Pages

Monday, March 26, 2012

SEA THERAPY


“The waves of the sea
Help me get back to me.”
--Jill Davis
For the past several weeks, I have been dealing with an upper respiratory infection...that just won't go away.
So I headed to the sea for some therapy...
Not just for the body...but for the soul....
My mornings and late afternoons were filled with wonderful images of children, wizened senior citizens, and lots of nature...
In a short period of time, God provided me with so much entertainment:
a variety of shore birds to inspire future paintings...
Manatees swimming along the shore...
Dolphins riding the waves...
Children enjoying the surf...
Teens learning to ride skim boards...
Sailboats...
and LOTS of calico scallop shells for my next project!
Brothers at play...

End of the day...

Pirate ship filled with "snow birds" and "Spring-Breakers"

The ladies in white...speaking a language I did not recognize...

The dance...These two lovlies danced in the waves for quite some time...

Nature's sculpture...a seaweed alligator!

Inspiration!

 I left the beach with a renewed spirit...lots of inspiration for new paintings...but still no voice and limited hearing.
So...I am leaving in a few minutes for another week of no talking, no noise, and wonderful sea air.
Wish you could be with me...
by the sea.

With love from the sea,
Jane





Thursday, March 8, 2012

A SHARED CUP OF COFFEE...or TEA

This morning, I read an interesting question...


    "If you could share a cup of coffee with any woman in the world, who would it be?"


The answers were quite interesting... Most said they would love to share a cup of coffee with their mother or a special friend.

As I pondered this question, I had a similar answer...
I would love to share coffee with a friend. 

Sharing coffee time or tea time with friends has been a huge part of my life. These special friends have lived through each and every stage of life with me...

 This was especially true when I lived in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. At least one day a week, I met with a friend...at her house or mine...and shared a warm cup of friendship. This was a time of sharing...of dreaming...of encouragement...a break from the rigors of a job and motherhood.
 And it was a time of hospitality!

My friend, Josephine, taught me a lot about sharing tea...and time...with a friend. She was married to a Brit and learned the importance of taking time out of her day to spend with a friend and a cuppa. In the spring, we often set a table under the blooming lilacs, using lovely linens and china. She always made me feel special. It didn't matter if the cookies were store bought...or if we nibbled on PBandJ sandwiches (cut into triangles and without crusts, of course). It was all about friendship.

My neighbor, Betty, and I would just pop into each others' kitchens whenever we needed a moment...coffee was always ready. And in the summertime, there was always a pitcher of iced tea. She is the friend who got me through the early stages of motherhood...and she was my "family" in that far off land of UP NORTH. We laughed...we cried...we SHARED life! 

Ann's kids and my boys were the same age, so we shared many a cup of coffee while watching the kids play...or while they were in preschool. We talked about our dreams...for our kids, our husbands, and ourselves. She also helped me live through my last pregnancy with lots of joy and laughter.

Muffy and Louisa were there to encourage me when I began home-schooling my boys. They were always ready with tea and tissues. These women taught me so much...They encouraged me in my Christian walk...in motherhood...in being a wife...through devastating circumstances...They were always there, no matter what time it was. They were...and still are the sisters of my heart.

For the past few years, I sadly have not continued spending time over coffee with my friends. Maybe it's my new stage of life...grown kids, work, or just being comfortable with myself... I definitely MISS it! I guess time just slips away, along with my good intentions.
Well....that's going to STOP.RIGHT.NOW! I'm going to stop and smell the coffee...and invite my girlfriends to join me.

We women NEED to have these coffee times...these woman-to-woman connections. It's part of our DNA (not literally, but it sounds good).
Pick up that phone and invite a special friend over for coffee or tea next week. Start a new tradition!
Ask yourself...

  "If you could share a cup of coffee with any woman in the world, who would it be?"


