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Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

We have finally joined the rest of the country and have that frigid Arctic air mass over us. BUT, the sun is a shining so bright and cheery, that I don’t care!

If you have wondered where I have been, I just didn’t have anything really creative to share. Plus, Mr C and I have been accomplishing many tasks.

Speaking of Mr C, tomorrow is his birthday. Today, I took the family out to lunch to celebrate his birthday. We went to Papa Haydn’s, the restaurant known for desserts. They also have other great food. Mia thought she was going to Papa John’s Pizza, so when her mother told her she needed to mind her manners because we were going to a very nice restaurant, she was quite perplexed.

I found this photo of Mr C with his Mom and our kids. It was taken back in the 70’s. Doesn’t he look like “That 70’s Guy”? I never liked the mustache, and he didn’t have it for long. That suit is just classic. Look how the plaid in the jacket even lines up with the pants.

stevemustache.jpg

I am a very lucky lady because Mr C came in to my life 40+ years ago. He has always allowed me to have my space and truly indulges me, often when I am not worthy. We share a very warped sense of humor, which we passed on to our children. He is passionate about reaching out and helping the needy in our city. He is a deeply religious man, but not preachy. He is the best Grandpa to M & M. They love to do art and building projects with him and to hear his silly made-up stories. A great day for him includes a few hours with them. He thinks I am the best cook in the world. So a big “hippo birdy” to the man in my life.

The two of us have been pretty busy. I have been rather chilly down here in the basement. On Saturday, we went to Lowes and bought some shrink wrap for all the windows. It is rather unsightly, but it has helped immensely. We didn’t get it installed until yesterday. We had Sojourner’s potluck at 5:30 in Vancouver. I cooked my cheesy broccoli family favorite. We had lots of fun, and I almost got myself in trouble for bringing up politics! Steve started telling stories of all the times that I have gotten into political spats.

I also decided to move my computer desk away from the windows. I worked on that most of today. I had to unhook my computer and peripherals and get them all set up again. My studio and the office are still in disarray, but I am making progress.

I am taking Liz Berg’s online design class, Better Art by Design. We got our first assignment this week-end and so I have been doing some work in my sketch book. I am not going to show you much of what we do in the class as I think Liz wants to keep it on our Yahoo group. But here is a little peek. Please! No comments on my drawing skills.

betterartdrawings.jpg

Last night, Mr C went online to the GE store and ordered a new refrigerator for us. Since he is a retired GE man, we get a nice discount and rebate. We are getting a Monogram with all the bells and whistles. The fridge that came with the house has made us crazy. The plastic parts are breaking. The French doors never close properly. It does not have an ice maker. It has very poor design. So, it will go to the garage, and we will get rid of the energy hog that is out there. We have to raise the area over the fridge by 3 inches so I will lose a shelf that I could never reach anyway. Mr C started working on that today.

Finally, today, I turned my latest piece upside down and I think I like it this way. What do you think? Here is the first orientation:

fenceconstruction.jpg

Here it is, inverted.

constructioninverted.jpg

12 Responses to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside!”

  1. Reva says:

    That ’70s Steve reminds me a little of my starter husband, only about 3 feet taller!

    This cold spell has finally pushed us to get started on our window replacement project. We budgeted for it when we first bought the house, but other things took priority. And a new garden was so much more fun to contemplate that boring ol’ double-paned windows. So we’re meeting with the contractor tomorrow. Brrr.

  2. PaMdora says:

    Try getting one of those space heaters at Lowe’s. I’ve got two small ones for my studio, with timers. I set them to run for a couple of hours, then if I don’t make it back to the studio, at least I don’t have to worry about forgetting and leaving them running all night!

  3. Kristin L says:

    Happy Birthday to Mr. C. And congrats to the two of you for so many years of happy partnership.

    I like your artwork inverted as well. The weight of the magenta seems more comfortable on the bottom where it’s not pushing the other colors down. The discharged purple piece in the lower left seems to be “growing” now too, which is a nice bonus.

    Will your chocolate shibori find it’s way into a similar composition?

  4. Nellie says:

    It’s always so good to hear of long, happy marriages. Kudos to you both.

    The patterned piece in the foreground becomes a “gateway” literally and figuratively into the piece. It’s amazing how the orientation makes the dynamics so different.

  5. Natalya says:

    Happy birthday to Mr. C and a belated one to Lisa! What a wonderful family you have… congratulations!

  6. karoda says:

    Happy Birthday to Mr. C! Does he still have the suit? Everything old is new again so if he keeps it long enough it will be back in style!

    Both of you keep on keepin’ on…yall are doing great work together!

  7. dee says:

    I like the piece flipped.
    A very Happy Birthday to Mr. C. What a lovely life you two have together. We see so many couples around that barely have communication with each other. We are always delighted by how much we still love and like each other. It makes for fun times. Hope he had a special day.
    I can, unfortunately, remember a few Madras plaids in my closet from back then.

  8. jenclair says:

    Happy Birthday to Mr. C! Oh, yes, the inversion gets my vote.

  9. Judy says:

    A big HB hug to Mr C from me! You are indeed a lucky couple: he to have you, and vice versa. That suit is a riot, but I remember those plaids well!
    We are having some freezing rain right now. I think the frigid air mass has covered the entire country. Is this the last cold before we are warm for centuries?
    I like your new piece flipped too: looks like it was always trying to turn itself around.

    Stay warm!

    xo

  10. Deborah says:

    So many things to celebrate! I think the piece is great either way — does it have a title yet?

  11. terry grant says:

    PS I do think I like the new piece turned bottom side up. It takes on a “cityscape” feel.

  12. terry grant says:

    Happy birthday to Steve! He’s even more handsome now than he was in that picture.