Life, Love, and Books

Hey...psst...I'm back

2011-11-15T06:29:00.001-08:00

But just for now. I could not let the rest of 2011 roll by without something.

I thought I would post this quiz by the NY Times, it's a fun little personality test that has you clicking on pictures instead of statements. Here is the quiz if you would like to give it a go for yourself.

And now I will post the results for my quiz results - and might I first say, damn I sound good on paper!!

You're Culture Curious

You have an innate ability to see beauty in things of all shapes and sizes, and your love of the arts doesn't prevent you from having a warm down-to-earth attitude and a calm, peaceful outlook on life. Nature is close to your heart, and you are equally likely to find art in the outside world as you are in a gallery. When all is said and done, you are a bit of an intellect with a tendency to do a spot of soul searching from time to time. You're sophisticated and inquisitive with a real passion for art and culture. You pride yourself on being an early adopter of the latest music and films and always like to have a good book on the go. Your ability to bring together very diverse and even dissenting opinions is rooted in your appreciation for all points of view. You believe in immersing yourself in interesting experiences that make you look at people, places and opportunities from new angles. Being sensitive and creative you want to feel connected to the world around you and actively seek out opportunities to explore it. It's all about broadening your horizons and living life to the full. Anything else would not fulfill your curious nature.

Spring is here!

2011-04-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Finally after some false starts I think spring has finally settled into my area of the world. Seeing the sun and feeling warmth has been such a blessing!! Hope the weather is to your liking where ever you are.

On another note I just wanted to share a beautiful journal I just got in the mail today. I had been waiting for it for nearly two weeks since it left the makers hands at La Bella Vita & Co. I was beginning to wonder if the postal service had started using donkeys pulling carts to save money on deliveries.

The journal is just so beautiful to touch and hold. I have so many ideas for the kinds of things I want it there (musings/art/poetry) that I hardly know where to start!!

What gets your creative juices going???

Signs of Spring???

2011-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Have you seen any signs of Spring?

Twice in the last month the air has smelled like spring to me.

My nose does not have a proven track record for predicting the arrival of spring (in fact if I were to be honest I would say its never been right before) so I don't make anything of it other than spending a few happy minutes daydreaming of a warm March...and my standards for a 'warm' March are meager, I'd take high 40's low 50's for daily daytime temperature, I am not greedy. Since I am sharing my March with you it would also have lots of sun and flowers budding, and NO SNOW. Maybe there could be a rain shower or two...after all my granddaughter does have very cute raincoats to wear.

O.k. enough of my fantasy land, here is a 'real' sign of spring, yesterday chirping away in a snow storm, a big fat robin sat on a tree branch below my office window.

And today the groundhog said it's over in 4 weeks.

So there, take that winter!!!!

'Thank You'

2011-01-20T05:01:00.000-08:00

Two simple little words that can have a powerful effect when said, but are even more profound when written.

When was the last time you wrote a 'Thank You' note? When was the last time you received one? Something for you to ponder. If you would like to read more about a persons experience with a year of writing 'Thank You' notes, check this link out.

I came across the article link above thanks to Jackie at Letters & Journals. She makes some great finds! Thank you Jackie!!

New Year

2011-01-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give this blog a fresh coat of color for the new year. I hope it is to your liking.

For those of you who don't already know how wonderful it is to receive a hand written note, postcard, or letter in your mailbox, trust me, it makes your day!!! I've been a pen pal for many years and I can't tell you the number of times I have come home after a trying day to find a note that made me smile and forget my troubles.

Here I will highlight a few blogs that honor the letter;

52 Weeks 52 Letters Katy documents her plans to write a letter a week in 2011.

Letters & Journals is the name of a magazine Jackie Flaherty is hoping to get off the ground in 2011/2012. She has done her homework and I just know it will be a beautiful end product for those of us who love the written word.

The Missive Maven documents her incoming and outgoing pen pal mail that is inspressive it is sheer number and amazing creativity.

The Letter Exchange or LEX for those in the know, is a wonderful place to find pen pals. Such a great bunch of creative people! Not forgetting to mention Gary and Lonna who put each edition of LEX together and keep those letters flowing thanks to all their hard work.

