Home is Where the Heart Is

Tomorrows holiday inspired me to take some snaps of any hearts I could find.  I guess "Home is Where the Heart Is"!  So many of the hearts that I found are embedded in homemade things from friends and family making them all the more special.  Not sure what we are going to do to celebrate the holiday as a big snowstorm is supposedly bearing down on our region and expected to begin any minute.   We are thinking that an outing on Saturday of some sort with a nice meal and maybe a little shopping or a movie will do. I say supposedly to the snowstorm because unlike much of the country, we have really not had a lot of snow as of yet.  Plenty of winter, but not a lot of snow.  Presently I would say we have about 6 inches or so and that arrived just a week or so ago.  Uncharacteristic for Vermont, but it seems uncharacteristic is more and more becoming the norm.  Our son is living in Myrtle Beach, SC and recently they experienced a complete shutdown due to snow and ice!  Rare for them.  Without all of the equipment, manpower and know how to deal with such weather, things just shut down!  Being the good old fashioned Vermonter that he is, he could not believe he was told not to go in to work for three days! 

So February has hit me with a vengeance this year.  Until recently, winter just never really bothered me.  Don't get me wrong, not a fan of anything north of zero degrees, but otherwise I have always liked winter.  Love the wood stove cranking, snow on the ground,  and even early darkness!  But...I have noticed a change, my hankering for Spring comes earlier and earlier every year and I am hankering, big time.  I am very thankful however that everyday I wake up, I just have to walk the few steps to my craftroom/job and do not have to put on the layers, go out start the car, scrape the windows, etc, etc.  Truly thankful!

Winter shelties

Had to show this picture of Bunker and Divot.  Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, they are generally right there with me.  Divot (nearest the window) picks the spot and then Bunker cozy's up to him.  They are half brothers and pretty much inseparable due in large part to Bunker.  Divot likes his space and independence, but Bunker will have no part of that.  Most of the time Divot goes along though like a good older brother should.  One thing about February though....being cooped up does lend itself to getting things done around the house and work wise.  Have already dove into making some Santan's, tree sets and snowmen, have restocked my depleted stash of supplies and have done alot of sketches for new ideas. Very inspired for this new year of shows and happenings.

Just some of my new supply booty

Snow Angels

Love these and have big plans for them!

  A little bit of a spring cleaning urge hit me last week.  What started out as just a small rearrange turned into a major undertaking.  Things were culled, cleaned, moved, and moved again.  Quite happy with the way things turned out in the long run, but see a few new bare spots after the cull so feel an antiques and uniques shop might be needed.  I go between wanting to declutter right back to reclutter it seems!  With the creating, cleaning and planning throw in ALOT of basketball.  If we are not at a game watching our son, we are watching it on TV.  After the trip to see Syracuse in mid January, we have become big fans.   Just last night we hosted the whole high school team for a pasta party.  Wow those teenage boys can eat!  Love to cook for hearty eaters!

 So today I am breaking out the sketchbook again and going to work on an idea I have for some  everyday decor items from paper clay and mache.  Think primitive and vintage inspired.

So in closing, thought I would show you how I am greeted every morning and every time I return home from being out.  This is Maya's "Hello, so happy to see you, here have a shoe".   She is just so happy to see us she has to bring us something, anything.....could be a dirty sock, her frisbee, an old rawhide chew, but most often it is a shoe.  If you don't acknowledge her gift quickly enough she will then give this low guttural "conversation" until you do acknowledge.  I love that pooch!  She cracks us up all of the time, is VERY high energy and keeps things interesting around here!

Stay warm and think spring!

Until next time........................