Marathon Cooking Session

Some of these are good, some not so much but the day was super gray with little available light. Working since 7AM on all sorts of treats for my family. I only wish Matt were here to eat some of that apple pie with his dad. Not to mention, Jonathan loves his turkey. I'm thinking Alissa would love the brownie pie that is not pictured, one because the prep pictures didn't turn out, two because the pie cracked like crazy on the top. I've never made it before, but if it tastes anywhere near as yummy as the batter, then even if it's not very pretty, it will be a treat. Another treat that didn't turn out is the roasted red pepper bean dip which I'm sure Alissa would like as well.




Mr. Expert Traveler is traveling this evening, if you can imagine. He'll jump into action when needed to get the table leaf installed in the morning. I'm hoping the dreary rain of today will be gone by 3ish tomorrow so if need be folks can eat at the patio table. Only time will tell on that one.

Yesterday Maureen mentioned how many blessings I have, she speaks the truth! I'm a lucky gal.

Hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good food, family and friends.

Back in the Saddle

You may be wondering what the above photo has to do with today's blog--nothing at all. I just thought it was fun.

After a good night's sleep last night I awoke feeling considerably more energetic. Mostly today I've done either shopping, or spending time with Maureen. She called while I was on my way to Clemon's to pick up fruits and veggies. After loading up with goodies, I picked her up, and off we went to Lake Mary to pick up some things for her Black Friday garage sale. Let the bargains begin!

As it was almost lunch time when we arrived, after our aforementioned pick up, we stopped at a strip center with the intention of having Italian at a local spot we saw on our way by, however, the parking lot was packed, forcing me to look around for a spot. While doing so, I noticed a sub shop called Jersey Mike's. A back and forth discussion ensued--you know the kind: what do you think? do you want to try it? maybe we should check the menu? Recognize that?

I am delighted to report that we agreed it was the place for us; believe you me, we were not disappointed. There was a long line with hungry customers which is always a good sign. The longer we spent in line, the more we waffled on what to order, eventually settling on a mini Italian sub to share, along with a chipolte cheese steak sub. It was absolutely delicious, I mean seriously good. We even shared a giant Pepsi which was definitely going out on a limb for us die hard Coca Cola girls. We both left wishing there were one closer to our house. Strangely enough I returned a call to Regina when I got home, and mentioned our delicious lunch. She launched into a story about how a friend of hers was raving about the place, which she admitted to tuning out most of his excitement, but now that I was raving, she'd definitely make going there a priority. Fantastic!

I made another trip to Publix which I hope will be my last. You would think we were all vegetarians, what with the array of vegetables I bought. Let's see, there are yams, green beans, wax beans, carrots, radishes, corn on the cob, fresh spinach, potatoes for mashing, squash and zucchini, peppers, celery, cucumbers, and beautiful tomatoes filling my fridge to the max! Apples for pie, fresh cranberries, tangerines, lemons, limes and pears are brightening the kitchen counters with their vibrant colors. Seems like a late additon of Sam, the singer in Bill's band, along with his brother, visiting from Maine will make it sixteen adults for dinner around 3. I'm figuring a late breakfast for most and then an early dinner. We'll be missing our dear Matthew, Jonathan, and Alissa, however it won't be long before they are here to celebrate Christmas.

There's only one bummer connected to Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe it has been six years ago that our Mother went into a coma on Thanksgiving. As the years pass the pain eases more, but I'm not sure if I'll ever forget the call from David telling me that our mom was in serious trouble, followed by Bruce's call that I needed to go over there right away. I was getting ready to mash the giant pot of potatoes when Bruce said it was more than he could handle alone. Now, you know Bruce pretty well by now to know that if he can't handle something it must be pretty terrible. I left the rest of the dinner in my niece Laura's capable hands, jumped in the MINI driving the mile or so to see what was going on. Although we'd been planning for the end when it comes it is always a shock. There is nothing in life to prepare you for your mom (whatever kind of mom you have, whether it be good or bad) not responding. Bruce left me there alone with her and I called hospice letting them know we needed their help. Within about two hours they arrived, never leaving for her final four days. Bruce brought me a plate of food which was pretty surreal, but no more so than those left at our home to carry on as if nothing was happening. Although I'd been involved with her care for the previous five months, putting her in diapers really felled me. So that's all I'm burdening you with for now; forgive me if I've gotten too graphic. As well, I'm skipping the editing of this post for errors because, frankly, writing it is enough.

Don't you just hate how early it gets dark these days?? I don't know about Chicago for sure, but according to Matt, this time of year there are only eight hours of daylight in London. Now that would depress me to no end.
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Listening to: Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
via FoxyTunes

Unrelated Subjects

Lots of views of our sweet new house:
You can just see Baxter at the door wishing everyone would just go away!

I love how darling Bruce's amazing shed looks in this one.

