Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

With tears in my eyes I thank you for all your loving support and kindness!  I love you all!

Today is my birthday! 45!

This has been a hard year for me ...I lost my beloved art gallery due to the economy recently.  This has been a horrid death for me...and one that I had seen coming for months before it actually happened.  For a long time I dragged my heels hard saying NO WAY I am going to lose it....then it became inevitable or we would also lose our home.  This was the turning point...and very scary...we were looking at being homeless as well as losing my gallery/business I loved...I have 2 children at home still!  Where would we go?  Where would we put our things?--we had no money for even a storage unit.  How could I lose my home AND my business....I was not dealing well with this stress and worry...it seemed insurmountable... still does most times!  At the worst point my family was worried about me....my mom called the police who checked up on me to make sure I wasnt hanging by the rafters...it got that bad.  I lay in bed and finally made the decision that I would close the gallery fast...and siphon all monies we do have towards the house payment from that moment on.  I called my landlord...we came to an agreement.  I was able to pay 2 months that I was behind..and now we are only 1 month behind...he seems appeased....for now...and I feel such relief that it looks like we wont be homeless.  Still, now I am behind in payments to my artists and bills from the gallery.  It is horrid to have this hanging over my head when I have strived so hard at being timely with all payments and very responsible.  I hate how my artists see me now...they think I am not a good business woman.  I prided myself in my business sense and how well I treated those I worked with.  I was extremely organized and efficient when things were running right....and then when the shit hit the fan...I couldn't keep up with this anymore...not because I wasn't a good business woman...but because I had limited psychological strength for one.  I was down to my very last raw nerve....and 2 , I had (have) no money at this time and cant pull it out of my rump or pick it from a tree...and 3, at the very worst time it could ever happen, my computer crashed with a virus a month ago...right when I was trying to close the books and dismantle the gallery....I absolutely could not believe the timing of that ...if it would have happened just a few weeks later...it would have been not so bad....but it was devastating.  I now have artists that are saying they are missing work and I cannot look it up in my Quick Books and tell them whats up....I am at a loss...and will just have to pay what they ask for...someday, when I have the money!  On top of all this....I am so at loss without my gallery.  It was my life....I looked forward to every day going to work.  I loved it.  I loved everything about it.  It was something to be proud of.  It was beautiful and vibrant and magical.  Its the best thing I have ever done( besides being a good mother to my kids) in my life.  Now, I am sitting home so bored...I dont know what to do with myself.  I  have no energy (depression).  We also have no money...(thus I cant shop or buy a new bra I need or go buy yarn so I can learn to knit....it's endless)  When you have no money its bizarre how profoundly this effects you in ways you couldn't even imagine when you had it.  I cant even go swim laps for exercise at the local high school because I don't have 3 dollars.  I also am completely isolated with no car to use.  Although I do have a bike...you cant carrry much on a bike...and soon it will be getting cold to ride a bike...and snowy...
I have never been much of a TV watcher...and yesterday I watched two movies in the middle of the day!  UGHHh how boring....and what a bore I have become.  The only good thing about this is I have been taking a long walk everyday...and the weather has been nice..I keep telling myself to notice all the things I wouldn't be doing that are good if I were working 6 days a week like normal.  I keep telling myself not to wallow in self pity and to be gracious. I need to learn to be grateful for all the blessings I do have each and every day.

So, today is my 45th birthday.  I will be making a turkey dinner since I had a turkey in the freezer.  I will start it at around 2:00.  I will try to smile and find the silver lining in things.  Happy Birthday to me!  I included the card my Mom sent me...I think it is perfect for me this year...

Fall color in Wisconsin

Took these photos on my walk yesterday....its been a glorious fall this year...Indian summer for sure...warm..almost too hot!  I am getting way too used to this weather for walking...pretty soon it will be very chilly and slippery...time to change shoes to hiking boots for snow walking....but we wont talk about that anymore!

Been baking !

I made homemade New England Clam Chowder in the crock pot...it was yummy!  My first attempt at it!  Also, I got the book "Artisan Bread in five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  It is a great book...and for the first time in my life my bread worked!  All other times ...it turned out like a brick!  And it is so easy to have fresh bread every day.  The dough lasts 14 days in the fridge and it makes about 5 loafs and then you just keep remaking the dough.  It is so easy...I am amazed it works so well...my family loves this bread.  I recommend the book...you can also make many different types of bread as well..you just change the base recipe a bit.
On a different note...I got my flu shot today...and my arm just started really hurting so I am going to stop blogging and get off the computer and get in my jammies early and read. 

Art is Magic!

Art is magic... But how is it magic? In its
metaphysical development? Or does some final transformation culminate
in a magic reality? In truth, the latter is impossible without the
former. If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic.

Now I hook at home

Well...I have not been on my blog very much.  My art gallery closed...and I have been busy mourning and dismantling my wonderful gallery.  So sad.....well, now I have my little corner in my dining room to hook in.  Now that I am not working 6 days a week I will have more time to do my own artwork!  Always a silver lining.  I am looking forward to doing more hooking and being more creative again. 

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Monday, July 19, 2010

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Zucchini has to be one of my favorite summer vegetables and this weekend I was in luck as the farmers market was overflowing with them! Of all of the many things that there are to do with zucchini, the one that I keep coming back to time and time again is the classic zucchini bread which I end up making at least once every summer. The farmers market was also full of fresh local blueberries that I could not resist picking up and I knew what I was going to have to use them in, a blueberry zucchini bread! For the recipe, I started out with my basic zucchini bread recipe and added blueberries. Nice and simple eh? I really enjoy this zucchini bread recipe as it always comes out nice and light a moist and good! Some of the things that I like about this recipe include the use of the whole wheat flour and the vanilla yogurt to cut down on the amount of oil that is needed. I tend to use a mix of green and yellow zucchini to give the cake a nice mixture of colours and this year, with the addition of the blueberries the bread was even more colourful that usual. This blueberry zucchini bread is a perfect celebration of summers bounty and I am looking forward to enjoying it for breakfasts for the rest of the week!

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

(makes 8+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups zucchini (grated, squeezed and drained)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)

Directions:
1. Mix the zucchini, sugar, oil, yogurt and egg in a bowl.
2. Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients.
4. Mix in the blueberries and pecans.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 50-70 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Zucchini Bread
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Muffins with Pecan Streusel
Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta