This Weekend

This weekend flew by, and thankfully, I still have one more day off.

On Friday evening, we went to the Valentine's Day dance at AVS. It was a small dance this year as about half of the kids and some of the staff were ill with a really yucky stomach flu-ish illness. Still, those of us that were at the party had fun.

Saturday morning, the kids and I had a leisurely breakfast. There were small holiday gifts, of course. For Ellie, I put together some Almond Rocca, French macaroon and a coupon for the Mount Princeton Hot Springs. I gifted Ethan with Almond Rocca, a giant roll of Smarties, tickets to see, "Paddington" and a promise to make maralade together. For Kohlton I put together a bag of candy. I figured that he would share the Hot Springs coupon with Ellie. Larr will be receiving a pair of linen pants, just like the ones I made for Ethan, as soon as our lives calm down enough for me to sew again. Next, I made crepes for everyone, then we sat around visiting. Ellie and Kohlton played music. Ellie is teaching herself how to sing and play at the same time. It turns out that it is rather hard to do, especially if you are new to being musical. Still, I love being able to sit and take all of that in.

The kids played "dueling cameras," trying to see what the differences were between their cameras.

Ellie and Kohlton went to Ikea to look at stuff. They like to think about and make plans for what life will be like when they move out.

In the evening, the kids set up an outdoor theater in the back yard. It involved all manner of blankets, pillows, a computer, a digital projector, a slide screen, a speaker and movies. They watched, "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Darjeeling Limited," both movies by Wes Anderson. It even included the dog. It was a temperate and lovely evening. (Such a contrast to today in which there is constant snow.)Ellie declared it to be the best Valentine's day, EVER!

On Sunday all of us, including Kohlton, worked to get Grandpa's house ready for the guests that will begin to arrive today, through Thursday. They are coming for the memorial service that we will have next weekend.It is a huge relief to have that done. Ethan and I went to see "Paddington" in the evening. We followed it up with burgers and fries at Five Guys.

A Tribute to Don Welshon

I spent the day creating a slideshow and a photo-album to honor the life of my father-in-law, Don Welshon, who passed away on Christmas Day. Creating the slideshow and album was bittersweet.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Visit Shutterfly.com to create your own personalized photobook.

Good Times

Today is a pretty wonderful day. Yesterday Ethan returned home from his trip to Thailand, Ellie and Kohlton celebrated their third year of dating and it was a relaxing evening.

Ellie gifted Ethan with a welcome home cake that featured succulents and a garden cat decoration made of frosting, fashioned after one of his actual succulent gardens. It feels good to have all of us under one roof again.

(If you look closely, you will see Ellie playing the ukulele that Kohlton gave to her as a gift. She has already learned how to play "Over the Rainbow" and another song whose name I cannot remember.)

I started the day by meeting Natalie at a diner in Golden where we chatted over breakfast, both of us having the day off. We've been friends for 25+ years, but most of that time we lived in different places and so our in-person conversations were limited and only the most important topics were measured out. Now we get together on a regular basis and we can converse about the everyday, the mundane, the upsetting, the exciting - it is all on the table.

Then I came home where I was able to open all of the windows on the main floor of the house to let the sunshine and warmth in. Ethan lounged in his favorite chair, trying to get back on Colorado time. Thailand is 12 hours ahead, so it was nearly night time to his body. I cleaned a bit and then crafted. I also made 3 batches of Valentine theme rice crispy treats. The soft music of John Denver floating through the air. I always think of Natalie when I listen to his music. John Denver's music makes Ethan feel at home and comfortable.

This evening we will go to the Valentine's day dance at school. It was nice to have a calm day at home with my boy.

A Happy Bee Day Cake - For Britt's Birthday

Ellie created a really fun cake this weekend in honor of Britt's birthday. Ellie created the Happy Bee Day cake because Britt loves bees, or rather, the idea of bees. I don't think she actually really likes actual bees.

The bees are really fun. They even have tiny stingers. Ellie doesn't usually make cute things, but I think she had fun with this one.

I'm also excited that she has put together a blog to showcase her cakes. It is Ellie Likes to Make Cake.

A Little Mail Art and Origami Heart Love

This week I have been able to carve out a bit of time in the evenings to create a few small pieces of mixed media art for a few mail art exchanges that I am part of. I had originally planned to make some sort of Valentine centered around the rocks. It just did not work out. I could not come up with something that was interesting to me. I've been reading through Mae Chevrette's art blog and so I had some of her images in my head. I find her work very inspiring, so I thought I could give it a try, even though I was working in 4" x 6", instead of on huge canvases. I also loved the pictures Ellie took in California. The pieces I created have a beach photo from Ellie and a picture of rocks from the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington that Ethan took and I manipulated in Photoshop.