Hope the above has inspired you to find pen, paper, and stamp , to make someones day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

2010-12-31T07:19:00.000-08:00

My best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2011!!

Now on to some items that I have come across in my wanderings of the net;

The U.S. Post Office had found a way to make my heart (and many others) happy in 2011 by making the one ounce first class stamp a Forever Stamp. Which means you can stock up now and save as they hope to raise the current .44 a few pennies some time in 2011. The new Forever Stamps will eliminate the need to run out and get one or two cent stamps when future increases happen. Thank you U.S. Postal Service for coming up with such a great idea that will save so many of us both time and money!!!! If you would like to see all of the 2011 stamps click here.

Another thing I enjoy is Powell's books in Portland OR. I have not had the pleasure of visiting Powell's in person but I have found that being an on-line customer is a very nice experience. I have also found that Powell's post some good articles on their website. Here is one about a Portland neighborhood that is adding some food for thought for areas walkers.

This next bit of fun I found is a blog of a person who describes him/herself as a 'Mysterious Postcard Collector'. MPC is asking the world to send him/her One Million postcards. Interested? Want to see the kinds of postcards MPC has already received? Check it out here. And in case you were wondering, I do plan to send a postcard...still have not decided just what it will be yet. Will it be one of the beautiful art postcards I have gotten in museum gift shops or one I make myself? Such a fun thing to mull over!! I wonder what a million postcards all in one place look like?

Happy New Year!!!
Liz

Positively Positive

2010-12-29T08:11:00.001-08:00

So, when I broke the news to my two readers about the demise of my blog neither were having it.

So...then what to do?

I hate the thought of a waiting impatient blank piece of paper, and I don't love a neglected blog much more, so that was where my problem began and why I decided it was time to pull the plug...but was it?

I think I made the deadline of January (rather than just doing it in the moment I decided) in an unconscious move to see if it really felt right to me, and I will admit, it didn't.

Then I had to admit that if I were going to stay I had to do something very different with this blog from my loosely conceived musings which were not as prolific as I thought they might be. The only thing I was sure of when I started a blog was that I wanted it to be positive, I thought there was/is enough negative energy in the world and I didn't want to add to it.

So with the above colliding in my brain I decided to keep the blog and make it a place where I post positive articles/ideas that I come across. I also welcome any stories of positivity that my two readers (or any other readers) might like to share.

Hope to make 2011 just a little bit better for all of us,

Liz

2011

2010-12-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

To all two of my readers,

I will be shutting this blog down sometime in January. I guess I just don't have as much to say as I thought I did when I first began this journey.

I have enjoyed sharing,
Liz

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

2010-11-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

My hubby cooks one heck of a bird!!

My arm knew

2010-11-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

The weather guys said we were going to get rain today, I took this photo out my office window.

So this is what rain looks like...huh!

When I left the house this morning, before the 'rain' started, I was trying to figure out why my arm was hurting (it was broken nearly two years ago in a car accident) so I wonder if it now has the ability to now predict snow?? Maybe me and my arm can get a job in weather prediction. Hey we might even be more accurate!!

Dia De Los Muertos - Day of the Dead

2010-10-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

This year I am celebrating the Day of the Dead with an alter dedicated to my mom. If you would like to know more about this click here . Here is the photo of my alter;

My mom loved Christmas, baseball, Derek Jeter, Hot Air Ballooning, New Mexico, NYC, her friends and her cats. I also have a vanilla candle burning (she loved that scent) and I have a slice of pizza there as it was her favorite food. I think I did pretty well for the first year.

A few pics

2010-10-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Since this blog is dusty once again I decided to post a photo or two. Both were taken in September.

Ceiling watching and reading

2010-08-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

I was flat on my back for most of last week with what my chiropractor assures me is my first bout with sciatica. My lovely spinal x-ray showed my last two vertebrae are closer than they should be and have a touch of arthritis between them for good measure...while I rested I got to know every bit of my bedroom ceiling! The bright side is I read three books while I was bed bound.

What I woke up to...

