Leanne Wildermuth : Artist by Nature » Life, Love, and Critters

Life, Love, and Critters – of course!

Peel & Stick, Baby.

December

2004

Today’s entry painstakingly brought to you by Home Fashion Timber Series #94507, WD4018, Run GY.

By 9PM CST Wednesday, I had relocated our dining room into my Studio (like that ours/mine thing? heh!), moved the laundry room and furnace room contents into our bedroom, and swept the floors.

I woke up yesterday and began pacing! The Floor Guy (said in a deep commanding superhero tone) was not due to arrive until mid-afternoon. Here I am, prepared to pace for a good 4 hours, and there’s a knock on the door just after 10AM!

You know what I really like about Floor Guy , he kinda looks like Tim McGraw. Ok I know he ISN’T Tim McGraw, but I can just think so, that’s ok, right? Ooh, bonus, he’s a Conservative Imitation!

He decided that he would just tear out the dining room first, and come back to do the kitchen and laundry/furnace rooms. By 1:30PM, Floor Guy was on his way, scheduled to return next Monday or Tuesday.

Then it was my turn.

The leveling job he did created more work than I had anticipated! I spent a few hours just knocking back ledges and lumps and ridges, wet sanding. Ug. Once that was dry though, I marked my center and started a-peelin’ and a-stickin’, all night long!

I finished around 10:30 lastnight, and ended my day with a nice warm Turkey-grilled cheese, cheddar chips and a tall glass of Blackberry Merlot. And a shower. Peeee-uuuu!

Here’s some pics, before/during & after!

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Filed under: Home n' Hearth

Noisy Kids!

December

2004

I’m standing in the doorway of the studio, gazing at this gigantic Viola, studying it. Where am I going to begin, blending colors in my mind, selecting brushes and all those things that I think about before I start a painting session.

Suddenly, Caitlin and Jayden are singing along, loudly, to Jay’s new Care Bear trike. Squealing and giggling between pressing it, again and again and again. “Care Bears are coming to your town, they’ll lift you up when you’re feeling down, they’re watching you from up above, filling your days with caring and LooooOOOooove!” Yes I already know the words. Good grief.

They tire of the bike – 40 minutes later – and now Caitlin has composed a variety of melodies that she is humming at the top of her little 8 year old lungs, while creating a new mess on the table. The melody she’s got going right now is taking me back about 20 years, I can’t quite put my finger on it, oh yea! It’s similar to the chia-pet commercial tune. You know, the one that resonates even louder in your brain and just starts making your ears go ‘thud-thud-thud’. Yes, that’s the one.

Either they are especially noisy, knowing that I am trying to concentrate, or my ears are hyper-sensitive today.

I will wait for the peace and quiet that I enjoy after 8PM to get back to the studio. This piece requires a lot of attention to detail, architecturally speaking. I want it to be perfect.

~~I’ll be back and let you know when I start!~~

Change of plans, the floor guy is coming over tomorrow to tear up our kitchen & dining room floors & underlayment! Probably not a good idea to have a wet painting collecting dust and junk. I’ll be laying the floor myself (yes I’m a dandy handy girl), and I’ll work on Antoinette after that project is complete. It’s gonna be a fun one!

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Filed under: Chit Chat, Home n' Hearth, Works in Progress

10 Things I’ve Learned in 2004

December

2004

Here’s my list of 10 things I’ve learned in 2004:

1. I learned that no matter how many times you click your heels together, you can’t bring your loved one home from Iraq.

2. I’ve learned that no amount of treadmilling will completely melt away your love handles.

3. I’ve learned that over 90% of the time, I end everything I write in an exclamation point!

4. I’ve learned that overusing exclamation points can sometimes be a bad, bad thing.

5. I’ve learned how to calculate square footage from measuring in inches.

6. I’ve learned that sometimes, being a launching pad for someone else’s dreams can be really really cool.

7. I’ve learned that being under my own microscope is pretty tough. Being under someone else’s is just plain annoying.

8. I’ve learned that good friends are a treasure, and they should be kept under lock and key in your heart.

9. I’ve learned that stress makes time fly.

10. I’ve learned that every moment you get to spend with someone you love is a precious, precious gift and should never be taken for granted.

So? What’s on your list?

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Filed under: Chit Chat, Hahaha! That's Funny.

