Tag: postaday

Fused glass ornaments.

While I was in Seattle a week or so ago, I took a glass fusing class with my sister.  We made 5 glass ornaments.  I had to leave them there to be fired in the kiln, and then they’d mail them to me.  Today they arrived.

Here’s the “after”:

After firing.
After firing.

And here’s the “before”:

Before firing.
Before firing.

The copper metal hangars and accents oxidized and turned red in the kiln.  The way we made them was to use 2 pieces of glass cut approximately the same – one piece of glass serves as a base, and then the decoration is placed by putting pieces of glass and metal on top of the base, with a little glue, if necessary.  And then the 2nd piece of glass is put on top, sandwiching the decoration in between.  During the firing, all the glass pieces fuse together.  The result is a single piece of very smooth glass with the decorations baked inside.

I had a lot of fun in the class.  I’d like to try it again.

And….voila!

This year's tree.
This year’s tree.

I felt like playing around a bit, so I created an animated gif to capture the transformation of this year’s Christmas tree from bare to decorated to twinkling.

To make the animated GIF, I used the web-based tool Picasion.com.  Note: before I created the gif, I reduced the size of the original images down to the size I wanted (i used the width of my wordpress theme as the target image width).  Then I created the gif w/ Picasion.

Gather round and be merry.

We went to Laura and Arnie’s Christmas party tonight.  It’s become a tradition, and a most fun one at that.  Everyone ends up gathered around the piano belting out Christmas songs.  Some scenes from the evening:

The setting.
The director.
The script.
The script.
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The actors.

Twinkle, twinkle.

Painting with a twist - holiday edition.
Painting with a twist – holiday edition.

Julie took her last final of Fall semester today – and is headed home for the holidays tomorrow.  Tonight we went to Painting with a Twist to create a work of art.   This is my version.   Not bad.  A little festive.  Probably worth hanging on the wall for a week or two (?)   🙂

Onward and upward.

Glass window in D terminal.
Portion of glass artwork in SeaTac Concourse D.

I’m at SeaTac, ready to board my flight back to Austin.  I need to come up here more often.

The D Concourse has some very large glass artwork in the windows.  Here’s a couple of peeks.  Both of these are by an artist named Dick Weiss.

I’ll be home in a jif!

Glass window #2.
Glass art #2.

My peeps.

The old gang.
The old gang.

Today Noreen and I went to a glass fusing class in Tacoma.  We each made 5 glass Christmas ornaments.  I have to wait another week or two to see how they turned out… until they are fired, and they’ll mail them to me.  But we had a lot of fun.

Afterwards, all my sisters and my brother met to spend some quality time together and yuk it up a bit.  I had a really nice time.  I have lived away from home for over 30 years, and though we get together every now and then, it never seems like enough.   I’m glad we spent today together.

We ate lunch in a bar / restaurant loaded with Seahawks paraphenalia.   They play tomorrow, but I’ll miss it – since i’m flying while they’re playing.  I hope they make the post-season, so I have a chance to watch them on TV from Austin.  Go Hawks!

Soccer chicks.

Ladies league.
Ladies league.

After work today, Noreen and I met up with Francine to watch one of her soccer games — they can play year round in a really nice indoor facility.  Fran’s been playing soccer since she was a wee lass.  30+ years later, she’s still playing, and turning her kids onto it as well.  Pass it on…

Tis the season.

It's a party (mix)!
It’s a party (mix)!

When I was growing up, my mom would make Chex party mix every year around Christmas time.  I spent many a New Year’s Eve playing board games with my family – and there was always a big bowl of party mix on the table.

Though I rarely make it, it’s something I identify with the holidays.   Today mom and I made a batch.

Here’s the recipe that’s made the rounds in our family:

Party Mix

1 small box (~14 oz) each:  Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios
1 bag pretzel sticks
2 lbs mixed nuts
1 1/2 lbs butter, melted
3-4 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
Garlic salt

Mix ingredients in big brown paper grocery bag.  Melt butter on low heat on stovetop and stir in worchestershire sauce.  Place dry ingredients in shallow pans.  Pour melted mixture evenly over dry ingredients.

Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with garlic salt between stirrings, to taste.

Accidental bokeh.

Twinkly Christmas lights.
Twinkly Christmas lights.

