up all night day 3

sorry for the no show the past few days, you see once again Scribble is sick, or I should say, was sick.

It started late Saturday and was horrible, he was up all night as were my bubs and I with him....constant barking and growling. We spent the night all curled up on the couch with him...Sunday he was feeling better but not great and once again Sunday night rolled around and he was up all night barking and I came to sleep on the couch with him.

yesterday (monday) he seemed good, back to normal Scribble behavior, full of energy and love, so trust me it was surprising to be woken up at 1:00am with barking....which lasted all night.

I think now he is just spoiled and wants us to be with him downstairs on the couch, all sleeping and watching old movies, like a sick kid who hated being sick but still does not want to go back to school.

so that is the past few days, he is asleep now and I took a nap for an hour...though I was guilt ridden the whole time, as I know my bubs is at work...not able to nap, so really it's not very fair, for me to be sleepy sleeperson while he is at work. So now I am up and out of bed and starting my day.

so if any of you know how to get a puppy to stop barking all night that would be really appreciated as well.

how are all of you??

pictures today are of some new pieces in my shop...remember I am still running the 20% off Anniversary sale (Anniversary08 in the notes to seller and wait for a new invoice) as well as the $5 Reproduction Print sale!!!

Petite Heights Sunday April 27, 2008

(click image to enlarge)
art - keith cousineau
story- jennifer gordon-cousineau

Scenes from my front porch

well last night my bubs and I were sitting on our porch swing, the first official "porch swing date" of the spring....while sitting there we like to have fake conversations that we imagine the people we see are having, so many people do this, whether they are at the mall or a park. Of course, we think we're the funniest when we do it....

so last night we developed a few little "playlets" hope you enjoy.

The Tragedy of the Skate Betty

(staring- kid with bad hair on a skateboard....and his obviously bored girlfriend)

skateboarding kid- hey....you wanna follow me around and watch me skate

skate betty- sure, skateboarding is cool, so are you

skateboarding kid- I know it

skate betty- wow, that's cool can I try

skateboarding kid- no

skate betty- that's ok, I have a low self esteem and daddy issues, so I like just following you around

skateboarding kid- I know it....hey, wanna watch me look at cell phones?

skate betty- sure...cell phones are cool

( scene ends when our two star-crossed teenagers enter the cell phone store across the street)

well....there you have it....a snippet of life, a vignette if you will....nice huh?

oh, and before I forget, I have marked down all the reproduction prints in my shop to $5, I have very few left and I am going to sell of all of these and start new with a whole new series, the new prints will be done at a different printer on new paper...so I thought it best to finish off all of these first.

So................most of the prints I only have one left of, so get them quick before they're gone!!

ice coffee in the mornings

I'm drinking ice coffee in the mornings now....it makes me so happy, it seriously does. There is just something about the color of the light in the spring and summer that makes me need to have cold caffeine instead of hot. Even when I am cold and have to grab an extra sweater, I still need my iced drink. That's when it becomes official for me, Spring hits the moment I can barely stomach to drink something hot.

Wednesday was a great day, my hubsbubs and I walked into town for ice cream and then went to the record store which is very sadly closing its doors tomorrow. While there we found some gems, mainly the trifecta of amazing (horrible) records and that is "The Kids From Fame" volumes 1-3.

So HOT!!!

Now mind you, this is not the soundtrack to the movie, but the 3 soundtracks to the tv show Fame. I LIVED for that show when I was a kid, and to this day I have to say it is in my top 5 tv shows of all times. Was it horrible...yeah, probably it was.

it doesn't matter, I can;t see boys in leg-warmers dancing through a school hallway without getting a little weak in the knees.

I think they should get some of these people for Dancing With the Stars, I know "Leroy" is just a homeless coke addict now, I think it would be a good vehicle for him.

SO, other than Fame records, what have I been up to??? Well, I got a ukulele book and I have started to (try) and teach myself some cords, I am working on the first page now, and I have to say.....it's really hard, the instrument is so small that putting my fingers on the strings without hitting any of the other strings is going to be a hard skill to learn, but I will...eventually.

