Easter Blessings

9x12 color pencil

Hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter!

Just completed yesterday. Been busy with wedding things, have an exhibit this coming Saturday, need more art! Still hope to get around to see what everyone's been up to (not enough hours in a day.)

Snow People Get Personal

7x9 graphite and color pencil on bristol

My niece's family is the subject of this snow family that will serve as an example of how I can personalize snowmen for orders to be taken at the street festival this Saturday or anytime. (Wow, that sentence was a mouthful!) The color isn't completely true in this photo, there is no blue on it at all but you get the idea. Will tweak the "Lego" buttons on the left snowman a bit and check for other places that may need it, might add a very light blue background. Can you figure out each one's interests? Before reading further, see if you can.

Starting from the left, little 5 yr. old "Eli" loves swords, Legos, "Link" from the Legend of Zelda (hat) and pizza with black olives. His dad is a big Vanderbilt University fan, my niece is all about books, cooking and gardening. Finally, 6 yr. old "Finn" loves robots, Super Mario Kart (hat and wii remote), soccer and basketball.

Above is the black/white 8x8 painting in progress, this is the finished background. I am a little further along now. Started an 18x24 painting yesterday afternoon in one of my many moments of insanity. It is a pretty simple design and probably won't be that impressive to most but it is something that continued appearing in my mind (that right there is a red flag!). Thinking it would be fast to paint and I wanted a larger painting for Saturday. Actually, it's off to a good start.....will save it for tomorrow! Again, I can't express the encouragement your kind comments give this uncertain artist, especially after going to the art show on the mountain the other weekend. Nervous about setting up among the other artists. Later, the painting (and the washer) beckons!!!!

Dogs on Thursday

Meet Peewee (and my brother). Peewee is going on 19 years old now. He's pretty much blind and deaf now but able to go to the door to go outside to do his business. Often he needs a little help finding his way back to the door but he always gets the help he needs. He was named for a dog my grandparents had when we were kids cause he resembled him so much. He has ran up the mountain many a time, running ahead of my brother on the four-wheeler, then he got to ride up. Now, it's a little to tough a trip for him. My brother has said that this is one smart dog. I'm glad he's still with us and ran across this photo yesterday and just thought I would share. Have a cake to do for BigBoy's birthday this weekend, see other cakes I've baked this summer in my previous post. Yes, Apollo is fine, just sleeping.......see?

Love and get well wishes to Annie!!!! See you next week Snickers, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie and Snickers!!!!

Dogs On Thursday

Ah, normalcy again. Ha!!! Who am I kidding? Nothing is ever normal around here. My Lady in Waiting has clearly not been waiting on me lately, my sincerest apologies for the stifle of my weekly messages. There have been some interesting events of late.

Take, for instance, the blackout period. For me, it was not that big a deal, I quite enjoyed catching a little breeze from the little fan by candlelight......

All that matters is my Best Buddy is safe and sound home on the couch many mornings with me and it has been grand!!!!! May all of my friends have a grand time with your loved ones, especially Snuffles, Annie, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie and Snickers!

Dogs On Thursday

Happy New Year to all my good buddies out there including the two-legged ones that care for them. My very best buddy has been home for quite a while and it has been nothing short of pure bliss! Perhaps it is not proper that one of such high canine stature fawn over one so much but I am giddy, I say, giddy!!!!!!!! Numerous times each day you may find me exactly in this place of utter comfort and satisfaction as shown in the above photo. No, I refuse to think of it, will not go to that place in my mind......of his leaving again.

Fun times! Do you get me? Can you just see the happiness we make! Much to the surprise of my mom playing that white stuff outside on Christmas Day was so much fun! Take me out again....and again.....and again! Run!!!!

This is my best angle. Oh, who am I kidding, every angle is good. What? Did I hear someone mention snow is possible again? Woof, woof!!!!! Hope your year has started out great my friends Snuffles, Annie, Ema, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief, Sophie, Budro and Snickers!

Treasured Recipe

There is still time for you to get yourself to the nearest grocery store, pick up the items and start preparing my dad's traditional, awesome cornbread dressing. I have posted the recipe as written by one of my beloved niece's (eldest grandchild). The first Christmas after my mother passed in September my dad insisted we have the dinner at his house. Not anything really new for him, being that he usually preferred to stay home and let everyone come there to visit. We never lacked for food around our house, especially during holiday meals. Mom always made what everyone liked, macaroni and cheese for me, fried okra, lima beans, creamed potatoes if no dressing, so that the beans and okra could stick to it for a trip to your mouth, deviled eggs, fruit salad, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cake......uh, you get the idea. All that food but much of the talk went to dad and his dressing, which is awesome but...you know....gotta give kudos to my mom while once again, dad's dressing is highlighted. My eldest niece, Stephenie, went out early to help with the making of the dressing. Frankly, I do not recall if dad made the cornbread alone the day before, probably, though he was weak then and the large cast iron skillet filled is heavy. He lived 45 minutes from she and I. She made a video of the whole process and I have yet to watch it, don't know if ever I will, but am sure that I want a copy to pass to my children. I have not made it in a while, deferring to my mother-in-law's recipe, which is very different, to please my picky eating husband. My kids like both recipes and this year wanted dad's. So today, I have baked the cornbread and cut up my vegetables, thawed my hen and am ready for tomorrow. My niece is making the dressing for my brother's (her father) side of the family's meal tomorrow. Her 4 year old little boy's is interested in cooking already, VolleyGirl is helping me tomorrow, just as she did today. The tradition will continue, hopefully.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Papa Loyd's Holiday Dressing & Giblet Gravy

Note: no shortcuts allowed. No broth instead of homemade stock. No store bought cornbread. I've tried the shortcuts and they just. don't. work. It's not the same.

1 hen (not chicken)
2-3 onions, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 large pones cornbread (if you don't know what a pone is you have no business making this recipe)
1/4 butter
2 TBS yellow mustard
2 TBS ketchup
2 TBS Italian seasoning
1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh sage, finely chopped (reduce amount if dried)
3 slices bread, torn up into small pieces
1 (8 oz.) can oysters, drained & chopped
3 TBS jarred pimento, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste

The day before: cook cornbread & cool completely. Crumble both pones.

Day of Thanksgiving:

Remove giblets from hen and set aside.
Rinse hen and place in stockpot & cover with water, about 8 cups. Simmer covered until done, reserving broth. De-bone hen & reserve meat.

Preheat oven 350 degrees
In large saucepan melt butter & add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Add all the broth from hen, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

In BIG ("dressing") bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, torn bread pieces, & the broth mix until it reaches spaghetti sauce consistency. If mix is too soupy, add more bread pieces.

Add all the remaining ingredients & mix well.

Pour mixture into a large roasting pan. Bake 1 hour until golden.

Serve hot with giblet gravy & hen meat on the side.

GIBLET GRAVY:
Finely chop hen giblets.

Simmer 3 cups chicken broth on stovetop. Add flour a little at a time, stirring constantly until a smooth, thin rue is formed. Add chopped giblets, blend well, and simmer.

Salt, pepper, and otherwise season to taste, can add one or two sliced boiled eggs to gravy if you want to be extra-Southern.

Yields: enough for a crowd of at least 10-15.

Happy Birthday!!!

"Little" BigBoy is 22 years old today. Promptly arrived on his due date. He was always wonderful to take for photos, always could make him laugh. Only trouble was that he would get so tickled (southern for amused) he would break his pose. He comes home tomorrow for the long weekend. Sadly, he has the crud (southern for stuffy nose, runny nose, cough and sore throat).

This is from last year's birthday. He has requested lemon bars this year....but I'm also making him banana bread. Considering making a strawberry cake too. We'll see. VolleyGirl has the crud a bit also but played great in the volleyball game tonight. She has a tournament Saturday a bit over an hour away, starts early. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, at least all my baby chicks will be in the nest!!!!

BigBoy is ENGAGED!!!

high school......
last year.....
this summer.....

Yes....my baby boy is engaged as of a week ago today! It was not a surprise to me, especially since he took my engagement ring and gave it to her. It was given to my mother-in-law for her engagement, handed down to my husband to give to me and now I do the same. Yes, my mother-in-law and I both had a replacement beforehand! They are both graduate next spring and the nuptials will not be before the spring after that, so a long engagement. I wouldn't change a thing about her, she's beautiful, kind, thoughtful, fun, intelligent, hardworking and he loves her as she is so why would I want to? Hmmmmm, what shall her blog name be....I'm thinking "BigGirl" is not going to be the choice!!!!! Back on that one later!

Bowing To My Habit

Yes, I'm hooked. It is 10 p.m. and I must get up around 5 or so to get ready and go to the volleyball tournament and what am I doing? Talking to my imaginary friends....oh, I know you are not but that just popped in my head. Did I mention that by 2 a.m. I still could not fall asleep last night? So, crazy talk now. Anyhow, I wanted to post a little ink ditty composed the other night, I'm not sure if this qualifies as a zentangle or not. I texted it to my son yesterday and he replied, "What the h___ is that?" Now, first, is that anyway to text yo' mama? Uh-uh. But the point is it's just not his thing, even though he is majoring in art and doing his share of it right now. Hey, I have a very point-blank crew around here that is mostly interested in art that is realism. It makes me laugh. Upon showing some work to Mr. Unplugged I get, "What's that for?" I say it's for fun. So y'all have fun today!