Adorable Photos of Newborn Foal in his Mother's Lap

I came across these adorable photos this morning. Having so many of my music students take the summer off has big pros and cons, but one of the pros is that I don't have to rush out of the house at 7:20 am on Saturday mornings, giving me a bit of time to relax, read, and stumble across interesting things on the computer.
Check out the photos at this link:  Pix: Nothing like mom’s lap

Happy Saturday!

The Blitz: Part 4 - Reaching for the Finish Line

after over 900 cookies, 150 (or so) muffins, 30 loaves of sweet breads (meaning banana, strawberries, etc...), vats of spaghetti sauce, broccoli cheese soup, ground beef with onions, sliced pork, 8 whole chickens, and various odds and ends (i.e squares, more chicken, another slew of ground beef), the finish line is in sight for "The Blitz." Good thing, too, since school for me starts in about three weeks.

The freezers? (we have two) - bursting. Thankfully, we were able to vacuum-seal everything except the bread, which should do fine in the amount of layers we wrapped them in.

Have I accomplished everything I said I wanted to this summer? Well, no, not quite, perhaps. But, mind you, I did add more to the list, including all those pieces of art that I've done (and four more I hope to do/ finish). I also completed my second writing course, culminating in a 200 or so page manuscript. Not the first manuscript I've completed, but the longest so far.

My goal was originally to finish two or three more outfits, which was made moot by the fact that my sewing machine pedal decided to give out about a month ago. I had almost completed another long swishy-skirt, too, the kind that ripples and flows when the wearer walks, but with the imminent return to school, it seemed pointless to spend money fixing the machine until I had more time to use it.

I also wanted to complete a second YA manuscript, finish editing a middle-grade one, and get started on a few more. I did manage to finish editing the middle-grade one, but the rest will have to wait a bit. After all, summer only comes once a year, so I've taken more time to relax with books, watch movies, and spend time with my human beloved and our canine babies.

Ah, Summer,  Why dost thou flee so quickly?

The Joy of Baking: White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake

Finding recipes is something that I take great pleasure in, especially when they turn out to be gems. For the past nine or ten years I have been steadily building up a collection of favorite recipes, as well as favorite places to look for them.

But if finding a great recipe is a joy, then creating one and sharing it is even better. This last weekend I put together a summery (although by no means restricted to that season!) concoction that I have dubbed "White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake," the recipe of which I have posted on my Suite 101 page and can be found here: White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake. 

If you do decide to create this confection, I hope you enjoy eating it as much as we did!

Dance with Me

My third acrylic piece of the summer is a bit of a departure from my usual styles. I felt like I was taking a bit of a risk, in a way, but I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out.