Smelling the flowers

JaneQSmythe said:
Where do you get your keto baking recipes? I've been working on one a friend gave me for cookies...by the time I was done with it (6 batches later) it was basically nothing like the original!

My main sticking point is the sweetener - I don't like my baked goods super sweet. My friend uses Swerve but I think it instantly dissolves into a sickly sweet liquid the minute it is in my mouth. I think I like Splenda Naturals better - but was still too sweet for me (but with less of a chemical after taste).
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Sorry for the delay in answering you, I didn't see it until today.

I have Kristie Sullivan's cookbooks that I mostly use for keto everything.

I use Sukrin sweeteners. They're costly, but so worth it. I hate the cooling effect from other sweeteners. If you find things get too sweet, cut down on the amount called for in recipes. We've started shorting them, because we're the same way. Here is a discount code, "Ketocook".

I also find recipes on Pinterest. I like "All Day I Dream About Food." She has some good recipes. She isn't as strict in the carb count as Kristie, though.

DietDoctor.com is also a good source.
 
The holidays were quite nice. Having all three of my kids together was really nice for me. My middle child (Josh) and his baby girl arrived around 8:30 pm on Christmas Eve and the youngest son (Taylor) and his girlfriend (Hallie) arrived the next morning. My daughter (Megan) and her boyfriend (Tim) didn't arrive until after supper on Christmas Day, but they stayed for two nights, so we got in lots of visiting time.

We made ribs for our Christmas meal. Bond was nervous, because we've only made ribs a few times, and this time we were doing it in a new way and finishing them on the grill with the smoker. OMG, they were so delicious! Huge hit.

I invited one of my "adopted" kids and his gf to visit us Christmas night, and they were there when Megan and Tim arrived, so we didn't open gifts until they left. We were going to push it off until morning, but the baby woke up and we went for it. We had so much fun. The little granddaughter was a lot of fun and she liked her new toys. I think she's starting to put words together, like not just getting one word out, but stringing a couple of them together in a sentence. I think Josh is not catching it. He has hearing loss from shooting guns (hunting and military) and loud music (youth) so he doesn't hear some of the pitch.

Tay and his GF had a flight to catch on Wednesday afternoon. They took over most of the work making fajitas and tacos for lunch. So delicious! They gifted me a 75 minute massage and I can't wait to get that scheduled. :)

My daughter gave me the chest she made. I will get a picture taken and link it here. She also made two interesting knickknack bookcases, one for each of her brothers, and a small treasure chest for her niece. I was proud of her and loved that she was able to gift some lovely things.

Bond gave me a new Fitbit. It's the HR one, so now I can get more detailed information about my sleep. I love it. B gave me a cardigan and a infinity scarf. So cozy.

Bond's boys were at their mother's Xmas Eve and Day, and then back with us on the 26th until midday Friday. S3 had a school assignment for his FCS to cook a meal, which we did on Friday. He picked a Thai dish and he did an outstanding job. I was so proud of him. He was pretty impressed with himself, too, and loved the dish.

Josh and babe, and Megan and Tim, left Friday morning. Josh was ready to be home again and we had bad weather coming in, so heading up north to visit family up there didn't appeal to him. His father was visiting his girlfriend/ex-wife an hour away from us and he saw him earlier in the week. We enjoyed our time with him and the baby. She has the sweetest temperament. Her Aunty Megan enjoyed her so much!

Bond and I had a very quiet weekend and holiday. The boys were at their mothers for five days. Friday evening we had some miserable weather of mixed rain and sleet. We were supposed to take care of our friends' cats while they were out of town, but we couldn't drive down a large hill that their road is off of. Cars were unable to get up the hill and one that did make it up the hill, stopped and put down her window and shouted to us not to try it. So, we turned around and we went to B's, because her neighborhood is just before this giant hill. We were going to pick her up and then go out to a dive bar for a drink, but when we came out of her house we found the Tesla had slid out of her driveway and nearly hit a car parked across the street. :eek: We decided to re-park the car (on the road, not in the driveway again) and have cocktails at her house instead. :D

New Year's Eve day we had the prettiest snowfall. The kind that coats the tree branches with thick layers of snow. It's quite beautiful still.

