So, as I finish cooking and all of the boys come to the table. They are served and everyone is ooohhing and aaahhing about how good it looks… {And yes, that photo is mine, my french toast, YUM!} Anyway, Michael stops and says, “Wait, we should take a picture. You can blog about it.” So my oldest son Seth, sits not so patiently as Michael snaps a few shots, I take the camera from him and snap another. Seth says, “Are you done? Can I eat it now?” We laugh. This is a usual Sunday morning in the Ripper house. After my divorce and having joint custody (my ex husband is the primary residential parent) of my three oldest, I have learned to appreciate the mundane. I love to cook for them. French toast, chocolate chip pancakes, whatever they want. A task I used to consider a chore is now a joy. The things you take for granted…
I am sitting in a parking lot typing this blog entry. It is only 10:25 in the morning. Michael and I met a notary earlier to sign the lease on the studio and gallery. Michael went to work (it is his last week working in the gallery in NC).
Quinn and I drove to the county offices because not only do we need to file a business license with the city, which I did in November, but we also have to file a business license with the county. After filing with the county, Quinn and I drove back, stopping at apartment for a diaper change. We loaded back into the car to go back before the notary to sell a piece of property. That is where I am now. Sitting in the parking lot while he naps in the car, waiting to meet the buyer and exchange the deed for a cashier’s check. After that, I have to drive to
downtown Kingsport to meet
Cindy Saadeh, to exchange the lease agreements and give her deposit and lease payment. AND after that (busy day, huh?), I have to go to the insurance agency to write a check for our business property insurance… Then, I will be running Quinn home to meet the sitter, so I can go to work my 3-11 shift. Whew!
I am sharing some pictures that were actually taken LAST weekend of the studio/gallery and the loft. We had three youngest with us when we walked through. As you can see, the boys were being quite silly.
I pride myself in being very detail oriented. I am a planner. My husband says I am obsessive. But he loves me anyway! We are opposites, complimenting each other. So, it is time to ORGANIZE this blog. Now, in organizing, I will allow for flexibility. I will blog about whatever I am inspired to blog about. I mean, that is what blogging is all about, right? But to help with blogging ideas and maybe to work ahead a bit, I will attempt to follow this schedule:
Monday: Weekly update studio/gallery/loft
Tuesday: personal/family post
Wednesday: Etsy feature
Thursday: Photography feature
Friday: New product info
Saturday: Something I learned this week…
Sunday: Something I am grateful for…
So, being that it is Sunday, I am grateful for…
A hard working husband. My husband has MANY very admirable traits. But with my grateful posts, I want to be VERY specific. Today, he, Seth (I am thankful for him too, but that is another post), and our neighbor friend, Patrick, spent the day moving equipment to its final destination, well, almost its final destination. But if I get too far into that, I will be getting into tomorrow’s post.
Michael is very hard working, and even when he is “off” of work, he is active. I love it. I love him. I appreciate all he does for me and our family.
I have got to take a moment to blog about a fellow Etsian that I have been a recent customer of. She follows my blog, I follow hers. And I am always looking for new things to blog about, why not blog about fellow bloggers? Okay, I am rambling…
Caroline is also a fellow Etsian, mother, and the list could go on. From the perspective of a customer, I can say I was/am still completely satisfied with her products. She was GREAT to work with. I loved the items in her shop, but wanted custom colors. I had a lot of fun working with her and am ECSTATIC about the final outcome. The designs are meticulous, unique, fun. I can’t say enough GOOD things about her, her communication skills, and the TALENT!
Learn more about Caroline from her blog
brightcaroline. And visit her Etsy shop
bright. Below are pictures of our Quinn in bright’s creations. Needless to say, I will be buying more. I just love my little “q”
Oh, and Caroline, the new Blogger/Google widget freaks me out too.
I thought I’d blog about each of my sons. The oldest three are from my first marriage, and Michael and I have Quinn.
