Tuesday Talk ~ Art

 Today I am sharing all about art.  Both my daughters have been interested in art, like most young girls are at some age.  My oldest took lessons and really enjoyed.  Little sister started taking lessons too, but her real interest didn't take place until middle school.  We started to notice her talent and she entered into a high school with an art program where she had to be interviewed and show a portfolio to be a part of this program at the school.  

Two of her achievements have been her art selected for our county's school Christmas card and having art work selected to be displayed at the airport.  Her art at the airport has been on display for the last year, which of course, hasn't seen as many travelers.  However, I will get pictures from time to time of friends who have seen her artwork.  I am so happy that family and friends have been able to see this.  

The artist and I

Her sister and father

Cousins & aunts saw it too

And both set of grandparents were able to see her artwork at the airport too!

Here is my daughter with the artwork and she put so many hours into this.  Here is a little behind the scenes work from last year...

The before and after canvas

She is a detailed artist and has been commissioned to do some drawings and paintings of homes and of people.  She draws people for fun and the work is impeccable, if I do say so myself.  This trend of doing art work for people as gifts began with a Christmas gift in 2018 for her cousin with a drawing of them on Main Street at Disneyland.  

Below is a picture and then a drawing of the house she drew as a going away gift for a friend.

Check out her art Instagram page to see some more amazing drawings.  These portrait pictures are so good!  The details are insane and often these drawings look like photographs. 

 I am excited to see where she goes in the future with this talent.  

Weekend/Week Wrap-Up ~ May 17, 2021

 Good morning!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  We had beautiful weather here.

 I am linking up today with Tanya with a weekend and well, a week wrap-up from last week.  

First, I am throwing it back to last Sunday and Mother's Day.  Both my girls were home and we went to the annual crawfish boil at my sister's house.  It is always a fun time with good food, extended family and laughs with my greats!

A friend bought me this small size of Diva laundry soap to use.  Has anyone out there used this?  I am using it right now just on my sheets and trying to figure out the best proportion to mix with my regular detergent. 

Saturday, I went to the gun range with my husband.  It was my first time there and I had some practice.  

Over the course of last week, we had a metal roof put on our roof over our back porch.  This was the before...

During....

And after

Sunday was low key with church, lunch with friends, watching sports, laundry and relaxing.  Not much to report from this way, but with each Monday, I am hoping for a good week ahead.  We have some fun visitors coming this week so we are looking forward to that.  School doesn't end until June for my high schooler, so we are still pressing on with a fairly normal schedule around here.

Have a great day!

Not Just a Mom ~ Concerts

 Happy Monday and here's to a new week!  Today I am linking up with the Not Just a Mom monthly topic of concerts & with Tanya.  Oh my, this is a fun one for me!

I have always loved music and concerts too.  I went to a few as a child, then a lot more as teenager and then occasionally as an adult.  I will list what I can remember with a few pictures, which are probably not great quality considering they were taken with old fashioned cameras :).

First and foremost, my first concert was a great one to tell about....Elvis Presley!  I saw his last concert in Memphis.  This is actually one of my earliest childhood memories.  Who knew I would grow up and work at Graceland (it was my summer job while in college) and still today, listen to Elvis music quite a bit?  Here are some pictures from that night in 1976 I found online.  

I was a big Donny Osmond fan as well.  I saw him and later saw he and Marie as a teenager, then I saw their show in Las Vegas, where I was able to meet them (thanks Mom & Dad for arranging that!), and then saw them a few years ago at a local venue.  They are such good entertainers!

At my first Osmond concert :)

This is a picture of my sister and I when we met Donny & Marie backstage after their Las Vegas show.

These are pictures from when my sister and I went with our parents to see Donny & Marie at a local venue a few years ago.  I know it seems like a lot of Osmonds, but hey, I am a child of the 70's and this is what I watched every Friday night!

When I was a teenager, I began going to see my favorite artists when they would come in town.  I remember concert tickets being between $12-$15.  Oh, where are the days?

Then concert tickets increased and I didn't go as much, but did still go occasionally.

Here are some others I have seen throughout the years:

Shawn Cassidy (from the 70's)

Beach Boys

Jimmy Buffet

Hootie and the Blowfish

Rod Stewart

John Mellencamp

Steven Curtis Chapman

Rick Springfield

Eurythmics

Howard Jones

Lee Anne Rimes

Tim McGraw/Faith Hill

George Strait

Johnny Cash

Bruce Springsteen

Phil Collins

Duran Duran (I was a huge fan when I was in Jr. High, but didn't see them until after I was married.  I have seen them a few times now and would still go back to see them for the sake of nostalgia and I like their music.)

Hall & Oates

Sting

KC & the Sunshine Band (They played at a state fair.)

Ariana Grande

Kacey Musgravves (She opened for Harry Styles.)

Harry Styles (This was another fun one because it was my youngest daughter's first concert and my oldest daughter's second concert, but my first with them both.  We have tickets to see him again this fall!)

And of course, my all time favorite....Huey Lewis and the News!  I have seen them about 8 or 9 times and have met Huey twice.  Unfortunately, he has lost some hearing and doesn't tour anymore.  

This is a fun topic so I am excited to read about other's concerts.

Friday Favorites ~ May 7, 2021

 I am thankful this week is about to be over & the weekend is here.  Here are a few favorites from the week.

ONE

I have spent all week looking at these fabulous pictures from Pioneer Woman's daughter's wedding.  