Franki has been suffering with a sinus and ear infection, so we didn't get together.
 
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Oh, you guys I had such a nice weekend. Franki came up on Saturday around noon and left Sunday late afternoon. We spent all afternoon painting and then we went out to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse that evening. When we got back we spent a little bit of time in the art studio, because I wanted to make B some coasters, and then we watched four episodes of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." I've seen both seasons already, but Franki asked if I had seen it, and that her son had offered his Prime account login so she could watch it, but that she hadn't done it yet. She loved it and didn't want to stop. I bet she asks her son for his Prime login now! :D

Bond fed his boys dinner and then went to B's. He unintentionally imbibed too heavily with edibles and ended up spending the night. I was so happy for him. He has been yearning for time with B and connection, so this was a really good thing.

Franki and I shared the guest bed in case Bond came home in the night. It took me a long time to fall asleep, but according to my Fitbit, I slept pretty solidly after that. I woke around 7 pm and couldn't stay in bed much past 7:30. I was worried that I'd wake Franki if I got out of bed, but she slept through me leaving the room and she didn't join me upstairs for another hour. We were sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee when Bond got home. He looked great, like a huge burden had been lifted and I feel so happy for him.

I should back up and tell you about the angst he's been feeling related to B and the shitty behavior she's been displaying. Um, she's been quite distant and won't book dates with him. When it's our Tuesday triad date night or when we hang out everything seems good, but the communication and responses have really been poor when things are happening via text. Friday night she stopped by after she went out for a fish fry with a couple of friends. I was super duper tired, so I wasn't capable of being smooth and I straight up told her that not getting back to Bond for five days and then telling him he's being needy when he follows up (because the night he asked about is the next day) isn't fair. Questioning also revealed that she no longer wants to have sleepovers. Okay, now we know. So, it's really ironic that the very next night Bond ended up sleeping over. She fed him a pot cookie that totally kicked his butt and he couldn't keep his eyes open and couldn't drive.

She and her kids were over for part of the day yesterday, and another friend, Ruby, also came over. We finished Ruby's coasters and she made a painting, and B's daughter also made a painting and two coasters - which turned out amazing! I love how kids do art!

Last night Bond and I cuddled on the couch and watched some episodes of "The Defenders" and that felt really nice.

Tonight we are making stuffed mushrooms and watching two movies: "Life Itself" and "The Spy Who Dumped Me". Yay for date nights in.

Tomorrow night is the triad date night and we're planning on Mexican food, then a drink at our new favorite dive bar, and sex. I'm not sure if that's the order of events, though. B says she's really concentrating on sex and booze. :D

I started planning the menu for our annual Valentine's party.

Here's my working list:

Cheese and Charcuterie
5 cheeses
Aged: Gouda, Sharp Cheddar, Gruyere.
Soft and creamy: Brie, Camembert, Epoisses, Burrata, Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella.
Crumbly: Goat and Feta Cheese.
Firm: Parmigiano Reggiano, Manchego, Gouda.
Smoked: Smoked Gouda, Provolone, and Cheddar.
Blue: Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort.

This year cut the cheese.

marinated mozzarella balls

Mixed tray of charcuterie from Costco:
Prosciutto: Italian Dry Cured Ham
Sopressata: Italian Dry Salami
Mortadella: Italian Sausage

Dry Cured Salami: Made of beef or pork and mostly air dried - UW Provision

Olives - 3 types - make marinated olives
pickles
Crackers & Bread:
breadsticks and crusty French baguette
crackers, both GF and regular, seed crackers, water crackers
pork rinds

nuts: candied pecans or walnuts, Marcona almonds, pistachios, almonds
dried apricots, cranberries, banana chips
roasted red peppers, artichokes
spreads: honey, mustard, jam
dips or maybe soft cheese spreads like James bought at Xmas time
fruit: grapes, blueberries
Chocolate bar cut up

