My mom heard that birds love peanuts.
and BOY am I glad she heard that!!!
When she puts some out on the deck railing…
for the birds…
I slither out when she’s not looking
and nibble my way along the deck railing.
She doesn’t know any different.
She thinks the birds ate them.
Please don’t tell her – let’s let this be our little secret.
Peanuts are not just “for the birds!”
Woofs & Wags,
Charlie
Another winner of a chicken dinner recipe to share today.
Anyone who knows me or has followed here for very long knows I love chicken. It is so versatile, and I love finding ways to throw it in the crockpot in the morning, forget about it all day, and have a yummy dinner.
This one is so easy and very versatile too. We made it into sandwiches, but it would be really delish served over noodles or rice too. You could throw it in a tortilla wrap or even make a quesadilla with it.
Make a big batch and serve it several ways or freeze some for a “rainy” or busy day.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place frozen chicken breasts in crockpot. Place cheese and ranch dressing mix on top.
Cut bacon into small pieces and partially cook in skillet to render off most of the fat. Drain fat and pat bacon bits dry. Add to crockpot. Turn on High and let cook for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and stir into sauce. Let cook for a bit longer for chicken to soak in sauce and blend.
Serve as a sandwich on your favorite roll and top with dill pickle slices or banana pepper rings, or serve over noodles or rice, wrap in a tortilla or create a quesadilla.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A few days ago, our little corner of the world was covered in snow and ice. This weekend, however, the temperatures rose to near 60 degrees and the sun shone brightly.
It was a little crazy for mid-February when we typically experience some of our coldest, snowiest weather, but we sure enjoyed it.
On Sunday morning, Charlie and I took a nice four-mile walk with our buddy, Tracy. We visited Kitty, and we splashed through some puddles of melted snow and ice.
After breakfast and a few chores, I spent a relaxing afternoon splashing paint at the kitchen table with the sun streaming in.
I painted this bunny that reminds me of Spring and Easter and babies and renewal.
I painted another fun little piece that will be a gift for an upcoming baby shower, and a couple other things before packing up the paint and making dinner.
What a great way to spend a day. Thinking Spring. Enjoying warmth and sunshine. Doing the things I love….
at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
May the road that leads you home
be lit when it is dark,
be clear when things get slushy,
have love to draw you in,
and warmth to melt the chill.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
There’s a new bird in town visiting our backyard feeders these days.
The wintry colors and spots and the delicacy of the bird’s wings remind me that
and art imitates life….
that life is art…
and art is life.
What do you think these two were chatting about over breakfast?
They are the new bird in town. Looks to me like it could be the European Starling?
Any experts out there know?
They sure are bringing joy and beauty and artistic inspiration.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Landscapes in watercolor painting are a new challenge for me!
To date, my largest watercolors have been 5 x 7, and I’ve dabbled in trying to recreate the amazing abstract landscape art of Debi Riley in small card-sized pieces, but I really wanted to surprise hubby with an original landscape piece from me for Valentine’s Day this year.
No pressure!! Right?!
Sheesh! I had no idea what a challenge it was going to be!
Every evening after he went to bed for about a week, I tried again and again and again. I started by watching some great tutorials by Shari Blaukopf on Craftsy. She does gorgeous landscape sketches in pen, ink and watercolor. I’m not the best at sketching…. Yet! But I did learn a few pointers from Sheri about plein art and sketching. The best thing I learned, however, was about some brushes she recommended that made such a difference in my painting! The Raphael Squirrel Mop and Escoda Versatil are my first experience with professional brushes. Oh the way the mop holds and spreads water and the precision point of the Escoda! Up until now, I struggled with cheaper brushes not holding water enough to carry across a larger piece of paper or the flexibility of a large brush with a point to do large washes as well as small details. Shari also has a blog called The Sketchbook where she posts art every day from her hometown in Montreal.
I also watched some Youtube videos, and tried some landscapes from various artists there. I especially enjoy watching Alan Owen, an artist from the UK with over 70 years of painting under his belt who shares so generously of his talent.
This was my best attempt (in 11″ x 14″), and though it is extremely far from what I intended, he loved it! Phew! I guess that is why they say love is blind. Actually it is why love is so sweet. He thinks it ranks up with some beautiful art he took me to see at a local exhibit in Cranberry. I know it isn’t. I know exactly what I’ve done wrong and want to improve. I know what it took to produce some of the masterpieces we saw at that exhibit. But to his sweet eyes, he saw art, he saw beauty, and I love him for it.
Maybe next year I can replace it with a better one, but this year, my Valentine said “This is just what I would like our backyard to look like!” And if we squint really, really, REALLY hard, we can imagine that our little stream and woods do! (wink wink!)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wishing you many hugs and kisses!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I am so excited to share something my sweet daughter-in-law, Colleen and I have been up to the past couple of weeks. We started a little Etsy Shop together, and I could not be more proud of her and her beautiful work, so I wanted to share with all of you wonderful LifeinBetween friends.
Colleen takes reclaimed pallet wood and creates beautiful rustic home decor and signs.
She takes buttons and burlap and creates sweet little works of art (several have sold already for baby nurseries! a little blue whale and a toy sailboat!)
She paints beautiful sayings and adds country charm to each piece she hand makes with love and such attention to quality and detail.
I’ve added a few of my favorite little watercolors that I’ve turned into prints and made into cards – selling them in singles and boxed sets.
From our first sale, we got a Five Star Review:
Thank you, Maggie!
So I hope you don’t mind me sharing here and asking if you can help us spread the word. Will you share with your friends and give us a “favorite” on Etsy, a “like” and/or “share” on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram too?
And maybe you’ll even find something you like or a gift for someone you love. Here is a little gallery of some of our products.
I look forward to hearing what you think, and we would appreciate any ideas for products, suggestions for promotion, and general feedback on what you like or don’t like about it.
Thanks for letting me share, and thanks in advance to those of you that are willing to help us out and spread the word and share with your friends.
Cheers & Hugs
Jodi
Are you looking for a really yummy treat to give to your sweet for Valentine’s Day that is not only super delish, but also healthy?
These amazing blackberry banana oat bars have NO sugar and NO flour! How about that?
They are packed full of wholesome, nutrient rich fruits and superfood ingredients, while tricking your brain and tummy into thinking you are eating something decadent.
Give them a try! Heart healthy, hearty, and from the heart for your sweetheart!
(adapted from recipe found here)
Ingredients:
Blackberry Chia Jam Filling:
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey (local if possible)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Banana Oat Crust:
2 ripe bananas
2 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
To make the jam fruit filling, add blackberries and honey to a saucepan and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes until fruit is mostly broken down and has released a lot of juice. Add the other ingredients and boil for another 5 minutes until it thickens. Allow to cool.
Next, make the crust. Blend up 1 cup of the oats into a fine powder (I used the Ninja). Stir all ingredients together.
Spray an 8×8 baking stone or dish with Pam and then line with parchment paper. Spread 2/3 of the oat crust mixture on the bottom of the pan. Spread jam fruit filling mixture evenly over crust. Use the rest of the oats to sprinkle over the top.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes until the oats are golden brown.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
One of the things I make every holiday season for entertaining is Chex Party Snack Mix.
For those of us savory, salty snack lovers, this is a real crowd pleaser!
I cannot make this too far ahead of time or I will munch it all away a handful at a time! It is so crazy addictive!
My BFF, Jill, loves this too, so I always make sure I have some around for our McHendy Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
Through the years, many new variations of this snack mix have evolved, but we still love this classic.
Here is my recipe that was shared by my friend Barb many years ago.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 