Birthday Wishes, Apologies And Playing Tag

I want to begin with a Happy Birthday and a *Sorry I was Not There, Please forgive me!* explanation! To dear, beautiful Anna, our Nature Girl at Nature Trail, I send warm wishes for a most happy birthday. You are such a lovely person, both on the inside and the outside. May this year be a magical one for you...one filled with the happiest of surprises, great health and lots of love. To Corrine, our deliriously talented artist, Jafabrit, I send apologies that we did not make your gallery show. I was heartsick not to be there. I hope it was wonderful! Grace came home with *something* and there was no way we were going to be able to go. Bill wanted me to head out by myself but Grace was in that *I want my Mom* mindset. So, there you have it. Nothing more complicated than that but still, a huge disappointment to us. For what it was worth, I was thinking about you!! I have been tagged by dear Jen for a little list game...now, you know me. I never do lists. Well, *almost* never. Okay, I do them occasionally. Often? Always? TOO MUCH?? So, I am just a compulsive list maker. It's genetic I think. My Mom is a list maker...that's right. I will blame my poor Mother. Yeah, I really am a rotten daughter aren't I?

So, here goes!

Jobs I have had:

Technical Services Department of a University Library, Navy Department of Human Services, Assistant Manager of a Folk Art/Antique Shop, Substitute Teacher, Pre-School Teacher, Teaching Adult Literacy, Planning Fundraising Events, Elementary School Teacher's Aide, Newsletter Writer, Santa Claus Photographer, Babysitter, Teaching Art History To Elementary Classes, Dog sitter/Cat sitter, Animal Rescue, Mom, Queen Of The Universe...aha! Just to see how many are still awake!

Movies I could watch over & over: Silverado, F/X and F/X 2, Best Seller, You Got Mail, The Goodbye Girl, Sense and Sensibilities, While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless In Seattle, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Waking Ned Devine, Mystic Pizza, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Local Hero, Forrest Gump, Cocoon, Under The Tuscan Sun, Chocolat, Bringing Up Baby, My Favorite Wife, The Philadelphia Story, It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Rear Window, High Noon, Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, It Happened One Night, Mr. Roberts, Harvey, The Quiet Man, A Room With A View, Enchanted April, Gosford Park, Seven Year Itch, To Catch A Thief, Star Wars, ET, Mrs. Brown, When Harry Met Sally, Dr. Zhivago, The Sound Of Music, My Fair Lady, Il Postino, Life Is Beautiful, West Side Story, Singing In The Rain, Young Frankenstein, The Shawshank Redemption, Raiders Of The Lost Arc, Monty Python And The Holy Grail, Back To The Future, The African Queen, Roman Holiday, The Sting, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, The Out-Of-Towners (The Original), Father Of The Bride (The Original AND The Remake), Apollo 13 I know, I know but I am a movieholic! Do you know how difficult is was for me to narrow the list down to JUST these?

The *Secret* TV shows that I watch: HGTV's Househunters, The Style Network's Clean House, Bravo's Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Discovery Channel's Mythbusters, Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs

I have lived: In Ohio, Northern California, Southern California, Coastal Texas, Northern Florida (twice), Central Florida, Upstate New York, Tennessee, Southern Illinois Near St. Louis, Coastal Virginia

Favorite Foods: Risotto, Any Kind Of Soup, A Good Hamburger, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Or Roasted Vegetables, Lemon Chicken, Pasta Dishes Of All Sorts

Favorite colors: Blue, Red, Yellow, Brown

Places I would love to be now: New York City, At The Theater Or One Of The Art Museums, Chicago, At The Theater Or The Art Museum, London, Italy, Ireland, Paris And Provence, Santa Fe, San Fransisco, Disney World/Disneyland

Names I like but would not use for my children: Luke, Emma, Claire: I adore these names but they would not have sounded pretty with our last name! Yeah, I am one of those people who sounds out the names and writes them out and imagines how they will sound read aloud at a graduation or wedding! I also love Hannah but we, thinking we would never have a daughter, named our first cat Hannah. So, we could never call our daughter by the same name! Then, we used Lucy for our second cat, and there went another favorite girl's name! Oh but I do love the name Grace...and Daniel so we are pretty happy with our choices! That was a fun way to begin the week! Thanks Jen! Now, who wants to play? Have a sweet week dear friends!

