September trade: autumn charms

Hello friends. As I told you last month, part of my vow to be an artist instead of wishing to be one, was to partake in a trade and/or challenge each month. Here are the results of September's trade. I really enjoyed making these- it took me back to my sculpting days. I made most of these while talking to Dy, Amy, or the Dude on the phone- they were easy and enjoyable to create. They consist of silk coccons and silk rods (go here to see photos of both), painted with Lumiere here and there, and embellished with silk wool. You probably won't want to click on these- when they are big, they are just fuzzy blobs.This is my sunflower. 2 silk cocoons, which I cut into to form the petals, nestled in part of a silk rod, with a button to hold the layers together. This one has the metalic Lumiere on the petals.
This acorn was the first one I came up with. A cocoon, with a bead attached at the closed end, and part of a brown rod glued on the open end, with some embroidery floss wrapped around to make the stem.
This one is a tassel. Some lace glued onto the cocoon, silk fibers, some with leaf bead, glued inside the cocoon.
Punkins! A bit of curly brown silk rod to make the stem, and silk wool stuffed into the open end of orange cocoons. Couldn't have been simpler!
Hope you liked them.
LB

WIP finished (sorta) L & L challenge

I last wrote about this challenge here. You can see how different the pieces look finished.
What I meant by sorta in the title of this post, is that I am done making the "fabric", but I haven't done anything with them yet. I have a plan, just need to execute it. As usual, you can click to enlarge.
So again, this is lutradur, an interesting fibrous "fabric", with lace and cheesecloth applied with many layers of acrylic paints, the last few layers being Lumiere, which I just adore for their iridescence. That's it for this post.
Ta ta for now,
LB

Tidbits: Toddler love and a link or three.

For Tami, here is a better shot of the mural. I haven't worked on it in several months, and I really should- I find that even though I have very little experience painting, it is very freeing, and makes me happy. I need to do more of it, how else will I get better?

Also, if you haven't met Lemondrop yet, you may want to head over and check her out. Tami is her creator, and the kids and I love to see new bits of Lemondrop's story every week. If you have littles, they will love the illustrations. My tweens are hooked!

I took a 2 hour nap yesterday, so was awake till about 2 this morning. It's all the Birthday Girl's fault, really. Miz Booshay posted links to the current Dancing with the Stars show, and I went over to YouTube to check them out. 2 hours later, and I had watched a LOT of ballroom dances featuring Mario Lopez. I can see why you folks with tv reception and cable could get sucked into this show. Good thing we don't do tv- probably a good thing Netflix doesn't have DWTS.

I had the most wonderful time with my borrowed toddler today. While his mama, TBPTOTP (The Best Piano Teacher on the Planet) and Piano Girl worked for 3+ hours downstairs, we did puzzles, and played trains, and read, and read, and read some more. We played our special games, the "I like/do you like" game, the "woof/meow/oink" game, and sang lots of nursery rhymes. Once a preschool teacher, always a preschool teacher. He calls me nanny (my 3rd person name for myself) now, and is just so sweet. And if all that wasn't enough, get this- every week, I sing him lullabies and rock him to sleep, then lay him down for his nap. I know he is way old for this, and I am the only person who puts him down for nigh-nights like this, but hey- he will grow up soon enough, and his mama lets me spoil and enjoy him this way. Anyway, I always say, "Goodnight, Abe. I love you. See you next week." as I lay him down, whether he is asleep or not. Today, he was really tired, but fidgety, so after about 20 songs,I lay him down awake, and said my usual. He snuggled down into his crib, and said, "I love you too.". Now if that just wasn't enough to keep me glowing all the rest of the day, I don't know what else would.

Edited to add this pic of Abe. It isn't the best, but he moves constantly- I took over 20 photos of him yesterday, and this is the only one that even sorta came out- but it is cute- notice his Thomas cap, and James the red engine- classic Abe accoutrements.