I have also been working some (obviously), and gearing up for some commission work and other projects....trying to stave off this summer slowness on etsy and hope for the best.

Last summer things still remained pretty steady for me, thankfully...but now I am not so sure, the economy is bad and I am a little worried. I keep having nightmares that I am working at Starbucks and people are ordering things I don't understand, and I end up crying while manning the drive though.

it's an odd panic, really.

oh, and before I forget....there is something exciting brewing, a really wonderful jewelry artist has asked to license my work to use in her designs, I am sending some things off to her today so hopefully really soon there will be pieces in her shop. We will be collaborating on some one of a kind pieces as well as others, so if you are interested, let me know or let her know....her name is Lori and is the mastermind behind the Heartworks By Lori shop.

The picture today is of some of my latest pieces, I have also started to add some vintage pieces to my shop, so you will need to check those out too.

My 2 year etsy-versary is tomorrow and in celebration I am offering 20% off everything in my shop, 25% if you spend over $125!! Just write Anniversary08 in the message to seller and wait for me to send you a new invoice. This sale will last until May 1st.

I have also decided to change things up with my reproduction prints....things are still up in the air on them right now, but I will most likely be starting fresh with new prints and marking the few remaining prints down shortly....so keep an eye out!

ok, now to work...to work.....

50 things

Learn 50 things about me… probably useless information, which is the best kind of information.

Do you like blue cheese?
only in a dressing format not like chunks of it

Have you ever smoked heroin?
No, can heroin be smoked???

Do you own a knife?
well we have kitchen knives, and I own a sterling silver swiss army knife from Tiffany's

What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic?
I don't know this "Sonic"

Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
yes, and usually I faint at some point during or after the appointment

What do you think of hot dogs?
I try really hard not to think of them

Favorite Christmas movie?
Little Women

What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
coffee

Can you do push ups?
I can do a few "girl push ups"

What kind of car do you drive?
no driving

Whats your favorite piece of jewelry?
My Engagement ring.

Favorite hobby?
reading celebrity gossip....does that count?

Whats your favorite store to shop at?
Target

Do you have ADD?
no

What’s one trait you hate about yourself?
this is a can of worms that does not need opening on a blog, just a therapists couch

Middle name?
Anne

Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment…
shower,snack,sleep

Name 3 things you bought yesterday?
no buying things, it's a drawback from being poor.

Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
coffee, water, and that is it on a "regular basis"

Current worry?
paying bills, some health related things

Current hate right now?
my hair

Favorite place to be?
bed

How did you bring in the New Year?
drunken sing along

where would you like to go?
Paris, NYC, Ashville NC, Tucson....

Name three people who will complete this?
n/a

Do you own slippers?
no

What shirt are you wearing?
Dancing with The Stars tour t-shirt

What year would you go back in time to and why?
the day before my dad died, to tell him I loved him a little more and to say goodbye.

Can you whistle?
No

Favorite color?
black

Would you be a pirate?
no, but I would be a fisherman

What songs do you sing in the shower?
On My Own, from Les Miserables

Favorite girls name?
Alice

Favorite boys name?
Jack

Whats in your pocket right now?
no pockets

Last thing that made you laugh?
keith

Best Halloween costume as a child?
raggedy anne

Worst injury you’ve ever had?
my knee

Do you love where you live?
no but I love who I live with

How many TVs do you have in your house?
3, but only 2 work and none have cable

Who is your loudest friend?
Me.

How many dogs do you have?
1

Does someone have a crush on you?
who doesn't?

Do you have kids?
step daughter and a dog....I will never give birth

What is your favorite candy?
junior mints

Favorite Sports Team?
Red Sox

What song do you want played at your funeral?
depends on who's left to hear it

What were you doing 12 AM last night?
reading

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
why is the dog not barking....did he suffocate in his sleep (I need meds or something, this is not normal)

