August 27 - Massachusetts

There is a "National string cheese day". Who knew? It is September 20 (I learned from today's paper) . I do not care for the stuff. While I firmly believe in Kraft singles (thank you, whoever invented them), my taste in cheese runs to the real thing: brie, swiss, cheddar (milder cheeses). String cheese - why?

Your trivia for the day.

No pix today, just a short-ish post.

I was incorrect last week when I said no one could see my blog followers. As my sister pointed out. I do not normally view my blog from a reader's perspective; typically I log in as the author. Thus I did not know. I tried it, and yes, the names do pop up when you hover over "followers". Although I did change the title on that! Humor me :)

I did a bit of work in the front room / soon to become studio. Caught up with daily tasks. Spent a very enjoyable Friday afternoon with a neighbor sitting on my deck. Weather was perfect. Next week I have to buckle down and make some real headway in there. Smaller of the 2 bedrooms, but perfect for my needs - and has a FULL bath in there as well! Half the boxes are reference books and paperwork which can be discarded now (the paperwork, not the books). The rest is art supplies & computer equipment.

But at least I am down to that! Far cry from my box-filled kitchen & living room of several months ago!

Spoke with my best friend from Webster the other night. She and her husband are going to visit the weekend after Labor Day. I am hoping they will spend the night so we can grill up some steaks or kebabs or something :)

As a last note, I FINALLY finished painting my Dutch boy yard statue. In retrospect, it was painful from my perspective. The Dutch boy & girl statues are solid cement & predate my time. They belonged to my grandmother. For anyone who has not tried to refurbish / restore a yard ornament: it requires special 'outdoor' acrylics. Several coats as cement sucks them up like someone in desperate need of water. Rough edges; hard to paint to my standards. Verrrrry long cure time on the paint.

He is done, just needs 2 coats of sealer. Then I can paint the Dutch girl. Yay. At least I know what I am in for :)

Stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 23 - Massachusetts

Good afternoon intrepid followers! Special "thank you" to those who signed on to be Followers on my blog. No one but I can view who you are, if that is any comfort to those who are undecided.

This past Saturday I was FINALLY able to host a BBQ here! Both my siblings, and my sister's Significant Other were here. It was so nice, and we had such a great time. The weather cooperated, and although it was hot (to be expected in August), it did not rain. My sister brought me some gorgeous flowers!!

Flowers!

I love getting flowers and having fresh flowers in the house. These had a purple theme and miniature roses. Absolutey lovely, and totally unexpected.

Gave my sis & her S.O. the short tour; she had been here shortly after I moved in (filled with boxes) but he had not. It was so worth the work I put in last week trying to make the place company friendly! (Not only for them, but I have really been enjoying it too. So OK brother - you were right. Again :) )

Had some appetizers on the deck - brother made an awesome crab dip & I had made deviled eggs, complemented with a round of wine slushies. A bit later brother fired up my new little grill for the meal: terriyaki & sesame ginger marinated chicken legs. Wish I got a pic of those! They were huge! I do not think I would want to meet the chicken they came from. Grilled fresh asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and my pasta salad finished the meal.

Deviled eggs

Pasta salad

We were too full for dessert right then, but decided on another round of wine slushies! Well - I had the ingredients & an open bottle of wine already.

So why not? They were the hit of the day, I think! They were pureed frozen strawberries and wine topped with pureed frozen peaches and wine. I had made the peach part the day before. So yum!

Wine slushies

Wine slushies

Not as "yum" as my sister's dessert! It was heavenly. Graham cracker crust topped with strawberry, banana, and pineapple with a thin cake and Cool Whip mixed in between.


 
Wow!! It was sooo yummy. I rolled into bed that night!

It was the perfect afternoon with the people I love best. Life does not get any better than that :)

I have not done a heck of a lot this week. To be truthful, I have been enjoying having the living room space actually BE a living room. Sans (most of) boxes. I have been reading in the evening. I would say 'guilty pleasure' but I do not consider reading a waste of time. Far from it. To me, reading feeds the mind, just as art feeds the soul.

I will work on my studio the rest of this week and next. My brother is taking some much deserved & needed vacation time for himself, so I have two weeks. I am confident I will make progress :)

August 16 - Massachusetts

I have been rearranging furniture in the front room, which will become my studio, and unpacking boxes crazily in there. Mostly art supplies. I never really gave it a lot of thought until this move -- how many art supplies I have. They took up 2 1/2 bookcase-type shelving units in my previous abodes, but I never really considered it until now when I am a bit shorter on space & trying to fit everything into place!

It is working out, though, and I have faith it will. Sort of like fitting a puzzle together (although I never really excelled at puzzles :) ).

I have been picking away at the boxes in my soon-to-be studio. Who knew I possessed that many art supplies?? Here is a sample of what has been unpacked. Not to mention all the canvases, frames, and associated hardware... I probably have enough to open a small store.

Supplies - drawing implements

More art supplies

 Pictures do not include the "must have" box with my oils, brushes and basics. The box that came with me to Maine and helped sustain me through the winter. It is still the Elephant In The Room as it is one of 3 boxes I am unable to unpack completely in the living room until I clear out more space in the studio. The other two boxes being 1) my herbs & spices and 2) my retro ultimate turntable setup for my albums. (Both of which require my brother's assistance.)

HOWever, the rest of the place is coming along quite nicely. As evidenced by the photos below. Curtains are finally, finally hung. Women will understand that; it just does not feel like home until the curtains are up! (Guys do not get that for some reason.)

Living room

Living room

Living room with unicorn statues :)

Curtains hung!

My living room is happy, and my unicorn statues have a home. I am so, so glad they made it through the fire and the moves intact. They are somewhat fragile, and hold sentimental meaning to me.

I am getting ready for my first "real" company since I moved in. My sister and her Significant Other are coming over for a BBQ dinner Saturday! My brother will join us as well. That is good - I can only fit 4 people on my little deck patio set! I am really looking forward to it! We will have BBQ chicken, pasta salad, grilled asparagus and wine slushies! My sister is making what sounds like an amazing dessert :) A nice family get-together!

Stay tuned, my friends! Tomorrow I have to start marinating and making food and wine slushies for the weekend :)