I have more I could update you on, but we are headed out the door to pick the Papa Dude up from the airport. I took tons of photos at the fair, and have some art to upload too, will try to be better at posting in the next couple of days- been fighting some bug, and actually sleeping!
TTFN,
LB

Where is LB?

I am here, I just have been spending time doing things that don't involve a computer! First off, I have met another man, and he and I have been spending waaaayyy to o much time together recently. Have to say, the Dude doesn't seem to mind. I have been engaged in a thorough deep cleaning of this old farmhouse, from top to bottom and stem to stern. It is taking up much of my time and energy, and doesn't show any signs of being over any time soon, but I am actually sorta-kinds enjoying it . At least I like the way a room looks and smells when I am done, and I don't seem to be reacting to the chemicals in the cleaner this time. And secondly, I have been spending lots of time teaching and supervising lessons. It is going good so far, but is time-consuming and challenging. A lot of the time, it looks like this, only imagine a kid sitting there, staring out the window, or getting up every two minutes to go downstairs to sharpen the lead that you would swear they keep breaking on purpose, etc.

One of the reasons cleaning and schooling can be draining to me is that I would really rather be here. I have been in the studio in little fits and starts- putting on a paint of coat here and there between lessons and laundry loads. My L & L challenge is coming along, I haven't taken photos of it lately, but my pieces have many layers of paint, and are just about done. I am now at the point where I am ready to make some things with it. I have a few ideas but will show them to you later.

It seems every time I get a few loyal readers coming to the blog, I stop blogging. I apologize for that way of being. I tell the story that I am too busy to do it, with everything else I have going, but the truth is, sometimes I feel like it, and sometimes I don't. I do hope that you continue to check in now and again, as I will be making a supreme effort to do this regularly. Thanks to those who always comment- that means a great deal and keeps me blogging.
Hugs. TTFN,
LB

Sunset Walkies, part 2

Okay, so I told you we were walking out behind Boeing. There are several buildings, and hangars. Here is one. As usual, you can click to make it bigger.Over to the left, you can see an airplane. It started from over here, and traveled across our line of vision. I don't know just what about this was so fascinating, but I shot tons of photos of it, and had a really good time. Maybe it was the cool color of the jet before it got it's final paint coat.
Here it is in a close-up. Isn't it pretty? For a plane, that is.
It was pulled by this tiny vehicle. What a contrast!
There it goes, over to the main airport. What fun!
That's it! Other than the plane, I took tons of photos of berries. There were berries everywhere along the walking path- all different colors and sizes.
Talk soon,
LB

Sunset Walkies, part 1

A couple of weeks ago (I know, I know, I am a terribly inconsistent blogger, sigh.) , the Fine Young Man was off doing something, and it was just the three of us. We went for an evening stroll along the river, down behind the Renton Airport. The sun set while we were out, and it was enjoyable all the way around. Lots of inspiration for future art, too.

Here is Piano Girl. Isn't she growing up? Gramma and I took her to Value Village yesterday and we shopped in the women's sections- sizes 5 and 7 fit her! Here is a washed out shot of the Dude and myself. We look a bit off, as it was about the 7th shot Girly took- she has a really shaky hand with my camera, lol.
A blue heron. I have a lot of shots of this- I can see a painting or little quiltlet composed from this.
Here is my favorite shot of the moon I took as we were heading to the car.
This is what Dude and the Girl were doing while I was taking the photos I will show you in the next post. Stay tuned.

UFO: Lutradour and lace challenge part 2

This one was so pretty I didn't even add lace to it. It has gold and copper highlights that aren't showing up well.This one is small. It is just the first layer of paint.

Here is the second layer on this piece.

I'll post more when I can , I gotta get the kids to the football game. I am hoping to spend some time on this project this weekend.
LB

UFO: Lutradour and lace challenge part 1

This is what I am working on currently. I am very short on time, so will elaborate later. For now, you can just look. For others in the challenge: I am not stitching things down, but using gesso in the first layer. I want to see how that works.

Work space:Layer one:

Layer two. It is a more golden color in reality.

Layer one of a different piece. This is a long piece. the left side:

The right side.

light bulb moment

Good morning invisible friends! I have figured something out (again)! To stay out of the dark places (I refuse to use the "D" word!), the two things that seem to help me most are creating every day, and eating right. If I can just get to the place where both of these are a priority, life will be so much more fun and full of light!

I am grabbing my camera and heading down to the studio depths. I was creating till 1 am, and want to do more. The kids can get their own brekky, the Girl is headed to her piano for a couple of hours, and the Boy is taking the bus to his classes, so I can go get covered with paint and it won't matter- I don't have to be anywhere until this evening, when I have to turn into the supportive mom who is helping out at the first football game.

The Fine Young Man looks so cute in his uniform- the nice black pants, the red jacket, and the oatmeal box hat with the feather plume and the chinstrap. I better pack my tissues.

I hope to be back here later with art pictures!
As Pooh says, TTFN,
LB

Tidbit: Thanks, I'm feeling better now.

Wow, you gals are the best invisible friends a person can have. I was feeling so alone yesterday, but you guys were nice enough to let me know you care, and that we all go through places like this. And Bridget, you were right- Mama hugs still work when you are 42.

Today is our busy music day. The Boy will take the bus to his classes, and then home again, as Papa is still out of town and Piano Girl and I are basically at The Best Piano Teacher's house from 9 to 2 today. I will get my toddler fix and a grownup fix too.

So far as art goes, I am creating today no matter what! I am taking my lutradour and lace with me- I am going to try to just hand-tack some pieces down, so that they might be ready to work on tonight.

That's it for now, gotta get us all moving here.
Loving my invisible friends, and realizing I get to create my own happiness.
LB

Tidbit: Breathe in, Breathe out. Survive.

I'm here. I seem to be in another one of my dark places. It is so easy to fall into the overwhelmed story, and then I lock up, and don't get anything accomplished, even fun things. But today, I refuse to use depression as an excuse, so will just focus on where I am going, not where I have been. I will not look at what is not done, but focus on what I will do. Today I move and breathe in the sunshine air. I will drop my son off at school, run errands with my daughter, and pop in to hug my mother. Then I will come home and do the dishes and some laundry, and head to the studio, which is (as always, sigh) in need of a deep cleaning and some organizing. Tonight, we will eat a healthy meal and laugh together. My dude will call me from Boise and I will tell him about my day, and I will smile.

I do have a few posts started with pictures, not as much art content as I would like, but I will try to get those up soon. Thanks for hanging in.
TTFN,
LB

Tidbit: Busy, busy, busy!!

Gah! I am here, and doing stuff, but we are so busy, I haven't had a chance to post. I have taken over a hundred photos, and we have been doing all kinds of stuff, so I am hoping for a quiet day tomorrow so I can catch up on my posting.
Hope all is well with you.
TTFN,
LB

Abe's 2nd birthday and quilt

Remember my toddler friend Abe? He also turned two this month. We went to his party, ate pizza, visited with friends, and had a great time. Here he is with his new birthday balloons, Piano Girl, and his cat, Seamus (or Shaymus?). Seamus enjoyed the balloons as much as Abe did.Here he is with his Mama, opening his gifts. His mama is TBPTOTP- the best piano teacher on the planet, and we love her. We really do.
Here is Abe with his Mama and Papa, not wanting to blow his candle out!
Here is his quilt. I think this one came out so much better than the "H" quilt in the last post. Lots of cute frogs to play I spy with. ("Can you find the frog wearing glasses? Or the frog in an orange innertube?" etc.)
Here is the back, again with the sweet frog fabric, which I am now out of. I would love to find more- I had 5 yards of this stuff and used it from many quilts, big and small, and I still love it.
That's it for now, I need to do some English with the Girl, eat something, and then clean up the studio and get ready to start working on screens next week!
TTFN,
LB

PSI Seasons Finished and Toddler quilt #1

Okay. Remember I had two amazing toddlers in my life who turned two years old this month? Here is the first quilt I made. This one is for a little girl. It is porbably 12 X17-ish. I didn't measure. I like to do them small, so they can be carried around, and used for doll quilts, etc. It turned out okay, and she loved it, so that is good, but all I see is an unintended "H" shape when I look at it.

