We’re bracing for the big storm headed our way. The forecast is for 6 – 10 inches of snow. Yikes! Don is making a run to the grocery store this morning to get a few things for the pantry and some bottled water in case we lose power. I am not ready to take the tree down tomorrow. No. I need those lights, especially during the storm. I may take the ornaments off the tree tomorrow and store them in the their bins. That will leave the tree and the lights, which will be beautiful and simple.
Don has a gig tonight and we’re grateful it wasn’t scheduled for tomorrow night!
A shot of my cubicle/studio/office. Every inch of space is in use. The remaining pieces of McCoy that haven’t sold yet are on the sewing table. I may choose a few more for the Etsy shop.
The Gene Marshall girls. The dark haired girl on the right is a Simply Gene, as is the redhead that is third from the left. Those girls come in a basic bathing suit and are meant to be used for wearing all sorts of ensembles. I purchased the black haired Simply Gene recently as well as that black dress. The dress design is called “Love After Hours” and it’s gorgeous. The collection is fairly complete, simply because I don’t really have room for many more – maybe one or two. But I will buy some of the gorgeous ensembles that were designed for Gene. They’re very reasonably priced.
There’s that darned shelf that was a pain in the tush to install.
A glimpse of Don’s desk:
That ship was my Dad’s. Don loves it, so it’s on his desk. (Dad would be very happy about that.) Some vintage cameras, Roy and Dale (I found that at Heidi’s shop many years ago,) stationary from our favorite hotel in Paris, and his hat from Escape to Margaritaville. Oh, and bolo ties that were his father’s hanging from the frame.
Okay. We’ll walk today but right now Don is making an apple pie. We have to have pie during the snow event!
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
Elaine in Toronto says
Enjoy that apple pie. I made one for us at Christmas. So good. Stay safe during the storm. Hope you don’t lose power. Hugs, Elaine
Claudia says
Fingers crossed, Elaine!
Stay safe.
kathy in iowa says
getting stocked up on groceries, apple pie and all the relaxing endeavors in your home sound good, especially given your forecast. the studio (with all its wonderful history and creativity and possibilities) looks great! and a Christmas tree with only lights will, too. a bit of snow could be pretty (depending on timing, who you ask and one’s mood, of course), but i sure hope you don’t get all the snow that’s predicted. most importantly, hope you,don and everyone else stay safe!
also glad don’s gig is tonight, not tomorrow!
we might get a “dusting” of snow over the weekend and there’s a chance for an inch of it early next week. badly needed (we had only 0.2 of an inch of precipitation last month and are down a foot below average) … not good … so six to ten inches of snow here would sound good to me, as long as everyone is prepared and stays safe. it’s been warm here, but getting colder so earl and the birds are stocking up … we put out more food for them during the day (not just in the morning) and they do good to clean the deck before dark. :)
our copies of “war and peace” haven’t arrived yet so will have to do a bit of catch-up reading at first (rather than one chapter a day), but am thinking that’s alright … reading a bit more right away will help me get into it.
i have seven big bags of peanuts and bird seed in my car trunk. best i go decant them into more manageable containers.
happy friday. stay safe!
kathy
kathy in iowa says
ps … hope you don’t lose power!
kathy
Claudia says
xo
Claudia says
We WILL get all the snow that is predicted. This storm covers the entire northeast and mid-Atlantic and it’s mammoth.
Stay safe, Kathy.
kathy in iowa says
sorry to hear that. stay safe, everyone!
kathy
Claudia says
xo
Kay Amhaus says
Hoping you come through the storm with power intact. In a way I sort of wish we had the excitement of a big snow storm coming our way. Nothing too serious, just some pretty white stuff on the tree branches. This sad brown grass winter is boring.
As long as your tree isn’t dropping tons of needles leaving the lights on alone for a few more days is a great idea. Our artificial tree is coming down tomorrow and I will miss the light it throws. I’m planning on rearranging the fairy lights in the same room to on top of the bookshelves so there’s at least some magic there these long winter nights.
Good luck and stay warm,
Kay
Claudia says
The first one is always exciting. The rest? Not so much!
Thanks, Kay.
Stay safe.
Dawn Pinnataro says
Well, hope the storm will not as bad as they are predicting on weather channel! Oh yum… pie! I like the idea of your tree with just the lights on it to ‘warm up the space’ during the snow storm. I just hope you guys don’t lose power! Those are the times I miss having a fireplace in our rental townhouse!!! Take care, good luck with the storm and stay warm and cozy.
