Jan 21-27

This was a pretty artsy week for me...

Joined my friends at DAFA (check out our new website), where we enjoyed a three-table round-robin mixed media workshop.  We spent about 25 minutes at each table.

We turned a package of felt, ribbons, a wooden spool and some felted balls

into a sweet little tree

Nice idea if you need a bunch of small centerpieces.

Next we took scraps and a stick

And put them together anyhow...some people made "talking sticks", some people made totems, and I made a hanger for my current needlework project...

It will be embellished more when it's added to the final needlework piece.

And last, but certainly not least, we made another tree out of pre-cut paper circles (in this case, sheet music), a dowel, some jewelry and a piece of wood.  Kudos to Traci for pre-cutting hundreds of various sized circles!

I liked this tree the best, but I can't see me cutting out all of those circles to make more!

I chose a hand-stitched piece to work on while sitting downstairs when the workmen are in the kitchen (it's the one the stick hanger will be attached to, some day...).  I'm already working on it, because it probably won't be finished by the time the kitchen is finished - there are many hours of stitching to be done! 

Between that and the afghan, my headphones, iPad and Netflix, I should be well occupied while the kitchen is being done!

And, of course, we are still working on the kitchen - Dave has started on the pantry (removing shelves) and has already purchased the wired shelving he'll put in there after the kitchen and pantry are painted.  The island is empty (now, after picture)

He also opened the back of the island...

See the blue tape? That's where the new island will end...so, yes...yes we will have to have a trench dug into the foundation to move the drain and the electrical...we're not willing to keep the long island because it narrows the entrance into the kitchen, so...not a problem, just an additional cost.   Sigh...as Dave says, you never know what you're gonna find when you open up walls!

So far, Mr. R has been pretty casual about the goings on...

I suspect that in the coming weeks he won't be so calm...

Jan 14-20

This week saw us mostly getting ready for the kitchen remodel (it's easier on us if we do a little every day) - we went and picked up the range hood and kept emptying cabinets...

Dave posted: 

Slowly getting the kitchen prepared for the upcoming remodel (scheduled to begin February 6), emptying cabinets and drawers, moving stuff into totes (which then go to live in the living room until it's done, sometime in March. The new - smaller - appliances are currently stashed in the library until installation). We decided to take the doors off the cabinets so we could see what had been done (and what hadn't yet), and I am pulling the drawers completely out as they get emptied, for the same reason. I think the little twitch I've picked up around my right eye might possibly be related to the stress of all this.

😵 But it's going to be _so_ nice when it's all done!

The remodel company starts on the 6th, but our plumber comes on the 5th to unhook the gas and water lines and make any necessary repairs (I'd rather use our regular plumber than the company's subcontractor...).

The weather has been crazy cold, but only snowed once...

 Just a dusting...

Our non-human visitors this week included a couple of red-tailed hawks...our side yard is in their territory, but we rarely see them together.

What we usually see from the avian community are doves

and little sparrow-blobs...

along with cardinals, blue jays, and redheaded woodpeckers...which I can never manage to get a picture of!

I did manage to get some art finished off -

my Quilt Guild challenge block (rain forest theme)

Pachycoris torridus - native to Brazil

Added labels and sleeves to my mini-quilt donations to the auction

(L to R): Open This Door; Serendipity; and Interesting

And used one of my small embroideries to make a little needle/pin book for my To-Go Kit

And, of course, I added more rows to the afghan...

Jan 7-13

This week I had an endoscopy - not as bad as it sounds because the drugs are really really good.  And I sufficiently recovered so as to have a late lunch at IHOP.  So, not a bad day...

Lowe's called and said our new refrigerator arrived at the store, but it was damaged. So we ended up going over there and picking out a replacement - fortunately they had the same one we had originally chosen as a floor model, so we took that and arranged delivery for the next day, since they also had received the range.

They are temporarily stored in the library until the kitchen is ready for them to be installed.

We enjoyed the company of two large dogs during the week...

The first time they showed up, I conned them into going into our backyard and called animal control. When they were back in the backyard a couple of days later, we figured out they belonged to one of our back neighbors (they came through our fence the second time).  He came and got them and then he put up wire on his side of the fence and Dave put up a large board on our side.  It's too cold to repair the fence now and so it will have to wait until Spring and one of our boys comes out to help!

Dave also took a moment and made more room in the laundry room by hanging up the ironing board and the iron - much nicer!

As for art...well, still working on the afghan!  Maybe more stuff next week....

Busy Week

It was a busy week for us - 

Tuesday, Pete from Brennan installed our front door -

Our new storm door will be installed at the end of January.  The door is currently just the primer color - It will be red outside and white inside...it can't be painted until the temp is consistently above about 60 degrees.  I guess paint is as tolerant of below freezing as I am! 

Wednesday, the guys from the remodeling company came out to take real measurements of our kitchen and to discuss the proposed changes - it's going to be so nice when that's finished! It probably won't be done until mid-March.

Thursday, ADT came out and upgraded our alarm system, installed a second fire alarm, a keyless lock and a Ring video doorbell.

Friday and Saturday, Dave replaced the door handle on the heater closet door in the kitchen - the old brass one was so ugly!

...took down the blinds from the kitchen windows (we never closed them anyway) -

And, since the new doorbell is to the left of the door, he removed the old doorbell and repaired the siding where it used to reside...

He also removed the old fire alarm from the living room and repaired the space where it had been - it probably wasn't functional - it didn't tie into our alarm system and we hadn't touched it since we moved in (17 years).

As for me, I cleaned out my side of the dresser and the closet, so everything at least starts out neat for the New Year!

No art yet, unless you count crocheting on an afghan.

Yes, indeed - exciting times!

Happy New Year!

photo from clipart...