2010-07-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

I took a wonderful nap this afternoon and I awoke to find a package that I had just ordered on Thursday from an art store in Oregon. I requested USPS priority mail shipping and my, did they ever do a great job!! Coast to coast in just under 48 hours, very impressive U.S. Postal Service!! Now I will have to lay off the trash talk I regularly engage in about you and your (in)abilities. Mind you this cease fire will only last as long as you keep me a happy. ;-)
So after much window shopping (read web searches and page drooling) and pre-buyers remorse I finally went ahead, clicked that check-out button and bought a large set of the color pencils that I love so much. They blend and glide like a dream. My coloring will reach new heights of beauty now!! O.k. well maybe I am going a bit far with that statement but hey, a girl came dream.
The hubby gave me some really odd looks as I slowly and carefully opened the container, looked in amazement at all my color options, ran my fingers loving across each pencil, and took in the fragrant wood scent. Thankfully that man really loves me and knows when to remain silent. Lol.

You know I just had to take a few pictures to show these babies off!!

Nature & Stuff

2010-07-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am going to post a few photo's of a yuckie spider that made a beautiful web and is living on my front porch. He/she was a good sport for the half hour photo shoot that me and my hubby put it through. Warning! The photo's are not that great as I have yet to read the owners manual for my camera. I am also including a photo of a rabbit that lives two lots over, and the last photo is of a page I colored out of a Mexican folk art coloring book. Yup this big kid colors, well with color pencils anyway! I can't draw so the next best thing for me is coloring. I find it very relaxing.

Summer Beauty

2010-06-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Went on a garden tour this weekend in an historic neighborhood called The Stockade, made up of row houses built in the 1700's situated very near the Mohawk river. Many of the homes have plaques denoting the dwelling of an historically famous person or a tavern or other such business from long ago. Learn more about the area here. Below is my favorite picture I took during the tour.

Sweet Tweets

2010-06-10T17:48:00.001-07:00

On days when the temperatures are decent I often open my window at work. My work place backs up to a very busy expressway and I tend to ignore most of the sounds that come in through my window, except for yesterday. I swear I was in the mid air with my pen when I heard the sweetest birdsong. I enjoy listening to birds and knew right away this was not one I had ever heard before. I am on the second floor and have a tree just below my window so I carefully scooted over in my chair for a peek. I watched the branches shaking for a moment or two and then I got to lay my eyes on this beauty:

I watched him as he looked for something edible. The whole time my camera was only two feet away!! As I slowly backed out of the window to get it, he flew away. So instead of an actual, cool, over-head shot I am giving you a photo I copied elsewhere. :-(

Not only is that the first time I had ever heard a male Baltimore Oriole, it was also the first time I had ever seen one outside of a bird book. It was a very special encounter for me.

Somewhere over the....

2010-05-15T18:51:00.001-07:00

Nope, I never did find that pot of gold.

Seeing as I leave this blog alone an awful lot I figured it was time for a new view. I bought myself a nifty new camera for my birthday and have taken exactly two shots with it. The photo above is the first official shot.

I have added a new feature here recently. If you look to your right you will see a display widget that shows what book I am currently reading.

If anyone is out there leave me a comment and tell me what your spring has been like so far.

Happy May to all!!

Monkin goes for it!

2010-04-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few birthday photo's of my granddaughter enjoying her birthday cupcake. She is usually kind of picky with food so I was really surprised when she went for it!!

Where Have I been? Monkin, and Other thoughts...

2010-03-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...I have left this blog alone way too long. For anyone curious as to where I've been I have composed the following,

I have been;

Tired/uninspired/busy/lazy/crazy/feeding/needing/reading/sleepy/itchy/bitchy

I think that set of words covers my state of affairs quite well for the last month. It seems each year the last few months of winter really does take a toll on me. At some point I usually find myself shaking a fist at the cold and snow and asking, Why do I live in the Northeast???!!!
Thankfully it is clear that winter has now passed and between the signs of spring and nearly two weeks of beautiful weather we had been blessed with, I am starting to feel like my old self again. And it sure is nice to be back!

