... every day should be "hearts" day :)

... although - - the amount of sweets that I consumed yesterday would certainly be a downfall!

I double-love Valentine's Day! I know that some say it's just for kids ... or that it is a "Hallmark-created and commercialized" event ... but I simply adore it :) It's a day that I put all other commitments or chores to the back burner and completely focus on my loved ones. Decorating the house ...


cooking and baking, and even a planned game to celebrate this gift called, "LOVE."

Our dinner menu was ...

Lovey Dovey Meatloaf, Tuxedo Mac & "You're Sweet" Sugar Snap Peas

Lovey Dovey Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground venison (or beef)

1/2 packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix (dry)

1 egg

1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers

1 dash of soy sauce

3 T. Heinz ketchup

A smidge of EVOO to coat pan if using stainless steel.

Mix together above-listed ingredients in bowl. Gather mixture together and make into a ball, tossing it a few times to firm form. Press down on wax paper to 1 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to create hearts. Set aside.

Heat a smidge of olive oil in pan on med. heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles. Place hearts in pan and brown on both sides.

Meanwhile, mix sauce together and set aside.

Sauce:

1 can Campbell's tomato soup

1/2 can water

1/4 c. brown sugar

Once hearts are browned on both sides, pour sauce over and cook on low for 25 minutes.

Recipe makes approx. 10-12 hearts

Tuxedo Mac

1 lb. box of bow tie pasta, boiled in salted water/drained

1 lb. Land O' Lakes American Cheese, divided in half

1/4 c. butter

2. c. milk (I use super skim)

2 T. flour

1 t. ground mustard

1/4 t. ground pepper

1 c. bread crumbs or crushed croutons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Boil pasta for 1 minute less than package directs. Drain, cover with dish towel and set aside.

In medium saucepan, melt butter fully, then add flour, mustard and pepper. Whisk together, cooking for approx. 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking as you are pouring. Allow mixture to heat for a few minutes. Slowly add 1/2 cheese by breaking slices into smaller pieces and whisking together.

Once mixture is creamy and smooth, place one layer of pasta in a 9x13 pan. Place four slices of cheese on top of pasta, and pour 1/2 cheese sauce over entire dish. Create another layer by placing the remaining pasta and cheese on top, and covering it with remaining sauce. Sprinkle bread crumbs/croutons on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil on high a few minutes until top turns golden brown. Serve immediately.

After dinner, I had a surprise for everyone ... even my hubby! Beneath their plates were clues that began their hunt for Valentine's treats :)After five rounds of clues each ... treats & cards were found :) My son was the first to find his Valentines ... and then helped his sister and dad! Who knew he was so clever?! If you are ever planning a scavenger hunt and need ideas for riddles, click on this site!! It was a life savor! You can tweek the riddles depending upon the age of your players.

Finally, our evening ended (the same way my day began - only in the form of a cupcake!) ... with something sweet :)I call it ...

Luscious Hugs & Berry Kisses

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix (doubled for 9x13)
Turkey Hill French Vanilla Ice Cream
and ...
"Berry Hearts of Mine" Compote

2 c. sliced strawberries

1/4 granulated sugar

2 T. corn starch

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

Mix ingredients in medium saucepan over low/medium heat until sauce thickens. It's that simple! :)

I hope that you all enjoyed time with those you love and hold dear, as well as a little something sweet to toast to the day.

Life in abundance comes only through great love.

~Elbert Hubbard

... no place like home

One of my favorite things to paint are homes. Now, if my family read this, they would say, "What??" Well .... okay - - to be honest, painting homes are the most challenging, which usually accompanies a little bit of stress and a little bit of procrastination ... BUT!! They are the ~MOST REWARDING~.
I love that people cherish their homes ... their childhood homes ... their parents' homes ... really, any place that holds special meaning, which usually comes from the warm memories contained within that structure.

I have this love affair with both of my grandparents' homes, as they have been the constant in my life - - never changing no matter how many times our family moved.