I took these on Thursday afternoon and since that time we've installed two very neat metal art pieces on either side of the garage. Formally confederate jasmine vines covered the walls, cascading in front of the garage doors. After many years, vines get to looking pretty shabby; with the new look, it was time to cut them all back. Additionally, although the awning has been re-installed, I will be searching for a more complimentary fabric soon.

The guys are back today painting the fence a pale shade of gray. They spoke little English making communication a bit of a problem but their hard work spoke for them!

On Friday it was time to get ready for the show! After picking up my order, I headed straight home working for some hours preparing the prints. Although I called several people, begging them to come help me, they could not be persuaded! No worries--I got it done, although when Bruce got home from work there was no dinner waiting for him. We went over to our local Tijuana Flats for a little Mexican treat, heading to bed pretty early because, unlike most shows, this one had to be set up the morning of.

I've shown in DeLand twice now, but never at Fall Festival. The spring show is much craftier--this one is their big time one. First, I was grateful to be accepted, secondly, I really like downtown DeLand, as astute readers of this blog will remember from previous posts. Unlike other shows I've done, this one has real buyers. Everywhere you looked you could see people carrying art purchases which was fantastic. I'm especially gratified to have had sold 74 pieces during the two days, my personal best show ever. From what I gathered, people from all around look forward to it, saving just for the occasion. Loads of wonderful volunteers made the show run smoothly. The potter next to us was from Jacksonville, and he mentioned that there are no longer any shows in his area that are community-based because of a lack of volunteers. They are all run by a company called Howard Allen which charges at the minimum $350 for your space, not to mention the shows don't have that special feel that a community-based one has. They provided meals, booth sitters, and an awards party on Saturday night. Good chili with lots of toppings. The only bummer was they ran out of red wine, which truth be told, probably was a good thing as we had the drive back to Orlando to consider.

Saturday was not only extremely busy for me, but it was so tiring I didn't think I'd be able to get moving for Sunday! Leaving the house at 5:30AM, and arriving home around 8PM is a mighty long day for this lady. Naturally, I was asleep by 9. Thankfully Bruce stayed with me all day because I'd have not been able to manage on my own. There were a few lulls, but not many. Bruce copped a little nap in the shade during those times!

One of the judges was Lonnie Graham, a professor and photographer. Arriving in my booth, he studied my large pieces and proclaimed I was just on the "edge of something", whatever that means. He said he wished he had more time to talk to me, started to leave, then turned around to say more, most of which I've forgotten already. One thing I do remember is he told me to practice, as if I don't nearly every day! Yikes, I wonder what he'd have said if I hadn't been practicing all this time! Anyway, I had no pat "artsy answer" about what I was trying to say and he moved on. Meanwhile, another gentleman in my booth overheard the conversation. After Mr. Graham took leave, the other man said, I've judged shows before, he's trying to show you how smart he is. He went on to have some complimentary things to say along with some questions, which I welcome. He noted that one of the pieces, Beach Daisies, was not as sharp as some others, wondering why this was so. I told him, truthfully, if that picture were not my second best seller it would not be hanging on the wall because I do recognize the flaws! If only I could find that scene again I'd gladly re-do it, however, to date I've not seen anything that compares. Proving that the buyers like it, just before the rain forced an early closing to the show, a couple came in and bought the canvas for a gift. More on that tomorrow.

For now, I've got to move into Thanksgiving mode. I'm still really, really tired, but I'm going to get the turkey. Let the thawing begin!!

This Didn't Take Long

Since our last meet up, I've got a whole new house. Seriously, for six months or so I've been thinking about having the house repainted. I'm not sure exactly how long it's been but I do know that Bill was still living at home at the time.

Another home issue we've been ignoring is the fence. Five years ago about one quarter of the fence was built on site---a repair made necessary by our visit from Hurricane Charley. Because the rest of the fence looked ok at the time, that is all we had done. Flash forward to this year and the rotting along the bottom was really making me sad. Because Bruce is finally not traveling this week he had the time to project manage this repair. A guy he's used commercially came out on Monday morning to check it out. Bruce told him he'd like to have the entire fence repainted and once I heard that I knew I had to spring into action before it was done with the old color.

More like skyrocketing into action, I give you the changes thus far (albeit in reverse order):

 

 

Yesterday on my way to the museum I stopped by the Benjamin Moore paint store picking up some paint chips along with two brochures, one meant for interiors, one for exteriors. Apparently all paint companies must be based up North because none of the pictured houses came close to looking like our little 1960 ranch style home. Immediately I found what I was looking for in the interior brochure. A beautiful combination of a lovely, creamy shade of yellow, clear, almost cornflower blue, spring green, and an off white. All that was left was to find a paint color that was a neutral (I've chosen a soft gray), and a phone call to Luis, our painter and here we are about 30 hours later!

