study number 2 of goosey gander

study number two of the brant goose head..this one is wash and colored pencil-
those colored pencils saved my ass today.... i started to lay down the washes and for some odd reason......i messed up BIG time...... could NOT get it working
so i let the paper dry and went into it with colored pencils.........
it saved what would have otherwise been a total loss.
i'm still not totally happy with this...
oh and the eyes are darker in real life (or so i suppose from the reference photos)..but they are hard to see in a painting if i make them too dark so this is the 'artistic' license part. i will give the colored pencils this...... they sure do make rendering texture easy.... wow the textures of the neck/breast feathers NEVER were that easy.... omg ....... and the cheek feathering and highlights....... ditto.. so here is my second study...
i am most likely going to do a third head then a composite of body poses and then go for the layout of the 'real' painting

meanwhile my art supply shopping list just got a couple more colored pencils added to it.... i was told to note which ones i used and make sure i always had extra (thank goodness blick has open stock on them)
i really do appreciate the ability to use the colored pencils when a painting is going south, like this one was...... i also thought i was going to have a very large learning curve, but i guess i did so much drawing with graphite pencils when i was a kid that i sort of just am able to shift that knowledge over.
OR
good colored pencils do a lot of the work for you?

meanwhile i got a sweet comment from the girl that won this years federal duck stamp competition ....... i had mentioned her yesterday on the blog ( i really am so proud of her winning, even though i don't know her, i do like her work.) i am so glad to see more female folk painting ducks and wildlife subjects, and i like to see the girls win the traditionally almost all male competitions.

let's see..... we're waiting to hear if i am going to get insurance again... thinks will be super tight if i do but i desperately need to be monitored with this fibromyalgia.
i should have been monitored for the pcos and adrenal thing all my life but well things happen....
the fibro is different.. cause of the meds they put you (me) on
anyway...yeah i know .... two posts in two days
i may even post again tomorrow if like the study

well there you go
have a good week ....it's the beginning of our weekend cause monday and tuesday are bernie's days off

goosey goosey gander.......

brant goose
pale bellied
head study

i've started research on brant geese.....which are tiny little birds about the size of mallard ducks.
they are ocean/salt marsh birds and we get them down the coasts during migrations.
the one on the east coast is the pale bellied or atlantic brant
there are a few others.......
they eat eelgrass, seagrass, and forage in fields near the shore. (vegetarians)
anyway.....i have a ways to go with my studies as i've never seen these guys in person..... which sucks, as i don't 'know' a bird well unless it's in person. so i am trying by doing a few studies to get near to a credible rendering.


meanwhile in duck stamp news... a woman won it! she's only the third woman in 75 years!!!!!
her name is Jennifer Miller and i don't even know her but i am so proud of her...she won with a pair of ruddy ducks. ........

now a couple of years ago....someone said about my work 'why ever do you paint ducks'.......my answer then was 'that is what i have around me, what i see and love every day' and i do so love my ducks-- i never knew there were other people out there that loved and painted ducks....wow!

ok now, in other news, i put up a stewing chicken and did stock.... and it was perfect timing as our bake element in the oven blew up the other night. so i ordered a new one online and it'll be here monday or tuesday.    meanwhile we have 'stove top' meals and soups.

as to the fibromyalgia, i am trying to learn my way around it..... ok well it's been ongoing i suppose. i will say that the 50,000.units of vitamin D weekly helps a lot and i added b complex and extra b12. plus a D3
i really was terribly deficient with the D way way below the lowest on the scale thingie.... it does help me to take the D supplements-- now that being said i did something to my back... so while i am better that is giving me fits.... it almost feels like i twisted my pelvis again.. and dislocated it but yet it doesn't hurt as bad as when i did the dislocated pelvis...but it does hurt and it's hard to stand up and walk.

meanwhile summer is winding down..... fall is starting in..... and i am hoping for an easy winter
so we'll see about that

anyway let me know how you all like that goose
and better yet if you have seen them in person, let me know how i did ok?

duck paintings

i scrapped the painting of the black bellied whistling ducks..i am going to do another one
i just was not happy with the two ducks in the background and the more i looked at them the more upset i got
so i scrapped it
i am going to put it in the scrap box and maybe someday i will see about either reworking it or burning it....either or
people got upset
but this is the deal....... if i cringe to look at it..... then i don't expect anyone else to look at it
so i am going to redo it or something with that species

i have a rough week ahead of me, appointments and some medical insurance problems to deal with
i am so not looking forward to this week
but it has to be done
and in addition NOW i have to figure out different/new medical insurance....and the exchange isn't open
so i am not too sure what i am going to do
i have the rheumatologist this month but i won't be able to get to any lab work or tests so that is going to be rough
also this month bernie has his bus/heavy truck inspection endorsement test- he's already got a class 1....... he needs to get class 3.... he doesn't need motorcycle so doesn't have to worry about class 2
he's had to switch his off time to take his test and we realized too late that we should have written the letter requesting two days not just the one...due to him having to work the night before and not having enough sleep prior to the test
but what is ....is what is...... we sort of expect that he'll pass anyway as he's been doing this for years........ getting vehicles ready to pass the state inspection so he does know it already

