Charlotte Lyons Josie's Garden Embroidery Sampler

I've been working on this sampler for the last couple of days while I am staying in Portland. I really should wait until I press it to show, but I might never get around to it. You can buy your own sampler here or here is her blog.

Today's Lunch in Portland

I walked 11 blocks in the rain to get another Menagerie Snack Plate at Savory et Sweet at the Lloyd Farmers Market. It was delicious as usual.

ben gay and rivers and roads

I love this song., especially"I miss your face like hell"

On a side note, I think Ben Gay was invented just to make you forget your back pain because of the burning and the stink. Ugh.

Lyrics to Rivers and Roads :

a year from now we'll all be gone
all our friends will move away
and they're going to better places
but our friends will be gone away

nothing is as it has been
and i miss your face like hell
and i guess it's just as well
but i miss your face like hell

been talking bout the way things change
and my family lives in a different state
and if you don't know what to make of this
then we will not relate
so if you don't know what to make of this
then we will not relate

rivers and roads
rivers and roads
rivers 'til i reach you

They Draw and They Cook- Illustrated Recipes!

I saw this on an etsy blog, what a cute idea! It seems my blog is becoming a place to point to other artists and not me. :)
Here's a link, you can subscribe to get the illustrated recipes on an rss feed.

More Demolition Pictures

I wish I had done a hundred paintings recently and could show you the best ten, but I've done one that is a surprise for a patron's niece so I can't even show you that.
But there is some major destruction going on in our house. I'm posting these so I can remember where we were about now, someday when it's done and all clean.
If you want to see what the house looked like before go here.



This is where the new closet and laundry room will be.
Our bedroom, where we've run into a bit of a problem. Apparently the upstairs is an addition and when they added the dormer, they left the old peak on the roof and tied it into the ceiling joists where we want to raise the ceiling. There are consultations going on.
Old bathroom plumbing, where the chimney that has been the bane of our existence was. It's one third of the way gone, thanks to our son.
My studio, where we also wanted to raise the ceiling but won't be able to.
Bathroom. This house was built in 1905 and we recently discovered that it was originally a one bedroom with no bathroom, and an upstairs sleeping porch. The sleeping porch (my studio) was enclosed and a grander staircase, bedroom and bath added second floor in 1917. Our walls aren't talking, but the ceilings are.

If you like art, you will like this blog, I think

http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog

Check out http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog

She posts work of artists she is jealous of. Above is the work of Andrea Kowch. Brilliant. Since I am jealous of almost any other artist, I can relate...I'm on page 11 of her posts and there is something amazing that I have never seen the likes of on every page.

I finally, finally got a thorny commission done today.... Whew, now maybe that is not hanging over my head, I can actually paint something I want to paint.

I need to post some more photos of our upper floor demo.

Everything seems so frivolous, considering what is happening in Japan. So very, very sad.

Wherein We Embark on a Daunting Project

This is the TV room before.
This is our window in the kitchen that will be replaced so we can have cabinets on that side. I will miss that window, but to have counter space and storage! An 8 year dream.
The TV room now
Yikes! Note cute old wallpaper. (house is 106 years old, and there are layers of old wallpaper) I forgot to take a picture of the plumbing, which is the reason we had to start this remodel now. It's really old, like a lead waste pipe and it's leaking. Scary.

We have moved into the basement so the upstairs can be demoed too. Eventually, we will have new bathroom upstairs, bigger closet with washer and dryer, all new drywall and higher ceilings (hopefully) new windows and a built in bed for the grandsons and other guests. Also hopefully, the wind will not be able to howl through the rooms. Apparently, daylight can be seen through walls all over the place up there.

The TV room will become our office and we will have new kitchen and full bathroom on the main floor. I'm excited! I will post progress photos.

Last night

I dreamed that I had three black and white kittens that I kept losing. Having an alive thing that I keep losing or neglecting has been a recurring thing in my dreams ever since I became a mother. It usually means that I feel like I am failing. Argh. The painting is by Sarah Kiser.