Learning something new

Hi y'all, well we so enjoyed Thanksgiving but not with Turkey but with Shrimp Scampi.  So easy to make and yummy.   I know not everywhere celebrates Thanksgiving and I think our Northern neighbors celebrate in October.

A typical Thanksgiving meal is turkey, gobble gobble, and Dressing or Stuffing.  I think it depends on what part of the country you are from is what you call the Dressing or Stuffing.  Dressing is what is put around the turkey or side dish and stuffing is STUFFED inside of the turkey.  Well to me that is the difference.  Mr. G does not care for dressing or Turkey so I cheat and buy a little pan of already made dressing.  I can have dressing for several meals, well I put the left overs in the freezer and enjoy it when my taste buds crave it. 

One time my Mother cooked duck for Thanksgiving.  She was from England and sometimes we had different things to eat....like Ox Tail soup.   Now you can imagine a 5 or 6 year old  or so eating the soup and said this is good.  My brothers and sister all liked it also.  Well the ones that were old enough to eat the soup.  I said what is it?  She smiled and said Ox Tail soup.   Now you can imagine what we did.  I said arg quite loudly and spit it out.  Of course brothers and sister did the same.  I did feel bad about it when I was older and laugh about it.  But an OX and it's Tail?  I couldn't imagine.  I think we were either in Tacoma Washington or Geronimo Oklahoma. I am not sure but somewhere in those areas.

We just keep learning about different things in life don't we?  I am not sure if  I will ever try to make the Ox Tail soup though.

I am trying to make a category of recipes and I am thinking a atab of  guest recipes with their stories also of their family favorites.  I thought might be fun.   BUT........ I am trying to figure out and learn how to do this on a separate tab up top with different categories.  They say we are never to old to learn so this ole grey mare is trying.

Just had to touch base and let you know what is going on in my world at the moment.

Thank you for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

                                                        Annette
                                                        xoxoxo 

Purses, Books and Mermaids

Hello there, just checking in and touching base.   Funny how sayings or little quips of words stick with you.  I have nearly almost always used this phrase especially the touching base.  Playing kid games when younger and now when we have invested a lot of time watching baseball games. Touching base has a different meaning to me.  Like did a runner touch the base when he crosses the base?   

I have several purses I have made in CQ style and one is a boho bag and big even though I made it smaller.  I tried carrying it for an everyday purse but just to big.  Great for traveling though.  Hubby says I can even stuff our 60 pound dog in it if he folds his legs up.  I don't think it is that big though.  I have one purse I made when I first started with Pat Winter and her on line class. wow did it ever open an artsy door for me.   After all these years still love the embellishing part, not the figuring out what to do with it after it is embellised but that is ok also. 

I have gone back to the older purse and just happy to have it and the right size to carry everything I need in it.  

Here is the first one I ever made and you know  the dingle fringe on the bottom has held up so well and I don't think but lost one set of beads.  It is not a giant purse but that is ok.  

The back side of the purse, now it has under gone an operation and brought back to life.   The pretty fabric on the back started to come apart some and I happen to have some pretty lace and I think did a little dye job on it and now it is pretty and ready for another 5 years or so use.  Of course I had to have a bling button for the closure of it.  Some places I go people love it and comment on it but here in Abilene Texas I don't believe one person has said a word about it.  

I shared last time with you a Halloween inspired piece that Lydia and I worked on.   So for the last two Octobers I have done a little fun project called Jentober.   Jenny Manno with  Next JENeration Art on Facebook gives us 31 prompts and we joined them together how we want and to create. A page a day and it is fun and good for us to do art everyday.  There is no right or wrong, my kind of non pressure, we just create.  

Last year we were in the middle of packing for our November 14, 2018 move but I hung in there and got them done.  This year was fun also, no pressure on the home front.  I got to thinking, hubby says that is dangerous when I think, the pages are to fun just to sit in a box and do whatever they do while they are in there.  I don't think they are like my Faeries, have parties and drink your wine at night while we are asleep.  I have a friend Kathleen Klein who swears that is what they do at her house and  hides things from you.

Now several years ago when I was in Roses on My Table with Zinnia she taught how to make journal books.  So I thought why not do one for each of the years?  

The now finished two journal books

The spines of the books, I thought they are ok but need something else.  You know I needed some Annette bling on them.

So here you go some pretty rayon ribbons. I left the spiders on the one with the glass pumpkins and glass candy but need some fill in pretties.  They don't look half embellished.  Not sure if you can see the "diamond" in the silver spider.  

The inside cover of the book I painted and the splish splashed some acrylic inks on the pages and did the back inside pages this was also. 

One of the prompts and how I dressed the opposite page of each page.  The prompts was Elvira.  Bet you could have guessed that. 

The unembellished spine but shows the back and front of the book.  I used one of the prints off of my daily paintings and added it to the front.  Lots of color and texture here. 

The inside of the 2019 book. I did the same method of  embellishing it as the 2018 book.  Hey as the saying goes if it ain't broke don't fix it.  You never know though if next year I don't fix it lol   Who knows , I do like the look though and kind of fits the theme of the book. 

Inside the book with one of the paintings, the whole 31 prompts had to do with mermaids and this one had to be with flowers.  So I instantly thought Day of the Dead.  Now this is not original from my head, most of it anyway.  Thank goodness for pinterest.  I had more of the papers from scrapbooking and then added a little story about each page. Stories like how the mermaid was thinking or feeling.  Just ran with it and had fun.\

The embellished with ribbons spine but still shows the front and back of the book with lots of texture and a painting and spider on the front.  

Just fun and all of this out of watercolor hard cardboard backs put together and embellished.  

I did stray from last years paper.  Last year I used water color paper and this year Mixed Media paper.  Wow I didn't realize the difference in the thickness of the book.  I will stick to Water Color paper next year..  I guess with the mermaids in there they needed more room.  

I hope you enjoyed seeing the books and how they now proudly stand and not shoved in a box or drawer .  I think some of the mermaids could be CQ images like for a under the sea theme.   Mermaids are mainly under the sea.  Most of the time.

There you go and thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.

                                                            Annette

                                                            xoxoxo

Lydia's Halloween Wall Hanging

Hello there again.  Well I am going to try and revamp my blog, you noticed I said try didn't you?  If not I have always heard if it isn't broke don't fix it.

Now since the last real post we have moved from Rockport Texas on the coast.  We did want an adventure and did survive Hurricane Harvey.  I did share some of the pics in earlier posts of the damage that was done there.  We knew what we went down there it was just for a while.  Well 18 months later our while was up and did find a home in Abilene Texas. 

We had no idea where we were going to settle but after staying 2 weeks in Abilene during the Harvey experience we thought why not there?  The people are friendly and will say hi and not look at me like I was an alien when I visit with them.  Sometimes total strangers do that but not here.  The traffic is not fight for your life when you venture out and we have found some good eating places.   We do have to limit ourselves to maybe 2 eating out ventures a week.  We could do more but the hips scream no no no Annette.

I am fortunate to have an ART ROOM and a SEWING ROOM.  Now that is the cat's meow as a saying goes.  Two perfectly good rooms to clutter up like crazy, clean it up after a project is finished and start again.

It does take a while to get back into the grove so to speak of sewing and painting but I am doing it. You know when you move there is always things to do when you move and now the weather has turned to winter,we did have 2 or 3 days of Fall, so yard work has basically come to a screeching halt.   Yea, I love doing yard work but not 12 months out of the year.  Know what I mean?

 Now I am so blessed to have many artsy and non artsy friends.  We are on the same page of life and as said I am so blessed.  They get me and that might be scary for them but I love it.   In this wonderful group I have a twin.  Yes, she and I are cut from the same cloth as the saying goes.  This angel loves the same colors as I do and we have found so much in common during our live's path that I figured we must have been twins  in another life. She also does Crazy Quilting and very good at it. She puts fabrics together like a breeze and a great color sense to go with it all.  She had pieced 6 blocks of Halloween design and I offered to embellish them for her.  She had a lot on her plate of life at that time and you know to me the embellishing is the best part of it.  Like eating a piece of good yummy candy.