Fresh herbs: rosemary and thyme, and/or micro greens to fill in space and visually appeal

Maybe this????:
caprese/Greek salad skewers
carrot sticks
celery
cucumber

The meal:
Deviled eggs
Taco/fajita bar

Chicken Rio
Pulled pork
Hamburger taco meat

black beans
refried beans
avocado/guacamole (Costco)
cilantro
rice, reg. and cauliflower rice
shredded cabbage
shredded cheeses
diced tomatoes
onions
sliced black olives
street corn
jalapenos
grilled oiled red/green/yellow peppers

limes
sour cream
salsas

hard shells
tortillas
tortilla chips

IDEAS: squirt bottles for sour cream and taco sauce

Desserts:

2 Pavlovas - using keto recipe for the meringue
Trifle or Fruit Basket Cake
Cheesecake (keto)
Mocha Fluff with berries in little dessert dishes with tiny spoons

I will probably need to take a vacation day the day before the party so I can get all of this accomplished.
 
Petunia said:
I started planning the menu for our annual Valentine's party.

Here's my working list:

Cheese and Charcuterie
5 cheeses
Aged: Gouda, Sharp Cheddar, Gruyere.
Soft and creamy: Brie, Camembert, Epoisses, Burrata, Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella.
Crumbly: Goat and Feta Cheese.
Firm: Parmigiano Reggiano, Manchego, Gouda.
Smoked: Smoked Gouda, Provolone, and Cheddar.
Blue: Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort.

This year cut the cheese.

marinated mozzarella balls

Mixed tray of charcuterie from Costco:
Prosciutto: Italian Dry Cured Ham
Sopressata: Italian Dry Salami
Mortadella: Italian Sausage

Dry Cured Salami: Made of beef or pork and mostly air dried - UW Provision

Olives - 3 types - make marinated olives
pickles
Crackers & Bread:
breadsticks and crusty French baguette
crackers, both GF and regular, seed crackers, water crackers
pork rinds

nuts: candied pecans or walnuts, Marcona almonds, pistachios, almonds
dried apricots, cranberries, banana chips
roasted red peppers, artichokes
spreads: honey, mustard, jam
dips or maybe soft cheese spreads like James bought at Xmas time
fruit: grapes, blueberries
Chocolate bar cut up

Fresh herbs: rosemary and thyme, and/or micro greens to fill in space and visually appeal

Maybe this????:
caprese/Greek salad skewers
carrot sticks
celery
cucumber

The meal:
Deviled eggs
Taco/fajita bar

Chicken Rio
Pulled pork
Hamburger taco meat

black beans
refried beans
avocado/guacamole (Costco)
cilantro
rice, reg. and cauliflower rice
shredded cabbage
shredded cheeses
diced tomatoes
onions
sliced black olives
street corn
jalapenos
grilled oiled red/green/yellow peppers

limes
sour cream
salsas

hard shells
tortillas
tortilla chips

IDEAS: squirt bottles for sour cream and taco sauce

Desserts:

2 Pavlovas - using keto recipe for the meringue
Trifle or Fruit Basket Cake
Cheesecake (keto)
Mocha Fluff with berries in little dessert dishes with tiny spoons

I will probably need to take a vacation day the day before the party so I can get all of this accomplished.
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Oh, YUMMY!

Who can I bribe to get an invite!?! :p

PS. Thanks for the tip on Sukrin sweeteners!
 
JaneQSmythe said:
Oh, YUMMY!

Who can I bribe to get an invite!?! :p

PS. Thanks for the tip on Sukrin sweeteners!
Click to expand...

Me. You can bribe me. ;)

Actually, show up. It'll be fun!
 
Yesterday Bond and B went for lunch and she tripped on an uneven sidewalk and fell. She broke a chip off her elbow and likely has a hairline crack, too. Poor GF!

