Labor Day fun 2018

BF John and I left for Dandridge, Tennessee, early (like 3 a.m. Central early!) on Thursday night to spend a long weekend with my brother and family for Labor Day weekend. What fun! And … I managed to be productive and start two step stools that have been on order since the Art in the Garden show in June. (Yes. I’m slow when not given a deadline – something I know I need to work on.) I’ll post pictures of those in the near future. Meanwhile, check out the gorgeous Douglas Lake we enjoyed and a couple pictures of the silly and courageous John and Bill (brother – left)!

 

Merry Christmas my Buddhist friend

This was my project to finish this weekend. Success! Delivered to my friend Hiede Saturday as a Christmas-non-Christmas gift. The model in the painting is Lilly my dog friend who lives with Hiede and her family. (I don’t have many dog friends… a good thing because Archie does NOT appreciate it!)

Merry Christmas!  Season’s Greetings!  Happy Holidays!

Cheers

jen (by jennifer)

Thought for the Day

In the winter, the trees do not search for a warmer place to be. 

They continue to experience life right where they are.

Happy Friday all!

Make it a great weekend…

jen (by jennifer)

Day 9: You Only Get One (1!) Chance at This

Before I move on, I should mention that the flower buckets from yesterday’s post are 15″ tall by 7.5″ diameter at the top.  I will ship to you. You pay postage.  I take PayPal or you can send a check in advance.  Or we can meet depending on your proximity.  I’m flexible. Now on to the GOOD stuff – Day 9!

This is truly a one of a kind find – an old wooden tool box.  Thanks Mom!  She spotted this a few years ago when we were out on an adventure and bought it for me with full faith that I could do something with it.   It was already distressed with white paint. What I found as I continued to work on it was that clearly one side is “noon” and the other is “some time around dusk.”

Ready for work at noon on a beautiful day

 

Work is almost over

SO many options

I see this in so many ways. On a big island in a kitchen with cookbooks and utensils, in a living room full of magazines or rolled blankets, on a porch with potted plants … what do you think?!

This, I don’t want to ship unless I have to because it’s heavy and I don’t want you to pay for that, but hey –  I can see why you would.  I love this.

Day 9 down friends – see you tomorrow.

jen

Hello! It’s been a while …

Checking in to let you know that we are still out here doing our thing and all is well.  Can’t believe it’s already the end of October!  Grrrrr.  Been super busy at work and it’s making it difficult to stop and look at the beautiful colors of the changing leaves (that have almost all fallen – eek!) Hope all is well with everyone.  See you back here soon with something more interesting to post …

Have a great day all!

jen (by jennifer) and the Arch too

Happy Mothers Day!

This picture reminds me of my Grandma A.  It also represents quite a few other women who have impacted my life.  The brush belonged to my Great Grandma Krueger, the peonies remind me of Grandma A, the old purse and glasses are from my Grama Z, and the fact that I put these things together on the top of my dresser comes from learning to decorate creatively with things that having meaning to me from living and learning from my mom.

Happy Mothers Day to all the great women in my life (then and now).  If you are reading this, you are likely included.

love, jen

Nationwide… or almost

Hello again!  I haven’t posted since before the show at the Growing Place.  And the last promise I made (was it a promise? – oops) was that I was going to post a picture of the dresser I was taking – my big piece.  Well, here she is.

 

 

You’d think I would have learned by now to take pictures with my good camera as I paint things, but I guess it’s a Jen thing.  These are from my iPhone just before I packed her up and delivered her to a  nice doctor in Naperville who was going to transport her to a rental cabin in north Wisconsin.  I was so excited!  Earlier in the day a lady bought the large white watering can to send to Arizona, and last year the little black stool was heading out east.  I may not be taking the nation by storm, but there are “jens” out there!

Hope you all and your flowers survived the heat.  I think we might get a slight break here in Chicagoland for the next few days.

Be well.  Peace and sunshine.

jen (by jennifer)

A Chair Here and a Chair There

I like to have a chair in my dressing room and one in the kitchen and one next to my dresser in my bedroom and I have one in my living room…  I’m starting to wonder – oh and in my office.  I guess I like chairs.  They are a great catch-all.  That’s probably it.  Makes me feel like I’m not being messy if everything is piled on a chair.  So why not make it a good-looking one?  Like this –

Ironically  my purse matches the seat almost perfectly.  Anyway, this is a piece I got from a resale shop that donates their proceeds to cancer.  I donated a couple other painted items they thought they could sell and they gave me this interesting chair.  It’s been repainted and has a new seat, but it still carries a good caring vibe.  Funny how stuff can do that.

