Paint in My Hair

Deck the Halls

As you can see, I finally wrote a little welcome to my blog so people
know who the heck I am.  Before I wrote it I asked for Dave's help.
In the end I had to turn his help down.  Read his suggestions and you'll
see why:

   * Passion. It's what fills trashy novels. But for me, it is what
drives me to create art.
   * Welcome! Watch your step. Take a load off. Can I get you a drink?
   * It all started in Hayward, California, where Laura Gunn was born
and raised. By the age of two she had become an accomplished finger
painter.
   * Hi there! I'm Laura Gunn, and I'm an artist. I am seeking to
express the ineffable qualities of magesticness by wrestling the colors
of the rainbow into new creations.
   * Hi. I'm Laura Gunn. I have always loved art. In fact, I still
cherish the taste of Crayolas.

Thanks babe.  That's super helpful. :>)

Speaking of Dave and :>), I've been writing hee hee on the blog to clarify humorous remarks.  Dave has been saying I sound like a teenager writing on My Space.  I defended the hee hee vigorously.  But last night we were re-watching the episode of The Office (the best show ever, in the history of the universe) where Michael's diary was read at Jan's deposition.  Michael had written hee hee.  Dave and I looked at each other and laughed.  I had to concede that he was right about the hee hee.  This happens every once in a while.  Dave being right I mean.  So for now, I will return to the classic smiley face :>).

On a completely unrelated topic, the Christmas decorations are already
up, thanks to ample begging and pleading on Lily's part.   Lily also
wants Christmas music on 24/7.  In fact, when she went to bed last
night, Dave and I were rockin' out to some cool tunes as he washed the
dishes and I painted.  Lily yelled down the stairs, "Can you turn that
down?  I can't sleep!"  Dave responded, "What?  Am I living with my
parents?"  Then Lily yelled down, "I could sleep if it were Christmas
music."  Dave didn't budge and she fell asleep in approximately 30
seconds.

Tomorrow I'm off to Chicago with my mom for the Bernina Teacher's
Reunion. I'll get to try out all their new toys, etc. etc.  And best of
all, I'll have my mom to myself for a few days.

Thanks to Libby for tagging me.  She has a very cute blog.  I especially love her header photo.  We'll see if I get around to passing it on.  Maybe after the holidays.

Phew!

Here it is--Proof that I did seat 12 adults and 16 children in my living room and dining room. (Luke sat on the floor.)  Please don't call the fire station; I'm pretty sure we broke some kind of city ordinance.  But we sure had fun doing it. 

I was giddy to finally use my antique white linens. I even enjoyed ironing them.  And I hate ironing.   I just remember pulling out my mom's linens every Thanksgiving.  She had an old coke bottle with a lid with holes in it.  We'd fill it with water and sprinkle the linens before ironing them.  So this year, I pulled mine out, blasted the Christmas music, and got to work (using a spray bottle, of course).

I made simple slip covers for the chair backs, to camouflage the mismatched folding chairs.   It only took a few hours, and now I can pull them out whenever I'm hosting a big group.

The pear name cards were Patti's idea.  So clever.  She came over on Wednesday to help set up. 

The kids were amazing.  As soon as they entered the door we loaded their plates with appetizers and sent them to the basement for some classic Christmas movies.  (The Muppets' Christmas, the old Grinch, and Frosty.)   Dave says "The Muppets' Christmas was a phenomenal failure."  So I wouldn't recommend that one.   But even with a lame movie, and some toys from the Dollar Tree that broke after about 30 seconds, the kids stayed in the basement most of the day.  We did invite them up for dinner, where they colored their turkey table mats, ate as much combined as Dave, and then scurried back to the underworld.

Meanwhile, those of us older than 8 years old ate enough for a small country.  Everyone pitched in and washed the dishes.  I even sneaked off for a few minutes to snuggle rosy faced Luke after his nap (heaven).   And we ended with a fairly clean house and some rockin' leftovers.

Holiday Wardrobe

November 16th.  NOVEMBER 16TH!  How did this happen?  Time to make lists, call my sisters for recipes, wade through crowds, and spend lots, lots of time in the above wardrobe. (Do you recognize the 2nd one)

Last night we went to the grocery store for "$10 off" Thursday.  As you can imagine, the Thursday before Thanksgiving is a madhouse.  I was trying to maneuver around the masses when Lily got in front of the cart.  I told her in a motherly voice, "You're in my way."  The lady in front of us thought I was talking to her.  How embarrassing. 

Lil' and I ushered in the Holiday Season with a little soap making.  My good friend Trenna showed us the ropes and lent us the supplies.  Lily is very proud of the Christmas tree bar.  I'm sure she'll be washing her hands til' they're raw.  Now i just need to find a worthy soap dish.

