Meanwhile . . .

Yes, April came and went, and so did May and now we're on the last day of June.  Boy, time sure flies when you just puttering along!

So what did I do?  Just the usual.  Cooking, cleaning, baking, you know, the usual household chores.  And reading.  Lot and lots of reading. I've always loved to read and having that Kindle Unlimited subscription just put lots of fun books at my fingertips.  So I indulged.  I'm a fan of cozy mysteries.  A few murders, but no gore, ugly violence or bad words.  Just entertainment.  And I was entertained.  

So now I'm slacking off the reading a little and working on some counted cross stitch.  A number of years ago I did three little Prairie Schooler seasonal scenes and I found the fourth one last winter. Unfortunately I had to buy a booklet that included the ones I had already made to get it. It's an autumn one so I decided to get cracking on it so I'd have it ready when fall comes.  Guess what?  It's as much fun as a cozy mystery!  

Here's a picture showing all of the four seasons:

I'm working on the one in the lower left and here's where I was earlier today:

These little designs just make me happy.  Prairie Schooler is the company that does the yearly St. Nicholas's I have been stitching out for years.  I love the colors they use and the simple yet detailed designs.  Primitive but not excessively so.  (And I love borders!)

The weather here has been hot.  HOT I say!  It was over 107° today and yesterday, and it's supposed to last through the weekend.  I'm so very thankful for air conditioning!  

And finally, what about that Christmas tree quilt I started last winter?  Well, I finally got the last of the top pieced today.  Hopefully I'll be back to share about that soon!  ♥

Changing of the Guard

It is with some sadness that I tell my faithful readers that my beloved dishwasher, known to one and all as Brunhilde, went to that great scrapheap in the sky on Tuesday.  She had performed with great faithfulness and I knew we were on borrowed time.  The service tech who installed the new one today said he thought she was probably original to the house.   That would be forty-two plus years!

I had just set her to run Tuesday morning and stepped over to the stove to finish cleaning up after breakfast when I stepped back into a large puddle of water with more pouring out.  Thank goodness I hadn't gone any further!  

We contemplated trying to see what was wrong and fixing her, but finally decided that we would be afraid to leave the room when she was running.  We'd noticed a spot in the drum where it had rusted through just the day before and Dan had caulked it.  We finally declared total organ failure and went to look for a new one.

The shopping was an eye-opener.  Who knew Covid has played havoc with appliances?  Our local appliance store, the one we've used for thirty-some years,  had a limited number of dishwashers and only two were white.  I knew there was no hope of getting a bisque one to match the other appliances in our kitchen, but had no idea getting a white one would be a problem.  I don't want stainless, I've never liked it.  We finally picked the Whirlpool white model.  We decided if it wasn't up to our standards, we'd put our names on the list for the Bosch model we wanted and donate this one to Habitat for Humanity.  

An interesting comment was made while we were looking.  The lady helping us mentioned that someone had come all the way from Spokane a few days before to get the last white Bosch in stock because there were none to be had up there.  Apparently people building new homes can't do the final closing on their homes without a "working kitchen" including all appliances. Apparently it's a Washington rule and it's causing some problems during this pandemic. 

Well, my new dishwasher is in and we'll be giving it a run in a day or so.  I'll keep you up to date.  Here she is.  

I hope her name doesn't turn out to be Rue. ♥

Hello!

Well hello there!  Here it is, Presidents' Day weekend and Valentine's Day all in the same few days.  How quickly February passes.  And today is the birthday of one of our nieces.  Party on!

It's been a beautiful day.  Snow was forecast overnight, but it didn't begin until about daybreak.  It's cold, very cold as in the teens, and so even though it snowed almost all day, we got maybe three inches of very light, fluffy snow. We are supposed to get more over the weekend so we'll see how it goes.  

I don't have a lot of Valentine decorations, but I did make that runner last year with a kit from Shabby Fabrics so this is its first appearance.  I do love it!

I still use the four red hearts on sticks that Daniel gave me when he was five.  They warm my grammy heart each year when I get them out. Treasures, that's what they are.  

And of course, we must have the appropriately colored peanut M&M's in a bowl.  

I'm continuing to stitch away on my counted cross stitch.  I ordered a few more patterns for the Prairie Schooler Santas from more recent years and they came.  I saw a framed piece someone from the Instagram group for the Santas did and I'm hoping to do something similar.  It will probably take me a year or so though, so don't hold your breath!  :-)

And last, I ordered a new Instant Pot cookbook by the Six Sisters and it came.  I think it's going to be a good one!

Hope everyone is keeping warm!  This cold seems to be affecting a large part of our country.  But it is winter! ♥

What Have I Been Up To?

Well, what have I been up to lately?  Usually January is knitting month, but not this year.  I pondered a new project, but then declined.  I've been back at my counted cross stitch.  Apparently cross stitching is having a big moment.  Maybe the virus?  At any rate, it's a big deal crafting wise, and there are all kinds of related things tied to it.  Flosstubes?  What in the world?  Turns out it's videos on YouTube featuring ladies who stitch, either professionally or just for fun, or both.  I've finally watched one or two.  Interesting, but I don't think I'm signing up for the full stitch deal.  

What's that you ask?  Well, pricey fabrics to stitch on.  Hand dyed flosses, some in silk.  Fancy ways to store your flosses for the project you are working on.  Oh, and project bags to store your in-progress works.  I kinda feel old school with my old tin box filled with envelopes marked on the front (some in my daughter's middle school handwriting) with the color number.  And I haven't spent $10 for a magnetic needleminder as running my needle through a corner of the (not pricey) fabrics works just fine.  As a matter of fact, I think I'm taking perverse pleasure in my old school ways.  

On the other hand, I have found some lovely ways to finish my work and that pleases me.  There are some very clever and talented people out there and I'm so happy they are sharing their talents.  I have been stitching the Prairie Schooler yearly Santas for years. I framed four of them years and years ago and now have eight, almost nine that are stitched but homeless.  They deserve to see the light of day for the two months of the year that my house is decorated for Christmas.  Ideas are forming!

This first one is now finished.

And this one below is now in process (note needle stored in upper left corner).

I love the colors used in them and I think of them more as St. Nicholas's rather than Santas, regardless of their titles.  (Rest assured, the one just above will have two arms when done!)

And other than the usual home chores, that's what I've been up to lately! ♥

As December Ends

Well, I don't think anyone will be sorry to see this year end.  It's been a strange one for certain.  But then I have to remind myself that almost every generation has strange years.  Black plague? World wars? And on and on.  So, we count our blessings, keep moving forward and remind ourselves of what's truly important. And I'm sure it's not "stuff", but people that count.

We've been inundated with snow today.  Lots and lots of snow, and wind, so it's hard to tell just how much snow has actually fallen.  Dan plowed this early evening and now we've settled in for the night beside the fire. We are supposed to get more snow overnight so we'll see what the morning brings.  I made a big ham and split pea soup for supper in the Instant Pot, just the thing for a wintery day and there's lots left over for the next few days.  

When I was downstairs earlier I realized I didn't take any pictures of the family room to share so here's one:

That's the sewing machine I learned to sew on.  I haven't tried it since bringing it up when we cleared out Mom and Dad's house, but one of these days I will.  I probably need to take it out of the cabinet and have it gone through first, though. 

Happy New Year to one and all!! ♥

Busy Day!

Apparently I recovered my mind after a night's sleep and I've amazed myself at what I've gotten done today.  I cleaned the inside of the frig, removing everything from the door bins and washing them out followed by the shelves and drawers.  It looks so tidy in there now. Orderly even.  At least for a day or so! 

Next up was deep cleaning the main bath upstairs, scouring the sink and the toidy so they sparkle.  So that leads me to my next set of decorating photos.  Christmas, even in the bathrooms.

The little lamp stays on twenty-four hours a day and gives a warm glow to a bath that has no outside window. The door to the bathroom is just to the right of this photo. Below is a view of the other side of the sink area, taken from the doorway. 

Next up is a closeup of the quilted wall hanging I made using my embroidery machine.  I'm still amazed I can do such large designs!

And last, this cute little snowman soap dispenser. Can't remember where I found him, but I love him!

And last, but not least, I made more cookies! A double batch of Puddin' Head gingerbread cutouts.  

