Month: November 2017

11-11

/ Jodi / 32 Comments
Angel Wings in Watercolor 11-11

Angel Wings in Watercolor 11-11

Today is November 11th.   11-11.

There are those that believe the meaning of 11-11 (or 11:11) is a sign that angelic beings are close by.  They come with love and protection, and they want to bring you clarity and guidance.

Not sure if I believe in angels being especially near at 11:11 or that making a wish will come true, but it is a pretty awesome number….. 1111…

and a fun opportunity to paint angel wings with glittery numbers and count my many blessings.

Happy 11-11!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

Mixing it Up with Mixed Media

/ Jodi / 53 Comments
Mixed Media Holiday Poinsettia - 12x12

Mixed Media Holiday Poinsettia – 12×12

Mixing it Up with Mixed Media.

Feeling a little crazy…
Feeling a little creative…
Feeling a little loose…

I painted a bright, bold, red poinsettia
on some newsprint,
and then I went crazy.

I glued,
and I taped,
and I splashed,
and I sprinkled.

I tore,
and I tied,
and I buttoned,
and I pearled.

And when I was done…
I framed,
and I smiled,
and I sighed in contentment.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Falling for Fall

/ Jodi / 32 Comments
Falling for Fall -Mars, PA - November 8, 2017

Falling for Fall -Mars, PA – November 8, 2017

Falling for Fall.

The days may grow shorter with darkness coming earlier….

but then we get to enjoy the warm glow of candlelight,
and breathe in the scents of pumpkin spice and cinnamon.

The air may grow crisp and the temperatures colder….

but then we get to wear flannels and hoodies and knit sweaters,
and sit by crackling warm fires under fleece blankets.

The leaves that once brought shade may turn dry and fall from the trees….

but then we get to kick and roll in the heaped, crunchy piles
and wait for sparkling white snow to stick to the bare brown branches.

The change of each new season…

brings opportunities for us to Fall for each one,
and embrace the joy and blessings it brings.

Fall for Fall!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi*

*A Born-Anew Autumn Lover!

 

Butter Pecan Cookies

/ Jodi / 61 Comments

Butter Pecan Cookies.

When it comes to Butter Pecan….. I am an absolute FANATIC!

The way some people feel about chocolate………..
That’s my butter pecan.

Can anyone relate?

As early back as I can remember – even as a child going to Kerber’s Dairy with my grandpap for ice cream, I chose Butter Pecan.

Not chocolate, not strawberry, not chocolate chip, not vanilla……

But creamy, buttery, salty, crunchy, nutty Butter Pecan.

So when I came across this recipe at BakerbyNature for Butter Pecan cookies, I had try it, and O M G!

BROWNED Butter is the secret to these little delights.

And I will not be baking these often, because these – I cannot resist!

Make them if you dare!

Butter Pecan Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies

  • 1 lb. (4 sticks) butter (salted), melted and browned
  • 2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 4 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  •  2 tsp baking soda

Buttered Pecans

  • 3 cups pecan halves, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp butter (salted)

Additions for Decorating:

  • 50-60 pecan halves
  • Coarse raw sugar

Directions:

Prepare Buttered Pecans by melting butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped pecans and cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 mins, until lightly toasted.  Remove from skillet to a bowl to cool.

In same skillet, melt 4 sticks of butter for cookie batter.  Bring to a boil until butter just begins to brown, and then remove from heat.  (Watch carefully, as butter can turn from browned to burned quickly.  It takes about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, but it is so key to get it to the “browned” stage.)

Using electric mixer, combine sugars with browned butter on slow speed until fully combined.  Add vanilla and then eggs, one at time, beating until fully combined.

Add flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda – folding in with rubber spatula until fully incorporated, and then fold in the buttered pecans.

Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

If you have refrigerated overnight – let dough sit to room temperature to become scoopable.

Place golf-ball sized scoops of dough 1-2 inches apart on baking stone or cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly and press a pecan half in center.

Bake 8-9 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with coarse raw sugar.  Let sit on baking stone/cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Recipe slightly adapted from BakerbyNature

On this Road called Life

/ Jodi / 62 Comments
Early November Morning Walk after the Storm - thecreativelifeinbetween.com

Early November Morning Walk after the Storm – thecreativelifeinbetween.com

On this Road called Life.

There will be ups and downs…
There will be twists and turns.

There will be sunshine and rain…
There will be seasons of change.

But straight roads
don’t make skillful drivers.

And flowers can’t grow
on smoothly paved roads.

This road called life
is your path to choose.

And if you don’t like the one you are traveling on….
pave a new.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

We had an unseasonably strong thunderstorm this past Saturday night, but Sunday morning brought shiny, clean beauty on my morning walk with Charlie that was made even sweeter by the extra hour of sleep gifted from “Falling Back” from Daylight Savings to Eastern Standard Time and the gorgeous colors of Autumn leaves.

Red Poinsettia Watercolor

/ Jodi / 65 Comments

Red Poinsettia Loose Watercolor 11×14 140lb cold press

Have you ever heard the old Mexican legend about how poinsettias became the flower of Christmas?  It’s a sweet little story that has several versions, but basically goes like this:

There was once a poor Mexican girl named Pepita, who had no present to give the the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a a small bouquet.  When Pepita knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene, the bouquet of weeds suddenly burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the ‘Flores de Noche Buena’, or ‘Flowers of the Holy Night’.

The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought to be a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent his purity.

Do you decorate with poinsettias for the holidays?

