work in progress - part 2

Once again, my sketch doesn't look like the person it is supposed to look like. I have tried to follow Sherry's recommendations, but somehow it just doesn't turn out like I want it to. I guess that is why they call it practice, or learning.

work in progress

Funny how portraits never look like the people you are trying to sketch. This is definitely a work in progress as it does not look the the person I am trying to sketch. Funny how also I only see the things that are wrong in a sketch.

sketch of door of law school

I made this card from a sketch of the door of my son's law school earlier this year.

Self Portrait

My attempt at a self portrait. I am the only person who is willing to sit still for a portrait.

Moon flowers

My mother is proud of her moon flowers.

Providence

I have had a number of times in my life that the Providence of God was evident. One of the most recent times was on August 10, 2009. I had borrowed a car and driven to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a job interview. [The car belonged to my parents and they had purchased it new in April.] I-24 through the mountains just west of Chattanooga has many curves and hills and heavy truck traffic. There are even "runaway truck" lanes that go up the mountain when the interstate is going down, in case a truck loses its brakes. As I was traveling back from the interview, in heavy traffic with 3 lanes in each direction, I came across a large piece of a truck tire in the road. There was no way to avoid it, so I went over it, as did other cars. Large pieces of truck tire were flying through the air. I thought the tire pieces were going to go through my windshield, but luckily the pieces hit the underneath part of the car, and only messed up the grill, and resulted in numerous dings in the bumper, grill and part of the front hood. There was no where to stop at the time, so I kept going. I am grateful that I was not hurt, and the damage to the car was minimal.

my old underwood typewriter

While I was visiting my parents last week in Tennessee, we dug out my old (or should I say my mother's old) Underwood Typewriter. It was under fishing supplies in the garage. My mother got the bug nests out of it and we cleaned it up so I could take a few photos. Unfortunately, it was late afternoon and there were lots of shadows, but photos with shadows are better than no photos. I have such fond memories of typing on that old Underwood with the upright keys, the manual return and the ribbon you had to change. I typed up my college notes and papers on it in the early 1970s. She even has the owner's manual wrapped up so that it looks like new.

Jewelry - Using Tim Holtz Ideaology

I thought I would share photos of a couple of necklaces I made in a class at My Heart's Fancy. They are totally unlike my usual taste, but I am trying to stretch my comfort zone, and make and wear things that are not my "norm". Thanks for looking.

Tennessee Sunset

I had the pleasure of visiting my elderly parents in Tennessee for a couple of weeks this month. They live out in the country, on a lake, with no internet access (yikes!) and my phone didn't get reception there either. It's funny how much we think we need the technology. One evening while walking, I took this photo of the sunset. I didn't have my camera with me, so I took the photo with my iphone. I am posting two versions of the same photo, one with a little photoshop "tweeking".

Dianne's Southwest Cornbread Salad

This was delicious.

1 (6-ounce) package cornbread mix

1 (1-ounce) envelope buttermilk Ranch salad dressing mix
1 small head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8-ounce) packaged shredded four-cheese blend
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
5 green onions, chopped

Prepare cornbread according to package directions; cool and crumble. Set aside.
Prepare salad dressing according to package directions.
Layer a large bowl with half each of cornbread, lettuce, and next 6 ingredients; spoon half of dressing evenly over top. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients and dressing. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

From Southern Living Magazine 2004

note: I altered the recipe to make it less spicy.