My crabby day

This week was supposed to be spent in the Midwest, but because life is full of monkey wrenches, tonight we're in Pennsylvania!

This morning we were in Baltimore, MD, listening to the faceless GPS voice direct us through a maze of back streets until we arrived at our destination - Mama's on the Half Shell.

I have NEVER tasted crab like that. And I will be savoring the memory for a long time to come.


What a day!

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks... Psalm 75:1

More, with details

This post is more a memory assist than anything else. A record of what went into each attempt to expand the library file card experiments.


Textured gesso on painted library file card, 3 "drop cloth" squares, antique photo (boy) glued to file card, twine tie, bubble wrap stamp on card.


Image transfer on painted library file card, hand carved texture stamp along bottom edge, commercial stamps - wavy lines and speckles (card).


Printed, painted cat glued to painted, gessoed library file card, tied with canvas thread and eyelash yarn, wavy commercial stamp on card.


Painted library file card with gesso center, divided image transfer, commercial stamps (words, wavy lines), grosgrain ribbon tie, bubble wrap stamp on card.

Ah, now my mind is clutter free. Wish I could say the same about my worktable!

I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Psalm 104:33

I wonder...

Life has been busy. Filled with things that are interesting to me, and most likely only me.

For instance, I am intrigued with how many different ways I can alter my library file cards... but another person might say, "More paint? More transfers? How much gel medium can a person use?"



And, I am dying to know how much whole wheat flour I can use in my mostly white flour bread recipe before it becomes a boat anchor. And, I wonder what would happen if I add cheese when I shape the loaves? A non-baker might think, "Go buy the bread!"


And then, there's my ever-present defiant streak that says (or sings)"anything you can do, I can do better!"... so of course, I have to try making my own whole wheat bread bowls for the Minestrone soup bubbling on the stove. Some well rested diner might laugh... as they walk into Panera Bread and order soup in a bread bowl.


Life without a challenge is like faith without works... how do you know what will happen unless you throw yourself out there?

Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

Kindling a flame

Who knows why... too much winter? Too much rain? Head congestion?

For whatever reason the creative spirit, like Elvis, has left the building. I look at my paints and papers, the tools and brushes and not one imaginative thought crosses my mind. So, in an effort to jump start something, anything!!, I decided to try some image transfers. They are like magic to me and (I hoped) would kindle a little flame of creativity.

I pulled out a few of my vintage "library cards", printed some favorite images, and started in. I even decided to rush the process and broke a few rules... I didn't allow the usual 24 hours drying time. As soon as the paper/gel felt dry to the touch, I started rubbing off the paper.

They were great! It was so exciting to see the results that I started brushing and scraping paint on more surfaces to see how the transfer would look on color filled backgrounds. Wow! Even better!!!


Before long I had rows of paper with paint drying... then images drying... then removing the image paper for the amazing reveal.

Three have already left the house on card fronts.


Do I smell smoke? Yesssss!

Bless the Lord, O my soul... who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:2&5

Red, blue, yellow and fluffy!

After a hard winter of drab, it's good to see color around the yard today.

Ever since this incident there have been no cardinals in our little courtyard. Today was the first time. Welcome back, brave one!


These bursts of blue pop up everywhere... in the grass, through the leaves. I discovered several clumps of tiny little bulbs while trying to dig out weeds a few years ago. I'm really into free plants, so I carefully pulled the clumps apart and replanted the bulbs, wondering what I would get. Hundreds! That's what I got! Hundreds of lovely little grape hyacinths that are as determined to multiply as they are to live. I love 'em!


Like butter and sunshine rolled into one... the forsythia. (Also makes the perfect switch for sassy little girls. We have a lo-o-o-ng history. Yes, yes we do.)


And just before the sun went down, while the stones were still wet from the rain, the clouds! How I do love the clouds. Dark and dreary, or beautiful like these...




they are the promise of a trumpet sound, a soon meeting in the air.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. I Thessalonians 4:17-18

Recycled drop cloth

Yesterday, I realized that my work table had moved from creative chaos to deplorable mess. After tools, paints, brushes, etc. were hanging, stacked and standing where they belong, I could see that the 5' paper drop cloth had to be replaced!

I recently read about an artist who cut her drop cloth into smaller background pieces for use in her other artwork. With that in mind, I looked for anything that might be re-usable in my freshly exposed mess. That's when I discovered little moments of wonder all over that paper.

Autographs from granddaughters...



A love note to gramma...


Arty people and moments of brilliant color combos...




What started as paper to pitch, became a stack of color-filled future additives, and sweet little memory pieces that I'll treasure forever.

And, since it's unreasonable to expect a person to clean and organize the whole time, I also carved 3 new stamps. (What!?! I had to make a decision whether to "throw-or-keep" the inspiration piece..)

Finally, in order to prove to myself that this was not a waste of time, I used some of the recycled paper bits and two of the new stamps to make a note card.


Fun way to spend an evening.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might... Ecclesiastes 9:10

April showers bring May flowers

If this is the 2011 version of April showers...


I can't wait to see the May flowers!

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Ephesians 2:9

What is it?

While shopping at a little fresh market last week, I came face to face with a big bin of fresh poblano peppers. They were absolutely the most beautiful poblanos I have seen at any store in Michigan!


Since "Chiles Rellenos" is a favorite menu item for my dearly beloved, I bought 4 (they were so big that's all I could fit in the bag!), positive I could find a way around the deep frying part of the recipe.

I love the internet. Any recipe you could ever want is there. But I was having a bit of trouble finding a recipe that included ingredients that I already had in the house. And... this frying in inches of hot oil was in nearly every recipe. Finally, the perfect combo of ingredients and no oil fell into place and I was off on my poblano adventure.

Chiles Rellenos Pie

Ingredients:
6 fresh poblano chiles uh-oh I only have 4. I guess I will make 2/3's of the recipe
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese and 2 cups mild cheddar Oh boy. I have percorino romano, and mozzarella, and a little bit of cheddar. That will have to do.
1-1/2 cups cooked chicken!! I never saw that in the list! Well, let's see. I have some leftover seasoned steak strips. Ok. Next?
1 cup evap milk - Check. Oh wait, there's not much here. Guess I'll just add water.
1 cup sour cream Ugh. I know that sour cream is in here somewhere. Why don't they make refrigerators with revolving shelves? Hmmm. I think if I beat this cottage cheese it will be about the same. Good!
3 eggs But I only have 2! Wait... I'm only doing 2/3's of a recipe. Whew!
2 cups salsa YES!!! I have it!!!

Step 1: The roasting part went well. It is satisfying to zip the skins from the peppers with such ease.

Step 2: Well, I don't have an 11" square baking dish. (Do you? Have you ever seen one?) I do have an 11"x7"... could that be 2/3's? Lined my substitute pan with the roasted, seeded chiles and covered them with my trio of wrong cheeses. Topped that with the spicy beef strips - not chicken - and poured the mixture of diluted evap milk, flour, smashed cottage cheese, and 2 eggs over the layers in the pan.

Sounding good yet?

Step 3: Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. When the center of the casserole was firm, I spread salsa over the top and baked it for another 10-15 minutes.

Well... it probably should have had some standing time before I cut into it, but we were hungry. There is a phrase that I hear occasionally at my dinner table. (Whatever hackles are, it raises mine when I hear it.) My sweetie will look at me and say, "I wouldn't serve this to company..."

On Chiles Rellenos Pie night? He said, "I would serve this to company! This is sooo good!" I was shocked.

Here's my dilemma - what shall I call my new concoction? It isn't Chiles Rellenos. It isn't Chiles Rellenos Pie. I'll have to call it Manna (i.e. what-is-it?).

Yep... I'm thinking Manna is a good name for it.

And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing... and when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. Exodus 16:14-15