birthday pie

So my birthday is tomorrow. I was told by my mother that I am not allowed to make my own birthday cake. So I made a birthday pie. :) Last summer I really got into baking pies, and if I do say so myself I got pretty good at it. My pie crust was pretty amazing (that's the hardest part). So it's been a while since I've made a crust. I don't know what happened, but I could not get that crust right. It completely crumbled into a million pieces. I hope it's still good. It just came out of the oven. We shall see.

busy busy & honky tonky

I've been working so much lately. We've gone out to eat a lot, but tonight we grilled salmon (yes, I posted the recipe). It was delicious. I have a full belly, and I am already ready for bed. It's only 8:15!

I have made some time to start working on those prints. Tuesday night I'm thinking I will have the first one done, so be checking back for doodles updates. Pleeease leave comments!

And in case you were wondering, I hate country music! Yes, I listened to it when I was younger and living in the country with a bunch of hicks. I have nothing against hicks or country music, but I just can't stand that honky tonk. It's the only kind of music I really cannot handle...especially that pop country. Why am I saying this? Well my mom wanted to have a girls night with me and my sisters-in-law and my niece. So she bought us all tickets to Carrie Underwood. I really would love to have a girls night with all of them, but can't we just go out to dinner or go see a movie (I can handle a chick flick). I feel so bad telling her I don't like that kind of music. But I can't lie. I know I have to go too. Ugh!

This is more like it: Kevin had this on this morning during his yoga while I was getting ready for work. It has been stuck in my head all day. I LOVE IT! It's so reassuring when I repeat the lyrics over and over. The Orb "The Truth Is..."

cheezburgerz and gardens

This cracks me up! When Pepper was a little kitten I used to have to hide the toilet paper because he would always unroll it. I would find it in an unrolled pile by the toilet and little pieces of it everywhere.








Things are starting to look real nice. The strawberries are ripening and the peppers are getting bigger. I had to take a picture of the basil flower before I clipped it off. We found this green critter hanging out on the tomatoes...he cool with me as long as he doesn't eat the plants.

 

peppy's friend

We have a reputation in the apartment building of attracting stray cats to our porch. This one has been coming around since the ice/snow storm in December, and I've been feeding him ever since. He is very talkative and sits on the chair outside the window just staring at our cat inside. Pepper just lays there on his little pillow staring back. Sometimes they go nose to nose (as you can see by all the nose prints on the window). I would let him out, but he doesn't have claws. So I'm afraid of what would happen. Since this guy talks a lot, we've named him Chatterbox. He's still pretty skiddish and doesn't let us get very close to him. Once he warms up to us, I'm going to try to catch him and take him to the Humane Society to get him neutered.

lazy sunday

Our lunch yesterday...

was amazing! Fresh tomatoes from the market (ours still aren't ripe), cheese and beef burgers from the coop, and salmon burgers from Avalon (the freshest seafood in Oklahoma).

We're having a lazy Sunday today. We both worked this morning, and we don't feel like getting out in the heat or doing much of anything at all. So we'll probably be posting random things throughout the day. Hubby has been posting a lot lately. 


We've got some small peppers, tomatoes and strawberries! The herbs are flowering and look real pretty. The basil has some purple buds and the dill makes tiny yellow flowers.
     


More summer time grooves. Oldies...reggae oldies. The original Bob Marley "Soul Rebel". All the Marleys are favorites of mine. Reggae is one of my favorite genres of music.
Recipes are also updated. Check them out!

chocolate!

It's that time of the month, so I'm baking double chocolate chunk cookies tonight! I have to work at 6:30 AM tomorrow, so this is my treat to myself. I put the recipe up.

so long sweet summer

Up until now, I've only had to work 3 or 4 days a week this summer. BUT...starting next week I have 35 hours a week and every shift is at least 8 hours. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I'll get more money to put in savings, bad because I'm going to be exhausted (and oh ya no more pool time) :(

Trying to stay positive. I will still get off by 6 everyday. I gotta stay motivated and finish these projects I've started. Next month I am attending a sort of meeting/critique with a few of the people I graduated with and my old painting professor. Before I go I will post my finished pieces on the doodles page. I've already posted a starter. I need some feedback, even if you think you know nothing about art. I just need opinions...and more followers :)

Tonight I am making shrimp linguini with roasted asparagus, and tomorrow afternoon we are grilling. I will put some recipes up soon. The almond fruit bars I made the other night were super good too. That recipe is already up. Hopefully I will have some time tomorrow to work on those projects too.

