Xmas, Family, Blue Eggs, Birthday & Engagement Announcement

So there's just way too much going on around here to catch up in just one little post, but I'll give you the quick low down.  

It's been a super busy holiday season around the old Pace/Schneider household.

It began with a small cozy Xmas Eve and Xmas day with just Ray, me, dad, Case and Kenzie...Cal was in Georgia with his girlfriend's family....sad for us, but happy for them.  Movies, cookies...perfect.

                           

Then Xmas dinner with the addition of our best friend Mark...

and my beautiful birthday cake, made by my sweetie...I have 

a real thing for snowmen, and he made this all by himself.

The second one looks like it's outside or something with the candles..I love this.  Dad enjoyed his new Oakland A's jacket.

someone got artistic with the camera...



The painting I did for Mark of Bob Marley

EDITED JAN 2  somehow my photos and a whole portion of my post was wiped out...I had a lot of trouble with this yesterday, had to redo a lot of this...missed the important announcement...geez!

So Ray proposed to me on my birthday and I of course said yes!

He gave me a 7 ct. cushion cut Brazilian Blue Topaz, that we are going to set ourselves.  I LOVE this stone.  I know it's not super expensive or diamonds...but it's what I wanted.  The photos don't show the depth of the blue, theres some indigo, it's super deep and beautiful...but you get the picture.

Then we had one day of rest before Ray's entire family descended upon us for three days.  Twenty five adults and four kids.  I cooked for three days straight and we had a ball!!  We ended up putting another large dinning table in the dinning room next to our big one and filling the room with every one.  From chicken soup one night to the big party with chili and cornbread on Saturday night.  Uncle Lee had to be picked up by paramedics and rushed to the hospital from his terrible fall.  He sat back and watched the fun from his convalescence, and mugged for the camera. 

Food, wine, beer...tons of treats.  Every time I brought out another snack, like fudge or cupcakes, peppermint bark, etc..they would all moan...not more food!!  We played the Schneider family card game that is nothing short of hysterical laughing tons of fun, until little by little everyone crawled off to their corner of the house to sleep.

Then one morning a couple of the little ones came out to collect eggs with me. We now have blue, brown/gold and a deep taupe, it's so freaking cool!   The kids were mesmerized walking among the critters.  Later they helped peel hardboiled eggs for the devil/caviar apps...they couldn't get over that they were the same eggs.  This is a bit of the unfinished duck pond I'm building...will get back to that soon.   

Then some random photos of the decorations...the new jewel tone, 2 shades of pink, orange, some red a little purple and mossy green tree with the amber lights in the den...still got to collect a ton of ornaments to fill this up, but will continue to collect year to year. 

It's new years day and we're down to one kid left until tomorrow, then it's back to our daily routine.  But all in all it has been the most perfect of holiday seasons here at the home of Pace and Schneider...soon to be simply called "Home"...hope your holidays have been half the magic that ours have...much love and a Gracefilled new year to you all...xoxo juner

ps. I can't believe I forgot to mention the Friday night before Xmas in San Francisco in Union Square where we met up with my oldest bestie Jamie in from NYC and her boyfriend John...we got there at one in the afternoon and left at eleven thirty...a really really really fun time!

PPS.  THE WEDDING IS SET FOR AUGUST 31...I'm sure there will be many updates and posts dedicated to the process of planning a wedding...hope you enjoy!

PERSONAL PHONE

So I finally caught up with the rest of the world and got a new iPhone.  A white one, yummy.  Didn't think it really mattered what kind of phone I had, I'm not on it very much... but so far it's really something else.  And now I'm a texter....imagine that!  Well, actually I'n not REALLY a texter, but I'm learning.

Since I'm working towards getting into the business of promoting my art and my book...it really will come in handy, as it turns out.

In the meantime I went for something more personal in regards to the cover.  I found it on Etsy, at a shoppe called
AbstractiPhoneCases.  
Renee is very accommodating and will do pretty much whatever 
you'd like...and I liked Mick! It really looks great in person, not cheap at all.  I'm super 
happy with the way it turned out.
Enjoy!

See, nice white phone,
(yes! I'm a fan...what can I say?
good or bad, their my Raiders)

Here he is, and the text is included...cool!

I had wanted the text a tad more saturated
in the blue color...
other than that, really pleased...
free advertising you know!

Order something special for yourself or someone close for Xmas...tell Renee I sent you.

Have a great one!  xoxox juner

SUE'S GEORGE

My dearest buddy Sue asked me to do a painting of her brother George.  He is turning 60 next week and he has a garage band with his kids...they entertain the entire neighborhood at every single block party and event.  I've been, and it's really fun!  Music is really important to him.  He's actually going to a guitar camp to celebrate his birthday, so playing is definitely an important part of his life.  It was a super cool and thoughtful gift to say the least.

