Birthday Reflections

Last week I had my birthday. I turned 38, which really isn't an exciting birthday. But I do like the fact that my b-day falls in the middle of the year, because I think this is a good time to assess how I've been doing since my New Year's post.

Me on the 4th of July

And I think I've been doing pretty good. Excellent actually! I've definitely gotten out more. And I've met a lot of great people who I now consider friends. My art has a location to be shown. Two locations actually and I have more events coming up! Wow, lots of changes in the last few months!

The one area I've fallen short in is getting healthier. It seems the busier I've gotten the worse I eat! I need to make this my focus for the rest of the year. I know I would feel better and have more energy. I NEED the energy!

Tomato from my garden - a good start in getting healthy!

Yes, I see more veggies in my future. Water too. I have a horrible diet soda addiction that I need to overcome. And exercise. Who has the time? I do actually. But I have a million little excuses as to why I can't. But I have to. I need the mind/body balance that I'm lacking.

So there it is. More goal setting. More to do. More Joy.

Do you take the summer to assess your goals? How have you been doing?

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate

Ice Box Cake

I’m a bit of a Food Network/Cooking Channel junkie - not because I like to cook so much - but because in the last two years I’ve been thrown into the duty, since my family has gone down to one income. What I’ve found is that things I thought were complicated to prepare, are actually pretty easy. Like this Ice Box Cake:

Source: foodnetwork.com via Joyce on Pinterest

I was perusing the Food Network when I saw Ina Garten - aka The Barefoot Contessa - making this ice box cake.  I changed it up a little because I didn’t want to add alcohol to a dessert that my son would eat. Trying to be a responsible mom!

My version - not as pretty - but tasty!

Here’s my version:

2 cups heavy cream
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsps cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1 bag crispy chocolate chip cookies

First, I gently whipped the cream with a hand held mixer, until it thickened slightly. Then I added the vanilla, sugar, and cocoa powder and continued mixing until the cream thickened (like Cool Whip). You have to be careful to not over whip, otherwise you'll get butter! It took about a minute.

Then, in a round cake pan (Ina used a spring form pan, but I didn't have one and didn't want to buy one), I layered the cookies, then whipped cream, cookies, cream, cookies and had a layer of cream on top. I covered it with plastic wrap and let it set in the fridge overnight - about 12 hours.

Easy peasy! Actually, it took longer for me to write this post then to assemble the cake! And it was DELICIOUS!!! It's not something I'd make every week, because of the high fat content, but for get togethers it would be fabulous!

Let me know if you try it!

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate

Green Beans Everywhere!

Hello!

Raw beans, fresh from the garden

So, here's how random my life can be. Saturday, my hubby gets a text from a friend asking if he wants to go and pick green beans. His friend's garden has exploded with green beans and there are simply too many for his family. All of this green goodness means that Sunday we had to blanch the beans and freeze them. Here's how we did it:

The hubster's hand

First, we had to rip the ends off of the beans. This is kind of a zen task and was nice to sit and talk with the hubster over the bags of beans.

Monty and Kiki offered to help

Then I rinsed them and put the beans in rolling boiling water for 3 minutes (the blanching process). This kills anything that may have gotten on the veggies and also kills an enzyme that breaks down the green beans. (The hubster just told me that tidbit - I had no clue before.) It also brings out a lovely green color in the beans.

Blanching the green beans.

Then I stuck them in an ice bath for another 3 minutes. This stops the cooking process. The beans are still very firm at this point. And uber sweet and yummy! I could really eat them like this and be happy.



ice + water = a chilly bath for green beans

Then I laid them out on a paper towel on the counter and blotted any excess water off.

And then we placed them in freezer bags!

My hubby then worked to get all air out of the bags, to prevent freezer burn. We have about 16 quart size bags of green beans. I think that should get us through to the holidays!

We're hoping next year we'll be picking a bounty like this from our garden. We got off to a slow start this year, but we're ready for next year!

Have you done any summer gardening this year? How do you store your bounty?

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate 

Be Fearless

Hello!

Let me start off by saying that last week was BUSY! Good busy, but wow, I can't take weeks like that much anymore!

So let me recap what last week was like:

First, I called Monday to a local gallery/shop to see if they would be interested in my work. I had every intention of hearing, "No, sorry, that's not a genre we're interested in." BUT, the owner liked it and now my work has a home! It's called the Rita Smith Gallery, located in Forest Acres, SC.

You just have to be Fearless...

By Wednesday, I had installed [some] of my art and worked my first day in the gallery! Whew! But it's so exciting, I think I had adrenaline pumping through my veins to keep me going.

What is also great is that I can hold classes there. So, I'm now working on scheduling some for later this summer (more on that later).

The rest of my week was filled with mommy duties, like taking my son to karate...

Speaking of fearless, my son Aiden in his karate uniform. :-)

... and Father's Day activities...

Camping out on our property

Spending some time on the lake

So, yeah, I'm exhausted! But I had a great time. I even tried Knee Boarding (no pics thank goodness!) I failed at Knee Boarding. I couldn't even get on the board, lol. But I tried!

What I learned from last week is to just go for it! You never know what could happen. *smile*

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate 

Riverwalk Love

Hello!

I meant to post this yesterday, but once again, time got away from me. So here is the update from the show on Saturday: AWESOME!

My humble booth

Yes, I had a great day - not just because of sales - but because I got to meet some really great people. Artsy people. People who talked about art passionately. Who are WAY more talented than me, but no matter, they were gracious and accepted me as one of them. And I heard so many interesting interpretations of my art from passersby. I would never have thought that my art could do that. Strike up conversation. Even memories and emotion. So totally awesome!




