SkybellArts @ Blogger: 3BT

Showing posts with label 3BT. Show all posts

Showing posts with label 3BT. Show all posts

Friday, April 01, 2011

32nd of March

Finishing up Day 26 of my 30 Days Vegan Workshop and most of the time I've enjoyed the challenge. Doing without eggs and dairy has been easier than I thought it would be. The challenge was the grocery shopping, food prep, and cooking - complicated by the fact that I've been head chef, sous chef, wait staff and chauffeur since March 1st. I've been feeling pretty proud of myself but I almost blew it this evening when at Happy Hour the martini I had came with the blue cheese stuffed olive. I gave the garnish to my husband and gave myself a pass on what little "blue cheese" contamination the alcohol may have suffered. I like Rachel Maddow's cocktail philosophy:

"You're never supposed to eat the garnish. The garnish is not a snack. The garnish is there to modify the liquor that is in the glass. It is not there to provide you a tasty treat to go along with your drink. The drink is the treat."

Amen.

and three beautiful things:

Sun, glorious sun today. (I'm pretending not to hear the rain that has already started falling.)
The house was cleaned today AND the lawn was mowed.
Been enjoying the blooming hoya carnosa... the sweet smell is tolerable.

Monday, March 14, 2011

rain...

and 3 beautiful things:

Dave and I worked well together today - shopping, cleaning, cooking... I think we've found our new normal. (Four and a half weeks to go, I can do it!)
With all the driving around I did this afternoon in the downpour, somehow I managed not to get wet.
114k households lost power during the peak of the storm, we didn't.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

home sweet home

Week 09 and 10 done. All I needed was a little time to finish them, funny how that works, at least I'm back on schedule. Happiness.

and 3 beautiful things:

A sweet twelve hours, alone in my house... pure joy!
Played the piano for an hour.
Four full days of vegan meals and I feel great. I'm not feeling deprived and have made some yummy dishes. A pleasant surprise.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

time may change me

and 3 beautiful things:

Change is good. Change all at once has had me a tad ruffled. I'm happy I've recognized that.
Both my daughter and husband are doing physical therapy and it hurts knowing how they are suffering. But watching how they're taking care to get back to full health makes me so proud, and happy, too!
Maple roasted root vegetables for dinner. oh, yummy...

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

it might as well be spring

Had a couple of hours to work in the studio today. Not much time spent actually making anything but, I did plot, and plan, and sketch. There should be an "art" term for this process. The chefs have mise-en-place, directors have mise-en-scène, mise-en-abyme is an art technique - I think I'll adopt mise-en-idée. Don't know if it's the right translation but "idea development" is what I'm going for.

and 3 beautiful things:

The daffodils in my front yard are just about to open. Just down the hill the daffodils have been open for the last five days. I've been patiently waiting. I brought in three daffodils inside - happiness!
I've discovered red quinoa and I love it. I made a quinoa tabouli with cucumber, red onion, scallions, chickpeas. Drizzled with a little white balsamic/Dijon dressing, heaven.
I had a chat with my sister today - always warms my heart! Later I sent her a text/picture of my daffodils using the Ikebana vase that she had sent me for Christmas one year. She quickly replied in a text that she was "copying that tomorrow." I'm so happy I inspired her but I was left wondering if she has daffodils in the front yard of her Texas home.

Monday, March 07, 2011

just this

and 3 beautiful things:

Sat outside and read a bit. It was a little chilly but lovely.
Made Aloo Gobi for dinner but didn't want to wait for rice to cook. We had red quinoa instead - good choice.
Day 1 of the vegan challenge was wonderful. The best part is focusing on self care inside and outside!

Sunday, March 06, 2011

weekend end

With everything I had to do today, I did make it to the studio (woo hoo) and managed to do some drawing, pick up things, and make a start on the weekly.
I'm driving Dave to work tomorrow at 8am. The house to myself. What ever will I do? I'm sure I'll think of something!

I took some time to straighten up the pantry and label some of the new (cheap, $3 for 10) plastic containers. I shopped and pick up some foods I usually don't have in the house. Luckily, the Co-op has nearly everything but I needed help finding the sucanat and they were out of mint (I'll survive.) Surprisingly, Dave is really looking forward to my 30 day vegan challenge. He figures he'll be able to score lots of side dishes

and 3 beautiful things:

Wow! Talk about your altered books. Brian Dettmer has sculpted beautiful works of art out of books. I'm in awe. Go there, enjoy! (and read his artist statement.)
Just finished tomorrow's NYTimes Crossword.
Did I mention I'm driving Dave to work at 8am tomorrow. I love him but I need a little me time.

Friday, March 04, 2011

books and more books

At breakfast this morning, I was talking to chef and discovered I have all kinds of vegan options for breakfast on Fridays. Yay! She then talked us into ordering a cinnamon roll with a new butter cream frosting she's been working on. Yup, it was yummy -thankfully there were four of us sharing it and we left some on the plate (ha, only because, it was huge!)

