January Update

Thanks to my sissy PJ for sharing this little gem on her facebook page.  I just loved it and hope that my mom and Rachel and all moms everywhere see it.  Such a cute little kid and I bet we see more of him. 

"Mom is wow upside down".  I wish I had know that when my boys were little.  Most of the time I felt upside down, but I didn't know about the wow part! 

I am just learning about Soul Pancake.  Go there prepared to have a good time.  And to lose two hours of your life!  I'm also addicted to Upworthy. Things that matter.  Pass 'em on.

I went to see August: Osage County.  LoVeD it and want to go see it again.  Julia Roberts plays the maddest woman I have ever seen on screen.  It's not an easy movie to watch.  I kept thinking, why don't these people get the hell out of there?  At the end, I was happy for them.  Relieved. 

This weekend Betsy & Kyle birthdays.  Next weekend  V's birthday and we're going to see the Ten Tenors at UIS. Isaac is on his way to Tuscon for the gem show next week.  Mark and I are partying three times a week at Spin Zone.  Life is good and I'm so thankful.

Don't forget to get some tulips or daffodils from your florist or from the grocery store.  They will help alleviate spring fever.  There is no cure for spring fever except 70 degree temperatures, but the flowers will help in the meantime. 

It's January. . .

 . . . We all need a little flower medicine!

At the Bob. . . With a Cool Pendant

At one of our favorite breakfast places aka Bob Evans,
wearing my new pendant by the artist Isaac Jones. 

Christmas Visit 2013

More from Christmas 2013

We had no idea they could actually get into the stable.  I didn't get a shot, but both Betsy & Kyle can fit into it at the same time.  Kyle even went in thru the window instead of the door!  They make our lives happy.

V and I made divinity this year.  Only took two tries to get a good batch.  We laughed and cussed-- well, I did anyway. V does not cuss.  Ever.  But she said she was tempted to, and so it almost counts.  I can't tell you the number of batches of candy that I've made that haven't set up or got too hard.  So many that I tell myself that it's too much trouble.  But then you make a batch with someone you love and then you share it with other people that you love and they tell you how good it is, and you realize it's totally worth it.

It snowed a couple of times for Christmas 2013.  G dog and Lilla love the snow.  Lilla likes to roll in it, G dog rubs his face in it.  I like to stay in and just watch them.

It's snowing again today and Mark is out cleaning the driveways for us.  He is my snow man.

Christmas 2013

Christmas 2013 will be remembered as the year Mark built a stable for Betsy and her American Girl horse.  We didn't know that she and Kyle would fit into it.  But they did.  Kyle even crawled in thru one of the windows!  As we always do when we're around BK, we had a lot of fun.  We are blessed far beyond amazing.  So grateful for this life and our family. 

Recycling

My mama grew these little pumpkins this year and I've enjoyed them so much that I just wasn't ready to give them up yet.  So they got a little coat of Olive Bright by Design Master and a few bits of decoration a la The Farm.  They make me happy, so I took one to work for my desk :)

Happy Thanksgiving

Judson, Charles, Isaac, Crafton

It's been a very nice Thanksgiving.  Can't remember when these four brothers were together last!?!

Library Books

I took pictures of this little community library especially for my mama because I knew she would love the idea.  It's on Main Street in Madisonville, right next door to Main Street Jacks where Rachel takes me to shop when we visit.

 

Mama, last one home is a green pig!  love love :)

Fall Flowers

Last of the fall flowers from the October garden.  

It's been a very nice gardening year. 

Today, we have snow. 

Garden Visitors

 Five deer visited our neighbors yard a couple of weeks ago, no doubt finding a good breakfast.  I wonder when they will jump our little fence?  G dog and Lilla missed the whole visit.  They were inside snoozing!

Vacation Report

We're back from the lake.  Had a wonderful time as usual.  Ate good.  Got to spend fun time with our Betsy & Kyle and Rachel.    Lazed around doing not much.  Mark caught some really nice fish and threw them back so he could catch them again next year. 

Pies at Patti's.  I had chess pie both times we went.  I can never get enough of chess pie.  Reminds me of mama and grandma's pies.  And Muny's pies too.  We ate at Dinner Bell a couple of times, which has food just like we grew up with.  Fried chicken and vegetables.

It was sad, but we wanted to go to the cemetary.  So hard to believe that Warren is gone, even though it's been a year.

The happiest times are always when we're with Betsy & Kyle.  They make us laugh and love life.

The. Best. Ever.

I have the best. sister. ever.  She gave me this gorgeous old birdcage and it has to be the best. birdcage. ever.!  I can't remember ever seeing one so nice.  I love it.  Thank you sissy!