Bond and I went over to her place last night with dinner and Tylenol. She had ibuprofen, but I wanted her to have the Tylenol, too, so she could alternate between the two to get more coverage. Before we left we set her up with tuna, onion, and mayo in one container, and tuna, raw red sweet pepper, and onion in another and opened two cans of different types of beans for her to add to that. All her ideas on the combos. She was so glad we came and took care of her. She was trying to be all tough and no you don't need to come, but I wasn't going to listen, because I knew it was her way of being polite and trying to not be a burden. Silly girl. In the end, she was so thankful that we came. It's so hard to be on your own and have a fresh trauma. :(
 
B is still dealing with pain from her fall, mostly muscle pain related to falling and also using a sling (some times) and how it pulls on ones neck. She has been going to the chiropractor for adjustments and Wednesday and today the doctor used laser to treat her muscles. We have a date night, despite a snow storm that is just getting going fairly strongly, and plan on inquiring as to what she thinks of the laser treatment and if she can feel a difference.

It seems that ever since we were direct with B about how she wasn't committing to plans and other shitty behavior that she is being so good about things now. She must have been in a funk or something. Things are good now and everything feels right again.

Bond is picking up my grandson for me tonight as I double booked myself with B and picking him up. Tomorrow we're doing a kids' day with eagle viewing on the Wisconsin River, and lunch and games at Dave and Buster's. We've never been to Dave & Buster's and S3 has been asking to go. It'll be Bond's two younger boys, my grandson, and B's two kids. Bond's mother sent money at Xmas for him to do something with them, so this is what it's being used on.

On Sunday Franki is coming to paint as long as the roads are good and the forecast isn't predicting crappy weather.

Bond and I both have Monday off. We'll have his boys until Monday afternoon as his wife is out of town and won't be back until then. Not a big deal as we'd have had them until that morning regardless. :) Unfortunately my grandson has school on Monday. He had today off instead. It would have been nice if that had lined up better, because he always wants to stay longer and is bummed when I take him back.

I swear I've had five Fridays this week! Nothing like anticipation about a 3 day weekend! Monday = Friday, Tuesday = Friday, etc. Finally, it's Friday!
 
I had a wonderful weekend, lots of painting time on Sunday and Monday. Saturday I did household chores and cooking, and then spent time with the family. I feel like I paid it forward so I could spend the remainder of my time in the art studio.

We took all the kids, including B's, to Dave & Buster's, a huge arcade with a restaurant and bar, as a Xmas gift. Bond's mother had sent money to him for the kids for Xmas. I'm so glad that my grandson was here for the outing.

Franki came to paint on Sunday. I invited B and her daughter that morning and they both came and painted. B had so much fun and she came back yesterday to do more. Yay! Turns out the issue why she wasn't going to paint was that she was mad at Bond for a comment he made the first time we all painted together. She felt that he was being judgmental. They resolved things and now she's all about it. That makes me happy. I wanted to have this thing to share with her.

Sunday we did dips and they turned out so amazing! I did one the night before to see what it was about. It's a little 8" x 10" x 1 1/2" on gallery canvas.
Acrylic Paint Pouring: Dip technique
I posted this to a Facebook group I'm on and it's gotten over 400 reactions. Kind of shocking me.

Today we are getting slammed with a snowstorm, so I'm heading out early from work. It's not so much a worry about driving through the snow, but more of a worry about dealing with other drivers and their bad selves.
 
Winter in Wisconsin continues with shit weather. Yesterday we had a major snowstorm with everything in the area other than State government shutting down. I took a vacation day and painted - after we shoveled that is.

Today temperatures are diving into dangerous territory. Many schools cancelled, because the late afternoon temperatures with windchill are going to be extreme. Wednesday is going to be even colder. Folks, it's so cold in Wisconsin that they are closing the bars! IN WISCONSIN! That's cold! :eek: Schools are already cancelling school for tomorrow and some are also calling it already for Thursday.

