Chick flicks - coming to an imax near you.

{What a chick flick lovin', bad ass biker looks like}

A conversation with my husband:

Setting: A commercial for a stupid sounding movie coming out soon is on TV. "...Coming soon to Imax!"

Me: Gee, you wanna see that on Imax? (sarcasm)
Gene: I want to see "Battleship" on Imax!
Me: *long pause*  Yeah, do you care if I don't go?
Gene: Not if you care if I go alone.
Me: Hell, I don't care if you go with a *DATE*.
Gene: How many chick flicks have I seen in the theatre?
Me: oh. my. god.  I have seen "War of the Worlds" like 5 times and I HATE THAT MOVIE.
Gene: How many chick flicks have I had to sit through?
Me: YOU HAVE "HITCH" RECORDED ON DVR!!
Gene: For *you*.  You watched it just the other day.
Me: With you.  And you recorded it.  Not me.
Gene: I taped it for you.
Me: Oh please, you watch it without me!
Gene: YOU HAVE NO PROOF OF THAT!

FYI: there were parts of Hitch that I had never seen, but somehow Gene had.  What's up with that?

I rest my case!

burn baby burn

Gene and I seem to be the King and Queen of doing projects backwards.

You know, finding the cool thing for the finished project, before even measuring to see if it will actually work.  So far I've made everything eventually work, and only lost thousands of hours of re-design time. LOL.

However, I've found that by doing it this way, I've saved myself thousands of dollars.  First, we get an idea of what we'd like to do.  Then we just put it "out into the universe" (some people might call them prayers and positive thoughts) and voila!  The perfect thing just falls into our lap.  Sometimes it takes a few days.  Sometimes it takes a couple years. 

I'm terribly patient when it comes to saving money.

It's also a good way to put off a project.

This is how the mantel came into play.

Not long after we moved into this house (it's been almost 5 years now!!!) we decided that we would extend the roofline on the front of the house and build a ranch style deck. 

Lofty dreams.

Until a storm came along last August that nearly blew us off the face of the planet and nearly destroyed are almost brand new roof.

If we're going to have to replace the roof, we really need to extend it at the same time.

If we're going to extend the roof, we really need to build the deck obviously.

If we're going to build the deck, then we should move the front door like we planned so that the steps and the door match up.

If we move the front door like we planned then the living room arrangement completely has to change.

If the living room placement has to change, then we'll finally have room for that fireplace mantel we've been wanting.

Oh look!  A vintage fireplace mantel made of solid oak.  Beautiful, full of character, the perfect size.... and about 75% cheaper than everything else we've looked at.

Let's buy it!

Wait, we don't have the gas run to that area so that we can get it hooked up!  We really don't have the living room rearranged.  Err... we really don't have enough time right now.

Meh.  Let's buy it anyway.

And that my friends, is how I have a mantel with no fireplace with my Cindy Crawford chair in front of it.

*blink*

Just *one more* project to do.  You know, because I have hardly any to do now right?

I'm thinking the easiest thing to do is to paint a fake fire on the wall. 

Am I right?

anyone?

hello?

Workshop report

I made it to my workshop and back! I learned so much - if you would like to see more photos I took while I was there, you can go here.

My life by Bullet Points

• As stated in my last post, I've been sick.  A basic cold that will NOT GO AWAY.  srsly annoying. It involves coughing fits at 3 a.m.   I don't feel bad about it though because Gene gave it to me by coughing directly into my face at 3 a.m. a couple weeks ago.  I hope I'm a carrier.
  
• My sock obsession has gotten worse.  I think it's my wubby now.  I carry it to the bathroom in the middle of the night so I don't lose it.  If it falls off in the middle of the night, I will search for it until I find it.  Sometimes I stick it under my pillow or hold it in my hand while I sleep. I'm going on a trip tomorrow and I think my wubby sock is going with me so I can sleep.
  
• Like I said, I'm going on a trip tomorrow to Des Moines.  I'll be taking a workshop from the ever so wonderful, Fer Juaristi. He's flying in from Mexico just to teach us lil' ol' mid-westerners.  I'll be rooming with a Wisconsonite, Jamie Swanson who is also the author of The Modern Tog.  I'll be swimming in the pool of awesomeness, rubbing elbows, I swear man.  Hope they don't figure out I'm a poser.
  
• Yesterday was the anniversary of the day Gene and I met.  I can remember this only because it's tax day.  I was going to take him to Chicago for a surprise trip - but life is sending us on other paths this year.  We celebrated by going to Orscheln's and buying chicken wire.  I love that guy.
  
• Tanner is in Florida.  Actually, he's probably on the bus on the way back from Florida right now. His marching band raised money for a couple years so they could go down there and march in a parade through Disney.  Yes I'm jealous, did you notice?  Kid... you better be bringing me back some photos or you're grounded.
  
