The Sketchbook Challenge: {Opposites}

Squeezing in a new art journal page prompted by February's theme (before February is over at midnight tonight...already?!), Opposites, at The Sketchbook Challenge!

Initially, I was unsure what direction I would go with this theme. Yes, there are a lot of options, but nothing spoke to me. Then, earlier this month, I got a migraine from Hades.

And with it, came something that I had never experienced before, an aura.  Scared the bleepers out of me!

The progression from everything being just fine & dandy, to altered sight, to loss of peripheral vision seemed as opposite as could be to me....and something I really wanted to translate with my hands.

I started with one paragraph of an email I zipped off to my Four Musketeers the next morning about what happened, copied and pasted over and over, printed onto cardstock and cut to create three columns.

The far left is left completely untouched.

For the middle column, I used colored pencils, spica glitter pens, pearlescent paint, and dimensional adhesive...a lot of dimensional adhesive! (It is always sooo hard not to touch that liquid pool while it dries!)

And on the right I used Distress Inks to show the darkness that followed that wonky wacky aura.

The light was reflecting off the dimensional adhesive, regardless of turning the flash off and moving it out of direct light (artificial or natural), but I did my best! :>

Not only was it fun to get the creative on, but it helped to put something that scared me and felt so intangible down on paper and into my art journal.  Thankfully, there has not been a migraine with aura repeat and I would very much love that to be a one time only experience!

 

Thanks so much for stopping in!  Have you gotten your creative on?  What were you up to over the weekend?

Linking up!

The Shoe Fairy ~ Microfiction Monday #72

It's time for Microfiction Monday with Susan, of Stony River! Write the shortest of short fiction, 140 characters or less (including spaces & punctuation) inspired by a picture Susan provides. Hope you'll come write along!

With my pixie dust puff, the intended will be spry and light as a wispy weed's seed in the breeze. Seek your next adventure...slip it on!

(135 characters, including spaces & punctuation)

Hope you had a fun weekend! It seemed to be a movie weekend for us.  There was the usual Friday night, Movie Night for the kidlet's, who got to see How To Train Your Dragon (that Hubby & I enjoyed and *had* to watch with them!) for the first time and Inception arrived for us grownups.  What new movies have you seen?

GFCF Pizza & Movie Night ~ Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Tomorrow is Friday, which means it's Movie Night in our house.  Well, its Movie Night for the kidlets with GFCF (gluten & casein free) pizza, followed by GFCF popcorn and a movie of their mutual choosing (May I stress the word mutual??!!  They are learning the fine art of negotiating while taking on the task of agreeing on a movie to watch!).

But, let's get back to the GFCF pizza!  The first time my boy wanted pizza after we transitioned to GFCF over three years ago, I was dreading it.  I did not want to have to make a pizza crust from scratch and roll it out every time. (Go ahead, call me lazy. Really, it's okay.  On a Friday night, I'll admit it.  I want easy!)

And then I found Amy's Kitchen frozen Rice Crust Spinach Pizza with soy cheese.  The kidlets both really liked the pizza.  However, we also try to stay soy free too, so it wasn't an optimal choice for us.

The hunt was on for an easy to make, inexpensive, gluten, casein (a protein in dairy), soy free pizza for the kidlets' Movie Night.  And then we hit the jackpot when someone suggested we try Udi's Pizza Crusts.  For less than $5 you get two frozen 8oz. pizza crusts.....premade, gluten, casein, soy free crusts!

Before I tried these crusts for the first time I tweeted that I had just picked some up and Heidi, of Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom, suggested I prebake the frozen crust for about seven minutes before loading it up and baking it per Udi's instructions for a toasty crust.  Can I just tell you how much I love Tweeps?!?! They ROCK!! :>

Something else I really love about using these crusts??  Since they are just the crust, we can make pizzas to order!  And while it changes every week, last Friday night's pizza was created with pizza sauce, Daiya vegan 'cheese' (gluten/casein/dairy/soy free cheese that smells like cheese, tastes good and MELTS!)...I was out of the mozzarella style shreds & layered on the cheddar style shreds instead, olives, onions, and yellow bell pepper (which the kidlets gobble like candy!).

My kidlets {heart} their pizzas, I don't have to make a crust from scratch, its healthy, and when they've gobbled their share on a Friday night, there is a movie and popcorn to follow.  And all of that makes for a fun Friday evening in this house!

Do you have Movie Night in your house?  Any traditions surrounding it?  Help me keep the pizza toppings fresh, what do you like atop your savory pizza pie?

