Merry Moustache!!

So we are just doing the relaxing thing on Christmas Day since we worked at Christmas Eve to prepare the main gig. We did wake up to a white Christmas. Not as huge as was predicted but it was something. I made money yesterday and did a few things but today I am planted on the couch (deep couch sitting) and playing on the comp. Of coarse telly is on and I am watching Niki on Rehab Attic.
Old dogs went out, did their thing and promptly returned to the warmth of the front room, Wesley's office. The little dog put her pink polka dotted fleece on, went down the stairs and tried to return. Not a chance. Duty calls. Chickens made their way out to their run to eat and drink and then they returned to their coop. Too cold for anyone even at 32 degrees F.
So dinner was a strange case of melancholy and since I forgot the cranberries and I still had Linda's homemade cranberry sauce in the freezer, I took a sparing amount for dinner. So it became more melancholy. I stayed up late to watch Crime shows with retired detective Kenda. A whole lot of slaughter and mayhem and occasionally I threw in a DIY show. Finally I passed out and woke at 6 am feeling like I have slept in.
Sun is now out and will probably melt everything off and become an ice sheet tonight:)

Santa, Christmas and all that crap, ew sorry crapola.

It is the holidays and for the most part I am feeling melancholy. It isn't the same without Linda, her enthusiasm was contagious. So here we are, Bill and I the orphaned children, trying to make lemons from lemonade. He is having severely rough days. On top of it his estranged mean sister is in a coma and he doesn't know what to do. I suggested preservation, do nothing. Family is an earned thing. You can't be abusive and think you have the right to all the love and care that could come from someone she was so crappy to. Especially since he has had the worst year EVER!
So I am just meandering around trying to clean up loose ends and figure out he new year for myself, Bill, Galaske and the kids. So on our first real snowy day here in the mountains I will draw out a plan till I can get down to the shop to work on things in there. That is another story since it does need and overhaul.

Shop, work, Bob, decorate

That is what i need people to do. Shop!! So today I am home. but in my mind I am working on this to unload!!! Yes moving them along. That means a lot of comp work. A few things have to be mailed and some have to be photographed and sent to a new destination. I am just not feeling good.That darn female thang.
Yesterday Bill and I went to San Dimas to do our bit and found we both were not on our A game.
But the day didn't get started till I got all my morning chores done. That meant I got hit with a deceased chicken. Bob, who really was a girl. So I tried to make funeral arrangements but my mortician was not physically capable of digging. So Bob got put in a bag and then in a box and then in an empty trashcan. I was late making arrangements. Sigh. So today, we work, set up our tree and then bury Bob.

Hammering out the details...

Yes, we hammered out the details as Bill and I dined at our regular haunt. The only Lily-friendly eating establishment in Frazier business loop. We got details of the closing of his house, met with the buyers realtor and fine tuned what we were scheduled to do this week. Loaded truck for Jens house and Amy's hearth. It was a day of working the final 10 days.
10 days, Linda and Bill will be no more on this mountain. I will have to connect with Bill down below at Amy's. No more Lake of the Woods runs, no more meeting for lunch, no more yakking about locals. Bill will have a new full time reality. The upshot it is insulated by the girls. Amy, Jen and the grandkids will be there and that makes it bearable for me. I worry and now I do not have to.
So distracting myself with the hammering out of those details is a big relief. The empty spot I will feel eventually will be replaced by a new scenario, I just have to adapt. As we all do. Bill and I are the two orphaned children who have to call something new home. So onto the next task for tomorrow and the day after....

Remnants of the Past show, my review!

