The Temporary Return of the Diary Comic

I remembered that I did a diary comic last month, and thought that I might share!

I have been on a serious Jane Austen kick lately, re-reading all her stuff (come on, the lady only wrote like five novels) and seeking out more post-humously published tidbits. I am not too proud to admit that Mr. Darcy is the sexiest man to never live. There, I said it.

That being said, I think I'm ready to move on to a different genre. Corban and I recently had a Half Price binge, from which I emerged with books on linguistics and evolution, as well as several fiction titles. I think I shall begin with One Hundred Years of Solitude.

I cooked dinner tonight! I love that it's still a big deal. Tonight was Spaghetti with Meatballs; a very fun meal to produce. I like anything that I have to construct, like enchiladas or chicken cordon bleu. It turned out very very tasty and I am excited to eat the leftovers tomorrow!

It's so fresh, you can actually see the steam!

I need to go to bed and nurse this sinus infection of mine. Plus, school tomorrow (bleh). Later days.

Chelle

Foodie Fun

Lets get caught up on some edible goodness!

Pollo Relleno- LOVED this one. Of course I loved it, it's Mexican food.

Chicken Enchiladas- another fabulous Tex-Mex dish (fabulous, but not fabulous for me.) Basically an excuse to gorge on dairy.

So, those are my most recent food success stories. Look at me. Ain't I somethin'?

I've got lots of fun stories to tell about our recent vacation, which I will post soon. Right now I am tired with yet another illness. It's a swollen/sore throat this time. On top of it all, I had two exams today, one of which I was an hour late for because of an epic traffic jam on I-35. I'm hoping for high Cs / low Bs on both. I'm not picky. Passing will do.

I think I will have another one of the fudgecicles that Corban brought me last night. He is too sweet.

Chelle

What A Week

Last week Corban got sick, and then I got sick, so now I am behind on school work (after missing all my classes last week) and nursing the remains of a sore throat. Bleh.

I do, however, have a few success stories to share. First of all is Xenu, which I painted forever and a day ago, and just have not gotten posted to the blog till now. A nice addition to the Deities collection, I like to think.

Next is a new style I'm working on and a piece in the Fire Fly v Lightning Bug collection (please ignore the crappy photography).

I'm actually really liking this style...we'll see what comes of it.

Next we have Chicken with Indian Spices and Yogurt. Corban really liked it while I thought it to be a big fantastic MEH. I don't really like Indian cuisine, though.

And then, Poached Garlic Chicken. I *heart* garlic.

This week I'm departing from my usual meat and potatoes to try a couple Mexican-style dishes (Chicken Enchilladas and Pollo Rellenos)! I also got some more fresh peppers from my dad's garden, so I will be making another fabulous stew.

That is all for now; I must go and make a least a half-hearted attempt at caring about my homework.

Chelle

Mmmmm, Fall

Autumn is the best.

I have several success stories from my cooking this week. The contestants are as follows:

Stir Fried Chicken with Cauliflower (I know that nobody likes it, but I heart cauliflower)

Parmesan Risotto with Mushrooms (a lovely vegetarian option for dinner)

German Apple Cake (made from a recipe given to me by my Mamaw Thacker)

And the winner is...GERMAN APPLE CAKE! Dingdingding. De-licious!

Since we've finally gotten to some good stew weather, I finally feel justified in continuing to cook my stewy goodness. This weekend I want to try Chicken and Garlic Stew...because nothing in this world is better than garlic. I've also planned an Indian-flavored dish, which should be an interesting new genre for me.

New Top Chef tonight! Much more important than homework, for sure.

Chelle Lynn

Fail and Fun

This weekend had a bit of both.

Fail:

1. Making two terrible dishes (overcooked Beef Stir Fry and bland Lemon-Mustard Chicken)

2. Wiping out after Oktoberfest and now sporting several attractive scrapes and bruises...

3. Therefore interrupting my up-to-this-point diligent work out routine

Fun:

1. Drinking beer and Polka dancing at Oktoberfest whilst wearing a very stylish German hat

2. Beating Castle Crashers with my one and only

(I was the green character, he was the blue)

3. Making a tasty Traditional Beef Stew (slow. cookers. ROCK.)

This week will be spent completing all the Castle Crasher achievements, endeavoring to cook mostly edible dishes, and all but completely ignoring my school work. I will update later on my success in these matters.

Chelle Lynn

Inside Out/Upside Down

Just got back from my four-hour-long sojourn at the Boardwalk Volkwagon dealership, awaiting the repair of my right tail-light. The outcome: $500 poorer and half of Next of Kin completed for Animal Communication class. It wouldn't have been so bad except the part where I had to eat at the nearby Springcreek Barbeque for lunch. Epic Gross. The book was really engaging, despite the gigantic TV in the waiting room blaring talk shows and soap operas. I'm eager to get to the second half and learn about Fouts' altruistic work for ape rights recognition. Grateful as I am for the opportunity to sit and read for several hours, I do have to say that if anything else goes wrong with my car this year, I just might have to take a sledge hammer to it and be done with the whole thing. Maybe buy a motorcycle...tour the country side.

