Our First T Stands for Tuesday for 2023

   I really can't believe we are now into a brand new year. Last year went fast for us, but in parts dragged do to the weather preventing me from getting things accomplished outdoors-we'll see what happens this year-I am not going to fret about it though.

  I am linking this post for Elizabeth's T Stands for Tuesday where we share a drink related photo-find link in my sidebar-thank you Bleubeard and Elizabeth for hosting.

  Did you make it to midnight to celebrate the new year?  I always try to do this, I celebrate alone with the tv as Hubs always says I will see the new year in the morning haha.  I have been enjoying the New Year's tv celebration in Nashville over the last couple of years, as I enjoy the music much more, and they celebrate two time zones for the count down which I like too.  This year I was really tired and fell asleep probably a little after 10 pm and woke up 5 minutes before midnight-how perfect was that??  smiles.

   I did miss some of the surrounding fireworks here on the lake though. The professional that lives right across from us on the lake usually does it earlier-so if he did I missed it. I did watch several neighbors near me shoot off a few at midnight. I caught one photo-sorta

After 20 plus years of using my digital camera I never could figure out how to set for night photos etc. A month or so ago Larry played around with my camera and found a setting for all sorts of things and it comes up first for me to choose-only way I got this shot with some colors

  Below photo was taken on the first-we were totally fogged in for most of new year's day. I took those battery tea lights out of the luminary bags and set them back to burn out the rest of the way.  In front is last year's amaryllis bulb-no flower stem so far for this year.

Pretty sunrise New Year's Eve day

The squirrel proof bird feeder was a surprise gift from our new friends down the lake a bit.  I only put it outdoors when I can keep an eye on it-as the racoons would destroy it and the squirrels would try to Very thoughtful of them to gift us.

  Not sure if my asthma is really bad or I caught a bad chest cold but it's been bad for a few weeks for me now.  The allergy medicine has now jumped to over $600.00 so I refuse to pay that-total craziness. So instead I have been brewing me a tea pot of dried elderberries, echinacea, and mullein  It has really helped to break up the tightness and congestion in my chest

  Over the weekend I have been watching class videos on Craftsy. The last couple of years they have kept their yearly prices very very low-you just have to call them and they really knock down the price from what is originally quoted.  I really want to learn to paint better and to learn how to draw-so I have been watching those videos and have already learned new things.  One teacher that is an illustrator  showed how she paints with watercolors first and then when dry uses gouache paints to highlight. I have acrylic paints already and since they are water base too, am trying it out with what I have on hand already.  Instead of coming up with my own sketch for now-I traced a Crayola coloring page on to watercolor paper-painted it and then cut it into two cards for slow mail writing. I really liked using the two different paints, a good way to practice and then share as writing papers.

  I was pleased with my first try

Below is the Crayola coloring page I traced

And you may remember this handmade journal I bought from Ink Torrents a few months back. I wrote my first entry New Year's evening with my black walnut ink and glass dip pen. I don't usually write into a daily journal, but I wanted to try this year writing down inspiring quotes and progress with my art adventures. 

We did have one gorgeous sunny day so I could finally make the peanut brittle, also pistachio and cashew brittles.  Hoping the friends we are gifting this to- will find time to drive up for their goodies-if not my freezer is way too full and I will need to gift it elsewhere

This is the cashew brittle-I bring the mixture to 300 degrees first and then add in ground roasted nuts-it all "snaps" perfectly

I made it a different way this year, a little faster and just as good.

That's it for me --Here's to a Happy  New Year for all of us