Summer Vegetarian Soup

My friend brought over some veggies from her garden and I also had purchased some veggies at the store. So it was time for veggie soup. This is a photo of what I have in it so far and just covered it with water: Cabbage, Zucchini Squash, Garden Butternut Squash, Carrots, Sweet Onions, Garden Green Beans and Celery. I am sure before it is all over with I am going to be adding some more things to it such as some more veggies and some spices. But here is the start of it. Like the "Stone Soup" story, my soup isn't finished yet, but just wanted to show a photo of it as it just looked colorful and healthy and I am sure any of us can use some ideas for healthy foods. (What else did I add about 10 minutes before it was done cooking and veggies almost soft? I added some Onion Soup Mix for flavor, some frozen broccoli I had on hand and one can of Chopped Tomatoes with Green Chili's. I also added some seasoning salt, pepper, Italian Seasonings and Garlic Powder.) Taste tested on a teenager who said it was good, so it is worth trying. And it is nice that this is a low-calorie meal for anyone wanting to cut down on fats. I did have my soup with a rice cake and I found out this was a soup worth making again. Takes a bit with chopping up veggies, but it is worth it. Plus you can just take out any anger you have with the chopping up part, too, and you have a nice soup to show for your hard work.

Sixty Second Writing by me

I found this site called oneword.com. They give you a word and you have 60 seconds to write about that word. The word was "delay" and this is what I wrote today:

I will not delay being the best me I can be. I will create and I will capture life's wonderful memories through photos, through art, through fabric and through leaving behind good memories of who I am. I won't delay in being loving and I will know I am loveable.

Notebook Project Craft

Inspire Me Thursday http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ had the theme of Notebook for the project this week. I decided to cover an old theme book notebook. I used some wrapping paper, white drawing sketchbook paper, little animal foil things that I glued on with a glue stick, 2 of my cat photos cut out and a couple of hand made paper hearts. Then when I was done, I covered it all with some of that clear duct tape. You could use clear contact paper instead which may be easier. This was a fun little project to do. I am going to call this my happy journal and only write good thoughts in this journal.

Ugliest Dog Show 2008 with lots of cute dogs

This was at Paul Bunyan Days Ugliest Dog Show Contest 2008. Here are just some of the dogs walking around. They had a best costume entry, too. That is why you see some dogs with costumes. And there also was a Frisbee dog competition. This Dog Show was not just about the ugliest dog and even the ugliest dog that won was cute in his own way. :-)

Paul Bunyan Days 2008 Ugliest Dog Contest with Cute Dogs

I went to this Dog Show today. It has been going annually at Paul Bunyan Days in Fort Bragg, California since 1967. They have all kinds of winning dogs. There are the biggest, the smallest, the smartest, the cutest and of course the ugliest. It was a fun event to attend. If you are in Fort Bragg, there will be a parade on Monday and the winners of the contest are invited to walk in the parade. The photos here are of some dogs I really thought were cute.

Drawing - I Love Cats Bookmark

Well, today we had a heat wave in our town. It was actually tough to sleep last night. So I did a little drawing and it was calming. This is one of the drawings. I was thinking of just making my little drawings into bookmarks. Here is one I came up with.

Busy Couple Of Days

Well, I had a busy couple of days here. Just busy doing lots of things. Family stuff. Made some good meals. Watched a movie. Went for a walk. Went for a bike ride. Visited with some friends. So I guess I will have some quieter days, but I like the busy life, too.

Drawing - Cat

Today's drawing was learned from the book "Draw 50 Cats" by Lee J. Ames. I had a good time doing this drawing. There are step by step directions in the book on how to draw all these different breeds of cats. Until I learn how to draw on my own (without steps), I love the step by step books that show you how. It is instant gratification to see you can actually draw a cat by following steps. I love cats, so I really would like to be able to eventually just draw one on my own. So I will keep practicing with my step by step books for now.

A Quote I Like

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

And here is where the quote came from:

To laugh often and love much;
to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;
to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to give of one's self;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived... this is to have succeeded. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bad Girl Drawing

Tonight I tried my hand at the "Bad Girl" drawing example from pages 44 and 45 of the book "Manga Secrets" by Lea Hernandez. I had a fun time doing this one. It is hard to believe that I had my days of being wild, but haven't we all?

