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March 16, 2008

You will enjoy this link! Artist Anastassia Elias has an interesting website, and a special art form! Please visit her site to see more! (click on photo to activate a slideshow link). 

Artwork by Anastassia Elias

Tomorrow will be a big day! I am heading up the road to Ontario, California! What is in ONTARIO, you ask? The big Road to California Quilt Show, of course! No, I am not teaching! WHOOPEEEE! I get to be “one of the girls” and attend a workshop with Melinda Bula.  Her work is lovely, and I am only taking a 1 day workshop to learn her technique.

The Ontario Convention Center is a big beautiful place with a view of the nearby San Gabriel Mountain range (on a clear day). We are predicted to have rain so it might be stormy. See you there!

January 15th   FOLLOW  UP!   The workshop with Melinda was relaxing and creative play time! I enjoyed the day away, and the quilts at the show were PHENOMENAL. The dense quilting was particularly amazing – I feel like an amateur compared with these master quilters! Click on both slideshows for a peek at Road to California, and Melinda’s work on YouTube.

 

Our water aerobics class is so much fun! While we are huffing and puffing to get fit, we often chat with one instructor (between exercise moves) about favorite recipes, current events, and more. Here is Kathleen G’s recipe for her favorite Wine Cake – my mother called it Sherry Cake, and it is REALLY DELICIOUS! (the alcohol bakes out – the rich aroma and flavor remains)

WINE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sherry
4 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients well with a mixer. Bake in a greased bundt pan for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let stand for 40 minutes before serving.

FROSTING

1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp. sherry

Whisk together (add sugar and sherry to get desired consistency) and pour over cake. (I poke the top of the cake with a fork so the frosting will soak in. I also wait til the frosting isn’t as wet and I sift powdered sugar over the top for a prettier effect!). Enjoy with coffee!! Kathleen

Jan’s note: Other options for topping:

• sprinkle powdered sugar over top (lightly)
• mix 2-3 T. frozen concentrated orange juice into powdered sugar, stir; spread over warm punctured cake
• grate lemon zest and squeeze lemon juice into powdered sugar, stir & spread over warm punctured cake

This is hilarious!

Don and I started a new year’s tradition – to see and explore more of our local surroundings. We went over to the coast near Torrey Pines and La Jolla (pronounced la hoya) to see the Children’s Pool Beach.  This small sheltered cove has created years of controversy…… philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps funded the sea wall construction in 1931.

The grant stated…”That said lands shall be devoted exclusively to public park, bathing pool for children, parkway, highway, playground and recreational purposes…..”  The sheltered cove created within the sea wall proved to be a perfect place for California seals to sunbathe and rest with their pups, and also a place for the public to watch seals in their natural state.

Legal debates have ensued over the years, with various parties filing injunctions to erect baracades to protect the seals and humans particularly during pupping season, and whether to eradicate the seals, conduct an environmental cleanup and return the pool to its original intended purpose – human recreation. With all the news coverage, year after year, we wanted to see the Children’s Pool Beach!

Lindsay and Ryan

Our daughter Lindsay and son-in-law Ryan O’Donahue were married today!  The ceremony was held in the Earl Miller Burns Japanese Garden on the campus of California State University, Long Beach under blue skies and beautiful weather, even though it is nearly the first day of winter!  

Lindsay was elegant, beautiful, and poised walking with her proud father. The bridesmaids wore red gowns of various styles, and the men wore black tuxedos with red accents. (there are other wedding photos on the garden’s website – none of our wedding, but you’ll see what a lovely setting it is!)  The reception afterwards was held at the El Dorado Event Center in Long Beach (operate the scroll slider beneath the picture for more images). 

Family and friends gathered with the new couple for dinner, dancing, toasts and all the traditional trimmings. I presented a slide show of photos from babyhood through engagement after dinner. What a memorable evening! 

Click to see a photo slideshow of Lindsay & Ryan’s wedding!

I first tasted these bite-sized treats when teaching in Alaska. This popular recipe appears multiple times on the internet, so I can’t credit the source! A few simple ingredients and about an hour’s time provides tasty bite-sized treats to serve, or inexpensive stocking stuffer gifts!

Don’s brother, Gordon Krentz is the Director of Special Events at the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha. During Thanksgiving week Gordon gave us a tour of the Lied Humane Center. It is an amazing facility – colorful, and absolutely huge! There are many services for animals including veterinarians, a multi-unit surgery, multiple kennels to hold the animals in large enclosures during the evaluation period.  Special “get acquainted” rooms are available for families to bring their pets in to meet a potential adopted pet.

Take a peek at pictures from our tour, and visit your local shelter or Humane society. Donations and volunteers are desperately needed in every community. Contact with the animals will enrich your life, and the lives of those you provide care for.

These clever folks created a dance video – and after 1 million clicks to watch, they’ll generate some research funds by a donor! Enjoy!