I need to get up north to visit my mother asap and this weather is complicating things. I'm going to watching the forecast and jumping on it when there is a good four day stretch both here and there and all points in between. My sister and brother-in-law are on a six week long vacation and my sister is scared my mother is going to pass away while they are gone. Her heart is terribly weak. She had a recent scare and was in the hospital overnight. She's exhausted and weak.

Last week I contacted 7 businesses, mostly coffee shops and restaurants, about displaying artwork. I have gotten responses from three so far. One is a go for April-May. Another looks possible for September, or after the new year in 2020. A third place is having me bring in several representative pieces to show the owner (he's seen pictures) and discuss things. We had eaten there once, but at the time I wasn't painting and I never really looked at the artwork on the walls. Once I heard back from the owner I decided to do a Google search for more images of their interior, because their website didn't have much. OMG, talk about intimidating! It's so nice and they had large, beautiful pieces on the walls. I told Bond we were going there for breakfast to scope things out Saturday morning, so that's what we did. That helped a lot, although I did panic a little when I saw that they have a side room and currently have 9 large pictures up. In total they have 15 pictures of photography landscape - that aren't all that good. So that eased my mind and I've gotten busy creating more large pieces in anticipation of getting a slot there.

After breakfast we drove across town to a coffee shop/cafe to get the lay of the land. This is the place where I have the April - May slot. I can totally do it. Rather excited. :) We discovered that it connects to a store called the Stone Fence. They have artwork from local artists along with soaps and candles and other decorative things for sale. Talked to the clerk and she's also an artist that sells there. They do artist promotions and give the featured artist the front store space and an opening night with wine and a band. Commission is very light. Sounds like a good fit, so I'll be contacting the owner.

Yesterday's paintings:

Fiery ring pour

Ring pour - detail of center

Double ring pour on a diptych, 2 - 12" x 36" x 1 1/2"

Double Ring pour diptych detail
 
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Tonight I need to settle on the paintings I want to bring into the cafe/bakery tomorrow for the guy to see. Some of the ones I'm thinking of taking in need to be varnished, so I'll have to do that tonight. I think I'll also add the hardware to hang them. I've set up a 1:00 pm appointment with him. Wish me luck!

While I have the paintings loaded in the car, I think I'll take them to Cafe Brittoli and Stone Fence, and possibly Manna Cafe, too.
 
Holy cow, I was accepted into all three venues; two cafes and a store. I stopped by Manna Cafe 10 minutes before they were closing (and it was packed) to look around, but I didn't speak to anyone.

Here are the dates:

Cafe Brittoli, April - May
Stone Fence, June
Prairie Cafe and Bakery, July - August

The store, Stone Fence, will require smaller sized paintings than the cafes. The cafes can both handle large pieces, and Prairie Cafe almost calls out for them.

It should be interesting to say the least. I'm trying to not psych myself out. Deep breaths!
 
Guys, it didn't dawn on me until I was driving home last night that it was our (Bond and me) 4th anniversary of our first date. We went out to dinner and then came home and watched Incredibles 2 while taking turns walking on the glider to get our steps in. That's our new routine - watching TV and using the glider. Four years with this man and I have never been happier. I hope we have this for the rest of our lives.

My niece, E, called me on the 27th to talk about her husband telling her that he thinks he's transgender. She felt I was the safest one to talk to, as she thinks her friends will have no clue and may also be judgmental. We've had many conversations since, and Sunday her husband (M) called me, because he's so frightened that family will shun him if he transitions. I hate to say it, but I think this is going to kill their relationship. My niece is supportive, but totally in mourning, because this changes her feelings towards him as a romantic life partner. It's so hard to have a front row seat to their anguish. I'm encouraging them to seek therapy to help them navigate all of this. M has his second session today, but E has yet to find one. I hope that happens today as she is shattering inside and isn't containing it well. Added to the stress their one-year-old daughter is having a measles reaction to her vaccination, so she's not feeling well and is fussy.