i am also hoping this week to finally get the other work area set up in the studio....i've planned for it....showed bernie.....drawn floor plans ..measured etc
he wanted to wait until we put down floor covering...... me, knowing how that goes around here, said....... i need this workspace NOW i can't way 20 years until you get to the new flooring
(i think it's been 28 or 29 and still no kitchen countertops-if we had an ikea near i would so have installed my own wooden ones)

so that's my little world.
oh and i emailed the roadmaster of the township the mess of the roadwork out front along with the waterfall down our driveway....we'll see what happens next

oh my, oh my

this is a fast study of a dried leaf and some oriental bittersweet...it's in preparation for the last painting in my current nest series.
the leaf has been kicking around the studio for like 5 years, as the shape was so interesting to me-- the bittersweet is from photos .....
this is a weird painting i know..but for some really odd reason, i like it very very much! go figure!
i like the way i rendered the berries.... the larger (closer to you) ones brighter, the faded look of the leaf (which is much darker in real life), and the more subdued painting of the smaller further away berries- i even like the way the shapes relate to each other....... and the painted  border.... the palette for this was very subdued as well.... my own mix for the reds, yellow ochre and naples yellow for the yellows..... umber for the browns...... i like this so much that i am going to do a few more along these lines and then maybe even down the road FRAME THEM for my self!
never underestimate the lure that red berries have for me...... oye

now in other news, i am starting to respond a bit to the extra rest and vitamin d.... this morning is the first morning in months that i was not in agony when i woke up
my hands still hurt but my shoulders not where near as bad
the absence of debilitating pain is amazing..... now i still have pain but not that horrible mind numbing pain that i've been living with
i still can't risk knitting yet...... or carrying full water buckets or stacking logs.... but i am hoping i can in time again because i feel so helpless

meanwhile..... i have plans for going to the bird farm this summer to paint edwards pheasants, along with chickens, ringneck pheasants, wild turkey, white quail, and a few peacocks.....
most likely i will do a lot of photographs, some on site color studies....... and then do the actual paintings here instudio...
i don't think i would have the time to do much actual painting at the farm, so to make sure i use my time and my models to the best of my abilities..... most of my work will be photo sessions
i may have to go back a second time but since it's far away, i may not have the opportunity to

i would also like very much to see about illustrating a book of fairy tales....but not the traditional ones

now yesterday, despite the very bad storms, we managed to shave most of the winter mats off fawn and give her a much needed bath, she looks and i imagine she feels so much lighter, cleaner, and happier today--- i wish we had a way to take her to a groomer over the winter so she can be trimmed up, bathed and dried thoroughly before she came home.... we can't bath her as we can't keep her warm enough through out the winter
and with her thyroid condition she mats so easily so fast that combing and brushing can't keep up with it... i know, cause i've tried so hard......
shaving her down and weekly baths are the only thing that keeps her from matting
she actually enjoys her bath....she relaxes into the hot water..... no struggling, no crying...... no fighting us...she seems to enjoy the water gently rinsing her too...
she doesn't seem to like the towel though!

anyway this is where we are all at right now

studio musings

 so you all remember the proposed re-arrangement of the painting end of the studio? (there is a fast sketch >>>)
well i am trying to figure out how to set up again for the new way i'm working and for the adding of the gouache area...i also need a spray booth area for fixatives
that wasn't figure in ...and i would need an exhaust fan too
i am wondering if it really is time to either add to the studio or move?
we really seriously need just a huge open space with two bathrooms
because where ever i work is where we live, no matter where i set up (and i always try to get the best light for what i'm doing) ...... before i know it, bernie's workbench is in there.....the cats are there, the plants are there, the computer is there and when we had/have people over.....they hang out in there... when we lived in the apartment and i worked in the bedroom, i used to have to throw people off my bed just to go to sleep!

now i have a lot of supplies.... i have a lot of palettes also
i am trying to decide how to handle the gouache area, it's own brushes of course so that i don't ruin my good kolinsky brushes, it's own palettes goes without saying.. now i am considering what palette system for the gouache so i don't confuse it with the transparent watercolor...
i am looking at closed palettes with half and full pans, i am looking at open palettes for mixing...
i actually prefer open palettes but they do tend to get dusty and attract these stupid little beetles from heaven knows where...
 so far i am keeping all tube paints and some filled pans in the wooden three drawer box that rhonda gave me last year for my bd.
i also keep my drawing graphite pencils and some smaller tools in there- i really hate dusty supplies especially dusty from the woodstove.

i also need room for a computer over there, so i can work off reference photos in color on the screen
i would like to add a drawing tablet to the computer there as well....

and eventually (but sooner then later) i need a flat file, i would love wood, metal is probably safer, and i think 15 drawers or maybe 20?
and i want everything able to be on wheels to be moved for cleaning, the shakers sure has something there with their insistence on everything either hung or on wheels-- it makes things so much easier.