Beautiful Day At The Beach Today

Today was a beautiful day at the beach. I went with my family on a nice walk to this pretty spot and then back home. It was great getting out and I was so grateful that I live in this nice place. I just have to get to this spot more often. :-)

Manga Hippie Drawing by me

Today was the "Manga" workshop with Karen Luk (http://www.karenluk.net/) at Racine's (http://www.racinesfortbragg.com/) in town. I had a fun time there learning different techniques. Now I just have to practice them. I also am new to drawing so Karen was kind enough to recommend some good drawing books for me. I was grateful for that. Luckily they had some of those books right at our own Fort Bragg Library. So I am ready now with books and pencil and plenty of paper.

Just wanted to add that Karen did a great job with the kids, too. We made our own two page comic as a group and it was fun. Karen Luk is a very good artist. I kind of felt like a little kid again with all the kids around, but why not do something lighthearted for a change? I am going to look into other fun things to do around town and will write about them when I attend them. Also, Becky from Racine's gave away some nice things to people that attended the event and so did Karen Luk and that was nice of them. Cheshire books gave away certificates at the event, too. Becky from Racine's even gave us discounts on supplies to do our Manga drawings. We are lucky to live in such a nice little town. :-)

Drawing Troll - 1 hour

And here is the troll drawing for 1 hour. This was a fun assignment to do. I will think about trying something like this again. :-)

Drawing Troll 10 minutes

Inspire Me Thursday - http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ had the assignment of create against the clock. Do something creative for 10 minutes. Then for 1 hour. So I drew a troll for 10 minutes and for 1 hour. It was fun doing this assignment.

My Drawing Scrapblog

Just made a scrapblog of my drawings I have done so far since I started a few weeks back. When I get more drawings done, hope to make more scrapblogs of them. Seems to be an easier way to share them.

Dog Cartoon Drawing

Today I drew this cartoon dog with help from the book "Fantasy Cartooning" by Ben Caldwell. I really am liking to take little breaks and trying my hand at drawing things. It is relaxing.

Safeway Parking Lot, Flowers, Soundwaves

Went on a little bus ride today to Safeway. Thought I would let you all get a view of our parking lot with our trees in the background. Took a photo of a mural on the way home from the bus window. And the flowers are at Safeway growing in their parking lot. Very pretty. :-)

Athlete Girl Drawing

I have been watching the Olympics lots the past few days, so I thought I would try my attempt at drawing an athletic type of a girl. The Olympics sure have some prime examples of humans at their best possible physical health. I have been enjoying watching them all compete.

I wonder what she is looking at?

Have you ever noticed a cat really staring at something and there is nothing there? I always wonder just what they see that we don't.

My Scary Leaf Fairy Drawing

I just did this tonight and I realize how much help I need in learning to draw. I am hoping in posting this frightful drawing that I will get better in the months to come with practice!

I Love Music - Drawing

Just thought of this idea after looking at Miss AJ's nylons. A little outlandish here, but it was fun doing this drawing.

Some and Others - Poem by me

The prompt from Inspire me Thursday - http://www.inspiremethursday.com/ was Opposites. And this is what came to my mind this evening:

Some and Others

Some wait in the food bank line,
Others shop at gourmet food stores.
Some take any free handouts at Christmas,
Others order gifts online from Tiffany’s.
Some drive fancy SUV’s,
Others walk in the stormy weather with an umbrella.
Some are one paycheck away from homelessness,
Others own more than one home.
Some wear ragged clothes,
Others shop at Bloomingdales.
Some can travel to many different lands,
Others are lucky to be able to make it across town.
Some are just barely surviving,
Others are surrounded with more than enough.
And they say all men are created equal?
I don’t think so, do you?

Tara Blaise - Breathe

Just found this song today and I really like it. Here are the words from what I can tell from listening to the song:

Breathe by Tara Blaise
They say everything that happens
Happens for a reason,
Still it’s hard to believe in
When you’re flat on your face.
And you can get anything that you want
If you believe it,
But it’s hard to achieve it
When you’re lost in the race.
If you find you lose your way,
Get in your car and just drive away,
Pull the sunroof down
And the one thing to do - hey
Is get out of town and
Breathe;
Like you’re a star in the night,
You’re at the edge of a mountain
And you’re ready to dive in the sea.
And you just have to breathe,
Like you’re the best of the greatest,
You see the good and you take it in
And you’re willing to share it all out.
Sometimes you wish you were just on the rebound,
It’s like your kickin’ and screamin’,
But you’re making no sound.
You can get anything that you want
If you believe it,
You see the thing that you need is
Your push and your shove.

