Misty Mawn Class…….

i would so love to be able to take this class……

Misty Mawn's Full Circle Workshop

being (t)here…...

India Flint….

i proudly own two of her books:

these books are not only full of 'how to'
but the pictures are most beautiful…..

so inspiring…….

i've shared this before but i often revisit her….

she's such an inspiration…...

Thanks Given…..

yes…..she did.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

listen…...

always listen to your heart…...

Helen Godfrey makes me swoon…….

Helen Godfrey wire sculptures…..

swoon…..

and on a different note…

i want to sit in front of this fireplace with

a good cup of coffee and get lost in the

stone……

C[__]  C[__] C[__]

(photo by Catherine Maddox)

My World Thru Blue…….

the view out my kitchen window…..

so blessed to wake to this each morning.

don't know why there are no birds on the 

feeder…they normally greet me here.

beautiful day….

beautiful life….

blessed…

'Tis the season…...

I've been in my studio tonight painting cloth to make a cuff
bracelet for my daughter.

She's my youngest daughter…and loves

that funky green color. I was thinking I would cut

squares from each one and sew them together to

make the cuff.

I played around with my grans pictures in Photoshop

until I got the look I wanted…taped some cloth to
a sheet of paper…and printed a strip with their pics.
My plan is to put the strip down the center of the
cuff and if there's enough room maybe add some
embellishments.

This is the mock up. I think I'm going to use a button on
one end and elastic loop on the other instead of a
snap or tie….not sure…maybe a snap would be
better since she's still carrying around the little one.

Now….if my nemesis….the DREADED
SEWING MACHINE…will just
co-operate…..

Fabulous Fashionistas

Fabulous doesn't do these ladies justice!
I want to be just like them when I grow up!

Unglueable……….

Today finds my Space Cowboy much on my mind….

I feel his presence as I write this post….a blessing.

Still missing you…

still listening…

Stephen Hill Hefner

November 18, 1985

Goat Boat Woman

I saw this picture on Graces blog…Windthread…and fell in 

love with the image. I used to raise fainting goats and have 

always had a special place in my heart for goats. Someone

had sent her the picture but no one knew the story behind it.

I "googled" woman in boat with goats" and found this:

Pilottown, LA – Miss Hazel Brown of Pilottown, Louisiana is about to attempt the unattemptable. Miss Brown (Miss is short for Mississippi) has been preparing to navigate all 2,320 miles of the Mississippi River in a simple wooden boat, with only one paddle, and she will be taking her goats along with her for company. Her hometown friends and neighbors have started calling her the “Goat Boat Woman”.

At 88 years young, Miss(issippi) Brown worked as a high school guidance counselor for 50 years where she guided students down the river of life. Her avocation has always been studying maps, as both of her parents were professional cartographers.

When asked how she decided to do this, she said: “T’was always our plan to do this ever since I was younger, but we seem to’ve procrastinated it a bit now, haven’t we? Well, better late than never, as they always say!”

Hazel’s journey will take her and her caprine (goat-like) friends along or through 10 different states and 128 towns. “As a long-time map lover, I know the route very well.”

The Goat Boat will begins its trip at the river’s source which is Lake Itasca, Minnesota, where the elevation is 1,475 feet above the Gulf of Mexico.

As an amateur cartographer, Hazel knows the first town they will pass by in each of the 10 states:

1. Bemidji, Minnesota
2. Prescott, Wisconsin
3. Lansing, Iowa
4. Galena, Illinois
5. Hannibal, Missouri
6. Wickliffe, Kentucky
7. Tiptonville, Tennessee
8. Osceloa, Arkansas
9. Tunica, Mississippi
10. Waterproof, Louisiana

Their big adventure will hopefully culminate with a big celebration at the mouth of the Mississippi, which is her hometown of Pilottown, Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish at elevation zero.

When asked about dams, Hazel said there’s no need to swear. (Apparently, her three sons will coordinate the portaging of Hazel’s Goat Boat around any dangerous dam-type situations.)

When asked what they will eat, Hazel is hoping that local riverside church groups that she has contacted will bring her small cardboard boxes with some “surprises” in them. For the goats, she says they pretty much eat anything, including broad-leafed plants, any parts of trees, and of course, they love cardboard boxes.

WOW…..88 yrs young…..Marvelous! 