now i would dearly love running water there.... but probably not in this house
(and a bathroom as i am running through the house up the stairs to our bathroom all the time)

so some of what i need to come up with ideas for

1.  a second distinctly different palettes system for gouache, 
2. spray area
3. dust free system for palettes
4. computer area with drawing tablet
5. paper storage until the flat files (i use archival boxes but need them to go somewhere (low and cat pee proof)
6. more background lighting
7. light box area (set into a work surface would be best)

so this is my working list so far...... oye
add the other studio stuff to this....and the yarn, books, beads and fabric you got a seriously cluttered studio
so i want to take this opportunity to tell you that a 400+ square foot studio is way too small a space......... ahem
possibly i need 4X that..... just for studio space.... oh and skylights
i need me some skylights

any ideas?
and i need to stuff this all within the swivel of my paintings chair (the one bernie repaired as it is the only chair that fits in that area...... )

painting update

well this painting is sort of coming along. i went to the dentist today and as i walked in and out i was studying our rhodo.
what the dentist? new one, takes my insurance, i made him pinkie swear not to hurt me, which he swore and then did not hurt me
i like him.
the painting.... ahem right now.....not so much....it's torturously slow
and i have a very long way to go on it.
in other news, i put in a small order of art supplies, as everyone is having decent sales and some have free shipping. so i have some new brushes coming which i have been wanting.... a dagger brush in a different size then the one i have (it was the only brush that got me through those impatiens from hell) ...... a ream of tracing paper... some kneaded erasers, a new maskoid pickup........ and empty watercolor pans...oh and a second watercolor board so i can tape down a second painting... then i am going to be working two at a time (i may cut the second board into two pieces so i have three paintings going)

i am looking forward to working with those colored pencils as soon as i finish this series

i have a couple of ideas now.... as i dreamt a few so i may do one frog a few different ways

and in checking the frog pond, no eggs were detected yet.... but i did hear spring peepers out back, and saw snow drops (normally we see them in jan/feb......not march/april) ....
tomorrow i have lab work in the morning....fasting
friday is a doctors appointment to see if he is going to do something about this mass
although i have my doubts he's going to bother

so anyway that's our little world
oh and the new handicapped duckling is now misha
and she's learned to go in and out like the big ducks
i have hopes that she'll get into a pen with one of them maybe......
til next time

this and that and GREEN GREEN living things!

 this is the current painting in this second nest series... i am thinking of upping the contrast a bit as it is way too quiet a painting (that's what i get for listening to the pachelbel canon while painting)
however i think it works (cause of the maple leaves) with the first one in this series.....but we'll see

i've talked before here about the pigments i use, and why......(i want only lightfast for the durability)
now i am experimenting with darks again.... this painting has selective areas that are layered colors to make a dark dark..
and i think i need to do more of that here with this painting
i do like the nestling..... baby birds are so fragile and transparent looking, that it amazes me to watch them grow up.. they really do look like little aliens when they first hatch
and they are all MOUTH........
anyway, i am always researching pigments, and ways to mix pigments to make darker darks, sometimes even 'black' isn't dark enough. i would rather not use a straight black pigment, so mainly i'm working with blues, greens and reds.... layered as pure pigment as well as mixed first.
i will also tell you...i REALLY need to knuckle down and LOOK at flowers..... i'm just not good at them
anyway, i use 100% cotton acid free internal/external sized paper, and i use permanent lightfast pigments- as long as these paintings don't get wet or stored in a moist environment, they should last a few hundred years with minimal change- that doesn't mean you can throw them in the window facing south in new mexico for ten years- (and you need to frame them with uv glass too) but with reasonable care.... yup 200-400 or more years
eventually when the originals get sold i can feel good about that. (not that it matters but stranger things have happened)

this next photo is a close up of moss......from the deck, it finally thawed enough for me to pry some of it up
i am going to stick it in closed terrariums, i miss GREEN living things so much- that is an extreme close up of the moss.... the really cool thing about this particular moss is those little brown thingies on the upper right.... they are some sort of sensor or seed or something... and they MOVE when you spray them with water....or it rains and the drops hit them....they swing around!
it fascinates me endlessly...
and the moss itself is a spongy soft pillow... so i couldn't resist putting it in terrariums --- besides i had to get it out of the planter it took over.....no? that is the planter i like to grow lettuce in, so the moss had to sort of go......and i need it in the house to make me happy over the winter ..........i think it's a win win.... right now some of it is sitting on a plastic plate and i've spritz the moss with water, until i get the 5 gallon fish tank up to plant it in....... i may even put a few other odds and end plants in there with it

now this is my birthday month
i am still really hoping for my birthday list..... but i think right now if i can get a new chair i would be ok...... ok not really but it would be a good thing
i am going to start releasing prints soon
so maybe my new chair, and some of the other stuff i need to keep going with this will happen sooner rather then later?

anyway the mountains of snow are slowly S L O W L Y melting
and the iceberg that sunk the titanic is still outside the duckroom door..
i am still waking up in pain (agony really until the tylanol kicks in)....however last night i was able to stay in bed and get up once for the stove.....
i still woke up, i just didn't come down because i knew it was warm enough..... yup it was
at 9am this morning when bernie got home, it was 76 in the studio......so things are warming up slowly

how is it by you folks?
spring get to you yet?