Top Five

1- bright sunny Sunday, not overly hot, while the mean cheese was playing on the swingset my bubs and I played catch, complete with baseball and mitts....now this does not seem like a big deal to most people but for me, well it was huge. I am not a tom boy, not athletic at all, in fact usually doing most "sports" related things brings back horrible memories of being bullied when I was a kid in gym class. I do love baseball though, so this was wonderful, the sound of the ball being caught in the mitt, well it was like magic. In fact I was not bad at the whole "hustle and catch" thing, barely missing. My bubs was impressed that I was not just a complete bumble-lard out there. Now I have dreams that I missed my calling in life, that I should somehow be a baseball woman...do they even have those

2- Finally seeing Juno, we went last night to the "dollar theater" a couple miles from us...I loved it, though I was distracted by seeing the book microphones in so many of the shots, was this because I saw it in the dollar theater?? Did we have some non edited version of the movie, was this on purpose....it did not bug me as much as the very vocal crowd in front of us screaming about it every time they were seen. Also the fact that this same group of people kept saying how it was not nearly as good as "Superbad", as if they were supposed to be compared.

3- Scribble feeling better and being really cuddly ever since he has been sick and had to be taken care of, now he is s total love bug...Charles Shultz had it right when he said "happiness is a warm puppy"

4- one of my best friends was "diagnosed" with MS several weeks ago...now there was something in her that would not settle with that, she got second, third and fourth opinions on this...now she has received news that she may not have MS....now this is a chance, but it is hope, so I guess #4 on this list should just read, HOPE.

5- going to my favorite Indian Newsstand and finding gems....I love the people that run the place, the conversations I overhear while in there are the reason I love going, there is nothing like hillbillies buying $100 in lottery tickets and trying to talk football with a Buddhist...I dare you to listen to a convo like that and not smile.

Petite Heights April 20, 2008

(click image to enlarge)
art - keith cousineau
story- jennifer gordon-cousineau

thought flurry

altered wine box (wine not included)

8x8 collages on stretched canvas

new postcards!

morning....

so here I am, after taking yesterday "off" to celebrate my one week wedding anniversary with my bubs...and by celebrate I mean, take care of Scribble who is slowly but surely getting better, though I think his medicine is making him a little "slow", having the traditional one week of marriage meal of macaroni and cheese and dessert at the Dairy Queen, and then....SHOPPING, not fun shopping just shopping.

we needed a vacuum.

so there you have it, a slice of wedded bliss.

As I sit here and type I keep thinking, what to write, what to write.

Do I obsess over America's Next Top Model, do I talk about the obsessive "man crush" my bubs has on Billy Zane???

(that one I think I should wait for a celebrity letter for)

Or should I blah, blah about what's new in my shop, well that one you can see the photos of, so there is no need to go into details, right? I mean you can go to my shop and see details.

No.....I think importantly I need to talk about this....I have spring fever.

yup, sad but true.

This week is a rare and sunny one here in Columbus, so with the sun, I have lost all desire to work, I just want to nap lazily and have lemonade...sit on my porch swing and wear skirts and walk to Starbucks....

Yes, those are the things I want to do, sadly.....we of course have no money for this life of leisure I am craving in my soul, the wedding and surrounding expenses to a toll, and now it's back to the "grind", OK...I am not complaining my "job" is a dream...making pretty things in my studio and getting to visit with my puppy on my breaks.

Oh, I am approaching my 2 year Etsy anniversary!!!!

Can you believe it?

I will be sending out a mailing early next week but wanted to tell all my loyal readers first....I will be holding a contest with a giveaway.....plus I am doing a 20% off sale in my shop, just write "anniversary08" in the message to seller and wait for a new invoice before paying.

where have I been?

thanks for all the amazing comments on my wedding pictures, I have a few more to share but should have a ton more soon from my in-laws....wow...in-laws, I have not called them that yet.

So, I have been missing from the blog world because as you know suring wedding week we had house guests, my in-laws were staying with us, and my mom.

The visit itself went very well, all things considered, though inside I was nervous, anxious, sad, and well...crazy, just crazy.

You see I had not seen my mom in years and seeing her was both amazing and heart breaking to be honest. I love my mom, a lot. Our relationship has been rocky at times and has now settled quite nicely to where we are now. But....seeing her after so long I was shocked at how much she had changed. I am sure she thought the same about me.

I wonder if it was sad for her too.

