Completed Drawing

I finished this today. I decided not to add color to the tulips. If I get prints made, I might add it to a few of them. Anyway, this was a fun piece for me. I might do more of these in the near future since they are faster for me than colored pencil.

Graphite Work in Progress

I decided to take a break from colored pencils and go a quick graphite piece. I started this yesterday on Fabriano Uno 140lb hot press paper. I don't remember using this paper before and am really liking it. It's perfect for graphite. What do you think about me putting red color on the tulips? Would it detract too much from the portrait?

Colored Pencil Workshop

Only 3 days left to register for the Colored Pencil on Black Paper workshop! There is still room available, so contact me at valmj2u@yahoo.com right away to save your spot.

Family Reunions

Our family had a reunion last weekend. One of my cousins has this really cool ice cream freezer. It hold five gallons of ice cream! The motor is an old John Deere motor that pops. All the guys enjoyed hanging around it!

This sauce was served at our reunion. It’s easy and quick to make. The sauce is good on ice cream, in milkshakes, on French toast or pancakes.

Peanut Butter Sauce Royale
Yield: 1 cup

½ cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup smooth or crunch peanut butter

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, milk, honey and butter. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and beat with a beater until sauce is smooth. Cool before serving.

Milkshake
Blend 2 tablespoons of Peanut Butter Sauce Royale with 1 cup milk and 2 scoops ice cream. Beat well.

The Amish, Ice Cream, and Birthdays

Awhile back, our family took a trip to visit family in Amish country. While there, we bought some ice cream sandwich wafers. My son's birthday was coming upon us, so we thought they would be good for his celebration.

I began by making the ice cream. It was an ordeal, to say the least. The motor on the ice cream freezer kept locking up. So, with the help of WD-40 and a little elbow grease, I was able to finally get the ice cream made.

The end result.....ice cream sandwiches and one happy birthday boy!

The ice cream recipe I used is my mother's standby. Give it a try!

VANILLA ICE CREAM

5 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla
1 quart heavy whipping cream
½ gallon milk
Beat eggs, add sugar, salt, vanilla, and heavy whipping cream. Mix together. Pour mixture into ice cream canister. Add milk to top of dasher blades.

Yield: 1 gallon