Last night, my sister (E's mother) called me. She could barely talk, because she was crying so much. She had talked to E and so upset by the news. I was struck by how hard she was taking this, because months ago she confided in me that E told her M was questioning his gender. I thought it was before their wedding, but my sister thought it may have been before they got pregnant with their daughter. Either way, I'm shocked that she didn't see this coming. I've been expecting it ever since she shared that with me. I haven't told E that her mother told me this, as I didn't want to out her. I was also surprised by comments that E has made about not expecting this. Do they not understand what it means?

One of the things my sister said was that now there wouldn't be more children for them. I mentioned that if they wanted, they could harvest sperm and store them, or actually fertilize eggs and have them ready if they wish to have more children down the road. Isn't that an odd comment, though? My sister is so built to be a grandmother. I never felt that my children need to become parents.

My heart is with them all.
 
Our party on Saturday was fabulous. I didn't go to work on Thursday due to an ice storm, and I had already taken Friday off as a vacation day, so I got an extra day to prep for it and I was busy every single minute of it. I was so tired Saturday afternoon that I got a headache and all I wanted to do was go to sleep, but somehow I rallied and didn't climb into bed until 1:30 am. There were 34 of us total. I was worried that I made too much food, but there really wasn't an over abundance of food to put away, so that was good. I sold the fiery diptych painting for $475. I wasn't expecting to sell paintings during our party, but it was rather nice, plus several others want to commission me to make them some. But most of all, it was so wonderful to see everyone and hang out with them. We got a lot of extremely positive feedback about the food, and what great hosts we are, and how they look forward to this party. It would be fun without that, and actually, it can make me uncomfortable, but it's nice to know that people enjoy themselves at our parties.

Bond installed the art rail Saturday afternoon and we hung some of my paintings! It only took us two years to get something hung on the art wall in the kitchen. LOL
Art Wall

Also on Saturday, I woke up to an email from Manna Cafe saying that their scheduled artist for the month of March was canceling and they wanted to know if I wanted the slot. I didn't think I'd get a chance of having a show there until 2020, and even then they said to check back towards the end of March, because they weren't ready to start scheduling until then. I'm trying to keep myself from getting too stressed about things.

Franki spent the night Saturday night and we went to Manna for breakfast the next morning to scope the place out. They have a ledge/rail for setting your artwork on, plus a few places where you can actually hang it. I think it'll easily hold 15 pieces, but it wouldn't need to be so many if I didn't want to bring that many.
Manna Cafe and Bakery
Hanging pieces

Sunday afternoon I created three 24" x 30" paintings that I really like.

Infusion #1
Infusion #2
Metallic ring pour. It's still wet in this picture, and the lights are reflecting. The metallic paints will pop when it is dry.

We've had the most wicked weather for the past 3 weeks or so. Tuesday (yesterday) I wasn't able to go to work due to snow. My brother called to say that our mother is having bad back pain, and that our dad thinks it may be her kidneys. He told me to get up there as soon as I can, weather permitting, and I told him that was already my plan, but the weather has been too extreme to make the trip. Just last Thursday there was a 40 vehicle crash along the route to my parents'. I'm feeling some urgency about getting up there. Having these art exhibitions is also complicating things and I'm feeling guilty that I may end up putting that over getting up there depending on how things shake out.

On the 21st my niece is coming to do a photo shoot for promo things. She suggested it, as she's a photographer and has a marketing degree. She also wants to do a video of me pouring. Right now I'm thinking that it'll likely be wonderful weather on the days around that date and I should be up north seeing my mother instead.
 
Just wanted to say that your art is really beautiful!
 
RainyGrlJenny said:
Just wanted to say that your art is really beautiful!
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Thank you, so much!

BTW, I just realized that you have to click on the picture in order for it to resize the image to the correct aspect.

It's Valentine's Day today. I'm not that invested in the day, and I haven't purchased cards or gifts for my loves and now I'm wondering if that's a mistake. I doubt it. We're all pretty practical. However, Franki did give me a wonderful card with a quilling design. The triad is having lunch together today. I think seeing one another is enough. I hope B doesn't do something, because then I'm going to feel bad that I haven't done anything. Why does every holiday become so commercialized?

I spoke to my parents last night and my mother is feeling quite a lot better. She thinks her back pain was related to a medication her heart specialist put her on. He didn't think it was the culprit, but he told her to stop taking it to see. She stopped taking it on Tuesday and by Wednesday she was already feeling a great deal of relief. I will check back tonight to see if things have continued to improve. They really want me to come up this weekend. I'm debating it. Wil will be at our house visiting this weekend, so Bond would have company if I did go. The weather window looks like it'll be great, so I should probably do it. I'm just not sure if I have the energy to go after being so tired this week because of the work related to the party. And then there is all the prep I need to do for the March show. If I'm away this weekend, I will still have weeknights and the weekend of the 23rd.

I just ordered little 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" L-shaped acrylic sign holders to use on the ledge for listing the name and price of each painting. I also got two business card holder trays. I need to create a design for business cards and possibly a brochure. I'm not going to create the brochure until I have the images from my niece. She's coming on the 21st to do the photo shoot. I will do the business cards ahead of that so I don't have to pay a ridiculous amount in shipping. I will probably use Vista Print. I've used them multiple times before and always received nice product from them.
 
Hey Petunia, I've been reading through your blog! I haven't made it all the way through yet (I'm in the middle of your kitchen renos which I admit to being envious of!) and I was wondering if you'd share your recipe for turkey and spinach meatballs? I'm making a batch tomorrow for meatball subs and I was curious to maybe try something new :)
 
Vicki82 said:
Hey Petunia, I've been reading through your blog! I haven't made it all the way through yet (I'm in the middle of your kitchen renos which I admit to being envious of!) and I was wondering if you'd share your recipe for turkey and spinach meatballs? I'm making a batch tomorrow for meatball subs and I was curious to maybe try something new :)
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Hi, Vicki. I believe the recipe I was using was this: Baked Turkey Meatballs with Spinach Recipe

I omitted the breadcrumbs quite often and it doesn't suffer from it if you're avoiding wheat. Enjoy! :)
 
Yesterday Bond had the day off of work for Presidents' Day. He's such a gem. He went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and bought polyester chiffon, the whole bolt which was 8 yards, so I can use it to diffuse light from the overhead lights in the art studio. It's been a bear to get decent pictures of my paintings and this should help a lot. And then he did the grocery shopping. :D I cannot express how much I love this man and how grateful I am to have him in my life. I am so blessed.

This morning I had a scare. Chase sent me an email alerting me to possible fraud for an international purchase of $399.00. I logged into my account and sure enough there was a pending transaction. This account is shared with Bond, so I forwarded him the email and then sent him a text asking if he had made a purchase. I figured I better check before I contacted Chase to say it was fraudulent. He replied that it was my V-Day present. :eek: Whoa! I have no clue what he may have gotten me and now I'm so darn curious. That's an awfully expensive Valentine's gift! The company name on the transaction is IRBTS and Googling on that brings up nothing useful. Knowing Bond, he'll probably spill the beans without too much prodding - if I really want to do that.

Nine days until my exhibition! I've been working on promoting my art on social media. I set up a Facebook business page about 2-3 weeks back, and this week I've started using my Twitter and Instagram accounts for my artwork. I have never been a strong user of either of those platforms, but I need to embrace them to help spread my reach. I'm also researching how to use the Facebook platform for advertising. I am trying to discern the most effective ways so I don't just toss money down the drain. It's a little overwhelming and makes me anxious.

It looks like we're going to have crap weather this coming weekend (ice/snow) so I doubt I'll be riding up north with my brother to visit our parents. He is working in Chicago for a few days starting tomorrow and had thought he'd go up to visit if the road conditions were favorable. We're getting snow tomorrow, too.
 
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