my view of painting

3/4 of painting...(at least for me) is thinking.....
how to lay down the color
WHAT colors to lay down
what is the point of the story of this illustration?
what is the overall color language of this painting..
how does it relate to the rest of the series... does it tell it's own story AND continue the story of the series?
i also like to work from on palette for each series mostly
each palette i have (and i have a LOT of them) has a different range of the same pigments, but mixed differently or different % of those colors
i was working on laying down the first washes for this next painting in this more involved nest series and i realize that this is what i think  about...
while i am laying it out... while i am transferring it
as i sit and look at my drawing ...... my first questions are

what do i want to emphasize with this painting? and how do i use my color now to do that.
i think my most successful paintings not only had a tight layout but a very particular color point of view
at least to my mind

this painting is third in the current series... i went from a very subdued palette with punches of my beloved berry reds
to a very earthy but bright palette
this one is going to be bright and spring like i believe....
with i hope very clear layered washes of pure pigments
i'm working with cobalt right now- and i like how it is working so far
laying in the basis for the darks with it


and listening to the canon......
one of these days i am going to do a video while i work...(it may be a few years or a few months or days....when i have time)
so i can share with all yous

in the midst of the storm

bernie's phone needed to be replenished....
and i am hoping he's left to come home from work
meanwhile tuesday was our anniversary...37 years
it was mainly a day filled with chores....and preparing for this storm

now at the moment, i am sitting on pins and needles worried about him getting home during this
of course his phone needed replenishing... i am purposely keeping it on per call....as we're switching carriers and i don't want to lose a lot of money or of course...sign up for a plan
i wasn't paying attention though (i'm really that tired)

meanwhile
it's snowing out
ahem
i live in a brugel landscape now- and probably it's just as cold....i know it's just as white
in painting news.....
i finished the quail and hope they will forgive me soon
now i have a few paintings to photograph....something like 20 now
i am trying to decide which is next..... continue work on this more detailed nest series....
flesh out the other series?
move on to the teacup/teapot........
i think however it may be time to move on to something a bit more summery....as a LOT of the paintings in the past year or so have been so very cold.....arctic, winter.....
yeah maybe it's time for some sun and greens?
or maybe i need to do some peoples? i keep thinking of the inuit woman with her polar bear son...
she made me so happy while i was painting her
she almost painted herself
maybe i need to start a couple of series.....and set up multiple painting areas?

meanwhile stay warm and safe if you are within our bitter cold winter area
with this never ending snow and ice

more snow, more storms, more shore birds

i guess the ever growing snow mounds have inspired my flooding fears
as i dreamt that there was a HUGE wave/lake out back..... and that it came down the hill and across the front lawn into a lake that was dug right next to my driveway
however apparently i am dreaming in some sort of mirror ...through the looking glass way cause it came down the right side (as i watched through the front windows) and went over to the left......
in the dream THAT was downhill!

shorebird/gull 4

(and the back yard was UP hill in the dream.....)
but it goes to show..... how utterly pervasive this snow pack is for me
HEY you try getting up every few hours for the woodstove and see how your dreams hold up.

meanwhile we struggle with wet wood..... bored poultry
and quail tails
(still not done with that painting)
however i am doing a series of fast shore bird/gull paintings- some good......some not so good.... all
fast.
it takes less time to do the birds then it does to do the backgrounds which are just sort of random
with speckles added -it's to keep my hand/eye going while the quail resolve themselves-- they make me want to do a few 'big paintings'
i also came smack up against some of the limitations of this studio at the moment, no place to cut paper during the winter.
it's not easy during the summer either but i use the woodstove- i don't actually have that option in the winter..(not if i would rather not burn the house down)
so i was looking on craigslist and found flat files.... but right now there are a few marks against them
1) i don't have the money
2) i don't have a way to get them home (they are huge)
3) i don't have a place to put them
4) i don't have space to refinish them in

oye.....but they would solve a few problems.... like taking the bulk paper off the top of the bird cage and the big shelves (where i can't reach it) .....and the top would be the right height and size for cutting paper
(cause i was drooling over a 10 drawer unit)
if i put it on a rolling base...... i would have it made!
i could even mount a roll of water color paper on it and be able to cut that too!

now we are to be getting a few storms over the weekend and next week...with the already over burdened electrical grid... we may lose electric. although ppl has been reinforcing the grid here since sandy.
for me that means keeping cooked foods in the freezer that are easy to reheat and keeping stock pots etc filled with water for us
water for the poultry will be melted snow if the electric goes out
we really need to get the switch put into the circuit breaker box for the gen so we have water-
and i really need to get back to sleep even for an hour or  so
i think the woodstove is going to be ok for a while now

keep safe everyone

catching up

after the ice age.....