TWO

I made it to the gym twice this week....this is a victory for me:)

THREE

My daughter was inducted into the National Honor Society this week.  The ceremony was virtual and very quick, but still such an honor for her.

FOUR

I made myself a healthy BBQ chicken pizza this week.  I started with my crust, which is made from chicken!  I know it sounds crazy, and it is, but it sure saves on carbs!  I ordered this from Zero Carb Lyfe and 6 pizza crusts arrived frozen to me.  I had cooked BBQ chicken in my slow cooker, which was simply frozen chicken breasts, BBQ seasoning and a bottle of sugar-free BBQ sauce.  I shredded the chicken and added it to my crust.  I then added some fat-free cheddar cheese, half an onion (I only had a regular onion, but would have been even better with a red onion), and added a little more BBQ sauce on top.  This was such a good and healthy meal.

FIVE

I received my 2nd dose of the Covid vaccination yesterday. Hoping I feel well over the weekend.  I've been drinking more water in hopes that will help.

Wishing you moms a Happy Mother's Day!

Currently ~ May 2021

 Happy Cinco de Mayo!  It is funny to me that this holiday is celebrated more in the USA than anywhere else.  When we lived in South America where no English was spoken, cinco de Mayo simple meant, the date, May 5th!

Today I am linking up with Anne for the monthly Currently series. Today's topics are consuming, exploring, getting, hoping, and seeing.

Consuming

I am consuming my daily go to snack these days...

1/4 c. cool whip, 1/4 c. greek yogurt, sugar-free chocolate syrup, sugar-free chocolate chips and cut up strawberries stirred by hand to make a sweet treat.

Exploring

I am exploring trip ideas for a weekend with a friend in June and a long weekend trip with my husband in July.

Getting

I am getting excited about Mother's Day this Sunday.  My college girl is coming home and hopefully we will get to spend a family day with my extended family.

Hoping

I am hoping that the Covid trends will stay low and things continue to progress on resuming back to normal.  We just learned last week our public schools here will be in person this fall.  That makes me so happy as my daughter will enter her senior year.  I am hoping I can find a part-time, remote job this fall so I can continue to be present though before we are empty nesters.  

Seeing

Literally, I am seeing a little better after getting new glasses a few weeks ago.  I am also seeing all the blooms around town and it helps me to remember the beauty of new beginnings and seasons.  

Here I am holding a friend's sweet newborn :)

I will be back Friday with some Friday Favorites.  Go enjoy some chips and guacamole :)

Prime ~ April 2021

 It's that first Tuesday of the month, so linking up again today with Tanya for Prime Purchases!

Car phone holder

I bought this for my daughter after my recent visit so she can drive hands free and look at her map.  I may be getting another one for my other daughter once we send her out and about on her own!

John Piper book

I also bought this also on my recent visit to my college girl.  I am so thankful for her heart and that she requested a book on missions for she and one of her roommates!

Vaccination card holders

I heard about these on a podcasts.....I listened to about 20 last week, so I don't remember which one.  But I did find the link and ordered a package.  I'll be sharing these with my family, including one for my parents.

Earring backs

Somehow, I am always short on earring backs, so I am giving these a try.  

I also ordered my Mother's Day gifts online, so I won't share those until next month :).

Always fun to look at other posts of their finds.  Enjoy your day!

Week/Weekend Wrap Up ~ May 3, 2021

 Good morning and welcome to the month of May!  Aw, this month is a good one as we seem to be full force in spring weather and activities.  

Last week, I took a few days to drive to Indiana to visit a sweet friend who has a one month old baby.  I met Leah in 2014 while living in Brussels, Belgium for a month. We were there for missionary training and Leah was hired for the childcare.  We have kept in touch since that time & I was able to be at her wedding a few years ago as she married the sweetest guy.  Now, what a joy to meet their baby!  This is what I did instead of blogging last week :)

I also really enjoyed time in the car alone.  In the 14 hours I had alone in the car last week, I made a few phone calls, but mostly listened to podcast the entire time and it was great.  I am almost caught up :).  I had added a lot of one time listen to episodes based on some blogger recommendations.  

Friday, I spent the day at home catching up from my week and watched Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal on Netflix.  Boy, that is an eye opening show to some sad realities. I also planned a quick, summer trip to meet up with a friend.  I'm excited to have another trip to look forward to in June!

 Saturday, I cooked breakfast....scrambled eggs, bacon and cinnamon muffins with my Kodiak Cake mix.  They turned out great!  Afterwards, my daughter and I did a little shopping.

Standing in Forever 21 looking at some of the fashion makes me thankful I am in my 50's and not 20's!

We stopped by Pyro's for pizza and salad and discovered this hand washing machine.  Have y'all seen these?  You just stick your hands into these holes and it automatically washes your hands and there is a paper towel dispenser next to it.

Saturday evening, we watched the Kentucky Derby (my pick won!!!) and then my husband went fishing at our neighborhood lake. It was such a pretty view after a beautiful day, especially with all of the pontoon boats on the water.

Sunday, we went to church and I was super thankful for my slow cooker to have lunch ready when we walked in the door!  I added some frozen chicken breasts with BBQ seasoning and a bottle of sugar free BBQ sauce before I had left that morning.  We had BBQ chicken with salad and corn for lunch.  Then, my husband and I headed out for an afternoon drive with a stop to get frozen yogurt.  I loved seeing highlights from Pioneer Woman's daughters wedding and watching When Calls the Heart Sunday night.

Memories of our fun trip to Pawhuska, Oklahoma!

It was a great weekend and hoping for a good week ahead! 

 Linking up with Tanya today!