Butterfly

This is a painting with which I don't think i could part. I love it. I painted it a few years ago in college. I would love to do a variation that is larger and a different color. I think blues and purples would be gorgeous. I would also love to do an abstract swarm of different colored butterflies. Fabulous.

Apples

This is the second painting I did with the painting lessons my husband bought me while we were dating in college. He is so wonderful. He gives such thoughtful gifts.

I still owe my mother-in-law an apple painting. I would definitely do a completely different setup because I'm afraid they would not turn out as good as these. Something magical was happening when I painted these.

Bold Initials

These are the fanciful felt initials I made for KF. :)

(about 10 inches tall, hand-stitched with button and bead accents)

Here are some close up shots of the details:

Letters are some of my favorite things to stuff. I can't wait to make more!

Painting

This is one of my favorites.

I painted it as a wedding gift for my cousin in 2006. I also used it in my bridal portraits with the fabulous Miss Aimee. :)

30 x 40 oil on canvas

The Best V-Day EVER

Last summer my wonderful husband bought two tickets to see our favorite singer, Duncan Sheik, on February 14, 2009 in McKinney. If you are not sure who that is, here is his most popular song.



Not only was it incredibly exciting to be on the 4th row, just a few feet away from our favorite singer, but there was a great surprise in the beginning of the concert. One of my favorite female vocalists was there touring with him. I would have known this if I had done research before the concert, but I didn't. I just knew it would be Duncan Sheik and one of the cast members from his musical, "Spring Awakening." His musical won like 7 Tony Awards, by the way. :) You should check it out.

Anyway, back to the female vocalist whom I adore. Her name is Holly Brook and I randomly discovered her on Myspace 3 years ago. I would go to her Myspace page and listen to the three songs posted on there over and over while I worked in my room. I bought her album and have loved it ever since. Here is the song she performed last night.



During the concert I was praying, "God please let me meet Holly." haha I guess he thought I should because I did get to meet her!!! Joel and I waited around after the show and she came out! She shook my hand and we took a picture together! It was so exciting. My heart was pounding. I have never met anyone famous before. I know she isn't widely known, but to me she is extremely famous.



I highly recommend going to see Duncan Sheik in concert. It was the best concert Joel and I have been to, by far. He is an amazing performer and incredibly nice guy. He had an orchestra comprised of a french horn player, clarinet player and a cellist. They were all incredible and flawless. He also had Holly on harmony, piano and synthesizer; an amazing guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. Duncan played about 7 different guitars throughout the show, and he tuned each one when he picked it up. It was so great to see ACTUAL musicians perform after what we witnessed with the Grammy Awards...yikes.

We look forward to Duncan's next musical, "Whisper House" about a little boy who goes to stay in his aunt's haunted lighthouse.

Two Recipes

I have recently made two meals that I just love and they were big hits with my husband. They are both very simple, easy and delicious. I don't know where these recipes came from but I grew up eating them.

Rotel Chicken
1 can rotel tomatoes
2 chicken breasts
shredded cheddar
sour cream

Cook the chicken in a skillet (frozen or fresh) almost all the way through. Use olive oil or vegetable oil to cook them and season with pepper. Pour the can of rotel over the two breasts (don't drain juice - it helps keep the chicken moist).

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream!

Macaburger - I added something to my mom's already yummy recipe (bell peppers)
1 lb ground beef (browned)
1 med. onion (sauteed)
1 green bell pepper (sauteed with onions)
any kind of pasta - shells or penne are perfect (cooked)
Velveeta or any kind of cheese that is good for melting
1 can diced tomatoes

cook each ingredient as directed above, combine and let the cheese melt. Season with pepper.

Black and White and Cute All Over

I just had to post this adorable picture of my Grandma and her friend. My grandma is the one on the right. Have you ever seen two girls look so cute in their working clothes? I can definitely see where my family full of girls gets our sense of looking cute.