Tour de Palate

I had the privilege last Thursday evening, March 27th, 2008, of attending the first annual Tour de Palate, a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, held at the Oklahoma History Center. Many wonderful restaurants gave of their time, food and wine. There were also silent and live auctions. And there was a contest with four chefs from the Food Network, who came at their own expense, to compete in a cake decorating contest while we watched. Commentary was provided by Ruth of Ruth's Sweet Justice. Below are a few photos I took of the event. I had never been to the Oklahoma History Center before - the view of the State Capitol is breathtaking.

~Bye for now.

Happy New Year

Just wanted to say that I am looking forward to 2008! I am also happy to finally get back into the routine after the Christmas and New Year break. This week I started back attending my Bible Study - we are working on the second part of the study of Daniel, it is a Precepts class and very demanding, but I love the detail. Also start back this evening as a leader for first graders in AWANA. I listen to the first graders recite the verses they have memorized. They are such fun. And tomorrow, I start back as a volunteer on Thursday afternoons as a tutor for a second grade little girl. She has such a challenge before her as neither of her parents speak English. I have seen great improvement in her reading skills just since September.

I thought I would post our Christmas family photo.

~ By for now.

Christmas

I just thought I would bless you with a photo of a make and take I made for Christmas at My Hearts Fancy in Oklahoma City. This should remind you of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Ice Storm

Oklahoma has been in a deep freeze, with an ice storm that came through on Sunday, December 9th and which has affected essentially all of the state. According to reports, about half a million people across the state have been without power. We lost power on Monday from about 1:30 until 10:30 pm. Since we have a well, that meant no water as there was no electricity for the pump. And although we have a gas furnace, the fan is electric, so we had no furnace. Luckily, we have a gas fireplace. We have lost alot of trees, but we are so much more fortunate than many people. Monday as I skated down the driveway to get the newspaper, I heard what sounded like gunshots. As I looked up, I realized that the sound was due to a large tree across the street cracking and breaking as its huge limbs crashed to the ground. The city opened the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City as an emergency shelter. And now they are predicted snow for Friday evening and Saturday. I guess this is giving me a chance to stay inside and count my blessings! Here are a few pics, although by the time I got out my camera it was Tuesday and the worst of the ice had melted in our yard.

Cards and Watercolors

I'm trying to compare these two cards. I stamped the image with VersaFine. The one on the left is on watercolor paper and the one on the right is on glossy cardstock. Then I used watercolor pencils on each, then applied water. Decided the colors weren't vibrant enough, so I also then used the Twinkling H2O watercolors over the watercolor pencils. I haven't decided which I like better. See what you think. I apologize for the lighting on the pictures.

~Bye for now.

More Metal Work

These pictures just don't do the box justice. This is a wooden cigar box that I painted. I put the metal over a mold, then used metal tools to form the metal into the shape of the mold. Then used wheels for the design around the edges. Then painted the metal, then applied it to the cigar box. Later, I added the vintage look of old postcards to the inside. I did this at a class taught by Lisa Bruno at My Heart's Fancy. TFL. ~Bye for now.

Photography Challenge

As part of a photography challenge at Just4Keeps, we were to take some photos using the macro setting on the camera. I took these three pictures this morning in my backyard, while the dew was still on the periwinkles. Thanks for looking. ~ Bye for now.

Metal Working

Just had to show off the Nature Metal Art Journal I made at My Hearts Fancy in Okahoma City last week. It was the first time I had ever done any metal working. It was alot of work, but I am so happy with it. We stamped on the front, then etched with metal working stylus, hand wrote/etched the poem, did alcohol and other (can't remember) inking, then rubbed Brilliance black ink into the depressed etched areas, then rubbed it off. On the paper, there are some alcohol inks, some rainbow inks and I don't know what else. On the back, we stamped the bird stamp, then etched it with the metal stylus tool, then I hand drew the branches and leaves and doodles and alcohol inked and rubbed in Brilliance black ink like on the front. All I can say is that the pictures don't do it justice. Thanks for looking.

a sweet story

I don't have a photo to go with this post. It is just a sweet story. I started volunteering for AWANA this year and the first evening was this past Wednesday. For anyone who is not familiar with AWANA, it is a program at churches for children, where they learn to hide God's Word in their hearts. I have been assigned to four first grade girls for the year. They try to match up leaders with only 3 or 4 children so that the children can have one on one attention and you really get to know them. They are so precious. At the end of the evening, the parents come in and we give the kiddos back to their parents. One little girl's mother and the little girl came back to see me a few minutes later. The mom told me she wanted to visit with me and meet me because her little girl had told her that she loved her new teacher, but she didn't remember my name, so she brought her mom back to meet me. And I got a hug! ~Bye for now.