While I can't say I have any really great stories from my time away I do have a photo to share of what used to be my closet. In February we took a shopping trip to an outlet/discount mall of designer shops in Lee Massachusetts. For those that are well versed in designer names let me stop you here, the only designer names that get spoken of in this house are Carters, OshKosh, and Gymboree. This clothing run was strictly for Monkin (Monkey + Pumpkin, one of the many pet names I have for my granddaughter) and I think my daughter and I may have went a bit overboard for her spring and summer wardrobe.

This is only about half of her total haul. Last week I took every item out, put it on the floor in front of my comfy chair and went to work cutting the tags off everything. It took me over an hour of continuous cutting to get it all done!! Then it ended up being two and one half loads of laundry. While the clothes were in heaps at my feet Monkin had a blast inspecting everything and looking over the curious things I kept calling hangers. She seemed to approve of the entire lot. I figure we could put her in a new outfit everyday and not have to worry about repeating one for about two months.

Speaking of Monkin she hits the big 1 year mark on the 30th. We will have a small celebration (since she has much stranger anxiety these days) and will let her demolish a red velvet cupcake anyway she sees fit. Depending on the outcome that may be a blog worthy photo all on it's own. But it's too early to tell, the Monkin can be very tricky and often times zigs when I think she is going to zag.

Now on to other things...I may have mentioned in previous posts that I love books, and in case I never did, here it is, I LOVE BOOKS! In my late teens and well into my 20's I read as much Literature as I could making up for what I thought my formal education lacked. Then after many years I wanted to try something new, I read a few novels of the time but could not imagine I was getting anything real or good out of them so I vowed to only read non-fiction and for the next ten years did exactly that in the form of journals, memoirs, travelogues, biographies, and yes, I will even admit to some self-help books.

About fours years ago I starting noticing the pool of non-fiction books that appealed to me was shrinking fast. One day while sharing my thoughts with a co-worker he suggested I read Dan Brown's Angels and Demon's. He sold it so well I did read it, and gasp, enjoyed a book of fiction! Then another co-worker recommended a series called Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and I was totally hooked on fiction from that point on. Now I pretty much only read fiction. I love the entertainment and escapism they offer, and since Ms. Gabaldon's goes to great researching lengths, I am getting actual historical facts too!!

Recently I have even begun to enjoy many book series in the Young Adult (books meant for 9-12 year olds) category. Go figure, as I get older my brain seems to get younger in it's taste. I'm saving all the books for the day Monkin will discover her love of reading. I wish they had these good YA books when I actually was in that age range. ;-)

Well that is all for now. Hope everyone is having a good spring!!

My Kind of Crack

2010-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

I finally did it!! After browsing and drooling, I finally made my first on-line purchase of pens.

I have had a serious pen addiction most of my life and happily it shows no signs of stopping. This latest purchase is from http://www.jetpens.com/ . The pens are wonderful!! The colors are beautiful and the fine points on these pens have already come in handy for my postcard correspondence. I try to fit as much writing as I can on a postcard and these pens help so much with their fine lines. Another plus, the ink dries super fast so I don't end up with a smeared mess.

The pen/pencil case was also part of my purchase, it looks like a standard zippered case on the outside but when open you roll out the attached pen sleeve which holds 5 pens in individual pockets. There are also two square pockets to hold a few small extras. I purchase this particular case because I felt it was time I should have something nice to carry and protect my growing fountain pen collection in. I must say my fountain pens look very happy in their new home!

I usually buy my pens directly from stores I shop in (I can't explain the thrill I get when cruising a pen isle!!) but lately the choices have been very stale and uninspiring. I had come across the Jetpens website more than once when lurking on one blog or another of a similarly minded pens & paper addict. Since the pickings had been so slim here I had to give them a try, and now I wish I had placed an order much sooner!!

I think one of the reasons I had never ordered on line before was all that waiting I would have to do before my precious pens to made it into my hands. Well guess what!!? These pens came clear across the country in just 48 hours! I barely had a chance to practice my patients.

So what's next for me you might ask?? Why planning a future order of course!!

Whaaaaat???!!!

