WEEKLY READER

Split Rock Lighthouse Watercolor Lesson

Note to self;

Binge on carrots.  For several years.  

Oh and one more thing: 

Don’t be cynical.

http://www.wyomingwestranchgallery.com/about-us.html




My composition needs work but consider:

Sub-zero temperatures. Movable, curious, hungry, large subjects.
Telephoto lens. Fleeting moments. Very bright day.

Hungry Horses Chow Down



Thankful for friendly friends. Thankful they have talent, enthusiasm, generosity, and horses - because horses are beautiful and so are friends.

A light bar for a wrecker truck.

The latest challenge to my Decorating Aspirations.



I didn't think the correct storage location
 was the kitchen table.  

Turns out that
the correct storage place 
is in a box on the kitchen table.  

Awesome Wonder

Who needs to decorate when you have a view like this?

Horn of Plenty

-for this meal-

also one half chicken breast and a partial bag of rice.

 Cooking Something Up

Afraid of making a mistake? Don't worry, nothing could be worse than practically setting the kitchen on fire ( to avoid this, do not melt butter and marshmallows on the stove in the kitchen while simultaneously helping with a piano lesson unless you are VERY SURE YOU WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED) except maybe my memorable natural cookbook offering of bean stuffed eggplant casserole some 35 years ago, a constant reminder that new recipes can be truly awful.

What kind of insurance policy, if any, do you have in place in case of failure?*

If we become sensitive to the judgment of others, just making dinner could become a problem! To minimize the appearance of difficulty, here is my thought process for tonight's selection.

1. A picture on Pinterest.com - chicken tortilla soup simmering in a crock pot - activated my saliva glands. There was cooked chicken in the fridge that Jerry and I made on Saturday, so that would be an easy choice, no crockpot necessary.  (I figured I had about a 30 minute window of time before dinner needed to be on the table, so there would be an essence of haste.)

2.I am very fussy about flavor and have an aversion to water-y soups or sauces.

3. Despite having all the ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup, I noticed the can of mixed vegetables in my pantry.  I would never buy that product – always use fresh vegetables or  a frozen concoction that I have collected from cooking, but a renter left them behind.  A can of saffron sauce almost landed on my foot when I opened the cupboard - an interesting discontinued sale item from the health food store.  

Chopped fresh yellow pepper would liven up the canned vegetables.  

4.  "The Recipe"

 (I think my husband likes it when I explain that I can't tell him the name of what I am serving because I created it.  Then I try to think of something that sounds delicious because he is waiting and it seems like the signature on my work): 

1 Tablespoon Coconut oil for good health, and 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken-flavored,

1 cup water,

1/2 sliced (yellow) pepper 

½ can  Jyoti saffron cream sauce

1 can mixed vegetables, undrained

chopped chicken breasts, bite sized pieces

Bring to slow boil in saucepan.
I then turned heat to low for 15 to 20 minutes - because I decided that the broth was so clear and light that 

a small amount of rice left in the bottom of a cellophane bag would add a nice touch:

Cook separately:

I large garlic clove, minced, in 1 teaspoon coconut oil, watch closely.  It just takes a few seconds.

Add 1 teaspoon chicken-flavor Better than Boullion

Add one cup of water, rice and some lovely dried rosemary, about 1 teaspoon.

As it cooks down, add another cup of water so it doesn't stick to the pan.  When rice is tender, maybe 

15 minutes, mix in a dollop of fresh butter.  Serve with hot soup 

topped with a generous scoop of Rosemary Rice Pilaf and sliced fresh avocado.

Soup Du Jour:  Savory Saffron Chicken with Rosemary Rice Pilaf

Mother-in-law trick*

(if you don't like the main dish, eat this.)

Thankful for people who are different from me because I learn things
 like the purpose of pickles and olives and that mustard may be healthy but I may never choose to eat it and other important lessons about life that may or may not be useful.

Sunset Salute

Thankful for fabulous, breathtaking sunsets.

Her Scared Face ~ A New Decade

Cassie's Chocolate-Raspberry Birthday Cake

The beginning of a new decade calls for cake.

Thankful for people who want to share a piece of birthday cake after a huge meal, 

minimizing the regret!

from richesforrags.tumblr.com

my mantra:

Have patience, patience, and more patience.  

You can never have too much patience. 

Thankful for delicious leftovers and a husband who is comfortable in the kitchen...and Schwan's.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BOOTS, 

'BOUT THE BOOTS

Birthday Boots Trial Run - No Sweating!

Dinner Date
 -14° ~ No Trouble

Cold, Cold Heart ...(mountain)

Raised Up To Branch Out

Barn Again

"photo shop"

aka Amber Dawn, Altered

(If camera settings still seem to be a mystery, Picasa 3 has answers.)

The main courses this week were tacos x2, 

steamed salmon burnished 

with coconut oil and a sprinkle of a dried 

spinach organic seasoning from Posergy 

and a side of salad, 

then birthday dinner ~ Raclette ~

White Cheddar, Onions, Potatoes,
Havarti Cheese, Artisan Bread, Peppers, Mushrooms,
Muenster, Avocado, Shrimp, Repeat.

going a little feather

Stick Figures

Eggs Au Naturale

2 1/2 Foot Snow Drift is one thing,
but combining it with -12° is another.
"8 Degrees Fahrenheit feels like a "heat wave"
may be an exaggeration but 33° F felt
almost warm by comparison.

Homeward Bound

Winter blasted right through the screen on the door.

                                                            Same Door: Outside View

A drift.

Wake Up Little Cedar 

Paper Rows

Needed the couch for an essential oil foot massage, so hastily moved the paperwork

that covered everything but where I had been sitting.  

I am not looking forward to sorting that pile again.  

There is an efficiency rule about handling papers once.  

Yikes!  Might be losing that battle right now.

On Top of Old Snowy

Beauty but I'm glad I don't have to work in it.

All kinds of challenges arrive when the temperature drops 60 degrees overnight and stays there for a week; cracked fingertips from the cold, warming up vehicles, searching for the scrapers to deal with rough ice on the windshield under a foot of snow -  There may have been some frustrated tones of inner voices and things unspoken but manifested by a disgruntled attitude.  For instance:

 "Who has time for this.  I have an appointment in 10 minutes!"

Out Loud:

 "Not another frozen sewer!  For the last three days, you say!?  Can you wait until tomorrow?"

 "Where ARE the bandaids???"

 "I wore my tennis shoes to work and there's a foot of snow up here!"

"I'm starved."

"The bank called."

"Call Vicki about her missing bill."

Against our will and through exhaustion, we slow down; from "Forward, Ho!" to a weather-forced break.  Soup suffices, band-aids are found but are the wrong everything else, oils and lotions are located, hot food is administered again and again, warm blankets, hot drinks and hot baths applied.  All is well.

Visit bluemuze.blogspot.com's profile on Pinterest.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Mule Deer Buck -  "I Hear You."

 √ Rental Project Cabinet Painting

Before and During - Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue

The Mess - Getting it Done

After Waxing, Before Handles

Solution to the Handles coming loose -
Washers Both
Inside and Out.

Done and Approved

√ Stack of Statements/One of Two.

√ Art lesson One of Two.

Building a dolly for hauling containers.

Taking time to smell the flowers @ our small town "Pike's Place Market".

Albertson's Flower and Gift Department.

Saving Pallets, thank you Pinterest.

Time or Money Dilemma/Sleep or Motivation Dilemma.
And that reminds me of another project...

Dried Hydrangea

Re-Do of Old Favorite

"Spaghetti" Carbonara-Magdalena served over
sliced avocados and spinach
instead of noodles.

Six Slices of Bacon, chopped and fried crisp, remove from pan.
Two Italian Sausages with membrane removed, stir-fried, add to bacon.
1 Egg,  lightly scrambled to the side of hot meat mixture.
Combine.

Sprinkle with  1/4-1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese.
(I was out, so used Mozzerella and Romano)

Add a few tablespoons of cream and stir.
Sprinkle lightly with pepper and nutmeg.
Mix in Spaghetti (cooked)
 or
Sprinkle raw Spinach and sliced Avocado with Salt and Pepper
(for a somewhat healthier alternative)

and  top with meat mixture.

Delicious - probably serves 2, don't plan on leftovers.

Visit bluemuze.blogspot.com's profile on Pinterest.

"Falling" In Love

This is Art

It is a trap 

To live in a world

That refuses to clap,

Demands silence;

Says this you attract.

Art is the acceptable

Mode of expression.

We view emotion

By our own interpretation,

In imperfect lines,

An object of devotion.

Sorrow, loss, failure,

In moments of desperation

We seek happiness

Through your imperfection.

Life insists on dishing out hurt,

Seeks it's own balance

As if equal rights are

Equal suffering.

Pain is everywhere

And your own is the worst

Yet don't speak of it

Because nobody will believe

You aren't the problem.

     

              MMB

Baked Balsamic Pineapple

Slice half  of a pineapple and spread on baking sheet.

(Equally delicious, we have also used sliced peaches and halved strawberries.) 

Sprinkle with real maple syrup or raw brown sugar.

Sprinkle with Balsamic Vinegar.

Bake at 250° for 1 hour.

Serve with Creme Fraiche.

Recipe from friend Leilani P.

Attempt at Food Art

After I arranged the pineapple pieces in rose petal-like squiggles,

I wanted to draw this in my journal, but knew it's destiny was to be eaten

before I would have a chance to draw it.  I'm no quick draw, so I took a picture 

instead.  Since I was out of Creme Fraiche, I served it here with a mixture of powdered

sugar and creme cheese.  

Greybull, Wyoming at about 9 o'clock in the morning.

Lovely Fall

Pat Weiner, Artist
Teaching me to see.

Tip: Practice What You Preach

Sailor's Warning

Third Grade Slumber Party Fall-Out

They hurt others and

Themselves willy-nilly,

They have a group but

Their world is silly.

With a side of gossip,

They serve up lies,

Become vicious predators

With judgmental eyes.

For those poor souls accepted

Into the popular group,

 To a ritual of cruelty

They must constantly stoop.

But for those who stand,

Suffering is certain

If you do not pass

This crazy initiation.

The lonely losers bear an

Endless awkward debt

As friends fall into silence 

Pretending they aren't upset.

A horrid cycle flourishes

And steeped in their own soil,

Those who join them there

Are used to being spoiled.

But this mysterious grace

We find is meant for good.

Oppression has some blessings 

If for something pure we stood.

The heart grows still and strong, 

Real friends we don't betray.

Trust becomes a treasure

We would never give away.

Blue and Gold at Sunrise

New this week: Sketchbook Skool - A Drawing Journal

Colored Cotoneaster 

 People who want to share their religious views with you

 almost never want you to share yours with them. 

                                               ~Dave Barry

Tonal Roses

I don't never have any trouble in regulating my own conduct, 

but to keep other folks' straight is what bothers me.  

                                                              ~ Josh Billings