Flowers for the house

I picked out these flowers at my local Safeway last week.  The alstroemerias are finally opening.  What a pretty picture.

Check out my art journal

I never kept a journal or diary in my life but over the past few years I found myself gravitating towards journaling. So why now? If I analyze this I would say that given life’s circumstances that it is becoming important for me to have a creative outlet where I can express myself. This blog is very much evident of that need as is my art journal.

I have been working on my art journal off and on for a couple of years. It is a place where I can take or find my inspiration, take out frustrations or let it all hang out.

I invite you to take a peek inside...

My Art Journal

Rated R for Language, Adult Content and Nudity.

Cheers!

Here comes the rain again

Let the rain fall down and cleanse us all. Let it wash away our sorrows and ease our souls with it’s textured sound. So when the rains come, let us remember that it’s natures way of lovingly easing away the things that weigh us down.

February Crafting

Inspiration arrived just in time last week and I found myself enthusiastically making Valentines and Paper Tag Dolls for family. It was so much fun planning the designs and I loved playing around with the wonderful papers. I especially loved playing with the Sizzix BIGkick using my dies and texture plates. The flowers on the card and also around the faces on the paper tag dolls are from the Sizzix Spring Flower Set sold by Stampin’ Up. The strip of pink paper behind the green stem ribbon on the card is embossed using the Sizzix True Love Texture Plates. Click on the photo to enlarge and see the embossed images.

I made the Valentine cards first and while I was cutting the flowers I thought they would also work well layered behind paper doll faces. For a while now I wanted to make some paper dolls for my Grand Nieces, Natalie and Naomi, so I decided to use this inspiration and made them the paper tag dolls shown below. I was further inspired to use my new Alice in Wonderland stamps which seemed perfect for this project.

The project was quick and easy because this was my second time making the paper tag dolls. The first paper tag dolls I made were for my Grand Daughters, Alexis and Taylor.

I thoroughly enjoyed doing both of these projects and the Zen like place where I could dwell. I am optimistically looking forward to revisiting this place again, very soon.

Cheers!!

What's for dinner?

How does Quiche Lorraine sound on a rainy and overcast day? The recipe I use for my Quiche Lorraine comes straight out of Betty Crocker. I alter it slightly by adding in ham (in addition to bacon), cheddar cheese (in addition to Swiss cheese), green onions to replace white onions and topping it with finely grated parmesan cheese.

This quiche is all about comfort in my book. I served it with steamed broccoli also topped with parmesan.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Several years ago I took a couple of classes at my local stamp store to make cigar box purses. I was inspired to design my own cigar box purse after taking those classes. The theme is a twist on the phrase, Eat, Drink and Be Merry.

Eat (notice the handle at the top of the box is a fork)

Drink (here is a clue about the twist)

Food (I had a 4 sided cigar box to fill and it goes well with Eat)

I substituted Wine for Merry (goes with Drink.. as in Drink Wine)

Cheers!

Today is the beginning of....

The sun was well up in the sky by the time I woke up this morning. There were the usual indications that I overslept like the sounds of planes departing Phoenix and cars coming and going to work, school and wherever. The birds and bugs were all busy going about their activities. All at a more frequent pace than say around 6 or 7 a.m. I usually have a sense of guilt when I oversleep, even on weekends, only today I noticed there was something different. The difference was the realization that I didn’t feel any guilt or panic over waking up late or that I did something wrong by sleeping in.

This may sound strange but to not feel guilty about waking up late is an odd thing for me stemming back to becoming a mother at 18 and then becoming a single mother entering the workforce around 25, my entire adult life has been about being accountable to someone or something else. Additionally, I come from a long line of doers. You know, people who don’t sit around unless you have something productive in your hands.

Three weeks have passed since the “blessing” took place, and I am beginning to fully appreciate that I have been given a wonderful opportunity to attend to myself for a bit. I have to say this new preface in the story of my life is starting to really feel good. I mean really good! There have been a few things to re-enter my life in these subsequent weeks, like wanting to cook, nesting, playing, and now feeling okay with when I oversleep. It’s like there is no inner criticism. I feel like a wonderful transformation is taking place. It’s as though I had a bad head cold forever and wasn’t able to taste food and now, all of a sudden, the cold is gone and I am finding how well everything tastes. I love and appreciate the subtleness of this realization and I believe I should give this transformation a little more time to evolve. I think that maybe taking this extra time between jobs to unwind, unkink, uncork(?) is helping my well being in a way that I never expected. Maybe, just maybe, the things that are becoming important now will find themselves rooted deeply as I move into the next chapter of my life.

So while I contemplate what this means and more importantly where it will lead me, today I am taking the time to find beauty around me, listen to nature’s song and let it encourage my soul and go about my new routine which gives joy to my heart. The following quote speaks to my being today.

“First you need only look: Notice and honor the radiance of Everything about you... Play in this universe. Tend All these shining things around you: The smallest plant, the creatures and objects in your care. Be gentle and nurture. Listen...” Anne Hillman

The Gardening Is Done. Ta Da!!!

I gardened in my backyard for about 4 hours today and I sure can feel it. My hands, arms and hamstrings are sore. While it was a lot of work for one day and my body hurts, the pay off will be huge.  The plants I put in today will grow and bloom.  Some will last about 2 months and the others will go 3 months or more before the heat gets to them.  Soon the butterflies will be flapping all around my backyard.  Here is a peek into the progress and the finished product.

All the new plants are on the lounge chair.  The pots to the right and behind are some that will have their contents replaced with the new plants.

This poor pot of petunias has seen better days.  While the flowers still look pretty, the stalks are too leggy and the leaves are dying.  Soon they will all be ripped from this pot and new petunias and alyssum will be planted in their place.

My gardening bench, where most pots are staged.

The new plants are in the flowerbed.  Yeah!!

The violas are so sweet.

Below is the desert section.  You can't see it and right now and it's not worth photographing as it is dormant, but there is a very tall Mexican Bird of Paradise to the left.  It is gorgeous in the summer.  You can make it out in the background of the photograph above.  The new addition here is the ice plant in the foreground.

The pots on either side of the fern are new.

Behold, the Kalanchoe.  This is a pretty succulent.

The pots below are still going strong from last fall.  No need to replant yet.

I love this quote...

The earth laughs in flowers...Ralph Waldo Emerson

Maybe that is why I love planting flowers. 

Saturday Is Just Alright

Today is another one of those days where upon waking at 6:30 a.m., I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to go back to sleep. I am excited that I get to spend the day gardening. I bought new bedding plants yesterday and more this morning to replace the ones that died off over the last few months.

I purchased lantana, petunias, pansies, snap dragons, geraniums, basil, cilantro, alyssum, lobelia, ice plant, a lilac vine and kalanchoe. I can’t wait to get out there and begin. Pictures forthcoming.

In addition to gardening, I am hoping to spend the remainder of the day playing in my craft room. I want to make some valentine cards for my sister and niece and then work in my journal.

This is going to be a beautiful day.

Martha Stewart Roast Chicken 101

Really, the name should say it, define it, make you crave for it...  I made Martha Stewart's Roast Chicken 101 for dinner last night.  I have no idea why I have not prepared it more often because it is one of the best roast chicken recipes and it is easy to prep.  The recipe calls for adding salt, pepper, garlic, fresh thyme sprigs and a whole lemon (pierced with a fork all over) into the cavity.  It also calls to rub unsalted butter all over the outside of the bird, however, I use one of Emeril's tricks and put it under the skin.  Next, I tie up the legs with kitchen twine to hold it all in.  Once the bird is ready, I add chicken broth, wine, water, along with root vegetables (carrots, turnips and parsnips), onion, a little course salt and more fresh thyme to cook under the bird.  Periodically I basted the bird with the liquid.  Oh my goodness, the bird comes out so juicy and sooo delicious.  Try it. You will not be sorry.

Here is the plate of food, ready to be consumed.  Okay, it looks like a lot of butter when in reality it is the gravy.  I paired this dish with a wonderful Syrah from the winery my sister works at in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, called Field Stone Winery. 

Cheers!

What? I'm Still Cooking??

An interesting phenomenon I am experiencing as a result of my recent layoff is a renewed desire to cook and other "domestic" things. It is strange to find myself thinking of recipes these past couple of weeks when I have not thought much about cooking for the past few years. I give credit to a lady who was at the salon where I get my hair done as she asked for input on her menu for the week so she could make her shopping list. It got me thinking about making a list of recipes which I promptly did when I returned home, followed by a trip to the grocery store to purchase all the necessary ingredients.

So I think this phenomenon is really more about my need to bring structure to my days by cooking, exercising and cleaning, hence the things I can still control. I desperately hope that soon I will be ready to apply as much time and energy to finding a new job.

In the meantime I continue to cook.  Last night I made chicken soup with angel hair pasta with the ingredients shown to the right.

Start with sautéing green onion, in butter. Once translucent, add in thyme, white pepper, salt and garlic until the garlic becomes fragrant (about 1 minute). Then add in the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked, add in white wine, water, chicken broth, carrots and cooked tomatoes. Bring liquid to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer and cook until carrots are tender. Then add in angel hair pasta and fresh chopped basil.

This is a good and hearty soup that goes great with a glass of wine and a slice of fresh rosemary garlic bread. It might be good to include a nice little side salad.

The great thing about this recipe are the leftovers, making nice lunches for the next couple of days. Sans wine of course. Cheers!

Last Week's Cooking

Last week I set out to cook something tried and true, something new and something with a new twist. In addition to the meatloaf (something tried and true), something new (lentil soup), I did cook up Tuscan chicken and chicken and cheese enchiladas. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. Both recipes were awesome so I will describe them since I can’t lean on pictures to do it for me.

Tuscan chicken is a wonderful recipe for marinating chicken. You can find it in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food cookbook. The recipe calls for fresh rosemary to steep in boiled water, then puree with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator or 20 minutes on the counter. Baste with lemon juice while grilling.

The chicken and cheese enchiladas are my own creation. I had some canned chicken that I wanted to use up so I cooked it in green chili sauce that we purchased from the Scottsdale Farmers Market. I added in onion and ancho chili powder. Once the mixture cooked down, I added it to softened corn tortillas with a mixture of jack and cheedar cheese. Once the pan is filled with enchiladas, cover with more green chili sauce and cheese and bake until bubbly.

Sometime I will make up both recipes again and remember to take pictures.

Addendum: Here is a picture of Tuscan chicken pre-grill. I forgot to take another picture post-grill, but you can see the yummy looking marinade on the chicken. This is a really, really good recipe.