So, I will start with my oldest, Seth. He is 17 years old. He is a Junior in high school. He is very athletic and a great student. He is a GREAT kid overall! He is smart and practical. He is an outgoing teen and will talk to an adult with confidence. I am a proud mama. I am blessed because he is healthy and hasn’t been in any real trouble. He plays football and runs track. He played basketball until this year, and I miss seeing him on the court. Several colleges are seeking him out including Princeton and Richmond. He wants get a pre-med/health degree and says he wants to go on to be a pharmacist. He and his dad just got back from an unofficial visit from Richmond. He has been dating a sweet, beautiful girl, Megan for going on almost a year now. He loves his baby brother, Quinn, which thrills me to death. I thought the age difference would make a BIG difference, but it hasn’t. Below is a photo collage. I will share one of each of my sons. I feel like pictures say way more than words ever could…
All elements in the photo/layout above were made by me when I was a digital scrapbook designer at http://www.scrapgirls.com/ There are many talented artists there and I highly recommend checking them out!
I stumbled across this Etsy shop tonight at work by using the Pounce feature. I would love to have a stylish laptop bag such as this. What do you think? Visit Janine King Designs at Etsy or look at her Flickr photostream. So many designs! So many fabrics! I like the padded laptop tote bag too. There are also laptop sleeves, Kindle bags, totes, other accessories. I am in love! Hmmm… What to buy? This sure would be handy walking from loft to gallery… With a matching ___(fill in the blank)___.
We had an order that we shipped out on Saturday. Usually, Michael takes the cutting boards to work to package and ships via UPS. Well, this time he brought packaging material home to ship out via USPS on Saturday. We recycle packaging material whenever possible, and Michael has easy access to boxes and bubble wrap from the gallery where he currently works in Banner Elk, NC.
Sometimes, I wonder why we, as parents, even spend money on toys when a roll of packing tape, old box, and used bubble wrap will more than suffice and entertain. Oh, and excuse the dirty face and floppy socks, just downtime at the house. Real life with the Rippers. Living our art!
It’s officially here, but
brrrrr! Quinn and I just saw Michael off to work, and while we stood at the door and waved goodbye the weather was noted to be cold and foggy, not very Spring-like at all. And as I watched (the
Backyardigans are on via DVD now) The Today Show, it is snowing in NYC. Happy Spring!
Last night, I was browsing some items by searching “Easter” on Etsy. I am trying to plan ahead for Easter baskets and gifts. These are some of my VERY cute finds:
..::
Neen Jah the Buhn Nee::..
I actually like
BlissForest’s other Easter bunnies, especially Grassy. You can even have them
monogrammed! But, it isn’t about me and what I like… My boys would LOVE the ninja bunny.
..::Recycled Easter Egg Crayons::..
I have bought from sleepysillys before for Valentine’s Day, so I can PERSONALLY recommend her products.
..::Chick Soap::..
There are a lot of ADORABLE soaps on Etsy for Spring and Easter, but my issue with them is that they look good enough to eat. I don’t need my children eating their soap. This is a bar of soap covered in felt. Functional and festive!
..::Cherry Blossom Cards::..
I like supporting original artists, so instead of buying a card that looks like it is made with store-bought scrapbook paper, why don’t you buy original art? These cards are made by thecraftpantry and featured are her own digital drawings. Very cool.
You could also send/give an ACEO, but that is another post for another day…
This past weekend, when we walked through the loft, we actually walked through Michael’s studio and our future gallery first. The studio/gallery will be finished before our loft. We may even be moving in to the studio next weekend (March 28).
So the first picture is the outside. Where there is plastic, there are windows. They removed the paint from the exterior exposing the building’s original brick. They are accenting with dry stack stone. The second photo is in Michael’s studio. You can see the original tin ceiling and amazing entrance from the outside with windows to the ceiling. The third picture is taken from INSIDE Michael’s studio looking into the gallery. Pictured is the building owner and artist Cindy Saadeh. She has an Etsy shop and a separate web site http://www.cindysaadeh.com/ She will also have a studio on the other side of Michael’s studio in the back of the building. The carpenter was putting shelves into niches that were old windows that had been bricked up. In the final photo you see me and Quinn in the foreground watching the carpenter. You can really see the color of the brick. You can also see how they’ve painted the tin ceiling black. The last major thing needing to be finished is the acid staining of the concrete flooring and then we can begin to move in. This is how close the studio/gallery is to our loft:
See the yellow pins? The loft and studio/gallery are actually on the same city block! We are so excited! It is almost surreal that the time has arrived to begin planning to move in! Wow!
To help you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I found these items with a quick search of “green.” Enjoy!
