The yummiest recipe evahhh!

I make this soup at least twice a month and it is insanely good! The hub adds chicken to his, I add tofu, but really, you don't need to add anything, cause it is PERFECT!

Thom Kai Gai

2 cans cooking coconut milk

1 stalk lemongrass(bruised)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 inch Galanga sliced thin

1 inch Ginger sliced thin

1 can of peeled straw mushrooms

1 can of baby corn

7ish kefir lime leaves

vegetarian fish sauce

1Tbs green curry paste

I rinse and drain all of my canned vegetables in the sink before i put them in the coconut. Even the tomato a tiny bit. I start with a tsp of curry paste and add throughout the simmer. Usually it will cook for about thirty minutes just to get the best of the flavors out of everything. Try not to let this boil as the milk will break up somewhat...and remember that the galanga, lemongrass, lime leaves, and ginger are not very edible so i pick those out before i serve it. To finish it off i squeeze a half of a lime over it with a hand full of cilantro just ripped off the bunch and tossed on top. Nom nom nom- so yummy, and soul satisfying!

31 Days of Giving

 I've been lax in my posts but I have been gathering bags and bags of clothing and toys to give to others and to donate to the Kidney Foundation. Every free day is spent gathering and giving. Getting the kids involved is a feat-but their toys are going to good homes!
  I'm also giving of my time on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the month of December. I'm offering free open studio time at my new art studio located at 825 Union Rd Gastonia, NC 28054-I'm in the Visual Arts building and offer classes from knitting to journaling to painting. I also have a monthly woman's circle starting back up in January. And yoga and meditation weekly. It's my favorite place ever right now!

I'm going to enjoy the giving of the season. This came to me last night after the 10th toy commercial in a row followed by a chorus of "That's what I want for Christmas!" I've failed my children in this area, they're so hungry for materialistic goods, and things being advertised to them and they've lost their sense of what it truly means. There is a beautiful JOY in the giving of an item to someone else. So in order to remind my family and myself  of the TRUE meaning of the season. I will give something away everyday. And I'll post about it here. It may be a tutorial, a recipe, a book to a child, something of mine that will bring JOY to someone else. And I'd like to invite you to do the same!I'd really like to make this a community event- so let me know if you want to join me in 31 Days of Giving and I'll create a blogroll that we can all visit and see how everyone else is giving!

Today I Believe

If you pull back my skin this is what you would see.

 Today is the day I make a move...I have to decide which path at the fork in the road to take. And it looks like its going to be the one overgrown with weeds and briars, potholes everywhere. But i'm sure I can forge through and create a beautiful path with flowers along the sides and no feral animals in the wooded areas, it's just going to take me actually DOING the work. I tend to plan and dream and start...and fizzle...so my goal is to finish everything I set out to do today...and for the rest of my life! I need completion, but when you finish something- then it's open and bare and available to be criticized and judged...and that's something i'm still not comfortable with...the non-attachment to my work, my life, me...I think I've held the thought tight in the back of my mind, that if I'm always a work in progress, I can never feel the sharp sting of the criticism that's sure to follow. And who says there going to be criticism? Well, I can only assume my inner critic; that jerk that tells me constantly i'm NOT good enough, he's the ass that's been fueling my fears for 37 years. And I'm putting a stop to his whiny sniveling voice TODAY. 

I AM ENOUGH

I AM AN ARTIST

I AM BEAUTIFUL

I AM A GOOD MOTHER

As I write these mantras statements, I KNOW that they are true, I own them, but then, right when I'm about to finish a project, I feel the fear creeping up on me, and I find something else, "more important" stuff to work on, procrastination...it's a hell of a crutch.

So no more!

I WILL BELIEVE...

in me

in my art

in my life

in my abilities

I'm awesome, I just sometimes forget it!

Rooted

-WIP Acrylic on canvas-

I'm really into the idea of healing my root chakra and being more grounded...and all of these lovely earthy ladies are coming out of my head and flowing all over the canvas!!

I've got so many amazing projects a buzzin' everywhere! The minute I set my faith and trust into the Universe things have been happening at an accelerated speed! GOOD things! 

My friend Rachel and I are hosting Mad Hatter Paint Parties every Wednesday at Arts on Main in my hometown Gastonia NC. Please stop by and see us! We have a new painting every week and we also both offer private classes.

I still need quite a few votes to be eligible for the grant being offered by Chase and Living Social... Just go to Mission:Small Business log in and vote for HappyTrees Studio. Please! You would really be helping me create an amazing community in my beloved hometown.!!