Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all get a little love today. ;)

Graphic courtesy of here.

And a Layout too!

I did get a layout done yesterday too. It is based on the Inspired Blueprints sketch #33. I used my January Studio Calico kit too (and a little of Feb.). It felt good to do one since I haven't scrapped since November. A quick one about the twins' hockey. (Ignore that shadow...I didn't have the best light!)

What's been happening here?

Not a whole lot, but at least the kids made it back to school today after being off the whole week. They had a two hour delay and then seemed to goof off the whole day anyhow. Movies and a Valentine party. At least I got a little free time. I worked on some taxes and then painted the fireplace. I had primed and filled in all the holes earlier in the week. I also had a lot of caulking to do. So much that I needed to let it dry 24 hours. Either our wall isn't straight or the mantle was warped. Maybe a little of both. I took Lisa's advice and painted it white. It is true that all the rest of the trim in the house is painted white. I do think I like it better painted white. I have at least one more coat of paint. I use Sherwin Williams Proclassic Acrylic Gloss Enamel trim paint. It covers the best and holds up well, even though it is pricey. I have tried the others and this works and looks the best. Maybe we'll get the tile done this weekend!

I also got a present this week. I loved the serverware from Martha Stewart, but really didn't need it. I had gotten a $25 gift card for Christmas from my sister-in-law. I couldn't decide what I wanted, so I waited. I had ordered the smaller version of this compote first, but it ended up being out of stock. Then I ordered the bigger one. It ended up being the same price as the smaller one after the sale and discount. I am guessing the line is being discontinued since there are only a few pieces remaining online at Macy's.

Here's a view outside of our house. The ice is crazy. Even though it is not warm out, we still are getting melting snow. That long one is getting close to touching the ground. We'll have to knock them down soon. I knocked down the ones I could reach in the house because they are heavy and I don't want the gutters to come down.

A beautiful end to the day. It was mostly sunny out today, even though it is cold. Supposed to be the same everyday for a week.

Looking forward to the Daytona 500 this weekend. Kasey did a great job winning the 2nd Duel yesterday, now he'll start 4th. Seems like the Fords are agreeing with him. I hope it goes better for him this year.

Ok, that's ENOUGH!

I get the picture. I guess I shouldn't have complained about the snow yesterday. Yes, that's 19" of snow there. We were projected only to get 4-8". I guess they were wrong.

Here's a collage of a 360° of what my house and front yard look like. You can see my footprints in the snow. It was up past my knees. I had to go out to shovel a path for Max so he could go potty.

Here he is. The snow is almost taller than he is. He's trying to run here. Good Luck. Of course he couldn't go where I had shoveled for him.

Here's a view of the back deck. There's a patio set and a gas grill under all that snow!

After I took Max out, I had to go around the yard and try to knock some of the snow off the trees. The weight was making them bend to the ground and in some cases, breaking off large branches. The poor birch at the end of the drive didn't fare so well. One of the side branches was touching the ground and made the whole thing split, so we'll have to cut it off in Spring. I also had to pull one of the fallen branches from the large pines along the road. It had fallen right in the middle of the road. Boy was that sucker heavy! So much so that I could only move it right to the side of the road (at least out of the way). It didn't matter anyhow since no one was out. I haven't seen any cars today other than my dad who came to check on me and plow a path out the drive. Of course all this happens when I am home alone. It always does. I guess it didn't snow any up in Corry. I bet Carrick's gonna love it when he gets home. I swear that kid could live outdoors.
Mr. Lubert is here right now plowing out the bottom of the drive, thank goodness. I know I couldn't get out until that was done and I still have to dig my car out.

One bright spot of the day is that it is Qualifying Day for the Daytona 500. I'm always glad when the long season is over, but really ready when it starts back up. I've been watching NASCAR for a long time. I've been a fan of Kasey Kahne's since he started. I haven't gotten to go to any races in the past two years, but maybe this year! My favorite track is Bristol. The kids all have their favorite drivers too. Carrick's is Ryan Newman, Cade's is Jimmie Johnson, and Cole's is Kasey. Mark's was Sterling Marlin, but since he's retired he hasn't picked a new one. The kids used to watch entire races when they were just babies and sat in their bouncy chairs. They would watch and be content the whole time.

