Backdoors And Fences

Remember this picture?

Now I want to draw your attention

to the door.

Look closely at the paint chipped corners

and the scratched away finish around the handle.

You may need to double click the image

to appreciate it.

But trust me...it's there.

A door in need of some loving care.

Determined to be productive

I gave the frame a fresh coat of white...

and turned to the door.

Strangest thing happened...

our nice breezy day turned a bit gray

as soon as I started to paint.

It started to sprinkle.

I took the painting indoors

hoping the AC would help to dry things up.

I hung the sheet for obvious reasons...

namely bugs and humidity.

Which climbed considerably after the rain.

But I loved the airy, hippie look it gave the entry.

Went outside for

The Great Unveiling...

This is what's known as the

sfumato affect

in the art world.

It looks mystical...dreamy...otherworldly.

(I've been reading romance novels.)

Reality...high humidity fogged the lens...

don't you hate when that happens?!

Take Two

After it adjusted to the steamy conditions.

Why stop there?

Since I was cleaning up the entryway...

I turned my attention to my little

garden.

Rather uneventful, I know.

But I planted some Cosmos during

my "seeds grow!" period

and they've been fighting this beast to survive...

Zoe's favorite place to lay...

right on my Cosmos.

Going with the theory that

Fences Make Good Neighbors...

I created a solution.

Did I mention that this is also

one of Buddy's stomping grounds.

There's that sfumato affect again...

making you feel as if little elves installed a fence.

Nope.

Just me.

Gathered green branches from a

weed-tree that sprouts up

all over.

Since I don't own a Willow...

it was the next best thing!

A natural little fence

for my natural little garden.

It just makes me happy.

Not a huge difference...

but a very noticeable one when you're the

homeowner!

You know how those little jobs just nag at you?

I always feel so accomplished when

I get them done.

Just sprucing things up

for all my

backdoor guests.

Stop by for a visit soon.

Arts Of Fire :: Flip Art

When my sister Mary was in town

we decided to take ALL the boys

and Mom

to

The Toledo Museum of Art's

Glass Pavilion.

They offer free demonstrations

periodically...and every Friday @ 2 pm.

If you haven't been...

We highly recommend it.

We arrived a little early (so unlike us)

so we browsed some of the

exhibits.

The crowd started gathering

so we high-tailed it off

to the studio for a good seat.

With Joe, John, and

pumpkin-faced Sam to my right.

A blurry Mom,

(who would have killed me if I posted the

other pic)

Mary, and James to the left.

Here I am...stuck in the middle with you.

We waited for the show to begin.

As you can imagine...

being so up-close and personal...

you can really feel the heat.

To simulate the effect

(is that with an "e" or "a"...I'm sticking with "e")...

you could sit in front of an open

oven set to about 500

while perusing these pics.

(Or just sit outside!)

Brief segue...

remember when you were a kid

and you would doodle on the corners

of books...in a slow progression

of movement...to create your own cartoons?

Or moving pictures for the older set.

Well, I do.

But I've always been weird.

Anyway...

if you scroll very quickly through these

photos it will have the same effect...

A high-tech flip book...

if you will.

Ready...Set...Scroll!

If you did this correctly

it should have been filled with

a lot of oohs and aahs...

and you wouldn't even have noticed the poor

quality pictures.

Hey...

(I bet you feel an excuse coming on)

that guy ( sorry, didn't catch his name) was moving fast...

I mentioned the heat, right?!

At the final Q & A period

he told us that clear glass can be recycled...

colored glass gets thrown in the dumpster.

My Q...

And where's that dumpster located?

He paused...laughed...but didn't tell me.

Dagnabit!

He didn't realize he was dealing with

a dumpster diver!

Since it's right across the street...

We walked through TMA as well.

A great way to spend a Friday.

Their schedule is on-line...so check for times

that work best for you.

I hope you enjoyed this

Flip Art Field Trip.

Now go doodle on some corners!

Beyond Zucchini Bread :: Recipe 1

Don't get me wrong...

I like zucchini bread as much as the next gal...

but come on

there's got to be more to do

with this plentiful vegetable

than bake bread.

My mom was looking through her

recipes recently

and thought of me when she

ran across this winner.

It came from the kitchen of

my greatly missed, loving sister-in-law, Jan.

She always shared the bestest of recipes.

So, I knew it had to be good.

Vegetarian Zucchini Lasagna

The Ingredients:

1-2 Zucchini, sliced thin

1 Package Frozen Spinach, thaw and drain well

1 Large Container Cottage Cheese

1 Egg, beaten

Garlic Powder, to taste

Oregano, to taste

Your Favorite Spaghetti Sauce, I used Prego

Mozzarella Cheese

Mix

cottage cheese, garlic powder, oregano,

spinach and egg.

Layer

zucchini, cottage cheese mixture, sauce,

and mozzarella

(mine had 4 layers total)

Bake at 350 until done...

approx, 45 minutes.

My family called it Lasagna Soup.

It didn't hold its layers

and had to be served in bowls,

but it was so very yummy served with

fresh Italian bread.

Even James, who has declared that he has finally found

something he doesn't like, namely

zucchini...

had seconds!

Thank you Jan...

I will always remember you...

with each delicious recipe you gave me.

Water

Have you ever seen those pictures

of pets with their respective look-alike owners?

I've often wondered...

did they inadvertently choose a pet

that had similar characteristics

OR...

did it happen gradually

over time?

A what came first, the chicken or the egg

conundrum.

Regardless, I've seen the phenomena

first-hand.

No, I will not name names...

it's a matter of self preservation!

Disconcerting.

(As I look at Zoe and Buddy)

I've noticed something frightening

about myself

this past week.

I'm starting to resemble my

PLANTS...

I will spare you the picture of myself.

You're welcome.

Suffice it to say...

the heat and humidity

are taking their toll...

and not in a very pretty way.

We're talking wilty around the edges...

kinda droopy...kinda sad.

Let's face it...

just plain ol' ugly.

I gave the plants what I knew they

needed most...

Water.

Refreshing...

life-giving...

water!

Since it worked for them I thought,

what the hey...

it just might work for me, too...

Ah...

Water.

Refreshing...

life-giving

water!

Beautiful.

Seek the Water.

My Theater Purse

Take me out to the movies...

because it's too hot for a ball game!

With temps hovering near 100

life is like the great escape...

finding fun ways to escape the heat

and flee to wherever

the AC is working!

Friday night...

movie night!

I've already checked-out show times

at the Maumee Indoor Theater.

A theater with old marquee charm...

and cheaper pricing!

Tickets are 4 dollars...

but you can still drop a pretty penny

at the snack counter.

Theater Purse to the rescue!

I made this purse last year

so I can verify its success in handling

this covert op.

Sturdy repurposed denim...

reinforced stitching throughout...

cute in a big bag kind of way.

Inside...

completely lined in a fun polka dot print.

It easily conceals 4 pops and 4 snacks...

plus all the other female paraphernalia I can't be without.

I decided to turn it inside out

so you could see

she's not only beautiful on the outside...

she's beautiful on the inside, too!

Tonight's movie pick

X-Men : First Class

Tickets: $16.

Snacks: Pass...Okay, maybe a popcorn

"What? There's nothing hiding in this over-sized bag!"

(so inconspicuous)

Sometimes it's fun to be sneaky!

FYI: Wednesdays are cheap-o days at Maumee Indoor

$4 will get you a ticket, small pop and small popcorn!

Enjoy the show!