EASTER is EARLY

I am really alive here in the northwest. I had the beautiful privilege of spending about ten days on the coast visiting our children and grandchildren. What a blessing that always is.! Sydne Bean is almost 5. She is enjoying a strawberry while working on the birdhouse she spied at Oma's house.
Opa is pink heaven with all his little girls. We are missing Nakiah and Tovi Joi who are in the northeast for a few years. We miss all of you!!
Lauryn is 14 months; Nai'a brought her mommy and daddy back from Hawaii to live on the coast again!!! WooHOO we are so happy to have them back!!! Nai'a is 2. Then Sydne again.....she loves to hold her daddy's and Opa's ear lobes!!!

Lauryn is eating hardboiled eggs and lemon! Forget dyeing!
Projects with oma. They love doing things with me!

whEE This 'painting' eggs is fun!
The egg hunt in progress.

I think I can fit one more in here!!!
Look auntie sarah!

Yum Marshmallow Hello Kitty!

Found another one!
Look Oma! How fun is this?

Digging into the loot!

What a great time...we shared family dinners and family talks, lots of stories with the girls, playing, laughing, projects, movies, working on wedding stuff.... I was in heaven !!! Thank you everyone for letting me hang out with all of you.....Opa too. You know what a JOY you all are!!

Oh My!! I own a fish!!!!

EEEK as of last week I now am the 'mother' of a fish!!! Thanks to my dear friend Megan!! She decided I needed one. Then she had the nerve to tell the fish that I was going to give it a very good environment; that I was a 'wonderful' fish mommy etc.

How can I decline the fish now?? I don't want to lose my credibility in the 'fish' community. How would that look? 'Hey did you hear about that lady that refused one of 'ours' a place in her home? Who does she THINK she is? She can eat our cousins but she can't give any of us little guys a place to live free of harm?"

That is a tough one for sure! I had to keep my good standing --who knows there may be a special 'pet fish owner' award! You know how I like awards. I told Megan that John would freak when he realized he is 'parent' to a fish. Her comment was "I am not afraid of John."
You all know what a tough guy he is!! HA!!

I called our oldest grand daughter Nakiah. She is 6. It was her turn to name a new pet. Her first choice was Lenny Nettix. "Then Oma we can call him Ben for a nickname."

So please meet Ben the Blue Beta!!
John told Megan he is looking for a new Housekeeper.....one who IS afraid of him!! He just shook his head and said he was not cleaning the bowl. I think I said the same thing. Megan said she will do it when she cleans once a week.
Anna LOVES LOVES LOVES Ben

she pats the sides of the bowl when the fish is swimming trying to get him.
She will put her head and face in the bowl but hates to get her whiskers wet so that doesn't last long.
this is her favorite viewing position. Freaks John out but I see she can't stand to put her face or paws in the water so so far it's just a game.
Hmmmmmm I am thinking here that the pet fish community will place me on the bottom of their popularity polls after they see these pictures. If there is any award given out after these pictures get out there, it will be more like: WANTED WELL BITTEN OWNER OF BEN THE BLUE BETA. HE HAS BEEN IN THERAPY FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. THAT #@!!* fish owner subjected poor Ben to the daily cat and fish game......that has to be the cruelest activity since the legendary Cat and Mouse game!!

hope this brings some smiles today!!!!

IT IS FINISHED WAHOOO!!!!

Good Morning friends and family! At last! My studio is done done done.
you might want to grab a snack and drink of your choice to read this post!
John helped me empty my studio ...............most of it in the dining room...the table is covered, not to mention the floor around it!
Empty now and ready for the beautiful table!!

oh yes...can't forget all the junk piled on the kitchen table as well!
and the floor! John keeps telling me I need a separate building.

Here is one wall.....I took old apple boxes that belonged to John's great auntie and uncle and made them into bookcases. The shelf on the right my brother Neil made in jr high. He has traveled most of his life for his job so it is in my safe keeping until he retires now.

I made the throw pillows for the grand daughters when they come to visit.

They are also for my little neighbor friends that come to the door and ask if they can go in my studio and 'make art'.

