Thursday Art and Dinner Date: πŸ”₯ Fire πŸ”₯


Welcome my Friends, to Thursday Art and Dinner Date!

🎨For our 🎨 Art Date 🎨, today's optional prompt is Fire! Tweety and I have something in common this week! We are both enjoying life by the wood stove.



I first sketched out Tweety bird in my drawing pad, then uploaded the image to my computer. Using my graphics design tablet, I outlined the drawing and added color. The royalty-free background image is courtesy of Pixabay.



Since I bought my house in 2020, I've been saving meticulously every month to purchase a wood stove and it finally happened in September! Okay, it's "new" to me, slightly used but in great condition. It is "Wett" certified, which means it follows federal regulations for safety. 

My initial reason for wanting a wood stove was for emergency situations. When we lose power here in rural New Brunswick, it's not for a few hours. The outages often last over 24 hours and in mid-winter, it's a scary situation. Now I feel a new layer of safety knowing that we won't freeze during an outage anymore.

πŸ™





Some of you sadly know that after-life costs of a loved one who passed away can be surprisingly overwhelming. I've been trying to get used to living on one income now since Alex died; as well as getting my finances in order, learning about investing and striving to live a more frugal life. I've found some great ways to pinch pennies and cut corners without it really being a discomfort. One thing I decided on was that I will heat my little cottage with wood this winter. I ordered 2 cords of wood at the beginning of October - which will cost maybe 1/3 of what I'd pay the power company.


I'd forgotten what a cord of wood looks and feels like! Oh boy, it was quite the job stacking it! I built the "shed" with materials that I had on hand and it worked out very well! All that's left to do is secure the tarps before it rains. Me and the hooligans will be toasty warm and cozy all winter - even during power outages!!


🍁HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING🍁 to my Canadian friends! I'm making a full on Thanksgiving feast and I'm going to watch the Alouettes play against Ottawa. I haven't watched a football game in ages! For those interested, I will be live on my YouTube channel Rain Frances Art, this Sunday October 12th at noon Atlantic time (11am EST). Click on the Thumbnail below for the link:



YouTube Videos

I'm back to regularly making videos for my various YouTube channels as well. I'm in a good place! Click on the images below if you're interested in viewing the videos!













For our dinner date, I made a very delicious Applesauce Quick Bread! Here is the written version of the recipe. If you'd like to see video instructions, feel free to click on the image and it'll take you to the video I made on Rain's Kitchen and Garden.




That's all for now folks! Please check out the link widget below for more 🎨 artistic πŸŽ¨ and πŸ˜‹ delicious πŸ˜‹ creations! See you soon!!! πŸ’— 

***********************************************

Upcoming Art Prompts For Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date:  (Prompts are optional!) 

Oct 16 Bubbly
Oct 23 Fog
Oct 30 Bewitched!

About TADD:

This art and dinner date is all about creating. For the art date, you can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, poetry...whatever you like! You can follow the weekly themes or post any art you like! 🎨

And for the dinner date, please feel free to link up your foodie post! πŸ˜‹

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget above to share your wonderful creations! Please revisit to make sure you don't miss those who join in a little late! All spam and non-related links will be removed! The link gadget will be available until the following Sunday at midnight!



Comments

  1. Love your Tweety art is so cute Rain, lovely to see your art again. The apple bread looks good. Good luck with the wood heating and stay warm! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Christine! ♥ I love heating with wood. I haven't done that in so long but it's nice to see my power bill go down.

      Delete
  2. Oh that pile of firewood is lovely. Wood heat is absolutely the best! And yes to that sense of security in knowing that keeping warm isn't dependent on the grid.

    Today was our first truly autumnish day. We had to wear jackets for morning chores and the wind was cool as it blew out of the north.

    I hope in future posts you'll share some of your penny-pinching tips. Being retired and on the fixed retirement income means I'm always looking for ways to live comfortably on less.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't is lovely Leigh? I love wood heat. I love everything about it! The weather here is like yours, jacket and sweater weather! I will share some penny pinching tips...yes, we can all use those tips for sure. I actually cut my power bill in half the last few months, it's great!

      Delete
  3. Yay! Back to Thursday Dinner Dates!

    Wood really is the best. I am hopeful that when we get a house (likely in New Home 2.0), it will come with one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay TB! ☺ A wood stove is really something special. But honestly even if you new home 2.0 doesn't come with one, it's not that bad to install a new one with a chimney. I had one here before but it was all rusty and I honestly didn't trust it's safety but now I feel safe with this one. It's so cozy too!

      Delete
  4. Welcome back, darlin' Rain! I always love seeing how you use Tweety or the other Looney Tunes in your artwork. This is a delightful piece! Tweety certainly looks cozy. A wood stove sounds like a smart investment where you live. Let's hope you won't need it for power outages, though. :) That stack of wood says, I'm gonna keep warm when things gone wrong. We don't have an alternate heat source if ours go out but it doesn't get as cold here as there, so we manage ok. Well, I'm away from Blogosphere as we're technically on vacation. I had a few minutes and wanted to stop by to welcome you back, though. I do have a TAD post live, though. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cathy! ♥ Yes, you are on your vacation so I appreciate you popping by! ♥ I don't mind the power out in the summer, I can handle that...but winters? OMG no. Plus I worry about the pipes freezing too. That happened to me in a rental back in 2003, the pipes actually burst from the cold. I felt bad for the landlord, but I always worried the last 5 years that it would happen to me. I have peace of mind now.

