Sunday, January 25, 2009

Baking up a storm!

My first loaf baked in a bread pan...

Mom Loves cinnamon raisin bread, so i took the basic recipe... rolled it out, sprinkled it generously with sugar, fresh ground cinnamon and sweet raisins...Then i rolled it up, tucked the ends in and let it set to rise...
It smelled like Heaven! And Mom and Dad said it was delicious...

This little loaf of boule looked like a little valentine to me! How can something be so pretty, smell so good and taste so delicious! Remember, these bread recipes came from this book... Have you checked it out yet?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

"a little help" needed

I have been sending small donations to an organization i first found mentioned on the nightly news. It is called "a little help". It is run almost single-handed by an American woman named Rosemary Stasek. Click on this link to hear a little bit about her story. It is fascinating....http://msnbc-222615.newsvine.com/_video/2008/06/27/1619286-lending-a-hand-in-afghanistan Even more fascinating, when i send her my little donations via Paypal, she actually takes the time to write me back, personally thanking me for my small donation. Right now it is Winter in Afghanistan and it is very difficult to get supplies to her various locations. So, money is the best way to donate. But Rosemary has special programs she runs, like the school for the blind for women and girls, where they teach the women how to knit. (This gave me the incentive to learn to knit. I figured if THEY can lean how to knit without sight, then i certainly can at least give it a try!) When the weather clears Rosemary will again be collecting donations of yarn and knitting needles for her program. She accepts clothes, blankets, toys, etc for her children's programs and schools. She also offers a school for young women artists and accepts donations of art supplies too, weather permitting....Rosemary travels around the country speaking on behalf of her organization. She will be visiting California in January and February, and is scheduled to be in New York at Cornell University in March. I would love to try to see her there. She is a remarkable woman who is making a huge difference in the world, all by herself. The photo at the top of this post is of one of the blind students, learning how to knit on donated materials. Click on the photo to see Rosemary and her photos from 2008.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Bonsai Bliss...Jasmine in the House...

This is one of my favorite inside trees...A bit too big to be an official bonsai, but in my mind, any tree that is dwarfed and kept in a pot indoors is a bonsai. I do not know what variety of jasmine this is, but it is very hardy and very prolific in it's gorgeous blooms!

Just one little cluster of these flowers can scent a whole room....
And a few clusters scent my whole house. It may only be 19 degrees outside,(actually a bit of a heat wave compared to recent temps) but in here, it SPRING!!!

AMEN!

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY'S BENEDICTION
Transcript of the Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction
January 21, 2009


God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.

Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand, true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.

We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.

He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.

Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.

And while we have sown the seeds of greed -- the wind of greed and corruption -- and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelics Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.

With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back . . . when brown can stick around . . . when yellow will be mellow . . . when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen. Say amen. And amen.

AMEN!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

What's New?

Well, there is a whole lot of new things goin' on around here. First of all, i finally brought the van down to The Paper Sparrow to pick up my most special birthday present from my daughter Kate. Last Summer we had the good fortune to meet a local artist, Lorraine Bowen. She sells many of her delightful paintings at my daughter's shop. Anyway, i happened to go to her website, and saw a painting called "Ox" and fell in love...(I love anything bovine, but have a special soft spot for soft brown cows with those big sweet cow eyes...) When i told Lorraine that i especially loved that painting she told me it was big...but i had no idea HOW big. (Here it is, sitting on my couch, waiting for me to make a final decision on what wall it will be hung) Well, months went by and my daughter told me she had a special surprise for my birthday. When she dragged this big square package wrapped in brown paper out of the gallery space in her shop i had no idea it was the Ox painted by Lorraine. This truly was a big surprise! Katie told me Lorraine and her Mother were both a little sad to part with this painting. But i hope seeing it in my home will make them feel a little better. It is a well loved addition to my growing art collection! Not real sure where it will go yet, but i am down to either a nice sunny yellow wall in the sun room, OR center stage on my warm, cocoa colored walls in my kitchen. (Somehow i can't help but feel this little Ox will be happier in the kitchen...but we'll see...) When we do decide where it is going, i'll take another picture of it in it's official home space. Thank you Katie! Thank you Lorraine! I LOVE it!
Another new member of my doll and teddy collection is Ned, from Teddy Bear's Wednesday ~ Jess McCoughey. This little guy is a little more "portable" and will also be a much loved addition to my home. Thanks Jess! So happy you have an Etsy shop now! Keep makin' those teddies!
These are two of my Mother Earth paper dolls. I take copies of photos of women i support thru Kiva.org and make little paper sculptures of them, to raise awareness of the fantastic job Kiva does. I am making these to display at The Paper Sparrow at the next Troy Night Out, where my Mother and I will be the featured artists! It will be the first Mother~Daughter art show at the shop. We will be showing our matted and framed paintings ~ mostly watercolor, and a few acrylics and collages... You are all officially invited to attend the show opening on January 30th, 5:00 till???
And i'm still baking that bread! Here are two loaves of french boule cooling on the rack... yum!