Studio Makeover (Again)

I know, I know--How many times can I makeover my studio.  But I wanted to switch to a room with better lighting and if I'm going to switch rooms, I may as well switch everything else.  It's hard work, but I think I can muscle through it.  Thank you Aunt Muff (that's what we call her) and Uncle Ross for delivering this wonderful old dresser.  My grandparents bought it when they were engaged, I think.  I was so happy to see that it had already been painted.   In my mind this gave me permisssion to go wild.  As you can see, that's just what I did. 

I think my grandparents would approve.  We actually have a legacy of furniture painters in my mother's family.  My Great Aunt Isabelle painted everything she could get her hands on.  As siblings we still lobby to get our hands on her beautiful pieces.  And my mom does beautiful things with mirrors, doll furniture, etc, etc.    So I feel duty bound to carry on the tradition.  Hee Hee.

I know this will surprise you, after what I've said in the past, but I wanted the walls in my studio cream (dangerously close to white.)  This is partly because it will make for good lighting and partly cause I think it will look cool with really bright furniture.  Who better to get to do the dirty work than my Friday girls.  Look at them go.  Sometimes people will write and ask how we do it with all the kids (up to 16!!)  This photo might give you a clue.  If I took a picture of the popcorn all over my basement floor you'd have even further insight into our process.

A Little Fall Decor

Hmmmmmm.... orange, turquoise, and gold--my favorite fall colors.  And nothing says Autumn like old rusting door fixtures. (Hee Hee.)  I'm doing a big Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year.  I want to be in theme, but not too in theme, if you know what I mean.  A few years ago I did a lot of searching for Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas.  Wow, that was an ugly Google search.  What's up with that???

When I was little, my mom would put together an elaborate center piece out of exotic fresh fruits.  It was so beautiful, but pricey.  Dave thinks that we probably won't have much room for a center piece with all the food (yummy).  But I want it all.  If you have any great ideas, please help!!! 

Lily is off school today and slaving away raking leaves.  This would be helpful, but she is only doing it so that she can pounce on them with a friend.    When we moved to St Louis from Arizona, then 4 yr old Lily was ecstatic about the seasons.  When the leaves had just started to fall she worked for minutes (a long time for a 4 yr old) to gather the leaves in the front yard into a pile.  As there were approximately 15 fallen leaves at this point it made a very tiny pile.  But still, it topped anything  she could do with lantana leaves in Phoenix.  She was thrilled with her handy-work.   She backed away from the pile and ran with all her little might, obliterating the 6 inch by 6 inch pile of leaves.  Imagine her enthusiasm when the leaves really did begin to fall and the piles were 6 feet by 6 feet.  Definitely one of the things I love about the Midwest.

Poppy Myopia

What do I mean by Poppy Myopia? I mean nearsightedness. As in, I can't see the forest for the poppies. Can I tell you how saying Poppy Myopia makes me giggle? It sounds like a condition in a Dr Seuss Book. I'm a sucker for goofy rhymes and puns. They stick in my head and make me giggle at totally inappropriate times.

Back to poppies. I just can't get enough of them. I'm going to do two more to go with this one. Maybe that will satisfy my obsession. A little bragging: New Era showed a few of my poppies at the High Point Market and they were a hit. Could it be that Poppy Myopia is contagious???

PS. If you were having trouble seeing my dress doodle I've got it all fixed up now. (Note to self, must save jpegs in RGB mode.)

To Cut or Not to Cut

Luke was born with a full head of hair. Blond like his dad, straight, and silky soft. It just keeps growing and it's getting a bit out of control. I could cut it, but it's so baby fine, it may look funny when it's cut. And besides, look at all these cool hairdos He can wear:

Nothing says, "I'm a little devil" like the classic "horn hairdo."

Ahhh... Remember Squiggy from Laverne and Shirely. Or maybe the bad guy on "Grease." What was his name?

And this look has really worked for Donald Trump. Does it give Luke the same air of success?

Paint on My Kid

Nothing is safe in this house. Lily needed some green warts, no problem. I have paint in just the right shade of chartreuse. Halloween was loads of fun with Lily as a witch and Luke as a pumpkin. Today Lily has such a tummy ache that I've had to put away the candy. It just about broke her heart. Her consolation prize was a pomegranate, which is almost like candy to a kid. So now she's dripping with crimson juice and occasionally yelling out, "nutritious and delicious." She's a good sport.

And yep, I am wearing black lipstick. I even wore it running errands. I'll do anything for a giggle from Lil.