What's on My Kitchen Counter

Hello friends. Hope your holiday was wonderful.  Ours was fabulous with lots of Grandkid and family time.   Sharing a couple of my favorite pictures today. A sweet note to Santa from one of the grandsons - he misses his elf and he told Santa...melts my heart.  The milk is my ticket to Elizabeth's T-day gathering at her blog where we all raise a cup, glass, etc. each week. This next picture is exactly why a skeleton leaning against your Christmas tree is a bad idea.  The kids loved the tree, but I know people are wondering about us!  You can't tell it is a Harry Potter tree - just looks like a random skeleton - lol! We ate too much over the holiday, and now I am on a serious diet!  Here is some homemade veggie soup with avocado.  It was soooo good.  I ended up putting some in the blender and drinking it too.   Wishing you a lovely New Year.  We all deserve a fab 2022! Hugz,  Nancy

Hello friends! Shockingly, it is T-day and I have a short post.  Finally got the Christmas tree done and one package under it - I better get the others wrapped before anyone comes over! We lost three tubs of oraments again.  The last 3 of 5 years it has happened.  My kids use our storage areas as well so things get moved around.... I just hope they were not donated....  I had just about decided not to do a tree when one of my daughters suggeted a Harry Potter tree.  She went on Amazon and ordered plastic cauldrons, eyeglasses, feathers, owl, trains, and gold balls.  It was fairly reaonable.  I found a few more ornaments at Walgreens (strange but true) and used our Halloween skelly and a fairy my SIL sent us.  The end result is super fun even if a bit quirky.  I am a big Harry Potter fan so it works for me, and hubby even likes it (or says he does).  Some say it doesn't fit into Christmas, but they celebrated Christmas in the HP movies, and it is a good versus evil plot with true he

 Hello Friends. I love Valerie's theme at  **ART*JOURNAL*JOURNEY*:  When One Door Closes, Another One Opens.   Lots of ideas in my head but so little time!  I did manage to get a page done last weekend and now have a bit of time to post it.   It started out with pieces of a cookie dough sampler box that I die cut and painted with white gesso.  I kept the extra pieces so you could see how they started out.  I had thought about keeping the pink but decided against it.  This is after one layer of gesso.  Another layer of gesso and they re ready for the next step. Of course, I forgot to film the next step which was just a few layers of gouche paint.  Now on to my background which is white gesso thrugh a brick stencil .  I heated it up to expand it and add more texture. Of course, I forgot to get pictures of the painting of the background but it was just different colors of gouche paint until I gave up - literally!  I added in a kitty from ArtStacks, and some metal stars from Hobby Lobb

Life is so interesing and full of surprises if you are open to them. Take this picture for instance.  This is what I saw when I walked into the lobby of the Hotel Elyton in Birmingham for a teambuilding conference at work.  I looked at it and had a feelig of deja vu.  Then I got off the elevator to go to my room, and I got that feeling again. Turns out this was the old Colonial Bank in Birmingham building remodeled as a hotel.  I worked at Colonial's headquarters in Montgomery for 19 years.  I had a team in this Birmingham building for years, and I visited it 100s of times.  It brought back a lot of memories that I thought I lost after my big seizure in 2011.  Some good memories of lots of good people.  So sad that the bank went under after the real estate market crash in 2008/2009.  By the way, I think we may be headed for another crash - not as big as 2008/2009, but it is coming. This past weekend, our daughter told us she was going to go ice skating in downtown Prattville.  The

Hello friends!  We had the traditional Thanksgiving food at my Sister-in-law's, and it was wonderful.  I wish I had gotten pictures because she outdid herself.  There were 5 of us and she did turkey, ham, dressing, a giant pot of collard greens, a green bean and corn casserole, sweet potatoes and marshmallow, rolls, giblet gravy, vegetable medly, two chilled salads, a pumpkin roll, fruit cake and the largest banana pudding I have ever seen. I did remember to get pictures of the great seafood we ate at Wintzell's Oyster House on the way home from Mobile, Alabama.  Low country boil with conecuh sausage (that sausage is so good and is made not far from the restaurant).  Gumbo (theirs is one of the best) and raw oysters.  and for my T-day friends, my Fat Tire draft beer and hubby's water.  Linking this up to Elizabeths's blog where the T-day gang shares a drink related post (any type of drink).   I have been working on the Christmas cards a bit here and there. This one was

Hello friends, Work has been super busy so I haven't had a chance to post in a few weeks.  I did get this Bible Journal page done this weekend.  It fits Chris' All Kinds of Weather theme at **ART*JOURNAL*JOURNEY* as the page has it raining down Truth and Light which is a spiritual weather.. but still weather.  It is also kind of foggy in my scene - caused by lack of patience these days.  I definately need to be in my Bible more! I had already done the stripes on the page before and never liked them, but finished it off with a bit of a scene and now I really like it. Some beautiful words on this scripture.  Ones I needed to read and pay attention too as I have been super focused on work (lots of people out sick so we are all having to do some extra work to cover) and do not have my life priorities straight.  I went to dinner at Central Restaurant in Montgomery, Alabama with two of my work friends last week.  We all had dessert. - one of the best things at that restaurant.  The

