TACO SOUP

This is a recipe that everyone seemed to like last night. You can eat it as a soup topped with sour cream and cilantro, or as a dip with chips.

Here is it:

Taco Soup
2 lbs. ground round. (I use ground turkey).
1 onion chopped and sauteed
2 cloves garlic
Fresh Cilantro (to taste)
16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. hidden valley salad seasoning
1 can rotel tomates & green chilies
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can hominy or yello corn (I substitute garbonzos or black eyed peas)
1 pkg. velveeta 16 oz.

Brown meat. Add garlic and onions..cook until done, drain fat.
Add seasons, canned vegetables and beans, cut up velveeta cheese and melt into soup.
Simmer for one hour. Garnish with sour cream & cilantro.

ENJOY!!

Fall Artist Get-Away

This past weekend the artists who I share the In Your Eye Gallery with, came to visit me for the first time on my property. Unfortunately there were a few that could not make it and we missed them.

I had a fire going when everyone arrived. We sat and visited some around the camp fire, ate alot of great food, then walked through the trails that I had made and used over the years to a secret spot where we buried a time capsule.

We have decided that in 2010 we would all come back together to open it up and add more things or take out if we wanted.

Below are pictures of our group while having our fun.

You guys are welcome at my campfire anytime!!!
Next time, bring your cameras, your paints, sketch pads, and have at it.

Thank you for being my art family!
Lynn

Fall Artist Get-away!

Me, making the first ceremonial dig.....(thanks Jeff for digging through the roots of the trees nearby to create a hole for our special time capsule). Sorry, your tennis shoes didn't fit.

The group as they made a trek through the woods that lead to my pond.

What a motley crew!!! Doris, Gayle, Carolyn, Sue, Bob, Jeff, and Bev.

All very talented people. Very talented painters.

Bob, Sue's husband isn't part of the gallery but is a creative writer, is clever, and quit witted.

Gayle hopped out and offered to take a shot with me and my art family. WE MISSED YOU JACK!

I couldn't help but add Doris's creative journalism about this special event. She is the gallery's Secretary...so here goes:

After brilliant conversations, hilarious laughter and gourmet food, everyone walked the awesome trail thru the woods to Lynn's mirror lake and on to a spot at the endof the trail. Jeff and Lynn dug a hole for our time capsule. Each member signed thetop of the time capsule and dropped in a significant object or objects. Each member raked dirt over the top of the container. Lynn took pictures of the prestigious ceremony for posterity and her blog. The Time Capsule will be opened in two years or more. Returning through the woods by flashlight, the melodious voices of the group rose in the crisp night air singing Happy Birthday to Jeff. Tons of pumpkin pie,cool whip and a beautifully decorated birthday cake were consumed afterwards.

I wish I were a dog sometimes...

This is my dog Hide, she is my running partner. She is a Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. I don't know how, but she seems to know when I step out the door with my running shoes on...because she goes crazy with excitment. She runs with me everytime I go. I caught her relaxing in the sun on a fall morning. She slept just like this for a long time. I dared not open the door because she would have jumped up and been ready to go...somewhere. So, I took a picture of her through the window of my house. Oh...the life of a dog....!

Standing on top of my studio!

It is fun to be up so high!
Linda took this picture. As you can see, Wonderwoman needs a body. Hopefully one of my artist friends can help me with finishing this mural.

Petunias in my front yard! Look at the vibrant color!

I love this fuschia color. These are growing so well in this spot near my house. I wish they would stay like this forever.

My beautiful daughter!

I love you Ryan!!!

Commission Angel...western style!

The person who asked me to create this angel said that the angel needed to be western...anything to do with horses. These are actual silver pieces that came off of a set of harness and reins. I picked a rust colored glass for the wings. Body of angel is a marble colored "wine" color.

Leapord Winged Angels

Wings came from a bowl that had leapord colored spots. The body of each angel is a dark sage green color. All of the angels in these pictures are for sale! THIS ANGEL HAS SOLD! SOLD
SOLD

Lime green/yellow Angels

These angels are a collage of greens, and yellows. They hold a hymnal of yellow daises.
Wires are threaded with green, yellow, and mint colored beads. THIS ANGEL HAS SOLD.
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD

I love to build a fire...and just hang out!

So relaxing to watch a fire burn. I took these pictures the other night while the fire was burning pretty good.
Cool huh!
By the fire at night. My friend Linda took this picture!

Hanging with my friend, Linda....FFFIIIIRRRREEE!

Linda, one of my best friends. I have known her for almost twenty years.
Feeding the fire!
Boy, those cedars really burn fast and bright! I like to cut small branches of the red cedar around my house. Over the past three years I have been clearing them off of my property.
They hold a lot of oil and catch a flame fast.

Mural alomst complete...more pictures!

Way, way...towards the end, you can see the artist who created the mural, Beth Spieler, and her assistant, Scott Hankins. They did a great job!

Mural in Shawnee, Ok. Close to being finished!