On the needlework front, i finally made a slightly more complicated sweater. This one and the little hat to match will be given as a gift for a newborn baby girl who has just become a part of our extended family!
And this little sweater/jacket is a basic beginner's sweater. The colors don't show up very well in this photo(i truly need a new camera) but it is a nubby yarn with shades of pink, rose, raspberry, grey and white. I used a vintage mother of pearl button to close it at the neck. I still need to wash and block this little sweater before it is ready to go.
And last but not least, i am ALMOST done with my first mitten! WOOHOO! It is actually my umpteenth try at mittens.... The first few tries i tore out the cuff twice because of mistakes in the ribbing. Then when i was finally half way thru the first mitten, my puppy Pollyanna got a hold of it and decided to play tug of war with her sister Zinnia with it...That was discouraging... Anyway, all i need to do is finish the thumb and i have one mitten down, 1 more to go!
I am very proud of my stitches in this project. When i first started knitting, my stitches were all over the place, but i am finally pulling it together. Again, the color is washed out of this shot but it does show my neat little stitches...(again, i really need a new camera ...) So, that's it for now...Time to start a few new projects(and get that second mitten done!)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Movie Night ~ Bill's Pick

It's been so darn cold out! As part of our New Year's Resolutions, Bill and i have decided to try to go to the movies more, or visit more museums, but with this terrible cold weather that has set in, it is not the greatest weather for strolling with a wheelchair. So if we can't get out as much as we would like, we'll make our fun indoors! I went thru the stack of our favorite DVD's and pulled out at least 2 dozen movies to enjoy again. And i thought i'd let you know what we think of them too! Last night it was Bill's turn to pick and he chose "Chocolat" It is a charming, beautiful adult fairy tale about a woman who comes to a very dreary town and shakes things up! We give this movie 5 ***** Stars! Have you seen it yet? Check out the trailer below and enjoy!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Guess Who came to breakfast!???

Little Miss Lola!
Grama made her scrambled eggs, and we cut up some mild cheese squares, homemade bread and butter and small pieces of fresh ripe pear. The eggs are in a bowl her Mommy used to eat out of! (Rainbow Bright! Remember her?)
Lola is used to me getting the camera out when she comes by and is very tollerant... I know looking at baby pictures is not the greatest thing unless it is YOUR baby we're lookin' at.
But please folks, be patient with me...I am in love....

While Lola's Aunt Nancy was home she brought some Sesame Street pop up books for her. Here her Mommy Carly is helping her turn the pages gently... (we haven't quite graduated to big girl paper books yet, but have lots of sturdy board books to love)

I know Aunt Nancy reads this blog, so..Aunt Nance ~ Thank you! She loves the books! And somehow they are all still intact!
While Lola was still here the mail arrived and in came a special package from Australia. Lo was very interested to see what was in that box! It was Ned! A crocheted teddy bear lovingly made by my blog friend and very talented teddy bear artist Jess McCoughey! Jess just opened her new Etsy shop and when i saw Ned, well.... i lost my will power.

Jess, if you are reading this, you can be sure Ned will be well loved!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Another Gift from Sri Lanka (CCF)

This beautiful card arrived today from Nisansala in Sri Lanka

Nisansala is one of my sponsored children thru Christian Children's Fund. I recently posted about her here. At the very young age of seven years, seven months, she is quite an artist! I am very impressed with her drawings.... and her lovely messages of love that she sends so often to me. I may never actually meet these children, but they are very much a part of my own family, and my heart...I started sponsoring thru CCF over 25 years ago, to help children and to try to make a difference. In return, i am so surprised at how much their love has changed and enriched my life...