we've been just trying to hang in there and stay warm
our rescue duckling is doing well.... she lost a toe and some webbing but she is eating and had a warm bath today (it was warm enough out to take her out to bath)
she's got a very soft hay filled indoor pen
and i think she is getting used to being here
i am still struggling with the quail painting...
so i took a break and am doing shore birds- so far gulls, this is the second one... they are tiny tiny paintings (photographed against my palette and paint table)
i don't know why but i am

in knitting ......i had to stop my mindless lace knitting to make a cowl and hat for bernie and another hat for me...i have more cowl/hat sets to make for us....since it seems one is always drying ....lost..... got cat spit on it...
(don't ask)

i am looking forward to spring, how about you folks?
we had a very hard time staying warm this winter, even with the woodstove, back up kero heater, and plastic wrapping everything......
we moved the ducks into the main basement (talk about crowded) and i was up every 1.5 -2 hours with the woodstove around the clock

we kept the lights on in the basement 24/7 for extra heat and i put the ash bucket full of hot coal in the stone sink with the lid cracked to keep enough heat for everyone....and dripped the faucets
we did make it through but boy...
i don't care to repeat that any time soon

i got the fever................ WARNING PHOTO heavy

spring fever it would seems......AGAIN
so these thankfully were on sale at homedepot.....i got three and really would have liked to get more (light blue, a clear purply purple and a white with yellow)--- they looked healthy and are loaded with buds..so they're here now---i have to repot the old ones i have..... and i am going to see about a pebble tray for them
meanwhile we're bracing for a storm..... up to 8'' of snow possible overnight tonight-20 with windchill

i am still wanting a terrarium, but maybe i'll do a water one...... with water plants instead of tropical?
now for today's look back to the archives humor post.......HERE
it is so appropriate for today as it happened during this time of year.....
in painting news.....the quail painting is progressing

oh and...... we have a new duckling..... she is about 3 months old, and had damage to her foot with the extreme cold ......so she came here to live.... bernie is torn about it.....he feels bad for her but at the same time, doesn't want another duck
she's very very scared..... she saw her nestmate/brother get dispatched and processed right before she came. they don't forget that.
so she's resting in her crate..... today i have to bath her and clip her wings
i think she'll be ok, and if i could only convince one of the girls to accept her we'll be great.....it would be best if the younger girls accepted her.....as she is their niece
and we're going to need a name for her i think.....no?

in cooking......i am working my way through chopmeat, (1.99 a pound at giants- i got about 20 pounds and then they ran out...so i got a raincheck too)

chili
meatloaf
salisbury steak
enchiladas

all for the freezer

ok everyone....those who are facing this storm......stay warm and safe
those who aren't
enjoy your week
i am going to start cooking now while watching the snow get heavier

take good care......

painting update-- and sunday is our monday

here is what i've been working on- it's coming along, and i have to say, i am starting to enjoy it a bit...
although i had to stop for the night (today is actually saturday) as i got way too tired.
bernie is off tonight, so we were in the studio...he's working on a model, i'm painting
we are listening to some interesting holiday music on the hammered dulcimer, celtic harp, pan flute, and then some bach-- all instrumental .....
maybe that's why my paintings look like they do?

i also like andean music, (the flutes) a lot of baroque but mostly just the really happy lively stuff... some experimental stuff ( AIR) ........... actually for me this is huge progress because i couldn't listen to music for YEARS...... it hurt my ears...
now i can but only certain kinds.... and i have limited tolerance for rock ....even the stuff i loved growing up!
it just bothers my ears.



in other news....the seed catalogs have started to arrive........ Johnny's got here....... i love them, and i am waiting on Territorial (love them too) fedco, grow italian, high mowing seeds, southern seed exchange, and a few others..... it's almost time to start the early stuff!
some years i can't wait....i am dying for seed starting in november!
i am hoping that i can get a very productive garden again..... i missed it the last two years.

ok it's bed time for us now.... so this will post in the morning.....
have a good weekend everyone

pictures....of pictures! and more pictures (sorry about that)

detail of male quail

almost finished

okey then, here is some of what i've been working on......i have an eye infection so things have slowed down a bit- bernie's new job slowed me down as well, since he's working (for now) 7pm to 3 am..... 

and then of course.... our little quail visitors took some times up..... so in retaliation, i painted them.

meanwhile it's cold here....got more snow today too. i am trying to settle in to painting daily again.

i have some odds and ends to mail to folks, as soon as i can get it together, there are all sorts of odds and ends paperwork and phone calls i've also had to be doing. 

beginnings

cookies

so with this post i figured i would show you some of the paintings as well as bernie's cookies (the recipe was the other day HERE) these are simple to just drop on the cookie tray as you can see.... i make the dough and then bernie can bake them when he wants them.

i also took a photo of bernie adding sugar to the tops of his cookies so you can see what they look like..it really is that simple....and the dough does get better after a few days in the fridge.

 
 here they are during the sugar part.... we use a rainbow mix now of decorator sugar, i love how festive these cookies look, and i love the almost sponge texture of them after baking. one of my friends baked them with anise and she said they liked them that way, which is something bernie and i were talking about doing with the next batch maybe.....i was also thinking of maybe lemon zest and lavender buds too for spring.

so there you have the cookies....and the paintings ......and what all is going on....i couldn't post the knitting (still working on vinelace in blue) as it got so long.....but still not finished, i am thinking it's going to be about 6' long when i'm done..... depending on how i block it out

ok folks.....til next time

before i forget......