2010-01-27T05:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my cold, and being a bit more spacey than usual (I can already hear the snickers) I tend to stare at things a while before I remember what I was going to do. In this case my lack of haste rewarded me with a good laugh courtesy of Time Warner Cable.

I don't know who edits the show titles but I want to thank them for their clever shortage of the word House to Ho. When I read it for the third time a few thoughts popped into my head, who is she? And the classic, How Messy is She???

Just in case you have a hard time reading the caption it says, "Clean House: Search for the Messiest Ho" I am a big fan of the cable show Clean House and can't get enough episodes on my DVR.

My what big eyes you have

2010-01-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

I got permission to post this photo of my granddaughter!!

My grandaughter doesn't go out much these days thanks to the cold temperatures, but she sure is excited when she can step out. Even if we have to wrap her up until she is nearly round!!

I suspect that's why her mom said o.k. to the photo post, because she looks a lot different once she has been stuffed into lots of layers.

Either way, she is so darn cute and wonderful to be with.

It is difficult to see in this photo but she is about to stick her tongue out. For some reason she keep her tongue out whenever she is outside in the cold. I always ask her if this is her thermometer.

Looking Forward and Looking Back

2009-12-31T06:26:00.000-08:00

Since 2009 is nearly dust I have been pondering what the year has meant to me.

One thing I can say about 2009 is that it was one of the more peaceful years I have had in a while, even consider there was that surprise arrival of a grandchild. And since I brought up the subject of my grand, I just want to gush a little and say what a wonderful joy she is, and how glad I am that she is here! To see her learn and grow each day has been an amazing gift.

A friend asked if I was were making any New Years Resolutions this year, I said no, but the truth is I am making just one, that I am resolved to make no New Years Resolutions. In the past I have have done what many do, make big life changing resolutions that usually don't make it much past January, if even that long. So I have decided I don't want to start this new year chastising myself for even more shortcomings, and instead will try to fix what needs fixing, change what needs changing, and adjust what needs to be adjusted as the situation presents itself. This just might be something I can stick to all year through! I already feel less pressure going into the new year.

Happy New Year to all!!!

Tea in a snow storm

2009-12-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

It started off as such a good idea...we needed more tea, for ourselves and for stocking stuffer's. We have a place we like to visit in Millerton, NY called Harney & Sons. They have a cute little place with a cafe, tasting room, and of course the room filled with all the wonderful teas to be purchased.
We had last visited Harney & Sons back in October and vowed it would be our last visit until spring since driving long distances in the winter in our part of the world can be dicey sometimes.

Somehow my hubby and I started to talk about tea this weekend. Me because I got an email coupon from Barnes & Noble Specifically for Harney & Sons teas, and he because he was fast running out of a tea we had bought for him in October. So because we had the coupon, and the one and a half hour trip each way did not sit well in December, we went to Barnes & Noble with coupon in hand. Once there we found the most limited selection EVER. So in my thinking plan 'B' was going to include a visit to the other Barnes & Noble inside one of the busiest malls around here. His plan 'B' was just going directly to the source. No arm twisting needed for that one!!
When we were ready to hit the road our GPS said we would arrive 45 minutes before the store closed. After one really scary almost wipe out, (and we were in 4 wheel drive) going a stretch of 25 miles up and down through a mountain range that had no salt on the roads and many cars off of it, and a good stretch where could have gone 55, but ended up going 35 on thanks to a little old lady from Connecticut that had no business on the road, we had only three minutes left before the store closed. Amazingly the folks that work at Harney & Sons were still there and working and were very welcoming. Once I told them that I had traveled so far to get there, they immediately awarded me and my hubby with a cup of tea. Ahh...just the thing after the crazy drive we had just had.
We bought lots of great tea and had a wonderful dinner at a new Mexican joint that is a few doors down from the tea shop. Happily our drive back was much better thanks to road salt, no old ladies, and a bypass of the mountain range.

I have posted a pic of our tea haul, in order they are, Holiday Tea, Dragon Pearl Jasmine, Cherry Blossom, and Winter White Earl Grey, the little ones on the top are a mixed lot of Peach, Lemon, Earl Grey, and an Autum tea. In case you are curious the plant in the background is one that an ex-boss gave me years ago. It's the only plant life I have kept alive with the exception of poinsettia's. In the early years I tried my best to kill it since said ex-boss had laid me off, but despite my worst efforts it not only grew but thrived and is now almost 6 years old.

