New Years Lucky Food

 Hi Everyone!

Do you make lucky new years food?

My daughter got me started on it many years ago. It seems to be a southern thing. Because I never heard of it here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyway it goes like this. Pork, it can be any kind of pork, greens, black eye'd peas and or lentils. I make beans with both in the pot. Cornbread and ambrosia salad.

Pork, ham, bacon, ham hock. Pigs root forward representing progress in life.

oops forgot to take a photo of the ham hock here is one from the internet.

 

The meat simply falls off the bone into the beans. Best flavor ever. These are my beans and hock. 

I made fried cabbage for my greens. Although store bough cabbage isn't as good or as green as my cabbage from the garden. 😀 It still works.

I used cut up bacon with the cabbage.  

 Greens can be spinach, cabbage, collards or kale. They bring money, wealth and financial prosperity. 

  

 I made a pot of 15 bean soup and added the black eye'd peas. The 15 includes lentils so I didn't have to add those.  I couldn't get a photo of the inside due to the steam.

The peas and lentils represent coin and paper money and wealth.

The ambrosia salad  "Ambrosia" means "immortal" or "food/nectar of the gods" in Greek, referring to the mythical food of the gods that granted immortality. I don't want immortality but it serves as longevity and health.

Now for the corn bread.

I used to make them from scratch but I found a small packet of corn bread mix at Winco that serves two muffins. Just right for us. And it is pretty kidney friendly using aquafaba instead of an egg. These packs are well under a buck at winco.

 

  I don't by large muffin pan paper cups. I would rather have parchment paper on hand. Cut a piece of P.P. then crumble it up. 

Open it up and it fits perfectly in the muffin pan. Ever tried putting parchment in a pan or a cookie sheet just out of the roller. Try crumbling it first. It much easier to fit.  

I do trim the edges. Leave a little piece on either side to easily lift the muffins out. 

Are these beauties or what? 😁

Well that was our good luck dinner for the new year. Do you have any food or other traditions you do? Let me know in the comments.

I'm wearing glare free glasses for my eye and I didn't realize some of the photos are blurry. Sorry but I think you get the idea.

Have a great weekend.

Nicole
 

Friday Face Off 1/1/2026

 

 Welcome To Friday Face OFF (FFO)

This is the place to show off your face art.

You know, ANY type of face, nature, the face of a flower, Photography, drawings, paintings. There just needs to be a face in your blog post.

 

Update. I'm really messed up. I thought today was Friday and that I forgot to post FFO on Thursday night. I posted early this AM. Duhhhh I better get it together. I don't want my whole year to be brain fogged. LOL 

 

Well I'm off to an epic start with FFO 2026. Totally forgot to post it last night.  

I'm here now and it is Friday. 

For this first week of FFO I have a colored pencil piece. She starts like this.

 

Then this 

 

And I finished with this.

I had so much fun with her.

I did add a bit a pastel to the top of her head and used ink for her eye lashes.

 

I have a few AI pieces that are all pretties. 

These are all old pieces.

 

I love the yellow in this next one. 

 

Lovely paintings

Now it's time to show some features.

I want to say that last year all of you went above and beyond with your art. I saw so much adventure and people tying new things. It inspires me to be better in my art. I truly can't wait to see what all of you create in this upcoming year.

First up

Traude From Rostrose

I'm not a thief but I would find a way to get this red coat. LOL

It  must be coat day.  From the wonderful Iris and this is her husband Ingo. Again I would like this coat too. 

Christine always has something 

cute gong on.

Don't forget the new challenge. You have one month left.

FFO Challenge

The new challenge is to create a portrait of anyone you want. It can be your family, friends, actors, faces you find on the internet, or a perfect stranger that will allow you a photo to work from and to show with your portrait. You can work in any medium, except photography and you have until Friday January 30, 2026.  Make it fun and let's see what you come up with. 

Remember this is optional. I still want to see all of your wonderful faces. 

 

That's it for me. Now its time to show me your face.

Nicole    

Happy New Year 2026

 Hi Everyone!

My hope for 2026 is that kindness, understanding and love in the world prevails. 

 

For all of my dear and wonderful blog family may your year be filled with blessings, health, success, creativity and many reasons to laugh each day. 

 

For all of us, the best of 2026

Nicole 

Monster Monday

 Hi Everyone!

No big Monster Monday today. My eye has gone wack a doo. Just resting it today.

