What's on My Kitchen Counter

I purchased some vintage stamps on Etzy this week and had to play with them. They remind me of New Mexico where I grew up.  I combined them with SU! Enjoy Life's Wake Up. Kick Butt. Repeat.  I was inspired by this card from Karen (color and cutting up sentiment) and the sketch at Global Design Project (#GDP342). After stamping the images, I fussy cut them, sponged them with Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge (reminds me of the desert colors of New Mexico), and then popped them up on a scored sheet of 4x5.25 white which I also sponged.  Super easy card although cutting around the lizzard legs took a bit of time.  Hope you are having a fabulous weekend. 

I haven't kept up with blogging much lately - lots of overtime at work, baseball games and getting ready for my daughter Allie's graduation.  The graduation is over now, and I have some pictures to share. Allie is in the middle, of course, and her sister, Crystal, is on the right and Crystal's husband, Joey, is on the left.  This is the bouquet I made her with some candy and gift cards tucked in  - the flowers sort of match her school color.  This is one of her fun pictures done on top of a parking garage - I guess that is a thing with grad pictures.... Here is another - can you tell I am proud? Of course, I made a two sided poster to hold up as well. One side is old vintage newsprint with pictures of Allie and hats. The other side is Stamperia Around the world paper with some of the images cut out and popped up.  Since her major is Marketing with an Event, Hospitality, and Tourism speciality, I thought a travel theme would be fun. She liked it.  My ticket to the T-day part

I wanted to get one more journal page in for Alison's Play It Again theme at **Art*Journal*Journey.     I was also playing in the Watercolor challenge at Splitcoaststampers.com which is all about making butterflies while playing with your colors, brushes, and marks.  Super relaxing and fun.  My song for the AJJ challenge is  Where Were You? by Ghostship.   I did mine in my Journal Bible. To be honest, I just opened up the Bible and this is the page it opened to and I went with it. If I stretch, I can say that Job's loyalty freed him, or that when God restored him, he felt free. Then the butterflies make more sense.  We could probably go in 50 different directions with this if we thought about it. It is freeing to think that suffering will end one day - one day soon or eventually and God has it all under control and it is all part of His plan - one we can't understand always but that isn't our job. Job modeled an understanding of that that few can remotely get close to

 I finally bought some good quality Daniel Smith Watercolors and what did I paint?  Circles.   This Bible Journal Page is actually for two challenges.  One is the color values challenge on Splitcoaststampers.com last week and the other is for **Art*Journal*Journey* where Alison has us playing with one of our favorite songs or movies.  I had the song Jesus is Coming Back by Jordan Feliz stuck in my head so I journaled one of the thousands of biblical references to His return (Luke 17).  I always think of orbs when I think of our souls (funny how we all chose our own ways of visualizing things).  HERE is the link to the song if you are interested (it is addictive so fair warning). Speaking of music, my youngest daughter took me to a Black Jacket Symphony concert in Montgomery, Alabama, Saturday.  When BJS does these "Best of concerts" they pick several bands to cover. We knew they would be doing songs by the Police, but we were not sure which other songs they would do.  We to

 Funny how little things can make us happy, right?  I always smile when one of the T-day gang shares a coffee picture with  lovely foam art - I am always a bit jealous as well.  I finally found a place around here that does it too!  This was a honey latte at Prevail. They also carry fun beers so I grabbed one to try later. I had high hopes for this beer with it being Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Vanilla, and Coffee flavored.  It was a bit too bitter for me. I do love the can and the name.   My little country grocery store started carrying one of my favorite stouts so, of course, I bought some. It was wonderful - especially with some chocolate!  Linking up to the  T-Day Party at Elizabeth's blog  where we all share drink related pictures, art, movies, etc. (Elizabeth is sharing tea pot art  today if you are interested in visiting).  The rest of the week, I will be dieting!   I did get a little crafting in this weekend.  I made us a calendar to remember when the baseball games are and w

Hello friends. This past week was filled with a special birthday, baseball, mexican food (always), a few cool drinks, work, art, and some shopping. My youngest Grandson turned 5.  Time flies.  He asked for an Atlanta Braves themed cake and the party was at a super fun jumping/obstacle course/playhouse.  Isn't this cake fabulous? It was made by our cake artist friend, Amy.  Her cakes are super yummy and very cool.  The birthday boy is on the right.  These are my three Grandsons.  We have entered baseball season - 2 games a week and a few tournaments thrown in.   Hubby agreed to go shopping with me so we could pick out new "baseball chairs" and a foldable wagon to pull them in.  We needed sturdy chairs, and I wanted one that rocks.  Now, we just have to lift a few more weights so we can actually get the wagon in and out of my car - lol.  Along the way, I talked him into stopping at a local Mexican restaurant.  He ordered his usual 2 chicken soft tacos, but I ordered somethi

