Holiday Travel Park: December 2010

Wanda and 2011

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

Wanda didn't stay at the shop for long. We picked her up about 24 hours after we had dropped her off. I'm happy with Gregory Poole. When they did the brake recall work a few weeks ago, I got the impression that they were a professional organization. Remember that noise in the right front wheel? Well John took her for a couple of test drives and determined that "the wheel simulator needed to be repositioned." Translation..."the hubcap was put on wrong." No charge for that, and the charge for the oil change was reasonable. If we're still in the area next year, I'll go back to them for service.

I never have understood why people celebrate so much on New Year's Eve. I know it's a time of retrospection and anticipation, but what does that have to do with over-indulging? I like a nice quiet welcome of the New Year myself. Other than starting this blog and solidifying our full-timing plans at the RV-Dreams Rally last April, 2010 doesn't seem that eventful. We have taken a few baby steps towards that goal but 2011 should be a really big year if all goes as planned. After the rally this coming April, We'll sell the waverunners, Miata, furniture, and have a couple more yard sales. The rest will be donated or thrown away. We hope to do all this by July. The house will go on the market in May or June after it gets cleaned up a bit. The biggest event planned for us in 2011 is my retirement on August 1. Shortly thereafter, we'll hit the road and hope the house sells soon so we can put some miles under our belts.

I guess when I think about it, we do have some reasons to celebrate. It'll just be a quiet "Happy New Year" and early to bed. I have to get up at 4:00am to get ready for another day at work. Let me take this time to wish everyone a Safe and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Here we are at the dawn of a new year. Christmas is over, but me and Aaron always keep our tree up for at least a few days into the new year. I was sorta under the impression that everybody did this but as I visit blogs I'm noticing a Tannenbaum exodus. A whole lot of peeps are eager to be out with the old and in with the new. And good for them, really...but I just need to hold on a little bit longer.

For the past umpteen years me and Aar have been splitting our holidays between two homes and it's a great thing that our parents live within a mile of each other. Because I've got my little bro's we always start the day at my parents...kids aint gonna wait til the afternoon to open gifts! And even though the little guys are now big guys, we still keep the schedule the same. The day was great and it was hilarious in the evening when my littlest bro Walt, came over Aaron's parents house and introduced his girlfriend to everyone. "Hey Skip, Merry Christmas...this is my girl Ashley!" he says to Aaron's dad as he enters. It really was a crack up, especially thinking that this twenty year old guy met Aaron's parents when he was just two years old! I've got some photos here from the day...if you scroll your mouse over the pics captions will pop up. There are ornaments on Aaron's parent's tree that have been in the family for over fifty years. You'll also see a pic of a house in there that is straight out of "Christmas Vacation". Every year they add more and trust me, the pic Does Not do it justice. As I look at that pic now, of all those lawn decorations...I wonder how they'd survive in a blizzard...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

It seemed like Christmas came without any warning...we woke up and it was here. And the same goes for the blizzard that absolutely brought life to a skidding halt here in New Jersey. On Sunday we were just getting our post Christmas legs moving, only to discover that all those errands would just have to wait a few days. By nightfall on the 26th me and Aaron looked out our window and all we could see was the rooftop of our car! Luckily we had some food in the cupboard because the road plows didn't come around til mid-day on Wednesday! Our little chihuahuas, Carlos & Jack, were perplexed at the sight of 3 feet of snow...they had no idea how to conduct their outdoor doggy business...poor pups. Aar had to shovel a tiny patch of grass for them to walk circles upon. No Fun...and I don't think too many people thought the snow was all that fun. There are abandoned cars all over the highway...Aar saw one with it's window rolled all the way down and a three foot snow drift inside! I'm kinda done with the snow already...it's not postcard-esque when your garbage isn't getting trucked away for a week.

Yeah, I sound like Debby Downer...I'm usually really psyched about snow but I think the holiday made us all so unprepared for it. So on to the New Year. As an artist it's always been a serious time for me. It's time for a re-start. In the creative world the last thing you want to do is keep things going exactly how they have been going. Change and evolution are as important as the air you breathe. We've got a couple more all new original paintings ( here's a link to see their listings) and we will certainly complete something substantial this weekend...New Art on New Years has been a mainstay for us. These two new girls go along with our latest collection of girls which you can scroll down to see in a recent post. I've got a lot of exciting plans that I will share with you as they progress. For the New Year I'm really really looking forward to our Moulin Rouge themed Artistic Affaire out in California. This will be our first visit to the Pacific and I couldn't be more thrilled about the who, what, where when, and why of the trip. Since it's new years and there are places to go and people to see I'm looking to keep this post short, so I guess I'll sign off and get to work on making my plans a reality.