To end with something pretty.

Have a great Monday

Nicole

 

Sunday in the art room

 Hi Everyone!

I'm still healing my eye so not much activity here. My eye is healing. Not as many sparks and the floaters have pretty much gone away. Thanks to all of your for your prayers and well wishes they really do work.

Here is a graphite piece I did a few weeks ago. The background is pastel.

Enjoy your Sunday

Nicole
 

 

 Welcome To Friday Face OFF (FFO)

This is the place to show off your face art.

You know, ANY type of face, nature, the face of a flower, Photography, drawings, paintings. There just needs to be a face in your blog post.

 

I hope all of you who celebrate had a fabulous Christmas.  It was very quiet at our place. That's fine with us. 

As I mentioned before I have been deep into art. I really like how this one turned out. Here is the original photo. When I find a photo I like I do turn it to black and white. Helps with shading for graphite.

and here is my interpretation. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I do wish I had used a larger piece of paper.

on the easel   

 

I keep moving the photo of him around as I work. 

 

Yay I did chest hair. 

 Here is the finished piece.

AI art that I created on 

Night Cafe. It's the best site to create with. If you want to join in, it's free, just click on the link. Night Cafe

 

There was a baroque art challenge and I decided to make it more up to date. 

 

It's time to see some featured.

First up is Dixie  I love how delicate this is.

Carol from Artist Reflections has a lovely way of creating.

Leeanna  always has interesting art going on.

 She is a quilter but so much more.

 

FFO Challenge

The new challenge is to create a portrait of anyone you want. It can be your family, friends, actors, faces you find on the internet, or a perfect stranger that will allow you a photo to work from and to show with your portrait. You can work in any medium, except photography and you have until Friday January 30, 2026.  Make it fun and let's see what you come up with. 

Remember this is optional. I still want to see all of your wonderful faces. 

That's it for me. Now its time to show me your face.

Nicole  

 

Sorry No Monster Monday

 Hi Everyone!

I'm finding that less to no screen time and all of your prayers and well wishes, has my eye healing. So, no monsters today. I will see everyone for FFO.

Wishing all of you a very happy Holiday!

Nicole
  

Sunday in the Art Room

 Hi Everyone!

Sorry No Sunday in the Art Room today.

Even though I'm wearing glare free glasses, I'm trying to stay off the PC to help heal my eye.

Here is something i worked on a few weeks ago.

Have a great Sunday.

Nicole
 

Friday Face OFF FFO 12/19/25

 

 Welcome To Friday Face OFF (FFO)

This is the place to show off your face art.

You know, ANY type of face, nature, the face of a flower, Photography, drawings, paintings. There just needs to be a face in your blog post.

 

This has been a weird week for me. Good and not so good all rolled up into one. In fact this is a good explanation for my entire year. I'm focusing on the good. :)

Part of that good is all of you and the another part is art. I'm thrilled with what I'm creating and week by week I will show you how it is all coming about.

How has your week been?

For FFO this week I have a colored pencil drawing. I like the sensitivity of this face.

Here is the original. Yes, I know the original is a painting.

For some reason I don't have any progression photos of this.

Only the finished piece. Obviously the painted original is much more vibrant  than the colored pencil but I like the way it turned out. I did make some changes to the eyes and mouth

I have some AI pieces that are in a Quest challenge. The challenge was to use the color yellow in a minimal style. These are mine. You can only have 4 entries.

For the Self Portrait challenge 2 of my lovely artist were left out so here they are now. 
 

 Erika N.

Her SP. I love her interpretation.

 and Mia 

A nice Andy Worhol representation.

It's time to see what some features.

All chosen by the number generator, but I'm making sure everyone gets featured.

 

 First up Kwarkito. Who can go wrong with an image of John Lennon?

Melbourne Street Photography

There is so much movement in this. 

Vivian Voo She joins in from FB so I hope all of you can click onto her. 

Melody Jacobs. Always has interesting posts.

Carola bARTz I love her curls 

Last but certainly  not least

Barb with her lovely doll.

The new challenge is to create a portrait of anyone you want. It can be your family, friends, actors, faces you find on the internet, or a perfect stranger that will allow you a photo to work from and to show with your portrait. You can work in any medium, except photography and you have until Friday January 30, 2026.  Make it fun and let's see what you come up with. 

That's it for me. Now its time to show me your face.

Nicole