first off i want to wish you all the very happiest of holiday seasons

then i want to tell you how to make one of my favorite cookies
(it makes a LOT..... either freeze half or use this as a holiday tray cookie)

i make the dough, and keep it in the fridge.....it keeps about a week in the fridge
it rarely lasts that long with bernie around

thoroughly cream 1 cup of sweet unsalted butter
use the high speed on the mixer
then add 8oz of cream cheese and thoroughly cream that with the butter
add 2 and 3/4 cups of white sugar... scrap down the sides of the bowl and keep that mixer going at high speed
add 4 duck eggs (or 5 jumbo chicken eggs) and beat that batter within an inch of it's life
add 1 tablespoon each of vanilla (remember when i told you how to make it?) and almond extract
and continue to beat it until it's fluffy and smooth and almost looks like frosting

meanwhile sift 5 and 1/2 cups of flour with 4 teaspoons cream of tartar, and 2 teaspoons of baking SODA...... mix this all up very well you can add some salt....maybe 1/8 teaspoon

then stir it into the wet ingredients.... be careful not to over mix.... you can use the mixer on low/med
and stop often to scrap the sides down

DO NOT OVER MIX THIS PART

chill for about an hour

drop by tablespoonfulls on a cookie sheet -
sprinkle some multi colored sanding sugar or sprinkles on the top
and bake between 10 and 14 mins at 350 degrees
until the edges are medium brown

let cool on the tray about 3 minutes then move them to a cooling rack

ok now the variations

you can add some ground cardamon to the dry ingredients
and or some lemon or orange zest
about a teaspoon measure
you can add chips to the finished dough (or part of the finished dough)
or nuts
or sprinkle chopped nuts on top
raisins soaked in liquid can be added to the dough before dropping on the cookie sheet
or cranraisins...... or sweetened dried cherries, or blueberries....crushed toffee.....

or bake without and then ice or glaze later
( i like lemon icing on these just FYI)

we do however make these all year round... they are not just for christmas.

now just a fast update on other stuff.....i have a layout on the board for a nest with quail....
we'll see how that goes
i have the quail in a better/larger/ more quail comfortable arrangement now in the basement, after doing research with google and also quail breeders here.. one got out and was flying around in the duck room but we got it back and they are both fine, nestled together in the alfalfa hay part of their new pen...they also have sand/oyster shell to dust themselves with, and i ground the pellets into crumble for them, and added some bird seed too..........
in knitting news i have about 40 inches of vine lace on that scarf i'm working on......it looks like i also have another 200 yards or so left of the skein so i am going to keep knitting.

bernie starts his new job tomorrow night..... he's met some of the guys when he brought his tool box up to the new shop.

ok i think you folks are all caught up....now tomorrow (this will post monday so for tuesday's post) i have a funny story...... i am liking reposting the archive stories that are funny..... i hope you folks are enjoying them too.
and again i can't say this enough, i wish you all the most wonderful of holiday seasons

going to town *edited to add more shell photos

i think it's the first time i've been to town in like what? a month?
oye

it's not a biggie, i just have to go to talk to someone about medical insurance and stuff.

ok now, in painting news, this is a bit of the props for the (i hope) latest painting, what you are looking at is a conch shell we've had for like 30 years, a slab of a tree, and some of my begonia that i cut and am rooting in water. it's against one of the gator boards i use to mount watercolor paper on while i am painting- i am wandering around looking for other stuff to put in there too..
so that is the start of the next painting i think..... i am really liking that shell's interior, and i like the pink of the begonia...

i WISH i had some other smaller flowering plants in that sort of pretty shell pink to put in there- but i don't
i would love a mini orchid, or african violet in full bloom, or if i could have.....a pink petunia (so very out of season no?)

we are having a test of our emergency storage system here...... and i found that we are lacking milk, and eggs..... ....and i really need to get a cold frame for the winter
i am going to threaten the chickens......and when this test of emergency storage system is over.... i will also add powdered eggs to the storage list
along with powdered WHOLE milk
oye

ok have a good day you guys

wish bernie good luck this morning....

if luck is with him, i'll let you know in a few weeks.

now a fast peek at where i'm at with this newest painting, (it's actually further along right now but i didn't get a chance to shoot another picture)
and i'll be starting the next one in the series as soon as i finish the layout. 
i SWEAR i am going to get me a drawing tablet for layouts soon, i know i keep saying that..... it's on the list .....i would love a new desktop computer too, so i can use the laptop just for converting the photos of the paintings into print files.


now, there have been all sorts of things going on around here lately, some of which i haven't been mentioning, so it's been a bit of a struggle for me to post on the blog, paint, submit to agents and just generally keeping everything going. 
thankfully bernie has been doing a lot of  my chores when he can so i've gotten a bit of rest, and also some sleep too, in between stoking the woodstove at night.

anyway by the time you all read this... it will be morning
so please wish bernie luck today ok?

painting update

here is a fast update on my nest painting... it's actually a lot further along though.
and i am already starting to look forward to the finish on this and starting the next one (6 seems to be my normal series, with the crows being an anomaly right now -- however i plan on doing series of 13 for calenders in the future)







to get back to discussing the stocking of a pantry, i would like some feedback from you folks, if this is at all helpful to you.
in the meantime, once you have a list of meals, also make a list (separate paper) of the things you use with them, such as ketchup, coffee, other condiments, you can even list things like napkins.

