And So Christmas Begins …

December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 / still a dreamer / 4 Comments

It starts with something quite simple, same as every year … with the arrival of the Dollar Store Christmas plates and the German Christmas mugs. This year, you will see something different, in addition. Mmmmmm … a sfogliatelle!

It took great restraint to wait until I could take this photograph and not consume the pastry right away, but I made it. Only after I had, indeed, eaten most of it and looked at the photos I took, did I realize that it appears that the sfogliatelle has landed on and crushed the gingerbread man! Ooops. Sorry, Gingie!

So we see I am occasionally a sorry excuse for a vegan, even if I am trying. But who could resist that flaky pastry and ricotta cheese? And really, what kind of person would I be if, having purchased some office supplies at Staples, I failed to help support the Italian bakery just 5 doors down? So rather than suffer the guilt of ignoring this veritable mecca of delights, I bought a sfogliatelle.

Rather a nice way to start off the holidays, don’t you think? Salute!

Gratitude

November 25, 2014November 25, 2014 / still a dreamer / 4 Comments

Is there one small spot in your home that makes you happy? Perhaps more than one? This is one of the spots in my home.

It’s a collection of items that all make me feel happy, calm, and grateful. An oak washstand I bought in Brooklyn on Atlantic Avenue back when I lived in Park Slope; a rather poorly matted, (by me), and framed photo of my Mom and Dad when they were married; a rusted crow sitting atop a real piece of branch; a couple candles and some fall leaves in a heavy opalescent dark brown pitcher …

I change these items around regularly, but for now, this is what speaks to me of Fall. Warm, simple, woodsy. Home. I am grateful to have these small reminders of where I’ve been in life and with whom, what holds memories for me, and how blessed I’ve been in so many ways.

Happy Thanksgiving.

“The greatest wisdom is in simplicity. Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It’s not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It’s encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way.”

― Carlos Barrios, Mayan elder and Aiq’ij of the Eagle Clan

French Bulldog Christmas Cards

November 19, 2014September 10, 2019 / still a dreamer / 8 Comments

You’ve been searching – now you’ve found them! Visit my Etsy sho p for my Stranger in the Snow French Bulldog holiday cards and other designs, all with my original artwork, reasonably priced, and ready to go!

Who doesn’t love sending Frenchies or receiving them, especially when they’re so adorable?

Breeze through checkout with PayPal, credit cards, Etsy gift cards and more. Easy, fast, and everyone will want to know where you found these cuties.

That spot is right here ! Looking for a gift? Check out my Frenchies Après Monet or Frenchies Après Rousseau blank notecards or a French Bulldog journal! You will be very much appreciated.

The Scarecrow Contest

November 4, 2014November 6, 2014 / still a dreamer / 6 Comments

Take a walk with me … on the pebbled brick paths through Peddler’s Village … and see what we found along the way to the carousel.

Each year the merchants hold a scarecrow contest, and in front of each shop or restaurant is a scarecrow – or two or three – which is their entry. Although I know there are different entry levels, as I noticed some were the handiwork of children, I don’t know much else. I was just appreciating the creativity of those who put these amazing, sometimes funny and sometimes scary, scarecrows together.

So come and dawdle along, and here are a few of the ones that caught my fancy.

Both the above sat on hay bales outside the shop’s window.

This maître d’ stood outside one of the well-known restaurants.

The scarecrows may have been the main attraction, but every shop was completely decked out for Fall.

And what a fetching bride she was!

Halloween – Short and Sweet

October 31, 2014October 31, 2014 / still a dreamer

Before 150+ little trick or treaters come scurrying through our neighborhood and knocking at our doors, here’s something I had to share.

Our local, (county), newspaper is to be commended for their coverage of all the goings-on in our towns, much of which is positive. Yeah, there’s a bit of the usual murder and mayhem, but they can’t hold a candle in that department to every other newspaper around. In the positive vein, they always feature a Kids’ Page in which they ask local schoolchildren a question and feature their answers.

This week, the question was the kids’ most creative costume for Halloween, and if this one doesn’t take all — written by Julia, a 3rd grader, (that’s 8 years old):

“WOW. You look great. My favorite Halloween costume was a fairy. It was blue and had sparkly fairy wings. I wore it when I was little and I wore it for a lot of great Halloweens. I got a boatload of candy. That was a great time of my life.”

What more could I possibly say after that?

except … Happy Halloween!