I've been making these for thirty-six Christmases! Tradition!!  ♥

Sunday Evening

Well, I just remembered that I'd better pop on and at least say I'm here! It's been a lovely, relaxing day with snow falling throughout.  They said we'd maybe get half an inch, but at least three are down, and since it's still snowing, maybe more by morning.  Dan plowed this afternoon and I napped.  Sounds like a good balance of effort, doesn't it?  :-)

We stopped at Subway to grab a couple of subs for lunch after church. I've found a new one I really like--teriyaki sweet onion.  I get a foot-long and save the other half for lunch the next day. Rats, now that I'm thinking about it, I want to go and eat it now.  Must.Be.Strong. Must.Be.Strong.

Tomorrow I need to get serious about beginning my Christmas baking. Think I'll start with a couple of cookie recipes, one that needs refrigerating, and one I can bake right away.  Now that I've written that, I'll have to be accountable.  

Here's a closeup of the top of the china hutch featuring a little counted cross stitch scene, also designed by The Prairie Schooler. 

Stay warm out there!  Winter seems to have arrived in all its icy beauty. ♥ 

Ponderings

First let me say that my oven is clean again!  I did it last night in case the baking bug bit again today (it didn't).  It's shiny and beautiful once more. Which makes me ponder why, in the twenty-one years I've owned this stove, I've only used the self-clean three times and two of those were in the past month.  And don't kid yourself that it was shiny clean all those years!  

Ponder Two: Kathy and Hallie both commented on my last post about family recipes and asked if we had any.  None. I think I've mentioned this before, but my mom's dad came from Norway in 1906 when he was twenty years old.  I don't think recipes were something he would have brought with him.  (Smile)  He married Grandma in 1920 when he was thirty-four and she was twenty. Very common for male immigrants as they worked to establish themselves before beginning a family. Grandma was half Russian (mother) and half German (father).  So why were there no recipes in mom's collection from Great-Grandma or Grandma? I think they were both instinctive cooks and didn't bother with recipes.

Ponder Three: Christmas traditions.  I grew up with very few.  The Christmas tree was about the only Christmas decoration we had with the exception of displaying Christmas cards as they came in.  (Back in the fifties and sixties, everyone pretty much sent cards, even people right in town that you were likely to see on your way to get the mail.)  I'm sure the fact that both my parents grew up during the depression had a lot to do with the lack of Christmas traditions in their young lives, and carried over into my young life. 

But we all know Christmas traditions are alive and well at my house.  So where did it all come from? I'll tell you.  From my long-time pal Kathy's house. Buddies since kindergarten, I was often in her house during all seasons, but at Christmastime, her house was positively magical.  A huge tree, covered with amazing handcrafted ornaments. Christmas cookies and candies.  The list goes on. I loved every glimpse of it and when I got my own home, began to do the same. 

Enough of the pondering. No photos today because how do you take a picture of pondering? A furrowed brow?  A quizzical pucker?  Nah! ♥

Fall in a Heap Day

Apparently I used up all my energy and brilliant words over the last few days and to use one of our favorite phrases, I've fallen in a heap today. I've done nothing constructive and thought no deep thoughts.  (Do I ever think deep thoughts? I'll think deeply about that.)  (Smile)

So here are a couple of photos of past projects. The first is a stitchout from Embroidery Library which is no longer available. I suspect it's because the digitiser used the UK spelling of counsellor instead of the American counselor. I don't mind. It hangs at the top of the stairs to the basement.

And here's a closer view of the window pane quilt in the living room.  It uses Holly Taylor's fabrics in a Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Designs pattern.

And that's it for today from the Resort. I think we're going to pick up dinner curbside somewhere tonight. Heap! It's fall in a heap day! ♥  

 

Cards and This 'n That

Today was Christmas card day.  As in getting them ready to send.  It finally dawned on me that if I was going to do the cards, I needed to get busy and write the official Christmas letter.  I down at my computer and then moaned to Dan, "What is there to write about in this crazy year?" He immediately rattled off several things.  "Wait!" I said. "Write that stuff down for me!"  He did, and using his notes, I got one written. I told him thank you.  (:

Here's the scene this afternoon (and yes, those are Susan Winget cards):

I got them all done and they are ready to go into the mailbox tomorrow morning.  Yay! 

After I posted yesterday's blog of the kitchen, I realized that the little angel garland didn't really show up in the cookbook cupboard photo so I took a closeup of them today.  They are so adorable and were handmade by Carol Galloway, a very talented artist from Cavendish.

