Childrens art and Etsy

There's something pure and inspirational about children's art. While it might consist of simple doodles and drawings, there's such whimsy in it. I love when children are encouraged to be artistic, don't you? More art, less video games please!

Since I don't have children myself, I found a great little Etsy store. The woman who set it up has a daughter who is a buddy artist. Not only that, she is an avid animal lover. Win-win! You send her pictures of your pets, and her daughter will create pet portraits from them. Check out GioPetStudio and support this little artist!

Here's the portrait she made for me. Cute, no?

Blogs with no pics = zero fun

Hi! I've been a busy little bee working around the house - on my master bath, in the yard, some crafty stuff - but I can't get picks to upload. Blogger is frustrating that way. Blogs with no pictures is zero fun and inspirational. I'll be back soon and hope to share some fun things, as well as ask for everyone's opinions on other things.

Thrift store score

I love a cozy quilt, don't you? Even better, a vintage handmade quilt. These are fairly expensive and aren't easy to come by unless you happen upon one at an antique store.

A few months back I was checking out a thrift store and saw this quilt. It has a beautiful star design and is in really good shape, minus the "age stains" that you see, which I should be able to remove. No matter, it was worth the $20 I spent on it (talked down from $35, which would have been a steal anyway)! It's entirely hand stitched. I just love it.

It's been a long time

Lots of changes. Some good, some bad. Some happiness, a lot of sadness. Hoping to reconnect with wonderful blogger friends and get back into the groove of thrifting, crafting and creating!

Gooey goodness

If you've ever looked for the perfect cookie recipe, this just might be it. It's super easy, so easy that I could do it, and it tastes like a little bite from heaven.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen:

Ingredients

* 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature (I used low fat)
* 1 stick butter, at room temperature
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

These are very good. They taste like chocolate doughnut holes, only not as heavy or rich and not too sweet. Just about perfect.

Photo courtesy of me. :)

Debbie Downer

Well folks, I've been quite the Debbie Downer lately, been in a huge funk, so I've stayed away from the blogs as to not spread my funkiness. I'm so frustrated about not being able to find a job. There's so very few things out there for me apply to in my field. When I do find something fitting, I apply. Then I receive the dreaded "thanks but no thanks" emails. I just don't get it. Some of these jobs I could do in my sleep. What's frustrating is that it seems 10+ years of experience and an education mean nothing these days. *sigh* The stress of it all is weighing so heavily on me. I'm having trouble sleeping. I feel like I'm losing my sanity. It's creating tension between the hubs and me. I feel desperate and, sometimes, hopeless.

But then reality hits. I realize that as bad as I feel like things are, it's really nothing compared to the struggles others are going through. A sweet blogger friend, Lindsay, is having to deal with some major health scares right now, and yet her attitude and faith shine. My friend Diana lost her sweet 10 year old daughter this year to brain cancer. And so on...there are so many folks struggling out there, struggling with things that I can't even imagine. That's when I need to step back and thank God for blessing us. Times are tough for a lot of people. Some people share, others don't.

I know God has a plan for all of us. Sometimes it's realized sooner than later. Sometimes it's not. What's important is to keep in mind that there is a plan, have faith, and keep a shining attitude. I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned from others who are struggling. That alone is a huge blessing.

Another year closer to 40

It's official: I'm closer to 40 than I am 30. *sigh*

I turned 36 on December 4. The night before, a group of my girlfriends and I went to one friend's house and hung out like we usually do. They surprised me with a great spread of food and a wonderful fruit tart cake. I love those girls! We had a great time sitting around, laughing, taking the stress off.

The celebrations continue though! Usually I'm alone on my birthday because hubs is playing a gig. And it gets depressing year after year. This year, my friends have gone above and beyond, and I'm so appreciative!

On the night of my birthday, a few friends and I went up to Winstar Casino (just across the Texas/Oklahoma state line) to see a favorite band. I'm not into casinos in general...they just aren't my thing. But that's where the band was playing, so that's where we headed. I did bring a few bucks to play the slots. Once I lost $3, I was done. Like I said, it's just not my thing.





The band was great though! That same night, Miranda Lambert was also playing at the casino. I love her, but my friends don't, so we didn't get to see her. But while we were hanging out, I saw Miranda and Aden (Miranda's bass player, he's the one with the mohawk) walk over to our area. They were talking with fans, taking pictures, etc. My hubs knows Aden since they were both in the same music program in college, so I went over and asked him to take a picture with me. I said "you and my hubs know each other!" haha





This weekend is the birthday celebration finale, and I'm so excited! A big group of friends and I are going to the Fort Worth Stockyards to one of my favorite places to see a band and dance. It's a true Texas honky tonk dance hall. I'm a true Texas girl, I love to two-step!

I'm so blessed to have such good friends!