 Remnants of the Past show, my review! It was beautiful and at the same time awful. If I see one more 60 something year old gal running around in neutral linens and schmoozing, I think I would have needed a drink at the overpriced bar outside. Ok, I got over the $15 to get in and the $5 for parking. I was good with that since this promised to be something special. But here is what floored me. Everything was shabby, neutral, frenchy, rusty and foremost extremely overpriced. I can order from French dealers and bulk load and still be under what one uninteresting enamel sign costs. Too much wire mattress remnants for several hundred American dollars. So many things ridiculous that my eyes hurt and I was suffering from repetitive sensory overload. Bill and I don't look like the gals schmoozing so I know we stood out. Somewhere in the mix/mob after we too ran into people, air kissed and hugged, I pulled out the map and looked for Sandee, Stan, Bonnie and Heathers booth. 

Black Bird Vintage Design!! Needless to say we hung out there and neither Sandee or Stan were wearing linen, instead black t-shirts--yay!. Commonsense prices, a good mix of oddities and anything else, plus the frenchy, shabby, farm, rusty, stuff as well. Bill and I spent $500 together, not because they are our friends but they had what we wanted. We forced ourselves to go around again and again until we were dizzy. We now understood these milling husbands who had a complacent look on their faces and coveted a mixed drink in their hands. Once Stan helped us to load, Bill and I climbed into big red and rushed to the parking lot that was suppose to be a highway. We concluded that Remnants was so overwhelmingly overwhelming that we felt like we worked the show!! But I loved what we bought and I still don't know where I am going to hang my Exit sign.

A big kiss for my son...he was Divine

Yes, A big kiss today... to my 14 year old who put up with his mother all day yesterday. Nothing worked out, wasn't feeling well, had visions of running over numerous people, made fun of things, talked back to my gal on the phone who gives me directions, needed Starbux desperately throughout, etc...
Since he couldn't fix anything, he joined me and we turned a crappy day into a fun day!! So here is to Wesley!! Muah!!

It is good to remember

Found a picture of Linda today in the midst of downloads. I cropped it because it really doesn't matter what we were doing but it was one of our many crazy driving days. Get up in the morning, my purse, cell phone & coffee in hand as I wait outside for Bill and Linda to arrive and yes,we can travel from Frazier Park to Van Nuys glass shop, Saugus Swap Meet, step in and see an art exhibit in Valencia and then drive out the 14 to Pear Blossom, hit those shops along there, then Antique Asylum in Lancaster, then stop for a craigslist ad at some questionable "compound" with scary sketchy people, lunch, bank, shopping, stop at a salon to grab a can of hair spray the size of Linda, then make our way home by way of Antiques at the Barn on the 138. We could keep going but things close after awhile. That was a short day, but of coarse everything was on the way, nearby or just a little bit further-sort of. Linda would be sitting in the backseat, on her phone, singing, tissues everywhere, spilling drinks, thinking of places to go, knowing where to eat, Mary Kay products rolling around on the floor, bank cards slipping between the seats, the goodbye tour with Jen and Amy on the phone (Bill and I would count how many times she would say goodbye to her daughters and restart a conversation, eventually she would realize what Bill and I were doing:)...I miss all that. Her tissue box is still in the backseat behind the center headrest in my truck. Noone is allow to move it, at least not yet. There will always be a place in my truck/heart for her to ride along...

Organizing, rearranging and cleaning...

ok so I am on a cleaning, organizing and rearranging, etc... the only thing I can do until the surgery next week. I also have to find those odd things that are hiding waiting to be discovered and sol. So with elation and wild abandon I am finding that it is easy to find things to get rid of and clean. How many of anything can you or do you need?
tomorrow I will clean the coop out and do a little rearranging there since I will not be able to do much more but hog the blog. 

Shh, please

So I am getting closer to hernia D-Day. Wes and I concluded that my doctor from India looks like Groucho Marx.According to my conversation with the admitting office, they seem to refer to him as the doctor with the eyebrows.Wes did say that there is a story there somewhere. Well maybe-NOT.
So I will be out for a couple of hours and then back to the grind with some limitations. I found that this is giving me quite the complex. I have been out for a short period of time before. But I was 30 years younger. Age, lack of fear.
So as I traipse off to the admitting office tomorrow, I will hope for the best. 