Remember I said I would follow back up with the mural artist, Beth Spieler from North Carolina..well..I did good on my promise. While in town, I drove by and took a look. What a great job. I still try to comprehend the process in getting the idea from her mind, onto paper, on the wall and up to scale. Her assistant: (her nephew Scott Hankins) helped throughout the whole process. Remember: Beth Spieler...you will see her artwork in murals across the country!
Way to go Beth!

HUGFEST in ARIZONA....

Most of you know I am a glass artist. I am always pushing the sterotype of this medium, breaking and cutting original designs and pulling together different concepts to make one piece of edgy, original art. I see my own life as an evolving piece of art. Just as in my medium, I do many things that make up the whole.

One part of my life is having wonderful people/friends from all over the United States who work to support the quality of Head Start. We share a passion for helping young children and their families. Recently we attended a training in Arizona. We playfully called it "Hugfest in Arizona" because we come together as a group usually just one time a year. We work together in a virtual organization the rest of the year, sending and communicating mainly through emails and conference calls. We recently shared our time together by attending training that informed us of new ways to fulfill our roles...it was bitter sweet in that when the training was over we had to say our goodbyes...not knowing what or where we might be by this same time next year. I get sad when saying goodbyes but have learned that the goodbyes are necessary so that we can say hello again. There are a few people that are part of our group that are missing from these photos. They were there...we just missed photo opportunities.

Below are some pictures of the special people I have met on the road...we had fun as you can tell. Enjoy!

Edward was my main contact and support throughout this past year as I traveled the US leading my teams and managing the QC process. I could not have done this without his help. He patiently listened to me many times, when I felt overwhelmed or panic....he was able to get me grounded and focused on my next steps.
He lead us all through several conference calls and always kept us on the cutting edge of the latest information to keep us in step with the fast pace of the process. Thank you Edward for managing me well....I am sure I was a handful at times!!

Should I tell you who these ladies are...or can you guess??? Marie from Kentucky, and Kathryn from Iowa. I had a chance to get to know both of these "crazy" ladies at the training. Marie or
"Mac" as they call her is the craziest. She likes tatoos and draws crazy pictures. Seriously, she is a jewelry designer and makes all kinds of earrings, bracelets, necklaces, even beaded necklaces that you can clip your nametag or glasses from. Katie...helped me. On the last day of the training I couldn't find my cell phone. I frantically back tracked as she kept calling my number. I ran to the front desk, the resturant where I had eaten breakfast, under the tables, in the bathroom. As I sat down, with beads of sweat on my face...I heard a little bleep. I kept telling Katie to keep calling me. I picked up my carry on luggage, (which I had already gone through many times before) and kept hearing the beep beep. Where was this coming from? I finally found my cell phone in between the carry on and the luggage support that held the carry on. It had fallen in the lining.
What a relief! When I looked up after the wrestling match with my carry on luggage..Marie and Katie had the strangest looks on their faces!!! I could understand why. Thanks Katie for helping me.

More of my friends in Head Start.

Jack from Florida, and Stephanie from Colorado.
Jerry from New Hampshire with Stephanie. Jerry was head of a special project that we all worked within. You know they say sometimes that the brightest flames just don't burn long enough...but leave a memorable light in our minds forever. That is what we all were together on this project. Now, though...as Edward said...it is time for us to fly!!!
Jerry and Janice. Jerry is one of the funniest guys I have met. I can be too intense sometimes...too serious, too driven. I am thankful for those people around me who can make me laugh because I know I always need to. If he ever left his career with Head Start, I have no doubt this guy would be successful as a stand up comedian.

Something sparkling...

Close up pictures of a huge chandelier in our training room. I tried to pick some times when no one was watching for me to snap these pictures...I couldn't help but keep looking at them.
I stood on a chair and reached as high as I could with my camera. A few people caught me...and they did give me some interesting stares and a few second looks!!!
I thought the chandeliers were beautiful.

More sparkling chandeliers...

Being a glass artist, I could not help but look up at them several times during our workshops. I was drawn to the light reflected through them, the different shapes and how, when combined together made such a regal design. I wonder if one might fit in my bedroom...so I can just stare at it every night before bed??? The crystals though might only hang a few inches from my nose which could be quite annoying.

More friends in Head Start.

Marita from Georgia and Diana from Alabama. I worked with Marita many years ago and she gave me tips on reviewing the PDM area of Head Start. I got to know Diane more on this trip.
She was a lot of fun. She just moved her house this summer, thirty five miles from where it was before. Yes...moved her house...down the road to a new place. This time, she moved her house onto land that she and her husband now own. She shared with me trees she had planted, and the ninety tulips she will plant. We both love tulips, they are one of my favorite flowers. Terry and Stephanie are from Colorado. Stephanie makes great salsa and says the secrets are in the peppers. Terry is a ray of sunshine to me. She can always bring the positive out of situation and that quality is contagious.
Phyillis mentored me when I first started working in Head Start. She is from Arkansas, and Mary from Pennsylvania. Me and John from Alaska. Keep reading, and you will find out why I like John.