My one grandma is still in her home where we visit every other Sunday for supper, along with my dad and sister, and spend most, if not all, of our visit seated around the table where we solve the world's problems. :) We joke that a collective book should be written ... maybe someday.

This is her home that I captured in a children's illustration. Our little Cape Cod has had numerous renovations. My favorite was the buttercup yellow siding with black shutters - - I can still picture it when I close my eyes.

But, it is within those walls that I remember playing on the kitchen floor with my yellow toy telephone, taking pizza orders from imaginary customers ... watching Gram make homemade donuts and getting to shake the bag "real good" to ensure the sweetest donuts ever ... sitting on Gram's bed, as a teenager, listening to "Request & Dedication" on Sunday evenings, pining over a crush ... propping my daughter's bouncy seat on Gram's kitchen table to feed my new, baby girl ... washing dishes in the sink (because Gram doesn't need a dishwasher ... "she has us!") and watching from the paned windows as my son and dad play wiffle ball, just as we had as kids ... and sharing every Christmas Eve over Wagilia Dinner and breaking holy bread with Gram's blessing. See, this house is not just something that provides a shelter ... it is years of love & memories that bind those cinder blocks together ... that's the mortar that holds our family together.

And, I know what it feels like to have that home not be yours anymore to claim as a haven. When my other grandparents sold their home to move into a retirement village, I thought my heart would truly break in two.

I remember walking through the house after the movers took everything and having those childhood images flood my mind as I went from room to room - - a fire crackling in the living room on a winter's day, with a card table set up in the middle for a craft with Gram of sequins, straight pins and Styrofoam balls ... holiday dinners closing with family card games of PIG and spoons - the walls seemed to vibrate with laughter ... shoeing Pap from his bedroom to bunk with Gram, so that I could sleep in his cozy, twin bed, using the opened, paned window at the foot of the bed as an alarm with its cool breeze, warm sunlight and chirping birds ... taste-testing Pap's mashed potatoes on the back of our hand for enough salt and buttery goodness ... and spending hours on the back porch, swinging in between my grandparents and singing into the night by red-hued candlelight from Gram's cranberry glass globes.

My heart didn't break fully that day, but did so a few years later when my Pap passed away suddenly. I remember walking to the house, which was a long-winded trek from where I was living, and simply standing before it ... sobbing. That house still holds such a heartache for me that I've never painted it. Writing this now ... I am thinking that perhaps I need to do that.

I wonder if my customers feel as tied to the homes that they commission me to paint. I'd like to think so. But it is by my own heartfelt relationship to places that I love which draws me to capture that connection for others.

For the piece below, I was contacted by a lovely gal, Susan, who currently lives in Japan with her husband and children. She and her siblings, Tracy and Curt, wished to have their parents' home portrait painted as a gift for Christmas. What better gift than one that signifies "family."

Their wish was to have their parents' home painted for the winter holidays. I know that this home is completely different in architecture, but I visualized the home from Home Alone, and immediately wanted to capture a moonlit night ...

I painted the beginning layers of the night sky, and decided to go ahead with the sketch of the home before placing in the moon, as I did not want the moon obstructed from a peak of the roof.

Then, came the trees ...

... almost eerie at this stage. When I paint commissioned pieces, I usually send along progress photos, so that my customers can see how their painting is coming along. With this one, I confirmed with Susan (& Co.) that this was not a mistake - - I was not painting a Halloween portrait for them ...

(although, I was probably inspired to do so for all of the Halloween Candy that was laying around at the time!) ... it was just the beginning of layers.
With the initial background layer completed, I began to work on the brickwork.

When painting brick, it is all about texture and shading. I am not quite as timid when commissioned to paint brick as I was in the past ... there is always a learning curve and room to play to get it right.

Then, my favorite part of painting these home portraits ... embellishing, especially the winter homes. :)

And, after painting the foreground and covering it in snow ... Susan, Tracy & Curt's tribute to their family is complete.
"How beautiful! Thank you so much for everything! The progress pictures were a very personal, fun and unexpected touch! I can't wait to see it in person!"... "my parents absolutely LOVE their portrait!" - Susan W.