 

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Disclosure:  This post was Not sponsored.  We have eaten all of these products many times and enjoy them.  Links have been provided purely for your convenience and information, 'cause I'm a good Mama and all about the sharing! :>

Tortured Souls ~ Microfiction Monday

It's time for Microfiction Monday with Susan, of Stony River! Write the shortest of short fiction, 140 characters or less (including spaces & punctuation) inspired by a picture Susan provides. Hope you'll come write along!

I warn you to watch your every step. With each open door passed, psychic memory flashes of tortured souls flood your very being.

(128 characters, including spaces & punctuation)

What would you write?  What will you write?  Do you hear those haunted spirits crying out from their rooms??  Where does my mind go on these Microfiction Mondays?!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!  Ours continues for one more day with the kidlets home, even though Hubby has to work.  I see a Lego filled crafty kind of day ahead!  What does yours hold?

{Wish} - Saturday Seven

List what you wish for whenever you see a shooting star, blow out birthday candles or drop a coin in a fountain.

Okay, so I {heart} this list prompt, but its actually a hard one for me!  I'm going to backtrack a bit as I know there are many who do no such wishing.  Are you a wisher?  I am!

I'm a wisher, a lover of daydreams, a writer of wish lists (not talking material wish lists here) and yet, I cannot write a list of things I wish for when the opportunities arise.

But, when a wish making moment presents itself, I'm there!

1) Birthday candles (which I did a couple days ago!), for sure.

2) In high school, we were all obsessed with necklace clasps that had fallen to the front being turned to the back and if your hands were on the necklace (regardless of who's necklace it was), you got in on the chance to make a wish.

3) Skipping down memory lane now....another high school (or Junior High?) wishing tradtion that I hopped on was when a digital clock read with all the same numbers across (aka 2:22, 3:33, 5:55, etc.).  Writing that sounds odd.  Oh well, we were taking every opportunity to get our {Wish} on!

4) When I first moved to this neck of the woods over fifteen years ago, I took drives into the country and was absolutely amazed at how many shooting stars I could see and ate up every single one I glimpsed.  I was wishing away at warp speed!

5) Speaking of stars....I still find myself wish I may(ing), wish I might(ing) on the first star I see at night!

6) Disneyland trips with the Four Musketeers had us dropping a coin into the wishing well. We all leaned in, eyes closed, silent (for once!) and wished, wished, wished.

7) And when I had kidlets, my wishing grew by leaps and bounds, as did my heart.  Suddenly, I was wishing, no longer just for myself, but for my own little family.  Can I just tell you how much fun that is?!

So, I eat up the wish opportunities, but what I wish for changes each and every time!  So, I suppose, I'm being a bit of a rule bender here (gasp!), in listing where those chances for wish making come from for me.  But, I think my old Girl Scout friend, Lizz of Am I a Funny Girl? will understand!  Go see what she wishes for, I know I will! :>

Are you a wisher?  What do you wish for?  When do you find yourself wishing away? Do you have a favorite wish locale or tradition?  I'd love to hear it!

Perfect Time

Thought that Valentine's Day is the perfect time to celebrate some of the Little Things that Make Me Smile!

* Listening to the rain.....made me smile!

* Handing my girl a few sheets of cardstock and seeing her pull out a heart stencil, scissors & glue......made me smile!

* And then watching her hand crafting Valentine's for her Dad, brother, & I, all by herself today......made me smile!

* Tucking a mini Valentine into my boy's lunchbox this morning.......made me smile!

* Seeing him smiling & excited as he told me about his rockin' awesome day today.......made me smile!

* Hand cutting hearts for my family today.......made me smile!

* Opening the door this evening and seeing Hubs walking up with a pot of pink tulips in his hand.......made me smile!

* And then hearing that the tulips are for both wee girl and I....made me smile!

* Finally getting to see the Valentines that wee girl had spent all morning creating......made me smile!

* Having the whole family together.........makes me smile!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

What's making YOU smile today???

Microfiction Monday - {The Temptress}

Its time for Microfiction Monday, hosted by Susan of Stony River! She posts a pic and we write with 140 characters (including punctuation & spaces) or less. What tale will you spin?

Legend tells of the Temptress' lips,
Rapidly luring her next Romeo.
With each expelled breath,
He willingly becomes her next tale o' woe.

(140 characters, including punctuation & spaces)

Won't you write along?  I'd love to read what you come up with!

Day after Day

List the things you hear yourself saying, day after day.