I haven't been able to find out how her trip went but would love to know!!!

She's my new Hero!

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees….

 Rainbow Eucalyptus tree….

WANT! WANT! WANT!

Supposedly only grows in zone 9 but

I've read some success stories in zone 7-8.

I want these all over my yard!!!

It's Almost Halloween..........

WOW....just...WOW.....

Sam Jinks.....WOW

Silly Kitty

Sorry to post a photo that's out of focus but I wanted to share this silly kittys picture. Out of all the places on the porch she could perch she chose the hand.....Silly Kitty!

Witcy Poos and Monster Man

It's almost Halloween!

My littlest goblins are already excited.

I made their "treat" bags yesterday with 

ideas I found on Pinterest. I think the 

Witch bags are soooo cute!

A Cloak of Morning Glories.....

The Morning Glories are taking over everything

in my yard! I love them...but.....

Dreams of the Mountains.....

"Sometimes I grow weary of the days, with all their fits and starts.

I want to climb some old gray mountains, slowly, taking

the rest of my lifetime to do it, resting often, sleeping

under the pines or, above them, on the unclothed rocks.

I want to see how many stars are still in the sky

that we have smothered for years now, a century at least.

I want to look back at everything, forgiving it all,

and peaceful, knowing the last thing there is to know.

All that urgency! Not what the earth is about!

How silent the trees, their poetry being of themselves only.

I want to take slow steps, and think appropriate thoughts.

In ten thousand years, maybe, a piece of the mountain will fall.”

~ Mary Oliver

Gypsy Blood in my Veins.....

Yes....William Bliss....

we MUST!

Happy October

It's Scarecrow time!

Wild Man

Some of photographer Charles Fregers images 

of the mythological Wild Man. He went to

eighteen European countries to photograph

the costumes worn during rituals celebrating

the seasonal cycle, fertility, life, and death.

He has a book that I would love to have. 

See more of his work here.

Ariele Alasko

Tabletops by Ariele Alasko from recycled wood.....

Yes Please.......

It's Fall

It's Fall.....

Happy Dance!

Chili..Chili..Chili

What's for lunch? Paleo Chili and black bean chips.
I found this recipe on Paleo On A Budget. In case you're
wondering...I'm not eating totally Paleo....just healthy...
and there are a lot of healthy Paleo recipes out there.

This recipe suggested putting all the raw ingredients in
a crock pot but I always like to pour off any grease when
I use hamburger so I made this on the stove top and then
put it in the crockpot on low for eight hours. It also
called for two chicken breasts but I felt like that was a little much.

This Chili was YUMMY! I froze cup size servings in freezer
bags to pull out as needed.

I also made a few changes to the recipe:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion - chopped
3 carrots - sliced
1/2 med bag frozen green beans
1- 28 oz can crushed tomato
14 oz Tomato Puree
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp thyme & oregano
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

I'll definitely be making this again.

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin! Pumpkin! Pumpkin!

I made Paleo Pumpkin Muffins from a recipe off of
the Fastpaleo site. Yummmm....moist...good texture...
 a great pumpkin flavor and 20g protein.

1 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt
2 tsp warm natural peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until
smooth. Place paper liners into muffin pan and fill liners
3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes.

I used a regular size muffin pan and this yielded 9 muffins.
This is not a sweet tasting muffin...more like a bread...so
if you crave that sweetness adjust your honey or try another
type of organic sweetener.

There is a recipe on this site for a Carrot Pumpkin Spice Muffin
this sounds like something I NEED to try next.

PUMPKIN!

Grande Dame Jeopardy

Can you imagine this house decorated for Halloween?

 

According to a post on FB this house in Thompson, CT

is going to be torn down unless the Historical Society

can get enough people to sign a petition to save it.

I think it would be a shame to lose this

Grande Dame.

Pumpkin + Fall = LOVE!

Oats again for breakfast this morning....

PUMPKIN!

I'll admit I'm not a great fan of oats..but I'm

trying to eat them more often. I figured I'd try

the overnight in a jar oat thingy...not bad.

I used a recipe from Kath Eats Real Food.