Happy Thursday folks.  Technically I guess I missed my feature for yesterday, so I’ll do another later.

Have a great day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her Favorite Color Was Pink

I’ve always liked the word fortunate rather than lucky.  I’ve also been a fanatic for grammar and spelling.  Sure as I say that I’ll have someone comment on my posts that I have spelled or punctuated something incorrectly.  Oh well. 

When I was about 23 I started writing a book.  I often think when I finally open my shop and I have to be close by in case I get a customer that I will finish writing For Life.  But fortunate as I am, when I do I will have a very cherished note from my Grandma A. by my side.  Being the avid reader that she was before her sight started going, when I decided I would send the only hard copy draft of what I had written so far to someone to weigh in, it was her.  Many people would have either skimmed it at best or read it and responded with the obligatory “That’s wonderful, honey,” but not my Grandma.  She responded in detail about what she liked and what she would like more of.  What a great lady. 

I forget if I told the story of finding my book again, but the first couple lines start, “It was an unusually cool day for July.  The wind whipped through the trees and across the field into the window of their living room…”  I found the packet I’d been looking for a few years ago when it was just that. 

I don’t really feel like taking the time to try to express how I feel about my relationship with my Grandma A., but I can tell you I am a better person for having her in my life in so many ways.  It was a very different relationship than the one I had with GZ but no less special or impactful on the person I am today.  I am fortunate.  Very fortunate.

I have more cards and notes and memories of my “Grandma Jane” than anyone would probably guess.  And as she would have always said to me…

Bless You.  The world became a better place the day you came into it.

Love

Jennifer

Mother’s Day – Early or Late?

Good morning.  The stool is ready to be delivered to mom.  Will do that in a little bit.  Now to pick the next project.  I have a large white watering can I started… but I also want to put a coat of paint on the window that was going to be a pot rack but is now going to be the holder for stained glass fireflies in my shop…  I guess I can do both!  So the picture…  Archie is sitting on his favorite chair by the windows on the east side of the shop.  The unpainted frame and little mirror are recent acquisitions from GZ.  And the mirror has been in my dressing room but I had to finally tear it away to prep it for sale in the shop.  I miss it in there, but hey…  Oh and you can see the flowers on the floor reflected in it.  And a little bitty bit of the leg of another old ironing board waiting to be revived.  Guess I should get out of my jammies and get going.  Have a great day!  

R.I.P. GZ

Although cryptic, my last post was inspired by a visit to my Grama Zimmerman (GZ) in the nursing home.  I never thought I would be sitting next to her holding her frail hand and answering questions to help her sort out how long she’d been there and assuring her that family was around her and that she had been visited regularly.  It was very sad.  But I was able to make her laugh a couple of times and she said she felt better after talking with me.  I’ll leave the other details of the day out for the sake of brevity and staying on topic.  What it really comes down to is it was time for her to let go and move on.  And she did.  Thursday morning after a visit from my mom.  So, now there are two.  This is a picture from about three years ago at her ninety-third birthday get together at my brother Bob’s house.

Hazel Marie Zimmerman, Janet Marie Zimmerman (Anderson), Jennifer Marie Anderson

So today we will have a private service and lay her to rest.  I’m certain she is already much happier than she has been in a long time, reunited with my Grampa and my brother.  For that I am happy.

I spent a lot of time with G and G Z when I was growing up.  And when I stayed with them there was always a project to do.  Often it was painting something.  So this morning until the time I have to clean up to go to the service, that is what I will do.  Already I can smell the varnish from the other room.  I put a coat on a project I’m finishing for my mom that is her Mother’s Day gift from last year.  Figured I better do it before May rolls around again.  I get the feeling even if I live to 96 in good health as she did, there will still not be enough time to do all that I will want to.

Peace and love GZ –

“Jenny-re”

You just Never know

If you know me at all, you know I can rationalize anything.  You also know I believe everything happens for a reason. 

I am extremely grateful to be from a family of creative individuals.

Tell someone today that you learned something from them.  Doesn’t matter whether it was positive or negative.