This is a close up of the hearts and paper dress swaps I have participated in. I will keep adding to it until it is full. It hangs over my table.
My beautiful work table. John built it from wall to wall. It is ten feet in length and four feet wide. I have room for all of my drawing supplies plus some of my jars of 'junk' or 'stuff'.
another wall under my small tv. When we moved back in after the fire John insisted I get one so I can watch the hgtv and diy channels when I am in here working away. We also attached it to the wall so I would have more work or storage surface. It is perfect. I can always watch my shows in here when sports are on the big screen in the family room.
John bought me this cabinet and shelf unit and then put it together. I have all my big stuff in here like pasta machine for pressing clay, my hair dryer, small electric tools, light box etc. The drawers are full of my vintage doilies and lace etc. More pillows............


A view from the doorway. I bought the fabric for the table skirt but all the trims came from my stash. Remember when I would reorganize and rearrange my studio every month? I would tell John every time I LOVE it this way and he would just groan and say, 'yeah you do......until the next time you take everything out and put it back together again.'

This time I am sort of prevented to do that any more. With the table built in I can't do much moving around ha!!! Besides I really really really like it the way it is.....................all those other rearrangements were practice for the final arrangement. REALLY!!! I PROMISE!!

another view of 'stuff' the dog painting on the left was a commissioned painting of my special aunt and uncle's dogs. They were their 'children' and meant the world to them. They have long been deceased and I miss them still. My aunt's best friend and I go to lunch or coffee every month and Gwen gave this to me the last time we met. My aunt had given this to her before her death. I am very touched to have it in my posession.
My table top is 36" high so it provides so much storage underneath. I have organized and sorted lots of 'stuff' in rolling drawers. It is so easy to just roll them out to get to what I need. I have them three deep under here and am in the process of making labels with my dymo gun.
I love the skirt. It looks like ticking with small roses. All the trim was from my stash.
I had bifold doors on the closet and had John remove them. Then I took an old chenille bedspread from my stash and attached it to a shower curtain spring rod, added trim and cut it up the middle for a very nice closet curtain. I have wall to wall shelves in there as well for more stash.

I found an adjustable chair at Staples that will go high enough for the table. I ordered it in PLUM more of a pinkish than true plum but it will be perfect in here!! I can't wait to get it. Because it wasn't black or blue it is considered a special order item so may take another week to get it.

I am content to wait. I will have to put my sewing machine foot on a small stool to sew at this table but it will be fine. I also have the dining room table or kitchen table to sew on as well. Doing it in here confines the mess to just this room though.

I orginally put liquid acrylic on the top of the table. The first section dried in two days and I love it. The middle section I put on in all the snowstorms. It did not dry in some areas!!! two months later it is still wet!!! I called the manufacturer and was told it was because there was too much humidity and now it might not ever 'set'. I could 'scrape' it off and start over. Forget that. First of all it would destroy some of the pictures and notes from my grand daughters and John. Secondly, it would be a huge mess and a huge hassle.

I called the local glass shop and ordered a piece of glass 3ft x 5ft. It is a perfect surface and a big enough area to work very well in.

I think John is as excited as I am that it is now all put back together and I am working in it. I absolutely love it and him for being so involved in my creativity. He wants it perfect for me. He keeps saying 'now if you just had your chair honey....." isn't he the sweetest?

Of course all my 'art and creative stuff' is not just in this room. Oh no, I am sure I am like many of you. We have so much 'STUFF" we have to find other places to store it. I am using bins on shelves in the laundry room and one bedroom in the basement houses big bins of fabric, old cutter quilts and old clothing meant for dolls and vintage reproduction victorian ornaments. Most of those were salvaged when we had our fire. They were in one of the two rooms that were not damaged. So that was an extra gift to have those still.

When I finish the latest swaps I am in then I have to get serious about sitting down and making 'STUFF" to try to use up most of the stored

stash I have in the basement. I promised myself I cannot buy anything more like that until I make what I have up into saleable, swappable, or gift -able items. Hmm is that really a word giftable? I think if you consider yourself an artist of any medium you can make any word fit your need. Right? Ha!!

ahummmm...and that last comment about not 'gathering' any more of the old quilts, clothing etc .......................I am sure if I see a REAL bargain I just CAN"T pass up I will have to make an exception and buy it!

I mean......after all.......how could I just leave it for someone else who might make the most beautiful things out of the item? AND garage sale weather is coming soon so I have to keep that little option open.

okay I am off to 'create' beautiful things in my beautiful room. I hope today brings all of you sunshine......from without.....or within......and happy creating.