Hello Darlin

Hello Darlin.

I decided to pop in and let you lovely people know that my daughter is doing fine.

I am on my way back to the hospital and in hopes she will be home today.

Everything went just dandy.  The Doctor told me so.

She is feeling fine.

The paintings of Fairfield Porter make me feel just fine too.

                                                       

 Painting life as it should be.  

People enjoying moments in time outdoors.
Dogs outside. 

Moments that mark the beginning of Summer in my mind.

Boats in the water.
Blue in the sky, where is was meant to be.

Everyone finding a sunny spot to warm up or a shady one to cool down,
or just to drift.

 Wishing a special friend a Happy Birthday and to each of you, Thanks for your kindness and for being such darlin fans and followers.

To me, this weekend always marks the beginning of Summer.
I can hardly wait.

mea culpa

I need to make an apology to you for my weakness of taking too much on and trying to be too perfect.

My Mistake, my fault, my bad, mea culpa.  I take things on, life happens and then I make mistakes and allow my own faults to mess with me.  I am sorry.

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti et vobis, fratres, quia peccávi nimis cogitatióne, verbo, ópere et omissióne: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. Ideo precor beátam Maríam semper vírginem, omnes angelos et sanctos, et vos, fratres, oráre pro me ad Dóminum Deum nostrum.

 It sounds better when I say it in latin.  mea culpa, mea culpa.  mea máxima culpa.

I am sorry. I mean it.

I am not going to let my mistakes define me but I am going to learn from them.  I need to know that I am human and in the future realize that things out of my control, do not determine the final outcome.

Will you grant me permission to make a mistake every now and then.  No, I am not talking mistakes on a regular basis, just once in a while.  I feel better putting this out here.

I also will be taking a blog break as my daughter will be having surgery to remove her appendix which yes, ruptured in February and required an emergency trip to the hospital and a 6 day stay and 3 weeks of school were missed.  Due to the appendix having ruptured, they must wait for the infection to clear before removing the appendix, hence the reason for this surgery.  My 13 year old girl has shown her tenacity, her bravery and her sense of humor and independence.  I her Mother feel so awful that I did not bring her to the Doctor earlier but again, I am not going to let that mistake define me.  It happened.

We are moving onwards.  

mea culpa.

I am sorry.

new koi-joy notes in my shop

Everyone loved this work of art that I created the day of the RiverArts studio tour. Due to the popularity I decided to add these 5x7 notes to my etsy pve shop.  Notes are packaged individually and come in a set of eight. This lovely koi pond was created by blogger Monkey Grass Hill. She's jumping the pond and moving to England.

monday motivation - be daring

Sure, there are many artists who inspire and motivate me to create, but one artist that I just adore is the artwork of Cecil Beaton. Perhaps it was his passion for capturing society in his artwork, his photography or just his innate sense of daring style.  I have looked at this so many times and I adore the reflection of the chandelier in the mirror and all the various vignettes in this room.   What an imagination.

Who motivates you to be daring and different?

sunday - hide and seek

 

Painting by William Merritt Chase - hide and seek

Yesterday we attended a special celebration, a Bat Mitzvah and the Rabbi spoke to us about the game of "hide and seek" and how it can correlate to one's life and living with honesty.  It's true that God watches our every move and we certainly cannot hide from him or ourselves. It is up to us to live our life by owning our actions and not hiding from God.

Take time today to hide and think about what you are seeking in your life?  What are you hoping to find?

eat your greens

I really love all shades of green but loving this new vibrant green that I will be using in my new web site.  I think I must have looked at a million shades of green.  There is something fresh about green and that it has a multitude of hues.  So much for eating my greens which I have been committed to doing and feel a huge difference in my focus and clarity.  Are you eating your greens?

parched

Feeling a little parched and ready for the weekend to begin.  Good thing I have lemons, mandarins and some Cointreau to make this sidecar cocktail.  What are you thirsty for?

springtime apprentice

 Last year was my first foray into having a student work as my springtime apprentice.  That student is now finishing her freshman year at Columbia.  I love sharing works that inspire me of other artists and take great delight in what the students share with me.  I thought this would be a fun test.  Can you guess who painted the above work of art?

Here's a hint.  Surely you know Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

Can you guess who created this work of art?

Our local Ardsley high school has a marvelous program for students and our community.  My twins participated in this when they had the option for an internship or externship.  Now every student is required to do an externship.  You have a student work with you for 4 weeks and let me tell you, it is a win win.  I learn something new every Spring.

Have you ever thought of having a student as an intern?  I truly believe that it is up to us to share with these seniors and to teach them what we know.

sweet treats

 A dear friend popped in today.  Not only did I flip, but my dog Bentley goes crazy when she  pays a sweet visit because he knows she is an animal lover and bearer of good treats.  She came bearing these sweet treats.

 I designed the card a few years ago for her to attach to her goodies.  On the back is space to write the recipe or at least a note.  My friend Taina has traveled all over and has an flair for baking and creating treats.

I've been really good about eating as much fresh and whole but I must admit, I had not one but two of these scrumptious scones.  I keep telling her to sell her wares.  It is an art to create such delicacies.
I ordered a dozen.  I'd love to give her some positivity.  Don't you agree she needs to sell her treats?

rockin my herb garden

Local rivertown artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis hand paints these hip rock herb garden markers which you can find over here in her etsy shop along with some great prints and colorful artwork.  Last weekend, we planted our herb garden and I have to tell you it is rockin.  One son is home from college.  He finished his sophomore year and rocked it with a 4.0.  We've been talking a lot about cook's ingredients since next year he will be living in a house and cooking.

Aromatic herbs and spices do infuse a lot of flavor even to the simplest salad, omelette, pasta or main dish.  It's fun to share knowledge with my son and try to give him some valuable advice so that he can get excited about preparing good flavorful cuisine.

Do you have a favorite herb that adds to creating a more flavorful life?