Oh right. Everything

Oh yeah that was the case and of coarse something is always thwarted. We do not have Satellite till Wednesday, what a travesty. It should be for me then for the rest of the family but actually it is for my life partner. You would think someone slashed his tires or has non curable cancer.  What it has done for me is I actually get to watch docs I have been wanting to watch and the English version of "Shamless".
Well the next large thing except Directv showing up, I have surgery on the 14th. Yes I will be taking care of the hernia finally.
But as my mind jumps from here  to there I do have to get my crap organized in the house. I have a layer of dust that threatens to take up residence. But I am on eviction notice for it. I do have to do some work around. I have beadboard for the ceiling in the laundry room to do. Then I already have paint for that particular room. I am doing the floor in pallets. So the dump will be my new friend in acquiring materials. i do have to adjust the cabinets for the pantry and attach the closures.
So there is a fair amount of stuff to do and make dinero.....sigh

Home and health improvement

This is the week of improvement. Electrical panel in and working. Purlins to beef up the roof in the attic, complete. Roof shingling, more then half done Of coarse not sure if the Satellite needs to be adjusted. I am pretty tapped out on these projects and can't wait for a normal week.
In the midst of all this I have had to go see the surgeon. they wanted to schedule me for an outpatient surgery on the seventh, but I had to draw the line. I postponed it to the 14th. I am on overload with things but I still have to work. Still have to work with Wesley and school. Still have to do things at home. 
I am over all this stuff:)

The Market of Fleas

So I broke down my week into 5 big things to contend with. My health issue, purchasing a car, the Barn House Chicks show, The Electrical and the Roof. Saturday the show will be done. The car done on Wednesday. The Electrical done on Thursday or Friday. The Roofer the following week and the Doctor the 28th. Do I want to scream now, because in there I still have to figure out life on a daily basis, Wes, Bill and a host of other stuff.
I think if I get one more email about things to do or look at, I will scream. I think told everyone that as well. I just can't absorb it. The there is that comic relief of the Republican candidates. The three ring circus they call American politics. I just find myself expressing myself out loud that the world must think we are idiots. I guess we are. As the world is contending with real things, we have Trump squawking. It is enough to turn your stomach. So fiddle dee dee I will think about that stuff tomorrow or maybe next week.

I could use a cigarette...and I don't even smoke!

I could use a cigarette and I don't even smoke. Yesterday we were the organizing fool/ Today I am the overwhelmed idiot. Roofer calling, I have to talk to electrician, got to go to dump, post, pick up stuff at Paulas. Car stuff. I am overwhelmed!!!!!

Worry?

Gustave Courbet

 

Worry? Yes me worry. 

Bill and I are getting together today to price and organize. We are holding each other as we round this corner. Linda would be proud. Although we do not quite have the pizzazz she had, we are taking what she would want into consideration. In addition, I am working with my neighbor in producing some primitive boxes for resale. Which should be excellent for me and her. So as we get through this day holding each other up, we will keep Linda in our minds eye.

Getting through the week

 

These are my crazy friends. They are not only my buds in the biz, they are my family as well.  

This was a difficult day for Bill. It was Linda and Bills 46th wedding anniversary. He went to see Linda, talked to her and had a good cry. I always have my own flood of feelings when Bill is so sad. It is horrible. 

It is horrible for all of us and most of all Bill. 

So for the next week Bill and I have to do Linda proud and muddle though to our "show". So keep our fingers crossed, toes too and every positive amulet waving in our direction. We will get through this painstaking week.

Forgiveness

 

Today i got a call that may be what I have been waiting for a long time. It will mean forgiveness on my part which I will easily do. Patience is not part of my vocabulary and i just have to wait and see. So as a mom, I just will know that one of my offspring is possibly on the way to healing himself and thus maybe (and maybe not) reentering back into our lives. My biggest sadness is that he has let his wishes and desires take a backseat. Maybe he will find himself again. 

