Scrappy Hearts

Thought for Today

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This quote seems to be especially appropriate as we approach this long weekend. Heading to the beach to be with family. There will be lots to share, I am sure, when I return on Monday.

I leave you with Jimmy Buffet, a song my nieces love to hear again and again during the summer. You should hear the girls sing along!

A Good Night

Once a month I have the extreme pleasure of scrapbooking with a great group of women. Tonight, although not our usual night, was no exception. I am a consultant for Close to My Heart, a stamp and scrapbooking company. Each year I offer a workshop that meets monthly. This workshop results in an album for the year, one two page layout for each month of the year, completed over 12 months.

This project has really caught on over the past couple of years. I mean really, if those who participate do nothing else, they will at least have documentation for a year in their lives. The monthly gatherings are great fun and we actually accomplish something. Well, some of us do!

Tonight was no exception. The page was simple, using Splendor, one of the latest paper packets from Close to My Heart. We did a little stamping, inked a little paper and before you know it, most of the pages were complete. I cannot show you what we did, because the sample, my two pages, aren't complete. I was the sloucher this month. Such is life.

In addition to scrapbooking, these monthly get togethers allow us to catch up on each others' lives. People who did not know each other before January are now friends. Tonight we also shared angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream and passion iced tea. A great coming of summer evening.

Interested in workshops or Close to My Heart, you can email me by clicking the About link on my blog.

Today....

i was -  busy, in a good way.

i am - feeling good about accomplishing some organizational things.

i think - this is going to be a great week!

i wonder - why time flies when you're having fun.

i wish - for more great evenings like this one, when I feel like I have accomplished something.

i save - too many pieces of paper.

i always - feel like I am behind in something.

i can't - remember where I put my glasses.

i believe - everything happens for a reason.

i promise - to be more gentle with myself and others.

i love - my blessed life with all of its imperfections.

i scrap - to validate the life I live, to share our stories.

How about you? What if you were to respond to these prompts today, what would you write? What if you were to create a scrapbook page with these prompts, what would it look like? I think I am going to do just that, when life calms down just a bit!

We Walked

Saturday was the annual walk for Autism Speaks. It has been our tradition, that is my sister, nieces and I, to participate in this walk for the past several years. Each year it has been heartwarming to see the numbers of participants increase and yesterday was no exception.

My niece, Amanda, is autistic. She decided this year to form her own walk team and boy did she! Her little team grew by leaps and bounds as the walk date came closer. Amanda sold puzzle pieces at her parent's store and collected money at other local businesses that were very supportive. She approached her middle school principal and he was also very willing to lend his support. A bake sale was held at the school and all of the proceeds were donated to Amanda's Pandas, her walk team. Olivia, her younger sister, even took part and rallied the troops at her elementary school aided by the school nurse. 

Yesterday, Amanda was surrounded by friends and family. Several of her former elementary school teachers walked by her side, accompanied by their friends and children. While Amanda's Panda's raised a significant amount of money for Autism Speaks, at the end of the day, the most rewarding part, was watching Amanda enjoy the company of those that chose to join her.

Autism affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys, a 57% increase between 2002 and 2006. Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization and they are tireless in their efforts. I know that they have provided support to many and they are an organization with which I am proud to be associated. 

All in all, Saturday was a really good day. It was heartwarming to see the support offered to Amanda by her friends, former teachers and their families. It was a good thing. I leave you with this video, it has been around for a while but the message is still relevant.

The Thought I Needed

“Have patience with everything unresolved.”

This is the thought I needed for today - hoping that I can embrace it as today turns into tomorrow. For tonight, perhaps this is the answer!? 

Fiddler

Fiddler on the Roof is one of my favorite plays. I had the great fortune this week of accompanying my friend to the opening night performance, preview week, at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. What a treat! The score is beautiful and the performances by the actors was wonderful. There is absolutely nothing like a live performance of a great show.

An additional treat was running into one of my dearest friends as we made our way to our seats. A great evening spent enjoying a beautiful score. This is one of my favorite songs from the show.

Paying Close Attention

I am a walker. I have always loved to walk. And I especially love to walk at this time of the year; the world is just brimming with the arrival of spring. Walking gives me the opportunity to get a little closer to nature. It gives me the opportunity to pay close attention to all that the world serves up.

So, the other day I took a walk. I was actually going to get my haircut, it was a beautiful day and the timing was perfect. The fact that I can walk to get my haircut is just one of the many blessings of where I live. But I digress. I was walking past a section of no man's land when I spied the most delightful sights. There in the shade, beneath the trees were the cutest little strawberries. Yes, strawberries.