So here's the photo she gave to me and the cropping I did to make it more exciting and in the vein of work that I do...(otherwise it would have just been a portrait, and I  don't do portraits!).

So I had fun, kept it rockin, and did my thing.   

It was WELL received...thank god!  It's nerve racking painting someone that others know inside and out...quite the pressure to say the least...but I think I did a good job.

Hope you enjoy.

In the meantime, I'll get back later this week with the catching up of what's been going on around here...chickies and ducks with a new pond and eggs and new fireplace hearths...LOADS of good things to share with you.
I may get a little behind as I'm madly working to finish up the painting I began last year of Jessie James, before he became a "bad" boy and broke Sandra's heart and I put it away...but he's coming back out of storage and here's why....

One of my besties, Jamie, who lives in New York now,  want's to take a photo of it with her to Vegas where she'll be meeting up with him to do a American Chopper show... she befriended him last year, (say's he's actually a nice guy...himmm) and can't wait to share my work with him.
So share away I say....let's just hope it sparks some interest with all his biker friends.  All it takes is one bad boy to spread your name around and you're in....I'm just sayin....

Too much going on here...if I had done this whole photo,
 it would not have been dynamic.

So I cropped it, and made it off center,
which is the way I like to paint.

Here it is...not a great photo, it's a lopsided crop
and the green looks splotchy,
which it isn't...but looks like George. 

This was just the beginning rough,
only a couple hours into the painting.
it's way further right now....
but I don't want to give everything away...!!

Have a great holiday this coming week, just in case I don't get back sooner....mucho warm tidings to all...xoxo juner

HANGING MY HERBS AND RUSTY SHELVES

I finally got all the rest of my herbs cut down yesterday.  Good thing too, they were starting to head to the other side of perfection.  I've never had such a prolific crop and was thrilled to use the fresh herbs all summer.  The lemon basil being the favorite around here...unbelievable aroma!   Worked super well with my fresh heirloom tomatoes.

So, I've never dried herbs before and searched the internet for a better understanding of what I needed to do.  The best advise I got explained that hanging them in the kitchen wasn't such a good idea because the herbs would take on subtle kitchen smells...that it would take away from the intensity of the herb, and it needed to be darker than lighter, to keep the color.  However,  I've always loved the look of herbs hanging in the window of a kitchen,  and I have this great big window with the antique wood that would have looked so homey with herbs draped...but that would not do....so I was lost as to where to hang my scented bundles.

Then I thought, well, why not in the entry enclosed porch!

We have a window that looks out onto the porch from the kitchen. and I keep the Xmas wreath hanging there all year round...when the season comes again, I just hang a new one.  It's amazing how well they keep that terrific scent.  During the holidays it's spectacular to walk through the entry and catch a drift of that perfect pine Christmasy smell...it does all kinds of good things for my soul.

So, I went ahead and hung the herbs next to the dried up old wreath.  And now the house smells of Oregano, Basil, Lemons and Marjoram, and a magnificent Spearmint that I just can't get enough of.  It's truly heart warming!  I have some growing wild right outside the kitchen deck and it hits you the minute you step outside.  It makes me smile.

Then I took some photos of the odd little iron....well, I don't know what to call it, a shelf thingy...that belonged to my father.  At first I had it in the corner near the den, and it just got lost there, then I thought hallway, but no way.  Finally I decided, bring it out into the open!  It's so unique and it was my fathers, so I wanted to see it daily.

Now it's my shelf holding all of his personal garden books, and part of my bowl collection. (I'm a bowl freak...can't imagine what that could mean, but I simply love them.)  
Right above it I hung a weathered old wire rack and put in colorful little pots of succulents....it's all perfect!

Walking in from the small front door foyer
to enclosed porch off of kitchen

Looking up from kitchen through window
out to porch and hanging herbs

Amazing crop this year,
and this is what's left!
(Not counting the parsley
 and a pile more oregano,
and spearmint.)

Last year's Xmas wreath and new herbs
looking out opposite windows into front courtyard.
I LOVE this porch
It would be even better slightly bigger so
I could fit a cozy teak daybed to sit and stare outside,
but no complaints here.

How cool is this thing!

It's rusty and worn and has
 different color shelves...I'm mad for it!
(and that's my father's little mirrored elephant
for good fortune as well, that he kept in his room,
so it's a whole little homage to him).

I'm working on filling this with colored pots
and beautiful succulents...
which I'm obsessed with as well!

Hope you find a cozy little nooky places to fill with personal items that makes your heart sing...
enjoy! xox juners

YAY FOR OUR TEAM!! OAKLAND A's!!!

Oh my god!!!  WHAT an amazing game yesterday and we were there!  History was made and I will remember this day for the rest of my life...it was one of the most exciting events I've ever been to.  The games leading up to this match were thrilling...but nothing can compare to being there in person with 36 thousands fans surrounding you.