For Sale

So the Lebrecque house will go on the market on Monday. It is something I really have not come to terms with. I go there still seeing shadows of Linda buzzing around remembering in all detail what we should accomplish for that day. After solving the problems of the world, we then set off on our list of things. Then a great "corporate meeting/lunch", maybe Bills famous grilled cheese sandwich, left over enchiladas, or soup with a mini sandwich. On some days it was just peanut butter and jelly. Always desert.
Now it is Bill and I trying to figure out what we are suppose to be doing. We did pack up the Santas today, we did move a piece of furniture to Bills truck, we did take down a fence, we did do the dump and have lunch. But it wasn't the same. We sat in a more emptied out kitchen, looking around. It feels different.
He reminded me that it is going on 5 months and that their anniversary is on the 13th. It is surreal.

Tattle-Tale Legs and details

Tattle-Tale Legs, I vaguely remember this. Had a pair of those shoes as in the first set of legs with the tweed like tights. Although they appear to be fun I can't imagine these coming back but then again I really didn't expect bell bottoms and other hideous trends. Some things should NOT come back because they were not only hideous they were a hazard. I am sure I can come up with a whole list. lol But I have seen some crazy leggings that are pretty close to these babies.
So yesterday I got a small arts and crafts table that Bill fixed painted. Generally I do not paint good furniture but this was a huge repair. 1/4th of the table had broken off and making it a huge visual issue. Again it was the dump or salvaging what I had. So yesterday I painted it cottage white. It is cute and has some great cut out detail. That was the deciding factor, the details. So as it is sitting upside down on my trashcan lid pedestal work area drying, I am satisfied with the struggle and final decision to go ahead.
So whether it is the contemplation of by gone tights or the decision to paint a piece, today should be a free wheeling day of shopping and banking-joy!!

Pennants and Places

              So apparently I purchased 15 pennants and a yellow ammo box from the same online vendor. They came in all their glory. Trying to vary the items we have for the show. I also received yesterday a small Deco end table and some statuary from Peter in PMC. All of it is going to the thrift store, huge disappointment, but I will not mention it to him. I hate when people inflate the amount of work that should go into an item. It was something I took right from my friend delivering to my truck bed. :(
Today is a day of cleanup and mail out along with meeting Bill and Amy at the house with the realtor. Strange things are moving in a somewhat rapid rate. It is coming to the end of 5 months since Linda has been gone and we have just moved in a way that we think she would want us to and at the same time honor her.. Makes me sad:(

Chippy, dippy mess maker

                                      So this is from the Barn House Chicks Fb site. Chippy painted doors always look good in a picture until I get them home and noooooowayyyyy, as they drop paint all over. As a matter of fact one of the doors to my garage had that look until I spruced it up.Ok and to clear the knob and plate I used mineral spirits which I had no idea burns your hands!!! Live and learn. 

Reupholstered an antique chairs and left the wood looking old. It isn't chippy but it is cute

 

It doesn't need a whole lot but to bought. So my $5 chair is now $40. Fabric free, labor free. It is going to the SHOW. I also shabbied a vintage wood mag rack and I don't shabby. So that was a treat. I still don't want to shabby especially when there are plenty of people who love to do it and do it well. 

I filled up 2 more jars of rosemary so I am at 8. I hope to have 10 for the show. Already drying enough for 2 more. I harvested seeds from more Hollyhocks , which was an effort but who knows if those are going to be ready. 

Tomorrow I am meeting Bill at the "garage" to pull a few things and see where we are at. I hope he brings the arts and crafts table up. It has to be painted. There was a large chunk that broke off so we had no choice when we decided to fix it. So onward to tomorrow. :)

Yes, I can do it

 

Morning is probably the best time for me. I can get a lot of work done. Yesterday I reupholstered a chair and then finished a mag rack. Laundry, organizing, pricing, cleaning, listing, gardening, helping friends, lunching with friends, quilting, dinner, it just goes on. I think the question I hate the most is when my family in the morning asks me, "What's for dinner?". At 8 am it is the furthest thing from my mind. Soooo they get the answer, "food".

