Petite art on Sunday

One of her fruit paintings, sold.

For a long time I have admired Caroline Elizabeth's lovely oil paintings. There is something about miniature art works, which fascinates me. Finally I was able to win a bid for this lovely still life.

Still life with cloisonne cup, now my own...

And I have a feeling I might want to try again.

Her small, perfectly painted fruits, glasses and tiny objects are all wonderful pieces of art and delight me.

These should make lovely holiday gifts as well.

Pumpkin, sold.

xoxo

Image via Caroline Elizabeth blog. Thank you!

Friday post

Winter's night from our front door

I haven't done a casual Friday post in a while and today I feel like sharing a few pics of the week...

Through one of our bay windows...

It has been a little crazy around here, still recovering from Sandy and welcoming the first snow (storm) to our shores...Which has left by now, almost as fast as it came!

Lovely white blanket of snow!

Such times always provoke in me domesticity and the need for cooking, stocking up on pantry items and nesting.

Slow cooked baked beans, recipe here
REALLY GOOD!

Baked acorn squash too...

Reading by the fire and looking for good movies to watch.

Oscar hates having his picture taken, so I sneaked one in with my iPhone, he hasn't figured that out yet...

I am a wildly eclectic reader, I love some entertaining reading, something that makes me laugh out loud, or when I feel on top of my game, a challenge to my thinking, a nudge into the right direction to motivate my creativity... there are so many fantastic books and I am not going to be stuck in one direction or other. I sample freely, always...

I found this yesterday and one of the first sentences in one of her essays, I happen to open up in the bookstore, begun so promising, I could not leave it behind...

Wonderful to motivate the dormant artist within...

Incredible fun....

And more added fun! ....
 

Something different altogether, but more then captivating, I loved the 'Glass Castle' as well.

What's in the movies, I contemplate to see?

A must!

Equally enticing.

I read the book, so ...YES!

Another one I have read.... maybe!

Family fun....

Love many of the actors, so yes?

By now I've heard and seen so much of it, I feel like skipping it, if it wouldn't be for  Helen Hunt....

Sounds like I wouldn't mind either...

 

Perhaps a little melancholic, but I am interested.

What do you think? Is going to the movies in your near future?

Alright, this has been a mixed bag, but sometimes this is all what I can come up with...hope there is something for everyone, dear readers!

Last night view back over our yard towards the Hudson valley

Happy weekend and be good, where ever you are!


xoxo



Images: Landscapes,still life and food by V. Zlotkowski, books via B&N, movie posters via moviefone.com (Sorry for the bad quality)

Snow storm?

The snow falls not softly, but fierce, a cold wind cuts across and going out feels like running along and icy ridge. Driving is treacherous and we have had already a fair share of delays this past week and this adds to everything. I wish there will not be another day off school due to the weather conditions! I can see the trees already bending again under the loads of wet snow....It has increased over the last hour and I just hope, it will slow down soon.

It does look beautiful too, and sitting here inside, where it's warm,  but I feel for the poor souls out there without a home... Don't forget to give something this season, there are many charities and right now I drop of food items and clothing, we can spare, at the local collection station. There are also the firefighters and the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and churches, all ready to take donations. Please be generous.

In front of our house around 4:30PM....

And just 20 minutes later.....

Oh, mother nature! What's next?

All images by V.Zlotkowski

From the House of Edward

Once upon a time I began reading blogs and later began writing my own. And very early on I was fortunate enough to find the wonderful blog From the House of Edward, written by Pamela Terry. Her writings have resonated with me since the very start. And, of course, there are so many other writers of great blogs, which I regularly devour, but, admittedly, I am not always reading, there are days, sometimes weeks, when I am too occupied with my busy life, writing and doing all the necessary things to keep a household afloat.... so inevitably I miss a lot.

Now imagine my delight when I realized that Pamela has had her wonderful and heart warming essays, filled with her insights and the paw prints of Edward turned into a lovely book, which runs through the seasons, an almanac of her imagination! I call it an almanac, for it is like a calendar, filled with monthly reminiscence and revere for life through the seasons. I wish it could be an annual installation.... Now Pamela, there is an idea!

