Friday From My Kitchen:) Another Baking Frenzy

“Some people say they are addicted to sugar. I’m addicted to making and baking and sharing the sugar. Does that make me a “sugar pusher?”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Well, she’s at it again. I had a big bowl of lemon cream cheese frosting left over from last week, so I had to use that up, right? So I made more mini lemon cheese cakes. But, cream cheese was on sale at Kroger this week, and not everyone likes lemon, so I decided to make a batch of my infamous mini no-bake peanut butter pies.

Please don’t ask for the recipe. I don’t use no stinkin’ recipe. I don’t even measure the sugar anymore. I just eye ball it. Haven’t had any complaints yet.

I think I ate two of these and gave the rest away. I don’t make them to eat them, I just need to make and bake and give them away. OH NO! I am a “sugar pusher.” I wonder if there’s a support group for that? S.P.A. Sugar Pushers Anonymous.

It was a fantastic fun Friday. The air was cool and crisp, and the sky was crystal blue. I didn’t catch the sunset for a photo because I was on the phone. But, even better, I got to FaceTime with my adorable granddaughters.

A perfect ending to a perfect day, Black Russian Friday. Cheers, my friends.

Quarantined Karaoke Thursday:) Sunrise, Sunset

“Some parents can’t wait until their children grow up and leave the nest. I wish I could have put a padlock on that nest and never let them go.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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What an amazing Thursday this has been. It was a dark, cloudy, blustery, and overcast day, but I loved it. I walked in the dog in the park, several times, met with some friends, went to the store, did some household chores, and enjoyed the day. The best part, of course, was a really awesome phone call from my sister. It was great to hear her voice and catch up.

The days go by too fast, and our children and grandchildren grow up too fast. There wasn’t an amazing sunset tonight, but last night and a zillion Other sunsets inspired my karaoke song for tonight…

Wednesday:) Well, What’s Been Happenin’ On The Square?

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

― W.B. Yeats

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Magic and beauty and amazing adventures are happening all around us, right before our own eyes, in our own home town. All we have to do is open our eyes. Voila! There it is.

Yesterday was a very awesome day. I got up early for a long walk and to walk the dog. Then, Helene and I made plans to scoot over to Holy Family School to take our donations of snacks and goodies for the little ones. Miss Sondra and the staff are always so appreciative of our little donations and our visits.

The construction for the Community Kitchen and Garden behind the school is coming along. It will be so nice for the community to have fresh home grown vegetables and meals available to them. Cool!

After our visit, we wandered over to the Square for lunch at The Pantry. Oh my goodness. I always get the chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy and fried okra. SO much food. We always have leftovers.

Of course, I needed a phot op in front of the mural painted by our friend, Andrea Holmes, on the side of Fair and Square Imports across the street.

Then, off we went to visit Kim Guthrie at her studio on Virginia. She’s always busy at work by her window. Perfect for a photo op and a visit. Her awesome whimsical style has captured the hearts of all of McKinney and beyond.

Another artistic stop at The Last Gallery on Louisiana. We were greeted by another artist friend, Leslee Ortega. Leslee has a brilliant eye for color and composition, and has also mastered the art of painting with coffee. (Yep…coffee. It’s a blast. I love it too.) The gallery has become a fantastic artist co-op that features the finest artists in North Texas. (Most of them are friends of mine, so I’m a little biased.)

It was a great busy day, and what better way to end my day than a nice walk at dusk to capture one of God’s greatest works of art. The evening sunset. (I really need to paint some of these scenes. But, I have SO many. Where do I start?)

Have a great day, my friends.

Tuesday:) Toni’s Time- Lapse Video-Painting Birch Trees

“Time-lapse videos make my paintings look so effortless, even though I spent several hours and I’m covered in paint.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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I saw some cool birch trees that were painted using string covered in white paint and stretched and swiped across the paper or canvas. All I could find was some twine and that didn’t work, so I used an old AAA plastic card instead. I did a practice painting before recording, and just the trees looked kind of boring, so I decided to put a moon behind it. Good idea.

