forty days

today...a little early spring cleaning in the yard, a walk down by the river, pausing to view an amazing rainbow and eight geese swimming upstream in a perfect line, finding not one but two lucky quarters, enjoying a late afternoon coffee....and celebrating the first day of lent. forty days (really forty six until easter) without sweets and instead lots of the above. please, wish me luck. i can only dream of sugar plum fairies dancing in the land of sweets.
what are you giving up?

pure lovely.

+ inspiring me and making me happy:

my amazingly talented friend, chelsea james, is opening next friday night at coda gallery in park city. this is a small glimpse of the many beautiful landscape paintings she will be showing. i love her colors, mark making, layering of paint and especially the emotion that each piece evokes. i am so excited for her and can't wait to attend. please don't miss this one, february 27th 6-9 pm.

also, her lovely website.

be mine, all mine

dearest family & friends,
happy valentines. i hope you all have a day
filled with joy, laughter & of course, LOVE.

find your heart and give it away.
my heart is with you.

OXOX

sweet dreams

i will lay my head with you until the day i die.

plenty to share

"all love is sweet, given or returned."

-- percy bysshe shelley

his day

happy birthday my sweet love.
had you not been born on this seventh day of february, who knows where i would be. everyday, i love you. twelve full years of laughter and tears.
i've loved it all. may all your wishes come true!

punxsutawney phil

"the bright sky above me shows my shadow before me,
and six more weeks of winter it will be."

prediction on gobbler's knob in punxsutawney, pennsylvania

finding winter

"love the winter. don't betray it. be loyal.

when the spring gets here, love it too--and then the summer.

be loyal to the winter, all the way through--all the way, and with sincerity--or you'll find yourself high and dry, longing for a spring that's a long way off, and winter will have abandoned you, and in her place you'll have cabin fever, the worst.

the colder it gets, the more you've got to love it."

~rick bass fr. winter - notes from montana found http://www.kerismith.com/blog/

juicing

i'm making an honest attempt to include more fruits and vegetables into my daily meals. oh, oh how i love treats...especially in the evenings. goodbye candy, cookies, icecream. i might only enjoy our love affair on rare occasion.
the euphoria eventually has to subside. right?

me and mr. mishkie

in 2008, i learned (and i'm still learning) to take a moment each day to raise my arms up high and smile at the sky. [thanks jen]

my life is filled with countless beauty and gifts. on my journey, i hope to move through this world a little more slowly with plenty of grace and peace. the mysteries of 2009 are beyond imagining and if we listen to the voices of our hearts they will be real and true and rarely what we expect.

warm wishes to you.

everyday

my favorite breakfast.

happy, happy

happy new year to you!
i'm eager to begin this year 2009. hello, hello. its nice to make your acquaintance. its time for some small and big changes to grace me....a reawakening, a rebirth of creative energy. i have high hopes for more time spent in the studio painting and maybe even a new camera.
may all your dreams come true.

(2009 banner a gift from shanna and betsy at hellohandmadepaperie.etsy.com. thank you!)

merry, merry

merry christmas to all and to all a good night

tradition

i have so many fond memories of spending the weekend before christmas with my sweet grandma. we would bake dozens of the most delicious cookies to share on christmas day. i know my very favorite was her batch of springerle. a centuries-old, anise-flavored german christmas cookie made using a decorative, carved wooden rolling pin. and my second favorite, for sure ..... sugar cookies. i just love the frosting and the sprinkles.

its a marshmellow world

cranberry goodness

i know the sweetest, little, eighty-three year old german woman named ursala who is an amazing artist in the kitchen. each and every tuesday, i pick up five mason jars of her homemade soup to share with my friends. the best part is when she invites me to stay for a cup of espresso made with goat's milk and treats me to a slice of her delicious spelt breads or pastries. i was really lucky today to find her putting the finishing orange zest glaze over her christmas bread. pure melt in your mouth delight made with spelt flour, ground almonds, fresh cranberries, gee and a whole lot of time and love. thank you ursala.

sneak peak

winter are you really this close? i woke up to a white blanket of snow covering everything.

bravo one

before heading to the airport and saying our sad goodbyes to portland, b and i decided to make one last journey into downtown. we happily discovered stumptown coffee roasters on division street next to the famous ace hotel. my latte was a amazing. the best i've ever had, really.

gate b1. home again. hello salt lake. hello sweet little grace. i have missed you so. today, i'm believing in the hope and promise of america on this election day. a very important day in our history. obama bravo!

fall falling

sweet sugar

still thinking about this early morning breakfast from Blue Scorcher Bakery Café. a charming little cafe set up on astoria's hillside with huge windows that look out to the columbia river. all of their pastries are made from scratch with organic ingredients. two pieces of challah bread soaked in eggs and cream. so, so yummy. portland, puglee, two tarts and zuki. pure sweetness all day long.