We have finally joined the rest of the country and have that frigid Arctic air mass over us. BUT, the sun is a shining so bright and cheery, that I don’t care!

If you have wondered where I have been, I just didn’t have anything really creative to share. Plus, Mr C and I have been accomplishing many tasks.

Speaking of Mr C, tomorrow is his birthday. Today, I took the family out to lunch to celebrate his birthday. We went to Papa Haydn’s, the restaurant known for desserts. They also have other great food. Mia thought she was going to Papa John’s Pizza, so when her mother told her she needed to mind her manners because we were going to a very nice restaurant, she was quite perplexed.

I found this photo of Mr C with his Mom and our kids. It was taken back in the 70’s. Doesn’t he look like “That 70’s Guy”? I never liked the mustache, and he didn’t have it for long. That suit is just classic. Look how the plaid in the jacket even lines up with the pants.

I am a very lucky lady because Mr C came in to my life 40+ years ago. He has always allowed me to have my space and truly indulges me, often when I am not worthy. We share a very warped sense of humor, which we passed on to our children. He is passionate about reaching out and helping the needy in our city. He is a deeply religious man, but not preachy. He is the best Grandpa to M & M. They love to do art and building projects with him and to hear his silly made-up stories. A great day for him includes a few hours with them. He thinks I am the best cook in the world. So a big “hippo birdy” to the man in my life.

The two of us have been pretty busy. I have been rather chilly down here in the basement. On Saturday, we went to Lowes and bought some shrink wrap for all the windows. It is rather unsightly, but it has helped immensely. We didn’t get it installed until yesterday. We had Sojourner’s potluck at 5:30 in Vancouver. I cooked my cheesy broccoli family favorite. We had lots of fun, and I almost got myself in trouble for bringing up politics! Steve started telling stories of all the times that I have gotten into political spats.

I also decided to move my computer desk away from the windows. I worked on that most of today. I had to unhook my computer and peripherals and get them all set up again. My studio and the office are still in disarray, but I am making progress.

I am taking Liz Berg’s online design class, Better Art by Design. We got our first assignment this week-end and so I have been doing some work in my sketch book. I am not going to show you much of what we do in the class as I think Liz wants to keep it on our Yahoo group. But here is a little peek. Please! No comments on my drawing skills.

Last night, Mr C went online to the GE store and ordered a new refrigerator for us. Since he is a retired GE man, we get a nice discount and rebate. We are getting a Monogram with all the bells and whistles. The fridge that came with the house has made us crazy. The plastic parts are breaking. The French doors never close properly. It does not have an ice maker. It has very poor design. So, it will go to the garage, and we will get rid of the energy hog that is out there. We have to raise the area over the fridge by 3 inches so I will lose a shelf that I could never reach anyway. Mr C started working on that today.

Finally, today, I turned my latest piece upside down and I think I like it this way. What do you think? Here is the first orientation:

Here it is, inverted.