Isn't it precious. In all the years I have lived here and walked past this little patch of land, I have never noticed the strawberries. But, it wasn't just strawberries, this little area was brimming with other precious little flowers also.

 
They look like a small bridal bouquet. The precious white against the shiny green leaves was striking and warranted a second look. They reminded me a miniature daisies, my favorite flower. As I perused the area I also spied the prettiest little purple flowers with tiny yellow centers.

The tiniest flowers and strawberries I have ever seen. What a treat! And to think, if I was in the car, I would have missed it all.
 

Queen of All I Survey

Here, in my little abode and around my private little domain, I am queen. And, I must admit, it is good to be queen. Today I enjoyed a bit of time in my kitchen and I loved the view of my yard from the window. The rose bushes overflowing with blossoms, the finches enjoying a snack in the feeder and my nieces, frolicking about - hunting for worms and other such creatures. I signed deeply and felt really happy about this little oasis I have created here in suburbia. All is good.

This is the scene that greets me as I arrive home from work each day. And, below is the scene that I am treated to, just beyond my kitchen window.

This week I will spend some time shopping for plants to fill in the balance of the beds. Hoping to pick up peonies and a few more of the shrub roses. Perhaps a tree for the far corner of the yard to provide a wee bit of shade. This week I will make the time to enjoy my little kingdom. This week I will relish the one opportunity I have to be queen!

For the Love of Pink

Roses that is. Pink roses. I love them. When I decided to change my yard into more of a "garden" and less of a lawn, I decided that the area directly in across from my front door, would feature plants that flowered in only pinks and whites. The shrub roses I chose, Pink Knock Out by Star Roses, bloom from April until the first frost. This year the two bushes I have of this variety have grown and filled the little spot where they were planted. I am afraid they may crowd out the pretty little Pixie Dianthus that I have planted at their feet. The bushes are overcome with blooms and they change daily. A real treat as I leave and return to home each day.

I took these photos on Mother's Day and the breeze made it nearly impossible to control the shot, but I think you get the picture.

I also planted a climbing rose, Brite Eyes. I love the subtle orange and yellow shading that appears at the base of the blooms. This bush is now almost 6 feet tall. I love the way this rose unfolds its petals, symmetrically as it blossoms. Just one at a time.

 

As I struggle to balance the work that needs to happen this time of year, both inside and outside, the roses have brought me great joy. What an early garden blessing they have been. My tea roses will not bloom for another few weeks, but their arrival will certainly add an entirely new dimension of pink to my garden as well as a beautiful fragrance. I wait in quiet anticipation.

It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.
- William Carlos Williams

Mother's Day, 2010

What a beautiful Mother's Day in my neck of the woods. Jessie called with wishes for the day while she was on break at work. It is a shame that working retail keeps her busy on most of the days that I have off. I did however, get to spend a little time with her during the earlier part of the week and that was a really treat. The balance of my day was to be spent with Jason. I am blessed with a son that loves to cook. Actually I am doubly blessed because he not only loves to cook, he loves to cook for his mom. Gotta love that. 

Our Mother's Day tradition is dinner cooked by Jason, followed by a graduation recital at the Curtis Institute. This year Jason's friend Brooke joined us for dinner and it was good fun. We cracked open the bottle of wine that Aunt Jenny had given Jay, it was delicious! We feasted on filet wrapped in bacon, fresh broccoli and asparagus sauteed with a little poblano pepper and finished with gnocchi.

Jason is stirring the beer reduction sauce that he poured over the filet. It was delicious. I am not sure I remember what ale he started with, but the end result was to die for.

After a leisurely dinner we walked over to the Curtis Institute where Danny, one of Jason's friends and roommates was saving seats for us in the recital hall. The recital featured the beautiful pipe organ as well as the choir, I believe, from St. Mark's Church just down the street from the institute. It was tremendous. I think what makes the graduate recitals so terrific is the excitement on the part of the performers. They have planned for their graduation recitals for nearly the four years of their attendance at Curtis. They are thrilled and that excitement tends to lead to a very energetic performance.

I found myself driving back over the bridge, close to 10:30. Tough on a school night, but well worth it. When all was said and done, I was again, one happy mama!

As for the recitals at the Curtis, we will try to attend at least one more before the season comes to an end, savoring one of the many reasons I love where I live.