And one more photo from the kitchen, on the wall just to the right of the angels.  Another gift from Bruder Bear and Karen, along with a small Santa ornament from my Secret Santa one year when I was teaching.  

And that's the rest of my kitchen.  ♥

Christmas in the Kitchen

I seem to spend a lot of time in my kitchen.  Dan has never eaten cold cereal so a hot breakfast it is each day.  From the start of the day until evening, I am probably in the kitchen more than another other room in the house, unless I'm on a sewing mission.  Decorating my kitchen happens with each season, but never so much as for Christmas.  These are new photos, but may be very similar to ones I've posted in past years.

The cookbook cupboard Dan made me some years ago is my favorite spot of all.  The Jim Shore trees and Santa just make the top and were gifts from Ann at past Christmases.  

The broom is many years old, probably dated, but I still love it.  I made it probably forty years ago. The calendar is a Susan Winget one, the same artist who did the illustrations for the book in my Bear Corner pictured a few days ago.  The snowman platter was a gift from Bruder Bear and Karen, and under it, if you click on the photo to enlarge it, is a garland of little angels, a gift from Susan Boehne, a teacher friend of mine.  The wooden mitten on the door knob was made by Cyndie McCabe, another long-time friend and former neighbor.  I get the best gifts! 

These little snowmen, perched by my sink, were also a gift, made by a former assistant principal at the school where I taught.  So cute!

And on the wall in the breakfast nook is a quilt I made from a Country Threads pattern, called Uncle Santa, also many years old.  

Even my stove gets a little decorating.  I put my lovely dark green Staub dutch oven on the back burner, put an appliqued towel on the oven handle, and park an adorable snowman timer next to it.  Those red spatulas in the utensil crock fit right in, too!

And last, here is the breakfast nook table.  

You can see Uncle Santa on the wall, and on the table is a runner I made for Mom and Dad and brought home after we cleared out their house. The sleigh centerpiece was made by a friend the first year we moved back to town, so it's been on that table since Christmas of 1985.  Tradition!!  ♥

A Little Nativity Scene Story

Last year I was looking at a picture of a country house decorated for Christmas and something on one of the walls caught my attention.  It was a rustic nativity scene and I loved it.  The picture was rather dark, but I thought the lines of it could be seen well enough for Dan to try making one.  I showed him the picture and he loved it, too, and said he'd try. Of course, he was successful and here's a closeup.

And here's where it is in our house, over the stairway to the basement.

We showed it to Ann and she, too, loved it, so Dan made one for her. The other night, we got a text from her with the following message and photo: "Daniel put his precious peanut baby Jesus in the manger!"

It was the baby Jesus from a nativity scene he had make in Sunday School a few years ago. He'd made a manger from popsicle sticks and baby Jesus from a peanut wrapped with felt. Ann had put it with her big nativity scene because she loved it so much, but then Daniel noticed that Mary was holding baby Jesus, so he couldn't be in the manger, too.  Ann was working in the kitchen and didn't see what he was doing, but later when she passed by the one on the wall, she spotted the little baby in the manger.  

Here's a closeup:

It's just the sweetest thing and makes this Grammy's heart melt.  Merry Christmas! ♥

Sunday

It's Sunday and while it was fogged in early, the day has emerged with a beautiful blue sky and sunshine.  When we arrived at church, someone or more probably several someones, had chalked the parking lot and the walkway into the foyer with the names of God.  One after another they emerged into view as we walked forward.  Mighty One, Counselor, King of Kings, and on and on they went! It was amazing and inspiring. No one claimed responsibility, so I guess it was a Christmas gift to us all.

And speaking of Christmas, last evening Ann and Eric posted this picture, which I shamelessly stole, of the tree they cut yesterday.  It's gorgeous!!

You can see the closed pocket door behind it. Their house has a circle in it so no worries that they can't get into the kitchen. :-)  I love seeing Daniel standing on the arm of the chair, balancing himself on the ceiling, to hang a high ornament. As Eric said, it needed a bit of encouragement to fit through the door, but they love it!  ♥

Christmas in the Dining Room

It's only two o'clock and I've remembered! The dining room is pretty much ready to celebrate the days leading up to Christmas so I thought I'd feature it today.  I'll try to remember to take a picture of the table all set for Christmas dinner when the time comes.  It's very festive, if I do say so myself, with the Christmas dishes, crystal, shiny flatware, and red plaid accented table coverings.  