I always have a few around in December.  They add such festive color.  I also love to grow some potted paperwhite narcissus for their beauty, but most of all their amazing fragrance.

This watercolor painting is my loose rendition of the Christmas poinsettia.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

A Wizard of Oz Party

/ Jodi / 86 Comments

A Wizard of Oz Party.

Yesterday, I shared a recipe for Butterscotch Haystacks that I mentioned I made for a  Wizard of Oz Party.  Today, I want to share some more of the super simple treats I prepared for our little group of 11 ADULTS who decided we wanted to watch the Wizard of Oz together.

I prepared a salami, cheese, and olive tray in the shape of the infamous Yellow Brick Road.

And oh what a joy it was to answer my cell phone at exactly the assigned start time of our little party to be asked to come outside…..

When I stepped out onto the porch in the dark and looked into the driveway, a group of seven silly, sweet friends had their arms linked together in a row and came skipping up to the porch singing, “We’re off to see the Wizard… the wonderful Wizard of Oz…” as if they were on the yellow brick road.

I knew we were in for a fun night!   One friend dressed as a scarecrow and another in the “outfit” she wore when she saw the movie for the first time – jammies, a blanket, and pig tails!

We had Bugles “Tornadoes” to dip and munch….


along with Potato Sticks “Scarecrow Straw” and Cheese Curls “Lion Tails.”


There were Hershey’s Kisses “Tin Man Hats”

and bowls of Skittles and Dark Chocolate M&M’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

We gathered at the bar first for drinks and toasting to get the evening started, then made our plates and settled into comfy seats (some even on the floor) to watch the classic we had discussed weeks before talking about how scared, yet fascinated we were as children.   (Notice even Charlie – peeking from front bottom right below – and his friend Gemma hunkered in.)

For almost two hours, we were mesmerized as if we were children, yet noticing so many more things as adults.  We sang along and recited phrases.  We laughed, we gasped, we recounted childhood memories…

It was a silly theme and reason to get together, yet somehow turned into a sincerely authentic experience…

Maybe I’m still on the Brene Brown buzz of vulnerability and courage to be oneself after reading her latest book, Braving the Wilderness, but I woke up the next morning (granted a bit fuzzy from a wee bit too much wine), but feeling completely joyous and connected and complete.

What would life be like without friends?  I hope I never have to know.

And remember……….

“You’ve always had the power my dear.  You just had to learn it yourself.”

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Butterscotch Haystacks

/ Jodi / 59 Comments

Butterscotch Haystacks

Butterscotch Haystacks.

It’s a cookie?
It’s a candy?
Not quite sure what you call it….
but it is a scrumptious little treat!

Does anyone remember these little gems from their childhood?

A simple mixture of crunchy chow mein noodles, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and dry roasted peanuts make a treat that looks like a tiny little haystack and is just the right mixture of sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy.

I made these for a “Wizard of Oz” party, thinking they were just the thing to do with the leftover “straw” that fell out of Scarecrow.

There are a variety of ways people have made them through the generations…

With our without the peanuts… with or without the peanut butter.
Some add a bit of vegetable oil.
Some add a a mixture of chocolate and butterscotch chips.

How about you?

Here is how I made them.

And if you haven’t tried them, they are definitely worth a try!  Super easy and super yummy!

Butterscotch Haystacks

  • Servings: approx. 3 dozen
  • Print

Ingredients:

Directions:

Melt butterscotch chips in a large microwavable bowl in microwave on high for 1 minute.  Stir.  Microwave an additional 30 seconds.  Stir again.  Add peanut butter.  Microwave 30 more seconds, and stir well.  At this point, mine is completely melted.  Add 30 second increments if necessary according to your microwave’s power until all is melted and smooth.  (If necessary, you can add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to create a smoother texture, but do not overcook or it will create a thick, gunky texture that will not work.)

Add bag of chow mein noodles and peanuts and stir gently until all noodles and peanuts are coated and ingredients are well combined.

Working relatively quickly before mixture cools, drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper or parchment paper.  Allow to set for several hours.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature or serve.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Braving the Wilderness

/ Jodi / 55 Comments

Braving the Wilderness.

I cannot remember the last time…
(if there was ever at time)….
I read an entire book in one sitting.

But yesterday,
that book arrived on my porch.

It is a book I ordered because it is our next book club read.
I opened it up last evening…
and hours later, I closed it….  finished.

Granted – it is a short read –
under 200 pages.
But…. oh the wisdom in those pages.

I feel like I want to start from the beginning
and read it all again.
And that I just might do.

Have you ever felt a book was written
directly to you?
I have a feeling many others will feel the same as I did.

I very rarely write book reviews
or endorse books on this blog.

But this book…
Brene Brown’s “Braving the Wilderness”
is life changing, and I have to share.

It is a book about being a human being –
a kind and loving person –
during these tumultuous times.

It is about how to be brave and good and authentic-
no matter your faith, race, gender, or political affiliation.
It is about respect for others and one’s self.

It is a quest for true belonging
and self-worth.
It is about being free…

“You are only free when you realize you belong no place-
you belong every place – no place at all.
The price is high.
The reward is great.”

The reward is great,
and I can’t wait to talk about this with those who have read it.

Have you?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Released from the Soul

/ Jodi / 62 Comments

Released from the Soul.

Sometimes…

Art is just feeling.

And no explanation is needed.

There is such a freedom
in simply creating
feeling.

No concern
of whether
someone else

will like…
will understand…
will appreciate…

But such emotion is expelled.

It is like an untold,
secret story
that is released from the soul.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi