I'm waiting for spring...

I'm not wishing my life away, but I am ready for Spring.  I don't have much to post tonight, just a few selfies and some other stuff...

As you know I spent a week with my sisters in San Diego.  I took selfies there  (it's what I do) and you will notice that I apparently wear this orange blouse all the time.  You see it here in the sunshine of California and you see it here as I wallow in my new shoes that we shipped home...

You see it yet again, as I show you the blue sky that contributed to the melting that finally went on here after the snow...

Sometimes my favorite orange shirt isn't visible....

I'm pretty sure I was wearing it in both of these snowy shots that I took before I was attacked by food poisoning later this snowy evening...

Here's a fun selfie that I took back in California...

In this shot I'm wearing my newest favorite shirt that I got when Peri and I indulged in a bit of retail therapy at a shop called Fairen Del.  It's such an interesting shop and I try to always stop in for something new.

OK, enough about me.  Here are a few shots of some of the cool art pieces that Peri and Peg have in their home.

Here are two really cool sculptures...( I include my hand for size and perspective)

This is a really interesting piece...

She has many other pieces which I will try to show you as the weeks go by. 

Here is a mosiac piece that will certainly catch your eye...

It has several companion pieces...

Peri is like so many of us are, her tastes in art are constantly changing and usually very eclectic.  She, being an artist herself, finds the art of others interesting and motivating.  Sometimes we fall in love with an artist's work because it reminds us of our own style, or perhaps because it is something completely different from what we do.

Whatever the reason is, most of us have favorite styles of art, be it jewelry, dolls, painting or quilts.  Art is in the eye of the beholder and I also love seeing what is out there.

Well,that's it for today.  I'll keep going through the hundreds of photos that I took, in hopes of finding something fun and interesting to show you.

Take care and stay safe and creative.

Winter storm PAX

Oh My....what a week it's been here.  I fully intended to do lots of posting here showing the progress of the snow and going outside and taking pictures of what I was sure would be about 6-8 inches of snow. I settled in when the snow started about 2:30 p.m., right on schedule.  I sat in the snow/sun room watching it snow and eating everything that I could get my hands on.

Here is the first hour of the storm...

Not too bad a start.  I'm thinking 6-8 inches and it will be an adventure...

Well, my adventure arrived about 10:30 Wednesday night, after Chelsie and her boyfriend walked to my house in what was then 7 inches of snow.  It was cold and her hair was frozen and she was having a blast.  Ahhh, the enthusiasm of a nineteen year old...

The urge to run to the bathroom hit me right as she and Jordan were playing in the snow and fortunately for everyone involved, they didn't stay long.  I began a very long night of being sick (both ways) in the bathroom.  I wont go into the details, obviously, but I was pretty sick.  Short version, it lasted all night and most of the next day, as did the snow.  We ended up with 22 inches. Ugh.

TD called me a couple times the next day offering to bring ginger ale or something, but I really didn't want any company at that time.  Later my next door neighbor showed up with food and ginger ale, I stayed on the couch until bed time and I made it through another night.

Friday I was able to get up and take a shower and blow dry my hair, which is probably why I didn't realize this was going on in the driveway...

The sky was blue and it was about 55 degrees. The snowplows had to concentrate on the main roads, so these guys (TD and son) shoveled both of their own drives and mine and another one of their friend's.  They said to call when the snow plow came through so they could make an opening for me to actually get out of the driveway afterwards, but I'm slow to want to get out anyway. I know those guys must be sore today.

Well, that's my pictorial description of the snow.  I know that I fared a lot better than my friend Karin, who lost control of her jeep and had quite a scare.  Glad she is OK.

Now we have high wind warnings.  I'm so over this, just waiting for everything to get back to normal, whatever and whenever that will be.

Take care and stay safe.

I know, I know...

Well, believe it or not I've been back from Cali for a week and I'm just now popping in to say hello.  In between getting back in the groove, going to the grocery store, meeting up with friends, anxiously awaiting the purchases that I UPS'd home (suitcase included) and doing laundry,  well, I've been less than motivated to make a blog post.

I thought it would be fun, though, to give you some of the pictures of the trip in the order that they happened.  I took so many that I think it would be tedious to continue on with that style, but for this post that's the plan.

Here is a shot of how lightly I packed. (sorry, the plastic bags are not supposed to be in this shot) In addition to the small suitcase, I stuck the books and such in my handbag/tote and I was ready.

T.D. came to the house about 5:30 a.m. and had coffee with me.  We then headed out to the local airport, very close to us by the way, and he took my luggage up to the TSA area for me.  I had already gotten my boarding pass the day before to streamline the process.  He couldn't believe how I had packed and mentioned that he had never seen a woman go on vacation without a ton of stuff.  Needless to say he was impressed.  He also made a joke about the lumberjack shirt that I was wearing.  That dude, he's a laugh a minute.  (Later his daughter told me that he was so nervous about getting me to the airport on time that he stayed up all night, just to make sure he didn't oversleep)

The flight from Roanoke to Atlanta is only about an hour, so afterwards, I kept my self amused taking photos of the airport and such...

Here is a shot of some of the folks hanging out waiting for their flight.  I was able to take shots of people by acting like I was taking selfies.  Sneaky, I know.

Here is a shot of the departure board for my flight.  Glad I wasn't headed any where on Alaska Air.  I missed the storm that hit this airport in Atlanta by a matter of hours.  Gulp.

Of course, no travelogue would be complete without a shot of the mode of transportation...

The flight to San Diego was delightful.  I had a wonderful seat mate by the name of Carl Smith.  We talked and talked and really hit it off.  We had so much in common that we really enjoyed each others company.  He was headed to San Diego to speak at some sort of a seminar/meeting and said that he was going to incorporate parts of our conversation into his speech.  I'm still so surprised when I make an impact on anyone.  He was a really interesting guy.

Had I not had such an endearing seat mate, I would have take shots of the food, but photos of airport food are a dime a dozen, making a new friend is a one time event.

After I landed, I disembarked in the incorrect area of the airport, not knowing that the building had been remodeled in the last year.  Sisters and their driver Mark finally found me and we were on our way.

This is pretty much how it was when I was in the front with Marc.  He put up with my antics quite admirably.

After we got to Peri and Peg's I was raring to go.  Not tired at all, so Peri and I hopped into her new ride and off we went...

I was there for eight days, so I took lots of pictures.  In the next few posts you will see beach pics, pictures of homes, furnishings and food.  It was great fun and she is truly an amazing sister.  My sister-in-law, Peg is a pretty cool chick, too.  She had her arm in a cast the entire time I was there, but she was a real trooper.  She hung in there with us and when we finally offered her a day off, I'm sure she gave a sigh of relief.

Well, that's all for today.  There will be more to come.  We are supposed to have a really big snow on Wednesday, so hopefully if the cable doesn't go out, I'll have plenty of "down" time to make another  post.  I really want to post more often, I'm just such a slug sometimes.

Take care, friends and enjoy your life, whatever it is.  Love ya!

What's up with me...

Well, first off, I'm typing this post from my new MacBookPro.  I have been a PC user for years, but I'm game to try and learn a new system.

A fun thing will be happening to me very soon.  Monday morning at 7:00 a.m.  I will be in the air headed to the West Coast to visit my sister and sister-in-law.  No doubt there will be many interesting things happening that I will eventually blog about.

T.D. will be taking me to the airport and will be keeping an eye on my house while I'm gone.  I'm hoping that keeping an eye on will include installing a tile backsplash in my kitchen and if I'm gone long enough, he might have time to install new lighting in my living room.

In any event, I may make a post while I'm on vacation, but if I don't get to, fear not - I'll be returning soon with new pictures and amusing stories.

Until then here is a fiery sunrise taken from my studio window this week.

The saying "red at morning, Sailors take warning" may apply, as we had snow storms all day long after this gorgeous sight.

Hope you like my first attempt at posting from my new computer, which may have involved using iCloud to import this photo from my iPhone.  I'm really not sure just how I did it.  Slowly, but surely, I'm learning.

Any way, I'm already packed and if I forget anything, I'm just going to replace it when I need it out there.

