What?

Easter already?
Who makes these decisions?
Because I am so not ready.

I guess it is true what they say, the older you get the faster time flies.
But OMG.
34 years ago I graduated high school.
22 years ago I gave birth to my last child.
3 years ago I still had good neck skin.
And now another holiday that I am totally unprepared for thinking that I still had 2 more weeks.
And my neck is falling down.

I will probably be working on Easter or in bed sick, sick and more sick. But I would like to ask my 2,314 followers (there is a big ha ha in my head right now) to boycott grocery stores on holidays. Just do without whatever it is that you forgot. Easter will still happen if you don't have whipped cream believe it or not. I remember when I was a kid, the only thing open was maybe one gas station and a 7-11. People went to church and families were together. Those were the days.

Easter is a very spiritual day for me.
So forgive my twisted sense of humor, but I do believe that life is far better with laughter.
And since I now am sick with either strep throat or the sore throat from hell, here is my total contribution for Easter....


If you know the source, let me know and I will give credit.

Go Down In History

I love this quote.

I haven't been cooking or working or basically anything because my shoulder blade feels like it got hit with a baseball bat.
Welcome to the world of old grocery checkers.
No wonder they make jokes of us on commercials.
Instead there has been....
heating pads (mmm)
ice packs (aack)
reading (inspiring)
lots of boredom (yawn)
5 more pounds on my ass (ick)

So I present you with my finely tuned artistic skills.
Spray paint and stick on letters.
Obviously I don't sign my work.

I did this a couple weeks ago, it is a day and a half (dry time) project, and lettering can be spaced or sized in any form. My 2" letters were not all the same height so I had to work with that, and I mostly wanted them to touch each other but an i next to an h just didn't work, and some letters have so much more width that it took a little rearranging to get the look close to even. Believe it or not, that spacing is pretty good. Perfection? Nope. Do I care? Nope. I also like the look of gloss and flat on this, it makes the words have more importance. I have a feeling my daughters will take this the next time they are here. I think this would be a great nagging tool. Put chores on canvas. The kids will love you.

This is a 20"x16" canvas that I got on sale, spray paint I had in the cupboard and 2" vinyl letters.
*I sprayed the canvas gloss pink all across the top, and let dry overnight.
*Marked the vertical and horizontal edges of the canvas at the middle points with a black marker (it would be covered later).
*Applied lettering according to the spacing I had decided on. Since there were 6 lines of words, then 3 words above and 3 words below the middle. I began with the second 'r' in 'rarely', placing the bottom edge of it 2" below the center point and even with the center point horizontally. Then outwards with each letter. Then on to the next word at 2" below the bottom of 'rarely' being the bottom edge of 'make', continuing until done. If you have an even amount of letters in a word they will split half to the right of the center point and half to the left. If the amount of letters in a word are odd, then the middle letter will straddle the center point.
*Sprayed the canvas top and sides with flat black.
*Dried about 1-2 hours, until dry to touch (the letters seem to pull less paint if you don't wait too long).
*Removed the letters using an exacto knife to help lift the edges.
*Ta daa.

Here is the full version.

Rio

I want to be in Rio.

With this man.

Yesterday.

Photo

Just look at him.
Perfection.

Twenty Ten

2010. Twenty Ten. It sounds like an address.
Many of us have been thinking about the New Year.
Resolutions, direction, change, lists.
At 52 I have less than half my life on earth left to live.
I need purpose in life to be happy. Right now I don't have one, the children are grown and there is not a man in my life to share it with.
So my New Years resolution is to 'change my life'. Maybe not 360 degrees, but perhaps 180 or even 90 degrees. The change may only be noticeable to myself, because it might be on the inside. Or it may be absolutely obvious to everyone. Who knows.
And more salads. Lots more salads.

To celebrate growing older, Regina Brett once wrote 'the 45 lessons life taught me'.
These are my favorites, the ones I already believe in, but I still need to try to live by and remember this year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yield.
Always choose life.
Believe in miracles.
The best is yet to come.
Forgive everyone everything.
Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
Get busy living, or get busy dying.
Over prepare, then go with the flow.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
When in doubt, just take the next small step.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to be here....

Photo

I am so cold, my hands are freezing, my butt is cold and my back is tensing up. I just want to curl up in front of a warm fire and snuggle with someone who wants to take me away from all this yuckiness. I don't know how you people up north do it, you are impressive. Freezing, I would be bitchy, okay bitchier. Constant gray skies, I would be sad. All I can say is God bless you, you are tougher than me. I suppose I should read the above list again, but I think in 5 years I will still gripe about the cold. Yeah, I hate hot too.

