Art Exhibit (Always Ever, Never After)

Throughout my lifetime I have had the privilege of trying on, and wearing, multiple hats.  I do have an issue of filtering through my "hats."  If I get sick of wearing one for too long, I toss it aside.  That being said, there is one "hat" that I refuse to take off.  I've been wearing it since I can remember, and even when I can't.  Okay, enough with the hat reference already.  Art has been the center of my existence throughout my life so far.  I have never been unsure about it, never been angry with it, I have always trusted in it, and found ways to express my emotions when I otherwise couldn't.

When I was approached by a dear friend a couple of months ago who works as a curator at the Rochester Art Center to see if I would be interested in closing out the RAC2 exhibit for the year, I was thrilled to say the least!  Now, I have never been one for bragging rights, I actually keep my artwork on the more private side, but this opportunity has launched me into a different dimension.  Instead of being worried about what people think about my personal innovation, I decided to not fricken care anymore.  Why hide something you are that passionate about because you're afraid of a few negative comments?  Lame.  Plus, the amount of inconceivable support I receive(d) only makes me that much more determined.

So here it is:  An explosion of my personal artwork and because I have to-- I do custom orders, and all original and printed artwork will be available for purchase on June 14th, 2014.   I hope you enjoy browsing as much I enjoyed creating.

Press Release:  Rochester Art Center

The Local Experiment is an uncensored media outlet that looks to bring artists, businesses, and the community together, one episode at a time.  It allows individuals and companies who are passionate about what they do to have a voice, and an impressive video to go along with it.  Please click the link to view Jennalee Grassle Whiting-- Always Ever, Never After- RAC2 Exhibit (The Local Experiment Episode 30).

The Local Experiment Posse, starting from right: Tyler Aug- The ever talented film and media wizard; Chelsee Jean- The ever beautiful hostess with the mostess; Issac Hunt- Guest Host, best laugh; and Jennalee (me)-  The artist.

Bright Lights

We're back in the saddle again!

Before we majorly neglected our blog, I mentioned that there was this crazy-awesome opportunity that came up.  I was approached to showcase my personal artwork in my very own exhibit at the Rochester Art Center!  Needless to say, life was put on hold as I attempted to create around 30 bodies of artwork in about two months.  My heart rate was certainly not normal for a month there.  When people say "panic mode," I more or less thought it was a figure of speech.  Nope.

Anyway, if you feel like checking out the exhibit, like I said it is at the Rochester Art Center (here) through June 8th.  There are some rather incredible exhibits going on at this time so I highly suggest you culture yourself, if art is something that is important to you, and see it.

Culture Me

A couple of weeks ago I went to Las Vegas for a dear friends bachelorette party.  It was divinely tame, but a once in a lifetime experience at that.  Needless to say, after being in a city filled with pretty twinkle lights and then coming home to a house that clearly needed some updated lights, we knew it was time for a little DIY action.

The first light I am going to talk about it our new ceiling fan.  Ceiling fan?  Say what?  Aren't people trying to get away from ceiling fans you ask?  Probably.  However, common sense trumps all design.  Living in a split level home, the airflow in the upstairs is close to nonexistent, so as much as I would love a pretty chandelier, it just ain't gonna happen.  It would be easy to come up with 20 different reasons why the ceiling fan had to go, but the main reason is the fan had an uncanny ability to drive people insane.  We weren't aware of our ceiling fans talent until my mom and dad came to stay with us.  My momma, bless her heart, said that she would lay awake at night, eyes wide open, singing along with the tap dancing fan.  Du dun du dun du dun. Misery.

So here we go!  Out with the old:

Dust = Neglect.  Whatevs.

Complete with track lighting!

In with the new:

We ended up getting the Ashton ceiling fan from Menards.  They were having a sale on it, plus our precious rebate coupons = under $100.00 bucks, including tax.  Hell yeah! This new little gem is modern enough for Shane, and unique enough for me.  Plus it is supposed to save on energy costs.  We will see...

The process was relatively easy.  Then again, I was the one taking the pictures while the hubs did the dirty work.  We discovered that this room did not have a ground wire, which kinda freaked us out.  For future ceiling fan/light installers, it is okay to not have a ground wire.

