Earth Day

The some New Hampshire photos from my blog in past posts: seeing NH is my neighborhood, my home, a beautiful place to celebrate the earth.

Vacation is in 2 days

Even though I have no big plans, vacation starts in 2 days and I am soooooooooooooooo excited. I just HOPE the weather will cooperate and be somewhat sunny and warm...so I can walk in the morning and not be rained in. We'll see. I'm hoping to do some cooking and baking next week...hoping to do a bunch of art...a bunch of reading...some relaxing...some cleaning...just a good recharge of my head and soul...then its the last stretch until summer vacation...so exciting no matter how you look at it.

A really nice spring day

With some really nice daffodils blooming up a storm in the my garden. Everything is getting so green- I even went out after work for a bit (until the black flies appeared) and pulled a few weeds. Weeding is a good way to get rid of some frustrations. Also running the kiln with a load of copper, curious how this batch will come out since the last batch was heated a bit too high a temperature.

Another Paris journal page...its a street ad for the movie Marley and Me which was premiering shortly after we left...the photo on the page is good but didn't photograph well when I snapped this page. But I love the background, which I stamped...not sure who made the dog walking set these stamps came from...but love them!

Making Soup

Feeling domestic and have a bunch of recipes I am dying to try out, so tonight I am making Julia Child's French Onion soup. Haven't had French onion soup in forvever, and am looking forward to see how it comes out since I have never made it before. Been fun to pull out some cooking equipment that I haven't used much in the last month or so. (And some things, like my food processer, I haven't used much since winter).According to Julia Child, the trick to good onion soup is the slow and long cooking of the onions, which is what I'm up to right now. Am blogging between stirs.

So here's a few more Paris journal pages- A famous fountain- though shut off in Feb when we were there- and of course right this second I can't think of the name of it...

Anyhow, still no name, must be all the onions in my nasal cavity right now, but its at the Pompidou Center, and I want to call it the St. Egeltine fountain but that is NOT even in the ballpark (where the heck did that come from?) and its not the Clemenceau fountain either...oh yes, right on the middle page, The Stravinsky Fountain.

Just added my stock and tasted the soup- yummy. Now I want to eat!!!!! Needs to simemr about 30 minutes and then whenever Dave makes it home...wish it would be now...will broil the bread and cheese on it...oh delicious.

Crafty girls

So yesterday Katie and I both spent the afternoon playing with crafts. It was fun since we were both in the same room and could caht while we worked. Above, I made a bunch of bronze and copper clay pieces which you can see here drying on my counter. Think the copper is ready to fire today, which if I get ambitous I will do, got to watch my termpature though because the last copper firing I did-the only actually- I went  abit too hot for my kiln- good thing I found out quickly my kiln heats up a bit on the hot side.

Here's some other pieces I have recently fired and need to do something with. There's some silver at the bottom, towards the middle right is my over cooked copper and then some bronze in the back, fired with some charcoal and some fired with coconut-it makes such a big difference.

And this is the quilt Katie's making with all my spare fabric (so much for my stash)! Love it though- the colors are great. She's still making squares and then she'll need to put it all together.

And here's Mr. I Love to be IN the MIDDLE of Evereything. Of course. That's Leo.

So its another grey day here in New Hampshire- I need to grade some labs and probably do some paper arts, or watch tv and read...it was GREAT having a 3 day weekend to get back into the groove and away from the work stress, and its only 5 more days of work until our April vacation which I must say I am excited for even though I have no big plans- and wish I did- but glad I don't have tickets to fly to Europe with all the cancellations due to the volcano erupting in Iceland and sending plumes of particles into Europe. It would be a bummer to have to cancel a long planend trip, that's for sure.

And starting to think about next Feb./March vacation trip though- it willbe just Dave and I but I have 3 ideas since my birthday for once will fall over our late winter break-of course you know me, I'm always looking for a cheap flight...(my 3 ideas: London to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum on my birthday since I have always wanted to do that-maybe go to Stonehedge or someplace else outside of the city for a few days first, or fly to Miami and drive to the keys or go to Vegas and spend my birthday in Death Valley) Lets see what else I can brew up befor then since its still 10 months away. And lets see if I have any money and can pay off my credit cards bills by then- a major goal since I still haven't paid off most of my last trip.