Grab your thoughts and write ‘em down,
Remember the dreams that you’re chasin’ round
Let them run with you -
So kick off your shoes in the grass,
Let yourself go,
And remember to
Breathe;
Like you’re the best and you’re counted,
You’re at the edge of a mountain
And you’re ready to dive, dive in the sea.
You just have to breathe,
‘Cuz you’re one of the greatest
You see the good and you take it in
And you’re able to share it all out.
You got to get out of this race,
You need a better place,
You got to let go of the clock -
Tic tock, tic tock.
You better stop running around,
You better bring it all down,
Take a deep breath
And you stand your ground
And breathe.
You see the good and you take it
And breathe.
Go, go, go
Let it all go
And breathe;
You’re the best and your learning,
You’re the star of the mountain top
And your going and you won’t stop,
Head out of town and breathe -
‘Cuz you’re the last of the greatest,
You see the good and you take it in
And you’re willing to share it all out.
Let it all go and
Breathe
You just have to breathe.

laura pausini and tiziano ferro - non me lo so spiegare

I came across this site today: http://createmycity.xooit.com/t485-What-are-best-singers-in-your-country.htm

And I started listening to different singers. Lots of great singers from different countries at that above link. And here are two that are wonderful that I found. Here are the English lyrics to the song they are singing according to: http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/italian-lyrics-translation/36051-non-me-lo-so-spiegare.html:

Non me lo so spiegare [I can't figure it out]

I miss a little the atmosphere we had created
Or simply the whiteness of your back..nananana
And that clock didn't run
It always stood still from morning to night...he fixed you like I did
I never cry for you
I won't do anything like that..nononono
Yes, I admit it, I think of you a little
But I draw back
You don't touch me anymore

Only I thought how useless it is to rave
And believing to be fine when it's winter and you
Take your warm hands away
You stop hugging me and repeat that I'm a grown up,
you remind me that I'm reflected in many things...nananana
Houses, books, cars, travels, newspapers' pages
And even if I'm not worth much, at least
I give you the opportunity to dream
And if you feel like it, to let you walk
Excuse me, I'd never want to annoy you
But can you tell how to stop all this ?
I can't figure it out
I can't figure it out

The deep night and the full moon
Only offered us the atmosphere as a gift
But I loved it and I still do it
Every detail is a bit of air that I miss
And if I feel like this...it may be because it's spring..
But this explanation no longer works...

Only I thought how useless it is to rave
And believing to be fine when it's winter and you
Take your warm hands away
You stop hugging me and repeat that I'm a grown up,
you remind me that I'm reflected in many things...nananana
Houses, books, cars, travels, newspapers' pages
And even if I'm not worth much, at least
I give you the opportunity to dream
Only I thought how useless it is to rave
And believing to be fine when it's winter and you
Take your warm hands away
You stop hugging me and repeat that I'm a grown up,
you remind me that I'm reflected in many things...nananana
Houses, books, cars, travels, newspapers' pages
And even if I'm not worth much, at least
I give you the opportunity to dream
And if you feel like it, to let you walk
Excuse me, I'd never want to annoy you
But can you tell how to stop all this ?

Charice Pempengco live on Ellen DeGeneres Show!

I just found out about this singer. She is only age 15 in this clip. What an amazing voice. I hope she has great success with her singing career.

You're My #1 song - Enrique Iglesias with Alsou

Thought this was a romantic song and think it is nice when couples think of each other as their #1, but not in a crushing, co-dependent sick way, but in a good way, well, you know what I mean, right? :-)

Once movie- Falling Slowly Song

I really liked this movie and this song, so thought I would put it on my blog from Youtube.

Feeling Calm

Today I can say I feel calm. My home is much more peaceful now. We are not so annoyed with our small fridge. I do love to cook and now I can do that. It was nice to be able to buy a big watermelon and have some yesterday. I kept seeing the watermelons at the store and wanted one, but we didn't have the space in our little dorm fridge to keep one.