Mom and I set up her tree today.  It looks nice.  I took several photos of it, hoping for one to post here.  On this one, the autofocus was a bit whacky.  And it turned out blurry.  But I like the bokeh effect of the lights.   So… this one is the winner.

For inquiring minds:  here’s a definition of bokeh on wikipedia

Sister time (and a little football).

The always stunning Olympic Mountains.
The always stunning Olympic Mountains.

Last night my mom and I went over to Noreen and David’s for dinner.  Colleen and Jake drove over and joined us.  After dinner we all sat around just telling funny stories for a couple hours.  It’s nice to laugh like that.  Everyone in my family is a comedian it seems…

Instead of driving all the way back to Seattle, Colleen and Jake slept at my mom’s, as we were planning on going to Francine and Art’s in the morning to watch the Seahawks game… a rare treat for me, since in Texas all that is usually on the networks is the Cowboys or the Texans (ho hum).

When I went out the front door to get the paper I was greeted by this stunning view of the Olympics.   They seemed particularly white today.

Francine whipped up some biscuits & gravy and mimosa’s — breakfast of football divas   🙂   Noreen and David came over after church and we all cheered and screamed at the refs until the Seahawks won in overtime.  Awesome!

Celtic knot glasswork.

Another of Noreen's creations.
Another of Noreen’s creations.

My mom has been on my mind lately, so earlier this month I decided to make a trip to spend some time with her before the Christmas bustle.  I can work from her house there and spend the evenings with her.

So today, after work, I hopped on a plane.   It is pouring rain here, and is expected to do the same all week.   I wish i could bring some of this water home with me…

I’ll also have a chance to see my sisters and brother while i’m here.  An added bonus.  Noreen gave me this beautiful leaded glass piece that she designed and made just for me.  Celtic knot… love it!  She does beautiful work.  I can’t wait to pick out a place to hang it at home.

Ride through the ‘hood.

Pecans!

Went for a bike ride around the neighborhood today.  There are a handful of pecan trees nearby that are on common grounds in the neighborhood.  We stopped by to gather a bunch of pecans that had fallen.   We have several pecan trees in our own backyard, but they don’t bear much fruit – at least not any of the years we have lived here.  So it’s nice to find a few that we can harvest from nearby.   They are very sweet this year.

Julie and I rented a movie from a nearby RedBox last night – The Amazing Spiderman.  It was a good flick.  Stop number 2 on the bike ride today was the RedBox to drop the movie off.  Then we rode to Academy to see what we could see.  Then we stopped by the local pet store to check out the birdies.  This is one of two very friendly macaws that live there.

Pretty bird.

Sailing away.

Good day for a sail (photo by Julie).

We went for a sail today, the winds were 10-15 knots.  A nice sail up towards Lakeway, and then down to Arky South, where we dropped a hook and ate turkey sandwiches.  Then back to the marina before sunset.  Julie and Joel joined us.  A very nice day.  I wonder why they call this Black Friday?!  🙂

Tower o’ sprouts.

Look what I found at HEB.

We hit the grocery store early today with our Thanksgiving shopping list:  turkey: check….potatoes: check…green beans: check.  Then I spied this spire and couldn’t pass it up.  So we’ll have 2 green veggies on the table this year.  🙂 I love brussels sprouts and found this recipe from smittenkitchen.com earlier this year.   I tried it once…with pork chops i think, and it was delicious.

Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4

1 lb brussels sprouts
1 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 to 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 T heavy cream
1 T dijon mustard (or more to taste)

Peel several of outer leaves off each sprout and halve lengthwise.  In a large, heavy 12-inch skillet heat butter and oil over moderate heat.  Place sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.  Cook sprouts, without turning, until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes.  If sprouts don’t fit in one layer, brown them in batches, then add them all back to the pan, spreading them as flat as possible, before continuing with the shallots, wine, etc.

Add shallots, wine and stock.  Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low (for a gentle simmer), cover the pot and cook the sprouts until they are tender can be pierced easily with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, and scoop out sprouts (leaving the sauce behind).  Add cream and simmer for two to three minutes, until slightly thickened.  Whisk in mustard.  Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with more salt, pepper or Dijon.  Drizzle sauce over brussels sprouts and serve immediately.