The Blahs...

Not looking forward to the snow we are going to get today and tomorrow. Right now (11:00 am) it hasn't started yet, but it will soon.

Ok, I admit it. I hate winter. I liked Winter when I was young and played in the snow, but now it hate when it gets cold and things die off.
I guess that I should live where it is warm year-round but the family would have none of that. In fact, they are going skiing this weekend (not me, I don't know how to ski). I guess a lot of it stems from the fact that I get so cold so quickly when I am outside. I can never keep my fingers and toes warm no matter how many layers I have on. I guess I must have Raynaud's disease.

Oh, well. I can dream of warmer temps and look at these photos to remind me of that. The top photo was from our trip to the Outer Banks this past Labor Day. The other photo is from the yearly Pig Roast held in July 4th weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This was the 17th annual (anniversaries + 1)!

The kids have a ball playing in Grandpa Bundy's (nicknamed after Al Bundy) creek (that is pronounced crick here in Western PA). They spend all day building a dam with rocks.

Not much work on the homefront. Here's what the fireplace looks like. The top piece is attached with Liquid Nail. Not sure if I will add the side pieces. I also don't know if I should paint the fireplace white. I like the wood, but the problem is that the mantle top is a different color than the rest of the mantle. So I would have to stain it somehow to get it to match. My original paln was to paint it, but I liked the plain wood after it was put up. What do you think?
I did decide on this tile. I had bought the other marble subway tile, but it was too much in such a small area around the firebox. I think this will be a better alternative. I will show it off when I get it done (hopefully soon!). I also plan on getting some painting done along with Spring cleaning at the same time since I have to move things out of the way.

Here is my latest piece. It is about 3/4th done. I still have to finish it with the addition of a collar and some finishing touches. This is what it looks like after molding, painting, glittering and sealing. I hope to have it listed today or tomorrow on Etsy after it dries and I can finish it.

I Made My First Sale!

Hurray! I made my first sale. I decided yesterday after reading Rebecca's post on Haiti By Hand that I would donate one of my pieces to be sold for their benefit. It means a lot that I could help people in Haiti and that someone wanted to buy one of my creations. Here is the address for HAITI BY HAND , please stop by and help them out. The piece that sold was the Valentine's Day Chick I showed a few days ago.

I also wanted to let you know that I am having a "Grand Opening Sale" at the shoppe. Go on over and check it out! Hootenanny Shoppe . I plan on finishing an other Easter Bunny like the one I originally made for my sister-in-law. It should be done before the weekend.

I also purchased something from the shop a couple of weeks ago. It was a piece done by Charlotte Lyons, one of my favorite artists. It now hangs over my worktable with two pieces I have from Rebecca.

Grand Opening Sale!

I opened my Etsy shop about a week or so I thought I'd have a SALE since I have three things in the shop. Here is the newest creation:

Chicky Chick. I love how this one turned out. Lots of cute details. I priced it at $25. It is so hard to price this stuff, I have about 3 days work in each one (molding, then painting, then decorating), so I think this is a bargain considering that it is totally hand-made and one of a kind. You can find her here for sale along with my other creations. I hope that someone likes them because I haven't sold anything yet.

I used vintage letters that I got through Jenni Bowlin when I won a give-away from her a few years ago and then through the Junque Boxes she sells. The other objects are things I have collected over the years.

I find these very relaxing and fun to do. So much that I haven't scrapped since November! I really need to get back to that since I have at least three Studio Calico kits that I haven't used.

Tonight is Hockey Night again -- so it's Pizza for supper at 4:30. This will be their 3rd time.

Carrick has been home from school today with a stomach ache and a bad cough. It seems sleep has done him a lot of good --he's feeling better now. You see, I am a mean mom. I make my kids stay in bed when they stay home sick from school. I do that so that they think twice about staying home if they really aren't sick, and for the fact that I have things I must get done. I will admit that I did take a nap with him this morning!