Now I am not just feeling calm because of the fridge. I am feeling calm now because I am "choosing" to feel that way. I am really getting tired of always getting so upset about many things. I am going to try and have a goal of not reacting so much to people and their b.s. I think I am bottoming out on peoples weird or rude behavior. I am also tired of me getting so upset when other people do dumb stuff. I am "not" the one who did the dumb thing, so I need to stop feeling bad about it. I am not the one who did the "rude" behavior, so I need to stop feeling bad about it.

I am going to try and let go more and more of "other peoples stuff". I think it will be much easier living for me and I could wind up feeling more calm and not so aggravated, too. I think I am such a people watcher that I do pick up on whether people are acting correctly or not.

Or maybe my mom did put this "right and wrong" thing into my head. And if I see someone doing something wrong, I really have a strong urge to point it out to them, but I don't point it out, I just seem to storm inside. Well, I am really tired of the storming inside. So I am going to choose for today to let go of other peoples stuff. And I want to try this for one week and see if it makes a difference in me feeling calm. I just woke up and am the only one awake. It is peaceful and quiet. I want to carry on that peace throughout the day. I know it is hard to change the world and the people in the world, but we can make efforts to change ourselves and be peaceful people. So that is my current goal - don't freak out all the time and be peaceful and calm. Luckily the day is starting out calm, so I am happy for that.

New Fridge Here - Yay!

Today the new refrigerator arrived. I posted this photo so you could get a good look inside it. It really is nice. I am grateful it has glass shelves as those are easier to clean than the wire racks I used to have. I also am going to be happy to be able to stock up on foods now for me and my family. Yay! Yay! Yay!

Drawing Hippie Anime

Well, I tried to turn this anime drawing into a hippie type. I will keep practicing. It is fun doing this. I just have to be patient with myself as I am trying to teach myself. I will take a little workshop soon in drawing manga, but for now, I am just using online stuff and books to learn this type of drawing.

New fridge on way and other ramblings

Well, tomorrow is the day the new refrigerator arrives. I am very grateful for this, yay! I did take some photos of our old one for sentimental reasons. I mean the old one is about 15 years old, so my kids were so young when we first got it. It is almost like a part of the family, well, not really, but it has been around a long time. I had it fixed a couple of times, too. So the old one really did a good job for us for all these years. Okay, enough of my sentimental feelings about a fridge!

But I have realized I have lived in Northern California now for 15 years. I lived in Southern California for 15 years before this. The differences? Well, I think that Southern California was more a city place and there were more city things to do. But where I live now, it is a nature place and more nature stuff to do. And I now think I like this nature place better. I used to really be a city person though. I went to Hollywood to plays. I went to Los Angeles to concerts. And I think I dressed up more, too. Now where I live is much more casual. Seems to be a bit easier for me to live this casual way and I have grown used to it. I like small town life much better than big city life. So I am glad I am here. Not that I don't want to travel one day, but it is nice to be from a small town and live in a small town. So I am happy I am here. And that is my late night post. Thanks for reading this far. Have a good one.

Drawing Anime Girl

I had fun doing this drawing tonight. Here is the tutorial for the drawing I did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8cJVMPhyJM&feature=related

Drawing Cartoon Lady

This was my practice drawing a cartoon lady tonight. It looks nothing like what was in the book called "Fantasy Cartooning" by Ben Caldwell, but I am at least trying my hand at this. And it was fun watching the Olympics and drawing on the commercials.

Dance Shoe Drawing

For this drawing, I followed the "Wardrobe" prompt from http://www.inspiremethursday.com/2008/08/08/wardrobe/

I noticed I had lots of checkered things in my wardrobe and that inspired a checkered shoe, which really was a black dance shoe I had, but I made it checkered in the drawing. This was fun to do this evening.

Manga Drawing of Spy Woman

My drawing yesterday from using the book "The Monster Book Of More Manga - Draw Like The Experts". This book has step by step exercises in drawing. I really am having fun doing this. This exercise was on pages 266 - 271.

Today's Cartoon Horse Drawing

I am practicing with cartoon drawing books and this is my cartoon horse drawing from today with pencil and colored pencil. I feel like a little kid doing this, but I do know it is fun, so why not?

Fort Bragg, California Flower Walk Photos

I got to go on that flower walk today and I made a little scrapblog of it. If you click on the scrapblog logo you can see it in full screen at their site. It was fun getting out and taking flower photos today.