Claudia says
We’ve only had one fireplace – in our Craftsman bungalow in San Diego – but it wasn’t usable.
Stay safe, Dawn.
Deb in Phoenix says
Looking at your pictures, your house seems so cozy and with snow coming down with the tree lit sounds heavenly. At times I miss having snow, but it will be colder here in Phoenix too. A little rain and temps possible in the 30’s at night. Brrrr! Hope your power does not go out. Keep us posted. Stay warm!
Claudia says
It will be pretty, though a lot of it will fall during the night.
Stay safe, Deb.
Donnamae says
That’s quite the storm you have approaching. Glad you are stocked up on groceries and apple pie. We have a smaller storm coming for next Monday into Tuesday so we took the outdoor lights down yesterday. We’ll be lucky to get a couple of inches….could really use the moisture.
Stay safe…and eat well! ;)
Claudia says
I hope you get more snow soon, Donnmae. I know you need that moisture.
Stay safe.
Rose says
Is your snowblower ready to go?
Claudia says
Of course. We had it fixed last year.
Stay safe.
Vicki says
I’m a weather nut and have been ‘tracking’ that forbidding storm coming your way! You are so wise, seasoned ‘People of The East’ that you are(!) to know to (and how to) prep for several days ‘snowed in’ (this Southern Californian can’t imagine!!).
I agree; the light from the holiday tree will help make you feel cozy when it’s blizzard-y and darkish outside. Mine is still up on the gray-chilly January afternoons and evenings; I love my little indoor tree! We left colorful and gently-twinkly teeny-tiny almost-fairy-style lights framing the exterior of the house front door; the colors are less of the red and green and more of the blue-pink-yellow and I find them SO pretty and cheery.
Found myself starting to go thru some things today; the cleaning up post-Christmas; had piled up too much on the extra dining room table which had become a catch-all, sad to say; however, the good thing is that I found some stuff I’d buried; yay! Fun!
Your work spaces upstairs for both you and Don are perfect; charming; things around you that you love. The best.
What is the (taller) doll standing next to your newer repro Barbie?
Vicki says
Forgot to say, the sailing ship is awesome; I’ve ALWAYS wanted a wooden, tabletop ship like that! How wonderful that you have it and that Don can enjoy it; to think somebody MADE such a fab thing (was it your dad?)? (I know there are kits.)
So many years ago, maybe as many as 45 years ago, I bought the little sailing ship in the bottle; a small (back then, affordable) collectible that’s a desktop sort-of decoration; doesn’t take up any room. It has ‘real’ cloth sails, a wooden hull; deft fingers to put it together (not unlike working with miniatures, as you well know). I don’t know how they got the bottle around it but of course would be two halves of glass then ‘glued’ together (I don’t know the correct words for how glass artisans manipulate glass like that!).
These are the items I’ve had packed away for years that I do SO hope to stumble upon THIS year in my neverending task of decluttering-downsizing, which I know I’ll be doing til the day I leave this earth. All the little ‘finds’ from the course of my teens and later adulthood, all my life ‘collecting’ (like you, I also collect [I gather, I accumulate, I amass; I ‘rescue’ {but I’ve overdone it!}]).
Anyway, LOVE YOUR SHIP. Glad you have it; very meaningful!
Claudia says
No, my dad didn’t make it. My mom gave it to him one year.
xo
Claudia says
That’s a Robert Tonner doll – from his Ellowyne Wilde series. I would buy them all if I could afford it, especially the older designs. They’re beautiful and whimsical. I’ll try to get a good photo of her soon.
Stay safe, Vicki.
Vicki says
Yeah, another doll I know nothing about; I need to be educated!
Claudia says
xo
jeanie says
Good news about the pie and supplies! Sounds like you are set for whatever comes your way (I hope it isn’t THAT bad, but can’t be too unprepared!)
I love peeking into your studio and seeing the shelves, dolls, house and more. I’ve been working on trying to get mine back in order, since I can’t do much about taking down Christmas for another week or two. (There’s no place to put things till the basement is back in order and that doesn’t happen till a mold testing appointment — and hopefully, no work after that.) But like you, I love, even need, the lights. I turn them on as soon as I get up in the morning and for the most part they are on all day, unless I get a day with that rare-to-Michigan thing known as “SUN.” Doesn’t seem likely!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Claudia says
Those lights are keeping me going right now as we await this monster storm. Sigh.
Stay safe, Jeanie.