Are You Kidding Me?

I bought a new chair.

Just like 'the big red chair'.........but bigger.

It’s a sleeper chair (folds out to be a twin bed.)

I’ve been feeling guilty when the boys come home for a visit because only one of them has a bed to sleep in. So I bought the sleeper chair to put in the studio.

The store where I purchased it said they would call the day before to confirm the delivery.

They said they would let us know if it would be delivered in the morning or afternoon.

They said they’d also call half an hour before they arrived to verify.

They never called.

So we went to bed and set our alarm clocks for seven AM.

Time enough to wake up, shower, dress, have coffee.

Because WHO THE HELL DELIVERS FURNITURE BEFORE 8 AM?

At 6:50 AM the doorbell woke me up.

At least I think it was the doorbell…….

I stumbled to the front door and sure enough there stood a man wearing a headlamp strapped to his forehead and smiling!

“GOOD MORNING!” he boomed. “We have your furniture!”

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????

It’s 6:50 AM! It’s still dark out!  Who starts their deliveries at this ungodly hour????

“Just let me slip into some clothes and turn on the lights” I mumbled.

They were in and out and I was back in bed before the alarm clocks ever made a sound!

I thought maybe I dreamed it except when I finally did get up the chair was there in all its beautiful red glory.

But seriously, 6:50 AM?????

Throwback Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

It Was a Charlie Brown Christmas

Literally!

Sometimes, I’m sorry to say, I have a less than wholehearted approach to Christmas.

I didn’t even put up the tree this year.

Amid all the disorder of remodeling I just couldn’t be bothered (insert a ‘Bah Humbug’ anywhere you feel appropriate…..)

I felt kind of bad for the boys, but not bad enough to do anything about it.

Enter Son2.

He bought us THIS!

I LOVE IT!

It’s PERFECT!

 SO……..it was our tree for this year (and don’t tell anybody but I’ve decided it’s going to be our official tree from now on!)

Of course I had to document it!

Punny Monday

Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed.

I’m Afraid of Fire

Well, maybe not a full blown phobia but I’m very wary of fire. Not a regular fireplace or a fire pit.

No, I’m afraid the house is going to burn down. I am VERY aware if I smell ANYTHING burning. And I’ve been known to go around the house feeling the walls to see if they’re warm.

I think I must have been burned at the stake in a previous life……

The point is I’m afraid of setting the house ablaze.

Like the time I thought I was being helpful with the Christmas decorations.

I must have been about nineteen or twenty. I think it was the year BigBrother had married and moved out of the house and my parents were losing their enthusiasm for the whole ‘Let’s go all out and decorate EVERYTHING!’  

I was still holding on to my inner child and wanted to at least have a fully ‘loaded’ Christmas tree.

So I offered to put it up.

For several years I had been the one to brave the cold to buy the tree.

I enjoyed the process of finding just the right one, sawing off the trunk to make it the right size, putting it in the stand and bringing it inside.

Next came the ritual of the lights.

Untangle them and stretch them out across the room before plugging them in to check for dead bulbs.

This is where it all goes terribly wrong.

My mother had gone to the train station to pick up my father so I was alone in the house.

I was having a merry old time opening boxes and humming Christmas carols. I took out the first string of lights and stretched them out across the rug. As I plugged them in there was a loud POP and a spark! I jumped back and watched in horror as a large flame traveled the length of the cord wending its way, with great speed I might add, towards the Christmas tree!

For a moment I was frozen in place. Then it occurred to me I was alone and no one was going to come to my rescue.

So, I did the only thing I could under the circumstances.

I grabbed my mother’s handmade throw pillows from the couch and beat the living daylights out of the offending string of lights!

It only took seconds but it seemed like an eternity. When it was all over there was a long, deep burn mark across the rug and the throw pillows were a smoldering mass of black. I took one look at what I had done and backed into the corner of the room clutching the pillows to me.

That’s where my parents found me when they arrived home.

Cowering in the corner, crying and terrified. Not so much for how much trouble I was going to be in for burning the rug and ruining the pillows but for what MIGHT have happened.

I didn’t get into any trouble. My parents were glad I was okay and said I did exactly the right thing smothering the fire with the pillows. They didn’t care about the ‘things’ as long as I was okay.

I was physically…… but to this day I don’t plug in the Christmas lights. And I don’t decorate ANYTHING unless there is someone else in the house! 

(file under: scarred for life....lol)

Throwback Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

Floor Faces

As we wait for the new carpeting to be installed we’ve been living with bare concrete in the bedroom. I rather like concrete floors but not for the bedroom.

Anyway….as I walk around the room I’ve noticed interesting patterns in the concrete. 

And of course, being me, I see faces.