Here is a close-up of one of the frog blocks. I had a ton of already cut up frog blocks and strips, so I just used them to make it easier on myself.
Here is the back of the quilt. I was using up the last of this frog fabric, and ran out, so that is why it is pieced with the orange batik.
Now these I am super proud of. These are the Plus Size Inchies I made for my trade at Fiber Art Traders. Remember the sheets of fabric I had made- now look at them! I still have a bunch left-over, too. I made a simple wallhanging for our piano teacher, too. I will take a picture of it once it is hanging on the wall in her music studio.

In order from top to bottom, we have spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In a couple of days, I will be notified to whom I will be sending these- I will trade with a group of six folks, and will end up with a bunch of these. DOn't ask me what I will do with them, I am not certain yet.

That's it for this post- check out the next one for the second toddler quilt I made this month.
LB

In The Mail

Okay, now this is really fun! This is the beginning of a new category- In The Mail. One day last week, I was visiting Lemondrop, and oogling the ATC's I saw in a post there, and her creator, Tami, sent me one! Isn't Lemondrop just the sweetest?! If you haven't visited Lemondrop yet, you should- and your kids will love her, too. In the photo, I used the hand-stamped card Tami sent as an easel. Hopefully, this is the first of many posts where I can show you someone else's art!
That is all I have for now- I need to stop writing about studio work, and do some!
TTFN,
LB

WIP-PSI's Four Seasons

Ok, so here are the sheets of embellished fabric that I will turn into Plus Size Inchies (PSI's). They were a bit challenging to photograph, as I have two burned out bulbs in the studio (why always in pairs?!), and my camera isn't super. The fabric is meant to represent the four seasons. As usual, feel free to click on the photo to view it larger.

Here is the first one- Spring. There are several batiked fabrics, silk ribbons, skeleton leaves, and many different fibers- everything from embroidery floss to silk wool. I found a green tulle to put on top. Please tell me it reminds you of spring- so many shades of green and yellow, after a long dreary winter.


This one represents summer. I started with a pink and blue batik as the base, and added artificial flowers, pressed flowers, skeleton leaves, acrylic yarn, and threads. I found a pink tulle for the top of this one.










Here is Autumn. I used a leaf-print fabric, and added just a little bit of fiber confetti, some dyed cheesecloth, and skeleton leaves.
This was the simplest of the four pieces.

Okay, here is winter. This one was very fun to do- I was talking to Big D. on the phone, and just creating away. By the time we were done talking, I had a beautiful piece of fabric that really did remind me of winter. For this one, I used a white-on-white fabric, then added silk rods, silk and sheep wool, some fibers, and some Angelina fibers, that really made it sparkle. Now I get to chop the fabrics up, put Timtex between two layers, and create some miniature pieces of art to trade! I have been telling myself for a year now I wanted to take part in a trade or swap, and have been putting it off. No longer. "Real" artists put themselves out there, and share their art! Sorry for the photos being in wierd places, I originally had Winter in the next post.
LB

Finally! Art Content!

I have been working hard in my studio for the last four days. I don't have pictures yet, because I am not quite finished, but I will take a bunch today and hope to post them soon.

I have been using several of the free tutorials over at Fibre and Stitch, and am working on a PSI (here is a good photo of some) challenge from the FAT group. Per Sue B's recommendation, I ordered some MistyFuse, and am now in love with it. I think I have found the perfect fusible. It is light, doesn't gum up like some of them do, and is available by the yard at my fave quilt shop. I have been "making" fabric, by starting with a base, and then adding layers of stuff (anything from pressed and silk flowers, to silk rods, cheesecloth, and bright-colored thread and angelina fibers, each with a layer of Mistyfuse in between. I will use this fabric to make PSI's and fabric postcards. Details and photos will be forth-coming.