Thanks so much again for reading. Aar thought I should step from behind the camera for once and say hi.
So, Hi and thanks to all of my online friends...some of you I've met in the real world and that's been fabulous!... and I hope to be able to meet everyone else in the flesh at some point. Your friendships mean the world to me. I'm also super duper thankful to have a new family member in Jack this year...I constantly snuggle him and laugh at him and find him burrowed into some closet or laundry bag and I wonder what the heck I would do without him!

Me and Aaron wish you and yours the Happiest New Year possible!! xoxo, Jenny

Update

Stix n Brix
Clayton, NC

It's a good thing that we celebrated Christmas a little early with the family because it snowed a lot Christmas night. It was my last working Christmas and it was memorable. Depending on where you took the measurement, it was 8-10 inches of the white stuff in Raleigh. It never crusted over with sleet like most of the snows here. I still packed an overnight bag just in case it was too bad to drive home. I have a feeling that we will get a couple more measurable snows this winter.

We had noticed a noise in the right front wheel of the MH on our way home from our last trip around Thanksgiving and wanted to have Gregory Poole take a look at it since they did the brake recall work on it. We took it to them this morning. They'll go ahead and do the oil change on her while she's there also. We had discussed the possibility of getting some new shocks but decided against it. We're planning to get some new tires next month and that will probably make for a smoother ride.

Something else happened during that last trip also. The computer server messed up. Gin's has been working on it off and on ever since we got back. She's not having much luck. It's all over my head. She can see that the raid is there but just can't get to it. Huh? She had a lot of movies, books, pictures and music stored in there that she can't retrieve right now. She had backed up the books and pictures, but it died before she could get to the music and movies. She'll figure it out. If not, she'll start another collection.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

2010 Shutterfly Card = LOVE!

I wanted to show you how my awesome Shutterfly card turned out.
It seems like the "top 10" is the new thing,
but I've been doing it for almost 5 years now and I love it because
your friends get little snippets about your life without me having to try and be too clever :)
So, this card from Shutterfly was perfect!

Top Ten Moments Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards

View the entire collection of cards.

TOO Cute Tuesday: Linky Par-Tay!

What did you make this week that is TOO Cute??
Come link up!

Rules:

Must be made by you.
Link up to the specific post - not your main blog.
No Etsy shops please :)
Please post the button so more people can join in the fun.
Visit some of the other participants and leave them some LOVE!

TOO Cute Tuesday will be open Tuesday-Friday.
On Saturday I'll highlight some of my favorites
and then we'll start over on Tuesday!

Saturday Shout Outs: On Monday ;)

I finally finished the mooEEs for my kids.
But I'm lame and forgot to put them out on Christmas.
Bleh!
So they got an extra present yesterday.

Since Saturday was Christmas - there weren't any Shout Outs.
BUT there were such darling ideas, I decided to do them today :)

The Real Life Mom has a great FREE printable -
it's never too early to get ready for next year.

This bunny is adorable and LittleEme has a rockin' tutorial.

Killing Time hand glued all the BBs on this wreath!

These JOY letters by One Happy Family just make me smile!

Charm Bracelet Diva made super cute snow globe soaps with her kids.

This frosty little glass block snowman by Spare Time Sanity
needs to appear in my house ASAP :)

I love these handmade snow globes by faith-love-hope . . .

and her awesome idea for a neighbor/friend Christmas gift.

And I wish I would have stocked up on clear glass ornaments during
the after Christmas sales so I could make glittery beauties Greenbean's Craferole made.

It's Time Again . . .

For Silhouette giveaways!
I don't know how many of these I've entered over the last 8 months,
but I'm determined to win one! LOL

So, you can enter to win a giveaway at:
Brown Paper Packages

Honey We're Home

Life. Rearranged.

Familylicious

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!
May your day be Merry & Bright.

I hope your day is wonderful.
We're enjoying the grandparents and the cousins and the awesomeness.
And I'm trying to achieve holiday bokeh . . . thanks, babe!

(Isn't my niece a sweet face???)

Rrrawr!!!

And Merry Christmas to THE WINNER of my Eclectic Whatnot giveaway!
Hope to hear from you within 48 hours!!!!

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!!

Aaron and I would both like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!!

Sending lots of love from the Jersey Shore!!!
xoxo
J&A

I'm back, but this is not...I repeat...this is not a lengthy recap!

At one time or another, in one way or another, we have all faced this dilemma. It's the dilemma of not knowing what to say after being absent for an absurd length of time.

option A.) *Do you walk into the room and try to blend in with everybody else and just keep quiet as if nothing strange has occurred?

option B.) *Or do you make a big show of it?...Do you swing the door open and say "Yes...I know!...I've been gone forever...and I have a million reasons why...and, like it or not, I'm gonna tell you all every single reason!...because it must have been torturous for you all without me!...How in the world did you guys survive without the gift of my presence?!?!