I can hardly put my finger on it, but it was there, she had gotten older obviously, and she seemed smaller, more tired, and a little more forgetful. Most of all she just seemed so sweet, so very tender and sweet, like a little kid. Don;t get me wrong she is still a mom so there was still some nagging on her part and me snapping at her, but that was always followed by feeling guilty and sad. She just wants to love me, and I should let her.

AT one point while she was here she went upstairs to take a nap, and when I woke her later, there was this moment while she was still sleeping all curled up on the bed, that I found so touching.

As I type this I find myself crying. I missed her, I did not let on how much, but I did miss her. There she was, asleep on a little bed and it hit me, this was my mom...I pictured her little and lonely life since my father died and I was overwhelmed.

I know the reason we get a long so well is because we don't see much of each other, but at the same time I cannot let myself not see her for this long again, what if something happens??

sorry....I am rambling about something I did not intend on talking about, lol

Anyway, where was I....

oh yeah, craziness and house guests, blah blah....

so anyway, everyone left on Friday leaving us to get back to normal, only the problem was....poor Scribble had gotten really, really sick and I was up all night with him on Thursday and Friday was bad too, so Friday night my bubs and I were at the animal hospital...we left there with loads of medicines and special food for the little guy, and no money....YIKES, pets are so expensive.

Anyway...Scribble was still not right all weekend, but then yesterday morning he started to be more himself............so now, now I feel like things will slowly get back to "normal"

sigh...

sorry, that was so long. I intended to come here, mention the Scribble thing, apologize for those of you waiting on shipments and let you know that I am almost caught up on shipping....and to let you all know I now have postcard sets in my shop....

but maybe I should wait and tell you about the postcards tomorrow...it would feel strange to show pictures of them now, after this long and emotional post.

anyway, that's the that in my life.

how are you??

{Classic} Petite Heights - April 13, 2008

(please click on images to enlarge)
art- keith cousineau
story - jennifer gordon-cousineau

Happy Sunday to everyone!!

due to an extended stay of house guests for the past week, wedding preparations, and now a very sick little puppy, I was unable to hit the drawing board. Sunday Comics are a happy tradition and even with real life's complexities, they should never falter.

That being the case, Jenn and I bring you the very first Petite Heights (drawn by myself) that first appeared in Stiletto Heights (the comic) #2, which is now out of print. Unless you own one of the original 500 copies this is a new laugh to you, and includes many important firsts, it's the first strip I drew as Jenn's Petite Heights artist (after a parting of ways with the first one), it is also the first appearance of the infamous "Grandma Ruth".

I guess the most important first though....is that this is the first Sunday as the newly married Mr. and Mrs StilettoHeights.

enjoy the laughs and your Sunday
(jenn's bubs, now hubs)
-Keith

a little glimpse of the wedding

Tomorrow

here it is...wedding day eve...is that a thing? It should be, it should really be a thing.

Am I nervous....no, though my stomach is jittery with excitement and too much coffee, I will admit to that. You see...tomorrow I will be Mrs. Bubs, my bubs will be my hubs if you will.

Though we have lived as though we were married for years now, there is something so very magical about it happening for real.

It's so much different than my first marriage, when I was so young and getting married for all the wrong reasons, basically to prove a point, get out of my parents house, be taken care of, not be alone...

getting married for love, well this makes me really feel like a first time bride.

So things have been very hectic the past several days, we went from having the mean cheese, to have the cheese and my bubs' parents, now it is just them, and tonight...my mommy is coming into town.

our house has had a very "Sixteen Candles" kind of vibe to it, people sleeping all over the place, and my bubs and I set up camp on the floor of my studio, I told my bubs that it was exciting "like camping" but apparently it's not like camping at all (so he says).

I do apologize as I know I am making no sense....

I want to thank all of you out there who have been so wonderful during these months and weeks of wedding mania, thank all of you for the wonderful gifts and cards which were such a wonderful surprise to get in the mail.

next time I blog hopefully I will have wedding photos to share, hopefully I will look beautiful and not too fat...ok now I will admit that I am scared of looking fat...that I am nervous about.

anyway, thank you all again.

xoxoxo
jenn

Petite Heights Sunday April 6

(please click image to enlarge)
art- keith cousineau
story - jennifer gordon and keith cousineau

The road to walking down the aisle is paved with...

morning everyone

so...my future in-laws arrive tomorrow, and the mean cheese arrives tonight, so soon...very soon the quiet house will be no more, it will be filled with family for the next week straight.

now, I am really private so any house guest situation always has me nervous, not upset mind you, but nervous....I think I get this from my mom.