Oh and if you haven't seen Inception yet, go see it right now! It is perhaps one of the best movies of our time. Ya I said it. We saw it yesterday, and right after it was over I was like, I wanna see it again. If you like movies that make you use your noggin, you will love it! It also has some really cool special effects.

updates

I'm going to the farmer's market tomorrow, so there will be more recipes to come this week. I'm also starting a new project. So I need feedback on the doodles that will be coming. I need more followers!


Ahhhhh summer time music! Thievery Corporation! We're going to see these guys (and girls) in September at Red Rocks. We saw them once at the House of Blues in Dallas. It was the best concert I've ever been to. They have so many members in the band...even belly dancers. I can't wait!

i'm back

So I have totally been out of the loop since friday. I went out Friday night and drank too much, fell and hit my head, and had some questionable bar food. One or all of these things contributed to my sickness all weekend. Saturday I couldn't even keep water down. Sunday I went into work for an hour and my boss was like ummm you look really bad, just go home. So today I think I am finally back to normal. I will not be drinking liquor for a very long time, and this experience will definitely change the way I eat. I already don't do fast food or fried stuff, but I can't make exceptions. Food is fuel. I need to take better care of myself. So now I need to go play catch up and do all the things I was going to do this weekend. I'll be on tomorrow to post recipes and other new things.

recipes and garden!

I got a new recipe box, so I have been going through all my recipes trying to sort them. I posted an old favorite on the recipe page. Enjoy!


The garden is doing well. Last weeks rain and this weeks sunshine have done wonders for the tomatoes. Now I just have to keep those pesky squirrels from stealing them off the vines like last time.




  

feeling optimistic

I'm feeling better about my situation now. I'm working on applications and portfolios for 10 shows and calls to artists. They are all this year. So that means I could potentially make some money and also have something to occupy my time. I'm also looking into The Edmond Fine Arts Institute for possible jobs next week. If that has no results I'm thinking of looking at some local framing shops for openings. Things are looking up. I just need to stay focused and on track.

grad school?

Warning: this is a major venting session. Sorry in advance...

I just graduated with my studio art bachelors in may. That can't really get me a job anywhere. In order to make money as an artist you have to do something else (besides make and sell art). So I have decided that I want to teach at the college level either at a university, community college, or workshops. I have to get my masters degree to do that which takes 2 1/2 years. My problem is what to do in the meantime.

Kevin has to go to grad school before me (his program is 4 years). Do I go at the same time? Do we both work while we are in school? Do we take out loans? I'm so ready for this next chapter of our lives to start, but I'm totally clueless on what to do. I don't know how to make money doing something that I want to do.

I can only submit to so many shows in Oklahoma. Then it's not even guaranteed that I will sell anything. So that is no steady paycheck. Right now I'm working at a coffee shop. It's a super easy job, but I am bored out of my mind! There is nothing challenging about making people's lattes all day. I used to be able to see the good in it and make myself change my state of mind. Now that we are about to move on to the next step and thinking about getting different jobs, I just can't justify getting another job like that while in school. Sorry for the venting session. I'm just so frustrated right now.


On a lighter note...

• It is my youngest niece's 1st birthday today. She has been walking for a couple weeks now and she is so funny. She walks around saying "nana". That's a general word for all kinds of food. She is a chunk. She means so much more to me now after this odd year. I've learned so much about life the past year. 

• 

more okie weather

Yesterday was the first day with no rain in 6 days. Today it went all day without raining, but now there is rolling thunder in the distance and crazy lightening. This here my friends is what we call a tornado sky. See that hint of orange in the sky? And if you could feel the electricity in the air you would now what I mean.

Well here in Oklahoma we have this weather man, Gary England. He is like 112 years old and he can spot tornadoes and other weather before any of the other weather people can. He says this is just a thunder storm with "lotsa lightnin' folks". Usually I would trust ole gary, but I don't know about this one. It looks like an ugly storm to me. I'll keep you posted.

-your meteorologist lady signing out

day off

I expected this day to be a lot harder than it was. Today would have been my nephew's 14th birthday. It has only been a little over a month since he died, so I decided to take off work (I didn't know how I would be). But surprisingly it was a really good day. I took some time this morning to remember him. Then I went along with my day. It was very productive; I ran errands and went to the grocery store. Had some fun too; grilled shrimp and veggie kabobs with the hubby, spent a few hours by the pool, had some friends over, and now I just finished making granola. Yesterday was harder just thinking about how hard today would be. Isn't that weird how we work ourselves up like that? Anyway, it ended up being a good day in memory of Nick. He would have loved a day like this. Pool time was one thing we loved to share.