Keep Calm And Carry On

Good advice in these stressful times.
Sort of pull yourself up by the bootstraps, but a little softer which we all need right now.

As I have said before, I follow a lot of cooking, entertaining and design blogs.
What a geek.

This, I believe is from a British World War 2 poster and it is everywhere. British seems to have a strong influence right now with crowns, the Union Jack, the Queen, etc., even replacing French a little. French is romantic, British is fun.
Any way, I like to change everything a little, paint, glitter, rearrange my house, frame, unframe, whatever.

When I made the glittered silhouettes I was so pleased. This project made me just as happy with the results. Again, easy and quick, but a little more money due to the crystal letters and such. So very girly and pretty though. It will be going to one of my daughters for her apartment. I am sure you could do a more manly version using different items.

SUPPLIES

5x7 frame, mine was $2 from Goodwill
Scrapbook paper, vibrant colors work best for the crystals to stand out
Crystal letters with sticky back, I needed 2 sheets, but here is what you will need because different companies provide different layouts
A x 3
C x 2
D x 1
E x 2
K x 1
L x 1
M x 1
N x 2
O x 1
P x 1
R x 2
Y x 1
Crystal crown with sticky back
Crystals in a color that match the scrapbook paper to replace if necessary, mine had 5 pink ones and they didn't work

Pencil
Scissors
Ruler, clear is best

Paint the frame if you want to in your choice of color.
Mark your cut on the scrapbook paper to fit in the frame, but don't cut yet.
Figure the layout of lines. I had 5 lines of words and 1 line for the crown.
Then on the outer edge of the piece you will be framing, mark the horizontal lines as a guide. Also at the outside edge again, top and bottom, mark your center guides.
Save the crown for last.
DOUBLE CHECK YOUR GUIDELINES! Remember, measure twice, cut once. In this case it is measure twice or repurchase everything and start over.
I started from the top and worked down which was easiest, using a ruler as my guide following the horizontal guidelines on the edges.
Also, work the the center and then out.
Before placing the crown, using craft or regular tweezers remove any colored crystals that don't work with your paper.
Place your crown, then using tweezers, place new crystals in the color of your choice.
Set in frame, I prefer without glass because the sparkles are so much prettier.
Ta daa!

This is how I made mine, but you could change anything to your liking. If you have bigger letters, then use a bigger frame. If you use darker letters then use lighter paper. I think cut black foam core with crystal letters set on a black plate stand would look great. You could use a metal crown, vintage gilded paper ephemera, look through the card supplies, scrap booking supplies, jewelry supplies, in your local craft store, thrift store, etc.. Think outside the box, make it personal and have fun.

Glittered Silhouettes

Silhouettes always reminded me of Grandmothers houses, where you sat on the divan instead of the couch, ate pot roast for supper and the closets smelled of moth balls.
I have been seeing silhouettes are all over the design blog world lately.
Okay, fine.
But we'll do it my way.
With sparkles.


I actually got this project done in a reasonable time, which normally means less than a year.
I always tend to have far too many unfinished projects.
Don't we all.
I just get excited when I see something new.
And excitement means "Oooh, look at that. I need that."
Which means a new project of course.
If you are one of those people that always finish one project before you start another and have a place for everything and everything in it's place, well then give me a few pointers on how you have become this craft superhero, because I evidently am the screaming weakling about to get devoured by the evil Half-done-pile Monster.
I have 3 (grown) children, but I only did silhouettes of my daughters. Besides I don't think my son would like this idea since when he was little he hated that his clothes always came out of the dryer with glitter on them from all of his sisters stuff.
This was really quite easy and will be going at the entry in their old rooms so I made them in colors to match.

DIRECTIONS
This takes a couple days for dry time if you are painting frames too.

I started with profile photographs.

Blew them up at Kinkos to 200% and 250% to get the right size on the regular copy machine, and did a reverse image on one.
Then cut them out carefully.
Traced them onto brown and black art paper.
Cut the tracing out.

Next is spray glue (Super 77).
Then glitter (Martha Stewart) to match the paper.

Let dry.
Carefully remove excess glitter with a soft brush.
Use double stick tape to adhere to backgroun paper, using a clean paper as a pressing aid.
Place in frames and....
Ta daa!