So long dirty garbage fan.

When it was time to actually put the fan up, there were a few very important instructions left out of the steps.  This particular fan comes with a remote control to adjust it's settings.  When placing the remote box in the ceiling fan, it was supposed to go a certain way.  If we knew this, we would have saved 20 minutes trying to figure out why the cap wasn't flush with the ceiling, and don't even get me on the wires.  Why are there so many wires?  Can't you just feel the frustration in Shane's face?  Being the wife it was my duty to leave the room so Shane could cuss up a storm.  He succeeded.  The fan was indeed a piece of shit at the time.

So frustrated.

While Shaner was working on the fan, I took photos with the dog.

After a little bitchin', the fan finally decided to give in right when Shane was about to.  Such a sexy little thing, for a ceiling fan.

Lighting project part two coming soon...

The Nest

Happy first Monday of Daylight Savings time.  Are you feeling it too?  The good news is warm weather is COMING!!!  Ahh!  Kind of excited!  These 45 degree temps, although just a tease, makes me happy about the weather to come.  Open windows, the smell after refreshing rain showers, budding trees, fresh cut lawns, and the smell of exposed dog shit from months of piled up snow and not picking up the yard.  We weren't lazy... it was just legitimately too cold outside, we swear.

This past week has been a major celebration of someone very important in my life.  My hubby, Shane, just turned 30 years old.  Our house decided to give us a little surprise before his big, official day.  The motor to our garage door opener went kaput.  Convenient.  Lucky for Shane, he came home from work to a brand spankin' new Chamberlain MyQ 1.25 HP--with battery backup-- garage door opener!! Spoiled.  As of today, it is still sitting in it's package, but it's the thought that counts, right?  It's funny how we go from wanting personal gifts, to wanting--and getting super pumped up over gifts that are not for ourselves, but for our home.  Aw, adulthood.  We wrapped up Shane's actual day spending time with his family and eating KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken).  Underrated, folks.

We topped off Shane's b-day week by heading up to Minneapolis to chill with my family.  We went to the car show, and ate ourselves into a food coma at Chino Latino's.  My parents gave Shane a Nest Thermostat for the big 3-0.  Once again, an item for our home that we couldn't be more thrilled about.  The package was already opened and practically installed before we even got home.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Nest-- first of all, it is a huge energy saver.  You wouldn't think, but by installing this little device in our home, in one year it could pay for itself in savings.  Based on our answers, the Nest could save us anywhere from $67-$244.00 per year. Another cool thing about the Nest, is not only is it aesthetically pleasing to look at, but it also can be controlled using our iPhone's, from 3000 miles away or five feet away.  This morning I turned the heat up using my phone before getting out of bed. The Nest is compatible with 95% of current in-home units, and super easy to install.  In total, we spent about one hour putting the unit together, and that included patching and literally watching the paint dry.  The Nest is so intelligent, that after a couple of weeks, it will automatically set itself based on previous popular temperature settings.  We heart technology.  If you are curious and want to know more, check it out-- Nest

Before shot:

After shot:

Shots in between:

The first step, and most important step is to turn off all power in the house.  If your old unit is still on, even after you turned the power off, it is probably because it takes batteries too.  Lesson learned.  After removing the cover, batteries, and mounting screws, utilize the handy-dandy tool the Nest supplied.  It allows you to control the wires a bit more. 

Carefully twist and tuck the wires together and pull them through the hole of the old unit.

Voila!  Bare bones.  Do any necessary patching and painting on your wall before installing your new unit. We were able to utilize the original holes, so I am fairly certain you will be able to as well.  

After the paint is dry, (we even used a blow dryer to speed up the process) install the unit as directed.  The Nest comes with a frame for the thermostat if you aren't into having a circle on your wall.  Install the program on your phone, and follow any WiFi instructions.  The downloading process will take about ten minutes.

Isn't it cute?  I may have to name it.  Belly Button Bob?  We love these little Sunday projects, and can't wait to see how it works out.  We will probably be showing you our newest addition when you come to our home.  Just pretend you are interested if you know what is good for you.

We are looking forward to giving you an update our our "smart" garage door opener, so more to come on that.  Stay classy.