Waking up to more white ground AND today I talk about books!

Yes, more snow, not much, but enough to make it all white. Don't want to post any more photos of snow. Want to go out and bark mulch or take the plastic off my screen porch but not in this weather. Seems like its turned back to some light rain now, which is good. Plus its a great day to play with bronze and copper clay which is my plan.

So yesterday I did finish reading Eclispe in the Twilight trilogy. Been reading it off and on for months. Not into those books the way a lot of people are and I've figured out  why- Bella is too passive for me- but guess she is a typical teenage girl, and Edward to too protective...but also guess a teenage girl might like that. But me, at 50, well I'm at different place now in my life. Started book 8 in the Sookie Stackhouse series: From Dead to Worse, and I love those books! I'm also reading a historical non-fiction book about building the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough- I love reading his books since he narrarates (that spelling looks really wrong) the American Story and PBS so when I read his books I hear him reading to me...which is really cool I think.

Yesterday at Costco I bought a couple more armchair traveller books- I had 2 of these already and though not the best armchair travel books ever printed- they're really fun to look at and dream and get ideas. Plus, for $10-12, you can get a bunch and not break the bank like so many other travel books with colored photos...anyhow, yesterday I got the journeys and the islands- and I really like the Island one, and I already had the cities and the natural wonder one. Starting to plan my wish trips- well, adding them to my already SUPER LONG wish list of trips...I guess must accept that unless I suddenly come into a very large amount of cash by something like the lottery or some relative I don't even know I have leaves me big bucks...or maybe I suddenly sell major amounts of artwork and get money that way, I'll never be able to do my whole wish list, but isn't that part of dreaming...wishing...and the beauty of life is that you just never know...do you?

Wet and Raw

And SNOW!!!!!

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Look at this- an April snow. At least its not too much (though there is more now than when I snapped these) and the roads are fine- but welcome to New England and New Hampshire in the spring. You just don't know.

C'est le weekend-pour moi

I'm off tomorrow for a morning drs appointment and then later in the day need to go with Katie to Nashua to pick up her prom dress, and hit costco, trader joe's, for her, the mall. Its suppose to rain, but am still glad I can do all this tomorrow and still have my weekend...plus have a bit more time tomorrow. Lately life's been so busy and last weekend I was busy both days so am looking forward to an extra day off, rain or not, drs  or not+. Anyhow, all the trees and blooming and budding-see photo above- and some are even popping little leaves around here- spring is really early this year- which I must say I quite like. If it goes back to normal next year I won't really be so happy with the weather.

And here's some more of my poorly photographed pages from my Paris journal...I am busyily working away to finish it. I like this page, like how I reversed the way the punched paper would usually go and put the stamping underneath it...looks lacey I think.

And I like this page because I love the Picasso head on the bottom left and how I did the words coming out of their mouth...and I love the  rather uneven stamping job I did on the side- rather I love the stamps which are part of the new 7gypsies Avignon set-it is a fantastic set of postal and other Frenchie kind of stamp. The photo here in on the page does lift up and there's a smaller one behind it.

And last my model page. Not sure the page thrills me beyond thrill but the photo I quickly snapped of this couple on these church steps outside of the Stratvinsky fountain, they look like they should be fashion models and I caught them at just the right pose. The page doesn't do much for the photo, I think.

YUMMY

Something I haven't done or eaten in ages- but its that kind of bright blue sunny day- so I am munching on a tub of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream-(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/2372460970_affd93e2c4.jpg) photo from this website.

YUMMY! Then I will go take a walk, a very long one, to help burn a couple of the calories from eating this. But right now- this tastes like heaven.

Cherry blossoms from a weeping cherry in my backyard named Al, yes, we named a tree. But it was given to me by my co workers when my Dad, who was Al, passed away. So in his memory, we have Al the tree. Right now it looks fantastic- and my Dad would appreciate it as he was a big yard guy.

And since I am being self-indulgent, and since graffitti is a rather self thing, I will show you this page I did in my France journal, not that I made the grafitti, but I photographed it. And since I think the grafitti is someone's name...I included a sticker stamp of a self-portrait by Picasso also a self indulgent thing I think... and my own note...photo taken by the Pompideau Center in Paris.