Right now, I am headed down to the studio, where my Girl will be meeting me for an English lesson- two birds with one stone and all.

TTFN,
LB

Make Nice-Twice!

Have you had a kindness shown?
Pass it on;
'Twas not given for thee alone,
Pass it on;
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another's tears,
'Til in Heaven the deed appears -
Pass it on.
~Henry Burton, Pass It On


Well what do you know? I have received my first-ever blog award-from two different bloggers! Andie was kind enough to think of me as a nice blogger, and so was Kitten. They both said some very nice things about me, and that felt good! It's not a leg lamp, but I will take it. So now I get to pass on the nicey-niceness and pick 7 nice bloggers of my own. This will be tough, as Andie and Kitten picked many of the same bloggers I would! Let's see......

First off, I nominate Nan @ Life is Like a Lunchbox. Not only is Nan nice, but she is generous in spirit as well. She came up with the idea to fancy up my blog, and did it while her in-laws were visiting even. Way nice!

2nd, how about Miz Booshay over at Quiet Life. She is always nice, in a very encouraging way. Whenever I am struggling to be a mom, a wife, a teacher, or any other part of my life, I head over to Quiet Life, for a dose of encouragement. I love you, Miz B. You bring out the best in me.

3rd, Amy @ The Foil Hat. I love Amy, too. She is thoughtful and kind, but mostly, she makes me laugh- the kind of spew your Vitaminwater on your keyboard laugh. That's nice, and I need that.

4th is Poppins. I find her blog to be very inspirational on many subjects. And not only is she generous in sharing links, she is the generous brain behind The Denim Jumper, a great place for secular homeschoolers to hang out.

5th is Sue Bleiweiss. 6th is Terri S. Both of these amazing and talented ladies are so very nice. They share their enthusiasm for art as well as detailed tutorials and how-to's. They are two of my biggest encouragements when it comes to this art journey I am beginning. Thanks, gals.

7th is Dy. I do not care if she has already been given this award, she gets it again. Dy is such an amazing person. She is one of my best parenting examples. She has such patience and grace with her children. In addition to being the amazing mother of five and a dedicated wife, she is a true friend. She calls me regularly to make sure I am ok, and we commiserate, and laugh together. I love her with my heart and soul, and still wish she and Zorak were in love with the northwest as much as they are the southwest.

8th: Ok, there isn't supposed to be an 8th, but I am adding it since a couple of my recipients were already nominated for this award. 8th is Bridget. I just love Bridget's cheerful outlook on life and on her blog- Bridget has a great family she loves with all her heart, and I love the way she showcases them on her blog. Another nice thing about Bridget is that she is one of my regular commenters. Now THAT is nice! I was about ready to give up on blogging a few months ago, and then Bridget started leaving me comments. This was very encouraging, and is one of the reasons I do my best to blog regularly. Thanks, Bridget!

Now for the Official Stuff: "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

Ok ladies, whom will you pick? And thanks again for being part of my blogosphere.
LB

From the Studio Depths

I woke up at 8:45, to goodbye kisses, and the smell of bacon. Papa and the keedunks left to go bike riding with Mr. B. and his girls. I have just spent a luxurious 30 minutes blog-cruising while eating a donut and O.J. (they ate all the bacon), and though I am still in my jammies, am now settled down in the studio depths. All morning with no interruptions, just Bonnie Rait, John Hyatt, and Joe Jackson cranked up high; and 3 mischievous cats to keep me company. And if it gets hot, or I have a hot flash, I can strip down to my bra and don't have to worry about being sighted by a teenage Boy.
I'm in heaven, I tell ya'. Total heaven. Glorious sigh.
Ta Ta For Now,
LB

Figs, positive thought, and studio plans

Sorry for the lack of art content lately, it has been a very busy week, and I haven't been in the studio at all. I have been canning figs, figs, and more figs. Frozen figs, fig jam, and fig preserves. I'm not done yet, either. I still have half a five gallon bucket to go. Sigh. Then I will need to get to the blackberries, and pickling the cukes. Sigh. I really need to plan these two canning weeks into my schedule. Every year I say that, then every year I get stuck trying to juggle schooling the kids, cleaning the house, doing art, and canning; it is a challenge, that's for sure!

