And There it Sits!!!

First off I do not want anyone to think I have lost interest in our tipi...on the contrary...we are both so excited that we find ourselves embarrassingly jumping up and down at random moments during the day... but timing is everything I always say and this exact moment is not the perfect one for setting up the tipi...

As you may have guessed...our New Tipi 'Cover' has arrived safe and sound ...and you are SOOOOO excited that..Ooops...wait for here...here comes the random jumps....ahhhh that feels better! The only reason it is not up yet and we are happily sitting in it is that there are a few steps that we must do first...DAMN I hate

being mature and responsible... UGH! First and foremost we must finish our doll work ...and find that perfect window of opportunity...then we have to stretch it out on the ground that we have cleaned (in this case the driveway) ...waiting for neighbors to go to work as they already think we are a bit round the bend... then we must draw out our design and then paint the top part of the tipi near the smoke flaps... let it dry....then tie all onto the lifting pole ...setting aside....tie new ribbons onto the poles , apply near rawhide strips , attach the horse tail, then erect the 16 poles (each is 22 feet long) ...then goes up the 80 lb (pole and canvas) lifting pole....placed in it's spot...then we unfold the canvas around the poles...then pound in the iron stakes at each tie point...until all is attached , then we tie rope inside for the liner at mid point and bottom of poles, attach the painted lining, place in rain guides at each pole under rope, then place in the flooring and then start to bring in our 'goodies' ...buffalo hide, furs, bags , pillows seats, boxes, baskets etc.... set everything up.... so that night we can enjoy our first fire.... then within a day or two we will paint the bottom part of the tipi while it is up and stretched... giving it a few days to relax and stretch...

As you can see we are excited to get started ...it is such an important part of our life...for relaxation , inspiration and personal entertainment...

Now to find that golden 'Window of opportunity' ...don't know when it will be but am guessing within the week we will get started ...weather plays a big part too... but as soon as it is up...we are safe for all manner of weather and storm... protected in mother tipi.

The above pictures are moments after the tipi arrived...first is kinda blurry of our dear Tess checking out her new tipi (she thinks we get it for her...well...maybe we do!!) and the second is the bag it all comes it...always amazes me how something so large comes in something that seems so small.... that is 60 pounds of small all neatly rolled...but trust me...after she is out of her canvas bag and exposed to the elements she seems to grow...and stretch...and will never again fit in that bag...

OK...off to finish a project so we can begin on our new adventure... what a wonderful Christmas it will be... hope Santa knows to find me in the tipi...I can see him now heading down the smoke flaps ..maybe I should write another note and tell him it's ok to use the canvas door...

Hugs to all on this Lovely Saturday!

Need Help!!!

Howdy to everyone out there in BLOGLANDIA!!! I have a BIG Favor to ask of you all...

What I need is your 'Vote' ...please look to the 'sidebar' and click the Union Pacific banner and follow the simple instructions ..

Basically what this is...it's a contest of sorts...something we never enter...but...this one is all about TRAINS...the UNION PACIFIC to be exact... My Dear Richard's Favorite train...for any of you that have read my blog you already know that my dear honey is a TRAIN NUT...his father was an engineer for the Union Pacific... and Richard has always dreamed of being one (woulda shoulda coulda) ...anyway ...along came this cool contest put out by U.P. (you can read all the simple instructions when you click that button at the sidebar of my blog) ...basically you 'Vote for your hometown where you would like to see the UP train come through (it actually will when voting is done)...we chose Boulder City, Nevada as that is one of the towns that Richard's Dad drove through and Richard is a Nevada Boy!! OK...so...from this link every time you vote (once a day) Richard receives an additional 'point' ...the one with the most points gets to Ride in the Locomotive as an Honorary Engineer...wouldn't it be nice to send my Hard Workin Honey on this Dream Trip of a Life Time...Please vote, oh and you can actually VOTE once a day we just started yesterday and he has 5 point so far, the lead guy has around 360 ...I figure with all my friends out there in Bloglandia we can pass this guy easily...but we do need help from our friends out there...please help my Richard get his dream.......

Hugs to All and Many Thanks to ALL our Friends....

Boy...is anyone as sick of Turkey as I am ??? GOOD LORD...if I see another piece I swear I shall bust o gut!! I am feeling like Italian just about now!! and what, it's been like 2-3 days!!
Hope everyone who celebrated the big 'T' day had a wonderful time with friends and family ... and that wonderful New memories were created for the coming years.
We had a blast...ate ourselves silly and laughed till it hurt... and believe it or not got to bed at a decent hour , all was cleaned and put away ...and little to no indigestion...to speak of!!... all in all a swell Thanksgiving seemed to be had by all...