So, to commence!  Here's a long view of the room.

My sweetie made all the furniture with the exception of the chairs, which I would love to replace.  Some day.

And a closeup of the left wall.

The Bible on the dough box belonged to Dan's grandmother, Aletha Miller. It's open to Luke Chapter 2.  I made the counted cross stitch St. Nicholas's years and years ago and I talked about them in this post. 

Here's the table for now.

It's not a large table; it was built for the house we lived in at the time and worked just fine until we added in-laws and grandchildren.  Dan solved the problem by building a much larger plywood top that we drop on so that we can easily fit ten or more around.  The only issue?  Dan doesn't build anything that isn't sturdy, and it takes hardy sons, brothers, or grandsons to bring it in and put into place.  Just part of the dinner fun!

And the hutch.  Again, built for another house, but it might as well have been custom made for this house, it fits so perfectly.

The candle on the right is one of those battery operated ones and it has a timer on it.  I smile every evening when I notice it glowing about five o'clock.  

And the little shelf next to the hutch.

Hmm, looks like I chopped off the top of the candle.  Oh well!  Dan turned the wooden holder and of course, built the shelf.  The little Hummels were ornaments I gave my mom years ago, and the plate and little pitchers were gifts from my long-time pal, Kathy, when she lived in Boston for a few years.  I made the wall hanging using my embroidery machine for the words.  

And that's the dining room, all decked out to celebrate the season.  ♥

December 3 and I Almost Forgot!

I just finished emptying the dishwasher and thought I'd make a last check of email and Facebook when I remembered I said I'd try to write each day until Christmas.  Arrgh! Such a short memory!  

So, what happened today?  It was a gloriously beautiful day with sunshine streaming in the windows.  It did seem a little strange to be setting out Christmas decorations on such an unwintery day, but pretty much the whole upstairs is decorated now. Yes, including the bathrooms. (And even the laundry room downstairs gets its little additions.  More on those rooms on another day.) 

I was a little shocked a few minutes ago when I realized this is our twenty-second Christmas in this house.  By far the most Christmases in any house I've lived in.  Which actually makes it easy to decorate as I don't change from year to year. Tradition!!  (As Tevye would sing, although he didn't celebrate Christmas . . .) 

The window pane wall hanging made its way upstairs last Christmas to replace the red and green log cabin star. It was a success, so it is back again this year.  Hmmm, that makes me realize that some traditions do  change over the years.  

And here's true tradition, Bear Corner.

A happy little group backed by a beautiful copy of The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by one of my favorite artists, Susan Winget. 

It was a good day, with much accomplished, including getting my hair cut!  Always an upper.  ♥

Christmas Decorating

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Ann and I went to a wreath-making workshop at our friends, the Brusvens, Christmas tree farm.  We'd wanted to go last year but ended up having other things come up on the designated day.  This year we were determined to go.

It was a cold day and there was snow on the ground, so we bundled up and it was a good thing!  I thought it would be indoors, and it sort of was, as it was in a barn.  They did have big heaters on, but still, it was chilly!  

No problem though, as we were busy the whole time and since we were excited, we stayed warm. Annette showed us what to do and then turned us loose with different types of branches.  Ann and I shared a table and there were times we couldn't see the top of it.  Branches, nippers to cut with, ribbon, extras to tie in.  We were focused!

Here's my result, mounted on our front door today.

For my first attempt, I'm pretty happy with it.  We plan to go again next year!  ♥

Last Day of September

How can it be the end of September already?  But as I look outside, I definitely see signs of fall--leaves turning color, that blue, blue sky of late September, early October.   Such beautiful days we've been having! Perfect, as a matter of fact.  

Now that I've finished the peaches, I've taken a few "lazy days" and relaxed with some reading and knitting. I'm still working on the brown tweed socks of last spring and discovered that somehow I made the first one too short in the foot area.  Never mind.  I'll see if I can rip back and go again.  If not, I'll just reknit the whole thing.  Mindless, relaxing work.  Sounds good.

Here's a few picture of our house ready for the season. 

I love the fall additions to the hearth.

My favorite corner.