 Finally, found a little bit of time to participate in Chris' All Kinds of Weather Theme at **Art*Journal*Journey.    I decided to do a nice and calm Fall Day - just cool enough for a light coat and hat.  The background was painted super fast and sloppy, but I think that it makes a cool backdrop for the fun words that were included in one of the ArtStack collections I recently purchased. It fits me - I can always find something else do other than what I am supposed to be doing.  I am sure I am not the only one.  I normally love to go outside during Fall because it is way too hot here in the Summer, but this year I have stayed in more.  Why?  Four recent snake sightings - all different types.   Hope you are enjoying your weather wherever you happen to be.  Hugz, Nancy

Charcuterie boards are one of my favorite things and I was lucky enough to have three of them in one week! This skellie board was one my daughters and I did for my birthday.  You might remember the skeleton from most post a few weeks ago when one of Grandsons buckled him up in our car.  The skeleton board was all candy and sweets, but the cheese board next to it was cheese and crakers.  The speckled cheese was our favorite.  It was red and green bell pepper cheese with a bit of spice.   This next one was a board we purchased at Provisions Cheese and Wine Shop in Wetumpka, Alabama. Funny story about the board.  We ordered the $10 board to go with our $5 Mimosas and they brought this.  We immediately thought they must lose money on the boards!  The owner came by a bit later and told us they had made a mistake and gave us the Humphrey Bogart Board in error ($28).  We totally lucked out!  The bottom cheese was a cave aged cheddar and we loved it.  The crackers were pumpkin with a basalmic

 Celebrating my birthday - all week long (it was actually yesterday but I started celebrating on the weekend). Hubby announced he was game for dinner anywhere so I picked Jack Browns in Birmingham to quench my Elvis Burger craving.  I tried to do a knock off of the burger at home, but I don't have any wagu beef and it makes all the difference. Of course, I had to get a peanut butter beer drink to go with my peanut butter burger.  What a fun name for this porter.  We also went to a local coin and stamp show.  Unfortunately, the stamps were paper and not rubber - lol.  I did meet very interesting man - the Stamp Professor - Feliz Luis Perez-Folch, Jr . I included a link to his website as I feel Lisca might be interested (they both love to research the stories behind stamps). He sells stamps, but also he uses them to teach kids about math, history and art. I was walking by his booth and he asked me what I collected.  I told him stamps but not the paper kind.  He acted interested and p

Fun drinks for the week to share with the super fun T-day garng who meet up at Elizabeth's blog . This is filled with Poweraid. or something like it.  My daughter drove to the town where Vampire Diaries is filmed and drank one.  I can't believe she didn't bring me one back! She had this one at one of the local bars that is often in the show.  She said it was very strong and infused with herbs.  I love the spooky color.  This one was my drink.  Of course, I bought it for the can.  It liked it, but I didn't love it.   Hubby took me on a date night this week. We split a molcajeta (edited to fix spelling) bowl, and it was wonderful!   Update:  Around here the restaurants do a pinto bean, onion, red chili, and bell pepper base, then add a block of queso type cheese a grilled jalapeno, and grilled chorizo, shrimp, pork, steak and chicken. HERE is a link to a video about it.  Everyone puts a different spin on it.  I hadn't had one since my last gal bladder attack. No more

The next few weeks are some of my favorite weeks of the year - they are normally mild weather (Central Alabama), everyone seems to be in a Halloween mood, and my birthday is the day after Halloween.   Try It On Tuesday has a Halloween theme right now and Tracey picked My Favorite Colour is October theme for * *Art*Journal*Journey* so I did a Halloween page in my Dylusions Journal.  The page was first sponged with Distress Oxides.  The house, witch, wheat, and fence are all from DRS Designs (I covered the house in Black Stickles), Jack is a button (purchased at Walmart), and the saying is from Tim's Small Talk Sticker pack. Super fun page to create.  I hope you have some fun Halloween plans.  All mine involve family, candy, fun drinks, and tasty party food.   Nancy

Hello friends - happy T-day!!! I have an interesting Art Journal page for you today - perfect for Halloween and the Day of the Dead.  The paint flecks and spiders make it really fun, but the most interesting thing to me is that the flowers all came off my parents' graves.  I just didn't want to throw away the flowers as they were so cool and had the most interesting fraying.  Here is the evolution of the page. First layer of ink.  Second layer of ink. Third layer of ink and water distressing. Flowers all piled on - isn't that fraying cool? Then the arranging.   Then the splattering (black and gold paint), spiders (can you count them all?) and the addition of the word "Remember."  Linking this to Tracey's "My Favorite Colour is October" theme at **ART*JOURNAL*JOURNEY. I also have a spooky drink to share with you all.  As usual, the T-day gang is meeting up at Elizabeth's Blog to share something to do with drinks (of any kind).  Anyone is welcome