Recipes for my favorite...Cafe con Leche

1/3 cup fresh ground coffee, such as a French Roast ( or Cuban coffee, if you can get it)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup whole or 2% milk

1.  Place coffee in bottom of a prewarmed French press. Add boiling water, replace lid (without lowering the filter) and allow to brew for 5 minutes.
2.  While coffee is brewing, place milk in a small saucepan. Bring just to the boiling point, then reduce to barely simmering. Simmer gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the coffee is done.
3.  After the 5 minutes are up, depress the plunger on the press to strain the grounds. Divide coffee into 2-4 cups (depending on the size of your cup) Add hot milk to each cup...a ratio of 1/2 mug/cup coffee, 1/2 mug/coffee milk
4. If desired, sweeten to taste (I prefer my without sugar)

*You can also make this with Fresh Brewed Coffee from your coffee maker...again, a dark roast is preferable. And you can heat your milk in the microwave, then pour your coffee over the milk.
I do this in a "venti" Starbucks mug...half milk, half coffee.

For a REALLY QUICK CAFE'...
     Heat 2 cups milk...on stove or in the microwave. Do not bring to a boil. Add 2 tsp. instant coffee (or more, if desired), preferably a dark roasted instant coffee, and stir. Sweeten to taste.

***I like to froth my milk a little, using a hand-held frother. 

AND...for a REALLY, REALLY QUICK CAFE'....order a "Misto" at Starbucks. It's pretty close!


Jane

Visit Foodie Friday for some wonderful "goodies" to go along with your Cafe'



Wednesday, March 7, 2012

I WANT MY...

My friend...and "twin",  Janey at Constant Chatter of the Crazy Crusin' Chick...made this for me.

So cute!!!
(Boy can she scream!)

Thanks, Janey!


Thursday, March 1, 2012

OUR LITTLE "LEAPLING"...

I'm a day late with this post...but as you can tell, I was a bit busy...

Did you know....
       That children born on Leap Day are called "Leaplings" or "Leapers"?
This is our little "Leapling"...Evelyn Rose (with her mommy)
 And her daddy...she already has her little fingers wrapped around his heart!
...her Gramps (he had been grinning from ear to ear, until I tried to photograph him)
And here she is with Grammy (me).

Eva joins a list of interesting "Leaplings" or "Leapers" ...

Gioachino Rossini (1792)...Italian composer famous for the opera William Tell   

Dinah Shore (1916)...Emmy Award-winning Big Band era singer, movie and TV star   

Cam Ward (1984)...NHL hockey goalie who won the Stanley Cup his rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006   

Ja Rule (1976)...Four-time Grammy Award-nominated rapper   

Tony Robbins (1960)...Motivational speaker and self-help guru   

Dennis Farina (1944)...Character actor known for roles in Midnight RunGet ShortyLaw and Order and, most recently, HBO’s Luck  

Joss Ackland (1928)...English actor who played Gordon Bombay’s mentor, Hans, in The Mighty Ducks

Jack Lousma (1936)...American Space Shuttle astronaut and Sky Lab commander  

Herman Hollerith (1860)...invented an early computer for the 1890 census 


And then there's Frederic (my favorite)...the hero in Pirates of Penzance (an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, set in Victorian England.) He's a pirate apprentice who discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday rather than until his 21st year. (The link below is from the movie...the "paradox" of being a Leap Year baby. Enjoy!)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXhJKzI1u48
     
The movie, The Pirates of Penzance, is a family favorite. And Eva's Uncle MG is already planning for many ultimate birthday parties, based on this movie. (It stars Kevin Kline as the Pirate King, Angela Lansbury as Ruth, the nursemaid, and Rex Smith, as Frederic.)

I wonder if our little Eva will grow up to be a...

     composer/singer/movie star/hockey player/rapper/
tv star/scientist/inventor/astronaut...

Anne Bonny....a red-haired pirate "queen"

or maybe a PIRATE?

Whatever she decides...I know she will have a lot of loving people cheering her on!