I took a bajillion photos but there was no way to get one without glare since I don't have a professional studio. I tried inside, outside, bright sun, no sun. So try to imagine the glittery cuteness of them before the glass okay. No glare glass also means no pretty photo. Oh well, they really are cute.
Just an added note...I took the glass off, you could not really see the sparkle, and sparkle was the whole point.

The frames were from Goodwill, $3 each. Not bad frames but sad, sad pictures. Who makes all this crap?

I painted them for each room and rewired for hanging vertically.

3 Stools Done - Amost

This X 3


becomes these....


I have lived in my house for 22 years, both married and single (I don't like the word divorced). I was divorced. Now I am single. It is a cute house (I am not into cute), but there are many things builders select that lack shall we say, taste? So I change things a lot. Personally a house is not my first choice for a home. I moved to 50, yes you read that right 50, different dwellings before I was even 18 so I am pretty open to variety. My dream home would be a loft or a warehouse on the beach with an outdoor shower, hardwood floors for dancing and lots of tall windows. Until then I just continue to paint and decorate whenever I get bored with what I have. Hence the 3 old barstools that just sort of functioned before. Now I love them. Why? Because they look much better and also because these are what I sit on when I am at the computer and my butt is happier now.

The process was not hard but it did take time for paint drying and adding the padding (I rhymed, go me). Plus I had to do them separately so I would have somewhere to sit. I love the wind and it has been windy every day which unfortunately doesn't work well with spray painting. I don't really prep or follow technique (I am not big on the clean up part either). I just sort of do, otherwise things would never get finished. Here we go....

Sand the stools?
Nope.
Instead spray a good coat of primer and hope it does the job.
Let dry a couple hours.


Then I used American Accents Stone brown spray paint and has a sort of spattered texture. It is the same as I used when I made my dining table and I wanted to unify the space. I also painted the entire stool because I may want to take the padded covers off at some point and do something different.
Let paint dry 1 day.
Another coat of Stone paint.
Let dry 3 days.



Then 2 coats of spray acrylic sealer, dry 1/2 day in between coats.
The next layers are....
Foam padding cut 2 inches larger all around the seat so it will wrap down the sides.
Batting cut about an inch larger than the padding.
Ruler shmuler, I just use the stool for measuring, placed upside down and draw a circle around it.
I used Super 77 spray adhesive to keep the padding and batting together.
Double sided fusible webbing cut the same as the burlap. This it to give some strength to the burlap and help it stay put to the batting,
Burlap cut about an inch larger than the batting. I can't find all the burlap with East Indian drawings so plain it must be for now. I will add something soon, I just have to decide what. Ideas are welcome.
Then carefully center everything, fold the fabric under and staple gun this sucker in place.

How in the hell do the pros upholster so perfectly?


I may attempt restapling the burlap or attach some rope around the edge under the seat.

One project down.
672 projects to go.

Bar Stool Project

sStill here.
This is basically a food blog, but I also enjoy table settings (coming again in October) and entertaining, interiors and some crafts.
I follow a lot of blogs, one being from Melissa at The Inspired Room.
She is having a project procrastinators party and I am in.
I am so in that I procrastinated my post and photo an extra day, so I think I win that part.
My project is three old bar stools, cheap ones, ones with other projects paint on them.
Nothing but good should come from this.
The plan is to paint them to match my dining table that I made with brown stone paint.
I had thought about stenciling numbers (1, 2 & 3) on top which I love but it doesn't really work with the rest of the room.
Instead I hope to make padded seat covers with some burlap that I drew some East Indian designs on.
I had used these over the back of the chairs for my table setting luncheon that I do every year and this time my theme was 'A Passage To India".
So I have two weeks, until May 14 to get this done.
Actually one week and six days because I am late already.
This is the before of one of the stools...


Yes those are weeds in the background, that is a whole other project.

Dessert Plates

I am trying hard to post 3 times a week, part of my 101 things in 1001 days. Cooking hasn't really been happening lately. Figuring out how to feed the band and not send anyone to the hospital has been at the forefront, making dessert plates and a yard sale. I think the plates were quite lovely, a nice gift for Mothers day.
So, a question...what would you pay for them? I am just wondering.

Also, self portrait #2 of 101 self portraits in 1001 days. I was at dinner with friends and we took pictures of what plastic surgery would do for our face, my idea of course. Notice the smooth cheeks/lack of jowls? I can not even believe how many pictures it takes before I find one I am willing to put on here. 99 more to go, my poor camera is going to wear out.