Our Oakland Athletics have done the impossible and are heading into the playoffs as division champs!  If you haven't already seen it, go rent the movie Money Ball with Brad Pitt...that movie is about the A's and it's truly inspiring, interesting and a really entertaining film.

At this point they are unstoppable...so go A'zzzzz!!

Hope your team makes you happy...enjoy,  xoxo juner

True fans!

Our posse to the right...

And to the left

36,000 screaming, crazy fans on a Wednesday afternoon!

My video's won't upload..bummer!
Nothing like the cheering of a crowd...
too bad you can't hear it...next time

Our cheerleading squad...
he walks around playing a banjo?

He has an elephant hat on...the A's mascot,
 and blows a beat on his whistle to cheer too.

I don't know what he is...
but he was green and yellow, the A's colors

Our Closer...no one like him...
one, two, three...YOU'RE OUT!!

Oh my god....so exciting!!

We are so proud of our team!
They finished 12 to 5 over
the number one team in the league, (texas)!

Need I say more

GREAT SEASON...THX OAKLAND A's

BLOGGER PROBLEMS!!!

Well I sure have learned a lot about the problems with blogger in the past couple of days.
I won't even go into what it has taken to get my site back to ALMOST normal.  I did retrieve my background by changing my template...however, I can't make any other changes now!  I don't want all that dark black background, I want to give it more grey...and there shouldn't be anything under the whole piece so that you can see the background through all the empty spaces.

I couldn't be more frustrated with this whole mess!  NONE of it makes any sense and people are complaining about the changes made to the dashboard and everything else.  So whatever you do...don't mess about with the background stuff too much...the one thing I learned is since they changed things up, many people are having serious issues working with this particular item....so, right now this is where it's at...I can't possibly work one more minute on this.  I've already put many many hours into it and this is what I ended up with.
Maybe some day soon I'll get the nerve up to attempt the changes I desire, but until then...I got paintings to do and a book to publish...so adios to blogger template....for now.

Remember, you've been warned!

Good luck...keep happy...stay off of blogger template, and have a great day! oxxo juner

ps.  to all my broadcast followers, NONE of this means anything to you...but you are on my regular emails so you're stuck with my every thought, be it personal or technical...I'll post something fun in a couple of days to make it up to you!  love you all...

LOST BACKGROUND

I'm so upset...I was messing around with my blog and poof!!  I lost my amazing beautiful perfect blog background....I've done everything to get it back and I'm lost...so bare with me...I'm going to figure this out yet!!   UUGGHH!!!

YAY!!

So I went into the coop a week ago and there it was...our first egg!!   This one came from Spot.  We could tell because of the dark gold color.  Our remaining two chickies lay aqua, green, blue eggs...how cool is that by the way!  So the simple equation left us to know for certain that Spot is starting the process rather early. And there has been an egg every day for five days in a row, then she skipped a day and here we were again this morning...so six all together!

We have put them into their new home down by the garden.  We're not quite finished with the fencing and such but here's a quick peek at what we're doing.  

It's so much better to have them all down here, closer to the house and garden.  Now I let them roam around inside the garden pecking at all the bugs.  Although they thoroughly enjoyed digging up the new planted peppers and chili I have, so I had to install a wire barrier around all the planter boxes.  

Unfortunately for me, I was up in the main box the other day and completely forgot about the near invisible wire running ten inches above where the box used to end...and KABOOM!  I went flying!  

I laid on the ground, mere inches from knocking the daylights out of me on the edge of the planter box...thank god I twisted at the right moment...however, that left the full weight of my fall to land on my palm and knee, twisting to my hip.  I seriously didn't move for a whole minute, then without warning, the tears just streamed down my face as I laid in the wood chips and dirt sobbing....geez!

So ripped pants and raw skinned knees and an upper arm I can't even use, and it's been two days now...but the good news is I missed bashing my head in on that four by four post...so there you have it!

Dolce and Vida are happy as can be sharing their new quarters with the Ester, Lester, and Spot.  They swim and splash around in the little baby pool like...well, like two ducks in water.  The bushes add a nice piece of shade, and the other day I came out and they were all just hunkered down in the dry leaves under the salvia bushes...it was the most serene and happy I've seen then yet.

Hope that makes for good tasting eggs!

It's hard to see, but these are dark gold in color...
it's awesome!

Dolce and Vida, out strolling the property

Dolce staring at me through the little fence off 
our our master suite

Looking out the French door of our room as they 
scurryup the stairs...it's the cutest thing ever!

 I'll post some pic of the new home as soon as we're finished...here's a peek at the happy couple 

So enjoy your day and remember, if I can grow up to own chickens and ducks...anything is possible!!

much love, xox juner