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~Maya Angelou

... hitting "rewind."

When creating with deadlines, I tend to keep the paintbrushes moving and neglect sharing the works here with you. So, I thought that I would take a moment, hit "rewind," and fill you in on what had me busy these last few months ...

Today, I am backpeddling to a family tree that was ordered, back in October, by a sweet girl for her mom. I do believe that the intention was as a Christmas gift, but I received an email from Sara exclaiming, "I ended up giving it to my mom today. I could not wait to see what she thought. She loved it. Thank you so much." ... That warmed by heart :)

Sara had contacted me to order a Family Tree Canvas Wall Hanging, with the requests that the season be of spring, the background be of a lakeside dock and to include her late, family dog ...




After Sara shared the pics that I sent to her, she and her sister inquired whether three more of their beloved pets might be included in this gift for their mom. So, I tucked these cherished animals into the painting ...

... a tabby on a scavenger hunt looking to see what he might find along the banks ...

... a little white pup taking notice of all that is around him, playfully running here to there ...

... and another tabby, larger than the first, lazily stretched out on a branch, content to only watch the action below.

The painting felt more complete to include all that was meaningful. And, with a chosen quote ... "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family. - Anthony Brandt" ... Sara's family tree was ready for shipment.


It was a pleasure to create this family heirloom. My hope is that this will become a piece for Sara's family that will fill their hearts with joy and remembrance...

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.

~Joyce Brothers

... trying to regroup.

Jeez Louise! I am so out of sorts these days. A little sullen ... a little cranky ... a little un-inspirable ... a bit like - - belly button fuzz. Thus, my complete lack of blogging ...

I have wanted nothing more than to just curl up in a nook and escape my wandering mind that is constantly jumping from one task or idea to another, making it impossible to focus on anything, much less accomplish something. Fighting this temptation for weeks has simply lead me wandering dazed and confused from room to room ...

So, I finally gave in to myself today and enjoyed a late-morning nap (something that I NEVER do!). I woke early, made breakfast (banana, blueberry & chocolate chip pancakes ... so scrumptious!) and cleaned up the kitchen. When my family seemed occupied, I grabbed a cup of coffee, my new book ... (I just adore Diane Keaton! ... and really - who doesn't?) and tip-toed upstairs. It was as if my comfy quilts were calling me to be covered like the outside world was in its blanket of snow.
Because I only read to page 8 of this book, there isn't much to say as of yet; however, when my eyes grew heavy and my head settled into the pillows ... I surrendered ... and ... that ... was ... BLISS. I woke around 1 in the afternoon - satisfied finally ... Refreshed, even. I called out to my son to put on his snow gear - - "we're going sled riding!"






Because Mema's hill is soooo big ... and steep - it makes for great fun going down the hill ... just not so much going UP ... LOL. We did about 5 runs and then ...

... my sled became more of a recliner. :) Good day ... so nice to have one of those.

Learning to live in the present moment

is part of the path of JOY.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

... WOW! We did it!!

Thank you to all who ordered books and supported our project ... we doubled our quoted donation amount for Make-A-Wish!! The girls raised a smidgen over $2,000.00! How fantastic!!! This experience has been an incredible ride - thank you for donating and making our dreams and goals attainable.

We could never have accomplished this feat without the support of all of you ... thank you from the bottom of our hearts ...

The girls' interview with a local reporter!

... Scenes from the "Book-Signing-Weekend-Extravaganza!" at The Canvas! God Bless our favorite gallery owner, Marce Urbanski! She is a generous and kind-hearted soul, and we are blessed to know her!

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

- G.K. Chesterton

Book Club Project!!

Hi, All! For those of you who are familiar with my little summer workshop, Friends in the Park Book Club, you know that our members, 13 girls in 7th grade, share their summers with me by discussing their summer reads and learning various forms of art, as well as incorpoating their projects into a community service project.