The first block I did add some glass pumpkins and lots of stitching.  Lydia puts the prettiest fabric together .  His crop of wheat is gathering the black crows and I know the corn will attract them also.

The next one I had to add one of Raviolee Dreams little appliques of a kitty and of course embellish the kitty also. Raviolee  Dreams has beautiful hand dyed laces you will love for any art you may want to use it on.  This little girl looked pretty frazzled so I thought the kitty would cheer her up.   

The next one with Lydia's pretty fabric and of course I had to really doll this lady up with shoes and all.  A garden spider had to peek in in the upper corner.

Oh oh, this next block of Lydia's almost had garden spider overload.  The girl in the block  looks like she has been thru it doesn't she?

Now this little mummy was trying to get around and I though ok maybe some crazy corn, love that stuff.  Hubby says it is pure sugar and what is wrong with that I ask?  I did find some crazy corn
"beads" at Michael's craft store.  Right up there with Hobby Lobby but not as big.   I don't get into as much trouble there as I do Hobby Lobby.  You all know what I mean.

Now last but not least is the trick or treating lady.  She doesn't notice the bat and witch's boiling cauldron I put in there.  She is busy trick or treating or maybe shopping and the pumpkin is her purse?

Now the finished piece, all the blocks put together with Lydia Talton's expertise.  She just makes all the blocks sing.  

Here is the finished wall hanging.  I loved the polka dots she edged this with and the black border just make the pieces sing.  

Oh I have to share a visit I had yesterday.  We went to Chick fil A  , wonderful chicken,  and Hubby went to the book store near by the chicken place.  I knew he would be a while, a long while so I went and stood in line.  Well ahead of me was probably 30 or more young men and women in Air Force fatigues.  I got in line and a young man behind me was standing there and you know me if they are breathing it is my duty to talk to them.  I had a great conversation with him and was a great topping of the day to me.  He said he loved my visit and learned a lot of history.  Hubby laughed when I told him that.  Well yes, he was 20 and I was 75.  A lot of history there.  Ok had to share the topping of a warm day for us.  

I better stop for the minute, I don't want to wear your eye out but will be back soon.  No telling what the subject is but you are use to that by now. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is happening in my world

                                                      Annette

                                                      xoxoxo

We are alive and kicking

Hi dear readers, now don’t faint but it is really me posting. We have moved and resettled and will post some stories for you.  Thanks for being there and will get back to you soon.  I bet you thought the world just drew us into a black hole.

I just wanted to touch base and no telling what I am going to do with my blog.  I have been painting and crazy quilting and lots of pics for you.

Hugs to all.
Annette

Round Robin Stills and Video

Sorry about some not getting to see the video below, so here is the book with out the video.   Thanks for looking

The cover of the book, cardboard covered in beautiful fabric a sweet friend gave to me.   Thank you Kathleen. 

The spine with lots of goodies to say "pick me" on the shelf.  

The first page to put the table of contents card in the  block embellished by Mary Beard.  

This block embellished by Kathy Semone and me.   I embellished the left hand side pretties. 

This block embellished by Renee Younger and I embellished the left hand side.

I

I did both sides of this part.

The block embellished by Nicki Seavy and I embellished the left side

The block embellished by Sandy Black and I embellished the left side.

I embellished both pages, this was suppose to be the cover but now the back page.  Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world

Annette

2018 Youth Sailing World Championship

Hi y'all, well this post has absolutely nothing to do with CQ, Art of any kind or any other bunny trials I go on one.  Well one precious story but that is at the end of this post. 

We had heard on TV, yes TV ( we admit proudly we watch TV) about the  Youth World Championship Sailing.  We have never ever been around Sail Boats, but do know one lady who is a Sailboat Captain ( if our memory serves us correctly-  Lela).   What a treat for us to see all of this activity.  They bid for the chance for this event and were granted it in 2016. 

There were 382 young sailors up to the age of 18 from all over the world, actually 66 countries to be almost exact.  We did hear the number 420 and 400 several times but didn't know if that number actually entered or what they ment but I didn't want to leave that out just in case it was a magic number.  Remember I don't know one little thing about sail boats.    They had boys and girls fleets.