Well I think a lot of us, whether we try to or not, will come up with something that sits right in the middle of A and B. We're not antisocial or weird enough to quietly slink into the room like option A. Nor are we egomaniacal enough to affect option B.

But like I said, all of us probably have a tad of each...and hopefully in a healthy way.

At present I'm faced with the aforementioned dilemma...and this little intro here kinda proves my point . I'm letting you all know that I've been gone for way too long but at the same time I'm trying not to make a big deal of it.

Because --- A.) Maybe nobody even noticed or cared that I've been absent.

B.) I don't want to waste more of your time than I already have.

C.) There are more interesting things to speak of than the water under the bridge.

So, OK... I'm back. I think my last post was when I introduced you guys to little Jack, our newest chihuahua and family member. And I think my current relationship with Jack illustrates just how long it's been since I've blogged. Back in July, when we got him and when I blogged about it, Jack still felt like a house guest. I mean, I knew he was ours to keep forever...but the bond was just not there yet. And just last night, me and Aaron were staring down at Jack in his bed, as we often do...because he is the cutest thing we have ever seen and we just can't stop looking at him...well anyway, I said to Aaron: " There's not one tiny inch of me that doesn't see little Jack as my son. I feel totally 100% connected to him. I identify with him and I know he identifies with me."

***What's funny is that I just used the bonding experience with my chihuahua as a method for measuring the passage of time...haha!...as if that little anecdote brings anyone any closer to understanding how long it's been since I've been an active blogger! Well actually, anyone with a tiny dog will understand completely...but the rest of you will say: "sheeeee's cuckooooooo."

Alright, here's my second attempt at announcing my arrival in a semi-casual fashion. I'm thrilled to be blogging again and will be absolutely blown away if I still have a readership. Way back in the summer I hosted the Vintage Vacation Swap, and there were so many super fab swap pics and stories that I should have followed up with...but as stated previously, I sorta disappeared from the face of the interweb. I have always prided myself on being a great swap hostess but I'm afraid I must say that I fell short this past summer. If for the swap alone, I really wish I didn't vanish from blogland for so long. I woulda loved to show a million pics of other people's swap treasures...and you know what?...I think I will in a future post or two...maybe when we are buried in three feet of snow I'll do a summertime fantasy post...Anyway, there are way too many things to explain here as to why I've been absent for so long. I guess, what's important is that I'm back and here to stay.

Ok remember, this is not one of those lengthy recaps...but I gotta at least make brief mention of Art Is You 2010, back in October. We were instructors there, and it was the absolute best time! For those of you who don't know, Art Is You is a huge east coast art retreat that takes place in Danbury, Connecticut. For about one week in autumn a nice hotel is packed with hundreds of art students and faculty...the classes are amazing, the teachers are top notch (I'm not tooting my own horn here...I mean the other teachers on the list!), you get fed at least twice a day!!, there is a giant vendor fair, flamingo races, a big fancy banquet with a keynote speaker ( the illustrious Jo Packham!) , a bus trip to a flea market, a million opportunities to make amazing, lasting friendships, and so so much more!

There is the terminology: "Ups and Downs" ....you go through lots of "ups and downs"...you say "I've been down for so long, I don't know which way is up." Well, In the past year there just happened to be a whole lot of "downs". And the last thing i want to do is dwell on the downs or even talk about the downs. (that's what "my lady" is for...oh yeah, "my lady" = psychologist. ; ) )

So... lets just say that Art Is You was an antidote for all those downs. For Real...I mean, sure, the lead up to it was so so very stressful and we were running around in circles trying to get organized, and the aforementioned "downs" were lurking around every corner and in our rear view mirrors...But, upon our arrival in Connecticut, everything changed. We got to the hotel in the wee hours...like nearly dawn of the following day...so near to dawn in fact that I think the hotel desk clerk actually checked us in on Thursday instead of Wednesday night! (So nice of him.) Ok, so we arrived at the hotel with no time to sleep, just shower, and then get ready to teach our first class at 9am.