Our inspiration picture was a birdcage filled with succulents, but this one turned out even better.  It has our mammy's old birdhouse inside surrounded by pansies, pumpkins, and hen&chicks from mama.  It's a family project :)

 

Sneaked this little shot of mama and PJ while we were at the Meijer Gardens.  

A Thank You Photo Note to ISFA

Dear ISFA,

 I just returned from Hitomi's class at Nature's Creative Edge in Michigan.   Thank you so much for the 2013 McKinley Educational Grant that funded my tuition and travel.  It was a fantastic experience and I'd love to share a few scenes from the class with you.

Hitomi brought lots of inspiration from internationally acclaimed architects which was all new information to me. Frank Lloyd Wright--yes, I'm familiar with the Dana Thomas House and can recognize his influence.  But Serra, Gehry, Calatrava, Gaudi, Liebeskind, Piano, Reynolds. . . who are all these people?!?  Amazing artists who have created amazing buildings.

This was my first experience assisting on such a large installation.  Each participant was asked to make 15 solid, strong armatures and then they were all incorporated together.  The tin sheets were recycled from a local newspaper print.  The fire engine red and silver lit up in the afternoon sunshine.  

The woods were absolutely beautiful.  Nature and man-made designs. . . such a contrast.

  

Here Hitomi is sharing direction for this portion of the design where it was to taper down to a point. Carnations were to be placed throughout the red-painted structure, massed more heavily at the top, gradually decreasing down into individuals blossoms and petals at the bottom, and then uplighted with a spot.

The moss panels were fabulous.  (I think my garden might need one or two of these too!)  Red anthurium were to be placed on the inside of the panels, so that glimpses of the flowers would be viewed from outside and to invite closer inspection of the inside of the structure.

Can't wait to see pictures of the final design with lighting at night!

Overall, this was a great learning experience with theoretical discussion and practical application of line, color, texture and contrast, space and form, balance, asymmetry, scale and proportion, dominance, movement, mechanics. . .  All in the midst of a beautiful setting with great people.  I can't thank you enough for the opportunity.

From the woods,

Kynda

PS--So many other individuals to thank too!  Hitomi for her commitment to inspiring us all to create, Bob Friese for welcoming us into his home, James Lutcke for the year-round work that he does for this event, the Michigan Floral Association, and all the AIFD designers who attend from all over the country to make this fundraiser a not-to-be missed event. 

I can't wait to go back next year! 

 

Madisonville Visit

We celebrated our 25th anniversary this past week with Judson and Rachel and the kids.  Rachel's yellow for the front door turned out so pretty!  Kyle wouldn't let me take his picture with the new door, but he didn't mind bursting in on Betsy's pose.

Now a kindergartner, she's prettier and smarter every time we see her :)

"I don't want you to call me funny."  But he really is so funny and he keeps us laughing all the time. Being able to make people laugh is a talent that I so admire, but Kyle isn't having it. He had to keep correcting us all weekend.

It's been 25 good years.  Love love to Mark, TBHITWWW.

Paleo Breakfast Cookies from PJ

Paleo Breakfast Cookies                                                                        Makes One Dozen Cookies

Place in food processor and stir together:   1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 t salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 Tbls cinnamon.

Add in:  1/2 cup almond butter, unsweetened, 6 pitted dates, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes.
Process mixture in food processor til well combined and dates are fine.

Add in and process til wet dough forms: 3/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 medium eggs, 1 tsp vanilla.

Add in and pulse til all incorporated: 2 Tbls dried unsweetened cherries, 2 Tbls walnuts, 3 Tbls currants.

Use cookie scoop to drop cookies onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly as the cookies will not spread. (I've been flattening them with  the bottom of a glass dipped in coconut sugar.)  Bake 15 to 20 minutes.  Store in freezer.

 They have been mistaken for sausage patties a couple of times, but they really are delicious. Thanks to my sissy PJ for the recipe.  I think of her everytime I make them :) love love

Lilies of the Garden

Mark and I did quite a bit of clean-up in the garden this weekend.  Lots of branches to cut back, lots of spent plants & flowers, lots of weeds.  These white lilies had fallen over and were almost touching the ground so I whacked them all back.  Which resulted in a great pitcher of white lilies for the back porch.  These are a cross between asiatic and oriental, so they don't have the overpowering smell of the orientals.  But still,  fifty blooms or so  would be a little much inside.

Planting bulbs in the fall isn't one of my favorite garden chores.  But this pitcher had me wondering where I put the bulb catalog.  Maybe digging just a few holes wouldn't be too much trouble. . .