Christmas Paintings

December

2004

I just received this pic from Lisa, this is her man, Chris, standing beside Talis & Meowface (who arrived in perfect timing on Christmas Eve, thank you USPS!).

Thanks, Chris, for allowing me to share! Your painting looks fab against the brick!

I’ve got a few portraits out there that were given as Christmas gifts, anyone have photos to share of their recipients with their paintings? I would love to put them up here for everyone to see (or just see them myself)! The Christmas feedback I get just warms my heart, to know that what I do touches someone else’s heart in such a positive way through the thoughtfulness of my clients, really, I couldn’t have asked for a better “job”.

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Filed under: Cat Portraits, Completed Paintings, My Fondest Memories, Order a Painting!, The Photog in Me

Christmas Summary via Pics

December

2004

Santa’s letter & special gift for us:

Caitlin’s special gift from Mommy & Daddy, a sketchbook, cover design courtesy Mommy:

Jayden’s favorite pressie from Santa:

Mommy’s favorite pressie from Daddy, Cashmere!

What we saw out the window:

Together at the W family dinner:

At first I didn’t like that glare on the fireplace, but the more I got to looking at it, the more I feel like it’s kinda cool. I mean, that’s where Mark would be sitting. So he gets a bright light instead. Appropriate. 🙂

More later!

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Filed under: Home n' Hearth, The Photog in Me

Christmas Wishes & Thanks

December

2004

Thank you all for being here for us this year. I can’t express in words how much I appreciate your support and presence.

Special thanks to those of you who sent along beautiful and heartfelt cards, I will treasure them.

Merry Christmas!
Much much love,
Leanne & family

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Filed under: Home n' Hearth, The Photog in Me

Good Fortune

December

2004

Good evening everyone! It’s the day before Christmas Eve! Are you going out of your mind yet? Yea, me too. 😉

We chatted with Mark for quite a while today, which was nice. Things are getting pretty intense over there, so don’t forget about our guys in all the hustle and bustle this next week. They really need our support and prayers more than ever right now.

We piddled around the house for a bit, and then I decided to take the girls out for dinner. We went to a Chinese Buffet. Nummm! I just have to show you my fortune cookie.

Ain’t that the truth? I nearly cried when I read it. Mine was different from both the girls, they got the standard cookie fortunes with the lucky numbers. Theirs were great, and I’ll post those too, but this one kind of caught me as different, and maybe more like it was meant for me to get it.

I also received a fabulous pressie from my sweet friend Erikie. She was in the Philippines not too long ago and was having some wrist pain, and someone directed her to these bracelets. It’s magnetic! All of the pewter looking beads are magnets, and when you start wrapping it around it just kinda takes on a mind of its own and adjusts to the nearest magnet. It’s very cool! She knows that I also get some pretty intense wrist pain from time to time so she picked one up for me too. Bonus, it’s purple! What a thoughtful, wonderful gift!

I received another package from my bestest bud in the Universe, Paige. Now this girls thoughtfulness can’t be beat. She sent gifties for both the girls, one for me, and one for… get this… MY BIRDS! No, I don’t have birds in the house. Paige has been subjected though to numerous phone calls about the beautiful and unique birds I am seeing in my backyard now since the studio was completed and I have a zillion windows. My in-laws brought me several feeders this summer, and I really love sitting out and just watching them (and the squirrelies, too!)

Paige handmade this wonderful seed-wreath, she will have to stop in and give directions on how to make them. Donned with berries from her own yard. This is the neatest thing! I told her I had to show everyone before I hung it outside and it was gone in ten minutes, so here it is!

I still have more blogwork to do, and I will get more of that accomplished tonight. But hey, it’s good huh? You likey so far?

Have a great evening!!

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Filed under: Chit Chat, Home n' Hearth

New Bloggy!

December

2004

Hey there!

If you’re here, you’re noticing something very, very different is going on with my layout! Yea!!

Again, special thanks to Lisa. This is the first of a couple different and user-changeable looks for my blog. The others will be up at a later time.

Be patient with me, I still have some work to do to get things in order. I’ll be transferring as many of the comments over as I can. I also have to wade through 400 entries and categorize them so that you can view my entries by category (see the left sidebar, you can select a category and just those entries will appear!). Most of my images need to be reduced, they’ll be hanging over the edges until I get that done.

Just some minor tweaking here and there!

Have a look around! A bunch of new features await your left-click! 😉

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Filed under: Chit Chat, Technicalities