After breakfast, I swung by the library to pick up three books I had placed on hold. I wanted to look at Robertson's 1000 Vegan Recipes but it wasn't at the library. Found a copy at Border's and after looking through it for about ten minutes, decided to just buy it. Got home to discover a shipment from Amazon. It's been a very good (book) day!

and 3 beautiful things:

Duh, the books!
We were having fish tacos for dinner and I sliced open the most perfect avocado - should have taken a picture - looked beautiful, tasted great. Simple pleasures!
I'm off now to snuggle up with a book or two... happiness.

Thursday, March 03, 2011

doodle, peaches, and smiles

Finally had a chance to get into the studio and take a picture of February's Doodle Calendar- it nearly felt like a creative intervention. Sigh... Maye I'll get a couple of hours tomorrow.

and 3 beautiful things:

A friend brought over a peach crisp. Lovely. Happy day.
I was expecting a call at 3pm. Unbelievably, the cable of the land line phone was cut and impacted phone service to the entire neighbor. I was pleasantly surprised when my cell phone rang at 3:05p - my friend assumed something was wrong and called me on my cell home. Smile. Talked for a couple of hours. Still Smiling.
Husband doing well, daughter's pain subsiding and she feels confident driving the Mini... life is beautiful.

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

to rant or not to

Rant.
It's been one of those days. I finally had to take a deep breath and go sit quietly in my room. Alone.

I'm use to having the house to myself during the weekdays and even though I was prepared to be home with Dave while he recovers, the "be with" time got just a little overwhelming. The cooling unit that keeps his shoulder cooled is eating up ice faster than he thought it would. So, off to the store to buy huge bags of ice (and a few bulk items for the pantry). Could he have stayed home? Yes. Did he? Of course not.

Back home, I was starting to reorganize the pantry to accommodate the new foods when I notice that things didn't sound right with the refrigerator. Isn't it ironic that the refrigerator would pick today to stop making ice. Not only stop making ice but the waterline came off the back of the refrigerator and water was leaking for hours. We then worked together to debug the problem and ultimately fixed it.

The whole day felt as if I was taking one step forward and three back. I've got plans to implement several changes this month and have put myself on a fairly aggressive schedule to get things done. Oh, silly me.

"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied with drawbacks and discomfort." ~ Arnold Bennett

Okay, moving on.
and 3 beautiful things:

Watched this TEDtalk - Brene Brown on vulnerability (recommended by Heather.)
Oops, I did it again. I'm ordering another book. This time, The Artful Bird by Abby Glassenberg. I didn't think I wanted to make soft toys.
Searched the library looking for vegan cookbooks. Most of the ones I wanted were already checked out, but I did request a hold on a few. Later I came across this recipe for Olive Lentil burgers - cool.

Monday, February 28, 2011

two months down, ten to go

What did I do today? Really what? I think what happened is that I busied myself with cleaning and organizing the house. It's the type of busy-ness I do when I'm going on vacation - got to get it picked up and cleaned so that when I come back it's picked up and cleaned. Crazy thinking. Also, it must have something to do with Dave going in for shoulder surgery - 8am in the morning! This is NOT going to be a vacation.

and 3BT:

The NYTimes has started posting an online-only Children's Book Review each week. I'm looking forward to some wonderful illustration and this first one doesn't disappoint! "Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit"
It rained (and rained) today. The temperature was in the forties. I was so happy.
Sometimes it is the simplest things that give me pleasure - a freshly laundered, warm towel. Heaven.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Chores and TV

Creativity... none.
The day was filled with getting the house and things ready for Dave's upcoming surgery and taking care of errands. We settled in for a homemade pizza and Oscar party at five o'clock.

and 3BT:

Colin Firth, Best Male Actor. I am pleased.
'Harry Potter', 'Twilight', and 'Social Network" getting autotuned.
and the Oscar goes to 'The King's Speech' - and the crowd cheers.

I'll take rain over freezing cold

Yay, warmer wetter weather!

and 3BT:

I had news free day. So nice.
Seeing my daughter and giving her a big, but gentle, hug. Sweetness. She's sore and stiff, and moving around like one of those Playmobil people.
I had a Ginger Cosmopolitan at Sweet Basil (Is it wrong that alcohol ends up on the list of things that give me pleasure twice in one week?)

Friday, February 25, 2011

b-b-b-baby it's c-c-c-cold outside

It's 27 degrees out and it is suppose to drop down to 13. All I'm saying is that that is too cold. I'd like by gray, wet 45 degree weather back please.
and 3BT:

I was going to bail on breakfast this morning. It was cold and I was grumpy. A little gmail chat convinced me that face time would lift my spirits. It did. I'm happy I went.
Meat-lovers pizza. We never order this. But here I am planning a vegan month and what do I want, meat, of course. I'm pleased I was mindful enough to recognize what I was doing. Yes, we ordered the pizza.
The dog has been coming between us a lot recently. Usually, she walks between us when we are standing close together. Today, we were in the kitchen and Dave comes over to me and gives me a hug and kiss when the dog sticks her head between Dave's legs. Of course, he said "Am I happy to see you or is that a black lab between my legs?" ba-dump-bump

circles of life

I spent the day working on 22 inset circles. I used raw silk for the circle. It's a lousy picture but the silk adds lots of texture.

