a dreary monday …

A dreary Monday calls for a few more flowers.  Orchids, this time.  I hope this bit of beauty brightens up your Monday.

Best,

Stephanie

   

some more …

… pretty flowers to brighten up a chilly, gray New York day…  Enjoy!  And if you get the chance, visit the greenhouses at Planting Fields Arboretum at Coe Hall.

Best,
Stephanie

steamy …

It was cold, cold, cold here yesterday.  So I grabbed the family and the camera and headed off to a nearby mansion that is open to the public.  They have two greenhouses, and those of you who were around last year may remember my posts on the camellias then.  Is there a better way to spend a freezing cold day than in a warm greenhouse surrounded by gorgeous flowers? 

Hope you all have a great week.

Best,

Stephanie

friday, and a quote …

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” -  Henri Matisse

Hello, my friends!  This morning finds me in a very happy mood.  My camera came back from repairs.  It was having a lot of focus and metering problems – I was having to take many shots to get a decent one.  This morning’s photo makes me hopeful that those issues are all behind me.   So today’s view is all flowers.   Lucky me got some Valentine’s roses, and they’re making my desk a happier place to be.  That’s just about all it takes to make me happy – some pretty flowers and my camera in hand. 

I’m off to do some work, and then I’m taking off early for some lunch and shopping with a friend.  Hey, it’s a holiday weekend, right?  Plus, we’re supposed to hit 58 degrees today, before we plummet down to the 30’s again tomorrow, so I really want to get out there.

Hope your day is sunny and filled with flowers too.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Stephanie

cupcakes, corn and random musings …

I baked some cupcakes on Friday for our church’s Valentine’s Day Dance.  Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting.  The dance was for teens, and I think everyone had a great time.  And I’ve since gone on a bit of a baking bender – lots of cakes, truffles, and other goodies.  I spent a whole day in the kitchen and turned out lots of treats.  So I have happy kiddos and neighbors here this week.  I wish you were all close enough to share.  I think I need a second refrigerator!

I also made a tasty and fast little side dish that I wanted to share with you all.  Not the healthiest – I wouldn’t call it diet food – but not too bad and oh so yummy.  Take a tablespoon of canola oil and heat it until hot, but not smoking.  Add in a bag of frozen corn (since we have no fresh this time of year) and cook until tender (about 5 – 7 minutes, but it will depend on your pan, the size of the corn, etc).  Be careful of splashing from the oil.  Lower heat to medium.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and add in 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter.  Stir until the butter melts and serve immediately.  Simple but so good.  Hope you guys like it!

Other than that, life has been moving along here – a birthday celebration for my grandmother, Valentine’s day with my sweeties, and some downtime looking at all your terrific blogs!

Have a wonderful week!

Best,

Stephanie

friday’s quote

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." ~Marcus Aurelius

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Best,

Stephanie

I’ve been tagged …

... by Megan at One Funky Woman.  I hate to let her down, so I went ahead and answered the questions.  You may have seen these on other people’s sites.  I always think that it’s fun to get to know each other better.  Phew, though – it’s a long one!

1. If you have pets, do you see them merely as animals or are they members of the family?

Sugar Magnolia is definitely part of the family.  She is a sweetie too.  She turns 5 in two weeks.  Isn’t she a cutie?

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?

I would say that it would be to live in my dream house.  Oh, and I wouldn’t mind a house in the Greek Islands either!!

3. What is one thing most hated by you?

Hate.  It’s ugly and a waste of energy.  I once read that hate is like taking a poison to make someone else sick but it only poisons you.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

I would buy or build my dream house, help my brother and sisters out, travel a lot more, buy new furniture for the den (ambitious, right?), get a new camera, and give money to our church  and several worthy charities.  I would definitely set up a foundation to research finding a cure for illness and disease.

It’s funny, I always say that if I won the lottery, (which is really funny, because I never buy a ticket!) I would lock up a whole bunch of the money and invest it so I would get an annuity paid every year.  I would definitely do that. 

And I would also rent a huge villa in France or the Greek Islands and set up a little vacation for all of you who visit me here, all expenses paid!  You’d all be invited! 

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

I don’t usually do bad moods.  But when it happens, nothing works quite like a smile, hug or kiss from my kiddos.  Pure Magic. 

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

This is a hard one.  At first I thought being loved, but now I wonder if it isn’t loving someone.  Having that capacity for love in your heart is a beautiful thing.   Sharing it is even better.

7. What is your bedtime routine?

Pretty simple.  I wash up, put my hair into a pony tail (it is so long it gets knotty if I don’t)  and head to bed with a good book.  Some nights I’ll watch a little TV, but I always read during the commercials.  I’m addicted to reading. 

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?

We each worked at different stores in the same chain when we were in college – Record World.  (It’s a story for another post, but that was the best job for an 17 year old ever.  Not kidding!)   Mutual friends introduced us when I was 17 – we all went to a fair my church has every year.  He asked me out and I said no.  He tried again a year later, and the rest, as they say, is history.  He says he loves that fair though because that’s where he met me.  (Awww!)

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

Leonardo Da Vinci.  Seriously, the man could do it all.  Pure genius.  But I also thought about Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams, Michelangelo, and Monet.

10. What kind of books do you read?

I read a lot of mysteries, and the occasional chick lit.  I love good fiction.  I must be a southern girl at heart because I love some of the great fiction that comes out of the south. 

11. What's your fear?

I think a mother’s usual fears are mine. 

12. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

No way.  I really don’t WANT to visit space. 

13. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?

The Big Guy is stuck with me so I have to say married and poor.  Thought I would really rather be married and rich, thank you.

14. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?

Stretch, and take the kindle out of the nightstand.

15. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?

That he’d pick up after himself more.  That’s really it.

16. If you could pick a new name for yourself what would it be?

I don’t know about this.  I am such a Stephanie, you know? 

17. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

No.  I think forgiveness is fine, and forgetting is good, only if you trust that the person won’t do it again.  I do my best to forgive and not hold a grudge, but I don’t usually forget – just from the standpoint of protecting myself.

18. If you could only eat one thing in the next six months what would it be?

Tomatoes.  I can’t live without them.

OK, now to get on to tagging others.  I am picking Deb at Paper Turtle, Julie at Being Ruby, Melanie at Southern Comfort in a Northern Life, and Jeanne at Collage of Life.   I hope you girls have fun with it, and I hope you all go visit this amazing group of ladies. 

Best,

Stephanie

friday’s quote

“Life is full of ups and downs. The trick is to enjoy the ups and have courage during the downs.” – Unknown

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Stephanie

truckin’

 

I’ve been trucking along this year.  I’m glad to put January and it’s weather behind us.  I’m trying to take stock and keep on top of my resolutions.   You may remember that I thought if I kept going back to what I wrote, I might stick it out longer. 

On the plus side, I am going to sleep a little earlier most days, and I am still organizing away (I do a little at a time rather than a whole bunch at once), and still working on the French.   On the downside, weather has put a big damper on my exercise plans.  The 365 photo project was a dud.  But then, I take so many more photos than that every year, I am not too disappointed. 

I am definitely making an effort to be present and enjoy the moment more. We’ve made more family time, even though we were pretty good at it before.  It’s just that I’m super conscious lately of how fast these days are going.  And finally, I am still buying myself some pretty flowers now and then, including these beauties for my desk today.  I think I’m doing OK so far. 

Best,

Stephanie