Dorkiness and Impatience

tNo recipe, just dorkiness and impatience.

I love spaghetti with a good marinara and parmigiano reggiano, but no meat. Since Bethany moved out I have lost my movie buddy and fellow pasta eater.

So, excitedly I made pasta last night. So excitedly. The sauce is simmering, the water is bubbling, I am grating. Ooohhh. The plastic wrap is being ripped into the cheese which in my bliss I fail to notice. I am loving every bite. What? I am spitting pieces of plastic. 8 of them. Not so excited now.

Anyone else ever do this?

Thank goodness it was not for guests. Augh!

Chili con Queso and street tacos

I have been sick since I came back from vacation and working then coming home to bed basically, so my apologies for the late post. I, personally think it is an omen from God that I should be a woman of leisure who travels the world for pleasure in order to stay well and peaceful.

We do eat some street food in Mexico. In Puerto Vallarta this place is really good though it is not technically street food, it is outdoors and on the corner, across from the Super Mercado which is next to the suspension bridge over the Rio Cuale.

We ordered their 'Dedos de Camaron', which were fried shrimp tacos, every time we went there and once you go, you will go back again and again. At 20 pesos a piece they were only about $1.80 each, one makes a small lunch or snack. The plates are covered in a plastic bag for really easy clean up, a little tacky but hell, how fun is it to just go with life as it comes sometimes. The tortilla is soft which is traditional, not the baked or fried tortilla shell that so many Americans are used to, and the shrimp are fried in a batter then you add a dressing/sauce, hot salsa fresca, fresh squeezed limes and a lettuce/spinach/cilantro/carrot chiffonade mixture. OMG these are good! Sorry there is no photo of the tacos but we kept eating them before I ever thought to take one. That happened a lot. Great flan also and a staff that smiles at you when you come back day after day after day.

Also if you are old enough like me, you will remember laying on the bed to zip up your skin tight Chemin De Fer jeans, the girls that work here didn't forget how to do that.

These are 2 of my happy, hungry sisters waiting for lunch. Sitting at the counter is fun and friendly and very traditional.

Puerta Vallarta is in central Mexico and on the ocean which means fresh fish is in abundance. One night as we waited outside for a table at Cafe de Olla (eat here too), I noticed a couple men with ice chests speaking with the chef or the manager. When I sat down at the table and inquired about what type of fresh fish was available, the answer made it obvious that I had just witnessed todays catch being sold to the restaurant. Bass off the boat with garlic, tortillas, rice and beans. Bring it on. And for less than 100 pesos it was less than $9. In Mexico people eat real food, not a lot of sweets and the only fast food that I saw is like the taco stand above.

Now how about a traditional Mexican recipe? Let's begin with what we Gringos would call an appetizer. Chili con Queso. Northern Mexico is where there are large cattle ranches and there is much more use of dairy products. Yay! I love cream and butter and cheese. Oooh, and ice cream. But this isn't about ice cream although ice cream is a fine appetizer in my book. Flour instead of corn tortillas are more typical in this part of the country also.

When handling chiles, always use care. Thin latex gloves help, but wash, wash, wash and never touch your eyes or inside your nose, there is bad stuff in them thar peppers that burns and it burns bad.


CHILI CON QUESO
from Savoring Mexico

2 T butter
2 small white onions, finely chopped
4 jalapeno chiles, seeded and cut into strips
15 anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and deveined, then cut into long narrow strips
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 c heavy cream
1/4 c warm water
sea salt to taste
1 lb queso asadero, monterey jack or other melting cheese, shredded
Flour tortillas, totopos or good quality tortilla chips for scooping

In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the onions and jalapeno chiles and saute until the onions are limp and golden, about 5-10 minutes.
Stir in the Anaheim chiles and tomatoes and cook until all the chiles are soft, about 5-10 minutes longer.
Pour in the cream and warm water, season with salt, and simmer for several minutes.
stir the cheese into the chiles, cover, and remove from the heat.
When the cheese has melted, pour the chiles into a heated serving bowl.
Serve while it is still bubbling hot, as the cheese will separate and become tough and stringy if allowed to cool.

Serves 10-12 as a dip, or serves 6 as a filling for tortillas.


My preference is fresh flour tortillas, but as I said, I have been sick and back to the store was not going to happen. Not the best photos but you get the idea.

Adios

Hola!

Two days ago I was warm and the sun was shining. Today I am freezing and it is foggy. I am not happy about this.

