Watercolor

I did this watercolor in a workshop. Since my diagnosis of breast cancer (now breast cancer survivor, thank you), and having the luxury of quitting my more than full time job, I have devoted myself to trying to explore facets of my personality that I had always ignored, like my creative side by trying to write and draw. ~ Bye for now.

another take on 47 years

This is a digital scrapbook page I made from the two photos in the previous post as well as a photo from Crystal Springs Camp in Tennessee from September 2006. TFP. ~Bye for now~

47 years in between these pictures

These two photos are both of me, and both at the same church camp in Kelso, Tennessee - Crystal Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church Camp. I am standing in front of one of the girls' cabins in each photo, although I have no idea if it is the same cabin. I am guessing that about 47 years have elapsed from the time of the first photo until the second. Just wanted to share.

~ Bye for now.

Shoes

Shoes are a funny thing. I am more of a Dansko or Birkenstock type of girl. I have to wear shoes that have arches and are good for my feet. But every once in a while, a girl has to have shoes that are totally different from her norm. These top shoes were purchased from Harold's last month. They are too cute. The bottom pair are from Chico's from 2005. Both totally unlike me, but fun for a change.
~Bye for now.

2006 Race for the Cure

I thought I would post these pics from 2005's Race for the Cure. It will be October 20th in Oklahoma City this year, I wanted to remind all of you so you could sign up. It is alot of fun, and raises money for a good cause, one that is close to my heart. :o)

In 2004, I went to the Race on Saturday, and my mastectomy was on the following Monday. As you can tell in these pictures, by the time of 2005's Race, my hair was already growing back in. Sometime I'll have to post my pages from 2006.

~Bye for now.

Things I Love

I was looking through one of my scrapbooks and found these and thought I would share. I did them last year in a class at my LSS, Just4Keeps in Edmond, OK. They were alot of fun to do. Really took me outside of my comfort zone. I had not done any drawing before, and liked my little stick figures - they even look like me! ~Bye for now.

Williamsburg, May 2007

These two pictures are from Williamsburg. I took the photo of an iris in a little garden beside the street. The other photo is of the capitol building. They were conducting a little skit in front of the building as we came up. I love colonial history, but I am grateful that I live today and not during colonial times. ~Bye for now. Sharon~

Sharing the Beauty of Flowers

I love flowers. I took this picture back in April, then added a filter on Photoshop. I can never remember what I did, so it is impossible to reproduce it if it turns out I like it. Just thought I would share and brighten up your day. ~Bye for now. Sharon~

Bread Workshop

The photo with four people in it was taken in July at the Demarle at Home national convention in Phoenix. The man between Karen and me is M.J. Coe, a professional baker. He gave us an awesome workshop on breadmaking. Demarle has come out with new forms called Silform which are specifically made for breadmaking, for giving a crispy crust.

The other photo was taken at a shopping center in Phoenix where we ate dinner one night. We had such fun. The restaurant was called "My Big Fat Greek Restaurant". Don't know why, but I liked the way the movement of the water show up, the appearance of the tiles and the lights in the store windows.

~Bye for now~

Cards

I have had a blast lately making cards and trying new techniques. The Christmas card was made with the outline stamp from Stampin'Up and then coloring with the inks with a watercolor brush. The one of a bird on branches was made by painting Twinkling H2O watercolors onto the stamp itself and then stamping (stamp from My Heart's Fancy). The card with the teddy bear is a Stampin' Up stamp, which was colored in with Prismacolor pencils. The name on the bottom was stamped using KI Memories clear alphabet stamps.

~Bye for now~

Demarle at Home

I have started a new home based business. I am an independent representative for Demarle at Home. They are best known for the flexible nonstick food grade silicone bakeware. It is unique and completely different from that which is sold in stores. There is woven glass to conduct the heat inside the silicone. The picture below shows products I have made in the flexipans or fleximolds. The items are sold through direct sales because the products are so unique that you have to see them to believe them. It has been alot of fun. In an effort to make contacts, I joined the Edmond Chamber of Commerce. The picture of me and two other women was taken at the national convention for Demarle at Home.

~Bye for now~

Attempting to learn to draw

I have been attempting to learn to draw. This is my latest attempt. I never even drew at all previously, but I am trying to find my more creative side. I was sort of happy with this one, except that my drawings never look like the people that I am trying to draw. I took a drawing class at the Edmond Fine Arts Institute with Gary Lennon. He is a wonderful teacher and gave me the confidence to at least try to draw.

~All for now.