• I've declared next weekend "Ground Breaking Day" for the deck/addition on the front of the house.  We'll be mapping out where the deck will be, where the posts will go, how to attach the ledger board.  This is my second deck ever, color me nervous.
  
• Next weekend we will also gain a new member of the house.... a nearly "brand new" 1983 Ford LTD.  It was Gene's grandma's and has been stored at his parent's house for 10 years.  They are ready to get it out of their garage.  Gene will be using it as a back up work car since el Diablo has 260,000 miles on it.
  
• I have to clean today, and pack, and go to the post office, and the bank, and the nail salon, and take a shower and cough - a lot.  Someone hold me.

Now aren't you happy you asked me how I was doing?

Pretty pictures

I've been kinda busy, despite being sick as a dog. (Poor dogs, why are they always so sick?)  I've been playing catch up with my posting of photos over on Cease Fire Studios blog.  Stop by and see how purdy these people are.

Betsy and Scott

Briella's Family

Calee and Charles

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

This is it.

This is my dream studio.

A couple days ago, Gene and I went down to nose around our neighbor's house.  He's building a garage there and when the wind is just right, we can hear him cussing over a quarter mile away.

That takes some serious skill.

We loved his set up, and was asking him lots of personal questions like, "How much will this cost?" and "How much concrete is in there?" and "That mole on your arm looks kind of suspicious. Want my dermatologists number?"

He was really helpful and gave us his catalog where he bought his building kit from.  Later I was looking at it, and when I saw the little barn, I literally gasp.

"This is it!"

"It is?" said Gene.

"Yep.  That's it."

Every time I think about a studio, a barn keeps popping into my head.  I just keep thinking "gee I wish I had a barn" but stupid me had never put 2 and 2 together to actually BUILD ONE.  It fits my brand perfectly (the chickens will look right at home).

Those doors will be on the other end of the building where the garage will be.  This end, the doors will be replaced with some huge windows for my (mostly) natural light studio.  North windows baby, all the way.

Inside, you'll have off the the right, the "kitchen" when you first walk in the door.  Don't get too excited, it really won't be much of a kitchen when we first get it going.  Just a hole for a kitchen.  There'll be a cute little bathroom complete with shower.  Then a staircase.

A staircase to what?

Only the upstairs shooting space/music room.

Oh yessir.  Gene has been dreaming of a music room for years.  I've been dreaming of his musical instruments not being in my house for years.

We have a symbiotic relationship.

Outside will be an outdoor studio space.  Fun props, lots of tall grasses.  Flowers (if the chickens will let them live), benches, chairs, etc to sit on and for the chickens to poop on.

It will be awesome.  Don't expect perfection the first year out.  My goal is just to get a hole that I can shoot in through the winter.  It might have bare concrete floors.  It might not have a workable bathroom (eek!) but it will be MINE!

Someday, if we ever decide to move - and that's a big if right now - it will be a wonderful space that someone else can put their kid into, or their mother-in-law.  My property value just went up $30k.

Alright, if everyone that reads this will chip in $1.00 toward the studio, I'll have $7.00!

Who's with me!?

I can't hear you!

I think this hyacinth might be trying to tell me something.
"Go.... THERE."

"NOW!"

Embrace the dandelion

I've never been one that felt the need to fight the common dandelion.   Sure, yards without them are pretty, very lush and green, but I don't have a deep seated desire for my yard to be a perfected golf course green.

I figure it's all in your attitude.  If you think in your mind that dandelions are a blight, then they will be.  Instead, I choose to think of dandelions as bright and cheerful. A tiny bright spot in a bumble bee's day.

This saves me a fortune on weed killers.  After all, I have chickens that roam my yard fertilizing the dandelions all day long.  Don't want any poisonous eggs.

This is my lowly house.  Nothing exciting at all to show, so I just haven't.  I don't think I have anyway.  All the excitement of remodelling and updating has been on the inside.  We lived by the philosophy that we wanted to enjoy all the hard work ourselves, instead of worrying about everyone that drives by enjoying it.

However, this spring/summer there will be several big changes going on here.  The entire front of the house will look completely different. Different roofline, outdoor living space, landscaping, etc.

Except for the dandelions, those of course, will always be there.

I heard a rumor that....

Spring has arrived.

We're all just a little excited about it.

I love you more.. no I love YOU MORE

Gene and I have a conversation we have on a regular basis.  One of us says "I love you" and the other says "How much".  The 'I love you'-er has to think of some ridiculous way they love the other.

Today at lunch:

Gene: I love you.

Lana: How much?

Gene: Sighs.  If there was a train, that was full of love, that's how much I'd love you.

Lana: If you took all the trains in the world, emptied them of their coal and nuclear waste, and filled them with love, it wouldn't even be a third as much as I love you.

Gene: WELL THAT'S BULLSH!T!!

{Insert warm and fuzzy feelings here}