Christmas Morning

Video of our Christmas morning.



Every time I watch a video I took all I can really think about is how much I really don't like to hear my voice pretty self centered I know. Anyone else have that overriding feeling? Hopefully not about my voice - I kinda meant your own.

Charlotte's Nightmare

So, speaking of my studio, I have really been wishing I had a place to paint at my house. My studio is about a 10 min drive from my house, but I hate going over there, away from the kids, when I am out of town so much. And I already gave some ideas of why they don't come with me a lot. I think we are getting close to finishing up the NYC job and I am really hoping to get serious about production. The intermittent painting I have been able to fit in this year has been interfering with any growth - I seem to forget everything I figure out before I get a chance to use it again. I think if I had a place to work here, then during drying or anytime they needed me I could take a little break. Unfortunately there isn't really any space in this house where that kind of thing would work. With the fumes it would probably need to be some kind of separate structure anyway. It really needs to be somewhere Charlotte doesn't really ever see it either. Her list of interesting things #7 along with the following picture of my current studio explains why this is so important- as if it wasn't already obvious to all...My tolerances for such things are a bit different.

Oliver's "Painting"

Little Ollie spent some of the day with me at the studio. He decided he would do a "paining like your's". [mine]

Actually his looks better than any of mine in a few ways.

Also, I love the medium he used for this piece. When we were painting together a few months ago, he dipped his brush in a little deep (think well past his hand at the end of the brush). I cleaned him up and then cleaned the brush and as soon as I got out to the main area from the bathroom, realized he had decied to keep working without me. I think most of the paint was on the floor, but he definitely had plenty on him too, and the 20 or so brushes he was using. The mostly full gallon he was working out of was now mostly empty. I will have to post the "Rabbit" painting for that day sometime. The pens on white-board can only go so wrong.

Movie

I am Not one of those people who's life revolves around an aspect of pop culture (I hope anyway). I think I see 3, maybe up to 5, movies in theaters in any given year. Pretty much all of these are because my kids desperately want to see them or I am alone in some city with nothing to do and everything is closed when I am done working. I am convinced that most movie experiences have as much to do with the viewers' state of mind as the actual picture. I have been in this Apt for four days straight. I had Charlotte mail me some food. It was taking too much time going out to dinner at night. Dinner is typically my only meal anyway. I've been working from about 7am to 10-11pm. Tonight I finally got to my goal just in time to make it to the 1130pm showing. After that kind of isolation this movie was quite the intense experience, only to be made a little more strange by walking home in a bit of an ice storm on some of the same roads as in the movie. Amazing how deserted this place gets at night with a bit of ice on the roads. I probably need to be a little more careful what movies I watch, since I am already afraid of the dark anyway. Good thing the roads aren't dark or I am not sure I could have made it home

I kind thought it would be a little embarrassing to write a bunch of stuff about me. Though I enjoyed reading this I think it might be even more embarrassing to read what someone else wrote- only know others are reading it too. Well at least one other person anyway. I certainly cant remove it after all the work Charlotte put into it. I will obviously need to make a post with my own "clarifications" to this list. Let me state right now however that I absolutely can Not imagine being more attracted to anyone than I am to my Beautiful wife. I am also very glad she finally married me even if I will never really understand it. I worry sometimes - I need to move this to a post.... anyway i worry sometimes and try - though not consistently enough to make sure this marriage doesn't fit the pattern set by her older sisters' first marriages. They also first married men a bit less than what they deserved (I am pretty sure they would agree with that)as Charlotte clearly did too. I am trying to become a better person than the one she married. I will have to to the rest of the items later. Time for bed now.

7 Interesting Things

Okay, since Tyler is never going to get around to this... I'm going to do it for him. But you better read quickly... he retains the right to edit, delete, or in any other way "fix" this post.

1. He can remember things from when he was an infant in a car seat and couldn't talk. (The only other person I have heard of that has this in common is Georgia O'Keefe- so maybe it's an artist thing.)

2. Colors and numbers have personality to him. Subtraction was difficult, as a child, since some numbers where taken away.

3. He feels that having attention deficit is an asset, not a handicap. When we first started dating, it bothered me that he could be watching T.V., drawing, and supposedly listening to me at the same time- until I realized that he actually was listening. He just appeared to have his focus elsewhere.

4. He is the smartest person I know. When he was given an I.Q. test as a child, the score was so high, his parents thought perhaps he had cheated until the administrator explained that was impossible. (Their doubts were likely due to how poorly he was doing in school.) He is not only "book" smart, though. He has amazing problem solving skills, common sense and is a trivia king!

5. Although it is hard to pin him down on a "favorite," the colors he most often chooses are those that other people would call "ugly." Puke green, mustard yellow and brown are good examples.

6. He doesn't really believe in "talent" for art. He believes that anyone can become good at drawing, painting, etc. if they just decide they want to do it and practice. He doesn't feel that as a child he had talent or was even particularly good at art. He just wanted to do it and practiced all the time.

7. The MOST interesting thing is that he married me! Although he loves to tell strangers a bizarre story about how he rescued me from a trailer park and an abusive marriage- we actually met at good old "Ivy Towers" dance club in Provo. I was there with a guy I had been "dating" who was a real jerk. To make my date mad, I decided to flirt with the best looking guy in the club. Who else but Tyler?! I really never expected him to even give me the time of day. I think he didn't expect to give me any attention either. He thought I was dressed funny and had a big nose. But I stole his heart- I guess it was "meant" to be =)

possible T-shirt for Huntzinger family reunion

I been trying to put this together. I kind of like how it is coming out. What you you all think? The lettering describing the desserts on the original label is being a little troublesome to me. My first thought was changing it to say something like "Little devils with super sweet filling". Mostly that was attractive because that would be very few letters I would have to draw in that same font some words even stay the same. That isn't going to work for obvious reasons. For anyone who may not find it obvious - it would be really lame.
Any suggestions for alternatives would be great. Even if the suggestions are lame too it may be a starting place so cough um up anyway- they cant be worse than what I just admitted to.
Any feedback on any other aspect of the design would also be appreciated - even if you just fell compelled to tell me the whole concept is "lame". Ignore the exact date. I haven't looked at the calendar yet - or i guess you could tell me when it is
Below is the original in case any of you haven't seen one or have just forgotten.

Sales at the Seattle home decor store (and link)

Here are some pictures of the pieces that have sold at the show in Seattle. At least the ones I have already received a check for anyway.