There are the usual momisms:

"I love you! Have a great day!"

"Front & Center!"

"Hands off the walls."

"No running in the house!"
"No jumping next to the computer!"
"Use your words."
"Belly button to your plate, please."
"WOW!!!"

"Where are we going? What are we listening to?"

Dialing in our country drive, each day after school.  Lately, their musical selections are alternating between the Inspiration Everywhere CD and Jungle Book 2 soundtrack.

"What, Bonnie?!"

In regards to our cat, who has taken on loud meowing as a full time job.

"Nutterbutters!"

Usually in response to silly kidlet antics.

And when the silly moves to the nonsensical:
"You're hurting my pockets."

"Use your words."

And these two are exchanged with my wee girl and are often said by either one of us:

"You're so sweet, cute and smart!"

And the reply always is, "And. So. Are. You."

"Mother-Daughter team. You. And. Me."

"Use your words."

"That's 'cause you've got The Big Brain."

And the simple phrase that echoes through the hall from all of us, ending the night, each and every night:
"I love you! Night-night!"

I am writing along with Lizz of Am I a Funny Girl? again today.  And while this is technically the "Saturday Seven", I just went with the flow and listed up some of the things that I say on a daily basis from the heart and some that I'm so sick of saying, I'd rather just have them tattooed to my forehead!  I'm sure we all have a few of those! :>

What do you hear yourself saying day after day?

P-Dub's Shrimpo de Gallo - Wordful Wednesday

Superbowl Sunday found several healthy & delish dishes on the table, one of them we took off our List & from Pioneer Woman's recipes:  Shrimpo de Gallo!

Can I just tell you that this is sooooo fantabulously good?!  The whole fam loved it and it is such a hit that I'm sure we'll be making it again and again.  And another added bonus??  Its naturally gluten & casein free (GFCF), making it super easy to add it to a regular family meal as well as a party menu!  Now, that is most smile worthy! :>

Want another bite?!

Wednesday means we're half way through the week!  Hope yours has been going well.  A pack of pictures arrived on my doorstep today, so now I have my first chance to play with my new Project Life...and I can't wait! :>  What are you up to??

(Second post today, scroll down or click link to see some Sweet Lashes! :>)

Linking up for Wordful Wednesday!

Sweet Lashes

A wee one, soaking up some morning sun! :>

{Sweet Lashes}

This photo is my submission to March 7th's "Best Face Photo from February 2011"  I Heart Faces challenge. Want to see more amazing photos? Click here:

Thanks to Bees with Honey!

Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that Bruna of Bees with Honey was sharing a Versatile Blogger award with me.  Thank you! :>

And, of course, there are a few rules to go along with it:

1)  You have to Thank the person who awarded you & link them back in your post.

2)  Tell everyone 7 random facts about yourself.

3)  Pass the award on to 10 new bloggers.

4)  Contact each blogger and let them know you’ve passed the award on to them, & let the “giver” know you accept the award.

Since I've recently posted several bits o' me I'm going to spare you from another round ('cause goodness knows, I wouldn't wanna bore ya, right?! :>), but if you're interested in what makes those wheels spin in my head or my heart go pitter pat, you can read Saturday Seven or She caught me...I've been tagged!.

And with sooo many fabulous bloggers to discover in cyberspace, the only hard thing about sharing some is only listing ten!

Polish Mama on the Prairie

Sweet Stitch

Rachel's Rantings in Rio de Janeiro

Mommy Monologues

MandyLand

Sunbasilgarden

504 Main

Sparkling Scrapbooks

Adventures from the Monkey Hut

Just Add Glitter and Stir

And to be sure there's fun blog hopping for everyone, this list has bloggers who share their Mama tales, funny stories, recipes, DIY, writing, and creations made with fabric, soap, paper & pictures, stamps & ink, and yarn.  Seriously, there's a little something for whatever tickles your fancy!  Click away! :>

Hope everyone has a fantastic week! I seem to have caught Hubs & wee girl's bug, but it will be the perfect, stay at home opportunity to get some pictures into Project Life! What does this week hold for you?

Its the end of the Earth and... Microfiction Monday #69

Time for more Microfiction Monday with Susan of Stony River! Its the shortest of short fiction (140 characters max, including spaces & punctuation...and I just made it this time!) based on a photo of Susan's choice. Come write along! :>

Left behind, there was no need for the clock to mark their remaining heartbeats. Zero hour approached, soon they'd be little more than dust.

(140 characters, including spaces & punctuation)

Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!