Just a post note a couple of hours later- went for my walk (it was great) but noticed there were some black flies out. This is the earliest they've ever been out- hope they come and go quickly.

Long day at work

And I come home and my house seems so messy to me and I need a nap and I feel like I should go out for a walk to get some exercise and I'm hungry and what can I say? Still a bit achey too- maybe its a bug. Maybe not.

I absolutely love this page I made in my France album though the photo's not very good. I should take another photo one day because you can hardly see the faces in the picture of Katie and Dave.

I also like this page  I made yesterday though again not the best shot of it.

Think the nap is going to win out.

Achey

Every joint in my body is aching again-think it might be hive related-going to the drs this Friday so need to get it check. Man, it hurts to even move my fingers and type.

Here's a card I made awhile back- I made it as a sympathy card but it wouldn't have to be one. I like it. It could be a fall card or a man's birthday card...some snowflakes it could even be a non-traditional Christmas card.

 Been scrapping a lot recently, at least when I get to work in my studio. Got to take some photos...so I can share. Some time I will. Maybe tomorrow if I can move my hand any better. Ugh, these aches are awful. Been having them off and on a bit lately.

Another busy day

Was a successful weekend-though a busy one. Yesterday we went to UNH for the day and today dave and I went to Woburn, MA for his cousin's 50th birthday party. Was fun, but of course the day flew and now its Sunday night. Another work week looms but not too much going on this week which means I can come home after work-which I love to do- and have some home time...in the studio, reading, working outside if the day is nice...taking a nap...whatever my mood or energy level puts me. I really want to finish reading Eclipse in the Twilight set...I've had a hard time getting through these books, though right now I am enjoying it...of course I started this book last fall and its been sitting on my nightstand half read...not sure what it is that stalls me with these books, certainly not the reading level, but might be I don't find Edward all that tempting of a "man". Anyhow

Above is one of my babies, little Emma, Emmie or as I call her Pie-Pie, don't know why I call her that name, but its her.

UNH visit day

So today was admitted student day at UNH and we went and were quite impressed. Now Katie's got the hard decision of where to go- Clarkson or UNH? We've eliminated 2 of her choices because of the cost or the academic style of the school and since she got waitlisted at 2 schools and we can't count on those...she'll need to think and decide. Luckily she still has a bit of time to think and decide.Ugh- what a decision though.

Its cooled off here- more in the normal range...but the sun is back out today and its getting so green...which is fantastic. So today, I'm back to vacation shots from Barcelona...at least the top 2 from the Spanish Village and the lower photo is from Figueres.Since I'm so ready for a vacation and a trip again.

A couple of books

So today I stopped by Michael's and Barnes and Nobles after work. In Michaels I bought a pair of the new Martha Stewart fringe scissors, and I played with them, and they're fun, maybe not necessary, but they make great even fringe. And in Barnes and Nobles I bought the new Stamper's Sampler and the book on the top. It looks pretty cool, using metal clay and polymer clay together. I love the idea. The book on the bottom looked so cool...its high on my wishlist. Its also very beautifully done so it make you want to do jewelry. Eyecandy.
So tomorrow is the last day of 3rd quarter at school, my intern's last day. This year is flying. That means we're getting closer to summer vacation and its 2 weeks until April vacation...though I really want to go away I don't have the cash for that. Still, just having the week to chill and do some things I want to do...can't wait. I think this is an exciting time of year, with the days getting longer and having some warm weather and less chance of snow (if any chance of snow)...got to love it.

88...90...92...degrees F

This weather today is just like SUMMER. wow-Got to love it. This extended real spring weather we have been having is making things move along too, some trees are flowering and have huge buds, my daffoldils are budding and will be blooming very very soon...but they say tomorrow we are cooling back down to the 50's which is more normal temperatrues for our area this early in April. Its gonna feel COLD though after today.

And a day like today gives me TRAVEL FEVER- major major bigtime...vacation in 2 1/2 weeks, I really wish I had a trip planned.

In the 603

Check out this awesome video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX7nQrCgALM. They showed some of it on the nes last week but hey, when you live in the 603, you gotta love it!
Been a busy day...drove home from worked in zombie clothes and make-up as some of us science ladies danced (or tried to) to MJ's Thriller. What a trip. Will post some other wild new tomorrow-if there is any that is.

