art every day month, day twelve.

Yesterday evening, I fell asleep.

Way sooner than I normally do.

I fell asleep before posting my art for the day. Whoops!

Here it is. I am in the process of planning everything that I will be cooking for Thanksgiving. I haven't cooked Thanksgiving dinner in five years, and have been itching to do so. Hence, I am über-excited! Thinking of old-standbys and new recipes, and trying to decide on dessert. Man I really do love to cook, especially when I am cooking up a mess of food.

crock pot wednesday: a two-fer.

Well, here it is. Friday. And I'm just now getting around to telling you what I made on WEDNESDAY.

It happens like that sometimes.

I made an old stand-by that is quite popular in my house. Pot roast.

Here were my ingredients.

Liquid smoke, some lemon pepper seasoning, some cumin, and black pepper.

And, of course, the meat. A boneless beef chuck roast.

I threw the roast in the pot, added what was left of the bottle of liquid smoke, and seasoned liberally with the other spices.

Then I realized I wasn't through. I hadn't added anything that I normally add. I almost forgot the Worcestershire. So I added it. And some steak sauce. Then I added a couple of cups of RC Cherry cola. And a cup of water. And I should have taken a picture of these other ingredients (not the water... you know what that looks like.), but of course, in my haste, I did not. I apologize.

Suffice it to say, I used a generic brand of Worcestershire sauce and steak sauce that I need to finish so I can get to the good, regular stuff in my cabinet: Lea and Perrins and A-1.

I cooked that on high for six hours.

Got home and had to wolf it down so that I could get to church to lead worship. So, no picture of the finished product. Fail.

I will say that it was quite tasty. But pot roast is always tasty. It's pretty difficult to screw that up. The minute I got home I whipped up some instant garlic mashed potatoes, and had that with the roast.

Here is the food bill. The only thing I had to buy was the roast itself. (Didn't bother with vegetables this time, although I usually have them in the pot as well.)

chuck roast (AND TOTAL SPENT): $6.05

I am gonna reeeeally try and not be in such a hurry next week, so that I can manage to get some decent shots of the ingredients and whatnot.

And now, to figure out what will be on the menu next Wednesday.

crock pot wednesday. but on thursday. again.

[This post is brought to you by She Who Lets Days Get Away From Her.
No, seriously, with last weekend being pretty awful with a sick child, and never getting around to finishing this post on that Wednesday or Thursday, I just decided to post this with this week's crock pot meal. So you get a two-fer this week!]

So. As I said... Tuesday I think it was? Wednesday was just gonna be impossible. So I moved my crock pot meal to Thursday. A lot less stress, and I could actually sit down and eat some when it was done cooking. Good thing I did that too, since there was a bit of prep work that went into making it.

And what was it that I made? Jambalaya.

I adapted the recipe from this one that I found on my allrecipes.com app on my iPhone.

Here were my ingredients.

One onion, chopped, one red bell pepper, chopped, and one yellow bell pepper, chopped. Because I like colorful bell peppers.

One cup of chicken broth, two cans of diced tomatoes and their juice (only one pictured in the photo... sorry), two teaspoons of dried thyme, two teaspoons of dried parsley, two teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, one teaspoon of Cayenne pepper (though I was a tad light-handed with the Cayenne).

And some meat. One fourteen-ounce package of beef smoked sausage, sliced, and one package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into roughly one-inch pieces.

And some shrimp. Two bags of raw, peeled, deveined medium-sized shrimp, with the tails off.

I threw in my chopped vegetables.

Then I added my meat, followed by the broth and the tomatoes and spices. Once everything was in, I mixed it together and cooked it on high for four hours.

Thirty minutes before it was done, I added the shrimp. I also cooked some rice, using one cup of water and one cup of chicken broth. And I made some cornbread.

The pot smelled so good. And it looked good in my bowl.

And it was yummy. Yummy yum yum.

I will definitely be making this again.  It's probably my favorite crock pot meal I've made so far this season, along with the peach salsa chicken.

Here is the cost breakdown of everything that went into my pot.

spices: $1.64 (thyme)
            $1.64 (oregano)
            $1.99 (cayenne)
            $1.69 (parsley)
            $1.00 (Cajun)
sausage: $2.99
chicken: $4.99 (It's cheaper at Target than at Publix)
shrimp: $6.39 each
onion: $.77
red bell pepper: $1.29
yellow bell pepper: $2.54
chicken broth: $1.99
tomato: $.59 (I already had one can on hand, so I only bought one)
TOTAL FOR EVERYTHING THAT WENT INTO MY CROCK POT: $35.90

Yes, that was a lot. But we ate out of that meal for four or five days.

And since this post is actually posting THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY (Geesh Natalyn get it together ma! lol), you all will be treated to TWO crock pot posts this weekend. So, yay!

[All of these photos are SOOC, and not very good. I took them hastily. I take waaaay better SOOC photos than these on the regular. TRUST.]

perpetually thankful.

November certainly is a perfect month to reflect on all of one's blessings, as it is a month of Thanksgiving. But as I shared some time last year, any day and every day is a great day to give thanks for one's life and breath. Thinking of a list every week of wonderful, simple things that have happened that make my heart smile and sing has been a fabulous activity. I know several bloggers are doing a '30 days of gratitude' theme, but I would encourage all of you, my tens of readers, to consider a grander theme: a year of gratitude.

Seriously. I get such encouragement just reflecting on my own list. How awesome is God, to hold me in his hand, to give me a family that once upon a time I never dreamed I would have, to inspire me daily in ways that excite me beyond comprehension, and to remind me of his perfect peace and strength when everything around me seems so chaotic, and even when it doesn't, to still remind me? I love him so much.

And I am truly grateful for every simple yet profound blessing that enters my life.

natty's thankful thursday top ten.

one.

Watching my kidlets play.

two.

Hearing my son play the piano incessantly. I am quite impressed by how good he has gotten in such a short time.

three.

Pot roast. 

There I go again.

Darnit if every week I don't find a way to mention FOOD! lol

But hey, I'm thankful that we've got food to eat. We could be less fortunate.

four.

Saying good-night to my husband face to face, even when we're hundreds of miles apart.

five.

Fun sights and sounds.

six.

Not missing a day of my "bottle of water a day" challenge.

seven.

Peanut M&M's. I know. Food again.

eight.

Traipsing around with Niki and her new home.

nine.

Getting awesome deals on stuff for my home, way before Black Friday.

ten.

Beauty sleep.

I hope your week has been full of blessed events.

art every day month, day eleven.

I was out and about today. It was gorgeous outside, and it has been all week. The high today was 75. Perfect weather.

After taking my kids to a local playground that they love, I had to get my son to a study group meeting. While he was there, I drove around the city while my babies were asleep in the back seat. Here are some of the images that I caught.

niki's new home.

This. Right here. Is my. Bag.

All. My gear. Is in it. Bag.

Every. Body. Pay. Attention.

This. Right here. Is my.

Pretty.

Camera.

Bag.

Yep, this is Niki's new home. It's a beautiful red bag called Lola. It houses Niki's body, both of her lenses, her remote and other accessories. It was waiting on my doorstep last Wednesday when we got home from Master's. It felt like Christmas. 

I had been waiting for Lola to get here since the middle of September. I bought her when Epiphanie was having their birthday sale. Upon ordering it, I found out that it was out of stock and a new shipment wouldn't go out until mid-October, which turned into late October. I was a little bummed that I wouldn't get it right away, especially since I would not have it in time for our family vacation that was soon to come, but at the same time I was so excited to wait for it and feel like a kid waiting for Santa to drop a present at my door!

I really did feel like a little girl at Christmastime.