Luis painted the house last time as well as faux painted our sunroom, one of the lovliest spots in the house. I called him around 2:30 yesterday afternoon and turns out it was a God send because not only have they been slow this year, but they could start today. I'd decided to use the green for the shutters and the blue for the doors but he convinced me to flip-flop that decision and I'm sure he's probably right. I was just ready for a lighter, brighter look. You may remember six months ago I got that awning made which I'll have to figure out what to do about. My friend Kelly tells me that the awning place will probably replace the cover but to tell you the truth, neither of us liked it so much. I'll have to ponder this one.

The fence guys arrived around 9 this morning and progress is being made--posts are in position, and that's about all I can tell you right now because not only do all the windows have plastic on them, so do the doors! I can't see a thing. The last section of the fence literally fell down once Edmund cut some vines loose on my neighbors side!

By Friday evening the house should be done and I'm assuming the fence as well. I can hardly wait! Angela thinks I'm plum crazy for picking out the colors just like that but when I see something I like I go for it. Remind you of anything? I was thinking about Bruce, once I met him I knew he was perfect. 36 years later, I'm thrilled with that choice!

Last evening we saw Jackson Browne at the Bob Carr Auditorium--what a treat. Just him and fifteen guitars lined up along with a keyboard. He sang lots of the old favorites for all of us oldies in the crowd along with some of his newer material. He explained he starts these acoustic shows with no set list, just plays what he feels like. Apparentlly the crowd thought he needed help with his choices because they kept shouting out their favorites. Lots of gray hair in the audience!

I've placed my order for this weekend and I should have it by tomorrow--let's hope I do well this weekend--spending all this much money at once makes me a little nervous...

Monday, Monday

Last week just sped by and before I knew it I hadn't had time to blog but today's another story, so here we go....

Tuesday I spent my usual time at the Polasek, stopping afterward at the gallery to see what was happening. They have moved my stuff down the street to a hair salon with my permission. I know that sounds crazy but it is in a two story old house and actually looks pretty cool there. I have so many canvases at the moment that I figured, why not? Of all things I got an email the other day from someone who saw it there. Next I picked up two standing easels from my friend Nancy Flynn's cool art framing studio; I thought they might be useful at the Darden event.

Wednesday morning found me helping Maureen with making a cd for a small wedding gift. I bought my first music online, pretty simple now that I've tried it. Good thing she brought a list of songs over because I'll tell you something you probably already know---there are lots and lots of love songs but mostly they are about breaking up, not getting together. She combined some oldies, but goodies, with a few new things. After that I picked up my order at Roger's and began the process of getting things ready for the annual Darden Arts and Craft Festival. You may remember that this is my third year showing there; each year I've done better, and better.

Once I got my prints sorted out I thought I'd gone overboard on ordering. Fortunately that wasn't the case. I ended up selling 58 prints if you can imagine. I could hardly believe it myself, and I was there!

Preparing the prints looks easy, which it is, however there are multiple steps involved. I try to do it assembly line fashion which helps some. I've been out of stickers for a while now, so I've been first putting a business card in the bag, then I put a price sticker on, followed by naming and signing each one, followed by writing thank you on the foam core, and finally sealing the bag. I'd ordered 72 prints and the whole aforementioned sequence took me nearly four hours to complete. I packed the car, heading off to set up in their beautiful new building.

Showtime was 7:30AM, both Thursday and Friday, ending at 3:00PM. The space was terrific, and since I've been there three years now, I've become friendly with the other vendors. It was good and only $10 for the space! To put that into perspective, the Winter Springs show I did a few weeks ago cost around $200 to enter, and took hours and hours of time to set up, and tear down, with the end result almost the same now that I think about it. Oh well, they are both good in their own way.

I picked up the lawn mower Thursday afternoon on my way home. Turns out it was a little torn gasket causing the non-starting situation. Bruce returned very late Thursday evening after a successful trip--the restaurant was received to rave reviews, but of course, you were expecting that weren't you?

Saturday morning I got up nice and early, greeted by a beautiful day--mild temperatures with gorgeous blue skies and warm (not hot) sunshine, perfect for a chore day. Hanging the clothes on the line is one of my favorite things to do--I just love everything about it. I mowed the lawn and didn't even break a sweat, got the pool cleaned and watched an excellent FSU game.

On our way home from doing a little shopping, Bruce was driving around Lake Davis when I mentioned those crazy roosters I'd seen once. He said, "well, there they are."

I'd been by there multiple times and hadn't seen them so what was up with that? Anyway, he pulled over for me to get a few shots. Doesn't he have some magnificent colored feathers?