It is Tuesday and time to share drink related fun with the T-day gang over at Elizabeth's Altered Book Lover Blog .  At this watering hole, we share our water, wine, tea, coffee, and other drinks, along with snips from our life, in a post each week. We welcome everyone as long as you have something related to drink in your post.  I love when I find something unusual, fun, and really good to drink. I found this great beer at a coffee shop in downtown Montgomery, Alabama.  Spoils of War by Southern Prohibition Brewing   It is a dark milk stout with hints of maple, brown sugar, molasses, and burnt marshmallows.  I love it  (bought three of them even though they were pricey), but I can't find anywhere else around here that sells it and the coffee shop owner has no idea where she got it... isn't that always the case?  The beer name, the brewery name, and the art work are even cool. I think this can could inspire some fun art - anyone game with me in trying to create an inspired

I love a good wine and a good book. Tonight, I am raising a glass of this fun Bear Flag Eureka! Red to all my T-day friends and everyone else bold enough to see what is on the kitchen counter and check out why I am jealous.  These are the tasting notes on the wine: B lending the best bold California reds, Bear Flag Eureka! Red Blend delivers notes of ripe plum and boysenberry jam one moment and hints of graham crackers and milk chocolate the next. Abundant hints of complex spices and a tease of candied orange zest lend a hand in putting this plush red blend in a category of its own. I have had a few sips tonight, and I caught the plum and chocolate notes, but I am still waiting for the graham cracker note. I am definitely a fan.   The pile of books on my kitchen counter is most the books I have read in 2022.  I think I read the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon in late 2021, but it was on the kitchen counter so it went in the pile.  My favorite was Lucky's Beach (lighthearted, fun, and su

This past weekend we played tourists in Birmingham, Alabama again.  We live an hour away and it is one of our favorite cities.  On the way, we googled places to eat and found a real gem: The Little London.   If you click on the restaurant name here, there is a write up.  They serve authentic English food which is a treat the deep Southern U.S., plus they are whimsical, and we love whimsical.  Of course, we ate on the double decker bus AND we drank butter beer (what Harry Potter fan can resist that?).  Allie and Patton relaxing before our Sunday Brunch arrived. The butter beer before Allie started drinking it.  Don't you love the floating candles? We ordered the same thing which is usually a no no in our family (we share new treats), but it was hard to resist the Traditional English Breakfast. Wonder if my English friends can rate this for authenticity?  The butter beer is my ticket to the T-day gang gathering over at Elizabeth's blog .  You are welcome too if you have a drink r

 After discovering Prevail Union coffee shop in downtown Mongomery, Alabama, we decided to go back again this weekend.  Ok, let me be honest, it was to buy another beer. Beer at a coffee shop?  Yes, but they only sell fun beers.  This Xocoveza Tres Leches is my favorite beer of all time.  This is what the Beer Advocate says about it: Stone Xocoveza Tres Leches combines the inspiration of Oaxacan Hot Chocolate and Tres Leches treats in an imperial stout that’s smooth, creamy and intensely indulgent. Made from all that’s good about the holidays, Stone Xocoveza is brewed with chocolate, coffee, Pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. At the pop of the can, the aroma is intense – cinnamon and spice up front with lingering coffee, caramel and sweet vanilla. It is a lively blend of flavors. Sweet spices are balanced with rich and creamy chocolate. Mild roast coffee flavor shines through and vanilla enhances the intense combination. Pasilla peppers impart a light hint of heat in the

Happy T-day!  I have some fun drinks to share with the T-day gang at Elizabeth's Linky Party and for anyone else who just loves interesting drink posts. The first fun drink is butter beer (non-alcholic) at Universal Studios in Orlando.  My daughter Allie raised this glass to me knowing how much I wish I was there this past weekend.  Isn't it a great picture? She also sent me this Star Wars Blue Milk picture too.  Evidently it is a cool thing to drink when you go to Universal Studios. The weekend before she left for Universal, we went to the Prevail Union coffee shop in downtown Montgomery, Alabama and had a fabulous drink called the Alabama Stinger.  I highly recommend it - I could have drank 2 or 3 of them!  We had never visited this shop and it was definitely worth the time and money - click on the link to see some fun pictures.  Here is a picture of us outside the courtyard door. I saved the best for last.  In this one we are celebrating that Alex has her job lined up afte