Being a little creative

So, I got into a very fun mood one day and decided to be creative! I love being creative. It is a high for me. It is that feeling when you are standing behind a red velvet curtain on a large wooden stage in total darkness and music begins to play. Instantly the curtain opens and light peeks through a small crack as the velvet flows past you. Your heart starts to pound while the music grows louder and the light becomes blinding. All of a sudden your in front of a crowd but you can't see anything. Your ready to give everything you have and thankfully your not playing yourself for at least the next two hours, so you actually believe your capable of doing anything. Ah.....that is the most fun ever!

This girl hasn't been in front of a stage in a long time, which is probably a good thing! Being creative gives me that same feeling. The nice thing about creating is you always have something to show for what you have been up to. Here are a few pictures of my day of cooking, photo taking and painting.

One of my college friends, Amber, recently asked me to do some painting for her new Optometry Clinic her in OK. I haven't really done anything like that since High School, but I was so excited to try. Here are the pictures of the process and the end result.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
So, yummmmmy and simple

3 frozen chicken breasts
1 can black beans
2 cans rotel
1 cup salsa
1 small can of chillis
1 can tomato sauce

Put all ingredients in your slow cooker in the morning and leave on low for 5-6 hours. When you get home from work or taking care of the kids all day you have a really good meal. Add, tortilla chips, chesse, sour cream, avacadoes, and black olives!

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
This is my Cousin Melveta's recipe. Thanks Melveta!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2c sugar
2 eggs
3c flour
1/2 t baking powder, baking soda, salt
1 1/2c mashed bananas = 4 bananas
1/2 t vanilla

beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an elec. mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients gradually add to butter mixture beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x4 loaf pans or pour into muffin tins.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour first.

Stir together 1/2c brown sugar, 1/2c chopped pecans, 1 T melted butter and 1/8 t ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over bater. Put foil on pan last 15 min. Cool 10 min in pan and 30 min on wire rack before serving.