Sunset Vegetables

I'm a big vegetable fan, and some of the best veggie

dishes and photography can be found in old Sunset publications.

Salads with sharp flavors and creamy dressings.

Stir fry recipes with plenty of texture and crunchy tid-bits.

Even the peas are irresistible.

To me, every page is a vivid vignette to savor.

Word Menu

One of my best book finds in recent months has been the

Random House Word Menu, lists of words organized by topic.

Page after page of terms from all kinds of fields from

geology to theater to cognition and real estate.

My favorite list so far? Clothing materials.
The words invoke beautiful imagery.

Books Beat the Blahs

Last night I started feeling worn down and by this morning it was

a challenge getting out of bed, possibly residual from being sick for

months or the lull my brain gets sometimes.

It was time to hustle!

First, coffee and salt/water to get my blood pressure back up,

then a lot of moving around at work to try to energize.

Later, we loaded up on groceries and feasted on baked potatoes

followed by another trip to get...

More 49 cent Goodwill books! (yep, only three days since our last trip).

We hit three stores in rapid succession with the best pick-me-up...

Just try to not feel great with a bunny picture book and bag of Cheetos.

To Do List

 

All of the things on my "To-Do" list are something to look forward to:

rereading my old journals for ideas (I'm on #14!), drawing & painting,

reading and searching for beautiful words to write with.  I just keep

wondering why this wasn't as much fun when I was a student :).

Plenty of Resources

I'm a big believer in bringing together every possible resource

at the start of a project to build a rich collection of ideas.

So today I started marshaling together the goodies:

books, photos, old journals, and knick-knacks.

Fuel for the Fire

 We're making full use of this long weekend, today we fueled up

with a short trip to snag a dozen doughnuts and...

 Books!  That's about 16 bucks worth from Goodwill.

The super-score was the Roget/Bartlett combo thesaurus

and quotation book along with a complementary

(and color-coordinated) Heritage collegiate dictionary.

We scurried back home with our loot to continue the best kind of

holiday weekend: comfortably nestled at home.

Project X

 Today I woke up reeling with ideas on how to tackle "Project X"

a watercolor journal-style Christmas catalog book.

 Lyrical writing with whimsical watercolors and consistent design

that samples techniques and ideas from my other projects.

I started with selecting my watercolor art sizes, one-inch scale

will be a perfect fit for a dollhouse-size gallery.

 Mark whipped up a yummy breakfast to fuel a day of

reading, thinking, writing, and general plotting and scheming.

Click!

 

 This week I finished most of my medications and was hoping to feel

energized, but still feel a bit blah.  So first thing this morning I decided

to journal until I felt better and after about a half hour, CLICK!

 Its hard to explain, but sometimes things become crystal clear in my mind,

pieces come together and I can see the finished product I'm working towards

as well as the steps I need to take to get there, and luckily this is

one of those glorious days.

Everything simplifies, including my murder board...

...and disordered odds and ends fall into an organized state.

 Its taking all day to catch up writing everything down.

Price Above Rubies

 Sometimes it takes wonderful gifts from lovely people...

...to remind us that we are all more valuable than rubies.

Sunny Hair

 Today is my last day of steroids, but instead of feeling awesome,

I'm still a bit blah. Mark came to the rescue with a yummy dinner

of cheesy eggs and buttered toast along with a box of...

Blonde haircolor that always perks me up.

Ahhh, better!

Catching up with Harry Potter

 I'm finally catching up with the rest of the world and

reading the Harry Potter series.

 

After months of reading about the "rules" of good writing,

it is exciting to see how J.K. Rowling follows some of these

rules, breaks others, and writes a few of her own.

Especially enjoyable is seeing Rowling's playful word choices

that may otherwise go unnoticed in the array of new names

and phrases coined for the books.

Ruby Earrings

 Wonderful things come in small boxes, and there is a royal treat

waiting in these wrappings.

 Lab-created ruby and sterling silver leaf solitaire earrings

from Megan Steer of Lura Jewelry.

These beauties feature my favorite rose cut rubies in an updated

and detailed dangling design.

I will be able to wear these with everything from calico prints

to swanky gowns (next Vegas trip!).

The leaf and berry details add just the right touch to balance

the juicy punch of color.

The workmanship is exceptional, these are sturdy but still

lightweight enough to wear effortlessly.

 The open backs allow light to play in all direction, so the wide

range of colors from fuchsia to magenta to red and cranberry

sparkle through.  You can see the different colors above.

 I can take my roses with me everywhere.

 I think these earrings have added a glow back to my cheeks.

 Each one moves just right to catch the light.

  Stunning and show-stopping!

And at night they will be safely secured in their box :).

Vivid Interiors

I've been collecting snippets and cards of historic interior watercolors.

These are featured in: Nineteenth Century Interiors, by C. Gere.

The patterns and textures are vibrant and some feel quite contemporary.

There is an exhuberent life to this haughty room that somehow

feels warmer than our modern-day one-style-fits-all interiors.

Corners to explore, furniture to feel, flowers to smell; a sensory feast.

Gerbie Treats

 

 Gerbie the Gerbil is tucked away in my office, safely removed

from the paws and claws of our Bengal cats.

 She is a dynamo of activity, constantly shedding, digging,

and generally running about.

What did you bring me?


  A bounty of fresh food, but this isn't what she really wants...

Its all about the seeds, nuts, and occasional chunk of Clif bar.

Zooommmmm!