I took way too many pictures of Lola in her box, in her packaging, in everything!

But because I needed to scoot out of the house right away so that I would get to church on time, I had to stop snapping away after taking a quick peek inside of the bag.

Lola's interior is this beautiful lavender color. 

I also loved finding all of these little cards in several of the pockets.

A great quote from one of my three favorite photographers of all time.

Right on, Annie! Neither do I.

How profoundly true. I most certainly WON'T be.

So, I'll probably be showing you a lot of images of Lola, along with Niki housed cozily in Lola's interior, and maybe I'll try and see if Polly will fit as well. 

Wait... who's Polly?

Hahaha. I need to introduce her to you guys.

For now, I am so psyched that Mama's got a brand new bag.

art every day month, day ten.

More writing! I was not expecting that I would be writing so much poetry and whatnot, but I have written quite a bit. I finally somehow had a fire lit up under me where Ladybug's Book of Colors was concerned, and this week for my music classes at Master's Academy I wrote a small opera. I will share the text for the very simple aria that I wrote for it. I had my students sing the recitative, then I sang the aria while one of the students lip-synched.

Our ears ring with the sounds of Heaven,

Stirring our hearts to sing.

Our ears ring with the sounds of Heaven,

Oh, what joy music can bring!

Gift from above,

Wonder of God,

Music is food for the soul.

Our hearts do sing

the joy that it brings,

Making the spirit

whole.

I hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday. It is absolutely gorgeous outside. Sigh.

art every day month, day nine.

Today, I have a couple of photos from my day to share with you.

homeschooling log 2010: chapter seven.

Alas, it has been several weeks since I shared a chapter of my homeschooling log with you.

I don't know. Sometimes I just don't feel like writing about it much. We-did-this, Ian-achieved-this, Natalie-achieved-that, this-was-said, that-was-done, blah-blah-blah.  Week to week a lot of things are pretty much the same routine, and I haven't been motivated to share every little thing that is part of the same routine. I apologize. I know there are some of you who really do want to read about what we're doing, so I will get more on the ball with it!

First, I'd like to share a few photos of Ian's handiwork over the past few months.

Early September. The second or third week of Master's. Once the day was over, Ian came to my room and drew this on the board. I didn't know his circles had gotten that good (they were NOT that good before! haha)

After he drew the circles, he drew this underneath. He told me that he had drawn himself, and that the circles were about to fall on his head. I laughed. Not only was I not aware that he could draw circles, I also had no idea that he could draw stick figures with faces! haha

Early October. I was super-impressed with how well he colored in the lines.

One of his weekly art projects. Again, very good coloring. And even more important, he does indeed exhibit excellent behavior at Master's. None of his six teachers have ever had any trouble out of him. Mama's proud.

(I also love that it says "I've discovered that NAME has 1st Class Behavior." haha)

Another good-looking face. Dudes. He's only four.

And so, here we are, a few months into school, and he is reading small sentences, counting to thirty, drawing and coloring in the lines. Displaying his gargantuan imagination every day. Astounding me with just how long he can stay engrossed in one activity. He is an incredible kid.

I juuuuuust need to find a few hours to sit and comb his hair. He's looking like Bob Marley.

Yesterday, while Bobby was at the monthly high school dance, I took the little ones out to eat. They sat and colored in their little booklets, and I told Ian to write some of his letters. He wrote r, m, and s. "What does this spell, Mommy?" he asked.

"Actually, that just spells... r m s," I replied.

He paused for a moment and then said, " I know what it says! It says, absolutism!"

Absolutism?

Not sure where he got that from. It's the second time in a couple of months that I've heard him use that word. I'm sure it probably came from history class.

art every day month, day eight.

I did not do anything for AEDM over the weekend, because I was occupied with my little Rosebud, who was very sick. She had the most awful sounding cough, which made her cry and of course the cry sounded awful, since it was part awful-cough and part no-voice. She was miserable. Absolutely miserable. This was the sickest she's ever been since she's been alive. Or it was at the very least the worst she's ever sounded. She clung to me like ivy on a brick building.

