The Before

We are in the process of renovating a building in our hometown in hopes of opening our own restaurant. This is my son who is sitting on a hammer in one of the old studs.

This is my Dad who is running from that big ol' piece of drywall that is falling to the ground. There was a layer of drywall, cornboard, and lathe and plaster on this wall.

Here is a little better picture of the layers. Check out those light fixtures which have now been replaced.

This is what the wall used to look like when you walked in the door. It had lovely blue carpet with about six layers of subfloor and linoleum underneath it.

Here is my little friend who helped me rip out the old wall paper of the plaster walls. She was a fantastic helper!

Stay tuned for some after pictures. We hope to be open in about two weeks. Tomorrow is our safe food handling class. I'm taking it with my husband and I'm expecting to get beat on Tuesday's test. I hope this explains why I haven't blogged in so long.

Have a good one!

:) Heidi

Do you take "no" for an answer?

After the separating of the twins for one day the school called and offered to put them in the same classroom. Not exactly sure what changed the Principal's mind just glad that something did. Home life is peaceful once again. So I'm curious to know how many of you would take "no" for an answer?

What would you do if it happened to you?

Last night was Unpack Your Backpack night at school and we found out that our identical twin boys are being split up in their second grade classes. When we found this out I looked over and saw the tears start flowing down my little boy's face. He tried to fight back the tears but he just couldn't. We tried separating them in 4 year old preschool and it was not a good situation for them. I took the advice of a wonderful, well-meaning teacher who I adore but one of the twins had a hard time being away from his brother. That was the year of "I don't want to go to school, mommy!". We have a new Principal this school year who made a policy of no siblings in the same class. When my husband and I went in to question her the first words out of her mouth were"I'm not changing classes". My husband and I live in the same housing subdivision as the superintendent of schools so we paid him and his lovely wife a visit. He was pretty surprised that the new principal would shut us down without even a discussion on the subject. So now I'm left with what do I do. Do I make a big deal out of this ?(I kind of got the feeling from the superintendent that I could go over the new Principal's head since he gave me her boss's phone number and told me everything would work out fine.) The boys wanted to go to school this morning and my husband and I asked them to give it two days to see if maybe they didn't like it. Their teachers assured me they would let them get together as much as possible.

I called over to the other elementary school in our area and was warmly greeted by the school secretary who let me talk to the Principal there. She couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. If you were in my shoes what would you do?

Red Oak Restaurant in Bishop Hill

These are Dala horses. They are a swedish good luck symbol. I just love the colors of them! This picture was taken at the Colony Store in Bishop Hill.

Beautiful tulips in front of the Red Oak restaurant. The gal that owns this adorable restaurant brings in lots of flowers from her gardens and places them on her tables.

This is the porch where she puts out the Swedish flag and the American flag.

This is the sign on the side of her building. I just love the thought of "Comfort food and Pie Co."

Here is a large Dala that hangs out in the garden. I didn't see one like this at the Colony Store otherwise I would've bought one for my garden.

This is a reataurant that I have been to many times with the special people in my life. It is just one of my favorite places to go. It has soft music playing in the background, beautiful flowers and a little patio out back where you can sit and eat a fabulous lunch.

Art Institute in Chicago!! Spring Break 2010

American Gothic by Iowa artist Grant Wood! Being an Iowa girl myself I was so excited to see this right in front of my eyes! The placard off to the side read that Wood was trying to depict a farmer and his daughter and traditional values. I always thought it was supposed to represent a husband and wife. It said the gal was supposed to represent womanly duties such as cooking (the apron she is wearing) and home (houseplants on the porch). So amazing to see in person!

Do you love Van Gogh's The Bedroom? I did! Yep saw this too!

Can you believe how big Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte is? Loved this one too!

I googled for the name of Picasso's sculpture and here is what was said about it. "Pablo Picasso's untitled sculpture was placed on Daley Plaza in 1967. While many Chicagoans initially scorned it as unintelligible modern art, it came to be a familiar icon of the city."

My family only spent an hour in this magnificent museum. I want to expose them to this but not bore them to tears. :) Anyway if you want to go inexpensively, go on Thursday evening. We all got in for FREE. The Art Institute has a sponsored evening by Target (love Target). The free hours are 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Happy Day everyone!

Heidi

Having fun with Decoupage!

Last night we went to Hobby Lobby and bought paper mache Easter eggs and Decoupage glue. My friend Ann showed me how to take napkins and glue them to eggs to get these cuties. We had such a nice time sitting around the table talking with our 7 year old twins. They loved this project! They didn't want to put the napkins on the eggs so they just painted their eggs.

These were the bigger sizes of eggs. I love the one on the left but I think they all turned out good.

Here are the napkins I bought. The two beverage size napkins were from the dollar store and the others were 40% off at JoAnn's.

More eggs! My Mom and Dad sat down and helped us so it was definitely a fun family project.

What Easter things do you like to do?

Happy Day to all!

What would you be?