Crystal Springs Camp

This photo was taken in September 2006 at Crystal Springs Camp in Tennessee. I was thrilled to be able to visit, as I used to go to camp there as a child, and I had not been able to visit the campgrounds in about 40 years. I had someone take a photo of me in front of one of the cabins, and I have an old photo of me in front of the cabin from about 45 years earlier. I still remember that my grandfather had taken me to camp one year when I was a little too young to attend. He went behind closed doors with those in charge to discuss whether they would allow me to stay. When they came out, he announced that I could stay for the week. But in exchange for allowing me to stay, he had to stay as well and run the camp. We both stayed the week and I thought it was wonderful. On the mess hall (now known as the dining hall) there is a plaque in honor of my grandfather. June 2007

Musings

This photo was taken in September 2006 in Tennessee, at the Falls Mill grist mill. It is still a working grist mill. I have such fond memories of Falls Mill as my grandfather (who died in 1993 at age 90) used to take me there every summer when I was little and we would walk all over the grounds. I altered the photo on photoshop, and then wrote text on it, for a notebook for a class I took called How to Write Your Life Story (oddly enough). It was such an interesting class, primarily because all the people in it had led such normal and yet such extraordinarily interesting lives, when you took the time to listen to their stories. From that experience, I wrote an ethical will, and became more introspective. Previously, I had worked to the exclusion of all else, or at least so it seemed to me. June 2007

Family

Family - My son and I had the opportunity to travel to Virginia to attend a family wedding. My son and I are the two on the right. It was so great to reconnect with family we had not seen in years. All the old memories came flooding back - good memories. DH and I had spent alot of time with DH's brother and his wife 30 plus years ago when we were all much younger. I like to think that we are not only older, but have gained wisdom and perspective during the years, although of course, our son would not agree. Children, it seems, never think their parents have any wisdom to impart. They just want to grow up and get away from their parents.

Picture - May 27, 2007

National Cancer Survivor's Day

This past Sunday, I attended the National Cancer Survivor's Day Luncheon at St Anthony's Hospital in OKC, OK. This is the first year that I have attended, and it was very moving. It was so good to see other survivors ~ some of whom are back in treatment again - but survivors none the less. We were welcomed to the event by Dr Timothy Eldridge, a caring surgeon. The guest speaker was Louie Lepak, a six year survivor of pancreatic cancer. He gave a very emotional speech. He quoted from a book by Hamilton Jordan, who has written a memoir about his battles with three different types of cancer. One point he made, which was somewhat foreign to me, was that the diagnosis and treatment of cancer can at times be harder on the loved ones, than on the cancer patient him or herself. Someone asked me the other day if being a physician made my own battle with breast cancer easier than it might have been otherwise. My thoughts are that I did not have a very difficult time with my cancer diagnosis, surgical procedures and chemotherapy, but I think that was due not so much to my experience as a physician, but to my faith and the fact that My Comforter was with me every step of the way.
I'm posting a picture of Louie Lepak at the podium. The second picture is of John, a wonderful cancer survivor that I have become friends with at support group meetings, his friend Lynn, his granddaughter A.... and me.

Vancouver,BC

I love to travel. Recently, I went to Vancouver, BC for a conference. It is a lovely city. The people are so nice and hospitable. It will be a great venue for the next Olympics. I made new friends that I got lost with. I was able to see some of the city...and the rainforest is unbelievable. If I can figure it out, I will post a couple of pictures of the rainforest.

Musings

I made this boardbook the other day at a scrapbook store. I can't believe tomorrow will be Palm Sunday.
I saw an interesting quote the other day: Angels, exist, but sometimes, since they don't have wings, we call them friends. I did not see who the author was.
I went to a baby shower today. Babies are so beautiful. Life is so precious. It is so good to get to see friends you haven't seen in awhile.
My cousin sent me some great quotes the other day for IVGLDSW Day. One was: Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out ~ but I can usually shut her up with cookies! (OK, I cleaned it up a little.) Another one that I thought was a hoot: If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning. ~Catherine~
I love to scrapbook. I started a class today at a store in Edmond called Just4Keeps. (The same place I made the boardbook.) The class is about scapbooking about yourself. Those of us who are scrapbookers are usually taking all the pictures, and end up telling about our family and friends. I've noticed that I don't tend to be in any of the pictures. So the idea is to put in writing, or pictures and journaling, what is the essence of you ~ what you want your children and grandchildren to know about you. It has caused me to reflect a bit today. How well do many of us know ourselves? Are there things about ourselves that we are proud of, and what are we not so proud of? What/who do we love, enjoy? What makes us happy? What is the difference between joy and happiness? What would make you a success or a failure? in whose eyes? I know I love the snow (the light snow like we had here in Oklahoma last month). I love to walk. I love spring and I love the smell of rain.