Early morning writing

Waking up early - Today I woke up at 4:40 a.m. I decided not to fight it and I just went on the computer and did some window shopping for stuff. I often shop for stuff, but don't buy anything. I just go to all these stores online and see things I want, but don't buy them. It is kind of fun doing this and just a way to waste time. (I mean what else is there to do at 4:40 a.m.? Umm, don't answer that, LOL.) Well, sometimes I find something I do want, but I don't order anything until I am sure I really want the item. I also comparison shop and try to find the best deal online for the item, too. I rarely buy anything online unless it is something I really need.

I have been trying to save money lately and the best way to do that is to just not buy unnecessary stuff any more. I already have enough of that kind of stuff around. Seems I really don't need or want that much stuff anymore. So I just go for the basics of sturdy casual clothing (I bike ride lots and walk) and good shoes and a decent jacket. I get most of my bargains at the thrift stores or yard sales. And I love to go to the thrift store on half off day and I save even more.

Well, I did order some family photos online today. That was fine with me. I get good bargain prices at Kodakgallery.com. They are so easy to use. You just upload your photos to their site and order. Very easy. Plus they often run specials. You do have to wait a little bit for your order if you want to save on shipping costs, but it is worth it. Plus I really get too aggravated at those drug store digital photo machines. It just takes too long and even after you process your order there you still have to either wait in line for someone to get finished using the machine, or someone behind you in line is getting inpatient with you while you decide what photos to print. And even after all that sometimes your photos are not even ready for an hour or the next day and the prices are not that hot either. So I like the easy site at Kodak and the prints come out very well and they have good prices with no hassles.

I need to get out and take more photos. Maybe that will be my thing to do today. I love taking flower photos and I read the best time to take them is when it is cloudy or overcast and dreary out. Today looks like that so maybe that is the best time to get the flowers. The flowers really do seem to show up better without the bright sunlight. Especially colorful flowers. So I will venture out on a flower walk today.

Well, that is my early morning writing for today. I could go on and on about not having a big refrigerator as yet, but I am getting tired of thinking about that, so I will spare myself and the reader, if anyone actually ever reads my blog, of that. :-)

Cooler Weather

Well, my standard weather post when I don't know what to blog. Today was much colder than usual. Found myself bundling up more. But compared to the 100's in other parts of the world, I guess I ought to not complain.

Now we did have a nice day on Friday though. They even had some belly dancing in the street at a First Friday event. The gals did a great job and even danced to some modern music. They drew a big crowd, too, and got some great applauses which they well deserved.

Well, that is my random post for today.

Manga practice drawing

Well, I hate to admit this as I am not good at it, but I am trying to learn Manga Drawing. I have a book called "The Monster Book of More Manga" Draw Like the Experts, Edited by Ikari Studio. It really is a helpful book. I am going to see if I can take a little mini class in this at a local store in town. I better sign up soon as I saw a sign in their window saying the class is almost full. Anyway, I am having fun at this and I guess that is what matters most.

These Hands by me

I made this little scrapblog tonight. I had fun making it.

Ode to a Refrigerator

Well, since our refrigerator died, we are using this little dorm sized one. You can see our dirty old one in the background. I didn't bother cleaning it up since it is just going to be hauled away soon. That refrigerator kept food in it from around 1993 to present. That is a lot of years. I give that refrigerator lots of credit for hanging in there through all my kids growing up years. Now we are using this little shrunken refrigerator. No more big pots of food cooking here. I can't wait for the new refrigerator to arrive. Oh and by the way, the prompt today for a creative undertaking was "Shrink" at http://www.inspiremethursday.com/

Ode to a Refrigerator

My refrigerator has shrunk
Just a little dorm sized one now
I am waiting for the new refrigerator to arrive
We will manage to survive this somehow.
We miss our big cooked meals
That we could have for a few days
We miss some frozen things
We miss our big fridge in lots of ways.
No more frozen fast meals
No more stocking up on lots of things
But with life there are problems
Like losing the joy a big refrigerator brings.
We used to go grocery shopping
Our cart full to the brim
But now all we do is buy little things
This situation is getting grim.
Can't wait for the new refrigerator to arrive
Not sure what day that will be
So I will still keep hanging in there
With this shrunken refrigerator baby.
I am trying to be grateful
I at least have this shrunken one
But I have to admit
There is nothing like a big fridge when the day is done.