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!

Front and back

Well, for the most part, the remodel is complete.  I still have painting inside being done and I'll show that fairly soon.  In the meantime, here are shots of the completed job.

 Here is a shot of the front of the house.  Garage is now a sun lit studio with french doors and a nice new driveway.  At the left of the shot, you can see the white fence that I had them add to have a place to hide my trash can.  Nice touch if I do say so myself.

 Want to see what it looked like when we bought it in 2002?  Check this out...

 
 Now here we see the back...

My painter, took one of the vinyl rails to the paint store and had them match the paint for the foundation.  I couldn't get the perfect shot, but it really does match.  Ahhh, modern technology.  You know that I also have a before picture from 2002...

Can you even believe this is the same house?  A lot can change in ten plus years, right? 

Well, that's it for me today.  Enjoy your week and soon I'm sure I'll be back to posting pictures of art and other crafty things.  Who knows what I'll be getting into?  We'll see.

Let's clean the house today

I am easily amused.  I want to do some house cleaning today, but I want to look good doing it.  Who knows who might see me carrying trash outside, or maybe that cute UPS guy may make a delivery.  Perhaps I was just bored, but this is how I dressed to clean house today...

I don't know why I'm like this.  I always have been.  I have been draping myself in beads, lace and sequins for most of my life.  Shucks, if someone would send me a tiara, I would wear it while I clean.

Seriously, folks, that's it for me today.  A selfie, taken in the bathroom of a sassy, short haired chick getting ready to clean her house.

You just never know....do you?

You saw the before...

Well, you saw the before, now you get to see the after...

So, there you go.  I decided to go with high end cast aluminum furniture and found exactly what I wanted at the National Pool showroom here in town.

I'll let you know later how much I really like it, but for now this will suffice.

Day Bed...what's your thought?

The very last thing that had to be done on my new and improved back porch, was to install a ceiling fan and electrical outlets.  Here you see the finished "room"...

I really want this to be an outdoor room and obviously two folding chairs and a card table just doesn't do it justice. This is a large space, at 16 x 20, I certainly have room for just about anything I want.  My builder has given me the go ahead as far as weight capacity goes and I'm thinking in addition to traditional table and chairs I may purchase an outdoor day bed...

Part of me loves this bad boy,

but it really just doesn't fit the design of a country back porch.  I suppose in reality, I'm going to get something more like this...

or this...

This is new to me, obviously, so any ideas you have would be appreciated.  It doesn't have to be a day bed, but I really would like to be able to take a nap or even sleep overnight on the porch.  How does one go about this?

If you know of any good websites for outdoor furniture, I'm up for ideas.  Maybe I should hit Pinterest for some ideas, as just randomly surfing the web can be a bit frustrating and in our area, outdoor furniture is something that has to be ordered, because it's usually not a year round item.

The sales associate, a really sweet chick, at Grand Home Interiors told me to try the local National Pool store, so I may do that this weekend. 

Whatever I decide on doing, I'll keep you posted, but keep those ideas coming.

Throwback Thursday...

Fairly often I post old pictures on Facebook for Throwback Thursday.  It just occurred to me that lots of you don't get to see these, so feast your eyes on this...

This was probably around '94 or '95.  Dig those crazy specs, right?

Whoopie!!!!

Whoopie Pie, that is.  I wanted something sweet yesterday, so I got out my eighteen year old cookbook, published by our local television station.  Some of the best recipes come from your own home town, don't they.  Now that so many of our Moms and Grandmas are gone, we have to go to old recipe cards and cookbooks, as well as family and friends for recipes.  I know that the internet is F-U-L-L of interesting techniques and recipes, but it's comforting to use an older cookbook.  Something tried and true. You know that someone made this same recipe many, many times and it was successful enough to submit for publication.  Imagine how exciting that must be to have your recipe picked. Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, I try to keep basic ingredients on hand, as I love to cook and bake when I'm in between projects (or in between episodes of Cold Case), or if I'm just plain bored.  So here we have my latest creation...

I guess it made about thirty cookies when assembled.  If I had made the individual pieces larger it would have probably worked better.  I'm still learning my new electric range and how to adjust for dark pans or insulated cookie sheets and whatever, but I'm very happy with the results.

There are other recipes online that contain brown sugar if you want a sweeter cake/cookie.  For me, this worked...

I think this is the funniest recipe, because the cook automatically assumes that you know how to do this.  "Mix cookies in the order listed" certainly is less wordy than cream the sugar and shortening together, blah, blah, blah.  It's just like what your Mom or Auntie would have told you, knowing that you already knew the basics.  If you don't know the basics, this recipe may be confusing for you.  For me, even as much as I love to talk and type, sometimes the fewer words... the better. That's the way I feel about this recipe.  I did have extra filling left over, so next time I'll be more generous when putting them together. 


Hope you like them.

Odds and ends

Remember the picture that I took of Chelsea and her dad?  I decided to posterize it and make a watercolor portrait...

I had to make myself stop tweeking it and now that I've got it framed I see several areas that still need work. Grrrr.

Speaking of things that are almost complete, here is a shot of the screened porch.  All that is lacking is ceiling fan and outlets.  Then it can have the final inspection...

Of course, last but not least, here is the new driveway...

If you look closely, you can also see the newly installed ridge vent.  You may notice, no johnny house now.  The last thing that has to be done is a vinyl fence  which will be installed to hide my garbage can from view.  THEN, it should be complete. 

Don't know which were Odds and which were Ends, but there you go.

Be back soon.

Rainy day activities...

What to do on a rainy Saturday...

Buy very comfy boots.  Got some similar to these from Zappos, but the heel was way too high.  These are so comfortable I can't believe it.  Brand is Matisse, style is Winchester.  Got them at Shoe Carnival for $49.99.  Sending the Fryes back to Zappos, they were three times as much and didn't fit as well.

Wanted something sweet, so I searched the web for cake in a mug recipes and came up with this...

I added the whip cream and Hershey's syrup.  I found the recipe here.

Last but not least, I have been wanting to try putting chalk streaks in my hair, but never got around to it.  I didn't realize that it was done simply with artist chalk, so I pulled out my high dollar pan pastels, (leave it to me to go crazy when chalk from Michaels would work) and came up with this...

Chalking your hair is very temporary and can be messy, leaving puffs of color behind as you go about your business (I'm thinking Pig Pen with purple dust around him), but anyway, it was fun and will shampoo out (they say).

Well, that's it for today.  Hope everyone has a great weekend and remember to hug someone today.  Need a reason?  Just say it's from Peachy and that will suffice.