Recently one of my customers contacted me to make a frame for a friend of hers. She was about to have baby #4. She proceeded to tell me the baby's daddy was serving along side her husband in Iraq. Kinda took my breath away as I thought about how difficult it must be to bring a new little one into the world with a husband/daddy so far away.
I decided to make two frames one for the new mom and another for my customer as she has a little daughter as well.








Here is the message I received this morning from this little girl's mom:

"We absolutely LOVE the frame. I put a picture of Maggie and her dad in it, and it sits on her nightstand. She kisses it before she goes to bed at night. It goes perfectly with her room. Thank you again for thinking of us!"

As I choked back the tears and thanked the Lord for allowing me to touch this little life, even in a very small way. These are the kind of emails that make me so grateful for the gift of painting. And, how fitting to receive this email on Memorial Day.
God Bless!

Memorial Day

As I sit here recovering from surgery I've had some time to think. Why I schedule my surgery for the long weekend, I'll never know!
Being from Canada and moving to the United States 7 years ago I've had my eyes opened. One thing that struck me was the deep gratitude and appreciation that Americans have for those who have chosen to serve this country. The fact that ordinary citizens step up to the call of service is beyond comprehension to me. Thank you to those who have chosen to keep this country safe and have gone beyond the call of duty. God Bless America!

I Heart Coffee

Morning, noon and night, I love a great cup of java. I guess my addition started back in high school where it was love at first sight. I was hooked, as the passion grew I started working in a cute little coffee shop where I learned the tricks of the trade.
So why the talk about java? Well, I can't stand the thought of paying over $4.00 for a latte or a yummy mocha frappuccino, my fav! So I'm going to tell you how to make them at home for a dollar or less.
Here is the secret....go buy one of these! An espresso maker.
They really are an investment that will save a ton of dough.
I believe they retail for around sixty dollars, so do the math....
Let's say you stop at your favorite coffee shop 3x a week at $4-5 a cup, you've spent $12-15. You'll have your handy dandy espresso maker payed off in a month!
These are fabulous , cheap too!




To make a iced mocha or blended drink you can make them one of two ways.
Make a couple cups of espresso pour into a measuring cup, add 3-4 tablespoons of coco powder, add sugar couple of tablespoons depends on how sweet you like it. Mix very well until all ingredients dissolve. Pour into ice cube trays, like so...

When the urge hits, pop a couple cubes into a blender along with a cup or so of milk. Now you have a delicious blended coffee.
Did you know you can buy flavor syrups at Starbucks for around $5.00 a bottle? Crazy, the same price as one cup of coffee and they even have the sugar free available. One time I was in Starbucks and a lady behind me was in awe of my purchase. She said, what are you going to do with that bottle of syrup? Me: Gonna go home and make my own..... You could tell the wheels were turning in her head as she replied: I'm going to get a bottle too.
Well I'm off to get some work done as I drink one of these......

Spring Tea Party

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of decorating our church for a little tea party. My mom was here for a visit and lent her creative hand. Of course I forgot my camera and don't have any photos of the actual party but a couple of before shots.
These princess' were absolutely adorable in their beautiful gowns. They feasted on a variety of dainty treats; tea sandwiches, dip sparkly pretzel rods, yummy cookiesWe made the cookies from a fabulous sugar cookie receipe, ordered the tiara cut out from ebay. We also made cute little tea pots and cups.
We made these cute little topiary trees that I found at Joanne Fabrics for $.98. Painted little flower pots added some glitter and my floral designer mom added the flowers and ribbon.
The tea pot was from goodwill for $1.99, dollar store flowers.















And when I came home I was surprised by yet another kid milestone....first lost tooth!