Today, she is just normal under-the-weather. So, that's much better to me. I suspect she'll be 100% again in the next couple of days.

And now, I am back to writing the text for her book.

Here is my new text for the day.

PURPLE

Purple is also called Violet.

It is grape-flavored Kool-Aid.

(Isn't that your favorite? Or is it Red?)

It is grape Now 'N Laters. And grape lollipops. 

Mmmmm.

Not all grapes are purple, but the juiciest ones are.

Purple sure is yummy.

PINK

What can one say about pink?
It's pretty. It's girly.
It's cotton candy and frilly skirts.
Pink is the color of piglets. And piggy banks.
It is also the color of giant bubblegum bubbles.

That makes ten colors. I think that's all I'm gonna do.

Next up, Spanish translation of the text.

And, to make up for being gone all weekend, I'll share a couple of photos with you too.

Okay. That was more than a couple. Just thought I'd hook y'all up.

I'm glad Conan O'Brien's back on TV.

we interrupt our regularly-scheduled programming...

I've spent the weekend snuggling with my little Ladybug. She's been extremely clingy, because she's been sick. A horrible cough which stripped her voice from her, fever, restlessness all day and night, and just general feelings of utter-miserable-ness. She only had two decent naps the whole weekend, during which I ran out and did my errands (my oldest is a wonderful babysitter). I put blogging aside completely.

She's doing a little bit better, though not back to normal. The honey cough syrup is our friend.

I plan to be back on the blogging grind tomorrow evening sharing my art for Day 8. Yes, I skipped five, six, and seven.

I hope your weekend has been healthy.

art every day month, day four.

Can you believe that I'm four days into this already and I've only shown you ONE photo? Weird.
I've just been really motivated to get this book of colors done for my daughter, and, well, once I started thinking of the text, I just really got on a roll with it and have had new ideas each day. Today I'm sharing neutral colors.

Now, yesterday I shared black and white, which are also neutral colors because they don't normally show up on the color wheel, but they can also be considered primary colors as well, so I lumped them in with green. That way I wouldn't just be writing about one color yesterday.

Which brings me to today. Annnnd it looks like I may be writing about only one color. Because, what can one say about beige?? I mean, really?

BROWN

Brown is a rich color.

Why?

Because it is the color of the earth. And the earth is rich.

All kinds of priceless treasures lay within the rich, brown earth.

Yes, brown is indeed rich.

It is also sweet. Like chocolate cake.

It is beautiful. Like your skin.

Brown is also warm. Like your Mommy's arms when they are around you.

[Oh wait! There IS another neutral color! Gray! I almost forgot!]

GRAY

Gray is the color of your Nana's hair.

It's like wisdom crowning a person's head.

Gray covers the sky when it is about to rain.

No need to be scared. The rain falls, then the gray disappears.

But if you see gray smoke, take caution: there may be a fire.

Gray is like a silent alarm.

But it's also a lot like... silver.

Very rough draft again, folks. But I kinda like it.

I'm gonna run it by a couple of erudite friends who I trust. Then I may start working on the Spanish translation for all of the text in a couple of days.

a week of gratitude.

I'd like to share again, on this fine (cold, grey, cold) November Thursday, ten things for which I have been thankful this week. It was such fun to share last week.

natty's thankful thursday top ten.

one.

Mama's got a brand new bag.

Actually, Niki's got a brand new bag.

And we couldn't be happier.

Do you think I'm actually gonna do a whole blog post about it?

Hahaha.

OF COURSE I am.

two.

I don't take lightly the right to vote.

I am always grateful for such freedom.

three.

New sheets on my bed.

four.

Finding nice accessories to go in my hair.

five.

Face time with my husband.

I know I said that last week.

It bears repeating.

six.