This summer, the girls wrote & illustrated their very own children's stories, which we have compiled into an anthology for publication. Please note ... ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALES OF THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO Make-A-Wish Foundation. In order to self-publish their works, the girls created hand-strung stone bracelets that were sold at our town's September by the River Festival. Because of the support of our community, friends & family ... this endeavor was a success!

I am thrilled to announce that the book is now in the process of being published and a book release/signing event has been scheduled! In addition to the book sale & signing, the girls will be presenting Storytime readings from their collective book during this special weekend. The have also been formally invited to participate in Make-A-Wish's Light Up A Child's Life campaign, whereby they will be interviewed about their efforts.

To make this project as successful as possible, we have decided to host a Pre-Sale Book Order and offer a savings of $5 per book! That's 13 stories for just $10!!

To place your order, kindly hit the "Buy Now" button on the sidebar to make your purchase through PayPal.

The books will be available for mailing on December 2nd ... plenty of time for gift giving!!!

I assure you that this book will bring you comfort & joy by knowing that your purchase has helped in the efforts of making a child's wish come true. It also would make a wonderful Christmas present to share! Please consider helping us by placing an order and sharing in the gift of giving.

We would be grateful if you would pass this message & offer along ... thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Autumn about town ...

Well .... I've almost missed this season all together! Not only, here on my blog, but here at home, too. I know that it has been some time since my last post, but it has been a whirlwind of sickness, surgery, recovery and sickness again - - all of it, experienced by my dear daughter. She's still not up to par, but in school again today ... so, fingers crossed - I'm sending my prayers up that she's turned the corner and will be back to her lovely self soon :) Poor thing has missed SOOO much school, cheer season, girl scout outings, Halloween parade, and recently the Halloween dance ... it makes my heart ache. However, there are always blessings in the mix to be so very thankful - - and I count them everyday!

With most of September and October taking care of my girl, we have missed so much of this beautiful season. So, I decided to grab my camera this morning and take a walk through our local town. I bundled up in layers of sweaters, a hat, and a scarf and drove into town. I used to do this much more often when the kids were younger ... I would be strolling or pulling them through town, taking in the sites and decor, and finding the wonder that I always do with this place. Perhaps, it is because I've lived here for most of my life. I don't know. But, I like to look for the special nooks that one might not notice when driving by ... or the interesting details that make our little world here unique.

So, here is what captured my heart this morning ...

scarecrows greeting passersby at every corner in town ...

One of my favorite homes in town ... artistic, eclectic and sooo whimsical!

... makes me want to curl up with an old quilt and a good book :)

I loved this tree with its beautiful, reddish leaves draping over the welcome walk and scattering its hues about ...

Although this photo is not particularly artistic, I had to captue it! This pumpkin has been lit in front of this house since I was a small child, and perhaps even earlier than that!

It makes my heart smile with remembrance ...

One of the last, golden beauties on one of my favorite streets ...

... another fall marvel gracing the yard of our historical homes.

... when I see this home ... I am transported into a storybook. Wish this one would go on sale!!

These pics above are of a home that is a ritual part of our town walks ... mostly because of the magic found in the backyard ...

... how about that when I took these photos, I didn't event see the ducks!!

look at that gorgeous chicken!!

the "barn" in the back - - how sweet!

... A special treat from our newest art gallery, The Canvas.

... another gem - - The Red Rover. A great little find for gift basket giving :)

... one of our treasures - Simple Gatherings, filled with unique & seasonal treats for your home!

love this door & lanterns
... light posts make my heart happy :)

I'm glad that I fought off the urge to just stay home in my pjs and get to work, but instead took the time this morning to savor the last bits of fall (you know, we had our first snow this weekend!). I encourage you to take the time ... seek out the wonderment of the day ... and savor the beauty and blessings in your life. Days go by too quickly ...

The one red leaf, the last of its clan,

That dances as often as dance it can,

Hanging so light, and hanging so high,

On the topmost twig, that looks up to the sky!

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge