Computers are your friends....

...yeah right. My computer is so messed up I can't access anything, who knows where all my pictures are. I am now writing from my daughters computer with no printer or camera hookup and all parental controls firmly in place. Surfing is resticted to Disney.com and Nick Jr.
Sigh.

Resolutions.

Usually I'm not much into New years Resolutions....to much pressure....but this year I resolve to get stuff done! Not just started but finished. I have painting, improvements and general all around' clearing out the clutter' to do around the house. I also have a couple of quilting and furniture projects that I need to finish before I lose my creative vision. It's hard for me to start something new when I have things to do hanging over my head, no matter how far I put them on the 'back burner' they are always there.... keeping me from giving whatever I AM working on my 100%. Another reason why I need need need to get this stuff done is I have a big fat garden planned for this spring and I don't want to be stuck inside.
Having a big nasty virus on my computer is really helping me to stick with this resolution (I'm writing this on my husband's) really cuts down on the food, craft and gossip blog surfing. All the cool stuff is on my computer...... his is all full of icky politics and games...eww.
So it ain't all bad. Life is good.

Studio Friday...Ta-dah!!!

Ta-dah! People throw away good stuff. I found this window in the alley behind my house, it was bright yellow and had two broken panes. I cleaned, painted then sanded it. The pictures are 8o year old black and white shots of the town I grew up in. Getting the photos matted was the tricky part because they are odd sizes. I used some electrical wire that my husband had left over from a project to hang it. So....ta-dah. Our house was built in 1926 so it fits nicely over the fireplace in the living room. Last year we replaced all the original windows in our house and saved them in our basement for later projects...I can't wait. Now if I can only find some spare time...I know I put it right here next to my extra money but now I can't find that either.

Cheetos....again!

HammmmBurger.
uhhhh......yum, I guess.

Chicken soup.

mmm....homemade chicken soup. I'm not much of a chicken eater but I really like chicken soup. Not the canned kind...homemade. I think mine is the best and this batch was extra delicious. I simmered a couple of chicken breasts in 2 cups of broth until they were shreddable then I raided my fridge for veggies. I found carrots, celery, yellow onions, green onions, zucchini, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and cabbage. I also found about a cup and a half of wild rice left over from dinner. The shredded chicken,veggies and rice all went into a pot along with the left over broth and about 5 cups of water. 2 hours of gentle simmering and this was the best chicken soup I've ever made. There was a lot of it so I was able to freeze some for later. The frigid weather has put me in a soupy mood...I think I'll make some clam chowder this weekend. Maybe I can get Mr. Janedoh to make his famous biscuits to go with it.
mmmm.....chowder.

Tree hunter!

Observe the mighty hunter tracking the rare and elusive tannenbaum. Could danger be around the bend? We tremble with fear...oh no wait, that's just the sub-freezing temperature.
Man it was cold that day. We did find a nice tree and eventually thawed after treating ourselves to hot chocolate and hot-buttered rum. Our dog Joe came home with feet so frigid they were red and raw so she spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch...poor puppy.

Christmas time!

Nothing gets me in the Christmasy mood more than baking massive amounts of sugary treats. This year I also made kahlua and mocha mix....both went together quite nicely during testing...hic. I need to get my hands on more bottles for the kahlua, the easy close bottles are a lot harder to come by than they used to be so I may have to find an alternative...or else keep all the kahlua for myself. Hmm...that may not be that bad after all.

Studio Friday...What was I thinking!

About 6 months ago I decided to make the grand sacrifice of giving up my craft room so the kiddos could have a playroom. So I went through everything....organized and purged...packed and then moved most of my craft stuff to the basement....and now after some time has passed I realize that I...I....'sniff sniff'...I miss my stuff and my room. I miss all my crap being spread all over and being the only one that knows where the good stuff is, I miss being able to walk into the room and being able to work on a project at will. Now if I start something I pretty much have to finish it because it usually is spread all over the living room. I hate having to go down into the cold icky basement to get what I need....waaaahhhh.
Those darn kids hardly even play in that room. I should reclaim it.
Yeaahh...that's what I'll do. I'll slowly ever so slowly start moving my stuff back upstairs 'till it's all back in it's proper place, scattered from corner to corner that is. The room will be mine again muahahaha...haaa.
I'll start tonight.

It's the simple things.

When it's only 11 degrees outside and you need to keep warm all you really need is your favorite blanket and your best girl.....I mean dog.

Studio Friday...Where the Wild Things Are!

The 'wild things' were home all day today cuz it was a.........Snow Day!!
Tons of wintery fun was had by all and then we made peanut butter cookies and hot chocolate. Yummy! We also learned that the red sled goes faster than the blue sled.
We love the red sled.

The dark side....

...of the park.
Thanks to sorryigotdrunk.com

Snow!

For the past three months he's been saying "I can't wait 'til it snows."
Now he says "I wish there was more."
Sheesh.
I say...'he sure is cute in his snowsuit.'

cranberries

Fresh cranberries for cranberry sauce. So easy and so much better than canned. All you need is...
1 bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
In a small saucepan on med. heat disolve the sugar in the water. Reduce heat and add cranberries and orange zest. Simmer uncovered until all of the cranberries have popped and the sauce is at desired thickness... the more you simmer it the thicker it will be.
After all the cranberries have popped I like to use a potato masher as a stirrer to smash the bigger chunks or you can run the mixture through a strainer for a smoother jelly-like sauce.
Can be made the night before. This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, you should have plenty for Thanksgiving dinner.

Veggie time!

So after a lazy summer spent drinking too much, a hedonistic trip to Mexico that would have made the Ancient Romans jealous and a Thanksgiving weekend choc full of mashed potatoes and cheesecake it's time to start taking better care of myself again......darnnit.
Anyway here's a good way to start....mushrooms, zucchini and onions sauteed in garlic and olive oil. A couple of drops of sesame oil make it taste like butter. I like it when the veggies are still kind of crunchy.

Studio Friday....Let's Pretend!

It's 5:07 am...I should be in my nice warm bed. But instead I'm sneaking out of the house and into the cold and snowy darkness to take advantage of all the post-Thanksgiving sales because now it is time to pretend to be........Santa Claus!

Sunday breakfast

Easy like sunday morning...
Dreary day, big mug of joe and the sunday paper. I like to read the comics first and then if the paper is depressing I read them again. My husband made breakfast and fed the kids.
I even have dinner in the crockpot (potroast).
Ready, set..........loaf around.

My new purse.

Cool plushie corduroy (I think it might be upholstery fabric) on the outside and super skinny corduroy on the inside. Nice and deep to hold lots of junk.
Thanks to my pops-in-law for the vintage fabric.
On a side note... check out the retro-chic genuine Naugahyde wing-back chair and recycled towel pillow circa 1970's.
Recycle reuse renew......or just cheap?
You be the judge.

more pizza

What can I say, it's the perfect food. This one is Greek Pesto from McGlinn's.
A delicious mix of artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, onions, garlic, spinach,fontina and feta... hand-tossed and wood-fired to perfection. $11 well spent.

Sweetness

My first Studio Friday....woot!
I love candy! Gummies are my favorite and who could resist these. They really did have little tire tracks on them! I tried to get them to show in the picture but I'm not much of a photographer... they sure were yummy though. I ate the whole bag while at my sewing machine. I'm glad there wasn't very many blue ones.... they tasted kind of funny.

Check this out!

Ultra-cool artist Nishant Choksi.
Sigh......I wish I had laser vision.