Hanging out with the besty frand tomorrow, to celebrate her birthday, along with a few other beautiful friends.

seven.

Sweet cornbread.

I should have a picture of this.

I will next time.

It's that good.

eight.

Good gospel music.

nine.

My son's entertaining personality.

ten.

Buying bags of candy. For my kidlets.

I hope all of you have had a week full of blessings upon which you can reflect for a prolonged period of time.

(All photos were taken with my iPhone, except the one of my son as The Joker. That one was taken by him with my old iPhone, which is now his.)

art every day month, day three.

I continued with the primary colors text of my daughter's book of colors today. Here's what I wrote.

GREEN

Green is the color of life. 

Grass. Plants. Leaves. Vegetables. So many living things are green.

Green is new. Green is vibrant and full of energy.

It is fresh, crisp, and clean. Except when it's slimy.

BLACK

Black is the color of night. Black is the color of panthers.

Both night and panthers can be seen as mysterious and dangerous.

But Black isn't always mysterious or dangerous. It can also be peaceful. And quiet.

It lulls you to sleep, and allows you to see the stars.

WHITE

White is shiny. Like diamonds.

White is also fluffy. Like clouds.

It gleams and floats. It also nourishes. Like milk.

White can be an invitation to a new beginning. Like a blank piece of paper.

White can also be a long, beautiful dress.

I'll proofread it some more tomorrow. After I run out in the morning to pick up some missing items for my crock pot meal.

Now, to down my bottle of water.

art every day month, day two.

Here we are at Day Two. Day Two of me drinking my twenty full ounces of SmartWater, and Day Two of my month of art.

As I said yesterday, some of the things on which I will be focusing are things that I am making for loved ones. One of the things is a gift for my daughter. I don't know yet if it will be a Christmas gift or a birthday gift (she'll be three in January). I guess it depends on when I can get it completely finished. It is something I have had in my mind to do since this time last year.

It's a book of colors.

I am going to make a book, with one color for every two-page spread, give her several varied shades of each color, and tell her things about each color. I have decided to write some text for some of the primary colors first. Today I'll be sharing some of that text with you. At least the rough draft of some of the text.

Oh, and by the way. The book is going to be bilingual. So, once I have decided for sure what I am going to say in English, I will share it with you in Spanish too.

Here goes.

RED

Red is the color of your favorite flavor of Kool-aid.

(Or is it grape?)

It is the color of the happy paper hearts that you cut out for Valentine's Day.

It's your cheeks when you blush from the cold air outside.

It is the smell of fresh strawberries.

And Red is the jolliest of laughs.

BLUE

Blue is the color of your Daddy's eyes.

It is the crayon that you hastily grab to make pictures of the ocean.

It is the waves of the ocean, the sky over the ocean, and sometimes even some of the fish in the ocean.

It is most of the globe.

No, really.

When you spin the globe around, most of what you see is Blue.

YELLOW

Yellow is the color of Peeps on Easter Sunday.

Coincidentally, it is also the color of real-life chicks that go "peep, peep."

It is the color of lemons. And daffodils.

Yellow is the glow of the sun's rays.

And it is the bright scent of sunshine.

Now. This is extremely rough. Not the finished product. I plan to proofread it again tomorrow.

And I know the language is not exactly simple. I didn't want it to be. I wanted it to be similar to what my daughter hears when she hears me speaking normally. So, yes, there are I guess "larger" words and all, but that really is what Mommy would say.

Annnd if I had more time I would maybe hire my son to illustrate this for me, but when I thought of this project last year I thought of something much simpler.

I am going to use the paint sample decks that people get from Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams or wherever. I actually have three of those decks, and I will cut out several shades of each color that I am going to feature and arrange them on the pages. I don't yet know how I will arrange them, but I am going to give it a very clean and simple look.

I will move on to Neutrals and blended colors once I have the text for the primary ones completely done.

