Artful Journey

 My January reads were all excellent and varied. A favorite author An Author I admire Informative and empathetic  Poetic nonfiction full of surprises Barnes and Noble 2020 book of the year A lovely book of poems that I read daily A very different book that made me think  Because I am still trying to pick my favorites of 2021, I am starting to categorize monthly. I may even ask Fiona to help me set up a spreadsheet.  January Favorite.    How to Love the World   This a beautiful compilation. I keep it in the kitchen and start my day by reading a poem a day. A treasure! And a little time for artistic quotes in watercolor and pen and ink. From a calligraphy zoom get together With a big thanks to CJ as Administrator 

A blogging friend was hosting a stamping challenge using 2 colors- black and red. I have been interested in participating in her challenges for a while and finally got one completed. Sticking to just 2 colors makes the card making process quick and easy.  One of my favorite treats when shopping in Wegman’s grocery store is to grab a golden milk latte. Grocery shopping in Wegman’s is a real treat and I don’t get there very often as I have a few shops much closer. I am also trying to keep my carbon footprint small, so I plan my errands with that in mind. Fortunately, I will be over in the Wegman’s area next week  and will pick up some specialty items, flowers and a golden milk from the cafe. In the meantime,  I am enjoying this camomile and turmeric tea. Turmeric is an Indian flowering plant in the ginger family and is said to have many health benefits. On my last trip to Costco, I saw that they are carrying the rhizomes (similar to ginger but smaller) in the fresh produce ...

 I have been looking at my books of 2021 and trying to pick my favorites. My reading choices are often made by looking at reviews, award winners, personal recommendations, a book written by a favorite author, a topic I find interesting or a book I have picked up when browsing the stacks. It’s no surprise then that I end up with so many I love and picking the top 21 has been a challenge. One book stands out as the clear favorite for number one. My favorite book of 2021 Also on the list I read Patrick Radden Keefe’s book Say Nothing for my library’s book club choice in March.  It was a phenomenal read and I immediately put my name on the wait list for Empire of Pain. This historical narrative   is a testament to the power of investigative journalism and winner of the Baillie Prize for non-fiction and the Goodreads Choice Award  for History and Biography.  Also in my top 21 of 21 and in observance of Black History Month, Caste  by Isabel Wilkerson, another Goo...

 We live in a house of tea lovers and Fiona and I love to try new teas. I am getting low on my favorite Tea and Trumpets Earl Grey Lavender. Eugene has put the kibosh on ordering new flavored tea until we go through some of our incredibly large stash. We have made a big dent in our loose tea. Fiona got a great tea caddy so we can organize our tea bags. We have only 4 punjana teabags left from the 440 we ordered this summer, so I have more on order…it really is a go to here! Cheers to that,  Elizabeth and friends I am working on mindfulness in all areas including eating and drinking. So as I drink my tea, I will feel the warmth of the cup, inhale the aroma, taste the flavor, and feel the sensation of swallowing. I have been listening to  Rachael Kable’s podcast , The Mindful Kind and have recently started to listen to the early ones again. They are only 10 minutes each with over 300 episodes clearly listed and described, there is something for everyone. I know that a good ...

 A snowy Saturday with record 24 hour snowfall of 22 inches was the perfect day to catch up on some card making. It all started with a snowflake! A variety of cards and a variety of techniques  I was trying to catch up on some mail exchanges and made great progress. I love these stamps from Spellbinders. I experimented with alcohol inks a while back. I couldn’t figure out how to use the results but I kept the sheets in my stash. It made the perfect wintry background. I also played around with color layering of paper which is great color wheel practice. Some navy and white paper for die cuts, watercolor practice and some brush and pointed pen calligraphy and I was almost finished. While I was enjoying myself with art, Eugene and Eoghan tackled the snow removal. The snowblower helped  The kids bought Eugene a snowblower almost 5 years ago. At the time he didn’t think he needed it, but he has grown to love it! Our neighbors refer to it as the gift that keeps on giving. I tho...

 Happy New Year with Baileys Toasting the New Year with hopes for 2022 And a Best Year from one of my favorite podcasts, In the Doctor’s Chair with  Mark Rowe  a mnemonic device (episode 47) B Breathe   E Eat S Simplify T Time               Y You                E Exercise                 A Appreciate                R Reduce your carbon footprint         I love his weekly podcasts, and I have listened to a few more than once which I liken to a booster shot of optimism and mindfulness. I am very conscious of my carbon footprint and I will continue to include that in my best year, but my R will be reflection and resilience. ( R and R from a favorite 2021 read   10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn. The rest fit perfectly with my goals for 2022. Dr. Rowe suggests that we start our day thinkin...

 With some poetry I recently purchased this book because it includes some poems I love. This is the perfect book of poetry for these Covid times and fits well with my word of the year Hope.  Poets contributing include Amanda Gorman, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joy Harjo and Jane Hirshfield (just some of my favorites) made this book an easy selection. There are prompts for reflection, short biographies of the poets and much creative inspiration. I have found much to love in this accessible, hopeful collection. Already I know this is one to treasure and share. I used a lovely soft watercolor background from Mia and added some trees and sparkle. Using the abstract art to build upon was something CJ and I experimented with in a calligraphy class with Gerry years ago. We used sumi ink then, but I love the watercolor effect. I will be trying more of that in the future. Is the grey color the Winter Warlock from Santa Claus is coming to town putting one foot in front of the other? Or is it a lo...

 Although there was effort and learning in our watercolor class, it was more creative, fun and zen like. I love the results especially this watercolor by Fiona. The colors and serene atmosphere of this decomposing dory boat in the marshes of Ipswich is lovely.  A gift for Eugene  Proudly displayed in our living room. I haven’t painted anything for the walls yet although I did some greeting cards for some friends and classmates. Watercolor with Bokeh effect Out just in time Fiona made our New Year’s Day dinner. There was much prep work, but it was delicious and most appreciated  Setting the table, there will be no greens in a nod to the late, great Betty White, but we will toast her talent and joy  Mary Berry’s recipe for roast chicken Always a winner Especially when made with love. My word of 2022 was selected after reading a gift book from Onz.  Hope. This book is one of my 21 of 21. Onz said she thought it seemed like one I would enjoy and she was right. ...