Artist Jean Bourque, painting to one of the performers

And, to be honest, I wasn't really prepared. But I've learned that showing up sometimes is half the battle, so I showed up. And it was the best thing I did! I now have leads for some other shows. I'm so excited and exhilarated! I feel like I'm really on the right path. My big toe is in the door and I'm not letting it shut!

Peace ~ Love ~ Chocolate

Happy President's Day!

Hello!

I wish I had some interesting tidbit about this day, but I don't. So, I'll just re-hash my weekend...

This weekend was the hubster's birthday. He celebrated by going through our property, with a machete, trying to create paths:

Hubster, with a machete

I celebrated by spoiling him the whole day, starting off with his favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner, then ending the day with this:

Red velvet cake. Yum!

I did not bake this - I'm not really good at baking - and I know my limits. It was from Publix and delicious!

I was able to do a little painting this weekend. I have been trying to change up my style a bit, but alas, it always goes back to the same ol', same old:

Lovely ladies

A couple of new ladies. I have to work on some backgrounds now to give them a home. Which will probably be next week, since my son is out of school this week.

And, last but not least, I'm breaking down and getting an SLR camera. My friend sold hers to me and I'm so excited, I can't wait!

My new toy

I've been reluctant to get one, mostly because of the cost and complexity of them. But I'm getting to a point that I need something 'meatier' when I'm out and about taking pictures.  And getting one used cuts the cost in half and I know how good of condition it's in, because I know where it's come from.

So, that was my weekend. How was yours?

Peace, Love and Chocolate

The Joy List

Hello!

It's been a while since I've done a Joy List, so I thought I'd do one today. As always, here are some things that have brought me joy this week...

 A funky, unique sofa in a thrift store. If I had somewhere to put this, it would have been mine! I envision it in a room with walls to match the blue...

 A vintage car in an unexpected place (the Walmart parking lot)...

And watching my "boys" explore in our yard. This was so cute; Monty (the puppy) was imitating everything Aiden (my son) did!

So much to be thankful for and lots of eye candy! What are some things that brought joy into your days this past week?

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Lazy Sunday...

The Joy List

Some things that made me smile this week...

... patterned Duck Tape (didn't it used to be called duct tape?)...

... going treasure hunting with my two favorite men...

... and finding another fungi to photograph (get it - 'fun guy'? I know I need help).

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

The Joy List

More from my visit to Hendersonville, NC. I don't get out much, so when I do, LOTS of pics! *smile*

There were these bears, lining the Main Street, all painted by different artists. I thought this was so COOL!

I know I didn't get pics of them all; it became too hot to walk very much. But I really liked the ones I saw.

This last one didn't turn out so well because of the lighting (I'm not a very good photographer). But it was outside a coffe shop. I'm guessing, "bear"ista? Ha ha.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

The Joy List

My husband and I got to sneak a little trip to one of our favorite places. Here are some things that brought me joy during our getaway...

... a quaint little cottage where we stayed, with lovely little gardens ...

... rows of cute shops ...

... and little treasures we found inside those shops ...

... and one big treasure. I have plans for this!

Also, good blues music at a local restaurant (The Blue Note)!

A very good getaway!!!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

The Joy List

Sleeping in 'til 10am...

Mod Podge! I never used this stuff until I took Soul Restoration and now I love it!

And freshly washed towels. They're so soft and smell so GOOD!

Peace, Love and Chocolate

The Joy List

Some things that have brought joy this week:

Beautiful Spring flowers...

 

Celebrating with family...

And watching my son learn to read.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

The Joy List

I really hate the taste (or rather, no taste) of water. So, I've found this new water flavor enhancer. Just a couple drops to my water and *presto* it tastes good. Zero calories too.

We call this pic 'Purple Tongue, Silly Face'. Just about any picture of this kid brings me joy.

And, seeing a performance at the Columbia Marionette Theatre (my son refused to be in the picture).

I hope you had a joyful weekend too!

Peace, Love and Chocolate

My Inspiration

For as long as I can remember [and before], my mom has painted and look what she sent me the other day! Two paintings that she recently finished - just for me! (And my family.) ;-)

Mt. Shuksan, WA

Mt. Rainier, WA

My mom has never tried to sell her paintings, she just paints because she loves it. And within the last 10 years or so, she hasn't painted much - I guess life was getting in the way. But since she's heard about me getting into it, she's started back up again, which thrills me! I can tell by these two latest creations that she's getting back into her groove and the love that she once had for painting is returning, which is really inspiring me!

Who is your inspiration?

Peace, Love and Chocolate

Time Flies

I cannot believe how quickly this week has gone by! I feel like I've gotten a lot done and at the same time, nothing at all, because I still have so much more to do.

This picture is something I worked on for my sis-in-law Debbie this week. It's her beloved Dinah, who sadly past away a few weeks ago. I felt so honored that she asked me to paint a portrait of her! It's not my normal mixed-media style, but I think I did pretty good and I like challenging myself to paint more realistic pieces once in a while. Dinah was the sweetest little dog and I'm glad that I got to visit with her a couple of times. She was lucky to have Debbie as her mama and take such good care of her (if you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll remember I did a post on Debbie and how she works to rescue animals).

It's the weekend and I'm going to continue with my busy pace. I'm redecorating and organizing my office/studio/guest room. I'll post pics as soon as it is complete. I've really bitten off a lot this time!

Peace, Love and Chocolate

Thoughts on Life

Photo Credit

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

~ Mother Teresa