Here's whats up!

As many of you know, or may not know.... my job has been, well, a job.  It is somewhere for me to go every day.  For me, that's about all it was.  I enjoy meeting new people and love my co-workers, but it just so stagnant.  I wanted to learn or create, or do something else.  I'm fortunate enough to have Dallas, who gave me the freedom of doing whatever I wanted.  

So, as of April, I am the proud owner of:

 

The escape artist is a (very small!-- tiny!!!) LLC consisting of myself!  My website isn't up and  running----not quite yet.  The end of July is my goal.  (i'm legit--i have business cards!).  

Basically I can provide you:  

artwork (probably not a big seller, but you never know), 

interior painting

 and chocolates! 

 do you hate painting?  i don't.  

do you need chocolates (truffles) for:  thank you presents? christmas?  advertising for your company (i can print your logo on my boxes!)?  any occasion?  because you like chocolate?  maybe your dog or cat likes chocolate?  maybe they want to stare at my super cool truffle box? 

 i can make them for you. 

chocolates will be retailing in a boulder store starting September 1.  We're going to have 3 main staple flavors and 1 (or 2?) seasonal rotating flavors.  Painting--- i can do whenever you need it!  It's now my full time job!  as of Friday, July 29 3:00pm I'm no longer a medical assistant.

I've tried painting on the weekends and it became a cluster.  I've tried tempering chocolate at 11:00pm.  It was terrible.  Dallas told me to go for it-so i am! I'm excited, and nervous, but I'm SO happy and fortunate to have the freedom that i do.  THANK YOU DALLAS!  (and maybe we'll have food at our house, and our house will be clean and the laundry will be done more than every quarter and the yard will look nice, and i'll be in a better mood, and we can do cool things on the weekends, etc).  

how can you help?  

support, referrals, and chocolate sampling!  

(denver metro area only---i'm not mailing samples out, sorry.  my shipping system is not very sophisticated yet).

Fritz grows up

Months later Fritz finally figured out the dog door. And We though gretta was going to be the "special" child

Watering hole

No doubt it's probably hot everywhere. Here, instead of a waterhole, we have a gathering under the fan.

Now hiring: taste testers

Practice makes perfect.... Besides making things look pretty, I'm trying to figure out my basic flavors, which means I'm making 1-2 kinds of truffles weekly. I'm only doing half batches, but, we have quite a bit of chocolate at out house. Every pan is covered with it, every spatula, everything.

Last night I asked Dallas to try my peanut butter ones (which I think are pretty good). He wouldn't. Not even half, Not even my other half (i only eat 1/2 truffle/batch to test).

He's over the chocolate.

Time to recruit new (honest feedback) testers!


(truth be told I have a feeling he over indulged in them when he got home from work yesterday)

Sprinkler!

We would have never guessed how happy the dogs would be by putting the sprinkler on in the back yard for them!

Last weekend was the Holste family reunion. Just one branch of the Holste clan was 100 people, and we wernt all there!!! Until the pics from that get processed, check out our ksu!!! This should definitely get submitted to the alumni mag

Dallas' photos

Dallas has nice photography.

Art in orthopedics

My surgeon might argue that his surgeries are considered orthopedic art, but I find myself more handy with the casting fiberglass.

After remodeling our office xr to digital for the past 2 mo, our tech amie is finally home. For a welcoming present I made some beautiful bows to line her office doors. Of course, they are hung with sutures. :)

Oh yes. Fresh mint truffles.

Cat for sale

Nothing like waking up to this. Apparently fritz decided he roots needed a little airing out. We had a little chit chat. I cleaned it up. I turn around 10 min later and he's at it again.

I was furious He's lucky he is alive.

At any rate, I realize these are very strong selling points and I'll have to beat down people at my door wanting to adopt him.

Souviners

We bagged San Louis w friends this weekend. We love hiking w Kyle and Paulette! It is so much fun! Other things: Johnny depp is filming the lone ranger in creede (we found out from the sherrif who came by our car camping spot sat morning), we found the beginning of the rio grande on our 6 hr one way adventure there (found shorter route on way back!), and found out that despite dallas' best efforts to break new hiking boots in by wearing them for 2 weeks pre-hike, he still got blisters!

This it begins

.... Starting a little late this year but nevertheless, 14er season has begun!

Finished!!

It's a tough one but I'd do it again!

Before

Vacation from vacation

It's rather hard to find dogsitters, especially for our monsters. So, why not find somewhere that we can take them with? We are up in steamboat this weekend (for marathon tomorrow) and this is only after day 1. Out for the count at 8:27.

Whew!

Put my 4 wk notice in today. Will be a relief to leave this!