Oh yes, its Monday again

And its a good day to show you the rest of my tea/cooking book that I showed you last week.

This Monday wasn't too eventful which is a good thing, for Monday. Still a beautiful day, though they say some rain tomorrow.

That's about all here...just another day in the life of me!

Happy Easter

Easter is a Holy Day and also more to me a day that celebrates spring. After a tough winter, life is going through rebirth. I'm ready for spring rebirth, that's for sure.

Its so nice to see some color in my gardens (and they are all raked too! Amazing since its early April). I've seen some people around here with daffoldils blooming, but mine are in a cooler spot and their budding already so it probably won't be long. Yesterday was the most gorgeous day in the high 70's- actually felt hot out. Got my hottub cleaned out, my annual April chore before the blackflies arrive-now we need to refill.

And I put up my new/old cassette holder a friend gave me at work Friday. They hold ink pads fantastically- except the Distress pads which are a bit thicker but they can stay together in a bin. I'm very excited with those. I also ran through some thicker bronze clay in my kiln which came out great and then tried some copper, but I've realized my kiln runs a but hot so next time I need to turn down the heat a bit. Luckily copper isn't expensive to buy, and I know lots of folks have had issues firing it, but its just getting to see how this kiln heats. And I also made some silver clay pieces which are air drying and Dave and I went out to dinner.

Today, more things to do (like taxes-eeks) and more nice weather to enjoy.

Signs that spring is actually here

Not sure I can believe that-since here in New England we can get a big snow storm in April-though that is rare since mostly April is snow free...but here's my 4 signs- 1:warm weather (again today), 2:green grass, 3: tree frogs chirping at night (got to love it!!!) and 4:this morning I heard my phoebe (got to love that too). So yes, its spring. Even wore shorts out on my early morning walk-that's a wow for April 3 in New Hampshire. This year even Lake Winneepeesaukee (I still can't spell that even though I've lived near by this lake for 23 years now) had ice out early-earliest on record- back right around the first day of spring. And mud season was about 3 or 4 days in EARLY March. My kind of spring. (In my mind, March 1 should automatically change over to spring weather.But that never happens here.)
I am so excited about spring! Here's a cool tag I made to celebrate the season (and Easter too) just a week or 2 ago.

Today I have lots of plans- am firing some more clay, do a bit of raking, play in my studio, clean the hot tub...Katie's going out again tonight so I think dave is taking me out to dinner. That's good.

More Beautiful Weather

Its is a beautiful day-and a Friday! Got to love that. I will admit been a bit bummed because Katie's frustrated with her college choices...she wanted to go to UVM but we didn't get the money we hoped to get. Poor kid- I feel bad since she's worked soooo hard through high school. Of course some of it is her own fault...I wanted to take her to so many other schools last summer but she didn't want to go...so she might have found some other school (maybe cheaper ones)...but that's not really a big issue...what's the issue is that she's not totally happy with her choices and she got waitlisted at her top choice.  Poor kid. Its hard to say things happen for the best when she has her heart set on some things....breaks my mom heart soooo much!

Anyhow, going to go sit outside and get some sun (geek me-make my vitamin D) and then go fill this old wooden cassette holder I've been eyeing in one of my co-workers room-I don't want to put cassettes in it but it will hold my ink pads great- and my co-worker surprised me by leaving it on my desk today since she didn't need it.(I told her I'd take it if she ever wanted to throw it out). Got to love Fridays!

C'est le weekend.

Gorgeous!

What a fantastic day- the sun is shining, the sky is blue (wow-after all that rain) and now its almost 70 degrees-with another great day on tap for tomorrow. Off to go read a bit on the deck in the sun-still can't get into Eclipse- though I am working on it, but also started my latest French/travel book:

Lately I haven't been into fiction-just can't get focused-must be all of this college things which my life seems to be totally immersed with lately. Even now, my brain keeps going to that since we got our last financial aid package today and its not what Kate will want to hear...poor kid, she works so hard at school and has done so well and because we do ok financially (but we're certainly not rich- I am a teacher and that's not a big money making profession) she gets hardly anything for these sooooo expensive colleges. Just waiting for the big moment when it comes down to decision time and I expect some argueing and some tears...school in New England are just sooooo expensive.

Anyhow, card I made last week up at the top, a bit distressed, but I really am happy the way it came out.