My studio could use some re-organizing and cleaning, too. I just got a couple of new tables from Mr. B. My Dude is working on gluing them, and getting them ready to come down to the studio. I also picked up some plastic drawers, and one of those plastic and wire basket dohickies. Now I need to decide what gets stored in them, and then they will go under the biggest of the new tables. The smaller table is square, and fits over the woodstove. So during the summer it will be a useful space.

I am hoping that I can get going on the canning, and then spend some time in the studio today. I think the kids and the Dude are going bike riding tomorrow- if so, I should have lots of time to be down there.

I have been struggling with finding a way to make some money and contribute financially to the family. I figured out that if I get cracking in the studio, devoting myself to 4 to 6 hours there daily and make a few things that could be sold, I could potentially make more money than if I were to take a part time job that pays only $8 to 10 an hour. I have had a design for a 3-paneled art-quilted screen in my head for over a year now. This week while waiting for jam to boil, I have been sketching designs, and planning how to get 6 hours a day in the studio. I will begin by cleaning and re-organizing the studio this weekend, and then I will be able to start working next week.

I am tired of saying I wish I had time in the studio, and I want to be an artist. From now on, I stop wishing and wanna-be-ing. I choose art! On a daily basis. I am the possibility of creativity, inspiration, and diligence in my work of choice. I choose to be an artist. It matters not how good I am, or how I compare with others who are farther along their journey than I. What matters is the doing and being of the choice I make.

Ok, now I really need to get going on the figs!
TTFN,
LB

TTAP Bike-a-Thon details

The kids were successful with their bike-a-thon, raising $600. to buy 5 goats. For more details and pictures, go here.
Stay tuned for pictures of Indian food! Yum.
TTFN,
LB

Indian Food

On Friday, my dear friend, Big D. came over and we made Indian food. I had a lousy week last week, and this just made it so much better! Good friends who love you even when you are down, and spicy indian food always help!

We made saffron rice, Beef curry kafta (spicy meatballs in a red sauce) dry cauliflower, and chapatis. We also made lassis to drink, and 3 raitas: mango chili, spiced yogurt, and cucumber mock-yogurt. Yum.


Here is my plate, filled to the brim with yummy goodness! Wish you could have been here to taste it with us!

While we ate dinner, we watched an old Jimmy Stewart movie, Flight of the Phoenix. It was very sad, but very well-done. Then we all trouped into the kitchen, did the dishes, and sent David home with leftovers. It was a great evening!
LB

Bike a thon today

The Kids are participating in a unique community service project today. Usually our communtiy service is very local, but this one is a world-wide neighborhood project!

They are riding in a bike-a-thon to raise money to purchase goats through Heifer PRoject. A family in an impoverished village in (most likely) Africa is chosen to be the goat owners. They learn how to care for the goat, and when the goat has a baby, it goes to another family in the village who has been trained for the job. Buying a goat for one family helps an entire village. I am probably not explaining this well as I am in a hury, but you can read more about it at the link provided above.

The kids' goal is to ride a total of 20 miles each. If anyone wishes to pledge, shoot me an email. Otherwise, wish them good luck- it is a hot one today!

Gotta go- I need to get some zucchini muffins baked for them to have as a snack on the ride.
TTFN,
LB

Ta Dah!!!!

Now it is ready for you to ooohhh and aaahhhh over! Nan and I will have to redo the sidebar links, but other than that, we are off and running!
What do you think?
LB (and Nan!)

Surprise! Sorta.