An Ode to Tea

2009-11-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

The other night I was watching a British film called, How About You. I was so into the setting and the British-ness of it all that I had to pause the movie and make a cup of tea to enjoy as I finished watching. I make myself giggle at the odd things I like and the strange ideas I come up with! Anyway I wanted to share with you the sweet set up I have at work for the different teas I keep there. In case you are wondering about the drawing on the wall, it's one my daughter did in high school.

Time to Swap & Other Stuff

2009-11-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

My new latest fun obsession is a web site called Swap Bot. If you are interested the link can be found to the right of this entry under my favorite sites. Once you join the community of creative people you can join swaps. Some of the things I have seen being swapped or been a part of are, post cards, favorite lotion, books, things people collect, note cards, hand decorated blank journals, and the list goes on and on. For me, because there is always something different to join me and my creativity never get bored.
Now that I have done several swaps I have decided to coordinate my very own. My swap is geared toward book lovers and will be kind of a Valentine's Day treat. (I am sure no one who really knows me will be surprised I decided to do a swap involving books!) Participants will be asked to send two books to their assigned partner, one book from a genre the receiver enjoys, the second book will be a copy of the senders favorite book. I am also asking that two other items be sent, the first is a brief note of greeting and to say why they loved their favorite book, the second will be an item of the senders choosing, something book related like a book light, bookmarks, bookplates, anything a fellow book lover might appreciate.
Now on to other news; the movie New Moon rocked!! I loved it and want to see it again soon!! I am happy to report that the early matinee my friends and I went to was filled with 'women of a certain age' just like us. No gushy teenagers thank you!
If I don't get a chance to stop back here before Thanksgiving, I want to wish everyone a happy and peaceful holiday filled with lots of love and good food.
Joy to the World!!

What a difference a few weeks make

2009-11-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

I am lucky enough to have my very own office with my very own window. While some people may not be impressed with my view of two parking lots, I must say I don't even see them anymore. I instead see a long line of trees that are home to lots of wildlife. In the midst of so much human busyness it is a joy just to watch nature hold on to this small space between concrete worlds.
As soon as I noticed a significant color change in the trees I took a picture each day to document the transformation for their winter rest. I will attache my first picture, taken sometime in September, and my most recent, taken on Friday the 6th. I will wait and watch for a speedy return of the beautiful leaves.

Me and the Ladies

2009-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

It was a little over 70 degrees here one day last week (yup I know, shocking for late October in the Northeast). I opened my window to enjoy the fresh air and within minutes I had at least six ladybugs in my office. I have no idea where they came from or why they chose to visit, but I liked the company. (Far better companions that one or two co-workers I can think of).

As of the yesterday I still have at least two of my friends and I spent a good half hour trying to get a decent close up picture. My skills in this area are limited since I never read owner manuals and have to rely on just pushing buttons and hoping for the best. My boss must have walked by at least twice during my photo shoot but didn't ask. He is a wise man.

I found it a bit ironic that the ladybug in the photo chose to stay the longest on a photo of my granddaughter, (well that's not the ironic part, that just proves she/he has excellent taste in viewing material) in that photo my granddaughter is wearing a dress that is red and has tiny black dots. Fashion envy perhaps?

Lastly I just want to add that this ladybug brought on some serious contemplation about the frequency of my dusting habits, as I watched through the view finder her/his perilous journey through my dust bunnies. But thankfully that inner reflection passed quickly and I'm o.k. now!!! There is always time to dust tomorrow right??.

Hello and Welcome

2009-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to what I hope will be a fun new venture. I have thought about starting a blog for so long and today I was inspired to finally get it going after I saw a video with the author, Elizabeth Gilbert. In it she talked about the pitfalls of creativity and that we each have a gift and that we should not be afraid of creation. So here I am, creating something I have long thought about but had never made a step toward. It brings to mind the quote, "Fortune Favors the Bold."