I started out by putting down a turquoise wash on the white canvas board.

Next, I use nail polish remover to transfer the image onto the canvas. I had also searched out a few vintage California Beach images, old post card and photos, but they did not make the cut. When I tried to add them, it felt like too much was going on and the images were "fighting" with each other.

I've added ultramarine blue to the edges to give it a bit of depth at the edges. It is interesting to me how much this small act changes how I see the image.

I wrote out some of the words to "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" (... sailed off in a pea green boat...) here, knowing that this will become just texture later on since most of it will be covered. Many mixed media artists find old hand-scribed cards to fill this same need. I just did not have any and I did not want to loose any of the image to another layer of paper.

Toby absolutely insisted on being with me while I painted.

I painted in the undercoat of the text in an effort to have a true color for the fonts.

Here, you can see the benefit of adding that white under color.

I added two coats of the gold paint and outlined the letters with a scratch pen line. I tried to use a Sharpie to add those lines, but interestingly, Sharpie would not write on the modge podge surface so I used a gel pen.
The end product is not what I had in my head, but I am still pretty happy with it. I am also happier in general when I have a chance to make art.

On Friday afternoon after school I headed up to Two Hands Paperie in Boulder to the Origami Heart Folding event that Two Hands and Boulder Folders were hosting. It was a lot of fun. I folded a bunch of hearts.

I decided to tuck a few of them into the packages that I sent out today. I love sending out fun packages!

Ellie's Trip to California - Sunset Cliffs in La Jolla - Part 3

If I asked Ellie, I am pretty sure that she would say that one of her favorite things is pausing to take in a beautiful sunset. And as you will see here, she has a talent for capturing them. These beauties are from the Sunset Cliffs in La Jolla, California.

I think the ones below might be from another night. I am not sure if these are from Sunset Cliffs, or from Coronado.

And though she most likely does not like this picture of herself, I love this photo of my girl.

Ethan is still in Thailand. He has taken a few days to travel alone to see some of the temples. His traveling companions did not want to join him. He is ready to come home, but he is also in awe of the beauty of some of the parts of Thailand. His stories make me wish I could go traveling.

I've borrowed one of Ellie's images from her trip and created a small mixed media piece. I will share that with you in the next post.

While working on it, and looking at these photos, I've enjoyed the music of Ben Howard and Passenger. Perhaps you will enjoy their music, too:





I am going to buy these albums some time soon. For now, I enjoy the music on Youtube.com .

Sunset Cliffs in La Jola, California + Chicken Tikki Masala & Naan Recipes

During their trip to California, Ellie, Kohlton and Brandon got around on busses, a trolley and skateboards. They loved hanging out at the various beaches.

Here are images from the Sunset Cliffs in La Jola.

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Chicken Tikki Masala made in a slow cooker
via: The Kitchn
Serves 4 to 6

1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 to 2 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
Fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, to serve

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to a 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of garam masala, paprika, and kosher salt until the chicken is evenly covered with spices. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices.

→ If you have the time: Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup yogurt for up to 6 hours. Shake to remove excess yogurt before transferring to the slow cooker.

→ If you have the time: Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet until softened, then stir in the ginger, tomato paste, and spices until fragrant. Transfer to the slow cooker with the chicken and diced tomatoes. This will give your tikka masala more depth of flavor.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the heavy cream. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered for the last 15 minutes. Taste and add more garam masala or salt to taste.

Serve over rice with fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top of each serving. The tikka masala can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months.

Recipe Notes
Chicken breasts can be substituted for the thighs, though I find thighs hold up better over the long cooking and breasts tend to fall into shreds. Still delicious, though!
For a little of that smoky, tandoori flavor, try using smoked paprika and roasted tomatoes.

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Naan
via:Garnish and Glaze Blog

1½ cups milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3½- 4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
garlic salt (optional)

Heat milk in the microwave until warm. Mix yeast and sugar in with milk and allow it to sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Mix in salt and then add flour, a little at a time, to form a soft dough. Empty dough onto floured counter and knead about 30 times until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed.

Place dough in a large greased bowl and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat griddle to or skillet to medium-high heat (about 375 degrees F).

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and then roll out to be a little thinner than a pancake.

Place 2-3 pieces on griddle and flip after 1-2 minutes (or until dough bubbles and underside is browned). Brush the cooked side with butter while the other side cooks for 1 more minute. Remove from griddle and brush with butter (sprinkle with garlic salt if desired). Repeat with the rest of the dough.