We wondered if they had their own boats shipped over but heard a lady or someone say that Great Britain furnished the boats and had them shipped over here to Corpus Christi. The kids could of course use their own banners on them.  After the races they did hose off all of the salt water and take care of them as if their own.    There was 110 races over a 5 day span and included 9 different classes for all to be in.   Now that is a herd of boats no matter what you say.   They loved the Corpus area because the wind.   A lot of the places they have these at didn't have the consistent winds  and to me ya gotta have wind to go somewhere. 

We didn't know when we went over to Corpus  that their take off time was by 11 am and coming in time was 6 pm.  We know now, we had made another stop before getting to where the sail boats were.  I did take a few pictures, there is a bit of the Saharan dust in the air so you will be able to tell which photos are mine.  The rest of the birds eye photos are from the TV from the two  television stations in Corpus Christi.   What a treat y'all get to see these besides my puny attempt of photos of the sail boats. Kiii and KRIS.   They did fantastic coverage of this even. 

So here ya go---the flags representing the countries entering the races.  No matter where I stood I couldn't get all of the flags in one pic but this way you might can make your country's flag out.  I see ours. 

when we walked over to where the boats were launching we saw all these things on the beach.  Several areas had a lot of them, I didn't have a clue what they were but hubby knew.  Dolly's that the boats were on and how they got around with them on land.  

Now we did get to see on boat getting ready to join the others to race.  So interesting to us.  

A couple of the TV shots with some of the boats.  Told ya it is a herd of boats.  What an adventure for these young adults.   What tales they will have to tell.  

Birds eye vies of one of the races.  I didn't know why this little group of sailors had the orange sails.  They were pretty. 

We did hear the colored dots ment what place they were in, I do know for sure, I think, the red dots ment 3rd place but not sure which was first or second  blue or red.  My guess would be blue for first  but hey that is a guess from a land lover.  

Here is the police stand they had so they could view all and if any wrong doings going on.  That is a birds eye view for sure .

From where we were at this particular beach we could see the USS Lexington.  Now this ship has some stories.  We have been on it years ago but when cools off less than 100 million degrees we will go back on it before we leave this part of Texas.

There you go, I just thought this was certainly a blog worthy post and so much energy here with all the young people around. they were all so happy and just thoroughly enjoying themselves to the fullest.  

Now for the cute story, just have to tell it.   Our daughter Debra, while going to college and for two summers, was a counselor at Camp Champion.  It is a summer camp around Marble Falls, Texas area.  She said some of the campers would come in there private planes and it was a busy and full place.  Anyway she had a group of girls that wanted to go sailing.  Debra was like me, knew nothing about sail boats.  She told the girls and they didn't care.  So off they went and the girls squealed and giggles like  little girls do  and said they had the time of their life with her on the sail boat.  They would lean  over and yell to anyone who what close to them in the water " move out of the way she doesn't know what she is doing" then they would all laugh.  When they made it back from their sailing adventure, safe and sound,  they wanted to go again and said that was the most fun they had ever had sailing with Debra.   Now when Debra told us we died laughing and was a summer memory for she and the girls.   

There ya go and thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.  

XOOXOX

Annette  

July Notes

Hello and happy July.  It is toasty here as in other places but hey it is Summer and it comes every year.  No, really it comes every year and usually the same time of year also.   Sometimes a slow starter and sometimes it lets go of the heat later but that is a fact.  Now I can remember way back in the olden days when kids played outside until it was darker than a starless night and we never thought of it as being dark.  Well until someone tells you it is dark.  It was Summer and you were playing.  That was a job for you---playing.  You were having a good time playing Cowboys and Indians,  (taking turns who was what ), making mud pies or playing hide and seek.  Yes back in those olden days.  Now this may come as a surprise but Autumn or Fall will be coming also and then Winter.  My favorite time of year is Fall, everything is pretty and we have gotten past the ugly stages some plants go thru and it is a tad cooler.  Just a pleasant time of year. xoox

As you may remember we are here on a "vacation" so to speak.  After Harvey we could have left but felt like we needed to stay, be it to explore this area more or just get the feel?   I wonder why ? Are we here for a reason?   I feel like we are and maybe after August our little vacation here might have fulfilled as to why we are here.  You never know.  I think often that we are here in this little town to learn some things about ourselves maybe and also for a reason, maybe to be here for someone or just impact something?  We never know whose paths we will cross in life do we?  Maybe meeting someone you didn't even know was in the world and that would be worth it for sure.