We took a big plunge last week and met with a contractor to do some much needed work on two of our bathrooms.  The lovely (not!) green tub, the last vestige of that awful color in the downstairs bath, will be replaced with a walk-in shower and the upstairs guest bathtub will get a beautiful new surround.  I'm so excited!  He said they would get to it in six to eight weeks, so all should be done by Christmas.  

Meanwhile, we are also toying with raising the sunken living room to the level of the rest of the main floor.  Our advancing years are making us ponder work that could enable us to stay here more years and that step down was a real headache for my parents.  Mom crashed twice when she forgot to step down. 

It's pumpkin season!!  Let the leaves fall and the wind blow and candy corn rule!  ♥ 

The Times . . .

. . . they are moving along . . . slowly.   Such a strange, strange year.  The virus, staying at home, people getting all het up over politics, and now smoke.  The west seems to be on fire although thankfully most of it isn't near us. My dad spent years and years in forest fire control and in all those years, never did he have fires that grew like they seem to now.  I don't know if it was because he was good at his job (he was) or because the forests were in better shape than they are now.  At any rate, we've been smoked in for almost a week and it's definitely added to the strangeness of 2020.  Actually, it's been eerie.  But somewhere up there the sun is shining!! 

I signed back up with Ancestry.com.  I think I left about the time my parents passed, so it's been three years or so and there's so much more information available.  I've had a great time finding information about my mom's side of the family.  Because Grandpa came from Norway, those records weren't available except for a high price, but thanks to a sale, I got an international pass included at the same price as the U.S. pass usually goes for.   So much information, much of it recently added I'm sure.  I was having a ball as I clicked and saved.  Most holes in Mom's family tree have now been filled in.  Wish she was still here so I could show her.  

Now I'm rationing my time on the computer and starting to put out our fall decorations.  I started with the front porch and am now working on the living room and dining room.  You wouldn't believe the dust I'm encountering as I move things.  All the harvest dust and particles in the smoke!  I recommend buying Swiffer stock!  Ha!  At any rate, it's fun to get out things that have been put away since last November.  I love the continuity of the changing seasons and decor year after year.  

Very little is happening in my sewing room.  I'm so linear that I seem to be able to only work on one thing at a time.  I did turn the collar on a favorite workshirt of Dan's and prepare the backing for the Peace on Earth quilt this week.  One of these days the mood will strike and I'll load it on the long arm and get it quilted.  

And that's what's happening at the Resort!  ♥

Red, White and Blue

I'm a fan of using peanut M&M's as part of my seasonal decorating and love that they make appropriately colored bagsful throughout the year.  Last summer a Facebook friend posted a picture of a bowl of red, white and blue ones and I wanted some. I searched all over town to no avail and was totally bummed.  This year I decided to start my looking early, but still no luck.  I even looked on line and did find some--for some pretty amazing prices,  Apparently the M&M people don't make many bags and some people are price gouging.  I didn't purchase.

Fortunately back in March when I had some Valentine's M&M's left over as I changed over to Easter hued ones, I noticed I had a few white ones left.  In a light-bulb moment, I scooped out the whites and put them in a ziplock baggie...just in case.  I bought a huge Costco bag of the usual multi-colored ones last trip and picked out some red and blue ones.  And so it is that I have a bowl of red, white and blue peanut M&M's to add to my summertime Americana decorating.

And I tell everyone to only eat the red and blue ones.  ♥

A Tiny Little Decorating Project

As it's about time to change seasonal decorating, I came to the realization that my little flag decoration would soon be coming down and I would again be left with a blank spot next to the front door. This was unthinkable! And so I headed down to my newly organized sewing room and began to pull books from my stash, looking for just the right new thing.  I finally found what I thought would work and was able to go right to my bin of ziplock bags full of scraps, all sorted by color!! Super yay for organization!!  

A few fabric tryouts and some tracing, cutting and ironing, and I had my little top. 

At first, I thought I'd make a small quilted hanging, but as I looked at it I realized it would just look bulky. It's quite primitive and I decided what it needed was to be framed with a simple black frame.  Hmmm, where to get a simple black frame?  I called in my Sweetie and described my dilemma, knowing full well he would volunteer to make one.  

He's made the pieces and hopefully he'll have time tomorrow to put it together.  (If you think retired people, or in his case semi-retired, have lots of spare time, I suggest you think again.)  I told him I would be glad to paint it.  ♥