FYI new stuff in the recipe page. enjoy!

oklahoma summer

Usually summer in Oklahoma consists of blistering heat in the triple digits, cracked earth, dry brittle grass, and not much rain. This year is different. June was pretty hot, but it rained a record number of inches. In one day we had 11 inches which flooded neighborhoods and businesses. It was crazy. Then there was the hail. That was late May. Baseball and softball size! I've never seen anything like it. Now it's July which is usually the hottest time of the summer along with early August. Well it IS hot (not 100, but hot). It has rained everyday for the past 5 days in a row! The sun will come out as a teaser, but then it pours and it is so unbelievably muggy. Can't we just get something in between? I need sun and so do my plants!

FYI: I have updated the recipe page and will be updating the other pages tomorrow. I will now mention updated pages in my posts. Farewell from muggy OK.

caturday

This little guy looks like a kitten we had named JoJo. Last summer a stray cat had kittens outside our apartment. We kept them for about 4 months before we found a suitable no kill shelter for them. The mother and this kitty are still there. The 3 other kittens found homes. If you or anyone you know is looking for a pet, go to a shelter like this one (not a breeder). There are plenty of animals who need homes. The Jude Ranch is great. They have cats and dogs located in Edmond, OK.


Bringing a little of the outdoors indoors. My mother-in-law got me this cute wall hanging flower basket thing. It's lined with plastic so you can keep fresh flowers in water in it. I put it right next the the front door. I love it!

short and sweet

• Today is my oldest niece's birthday. She is 17! I can't believe it. That makes me feel old. Her brother's birthday is the 10th. So they would always have their bday parties together when they were younger. This is a hard one since he just passed away. She is a tough one though. I can't believe how grown up she is.

Modest Mouse-a long time favorite. Today I listened to The Moon and Antarctica. It is an older album. There are a few angry songs. I needed those today. It was just that kind of day. They have a new album. I need to get it. 



Good news: the popcorn brittle turned out delicious. I posted the recipe. Also went to the farmer's market today and got some great local produce. Not so good news: this day has been a little stressful and emotionally draining. So I'm going to make dinner and relax with the hubby. I will explain this day tomorrow when I have more energy. (not that anyone is really reading this yet since I only have one follower, but it helps me to get my thoughts out and sort of vent). So long friend

soaked!

Well the sun came out for a while, so I went to the pool with the hubby for about an hour. Came back and was cleaning out the closet when I heard thunder. I had just put my potted plants out in the sun, so I ran outside and put them all up on the porch. I came inside and changed out of my soaking wet clothes just in time for the sun to come back out...wonderful. Well now it is cloudy again and looking like more rain is coming. I'm done with the closet and have a pile to take to Goodwill tomorrow, so I'm thinking I will try a new recipe. I have a popcorn brittle recipe that sounds interesting but kinda hard. If it turns out I'll post it on the recipe page.

purging

Today it is once again cloudy, so I have decided to clean out my closet. I have been needing to do this for quite some time now. I have so much old stuff that I don't wear anymore. A trip to Goodwill will be made later today or tomorrow. I always feel good after dropping things off there. I might also clean out all my art supplies. I know some young artists who could use them. So this WILL be a productive day off.

my first follower

woohoo! i have a follower. thanks linsey!

cheezburgerz

Oh if I haven't mentioned it yet, I love animals of all kinds. I frequent the websites www.icanhascheezburger.com and www.icanhashotdog.com Here is the cheezburger for today.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

rainy days

So it has rained 3 days in a row now. No sign of the sun. I'm a summer kinda girl, and I miss my heat. I need the pooooool! On the other hand my garden is loving it. I hope I get some tomatoes when the sun comes back out.

getting started on Independence Day

I'm new at this blogging thing. I'm not exactly a tech-savy person, so bear with me while i try to figure this out.

It's July 4th. I have a heavy heart this holiday. I don't know if I'm proud to call myself an American these days. Our country is not exactly a peaceful one. I've always been against war in its entirety, but this year is a little a different. We have a new president, one that said he would get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Has he kept his promises? NO! I know it takes time, but enough is enough. We need to stand up and prove to the world that we are peaceful people. We are one people, one world. Why do we separate ourselves by borders and nations? Let us practice the art of peacefulness this July 4th!

Today I remember my little nephew. He died tragically in an ATV accident on Memorial Day of this year. He was my only nephew in a sea of girls (5 nieces). I still can't think about him without crying. I miss him so much. This is a picture of us at a 4th of July picnic in 2004.

We're listening to: Sigur Ros ( ) It is perfect for this cloudy day, and it totally fits the mood. 

A few days ago we went to 'the farm'. My family's property out in the country where I used to go as a kid. We have started going there more often and we love it. Kev found a canoe in the woods. My Grampa had probably stashed it there years ago.