post, I wasn't thrilled by the poofed up "blow-out" without any real trim. Elsa Bear just had her first COMPLETE trim and groom! She's sooo clean and soft! And NOT over-poofed up. I'm sure she'll be back to Normal (dirty) as soon as she gets out to her big project - an impressive hole she is working on under the garden bench! It's a full-length hole which means she can immerse her whole body and roll in the cool dirt while flicking clumps of dirt and chubby earthworms out on Mommy's bare feet. (Hmm... my feet are pretty dirty ... I could use a spa day too). I don't think the bows will last long in her hair either - but so cute!!

I'm working on reassessing... everything... should I move? Stay here but rent out half the house again? Try and clean the doggy dirt or ignore it and start another project? Stop cleaning and organizing the house and start painting and drawing comics again? Do another yART Sale? More puppy training?

I'm having a really hard time making decisions! I need to decide something. Anything. And follow through! This is why the giant wasp nest is only half destroyed and curently being rebuilt like the Death Star (that would make a great comic!) and the stings all over my body are still painful and itchy. And the neighbors' dogs are still barking at EVERYTHING despite my humiliating confrontation - (so much for "standing up for myself"). I'm not sure their response will ever leave my inner thoughts. Turns out that I'm "sensitive" - who knew right? I just hadn't heard it said in a way that sounded so.. damaged. OK, let's not go there.

Now that I am working very hard at NOT making eye contact with my neighbors while trying to convince my anxious puppy that - no, dogs barking at you in your own yard is not ok, but we are strong and brave and won't bark back and it's ok to take a shit with confidence and flair - where was I? Oh - not making eye contact... so to keep myself distracted - I've been sorting thousands of pieces of LEGO sets that my son recombined in very imaginative ways (tons of sarcasm). I now understand why moms list massive jumbled boxes of LEGO on ebay for ridiculously cheap prices...

This sucks.

I have bins and trays spread over 4 rooms trying to identify "chunks" of built sets with the images on the instruction books and boxes (yes! I have the instructions nd boxes!) And up in my studio... I have more sets from the 70's and '80's (pirates, space, robin hood...) and the guest room has all the Star Wars, Adventure/Jack Stone, Fairies, Friends... I figured I'd start with Alex's Lego sets since I didn't have to agonize "should I sell these?" Although I am SOOOO tempted to keep some of the minifigures... especially the aliens.

A friend came to help me yesterday. We were able to "almost" complete about three sets. We stuck them into big ziplock bags with a post it note listing what's missing. I realized I needed to actually sort all the (TEN!?) bins of loose LEGO pieces. There were some really gross things at the bottoms...

If anyone wants to come play and rebuild vintage Lego sets (I've done the really hard work - sorting) - I could use more help!!

And let this be a learnable lesson for you if you have kids who you allow to build LEGO... always follow the directions and keep all pieces together. DO NOT recombine or use Imagination. BAD BAD BAD! Better yet - keep the sets in the unopened boxes!!

I am only kidding. And despite my serious overwhelm, I am already thinking of which of the new Lego sets I need...

I just finished this fun set from the new DREAMZZZ series about nightmares! I wanted all the cool/weird little figures. A Cactus-cat thing, slime-booger thing, tiny black-knight... thing...

I was so inspired to build nightmares, I raided my "extras" and made some pumpkin-headed skeletons. One is drinking butter beer and basking in the glow from its Oscar candelabra. The other is about to eat a squirrel? What the fork!? And the booger thing is arguing with a spider. Fun!