A Portrait Retrospective

The Grace Gallery has another showing this afternoon...more portraiture. Perhaps Sotheby's should be thinking about an *invitation only*auction of these works soon. Ya think?

The Grace Gallery

If it is Thursday, it must be time to visit the Grace Gallery. Grace and her sweet buddy, Miss E, are involved in an art day camp just South of here. It is located in a wonderful old historic home, the front porch of which is flanked by 2 green lions! Uh huh, it is The Green Lion Art Studio! Now how did you guess that? The girls are having a fine time and really learning and creating. They are studying Picasso just now and today Grace returned with her watercolor rendering of a Picasso work. Yep, the kid loves color!

Of Artistic Expression And A Chubby Sharon Stone

Tonight was the Art Fair at Grace's school. She had several pieces included but this was her favorite. I guess you all know by now that the girl loves color! Deep, vibrant and rich. This painting just makes me happy! I had my hair cut and colored this afternoon and ran a few errands. Bill got home early and stayed with the little one I watch every day. She adores Bill! If she had HER druthers, Bill would be her daily caregiver. She squeals with delight when she sees him! The man has a way with the ladies I guess.... Andi asked if I had a lot of people in China take my photo and try to meet me....uh huh! It was crazy at times! My popularity was due to 2 basic things. (And I am SURE that THOSE 2 things were PART of it too!!) I am blond and I am, well, let's just say, not a small woman. I have never been so in demand! Our group was calling me *Sharon Stone*...."Ohhhh Shhaaarrrooonnn, more of your fans coming this waaayyyy"....and not just boys. Teenage girls too. We were at the zoo and a group of about 10 girls started screaming and running toward me. I had to pose for pictures with each one. I was, how shall I say this, *hit* on by some handsome young men too. With all those stunning young Chinese women, these poor deluded boys were hitting on ME! Now, I KNOW I looked quite a bit different than the women they were used to but sheesh. The looks on Grace's face....trying to decipher why this strange woman *knew* so many people in China! She asked one of our guides, "Why are all these people touching my new Mommy? They need to STOP! I don't LIKE it!" All of our group drew a crowd each time we were out. Westerners are not a common sight where we spent the most time. I was not the only blond nor was I the only *chubbier* Mommy in the group. I just had the deluxe combo! I was a *chubby blonde * The Daily Double!! Ding, Ding, Ding! I hit the popularity jackpot! Grace later told me that she had never seen a man as tall as Daddy (He is just barely 6 foot) ("He looks like a giant" she told the guides when she arrived) or a woman as, ahem, plump as Mommy. But, as she told me not too long ago, "I really like it now Mommy 'cause you are so very cuddly and soft." Yeah, that's me, the *softer* Sharon Stone. Autographs anyone?

Hugs,

Susie Q

A Little Celebration Was In Order...

Grace with our former neighbor and special friend Gracie with our family friend, David

Big brother Dan got his sis the Bratz laptop learning

computer she had wanted for a long time!

Uncle Jim and Aunt Lisa got Grace 2 very cute outfits!

Grandma gave Grace some adorable clothes and

something for her savings account.

Brady got some sweet clothes, savings account money

and just a few toys. He is a huge fan of Thomas

the Tank Engine and "Cars".

Boo's cake had a Thomas train that actually rode

around the track...he could not wait until the candles were

out to grab that train and have a look!

Blowing out the nine candles....

Grace chose a Barbie Dress Up cake.

I will bet that you can't guess that it was

purple AND PINK! Aw...you DID?

It was NOT the easiest cake to cut and Grace

insisted that SHE do the honors! Oh well...we all

had some and it was delicious.

Grace and our Henry as they make their

way up to get ready for bed....

Wow, did it get cold yesterday. The wind

just cut through you like a knife! Not that

I have ever been cut through, so how

would I really know but gee...

that just SOUNDS cold doesn't it?

After church, our former neighbors stopped to visit. I took care of their little one during her first year and she and Grace have a special bond. They recently moved to TN and we surely do miss them!

We had lunch at Olive Garden with my mother and oh how our Grace loves her salad and pasta! I think she had 5 helpings of their salad along with her seafood pasta!