Monday, January 12, 2009

The First Step...Homemade Bread

Homemade Artisan bread....This is the basic "Master" recipe, a boule...

from this fantastic book..... I used to make my own bread when i was a vegetarian, some 25 years ago...It was a whole grain, "protein" bread that had exacting instructions and was time consuming and very very heavy...Good, but h-e-a-v-y.....

This is...magnificent! A crispy, beautiful crust, and soft moist bread inside.....

Oh and i wish this was a scratch and sniff blog, because if you could only smell what it smells like in this house after baking this..... It is super easy to make too. You just dump all the ingredients into a bowl, let it rise, refrigerate and cut off a piece when you are ready to bake. For me, this is step #1 in becoming more self sufficient in feeding our family, with less reliance on store bought bread. I highly recommend this book!

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................................
Check out this video below...Honestly...it's that easy!



Sunday, January 11, 2009

A Fresh White Blanket...

Yep! More fresh snowfall last night. I'd say we got about 5 inches so far, with a possibility of a few more to come. I love the way it makes my pine trees look lacy....

My opinion of freshly fallen snow has lightened up considerably since we have our local lawn company come and plow and shovel us out. All it takes is at least 2 inches of the white stuff and we are all clear. I love those guys....

The dogs seem to really like the snow and don't seem to want to wait for their sweaters on their first foray out into the Winter Wonderland....

But this morning poor Pollyanna has to follow behind her brother and sister, as the snow is deeper than her legs are long!

It's a good day to stay in and knit or bake, but we are off to my Parent's house for a Pizza Party and to sort thru some old photographs my Mother found in her house. Enjoy the weekend!

Home Again...A Gift for Nancy

My sister Nancy is home this week. This picture was taken of her and my daughter Katie when she was home last Fall for my daughter Carly's wedding. We were all enjoying lunch at Fo'Castle Farms... Nance lives in Florida with her husband Ned and their son Rob. Of the five "children" in our family, Nancy is the only one who left the state and made her home elsewhere. With a family this close, it is very hard to be separated, even after all these years. Needless to say it is so good when she comes home for a visit. My sisters and i all decided to stop exchanging Christmas gifts with each other, and to save the presents for the children in the family.Instead we would celebrate our birthdays. So i have been busy putting all sorts of beads and stones together to try to come up with something lovely, but different for my sister's gift.

Here are two of the pieces i came up with...I worked last night while the snow was falling till my fingers got too sore to bend the wire. I realized i hadn't been taking pictures of my jewelry all thru the Holiday season. But with the demand at The Paper Sparrow for more and more jewelry for the Christmas shoppers, who had time to take pictures! The necklaces are hand chained together, and are displayed on a piece of lace that belonged to my Grandmother.

This piece is made with round fire agate beads, and faceted cherry quartz, smokey citrine and smokey quarts...
And this piece is more delicate. It is made with the softest dusty faceted amethyst and smokey citrine... I hope she likes one of these, but i will bring the other beads and pearls i was considering for her to choose from. Happy Birthday Nance! I Love You!!!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

What a Face!

Lola, doing an Elton John Impersonation, wearing one of Amma's T-shirts!

My Side of the Bed...

See that little patch of blue in the upper left hand corner of the photo? That's my space, just below my pillow...I took this shot right after i slipped out of bed this morning. Usually the troops follow right behind, but not today. Gipetto has been getting us up in the middle of the night lately to go out. Poor old guy's bladder can't make it thru the night any more. When my body is in the bed, they just drape and wedge themselves into all the little nooks and crannies, hills and valleys. I wouldn't have it any other way. It sure makes for a cozy warm bed on a cold Winter's night!
(I'm not sure Bill totally agrees with me on that...)
We have another storm coming thru today...Last night the ground was covered with a beautiful grainy sparkling snow, but this morning it is sleeting and freezing rain is coating everything...Give me a foot of snow over ice any day...It's pretty dreary out there...
However, nothing much stops these two from playing and wrestling with each other
Geeps gladly stands aside and looks pretty in his furry Winter coat.