Short version, I'm probably going to be taking a break from blogging while I'm relaxing in the warmth that is California.  So try not to miss me too much.  I'll be back in a week or so.

Take care and stay safe and warm.

Here I am trying to post a video...

How can I ever start doing more youtube videos if I can't figure out how to even record the crazy things.  Here's hoping this works.

Sorry, but at this point I was getting tickled because I kept flubbing things up.  I do not envy celebrities that have to do this on a regular basis.

In any event, here is a one minuted video of me say hello.

It's a new year!!!

It is a new year and I'm feeling so positive.  I shook off all the self-imposed rules that I had inexplicably put in place this past year and now I feel great.  I have the best sisters in the world and I have made some wonderful new friends and really re-connected with some old ones.  It is going to be the best year in a long, long time.

One of the old friends that I have reconnected with has been calling me every week to talk while he (yes, he) goes about his business, doing whatever he happens to be doing at the time.  He mentioned to me last night that the only kind of cake that he likes is pineapple upside-down cake because he doesn't like something he calls frosting (I suppose that's Yankee speak for icing).  Ever since he mentioned this, I have, of course, been craving this yummy dessert. 

With this in mind, I decided to go the easy way (read cake mix here) and whip one up.  Just for grins and giggles, I decided to photo blog the process.  I'm sure there may be someone out there who doesn't know how to make this Southern favorite that my Connecticut transplant of a friend is so fond of, and taking pictures is what I do, so...

 

I gathered the ingredients ahead of time and as I always do, let the eggs come to almost room temperature.  This took several hours of watching SVU to happen, so don't be in a big hurry.

I preheated the oven according to the box directions and placed the equivalent of half a stick of  butter in the 9 x 13 cake pan and tucked it in the oven to melt.  After the butter is melted, I added about one cup of brown sugar on top of the butter.  I forgot to take a shot of this, but you get the picture, even if you don't actually get the picture.

Here you see the fruit (pineapple slices and cherry halves) placed on the brown sugar and melted butter.  Next comes making the batter for the cake.  You can make the cake strictly according to package directions but no, not me... I drained the juice from both cans of pineapple slices and used it in place of the water required to make the mix.  If you don't have enough juice, just add sufficient water to adhere to the package instructions. Baking is a science, so stay focused, y'all.



After mixing according to direction on said box, you carefully pour with one hand while taking the photo with the other...

no wait, that's just for posting on the blog, you can actually use both hands and it really is a lot easier.  Then you bake it according to the package instructions (or your recipe, if you are making from scratch) and it comes out looking like this...

Looks like a regular cake right?  Well, this is where it gets fun.  Before gathering all the ingredients together, I covered a piece of board with freezer paper, shiny side out...

You can use Masonite if you are like me and have it on hand, or you can tape several pieces of corrugated cardboard together to make a sturdy cake board.  Don't use printed wrapping paper, unless you cover it with plastic wrap, by the way.  (Now, if you already have a platter large enough to accommodate a cake this size, of course you would certainly skip this entire step.)  This is a trick I learned back in the 70's when I took cake decorating classes and it has served me well, especially if you don't want to lose that favorite, just the right size platter that has been handed down for generations.




Anyhoo, after the cake is baked and cooled FOR TEN MINUTES ONLY, you run a knife or spatula around the edges of the pan, place the board covered side down on the cake and...

boldly flip the cake onto the board.  It's a little bit scary, but if you are careful, you will be just fine.  Don't be scared of your tools, let them do the work for you.

Then you lift the pan off of the cake, it's probably not hot enough to burn you, but be cautious nonetheless.


If you did everything right, you should get this...

OK, now this is picture perfect, but in all honesty, two of the pineapple rings stayed in the pan so I had to quickly pick them up (they were hot) and (remembering to flip them over) place them in the spaces on the cake.


Now I'm sure some of you are yawning by now and for that I do apologize.  The thing that makes this cake different is something I learned from the World Wide Web.  I read that if you cover the cake while it is still warm with plastic wrap and NOT wait until it is cooled completely, that it will be the moistest pineapple upside-down cake ever...

After placing the wrap on the cake, I wasn't satisfied with the way it looked, so I carefully removed it and stuck toothpicks all over the cake to allow more room for the steam to gather (and to keep the plastic from sticking to the rich gooieness that this cake is all about).

I haven't tasted it yet, but you better believe that I'm headed to the kitchen, right now, as we speak. (Well, after I finish this post, actually)

I have several other things planned for all of my bloggy friends out there this year.  I'm going to be photo blogging even more cooking and baking techniques, and perhaps some arts and crafts... AND I'm going to be doing another youtube video here and there.

So stay tuned and remember what my blog is all about...life and art and how everyone of us is indeed an artist in our own right.  From cooking, to sewing, to training your doggie to get in your car, we are all artists and we will not be challenged by our art, for, after all "it's just a walk in the park".

Love you all and hope this little blog touches you in some way. 

Hey, Y'all...

I know I have been waiting far too long between posts and for that I apologize.  I'm certainly not slammed with chores or worn out from working, I'm just triflin'.

Things are good here.  My Christmas lights look so good under a December moon.  Even my very picky neighbor told me that my lights were the best in the whole subdivision.

I was somewhat surprised that this shot turned out so well.  I used the automatic setting and I braced my arms against my chest as a tripod.  That, in itself, was quite a feat, but I digress.

Inside, I have had superb organization going on, thanks to Shannon (Chelsie's brother).  He has cleaned, and organized and taken a pick up load of trash to the dump.  Next on the agenda is to move some more of my art supplies upstairs and to do that we had to make room in the office.

He took down the extra desk and moved all of my computer peripherals to the other side of the room.

He actually enjoys doing this type of thing and offers up a fist-bump to prove it. He may have been doing a superhero pose, I'm really not sure.  One thing that was for sure is the spaghetti mess of wires that he had to tame.  He finally got everything in order and all the cords hidden.

At first I had been hesitant to have my back to the window, after facing the other direction for ten plus years.  BUT, as you all know, I am flexible and more than willing to try new things and guess what!!! I'm digging it.  The window was totally a distraction and I don't feel claustrophobic at all.

I have been on a raw veggie kick this week and yesterday decided to make some fresh spinach dip to go with the crudites.  I simply tore the bagged spinach into small pieces and then used my kitchen shears to  snip them even tinier.  I took a small container of low fat sour cream, some mayo and that old pantry standby, onion powder and mixed it all together, tasting as I went.  I went light on the salt in case I wanted to also use a cracker for dipping.

It did turn out tasty and as you can see here...

I just cannot seem to create anything without making a huge mess.  Yep, whether it be art supplies, cosmetics, or food, I usually find myself in a tiny space of about ten inches in which to create whichever masterpiece I happen to be working on.  I know if I put everything back as I used it...blah, blah, blah.

It tidied up easily and shucks, Chelsie will be here later this week to do the real cleaning again, so I'm throwing caution to the wind as my creative juices flow.

Keeping with my tradition this year of doing selfies, I'll leave you with another shot of my lights...

...and me in my hoodie.  This smile is for all of you who have been so thoughtful this year.  I thank you for the prayers and good vibes that you have been sending out to and for me.  I had a friend call me yesterday for my address and she reminded that folks are still thinking about me and have been encouraged by my choices and (here it is again) my strength.

I don't think of it as being strong at all.  I think of it as living.  This is my life now and I am living it.  I have never been a weepy, weak kind of gal.  If truth be known, I'm more of the "track you down and make you sorry you messed with me" type of gal.  If that's being strong, then you bet your sweet bippy that I am...as have been all the women in my family for generations.

So once again, I offer thanks to you...my family and my friends...for everything.

Not to worry, I'm not signing off for the month, I'm sure I'll have another post before Christmas, but in the mean time, take a deep breath, be strong and live.

Getting ready for the holidays...

If you remember in my last post, TD had put up outdoor lights for me.  Well his daughter, Chelsie, and I have been hanging out almost daily since she came back to live with her dad and we always do fun things.  After one day of running around shopping or some such thing, we started talking about holiday foods and baking and cookie making and we decided to make some sweet treats.

We went and got all the fixins for white chocolate covered pretzels and covered oreos and peanut butter swirl candy.