These pieces will be going into a large piece, 18x32 inches that I planning to have done before the end of next month. Since I'm not feeling any panic, I must be more or less on schedule.

and now, 3BT*

It snowed today. It was pretty. The thing that pleased me the most was when the sun came out, light reflected off the snow and flooded the house.
I won the book give away at Food Blogga.
After she saw the Dr. and filled her prescriptions (pain meds for whiplash), my daughter walked over to Starbucks and told them that she never got to enjoy her FREE coffee that she had picked up right before the accident. They immediately gave her a replacement coffee. Chutzpah, maybe, but it pleases me that this kid knows that it's the little things we do that can make a big difference in how we take care of ourselves.

* Three Beautiful Things

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

everything is beautiful

There are only beautiful things right now!

My daughter is okay.
My daughter is okay.
My daughter is okay.

The young man that ran the stop sign said he was really sorry for ruining her day. He had rammed the driver's door, shattering the window and windshield, bent the steering wheel, and pushed the front tire under the car The 1987 Volvo that she was driving suffered it's first accident and is probably totaled. She saw it coming and tried to avoid the collision. She said she remembered to turn her head away from the glass. After she got back to her apartment she found glass in her socks, pants, and shirt. She has a minor cut on her foot and is beginning to feel a little achy and sore all over.

My daughter is okay. That's all that really matters.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

cookies, tea, and friendship

I made these cookies afternoon tea with a friend. They were absolutely delicious. I use Dagoba chocolate, a 72% baking chocolate (which unfortunately they longer sell!) and this recipe from Debby Maugans' cookbook, Small Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers (read about it at Food Blogga). Just thinking about them makes my mouth water. The recipe only makes seven cookies. I had one, my friend had one and my husband had one... there seems to be a missing cookie.

and 3BT:

I am definitely counting today's cookie as a beautiful thing that gave me pleasure!
Four hours of conversation with a dear friend (and a cookie, does it get any better?)
She loved her Heart Garland (didn't sew beads on it but I did "wrap" it in a custom bag inspired by a guest blogger at Whip Up.) I got a big hug and then she wrapped the garland around her neck like a scarf.

Monday, February 21, 2011

bats and sun

No work for Dave today and (lame excuse) as a consequence I didn't make it to the studio. I did make soup (this one) and it's lovely aroma is filling the house - potatoes, yams, lentils, and chorizo.

Ironically, today is the day I signed up for an online workshop, 30 Day Vegan, with Heather at beauty that moves. I'm not committing to a vegan lifestyle (at least I don't think so) for the rest of my life but rather lean more into a conscious eating mindset - mindful of where my food comes from. I've yet to read any of Michael Pollan's books, I've seen him interviewed, I think he addresses ideas that I want to investigate a little more. Probably should add some of those books to my reading list for March.

and now, 3BT:

Dave bought this little bat for me on Saturday. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out where to hang it but today it found it's home. Giddy happy I am, ain't he sweet! (The artist is Dan Chen)
Heard from a very dear friend today - known her since I was 18 - always, but always warms my heart!
The sun was wonderful today. It flooded the house and sitting out on the deck was glorious. (It's hard to believe that snow is in the forecast for the end of the week.)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

hearts and other things

I continued to work on the hearts. I have them all chained together, twenty in all, a little over six feet in length.

I'm planning to sew on some beads tomorrow. I was inspired by the heart garland at Skip to my Lou and the heart garland at Suzies Stuff. Next, the Shamrock garland... nay, don't think so.

and now, 3BT:

Getting up early to give my daughter a kiss goodbye after her ~36 hr visit home. She asked if I was awake - barely. Her father went back to bed.
Tried two new meatloaf recipes out of the new Fine Cooking magazine: Indian-spiced and Spicy-southwestern. Most of the meatloaf will end up in the freezer and get pulled out on the I-am-not-in-the-mood-to-fix-dinner days. (yay!!)
Having one of my favorite cocktails, a Negroni while the meatloaf cooks.

happy,and 3bt

I'm still ruminating over the happiness thing. I returned to one of my favorite places on the web - ZenHabits - and once again reread Handbook for Life: 52 tips for Happiness and Productivity. As I read the list I was surprised by how many of the tips didn't surprise me at all. I can't say if I've actively adopted them or if, over time, I have just settled into them as part of how I live life.There are a few I would like to more proactively pursue: Keep a Journal (did, stopped, would like to restart) and Lose Arguments (not my voice!)

I also stumbled upon this blog, Three Beautiful Things, and I think it is such a lovely idea. It may be just what I need to address a few of other things on the 52 tips. I should be able to think of three things that have given me pleasure during the day - hopefully it won't be the same three things everyday! Ha.

1. This quilt, Alabama Beauty, that Deb Geyer is quilting. The quilt top was made by *KarenDianne. The artistry of both of these women absolutely delights me.
2. Jamie at the beach... at 10 years old, she tires a little faster but she is one happy dog!

3. I'm making a garland for a friend as a birthday present. A simple little thing. It takes about ten minutes to crochet one heart - every time I finish one, I just smile. I want to have it done Tuesday morning... plenty of time.

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