In happier news, I saw the most glorious rainbow on my way home from school yesterday.

Yes, I was taking photos while driving. Yes, this is probably quite dangerous. No, I do not care.

I also have a couple cooking success stories of...get this...my own recipes! They are not very impressive, but I am quite proud of them, so ignore my appalling photography and admire my accomplishments.

My patented NOM Cookies. You will not find this recipe on the back of any chocolate morsel package.

And, Beef Stew made from fresh peppers from my dad's garden! This was my first time to try the Crockpot, and let me tell you, I am a believer.

I have gotten sadly behind on my comic, but I don't hear any of you complaining, so meh. Anyway, I'm posting one today. Read it...don't read it...I'm not your mother.

Mosquitoes are pretty annoying. I think most of you will agree with me.

Chelle Lynn

Graduation Anxiety

There is way too much to do before next Monday, when my graduation application is due. I am at stress level midnight.

However, someone got me flowers!

It's the little things, right?

Also, I haven't been cooking as much as I would like, but here are a few of the recent success stories. You will notice that there is NOT a photo of a Coq Au Vin. That's because it was absolutely nasty. I was so sad. Presently I am putting off going to the grocery store to get what I need for a beef stew tomorrow that I'm making with fresh veggies from my dad's garden! I'm so excited!

Chicken and Artichoke Sauté

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Kiev

Man, what is up with all this chicken? I need to get some red meat up in here!

Chelle

FOODFOODFOODFOOD

It is truly amazing how much time I have spent thinking about sustenance. I have found that I am much more visual than textual (is that the right word? I don't learn by reading.) So, I'm typing up recipes I want to try, then when I make them I will take a picture and add the recipe + picture to a recipe book. So far the list includes Beef Tenderloin with Peppercorn Sauce, Chicken and Black Bean Burritos, Chicken Kiev, Florentine Shells, Lemon Baked Chicken, Lemon-Mustard Chicken, Beef Stroganoff, and Coq Au Vin. Tonight we are trying the Lemon-Mustard Chicken! Wish me luck! And, if anyone has a recipe that I should add to my list, pleasepleaseplease let me know!

I should finish up Brain Worms today. After I clean out the fridge...ugh. The worst part of produce is produce gone bad.

Lots of love in today's comics!



Corban proposed in Fairview Park, while we were sitting on "Our Bench." It could not have been more romantic.



Corban and I met during a production of Cinderella put on by our local theater company. Oh, that fateful day!

Laters.

Chelle Lynn

Watching Paint Dry

Literally. Waiting for a canvas to dry so that I can continue. I totally messed up Jessica's Indian Paintbrush, so I'm having to paint over and start over. Alas.

Restaurant week is going on right now and we went out with some great friends for low cost, high class fancy dinner. Al Biernat's was a lot of fun, and great food, but not the best I've had. I wouldn't want to go back for regular price (which I realize makes me a tight wad, but who cares.) The presentation was not fabulous, but the drinks were strong, so I have no reason to complain.



Isn't my man a hottie po-tottie?



I have about a mile walk from my car to my building at school every day, and it can be really pleasant...it can also be a freaking drag. Again with the Texas weather.



I seriously have a black thumb. The Secret Garden was one of my favorite books as a kid, and the only thing I wanted when I grew up was a secret garden of my own. This is a problem because I can't even make cacti grow. They all die. Every year. It is a like a potted plant holocaust.

The paint is dry! Let the artery commence!

Chelle Lynn

New Life, Old Books, and More Recipes!

Last night (ish, not sure what time) my cousin, Shaina's little girl was born.



That is a beautiful baby. Welcome to Texas, Noraleigh. I think you will fit right in.

I just finish my last lab for my stupid biology class and am wanting to get rid of my pristinely preserved lab book. If anyone is taking INET BIOL1 1408 at DCCCD, the manual is yours for $15 vs $45 that you'll pay at the bookstore. Let me know if you want it.

After I'm done a-typing away, I'm going to go make some burritos to freeze for later. Yum! I got the recipe from my great friend Ashley, who is an amazing cook. I'm excited to have something quick that I can throw in the microwave that isn't a frozen pizza. Yuck. Hopefully these will turn out better than my sirloin steaks with kale, which were an utter disaster. Live and learn, and ruin saute pans by forgetting you're heating oil on them, I guess.

I'm tired of looking at these old comic, so I'm thinking I'll try to do a M-F update until we're caught up. Who cares what I did last year? Nobody.