Fun project. I hope you like it. The good part is it only lasts a few seconds, so it won’t take up a lot of your time.

Montage Monday:) A Week In A Peek

“Someday is not a day of the week.” —

~Janet Dailey

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Another great week! Happy Monday, my friends.

Sunday Sermon and Babies-In-A-Box

“Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile.”

– Chinese Proverb

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A beautiful warm Fall Sunday. No alarm was set, and a leisurely morning before watching Mass on TV. A great way to start my day. Many smiles along the way.

Today’s Gospel was the parable Jesus told of the king who invited guests to his son’s wedding feast. When he sent servants to inform the invited guests, they were ignored. He then sent more servants who were beaten or killed..

8 Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy,

9 go to the main crossroads and invite everyone you can find to come to the wedding.”

10 So these servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment,

12 and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent.

13 Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”

14 For many are invited but not all are chosen.’

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My take on it… the King symbolizes God, and we are all invited to join Him. We have our jobs, family, friends, and busy lives, but when called, we should drop what we’re doing and go. If we receive the invitation but ignore the messengers, others will be invited. Now, when we are invited, we have to dress accordingly. To me, that means the preparation. We have lived our good honest lives and are ready for the feast. If you are not “prepared,” you will be thrown out. “For many are invited but not all are chosen.”

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Hmm? Who doesn’t love a great wedding feast. I’m in. I plan on dressing accordingly.

The rest of my day was awesome. Sundays are the perfect day to count my blessings and appreciate life. Especially, Sunday evening when I get to FaceTime with my beautiful granddaughters.

Babies-in-a-box….

Life is good! Happy Sunday, my friends.

Saturday:) Sights and Sounds

“Everyday is a feast for the eyes, with soothing sounds for the ears, and sights for the soul.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Whenever I’m not sure what to write about, I just take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood and just take in all the sights and sounds of nature.

Just a couple of blocks away, there are horses grazing in a field.

The sunset sizzles in the western sky.

The pond glistens and reflects the fiery sky.

Then, a quiet beckoning bench before the night sky dims and fades to grey.

A very nice Saturday. Now, time to put my feet up and watch a little Notre Dame Football. Go Irish!!!! ☘️

Frightfully Lazy Friday

“If my Friday was any lazier, people would think I was in a coma.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Wow! I literally did not get out of bed till noon today, and that was because I gave myself that very resolute and lofty goal. Now, the fact that I got out of bed at noon doesn’t mean I got anything accomplished. I stayed in my pajamas until 4:45 pm and took a shower at 5.

I did make a couple of phone calls, did some meditation, listened to some self-help cerebral type YouTube videos, and checked my emails, then floated away and flittering away the day on Facebook. On a laziness scale from 1-10, today I was about… pi cubed… 31.0062766803. That’s pretty lazy, but aren’t you impressed that I even know what “pi” is?

Everyone is entitled to a real lazy day now and then. My problem is I’m have too many “nows” and not so many “thens.” But, it’s Friday, my friends.

AND… It’s Black Russian Friday…. Cheers!!!!

Quarantined Karaoke Thursday:) I Love You Just The Way You Are

“I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.”

 – Steve Maraboli

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Another Quarantined Karaoke Thursday… just for you…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93KTyjP5ZzM

Wowza Wednesday:) Sunset Sequence

“A large drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone, and the sky was brilliant over the spot where it had gone, and a torn cloud, like a bloody rag, hung over the spot of its going. And dusk crept over the sky from the eastern horizon, and darkness crept over the land from the east.”

― John Steinbeck

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I was thrilled to catch yet another amazing sunset on my evening walk. With each loop around the shimmering pond, a different yet brilliant painting unfolded in the evening sky. (Doesn’t that sound poetic? An awesome sunset will do that to me every time.)

The sequence of my sunset… straight from my iPhone.

o

And that is why I chase the sunset.