Mr. Bill called on Thursday afternoon with the news that their band was contacted by WJJR about opening for a band called, The Cult, on Saturday night at Hard Rock Live. Big time stuff! Although they have played there before, it was totally local, unlike this show which had paying concert goers. We spiffed ourselves up a bit and headed out there to cheer on "Exit the Ride." Little missy here, took her Nikon, hoping to get a few good shots, a misguided plan. They wouldn't let me take it in there at the outset but Bruce sweet talked the head security guy who agreed after we promised not to take it out of my purse. Originally they said I'd have to take it back to my car which if you've ever been out there you know that is not an appealing plan. For some reason the name of the band in this shot I took outside was washed out. We were proud of our boy. Dave, of course, was there as both a roadie and a cheerleader. He loves his brother.

I was hoping with the arrival of fantastic weather I'd have a good day at Eola, but it was not to be. Dismal sales, bringing me back down to earth after the Darden success story.

Just as well, I've got my biggest art show of the year coming up this weekend in DeLand. Although I've done their spring show, this one is completely different, much stiffer competition for sure. Time to get a new order together, the hardest part of the whole business. Still looking for a part time editor.....


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Listening to: Emmylou Harris - Here, There and Everywhere
via FoxyTunes

I Promise to Return

This last week has proved to be so busy for me that I've not found the time to blog but I will return tomorrow!
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Listening to: The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
via FoxyTunes

New Kids in Town

I caved. Nordstrom Rack had a grand opening on Friday and I went to check it out. In typical Nordstrom fashion, they made the experience enjoyable with plenty of check out lanes, guides to said lanes, and even a line monitor. As well they handed out reusable bags to all the customers, of which there were plenty. I was mostly looking to see what I could see, however I did buy a few things. One of those things was a top, just like the one Bruce got me for our anniversary, in a different print. I just love the way it fits and feels. I put it on later in the day and when Bruce arrived he said, wow, that is cute, even better than the one I bought. Not true, they are both awesome. Today department stores have lost favor with young folks but I prefer them to going to multiple stores. It just seems like the Nordstrom buyers are good, the staff treats the customers so well, why go anywhere else?

For most of the weekend we stayed close to home, but Sunday afternoon we went to Bruce's new office to pick something up for his trip today. Darden is certainly not a new kid around these parts, but they definitely have some fancy new digs. I was glad I had my baby camera in my purse, although I'll be heading there myself later in the week for the annual Darden holiday sale. I'm showing you the main lobby,

as well as what they call "Main Street."

The red is awesome; apparently they searched high and low for just the right shade. I think they hit a home run. The building is LEED certified with loads of natural light everywhere. Bruce no longer has his office with a door, but he's made his work space efficient, not to mention, nice. There's a large cafeteria with floor to ceiling windows looking out over a small lake. Although it was closed, I could see they offer loads of great options. Break areas near the work spaces are equally as nice, stocked with trail mix, coffee stuff, juice, and fountain drinks. One catch, you have to do your own dishes! Seriously, they've done away with bottled water, instead offering nice glasses for your beverages. Naturally we are delighted Bruce is still employed, even more so that when he is in town, he has a wonderful home away from home.

Remember I said I would be mowing the lawn last week. I would if I could. Friday morning, after getting the laundry going, I put on my mowing clothes and shoes and headed out to get started, only to be thwarted by a non-starting mower. I pulled, and I pulled, and I pulled. No luck.

Without complaining, Bruce set about to fix it on Saturday morning, spending several hours, wearing a blister to boot, all to no avail. I was mostly an onlooker, however, I did research on the computer, hollering out through the open window what could possibly be wrong. It just wasn't happening, no matter how hard he tried. Good thing the grass is growing at a snail's pace at the moment. I took it in this morning to Thrailkills, a mower shop on Orange Avenue. We go way back with Thrailkill, all the way back to when Matt was a 5 year old kindergarten student, or was he in first grade? Either way Colleen Thrailkill not only taught Matt, but Bill a few years later. Wonderful woman!! She loved the Peck boys, and really, who could blame her? In my opinion she showed exceptional taste...

Last week I mentioned Bruce had an inspection. I misspoke--it's tomorrow in North Haven. Bummer, the Capital Grille opening party is tonight, and Bruce is missing it, which makes me sad. He worked so tirelessly on that restaurant, I want him to get all the accolades he deserves, and what better time than when all the big-wigs are in one place. Bummer.

Last night we played Yahtzee for the first time in a long while with Bruce crushing me in the second round--255 to 122! Who, I ask you has ever had a score that low???? Jonathan and Alissa gave us the game a few years ago, a fancy set, I must add. The score sheets are an interesting case study. I compared Matt, Jonathan, Alissa, Bruce a myself with me being the messiest score keeper. The others sheets were remarkably similar with nice neat even columns. I'm not sure what that means--any ideas?

Finished a new book yesterday afternoon--Rhyming Life & Death by Amos Oz, a celebrated Israeli author. The story revolves around a celebrity author doing a literary event and his way of passing the time as he grows bored with the proceedings. Very interesting, the mind of an author.