Last night I was in near tears and said to my bubs "I'm so nervous about this week" and in his wonderful way he asked me honestly "why are you nervous? everything will be fine." I know he's right, in my head I know it.

So..................the other day we went downtown to the courthouse to get our marriage license, we wanted to get there early, before 9:00am so we would not have to wait. So we get downtown and it's about 8:50 and we find a parking spot on the street only a couple blocks away...

it's a nice day, no rain, but cold as we trek to the courthouse, once there we realize that the woman issuing our license is one of my bubs' best friends mom. It really is a small world/big city kind of moment.

so we fill out the paperwork, take the oath where we have to swear we are not cousins (yeah...I don;t remember having to do this in NH for my first wedding....is there a big problem of cousins trying to marry each other in Ohio??). Then we pay our money and we are out the door...it was quick and painless....we are back outside at 9:15am, in that short time it has warmed up a bit and the walk back to the van is nice, we're both feeling good, a weight has been lifted off of us as really we are now "this close" to being married.

Then as we are walking my bubs says to me...."where's the van?"

Um...yeah, the van was gone.

My heart starts going crazy, we walk up and down the street again...did we somehow miss it in our marriage haze...no, the van is no longer there.

now, the van is crappy and I can;t believe anyone in their right mind would steal it, but where could it be??? We put more than enough money in the meter, 2 hours worth.

So we run across the street to a parking lot attendant and security guard.

We ask if he saw our white van....he was out there when we parked not 30 minutes ago and walked right by him. he tells us "yeah, they towed it"

WHAT????

Why did they do that?

He tells us we were not supposed to park there before 9:00am

Oh fuck.....

well my bubs and I are st a loss...where do we go, who do we talk to???

he tells us with no remorse in his voice, "you need to talk to the city"

well what in the hell does that mean??? scream to the buildings, the sidewalk, the Somali Sausage vendor on the corner????

He then goes on to explain that we have to go to the impound lot to get it back, he goves us directions to get there, at first he tells us it's 3 blocks, but then tells us it's 5 blocks, and then another 2 blocks...

well we get the directions and we start walking....now we are fans of walking that does not bother us, but he obviously has no clue what a city block really is, because this was more like 10 blocks and then another 4...but whatever.

luckily I am not wearing heels.

So we get to the impound lot, and go inside....and they tell us it will be $175 to get the car back.

sigh.................................

how f-ing ridiculous is that??? I mean really, first they tow us for 10 minutes...and now we have to pay $175 when the van has not even been there a full hour.

we pay the money, we have to

we leave, we sulk, we swear....how did our good day go so bad...how did the $60 license turn into a several hundred dollar fiasco???

so that was our Wednesday...our last "day off" before the insanity...sounds relaxing, huh??

oh well....it's our luck right??? We always joke that we used up any good luck we might have had in finding each other again...no wonder everything else sucks.

I will try to update again before the wedding...which is 5 days away. I keep wondering if I should stop eating now so I can look just a little thinner for the ceremony???

a little note

hi all....

just a little note to let you all know I am fine, just busy, very busy.

the wedding is a little over a week away and my bubs' parents will be here on Saturday and my mom a few days later, which means life as we know it will change, lol

so....I am sorry if I am missing but there are things that need getting done, I need to finish state and city taxes for me and my bubs, I did finish my federal taxes last night and my bubs' a while ago...I need to dye my hair, I need to make some new things as my shop is dwindled greatly in the past week or so.

I need to start experimenting with how I am going to do my hair on the big day, I need to clean up the studio as my bubs and I may be sleeping in here for several days.

the list can go on, but I am sure you are already bored.

So there you have it, I will try and check in later this week for sure....but until then.

wish me luck.

xoxoxoxo