Bill and I's show is coming up on us and I am struggling to get things in order but without Linda it is hard. It is a jumble of bits to be done. Got two projects done yesterday but hopping to get more done today plus get some work done on a wall we finished drywalling. I have to sand, paint, frame and put up a curtain rod there. 

So i have my day cut out for me, but even my blogging is all over the place this morning. Scattered, like my brain.....

My list "todo" is way too long....

   

Now that I am back in the thick of it, I have to make some decisions. The list of "to dos" is long but I also have to consider where am I going next. With the advent of Bills house here being sold or rented , we need a new working space but I want to couple that with an outlet. There is a small venue in town which I have to follow up. I think it would be ideal. Although it is owned by a money grubbing landlord, it might fit the need. I am going to check into it this week and then I must have a b plan. Also a "pop-up" venue might work as well and that I can do from here. But I would have to have the particular housing for that I envision. So among the usual things that are on my list, I have to think further down the line.

Dolly's for the show....

                     
I definitely wanted to make some dolls for the show. With soooo much leftover fabric and fabric bits it was destined that I go ahead and find a project. I love dolls, own only a couple by choice. There are very few that really turn my head. Little girls just do not have something to drag around, mom/dad throw int he wash and good as new. I wanted something that did not have a bunch of yarn hair that just looks after a bit horrible.
Among other things that I have to work on for the show, I will definitely start with a couple of these gals. If I could get about 10, I would be thrilled, But even 5 would work. We will see how complicated. Sometimes my ideas are bigger then the amount of time I have:)

It has been months....

It has been months that I have been away from the blog. When Linda passed it was hard to put into words the business, my thoughts, etc.. It has been almost 4 months. Bill and I have really been working on picking up the pieces and finding a world after Linda. Of coarse for him it was much greater and although we have moved along in some areas, he is unable to spend any significant amounts of time at the house.
We have cleared some things out at a loss, breaking even and just donating. We decided on what items we can deal with and what " we are over it".
Sandee and Stan, great friends of Bill and Lindas and now mine, have been really instrumental in helping Bill and being there for me. We have gone on some adventures and done some flea markets. In addition, we are getting ready for the Barn House Chicks show in September. It is hard to be as fabulous as when Linda was with us but we are going to try our best.
                                     

Grease 1981 Joey Tintfass and I Property Masters and everything else

So in 1981I was attending Bancroft Junior High and involved in a couple of creative things. I had been excepted for an apprenticeship with Zoetrope studios under the Tavoularis brothers (Art Department) and Production Fred Roos. I had two slots out of ten. Anyhow, I was also working with a classmate Joey Tintfass as property masters at our local Junior High.
Being a difficult year with my mom, all ventures away were important, but Joey was an incredible friend. We spent many days painting sets while listening the Grease soundtrack off a record. We got props everywhere, dumpster diving, trays from La Cage Aux Folles Restaurant. We were all over the place. Specifically I remembered the painting of puffy clouds in the girls bedroom. Seeing it on youtube was great.
But and the biggest but is that I never saw the production and today my old partner in crime posted it in its entirety. I was so excited!!! After 34 years, I finally get to watch. So thrilled. I was such a baby, only 15. Wow!!

Next Gen

Went shopping at Antiques at the Barn and came home with this dolls head. Appears to be an old woman but sitting in the cup peeking out at me, it is Jean Luke Picard from Next Gen. He may have to stay with me and not go to the show?
It is sad when you shop for inventory and there is always a chance that that special something may not get its new price tag. The problem of buying things you dig:)

Stripping, painting and other items

We have been working tirelessly for the "show" the last two months. This is an example of Lindas dress form pin display. Between Bill stripping furniture and myself creating pillows and other textile item. We really haven't stopped. When it has been too cold, well then we are painting or fixing/altering items.
We did go out to look at the venue and it appears that it will be an ideal location. So we continue the last couple weeks doing finishing touches.