It's not done yet, and needs a bit of work, but you get the idea. My invisible friend Nan is helping do all the tough stuff, like figure out what the heck I did with the HTML codes that pushes my side bar to the bottom of the blog, or disappeared all my links. She took the glass picture from one of my posts, and made the beautiful header, too. She is going to try to have the yellow glass be just on the sides, so it is easier to see the photos and print. And then we will work on rebuilding the side bar.

So, it isn't done yet, but here ya' go!
LB

Tidbit: Makin' Ya' Wait

Ok, the big surprise isn't here yet. It is coming, and on it's way, but it isn't ready yet. But now you'll be coming back everyday to check, right? I promise it will be cool, useful, ane decorative all at the same time. Worth the wait for sure.

Off to wake the kiddos.
LB

Stay Tuned for a BIG Surprise!!

Hello faithful readers! Welcome to a beautiful weekend! It is sunny and cool here in my neck ofthe woods. People I know have been complaining about the weather this summer not being very summery, but it has been perfect for me. Not much to complain about weather-wise.

This wasn't the best week for me, so I am very glad to see the weekend. Plans this weekend include reconnecting with my Dude, fig picking, church, hopefully seeing the godparents there, the visiting of Gramma, baking of zucchini bread, and 2 yr old birthday celebrations. My two fave toddlers both turned two this week. I will take some pictures of the little quilts I made them- I still have to finish the binding on the one that is for today's party.

And now for the news: Be sure to check in tomorow to see a surprise here on my blog. I am not even going to hint, but it is something I have been wanting for awhile, and one of my invisible friends is helping me with it. Tee Hee. I can't wait to show it off!

That's all for now. Girl is feeding chickens, Boy doing cat chores, and Dude making potato salad, so I have a little time to slip into the tub, soak my neck (better mobility but still constant pain), and then do a little blog visiting.

I hope it isn't too hot where you are, and that you are surrounded by people who love you. Make it a great day.
TTFN,
LB

Pictures of the Day: Catkin's tongue

Okay. It hasn't been a super-de-duper week around here, so last night, we wanted to unwind with some mindless comedy. We are on season 3, disk 2 of Third Rock From the Sun. So, we are watching and laughing hysterically when I happen to look over at the Dude. Catkin has crawled into his lap, and is snoozing so hard he is snoring. Normal enough. But look at his head.........Specifically his tongue. I swear, I laugh so hard I have to stop myself from peeing my pants (not that hard to do, unfortunately, that peeing in the pants when you laugh thing.) Look at his tongue! He does this when relaxed and happy. It was really hanging out there last night.

Hope that tickles your fancy as much as it did mine. He is the sweetest cat you could ever imagine, and he is good for a laugh, too.
LB

Recipes

Breakfast Cookies (Great Good Food, Julee Rosso)
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup seven grain cereal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 TBSP minced crystallized ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 TBSP fresh orange juice
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup canned or homemade mincemeat
3 cups "quick" oatmeal
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray or wipe a large cookie sheet with oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients in the order listed and mix well.
3. Place 1/4 cup measures of the cookie dough on the sheet, 2 inches apart. press the dough into large circles and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from the sheet immediately and cool completely. THese are fragile and soft when still warm and firm up as they cool.

LB's notes:
This recipe is easily doubled. They freeze well.



Atlas cheesecake (Papa Dude's birthday cake)
1 lb. cream cheese
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
Rind of one lemon
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
6 TBSP melted butter

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Press into pan (removable bottom springform pan) to form crust.

1. Cream the cheese and sugar.
2. Add lemon juice, rind and vanilla. Stir in egg yolk gently until absorbed.
3. Add sour cream and stir gently until blended.
4. beat egg whites until frothy and stir in VERY GENTLY. Do not add air bubbles.
5. Pour batter into crumb-lined springform pan.
6. Bake 2 hours at 260. Leave for 2 hours in oven with door closed and oven off. Then one hour with oven open.