If I were a month I’d be April

If I were a day I’d be Sunday

If I were a time of day I’d be morning

If I were a planet I’d be Earth

If I were a sea animal I’d be a dolphin

If I were a direction I’d be south

If I were a piece of furniture I’d be a outdoor lounger with comfy cushions

If I were a liquid I’d be green tea with pomegranate

If I were a gem I’d be a pearl

If I were a tree I’d be a lilac (I know this is a bush) ;)

If I were a tool I’d be a ion drill (these things are awesome!)

If I were a flower I’d be a day lily

If I were an element of weather I’d be sunshine

If I were a musical instrument I’d be a saxophone

If I were a color I'd be yellow

If I were an emotion I’d be happy

If I were a fruit I’d be a grapefruit

If I were a sound I’d be a happy tune

If I were an element I'd be water

If I were a car I’d be a Jaguar

If I were a food I’d be a cupcake

If I were a place I’d be an outdoor patio

If I were a material I'd be soft cotton

If I were a taste I’d be sweet

If I were a scent I’d be lavendar

If I were a body part I’d be hands

If I were a facial expression I'd be a smile

If I were a song I’d be jazzy

If I were a bird I'd be a bluebird

If I were a gift I'd be extravagant

If I were a street I'd be a street in St. Charles, Missouri

If I were a city I'd be Florence

If I were a door I'd be painted red

If I were a pair of shoes I’d be a pair of sandals

And what would you be?

(I found this here http://kingofmicestudios.blogspot.com/)

What I've been working on...

Inspiration hit me one morning. I bought a little pendant from the talented Danita of a mermaid and an octopus. What could be better than a friendly hug from an eight-armed creature? So I made this little cutie and wrote a little story about what it might be like to be a mermaid who finds herself making friends with an octopus. So if you could make friends with a creature what one would you choose?

What I want Today....

A walk in the park where I can see these beautiful flowers blooming...(not going to happen for a few months)
This book to read...(Border's paperback $14.99 Half.com hardback $6.09 includes shipping)
These adorable owl stamps...
The heart tree to stamp on the kids' valentines...
The Matroyshka doll stamps would be nice too...

Do you ever go window shopping with your camera? I do it all the time now. If I want to buy something I take a picture of it and if I still want it the next time I go shopping I buy it. It also helps if you want to try to find it cheaper online. This cuts down on the impulse shopping which leads to runs to the Goodwill and Salvation Army. What do you tell yourself when you are considering making a purchases? What do you want today?

Are you thinking ahead?

My friend called today to ask what I've been up to in the craft department. These are creations I made from wool sweaters that I felted. They are actually made with the scraps I had leftover from scarves. Here is the shop I saw on etsy that inspired me to make mine. Love the gray wool felt bowl with little felt hearts. The one with "LOVE" spelled out in beads also tops my list. Here is the link cosedolci.etsy.com .

I've been eyeing this sweet little couple now for quite some time. Most of you probably know this shop marmeecraft.etsy.com .

Today is my wonderful husband 's birthday. I wonder if he really knows how much I love him? He is so kind and generous to me everyday. I'm not talking diamond rings and Cadillacs generous but the kind that comes from something bigger than material goods.

Is there something you made that is Valentine's Day related? Do you have your eye on something?

Have a wonderful day!

~Heidi

My love for star shaped ornaments continues...

I found these in a shop in Iowa City, Iowa called Artisan Gallery. It is located downtown in the Old Capitol pedestrian mall. My parents and I went there last Tuesday to go out for a nice lunch to celebrate Dad's birthday. It was bone chilling cold but we really wanted to get out of the house. The stars and snowflake ornaments are two-sided and are so nicely done. they are made by Des Moines based business Sticks. This is a link to their website http://www.sticks.com/installations.html. If you go to their website and look at past work they installed in libraries, campuses, and hospitals you will be amazed at their wonderful creations!
I love this mirror! I unfortunately don't have the funds to buy it but I'll put it on my wish list. :)
What wonderful messages for all of us and I love the seemingly simple artwork.
And if you happen to go to Iowa City check out New Pioneer Coop. It has lots of organic foods and I loved their hot case. I didn't eat the maple pork loin because we were going out for lunch at a restaurant but I thought it looked delicious. I can testify that the Broccoli Swiss and Mushroom soups they let me sample were delicious! Next time I find myself in Iowa City on a warmer day, I'm going to grab a cup of soup, some of their freshly baked bread, have a little picnic and watch the world go by. You may wonder why I would take pictures of a hot case. My husband manages a deli style kitchen and I like to give him unsolicited advice. :)



Hope you are all staying warm!



~Heidi

More Art for the Art Project

This year for the Muscatine Art Center Mosaic Project I brought home nine canvasses to distribute among my family. I had a leftover canvas and did this angel. It is reminiscent of the russian iconic angels.

And this was my hubby's attempt. Can you tell who he'll be rooting for in this year's Orange Bowl? I was so impressed with his ability. He hasn't done anything like this since he was in school.

The sales from these little works of art go directly to the Art Center. It is a blind buy so for $20 you take a chance. I love going to the artists' reception so you can put a face with the beautiful works of art. It just is so much fun to do these together as a family. My Dad has also done a couple and I will post them soon.