My word, we made a huge mess, but Chels cleaned up everything and we had a blast.  Here is the finished product.  The results do not look like those fancy cooking shows, but it's the laughter that matters most.

So now that Thanksgiving is over, Chelsie is helping me clean my house.  I'm pretty sure I won't have a house full for Christmas, but just in case we do I thought the main bath would be the best place to start...

Am I the only one that lets this happen to the storage area under the sink?  I'm so bad about not using all the shampoo or conditioner in a bottle.  I had been meaning to pour all the remaining shampoos in a bottle and creating a "custom blend" in order to keep from tossing them away...I just never got around to it.

My energetic, flexible helper took on this task and many others today and really didn't think a thing about it.  So you saw the before picture of the sink, here is the end result...

 I think it's funny that every time she asked for something I have it.  She says "what you need is a nice basket to put everything in" and I just happened to have the ones that came with the new furniture in the studio. I really don't have everything, so we made a list of things that we need to shop for tomorrow, and that will be fun.

Speaking of shopping, I got an early Christmas gift from my sister Peri.  They found the most wonderful creations by Jay Strongwater and I was the lucky recipient of this sparkly and unique ornament.

My sister knows that I really have mixed feelings about monkeys and when we saw this on the website, she just had to get it for me.  Even though this monkey is a little scary, I still love it. Thanks Sis!

Well, Chels is coming back tomorrow for more house cleaning and her brother Shannon has been helping me, also.  They are both between jobs at the moment and my house is getting clean and organized, so I plan on giving them each a piece of money for all their work.

Well, that's it for now.  Just wanted to let you know what is happening in my world.  I'm sure there will be more fun things in the future.  Just hanging around with a nineteen year old is fun in itself.  Stay tuned for more adventures.  We'll talk soon.

Lights...

Sorry that I haven't posted anything here for several weeks, but you know how it goes.  I really don't have anything earth shattering to share today, but I am quite happy with my Christmas decorations.  I've been in this house eleven years and never really had any lights much to speak of.  TD said putting up lights is easy and he told me what to buy and he would put them up, take them down and store them away.  Can't argue with that, right?  So here's what we (he) did in two hours this weekend...

and another view...

and a close up of this...

and last but certainly not  least...

my contribution, a tree limb from the yard wound with some colored lights. 

Well, that's it for now.  Who knows what I might add, now that I'm motivated.

My furniture is here...

TD and I went and picked out furniture and a new TV for the studio last week and everything was delivered and hooked up yesterday...

If you think it looks familiar, there is a good reason.  Even so, after TD and I had walked about the showroom for quite some time testing out different items, we found ourselves sitting on a loveseat and sofa talking about things and we realized...hey, this is really comfortable.  So, I guess that if you really like something, getting the same thing in a slightly different color is ok.

There will be other things to post later, but I did want you to see this addition to the addition.

Talk soon.

Leaf Peeping

Well, it's certainly the truth when I say I don't have to  go far for some fantastic fall colors...

This was taken from my front yard...can't believe it??? here's my car to prove it...

Can you believe how beautiful that sky is?  We were supposed to have high winds and rain last night, but the leaves survived.

Here's another view from the tree-house, as one of my bloggy friends always says about the porch...

As you see, fall color is all around me.  It's one of the things I love about this part of the world.  The change of seasons is always spectacular.  I can hardly wait until everything is covered by snow.  I have several new friends that are not only confident driving in the snow, they apparently are just waiting for a reason to show off their skills.  Me, I'm the reason.  Let's go check on Susan!  They say that now, but will they actually do it?  We'll see,  as I'm told we just might be able to really test them this winter.  Looking forward to it.

Until then, I'm filling my days with fun things like crocheting and teaching myself to play the piano.  My friend, (henceforth we'll call him TD) is supposed to go with me to pick out a new TV for the studio and maybe test out some comfy sofas also.  This is coming from a person who hates to shop, so here's hoping that he can keep up with me and my retail endeavors.

I'll close today by giving you one more view of my woods...

Seriously, this looks like a mountain retreat doesn't it?  I am loving it and never mind when I have to "stay home" for long periods of time. Who would?

Well, we'll talk soon.  Take care and enjoy the fall colors!