What else is new????? 

 I am never alone.....lol

Punny Monday

Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve?
Because it soots him!

It’s the Finishing Touches….

….that makes the room. IMHO

I smile every time I look at these!

I’m not sure anyone else will think its funny, but I do! 

Throwback Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

Now THIS is Dedication to a HOBBY

Punny Monday

What do you get when you eat too many Christmas ornaments? 

Tinsellitis!
 

Busy Busy Busy

But not with artwork.

Confession:  I have dropped the ball with my online course ‘Y is for Yellow’. As a matter of fact I haven’t done a lesson in weeks. (Insert head hanging look of shame here.)

Nor have I worked on my series. I’ve kind of lost my enthusiasm for my face series and have been toying with a couple of different ideas…..not getting anything DONE with them, just thinking…..

My energy has all been going to the house remodel. Not that I’m getting much done there either…….

But, I did manage to do this little piece the other day.

It started out as a scrap piece of paper to test out the goodies in the monthly Art Snacks boxes. You know how it is. A new pen, marker, brush….you just have to grab a piece of paper and start making marks!

So there it sat on my easel.

Then suddenly I saw IT! 

‘A Yak and a half’

Throwback Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

Husband is very handy around the house. There isn’t anything he can’t fix. He is very good at trouble shooting and figuring things out.

So when the kitchen sprang a leak I figured it would be fairly straight forward for him to find it.

I first noticed the water droplets dripping from the underside of the microwave and puddling in the salad bowl next to the stove.

The main bathroom is on the other side of that wall but there was no sign of water coming from any pipes in the wall.

Husband thought it must be coming from a leak in the roof and running down the soffit. But again there was no evidence of wet sheetrock.

Then I noticed the refrigerator was making an odd noise and I saw the stream of water shooting out from behind the fridge onto the side of the microwave and dripping into the salad bowl! The water line that supplies the icemaker/water dispenser had a pinhole leak!

Taa Daa! I had found it!

For all of his looking around, pulling out appliances, checking the walls for dampness and surmising it was coming from the roof…..I, little ‘ole ME had figured it out!

I was feeling quite smug about it!

I only mentioned my super human detecting abilities about a dozen times throughout that day (I was being modest you understand…or I would have brought it up much more! Lol)

But, as in every story of this sort…..’Pride goeth before a fall’.

The next day….the VERY next day mind you……as I was in the midst of my morning toilette…my hair dryer stopped working. At the time we were using the boy’s bathroom while remodeling the master bath. And because the electrical layout in this house is convoluted and inexplicable.....when you turn the power off in the master bathroom it also shuts it off in the other bathroom!  So I had to use two extension cords to plug it in around the corner.

I checked that it was still plugged into the extension cord. I checked that the dryer hadn’t popped its ground fault button on its plug. I even went out to the garage to check that I hadn’t popped the circuit breaker. 

All okay.

I sighed as I realized I was going to have to face the world looking like a grey haired version of Bozo the clown when I looked up and saw Husband, holding the end of the second extension cord,  grinning from ear to ear as he said, ‘First step in trouble shooting a problem is to look and see if the appliance is PLUGGED IN’!

Like I said, 'Pride goeth before a fall'……..

Punny Monday

What do you call the fear of getting stuck while sliding down a chimney?

Santa Claus-trophbia

Say ‘Cheese’

I typically use my phone to take pictures. No more carrying around a clumsy SLR. It’s easy and I always have it with me. PLUS my phone’s camera is voice activated, which I find very handy, not to mention entertaining.

And apparently so do others.

Case in point:

We were at the Edison/Ford Winter Estates for the annual Holiday Nights.

They go all out decorating the houses with period decorations including Christmas lights and I LOVE taking pictures.

With my phone it’s easy peasy….I just hold it up, say ‘cheese’ and it triggers the shutter.

Some of the other visitors were impressed. Some watched with interest….most didn’t even notice.

Or so I thought.

The boys found it amusing as I walked around the grounds repeatedly saying ‘cheese’.

I took it good naturedly as they teased me.

But the final indignity came as I held up my phone to snap a picture, and from behind me I heard a chorus of people shout ‘CHEESE!’

Actually it was hilarious! 

Throwback Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

SOME Assembly Required…..

Did I mention I moved my ‘office’ out of the master bedroom and into the studio?

Picture trying to get ten pounds of ‘stuff’ into a five pound bag and you’ll get the idea.

But, after a lot of purging and rearranging, and rearranging again……success! (I think…...I’ll let you know……..)

I gave things away, I threw things away, I put things out at the curb…..

Surprisingly, the things I thought would be snapped up right away weren’t (an antique knee hole desk) and the things that were broken or damaged (two old chairs) were taken lickety split!