Hope you all have a beatiful day and that it is warmer where you are than it is here in frigid Iowa!

Donating These to the Local Art Center and More Stars

This is a painting I did for the local art center. My family and I took part last year and had so much fun seeing what each other dreamed up, we had to do it again! This needs a title. What do you think? I was trying to paint a loving couple holding the "key" to each other's heart. I'm up for suggestions. :)

So last year my sister did two so I thought I should try to do two this year. It is abstract and not what I normally paint but I was trying to branch out a bit. This also needs a title. My young niece and I call this "Shark Bubbles" but again I need suggestions.

Do stars on your Christmas tree make you happy? I don't know why I like stars on my Christmas tree so much but I have at least 5 star ornies!

Here is a Santa quilted star ornie. He's been around for several years now but I still think he is great. What's also great is that it is an "unbreakable" ornie for a house with three growing boys and a Christmas-tree-climbing-kitty.

This is my newest star ornie I won from one of Jane Says giveaways. It was made by Wordz of life from an old quilt. I just love it!

What about you? What tops your list of favorite ornaments?

Happy Friday to you!

~Heidi

My giveaway winner is...

Heather form Audrey Eclectic. You have won a hand made star from me! Your fair and non partial judge is my oldest son. He reached in the little blue bowl and picked your number! I wish I had eleven stars so I could give one to everyone who entered. Thanks for playing along.
Here is the kitty in the Christmas tree. Jasper LOVES having the tree put up. He is getting lots of exercise! Well I must be getting the boys off to school after back to back snow days!

Wishing you all a beautiful day!

~Heidi

A feel good story

Wow! It is really snowing around here today. It is sooo beautiful! It really puts me in the Christmas mood. To put you all in the christmas mood I thought I would show you one of my creations. I made this mousie from a red wool felted sweater and embroidered "laugh" on a strip of osnaburg. He then got a rusty jingle bell and safety pin to keep his warm blanket around him. I couldn't take a picture of him on my tree yet. I think we are going to be in for a snow day tomorrow so I'm going to have the boys help me do that.

Here is another picture of the stars I made for my show. Be sure to leave me a comment on either this post or my last for your chance to win one. I'll pick a winner this Friday.

So I got an email last night from a friend of mine who informed me there are 10 kids who are coming to school without a winter coat. One of the boys is coming in a coat too small to zip up and some are coming wrapped in blankets. This is a school in a poor section of my hometown and just happens to be the same elementary school my Mom attended. I passed the email along to my parents and several of my hometown friends. My Dad took up a collection from his breakfast group this morning. He asked his friends to chip in a $. Some did more and one sweet man (this man lost his only son as a child) was heading out to a department store to buy a new coat. Well my parents took the money that Dad had rasied and went to the local Salvation Army thrift store. My Mom picked out two nice, heavy winter coats, two pairs of snowpants, and some hats and gloves. The workers at the Salvation Army gave them everything for a mere $7. They still had leftover money from the collection and were at last report on their way to the Goodwill to see what else they could find. I love to hear of people knowing of a need and doing something about it.

~Blessings

Heidi

Giveaway is now closed. Thanks for all the nice comments!

Our Open House and a giveaway!

Wow! What a great open house we had at Ann's! On this table we had stuff from Dee Miller. The snowman on "ice block" and the snowman in the carrier didn't last long on the first day of our two day open house! My pictures don't do them justice.

I made up some of my new favorite things to make. I take wool sweaters and do everything your mom told you not to do. Wash in hot and then throw them in the dryer. They become "felted" and when you cut them they don't unravel. Warning note some of the sweaters get very thick and hard to sew through. Ann found this out when she tried to sew through a pink GAP cable knit that had become very thick. She broke two needles before I told her my secret to increase her stitch length. Hee hee! And by the way all four of these scarves found new homes.

This is Ann's dining room table laden down with handmade ornaments, lighted home decor, and lots of baked goods homemade from scratch from my friend Nicole. Her coconut macaroons were a big hit! She made them like merengues and added just the right amount of coconut. Delicious!
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This doesn't show up very well in my picture but it is ADORABLE! Ann made this winter arrangement by taking an old kitchen chair, spray painting it red, added the greenery, lights and an old pair of ice skates. She then give it a generous dusting of mica flakes. This was my favorite item of the show.

This is one of Ann's wool felt ornaments. She does such beautiful quality work. I think she had $12 on this cutie.

Now on to the giveaway! This is my 50th post and so many of you have been so generous with your giveaways (I've even won a few of them) so I figure its my turn! I will be offering one of my painted stars to one of you. http://heidi-heidisjournal.blogspot.com/2009/12/jackson-santa-and-snowman-2009-and-my.htmlWhat do you have to do to have a chance to win?
Just leave me a comment! That's it. Easy peasy! Thanks to all of you who have left me a comment in the past, I get so excited when I know someone out there likes something I did! Happy day to you!

~Heidi



Giveaway is now closed.

Chocolate covered rice crispy pops

Just had to share with you my husband's contribution to tomorrow's open house. These are chocolate covered handmade rice crispy treats with Christmas sprinkles. I need these to be out of my house! They are too yummy!