What's on My Kitchen Counter

 I made some awesome Mexican Cornbread last week.  I used my regular receipe, but added in some diced up cream cheese (not blended just stirred so the chunks stay intact), fresh chopped jalepenos, and sliced tomatoes.  Here is a picture of it baking in the skillet.  I am pretty sure I owe the extra two pounds I gained last week to this cornbread (and maybe the bread pudding on Saturday as well.....). We ate it with squash and field peas.   I will make it again in the Fall with some soup.  Recipe: Turn oven on 360 to preheat.  Cut a few slices of butter and add them to your cast iron skillet (use a very large skillet).  Put the skillet into the oven to melt the butter.  Mix group 1 ingredients together well in a bowl.  Add any extras as well such as a few sprinkles of chipolti powder, chopped onion, cooked and drained hamberger meat, or whatever else you want to add.  Group 1: 1 1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal 1/4 cup vegetable oil...

 Hello Friends! The Kitchen Counter has had some interesting things on it this week!   Happy T-Day.  The T-Gang at Elizabeth's (Altered Book Lover)  is aharing drink related items and a few people are revealing some of the 8th Anniversary ATCs that were exchanged.  I made a bunch of ATCs after getting slighted addicted to them (Elizabeth's fault).  I sent/am sending several as I got a bit confused a couple of times. Since I am not sure who got their ATCs yet, I am just going to share one of the cards and one of the ATCs I did not finish completely yet.   I made an ATC for Mia since she is sending me one, so I thought I would share the front of the card she is getting (not the ATC inside) - I will send it when I find her address -  I have misplaced it.... I made the ATC portion using a playing card and some botanical tissue paper.  The birdie is Close to My Heart and the paper is Stamperia Forest.  This had to be used on a card ...

One of the highlights of our June trip to Albuquerque was Allie's hot air balloon ride.  I know I shared this picture already, but it is so pretty I am sharing it again.   The following week, there was a horrible balloon accident pretty much at the same spot she took off from.  A balloon hit some power lines and everyone died.  My heart goes out to thoose people and those families.  I can't image what the families are going through.   I did a scrapbook page of her balloon ride to add to my travel book. The main panel was printed and then I dipped the paper in an inky mixture.  Once it dried, I swiped my Crumb Cake, Orang Marmalade and Broken China pads across the paper.  It made a cool looking abstract scene at the top.  I added in some tiny baloons from the DRS Designs 4 in 1 In the Sky stamp.  I got a thumbs up from Allie on this - it isn't often that happens so I am thrilled. This is also for Alison's Summer Countryside them...

Today's post includes two cards and two drinks, all of which have been on my kitchen counter. Feelng a bit lost in Wonderland lately - too much work at work and home.  Thought this card would be appropriate to give myself.   The base layer is teabag glued to some heavyweight white card stock.  I used gesso to add a few scraps of Alice paper from Stamperia (too hard to throw away any of it!), and then I added a thin layer of white gesso and some water colors.  A run though the Big Shot with an embossing folder and some splatters of tea and paint added more interest.  Making this base was a bit like a trip to Wonderland as it sort of made itself over a few days - lol. I fussy cut the cat and sentiment out of the Alice papers and stapled on a border to complete the look.  Isn't this cat the cutest? Over at DRS Designs, I posted this card made from these stamps: Happy Shark Killer Birthday Fishing Square The base on the card is a watercolor wash and the ta...

Hello friends. No more fun travel or parade pictures - back to every day normal life.  On a positive note, I have been able to fit in some art. Hereis an art journal spread I finished this weekend. I am adding it to Alison's Summer Landscape challenge theme at **Art*Journal*Journey* .   I started the pages in my journal around July 4th after seeing Dina's stripes inspired Mixed Media challenge on Splitcoaststampers.com and got as far as stamping some foliage at the bottom.  I was stuck after that, and I wasn't sure where to go with it next.  A few days later, I was clearing out some things in the craft room and ran across a Thomas Kinkade book I cut up and use in my Bible Journaling.  There was a picture of  the San Francisco Bridge and another of some mountains so I tore them out and added them to my page with Gesso representing some of the beautiful things in America and also Alison's countryside theme.  They did not blend in very well and I nee...

Two pretty quick Tearful Themed Sympathy cards to share.  One friend lost her mother and the other lost her brother. My first card is a case of this week's Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers.com, RaeBobcat.  I chose this Featured Stamper for the challenge because I loved THIS card (plus a lot of her other cards as well).  I loved Rae's blue and green sponged background so I kept that and her Sympathy theme. I sponged my background inks onto SU! Crumbcake (kraft) and then stamped some folliage from the SU! Forever Fern set.  Then I water distressed the panel (I love doing that on sympathy cards - reminds me of tears).  For the top panel, I took a scrap of Stamperia Forest DP and sponged on a bit of the colors I used on the background panel.  The words are from SU! Rooted in Nature.  The little flower tucked in by the words on the bottom is from my parent's grave.  We were going to throw them away but I thought I might use them on a few journal...

Hello Friends! Hope you had a good weekend.  I look forward to this weekend every year because I love the Fourth of July Parade in Prattville.  It makes me feel like things are right with the world - it is a bit old fashioned, a bit innocent, a bit quirky (actually a whole lot quirky), and a lot of fun.  Anyone can be in the parade as long as you remotely look patriotic.  My kids used to ride their bikes in the parade when they were younger. I thought I would share a few pictures. The mayor and City Council had one of the first floats (by the way all the floats and cars throw candy, necklaces, and toys so the people watching are all paying close attention so they can catch the good stuff). Notice how the floats are really just trailers with a few decorations. This was one of my favorites - it was the sanitation department and they had all their candy in a toilet on the top of the truck - lol!  I am pretty sure it was tootsie rolls - lol again! The local judge - ...

 Hello Crafty Friends! Hope you had a good weekend  - especially if this was a holiday for you.  Hubby and I went to a parade Saturday and "listened" to lots of fireworks - lol.  At the parade, we ran into our 3rd daughter, Rachel and her family.  Since Rachel was at our house so much when the kids were growing up, we just called her our daughter too.  Here she is at the parade with her daughter. I cooked the entire weekend making a Mexican Lasagna (hubby's idea), Chicken Noodle Soup with the leftover lasagna noodles, Pimento Cheese (I use my Mom's recipe and it is wonderfu), and a tropical Chicken Salad. I even cooked hubby a giant breakfast yesterday - here is a picture: I also got in a good amount of creating - so relaxing! The July * *Art*Journal*Journey* theme was selected by Alison Bomber :  Summer Countryside . For my first journal page, I decided to do a collection of ATCs since Elizabeth from Altered Book Lover has gotten me addicted to them (...