KpacoTa CnaceT Mup-Beauty Will Save the World

(Quote from Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT, 1869)


Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Some Birthday Pics. from the 14th

The wall of aged paper products. Love the faded crepe paper.
How cool is this? The juxtaposition of the birthday celebration to Crawford's:) Love the bleeding hearts. Adorable wrapping paper. Gifts from Sevan. She makes it all so special. Always.
A dish full of kit kats and other chocolates. Ken will love these. The cat almost looks real.haha
I kid you not. The ladies who work here are the sweetest.
Yup. Spaghetti and live bait. How complete is that? When you live in the country, a place like Crawford's has character and inexpensive food,...the charm of the country. I love it!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

5 and 3 makes me...and Happy 3rd B-day Misha!

Misha loves koshki (kitties) like I do.
A tiny earring missing its mate painted years ago by Tania, which I mounted on a vintage button.
What a plesant birthday day:) Photos hopefully to follow.


First, cake in bed with gifts. 2 soldering irons, stands, and bits, oh lucky me:). Then a turn around carousel with little containers to hold little things- just waiting for my studio to be complete.

Then lunch with Sevan at Crawfords-"Confectionary,Guns, and Ammo" ...hahaha...no kidding.She had a vase of pink bleeding hearts, and a large dish with kitty, candles, and pastel wrapped kit-kats...and a few cool, collaged cards, full of kitties, and vintage finds from her thrifting, which included a most unusual find of vintage sheer curtain fabric on a Roll with the original tissue paper!!!

Found some beautiful faded crepe paper for a steal- must have been in that same location for about 20-30 years, just waiting for little ole' me to come along and snatch them up. Fabulous faded apple green, faded red, beige, dark green, and pale blue. Then in their cabinets I found a vintage/new clasp coin wallet, and a vintage /new mitten, furry powder puff to embelish. What a Hoot!

Then I went into a local Borders to check out the new French General book, which has beautiful layout and photos, but not inspirational enough for me to buy. Hit a couple of tiny goodies in Michaels. Picked up some Carabbas (sp?) caesar salad for dinner and came home. Lara was with hubby all day, along with visits from the nurse's aid and the PT.

Then Lara made a perfect angus steak on the grill, and Alex made yummy roast potatoes. Both perfect with the salad. How nice was that? Sevan brought the yummy steak, thinking that I wouldn't think of it, which was correct, so it was perfect.

And Serge won his tennis match. So far he is 6 and 2 I believe. He hates me talking about his wins as #1 singles. Beats out a lot of seniors, etc., and him being a freshman- neat.

And the day started out with 3, count them, 3 wrong numbers! One of them at 4:30 in the morning!!! Ken made me a card with Larissa's help, and did a great job in physical therapy, sitting up and all.

And my new Somerset Studio came, so I can have something to peruse when going to bed. Cool! And gorgeous weather all day long. It's great when you don't expect much, and you get surprized with very nice.:)

Hope you had a great day! Later Alligator!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Spring has Sprung!

Some things that one might find inside my garage.
Beautiful, simple flowers ....brought inside to adorn our kitchen.

I love flowers! Show me more!
What!!! You what???!!!
I don't believe it. I'm hiding out.
You what? Kept him in a bassinet? And he had my name?
I am not believing what I am hearing!
I can't believe you would do that!
All right, put 'em up. Put up your dukes!Eh, I'm a headless grape stem, running from the kitty putter in the bassinet kid!.....

.....What was in my garage? This old key chain purse from my step-grandmother.So I took these keys out of it to make into jewelry.

This is what the case looks like now. It was falling apart, don't worry. I cut the top off and will do something to the bottom as well.EHHH!!!!! She dressed up her kitty in doll clothing!!!!!Help! Help!!!

Spring has sprung so you must Plant Your Seeds.
Some yummy smelling sachets. I went to Roostervane for my herbs, dried them, and filled up these vintage pics that I transferred onto old linen. Is it just me, or does her little hand look odd on her Mama's chest? haha
A little book with great paper. Gentleman kitty entices you in to draw upon the pages, or to place your poetic words upon the tiny pages.One of the outside covers of these tiny books. A good reminder.

The back of one, the cover on another.
Kitties and more kitties, and some Russian book pages to top it all off, like a flower pot with flowers...
So our days at home with Ken can get rather hectic. He is doing better. We revel in the baby steps. He's got an indoor garden that his bud , Jeff gave to him, and he is enjoying it. It's got heating pads, and a lid/terrarium style. Remember the terrariums we used to make , Barb?


Clearing out the garage, maybe a garage sale in the near future. Either way the garage is a mess.I want to work on everything , as I uncover it! ~...Victorian cat bed for the kitties, cool, old hamper for my studio, a new/old rattan basket shelf for my bedroom, old mirrors to paint and sell, great , old frames I got from an auction I'd love to gesso up and collage or/and paint, a fab. pink Victorian changing table with horse hair still in the mattress.....What do you have in your garage???

Taxes for us, Alex finished hers and is getting a refund, and L's needs to be done. She is working on her portfolio to transfer to a very good local college. She wants to major in photography. Her great uncle was quite an accomplished one, and still commands an audience in the photography world. Hope she makes the program.Nothing like a deadline to make everyone get into high gear!

I've got a show coming up, and shops to bring artwork to, and more papers to fill out. Will it never end???

Hope that this post finds you stirring around in the world, trying to make the best of what life has to offer. Our time here is so very short. Surprises can throw us way off, but we just' gotta put on our big girl panties.

My brother, who lives abroad, came for Easter, then came again after visiting my other 2 siblings. He brought his son who is only a little older than mine. They had such a nice time together. Cousins are great. I knew and loved mine growing up. People were always jealous of me that I knew my cousins and we loved one another so very much. Still do! Love you couz's!!!!hahaha...Miss you too!

Here's something different.
I will list 5 obscure things about me from my past:

1) I was a reading fiend in elementary school, and would read about 200-300 books a year. On Fridays, library day, I would bring a grocery bag to school. After school, I would go to the library and check out about another 15-17 books. I came in second in the year long reading contest. The one who read a couple of books more than me was the superintendent's daughter, Sue Ellen A.. Anyway, while walking home late, I worried that people would see me and think that I had to stay after school because I was in trouble, and that they didn't know that I was going home late because I was at the library picking out books! What things a youngster frets about! My Mom would call me down to dinner and I would say,"OK,Mom, just another minute!" Of course, she had to constantly call me because I would take forever, devouring every book, not wanting to stop reading.

2) I would er, find some 'extra money, er, around my Mom's purse, um, and go to the deli to buy ham to feed stray cats. Did I say that??? You won't find me near anyone's anything! Honesty is definitely strongly in me now, bigtime. I was little folks.

3) I used to dress my cat, Kiska, in a baby bassinet covered with a blanket. I would give a little 'tap' if he tried to get out. I dressed him in my doll clothing!!! That's probably why I am so very nice to kitties and all animals now. Retribution. I was probably a toddler when I did this. Cats and dogs just seem to gravitate to me now. I give them space and, hey, maybe I should try that with my kids.....nah.....in their face---hahaha just joking. I am better about giving them their space as they mature. But being a Mom, you never stop caring and worrying.

4) Coming home from elementary school one day, the first house across the street from the school had a little yappy dog.I meowed to him, and he came tearing out at me , barking his head off as if he was going to bite me. I had to think quickly, so I started to bark, "ruff, ruff", I said. Hahaha, they were such lousy little ruffs, no puppy dog sound. But, hey, quess what? It worked. He went scampering off. Oh, Lucky me:)

5) One time when my parents were out, as a teenager, I, with my sister and a couple of friends, got inside the dining room buffet table to some 4-5 year old Russian cigarettes to try smoking. Well, Russian cigarettes in Soviet times would kill you! No filters on those babies- good and old, stale, and horribly atrocious!!!! Talk about cough city, and almost barf city!!! What great memories,hahaha.

What have you been up to? What little secrets are you harboring inside that little head of yours.hahahaha


Sunday, April 4, 2010

XPUCTOC BOCKPECbE ! Christ is Risen ! Holy Paskha...

Spring.Old and new.

The light between the trees.
Shadows in the light.
Heart in hand.
Seeds about to fall.
Kitty on a shoulder. White tipped paws.Hamming with the Man. Alex...

Tulip. My favorite flower, along with Lilacs and their all encompassing aroma thatI cannot get enough of...dangling prepositions...Beauty in the everyday.

...transpose me to another new beginning.
BO UCTUHY BOCKPECbE!!! Truly he is Risen!


My brother John and his son were able to join us for Easter Midnite service and Agape breakfast. We didn't get home 'til 4:45am. Then had to take care of Ken after Alex went to bed. (Alex stayed home with him). Got to bed about 5:30 am.

Today is a lazy day. No fuss in foods, because they are already done. Awaiting our lamb, rice, and peas- a family favorite growing up. No fuss, no muss. Just stick about 11 cloves of garlic into the lamb. Absolutely nothing else. Make a nice gravy, and season on the table. Just fabulous.

New beginnings, rays of light trekking through my window,
approaching the windowsill,
careening around the moulding,
wanting to sit upon my shoulder.
I creep trepediciously,
being guided everyday, the whole way.
Life.

XB! .......BB!