      Delete
    2. Our pipes froze this first winter we got into this house. Thankfully, it wasn't to the inside but the outside garden faucet but still it had to be fixed. After that, DH wrapped all the plumbing under the house with some of that foam insulation (I think) and on the coldest nights, we'll leave the tap dripping. These hacks has kept us free of problems with broken pipes. When our power goes out in the winter, it's not pleasant but at least we can bundle up in blankets. Our conditions aren't as harsh as yours. The summers are the worse because you can't do much to escape the heat. I'm glad you now have peace of mind with winter facing you. :)

      Delete
  5. I was already impressed by the wood pile and the work it entailed stacking it up when you posted it on Instagram. I'm still impressed! I love wood stoves, they add a very special warm (duh!) atmosphere to a room. Wishing you a very cozy winter! The past year must have been hard for you. It's one of my biggest fears to lose my husband. Sending you a big hug - Carola

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carola, thank you so much. ♥ I can relate to your fear, and I hope that you both live a long LONG happy life together! But you know, life goes on whether we're up to it or not, so I made the decision to move forward with courage. Life doesn't give you a choice sometimes. ♥ Yes, I love the warmth and the "warmth" of the wood stoves!! Hugs to you too!

      Delete
  6. Hi Rain! I love Tweety's Hudson Bay Company blanket -- soooooo Canadian! And I'm impressed with the wood shed you built and how well you stacked that cord of wood too. Have a good Thanksgiving, my friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debra lol...you may not believe this, but I actually added the Hudson Bay blanket with YOU in mind! I KNEW you'd notice it lol...We're so Canadian. Thank you for your comment, enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend!! Are you a Stampeeders fan?

      Delete
    2. Oh, you can predict me so well, LOL! I secretly cheer for the Calgary Stampeders or even the Calgary Flames once in a while but you know, it's a dangerous thing to do here in Edmonton, hahahaha!

      Delete
  7. I am sorry to hear about Alex, Rain. My condolences, Friend.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tweety looks so cosy! I love my wood stove fireplace. Stay warm and a very happy Thanksgiving to you. Welcome back!

    -Soma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Soma Sweetie! Thank you so much for your comment! Yes...I am LOVING the wood stove!! ♥

      Delete
  9. I just discovered your blog, so I'm one of your new followers and hope to have an entry for you sometime soon. I love your tweety bird drawing, and your fireplace looks delightful. Hope you'll visit and join my blog too - Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Arnoldo! Thank you for visiting and subscribing! I've subscribed to your blog too. Our community of art and food lovers welcomes you! Thank you! ♥

      Delete
  10. Welcome back, Rain.
    I'm sorry to hear about Alex.
    The woodpile will be fine for now.
    We don't have the stove on yet, I live in an apartment, and it's always a bit warmer than a regular house.
    Greetings Irma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Irma ♥ I have the stove going already! It gets down to freezing at night here now!

      Delete
  11. I'm so glad to see your art, and food. Yes, the wood stove is going to be such a help in the electric, cozy and very warm. You did a great job on putting the wood away. I sure have missed you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww Sis. Thank you. ♥ I REALLY need to cut expenses, especially the heat bill. I'm so happy I could finally afford it!

      Delete
  12. Happy belated Thanksgiving Rain . I always loved your cartoon drawings! I hope things get easier for you, the wood stove is good to have in the cold winter months. Our nights are getting colder here too. Take care, enjoy your day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Eileen! Life is just requiring some adjustment. Every day gets a little easier! ♥

      Delete
  13. Hi Rain, I hope your Thanksgiving was just the way you wanted it and send happy greetings, even though it is over. Loved your Tweety. And I'm so in awe of your wood stacking skills -- that looks fantastic. The wood stove is a great idea and will keep you very cozy! I'm glad you are back on blog and send many happy greetings your way for a lovely fall. Thanks for stopping by yesterday, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jeanie! ♥ Yes, Thanksgiving was good! Different, but overall it was nice. We (me and the pets) ate until we were stuffed and I'm still working on the leftovers lol.

      Delete
  14. I do like your Tweety art.
    Happy belated Thanksgiving wishes.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh precious friend Rain I am really very sorry I didn’t know that your partner Alex is no more πŸ₯ΉπŸ₯ΉπŸ₯ΉπŸ₯ΉπŸ₯ΉπŸ₯Ή
    My goodness it must have been horribly hard for you to cope with such pain πŸ₯ΉπŸ™
    I see how strong person you are blessed with gifts of grace, love and wisdom ♥️

    May God keep blessing you with strength always πŸ™

    I feel so happy and grateful for you have managed to get wood stove πŸ€—
    Your art is amazing and beautiful as always my exceptionally talented friend πŸ‘♥️
    Hugs and best wishes to you ♥️♥️♥️πŸ™πŸ«‚

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Baili ♥ Thank you so much friend. Yes, it was devastating to find him and it took me many months to come to terms with it. But I am always of the mindset that life goes on and we have to make the best of it. The angels have been on my shoulder the whole time too so I do feel blessed. Thank you for your comment!! ♥♥

      Delete
  16. As I started to read this post I thought to myself, oh crap, did she cut all that? Glad to hear that you did not. I am not even sure that I could swing an axe to start chopping, let alone get the axe through the wood. Course, might build me some muscles if it don't put me in the hosp first. Learning to live alone, cook for one, sit and enjoy a meal alone and pick up slack of what someone else used to do is not easy. I have been alone for a lot of time but when I cook, haha, WHEN, I still cook too much. My heart goes out to you and now I worry about you being up there, off away from everything and alone. Can you please send me your address pjack10999@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pam honey, I will email you! ♥♥ But trust me, I'm doing okay! And really? I am also glad I did not have to split all that wood omg....imagine?????

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment, I love hearing from everyone!