Saturday Seven

Prompt:  List some of the people who have really changed your life.

(Listing in order of entry into my life, rather than importance! :>)

1) 4 Musketeers:  I met Fishey first.  I still remember what she was wearing the day I met her in the fall of the eighth grade: skirt, white polo shirt, white Keds, and on crutches.  Next, I met Woodstock at a local Girl Scout meeting.  I was brand new to a troop that had been together since elementary school days.  And lastly, Snoopy.  Woodstock brought her to a Girl Scout meeting one night and I immediately knew we would be friends.  I put my arm through hers and took her away, introducing her to everyone.

These three women are the sisters I don't have.  They are Aunties to my kidlets.  They are there when I need to vent.  They are there when I am smiling.  We've been friends for over twenty years and I'm so looking forward to the next twenty and more.

2) Mac Truck Driver:  While driving on the freeway one morning, I was in a near fatal accident with an 18 wheeler, two trailer big rig.  I was 21 years old.  I sustained multiple injuries and that accident, all those years ago, has forever changed every part of my life.

Every single aspect of my life has changed.  There are more negatives than I would ever want to document here, but I did gain a few things of a more positive nature from that.  I learned patience, tolerance and acceptance (of pain, limitations, changes), and to always try to find that silver lining.  Sometimes, I'm quite surprised at where the smile worthy part is in a challenge, but its almost always there, if I look hard enough.

I don't ride rainbows, but I do try to see those little things that can make me smile.  And for me, life is so much better that way!

3) Hubs:  I was in my early twenties when we began dating, mid twenties when we married, and now in my mid thirties.  And I have changed so much in that time.  While we've grown together, I have also been free to grow as an individual. Giving me that freedom and support has changed who I am. 

4) Kidlets:  Becoming a Mama is a such a major change to both my life and who I am.  They teach me to see life from different perspectives, to see the beauty in the big and small, and as fast as life can move with a couple of energetic kidlets, they also teach me to slow down and see those little moments that often escape our attention.

5) Some new creative friends (you know who you are ;>):  They have changed the way I see myself.  They have given me courage to explore my creativity.  They have changed those limits I set upon myself.  And I'm grateful to them for that.

The list could go on and on, but these ten people (#s 1, 4, 5 are multiple people!) have all changed my life in significant and lasting ways.  Wonder what life has to offer and who I'll meet next?

I'm writing along with Lizz of Am I a Funny Girl? today.  Go see who has changed her life and give her some comment love! :>  If you write along with her, let me know so I can come visit you too!  Happy Saturday! :>

What's on your list?

I'm making a list and checking it twice......no, not that kind of list!  Its February and on February 6th, the clock will strike for Superbowl Sunday!

And we've been seeing ideas for Superbowl food everywhere, from Guy Fieri's Tailgate Warriors on the Food Network to Pioneer Woman to Tidy Mom to the ever growing list of great food blogs.

Since football is a family affair here, we have to make sure that we have GFCF (gluten & casein, protein in dairy, free) options for our kidlet.  And I've spied a few options for this year!

First, while Hubs was sick last weekend, he was mindlessly watching the Food Network as he fell in and out of sleep.  He perked up when he saw Melissa D'Arabian making (spicy) kettle corn.  While he wasn't interested in the spicy part, he was interested in the 'kettle' part.  He made it the other night & now the kidlets are requesting it for Superbowl munchies and its being added to the list!

He pops popcorn for the kidlets every week for movie night and liked making it a little differently.  Speaking of different, have you ever popped popcorn & used ghee instead of butter on it?  Ghee is butter with the water & solids removed (making it casein free) or basically, ultra clarified butter.  And it is SO good on popcorn.  The popcorn stays crisp, not wet, stays fresh longer and did I mention its Really good?! So good that friends often request it....they call it crack corn, 'cause they just can't get enough! lol

Then I saw Pioneer Woman's Beef Fajita Nachos and by substituting Daiya vegan cheese on my boy's plate, the recipe is a go for us, and is being added to the list.  And since we're on P-Dub's site, I also spy her Shrimpo de Gallo, which looks delish and no substitutions necessary, so onto the list it goes as well!

Are you watching the Big Game on Sunday?  What's on your Superbowl tailgate food list?  If you're not into the Superbowl, what's your favorite party food?  Any cocktails you recommend?

And of course, since we're talking the NFL Superbowl XLV here, I've gotta ask, Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers???  Since The Bus' retirement, we're not fans of the Steelers here, so we'll be cheering on the Packers, loudly, I might add! :>