So needless to say, we missed the Wednesday evening meet n' greet and our only interaction with the fabulous gals running the event was via email. Fortunately, this little detail makes for a funny little story... As I mentioned above, they feed you twice a day...so, Aaron, who is now awake for 25 straight hours, takes a shower and then I send him down to grab breakfast for the both of us while I shower...he'll pillage the buffet and then the two of us will scarf down the booty in our hotel room while we prep for our 9 o'clock class. Downstairs, Aaron hits the buffet...at this point he hopes to see no one...we have all week to get to know everyone, but at this point he feels worse than a zombie might feel...he just wants eggs, bacon, OJ & coffee...armed with these substances and a healthy dose of prayer, he just may be able to pull off being human. But down at the buffet the room is bustling with chipper gals ready to create and converse. Aaron makes a beeline for the eggs and he hears over his shoulder, a woman's voice: "Excuse me...excuse me sir...this buffet is for the Art Is You event...are you part of the Art Is You event?"...Aaron, very sleepily says over his shoulder, without fully turning around: "yes"....to which the woman's voice replies: "oh, really?" ...and it's right then that Aaron notices the Australian accent. He then turns to give his full attention because he assumes this Australian woman's voice belongs to Sal, one of the fab ladies in charge of Art Is You...he has never met her and vice versa, but he has read online that Sal is from Australia. He then introduces himself..."Yes, I'm Aaron...of Jenny & Aaron." ...to which Sal bursts out laughing and then she apologizes for giving him the third degree for trying to steal scrambled eggs. Since Sal hadn't met Aaron previously and she also forgot that there were a handful of men participating in Art Is You...she just assumed that this strange Man was taking advantage of the free buffet and freeloading off the artsy ladies...Sal was ready to give this man a piece of her mind! Aaron cracked up at the idea of it...imagining that this guy wasn't a part of it a thought he could just lie to this lady, not knowing that this lady was running the whole event and knew all the participants!...anyway, it was real funny. Sal, let Aaron steal the rest of our breakfast...we ate...taught our class...survived long enough to get a good night's sleep...and then the rest of the week was amazing! Look up Art Is You if you don't know what it is...and be sure to sign up for our classes in Fall of 2011. Yes, we will be back, and our classes are going to be amazing! We put a whole lot of time into them and really considered how much experience we can possibly cram into each student during each class!

I will blog again soon with more Art Is You specifics...some 2010 memories...and plans for 2011...stay tuned!!

Since I promised that this was not to be a lengthy recap let me instead give you previews of full upcoming posts. For instance, almost two weeks back we went to the launch of the new Jo Packham magazine: "Where Women Cook". This is of course the sister publication to "Where Women Create". The "W W Cook" launch was in NYC at Chelsea Market. Me and Aaron carpooled up there with our friends Kecia & Jane. We met up with our massive crew of gal pals and had a fantastic day.In Chelsea Market there was a pop-up shop called Jingle and it featured super duper amazing artists/vendors/shops. We also got to eat some great grub and then we lined up to meet every gal that was in issue # 1 of Where Women Cook and have them autograph our magazines. It's a really great mag...if you have yet to get your hands on it...please go out and get it. Our artwork will be featured in issue # 2!! and we are super psyched about that!

Also, my sister Missy's birthday just passed and we did some fun stuff that I'd like to recount at a modest length.

I should be wrapping this up because it's only my first post back into your lives...and I don't want you getting too sick of me before things even get going again! Well, I haven't been completely absent from the interweb...I've been over on Facebook, and I see a lot of you guys over there as well. But I will be back here on a regular basis and I'll be keeping it way more brief than this...promise.

Work-wise...Art-wise...As of late we've been painting original-one-of-a-kinds. Lots of time put into each piece...lots of texture. And for the first time in a while we are selling our originals. We may start to make prints again soon but we are liking the feel of this right now. It's liberating in a way to labor over a piece of artwork...add layer after layer...and really grow attached to the piece...and then...we let it go.

The new pieces are...in a word: thick. Meaning lots of layers...crackle finish over layers of paint, thick, clear glazes and varnishes...cake frosting with peaks and swirls you can feel...three dimensional highlights. These are pieces that you want to touch...and that's why we're selling the originals. We've got a ton in the works and I will certainly show them here first.

Well, I'm glad to be back and if you are reading...I'm thrilled that you'll have me back! Lot's more to come...lots more! xoxo, Jenny

Mixed Up Snowman Snack

As promised - here is my take on Gourmet Mom's Mixed up Snowman Snacks!

Oh! Fun fact!
Gourmet Mom (aka Mandy) and I grew up together!
Her mom was my awesome youth leader for a couple years
and Mandy is a FAB singer. Fun, huh??
Now she's all famous and BFFs with Paula Deen!

So to make my version of the snowman snack you'll need:
marshmallows - snowballs
pretzels - arms
cinnamon candies - nose
(as my son informed me that Frosty has a red button nose)
Rolos - hat
mini chocolate chips - eyes & buttons
Twizzlers Pull & Peel - scarf
heart sprinkles - snowmen hearts :)

JT loved being able to help with the project.

Don't you love their wild bed head??

His preschool teacher insisted that I be in a picture.
So not my favorite thing, but it turned out cute.

I used the FREE printables that Kate Hadfield has on her blog.
I just used the blank ones and added my own text in Photoshop.

Holiday Travel Park