Raisin bars ( a fave for 15 years) from Laurel's Kitchen
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 1/4 cup finely chopped raisins (food processor works well for this)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 to 1/2 cup frozen thawed apple juice concentrate (or water)

1. Preheat the over to 325.
2. Blend the flour, oats, salt and oil with fingers until evenly mixed.
3. Add raisins, nuts, and juice or water, and mix them in, pressing together with the fingers. (Use larger amount of liquid only if absolutely necessary to make it all hold together.)
4. Press down very well into a greased 8" x 8" pan and cut into 2" squares with a spatula before baking.
5. Bake 1/2 hour.

Notes: This can easily be doubled, takes to being wheat free very easily, and is good with dried figs instead of raisins.

I'm back!

Yes, I am here today. Thanks for all your well wishes! My neck is sore, but the swelling is down. I have learned after over 20 years with this injury, that at the first sign of pain, it is better to take a day off, drink tons of water and take tons of ibuprofin, and be in bed with the heating pad for several hours. Better than the severe pain and agony if I just try to be the mom martyr and tough it out. So I will make sure to keep my neck covered and warm, and try to stay as stress free as possible when you are parenting teenagers.

Today is music lesson day. We have piano and then voice lessons from 1 to 4 pm today. If we have to bus, we will leave the house before 11 and not be home till 6, at which time the Boy's tutor picks us up. While the Boy's tutor and he are so engaged, Mr. Tutor's wife and I walk, and talk education (she is beginning her first public school teaching job this fall).

If Papa Dude is available to be our transportation, it will shave an hour each way off our travel time. I am hoping he is available!

Ok, I promised to get some recipes up today, so I am going to get on that now, before the neck gets sore.

Updated at noon to let you know the Dude is our bus today. Yay! That gave me an extra hour to soak sore muscles in the tub. What a nice Dude I have!
LB

Tidbit: no blogging today

Neck injury acting up. Staying off computer today-better than traction.
Recipes posted later.
TTFN,
LB

The Plan

Today's plan:
1. Finally get to sleep at 3:00 (Dude is traveling), then sleep in till 8:45, when a wrong number wakes you up. Get kids up, dressed. Check.
2. Eat frosted mini-wheats with the kids, and discuss the day's plans. Check.
3. Take a bath and emerge smelling like Amy's soap. Yummmm. Check
4. Madly rush to finish the toddler quilt that was supposed to be finished yesterday. check
5. Have the kids make playdough (for toddler birthdays) after doing a modified day of school. check
6. Pack the car with all the books for tonight's Classical Ed. Meeting, as well as the ones to take to Homeschool Potpourri to sell. partial check- forgot a LOT of books
7. Leave the house by 1 pm, drive to east side (of the lake, not the state), meet friends at park. check
8. Drag kids away from park, head to homeschool store. Spend two hours drooling over books. check
9. Stop in, make sure Gramma is taking her pills, love her up some. Leave kids there to play with their cousins. check
10. Grab something horrible to eat, head to meeting, enjoy being surrounded by other schooling moms, get nourished by the discussion of great books. check
11. Race back to Gramma's, pick kids up, hurry home to see the Dude, who took the shuttle from the airport just so I could go to the meeting. Thank him and sleep. check

Forgot: Need to add in there somewhere: dropping off the toddler quilt, and picking up scripts at the drugstore. sigh. Can I do it all? no checks here yet

Sorry for no links today, I am now behind schedule! Lots to do, lots to do!
TTFN,
LB

Tidbit: fixed posts, deluttering, and supper prep.

Ok, the Tourist in Tacoma posts are all out of order now, but if you can count 1, 1.5, 2, 3, you will be able to figure them out! I am such a computer dolt, I cannot figure out how to post more than 5 photos in one entry. I know you can do it, because I have seen it on others' blogs, but I will be damned if I can figure it out. That's ok, a steep learning curve is good!

I am working on decluttering and cleaning in the basement today. I also got an order from Joggles, that I will blog about later.

Right now, I am off to the kitchen to fix an early supper. The Dude is taking off late tonight, so we want to have an early family dinner. Salad, spiced okra (want the recipe?), saffron rice, and jerked grilled beef.
Ta Ta For Now,
LB