Now Christmas...Oh CRAP!! When did that sneak in!!! I know I am not going to be ready for this one either...losing all track of time these days ...MY GOD, my neighbor across the street had her tree up yesterday...shining brightly in her front window ...ugh!! I need to get a plan of attack...and soon. Right now we are finishing up a few commissions and that's my main focus...then onto 'Holiday Ho Ho Ho's' ...first I need to buy some egg nog...saw that it was in the store during Thanksgiving... but I am weird with egg nog...can't buy it to soon or to late... and can't start the so called Holiday Season without a cup of that thick overly sweetened nutmeggy glog!! Always puts me in the mood! Next comes the songs...yes the truth can now be told...I sing non stop through this season and I drive Richard absolutely insane!! I adore Christmas tunes...both good and bad ones ...years ago we use to do the harvest festival circuit in California and each season would hear Elmo and patsy perform..."Grandma got run over by a reindeer' ...over and over and over and over and over and over ,...until I would almost swear Richard's head swelled up and looked like it would *pop* ... I now slip that song into my repertoire each year and then run like hell after singing with Richard in close pursuit!! Ahhhh it's the good times we remember!! tee hee...

A few days from now I will start digging out the ornaments and other holiday decorations ..I always hope to add new ones and shoot for new themes but alas this year like last slipped away from me yet again... So it will be once again Nog and Grog, Carols and Perils, gripes and lights...and so on and so forth....

Happy Holidays one and all... may the joy remain throughout the entire season...

Jodi

Turkey, Giblets and other Thankful things!

Thanksgiving will be here very soon...TOO Soon if you ask me...I am NOT Ready!!! I am once again having friends and family over for this special day (so of course I start to worry about everything!!) ...will be approx. 10-13 people ...this is the part I love the very most...the gathering!! I could have P,B and J's and still be thrilled..to me it is all about the people. Last year it was a go until...2 days prior and both Richard and I caught a friends bad cold...UGH!! Had to cancel and send friends and family into a turkeyless night...felt HORRIBLE...so now of course I live in fear this will happen again... I plan NOT to go into public at all a week prior ...which means I better get my ass in gear and START SHOPPIN!!

But it never stops with the shopping...I also Love to decorate the place...Richard wants to get the Christmas lights up prior (he better get his ass in gear...as we have dolls to finish)!!

I think we are going to try 2 turkeys...1 traditional and one smoked on the BBQ ...fun!

Good Food, Good Wine, Good Friends and Games afterwards.. it does not get much better than this...

So what is everyone out there in Bloglandia doing for Thanksgiving?

Hugs and Happy Bird Day to All...

Halloween Thriller!!

Hope everyone had a particularly Spooky Halloween, got and gave lots of treats and had a good fill of old horror films on TV... I sure did.

I also went down to the Halloween Michael Jackson 'Thriller' Dance on our Main Street Halloween Night...as we get approx. 1 and 1/2 children any more ...decided it was time to haunt other things. They did this dance routine last year (as did the rest of the country) and they decided to do it yet again this year... we have about 6 friends in this group of 40+ 'Zombie'fied' folks ...Our good friend Sheila Carlson is the above mentioned Zelda Zombie (her first year to dance with the group) and she did fantastic...was rather scary too, hey...she scared me!!! Trust me...she is lovely without the makeup!!

Who knows as Halloween Trick 'O' Treaters are thinning out to dribs and drabs...I may just join the group next year to dance my little heart out (possibly literally!!) as a ghoulish globby grotesque Zombie....hmmm already thinking of my outfit...LOL!

Hugs,

Jodi

BOO!!!!

My Halloween Card this Year ... I know, a tad scary but it was the mood I was in at the time....if I made it today probably would be orange and black with plump little witches and cute kitties... did I ever mention I was a Pisces!! A little nutty and swimming in all directions!!!
Anyway a few months ago I kinda threw out a challenge to some facebook friends to create
a Halloween Card...well time being what it is...it ran short and I basically forgot!! A few stepped up to the challenge and I put this one together quickly...
I LOVE skulls and skellymen and of course Black and White...with a 'hint' of color!!lol

So off to plan my Hollygobbleween...
Happy Friday..may your weekend be filled with spooky delights , haints in the morning Goblins by night!

Hugs,
Jodi

Halloween and 'Stuff'

OK...so I have been missing in action once again... lost in the hinterlands of life... no excuse really other than ...there is so much of 'it' (life) going on...really hard to get all my ducks in a row...those little suckers like to wander off!! I do short little blips here and there on Facebook...that is because Facebook is designed to be in that format..short posts of this and that...like texting with pictures! But as I have said about a billion times Blogs are like a Great Big Hefty Chunk of what you really want to say... my problem...I never allow myself the time to actually sit down and say em!! But this morning I had a long talk with myself about my blog absence ...giving myself a piece of my mind (and now we are not speaking...looooong story) anyway...here I am... Popping on to say Howdy do just a few short days before All Hallows Eve.....BOO!

