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Fab food

family, Food and Drink, Travel, Uncategorized
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Did I mention how good the food was in Maui?

The best was at Mama’s Fish House.

My sister-in-law, Terry, is an expert traveler and planner. She booked our reservations months in advance so we could have this special meal in this extraordinary setting.

We had an ideal mix of cozy family dinners made by Terry, by sunset on the balcony and fresh seafood meals at the beach.  One special treat was an appetizer of a goat cheese flight at Surfing Goat Farm.

Dinner and a show, we got to watch little kids playing.

We never turned down a dessert either.


Everything was fresh and delicious.

Forgetting my worries

Travel, Uncategorized
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Our Maui visit was very laid back.  Every day but one began with a long walk along the shore and typically an excursion, or just some time to chill.

One morning, we explored the other side of the island.  Stopping at more than one roadside banana bread spots to compare the treats.

All were deliciously different in small ways, but overall they were too good to chose a favorite.

Along that drive, we pulled over for a walk in the woods.  The three of us were the only people there and it felt like we were in a timeless, exclusive space no one had ever discovered.
That was  deceptive feeling, because this secluded jungle was right off the highway, and we could see cars parked along the road.

Did I mention it was a scary road? Narrow, twisting, with a sheer cliff on one side and a drop off on the other.  When another vehicle came across us, we needed to back up to make space.

I’m terribly afraid of heights and get car sick easily.  But on this edge of a mountain road, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.  For some odd, once in my lifetime reason, I had zero worries about plunging to our death.  Or even feeling a tiny bit nauseated.  And I have deep problems with the much tamer hills of the Appalachians.  I don’t know what got into me, but this drive around the volcano was nothing but pure pleasure.

An outing that I will always treasure

Friends I met on vacation

Hens, Travel, Uncategorized
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We passed this kitty on our morning walks.

There were cats everywhere I looked along Kaanapali Beach.

Are they feral?  Each seemed content and indifferent to people walking by.  I hope they are as healthy and well fed as they look, none were scrawny.

On the other hand, the chickens that roamed everywhere we went did look scraggly.   We saw them in parking lots, trees, streets, along the beach, yep, all over the place.    I didn’t come across any on the grounds of our hotel, but I was serenaded by their morning crowing.

As I chicken person, missing her flock way back home in Kansas, I both loved seeing them in their wild freedom, and worried about their living standards.  From what I’ve read, the over population of these fowl is a big problem in Maui.

The roosters inspired me to do a few paintings in a colorful, flowery style.  I gifted this one to my sweet brother-in-law we were traveling with.  I might keep one for myself too.  Or take them all into Juju, I haven’t decided yet.

Simple stars and roses

holiday decor, Uncategorized
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I mentioned in my last post that I’d been under the weather.  Way under.  Before getting sick, I was planning a dinner party and decorating for Christmas.  I had to cancel the guests but I was left with a sparkling clean home and twinkly lights to cheer me as I recovered.

How nice!

Well, I almost had the house decorated.   I didn’t quite have our large, white tree finished.   It honestly had plenty on  it, unless you compare to previous years.

While hanging the baubles, I’d suddenly got worn out.  So I slid the remaining tub full of shiny brutes into the closet and cleaned up the mess that comes along with decking the halls, and called it good enough.

Now, after feeling better and living with the half done tree for a week, I decided it needed a little more.  But I still wasn’t up to dragging out the tubs and going through the trouble of hanging the delicate, vintage balls.

So, I dyed some coffee filters in coffee, seemed fitting.

Then turned piles of six filters into roses, and painted the petals with glue then drizzled glitter onto them.  They were quick, easy, and were simple to tuck into the branches of the tree.

The roses were ideal to solve the issue of the tree not being quite full enough.  Or they would’ve been if I’d had more coffee filters.

I ran out.

To finish it, I folded sheet music into stars and used the same glitter on them.  It’s a nice change up for me, I’m enjoying the new look.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore vintage shiny brites and my lovingly collected, special pastel ones in various shapes took years to accumulate.

But after being sick, I just was too tired to hang them with the care they require.  So they will stay safely tucked away until next year and for now I’m happy with my hand crafted paper pretties.  Plus, it was good for my soul to have a little craft project to work on.

Holiday paintings on vintage paper

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These mischievous knee hugger elves were a fave of my childhood.

So when I thought about painting some holiday pages, they were my first thought as a subject.

I had a couple old sheet music pages of Jingle Bells and one of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman and thought both titles were just right for these sprites.

Of course, I needed a doodle of this jolly old elf too.

The my caroling book, where I was finding all the perfect sheet music, had a quaint little village on the cover and it inspired this painting.

Home, Sweet Home, found in another old book, was just what I needed for a ginger bread house.

And how could this title not get a snowy owl?

All of the pictures were created on vacation.  Either while watching the ocean from our balcony, or while on the airplane. When I travel by plane or as a passenger when we go on long drives, I like to flip through vintage books and draw on pages that catch my attention.  Then after arriving, I’ll get the paints out to finish.

Hmm, maybe I need another trip, so I have an excuse to make more.  I tend to only do these while traveling, and absolutely love working on them. It seems like I only have time when I’m on vacation.

A new, no maybe a continuation, of my journey

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To quote Frosty the Snowman when he awakens every time someone pops a magical hat onto his head- “Happy Birthday!”

I feel like this is a brand new start for me after 19 years of this blog, we have a new address and hosting site, a little bit of a new look too.  It hasn’t been a smooth (nor a cheap) transition for me, but I think this unexpected expense and the time to relearn how to post is worth it.

I had lots of help, but am still on a learning curve.   Hopefully I’ll be back in the swing of things with new stories soon.  Thanks for your patience in following along!

A Halloween ghost toast

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Happy Halloween!
Sugarwings and I were not going to be together in the 31st, so we celebrated the holiday early with a mocktail toast.

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The recipe is kinda like one of Sissy’s friends was serving last week, but with a few embellishments.  Sugarwings and I like our edible glitter that swirls around in the liquid.

First, we generously smeared caramel sauce on the interior of the ruby flash stemware (a perfect glass for this beverage, its elegant color was a striking contrast to the ghoulish green soda).

Then added crushed ice and this BeetleJuice spiced apple soda.  It got a pinch of glitter, was topped with whipped cream, then Halloween sprinkles – oh and a couple eyeballs.

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It made for a tasty, ghost toast to honor the  spooky day.

Now that the kiddo is back at Mom’s, I have de-Halloweened my house already (it’s been ghoulish since August, I was done).  Normally, I’d be ready to deck the halls November 1st but I’ve had to cool my heels on that project. We are ripping up a bathroom floor to get to the bottom of a foundation issue.

Bad news, major expense and mess plus delayed hall decking.

Good news, my boy is here to work on it! And I get a renovated bathroom! 

 

A light show in the sky

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The Northern Lights were visible in Kansas again!

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From what I read, we weren’t supposed to have a viewing here, but when I heard that my family in Indiana was seeing them, I stepped out to look and was thrilled to catch the show.

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Tree and I had an adventure together, driving to darker spots to get a better look.  A quiet gravel road nearby was an ideal spot to lay on our backs and watch the skies through our phone cameras. We even saw a shooting star!

I felt doubly blessed. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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