I have this weird mental block against drawing cars. It's totally bizarre. Guess I'll have to forget that career with the Fast and Furious franchise.

I'm getting caught up with my painting orders, so if you'd like something done in the next month or so, get your butt to the store before the fall semester starts and spiral into a vortex of doom and psychosis.

Laters.

Chelle Lynn

Produce is Fun!

I bought kale for the first time today! I've never even seen it before, so I just kind of wandered around the produce section of the Prestonwood Tom Thumb, looking lost, until someone offered to help me. Turns out, it kind of looks like lettuce. Who knew? Anyway, I'm going to make sirloin steaks with mustard and kale sauce tonight for dinner. Hopefully it will turn out amazingly. I know you're jealous. It's ok. Seriously, though, I am a hopeless carnivore, and I'm wondering if it's entirely healthy. Mentally, I mean. There is nothing in this world that I love more (except maybe my husband) than a perfectly seasoned medium rare steak (mmmm, blood) with just a little bit of garlic butter on top. Butter and cow flesh. Ironically, I detest the taste of swine. Except for bacon, of course. It barely counts as pig anyway.

In less disgusting-to-vegetarians news, my last summer class finishes up this week, for which I am incredibly grateful. I'm making a B, and I'm fairly confident that I can sustain it until the bitter end. Then I get a couple weeks off until the fall semester starts and the real fun begins. I swear to god, if one more person asks me what I'm going to do with my English literature degree, I might actually go insane. Nothing, people. Absolutely nothing. What else could one do with a lit degree? Except maybe sitting around being superior. But, I feel that I do that anyway.

I am woefully behind on the painting front. I worked the library so much last week, plus two weekends in a row, so I haven't had time for anything. This week I am getting caught up for sure!...after my final exam.



I am aware that not everyone may be interested in my specific feelings towards my reproductive organs, but I think that it deserves being said that every now and then, I really do just hate my freaking uterus. (And, yes, this one was 2008 as well...apparently it took me a while to get it.)

Everyone should officially "follow" my blog! Your picture will appear to the left and everything. It will mean that we are best friends. Also, Twitter. Yes, Twitter is lame, but...is it?

Happy Monday, all!

Chelle Lynn

Slowly but Surely Gettin' 'Er Done!

I feel as though I am finally making some headway on all my backed up orders. Thank you, everyone for your infinite patience! I finally finished Christy's Indian Paintbrush, and I think it is absolutely darling.



Each of these flowers definitely present all new challenges. Some of them I have not seen before, while others I have seen, and struggle to fit into the body of work as a whole. I've seen many an Indian Paintbrush before, but honestly never up close, and it was very important to me to get that vibrant color just right. My next project is another Indian Paintbrush and a Bluebonnet for Jessica. Hoorah for state pride!

For anyone who struggles with making the creative process a daily routine, this video is really uplifting. Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, talks about how to deal with success, failure, and the daily process of creating as an artist. The whole TED series is actually really really great, I highly recommend checking it out.

As some of you know, I am not the most accomplished of cooks (although I am very proud of the Florintine Shells that I made a few nights ago...)



That being said, I am very excited to read to library book that came in for me last night, Julie Powell's Julie and Julia! I am such a terrible cook, but I love the idea of trying everything, and I'm really considering taking on a similar (although maybe less intense) project myself. Maybe a Paula Deen cookbook? :)

So, without further ado, here's today's comic! The last one of 2007!



I always write down funny/interesting/meaningful/beautiful quotes that I run into in my reading or moving watching. I've been doing this since high school, and it has become something of a ritual for me. Many times I will read a book that I don't particularly like, but I can always appreciate some good one-liners.

An old friend of mine from high school, Celia, is getting married to an old neighbor of mine, Jeff, in less than two weeks; a few days ago I got on her wedding blog, and it is the cutest thing! Seriously, if there's anyone out there planning a wedding, check out her blog, she has some really great DIY ideas. Linky link link. I wish I had been more creative like this with my wedding!

I hope that everyone is doing well and has a happy Hump Day! Don't forget to check out the etsy shop for all your art-related needs!

Chelle Lynn

I Am Currently Making Chicken Pot Pie and It Is Awesome

So, I thought I'd get a little blog in as I wait for my chicken pot pie to be ready to come out of the oven. I just posted a brand new painting on my shop (http://chellelynn.etsy.com) that is so cute and adorable and just begs to be displayed in someone's home. It's part of my FiftyNifty United States collection, the New Mexico state flower, the yucca flower. Beautiful hanging vine-like flower, very striking. So, go check it out! Also, I've created a facebook group, so you should get on the old social networking site and join!

That's about it for now. Short update, I know. I must take out the chicken pot pie, eat it, and then get to work on some chemistry homework. This class is terrible. I hate it.

Hope everyone has a great evening!

Chelle Lynn