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup yogurt (I used Fage 0% Greek)

1/3 cup skim milk 

(I only had chocolate almond milk ...but hmmmmm)

1/3 cup pumpkin (canned)

1/2 banana (mashed)

tsp honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon & all spice

pinch salt

Mixed this up in the jar and left it in the fridge overnight.

This morning I did a little heat up in a water bath then 

added a dollop of natural peanut butter.

 

I plan to make some muffins with the leftover

pumpkin. Pumpkin + Fall = LOVE!

(just noticed my toes under the table...LOL!)

Chocolate Oatmeal...yes please!

Are you a Chocoholic? I'll admit that I am...so when I ran across this

recipe while looking for healthy breakfast ideas I knew I had to try it.

Chocolate Oatmeal! I found this recipe on Audry Johns blog

Lose Weight by Eating. I tweaked it a little by using Chocolate

Almond Milk instead of adding her Homemade Fat Free 

Chocolate Syrup.

This makes one serving:

 

1 1/8 cups Chocolate Almond Milk

1/2 cup Rolled Oats (don't use quick oats)

1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Dried Cranberries or Cherries (optional)

In a small sauce pan combine the almond milk, oatmeal, 

vanilla, cocoa powder and dried fruit (I added a few frozen

dark cherries that I chopped up). Place on stove top, bring to

a boil, then lower heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

 

Calories: 284  Fat: 6.5  Fiber: 8  Protein: 7  Carbs: 50

 

This has more of a dark chocolate flavor than a sweet taste.

For those craving a little more sweetness you could add honey

or any other organic sweetener

Wonderful! Wonderful!

We are in the middle of August in South Carolina and the

 weather has been in the upper 60's and low 70's the last 

couple of days....

wonderful! wonderful!

 

Today finds us with yet another rainy day. I like rainy days but 

we've had a little too much rain in our neck of the woods.

I've gotten my "fall" sinus infection already by having all

my windows open....from all the mold and mildew

caused by this rain I'm sure....but like I said....

wonderful! wonderful!

My thoughts are with all those who's homes have been

damaged by the flooding...and I'm feeling blessed not

to count myself among them.

Something from nothing.......

Alrighty then.....on day two of Diane Culhanes class we glued bits of

textured pictures torn from a magazine onto two pieces of cardboard.

On one we just blindly arranged the pieces and then had to find a

picture in the mess...outline it with a heavy lined marker...and then

gesso around the image.  On the second one we could "plan" our

image....selecting pieces and arranging them on the background...

marking around the image....then gesso.

The girl collecting wood was my "found" image and the

shaman was planned.

Day three we had to use red, white, blue, and yellow

paints to mix our own colors and colorize our images.

I'm confessing right now.....I NEED HELP with color

theory!!!! Here are my finished pictures....

I'm really enjoying this class and seeing everyones art has
been wonderful. Only two days left...  :(

 

If a tree falls in the forest........

I'm taking a one week online class with Diane Culhane called

Between Speech & Silence.  I've been looking forward to this

class for over a week now.....excited! Well...of course...my day

ended up wonky and out of whack from the git go! I didn't get

to watch the video and do my assignment until late this afternoon.

Day one is about "taking a line for a walk".....basically a line

drawing....one using only angular shapes...one with a mix of

angular and circular...and one incorporating recognizable

figures. Boy Howdy....it was like being back in grade school!

This one was my angular shapes. After looking at the finished

picture I thought....if a tree falls in the forest and there's no

one around....does it make a sound?

This was my angular/circular drawing....I kinda ended up with

recognizable things....ooops!

And last....the combo with recognizable shapes.
hmmmm....my space cowboy must have been on
my mind.

Then I had the old....I can't post this in the Flickr group...
it's not as good as the other posts. WHY do we do that to
ourselves???? This is just supposed to be FUN!

Question of the day........

If you were going to shoot a mime...would you use

a silencer?

Brain Freeze

Ooooouch!

Secrets of the Heart

"The face is the mirror of the mind...

and eyes..without speaking...confess the

secrets of the heart."

                                                            ~ St Jerome

The Village Square

One of the things I struggle with constantly is color theory.

You would think that in this sort of 'hodge podge' art that it

wouldn't be a problem but things can become a mucky mess

if you mix the wrong colors. I've signed up for an online class

with Diane Culhane through Carla Sonheims Summer Art Camp.

Here's hoping you actually can teach an old dog new tricks.....