*** now i have found that almost everything goes on sale at least once a year, with the possible exception of the 'grain free' cat food that we feed the cats....... for you to save the most amount of money, you need to be able to stock enough to last you from one of the 'best price' sales to the next.....
for some things that is yearly but most stuff that is about six months. take butter, we tend to see it on sale here in may, and then again november. it's under 2.00 a pound on sale- so i tend to get at least enough to last me to the next big sale......and throw it in the freezer.  if you don't have a big freezer this won't work for you, but there is also a way to CAN butter..... just a thought***

when i decided to stock the pantry for a full year, i made a LOT of lists.
for a two week pantry it isn't too bad, the list of meals, then double or triple the ingredients, and pick them up. plan for the sale items that week for your meals
also keep buying water,....
i pick up things like batteries, periodically when there are sales, ditto on the light bulbs
i hit a great sale in september on pasta, that normally is about 1.50 a pound, i got it for 67cents a pound..i bought 15 pounds and i put it in mason jars. we eat about a pound for a supper and a lunch for two......that is going to last a bit added to what i already have on the shelf

i would also suggest strongly learning to can if you don't already.
now canning most fruits and tomato products involves a boiling water bath.. i used to use a 'canner' for this, now i use my big stockpot with the pasta insert! works great.

i would also like to suggest that you start either batch cooking, or double/triple your recipes. Storing the extra in the freezer.
when i worked outside the home, i cooked one saturday a month, we went food shopping friday night, and i cooked and put away raw meats in the freezer on saturday. now what works for me is batch cooking.
chicken parts on sale, i get 40 pounds and cook some into recipes and freeze some in marinades....
of course normally once a year i get 120# of boneless skinless chicken breasts (when they are under 1.80 a pound) and i slice them, cube them, bread some (link to my 'bread coating for chicken, pork, etc), and freeze some in marinades.

now a word about where to store everything..... i have a very small house, without closets, and the kitchen is a nightmare-(it's a glorified hallway with four doorways, all of which are essential, very little wall space, too narrow for an real island, and NO COUNTER TOPS- and due to a new faucet, terrible water pressure) ... we also have a damp basement with a partial dirt floor .... the joys of an old house,.... so storing the pantry is in several locations.... even in the damp basement, which doubles as night and winter quarters for the poultry, and a cold cellar for the potatoes. (mom was right, there always is a silver lining if you look hard enough)

for me the challenge to be ready for emergencies and to find new and better ways to save money is not only compelling but it's bailed us out on more then one occasion, so i wish that for you as well.
during hurricane sandy we were just slightly uncomfortable. the biggest thing was no running water.
during times of financial difficulty this made the difference in our surviving or starving.
and during better times, we were able to save some money towards retirement.

now if you want me to continue this as a sort of formal series here, please let me know
for us ..... living this way is a way of life.
without even thinking about it, i get ready for each season.
i even pick the seeds for the garden by what keeps the best for drying, freezing and canning.
(which can be a whole other series)

in the meantime
my turkey stock for the other day is in the freezer, part of the ongoing pantry.

painting updates, pantry notes *** pretty long pt 1 of many

i was up most of the night painting, i think it's starting to come along now. i am starting to like what i see here. however i will be cautious with my optimism, as i don't want to become so enraptured with this painting that i don't see if i make a mistake. it's good to keep a critical eye on your work. 

this particular series will be larger in size then my original ones, and i think more intricate, reflective of where i am in my life now.

i do like the 'peeking into' aspect of this painting, a glimpse into a sheltered and secret world. 

some of my favorite things are in this painting, maple leaves, wild berries, the nest and eggs. 

this painting was extremely soft starting out, and still is mostly, but i think things are starting to sharpen up a bit, which they needed to.

now onto another thing that i was asked about recently...

starting and maintaining a home pantry without making yourself nuts. yes it can be a huge job but it's easy one step at a time.

our forefathers (really our foreMOTHERS) marked the rhythm of the seasons of an agricultural based year, taking things in plentiful and season and preserving them for times of want and winter.

for us, it is more a matter of making sure that if there is a hardship, such as illness or job loss...

or a storm, or money is tight, we can survive. despite the supermarkets all around us full of food and goods, sometimes they are beyond our grasp.

so i am going to try to help you put a pantry together if you don't have one, increase your pantry if you do have one, and try to help you save some money while you are doing it.

***please note that when i refer to our pantry it includes batch cooking freezer meals, dried foods, canned foods and homemade 'tv dinners'' part of our pantry, as during hurricane sandy (no running water and no electricity for over a week and then no hot water for another 2 weeks) the food i had already cooked ahead was what we reheated on the woodstove.  it also includes extra amounts of things like coffee, tea, sugar, lightbulbs, toilet paper..... 

first you need a plan. 

and a notebook (i use a three ring binder- and i get a ream of prepunched holed paper for it)

ok, what do you eat during the week (please don't say 'take out every night'..or we will have to talk)

let's just say an average week

make a list of your suppers

here's mine for cold week in fall: 

sunday- pasta and sauce (salad)

monday- meatloaf, baked potato, carrots (gravy optional)

tuesday- chicken stir fry with mixed veggies, brown rice

wednesday- porkchops in apple cider with homemade mac/cheese and home canned cole slaw (yes it stayed crisp
thursday- chicken soup with no knead bread

friday- homemade pizza

saturday- beef stew

summers are in a way, easier as we eat a lot of salads out of the garden, but we'll just do this normal type week.

what else does your family eat?

make a short list of favorite main dish meals

i have a list of about 60 different main dishes put away.......

now you know that you have to eat daily,

so decide for now, how many days or weeks you would like to have stocked for?

