wow! what a crowd!

Okay i know it has been a while again...but hey! entertaining 19 people for Thanksgiving is a chore and a half...i am happy to report that I did survive! My dad and Stepmom Carol arrived last Friday and are here until tomorrow....Last week added to the mix tuesday and Weds 3 am was my mom, Russ(her boyfriends...and i got the hugest kick out of the fact that Jon kept calling him hustle instead of Russell..kids are so cute)..also Michael, Dominique my new SIl that i got to meet for the first time, baby Kai my 4 month old nephew and Dominques 2 older children Sasha and Sophia. then Weds My oldest brother Stephan, my big kids and their 2 roommates..a total of 19. Thanks giving dinner was a huge hit...after 4 hours of cooking with help from a few I was able to feed the masses! Seems like every one enjoyed themselves and complimented the chef. during preparations we enjoyed beautiful violin music played by Russ...what a perfect touch to the day!

dinner being consumed

all of the family! i like the top view better..but this is cute too!~
so not much art has happened, I am behind on a few things including my book for our dark RR...i tried working on that but no time..until today..but i had to get something else out of my system...keep going it is at the bottom of this post...but I managed to get a few things done..like putting my holiday charms from my swap that i got out right before the family arrived...I added them to an existing necklace i had madeand I was able to consildate all of my charms to one necklace and a bracelet...just hope i don't topple when i wear them

Carol and I made a trip to my favorite antique store...i scored big time...i found tons and tons and tons of vintage lace for dirt cheapand a load of hand crocheted doiliesvintage buttons and sewing notions
these really cool butterfly pins and vintage hats...here is one out of the 8 that i bought...I actually went back and bought them a couple of days later.....i couldn't stop thinking about them...they inspired my therapy project!

My family started to leave, Stephan friday morning, Michael et al Saturday morning, mom and Russ visited his sister for the day Saturday...and Carol and I came up to play in my studio for the day yesterday and today!! I found that Carol makes the most incredible studio mate...she had so much fun making her own things....oh i have to go sneak some pics before she claims her projects...but inspired by the vintage hats I bought, i created a paper top hat...collaged papers with all sorts of fun embellishments including an onion bag for the netting, telephone wire, antique lace and wired ribbon! I had to add some humorous words..after I realized that the technique worked, but i messed up royally....so I went with it..and added more collage images....I had sewn the houses upside down..ha ha..so i just addded some right side up ones on top!

the school images was added as a symbolic image representing the fact that this was a learning project...and some sayings about humor and attitude to indicate the humor in the whole project..what fun it was!
so in closing..I hope that everyone that reads my blog enjoyed their holiday...and hope that i did not bore you to tears..and off to go visit a bit more with Dad and Carol

xoxox

ketchup everywhere....

okay catching up on the misc stuff that has happened the past week and also a couple of Halloween pics. Last week was so crammed with stuff I had to use this week's quota of room to write in every thing..conferences Monday, swim practice 3 evenings, had to make this cake for cubscouts auction weds, cleaned the house in between and finished by thursday.continue down for my grand tour of my very clean house....and no it does not stay that way...i do like to do artwork once in a while...oh and tuesday afternoon I went to the restaurant we are having catering our Christmas dinner for Art's office...and so thursday I treated myself to lunch when i finished the house!!!

the boys for Halloween...Jonathon as Darth Vader, Turn as a knight...because he wanted the weapons..rofl..and Ty as the grim reaper or whatever it was.... Salina as a penguin...
oh I forgot our new addition....the rat.... I don't know what her name is...something weird and I can't remember it...

this is the pile from cleaning for 5 days straight...I was on my way for a treat at the BiCi Bistro...yumyum!! I think it has the best food in our humble little city...I will visit there frequently!~

Isn't their sign awesome! BiCi means bicycle in Italian, the whole restaurant is themed with bikes and bike racing..very cozy and a fun atmosphere~

and on my way out I had to make a quick visit to the ladies room..this is the view from the toilet...i love it!okay my hands are going to fall off...please continue below and tour my home.....I have pics of Dad and Carol from the trip back from the Dtroit Metro aiport but I have had enough blogging for the moment..I also am going to take pictures of my AWESOME load of goodies from Carol and my trip to the antique store yesterday...wow! what treasures~...more later!

xoxox

angela

home tour...

Welcome to my home! for years I have wanted to do a complete(well almost) tour of my home!!! and since we have company here, with more coming for Thanksgiving and the house is as clean as it ever has been, I had decided to create a photo tour of my home! Our home is almost 6000 sq ft, the main living area is the downstairs areas and the upstairs is occupied my art studio and my hubby Art's home theater...I did not take pics of either but will provide links to each in the appropriate parts of the tour! Please feel welcome and i hope i don't bore you to tears with my tour! Our front foyer when you walk in the door. The stairs in the back go up to my studio..you can tour that here, It is a page of before and afters of a complete clean out this past spring....it isn't as clean as the after pics..but isn't nearly as bad as the before...when you turn to the left this is what you see....and then turn to the right to the interior parts to the home...my kitchen:

and a tiny seating area further to the right my living room
the hallway beyond the living room

right before you go through the hallway is the french dor out to the patio and to our brand new deck and hot tub..YAY!!! it was just completed this past week~through the hallway and to the left is the master bedroom...i can't remember when it was last this clean...I had just hung the pieces above my bed and over the fire placethe masterbath..nothing to exciting
in the hallway to the right: our Rec room...i also call it the pool table room...Art laughs at me..through that door is the messy garage...we had this room remodeled afew years ago...like the rest of the house. The house started out with 2000 sq feet and we have added and added....perpetual construction ...ugh! back through the hallway and turn to the left...the Living Room..we spend most of our time herea view to the rest of the main areai love my kitchen!~
this does not include my art magazines and huge collection of books usptairs
one of my paintings from a while back..through that tiny hallway is Art's office, tyrus room and the "boys bathroom"
Tyrus has a love for space....so i painted a planet scene of our solar system with the sun being the center light fixture! He still needs his curtains put up~

a little view of Art's office..it is so cozy in there~

the "boys bathroom"

this is the back hallway....go through the kitchen past the table...see above

a view from the right end of the hallway...3 bedrooms along the right, the laundry closet to the left..ha! no laundry in the hallway today! and the pantry down on the left...oops..I forgot to close the door!
behind me when taking the previous pictures, Salina's bathroom...the cleanest in a year or more...and notice dad's "oh shit!"bar as Stephanie calls them...that had me rolling~The builder put one inside and outside so dad could shower safely~


the first bedroom from the bathroom...of course...Salina's adorable room. I redecorated it for her for her 16th birthday last January!I am so proud of the stripes~ It is a kind of neaveau victorian New Orleans sort of look..lolthen Jonathon's room....It was Salina's old room with her old mural...after i redo Turners poor room Jon'swill be next..but for a 5 year old it is happy...he hasn't whined about the mermaid yet..rofl~Turners room, it seems so grubby and he has stickers all over everything and his blind is beyond needing replaced..I plan on doing this after the holidays. I am going to paint a city scape with robots along the top!the pantry!..yum lots of food!and last but not least..the stairs that leads to Art's home theater that you can tour here