I love Mexico. The people are friendly and devoted to their faith, it is beautiful and festive, humbling and inspiring. Ever since my first trip to Puerto Vallarta these have been my favorite pieces of art. The designs are all a little different, some are an obvious pattern, some are a seemingly random design and every one is absolutely gorgeous. They catch the light and reflect what is beyond at their best when they are layered. Five is probably the necessary amount for the nicest result, but they are very expensive which puts my interest in the couple thousand dollar area. But then who needs curtains when you have these.
















The window in these photos is at Le Bistro Jazz Cafe which is on the Rio Cuale, and the metalwork is the window. Yes all sorts of critters can get in and there are 3-4 foot long Iguanas that live in the trees all around (see him in the photo below?), so I would send in the critter getters first if I worked here to catch them and send them on their happy little tree climbing way. Le Bistro is very, very elegant and the food is excellent, a lovely experience if you are there.














If you cross the bridge after leaving Le Bistro, you will come to the outdoor marketplace. It is fun and there are lots of handcrafts to haggle over. I don't haggle much because I realize how poor these people often are. Unfortunately the world economy is beginning to really affect Mexico in that tourists are spending half of what they used to and costs have gone up tremendously for locals and tourists alike.
















Halfway through the marketplace is a suspension bridge. It is lots of fun attempting to walk it in some sort of ladylike fashion though some say it is easier to cross after a few margaritas. The local young women cross it in heels which I would never attempt. On the other side of the bridge and across the road is the Super Mercado and the best shrimp tacos around.
















Puerto Vallarta comes down from the hills into the Bay of Banderas. It is so pretty because of all the flowers and even buildings are often in colors of fuschia, teal, periwinkle and tangerine. There are lovely butterflies and pottery painted by hand with designs that amaze me. Then there are sunsets that take your breath away. And we even had fireworks every night. I love fireworks.
















People are friendly unlike many countries. You are often welcomed with Buenos Dias Amiga and you are treated as a guest. I think it is so important to be a good tourist. To remember that you are a guest. It is not your country, not your rules, not your way. If you have the proper attitude towards the Mexican people and what little they have in the way of stuff, I believe you will come home happy, relaxed and feel blessed for all you have.
















I will be back in a day or so with recipes, I just wanted to share some of the beauty of Puerto Vallarta with you.

Adios

This is the view from my parents condo in Puerto Vallarta. See how far downhill it goes. Down, down, down. See Amber walk down the steps. Huff, puff, puff. See Amber wobble on the cobblestone. Wobble, wobble wobble. See the highway that you risk your life crossing. Run, run, run.
Every day we walked to town downhill. Every day we took a taxi back uphill. We are not stupid. Most of the roads in old Puerto Vallarta are still cobblestone and sidewalks are sometimes 3 feet higher than the road. You have to pay attention because often part of the sidewalk is missing and steps appear out of nowhere. I love this kind of stuff. It is real life. It is imperfect. It has character. And it is not like the United States. There is no one to sue, so pay attention.

This is the view from the pool up to the condo. We are at the very top middle of this photo, you can see the front wall of our patio. It is 128 stairs down to the pool. It is 186 stairs up to the condo. I counted. Figure it out.

I liked this little guy. Actually he was about 4 inches long body wise, but he sort of minded his own business.

Consumerism

EVERY PURCHASE IS POLITICAL.
EVERY PURCHASE AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT.
EVERY PURCHASE IS YOUR CONSCIENCE.
EVERY PURCHASE IS A VOTE.
EVERY PURCHASE IS A PRAYER.
EVERY PURCHASE MATTERS.
BUY LOCAL.
BUY LITTLE.
BUY ORGANIC.
LIVE IN THE WORLD YOU WANT TO CREATE.
CREATE THE WORLD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN.

The shopping season has begun.
Think about what is important to you and to the path you leave.

I am currently consuming margaritas in Mexico.

Obama

This man gives me hope.
He makes me proud to be an American at last.
I actually cried when I found out it was over and that he had won.
I feel we as Americans can hold our heads up high in the world now.
Finally we the people have a voice.

I consider myself a Christian.
One who cares about human rights, animal rights and environmental rights, all the creations of God.
I have been so hugely offended for so long by the religious right which assumes I follow their dictatorship.

I am proud of America.
We have crossed lines that never should have been.
We have voted in numbers not seen before.
We are not indifferent.
We needed a leader that we could follow.
He gave our youth a reason to care.

Peace
Hope
Change
Unity