Go figure….

I even treated myself to a new desk chair!

Best $60 I ever spent! (Day after Black Friday sale! Who Knew?)

It shipped to the house because they had no more at the store.

Some assembly required.

SOME?????

Husband is brilliant at these things and had it ready to go in just a few minutes. (Not that I couldn’t have done it myself but husbands like to feel needed, right? wink-wink, nudge-nudge….)

It’s padded  and comfy but the best thing is…….I can tilt back and dangle my feet off the floor.

This is a MUST for any desk chair, IMHO.

Just ask the sales clerk, who watched me try each and every chair in the store to find one that was ‘just right’!   

Punny Monday

Where does a polar bear keep his money? In a snow bank!

Perseverance Pays Off

We often go to the Edison/Ford winter estate.

 I LOVE it there! I don’t know if it’s because the preservation of the two homes reminds me of my grandparents house (it smells just like their house did) or if I’m just a history nerd.

The minute you step out of the car you feel like you’ve been whisked back in time. It’s quiet and peaceful.

The property is thirty acres all of which Thomas Edison cultivated with exotic plants. My favorites are the bamboo groves. There is one stand of bamboo with a bench tucked discreetly amid the stalks and if you sit there on a breezy day the bamboo makes the most amazing clacking sound in the wind!

But all that isn’t what this post is about. Not really. Except that’s where I first saw it.

The bicycle.

In the gift shop.

It was red and diminutive and adorable. And ridiculously more money than I thought it was worth. So, I looked at it and walked away. And went back and looked at it some more. Then circled around it again. Husband asked if I wanted it. I said no.

You know how they say you should buy a thing when you see it because you might not get another chance?

Whoever said that doesn’t know me.

A year later I was still thinking about it so I called the gift shop and asked if they still had it.

They didn’t.

I asked if it was possible to get another one. They didn’t think so.

I asked if I could speak to the manager. She wasn’t there. They took my number and said she’d call back.

She didn’t.

So I called again.

I ended up going to the gift shop in person and asking about the bicycle.

(They were surprised that so many people were suddenly so interested in the bicycle!)

After some discussion and computer searching they said they would try and order one for me.

Several weeks went by and I was just getting ready call again when I received a phone message that said they had just acquired two and would like to know which one I wanted.

I raced to the gift shop. When I got there they had eight!

EIGHT delightfully diminutive red bicycles! Four girl’s bikes and four boy’s bikes! It was all I could do not to buy them ALL! But I controlled myself and only bought one.

I’m not sure why I wanted it so badly, except for its cuteness factor. And I’m not sure I would love it as much if it hadn’t been such a challenge to obtain!

But I am now the proud owner of a beautiful red model bicycle!   

Throwback Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

Call Me Narcissus

When we first moved into this house it had mirrors everywhere.

EVERYWHERE!

There was a large 4’ x 4’ one in the entryway.

The previous owners were kind enough to leave their huge entertainment center in the living room….that was mirrored.

In the dining area there was a floor to ceiling five foot wide mirror.

The boy’s bathroom had one that covered the entire wall above the sink up to the ceiling.

And our bathroom had a gigantic one that stretched over the double vanity up so high I needed a step ladder to clean it!

Not to mention the closet doors in the master bath are mirrors!

I had become accustomed over the years to catching unflattering glimpses of myself at odd angles in the bathroom. I learned to ignore what I saw…… (thank you, denial!)

On the other hand, I used them to my advantage when I cut my hair. The closet is set at such an angle that I could see myself in the mirror over the sink as well as in the closet doors simultaneously. It is helpful to be able to see the  front and back of my head at the same time.

The funny thing is, since the remodel, I can no longer see my reflection in both mirrors unless I go into contortions that would make a circus performer jealous!

We didn’t change the layout of the bathroom. We didn’t change and angles of the walls. We didn’t change the closet door angle….so tell me, why can I no longer see myself?????

At first I was pleased not to have to see my dimpled reflection every time I entered the bathroom. (You’re welcome for that mental picture! Think about it…..ba dum tish……)

But I’m finding I kinda’ miss it....... 

Just call me Narcissus! 

Punny Monday

My new theory on inertia doesn't seem to be gaining momentum.

And as We Bid a Fond Farewell to The Bathroom Re-Model.....

Taa-Daa!!!

Husband chose the towels. 

Notice how they matche the shampoo bottle! 

Happy accident or planned design?  

He's not sayin'! 

Plantation shutter! A splurge but I like it!

 Notice how I color coordinated myself with the decor???? (No detail is left to chance, lol!)

 Perfect spot for exercise equipment (or a dressing table if you're into that sort of thing.)

Onward to the bedroom!