An updated picture of Pollyanna taken this morning. She weighs about ten pounds now and has more pug-wrinkles in her forehead. She also has a round, barrel-y look about her in her front end...


But now, all of a sudden, when she looks up and gets excited, her ears come up and she has a totally different look. Aiii CHIHUAHUA!!!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Help Needed - Pine Ridge Reservation

After watching the news tonight i felt my spirits sink pretty low...With the new war going on in the Middle East, you barely hear word of the "old" wars going on there too...But we can be sure it is still going on...It can be so discouraging... Whenever i feel myself start to sink this way i have to remind myself that there is plenty we can do, right from our own homes, to try to make this world a better place. This YouTube Video was made by a young gentleman named Temba, who is a member of my Amma online Satsang group. (Temba is the gentleman in the video with the white shirt and white bandanna on his head.) He has brought to our attention the great need for donations to this reservation. They accept any kind of donation-food, clothing, money, toys, supplies...There is a list of things needed on the website: Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation
I think i just found another place to send my scarves, hats and teddy bears to....


Imagine that....



So many years ago, still brand new.... A simple message...and we still don't get it.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Resolutions for the New Year

Meditation pool at Woodstock, New York.

Ask anybody who knows me....i take these resolutions very seriously...Last year i made some resolutions i am proud to say i have accomplished! I had always wanted to get my nose pierced and at the age of 53, i finally did that last January. I also vowed to learn how to knit and before my granddaughter turned 1 year old, i actually made her a sweater! And even tho i am a few days late in posting these (knocked flat on my back with a flu or something...) I am working hard at getting it right this new year. I have come to see this blog as a sort of journal, and find i have been better at posting here more consistently that i have been in any notebook...so here goes!
#1. Get Organized....Even i have noticed that i am WAY too messy and cluttered! How did i manage to raise two daughters that are so neat and organized? Maybe they were forced to be that way living with such a Messy Momma!
#2. Finish the House Rehab...Three and a half years ago we pretty much took this old house apart and made it more to our liking. But somewhere along the way i got stalled... I have several small projects that are waiting to be finished. And i vow to finally get upstairs and finish and organize my spare bedroom and studio, and work at getting the basement set up too...
#3. Eat Healthier/Buy More from my Farmer's Market/Grow my own...I want to start incorporating more fresh raw veggies and fruits into my diet. And the bread we eat will hopefully be made by hand and not by machines... I am also making plans to do some container gardening in the small yard the dogs play in...More on that later... Anyway by eating healthier and getting more exercise (see Resolution # 5) i hope one of the end results will be a healthier me. I've given up on the perennial resolution to "loose weight". I do manage to do that occasionally, but then i tend to "find" it again!!!
#4. Continue to Grow in my Creative Work -Painting, Knitting, Crocheting, Jewelry making, making my dolls....I've tackled the basics...now on to a more advanced plan for all of the above....Working on my art and crafts is what keeps me happy and sane.
#5. Walk the Dogs more/Get some Exercise...I have all sorts of excuses here on how it is hard to walk the dogs more...Gipetto has a bad heart so he pulls like a sled dog and then needs to rest...Polly is just a pup...Zinnia is just getting warmed up after the 30-40 minute walks we take... I think i need to go out in shifts, with Zinnia as a constant companion. We'll see how it all works out...
#6. Take better care of me....Learn to say no...when to say enough...when to slow down or stop... This may be the hardest one of all....It includes getting back to taking one day a week and going on a Date Day with Bill..Maybe see more movies, or get back to visiting museums...and definitely going on short vacations to the Adirondacks and Burlington VT. once again.... And i also want to read more, just for pleasure... I'd say this list is long enough...Now to get to work!

A New Year Message from India (CCF)

Nirupam and her Mother.

I received another special message in the mail yesterday. This one is from Nirupam, who also lives in India. (In case you are wondering where all these messages are coming from, I sponsor 2 little girls from India, one from Sri Lanka, and one from Mexico, all thru
Christian Children's Fund. ) Nirupam's art work may not be as elaborate as the others
But her message really melted my heart.... Happy New Year!
(If you cannot read the writing, it says: "May the magic of Christmas and New Year-2009 touch your heart the way you have touched mine..."
And for me, that's what it's all about....