Ran some errands and did a little shopping at Target....oh how I love Target....they have the sweetest pink, blue and green Peter Rabbit tin pails, note pads and other trinkets, in the $1 section! That makes me a very happy shopper!

We all went to see a late afternoon showing of "Music and Lyrics". Very cute and Grace has already committed the songs to memory! I think we will getting the soundtrack soon...who

knew that Hugh Grant could sing like that? It

really was a lot of fun.

Grace brought home a note from school today. It seems she has had another piece of art selected for display at the city's education resource building. There is to be a small ceremony and reception on Sunday afternoon that we will all attend. Daniel often had his art work displayed while in school. He once had a watercolor piece

shown at the Florida State Capital building

while we were residents of the Sunshine State.

Grace had her sewing class this afternoon and Bill picked up 2 cakes while waiting on her. One for Grace, one for our nephew. They share the same birth date! Our little family came over this evening along with our family friend, David. Our Grace has had quite the crush on David since the first day they met. He is always so sweet to her and kind. He knows about it and never teases her. She just grinned from ear to ear when he arrived!

We all had dinner from Grace's very favorite place, Chipotle. She favors the burrito in a bowl, with everything in it

and a heaping amount of guacamole on top.

After dinner there were presents to be opened by both kids and 2 cakes to be cut! Everyone went home well fed and happy. Grace had such a sweet day. As we tucked her in she whispered to me, "I had a really BEST day today!" Me too....

I hope you all have a "Really Best" week!

Hugs,

Suzie Q

Art For Art's Sake

A portrait one of our resident artists

(Um, this *one* goes by the name of Grace!) drew this week...of a fellow 2ND grade classmate! I loved the colors and well, it just made me smile.

We have Grace's 9th birthday party tomorrow...should be fun. Remind me I said that when I come home exhausted!

Oh PLEASE remind me!

Have a wonderful weekend dear friends!

Hugs,

Suzie Q

Miss Potter

A little girl in Victorian England, Beatrix Potter was taught music and art while her brother was sent away to school. She was a shy, reserved personality when interacting with the outside world, but her secret diary written in her own code, revealed a gregarious woman with highly critical opinions of her fellow artists. After the tragic death of her fiancé and publisher, Norman Warne, Beatrix remained unmarried until the age of 47, when she married William Heelis, a Lake District solicitor. She dedicated her later years to preserving the ecology and natural beauty of England's Lake District. She worked closely with The National Trust and left them a substantial part of her estate to be preserved as a living landscape.

Beatrix Potter began to draw at a very early age, encouraged by her parents, Rupert and Helen. Her earliest drawings were mostly sketches of plants and animals.The family's friendship with the painter Millais, gave her an insight into the world of artists and visits to the Royal Academy developed her critical skills. She very much enjoyed the work of Gainsborough, Reynolds, Raphael and Titian. There are many detailed accounts of her visits to these exhibitions in her Journal.During the 1890s Beatrix concentrated on natural history and in particular fungi, although at the same time she was earning a small income by selling illustrations for booklets, greetings cards and albums. Throughout her life she was guided by the principle of portraying nature as accurately as possible in her art. Beatrix Potter is usually associated with her famous animal character illustrations, and many people are surprised to learn of the wide variety of subjects in her sketches and paintings, ranging from animals to landscapes, flowers to fossils.

Long before Beatrix Potter was published, she drew illustrations from some of her favorite childhood stories - Cinderella and the Brer Rabbit stories by Uncle Remus. She drew these mostly to please herself, although sometimes she would give the pictures to friends and relatives. In the early 1890s her first published work appeared - greetings card designs and illustrations for a booklet, A Happy Pair, for the publisher Hildesheimer & Faulkner.

Beatrix Potter's sketchbooks, many of them held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and by The National Trust, contain many landscape drawings of the significant places in her life. Some were even used as backgrounds for the illustrations in The Peter Rabbit Books.

Here are two of them.

The garden at Ees Wyke, Sawrey, 1902

The view over Top Farm and Sawrey 1905.

A Sweet British Surprise

I visited one of my *must see/read* daily blogs this evening and found a sweet surprise! Jafabrit (you can find her link here on my page) had posted 2 wonderful pictures that really put a smile on my face and in my heart. Thanks dear C....who, by the way, just happens to be an amazing artist!