I have a good excuse to stay inside and enjoy the cool air conditioner is the heat.   AND AND I get to paint, which I laugh at because that is my "job" now.  Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.  I feel like I am growing in this field and maybe on a path to something or just to keep me entertained and not drive hubby nuts.   Could be.  I am doing lots of portraits and will just see what my next step in this art adventure will be.

  

This is one painting I just finished.   The sweet lady doesn't have my blog address  so I can let y'all sneak a peek. She loves my colors so I thought I will just surprise her with not such a stuffy portrait.  A fun and light painting.   It is in acrylic and seems like I am enjoying that medium a lot.  It does dry quickly and I don't have to raid the cookie jar or anything like that while waiting for it to dry.  Well truthfully the cookie jar is full of the candies Eldon likes, so I could raid it.   Hummmm a thought.

Now here is another portrait I finished in charcoal and no one in particular just a magazine gentleman.  I have been on a charcoal kick so kick away Annette.   Love the dark dark around him and it really makes his white beard pop doesn't it?  I am doing these while watching TV at night.  I don't have much of my Crazy Quilting going on at the second so why not sketch and just dilly dally?  I laugh because if I don't do art or stitching while I watch TV I go to sleep.  What kind of a TV watching partner would that be?   Kind of bumish I think.   

 Now a little up date on Hurricane Harvey goings on and cleaning up.   I might have shown these pictures or something similar but just refreshing your memory of all the debris in the bar ditch of Highway 35.  Well it is all gone, every tiny bit of it, maybe a little mulch still hanging around but nice and clean and the highway department as madethe bar ditch just as smooth and pretty as ever.

 A wonderful thing is happening right now  and you don't realize what you miss until you miss it.   We are getting highway signs up now.  Yea and if you don't know where you are going, you don't know where you are going.   There are still lots of street signs not up so we are in just a wandering bliss when we drive around.  Not knowing where we are just by landmarks.   You know though that is how I find things, buildings etc by the landmarks.   I use to tell people in a neighboring town go down highway yatta yatta and when you get to the tree on the right ( there was only one tree there ) you can use that little road on the left and get you to this back road everyone used.   Guess just a country direction.  Those are Annette directions.   It was called Telephone Road and everyone drove quite speedily on it.  Well very speedily is more like it.

Everything is slowly coming back to normal and one particular apartment complex has it roof on now and some  just have tarps on them.   Now for the inside work on the new roof complex.  The did have a TV story that one particular complex got a giant grant or funding and will get to start on it's repair. 

This little guy was strolling across our yard the other day.  I stood and watched him like a tourist or something and then thought ANNETTE get the camera.   He was hooking it but did get him before he got out of my camera range.   He was full of business and love to watch them walk.  

One thing have learned while here is we don't need an acre or 3 1/2 acres for a yard.  When we start hunting for our home with roots for us I may have to do some talking to hubby about this.  Maybe a little more than this but certainly easy to tend to and fortunately for me it is not big enough for both of us to work in it at a time.  Awe shucks what a shame.  No just joking I do enjoy working in the yard, something about getting the hands dirty and just the pride of it all.   We have made this little area, added rocks and pots and plants.   A friend in Florida says she likes plants in pots that is what she has and I love it.   No weeding at all.  Now if I have shown this before just say well she wants to show us how much things have grown.     The one yellow bell on the right  came with the house so we bought another one and planted in the ground. Our gift to the yard and will stay when we leave.  Oh if you notice the plastic zip lock on the little grill?  Fill with water add a penny and the flies stay pretty much away.   We have done this trick for years.  Once when at a restaurant with an outside patio they had these all over everywhere.  So I guess we are doing good with our plastic zip locks 

No CQ for today but coming soon.  Thank you for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.  

                                             

                                                            XOXOOX

                                                             Annette