So ...what have I been up to you may ask... and I would answer.... a little of this, and a whole lot of that! Working on a few commissions at the moment ...with a couple more to start shortly.. then we just finished an auction on EBAY that was super fun... 3 little 'Monster Kids' Trick 'O' Treating ...and by monster I actually mean the real thing...not costumed kids... The Mummy's Kid, Wendy The Witch's daughter, and Frankenstein (aka the 'Monster) little boy...you might say a chip off his old man's block! This is the only time of the year they can blend into public without people freaking out...and besides...Lil Monsters like candy too! So that auction finished Tuesday...

I have been in the process of re-vamping my studio for weeks now...basically that's a really nice way of saying 'Cleaning' it up!! Out of control...and if it is driving me nuts you can imagine what it is doing to my neat-nik hubby!! I think I have gained control (for the time being!!) ...

Now that our weather is nice and not boiling hot any longer we are outside working on projects that desperately need to get done ... first up fixing the ground and fire ring where our new tipi cover will sit.... Yes! we ordered our new tipi cover and it should be here within the next 2 weeks...YIPPPEEE!!! We needed to do some repairs to the ground (leveling) and we are mortaring in our fire pit rocks . When it gets here we will paint the top and then put it up and paint the bottom...we can't wait...planning a bit tipi sitting party when all is ready...

We are also building a small patio area cover (shade) next to the pool...for BBQ and just sitting and relaxing. Also fixing our patio outside our back door that houses our pool table and kayaks...it is our little Wicked Waheni Lounge with rustic decking, grass roofed tropical feel meets English Pub Billiard room...I know I know bizarro combo...but it works, believe me!! But we are now needing to fix permanent sun and cold barrier walls in the form of cool painted (looks like real brink) covers ...we want to back them swivel in and out for air and light... Richard has it all jotted down on paper how it will work... should be very cool! The floor in that room is concrete that we have painted a solid warm green ages ago...we had grass mats all over the floor...but..they are falling apart with wear and people are beginning to trip on them...SooOooOoo I am going to actually attempt to 'paint' faux realistic looking grass mats on the concrete...I think it should look pretty cool ...maybe a few crabs, shells and a billiard ball for good measure! We already have a neat wooden deck stage that we painted a few years back for a party we had...with a band... So...this is my plan...and I hope to get started this week... I LOVE to faux paint..must be in my blood from my Grandpa.

We have been repotting lots of plants around the yard .. and trimming and pruning many already planted...and you have not lived until you prune 'Cactus' ...stickers, glochids , spikey thingies...and lots of other things that REALLY hurt...we spent one evening just picking things out of our hands and arms...ouch!

And we are also planning to clean out the garage by have a huge garage sale... and or giving to the local Pet rescue shelter.

On top of that all Richard is teaching me some guitar, I am trying to juggle again, I am sewing a bit and am about to paint the living room. Oh Oh...just got a wine chiller yesterday... something we have wanted for a few years now , they finally came down to a price we could afford...and we LOVE it...well...actually we got '2' ...because the area we wanted to put it in was to small , so we have this lovely older oak stand that would believe it our not hold not one big one but 2 smaller ones...so that's the route we went... so they sit side by side...and I keep my white in one and Richard keeps his red in the other...hey, works for me... ended up actually spending less!!

So this brings me to Halloween ...for some weird reason my heart is not in it this year...I mean, I have a 'few' things up...very few and certainly nothing like what I normally do...we get no kids...grrrrr...they all go 'Trunk or Treating'... BS if you ask me!! anyway...I decided to combine holidays...Yes...I am going to combine 'Halloween, Thanksgiving in the middle and Christmas'...I understand from another artist that there are a few out there doing this very thing ..like a club...I think they call it 'Hallowthanksmas' ..I think I will call mine 'Hollygobbleween' ....I will attempt to join my Halloween decorations...with my fall colors and Christmas Spirit and lights...should be interesting to say the least... I have always wanted to do a Jack Skellyton and Sally and Zero so I will be cutting them out of thin plywood, painting them and putting up all my gravestones with faux (there is that word again!!) snow... lots of stuff like that.... I promise to take pictures....

OK I have bent your ears (or strained your eyeballs) long enough...for those that stuck with this loooooong posting...I thank you and will pay up to 10% of your therapy bill!

I wait long times between but make up for it with non stop jibber jabber...

Great seeing all my Friends again.. and to those New Friends...Welcome!

Happy Halloween or as I like to say 'Happy Hollygobbleween'

Hugs,

Jodi