Coffee Paintings

These are a couple of oil paintings I did earlier this year.  My client and I are very pleased that I had time and opportunity to paint!

Mountain Lady Slipper

The Songs of Zion....

Waffle Stomping Fire Roasted Vertical Breakfast

 One must first become Vertical, then make the fire.  Out comes the frozen fruit and bacon, sitting by the fire to thaw out.

 Then comes the fairly long chore of whipping cream with a hand beater.  Takes awhile....

 There is plenty of time to look up and see the beautiful surroundings.

 Add some hash to the fire, put the bacon in a skillet and start the waffles.

It might look something like this, and it will taste superb with the view to complement the flavors. 

Kitchen White Wash

Once upon a day Gentry came home to find a bunch of old acoustical tiles piled up on his workbench downstairs. "Hmm," he thought," this is mighty interesting." And he resigned himself to another project. Thanks honey!

In the process....

Even Victoria had to get in the act. There is something deeply satisfying in peeling off old wallpaper.

New can lights! Wow, I love them!

Painted, and now with hardware even!

And thanks to the goats, I have wonderful strawberries in my garden this year. Good to know that they are finally worth something beside entertainment.

Showing you that the top of my refrigerator is cluttered but clean.

I love how freshand creamy it feels! It is so fun having hardware....adds a lot to the look but also to how useable it is.

Has it really been a year?

It has been a long time since my last post. As a friend said when she quit her blog for awhile...Whe was blogged out. I really really want to get some posts on this year. We shall see!

Glamping Trip

This may not be a glamorous picture, but I thought it was kind of neat...Gentry took all of K and M's items down to the nice tent with big red. Door to door shuttle service.

The young couple that upgraded our camping experience with FOOD!

First, we had to try to find the trees that were planted last year. Hmm. Not sure.

Artichokes, yes dear folks, this is the first time I have ever had artichokes cooked over a campfire. They were delicious with Michaels special dip. Fun to try new things!

So pretty!

Also on the menu was Tequila Lime Steaks and Garlic Mashed Potatoes! Has anything ever tasted so good?

Katie's Birthday sing

We celebrated Katie's birthday with a sing. We will miss the singing in our Sunday meeting when they leave. Thanks Marge for the pary. (Pictures show all the work we did on Marges house! Looks so nice!)

2 Teenagers? Can it be?

Grant is officially a teenager now. Scary thought.

He wanted an ice cream cake. Doesn't this look like a muddy tractor tire. Yes, I meant for it to be like this!

This couple were taken home with us when we fortuitously ran into them at Grants birthday dinner....at our favorite Mexican restaurant of course.

And we had the neighbors, and Marge to help us hold a wake for our departing "little" boy.

And Marge has a great sense of humor,

Having boxes, inside boxes, each full of some mystery.

And as you can see, it was very fun for us all. Joe sat on my lap and giggled with delight throughout the openings.

Joe picked out this Lego set all by himself. They had a great time putting it together together.
(Is that correct English?)

And we went up to VR for a little camping trip. Just the kids and I, so we set up the tent for the boys. Johnny-Jump-Up Creek was running full tilt. The sound of rushing water in spring is quite delightful.

Conrad, relaxing and fulfilling the requirements for a classic education. (Archie comics)

Goat Mountain

Snorkeling in Cle Elum River? Brr. :)

Restful

And now, not so much.

Revenge!

Escalation!

Devious musings.

Daddy - Daughter time

This is sweet is it not? I believe they were watching some old slap-stick 3 stooges comedies together.

Lady Margery's Birthday Tea: Red Raspberry Wine Sorbet

6 cups fresh red raspberries rinsed (or frozen, thawed)
1 cup dry red wine
1-1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of one lemon

In a bowl, combine raspberries, wine, sugar and lemon juice and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Transfer to blender and puree. Strain into an ice cream machine and freeze. Makes 1 quart of sorbet.

Funny story about this, our dear butler, while serving dainty cups of this deep red sorbet on a large tray....first course of course, and he spilled it all over my chair, and his bright white shirt. Smack dab in the middle. I was thankful I had vacated my seat. His face was a bit red, his shirt was very red, his wife's face was redder still, and of course he made it seem like he did it on purpose. Classy couple.

Taco Party

Beth and Kristin close to the wonderful taco bar. The food was spectacular as usual.

Kids having a wonderful time in the roomy living room, running around like chickens!

Ron and Bradley

Jenith and Marge.

Sorry Kristin, this may not be the best picture of you, (she is always stunning regardless!) but the painting in the background is one I did a few years ago, and I never got a picture of the final result. The reflection in the water is my favorite part.

Lively discussion!

With lots of laughs shared.

The guys were Not doing the dishes, but look how close they came to it!

This is seconds? Thirds? She was a very hungry hostess! Smile.

The household mascot, Matisse by name, is getting a drink from the table ouside. He is sooo large and sooo sweet!