Then once all of the text is done, I will assemble the book! I'm excited.

And now, a note about Crock Pot Wednesday. Like last week, tomorrow is going to be an abnormal Wednesday. And I didn't decide what to make. So, I will make my crock pot meal on Thursday this week. Don't get alarmed; it will always be Crock Pot Wednesday, because Wednesdays are long days out of the house and I like coming home to dinner already done. This week and last week are just out of the normal routine and as a result my time to get dinner prepared beforehand and/or my time to get home and get dinner served and eat has been reduced or wiped out altogether.

And I'll have more photos to share with you all very soon, I promise! 

sigh. november.

November 1.

I am always so glad to see the beginning of this month. For a few reasons. It's the beginning (in my mind) of the holiday season. It's my youngest son's birth month. It's Thanksgiving month. (As I've said before, I give thanks for tons of things, all of the time. But it's still nice to have a whole month where it seems like everyone is doing the same.) It's time (in my mind) to break out the Christmas music! (Because the season is just too short and I love elongating it a bit.) Annnnd the focus is no longer on Halloween and all that it symbolizes. That just sort of bugs me every year.

Soooo, here we are now at the dawn of November, with all of its harvests and gratitude and cornucopias and bonfires and hot chocolates and turkeys and pies.

And art.

Yes, art.

Remember last year when I did Art Every Day Month, hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas? Well, I am doing it again.

Last year, I focused on drawing and watercolors, and iPhoneography. This year, I will still share a bit of iPhone photos, probably on Mondays and Wednesdays. I will also be focusing on things I am making for people I love and things that I am making to commemorate the season. So, a different focus this year. I am super-excited to see what all I can get accomplished this month!

Speaking of accomplishing things...

As if I needed ANOTHER challenge, especially another personal one, I am challenging myself to take baby steps to getting healthier. This month, the baby step is to drink a bottle of water per day. It's one of those slightly larger-than-normal SmartWater bottles. I know that does not sound like a lot to you, because it's not a lot. But honestly, it is more than I usually drink. Ever. I must change that. Now. It's been said that repeating an action for thirty days straight turns the action into a habit. Well, we'll see.

Here is my first entry in this year's Art Every Day Month.

I hope the start of your November has been full of joy.

i've been tagged!

This is a first for me. My sweet friend Candra "shamelessly" asked me to participate in a little blog carnival she is having. I think the premise is great. It's called "Thankful Thursdays Top Ten." Lots of T's. I like that. And I am ever-so-happy to participate. Because, well, one always has ten things to be thankful for on Thursdays.

natty's thankful thursday top ten.

number one.

Oh hai, shrimp and grits. With all of your creaminess and cheesy gooey garlicky lemony shrimpy goodness. How yummy to see you.

number two.

Finally getting a device for storing my entire photo library. Like I didn't really need it A YEAR ago.

number three.

Listening to my kidlets humming Mozart and Beethoven tunes. That mess never gets old.

number four.

Face time with my sweet husby-wusby. One reason that my iPhone is off the chain.

number five.

Stella McCartney perfume.

number six.

Ahhh. The signs of autumn. Everywhere. 

number seven.

Getting from Point A to Point B safely. Seriously. Especially when there are hundreds of miles separating Points A and B, and when my car is making odd noises every now and then, and we are packed in like sardines. In oil. Not water.

number eight.

Having highlights of fun times to share very soon with you, my tens of readers.

number nine.

M'ijo. 

(Read: My son.)

He always makes me smile. And I'm thankful for the continued ability to make him smile.

number ten.

Famous family quotes. Also known as little nuggets of wisdom from my children.

Natalie: "I can't want that [raspberry lemonade]. It's too awful."

Ian: "Bobby's a genius."

Bobby (to his mother): "Let me just say, you have really good taste in music."

(All photos taken with my iPhone. I'm pretty grateful for iPhoneography too. Another reason my iPhone is off the chain.)