Call For Artists - Byron Blackburn Celebration of Life Event

On September 18, 2009, we lost a beloved friend. Byron Blackburn fought a fierce battle with Sarcoma, and he always said that he had cancer, but that cancer did not have him. Byron's brave spirit and his kind soul touched so many of us. His passion for music had a monumental impact on our community. And his love of the arts was obvious in his support of the Second Saturday art scene.

To celebrate Byron's life, his wife Kathy will host a public memorial service on October 16 at Beatnik Studios, located at 17th and Broadway. The tribute will feature performances by local musicians and a silent auction of art. Proceeds from the evening will be used to set up a scholarship fund for a local music charity in Byron's name.

To donate art to the Byron Blackburn Celebration of Life Event, please contact Evie Turner at eviesark {at} gmail {dot} com by October 5 for further details.

Thank you.

Dogs. Treat equal.

This video truly moved me with its powerful message.

Trick or treat?

So my neighbor bought a Halloween clown wig for her cat. And when she asked me if I wanted to try it on Zoey...well, who am I to deny my cat the right to celebrate pagan holidays? Afterall, Halloween is everyone's favorite holiday in our household!




May I present you you: Zoey, the mullet-clown-feline! She's all business in the front and a party in the back!




PS - I fear that Zoey may try to suffocate me tonight while I am sleeping.

Afternoon delight!

It's only occasionally that my house is completely silent. This afternoon was one of those rare times. I immediately knew that the cats were up to something sneaky. So I quietly tip toed around the house hoping to catch them in the act of their something troublesome. And when I entered the bedroom, this is what I discovered!




I'll take some catnap spoonin' over their normal laps around the house like a herd of buffalo stampeding any day!

Back to the work grind

Monday at 8am:
I'm in your brief case and ready to go to the office, Mommy!




Monday at 9pm:
Whew - Monday kicked my ass!

Photo of the week - Paparazzi

Please! No more with the paparazzi photos! I need my privacy!

"The Girl Who Cried Love, " a new art piece

Here's a new piece that I have wanted to work on for some time now, but somehow just couldn't bring myself to do it. "The Girl Who Cried Love" was created after my greatest heartbreak - the second of two over a period of 17 years by the same man.




The words on her dress are actually from a cut out of a love letter that I wrote to him, but never sent. I felt that it was more important for me to write the letter, and get the words on paper so that the feelings were no longer trapped inside me. The bottom edge of the canvas reads: I will always love you. Just turn my key.




Time does heal all wounds, or so they say. My broken heart just took a little longer than expected to mend itself.

"The Girl Who Cried Love" is acrylic on wrapped canvas and measures 11" x 14". This piece will be available at Side Show's Friend and Family art show on September 12, 2009.

An open letter to Banana Bread

Dear Banana Bread,

You've been there for me for most of my life. Through the good times and the bad times, through the heartbreak and the hunger pains. You've been my source of comfort, right behind ice cream of course. Yes, we've had our ups and downs. But time after time, you've come to be my trusty stand-by. And for that, I am thankful.

But there comes a time in a girl's life when the regular ho-hum just won't do. Call it a mid-life crisis if you will. Please be assured that it's me and not you. I will always cherish the smell of your soothing aroma wafting from my oven, but feel the need to explore other options. I know that our paths will cross again. And I hope that you will always hold safe our dear memories together.

Love,
me


And now I present you with Banana Blueberry Muffins! Yumm-o!




Banana Blueberry Muffin Recipe
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed over-ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray muffin cups with a non-stick spray. I like to use unique muffin pans, rather than the typical round kind. I think it makes the muffins taste better! But back to the recipe. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a smaller bowl, mix the mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, milk, vanilla extract, orange zest, and walnuts. Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until blended, but make sure not to overmix. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle a generous pinch of sugar onto the tops of each muffin. This gives the muffin a crystallized crunchiness on the top. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden color and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. Or you can be a pig like I was and eat them warm right out of the oven. Enjoy!