***i started out when we were first married (37 years ago) stocking monthly, we shopped once a month, i spend saturday cooking and then we ate for the month without worry....just picking up milk and maybe eggs or bread and some fresh veggies weekly (we lived in an apartment at that time and i worked full time outside of the house)

when we moved here, we started to stock up for 3 months at a time, but soon graduated to 6 months at a time....and finally to a year at a time.

let's say you want to stock for two weeks, 

you know you need 14 meals, but say your family LOVES homemade pizza and you have that every friday night....ok so that really is only 13 meals (cause one is doubled)

and say you make a big roast on a sunday, then cut it up for stew, and the leftover stew is now going into a pot pie, ...hmmmmm see what i mean? (hint, cut the roast into stew chunks before you put it away on sunday, and it's ready to go for a fast stew during the week.)

now i know at this point in the process, i was sitting there overwhelmed and wondering how i was going to do this, where i was going to put everything, afford everything, .....and just remember everything. if you're at that point right now, just remember, i too was there, we were on a very tight budget, we have an extremely tiny house, no closets, a damp basement, a total wreck of a kitchen without kitchen counters, and i was scared, so if i can do this YOU can do this, 

ok so we have a sample week of supper menus, and a list of other meals your family likes

plus an idea of how many weeks (2) you want to try and stock for.

now we do some math,  first off you take the meals you know you will repeat ......so that would be say two meals of  homemade pizza

and you are going to make a roast either of beef or chicken or even turkey, and cut that up for a stew, and the pot pie.

now you just have to fill in the others (fill in your own meals ok-i'm working on a pdf for you to download)

1. roast
2. stew and/or potpie
3. chicken stir fry 
4. meatloaf
5. pizza
6. pizza
7. pork chops
8. pasta
9. soup and sandwitch
10. baked chicken
11. tuna casserole
12. tilapia fillets with parmesan coating
13. enchiladas
14. chili

ok so there is about a two week batch of meals...just supper at this point, cause lunches are normally leftovers (so i just make extras- enough for a meal or two for the freezer and a bit leftover for lunch the next day)

now we are going to break it down into manageable units ( which is going to start tomorrow as i have been working all day and my eyes are exhausted!)

please leave any questions you may have in the comments and we'll work them out as we go along

a blast from the past..

i have been sending links to some of the really funny posts from my blog to a friend of mine, periodically to make her laugh.

she's had a rough year with some really serious losses, and it's the least i can do to make her laugh for a second or two.

i thought maybe some of you folks would like a laugh too, because there are times during the holiday season and throughout the year that you just need to laugh, to read something funny or silly. so i was sort of thinking about how to do that.... i was going to set up a page and then tag the posts (i am still going to tag the posts) 

but i realized that maybe i needed to do it regularly? 

now the first link i sent to my friend was this one "i come by it honestly"

it is about the time my parents got stuck in my front door.

i swear sometimes i needed a laugh track for parts of my life

this was was pretty funny. (and if you do go and read it, and find it funny let me know- it is a true story, and still cracks me up- my family was nuts i swear.....)

now i need to come with a tag for the old funny posts, so if you have any ideas let me know.

comments are open.... (HINT HINT)

next up, a continuation of the current painting in progress, (the other day i showed you the layout, now there is the beginnings of the first color washes on it)- i know i like to see how things progress and i thought maybe you folks would like it too-- i won't be able to paint on it as much as i would normally, due to the ongoing work on getting the first nest series, the bird series etc ready to list on etsy. 

i am trying so hard with that. it's taking longer then i thought as i have to keep stopping for either camera battery recharging or other unavoidable things. but i am continuing. - i have also found unbendable mailers for the prints. 

i found a way to do them as cards as well, but the cards would have a retail of about 3.00 each, so i am not sure (the kickstarter i was working on last year, priced the cards out to be affordable as sets, but that was from a large volume order through a local printer, not done in the studio)

detail of painting

ok .....in knitting news, i am working on the vine lace pattern, and am reduced to counting after i work every single row!- it's ok though as i still find it relaxing,......although it would be better if i didn't have to. counting however is better then tinking (knitting backwards) ** if you want to knit this stitch it's in one of the walker treasuries, let me know and i'll dig it out

now this post i am typing at night, it's actually monday the 2, but it'll post in the morning. tomorrow while you are having your coffee, i will be slaving away over the hot lights, shooting more photos of my work. (apparently doing that correctly is an art in itself)

anyhow let me know if you enjoy that archived post, because then i'll put more links up to the funniest posts (funny stuff seems to go in cycles around here..... the latest cycle is more creative as opposed to funny but the funny cycle will return, it always does)

take good care

until next time

vi