merriblu

[merriblu]

It go time!!

We are having our Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday and I’ve got my little kitchen wine ready as I slowly begin prepping.

Tonight’s tasks:

1. make the turkey brine and start the process

2. Pre-chop veggies

3. Get the seasonings/spices laid out and ready

4. Make the grocery list for what I need to buy tomorrow

Tomorrows task:

1. After a 24 hour brine, set the bird to dry in the fridge

2. Cook the red cabbage (tastes great when heated up again because it’s sits in that red wine broth over night)

3. Be restless

4. Prep Rouladen so all I have to do is fry and smother them in the sauce on Saturday

5. Is it a bad idea to pre-make Mac n cheese? I’m debating. I’ve always cooked it fresh.

The menu:

Turkey, vegan Rouladen (with a vegan red wine sauce), Mac n cheese, roasted (homegrown) carrots, red cabbage

Friends are in charge of:

The lovey dovy vegans: Mashed potatoes and some chickpea dish

Sweet baby Angel friend and her giant polish man: pumpkin pie

Nerdy dude who I adore: salad

I’m thinking about making a garlic bread to go with the salad… I’ll have to see how my time management is holding up on Saturday.

[merriblu]

Starting a new painting today and thought I would share the ugly parts. This is the hardest part of the painting process for me. It’s so discouraging, because I look at this and I forget it IS part of the process.

I think of how I can save this and isn’t that a little bit like how we think of ourselves when we are trying something new? Maybe when we are in the middle of our journey going… wherever. It makes me wonder if we wait to be saved far too often.

Maybe we just need to trust ourselves a bit more and learn some patience haha.

[merriblu]

So this one is from Artist’s Point. I couldn’t quite capture the color gradients painted in the canyon but believe me, it looked like a giant paintbrush just ghosted the mountains. When the sun touched the tip of the drop off, I lost feeling in my toes (it was so cold but so worth it!!).

Purples, blues and greens… oranges but with dashes of pink. The painting doesn’t do it justice, but it does just enough for me to remember that bit of gold starting to touch the earth.

[merriblu]

The proper definition of disaster lesbians

I think about this screen cap pretty often because Hotaru would’ve had to be reborn again if Michiru’s grip just came a little bit loose

sports car no baby seat. she’s wild but she’s free

[merriblu]

That moment when you finish a painting… and then try to swipe away a water droplet… on a GOUACHE painting *silently screams*

Anyways… the reference was from a photo my wife took while we were driving through Yellowstone National Park. It was early morning, we were in good company, I was sipping on a concoction that said it was coffee but I’m sure it was just liquid brown sugar…

And then we saw a baby Bison 🦬☺️

I haven’t been so inspired to paint until recently, so I do apologize if my scribbles clog your feed!

[merriblu]

We have obtained a Turkey! About 5 or 6 years ago, it was damn near impossible to find one (we had to order one from a butchery instead of just having a quick stop at the grocery store).

But! This isn’t the biggest achievement!

I squeezed that bad boy into our tiny European refrigerator and my god do I feel like a geometry MASTER.

Now I‘m on the hunt for a brining bag big enough to fit the Turkey and I will actually be prepared this year.

Maybe…

[merriblu]

I like to do my photo editing in the kitchen and usually the boy hangs out on the refrigerator; however, the new kitchen took his spot. He‘s been driving me crazy ever since, meowing and causing general chaos.

So I made a compromise:

Blessed peace now.

[merriblu]

Ok Germany… we are going to need to do a little bit better than „We can’t have elections now because the country doesn’t have enough paper!“

…I made better excuses about why I didn’t have my homework as a child.

[merriblu]

My piano teacher is coming over tomorrow because she offered to play the 4 handed pieces with me and make a little mini concert for my wife and I am dying of nervousness and anxiety…

I don’t want to be a shit student 😭😭😭

[merriblu]

Little man was upset when I finished practicing 😅

[merriblu]

*sips my morning coffee reading about post USA election news*

*splashes whisky in my morning coffee watching Germany‘s current government dissolve*

[merriblu]

Hello friends. I know a lot of you are feeling tired. Take some time for yourself and gather your community for support. You did good, you worked hard, and you deserve some rest.

I know you‘ll get back up to fight another day. Take your time.

[merriblu]

I received such good news today!!

There was a bit of drama receiving my ballot this year. For some reason I needed to update my information but I was never notified. I only found out because I was very suspicious and concerned why I haven’t received the ballot (they had mailed it Sept 21 and it usually takes 10 days to get here in Germany).

I checked the ballot status on October 14 and registration ended on the 15th! I immediately mailed my updated info and an emergency ballot form. The problem: nowhere on the gov website does it say they accept the emergency ballot. Some states do and some states don’t.

Well, I was just notified they received and accepted my forms on October 29th ☺️

It took some work to find the forms, print, and snail mail, but it was so so worth it.

[merriblu]

I really adore my sweet baby angel German friend. I was explaining that I plan to watch the entire Election Day coverage— snacks, energy drinks, and emotional pup already prepped. (Notice I don’t say emotional support dog — my dog is just lazy and emotional lmao).

Well, my friend said she will ask to take a day off from work so she can watch it with me and offered to bring her „I love USA“ decorations ahaha. It’s going to look like the 4th of July at my house. She even asked if she should buy an American flag to hang. God bless, I love her so so much.

Honestly though, my friends are low key very worried about me no matter how many times I assure them that I‘m ok. They ask if I feel scared and they always ask permission to speak about American politics with me. Politics don’t make me emotional; rather… I become hyper obsessive in catching up and participating in discussion. Being informed is my civic duty and I feel guilty not paying attention as much as I should 😅

[merriblu]

They came again this year!!!

[merriblu]

He‘s such a drama king! We had to move his piano for just a few minutes so we could hang the painting and now he‘s like a little dragon brooding on his treasure.

[merriblu]

Probably one of my favorite shots during our vacation. I’m very tempted to make a study of color and texture out of this one!