So I ordered my signed copy and to my utmost delight the mailman dropped today an unmistakable parcel in our mailbox. There it was and I opened a lovely package, wrapped in brown paper with a slender string around....

Into my hands fell a rather substantial volume, adorned with an image of Edward, the  sheepdog, gray paper and a light purple spine, an the lovely scent of a brand new book, waiting to be cracked open. As I thumbed through the pages, a small bookmark lay in the front and the illustrations by Amber Alexander of Edward and the additional ones by Melody Boggs certainly must match the stories within. I had to hold myself back and will snuggle up tonight, with a fresh brewed cup of tea and give myself an early holiday gift....

I shall read it accordingly to the seasons and will start now, in autumn, and slowly, slowly will read a small essay here and a lovely story about Edward there, and in this way it will accompany me throughout the next year...

Thank you Pamela, this is indeed a special gift to all of your devoted readers.

You can buy it here.

All images by V.Zlotkowski

The Uncommon Appeal Of Clouds

I have an affinity to clouds, and therefore the title The Uncommon Appeal Of Clouds in the latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith Isabel Dalhousie series instantly warmed my heart. Since I discovered his writing, his books champion a special spot in my reading heart. I love his philosophical ruminations, his quirky characters and the smart wit he brings to all his stories. He is a wonderful writer, one, who looks with gentle kindness and friendly humor towards his fellow neighbors, may they live in Edinburgh or Botswana...

For me, Isabel is a woman with a kindred spirit, the way she thinks and ponders life's essential questions without becoming outlandish is absolutely dear to me.
She has a way of allowing her mind to wander, sometimes into odd thoughts, deep or trivial, which I can relate to.

If you are looking for a gentle way to notch you into getting off the beaten thinking path and look for a delightful journey into her Edinburgh of today, her family and adventures, you will not be disappointed.

Get it here

Enjoy this and many of his other books. You might get hooked.....




Image via amazon.com

The beauty of plain

There is such beauty in plain design. I strive for it and although the reality in my home betrays my ideals ( I still collect and it shows) I adore the simplicity. In my dream home I'd live reduced and plain. 

Like so, found at the interesting blog 

Vosgesparis....

And I do love how the photographer  portrayed himself in a subtle, but effective way....

Right now, reduced to basic circumstances, I feel even more how little we actually truly need.

Shelter, warmth, food, friendship and the power of good stories.

(And gasoline and a shower once in a while will not hurt either...)

Images via the Vosgesparis blog.

Thank you!

After the storm

Sandy has left and in it's wake we are facing now the secondary effects. Although rebuilding is slowly beginning,

Waiting for gasoline in Westchester County, NY

people are getting used to different ways of life and long lines everywhere are faced mostly with patience at places to eat and particularly at gasoline stations. The only gasoline station, still open around here with gasoline left, has waiting lines from the time they open until late at night of up to three miles, slowly sneaking forward around the blocks. Which effects traffic everywhere, these are mostly smaller streets around here. Additionally there are still roads blocked with broken down power lines and fallen trees. The traffic is horrendous, people from as far as New Jersey come to Westchester for food, gasoline and shelter. We slowly feel the tremendous measure of the damage around us.

Winter wood is piling up on our front lawn. We are making progress.

But people are so friendly and very industrious, we are getting help from friends and we all keep the spirits up. There might be still some time until we are restored to normal, but on the other hand we can only be grateful for the relative minor problems we are dealing with, compared to the awful news we receive still daily from our neighbors in Manhattan, Queens and the shore at New Jersey! 

Aerial view of Breezy Point, Queens, a largely burned down neighborhood after Sandy hit...

The Army and National Guard forces from neighboring States like Vermont and even equipment from California are flown in to help ease the disaster. We are hopeful and in the spirit of community everywhere:

WE CAN DO IT, TOGETHER, AGAIN!

Images via google image and private.